Survey of Human Genetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Survey of Human Genetics - Research Paper Example For numerous reasons the two copies of the same gene are not always exactly identical. There are often times two or more alternative forms for any particular gene. Genes that code for analogous proteins but have slightly different nucleotide sequences are called alleles (Alleles, 2009). An organism may possess only two alleles for any particular gene, and these alleles may be the same or different. All the variations within the genomes of each species are expressed through the various combinations of alleles, and this gives rise to the patterns of allelic expression. The different possible combinations of alleles directly result in some of the variation in physical characteristics which we observe in different members of the same species. These ideas about genes and their influence on physical traits come from the work of Gregor Mendel who is known as the "father of genetics". Mendel was a priest and scientist who lived in Austria during the 1800's, he performed experiments with peas. He observed that one group of pea plants produced peas that were always yellow and smooth. Another set of pea plants only produced peas that were green and wrinkled. When Mendel mated the two groups of plants, he found that all of the offspring produced peas that were yellow and smooth.

Film Sense Shot Essay Example for Free

Film Sense Shot Essay The development of formalist film theory was deeply connected with the formation of cinematograph as the autonomous art. The specific character of this theory, hence, should be understood in terms of theoretical and practical elaboration of film production instruments and thorny path of mastering various means for delivering cinematographic ideas and content to spectators. It should be noted that the basic elements of formalist film theory, such as montage, lighting, scoring, shooting etc. became generally accepted technical means in cinematograph, which were used irrespectively of theoretical approaches preached by a given director. However, it should be noted, that notwithstanding universal spread of major theoretical and technical findings of formalist theory, it has its own unique historical features, represented by the work of such notable contributors as S. Eisenstein and R. Arnheim. Generally speaking, formalist film theory may be described as the totality of views, which claim the centrality of technical and formal means of film production to maintaining its inherently artistic and cultural nature. Eisenstein, the pioneer of formalist theory, in his major works Film Form and Film Sense Shot claimed that montage is the central practice to film-making, because it covers its both technical and artistic aspects (Beyond the Shot, p. 13). The utilization of technical approaches to montage and shooting is essentially linked with general objectives of film production, as it is understood in formalist film theory, that is, creating meanings and artistic ideas through copulation/combination of images, shots and sound elements. Basic features and premises of the formalist film theory Formalist film theory is premised on the dialectical understanding of relations between form and content in film production. Technical means, including montage, shooting, lighting, sound are not neutral vis-a-vis artistic content of a given film. In contrast, their collision or sequence, help realize artistic ideas. Based on this theoretical underpinnings Eisenstein developed several approaches to montage, which should be utilized depending on specific goals director pursues. Eisenstein defines five basic approaches to montage such as metric, rhythmic, tonal, overtonal and intellectual (Eisenstein 1949 72-79). All these approaches are premised on the complexity of artistic ideas, which director delivers to spectators. The dialectical relations between shots in these types of montage are based on conflicts between volume, rhythm, scale, speed etc. Metric montage may be described as the control of time sequence of different episodes and images, irrespectively of their intellectual content. These include various formal transitions and interruptions in the visual sequence of shots. Rhythmic montage includes metric elements, but pays specific attention to the visual composition and content of shots, which is made to deliver complex meaning. One of the notable examples of this type of montage, developed by Eisenstein and practiced by his colleagues such L. Kuleshov and D. Vertov, is a famous scene from Eisenstein’s masterpiece Battleship Potemkin, often referred to as ‘Odessa Steps’. This scene portrays the massacre of protesters (including women and children) in Odessa by Imperial Cossack Forces. Metric and rhythmic approaches to montage are extensively used to portray the ugliness and brutality of Tsarist regime and its servants and the sufferings of ordinary people. To achieve this effect, Eisenstein ‘copulates’ shots of soldiers’ boots, marching down the steps with shots of baby carriage with a child in it, moving downstairs. Besides this, Eisenstein uses close images of people, who were killed and massive flight, caused by the gunfire. Temporal metric transitions, hence, are copulated with rhythmic elements, delivering emotional content (Eisenstein 1925). Tonal montage ranks the next stage in complexity of emotional appeal. It uses entire image to create certain emotional effects in spectator. Using specific lighting, sound techniques or special effects, a director creates certain aesthetic atmosphere, which communicates new artistic meanings to visual dimension of the episode. The next type of montage, which Eisenstein calls overtonal, represents combination of tonal, metric and rhythmic elements to produce complex psychological impact on the viewers. The characteristic features of each type of the montage are used in complex to capitalize on the volume, rhythm, scale and speed. And, finally, the most complex type of montage is intellectual montage, which does not only affect feelings, but imbues thinking and reflection. Objectives of formalist film theory Hence, the main objective of formalist film theory, as Eisenstein constantly repeats, is creating artistic effects and meanings, which are communicated to spectators. Eisenstein vividly showed this opportunity, provided by montage, referring to Japanese hieroglyphs, which create new meanings by adding new elements to already existing (Eisenstein, Beyond the Shot 14). Formalist theory’s basic objective may be described as creating conditions for artistic representation of reality in film production. According to Eisenstein and Arnheim, using technical means is not neutral vis-a-vis objective representation of reality. Inability to master technical means results in negative implications for films artistic content and precludes ‘intellectual’ perception of reality. Therefore, formalist film theory, seeks to overcome mere reproduction of reality, peculiar to commercial movie projects. Besides this, representatives of formalist theory hold that spectators should be influenced emotionally and intellectually in order to give them proper understanding of director’s ideas and subjective goals. This goal has its real historical reasons, because the formalist theory developed within a tradition of revolutionary propaganda films, such as Battleship Potemkin and Alexander Nevsky by S. Eisenstein. Arnheim, who is another important representative of the formalist film theory, showed that representation of reality peculiar to cinema, essentially differs from physical contours of reality. Hence, according to Arnheim, formal elements of film-making have great significance for creating emotional and intellectual effects (Arnheim 323). Arnheim gives vivid examples of unique modes of reality perception, generated by films. As he states, film images can not be reduced to physical dimensions. Neither a position of shooting, nor its objects can not be defined mathematically, because they are premised on artistic taste and understanding of reality. Moreover, as Arnheim states, film and visual realities significantly differ in depth, as films are neither absolutely two-dimensional, nor three-dimensional, but something in between(Arnheim 324) For instance, in Ruttmann’s film Berlin, the director creates interesting juxtaposition of two physical dimensions, depicting trains moving in the opposite directions (Arnheim 324). Tensions and Contradictions within Formalist Film Theory Notwithstanding positive elements, inherent in the formalist film theory, it has certain contradictions and inner tensions, which are often mentioned by the representatives of opposing film theories. For instance, Andre Bazin, one of the most prominent representatives of realist film theory, claimed that formalist understanding of form and technique of film production is manipulative and precludes genuine communication between spectators and artistic subjects (Bazin 48). Besides this, it should be noted that heavy emphasis of formalist film theory on formal and technical means prevents directors from focusing on objective cognition of reality and its representation, making it (reality) a hostage of subjective manipulation with it. However formalist film theory claims that it provides the tools for objective representation of reality, in fact, it is one of the most subjective approaches, even more subjective than auteurship film theory. According to Bazin, formalist film theory breaks world into many small separate pieces, which are then linked to produce structured, but subjective worldview (Bazin 48). Advantages of formalist film theory and its relation to other film theories Formalist film theory has its unique advantages, which are proved by the widespread utilization of its theoretical findings and innovations by film currents, which theoretically contradict its main premises. The importance of montage and other technical procedures was recognized by the majority of directors, who worked after S. Eisenstein. Today, we can not imagine any film, which does not use montage to produce certain artistic affects. Even documentary films, which represent a separate genre, essentially focus on montage. Besides this, deep connections are obvious between formalist film theory and auteur theory, which both put significant emphasis on the role of subjective artistic appeals and aims, which are necessary to maintain cinematograph as a genuine form of art. Both auteur and formalist film theories oppose neutral and quasiobjective film production, which is prone to standardization of techniques and approaches to achieve certain commercial results. In such kind of film production standard genre elements, ideological prejudices and common sense significantly erode the instance of auteurship, transforming films into faceless (without auteur) products of cinema conveyer. It should be noted, however, that formalist film theory is characterized by excessive emphasis on such elements of film production, which often have negative effect on the quality and artistic value. The parasitizing on formal elements and conscious manipulation, as it was noted, is harshly criticized by representatives of realist film theory. It seems that this critique has proper theoretical grounds. Realist film theory, represented by Bazin, calls upon to following the continuity of real images and events and finding artistic meanings in their mere existence. In this view artistic truths should be found in difficult relations between time and space, which entails montage, having subordinate function. Moreover, unlike realist film theory, formalism leaves practically no room for the freedom of interpretation and understanding, aggressively imposing already designed meanings and interpretations on spectators. Such important elements used in realist film theory as deep shot and focus, which help meet its theoretic goals, are ignored in formalist film theory. Failing to master these tools leads to losing visual integrity of reality, which is, according to Bazin, is even more important than montage (Bazin 49). Formalism in Hitchcock’s Spellbound We have already mentioned the use of formalist theory of montage in Eisenstein’s film Battleship Potemkin. However, it should be noted that crucial aspects of formalist film theory may be found in films, directed by people, who are not openly associated with this tradition. This is, for instance, the case with Hitchcock, who based his techniques of film production on Expressionist approach. Hitchcock’s film is based on psychoanalytic and surrealist subjects, which may be proved by its plot and extensive use of Dali’s designs in the Brown’s mysterious dream. One of the major characteristics of Spellbound, which links it with formalist film theory, is that it distorts normal physical perception of time and space in reality. As we remember, Arnheim’s main requirement for film production referred to its creative approach to time and space, designed to break false continuity and present artistic sequence. Hitchcock pays primarily attention to the characterization of different protagonists and objects, but not on their appearances and actions, which is so characteristic of mainstream thrillers. The characters of Constance, false Dr. Edwards, Dr. Murchison are developed in a coherent way, following strict formal structure of plot development. Besides this, Hitchcock utilizes other techniques of formalist film theory, such as fragmentary editing, psychological collision of shots, various lighting effects, and extreme angles. Moreover, Hitchcock uses different approaches to montage, elaborated by Eisenstein. Rhythmic and tonal types of montage are extensively used in scenes, designed to produce strong emotional effects on the spectators. Rhythmic montage is used in the scene depicting Ballantine/Brown/false Edwards phobia of seeing black lines on white things, when these objects are juxtaposed with protagonists’ scared look. Another example includes Constance reading false Edward’s book on the guilt complex and notices that Dr. Edward’s signature differs from that of the man who is the author of the book (real Dr. Edwards). Intellectual type of montage, developed by Eisenstein is evident in surrealist dream scene, when false Dr. Edwards looks at the wall covered with eyes. The same episode includes rhythmic juxtaposition of the close-up shots of Constance and Brown, looking at each other, as well as purely technical tool of shots’ imposition, which creates flexible and vague atmosphere of surrealist dream. Another episode including this type of montage is when Constance, while recollecting Brown’s dream, realizes that the real murderer is Dr. Murchison. In this scene, her recollection of the dream is juxtaposed with her thinking process and eventual discovery. To sum it up, we have analyzed basic characteristics of formalist film theory, its objectives, positive and negative aspects and relation to other film theories. Practical realization of formalist film theory was researched based on the examples of Eisenstein’s Battleship of Potemkin and Hitchcock’s Spellbound. Works Cited Arnheim, Rudolf. Film as Art. University of California Press,1957. Bazin, Andre. What is cinema? Vol. 1 2 (Hugh Gray, Trans. , Ed. ). Berkeley, University of California Press, 1967-71. Eisenstein, Sergei, Film Form: Essays in Film Theory, New York, Hartcourt. Trans. Jay Leyda, 1949. Eisenstein, Sergei. dir. Battleship Potemkin, 1925, USSR. Hitchcock, Alfred. dir. Spellbound. 1945, USA, Vanguard Films. Ð °

Teachers Salary :: National Budget Teaching Pay Essays

Teachers' Salary When was the last time that you saw a teacher sporting off a brand new Lexus? Or when was it that you heard of a teacher owning a ranch? The answer to this question is probably never. Although material possessions such as owning a luxurious home or driving an extravagant car might be chump change for people like the rich and famous, for teachers this kind of spending is literally an arm and a leg. Even simple necessities are out of reach with a teacher’s salary. The reason for this problem is due to our nation’s budget. Teachers along with others in the school system are underpaid and are not being adequately compensated for their services. Instead of rewarding teachers with higher pay the government is undermining their work. As a result, teachers are unable to buy that expensive car or even pay off that Honda that they bought when they were in college working for their teaching degree. School budgets must be increased immensely in order to insure the educational growt h of students and the professional development of teachers. There are four main reasons that are discussed in this paper, as to why more money should be spent on education. There are a number of key reasons why we must ensure adequate funding of our schools. To start, we must increase the accessibility of the Internet in our schools. With our society growing by the minute the need for technology is rapidly on the run. Today we depend heavily on the Internet to provide us with fast information. It is used in high tech businesses, in homes and in schools. Through the Internet we enable students to explore new and interesting issues. In addition to the books found in our local library, the Internet serves as a fundamental tool for education. With all of the assets that the Internet provides not all schools have it at their disposal. â€Å"According to a 1999 survey, conducted by Education Week only 87%, in states like Pennsylvania had Internet access† (Gazette 99). â€Å"This number however rose to 90% in 1999.† Although the numbers did rise there are other states that are not even close to that number of access. This poses as a major proble m because while other students are building their skills and are learning more, others still rely on books and articles. Through Internet use students will not only be introduced to a wide a ray of topics and search engines but will also be able to familiarize themselves with technology.

american colonies :: essays research papers

Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh : 1584 Everybody remembers Jamestown, Capt. John Smith, Pocahontas and all the rest. But do you remember Roanoke? In 1585, after a small scouting expedition had returned from North America with two Native Americans and many astonishing stories, Sir Walter Raleigh tried to establish a colony called Roanoke in the land which the British named "Virginia", in honor of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. The site was actually an island on North America's eastern seaboard protected by the outer banks of what is now North Carolina's coast. Sir Richard Grenville led the fleet that brought them to the New World, the Governor of the colony was Master Ralph Lane and among the colonists was Walter Raleigh's confidant Thomas Harriot, author of "A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia", a chronicle of their adventure. Sir Francis Drake, who was seeking Spanish conquests in the New World, rescued this group just as they were losing control of their situation. Another colony was left at Roanoke in 1587 but by 1590, when a long delayed supply ship finally arrived, they had disappeared without a trace. This was the so-called "Lost Colony". A baby was born in Roanoke at this time. Little Virginia Dare, was the granddaughter of John White, the appointed Governor of the "Lost Colony", and was probably the first English baby born in the New World. Sir Walter Raleigh sent ships to America to search for the colonists but they were unsuccessful. By the time the next English settlers arrived in North America to colonize Jamestown it was nearly twenty years later and, although several attempts were made to find out what happened to them, the fate of the "Lost Colony" was never fully explained. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1607) Virginia [Homepage , Constitution] ( Roots-L Database , Instructions for the Virginia Colony (1606) , The First Virginia Charter (April 10, 1606) , Statehouse History , Jamestown History , Jamestown Rediscovery Project , History of Jamestown , First English Settlement , The Real Pocahontas , Jamestown,Va. , Jamestowne Society , Colonial Williamsburg Home Page , Virtual Jamestown ) Based on George Weymouth's accounts of voyages to the New England area in 1606, two private companies were formed to seek a patent for colonization on the Atlantic Coast. One of these companies was called the London Company and it was given the southern Virginia territory.

Case 2- Marketing Mix

Case 2 1. What is the company’s strategy with respect to each of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix? 2. Based on the current marketing strategy, should the company’s promotion mix focus be on personal selling or on advertising? 3. What further questions might you ask Herr Wursching to help his company move toward a more relationship-based business and establish CRM initiatives? What other recommendations might you make for him with respect to CRM? 1.The company’s strategy with respect to each of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix: †¢Product: They have come up with providing cell phone services with advanced satellite network and they have come up with five cell phone options for customers to choose from. †¢Place: The Company’s corporate offices are located all around the world in different cities. The customer service outlets and retail sales are conducted through the company Web site, as well as though licensed electronics retailers.The company does not m aintain its own customer service or retail locations. †¢Price: Customer’s interested in paying a premium for worldwide cell phone coverage are what the company is looking for and in large volumes. †¢Promotion: A Berlin-based advertising and public relations agency to develop a worldwide advertising campaign is doing the promotion for the company. Print and television ads have already entered the European market and will soon be shown in the U. S. market. Several promotions to get its product and name known are already in process. . Based on the Company’s marketing strategy, the company’s promotion mix should focus on advertising. Since they don’t have their own customer service, sales force, or retail locations and due to that fact, the company is receiving customer’s through the advertising. So I think it makes sense for them to focus on advertising heavily. 3. Further questions that I might ask Herr Wursching to help his company move to ward a more relationship-based business and establish CRM initiatives: 1. Will you establish a sales force soon? If so, where? 2.Will you be using the online website for all of your client/sales based activities or will you establish other methods of marketing and offering services? The recommendations that I would make Herr Wursching in regards to CRM would be to purchase software which could be used for client data since they offer their phones/services in worldwide locations. It would be something that would benefit the company regardless of the fact that it’s expensive. The benefits outweigh the costs. Also I think he should set up retail stores in main cities where Client and Customer Representative can interact directly, face to face.

Costo de visa H-1B y 6 problemas para patrocinar

Costo de visa H-1B y 6 problemas para patrocinar La visa H-1B es adecuada para muchos perfiles de trabajadores extranjeros profesionales. Sin embargo las empresas son reacias a patrocinarlas por el costo y otros problemas. En este articulo se explica por quà © muchas  compaà ±Ãƒ ­as americanas rechazan incluso la posibilidad de patrocinar una visa H-1B o lo hacen muy restrictivamente. Eso es asà ­ sin menoscabo de que otras, generalmente grandes, sà ­ que optan por patrocinar aà ±o tras aà ±o. Costo de las visas H-1B Las empresas deben pagar al Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) una cuota por completar el formulario I-129 conocido en inglà ©s como Petition of a Noimmigrant Worker como paso previo a la obtencià ³n de la visa H-1B.   Las empresas entre 1 y 25 empleados a tiempo completo deben pagar actualmente $1,575, que puede incrementarse en cualquier momento. Sin embargo si la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a tiene ms de 25 empleados el costo se eleva a $2,325.   Adems, si se desea acelerar el proceso de tramitacià ³n es necesario pagar una cuota premium para asegurar una respuesta en el plazo de 15 dà ­as. Esto tiene un costo adicional de $1,225. Son las empresas las que tienen que correr con esos gastos. Es ilegal que el trabajador extranjero se haga cargo de ellos. Adems, hay que sumar el costo de abogados. 6 problemas para las empresas asociados a la visa H-1B Adems del costo, hay ms razones por las que las empresas prefieren no patrocinar. Entre ellos destacan por su importancia los siguientes 6: 1. La incertidumbre es otro de los factores que ms pesa a los empleadores para no solicitar una visa H-1B para un trabajador extranjero. Y es que salvo en el caso de instituciones u organizaciones que se dedican a la educacià ³n o a la investigacià ³n y que estn excluidas del là ­mite anual de visas H-1B la mayorà ­a de las empresas se encuentran con el hecho de que patrocinar a un trabajador no quiere decir, ni mucho menos, que vaya a obtener la visa. La razà ³n es que cada aà ±o fiscal hay un nà ºmero mayor de solicitantes que de visas disponibles, con lo que en los à ºltimos aà ±os se ha tenido que decidir mediante loterà ­a quià ©nes obtienen la visa. Y las empresas que necesitan a un trabajador no pueden estar limitados por la suerte o mala suerte que implica una loterà ­a. Una vez que la visa est solicitada es posible verificar su estatus online. 2. El tiempo es otra razà ³n de peso. Y es que para anotarse para la visa el plazo comienza cada aà ±o el 1 de abril. Sin embargo, aunque se gane el sorteo de la loterà ­a, no se puede comenzar a trabajar con la visa H-1B antes del 1 de octubre, es decir, con el inicio del nuevo aà ±o fiscal. De esta regla sà ³lo estn exentos las empresas no sujetas al cupo anual mximo de visas y pueden solicitar trabajadores a lo largo de todo el aà ±o. 3. El salario del trabajador es caro. La empresa tiene que ofrecer al trabajador extranjero lo que se conoce como sueldo predominante o en inglà ©s  Prevailing Wage. Para conocer cul el es el sueldo predominante para una determinada profesià ³n segà ºn el lugar de trabajo, la empresa que desea patrocinar puede consultar con el NPWC, que es una oficina del gobierno. Otra opcià ³n es consultar la Biblioteca Online de Salarios que se conoce en inglà ©s por las siglas de OWL. El requisito del salario predominante en la prctica puede suponer que podrà ­a encontrar un trabajador estadounidense o residente permanente ms barato. En la actualidad hay rumores de que con el gobierno de Trump una de las reformas migratorias afectar a la H-1B y precisamente en este punto y se han filtrado borradores en el que se indican sueldos superiores a los $130 mil como requisitos para una H-1B, si bien a dà ­a de hoy esto son solo especulaciones. 4. La empresa patrocinadora de una visa H-1B est sujeta a auditorà ­as por parte del Departamento de Trabajo (DoL por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y del Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s).   Adems, est obligada a mantener ciertos rà ©cords pà ºblicos. En otras palabras, las empresas que patrocinan este tipo de visas atraen sobre sà ­ un escrutinio adicional que no tienen las compaà ±Ãƒ ­as no patrocinadoras. 5. Si por cualquier razà ³n la empresa da por terminado antes de tiempo el contrato del trabajador que se encuentra en Estados Unidos con una visa H-1B, es responsable de pagar el ticket de regreso a su paà ­s del ex empleado. 6. Finalmente, un gran inconveniente para las empresas es que patrocinando una visa H-1B no resuelven de modo definitivo su necesidad por un trabajador con un determinado perfil. Y es que estas visas tienen una duracià ³n de 3 aà ±os ampliables por otros 3. Llegado ese momento el trabajador sale de Estados Unidos o la empresa le patrocina una tarjeta de residencia permanente, tambià ©n conocida como green card. Pero el patrocinio lleva aparejado ms trmites legales, como la peticià ³n de un Labor Certification, ms gestiones migratorias y, consiguientemente, ms gastos. Conclusià ³n y opciones a la visa H-1B En la prctica las visas H-1B no son fciles de obtener, no solo por la loterà ­a que implica un grado de suerte sino tambià ©n porque muchas empresas son reacias a iniciar el proceso debido a todos los problemas e inconvenientes que conlleva.   En este punto destacar que los chilenos tienen una cuota de visas H-1B reservada para ellos y que eso es un punto a favor, porque no entran a la loterà ­a y se pueden pedir en cualquier momento del aà ±o, es decir, cuando la empresa tiene la necesidad. Finalmente destacar que en el caso de profesionalistas mexicanos, un buen nà ºmero de profesiones permiten solicitar la visa TN. Por otro lado, para los profesionales de cualquier paà ­s con cualidades excepcionales en la Educacià ³n, Ciencias, Cine o Televisià ³n, Empresas, Artes o Deportes la visa O puede ser una buena opcià ³n. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Impressionism and Postimpressionism essays

Impressionism and Postimpressionism essays Impressionism was a form of art in the late nineteenth century that used luminosity, subtlety of tone and preoccupation with sensation. The impressionist subject matter preserved the romantic fascination with nature and the realist preoccupation with late century French society. An example of an impressionist work would be Claude Monet's Impression: Sunrise. Impression: Sunrise is a seascape that shows more of what one sees than the sea. The painting had no real strong lines because there were no lines in nature. Postimpressionism describes the western artists who followed the impressionist. They believed in art for arts sake aestheticism, they prized pictorial invention. An example would be Van Goghs The Starry Night. This is a landscape view of the small French town of Saint-Remy. The paintings sky rolls like ocean waves. The moon appears to burn like the sun. He uses color to express his vision of nature. ...

Statement of Cash Flows Theory essays

Statement of Cash Flows Theory essays The Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) creates generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) within the United States. The FASB is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization created to establish financial accounting and reporting standards, for the private-sector. Although the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) legally controls this function for public companies, as part of its mandate to administer and uphold federal securities laws provisions, it has relied on the FASB since 1973 to fulfill this role (Walker, 2004). Of the 159 pronouncements made by the FASB, Statement 95 was issued in November 1987 and focuses on Statement of Cash Flows. The term 'cash flow', in general, refers to the movement of money in and out of a business, with cash inflow typically being correlated to sales and other receipts and outflow attributed to cash payments to others such as suppliers or workers, or more simply the receipts and payments that are made by an organization (cited in Alver, 2005). In general, an organization's cash flow statement gives record to incoming and outgoing moneys, during a specific period of time. SFAS 95 establishes the standards for the reporting of cash flows, and sets the requirement that a statement of cash flows is a necessary component of financial statements for all business enterprises in place of a statement of changes in financial position (Summary of Statement, 1987, para. 1). Statement 95 states that cash receipts and payments must be classified according to where they stem from, if their source is operating activities, investing activities and financing activities. It is this classification of cash flows that allows analysis of cash flow data. Net cash flow has very little information alone. It is through classification and individual components that information is found. What can be problematic and is the lack of standard definition of ope...

Management Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Concept - Essay Example A manager's job consists of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the resources of the organization. These resources include people, jobs or positions, technology, facilities and equipment, materials and supplies, information, and money. Managers work in a dynamic environment and must anticipate and adapt to challenges. The job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. These functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent. Planning involves devising a systematic process for attaining the goals of the organization. It prepares the organization for the future. Organizing involves arranging the necessary resources to carry out the plan. It is the process of creating structure, establishing relationships, and allocating resources to accomplish the goals of the organization. Directing involves the guiding, leading, and overseeing of employees to achieve organizational goals. Controlling involves verifying that actual performance matches the plan. If performance results do not match the plan, corrective action is taken. Henri Fayol, the father of the school of Systematic Management, was motivated to create a theoretical foundation for a managerial educational program based on his experience as a successful managing director of a mining company. In his day, managers had no formal training and he observed that the increasing complexity of organizations would require more professional management. Fayol's legacy is his generic Principles of Management. Of Fayol's six generic activities for industrial undertakings (technical, commercial, financial, security, accounting, managerial), the most important were The Five Functions of Management that focused on the key relationships between personnel and its management. The Five Functions are: Planning: Drawing up plans of actions that combine unity, continuity, flexibility and precision given the organization's resources, type and significance of work and future trends. Creating a plan of action is the most difficult of the five tasks and requires the active participation of the entire organization. Planning must be coordinated on different levels and with different time horizons; Organizing: Providing capital, personnel and raw materials for the day-to-day running of the business, and building a structure to match the work. Organizational structure depends entirely on the number of employees. An increase in the number of functions expands the organization horizontally and promotes additional layers of supervision; Commanding: Optimizing return from all employees in the interest of the entire enterprise. Successful managers have personal integrity, communicate clearly and base their judgments on regular audits. Their thorough knowledge of personnel creates unity, energy, initiative and loyalty and eliminates incompetence; Coordinating: Unifying and harmonizing activities and efforts to maintain the balance between the activities of the organization as in sales to production and procurement to production. Fayol recommended weekly conferences for department heads to solve problems of common interest; Controlling: Identifying

Digital signatures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Digital signatures - Essay Example Moreover, the cases of e-commerce crimes are rising day by day. In this scenario, it becomes necessary for the organizations to take some effective steps to uphold the security of their e-commerce activities. Thus, digital signature is a suitable technique for saving customers from identity theft and various others frauds. This report presents a detailed analysis of digital signature. The aim of this research is to analyze the role of digital signature in forming e-commerce security. Business sector is by no means an exemption to internet mania. Since, with the passage of time, the online business is turning out to be an exhortation. The online business means that people can purchase and pay from home and even while sitting in their bedroom through an internet equipped PC or laptop. The global wave of information technologies (ITs) development and implementation has turned out to be a driving force in approximately every part of human job. In this scenario, the internet that is a main element of this global wave has been transformed into a double-edged weapon providing a lot of opportunities, facilities, tools, and capabilities to individuals and corporations, on the other hand as well bringing with it a considerably increased information security and privacy risks (Salifu, 2008). As the electronic methods of business expands rapidly throughout the world, security and integrity concerns turn out to be sensitive. Moreover, at the present, the customer satisfactio n and trust in internet transactions and the security measures implemented by online businesses are considered to be insignificant and perhaps the main limit in the acceptance of internet business practices (Dandapani, 2008). Electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to conducting both internal and external business activities over the internet, intranets, and extranets. In addition, e-commerce consists

Human nature as a struggle between reason and desire Essay

Human nature as a struggle between reason and desire - Essay Example Pictures and images are suitable to those only who lack more sophisticated expressions (Falzon 3). Plato has stated in Plato's Cave that when inside the cave, shadows on the wall are taken as real by persons not enlightened but the truth is that one need to come out in the sunlight to see reality.This prejudice against visual images is further enhanced in cinema. Since there also we sit in the dark hall and see images moving in front of us. Le Doeuff (1989 as cited in Falzon 4) stated that images are illustrative which enter deep and help form our thoughts.. Still some may argue that let films be just films. Why distort or bend these to fit into some philosophical definitions The answer to this may be, using films to interpret philosophy is just one more perspective to looking at these. One may argue that films are prejudiced in having the maker's view and thus may influence our interpretations. Certainly, but you can use the film as a base to think of presenting the story in differe nt way or find what the maker has left out. We remember longer what we have seen and that continuously constructs our thinking till our reasons satisfy the outcome. In the movie Cape Fear (Scorsese 1991), Max Cady is a vicious redneck who has just served a 14-year prison sentence for a hideout incident of rape and battery. Now, he's arrived to seek vengeance on Sam Bowden, the lawyer who defended him but was so repulsed by his client's crime that he buried a crucial piece of evidence. The latter could have reduced severity of Cady's punishment. Scorsese and De Niro are taking the sort of brutish, menacing, perversely unreasonable criminal as a phantom. If there, truly, is such a character in our life then this absolutely self-destructive person presents conflict between passion and reason. Cady begins to practice a sleek form of cat-and-mouse terrorism, and without really stepping outside the law harasses Bowdens. What's more, He feels strongly that Sam, by failing to defend him to the best of his abilities and also stepping outside the law, took it into his own hands. Cady emphasises that, now, he no longer has the right to expect that same law to protect him. Cady seems to have a good reason for his act. He is also trying to save Bowdens' from their sins by punishing them. How does philosophy explain the conduct of Cady and Sam The latter has scores of infidelities as well and thus shows weaknesses in his personality. Was Sam right in deciding that Cady's crime is too repulsive to be allowed any respite And was Cady right in being obsessed with the revenge against Sam's whole family Our reasons, feelings, thought and behaviour are controlled by different parts of minds. Both Freud and Kant consider mind as divided entity rather than a single unit. While hiding the report that could have reduced Cady's punishment, Sam was in conflict between reason and passion (to do lawyers duty well for his client), finally the reason yielded to passion that a criminal of Cady's level should be given severe punishment. It is also possible that during the course of our life, we develop many unconscious thoughts and wishes that keep on influencing our conscious decisions (Critchley et al 169). Similarly the overemphasised view of the fault of Sam, by Cady is due both to breach of trust as well as the conflicts of passion and reason. When the latter two were in harmony, he succeeded in creating fear in Bowdens family. But when these two were in conflict, he lost his own life.

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Book review - Essay Example Amongst his collection of short stories, Blood and Tears stands out from amongst the rest because of its literary values and the ideas presented within. In the introduction to these stories, Ali (1984) compares Mas to other Malaysian writers and says that, â€Å"The few short stories which he has contributed have greater literary value than the more prolific output of many other writers. For this reason alone Keris has earned a special place and is to be regarded as the leading figure in the new literature (Ali, 1984, Pg. 8)†. If anything at all, Blood and Tears establishes that quality is indeed more important than quantity. While examining the stories, it becomes clear to us that the historical and cultural influences of the Malaysian past figure prominently in the works of Mas. Like many other nations in south Asia, Malaysia has a history of colonization as well as rule by foreigners on local soil and the after affects of colonization remain with the people even after many decades have passed. The struggle between the Japanese and the British over Malaysia during the Second World War gave birth to the country but also create social and cultural dichotomies which still linger as a part of the social structure of the country. Mas was certainly an influential writer and had a close group of fellow writers that sought to bring about changes in Malaysian society by creating awareness through literature. Speaking about these likeminded writers as well as himself as a writer, Mas says that: â€Å"We criticized societal backwardness and those whom we regard as the instruments responsible for the birth of such backwardness. We criticized colonialism and its instruments, that is, the elite class, those whose consciousness have been frozen by the influence of feudalism and myths, and superstition that has been enmeshed with religion (Wikipedia, 2007, Pg. 1)†. Such leanings

Summary and paraphrase of Buckley's article Essay

Summary and paraphrase of Buckley's article - Essay Example This is problematic, because it is a sign of the attitude of complacency. During a movie, he observed similar kinds of attitudes with the projectionist, because the film was out of focus. This is in spite of the fact that everyone knew this, but no one seemed to care. 3. In keeping with his theory of social etiquette, Buckley sees a similar situation with himself every New Year’s Eve. He continually makes resolutions to himself to speak up against the kind of indifference from people like the train conductor, yet every year he never does. The classic example of this occurred on the airplane when he was trying to get the flight attendant to collect his empty tray. During this process, she spoke rudely to him and he had to wait longer for her to pick up his tray. 4. As a result, Buckley deduces that some kind of fundamental shift has taken place in the world. The shift is that no one is willing to go the extra mile for their customers, and that public is unwilling to speak up ag ainst it. The reason why he believes this is occurring is the tremendous technological advancements in this modern age. Beyond Babel: Why the Babble Below Will Matter Less By: Michael Schrage 1. In his article, â€Å"Beyond Babel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  author Michael Schrage is making the argument that although it is an impressive feat of intelligence to be multilingual, it is really unnecessary in terms of the global economy and its success. 2. Schrage clearly states that in a global management meeting, there are many linguistic differences and inefficiencies that do more harm than good. Although a non-native English-speaking representative is doing their best to relay a particular point, without proper fluency in the example language of English, it is more difficult for others to understand what the non-native English speaker is trying to say, as well as that person’s ability to relay the information. It is noted in the article that it is much more likely that business people in As ia speak Microsoft Word much more fluently than they do English. In toleration of an executive that seems to speak more malapropisms than can be understood, those that misidentify the numbers of the business will be fired. This is perceived as an unfair disadvantage, due to the fact that although someone may not be able to speak English, they may still be overlooked in spite of their shining examples of spreadsheet data. In this technological age, words are increasingly less important than the technology itself. Language is becoming a marginal ingredient in managerial goals. It is more important that the spreadsheet or simulation that has been provided have words to reinforce the images of these articles, not the words creating images on their own. It is still important for the words used to be articulate, but not so diluted with malapropisms or gerunds that the language is unclear. 3. Schrage makes the argument very clearly that it is not cost-effective, nor necessary for people to be multilingual in today’s technological economy. He clearly mentions that although someone may be able to speak the language with some fluency, they may not totally understand what they are saying or what is going on. He supports this with the linguistic inefficiencies of people who are not quite fluent in English, but are trying very hard. He mentions diversity creating a need for less ambiguous communications, thus using technology to increase the cross-lingual

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Book review - Essay Example Amongst his collection of short stories, Blood and Tears stands out from amongst the rest because of its literary values and the ideas presented within. In the introduction to these stories, Ali (1984) compares Mas to other Malaysian writers and says that, â€Å"The few short stories which he has contributed have greater literary value than the more prolific output of many other writers. For this reason alone Keris has earned a special place and is to be regarded as the leading figure in the new literature (Ali, 1984, Pg. 8)†. If anything at all, Blood and Tears establishes that quality is indeed more important than quantity. While examining the stories, it becomes clear to us that the historical and cultural influences of the Malaysian past figure prominently in the works of Mas. Like many other nations in south Asia, Malaysia has a history of colonization as well as rule by foreigners on local soil and the after affects of colonization remain with the people even after many decades have passed. The struggle between the Japanese and the British over Malaysia during the Second World War gave birth to the country but also create social and cultural dichotomies which still linger as a part of the social structure of the country. Mas was certainly an influential writer and had a close group of fellow writers that sought to bring about changes in Malaysian society by creating awareness through literature. Speaking about these likeminded writers as well as himself as a writer, Mas says that: â€Å"We criticized societal backwardness and those whom we regard as the instruments responsible for the birth of such backwardness. We criticized colonialism and its instruments, that is, the elite class, those whose consciousness have been frozen by the influence of feudalism and myths, and superstition that has been enmeshed with religion (Wikipedia, 2007, Pg. 1)†. Such leanings

Introduction to Business Enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to Business Enterprise - Essay Example If the resources of the company are used for personal work whether nonprofit or profit making, then out and out it will be considered as nothing less than crime. First of all if they are used for personal benefit then it is resulting in individual benefit at the cost of the company that has nothing to do with the company profit. Again even it is used for nonprofit making purpose, the company is in no way is here to do charity in a competitive world. Daryl’s case can easily be analyzed at the light of the above discussion. The first offense that Daryl commits is that he is using company’s working hours to write a book for himself. The amount that he will eventually receive from the publisher after the book gets published and the successive royalties would be his sole property. Not a single penny earned in this manner will go to the company’s account. Even if it is considered that the book is written for aesthetic joy only and it has nothing to do with money, the a ction should be equally rebuked. The company pays him to complete the work that has been vested upon him, not to get indulge in creative joy that has nothing to do with the prosperity of the company. Daryl has even asked his subordinates to help him finishing the book. This is purely taking advantage of one’s higher position and a mark of unhealthy intra organization hierarchy. First of all the employees working under Daryl has no professional bindings to him so that they have to extend their helping hands towards Daryl that concerns his only his personal benefit. Again, the employees might have other works to do that are related directly with the company that will surely get neglected if they indulge themselves working with Daryl’s book. Daryl’s actions are purely unethical based on this. He should never have asked personal help to his fellow workers and even if he has to, he should have done that in their spare time. In Daryl’s shoe one should never min gle personal work with the official one especially using company resources and time if that only means for personal benefit. At most he can approach his immediate superior requesting his favor that whether he can write a book of his own if he gets some additional time left out of his official business. A discussion with co-workers regarding their spare time, work allocation and whether they would be interested to offer their help towards writing a book would also help to overcome any misunderstanding and will also earn respect for Daryl among his fellow workers. Once everyone starts considering Daryl as one of them, cooperation and coordination will follow suit even before one asks for them and will definitely lead to individual as well as social

Role of Education in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of Education in Society Essay Society has certain requirements which must be met if it’s to survive; hence the role of education in society is examined in terms of how it helps to meet those needs. Firstly, society needs a certain degree of social solidarity or unity. People must feel a sense of belonging to society and a sense of loyalty to the social group. Common norms and values provide this. Secondly, every society requires a system for socializing new members. In an industrial society in which occupational status is largely achieved, young people must learn to value individual achievement. Thirdly, every society requires a system for placing people in roles best suited to their talents and abilities. This is particularly true in industrial society with a specialised division of labour. The right people must be matched with the right jobs. Lastly, for society to operate efficiently and effectively, its members must possess the necessary skills to perform essential tasks. (Harambos et al, 1986) Education attempts to develop the personality of the pupil and prepare him for membership into society. This function corresponds to the double role a person has to play in life, both as an individual and as a member of society. Schools in western societies emphasize individual achievement. The student achieves his/ her status based on their ability, talent, determination and effort. Achievement is measured by the student’s performance in examinations. Education can be seen as a system for sifting, sorting and grading people in terms of their ability. Students leave school having been thoroughly tested. In theory, the most talented will achieve the highest qualifications; the least talented will come away with little or nothing to show for their efforts (Harambos et al, 1986) The vision for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocation Training and Early Education (MESVTEE) is â€Å"to guide the provision of education for all Zambians so that they are able to pursue knowledge and skills, manifest excellence in performance and moral uprightness, defend democratic ideals and accept and value other persons on the basis of their personal worth and dignity, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic or any other discriminatory characteristic (Ministry of Education, 2000) The Ministry of Education emphasizes that the child is placed at the center of the entire education process which exists solely for the sake of the learner. It also recognizes that each child is unique. This contributes a rich diversity to the whole education system. The aim of school education is to promote the full and ell rounded development of the physical, intellectual, social, effective, moral and spiritual qualities of all pupils so that each can in turn develop into a complete person, for his/ her personal fulfilment and the good of society (Ministry of Education, 1996) The education system in Zambia is divided into four major parts. These parts include lower and middle basic school; upper basic school; high school; and higher education. The education system for the lower and middle basic levels is concerned with the pupils’ complete needs: those of the body, mind, affective, social; moral and spiritual needs. The system at this stage allows for adaptation of some aspects of the curriculum to match local needs and circumstances. This stage provides pupils with a substantial and recognizable preparation for life. Ministry of Education, 1996) The upper basic system builds on the foundation laid at the lower levels, though the programme of activities is just broadened and balanced to allow for treatment at an in-depth appropriate for the level of education, age and experience of the pupils. Education at this level includes issues like Education for democracy, which allows these young Zambians to acquire an understanding of the values that have shaped society and the practices that have preserved it; literacy and numeracy which allows them to read and write correctly, clearly and confidently in both their Zambian language and in English, and to acquire basic numeracy and problem solving skills for them to function effectively in society; science and technology helps the pupils develop processes of scientific thinking. This ability to think scientifically and understand scientific processes has become a condition for survival in society; practical and technical subjects provide compensation for traditional knowledge and practical skills that students would have acquired if they had not been attending school. They also provide a way of experiencing and dealing with the physical world. (Ministry of Education, 1996) Since upper basic education may be the only formal education the majority of pupils will likely get, the basic education system should adequately prepare the pupils for life after school; hence issues such as health and personal well being, Sexuality and personal relationships are tackled at this level. This is coupled with helping the students to develop socially acceptable habits. In these studies, effort is complemented by the home, community and society at large. This enables the pupils shape for themselves their own personal philosophy of life, by internalizing and adopting their own set of values and attitudes which would direct their own lives. (Ottaway, 1962) Performing and creative arts helps the pupils develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage. Co-curricular activities also help pupils develop life skills which equip them with positive social behaviour and coping with negative pressure. High school builds on the foundation laid in upper basic school. High school aims at the integrated and comprehensive development of each pupil’s potential, enabling the pupil adopt adult life and make a useful contribution to society. It also develops the intellectual skills and qualities, foster creativity, imagination resourcefulness and innovativeness and provide occasion for their practical exercise. It also promotes extensive knowledge, exact skills and accurate understanding of areas of study. (Ministry of Education, 1996) When progressing from one level of the education system to the next, evaluation and assessments are conducted. This is in order to determine whether the education system is achieving its objectives, and that it is producing the right caliber of graduates expected by society. Society’s interest is on the public exams that mark the end of one stage of education and serve as a selection instrument for the next stage. (Ministry of Education, 1977) In conclusion, the education system in Zambia is inclined towards the new sociology of education because emphasis is placed on the individual development of the pupil’s potential. Throughout the whole progression from lower basic to high school, focus is placed on the development of the pupil’s skills individually. Pupils therefore develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage throughout the whole education system.

Study of In-vivo Analgesic Activity | Experiment

Study of In-vivo Analgesic Activity | Experiment A) ANIMALS Swiss albino mice (20-25 g) of either sex were used for study of in-vivo analgesic activity. Animals were kept under standard laboratory conditions i.e. temprature is 24  ± 2 °C and relative humidity is 60-70%. The study protocol was approved by the institutional animal ethics committee (IAEC) before experiment (Approval No. 1452/PO/a/11/CPCSEA). Albino-Swiss mice were taken from Laboratory Animal House, Devsthali Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Lalpur, Rudrapur (U. S. Nagar) and used for the study. The animals were procured from IVRI, Bareilly (U.P.) The animals were kept in polypropylene cages and maintained on balanced ration with free access to clean drinking water. All experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the guide for Care and use of laboratory animals and in accordance with the Local animal care and use committee. All of the animals were left for 2 days in the laboratory for acclimatization before the day of experiment and on the last day they were giv en water only. Minimum of 6 animals were used in each group. Wistar rats of either sex weighing (150-200 g) were used for studying in-vivo anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activity. Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing 20-25 g were used for in-vivo analgesic activity. Animals were maintained under standard laboratory conditions (24  ± 2 °C; relative humidity 60-70%). Study protocol was approved by the institutional Animal Ethics Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals (IAEC, Approval No. 1452/PO/a/11/CPCSEA) before experiment. Wiatar Rats and Albino-Swiss mice from Laboratory Animal House Section, Department of Pharmacology, Devsthali Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Lalpur, Rudrapur (U. S. Nagar) were used in the study. The animals were procured from IVRI, Bareilly (U.P.). Minimum of 6 animals were used in each group. B) ACUTE TOXICITY STUDIES The acute oral toxicity studies were performed to study the acute toxic effects and to determine minimum lethal dose of the synthesized compounds. Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing 20-25 g were used for the study. The aqueous solution of compounds were administered orally to different groups of over night fasted mice at the doses of 30, 100, 300, 1000 and 3000 mg/kg body weight. After administration of the compounds, animals were observed continuously for the first three hours for any toxic manifestation. Thereafter, observations were made at regular intervals for 24 hrs. Further the animals were under investigation up to a period of one week. The dose calculated for the synthesized compounds are as following- I) ANALGESIC ACTIVITY A) Method 1: Hot plate method Heat is used as a source of pain. Animals were individually placed on the hot plate maintain at constant temperature (55 °C) and the reaction of animals, such as paw licking or jump response was taken as the end response. Analgesic drugs/compounds increases the reaction time. The method was first described by Eddy Leimbach (A cut off period of 15 sec is observed to avoid damage to the paw). The compounds were dissolved in the Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (0.5% suspension). Control, standard and test compounds were given per orally to the animals and the reaction of time of animals at 15, 30, 60 120 min interval was noted on the hot plate after drug administration. The method of Eddy and Leimbach using techno heated plat analgesic apparatus was used. The standard drug Diclofenac Sodium (50 mg/kg) was used reference drug for comparison. The result was tabulated in Table. Results were expressed as means  ± S.E.M. Statistical significance was analyzed using the one-way analysis of vari ance followed by Tukey’s Multiple Comparison Test where p B) Method 2: Acetic Acid Induced Writhing Method Analgesic activity was determined by calculating total number of writhings, following intraperitoneal (I.P) administration of 0.6% (0.1 ml/10g) acetic acid in mice .7 Albino mice of either sex (25-30 g) were used. Synthesized compounds (QAA-04H-04S) were administered intraperitonealy (0.5 ml) as a suspension in sterile 0.9% DMSO solution as vehicle. Diclofenac (10mg/kg) was used as the standard drug under same conditions. Acetic acid solution was administered intraperitonealy 30 min after administration of the compounds. 10 min after intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid solution, the number of writhings per animal was recorded for 20 min. Control animals received an equal volume of vehicle. Results of percentage Analgesic activity of compounds were calculated using following formula and the results are shown in table. % Analgesic activity = No. of writhings for control – No. of writhings for test compound *100 No. of writhings for control II) ANTI-PYRETIC ACTIVITY STUDIES: Albino rats of Wistar strain of either sex weighing between 170-190g were used. For induction of fever in rats, 20% w/v of brewer’s yeast in distilled water was administered by subcutaneous injection. All animals were induced pyrexia by injection of 10 ml/kg of brewer’s yeast solution under the skin in between the shoulder blades. The site of the injection was massaged in order to spread the suspension beneath the skin. Basal rectal temperature was measured before the injection of yeast, by inserting digital clinical thermometer to a depth of 2 cm into the rectum. The rise in rectal temperature was recorded 19 hours after yeast injection. The different groups of febrile rats were orally administered with the respective drugs and rectal temperature was recorded 30, 60, 120, 180 and 300 minutes post treatment. Decrease in rectal temperature post treatment indicated antipyretic effect. The difference in body temperature was recorded. III) ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY: The anti-inflammatory activity of compounds on carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema was determined according to the method described by Winter et al. (1962). The experimental animals were divided into ten groups, each containing five animals. First group received sterile normal saline (0.85% NaCl) assigned as control and the second group received standard drug Ibuprofen (20 mg/kg b.w., p.o.). The 3rd to 10th groups were administered the test compounds (at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.w, suspended in 10 ml/kg of 2% gum acacia) orally. After 30 min of administration of test compounds, 0.1 ml of 1% (w/v) carrageenin was injected subcutaneously in the subplantar region of the left hind paw. The right paw served as a reference to non inflammed paw for comparison. The initial paw volume was measured within 30 sec of the carrageenin injection by plethysmometer. The relative increase in paw volume was measured in control, standard and test compounds at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 h after the carrageenin injection. The difference between initial and final readings was taken as the volume of oedema and the percentage inhibition by the compounds was calculated using the formula (Kouadio et al., 2000): % Inhibition = 1-Ãâ€" 100 where dt is the difference in paw volume in the test compound-treated group and dc the difference in paw volume in the control group. IV) ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY Antimicrobial chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of many infectious diseases. However repeated and irrational use of some antibiotics result in resistance i.e., ineffectiveness of drug against the microorganisms. In the recent past, the emergence of drug resistance to antibiotics is more. This situation stimulated us to prepare new series of antimicrobials. The principle use of antibiotics is to help the body fight bacterial and/or fungal infections. The course of an infection is often linked to a race between the pathogen’s ability to grow in the host tissue and the tissue’s ability to capture and destroy the invading pathogen. Antibiotics are given to weaken or kill some of the invading Pathogens; hopefully, the body’s tissue can then destroy the rest. The effectiveness of an antibiotic is preliminarily determined by the size of the zone of inhibition, but zone size varies according to how easily the antibiotic diffuses through the agar, the type of medium used and many other factors. If a clear zone appears in which there is No microbial growth around the disk, it is called as the zone of inhibition, even though killing may have occurred in this zone. (A) Antibacterial Activity: In our current study, antibacterial activity was carried out by the agar diffusion method. Here the responses of the organisms to the synthesized compounds were measured and compared with the responses of the standard drugs. The standard reference drugs used in the antibacterial screening were Norfloxacin and Gatifloxacin. For antibacterial activity 2 gram positive bacteria i.e. Enterococci, Staphylococcus aureus and two gram negative bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli Shigella species were taken. Petridishes, cork borer, beakers, glass syringes and test tubes were sterilized by dry heat sterilization at 160 ºC for 1hr in hot air oven.All the synthesized compounds were dissolved in DMF to make the concentrations of 40 µg/ml. Preparation of nutrient agar media: Preparation of the bacteriological media involves the following steps:- All ingredients were dissolved in distilled water by boiling. The pH of the medium was determined with a pH meter and adjusted if necessary. The medium so prepared was sterilized by autoclaving at a temperature of 121 ºC for 15mins. Preparation of agar plates: The sterilized nutrient media was cooled to 45 º-46 ºC and inoculated with respective suspension of micro-organisms. They were mixed well and 200ml each of inoculated media were transferred into separate petridishes. They were allowed to cool at room temp. Until the agar medium completely solidified. Bores were made using cork borer and 0.1ml solution of test drug and control solutions were separately added to each bores. The sterile discs of standard reference drugs were placed on the surface. The petridishes were kept for 2hrs to allow the drug to diffuse into the agar media. A sterile atmosphere was maintained during the entire process by carrying out the work under Laminar Air Flow bench. All the plates were incubated for 24hrs at 37 ºC. At the end of incubation period, diameters of the zone of inhibition were measured and recorded. (B) Antifungal Activity: The antifungal activity was carried out by agar diffusion method. The responses of the fungal microorganisms to the synthesized compounds were recorded and compared with the standard reference drugs. Two fungal strains namely Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus were taken for the study. Petridishes, cork borer, beakers, glass syringes and test tubes were sterilized by dry heat sterilization at 160 ºC for 1hr in hot air oven. Each sample compound was dissolved in DMF to make the concentrations of 40 µg/ml. Clotrimazole and Amphotericin B were used as standard dugs. Media for fungi: Sabouraud Dextrose Agar : 65g procured from Himedia, Mumbai Distilled water : 1000ml Preparation of agar media: The preparation of the media involves the following steps:- Sabouraud Dextrose Agar was dissolved in 1000ml of sterile distilled water by boiling. The pH of the medium was determined with a pH meter and adjusted to if necessary. The medium so prepared was sterilized by autoclaving at a temp. of 121 ºC for 15mins. The sterilized nutrient media was cooled to 45 º-46 ºC and inoculated with respective suspension of fungal organisms. They were mixed well and 200ml each of inoculated media were transferred into separate petridishes. They were allowed to cool at room temp. Until the agar medium completely solidified. Bores were made using cork borer and 0.1ml solution of test drug and control solutions were separately added to each bores. The sterile discs of standard reference drugs were placed on the surface. The petridishes were kept for 2hrs to allow the drug to diffuse into the agar media. A sterile atmosphere was maintained during the entire process by carrying out the work under Laminar Air Flow bench. Then the plates were incubated at 25 ºC for 48hrs. The zone of inhibition was measured and recorded. V) IN-VITRO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY Method followed: In vitro inhibition of albumin denaturation: Denaturation of proteins is one of the causes of inflammation. Production of auto- antigens in certain rheumatic diseases may be due to in vivo denaturation of proteins. A number of anti-inflammatory drugs are known to inhibit the denaturation of proteins. Mizushima and other have employed protein denaturation as in vitro screening model for anti-inflammatory compounds. Materials: Bovine serum albumin (sigma) Buffer tablets (7.4 pH) DMF Ibuprofen (standard) Distilled water (q.s.) METHOD: The test compounds were dissolved in minimum amount of dimethyl formamide (DMF) and diluted with phosphate buffer (0.2M, pH 7.4). The final concentration of DMF in all solutions was less than 2.5%. Test solution (1ml) containing different concentration of drug was mixed with 1ml of 1mg/ml albumin solution in phosphate buffer and incubated at 27 ºÃ‚ ±1 ºC for 15 min. Denaturation was induced by keeping the reaction mixture at 60 ºÃ‚ ±1 ºC in water bath for 10 min. after cooling, the turbidity was measured at 660nm in spectrophotometer. The percentage inhibition of denaturation was calculated from control where no drug was added. And compared against standard (Ibuprofen).

Buffalo Soldiers :: Blacks Slavery History West Papers

Buffalo Soldiers When someone thinks of the west the first things that probably come to their mind are probably Cowboys, Indians, Gunfights and The Gold Rush. Little to no people think of blacks and their contribution to the expansion of the west. This is due to the fact that even though the west was considered free territory blacks were still enslaved tot a certain extent. What people have to realize is that slavery is more mental than anything. Blacks made contributions in many areas of the west: on the ranch, in wars, and also in commerce. In this paper I plan to bring to light a majority of the many contributions that blacks made to help make the American west what it is today. Many people carry the misconception that the west was only founded and established on the accomplishments of Caucasians. This is primarily because during the time of the expansion of the west blacks were still looked down upon so eve if they made a great contribution they were not given credit for it. Blacks gave many grea t contributions to the west, which aided in the success of the founding of that particular part of America and its history. "During the time period of 1863 approximately 3,120,000 slaves were freed (Blacks in the west pg. 55)" Due to this large influx of free slaves many of them needed somewhere to go and jobs to do. So many of the decided to go to the west were they would be able to receive a new chance and new identities. " Black families coming wets in covered wagons established self sufficient all black towns and filed every job from barber, to teacher, doctor to state legislator. This went to show many people that there stereotype of blacks that they were dumb and less human was extremely incorrect. But the main contributions that I will be focusing on will be that of Black Cowboys and the buffalo Soldiers. When one thinks of the cowboys the first thing that comes to their mind, or at least my mind would be a white man riding in the open parries of the West. But in many cases that was extremely untrue. "Nearly a third of all cowboys who helped build the American west were black (Black Pioneers Pg.16)". Many people do not know about this due to segregation. Mainly if not only white cowboys were given recognition due to the fact that slavery had just ended and many people were getting use to the fact that blacks were free and equal to them.

Land Ethic :: essays research papers

The land ethic is a holistic view of ecosystems. It entails an entire view of a biotic community to include all of nature, not just the individualistic components which incorporate our environment. Great efforts would be taken by supporters of the ‘land ethic’ to support an ecosystem that was threatened. The individual components that comprise the ecosystem are not of great concern to supporters of this theory; they would argue that a threat to an individual organism, even protected or endangered, should be evaluated on whether or not the protected or endangered species does endanger the integrity of the whole system. A supporter of the land ethic argument would have consequences to weigh regarding the value of the threatened individual and how it relates to the survival of individuals of the group. If the group were to suffer a threatening blow that could affect the livelihood or existence of members of the controlling group one would expect that the threatened organis m could be evaluated for possible â€Å"non-protection†. In contrast, a Respect for Nature ethic believes that any animal or living organism should be protected because that organism is deserving of its own individual worth; the fact that it is protected or endangered would be of little concern to these supporters. The simple fact that an individual is threatened is more than sufficient to justify that great efforts be taken to protect that individual entity. The Respect for Nature ethic followers would argue that every organism is worthy of protection because of an inherent worth that entitles that entity to protection from destruction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If society were to take either side of this argument, there would be consequences. To take the land ethic view, our current use of the land for farming and raising livestock would change and our view as the conqueror of the land would change to more towards a â€Å"biotic citizen† or a member of the land community.

Is the Best Yet to Come

When the problem inside is detected and removed than the external environment can turn back Into stable stage of development. The consultants at McKinney & Company suggested to analyses the organization using 7 key elements: ; Structure ; Systems ; Style ; staff ; Skills ; Strategy ; Shared values. [Pl] Source: http://www. Middleton. Com/pages/article/newest_91 . HTML As model includes next items: ; Structure: shows the way organization Is structured and Interrelation of business units with each other.It indicates how employees interact with each other within the organization. ; Systems: the practices in which employees participate day-to-day, e. G. Organizational systems, financial systems etc. ; Style: description of the general way of conducting business within the company. Style is rather top-down image than bottom up concerning the top-management ruling the company and analyzing the attitude of deferent level employees on It. ; Staff: refers to the employees within personal deve lopment. ; Skills: refers to gained professional abilities of employees within the company. Strategy: the general plan of company's management to induct its business currently and in the future. Strategy usually is made by corporate level managers to analyze the internal and external environment of the company and respond to changing demand within its specific industry. ; Shared values: refers to the core values of the company, for what it is created and what mission it has in society. In addition there are also ethics principles serving as the guidelines for the company. Now we will analyze Struck based on McKinney As framework. 1 .Structure The general structure of Struck is very diversified and functional, basically including marketing, HER, CARS, Legal, and Finance etc. Figure 2. Struck' structure [pick] Source: http://MBA. Tuck. Dartmouth. Deed/PDF/2002-1-0023. PDF Generally speaking, the structure of Struck doesn't have strict hierarchy and is rather democratic. According to t he case, full-time and part-time employees regarded as ‘partners of the company, and every one of them is granted a stock option in proportion to their base pay. In 1991 each partner was granted stock options worth 12% of base pay, and this continued then each October every year.In general the organizational structure is build in order to avoid high turnover rate and reduce staff retention as much as possible. The motivation of employees is high, and Struck' turnover for store management is about 25%, compared to about 50% for other retail channels. 2. Systems Struck developed outstanding system techniques which helped sustain the leading position in the world among coffee-makers. Its unique system includes: ; Licenses stores and specialty sales licensing agreement, which managed market and distributing whole-bean and round coffees in grocery and mass-merchandise channels across the U.S. At the same time Struck controlled how customers would perceive Struck when they encounter ed it in grocery aisles. The company also created its own sales group that provided its coffee products to restaurants, airlines, hotels, universities, hospitals, business offices, country clubs and select retailers. ; Purchasing system Struck personnel traveled to coffee-producing countries to build relationships with growers and exporters, searching the sources that would meet its demands on quality and flavor.Because coffee industry depends a lot on weather conditions and different harvests, Struck set up fixed purchasing price to protect itself and get the bargaining power. ; Employee training Struck really believes that reducing the staff retention will help it to build strong brand, because the longer employees stay with the company, the more loyal customers the company will get. That's why employees were trained and educated about coffee market, and afterwards shared their knowledge with customers. Thus Struck has developed system to build brand loyalty among its customers.Th eir raining covered also practices as set forth in the company's operating manual, information systems, and the basis of managing people. 3. Style The managerial style of conducting business in Struck is characterized as oriented on leadership (trust, collaboration, people development, and ethics), creating the opportunities for employees further career development (employees provided with coaching and feedback) and educating style (company raised employees according to personal needs giving them coffee knowledge and expertise seminars).In general Struck is perceived as innovative, team-oriented and strong rand company. 4. Staff As long as Struck expanded internationally, company launched special hired high-motivated people who shared its love for coffee and had strong interest in it along with top-management. This has made Struck really unique and distinctive from its competitors company. In addition employees were guided by three principles: 1) maintain and enhance self-esteem 2) listen and acknowledge 3) ask for help.Thus employees became one of key figures to take part in company's decision and empowered by top-management. The whole total care of employees has rough Struck reputation of well-respected company and helped it generate high-profit to satisfy shareholders' needs. 5. Skills The workers of company are quite high skilful due to intensive training and recognition. Every partner/barista received at least 24 hours of training on coffee history, drinks preparation, customer service, coffee knowledge and so on.Customer service: we can see from the case that due to the employee coaching highly knowledgeable staff brought benefit to the company using friendly attitude to every customer, who wanted to come again and again to enjoy a cup of coffee in Struck. Customizing drink to customer specifications: workers were able to prepare grinding beans, steaming milk, learning to pull perfect cup of espresso, memorizing the recipes of different drinks – l ed to winning the prize among the target market. . Strategy Struck strategy was set up in order to build brand awareness, brand recognition, and brand association among its customers worldwide. Hence main strategies were implemented: A. Employee's loyalty strategy: core strategy to win employee loyalty and commitment to company's mission B. Store expansion strategy: choosing the best action in large cities and suburbia, creating best retail team in the coffee bar industry.World expansion has spread to Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan by 2005 by choosing licensing rather than franchising to tight controlling over its operations. C. Coffee purchasing strategy: Struck relied mostly on direct suppliers from coffee-producing countries rather than on media-suppliers, that helped to reduce costs and make economies of scale D. JP and acquisitions strategy: partnering with famous brands as PepsiCo, Dryer's Grand Ice Cream Brands generated gross sales of over $8 million annually.P urchasing Ethos Water lead to expanding the line of beverages in the U. S. Overall operations has driven extremely high profit for Struck that achieved its strategic objectives. 7. Shared values Struck positions itself as contributing to the community and to the environment in which it operates. Along with care for employees, building trust and respecting techniques, it also set up one of the best valuable CARS strategy in the world, becoming an environmental leader in all facets of its business.For example using recycling material, avoiding genetically modified ingredients Struck has built a strong belief of customers in healthy products produced by the company. General As analysis shows that Struck doesn't have any gaps in every sector of McKinney model. The company has very good top-down and bottom-up strategies, ensuring well-being of top-managers, customers and employees. But this analysis is mostly suitable for internal analysis of a company that helps to understand problems, which might appear when industry environment starts to change.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 3

3. The Samurai of Jackson Street TOMMY When he first arrived in San Francisco, Tommy Flood had shared a closet-size room with five Chinese men named Wong, all of whom had wanted to marry him. â€Å"It's horrible-like being packed into a take-out box of Kung Pao chicken,† Tommy had said, and although it wasn't like that at all, and Tommy was just trying to use colorful language which he felt was his duty as a writer, it was very crowded and smelled strongly of garlic and sweaty Chinese guys. â€Å"I think they want to pack my fudge,† Tommy had said. â€Å"I'm from Indiana, we don't go for that kind of stuff.† As it turned out, the Chinese guys didn't go for that kind of stuff either, but were, in fact, very much interested in getting green cards. Fortunately, only a week later, in the parking lot of the Marina Safeway where he worked nights, Tommy met a gorgeous redhead named Jody Stroud, who rescued him from his confinement with the Chinese guys, by giving him her love, a nice loft apartment, and immortality. Unfortunately, little more than a month after that, their minion, Abby, had them bronzed while they slept, and Tommy awoke one night to find that despite his great vampire strength, he couldn't move a muscle. â€Å"I'd rather be trapped in a take-out box of Kung Pao chicken,† Tommy would have said if he could have said anything, which he couldn't. Meanwhile, right next to him, sharing the same bronze shell, his beloved Jody drifted in a dream-state, a side effect of being able to turn herself to mist, a trick she had learned from Elijah Ben Sapir, her vampire sire. Between the dead sleep of daylight, and the floating in a dream-world, she could endure decades inside the statue. Tommy, however, had never learned how to turn to mist. There had never been time to teach him. So come sundown, his vampire senses came on like neon, and he experienced every second of his confinement with an electric intensity that nearly had him vibrating in his shell-an alpha predator pacing the cage of his mind and shredding his reason. Of course, he did the only thing he could do: he went barking at the moon mad. CHET He'd have to lick about a mile of kitty-butt to get the taste of meter maid out of his mouth, but Chet was up for it. He raked a couple of hind-leg kicks through the dust that was the meter maid's remains, and headed across the street and into the alley, where he curled up in the dark and set about blunting the human taste. It was only a little over a month since the old vampire had turned Chet, but already he was losing all sense of his former self. Time was, that he spent his days on Market Street, napping next to William, the homeless man who made his living with a paper cup and a sign that said, I AM HOMELESS AND MY CAT IS HUGE. Chet was indeed very large, and while much of his volume had been fur, he had achieved a weight of thirty-five pounds on a diet of semi-used hamburgers and French fries donated by passersby outside of McDonald's. Now Chet hunted the night, taking down nearly any warm-blooded creature he encountered: rats, birds, squirrels, cats, dogs, and even the occasional human. At first it had only been drunks and other homeless, and the first time he had drained one, his old friend William, who turned to dust in front of him, Chet yowled, ran, and hid under a Dumpster for the rest of the night and all of the next day. There was no regret, simply hunger and elation of the blood rush. It was beyond the satisfaction of the kill, it was positively sexual, something Chet had never known as a normal cat, as he'd been neutered by the animal shelter when still a kitten. But along with speed, strength, and senses far more sensitive than even a human-based vampire, Chet, like his human counterparts, found that he was physically restored to perfection. In other words, his junk was working. He found that soon after the kill he desperately needed to hump something, and the more squirmy and wailing, the better. Above the smells of bus fumes, cooking food, and urine-bathed curbs that pervaded the City, he caught the scent of a female in heat. She might be a mile away, but given his newly heightened senses, he'd find her. A wave of excitement undulated under the fur of his spine, fur that had mostly grown back since the humans had shaved him, mated in front of him, and drank his blood, which served to traumatize his little kitty consciousness before he was turned vampire, and motivated a whole new feeling he'd grown into as a vampire cat: vengeance. For since his metamorphosis, it wasn't just his senses that had expanded. His brain, which before had run a loop of â€Å"eat-nap-crap, repeat,† was now growing into a whole new awareness, getting bigger, even as Chet grew. He was a good sixty pounds now, and roughly as smart as a dog, where before he'd only been a little brighter than a brick. Dog. The hated. There was dog on the air. Coming closer. He could smell it-them-two of them. And now he could hear them. He arose from his butt bath and screeched like an electrified lynx. In response, the neighborhood echoed with a chorus of yowls from a dozen other vampire cats. THE EMPEROR â€Å"Steady, fellows,† said the Emperor. He laid his hand across the neck of the golden retriever and scratched under the chin of the Boston terrier, who squirmed in the great pocket of the Emperor's overcoat, looking like a frantic, black-and-white, bug-eyed kangaroo mutant. â€Å"Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat!† barked Bummer, with a spray of doggie slobber across the Emperor's palm. â€Å"Cat! Murder, pain, fire, evil, cat! Can't you smell them? Everywhere! Must chase, chase, chase, bite, bite, bite, let me go you insane, oblivious old man, I'm trying to save you, for the love of God, CAT! CAT! CAT!† Unfortunately, Bummer only spoke dog, and while the Emperor could tell that the Boston terrier was upset, he had no idea why. (Anyone who translates dog knows that only about a third of what Bummer said actually meant anything. The rest was just noise he needed to make. Human speech is about the same.) Lazarus, the golden retriever, having battled vampires on and off for the last two months, and being steady by nature, was much calmer about the whole thing, but despite Bummer's tendency to overreact, he had to admit, the smell of cat was tall in the air, and what was more disturbing, it wasn't just cat, it was dead cat. Dead cat walking. Wait, what was that? Not cat-cats. Oh, this was not good. â€Å"He's right about the cat,† Lazarus ruffed, nudging the Emperor's leg. â€Å"We should get out of this neighborhood, maybe go over to North Beach and see if anyone dropped a beef jerky or something. I could sure use a beef jerky. Or we can stay and die. Whatever. I'm good with it.† â€Å"Easy, men,† said the Emperor, alert now that something was amiss. He knelt down, his knees creaking like rusted hinges, and as he looked around, kneaded the spot between Bummer's ears as if he were readying to make doggy-brain biscuits. He was a great, woolly, thunderstorm of a man-broad shouldered and gray bearded, fine witted and fiercely loyal to the people of his city. He had lived on the streets of San Francisco as long as anyone could remember, and while tourists saw him as a raggedy, homeless wretch, the locals viewed him as a fixture, a rolling landmark, a spirit, and a conscience, and for the most part, treated him with the deference they might pay royalty, despite the fact that he was a raving loon. The street was deserted, but a half a block away the Emperor saw the three-wheeled cart of an S.F.P.D. parking enforcement officer, stopped behind an illegally parked Audi. The cart's rotating yellow caution lights chased themselves around the surrounding buildings like drunken, jaundiced Tinkerbells, but there was no officer in sight. â€Å"Strange. It's long past time when a meter maid should be working. Perhaps we should investigate, gents.† But before he could stand, Bummer leapt out of the Emperor's pocket and made a beeline for the cart, trumpeting himself into the charge with a staccato barking fit. Lazarus took off after the black-and-white fur-rocket, and the old man ambled along behind, as fast as his great, arthritic legs would carry him. They found Bummer on the far side of the Audi, snorting and snuffling inside an empty police uniform, and covered with a fine gray powder. The Emperor's eyes went wide. He backed across the sidewalk and stood against the fire door of one of the industrial lofts that lined the street. He had seen this before. He knew the signs. But when he had seen the old vampire and his companions board an enormous yacht in the Bay over a month ago, he thought his city rid of the bloodsucking fiends. What now? There was a crackling static noise from the police cart: a radio. Call it in. Alert his people to the danger. He rolled to the cart, fumbled with the door catch, and reached for the microphone. â€Å"Hello,† he said into the microphone. â€Å"This is the Emperor of San Francisco, Emperor of San Francisco, protector of Alcatraz, Sausalito, and Treasure Island, and I'd like to report a vampire.† The radio continued to crackle and distant voices ghosted through the ether, uninterrupted. Lazarus padded to the old man's side and barked furiously, â€Å"You have to push the button. You have to push the button.† Unfortunately, while the noble retriever understood English, he only spoke dog, and the Emperor did not get the instruction. â€Å"Button! Button! Button! Button!† Bummer barked, springing up and down in front of the police cart. He scurried around to the door and jumped in on the Emperor's lap to show him. â€Å"Yeah, that helps,† growled Lazarus sarcastically. Golden retrievers are not a very sarcastic breed, and he felt a little ashamed and, well, catlike, using that tone of voice. â€Å"Okay. Button! Button! Button! Uh-oh.† â€Å"Button! Button! Button! Uh-oh, what?† barked Bummer. A short ruff from the retriever: â€Å"Cat.† Lazarus boiled out a low growl and laid his ears back against his head. The Emperor saw two of them: cats, coming down the sidewalk toward them. But they didn't look quite natural. The light from the police cart was reflecting back from the cats' eyes like red coals. A screech, there were two more coming across the street. Lazarus turned to face them, snarling now. A chorus of hisses from behind. The Emperor looked in the rearview mirror to see three more cats stalking from behind. â€Å"Quick, Lazarus, in the cart. Up, boy, in the cart.† Lazarus was spinning now, trying to watch all of the cats at once, warning them off with bared teeth and bristled hair. But the cats came on, baring their own teeth. â€Å"Come now,† said the Emperor into the microphone. Something landed hard on the roof of the cart and Bummer yelped. Another thump and the Emperor looked back to see a large cat in the bed of the cart, coming up on two legs and trying to claw around the back window. The old man pulled the door shut. â€Å"Run, Lazarus, run!† Lazarus caught the first cat in his jaws and was shaking it furiously when the rest fell upon him. STEVE â€Å"There's nefarious shit afoot, Foo,† said Abby. â€Å"Bring portable sun and fry these nosferatu kitties before they nom everyone in the ‘hood.† Steven â€Å"Foo Dog† Wong had no idea what his girlfriend, Abby, was talking about, and it wasn't the first time. In fact, much of the time he had no idea what she was talking about, but he had learned if he was patient, and listened, and more important, agreed with her, she would mercilessly sex him up, which he liked quite a bit, and occasionally he got the message. He used the same strategy with his maternal grandmother (without the sexing-up part), who spoke an obscure, country dialect of Cantonese, that sounded to the uninitiated like someone beating a chicken to death with a banjo. Just wait, and all would become clear. This time, however, Abby, whose tone ran from tragically romantic to passionately dismissive, was sounding much more urgent, and the patience gambit wasn't going to work. Her voice in his Bluetooth headset was like having a malevolent fairy bite his ear. â€Å"I'm in the middle of something, Abby. I'll be home as soon as I finish up here.† â€Å"Now, Foo. There's a herd, or flock, or a-what do you call a bunch of kitties?† â€Å"A box?† Foo offered. â€Å"Fucktard!† â€Å"A fucktard of kitties? Okay, sure, that could be it. A pride of lions, a murder of crows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No. You fucktard! There's a bunch of vampire kitties about to eat that crazy Emperor guy and his dogs right outside on the street. You need to come save them.† â€Å"A bunch?† Steve was having a hard time getting his head around the idea. He'd only recently gotten his head around the idea of one vampire cat, but a bunch, well, that was more. He was just a couple of months away from having his master's in biochem at age twenty-one-he wasn't a fucktard. â€Å"Define a bunch,† he said. â€Å"Many. I can't count them because they're stalking the golden retriever.† â€Å"And how do you know they're vampire kitties?† â€Å"Oh, because I drew blood samples from them, ran it in that centrifuge thingy of yours, prepared some slides, and looked at the blood cell structure under a microscope, duh?† â€Å"No, really,† he said. She was flunking high school biology, there's no way she prepared blood slides. And besides- â€Å"Of course not, you douche nozzle, I know they're vampires because they're stalking a golden retriever and a homeless fuck who's hiding in the vaporized meter maid's cart. That's not standard kitty behavior.† â€Å"Vaporized meter maid?† â€Å"The one Chet ate-sucked her to dust. Come now, Foo, turn your sunbeam full-on and get your luscious ninja ass over here.† Steve had rigged the hatchback of his tricked-out Honda Civic with high intensity UV floodlights, which he'd used to flash fry a number of vampires, thus saving Abby and, for the first time in his life, having a girlfriend and someone who thought he was cool. â€Å"I can't come right away, Abby. The sun lights aren't in the car.† â€Å"Oh my fucking God, there's some little old guy with a cane coming out of the alley. Well, he's toast. Fuck!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Fuck!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Oh fuck!† â€Å"What? What? What?† â€Å"Oh-my-fucking-god-ponies-on-a-stick!† â€Å"Abby, you need to be more specific.† â€Å"It's not a cane, Foo, it's a sword.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Come now, Foo. Bring the sun.† â€Å"I can't, Abby. My car is full of rats.† THE EMPEROR The Emperor watched in horror as the cats leapt onto the back of his noble captain, Lazarus. The golden retriever shook himself violently, dislodging two of the fiends, but they were replaced by two more, and three more leapt on top of them, nearly bringing Lazarus to the ground. But they weren't pack hunters, and as each maneuvered for the throat, another attacker was pushed off, his claws shredding both predator and prey as he fell. Blood splattered the windscreen of the police cart. Bummer bounced around inside the tiny cabin, barking and snorting, and throwing himself against the glass, covering everything with angry dog slobber. â€Å"Run, Lazarus, run!† The Emperor pounded on the glass, then pushed his forehead against it as he tried to squint back tears of anguish and frustration. â€Å"No!† He would not do it. He would not watch his companion slaughtered. Outrage filled the ancient, boiler-tank of a man and condensed to courage. He was fighting the door latch when half a cat hit the side window and slid down trailing gore. The door handle snapped off in his hand and he threw it to the floor of the cart. Bummer immediately attacked it and broke a tooth on the metal. Through the haze of blood spray, the Emperor could see another figure in the street. A boy-no, a man, but a small man, Asian-wearing a fluorescent orange porkpie hat and socks, tight plaid trousers that looked as if they'd been teleported out of the 1960s, and a gray cardigan sweater. The little man was brandishing a samurai sword, bringing it down again and again on Lazarus in quick snapping motions, but before he could cry out, the Emperor saw that the sword wasn't even grazing the retriever's coat. With each stroke one of the cats fell away, beheaded or cut in half, both halves squirming on the pavement. There was no spinning, no wind-up or flourish to the swordsman's movements, just grim efficiency, like a chef chopping vegetables. As his targets moved, he pivoted and stepped just enough to deliver the cut, then snapped the blade back and sent it to its next destination. The weight and fury removed from his back, Lazarus looked around and whimpered, which translated to: â€Å"Whaaa-?† The swordsman was relentless, step, cut, step, cut. Two cats came at him from under a Volvo and he quickly retreated and swung the sword in a quick, low arc that approximated a golf stroke and sent their heads back over the car to bounce off a metal garage door. â€Å"Behind!† the Emperor warned. But it was too late. The low attack had thrown the swordsman off-a heavy-bodied Siamese cat launched itself from the roof of a van across the street and landed on the little man's back. The long sword was useless at such close range. The swordsman arched in pain, even as the Siamese clawed its way up his back. He spun, then threw his feet out before him and fell hard on his back, but the Siamese took the impact and dug its fangs into the swordsman's shoulder. A half-dozen vampire cats came scurrying out from under cars toward the struggling swordsman. Lazarus, his fur matted with blood, caught one of the cats by the haunch and bit to the bone. The cat screamed and squirmed in the retriever's jaws, trying to claw his eyes. The others fell on the swordsman with fang and claw. The Emperor threw his shoulder against the Plexiglas door of the police cart, but there was no room to move, to gain momentum, and while the entire cart rocked and went up on two wheels under his weight, the door latch would not give. He watched in horror as the swordsman writhed under his attackers. The Emperor heard a steel fire door hitting brick and light spilled across the sidewalk and into the street. Out of the doorway ran a thin, impossibly pale girl with lavender pigtails wearing pink motocross boots, pink fishnet stockings, a green plastic skirt, wraparound sunglasses, and a black leather jacket that looked studded with glass. Before he could warn her, the girl ran into the street and shouted, â€Å"You motherfucking kitties need to step the fuck off!† The vampire cats attacking the swordsman looked up and hissed, which translated from vampire cat, meant: â€Å"Whaaa-?† She ran right at the swordsman, waving her arms as if shooing birds or trying to dry some particularly stubborn nail polish and screaming like a madwoman. The cats turned their attention to her, and were crouching, readying to leap, when her jacket lit up like the sun. There was a collective screech of agony from the vampire cats as all around the street, cats and cat parts smoked, then ignited. Burning cats made for the alley across the street or tried to hide under cars, but the thin girl ran after them, darting here and there, until each ignited, then burned and reduced itself first to a bubbling puddle of fur and goo, and finally, a pile of fine ash. In less than a minute, the street was quiet again. The lights on the girl's jacket went dark. The swordsman climbed to his feet and fitted his orange porkpie hat back on his head. He was bleeding from spots on his back and arms, and there was blood on his plaid pants and orange socks, but whether it was his or the cats' was impossible to tell. He stood before the thin girl and bowed deeply. â€Å"Domo arigato,† he said, keeping his eyes at her feet. â€Å"Dozo,† said the girl. â€Å"Your kitty-slaying skills are, if I may say so, the shit.† The swordsman bowed again, short and shallow, then turned and trotted across the street, down the alley, and out of sight. Lazarus was digging at the Plexiglas door of the police cart with the pads of his paws, as if he might polish his way through to release his master. Abby scratched his nose, nearly the only part of him not covered in blood, and opened the door. â€Å"Hey,† she said. â€Å"Hey,† said the Emperor. He stepped out of the cart and looked around. The street was painted with blood for half a block, punctuated by piles of ash and the occasional charred flea collar. Parked cars were sprayed in red mist, even the security lights above several fire doors were speckled with gore. Acrid smoke from burning cats hung low in the air, and on the sidewalk greasy gray ash spilled out of the sleeves and collar of the parking officer's uniform. â€Å"Well, you don't see that every day,† said the Emperor, as a police cruiser rounded the corner, the red and blue lights raking the building. The cruiser stopped and doors flew open. The driver stood behind his door, his hand on his gun. â€Å"What's going on here?† he said, trying to keep his eyes on the Emperor and not look at the carnage that surrounded them. â€Å"Nothing,† Abby said.