Interpersonal Communication Skills Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Communication Skills Essay Emotion: The word emotion includes a wide range of observable behaviors, expressed feelings, and changes in the body state. Emotions are feelings. Emotional communication, then, refers to the act of communicating your feelings. This is also known as emotional intelligence or social intelligence. There are six principles of emotion and emotional messages. 1. Emotions may be primary or blended: A primary emotion is a basic emotion. These would be the eight basic emotions: joy, acceptance, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger and anticipation. Emotions that are close to each other on this wheel are also to close to each other in meanings. In this model there are also blends. These blended are the combinations of primary emotions. They are noted at the outside the wheel. For example, according to this model, love is a blend of joy and acceptance, whereas remorse is a blend of disgust and sadness. 2. Emotions are influenced by body, mind, and culture: Emotions involve at least three parts: bodily reactions, mental evaluation and interpretations and cultural rules and beliefs. Bodily reactions to emotions are pretty obvious and include things like blushing when youre embarrassed, nervous habits, or sweaty palms. The mental and cognitive part of emotion experiences involves the evaluation and interpretations you make on the basis of what you experiences. For example, you may feel angry if someone is rude or insensitive to you on purpose. Culture also dictates how we should express and interpret our emotions as well. For example, Chinese students show respect by being quiet and passive. Asking questions would imply that the teacher was not clear on the lecture. 3. Emotions may be adaptive and maladaptive: Emotions are often adaptive that is, they can help you adjust  appropriately to situation. For example, if youre worried you wont do well in something, youll work harder to prepare for that situation. Emotions may be maladaptive and may get in the way of your accomplishing your goals. For example, if you are so anxious about a situation that you dont prepare for it. In other ways emotions can create problems is in a tendency that some theorists have cleverly called catastrophizing â€Å"taking a problem even a minor one and make it in to a catastrophe. 4. Emotions are communicated verbally and nonverbally: According to DeVito (2009), Theorists do not agree over whether you can choose the emotions you feel. Some argue that you can; others argue that you cannot. You are, however, in control of the ways in which you express your emotions. In some instances you determine whether you want to express your emotions in full, but with other times you censor your emotions. 5. Emotional expression is governed by display rules: Weve talked about display rules before, but to refresh your mind it is what is and is not appropriate to do. The differences we see are in the emotional expression. Men and women also have gender display rules for what is and isnt appropriate to express within his or her culture. For example, its appropriate in our culture for women to divulge a lot of their emotions and feelings; however, it is not seen in the same light when men divulge all of their emotions to other men. 6. Emotions are contagious: Emotions can be contagious. If you think of a time where one person starts laughing, and then the people around start laughing, you can see this theory working. Emotional contagion is defined as emotions passing from one person to another. Another form of emotional contagion deals with persuasions utilizing emotional appeals.

A Report Of The Nervous System

A Report Of The Nervous System The report are divided into two parts. first we will be talking about the Organization of the Nervous System, that includes the Peripheral Nervous system, and the Central Nervous system, then we will move on to the Brain and Behavior part, where we will start to talk about the brain and listing down the three major regions of the brains, and how each brain has its own functions different than the other regions, even though they are all located in the brain. In this report, you will find information about organs or nervous systems found in the human body, beginning with the definitions, describing its structure and functions in the body, illnesses or disorders that affects that part in the body. Part 1: Organization of Nervous System: Introduction: The Nervous System is a world in itself, weve learned only the little tidbits of its secrets, but there are many of what we still do not know, and in this section of the report, we will try to identify the anatomic configuration of the nervous system, its division and branches, and the function of each part of it, and the problems resulting in every part. The communication in the nervous system is essential to behavior. If youve wondered how you are aware of the elements in the environment surrounding you, you hear with your ears and see with your eyes, and be aware of many things by touching and smelling and tasting, following this awareness a response coming from you, so you move or talk or touch and hold things. You receive the influential in a very short time, and this can be done by the nervous system, moreover, the nervous system controls the other organs that works voluntary such as holding up things or the involuntary such as heartbeat rate. Nervous System chart Nervous system sections: The nervous system are divided into two main divisions: Peripheral Nervous System. Central Nervous System CNS. (the brain and spinal cord) First comes first. We will start with the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system: is made up of all those nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord. Nerves are bundled of neuron fibers (axons) that are routed together in the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system are made off nerves and neurons that sends and receive information to and from the brain. The peripheral nervous system are subdivided into two parts, the autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system. Let us have a look at the Autonomic Nervous System. Autonomic Nervous System: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands. The autonomic nervous system function is to maintain the internal environment of the human body in a stable state, sometimes called homeostasis. Maintaining and balancing the internal environment by controlling visceral organ functions that people dont normally think about. like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and perspiration. The Autonomic nervous system mobilized bodily resources in times of need. Just as its name, this nervous system works automatically, without the control or conscious of the individuals, these which we do not directly control are like closing your eyes, the increase of heartbeat, sweat or produce saliva by stimulating our salivary glands. For example, right when you first experience fear, the Autonomic nervous system will start and work on to control the involuntary, visceral functions that are difficult to control consciously. How it does it work: when you see something frightening or threatening your life, and happens to throw fear into you, your heartbeat rate will rise, sweating, pupil dilation, goose bumps and increased respiration. Even thought the Autonomic nervous system works unconsciously, we can sometimes be aware that our heartbeat rate has increased. One of the first psychologists to study this reaction is Walter Cannon (1932). He referred it to as the fight-or-light response reaction. Cannon monitored this response from cats after confronting them with dogs. From his observation on the cats response, he concluded that what prepares generally any organisms physiologically for attacking (fight) or fleeing from (flight) the enemy is the response to a threat, or when faced to danger. Illness and diseases affecting the Autonomic Nervous System: There are diseases and illnesses affecting the autonomic nervous system, causing a disorder in the system, which this disorder effects the controlling of the heartbeat rate and blood pressure of the body that can lead into causing serious problems to the patient, some of these disorders can be life-threatening when they affect the breathing or heart function of the patient. Some of these diseases are Diabetes, Alcoholism and Parkinsons disease. Disorders made by the diseases can either affect the whole system, or a part of it. The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Divisions: The Autonomic Nervous System are subdivided into the Sympathetic division and the Parasympathetic division. The Sympathetic Division: The sympathetic division is the branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the bodys resources for emergencies. As we stated before, the sympathetic nervous system is a sub part of the Autonomic Nervous System. This system is responsible for controlling functions that mobilize the bodys resources under stress, such as the fight or flight response, and the other energy generation forms as well. Not only the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body when faced with stress or emergencies, but it also serves other vital purposes. Example, if you stand up after being setting down for a long period of time, your blood pressure will raise, else you may fall unconscious. The sympathetic nervous system also works in increasing your heartbeat rate and perspiration during exercises. Diseases affecting the Sympathetic nervous system: A disease affecting the sympathetic nervous system known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS). The signs of this dieses are the heightened sensitivity to heat and cold, excessive sweating, and limbs being warm to the touch. The causes of this dieses are not confirmed, but its seems to be associated with some forms of nerve injury. The Parasympathetic Division: Like the sympathetic, it is a sub part of the Autonomic Nervous System, and most what the parasympathetic division controls are visceral and involuntary organs, such as breathing and blood pressure and heartbeat rate, But it differ from the sympathetic division in its activities. The parasympathetic division are responsible in controlling the body organs when in an relaxed or normal state. Some of its activities when the conditions are met, and those condition can be met when the person are calmed and relaxed, is reducing the heartbeat rate, slow down the respiratory rate, increases perspiration and salivation and smaller eye pupils. The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic divisions activities are the opposite of each other, but they work together to maintain stability in the body when a certain external condition are met and calls for the division that are responsible to act in such situation. Much like an automobile accelerators and brakes. The Central Nervous System: The Central Nervous System are responsible of controlling the whole body, regulating the functions of the body. The Central Nervous System are the control center of the body. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The Central Nervous system lies within the skull and the spinal column, protected by enclosing sheaths known as the meninges, additionally, the central nervous system is covered by the cerebrospinal fluid. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) nourishes the brain and provides a protective cushion for it. Ventricles are the hollow cavities in the brain that are filled with CSF. Diseases affecting the central nervous system: diseases and infections of the central nervous system are many, some of these diseases are Alzheimers disease. The Spinal Cord and The Brain: So we know now that the Central Nervous System consists of two things, the brain and the spinal cord. Let us have a look at these two organs: The Spinal Cord: Basically, the spinal cord is an extension of the brain. The spinal cord are located at the back of the body and are enclosed by the backbone Vertebral column, running from the base of the brain to below the waist, and are covered by the meninges. The spinal cord connects the brain to the whole body through the peripheral nervous system, conducting sensory information to the brain from the peripheral nervous system, And from the brain, the spinal cord works on conducting motor information to the glands, skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles. The Spinal cord also serves as a minor reflex center. The spinal cord consist of bundles of axons, and these axons carry out the commands from the brain to the peripheral nerves, that relays sensation from the periphery of the body to the brain. Spinal Cord Injury: Injury to the spinal cord can damage it, causing a partial or full paralysis to the body. Injury can be a result from a car accident or from a serious fall, or any other form of injury that damages the spinal cord, like a gunshot. The Brain: The brain is the part that of the central nervous system that fills the upper part of the brain. The brain is enclosed by the skull. The average weighs of the brain are 1.3 kg, three pounds, and contains billions of nerve cells that links and relays information in and outside the body, Such as coordinating the body actions and movements, talking, thinking, remembering, planning, creating and dreaming. The brain are covered by the meninges, moreover, the brain contains bundles of axons, that works on receiving sensory information from its own nerves, as well as from the spinal cord. Brain Injury: Injuries to the brain can be the result of a car accident, or any other form of damage or hit directed to the head. Childrens or infants can possibly get a brain injury if shaken violently. Part 2: The Brain and Behavior Introduction: The Brain, and how it controls our behavior. All of the body movements, thinking, dreaming, talking, remembering, feeling, and any other actions, are controlled by the brain. The Brain is the control room of your body. From the brain, commands are issued and sent to the whole body, and these commands are carried out, in and out by the nerves. In this part of the report, we will shed some light on the brain, and how every region in the brain has functions different than the other regions, even though they are located in the same organ. The Three Regions of the Brain: The brain has three regions, The Hindbrain, the Midbrain and the forebrain. The location of the three regions are the same, but differ in function and size of region. The Forebrain is taking the largest portion of the brain, then comes the Hindbrain, and smallest is the Midbrain. Structure and Areas of the Brain: The Hindbrain: The hindbrain includes the cerebellum and two structures found in the lower part of the brainstem: the medulla and the pons. The controlling of essential body function and process, such as heartbeat rate and respiration, is the Hindbrain responsibility. An important part of the Hindbrain, the brainstem, controls functions such as swallowing and breathing, and any other critical functions that affect the life of the living being. The Medulla are attached to the spinal cord, controls unconscious vital functions, such as blood pressure, heartbeat rate, swallowing, breathing and coughing. The Medulla works without relying on the thoughts of the person, It works by itself. The pons, sometimes called the Bridge, because of its form of structure which looks like a bridge connecting between the medulla and the cerebellum. From its structure form, we can know that it works on sending signals to and from the cerebellum and the cerebrum, a part located in the forebrain. The Pons contains clusters of cell bodies that helps in controlling movements and sleep. The Cerebellum, which means Little brain in Latin, Is a large and a folded structure located rear lower portion of the brain. The role of the cerebellum is providing feedback and fine-tuning for motor output. The cerebellum controls movements and smoothing them up, such as when you bring up your hand and smoothly bring your finger to a stop on your nose, and how you walk, and every action or movement that people make without any thinking about them or concentration, are coordinated by the cerebellum. The Midbrain: The midbrain is the segment of the brainstem that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain. The Midbrain, The smallest region of the brain regions, are responsible for visual and auditory and motor system information station. motor and sensory functions are directly controlled by the midbrain. An Important system of dopamine- releasing neurons, which originates in the midbrain, projects into various high centers of the brain. Conscious, voluntary movements has dopamine system are involved in their performance. Degeneration or decline in dopamine synthesis is associated with Parkinsons disease. The reticular formation, which are located at the central core of the brainstem, is the structure that runs through the hindbrain and the midbrain. The reticular formation contribute in the modulate of breathing, reflexes and pain perception. The Forebrain: The forebrain is the largest and most complex region of the brain, encompassing a verity of structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum. The three structures, the Thalamus, hypothalamus and the limbic system, form the core of the forebrain. The location of the three structures are near the top of the brainstem. The cerebrum sits above the three structures. The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, is the wrinkled surface of the cerebrum. So now we know that the Forebrain, which takes the biggest portion of the brain, and the biggest of the three regions, consists of four structures, the Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system and cerebrum. Let us have a quick look on each structure and its activities and functions. The Thalamus: The thalamus is a structure in the forebrain through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex. The Thalamus which is located at the top of the brainstem, is responsible for relaying sensory information to a particular part of the cortex, and regulating motor control. It also works on receiving information and signals from various brain areas, such as auditory, visual sensory, and samotosensory signals. The Hypothalamus: The hypothalamus is a structure found near the base of the forebrain that is involved in the regulation of basic biological needs.

Proteins Therapy for Drug Discovery

Proteins Therapy for Drug Discovery Proteins are most dynamic and diverse macromolecules in our body, thus numerous functionally distinct proteins hold enormous promise for the development of new therapeutics for a variety of human ailments which contain mutated or other abnormal proteins, or those in an abnormally high or low concentration. However, the clinical application of protein therapeutics is still in its infancy since the poor physicochemical stability of proteins in the circulation and their limited membrane permeability interrupt successful delivery to the target sites. This review discusses advantages and limitations of current strategies, as well as the recent developments in protein delivery using nanoparticles. We also highlight nanoparticle-mediated alternative administration routes to injection, including oral, nasal, pulmonary, and transdermal delivery. Keywords: nanoparticles, protein delivery, protein therapeutics, administration routes, drug delivery systems Introduction With the strong growth in biopharmaceuticals and advanced drug delivery technologies in recent years, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning toward protein therapeutics in the search for drug discovery targets. A study by BCC Research indicated that the global market for bioengineered protein drugs was valued at $151.9 billion in 2013 and the market is further expected to grow to about $222.7 billion in 2019 for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2014 through 2019 [1]. Compared with the conventional small-molecule drugs that currently make up the majority of the pharmaceutical market, protein drugs offer the advantages of high specificity and less toxicity, whereas the high specificity often requires structural complexity of the proteins which can make them difficult to formulate, as well as challenging to deliver proteins to target disease sites. Nanotechnology-based approaches, including drug delivery systems using nanostructures such as liposomes, polymer nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, stimuli-responsive nanoparticles, and nanofabricated devices, has improved therapeutics in the field of biomedical applications [2,3]. This review describes current protein delivery technologies including those in the market, recent progress, and unmet needs in the formulations and delivery of proteins. The advances in nanotechnology reviewed here highlight that major hurdles in protein delivery can be met even through the patient-friendly, non-invasive routes. Progress and challenges in protein delivery To achieve successful protein therapeutics, the intrinsic characteristics of proteins such as structural instability and short half-life should be improved by designing appropriate protein delivery platforms. Inadequate design or formulation of protein drugs can cause degradation, denaturation, and/or aggregation of the protein molecules, and these could potentially cause immunogenic side effects after administration as well as lead to a loss in pharmacological activity. Effective intracellular protein delivery also remains a challenge as hydrophilic and large sizes of proteins are hardly permeated through the cell membrane. In this section, current technologies to deliver proteins, including intracellular delivery strategies, and their limitations will be discussed. Current protein formulations and modifications Biodegradable microparticles (1-1000 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­m) are attractive parental depot formulations for long-term protein drug release (from week to month). They enable sustained release of the proteins by both the diffusion of proteins from the polymer matrix and the degradation/erosion of the polymer [4,5]. The most widely used material for the encapsulation of proteins is poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), as they are mechanically strong, biocompatible, biodegradable with favorable degradation rates, non-toxic, and approved for use in humans by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [6]. Encapsulation of proteins into the microparticles can be prepared by several methods such as double emulsion, which is most widely used technique, phase separation (coacervation), ultrasonic atomization, spray-drying, microfluidics, etc. [7]. Once the proteins are encapsulated into microparticles, their release kinetics depend on the microparticle size, molecular mass of polymer, ratio of hydroph ilicity/hydrophobicity, polydispersity of microparticle size, and loading amount of proteins. Generally, larger size of microparticles lead to more prolonged protein release, but they can cause potential blockage of the needle required for administration, also the stability and bioactivity of the released proteins in the physiological condition need to be considered for long-term delivery. Degradation and erosion of PLGA can lower the pH inside the microparticles, which can further bring denaturation of the protein as well as aggregate formation. Currently, there are few microparticle drug delivery formulations (e.g. Trelstar depot) on the market and various microparticles have been designed for therapeutic protein delivery such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 [8], insulin [9], recombinant human epidermal growth factor [10], and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) [11]. Proteins smaller than 70 kDa are mostly cleared from the systemic circulation by glomerular filtration [12]. Chemical modification of proteins with hydrophilic polymers can reduce this renal clearance by increasing their molecular weight and/or hydrodynamic dynamic radius. The covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains to proteins (PEGylation), as a typical example, enhances protein stability and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, and the benefits of PEGylation have the PEGylated therapeutic proteins have reached the market with many examples on various stages of clinical development including Naloxegol (MovantikTM; AstraZeneca) which was approved by FDA in 2014 for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation [13,14]. Hyperglycosylation can also extend biological half-life and improve stability by improving solubility of proteins and reducing immunogenicity. The addition of sugar molecules to a protein is more natural process than PEGylation since it is already a part of endogenous post-translational enzymatic process as well as polysaccharides are readily degraded into native glucose molecules [15]. N-glycosylated EPO (Aranesp) is marketed by Amgen from 2001, and there are more glycosylated protein drugs under preclinical and clinical investigation such as polysialylated forms of EPO, granulocyte-colony stimulation factor (G-CSF), and insulin [16]. Although the chemical modification provides the prolonged circulation half-life of the proteins, this approach can result in unfavorable conformational changes, a loss of biological activity and binding affinity to their target due to steric hindrance, and heterogeneity [17]. This reduction in physicochemical properties leads to the systemic exposure of proteins to get enough pharmacological potency, but toxicities related to peak exposure can limit their clinical use. Various efforts aiming for the maintenance of protein activity are being made by designing site-specific modification. For example, chemi cal ligation of synthetic peptides including levulinyllysine to EPO indicated superior hematopoietic activity compared to native protein [18]. More recent advances in chemoselective targeting show that the incorporation of canonical and noncanonical amino acids can enhance the selectivity, while improving PEG architecture [19]. In addition to chemical modification, genetic constructs and fusion technologies have been intensively studied to elevate protein half-life and delivery efficacy. Fc-based fusion proteins that are composed of an immunoglobin Fc domain and genetically linked therapeutic protein to this domain are promising approaches as Fc-fusion can endow a protein with unique effector functions mediated by Fc receptor binding and complement fixation [20]. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) mediated recycling and transcytosis process results in half-life extension (e.g. IgG: up to 21 days) and also the increased molecular weight of fusion proteins through the size of the Fc-domain (~50 kDa) reduces renal clearance [21]. A number of therapeutic proteins based on fusion with the IgG Fc domain are on the market for clinical use since Fc-fused tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-2 (Enbrel; Amgen/Pfizer) was approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis in 1998, and several candida tes are currently under clinical trials [22]. Recent Fc-fusion platforms focus on the ways to retain biological activity and binding affinity which can be commonly decreased after fusion process [23,24]. Jung et al. included a ‘chaperone’ protein in Toll-like receptor 4 Fc-fusion to stabilize the desired partner [25]. The development of heterodimeric Fc platforms based on strand-exchange engineered domain CH3 heterodimers consisted of alternating segments of human IgA and IgG CH3 shows multiple specificities within homodimeric Fc-fusion platform [26]. To utilize alternative backbones, such as IgA, IgE, and IgM, may also serve benefits to the activity of the fused partner [27-29]. However, concerns are ongoing about the immunogenicity of Fc-fusion proteins because interactions between the Fc domain and its receptors have multivariable immunological consequences, which can raise concerns in the treatment for chronic disease [30]. Other attempts to target FcRn including al bumin fusion which has direct interaction with FcRn and genetic engineering of Fc domains have also been reported. A glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) albumin fusion achieved ~ 5 day half-life and received FDA-approval (Albiglutide; GSK) for the treatment of type-2 diabetes [31]. A recombinant polypeptide fusion construct which consists of an unstructured polypeptide and protein drug is another example of generic fusion technology capable of extending plasma half-life. Schellenberger et al. developed an exenatide-XTEN fusion and demonstrated ~58 times increased half-life and a low rate of immunogenicity in animals, even in the presence of the adjuvant [32]. Still, issues remain in safety of fusion approaches, in particular in the case of fusions with native human proteins because of the cross-reactivity with endogenous homologues which can affect on a long-term safety and clearance of subsequent doses [33].

Advocating Elderly Americans Essay -- Advocates Senior Citizens

The elderly in America have many needs that can range from transportation, a little more money, and even just a little companionship but one of their major needs is advocacy. They need someone to stand up and fight with them for what the need. The elderly of today did so much for this country such things as fight both world wars and the Korean Conflict, they fought for equality, and the escalated this country to the greatness we have today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So what is an advocate? Advocate is a person or group that represents a common interest and goes to great lengths to see that their cause is not neglected. So why does our elderly need advocates? Our elderly need advocates for various reasons. They need someone to fight with congress over healthcare cost and issues, they need someone to defend them against neglect and abuse, and most of all they need someone to make them aware of the services and programs available to make their lives easier. Advocates are very important to our elderly as well as they should be no one wants to be alone, we all want someone to fight beside us. So who does stand up and fight for our elderly?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In all parts of the United States there are Offices for the Aging to assist our elderly with obtaining the services they deserve. The Office for the Aging was created to promote self-determination, self-promotion and self-sufficiency among the elderly. They also wanted to make seniors aware of the services available to them and their families. Over the years that Offices for the Aging has existed they have created networks of connections in many aspects with in each of their communities. Through their broad range of connections they can assist any one with any problems. Most people feel as though the Office for the Aging is nothing more than a referral agency. There could be nothing further from the truth, Office for the Aging offers a wide variety of services but if they do not offer a service that you need they can and will refer you to an agency that can. One of the services that the Office for the Aging offers is Social Security counseling. This is a big servi ce because of the changing laws and the complexity of the laws it is tough for many elderly to understand properly obtain all of the money they are entitled to. Office for the Aging can also go to your Social Security hearing for you if you wish that they do so. The Office for ... ...as quoted as saying, â€Å"It’s virtually impossible to take back the House or win the presidency without taking back the seniors. That makes them the key battleground†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the upcoming decade there will be over 76 million baby boomers that will be over 65 that mean they will have more power then any other voting cohort in America. This means the attention that the senior vote is getting will become stronger and stronger. Older people are more likely to vote that are younger people this means that seniors can be their own advocate. Seniors can be their own advocates by voting people into office that will vote their way on important issues. Voting is a powerful instrument for all people but is often overlooked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advocacy is an important in order for voices to be heard. Seniors citizens have various needs and as fellow humans it is our obligation to protect them. They paved the way for our country’s prosperity who are we to put them out pasture. Works Cited www.aarp.org www.americangeriatrics.org www.carie.org www.commoncause.org www.ncscinc.org www.senior.org The gerontologist. â€Å"Older People and Voting Participation: Past and Future† by Robert Binstock. February 2000.

Finance in Business :: Papers

Finance in Business For a business to be successful in the increasingly competitive business environment detailed financial plans and accounts must be drawn up and followed consistently. With so many financial demands placed on small it is vital that all cost are calculated and accounted for prior to the businesses start-up date, these costs are referred to as 'start up costs' Start Up Costs ============== Start-up costs are any payments that my business needs to make prior or opening. ==================================================================== [IMAGE] Rent of premises and equipment. [IMAGE] Wages of any employees ---------------------- Finance must be supplied for any form of ongoing advertising campaigns or sales promotion techniques. [IMAGE] Utilities - gas, water and electricity need to be supplied to my business at all times [IMAGE] Maintenance of business premises, this could also include possible expansion of the business. [IMAGE][IMAGE] Examples of Running Costs businesses are subjected to. Some Star-Up costs also apply during the general running of the business as 'running costs'. Running Costs are payments that are made once the business has started trading. I shall now calculate how much the above costs will affect my business venture. I shall calculate firstly the start-up costs and then the running costs for a sample three-month period. In order to calculate costs effectively I shall design the outlay of my shop first. Designing the layout of my shop. When I began to design the layout of my shop I considered a number of potential problems and requirements, I came to the conclusion that the three most important requirements my shop needed were - * Hygiene * Appearance * Safety By applying serious thought and consideration I aim to solve these issues and be able to design a shop that is both efficient and appealing to customers. Hygiene The layout of the equipment I require in my shop has to allow for easy

What is inflammation?

This is term that is used to describe a reaction of localized tissues that is irritated, or can be cause because of an injury, infection, redness and swelling. There are several types of disease that cause severe inflammation, one disease that is very bad is Encephalitis this is an inflammation of the brain. This particular condition can happen to anyone at any age, all over the world. If encephalitis develops very rapidly, it can cause serious problems to the nervous system and the brain. If the body produces antibodies to fight the inflammation there’s a chance that they could make a mistake and attack the healthy brain tissue instead of the tissue that is inflamed. If this is not cured it could end up being life threatening. This is just one of many infections that cause by inflammation. How body reacts to inflammation are is by detecting where the exact location the inflammation is. When the body knows where it is it can send out anti bodies to eat the infection that is causing the inflammation. The symptoms of inflammation are it can be red and warm because of a large amount of blood reaching the swollen area. It can be very painful at time especially at the site of infection. There are many way to relief the pain, redness, and swelling is to put ice on it, also some inflammatory ointment can also be used to help reduce the sign of inflammation. Normally the inflammation only last till the infection has been totally healed after that there should no long be any inflammation. Sometimes during the process of the cells healing itself the cells can die of lack of nutrients known necrotic death, another way that the cells can die is from committing suicide by destroying themselves, this is known as Apoptotic death. When our body finds that there is an inflammation our body quickly reposed and kills the intruder. Then once the infection has been killed then the inflammation should go away. There are so many various things that can cause an inflammation in our body.

Management and Steel Industry Essay

1. List and elaborate some strategic issues facing NUCOR. Key strategic issues challenging NUCOR include legislation related to climate change, fluctuating cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel, increasing amount of steel imports, production technology improvements and economic weakness. Changes in legislation could have severe impacts on the firm’s numerous production facilities and could be costly to become compliant. The fluctuations in both the cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel directly impact the firm’s profitability because it is difficult to pass those costs on to the customers due to the price-driven level of competition in the steel industry. The rise of low cost steel imports increases the domestic U.S. supply which puts pressure on NUCOR. The firm must stay at the front of technological advances for the production and processing of steel in order to stay competitive. Common for many firms and industries, economic weakness is an issue that challenges NUCOR’s strategy because it can impact the demand for its reputable high quality steel products. 2. What are the key elements of NUCOR’s low cost strategy? What factors have helped NUCOR achieve a low cost position? Key strategy elements for NUCOR: Conservative financial strength Team-based culture and decentralized operations Vertical integration Diversification Innovation – information technology, speed of design process Close proximity to important customers Financially stable employees – higher than average wages and non-discretionary incentive programs Employee empowerment Honesty and openness within the company No employee lay-offs Factors that have contributed to NUCOR’s low cost position: Strong, long-term relationships with outside parties for services such as research and development, purchasing recommendations, advertising, public relations, and  legal or environmental regulation compliance Stepping away from the steel industry’s tradition of equalized freight and offering all customers the sales terms of price plus actual shipping costs Not offering customers volume discounts Fleet of nearly 150 trucks for product delivery Vertical integration from joist manufacturing into steel production Steel production utilizing mini-mill technology Holding workstations responsible for identifying bottlenecks to increase efficiency Sophisticated computer program is used to compute accurate bids Improvements in the melting and casting processes for steel production including â€Å"continuous casters† Flat organizational hierarchy 3. Please apply Porter’s Five Forces model to the steel industry. While doing so, clearly identify who is behind each force and what the impact is of each force on the profitability of the industry (high/medium/low). At the end, also provide a summary of all the five forces and propose whether you think the steel industry is attractive or not. The bargaining power of buyers is high due to minimal product differentiation, low switching costs, excess capacity of steel production and large volume purchases. The threat of substitutes is medium because substitutes such as aluminum and plastic would not provide equivalent strength and durability but could still serve the same purpose as steel. The bargaining power of suppliers is low primarily due to the product being a commodity, high ratio of imported raw materials, and low switching costs. The threat of new entrants is low due to the trend toward consolidation and high amount of capital required to establish production/processing facilities capable of achieving economies of scale. Rivalry is intense because the steel industry is mature with little differentiation among products and mergers both in the U.S. and across the globe creating giant companies with deep pockets. Generally speaking, I think the steel industry is unattractive primarily due to its maturity, significant capital requirements and intense price-based competition that ultimately lead to low profitability. 4. What are NUCOR’s resources and capabilities? Resources: Team-based organizational culture Alliances with outside parties for support services Joint ventures with Physical locations of plants in proximity to key customers Loyal employees comprised of production workers, department heads, support and administrative staff, and senior management Innovative mini-mill technology Own fleet of nearly 150 trucks for distribution Computer program to generate bids Plants, mills, equipment, and machinery Reputation Financial capital Capabilities: Management’s philosophy and leadership skills Successful quality control process Flat organizational hierarchy and incentive program that keeps the workforce cooperative and productive Acquisition management Multidivisional coordination Speed of design process 5. Elaborate on some of the key lessons you have learnt from the case analysis. The most significant lesson I learned from this case analysis is that management style and culture can be key to being competitive. These really are the two things that will give NUCOR sustainable competitive advantage  because they are the most difficult to find and imitate. Building such an impressive employee loyalty takes time and cannot be replicated easily. In addition, the minimization of the corporate bureaucracy is something that makes employees at all levels feel comfortable and as if they are part of a family. I think there are many companies, including the one I work for that could really benefit from adopting this management style.