Principles of Dimensional Modeling

Dimensional modeling is system of a logical design used by several data warehouse designers for their commercial OLAP products. DM is considered to be the single practicable technique for databases that are intended to support end-user queries in a data warehouse. It is quite dissimilar from entity-relation modeling. Though ER is very functional for the transaction capture and the data administration phases of creating a data warehouse, but it should be shunned for end-user delivery.This paper explains the dimensional modeling and how dimensional modeling technique varies/ contrasts with ER models. Dimensional Modeling technique is a preferred choice in data warehousing. Basically, it is a technique of logical design which presents the data in a standard, intuitive framework that allows for high-performance access. It is intrinsically dimensional, and it sticks on to a discipline that uses the relational model with some significant restrictions.In each DM, there is one table with a m ultiple key, called the fact table, and a set of smaller tables called dimension tables. Each dimension table consists of a single-part primary key that corresponds precisely to one of the components of the multipart key in the fact table. This characteristic of star-like structure is generally called a star join. Due to multipart primary key made up of two or more foreign keys in fact table, it always articulates a many-to-many relationship.The most valuable fact tables include one or more numerical measures that crop up for the permutation of keys that delineate each record. Dimension tables have explanatory textual information. Dimension attributes are used as the source of most of the interesting constraints in data warehouse queries, and they are virtually always the source of the row headers in the SQL answer set. Dimension Attributes are the various columns in a dimension table. In the Location dimension, the attributes can be Location Code, State, Country, Zip code.Normally the Dimension Attributes are used in report labels, and query constraints such as where ‘Country=US'. The dimension attributes also contain one or more hierarchical relationships. One has to decide the subjects before designing a data warehouse. In DM, a model of tables and relations is constituted with the purpose of optimizing decision support query performance in relational databases, relative to a measurement or set of measurements of the outcomes of the business process being modeled.Whereas, conventional E-R models are composed to eradicate redundancy in the data model, to facilitate retrieval of individual records having certain critical identifiers, and therefore, optimize On-line Transaction Processing (OLTP) performance. The grain of the fact table is usually a quantitative measurement of the outcome of the business process being analyzed in a DM. The dimension tables are generally composed of attributes measured on some discrete category scale that describe, qualify , locate, or constrain the fact table quantitative measurements.Ralph Kimball views that the data warehouse should always be modeled using a DM/star schema. Kimball has affirmed that though DM/star schemas have the better performance in comparison to E-R models, their use involves no loss of information, because any E-R model can be signified as a set of DM models without loss of information. In E-R models, normalization through addition of attributive and sub-type entities destroys the clean dimensional structure of star schemas and creates snowflakes, which, in general, slows down browsing performance.But in star schemas, browsing performance is protected by restricting the formal model to associative and fundamental entities, unless certain special conditions exist. The dimensional model has a numerous important data warehouse advantages which the ER model is deficient in. The dimensional model is an expected, standard outline. The wild variability of the structure of ER models m eans that each data warehouse needs custom, handwritten and tuned SQL. It also means that each schema, once it is tuned, is very vulnerable to changes in the user's querying habits, because such schemas are asymmetrical.By contrast, in a dimensional model all dimensions serve as equal entry points to the fact table. Changes in users' querying habits don't change the structure of the SQL or the standard ways of measuring and controlling performance (Ramon Barquin and Herb Edelstein, 1996). It can be concluded that dimensional modeling is the only feasible technique for designing end-user delivery databases. ER modeling beats end-user delivery and should not be used for this intention. ER modeling form the micro relationships among data elements thus it is not a proper business model (Ramon Barquin and Herb Edelstein, 1996).

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship between a boy and a 36-year-old wealthy man. Will was wealthy and trendy. He spent most of his days laying around and being self-absorbed.He was living off his late father’s royalties from his hit single, â€Å"Santa’s Super Sleigh.† He refused to do anything with his life. Bored and desperate to meet women who were desperate for sex, he went off to join a single parent’s group called â€Å"SPAT.† He pretended to have a son, until he met Suzie.At a company outing, Will met Fiona, an eccentric hippy vegan who had a 12-year-old sold named Marcus. He was the type of child who was bullied in school because of his weird haircut and his old-fashioned clothes that his mom chose for him.During that time, Will and Marcus did not like each other very much. It was during that time when, they discovered that Fiona tried to commit suicide. Marcus spied on Will during the day and discovered he was not a single pa rent since he did not have a kid. He tried to convince Will to befriend his mother, fearing that she would try to kill herself again This was because of his mother’s constant crying.Over time, Will allowed Marcus to visit him. He even gave him new trainers. The next day, they got stolen. Marcus had to explain to his mother how Will was trying to help him out socially. Marcus joined a talent show at school to sing â€Å"Killing me Softly† that was supposed to be his mother’s favorite song.Will tried to stop Marcus from doing so and races to his school knowing it was social suicide. He arrived but was not successful in persuading Marcus from performing. Seeing that Marcus was not doing well with the crowd, he came on stage with him playing a guitar. While the performance was not as successful, the friendship forged between Will and Marcus was. It served as a pivotal part in the story as the two turned each other’s lives around.Relationships. The story revol ved around the significance of relationships each character had in each other’s lives. The theme of the story was about how relationships can change your life. Mainly, it was Will’s life that was headlined.   He was living an empty life despite his wealth and free time.It was only when he formed a relationship with Marcus that his life gained meaning and substance. He began to care about someone other than himself as shown in how he brought him new shoes and when he performed the talent show with Marcus. If he did not meet Marcus, could he have changed his life alone? It was unlikely, as he did not realize then that he needed to.It was then that he apprehended that it was not good to live his life for himself alone. He saw how different it was when he did not knew Marcus. Once he had experienced having a real relationship with a person, he yearned for it and realized he needed people too. He felt the emptiness when Marcus was not around.At the same time, Marcus was c ruising through his life as a pushover. He did not know how to act with confidence because he did lack the chance to have a father figure. He did not have anyone whom he could have such an important relationship with.The time he had spent at Will’s house built the relationship between them, even if it was unwarranted. He was hanging out with him after school and it worked for them. The story showed that relationships did not need to be conventional for them to change a person’s life.The friendship that developed between Fiona and Will was also an unusual one. But she needed that relationship with Will in order to keep her sanity and avoid depression. Even if there were times wherein, he threatened her, she was grateful for the role he played in Marcus’ life. She saw that with Will around, she had a chance to make his life better.This showed how the relationships of the people we love have with other people affects our lives as well. People were also placed in ot hers lives for a purpose. It also showed that relationships were built over time. It was also strengthened by genuine concern and honesty.It was something that needed to be worked on. People needed a witness to their lives. The story revolved around relationships and the importance of human connection was to create a meaningful existence.Work CitedHornby, Nick. About a Boy. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.

Use and develop system that promote communication

On a daily basis within my current role I maintain a high level of communication in various ways with residents and their families, medical practitioners, colleagues internal staff, other professionals, and external agencies e. t. c. The ability to communicate effectively breaks barrier, it enhances learning and accomplishes goals. My level of communication within my current role is of extreme importance with regards to the individuals who are at the heart of all communication of the establishment.I ensure that whatever the form of communication, be it written, electronic, organisational, promotional, verbal, non-verbal, confidentiality is maintained at all times. Effective communication is what enables all the different departments to work well within an organisation including liaising with external agencies and individuals such as the CQC, Social Services, and health professionals, In my current role I ensure that all forms of communication is clear and precise, that it has a purpo se, it could be to inform, to instruct, to convince or to serve some other purpose.Communication is said to be successful when the desired objective is attained. In my current role I sometimes use body language as I do with words with some individuals this could be facial expressions, eye contact, movement of arms, hands and legs or focus my eyes on the individual but without intimidating the individual. I communicate in ways that respect the individuals' and key people's rights and concerns, using individuals' preferred method of communication and languages, for example when I am dealing with individual with hearing or sight impairments I ensure my communication is clear and not lengthy.I ensure that I come as close to them as possible without evading their personal space and that they can see my face, I speak slowly and clearly and speak to them in a way that i would like to be spoken to myself. When i ask a question I usually wait for the answer, even if it takes a little longer to come than usual. I use various ways to break down information to enable the residents to have a good understanding, for example using pictorial methods to promote choice and independence enabling me to understand what it is they want and need.I would also use this to help them understand which staff will be working with them, help them understand they have appointments with the doctors, dentist, optician or hairdresser etc In my current role we use two types of communication methods to deal with families and relatives. This is due to different backgrounds and relationships they have with them. For example one service user is very involved with his family and is very open with them and wants them to be involved in most aspects of his life, but we respect his decision that he would like his family to be on a need to know basis.There are guidelines in place which I follow when dealing with another service user’s family a professional but pleasant manner is used to communicate a strictly no sharing of information I support effective communication by various methods within my job role. I ensure a detailed handover of daily event is carried out for continuity of care and ensure that a record of daily events is written in the communication book and it it accessible.I ensure the regular scheduling of staff, relatives and resident for meetings, I send out memo and emails for notification when planning meetings or events and a planned agenda is being distributed to the relevant parties and requests for any suggestions in additions to the agenda which will be beneficial in opening the lines of communication. I ensure that minutes of meetings are taken and distributed to relevant parties following the meeting. Within my job role I communicate with a variety of people. These include residents, relatives, employees and colleagues within the larger sanctuary group team.I also communicate with external professionals, social services and safeguarding teams. On a larg er scale I maintain communication with the regional team, head office and support systems within sanctuary. I also have a part to play in the communication with the inspecting authorities such as CQC I am always looking for ways to improve communication systems in order to meet the needs of the residents and to help promote partnership working with colleagues, health professionals, social workers etc. I review practice and look at what others have written, if there is any thing i could adapt or adopt.

Writing a blog for Lecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing a blog for Lecture - Essay Example From the lecture, one was made to reflect on experiences during shopping in a mall, where various products offered were designed in different packages and brands that aim to entice consumers in buying them. The discussions on visual illusions that influence one’s perception and contribute to decision making were highly illuminating. These touched on the Muller-Lyer illusion (Muller-Lyer Illusion n.d.), Ponzo’s illusion (Ponzo Illusion n.d.), Ebbinghaus illustion (Vishton and Fabre 2003), and Lepper’s ambiguous lady illusion (Perceptual Ambiguity 1997). Depending on the need or demand, one’s perception is significantly influenced and therefore buying behavior is swayed by which need is most pressing. For instance, there is a need to purchase a laptop to be used for academic presentations. Manufacturers design different strategies to cater to different consumers. I could be enticed to buy a particular brand based on functionality and design and also the pric e of the product, since as a student, I do not have enough income to purchase the more advanced and technically sophisticated products, despite the intricate packaging or promotions being applied. I therefore learned that my consumer buying behavior could have been influenced by diverse internal and external factors. One’s perceptual process is assisted by external factors to aid in decision making. There could be changes to be made in future buying behavior depending on significant changes in one’s income level or serving more intricate needs that only specifically designed products could satisfy. "Perceptual Ambiguity." Illusion Works. 1997. Available at: http://psylux.psych.tu-dresden.de/i1/kaw/diverses%20Material/www.illusionworks.com/html/perceptual_ambiguity.html (Accessed October 19, 2012). Skaalid, B. 1999. "Gestalt Principles of Perception." College of Education, University of Saskatchewan. Available at:

Summary of research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary of research article - Essay Example There is dire need to investigate the widespread and misleading conceptions regarding the adolescent life. Talai has carried out a research along with Kelvin Barclay and Kathleen Foley at the Park Royal School and the Royal Haven School in Quebec. The research was meant to study the nature and significance of friendship in the life of an adolescent as it is in the Western culture. Amit-Talai has emphasized that the friendship’s nature in the life of an adolescent reflects in his/her friendship as an adult, which adds to its value. Amit-Talai asserts that various social and psychological factors that exist in the life of an adolescent influence the nature of friendship he/she enters into. It is quite common for the students to encounter a lot of changes when they are in the phase of secondary school. The onset of puberty inculcates drastic changes in the nature and attitude of both genders, on the physiological part. On the sociological part, adolescents assume much more respon sibilities in school and home and also, in the workplace occasionally. The adolescents also experience a shift in their relationships with their peers when they enter their puberty and gain the sense of sexuality. A vast majority of students feel a change in their learning tendency and the environment as well. Many families change their residence as the children move from childhood to adolescence. The change of location causes the adolescents to change their schools. However, it must be noted that the physiological and sociological changes brought about by the adolescence are not the only factors that play a decisive role in determining the structure of an adolescent friendship. After conducting the research, Amit-Talai found that the rules in both the Quebec secondary schools that were involved in the study were too strict to allow the students time to socialize in an informal manner in their private lives. Such a lack of time to promote intimate informal relationships in the life of an adolescent significantly declines his/her tendency to maintain a healthy friendship, though the lack of time does not completely eradicate the friendship at all. According to Paine (cited in Amit-Talai 235), friendship is a â€Å"dyadic, confidential and personal relationship†. There is a category of friends called as â€Å"just friends† that are indeed, the â€Å"â€Å"purest† form of friendships, voluntary and operating outside of any specific context, with no structural or cultural supports†. (Fischer 108 cited in Amit-Talai 235). However, the secondary students studied by Amit-Talai in her research express a blurred relationship of friendship in the sociological context. It is commonly thought of adolescents that their life is full of leisure as compared to that of the adults. Amit-Talai says that there is no doubt in the fact that many adolescents do not work and only study, yet the school and related activities like homework consume a major po rtion of their time. â€Å"Adolescents who are not at work do not necessarily have more â€Å"free time† as a result† (Amit-Talai 237). Amit-Talai has also noticed a manifold increase in the number of working students in the secondary schools in Quebec since early 1975. In order to entertain their social concerns, many secondary school students work along with their studies. Such social concerns include but are not limited to shopping, outing

Police Recruit Qualifications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police Recruit Qualifications - Essay Example However, if there is no certificate, then the police department would also accept a transcript of the applicant (â€Å"Background Information†). In this line of police work, it is extremely important for the applicant to be physically fit, so that they can participate actively in defense tactics, which is a training process, and also in other physical activities. To test the physical fitness of an applicant, he is tested in aerobics, strength and how flexible he is; for physical fitness, there are procedures set by the commission. However, if the applicant doesn’t pass the physical fitness test, then he would be ineligible for admissions in the academy. The applicant should be the citizen of the United States of America and must know how to read and write the English Language. Whether the applicant is an American citizen or not, can be known of the history of the resident’s previous addresses, for the last ten years. Moreover, if the applicant has a military record, then the condition to apply in an academy is that he should have a record of honourable discharge and the fair employment laws would also apply here. Here, the applicant has to submit a certificate issued by the Military Service Record, and it should be considered as the only acceptable proof. The applicant needs to have a driver’s license, before they are hired; the driver’s license must be of Washington State or the state in which they are applying for. For example, if an applicant wants to be hired in the Seattle Police Department, but lives in Washington, he has to get Seattle’s driving license; even though at the time of applying, the applicant wouldn’t have the license, it is compulsory for him to show the license in case he is hired. A driving license is essential because driving is an essential part of the police department (â€Å"Seattle†). There shouldn’t

Thoughts On Printmaking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Thoughts On Printmaking - Assignment Example Another feature about this laptop cover is that it can be used on any laptop, not necessarily Apples. A user can cover his/her laptop with this beautiful adornment irrespective of the brand. Also the color of the cover has made it exceptionally appealing. White engravings on a dark background are giving it an outstanding look. This cover has got a good aesthetic appeal to it as well. Also, the design is quite intricate and would be liked by people generally. The colors are also gender neutral making it easy for any gender to use the cover. They aren’t bright or flashy so people won’t get awkward before using it. I like it because it is modern, conventional, trendy and beautiful. It is smooth and shiny and the fact that it is a laser engraving makes it special. The remaining images shown in the slides deserve acclaim as well, but I found this one the best as it is very different and attention

Arts and Humanties Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arts and Humanties - Assignment Example Of many options, a decision that yields the maximum net happiness is considered justified from the perspective of utilitarian ethics. Utilitarian ethics denies gay marriages to be legalized because the only happiness generated by the legalization of gay marriages is the happiness of the gay couple while its negative implications on the society are numerous including lack of the gay couple to produce babies in the society with an already negative rate of birth, drop in the number of men available to women for marriage, transgression of the limits imposed by religion, spread of such dreadful diseases as AIDS in the society, and dissatisfaction of the families of the gay couple in a vast majority of cases. So utilitarian ethics provides an answer to the question; should gay marriages be legalized? Arts and Humanities are worth-studying not only because they are distinct fields of study with their respective significances but also because they have the tendency to sharpen an individual’s skills in other fields of science including social sciences and mathematics. For example, looking at a painting showing the architecture of classical Rome speaks volumes about the classical Roman culture, social perceptions and values knowledge of which facilitates drawing a connection between their present and past and understanding their history. Likewise evaluating different solutions to a problem with the help of ethical theories enhances an individual’s critical analysis skills which in turn improve his/her performance in research and other fields of science. Quran or Bible must not be categorized as literature because they were not written as literature in the first place (Winters, 2011). Literature, by definition, is a kind of art of writing that gets published. There is an author who writes text and gets it published. Neither Quran nor Bible was created by a human being. Both Quran and Bible are a compilation of the verses created by God Almighty and recited by the  Holy Prophets.  

IBP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

IBP - Research Paper Example Under the contract, an employer, in this case IBP, was responsible for the  safety  and safety violations of another employer’s employees, DCS in this case, and had the  mandate  to prevent and  abate  such violations.  IBP had supervisory authority and control over the worksite regardless of whether DCS created the hazards or was in a position to reduce them.  In addition, IBP owned the equipment and  therefore  required to  exercise  all  control  as a contracting party and  plant  owner and ensure that no employee was at risk.   The nature of the contract between IBP and DCS required there be a daily recurring  task  that IBP employees had  previously  been doing.  The contract was on-going and the relationship between the two was a close one.  IBP constant contact with DCS also included  frequent  discussions about LOTO standards and the fragrant violations of these standards by DCS employees. While the contract held DCS responsible for LOTO standards compliance, IBP had the  mandate  to ensure DCS complied even if it meant suspending or terminating the contract. IBP could have imposed penalties on DCS and its employees at any time to  ensure  LOTO compliance. As the worksite-controlling employee, it could also have suspended and expelled employees who fragrantly violated safety

General Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

General Question - Essay Example The main purpose of this method of teaching reading to schoolchildren is to provide them with instructional support and a strong basis for the development of reading skills. It requires teachers' involvement in the reading process before, during and after the reading of a basal text. Stages of DRA There are several approximately eight steps in the Direct-Reading Activity. Each step comes with some expectations and advantages to the learning of reading skills amongst children. Step 1: Choose a text and the aim of reading The first step involves the teacher identifying a given text in the basal reader. This means the teacher will have to identify a portion of the reading text and identify the main reading techniques and new vocabulary that can be learnt through the reader. This step is to set the aims, objectives and basis for the whole exercise. This step sets the framework of the entire reading and here, the teacher will know the exact objectives that must be met by the class. This c an be an avenue for the teacher to guide students through the various stages of the reading process. This will enable the students to progress gradually through important stages in the process of learning how to read and comprehend information in a given text. Step 2: Select vocabulary to be pre-taught After the teacher concludes on the aims and objectives of the reading exercise at hand, the next step is to identify new and unusual words in the text. These words are often words that the students have not met before or words that have links to other situations that the children are likely to meet in the future. These words are to be identified and written on the board for the children to understand. It usually helps if the teacher explains the meaning of the words as well as the linkage of the word with other contexts within which the students are likely to meet in the future. The immediate reason for this exercise on vocabulary is to enable the children to get familiar with the mor e difficult words that they are going to meet in the reading. It enables comprehension during the reading process because the students become familiar with the implication of those words and the context within which they are used in the text. The longer term aim of the pre-teaching of words is to help the children to improve their vocabulary. This will help them to acquire new words that will enable them in the future. Additionally, teaching vocabulary before reading also builds the conception of predicting the meaning of words by examining the context within which unfamiliar words are used. This will help students in future comprehension assignments and examinations like SAT and other English language examinations. Elicit prior knowledge on the topic of text After the vocabulary is taught and discussed, the teacher will have to take opinions and knowledge brought forward from the class. This will include discussing matters from the known to the unknown. This implies that the childr en will be called upon to share basic knowledge about what they know about the subject. Thus for example, when you are to talk about a fox in the reader, the teacher can ask about the similarities between the foxes and other animals. Obvious answers that are likely to come about might include a dog and other animals. Then the attributes of a fox as a sly creature or a creature that is not so straightforward can be brought up by drawing into similar tales like sly fox and

Violence in the media Essay Example for Free

Violence in the media Essay Does violence in the media affect peoples social behaviour? A lot of research has been done on this matter. Even though the mass media cannot be solely blamed for the increase in violence this century, it is clear that the development has coincided with an increase in violence shown on television and video. According to the UN Childrens Convention, children should be able to have access to information from the mass media which promotes understanding, tolerance, equality and peace. Children also have the right to be protected, from violent and manipulating media. Even though 187 countries have signed this convention, few countries follow up, and even if they do they have little say about over international mass media such as satellite television and Internet. There was an interesting study on the web, about how many people get offended by violence on television (see below). It shows how many people are offended by violence and sex in the four main programmes. Major effects of children watching violent programs on television are: Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others Children may be more fearful of the world around them Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others. Children, who watch a lot of TV, are less aroused by violent scenes then those who only watch a little; in other words, theyre less bothered by violence in general and less likely to see anything wrong with it. Children, who have been watching violent programmes on TV, often behave differently. A study done at Pennsylvania State University showed that children who had just watched violent, even just funny cartoons, were more likely to hit, argue, disobey rules, leave tasks unfinished, and more impatient then the children who had just watched non-violent shows. It has been calculated that the average 16-year-old in Western society has  seen about 13,000 violent murders on television, and it seems reasonable to assume that this must have some effect on their behaviour. There is, indeed, a positive relationship between the amount of television violence children have seen and the aggressiveness of their behaviour. However, it is hard to interpret such co relational evidence. It may be that watching violent programmes cause aggressive behaviour. On the other hand, it may be that naturally aggressive children choose to watch more violent programmes than non-aggressive children. Lots of people also blame of having a bad influence on children and teenagers on violent computer games. There are two explanations of the effects of violence in video games: The social learning theory suggesting that children will imitate what they have seen on the screen; and the catharsis theory that suggests that violent video games channel a childs aggression and stop them from being aggressive in real life. (Catharsis theory) However observational studies (e.g. Irwin and Gross, 1995) have found that playing violent video games increases aggression in children in the short-term at least so supporting the social learning theorys view. Further Video game violence has more effect on young children, but far less effect on teenagers and no apparent effects on adults. There is, on the other hand, very little research into the long-term effects of violent video games and at the moment, it is entirely speculation of the effects. The media have pro-social effects as well as anti-social ones; if the catharsis theory is correct then it can relieve aggressive feelings and prevent aggression in real life. The media cannot be completely blamed for aggression; there are other factors to be considered that could influence the person particularly a child. Research portrays children as helpless victims of the medias influence but it has been shown that children can critically talk about the media at age seven. The childs upbringing, background, culture and peers could all influence any possible aggressive behaviour. The media alone cannot be blamed for all aggression; other  factors have to be taken into account. What can parent do to protect their children? We cannot fully protect children and teenagers from exaggerated violence on TV, video and PC games. But there are a few options for parents to protect their children. Its been suggested that parents should watch at least one episode of their childrens programme so that they can better understand the content and discuss it with them. Explain questionable incidents (e.g. random violence) that occur and discuss alternatives to violent actions as ways to solve problems. Children also should be taught to differentiate clearly between fiction and real life. Furthermore parents should teach their children not to bully others and make sure that they do not get examples of violence at home or at school. Another option is just to motivate the children to activities such as sports, playing with friends, drawing, etc, instead of let them watching TV all the time. Lots of experts argue that it is essential for parents and teachers to provide children with media education, to enable them to analyse the information around them. Children are bombarded with images and information, much more than they can absorb or understand. Strong influences from media take part in shaping peoples values and views, and it is therefore important that people, from a young age, are taught how to think for themselves and to view the media critically, as well as to respect and tolerate others. Parents should also learn, how to analyse films and to produce videos. They would achieve an insight in how images can be used as a form of expression. Many children and young people know more about computers and new technology than adults. Many adults are not aware what children watch on television and videos, or what images they can come across on the Internet. It is therefore important that both parents and teachers follow up with the new technology in order to be able to guide and protect the children. That simply means that we should be in control of the media rather than the media in control of us. Mass media and technology should be for our benefit, not for our  destruction. To make this possible the mass media have to reflect the communication needs of all members of society, and at the same time be able to protect the individual as well as the society. Sources used: http://www.st-edwards.poole.sch.uk/subjects/psych/new_page_5.htm http://www.abelard.org/tv/tv.htm http://www.duke.edu/~cars/vmedia.html http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/media/violab.html

Becoming Influential Essay Example for Free

Becoming Influential Essay The public view of nurses as subordinates to physicians, simply â€Å"trained† to follow doctors’ orders, an overall lack of understanding as to the level of education and the kind of work nurses actually do (Sullivan, 2004) has lent to this perception. Sullivan (2004) writes about telling nursing’s story as an avenue to turn opinions around; empower nurses at an individual level, and ultimately raise the bar to a degree where nursing as a whole takes a stance to being viewed and treated as experts in the health care arena alongside other disciplines. Nurses outnumber all other health care providers (Kelly Crawford, 2008, p. ) in both acute care and community care settings; are the most diverse clinicians having knowledge and experience that intertwines with all other health professionals, the public and now the business world. Nurses collectively have a deeper understanding of the everyday goings-on within all areas of healthcare. The challenge is to convince those who do not recognize this attribute to tap into an invaluable resource. The message I have chosen to include in this paper will attempt to encourage and support the utilization of nurses in the area of clinical informatics, as this is an up-and-coming opportunity to recruit the experts. Deciding on My Message I have always had an interest in computers long before I went into nursing. As a new graduate nurse in the early 1990’s I went straight to San Antonio, Texas where at one of the hospitals I worked implemented a cutting-edge clinical documentation application in the intensive care units. I quickly became a champion user as I was quite comfortable with the whole concept. That, blended with my diverse clinical experience in nursing to include using many other applications in various areas set the stage for my area of expertise; clinical informatics. As a practitioner, I felt unfulfilled at the bedside, frustrated with the lack of positive recognition toward the profession, regardless of the root cause. Being able to move away from direct patient care to a role that required a strong clinical background, informatics became my passion. My concern has intensified over the lack of clinicians called upon to do what nurses do best: clinical workflow analysis, agents of clinical change management and clinical adoption, and most important ensuring the application is robust enough for that program, clinic or unit based on expertise in that area. The further I observe resistance to change and poor adoption by nursing the more incensed I become with the lack of expert utilization. The motives for the resistance are significant: the omission of the nursing process, the inability to enter orders (physician and nursing), track medication and document medication administration is to list a few. These gaps could have been identified and possibly avoided had nurses been involved in the initial requirements gathering. Nurses understand process and know what questions to ask, as opposed to non-clinical analysts, who could not know what they do not know; who better to understand specific practice methodology and process than those who live it? Furthermore, physicians are viewed as the key holders to patient care while nursing and other allied health groups are seen as simply assisting the physician, not as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team. Nurses understand and embrace this model far more than other disciplines and are the best choice in this domain. Deciding on How to Share My Message The conduit for my message is through networking with individuals I have met and worked with over the years with influence and power; those at the executive level in the health region, university and college leaders, business leaders and clients, in person, via letters, and public speaking. Another channel I will utilize is the Canadian Nursing Association Journal with a letter to the editor or submission of an article to be published within the magazine. The target audience at this time is business and other health care professionals as the need to have nurses recognized as assets to the fast moving execution of electronic systems in health care, soon to replace paper, is urgent. If more nurses are not involved in this process as expert consultants, there is a high risk of failure and inevitably patient safety. I will not directly target the public but indirectly as I believe once health care and business professionals view nurses as experts in our profession overall, then their perceptions and opinions will reach the public. The obstacle will be persuading those with little health care understanding just how nursing can be affective. Business leaders are all about deliverables, making sure they are provided. How the product is packaged is not of great concern; patient safety is not a term truly understood by non-clinical analysts and project managers. Within eHealth in general, the organizational structure from top down holds minimal if any clinical knowledge beyond the high level business of healthcare. The best way to convey the message in this arena is by example of competency and the successes when nurses are part of the team. Unfortunately, failed deliverables due to lack of clinical analysis and input is the other method of getting the message across in this instance. However, that would require a clear understanding of why the project failed, which has slowly been coming to light within the eHealth community. Therefore, the target for this message would be the CIO and the medical officer of eHealth, however, the argument must be well supported to ensure being heard. As Kelly Crawford (2008) discuss, the lack of awareness noted by the reluctance of nurses to be identified as experts creates an obstacle. Opportunities to speak at various forums that involve nursing directly or indirectly is the best way to share the message with nurses. I was recently asked to speak to an audience from the informatics graduate program at a university in order to encourage and promote more nurses into the program. As one individual stated, â€Å"we recognize the unique expertise nurses bring to informatics and have identified the gap in this program. † My Message In preparation for this assignment I learned that there are others in the profession that have identified similar trepidations around the lack of positive recognition toward nursing, however, a solid foundation to build on has been laid. As discussed in Sullivan (2004) nurses rarely take the opportunity to promote the profession through the media, citing shortage of time, or fear of repercussions as a motive to decline. In order to be valued in positive locus those in the profession must promote their own successes without fear of appearing egocentric or as a braggart; taking pride in undertakings that might seem unremarkable but are more than that. While other professionals present their individual accomplishments regularly, gracefully accepting the prestige and standing that comes with their show, nurses must embrace this characteristic in order to continue paving the road to professional recognition. I am inspired to carry on promoting nursing as I have- by example, through networking.

The Tourism Promotion In Social Media Media Essay

The Tourism Promotion In Social Media Media Essay In the past few years, social media play a significant role not only in media industry, but also in other industries. It is obvious that in short-term of future, the influence of social media will overtake traditional media. Currently, there are many reports have collected the data of social media. Based on the data collected by Kern (2012, p, 1) assert, Facebook has more than approximately 950 million active users in 2012, and almost 300 million photos uploaded per day, as well as around 2.5 billion content items shared per day. In addition, Barnett (2012, p, 1) point out, according to the data collected by Twopcharts, which is a third party Twitter analysis firm, the online social networking application Twitter have around 500 million registered users in 2012, and more than a billion tweets a week. In terms of YouTube, Smith (2012, p, 1) clamed, in the worldwide, there are 4 billion video views per day. Moreover, nearly ten hours of content were uploaded to YouTube in every minute (Kaplan Haenlein, 2010, p, 59). Furthermore, based on a report from Shi (2012, p, 11) purposed, 43 percent of Fortune 500 companies recognized the significant of social media in 2009. The world has changed dramatically since using social media, and also use this is a trend in the worldwide. Compare to western countries, a term of social media in China also has obvious development. However, based on the censorship of China, western social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are blocked. As a result, Chinese firms developed Chinese visions of social media platforms. Shi (2012, p, 15) indicated, based on the data from China Internet Network Information Center, there are around 235 million Chinese social media users in 2011. 2.2.1 Definition of Social Media Over the last few years, many scholars pay attention on the definition of social media. Each of them might reflect different features of social media. Based on studies by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, p, 61) define, social media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated. In addition, as an article by Poynter (2010, p, 24) indicated, social media, which is hard to define, is based on one-to-many model towards a many-to-many model, which allow users share, create content, video and photo. Furthermore, Lange-Faria and Elliot (2012, p, 195) shared the same opinion with Poynter about the term of social media, the authors concluded a key concept of social media is allowing users sharing, changing, updating and disseminating information. It seems that social media permit users to crate, distribute and share their own content, and also can comment or receive feedbac k in directly. In other words, the term of social media refers to a variety of media that people use to communicate online in a social way (Scott, 2010, cited in Nguyen Wang, 2011, p, 18). According to research provided by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, p, 63) point out that depend on level of social presence and media richness, and level of self disclosure and self presentation, social media composed of six types, namely blogs, social networking websites, (i.e. Facebook), content communities, (i.e. YouTube), virtual game worlds, collaborative projects and virtual social worlds. Currently, microblogs, such as Twitter, has become the member of social media. In general, Lange-Faria and Elliot (2012, p, 195) claimed, organize social media into four domains: expressing, networking, sharing and gaming. 2.2.2 Social media platforms Currently, widely accepted social media is Facebook and Twitter. These two main social media platforms have some similar characteristics. For instance, both Facebook and Twitter are characterized by member-only and password-protection (Hvass Munar, 2012, p, 95). However, based on review literature from Hvass and Munar, it can be found that Facebook allow organizations to create groups, official pages and profile, and users can unlimited access to page without requirements from the group administrator. Compare with Facebook, Twitter more emphasis on individuals, through 140 words to post personal opinion, information, and users can receive responses from others more efficiently. In other words, Twitter has more conversational feature than Facebook. In addition, as the same as Facebook, organizations are able to create their official account on Twitter (Hvass Munar, 2012, p, 95). Though the concept of social media from the West, but also social media in China has a significant development. For various reasons, western social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked in China. However, based on local culture and technologies, China has developed a series of local versions. According to Baran (2011, p, 466) claims, the China equivalents are Qzone and Renren for Facebook, Sina Weibo for Twitter (Weibo is the Mandarian word for microblog), Tudou and YouKu for YouTube. Furthermore, based on the data collected by Sina (2011, p, 1) asserted, Sina Weibo had approximately 140 million active users in 2011, while Renren had 117 million users in 2010 (Colaizzi, 2010, p, 1). Furthermore, in China, current trend is either private or foreign-funded enterprises are tying to use Chinese social media sites to do promotion and marketing. As a research by Xinhua (2011, p, 1) indicated that almost five thousands organizations creative their official accounts in Sina We ibo. In these organizations also include some foreign government departments, such as department of Tourism Australia. As a result, social media in China already attract more attention from Western. 2.2.3 Social media in tourism Some studies focus on the role of social media in tourism. Based on research provided by Fotis, Buhalis and Rossides (2012, p, 14) asserted, potential consumers depend on other travellers experiences during they make a decision. As a result, social media play an active role in tourism. According to Gretzel, Yoo and Purifoy (2007, p, 1) indicated, travellers share and comment travel experiences via social media, which can reduce risk, as well as increase desire and confidence of travellers. In addition, similar to research put forth by Zouganeli, Trihas and Antonaki (2011, p, 113) claimed, Social media have a tremendous impact on how tourists nowadays create, organize and consume tourism experiences. It clear that social media are becoming increasingly significant in tourism. 2.2.4 Tourism promotion in social media In the past, traditional media like advertisements, brochures and films play a significant role in tourism promotion. However, at present using social media is a phenomenon in the world. Compare with traditional media, which is one-way communication channel, social media has participatory and selectivity functions. In addition, as a research by Diaz-Luque (2009, p, 173) indicated, tradition media allows the transmission of information to large groups. Nevertheless, given the large size of the target audience, this leads inevitably to a communication problem. Furthermore, tourism promotional campaigns in the traditional media regarded as enormous daily routine, which means innovation on tourism promotion has become essential (Gustavo-da, Thyago, Soares Elvas, 2011, p, 1). As a result, either organizations from public to private, or governments aim to invest on social media to promote tourism. Compare with promotion in traditional media, social media might bring some obvious advantages. Based on previous research from Das (2009, p, 1) asserted that there are core elements of social media are low costs, increased number of connections and build credibility. Furthermore, Zhang (2011, p, 6) concluded, different types of social media have some common features, such as explosive transmission speed and immediate broadcast. It seems that depend on these features of social media, tourism organizations and governments might change their tourism promotional campaign from traditional media to social media. At present, the common phenomenon of tourism organizations is using blogs, microblogs, Facebook and YouTube as their promotional tools. In terms of blogs and microblogs. According to Schmallegger and Carson (2008, p, 102) demonstrated, Blogging as a way of promotion is often considered as a cheaper marketing activity than traditional advertising. It seems that tourism blogs are a new channel to introduce places, tourism products and services to customers. Compare with tourism brochures, tourism blogs attract more attention from potential customers. Due to tourism organizations provide interesting content, and customer can share their travel experiences and post comments on the blogs, both tourism organizations and governments use this new way to promote products and place. For this reason, as an article by Diaz-Luque (2009, p, 177) indicated, tourism marketers need to understand blog as a new technological phenomenon with implications for marketing and promotion. In term of Twitter, which regarded as microblog, is one type of blogging (Nguyen Wang, 2011, p, 22). Moreover they are concluded that Tweets, which has 140 words, allow users publish the information combine with video, photo and other media contents. Furthermore, Zouganeli, Trihas and Antonaki (2011, p, 112) pay more attention on the role of Twitter in promotion, it can be found that Twitter provides the chances for tourism organizations to interact with current or potential customers. In recent time, according to researchers provided by Nguyen and Wang (2011, p, 26) supported some countries, such as Sweden, use Twitter and Facebook as national tourism promotional tools. In a few previous researches found that Facebook as a tourism promotional tool. Slivar (2009, p, 52) mentioned, depending on the primary aims of Facebook is socialization, Facebook can use as promotional way to directly effect on customers. In this article, using the example to analysis Facebook pages and groups whether can help tourist agencies to promote their products and services. There is no doubt the fact that social media is changing the way of tourism promotion. Reino and Hay (2011, p, 2) pointed out that using brochures to sell tourism products is rapid coming to an end, as the static visual image of a product, fixed in time, are no longer enough to excite potential tourists. As a result, YouTube provides a real sense of where tourists want to visit. Through viewing videos share or upload by other tourists, potential customers can acquire the real sense of visual images. In addition, YouTube allow organizations to uploaded videos into their official account. As a result, YouTube, which is a new tourism promotional tool, attracted more attention from tourism organizations and governments. It clear that with rapid development of technologies, social media sites like blogs (micro blogs), Facebook and YouTube play an increasingly significant role in tourism promotion.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony Number Five :: essays research papers

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony Number Five Ralph Vaughan Williams, descended from the famous Wedgwood and Darwin families, was born at Down Ampney, Gloucestershire in 1872. In 1890 he entered the Royal College of Music, and in 1892 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge. One of the greatest of the British composers, a prolific writer of music, folksong collector, and champion of British cultural heritage, he died aged 85 in 1958. His ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey alongside the nation's greatest artists and poets. Symphony No. 5 in D Introduction The symphony contains a lot of material from RVW's then unfinished opera, The Pilgrim's Progress. When he began the Fifth Symphony, RVW thought he may never finish the opera, and didn't want to waste any good ideas. The symphony does not have a programme, it is absolute music. It is in four movements: a "Preludio" first movement, a Scherzo, a "Romanza" slow movement, and a "Passacaglia" finale. First Movement : Preludio From the very beginning, RVW puts the key signature of this movement into doubt. The movement opens with a horn call in D, set against a firm base (or bass?) of octave C's. Could it be that in the great traditions of British musical 'amateurism', RVW got his transposition wrong? Or is this a deliberate feature of the music, intended to blur the tonality? Musicologists prefer the latter explanation. This is by no means an unusual feature of his music, when he was asked what the 4th symphony was about, RVW replied "It is about F-minor", alluding to his sometimes hazy tonalities, often augmented by his use of modal, mainly pentatonic melodies, which, with no leading note, often help to 'fudge' the tonality. Apart from the horn call, the brass is seldom used, and the texture is light and airy. The first violins then enter, high on the E string, doubled at the octave below by the seconds in an introduction, before their main theme at (1), doubled by flutes. The triplets add rhythmic variety, as well as providing a distinctly 'folkie' feel. During the course of the movement, the distinctive dotted rhythm of the horns hardly ever leaves us. There are some rather abrupt key changes. i.e. Eb to E at (5). We are taken into the Allegro by a sudden change in mood. The music darkens with a slightly sinister version of the horn call in the bassoons. We then enter the Allegro, with a scurrying in the strings, whilst the wind begins a downward progression of notes, which builds to a climax, with strings in semiquavers, until we reach the original

Radar Detector :: essays research papers

Nowadays, speed-detection technology has become more and more advanced, and not getting a speeding ticket is almost unavoidable. There are a lot of devices around that can help drivers detect the police traps, but these devices are illegal in many states. As people are driving down the interstate with their cruise control set over the speed limit, many get scared of a police car parked on the side of the road. Right after they pass the trap they look at the speedometer and their rear mirror, hoping that the cop will pass them by and go after those whose speed was higher. Now, Rocky Mountain Radar Co. offers drivers a solution to escape getting the ticket. This device is called the Phazer. The Phazer makes your vehicle electronically invisible to the police speed-detecting equipment. It mixes a portion of the radar signals with background clutter and bounces it back to the squad car by way of wave guide antenna, which effectively confuses the computer inside the radar gun. Police radar takes five to ten speed measurements per second of the vehicle. The Phazer sends two different signals to the radar, so the final result is that police radar can not verify the speed of the vehicle and displays no speed at all.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Phazer also protects your vehicle from Lidar guns which use distance over time to detect the speed of the vehicle. The Phazer sends an invisible infared signals to the Lidar gun, this way the measurement of the speed is blocked. Many devices like that were outlawed because they transmit scrambling radar beams to the police car. The Phazer reflects only part of the signal and also mixes it with an FM signal. It is perfectly legal for people living in all states but California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington D.C. The Phazer starts to scramble the signals from three miles away from the speed trap.

Use of Generalist Fair Use Defence in Australian Intellectual Property

  Ã‚  Ã‚  The objective of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) is to protect those who create works, such as artistic works or literary works, as well as those other subject matter, such as films or sounds recordings, from those who would serve to exploit or profit from their labor, skill and creativity. But, what about those who use these protected works and other subject matter for interests different to the above? Such as for educational purposes or for broadcasting? Under the act, there are listed many defences to protect an individual or a corporation from infringement of copyright, or in other words, directly or indirectly, infringing those exclusive rights that the copyright owner possess, also listed under the act . These defences operate in areas such as fair dealing, educational uses, artistic works, performances, communication and broadcasting, computer programs, importing, copying by libraries and archives and judicial proceedings and statutes . Although the current act does p rovide protection, in the form of legislated, or statutory defences, it could be argued that a fair use defence, as is currently being used in the United States of America via their equivalent of the Copyright act , may be a more simple approach to this issue. The current legislation in some areas is specific, and in others, hard to understand. A generalist fair use defence may simplify the current legislation and also create less confusion for the individual and the Court system. But, there is always the risk by introducing such a measure, it may create loopholes, and at this current point in time, the Australian Court system is reluctant to import such a principle, although it has been acknowledged in obiter. It has been acknowledged, via legal forums, that the system of copyright law in Australia is complicated, and has been argued, through submission to be made simpler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As introduced above, the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) was introduced in response to the growing need to protect individual’s creative works or other subject matter from commercial or other exploitation. The above named act provides that copyright is a statutory right, and abolishes any right to copyright at common law . The Berne Convention for Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an international convention on copyright protection, which was first held in 1886, and has b... ...llip, Intellectual Property: Copyright and Materials, Lawbook Company Casebook, Sydney 2002. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Paper for Meeting with the Copyright Law Review Committee on 4 October 2001, Discussion Paper, www.law.gov.au/www/clrHome.nsf/AllDocs/ -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ploman, Edward W, and Clark Hamilton, L, Copyright: Intellectual Property in the Information Age, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1980. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ricketson, Sam and Richardson, Megan, Intellectual Property: Cases, Materials and Commentary, 2nd Edition, Butterworths, Sydney 1998. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reynolds, R and Stoianoff, Natalie, Intellectual Property: Text and Essential Cases, The Federation Press, Sydney 2003. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Simplication of the Fair Dealing Provisions in the Copyright Act 1968†, Comments on the CLRC’s Discussion Paper, CAUL: Council of Australian University Librarians, August 1997, www.caul.edu.au/gov-inqu/clrc-972.html -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Simplification of the Copyright Act 1968†, Part I: Exceptions to the Exclusive Rights of Copyright Owners, Copyright Law Review Committee, www.law.gov.au/clr/Simplification/

Bat Case Report

Executive Summary BAT is a technology that sells financial software to individuals and organizations. BAT’s success had attracted a number of competitors. BAT differentiated itself by committing to free tech support for the life of the product. BAT started its call center operations in 1987 with 6 technicians which grew to over a 100 technicians by 2002. However, the call center has been under pressure in terms of long waiting times for customers. Such poor service was beginning to take its toll on the company’s reputation.We recommend that BAT should implement the Fast Track proposal in order to improve customer service and the company’s bottom line. We understand that free technical support is BAT’s value proposition and central to its business model, but we will show with our analysis why this is the best approach to follow. Qualitatively, 1. BAT will still maintain free support with Fast Track. Fast track will only create market segmentation. Customers on top of the market pyramid who are readily willing to pay can be tapped. . Fast Track will convert the call center from a cost center into a profit center. With the revenue being generated out of Fast Track calls, BAT can staff the call center with more technicians to improve service levels for standard callers. Current Situation BOP Team 1 is consists of 8 customer service technicians and the arrival rate of customers is 22. 5 customers/hour. The average time to deal with one customer is 18. 2 minutes. Therefore, the service rate capacity per technician is 3. 2967 customers/hour.After running the Steady-State, Infinite Capacity Queues model, the average waiting time of customers is 0. 14979 hour, which equals to about 9 minutes and there will be in average 3. 37 customers waiting in the queue. Please refer to Appendix 1 for details. Since the arrival rate and the service capacity rate cannot be shortened, increasing number of technician is the only way to shorten the average wai ting time down to less than 1 minute. We ran the model again by adding more technicians one by one, and we found that the average waiting time decrease down to about half minutes at 11 technicians.Please refer to Appendix 2 for details. Fast Track We considered different staffing plans and ran Queuing Macro for average wait time. We considered adding servers and keeping one queue, and other scenarios with dedicated Fast Track Servers. We ran Queuing Macro under five different staffing scenarios: (Please note that we have dedicated Fast track servers in Scenarios 4 and 5) Scenario No| No of Standard Servers| No of Fast Track Servers| 1| 8| 0| 2| 9| 0| 3| 10| 0| 4| 7| 1| 5| 7| 3| The following results were observed:Refer to Appendix 3 for spreadsheet calculations. As observed in the data, Scenario 2 and 3 succeed in keeping Average waiting for track customers to less than 1 minute. Scenario 2 uses less number of resources. Scenario 2 (9 technicians) is the best staffing level, without dedicated servers for Fast Track. Economics of Fast Track We’ve now established that Scenario 2 and 3 keep average wait time to less than 1 minute to help meet the Fast Track Guarantee. In Scenario2, The average server utilization is 75%, which is an adequate level.The additional yearly net revenue that can be obtained ranges from $54,325 to $376,300 depending if 10% or 40% of customers become Fast Track customers. In Scenario 3, The average server utilization is 68%, which is not as good as in the previous scenario. The additional yearly net revenue that can be obtained is also less attractive, ranging from $1,325 to $323,300. Also considering a scenario where we keep 11 technicians, The average server utilization decreases to 62%. The additional net revenue/loss that can be obtained per year is now not so attractive, ranging from a net loss of 51,675 to a net revenue of $270,300. Scenario 2 (9 Servers) offers the best revenue opportunities. Free Service for Fast customers waiting over 1 minute. We did some simulations to see what happens if BAT offers Fast Track service, charging $2 / minute, but giving the service for free if the customer waits over 1 minute. According to the â€Å"Queuing† macro, with 1 additional server there is a 30. 7% chance that any given customer (whether Fast Track or Standard) will wait more than 1 minute.Considering that 10% of these customers are Fast Track individuals, we obtain an arrival rate of 30. 7% * 10% * 22. 5 customers/hr = 0. 69 customers / hr. On the other hand, considering that 40% of customers are Fast Track individuals, we obtain an arrival rate of 30. 7% * 40% * 22. 5 customers/hr = 2. 7 customers / hr This means that, on average, the number of Fast Track customers who will wait over 1 minute ranges from 0. 69 / hr to 2. 7 / hr. In other words, roughly anywhere from 1 to 3 Fast Track customers per hour will be waived from the Fast Track fee.As seen on Appendix â€Å"xxxxx† (Table 4), this rep resents a loss of annual revenue ranging between $2,197 and $8,786. However, despite declines in revenue, this fee-waiver option will surely improve customer’s experience and customer loyalty. Therefore, we recommend Scenario 2 (hiring 1 additional server) in order to implement Fast Track, charging $2 / minute and including the fee-waiver option if waiting time exceeds 1 minute. Service Contracts vs Pay per call There are several aspects to consider when deciding if BAT should offer service contracts or just pay-per-call.Firstly, offering charged technician support goes against BAT’s original value proposition, however, pay-per-call maintained free service option. Also, pay-per-call could differentiate itself from the industry norm. It is easier for customers to accept. BAT has been offering free technician service to support its product since the founding of the company. Free technician support is part of BAT’s value proposition to customers. While charging pay -per-call service is already deviating from BAT’s core value, following the industry norm to offer service contracts could negatively impact the value proposition of BAT.Secondly, offer service contracts require higher investment caused by increased volume of customer calls. With pay-per-call service, customer will only call technician support when they are encountering problems that are urgent and customer can not only solve by themselves in a timely fashion. And since the call is charged on the minute basis, customers are more likely to keep the call short. Whereas, with service contracts, customers could call technician support with any question, and tend to stay on the line longer that they actually need to.There will be an increase of number of phone calls if BAT decides to offer service contracts. The increase of number of phone calls and prolonged time for each phone call will require BAT to invest heavily in terms of human resource and training. Overall, in terms of e conomic value and flexibility in operation, the Pay-per-call option is more preferable than service contracts. Pay-per-call requires less investment in human resource and training, also it has the flexibility to not charge customer, if their waiting time exceeds 1 minute.

Harivansh Rai Bachan Essay

Harivanshrai Srivastav (November 27, 1907 – January 18, 2003) was a Hindi poet. He born in an ordinary Kayasth family in a small town near Allahabad. He was called â€Å"bachchan† at home, which means â€Å"child.† He received his formal schooling in a municipal school and attended Kayasth Paathshaalas to learn Urdu, which was the family tradition so as to help getting jobs in court. He completed his later education both at the Allahabad University and Banaras Hindu University. Since he gave up his university education to participate in the great upsurge of nationalism that began in 1930. Realizing that this was not the path he wanted to follow, he went back to university. However from 1941 to 1952 he taught in the English Department at the Allahabad University and after that he spent the next two years at Cambridge University doing his doctoral thesis on W.B. Yeats. It was then, that he used ‘Bachchan’ as his last name instead of Srivasta. Harivanshrai’s thesis got him his PhD at Cambridge. He however is the second Indian to get his doctorate in English literature from Cambridge. After returning to India he again took to teaching and also served at All India Radio, Allahabad. In 1955, Harivanshrai shifted to Delhi to join the External Affairs Ministry as an officer on Special duty and during the period of 10 years that he served he was also associated with the evolution of Hindi as the official language. He also enriched Hindi through his translations of major writings. As a poet is famous for his poem Madhushala (a bar selling alcoholic drinks). Besides Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, he will also be remembered for his Hindi translations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Othello and also the Bhagvad Gita. However in Nov 1984 he wrote his last poem ‘Ek November1984’ on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He got married to Shyama his first wife in 1926. She was just 14 yrs old. But she died 10 yrs later after suffering from a long spell of TB. Shortly after her death Harivanshrai married Teji Suri in 1942. The birth of his two sons Amitabh and Ajitabh changed the course of his life as his days of hardship ended when both his sons did extremely well in their careers – Amitabh became a superstar and a multi billionaire and Ajitab turned out to be a successful business magnate in England. Harivanshrai was nominated to the Indian Rajya Sabha in 1966 and received the Sahitya Akademi award three years later. In 1976 he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to Hindi literature. He was also honoured with the Saraswati Samman, the Sovietland Nehru Award and the Lotus Award of the Afro-Asian writers’ conference, for his unique contribution to the world of letters. But if ever asked to introduce himself, he had a simple introduction: Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan — mera parichay. (A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life – that is me.). Dr. Harivanshrai Bachchan’ passed away on January 18, 2003, Dr Bachchan was 94 years old and had been suffering from serious respiratory ailments.

Karl Marx and Capitalism Essay

In this paper I will examine how Karl Marx views capitalism and, more specifically, the criticisms he has regarding capitalism. In the first part of the paper I will reconstruct and explain the philosopher’s argument. In the second part of the paper I will offer my critical evaluation where I will demonstrate how these critiques are still appropriate in today’s society by providing examples of how capitalism is affecting the lives of American workers even today. However, I will first explain the definition and structure of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system that is most common in the United States and much of Western Europe today. It is represented by privatization of companies for production of goods or services for a profit, competitive markets, and wage labor (â€Å"Capitalism†). These individual skills were initially developed from skills that grew out of the economic time period known as feudalism and has evolved into individuals who possess certain skills that can demand payment. Although this may seem like it would be an ideal situation for workers and provide a platform to provide a service in return for payment of some sort, it soon became evident that there were people who would use this new system of economics to their advantage. Instead of doing the work themselves, they would find skilled workers to provide the service or product under the umbrella of their organization to which they would market and sell the goods for profit. The business owner would make a profit and, in turn, pay the worker a portion for his services provided. Unfortunately, there were others who were unable to make the system work for them in such an advantageous manner. Karl Marx had two basic criticisms of capitalism – especially in his lifetime of the beginning of the industrial revolution and the formation of factories. His first was the thought that the worker suffered from alienation on several different levels. As a capitalistic society succeeds by gaining profit for the companies and business owners, the overall cost of goods needed to live also increases. If the wages earned by workers went up consistently with the profits of society and, thus, the increase in the cost of living, all would be good and balanced. However, that is not the case in most circumstances, in fact, as Marx points out, â€Å"the worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more goods he creates† (Johnson 261). In other words, as the production increases the cost to produce is lowered. The business owner sees those profits in the gross profit obtained by the sale of goods; however, the worker is generally not compensated in a fair and equitable manner. This turns a skill which may or may not have been a passion at one time into something that the worker is forced to do whether they desire to do so or not. Even if a worker enjoyed his occupation, chances are, he or she is being forced to comply with guidelines or standards set by someone else. As a worker you are still not truly free to produce your work according to your standards so you are, in essence, alienating yourself from the product of your work. According to Marx, capitalism has also produced an alienation from nature. He states that the capitalistic society conceals this alienation because it does not examine the direct relationship between the worker and production (Johnson 263). Essentially, the labor of the worker may produce wonderful and beautiful things for the wealthy individuals but oftentimes the working class population may never get to experience the beauty for themselves. Furthermore, the workers identity is often lost within their job and they do not have the means to express their individuality. This is identified by Marx as being alienated from yourself and from your labor. Most people do not proclaim their uniqueness in ways that focus around their occupation. Even in a highly sought after job you may, for a time, feel as if that encompasses who you truly are, but it is only a small part of your being – your essence. This also ties in to another alienation theme of Marx which is the alienation from your species as a human being. According to Marx, â€Å"the worker feels himself to be freely active only in his animal function – eating, drinking, and procreating, or at most also in his dwelling and in personal adornment – while in his human functions he is reduced to animal† (Johnson 264). In other words, as workers we are often free only when we are allowed to do what we want to do instead of what is demanded and required of us at our jobs. When this happens, we are often reduced to a more animalistic approach to fulfilling our needs. Finally, Marx contends that in a apitalistic society, the worker is alienated from others. Because there is so much competition in capitalism – which is the driving force for production and profits – it causes a hostile environment among workers. Many are competing for the same position or the same customer or account. This competition causes a friction within the frame of society that pits individual against individual which is what leads us into the next matter of contention with Marx in his views of capitalism which is exploitation. He claims that â€Å"private property has made us so stupid and partial that an object is only ours when we have it, when it exists for us as capital or when it is directly eaten, drunk, worn, inhabited, etc. , in short, utilized in some way; although private property itself only conceives these various forms of possession as means of life, and the life for which they serve as means is the life of private property – labor and creation of capital† (Johnson 266). People have become so materialistic in our capitalistic society that they are driven to all means by which to obtain their measures of status. Because of this, the workers are driven to give into demands made by their employers in order to make the wages necessary to maintain their standard of living. Since the workers are plentiful, the products are also plentiful, which discussed earlier creates a larger bottom line for the profit of the company or business owner. However, even though the profits are increased for the business owners of the capitalistic society, the wages are often not as high as the profit. Thus, the value of the product is high while keeping the value of the worker low. This is a classic example of exploitation. I think that the criticisms offered by Marx are still applicable in today’s society in the United States. I think that the worker is indeed alienated from his true identity as an individual. Before the onset of industrialized production there was a certain pride associated with one’s occupation; whether that was as a craftsman in wood, as a blacksmith, tailor, or bricklayer. No matter your profession, you were able to express your individuality and impart your character into the product of your work. Sadly, this is not the case with the workers of today. They are often subject to limitations and expectations that hinder their creative ability and they are forced to produce that are a poor representation of their ability or personality. Most people are forced into positions they don’t even want to be in professionally because they need to make a certain amount of money to pay for their wants and needs. This creates a frustration and dissatisfaction that reaches far beyond the walls of the factory or office. It is no wonder that most workers today dread Monday mornings and count the days until five o’clock Friday afternoon. Again and again, the energy level increases as the weekend approaches. There is a common sentiment that states everybody is simply working for the weekend. This is because workers are dissatisfied with their jobs and feel undervalued and taken advantage of in many circumstances. Once the workday ends, the freedom begins for the worker. This is often why the bars have a â€Å"happy hour† as this is where the worker can forget the troubles of the day and throw back a drink or two and finally relax. The economic conditions of living in an industrialized society has turned the ordinary worker into a materialistic consumer that generally far outreaches his or her ability to afford to keep up with the Jones’. Because many feel the pressure of this forced societal expectations to possess certain items, live in a certain neighborhood, d rive the right car all while wearing the right clothes and accessories we as workers in the United States have been put in the unfortunate and unbalanced position of much more want than means by which to provide it. As long as that continues, we are stuck in a cycle of never ending wants that never truly satisfy because they are not meeting what is truly needed in our lives. Marx claims that â€Å"the human being had to be reduced to this absolute poverty in order to be able to give birth to all his inner wealth† (Johnson 268). In a capitalistic society it is encouraged, and even necessary, to consume what is being produced in order for capitalism to continue to grow. Today’s worker can do this in moderation, without putting themselves or their families in such a position to further add to the frustration of meeting expectations and demands at a workplace that is unfulfilling to their existence. Furthermore, I think that labor unions were formed in the early 1900’s in order to protect workers from exploitation of greedy business owners. At the turn of the century, many workers were expected to work long hours almost every day of the week. There were unsafe working environments s well as high quotas being placed on workers from employers with minimal compensation to the workers. All of this was so the profits could rise as production was increased. There seemed no reason to pay more in wages by adding workers or in higher salaries for the existing employees when the business owners could simply demand more from their current workforce. Also, working conditions were often unsafe while trying to maximize workspace with the maximum number of workers without actually increasing the area being used. Because of labor unions working conditions have improved greatly for the worker in America; there are 40 hour work weeks with compensation for additional hours worked; guidelines have been implemented to make for safer working conditions; and there is more room for negotiation for fair wages without fear of retaliation by employers. Although labor unions are still in existence today, they have much less impact than they had in the past. Politicians are close bedfellows with the corporate executives across our nation and policies are ever changing to benefit the corporation and business owners while causing the worker to suffer the consequences. Even though there have been great improvements in regard to the criticisms of alienation and exploitation that Marx had against capitalism, I believe they still exist. Marx may have not been of this century but I feel his observations are still valid in today’s world.

Communication In Job Role Essay

Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own job role. Resident communication needs In my job role as a Deputy Manager I must ensure that I consider the different levels of communication when supporting our residents: We use the following within my work place: Picture schedule This is a form of pictures on a long strip of Velcro, which highlights what is expected of the resident thought the day. This is important to the resident because it enables the individual to see what activities they have thought out the day, it provides a structured day for the resident to identify what activities they have first then after. This provides stable communication between staff member and the residents in aid of reducing anxiety. Barriers and challenges. Barriers that and challenges may arise are: Individuals whom are using the pictures may become too complacent there for require the same product such as dairy milk chocolate bar that is presented on the picture. This can become a challenge as if diary milk factory was to shut and the products where to be no longer produced then the resident whom has the picture of the diary milk and has constantly used this picture to resemble chocolate for the last ten years may become anxious due to not having the chocolate bar resembling the correct photo. Staff members may not be consistent with using the picture schedule, when using picture schedule it is paramount that staffs are consistent when prompting picture schedule. This can become an barrier and a challenge when some staff are using the schedule and some are not. This can confuse the residents and increase anxiety when not used; this can also take the skill away from that resident as well as hinder their communication development. Staffs whom are not adequate trained in using the picture schedule could provide a potential barrier to our residents as it creates a disturbance in the routine of their daily activities in not knowing what they are going to do for the day. Social story A social story is used to simplify a form of information. This is done by having words as well as pictures to explain the information that is needed to be presented to the person. For example: This form of communication is used within our service it ensures that the individual feels included in any decisions that are made, and that they are aware of what is expected off them when they are going on an activity, any planned activities set for the future. They can also be used to explain the step by step guide of what they are to do on a daily bases. This form of communication also reduces anxiety by giving the resident a preferred communication between staff and the individual; it also gives them a clear understanding of what staff members are asking them to do. Individuals whom are creating the social stories may provide information that is too difficult for the resident to understand. They could also presume that the information given has been taken in by the resident; the challenge that may arise is that the resident will not take in the information and may become anxious due to confusion over what is being asked. Another barrier may be too much information, depending on whom you are presenting the social story to, some require bug writing and big pictures where as others may require average size font and pictures but with short and sweet information. A challenge may arise when we presume that an individual whom is using picture schedule may understand social stories, this can in effect create a barrier as it provides the resident with no information other than words and pictures. When presenting the social story, we may not be presenting the social story in the correct manner in accordance to the individual, When reading we may need to be mindful of how fast we go through the information and how many times we go read the social story to the person. Because by going over to many times may cause an issue as well as how fast we read through as some individual may take longer to cognitively understand the information, therefore we must ensure we work at the speed of the individual whom we are working with. Verbal communication Some of our residents require verbal communication, however not all residents who are verbal are able to understand all language used. Therefore they require to be communicated with simple form of vocabulary rather than jargon. This is important to be assessed and mindful because you do not want to give them information that is too difficult to understand, you want them to have simple words that they can take in and understand to avoid any confusion or anxiety. A barrier that may arise when verbally communicating to a resident is how fast and what form of words we use. Not all residents whom are vocal are able to understand long fast sentences there for we must speak to the resident in a manner that they can understand. For example if the resident understands one single word then staff will use the single word rather than a sentences, this is because by using the sentences it could potentially create a challenge as it can cause the resident to become anxious by having too much demands placed on them. I also need to be mindful of whom I am speaking to when I am communicating to individuals, for instance if I speak to a GP then I would not speak the same to the residents as my choice of words will differ massively. Therefore I must always be mindful of the way that I communicate to each individual to ensure that they understand the information that is presented as well as I understands the needs of each person. Makaton We do not have a resident who uses Makaton however if the staff did not know how to use Makaton then we would need Makaton training to enable use to communicate effectively with the resident. We would also need to ensure that we have a basic communication with that resident to ensure we meet the needs of the resident threw understanding what the residents wants and any issues the resident may have on a daily bases. Pecks Book A pecks book is used with one of our residents to identify what he wants, the  peck books provides the resident with a choice of what to eat and what activities he would like to do on a daily bases. This is helpful as it provides the team with a preferred communication style in enabling the staff to identify what activities and want he requires. We can support this by ensuring that we be consistent when using the pecks book with the residents to enable the resident to maintain the communication skill. If we do not use this form of communication then the resident will potentially forget how to use the communication book as well has not be able to communicate his needs to the staff effectively. Team communication needs Team meeting As a team a form of communication that we use are team meetings, team meetings allow staff and management to formally communicate any issues or good relating practices that are present. It is important when conducting a team meeting that all relevant information communicated is understood by all of our staff team, if there is any person who requires help then supervision may help. Other ways of helping would be to complete an information leaflet of what has been said in the meeting as well as the action plans and outcomes. Supervisions Not all staff members are able to share their opinions when in a team meeting another form of preferred communication for some is via supervisions. This enables the individual to discuss their feeling and thoughts without feeling judged by others, it also gives the employee an opportunity to discuss their opinions through their own preferred communication. It also provides managers with an effective approach on how each staff member should receive their supervision. It is paramount that when giving supervision, managers should cater their discussion around the individual. They should also ensure they be mindful of whom they are speaking to and how they approach negative and constructive feedback depending on the individual whom is undergoing the supervision. You can also support effective communication threw supervisions by getting the individual involved in completing the supervision form; you can also provide them with an outcome of the supervision enabling them to  read over and sign in their own time. Barriers and challenges Communication book Communication book can be used to log important information that is needed to be handed over, it can also be used to pass on massages to staff members whom are not on shift. We are able to provide effective communication through this book by ensuring staff read and sign what is put into the book; this can ensure that when they have signed the information then they understand what has been passed on within the book. However the only issue with the communication book is that staff may not always read the book or they may not read the information. This can be reduced by providing the communication book on hand over, shift leader to ensure all staff read and sign also you could have an extended sheet of the a4 paper highlighting the important information that staff should read and sign. We also need to be mindful how we provide the information; Information that is put into the book should be clear, understandable, literature that all staff can understand to avoid any confusion. Face to Face contact whilst on shift. Even though it can be easier to put information into a communication it is not always the best form of communication to all, why because we are all individuals. Some individuals require management to discuss any issues via face to face contact as some individuals tend to understand more when they are listening and picking up body language when talking. We can support individual threw face to face contact by asking them do they understand and if there is any other way they would like the information, you can also effective communication by ensuring the person is focused on you rather than the things going on in the environment.

Bordetella pertussis (bacterium)

Bordetella pertussis (bacterium) Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium that causes pertussis, otherwise known asor whooping cough . Despite vaccination, incidence of pertussis cases have been growing over the last two decades. Current vaccines lack the ability to give long-lasting immunity and must be improved. Complement evasion molecules would make good candidates for vaccine components, because the complement system is essential in the killing of B. pertussis. The complement system is a first line of defense against colonization of bacteria in host tissue. Many bacteria employ complement inhibitors or attract human complement inhibitors to their surface. B. pertussis is no exception on this, however not much is known about the way B. pertussis evades the complement system . Prior to this study a few potential complement inhibitors of B. pertussis were identified. In this study we seek to characterize these proteins in a series of functional immune assays. Under these experimental conditions, we were not able to determine the function of the potential complement evasion molecules. BACKGROUND Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of pertussis, also called whooping cough. Pertussis is a human-restricted disease of the respiratory tract and highly contagious ( en is dit zo? REF). Regular bouts of coughing produce airborne droplets through which B. pertussis can be transmitted (Jongerius et al. 2014). The disease was on the verge of eradication due to worldwide vaccination, but has been re-emerging in the last two decades. In 2008 there were 16 million cases of pertussis globally as estimated by the World Health Organisation. Possible explanations for the re-emergence are waning of immunity – since in the 1990s a different vaccine was introduced giving less enduring protection – or bacterial strain adaption (Mooi et al. 2014). Like many pathogens B. pertussis developed strategies to evade or repress the host response for successful colonization (REF). Little is known about the mechanisms by which B. pertussis escapes clearanc e by the complement system, a first line of defense in the immune response. Identification and characterization of these immune evasion molecules may lead to the discovery of new targets for anti-inflammatory drugs or new components for vaccines. Here, we try to characterize several potential complement inhibitors of B. pertussis, identified by phage display and genome analysis. Bordetella pertussis virulence factors B. pertussis expresses a variety of virulence factors that enable the bacteria to colonize the upper respiratory tract. The transcription of the majority of these virulence factors are regulated by the activity of the proteins BvgA and BvgS. BvgAS is a two-component system that controls gene expression in response to changing environmental conditions, such as temperature (Fedele et al. 2014). After inhalation the bacteria adhere to the ciliated epithelial cells of the larynx, trachea and bronchi, where they produce secreted toxins and membrane-bound molecules that contribute to the adherence (REF). The toxins damage the mucous layer of the respiratory tract, contributing to the pathogenesis of pertussis. For example tracheal cytotoxin (TCT) is proposed to cause ciliostasis, impairment of ciliary movement, which may explain the intense coughing that characterizes pertussis, as a way to clear excessive mucus (Jongerius et al. 2014). Other secreted toxins include pertussis toxin (PT) an d adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT), which are toxic to host cells including neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes (Jongerius et al. 2014 ). Successful colonization is both dependent on the capacity to adhere to cells in the respiratory tract and the ability to ward off the immune response. PT and ACT both repress the immune response by targeting airway resident macrophages and neutrophil recruitment to the airways (Carbonetti et al. 2010). The membrane-bound adhesins include fimbriae (Fim), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (PRN), which in addition to facilitating the first step of infection are also suggested to suppress the initial inflammatory response to the infection (Melvin et al. 2014). For example, FHA-deficient Bordetella strains were shown to induce an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, and increased recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection when compared to wild-type bacteria (Henderson et al. 2012). In addition to the i mmunomodulating properties of B. pertussis virulence factors, direct binding to components of the immune system, such as the complement system, is accomplished in order to reduce or inhibit the host immune response. This essential step in bacterial pathogenesis is called immune evasion (Rooijakkers et al. 2005). B. pertussis is known to express a small variety of proteins that affect complement-mediated killing: tracheal colonization factor (Tcf), Bordetella resistance to killing A (BrkA) and the autotransporter Vag8 (Jongerius et al. 2014). The complement system The complement system is part of innate immunity and an important host defense mechanism against invading pathogens. The complement system consists of approximately 40 proteins and is present in blood and mucosal tissue, such as the lining of the lungs where they interfere with colonization of bacteria. The system can be initiated through three different pathways: the classical (CP), the lectin (LP) and the alternative pathway (AP). All pathways lead to a cascade of several protein-protein interactions and proteolytic steps leading to cleavage of C3 and C5 in biologically active components. C3a and C5a are able to attract inflammatory cells to the site of infection and activate them. C3b is another cleavage product of C3 and when deposited on the microbial surface stimulates bacterial uptake by phagocytes in a mechanism called opsonization. Besides opsonization and recruitment of phagocytes the complement system can also directly kill bacteria by forming pores into the microbial memb rane and inducing lysis. The pore-forming heteromer is called the membrane attack complex (MAC) and is composed of C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9. The classical pathway gets activated with binding of antibodies to the microbial surface. IgM or IgG bind to the first complement component C1q, which results in activation of serine proteases that cleave C2 and C4 which in turn form C4b2a, a C3 convertase. The same C3 convertase is formed upon activation through the lectin pathway, in which mannose-binding lectin-associated serine proteases cleave C4 and C2 upon binding of lectin to mannose on the bacterial surface. No specific signal is needed for the alternative pathway to form another C3 convertase: C3bBb, comprising of spontaneously hydrolyzed C3, or C3b generated by the CP/LP, and factor B that is activated by factor D. The C3 convertases (C4b2a and C3bBb) switch to C5 convertases in response to high levels of C3b deposition on the bacterial surface (Jongerius et al. 2007). The complement s ystem does not only directly or indirectly kill bacteria but also has a role in regulating adaptive immunity. Besides regulating B-cell immunity, complement-mediated signaling directly stimulates and modulates T-cell responses (Jongerius et al. 2014) and promotes antigen processing by antigen-presenting cells (Serruto et al. 2010), indirectly influences T-cell activation. On the downside, over-activation or lack of down-regulation of the complement system can result in systemic inflammation during sepsis (Jongerius et al. 2007) and autoimmune diseases when host cells are recognized as non-self and damaged by complement activation (Meri et al. 2013). Complement evasion by Bordetella pertussis In order to survive and successfully colonize the host the bacteria must have strategies to evade the early immune response. It seems especially necessary for B. pertussis to prevent complement activation because it does not express antigen O (Marr et al. 2011). Antigen O is the chain of repetitive oligosaccharides of the lipopolysaccharides in the membrane of most Gram-negative bacteria and works as a protective shield. The Bordetella strains B. parapertussis and B. bronchoseptica express liposaccharide containing this O-antigen, but despite being more virulent B. pertussis lacks O-antigen in its cell wall. B. pertussis expresses a different kind of surface polysaccharide called Bps (Bordetella pertussis polysaccharide) which seems to provide serum resistance, since Bps mutant strains were more sensitive to complement-mediated killing then wild type bacteria (Ganguly et al. 2014). In addition to polysaccharides B. pertussis is known to express several other complement evasion molecu les. Mutants lacking Bordetella autotransporter protein-C (BapC) were less resistant to serum killing, although the mechanism of resistance is yet to be identified (Noofeli et al. 2011). Another autotransporter of B. pertussis, Bordetella resistance to killing A (BrkA) that promotes attachment of the bacteria to human cells, is involved in complement evasion as well (Jongerius et al. 2014). Studies have shown that BrkA reduces C3 and C4 deposition and inhibits formation of MAC (Barnes et al. 2001). BrkA did not affect C1 deposition levels, suggesting BrkA only inhibits the classical pathway however the precise mechanism remains unknown (Barnes et al. 2001). Besides binding to complement components and thereby inhibiting their action by proteolysis or inducing conformational changes, bacteria can also employ a different strategy: to recruit and activate human complement inhibitors. The main regulators of the classical pathway are C4b-binding protein (C4BP) that B. pertussis binds to its surface with filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) (Berggard et al. 2001), and C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-inh) recruited by B. pertussis autotransporter Vag8 (Marr et al. 2011). Factor H (fH) regulates the activity of the alternative pathway. The AP does not need a specific signal, making every unprotected surface vulnerable; therefore bacteria need to evade this pathway. Many bacteria do so by binding fH via a common binding site, forming a tripartite complex consisting of the microbial receptor, C3b and fH (Meri et al. 2013). This complex inhibits the opsonizing actions of C3b (Meri et al. 2013) and thereby protects the bacteria against phagocytosis. Recent studies show that B. pertussis binds fH at domain 20 (the common binding site) while fH remains its inhibiting properties (Amdahl et al. 2010), but a particular B. pertussis protein that binds fH has not been identified yet. Pertussis vaccines The whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccine was introduced in the 1950, efficiently lowering the cases of pertussis, which was the leading cause of child death before introduction of the vaccine. Unfortunately the vaccine was causing a lot of unwanted side effects in children. This had lead to introduction of an acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine, comprising of just several antigens. Although this vaccine provides a sufficient level of protection for infants to severe pertussis, the incidence of pertussis in adults has been increasing since the introduction of the aP vaccine in the 1990s (Mooi et al. 2013). More awareness and better diagnostics contribute to this increase in pertussis cases, but moreover the protection given by the aP is short-lived. Immunity generated by the wP vaccine is mediated largely by T-helper 1 cells (Th1), whereas aP vaccination results in antibodies that induce Th2 and Th17 responses. Natural immunity is associated with Th1 cells, and hence IFN- production, as is seen in children recovering from whooping cough (Higgs et al. 2012). The adaptive immunity provided by aP vaccination is mainly humoral, promoted by Th2 cells that seem to be less efficient than Th1 cells in clearing B. pertussis infections (Higgs et al. 2012). In addition the provided immunity by aP vaccination is not lasting as long as the wP (Mooi et al. 2014). This occurrence of waning immunity is proposed to be the main cause of re-emergence of infections with B. pertussis. In addition, there is evidence the bacteria have been genetically adapting to the aP vaccines, caused by antigenic variation and selection pressure. In The Netherlands, France, Finland and Japan there are strains circulating that do not express FHA, PT and PRN, components of the aP vaccine used in these countries (Mooi et al. 2014). Future vaccines should be improved by, for example, adding other antigen preparations to provide long-lasting immunity, and additionally to strengthen the immune response. By st rengthening innate immunity, the immune system will be able to directly eliminate the bacteria, preventing transmission and therefore also strain adaptation. The use of complement evasion molecules as vaccine targets would allow faster complement activation upon infection with B. pertussis. In this study we look to identify and characterize such attractive vaccine component candidates. Prior studies Prior to this characterization study a secretome phage display was constructed (Fevre et al. 2014). This phage display was used to identify potential immune evasion molecules. Phage display is the technique of expressing proteins on the surface of a bacteriophage. A phage library comprises of several phage clones that express different proteins, which retain their original shape and behavior. This allows selection of the displayed proteins based on affinity, with successive rounds of selection to identify proteins with high affinity for the selected targets. Secretome phage display, based on whole-genome phage display, is tailored for identification of immune evasion molecules with only secretome proteins being displayed. The bacterial secretome is the collection of all secreted and surface-bound proteins (Fevre et al. 2014). Phage display was performed for the secretome of Bordetella pertussis, with 3 rounds of selection and 7Ãâ€"107 phage clones. The phages were targeted on six co mponents of the complement system: alternative pathway regulating factor H (fH), the opsonin C3b and C3 together with C5 (the two mixed) and C8 together with C9. After the third round there were five hits: BP0069, BP3355, BP0173, BP1251 and fhaC. Supposedly BP1251 and fhaC seem to bind C8 and/or C9, BP0069 binds factor H and BP0173 and BP3355 are suggested to bind a mix of complement components. Analyzing information on chemical parameters (see table 1), gene alignment and genomic context (provided by NCBI Gene, NCBI Protein, BLAST and ExPASy ProtParam) might provide some clues of the functional properties of the proteins, but their complete function is yet unknown. BP0069 is a 43 kD protein which is 97% identical to ABC transporters from B. bronchispetica and around 30% identical to TRAP transporters from several bacteria species, both are transmembrane transporters for nutrients intake. BP3355 is a 18 kDa hypothetical protein, that has no evident homologues. BP0173 is a 24 kD hypothetical protein and BP1251 is a 26 kD putative toxin.