A theory gives a man at the foot of a mountain a birds eye view of Essay

A theory gives a man at the foot of a mountain a birds eye view of routes and relationships that he cannot see for himself (Elias, 1978) SPORTS SOCIOLOGY - Essay Example In the same notion, there are many different theories that can lead to different interpretations of the same events. Two of these are the theory that Elias developed called figurational theory and then there are the feminist theories, both liberal and separatist. All three of these theories can bring insight to the use of alcohol in the sports but each one also takes a different view of many aspects of the culture including how alcohol is used, why it is used, what meaning is can be derived from the usage in the context, and how it can affect different classes in the culture such as the differences between male and female roles. When one takes into account the use of theories, then one can see the whole picture better, such as a bird can, than just one small piece, such as the man at the bottom of the mountain. Elias’s main contribution to sports sociology is his figurational theory. His Western Europe theory was a historical based theory, which focused on the idea that people are interdependent and not independent. He believed that these people created networks that he called â€Å"figurations†. In order to understand the people, the researcher has to be able to understand these figurations. These figurations are the way in which people interact and help each other. Elias’s theory is based on the idea that people are social beings and therefore there are always going to be figurations. Figurational theory avoids focusing on structural agencies and dichotomies instead it tries to focus on the personal aspect of the cultures. (Germov, 2004, p. 1) Elias describes this theory as sort of a map. (1978, p. 160) In order to understand where someone is at the moment, then one needs to look back from when they came. The problem is that only after someone has gotten to where they are can they see what path they took. Within the map metaphor, Elias’s makes certain

Ensuring quality websites Essay Example for Free

Ensuring quality websites Essay Internet is an ever expanding medium. The number of users of the World Wide Web colloquially called as the internet has grown to over 1. 02 billion and includes 15 percent population of the World. (World Internet Usage, 2006). This is slated to expand even more rapidly hereafter as it is proving to be an ideal medium for all types of social, business, government and informational transactions. Cyber Rater is a web site rating service which will assess web sites based on their quality, reliability and the timeliness with which they provide information to the user. The number of web sites is increasing exponentially. A survey by Netcraft for June 2006 reported an increase of 3. 96 million sites in one month between May to June. (Webserver Survey, 2006). However the plethora of sites on virtually all subjects has created a problem for the user, as he is unable to assess the efficacy and accuracy of the information provided on the site. Cyber rater will attempt to this void, by rating sites and providing these with a verification certificate based on authenticity, quality and speed in providing the information to the user. Cyber Rater will be a web based organization, thereby the initial infra structure cost will be restricted to computers and other information technology assets to facilitate speedy access of the net, register the sites, assess these and provide certification. The business is proposed to be started by December 2006 and a healthy return is expected with break even point reached by December 2007. Mission Statement Our Mission. To facilitate web users in instantly assessing the quality of a web site. Grading web sites on each subject based on quality will be a key facet of the mission. To create excellence on the web by generating a hierarchy of gradation for web sites will be inclusive in the overall mission. To improve the overall content on the web will be the underlying theme of the mission. Needs Proliferation of web sites as well as the large number of users of the web has created a new market for certification of the best sites based on quality and accuracy of content, timeliness in publication and credibility. This will provide a service to both the user as well as the web site provider. While the user will be able to gravitate to the best web site on a subject, the provider will attempt to improve his content based on authenticity of information, the assessed market needs of the users and the latest web and communication technologies available. This will greatly facilitate all users such as researchers and students who will get a certified source, the e purchaser, and an authenticated, best bargain without cheating and the business person timely information of opportunities available for commerce to beat the competition. A certified web site rating system will greatly improve the overall quality of the web as it will assist in establishing uniform standards, motivate investments in using state of the art technologies by web sites, adoption of best practices and sustained support will be available through government policies. Objectives The objectives of Cyber Rater will flow from its mission which is to facilitate web users in assessing the quality of a web site thereby enabling them to home on to the best in each category. The objectives will be broken down into three criteria as given below:- Objectives Related to Users Objective 1. To provide the user information of the quality of the web site he is accessing to do commerce, interact socially or merely to gain information on a subject. Objective 2. To provide knowledge workers assurance of the information that is being accessed by them on the web. This will overcome the present lack of credibility of most web sources for research. Objective 3. To provide the user with authentic and original information, free of copy right, trade mark or patent infringement. This will avoid the embarrassment as well possible legal action at a later stage. Objectives Related To Web Sites Objective 1. To provide a forum for quality web sites to propagate their value on the web. This will also enable them an opportunity to increase their popularity and revenues. Objective 2. To generate impetus for improving the overall quality of web sites and web content by creating a hierarchy of excellence. Objective 3. To disfranchise those web site providers who are not able to provide quality and authenticity to continue on the web. This will come about by their non certification, non access over a period by the user and thus a virtual demise due to infrequent access. Objectives Related to Business Objective 1. To follow the highest standards of ethics and values. This is essential to every rating agency and will enable maintenance of credibility and thus attract maximum business in the long term. Objective 2. To attract the best talent in the profession. This alone will ensure that the assessments made would maintain an even standard and are free from biases of lack of knowledge as well as judgment. Objective 3. To employ the best technologies available in the field and continue to constantly upgrade them. Objective 3. To ensure the financial viability of the business and break even within one year. References 1. Webserver Survey. 2006. June 2006 Webserver Survey. http://news. netcraft. com/archives/2006/06/04/june_2006_web_server_survey. html (24 June 2006). 2. World Internet Usage. 2006. Internet Usage Statistics: The Big Picture. http://www. internetworldstats. com/stats. htm. (24 June 2006).

Unwarranted Cellular Tracking in The United States Essay -- Personal F

In this day and age of technology and digital information, finding the location of a restaurant or landmark only takes the click of a button. At the same time, the technology being used for directions and GPS allows the government to find the location of anyone at any given moment, watching over all as they so please. The prevalence of unwarranted cell phone tracking is extremely high, so much so that a case was taken to the Supreme Court to debate the issue. It was decided in this case, United States v. Jones, that a device having its movements tracked is the same as trespassing on property (United States Supreme Court). More recently than this, the American Civil Liberties Union released several public records detailing the process police departments use before tracing cell phone locations. Shockingly, it was revealed that a large majority of departments around the country fail to acquire a proper warrant before tracking suspects (Crump). Considering the ubiquity of cell phones in society today, jokes about the government turning into a "Big Brother" watching over citizens have nearly become a reality in the U.S., with tremendous worries about what little privacy there is left. What was once thought of as a handy communication tool has now turned into a traveling tracker for the police to spy on the common man with. Imagine, every step outside of a denizen's home being tracked step for step. This was entirely unknown before, and the revelation of such broke the illusion of safety civilians thought they had. Law enforcement agencies shouldn't be allowed to so freely track cell phones without the use of a warrant, it violates a citizen's rights, gives no regard to privacy, and creates an inconsistent legal standard within ag... ...media story brings this issue to light again. Making the push to put reform on this matter and enacting a law to require warrants will restore the values law enforcement agencies are meant to uphold, and bring back the sense of security that is seldom found in society today. Works Cited Clark, M. Wesley. Cell Phones as Tracking Devices, 41 Val. U. L. Rev. 1413 (2007). Crump, C.. "Results of nationwide government cell phone tracking records request show frequent violations of Americans' privacy rights." . N.p., 2012. Web. 22 May 2012. Lightblau, Eric. "Police Are Using Phone Tracking as a Routine Tool." www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 03/3. Web. 28 May 2012. U.S. Supreme Court, . "United States v. Jones Opinion."supremecourt.gov. Us Government, 2012. Web. 28 May 2012. "Cell Tracking." Electronic frontier foundation. EFF, n.d. Web. 22 May 2012.

General Guidelines for Strength Training :: essays research papers

General Guidelines for Strength Training 1. Train with a high level of intensity. It has been shown that the harder you train (intensity), the greater the adaptive response. A high level of intensity is characterized by performing an exercise to the point of concentric (positive) muscular failure, i.e., you've exhausted your muscles to the extent that the weight cannot be moved for any more repetitions. 2. Follow the "double progression" technique in regards to repetitions and weight. For a muscle to increase in size and strength it must be forced to do progressively harder work. Your muscles must be overloaded with a workload that is increased steadily throughout the course of your program, often referred to as progressive overload. Therefore every time you work out you should attempt to increase either the weight you use or the repetitions you perform relative to your previous workout. Each time you attain the maximum number of repetitions, you should increase the resistance for your next workout. The point to remember is that the weight must always be challenging. The resistance should be increased in an amount that you are comfortable with, usually approximately 5-10% 3. Perform one-two sets of each exercise. In order for a muscle to increase in size/strength it must be fatigued or overloaded for an adaptive response to occur. It really doesn't matter whether you fatigue your muscles in one set or several sets - as long as your muscles experience a certain level of exhaustion. Numerous research studies have shown that there are no significant differences when performing either one, two or three sets of an exercise, provided, of course, that one is done with an appropriate level of intensity, to the point of concentric muscular failure. 4. Reach concentric (lifting phase) muscular failure within a prescribed number of repetitions. The general recommendation is 8-12 reps, but this can vary from individual to individual and for different body parts and depending on the individuals goals. Normally, a rep scheme may be anywhere from 6-10 to 12-15. 5. Perform each repetition with proper form. This one we can't stress enough as it's such a common mistake, especially among young trainees. A repetition should be performed by raising and lowering the weight in a deliberate, controlled manner. So how many seconds per repetition? The general guideline is a 6 second repetition consisting of a 2 second lifting (concentric) phase, followed by a 4 second lowering (eccentric) phase.

Popularity of Soccer

Soccer — or football, as it is called by the rest of the world outside the United States — is surely the most popular sport in the world. Every four years, the world championship of soccer, the World Cup, is watched by literally billions all over the world, beating out the United States professional football's Superbowl by far. It is estimated that 1. 7 billion television viewers watched the World Cup final between France and Brazil in July of 1998. And it is also a genuine world championship, involving teams from 32 countries in the final rounds, unlike the much more parochial and misnamed World Series in American baseball (that doesn't even involve Japan or Cuba, two baseball hotbeds). But although soccer has become an important sport in the American sports scene, it will never make inroads into the hearts and markets of American sports the way that football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and even tennis and golf have done. There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason for soccer's failure as a mass appeal sport in the United States is that it doesn't conform easily to the demands of television. Basketball succeeds enormously in America because it regularly schedules what it calls â€Å"television time-outs† as well as the time-outs that the teams themselves call to re-group, not to mention half-times and, on the professional level, quarter breaks. Those time-outs in the action are ideally made for television commercials. And television coverage is the lifeblood of American sports. College basketball lives for a game scheduled on CBS or ESPN (highly recruited high school players are more likely to go to a team that regularly gets national television exposure), and we could even say that television coverage has dictated the pace and feel of American football. Anyone who has attended a live football game knows how commercial time-outs slow the game and sometimes, at its most exciting moments, disrupt the flow of events. There is no serious objection, however, because without television, football knows that it simply wouldn't remain in the homes and hearts of Americans. Also, without those advertising dollars, the teams couldn't afford the sky-high salaries of their high-priced superstars. Soccer, on the other hand, except for its half-time break, has no time-outs; except for half-time, it is constant run, run, run, run, back and forth, back and forth, relentlessly, with only a few seconds of relaxation when a goal is scored, and that can happen seldom, sometimes never. The best that commercial television coverage can hope for is an injury time-out, and in soccer that happens only with decapitation or disembowelment. Second, Americans love their violence, and soccer doesn't deliver on this score the way that American football and hockey do. There are brief moments, spurts of violence, yes, but fans can't expect the full-time menu of bone-crushing carnage that American football and hockey can deliver minute after minute, game after game. In soccer, players are actually singled out and warned — shamed, with embarrassingly silly â€Å"yellow cards,† for acts of violence and duplicity that would be smiled at in most American sports other than tennis and golf. Third, it is just too difficult to score in soccer. America loves its football games with scores like 49 to 35 and a professional basketball game with scores below 100 is regarded as a defensive bore. In soccer, on the other hand, scores like 2 to 1, even 1 to 0, are commonplace and apparently desirable; games scoreless at the end of regulation time happen all the time. (In the 515 games played in the final phase in the history of the World Cup games through 1994, only 1584 goals have been scored. That's three a game! And if there is no resolution at the end of overtime, the teams resort to a shoot-out that has more to do with luck than with real soccer skills. Worse yet, it is possible for a team to dominate in terms of sheer talent and â€Å"shots-on-goal† and still lose the game by virtue of a momentary lapse in defensive attention, a stroke of bad luck, and the opponent's break-away goal. Things like that can happen, too, in baseball, but the problem somehow evens out over baseball's very long season of daily games. In soccer, it just isn't fair. Soccer authorities should consider making the goal smaller and doing away with the goalie to make scoring easier. And the business of starting over after each goal, in the middle of the field, has to be reconsidered. It's too much like the center-jump after each goal in the basketball game of yesteryear. It seems unlikely that Americans will ever fully comprehend or appreciate a sport in which players are not allowed to use their arms and hands. Although the footwork of soccer players is a magnificent skill to behold, most American fans are perplexed by straitjacketed soccer players' inability and unwillingness to â€Å"pick up the darn ball and run with it! † The inability to use substitutes (unless the player to be substituted for is lying dead or maimed on the field of play) is also bewildering to Americans, who glorify the â€Å"sixth man† in basketball and a baseball game in which virtually the entire roster (including an otherwise unemployable old man called â€Å"the designated hitter†) is deployed on the field at one time or another. Finally, the field in soccer is enormous. Considerably larger than the American football field, the soccer field could contain at least a dozen basketball courts. Americans like their action condensed, in a small field of vision — ten enormous sweaty people bouncing off one another and moving rapidly through a space the size of a medium-sized bedroom, twenty-two even larger people in bulky uniforms converging on a small, oddly shaped ball. In soccer, on the other hand, there is a premium on â€Å"spreading out,† not infringing upon the force field occupied by a team-mate, so that fancy foot-passing is possible. This spreading out across the vast meadow of the soccer playing field does not lend itself, again, to close get-down-and-dirty television scrutiny. Soccer is a great sport and it certainly deserves the increased attention and popularity it is getting on all levels. But — primarily, again, because it does not lend itself to television — it will never make it big in the United States the way these other sports have, not until it changes some of its fundamental strategies.

Diagnostic Imaging Essays

Diagnostic Imaging Essays Diagnostic Imaging Essay Diagnostic Imaging Essay Diagnostic Imaging: X-Ray Diagnostic Imaging is medical tools used by doctors to see inside our bodies without actually opening the body. Diagnostic imaging can involve the use of radiation which could be dangerous if exposed to large amounts of. Diagnostic imaging allows doctors to find tumors, broken bones, pneumonia, etc. In general, diagnostic imaging is very helpful. X-Rays: This was one of the first types of diagnostic imaging. It uses radiation called Electromagnetic Waves. These images appear in black and white. The calcium found in the bones absorb the radiation, which makes our bones glow white on the x-rays. The person who is getting the x-ray wears an apron that covers certain parts to protect the patient from the radiation. The person doing the x-ray also puts on an apron to protect them as well. X-Rays can also be dangerous because of the amount of radiation that is being exposed to the patient. The x-ray machine is finally placed on the place on the spot where it is needed and is turned on for a brief moment to capture the picture. You are required to hold your breath Just for a small amount of time to not mess up the scan. MRI scans: Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI, is a type of diagnostic imaging that shows mages of the organs and structures inside your body. Doctors use MRIs for multiple uses such as location tumors or seeing torn ligaments. A MRI is a painless procedure, but it also takes a good amount of time to complete. Patients are placed into a tunnel like machine. Patients are also required to remove all metals on them and to notify the doctors if they have metal inside their skin or body. If not the metals will be pulled off from you and your body. Also they also have inform doctors if the patient is pregnant. Once the MRI has begun, the patient has to remain still. Also the machine s a bit loud so doctors offer the patients earplugs. CT scans: Computed Tomography or CT, is like a type of x-ray but the process is different. It takes pictures of bones, but it also takes images of blood clots, cancer, internal bleeding and signs of heart disease. No special equipment is required to be worn for a CT scan. A patient is lying down on a table during a CT scan and it moves the patient to the center of the X-Ray machine. Before the procedure begins, the patient is given contrast dye so the body parts will appear in the image. These are also more expensive than X-Rays. Nuclear Medicine: Nuclear Medicine also uses radiation. They determine the location and severity of the illness instead of developing images of the skeletal structure. These illnesses include heart disease, cancer, etc. Because it has the involvement of radiation, the patient is required to wear protective vests and inform the doctor performing the procedure if they are currently pregnant. Patients are also required to remove all jewelry during the procedure. Ultrasounds: Ultrasound is a type of imaging that uses high-frequency sound waves to look at the structures of the human body and organs. They are commonly used to view idneys, livers, vessels, hearts and other organs. Ultrasounds are also used on women expecting a baby to view the fetus. Ultrasounds are safe and d o not use radiation making it one of the safer diagnostic imagines. A gel like substance is placed on the place where the ultrasound is going to be used and a transducer is used. This transducer sends out a sound wave and then it is bounced back to display an image. Procedure on giving a chest x-ray to find pneumonia: Pneumonia can be hard to diagnose because it may seem like a cold or a flu. You may not notice its more serious until it lasts longer. If your doctor thinks you have pneumonia, he may recommend you do a chest x-ray. This is a painless test that creates pictures of the structures inside your chest, such as your heart, lungs and blood vessels. The patient is required to take off any Jewelry and to put on an apron to not be exposed to harmful radiation. Then the patient is to stand in front of the x- ray to begin the process. The patient will be asked to stand still and to hold their breath for a short period of time, while the x-ray is processing the image. The doctor will now be able to tell if the patient has pneumonia based on the patients lungs.

Julien Sorel is the Last Romantic Hero of French Novel essays

Julien Sorel is the Last Romantic Hero of French Novel essays Stendhal between Romanticism and Realism Stendhal is one of the major writers of the nineteenth century and an important innovator of the novel as a literary genre. His unique style has been many times redefined by the critics, in search of an appropriate tag. Nevertheless, Stendhals originality springs precisely from the way in which the writer managed to blend entirely different and even contradictory attitudes and philosophies in his novels. His works are all characterized by a critical and even sarcastic view on his contemporary life. The authors deception with post-Napoleonic world is reflected in almost every novel. Stendhal was a writer who could not find his place in the country and the time he was forced to inhabit, and who looked with hostility on the political life and the ideologies of the time. His novels are thus deeply concerned with the connection between history and individual life: History with the rumble of its cannons marches side by side with and at the same pace as the rhythm of the individual life.( The Charterhouse of Parma, 1982) Through his interest for the social and political context and his critical and discontent view on the world, Stendhal can be classified among the realist writer. However, there is much in his novels that recalls a Romantic propensity, such as his nostalgic view on the past, his idealism and his irony. Stendhals writings are thus at the border between Realism and Romanticism, a trait that ensures the absolute originality of his style. The Red and the Black is undoubtedly Stendhals most famous and most read work, and Julien Sorel, its main character is one of the most unforgettable literary heroes. The style of the work is innovating and even close to modernism. One of the most interesting stylistic aspects is certainly the complex relationship established between the author and the hero he creates. Thus, Stendhals attitude to Julien S...

Analyse Porphyrias lover by Robert Browning Essays

Analyse Porphyrias lover by Robert Browning Essays Analyse Porphyrias lover by Robert Browning Paper Analyse Porphyrias lover by Robert Browning Paper Essay Topic: Poetry The Secret Life Of Bees Porphyrias lover is one of the most dramatic monologues written by a Victorian poet. Many tried to grasp new concepts of sensuality and brutality but it was Browning who captured these themes perfectly. As the Victorian society developed its understanding on sexuality and morality, people realized how many problems they have to face due to the idea of bad and wrong. Consciousness was a new idea so many poets didnt look at the normal side of the society but tried to develop their understanding and reflection of the insane minds. Porphyrias lover is a great example of such a reflection. Through the monologue we are pushed to face the conflict within the mind, the most twisted endeavors of our souls and the tip of a huge mountain of insanity. The narrator of this great piece is a complex multi layered character who shows us the problems and conflicts within his mind. Browning unfolds the secrets of the narrator very subtlety. The murder is described with a passive and apathetic voice which makes this poem seem so unreal and abstract. The author touches the most delicate and dark sides of our mind and shows us what would happen if the was no conscious present or if it was understood differently. The narrator describes his actions as I found a thing, thing to do,( )and strangled her. This is a very passive description of a action. It tells us that the narrator believed it was a natural action; killing the girl. Her love was so dear to him, that he decided to keep it in her for eternity. This action could theoretically be considered romantic. However, isnt killing someone a brutal action. Here we are facing a great conflict. Were his actions romantic or rather brutal, is taking someone elses life a loving or a evil action? The narrator doesnt even see other possibilities. He is so satisfied with the love and compassion she is showing him ( happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshiped me) On the other hand Browning tells us there was some questioning to his actions. No pain felt she, Im quite sure she felt no pain the narrator is reassuring himself that his actions were right and loving. This tells us that there was some rational thinking in his head. However, rational doesnt mean the same thing to everyone. There is no clear description of what is rational or not. If there is enough evidence to back up your action then it may as well be considered rational. The point is that the narrator does back up his actions with reasoning, unfortunately his reasoning and his action do not weigh each other out meaning that in our modern reality his mind is unbalanced and incorrect. To show the deep complexity of ones mind, Browning uses a very particular rhyme pattern through out the piece ABABB. The intensity and asymmetry of the pattern suggests the madness concealed within the speaker’s reasoned self-presentation. The speaker uses a few great metaphors. As a shut bud that holds a bee, I warily opened her lids. This could indicate the reflection upon his actions. As we know bees sting, the narrator doesnt want to feel the painful truth. A beautiful flower has died with his love hidden inside. It is now not visible so he opens her eyes again, afraid of what he might see; pain, horror, hate. Hes scared that once the bud id open his love will sting him and fly away. In the last line of the poem the author talks about the result of his actions, and yet God has not said a word. This tells us that the narrator knows his actions could be considered as bad but yet no one has done anything. No one stopped him from doing what he had done therefore it was right. This also indicated that our speaker is religious and is scared aware of heaven and hell, this could suggest that to hold Porphyrias love and passion was so dear to him it was worth more than being a good man or going to heaven.

Multinational Car Manufacturing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multinational Car Manufacturing - Assignment Example Due to the company started manufacturing motorcycles. One of its models R32 is also known for its speed during 1930's. Though not allowed to produce aircraft the BMW company entered automobile business by taking over Eisenach vehicle factory. Later it went on developing large touring cars and sports cars one of the model 328 sports car which was highly successful. The ending of World War II also witnessed the dismantling the company by the Allied forces. Though the company was dismantled it recouped and started making automobiles, and again came to the marked in 1950's it rose to success after it begun manufacturing sports seadens and turning cars. It was giving a tough competition to mercedez benz in luxury segment. The other two competitors like Toyota and Nissan gave tough competition and sales started steeply falling. Collapse of Berlin wall led B.M.W to outsold Mercedez Benz in Europe for the first time. An establishment in any country whether an industry or a Car manufacturing unit or for that matter any other plant shall give innumerable benefits that may be enjoyed by the countrymen as well as by the Government. There may be employment potentiality for the skilled and unskilled people which being the direct employment. People's standard of living and the lifestyle would grow above for the pleasant environment and the economical growth. The government would also derive financial and economical benefits out of the revenue they get by the way of taxes. Indirectly as a result the subsidiary industries will boom and the production units also would start producing more number of product items. There are still some bottlenecks, which may hamper the very growth as the Iceland country is having less population and because of the prevailing weather climate dipping to Sub 0 level it is just about difficult to live a normal life. So the citizens may prefer to shift to other places with the effect. Hence it may give adverse effects related to absence of the manpower and the productivity may hinder. A company or a manufacturing unit intending to set up its own plant in any country has to look up, analyze and study the respective location then plan to take up the initiative. It has to take into consideration - all the aspects related to starting a unit, develop it and to see it turn into a successful, lucrative unit, in its own terms. When the matter concerns to a car-manufacturing unit there arise two kinds of firms vying for the plant to set up. 1. Domestic Firms 2. Foreign firms. 1. Domestic Firms: Domestic firms have good foothold on the area, climatic conditions, contact ability, without any language barriers, they have access at a much more faster rate than expected. Even then domestic firms also have a sort of impulsive effect on a few problems with regards to setting up of the unit as well as benefits. The firm has to incur a heavy capital at the initial stages like acquisition of land or lease /purchase of land. It has to take steps to tie up with the countries, government and its states. Capital is the most important factor and is to be kept aside apart from other things more than what is actually expected. Man Power, recruitment, talents and skills is where the ultimate spice of the life lies. As the perfect personnel managing all the departments with utmost dedication

Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modern World - Essay Example None of the personalities under discussion vowed to any religious disciplines, and even if they are now thought to belong to orders like Catholicism, as is the case with Mother Teresa and Simone Weil (The Baptism 1), what should be noted is that they never advocated or preached any religious ideologies, but remained strictly outside of the religious circle and concentrated merely on the humanitarian, spiritual, and cultural endeavors. This is the most compelling element of their secularity, and renders arguments such as whether or not Simone Weil was baptized (The Baptism 2) as irrelevant to the case. The humanitarian aspect of Weil’s ideology, and her political work for the trade unions (Bergery); the founding of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta by Mother Teresa (Mother Teresa); and the activist efforts of Martin Luther King against the mistreatment of black sanitation workers in Memphis (Dowd), all are ample proofs of the saintly endeavors of these humanitarians, and establishes them beyond doubt as secular saints. The concept of justice in the Greek philosophy, as perceived by Plato but opposed by Socrates is that those in power decide what is just according to what favors them (Hooker).

Research paper - international relations Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

- international relations - Research Paper Example Because China’s nuclear modernization program is expected to continue, its second-generation nuclear force will be deployed over the next 10-15 years as a more mobile, reliable and accurate force then it currently is. (Keylor, 2001) These nuclear achievements in the PRC continue to cause great anxiety within the international system. This is particularly because uncertainty exists about China’s nuclear capabilities and strategic intentions. However, it will be proven that although many factors support China’s nuclear capabilities as posing a threat to the international system, the PRC does not to intend to harm the world, as it is relatively a small nuclear power with rational security concerns ands sound interests in maintaining world peace . Deterrence against China’s Principle Enemy As a result of its unpleasant history, the Chinese have especially viewed its principal enemy, the United States with suspicion. The United States has and continues to threa ten the mainland on many counts. During and after the Korean War the U.S. threatened to use nuclear weapons against China. Washington had actually deployed nuclear-armed B-29 bombers to Guam in 1951 for possible use against the PRC. (Leo, 2002) Again, in 1954-55 Beijing was threatened by the use of possible nuclear weapons by the U.S. over the off shore islands of Quemoy and Matsu held by Taiwan. Apparently, the â€Å"nuclear card† held by the United States incessantly reinforced its superpower leverage during times of crisis. (Garwin, and. Panofsk, 1998) Thus it was necessary for China to become a nuclear power in order to not only prevent constant â€Å"interference† or â€Å"nuclear bullying† by the United States, but also to forever guarantee national independence. As a result, since the mid-1950s, China has strived to develop a modest nuclear force to satisfy the following objectives,† secure a retaliatory capability in case of nuclear war; deter supe rpower or other outside aggression; demonstrate China’s international power and reinforce her pride . Establish Hegemony in Far East Asia By attaining nuclear weapons, China’s ability to establish hegemony in Asia would increase, as it also becomes a great power in the modern world. Because the Chinese government has been influenced by the inheritance of a â€Å"mandate from heaven,† the PRC already considers herself to be at the center of the world. Now that China has attained nuclear capabilities, she can make implicit threats of military action against her neighbors as she establishes hegemony in her orbit in the Far East (Halperin, 1965). Protecting China from Foreign Intervention The People’s Republic of China’s goal is to protect her territorial integrity and political independence in the face of foreign encroachments and domestic disorder. Both Communist and Non-Communist China especially agree to maintain and preserve China’s soverei gnty in the outlying regions of Sinkiang, Tibet and in particular Taiwan because they have become major targets of foreign encroachment during the present nuclear age. For example, Russia had once attempted to gain Sinkiang, while Great Britain and India jointly brought Tibet under their influence. Moreover, presently, China suspects that Washington and Japan together plan to establish â€Å"two Chinas† or â€Å"one China and one Taiwan† threatening to menace PRC’s integrity, and bringing insult to Chinese national pride. Two Attempts at Nuclear

Why International Banking Corporation Views Their Talent as Their Best Essay

Why International Banking Corporation Views Their Talent as Their Best Asset - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the international banking corporation has increased its trust in its talent; thus, increasing their productivity. The International Banking Corporation has its talent of giving services to international countries; thus, diversifying different services to different individuals from different countries. Basing its facts on the Human Resource Management theory, models and aspects, the international Banking Corporation utilizes its talent and values as important assets. No one can entrust an aspect, which has no advantage or no benefit. That is the reason as to why the International Banking Corporation treasures its talent of offering financial services to international customers including individual and organization customers. Firstly, the International Banking Corporation believes in its talent since it is a major service provider in the world. The talent that the International Banking Corporation has gives strategic plans for the future. The Strategic Human Resource Management and Resource-based theory has helped the International Banking Corporation to attain great heights. The talents owned by the International Banking Corporation are defined by the theories and concepts of the Human Resource Management. The International Banking Corporation has developed greatly by believing in the talents and resources. Resources available for the corporation have been well utilized to see the corporation reach great heights. Basing on strategic management, the resource-based theory gives a change in the strategic management. This is thought from an outside-in approach. The international banking corporation has a strategic management that has the role of managing all aspects of management in the corporation. This means that the corporation has the talent of managing the corporation’s activities, thus; provide better services to clients. In this corporation, the internal resources of the corporation create a starting point for giving determi nation to corporation success, in contrast to the old paradigm of outside-in thinking. This theory applies to Human Resource Management states â€Å"it is people that encompass the properties assumptions of value, rareness, inimitability, and non-substitution, – which are the necessary conditions for organizational success†.

Terrorism and Domestic Preparedness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Terrorism and Domestic Preparedness - Essay Example he bureaucratic structure of communication and management of security activities and details among the security agents in the federal, state and local jurisdictions. It is recommended that security policies which favor coordination and efficient communication among the security agencies are provided within the legal framework of the federation. This will ensure that standards are set for compliance of security agencies and provision of guidelines for effective communication and financial resources for training and security information technology. International terrorism is recognized as an ongoing and serious domestic and security threat. Basically, international threat is defined as terrorism that is practiced and sometimes planned in a foreign country by terrorists (individuals or groups) who are not native to that particular country. The definition mostly used by United States government is terrorism that involves the property or citizens of more one or more countries (Siniver, 2010). As noted for over the years, the threat of international terrorism is more serious in the United States of America than in any other country in the world. It is a widely agreed fact that the United States terrorism threat level has been substantial especially after the 9/11 attacks substantial, that is, there is a strong possibility of terrorist attacks. Siniver (2010) argues that international terrorism is considered a major United States’ domestic and foreign security threat because its target selection and timing by terrorists can significantly affect the interests of the United States in numerous areas such as trade, nuclear non- proliferation, Middle East peace process, and budgetary allocations among other economic, social, and political interests. It is against this background that the United States government through the Department of Homeland Security has made protection of the American people from terrorist threats as its highest priority. The department has put a

Why International Banking Corporation Views Their Talent as Their Best Essay

Why International Banking Corporation Views Their Talent as Their Best Asset - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the international banking corporation has increased its trust in its talent; thus, increasing their productivity. The International Banking Corporation has its talent of giving services to international countries; thus, diversifying different services to different individuals from different countries. Basing its facts on the Human Resource Management theory, models and aspects, the international Banking Corporation utilizes its talent and values as important assets. No one can entrust an aspect, which has no advantage or no benefit. That is the reason as to why the International Banking Corporation treasures its talent of offering financial services to international customers including individual and organization customers. Firstly, the International Banking Corporation believes in its talent since it is a major service provider in the world. The talent that the International Banking Corporation has gives strategic plans for the future. The Strategic Human Resource Management and Resource-based theory has helped the International Banking Corporation to attain great heights. The talents owned by the International Banking Corporation are defined by the theories and concepts of the Human Resource Management. The International Banking Corporation has developed greatly by believing in the talents and resources. Resources available for the corporation have been well utilized to see the corporation reach great heights. Basing on strategic management, the resource-based theory gives a change in the strategic management. This is thought from an outside-in approach. The international banking corporation has a strategic management that has the role of managing all aspects of management in the corporation. This means that the corporation has the talent of managing the corporation’s activities, thus; provide better services to clients. In this corporation, the internal resources of the corporation create a starting point for giving determi nation to corporation success, in contrast to the old paradigm of outside-in thinking. This theory applies to Human Resource Management states â€Å"it is people that encompass the properties assumptions of value, rareness, inimitability, and non-substitution, – which are the necessary conditions for organizational success†.

Reading Research Literature # 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Research Literature # 1 - Assignment Example Journal of General Internal Medicine, 28(3), 436-443. doi:10.1007/s11606-012-2234-y http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2012018670&site=ehost-live The purpose of this research is to carry out an examination of hospital discharge processes such as patient education for patients with acute myocardial infarction and identify which discharge processes may be useful in performance in medical facilities for hospitals AMI care. The research used qualitative study of US hospitals based on RSMR reports by CMS. Hospitals used ranked in top and bottom 5 % in consecutive two years as reported by RSMR. The method used was deviant case sampling. Data was collected using interviews and ground theory approach through visits to the 14 sites to the hospitals. The focus of the study was on hospitals that ranked in the top 5% and bottom 5% of RSMR. The hospitals chosen could be able to perform percutaneous intervention. The hospitals sample used was based on socioeconomic status, geographical and RSMR status. The sample was adequate for the research design because results could be deduced form it. Results showed that there were distinct differences in discharge processes between high and low performers in hospitals. Such results were only finalized due to the sample used. Ancheta, I. B. (2006). A retrospective pilot study. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 25(5), 228-233. http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2009297932&site=ehost-live A pilot study was conducted under authority from HIPPA. 300 clinics records of patients were used in the investigation of the study. Data collected was demographic such as age, ethnic background, and marital status. The focus of the study was on the patients records that met the criteria of diagnosis of chronic stable CHF secondary to decreased systolic left ventricular dysfunction EF of less

Males and Females in Peter Greenaways Films Essay Example for Free

Males and Females in Peter Greenaways Films Essay The following paper gives an overview of the movies of Peter Greenaway along with how he portrays women and men his films. The paper would be based on the roles of men and women in his three movies, drowning by numbers, the belly of an architect and the Draughtsman’s contract. One common aspect that would be discussed in his movies is that the men are usually thought of as victims and the women are presented as the true artistic creators. His Movies: Drowning by Numbers: In opposition to the background of the autumnal Suffolk seashore, three generations of women, each one given the name of Cissie Colpitts, assassinate their not good enough husbands by obscuring them in a bathtub, in the ocean, and in a swimming pool, correspondingly. In arrival for assurance for sexual favoritism, which the women at the end of the day refuse to give, the neighboring coroner, Henry Madgett (Hill), comes in agreement to endorse the casualties as unintentional, even though a minute but steadily-growing swarm of eyewitnesses and associations put stress on him to acquaint with the reality. His juvenile son, Smut, who is preoccupied with casualty and brings together animal and insect dead bodies, furthermore he considers his father must appear spotless. Factual to Madgetts and the movies fascination with games, he places up a tug-of-war from corner to corner of a waterway to come to a decision to the problem, where he and Smut connect to Cissie in opposition to their hecklers. Greenaway is an often-infuriating, one-of-a-kind filmmaker who repeatedly experiments the staying power of his spectators. A lot of experience it as not significant as the attempt to shape out his difficult to understand games, let unaccompanied their implication, exclusive of a quantity of kinky sex or run through to disappear the procedures. Drowning by Numbers provides up ample of this: a circumcision by clippers, a repeated repulsion for provisions and flesh, and various near-sickening views of decompose and pests. Still, as if paying no attention to the filmmakers mysterious propensities, the presentations are ironic, cynical, sardonic and over and over again blackly humorous, and each and every framework is crammed with detail and magnificence. Here was an unprincipled anecdote enlightened ethically, with a tough feminist implication—approximately all of the male characters breathe their last breath by means of the unconquerable Cissies scheme shimmering, as Greenaway himself has acknowledged that the superior do not obtain content and happiness, and the depraved are infrequently rebuked, and the above suspicion are for all time badly treated. Drowning by Numbers is typically concerning numbers and the means they are employed to systematize the games individuals take part in. Despite the fact that the greater part of the human relations of whichever significance is determined by unstructured requirements, we use up a large amount of our lives demanding to offer them shape. We look for examples and successions, and enjoyment in the psychosomatic language that comes into view to give explanation. We search for regulations and unavoidability, and identify relations as the competition in which people occupy themselves for the reason that these games have both, happiness and contention. Drowning by Numbers is crammed with games: those men engage in recreation with women, women with men, and jump rope, cricket, and some games out of Greenaways tremendous sleight of hand. For the most part continuous game is the one Greenaway plays with the spectator. The motion picture starts with a small woman hopping rope as she count from one to one hundred (Peter Greenaway, 100). The Bell of an Architect: In Belly of an Architect, Brian Dennehy plays the central character who considers the main beliefs of structural design will regulate the humankind. He struggles the backstabbing of dishonest classmates and environment’s attrition of both construction and body. Sooner than the film ends, he loses his architectural assignment and is lost to stomach cancer. The screen in Belly is beleaguered with scaffolding, drop fabrics, plaster, powder, and huge degeneration hallways and corridors seeping out with water and sludge, which Greenaway challenges to put together into well-designed symmetries much as his hero attempts to protect the architectural classicisms he stumbles on to be so comforting. Again, the ordering organization contained by the film surrounds it. An immature artiste is constricted to implement twelve illustrations of a sumptuous countryside residence in 17th century England. Drawn into an affectionate and passionate association with the two conniving ladies of the residence he outlines and fabricates illustrated indications of the assassination. He almost immediately discovers himself trapped in the rumble ferociousness of the over sophisticated spirits of the landed upper classes. As all the times, Peter Greenaway provides beautiful and stunning masterpieces that contemplate on the artists infatuation for order and the oppression of organizations—whether communal or artistic. This untimely Greenaway effort observes unfaithfulness and substantial weakening, all in the perspective of a demanding occupational existence. The cuckold is a renowned American designer, Stourley Kracklite, who goes to Rome to place on a demonstration in reminiscence of his male protagonist, the 18th century farsighted draftsman, Etiene Louis Boullee. Kracklite fails to remember the current to respect the ancient times, but at what cost? He pays no attention to his pregnant wife who searches for soothe in the arms of Kracklites opponent. He furthermore takes no notice of his physical condition and is influenced that his stomach’s throbbing are the consequences of his wifes efforts to exterminate him. The punishment for such fascination is the failure of his presentation— the extraordinarily obsession he gave up all other elements of his life to accomplish (Peter Greenaway, 105). The Belly of an Architect is a visual extravagance, approximately deference to the techniques and fashions of Romes structural designs, judged with skill, ability, proficiency and crammed with impenetrable and mysterious shades. The Draughtsman’s Contract: Greenaways foremost profit-making element, The Draughtsmans Contract, is the chronicle of a draughtsman who in 1694 is specially made by the woman of an enormous residence to do twelve depictions of her property. At the opening it gives the impression that hes to a certain extent in command of his lady and background, receiving them together down anywhere he desires them, till his meticulousness does him in. By painstakingly drafting the manor house and foundation, he unintentionally duplicates indications to an assassination. As expected, its perpetrators dont desire him in the region. The methodical little draughtsman fall’s a victim not to environment’s impulse but to mans ravenousness and violent behavior (Peter Greenaway, 45). The twelve drawings are at one time the evidences to the massacres and the arrangements of the motion picture. From then on, all noteworthy objects in the motion picture are revolving around the paintings that hold the clues and all the films action—the drawings and the assassinations—must be accomplished by the time movies reaches to its end. This is systematic Greenaway. Human games and their dependence on ritualistic traditions are both the area under discussion of the draughtsman’s contract and its form. As the characters get involve within the findings of the clues and murderer with each other, it brings in the the chaos of passion. Greenaway assembles his schemes and positions according to the murder and clues. The Draughtsmans Contract is thrice regarding commanding order on disorder, on mans unreasonable desires and natures predictable decompose: first, surrounded by the sequence of events; second in its structural association; and third, in the glance of the screen. Greenaway is an order-and-chaos fanatic (Amy Lawrence, 175). Conclusion: In all the movies of Peter Greenaway discussed above, one thing is very common, that the men are always shown as a powerless creature and the women are always dominating. All the films bring the women as murderers of men. In the majority of his films, Peter Greenaway has at least a suggestion of proposal that the most important rationale of women is to damage mens lives, typically with the aid of the men in query. More than any of his others, with the probable exclusion of the outstanding Drowning By Numbers, conveys a suggestion to the front, by using it as a primary message, rather than as an indication of the disentanglement of the plot. Unluckily, perhaps due to this approach, there are not a lot of subplots there, and therefore, the movie needs somewhat in difficulty, in contrast with some of his previous work. The Draughts men’s Contract came into view like a touching work of art with bright color and dazzling imagery. Though all are great movies, their schemes can be puzzling with the need of familiar dialogue and character progress. Greenaway movies are compactly and tightly weighed down with figure of speech and satisfied with metaphors, and are required to be moved towards accordingly, not with the similar state of mind that one would come close to a distinctive Hollywood motion picture, for an instance. Possibly furthermore supportive is a quotation from Greenaway himself: If you want to tell stories, be a writer, not a filmmaker.(IMDB, Pp1) References: Greenaway, Peter. 2001. The Draughtsmans Contract: The Draughtsmans Contract. Published by Distributed Art Pub, Pp 45 Greenaway, Peter. 1998. Drowning by Numbers. Published by Dis Voir, Pp 100 Greenaway, Peter. 1988. The Belly of an Architect. Published by Faber, Pp 105 Lawrence, Amy. 1997. The films of Peter Greenaway. Published by CUP Archive, Pp 175 The Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Biography for Peter Greenaway. (2008)Retrieved on 24th March ’09 from http://www. imdb. com/name/nm0000425/bio

Single-port Complete Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Feasibility

Single-port Complete Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Feasibility Clinical comparisons of single-port versus three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer patients Abstract Objective: To compare the feasibility and safety of single-port versus three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 60 lung cancer patients from June 2014 to August 2014 in Department of Thoracic Surgery, Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University. There were 30 patients in single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy group (single-port group) and other 30 in three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy group (three-port group). Total lymph node harvest, mediastinal lymph node harvest, dissection of mediastinal lymph node groups, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, extubation time, postoperative hospital stay, visual analogue scale (VAS) one day after operation, and the complication rate were thoroughly compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in total lymph node harvest, mediastinal lymph node harvest, dissection of mediastinal lymph node groups, intraoperative blood loss, extubation time, postoperative hospital stay, and complication rate between the two groups (p> 0.05). However, the operation time of single-port group (209.0 ±45.5 min) was significantly longer than that of three-port group (154.5 ±30.9 min) (p Conclusion: For lung cancer patients, the feasibility and safety of single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy is similar to three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy. Compared with three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy, the operation time of single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy is longer, but its postoperative pain is gentler. As the experience accumulating, single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy should be popularized with its merits of minimal invasiveness. Keywords: single-port, three-port, lobectomy, lung cancer. Introduction: Currently, lobectomy is the prior intervention to treat early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [1]. As a minimally invasive technique, thoracoscopic lobectomy has been widely used in current thoracic department [2]. Although single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy has been introduced to treat NSCLC, no literature was available to compare its feasibility and safety with three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective comparison study in lung cancer patients enrolled from June 2014 to August 2014 to investigate the feasibility and safety of single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy. 1. Methods and materials 1.1 General information A total of 60 lung cancer patients from June 2014 to August 2014 in Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital were included in this retrospective study. There were 30 patients in single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy group (single-port group) and other 30 in three-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy group (three-port group). All patients underwent associated examination such as thoracic computed tomography (CT), cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), skeletal emission computed tomography (ECT), and abdominal and cervical color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) might also need to be conducted to exclude metastasis if necessary. Electrocardiogram, cardiac CDU, and pulmonary function test were conducted to assess cardiopulmonary function. The inclusion criteria include: 1) patients with stage I-II (cTNM classification) peripheral lung cancer; 2) no thoracic surgery history; 3) lobectomy can be tolerated by card iopulmonary function; 4) preoperative complications have been stably controlled. 1.2 Anesthesia and surgical procedure Double-lumen endobronchial tubes (DLT) were used for intubation for the two groups, and the healthy lung received ventilation. All patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy under general anesthesia. For single-port group, a 3.5-4.5cm incision was made from the 4th intercostal space to the 5th intercostal space along the anterior axillary line. The patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy with video assistance. For three-port group, a 1.5cm observation port was made on the cross point of midaxillary line and the 7th intercostal space, and a 2-4cm operation port was made on the cross point of anterior axillary line and the 4th/5th intercostal space. A 1.5-2.5cm operation-aided port was made on the cross point of the 7th intercostal space and infrascapular line. For peripheral lung cancer, pulmonary wedge resection was conducted to remove the focus. Once the resection samples were confirmed as malignant tumor by fast frozen pathology, the following standard lobectomy and mediastinal lymphadenectomy would be employed. For central lung cancer, standard lobectomy was conducted. Once the resection samples were confirmed as malignant tumor by fast frozen pathology, the following mediastinal lymphadenectomy would be employed. Electrocautery and ultrasonic scalpel were used to distract the vessels and bronchus. Suture clamps were used to fix great vessels such as pulmonary veins, pulmonary artery and so on. Hemolock, titanium clip, electrocautery, ultrasonic scalpel and silk ligation were used to handle small vessels. No definite order was made to conduct the lobectomy, which mostly depended on the development of interlobar fissure. Specimen bag was used to extract the removals preventing from contaminating the cuts, and analgesia pumps were used for the two groups. Indications for removing the drain included: 24h drainage flow was less than 100mL; postoperative lung recruitment was favorable without pleural effusion. 1.3 Observation parameters The observation parameters included: 1) parameters during perioperative period: operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage flow, postoperative thoracic cavity drainage time, visual analogue scale (VAS) one day after operation, postoperative hospital stay, death rate during perioperative period, complications during perioperative period. 2) parameters related to tumor resection: total lymph node harvest, node-positive number, node-positive rate, N1 lymph nodes, N2 lymph nodes, N2 lymph node rate, and N2 lymph node groups. 1.4 Statistical methods Statistical software SPSS 16.0 was conducted to analyze the data. Quantitative data was showed as x ±s, and independent t-test was used to test the group comparisons. Enumeration data was presented as rate, and χà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ test was used to test group comparisons. Statistical significance was set as P 2. Results 2.1 Clinical characteristics There were no significant differences in sex, age, tumor location, postoperative pathological type, tumor invasion, visceral pleura invasion, and tumor classification, respectively (P> 0.05) (Table 1). In addition, there were no significant differences in total lymph node harvest, positive lymph node number, total mediastinal lymph node harvest, and dissection of mediastinal lymph node groups (P> 0.05) (Table 2). Table 1. Comparisons of pathological information between single-port group and three-port group. Single-port group (n=30) Three-port group (n=30) P value Gender 0.183 Male 9 11 Female 21 19 Age (year)* 25-77(61) 45-70(58) 0.583 Tumor location 0.096 Left upper lobe 8 4 Left inferior lobe 5 3 Right upper lobe 8 9 Right middle lobe 3 4 Right inferior lobe 6 10 Tumor type 0.341 Adenocarcinoma 25 22 Squamous carcinoma 2 6 Others 3 2 Tumor invasion 0.583 Carcinoma in situ 2 0 Micro invasion 5 6 Invasion 23 24 Visceral pleura invasion 0.799 No 22 21 Yes 8 9 TNM classification 0.989 Stage 0 1 1 Stage Ia 14 10 Stage Ib 6 10 Stage IIa 2 3 Stage IIb 3 2 Stage IIIa 4 4 *age:extreme value (median). Table 2. Comparisons of lymph node harvest between single-port and three-port group. Single-port group (n=30) Three-port group (n=30) P value Total lymph node harvest 23.6 ±11.2 25.4 ±7.3 0.737 Positive lymph nodes 1.5 ±3.1 1.9 ±4.9 0.971 Total mediastinal lymph node harvest 16.2 ±9.2 17.2 ±6.5 0.731 Dissection of mediastinal lymph node groups 4.4 ±1.0 4.4 ±0.8 0.637 2.2 Perioperative information All operations were under the video-assistance of total thoracoscopic lobectomy without other assisted endoscope incision. There were no deaths during preoperative period. However, there were a total of five cases with complications, two cases (1 case of arrhythmia; 1 case of systemic infections) in single-port group (6.7%), and another three cases (1 case of arrhythmia; 1 case of air leakage; 1 case of chylothorax) in three-port group (10.0%). There was no significant difference in complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Additionally, no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative extubation time and postoperative hospital stay were observed (P>0.05). However, operation time in single-port group (209.0 ±45.5 min) was longer than that in three-port group (154.5 ±30.9min) (P Table 3. Comparisons of perioperative outcomes between single-port and three-port group Single-port group (n=30) Three-port group (n=30) P value Operation time (min) 209.0 ±45.5 154.5 ±30.9 0.000 Intraoperative blood loss (ml) 90.6 ±49.3 79.5 ±45.2 0.840 Postoperative extubation time (d) 4.0 ±1.5 5.4 ±3.7 0.256 Postoperative VAS 3.6 ±0.7 5.5 ±1.0 0.000 Postoperative hospital stay (d) 6.9 ±4.0 8.5 ±11.8 0.441 Postoperative complications 2 3 0.799 Arrhythmia 1 1 Systemic complications 1 0 Air leakage 0 1 Chylothorax 0 1 3. Discussions Single-port thoracoscopic technique was first reported to diagnose and treat non-complicated pleura-related disease in 2003[7]. In 2004, it was used in pulmonary wedge resection by Rocco et al.[8]. Seven years later, single-port thoracoscopic technique was reported to conduct lobectomy and lymphadenectomy by Gonzalez et al[9]. Since then, it was applied gradually in segment resection of lung [10], total pneumonectomy [11], bronchial sleeve resection [12] and angioplasty of pulmonary arteries [13]. However, most available literature focused on the feasibility and safety of single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy, and no studies compared it with three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. The presented study retrospectively investigated the differences of clinical outcomes between single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy and three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer. Jiang et al. [14] compared 160 cases of thoracoscopic lobectomy and 247 cases of conventional open surgery and found no signific ant differences in perioperative death (0.6% vs. 2.8%) and complication rate (9.4% vs. 11.7%) (P>0.05). It is indicated that thoracoscopic lobectomy was technically safe to treat NSCLC. Similarly in our study, the complication rates were 6.7% and 10.0% for single-port group and three-port group, respectively. However, there were no deaths during perioperative period in our study. Therefore, our study indicated that single-port lobectomy was at least technically safe compared with three-port group. The vital factor for radical resection of lung cancer by single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy was the dissection of lymph nodes. Jiang et al. [14] found no significant differences in dissection of lymph node groups (2.4 ±1.5 vs. 2.6 ±1.6) and lymph node harvest (9.8 ±6.2 vs. 9.9 ±5.9) between thoracoscopic lobectomy group and conventional open surgery group (P> 0.05). Similarly, Zhang et al.[15] found no significant differences in lymph node harvests (14.6 ±7.5 vs. 15.2 ±4.5) between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group and video-assisted micro thoracoscopy group. That was to say, the lymph node dissection by thoracoscopic lobectomy was at least equivalent to that by open surgery. In the presented study, there were no significant differences in total lymph node harvest (23.6 ±11.2 vs.25.4 ±7.3), mediastinal lymph node harvest (16.2 ±9.2 vs. 17.2 ±6.5), dissection of mediastinal lymph node groups (4.4 ±1.0 vs. 4.4 ±0.8) between the single-port group and th ree-port group. These results suggested that the lymph node harvest was at least equivalent to the previous studies. In other words, the dissection of lymph nodes by single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy was feasible in respect of radical removal of tumors. However, the long-term outcomes need further follow-up to confirm in the future. The incision of single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy was located at the cross point of anterior axillary line and the 4th/5th intercostal spaces, which, unlike conventional three-port thoracoscopy, did not have observation port or assisted-operation port. The 4th/5th intercostal spaces were wider with less muscle and less bleeding, which might have little impact on the postoperative recover with less pain. After comparing 20 cases of three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy and 10 cases of single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy in treating interstitial lung disease, Chen et al.[16] found that postoperative one-day VAS in single-port group (4.95 ±0.39) was significantly lower than that in three-port group (4.5 ±0.7) (P=0.03). Similarly in our study, postoperative one-day VAS in single-port group (3.6 ±0.7) was significantly lower than that in three-port group (5.5 ±1.0) (P In the presented study, the operation time (209.0 ±45.5 min) in single-port group was significantly lower than that in three-port group (154.5 ±30.9 min). The reasons included 1) all the operating instruments and thoracoscopy went through the single port, which might interfere each other, especially when the focus was near the dorsal cavity and diaphragm. 2) single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy had a strict skill requirement of qualified camera assistant. The camera assistant was supposed to know how to cooperate with the operator, how to allocate the location within the incision, and how to keep the camera stable. Our operation team launched the single-port-thoracoscopic lobectomy since May 2014, and we believed that the operation time would be shortened as we optimized our technique gradually. In summary, the feasibility and safety of single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy were similar to three-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer patients. With the development of instruments, the optimization of surgical procedure, and the accumulation of surgical experience, the operation time would likely be shortened gradually. Therefore, single-port complete thoracoscopic lobectomy was supposed to be popularized with its merits of minimal invasiveness.

Cloud Computing and the Computer Scare Essay -- Information Technology

Once you login to your computer you are bound to use an application that is related to the cloud computing infrastructure. For example, when any service needs an internet connection it immediately uses what is known as a â€Å"cloud† network, which is a broad term for the use of a device or application that is not physically present. The computer user is then accessing a network in the cloud, which stores personal information and allows for multiple tasks to be completed in an efficient manner rather than just using a single personal computer. Computer Scientists do find an importance for expanding the cloud network since it not only helps them create projects using multiple computers linked on the cloud but it also helps deliver applications to any computer user. Unfortunately, there are some deficiencies that computer science majors should be aware of; the biggest default the risk of cloud security issues constantly. These issues include vulnerability to data loss and hacke rs overtaking the system; computer scientists should be aware of the structure’s defaults and be able to use cloud services efficiently. Cloud computing is a highly useful and quickly growing aspect of technology, and although the security issues are a risk, it is a useful service that should be used with the proper prior knowledge. Before delving into the exact security issues, it is important to understand the basic structure of the cloud system. To begin, the cloud computing structure has three major branches: 1) Infrastructure as a Service, 2) Platform as a Service, and 3) Software as a Service (Dorey 6). The most common service to general computer users is the Software as a Service branch because it provides the structure of the system and is notably appr... ...e. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Fox, Armando. "Cloud Computing-What's in It for Me as a Scientist?" ScienceMagazine.org. AAAS.org, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 May 2012. . Jamil, Danish, and Hassan Zaki. "Cloud Computing Security." International Journal of Computer Science and Engineering 3.4 (2011): 3478-482. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Jamil, Danish, and Hassan Zaki. "Security Issues in Cloud Computing and Countermeasures." International Journal of Computer Science and Engineering 3.4 (2011): 2672-676. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Segal, Naresh K., Sohum Sohoni, Ying Xiong, David Fritz, Wira Mulia, and John M. Acken. "A Cross Section of the Issues and Research Activities Related to Both Information Security and Cloud Computing." Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Exploring the Affect Society has on the Shaping of Human Behavior Essay

There are numerous aspects of social interaction used in the shaping of social relationships. For the purpose of this paper, I thoroughly examined the theories of â€Å"Self-perception† and â€Å"Social perception â€Å"I decided to focus on the views given by Sociologist’s Erving Goffman and Charles Darwin throughout chapter four. According to sociologist Erving Goffman, social interaction should be compared to a theatrical performance, with the members of society playing the roles of actors or actresses. Performers often worry and stress prior to going on stage. They worry about what the spectators will think? Will they ever get another role? How will they know if the spectators like their performance, and if they don’t what will happen to their career? Goffman believes â€Å"self-presenters sometimes worry about being judged incompetent; they often rehearse prior to their performance†. However, performers are not the only individuals who are self -presenters. Society is full of norms and rules that are socially acceptable or unacceptable. These societal norms shape and mold the behavior of human behavior throughout society. Individuals, who try to fit into those norms and rules, often find themselves rehearsing their roles and behavior. For example, applicants going for job interviews often rehearse what they will, and will not say in the interview. An applicant also observes the interviewers body language and responses, in order to figure out if they are being accepted or rejected. Goffma...

Benefits of School Uniforms

There are many sides to the debate about school uniforms, but the debate against mandatory school uniforms comes more from the libertarians and groups from the old school guard. The problem with the old school group and civil libertarians reflect an age when school violence and bullying were not as prevalent in the school system as they are today. School age children are consistently being accosted and bullied for designer clothing and gang violence is at an all-time high in many school districts, but, the addition of a mandatory school policy can decrease national and state figures relative to school violence.It is time for children and young adults to be able to attend school and learn without fear of intimidation. By implementing a policy of mandatory school uniforms, less time is spent on social awkwardness where many students who simply cannot afford to wear the latest fashion design and can stop worrying about the gangs around the school who look at what colors of what a studen t wears to initiate bullying practices.First, there is a need to actually define why school administrators and educators are looking to enforcing mandatory school uniforms and the reason why President Clinton, in 1996, during his State of the Union address endorsed uniforms in American schools. In order to do accomplish this, it is important to look at what issues school administrators and educators feel are the impeders of learning and scholarly advancement. Oftentimes students who are continually focused on fashion and attaining the latest â€Å"look† tend to spend far less time in a positive learning situation.â€Å"Distraction leads to poor learning environments† (PSParents) Many advocates of a mandatory school uniform policy point to the increasing instances of violence within the school system and much of that is tied into the student’s appearance itself. There are instances where children are â€Å"inflicting bodily harm on one another because of the nam e brand on a jacket or a pair of jeans; and, in larger cities where gang involvement is prevalent, children are killed because they chose the wrong color to wear to school.The issue is not about civil liberties or freedom of expression but about improving the deteriorating state of the educational environment within our public school system nationwide† (PSParents). Many experts are of the opinion that students that attend schools wearing uniforms actually have higher academic scores. It is also believed that school uniforms can look to improving student attendance and focus intently on studies without worrying about whether they can or their parents can purchase for them the same â€Å"new† style of clothing.The old phrase of â€Å"keeping up with the Jones’† can attest to what many young students where they simply want what their friends are wearing. Many school administrators are of the opinion that students who wear school uniforms behave in a far more appropriate manner within the school atmosphere as uniforms lend to engaging students in appropriate behavior by reducing violence within the system.The most plausible reason for this is that with standardized dress there is less places to hide weapons in where in the fashion standard of students, especially in high school, weapons can be hidden in pockets in waist bands of pants that have shirts laid overtop and in baseball caps. It is this author’s opinion that with less opportunity to hide weapons in clothing and headgear of what student’s are currently wearing can hide weapons that are carried into the school and, if there are no metal detectors present, leaves an undeniable avenue for violent propensities.What has been considered one of the more conscionable reasons for the policy to implemented within the school system is the social preying that occur with many indigent students. Many students come from impoverished family units and if they are unable to afford t he latest trends and this is one of the ways that students look to in an attempt at self-expression and definition. This is a huge factor in a child’s psychological development and if there is a removal of this one barrier that students continually come up against, there is a marked improvement in both academic and social situations.This is really tied into the social outcome factor as when there is only one type of dress needed for school, i. e. uniform, there is a higher instance of affordability amongst families that are simply unable to afford expensive, trendy clothing. The government has also taken an independent and unbiased approach to addressing this issue and it is compelling their overall interpretation of the current school system and it’s tie-in to student safety.The government believes that the â€Å"adoption of school uniform policies can promote school safety, improve discipline, and enhance the learning environment. The potential benefits of school un iforms include: †¢ decreasing violence and theft — even life-threatening situations — among students over designer clothing or expensive sneakers; †¢ helping prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia at school; †¢ instilling students with discipline; †¢ helping parents and students resist peer pressure;†¢ helping students concentrate on their school work; and †¢ helping school officials recognize intruders who come to the school (Government) There are currently many communities that have decided to adopt school uniform policies, which include: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia; and, many large school systems include: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle and St.Louis have school in either a voluntary or mandatory uniform policy in effect. There are many school boards in larg e and small cities that have adopted school uniform policies which include: Long Beach, California Uniforms are mandatory in all elementary and middle schools. Each school in the district determines the uniform its students will wear. There is an opt-out of the program with parental consent. Currently the size of the program, implemented in 1994, includes 58,500 elementary and middle school students.Support for disadvantaged students: Each school must develop an assistance plan for families that cannot afford to buy uniforms. In most cases, graduating students either donate or sell used uniforms to needy families. Results: District officials found that in the year following implementation of the school uniform policy, overall school crime decreased 36 percent, fights decreased 51 percent, sex offenses decreased 74 percent, weapons offenses decreased 50 percent, assault and battery offenses decreased 34 percent, and vandalism decreased 18 percent.Less than one percent of the students have elected to opt out of the uniform policy. Dick Van Der Laan of the Long Beach Unified School District explained, â€Å"We can't attribute the improvement exclusively to school uniforms, but we think it's more than coincidental. † According to Long Beach Police Chief William Ellis, â€Å"Schools have fewer reasons to call the police. There's less conflict among students. Students concentrate more on education, not on whose wearing $100 shoes or gang attire. † Richmond, VirginiaThis voluntary uniform policy at Maymont Elementary School for the Arts and Humanities was implemented in 1994 with approximately 262 elementary school students enrolled. Support for disadvantaged students: Responding to parent concerns about the cost of uniforms, the school sought community financial support for the uniform program. Largely as a result of financial donations from businesses and other community leaders, the percentage of students wearing uniforms rose from 30 percent in 1994 -95, the first year of the program, to 85 percent during the current year.Results: Maymont principal Sylvia Richardson identifies many benefits of the uniform program, including improved behavior, an increase in attendance rates and higher student achievement. In the examples shown above, both mandatory and voluntary uniform policies have proven there is a correlation between violent behavior and school uniform policies and there are many variations of the mandatory school uniform policy which can be initiated between the school, the parent and the student. Carl A.Cohn writes that within the Long Beach school system, upon instituting a mandatory school uniform policy over two years prior, â€Å"much of the public school educational establishment reacted skeptically. The school board was told by permissive parents, civil liberties interest groups, timid legislators, and a biased news media that they would not let it happen. The school board initiated this program over 1 ? years ago with a 99 percent compliance rate in the program and a substantial decrease in school crime† (Cohn). ConclusionEither being in favor or not in favor of mandatory school uniforms is a moot point as it is generally those who simply don’t like to have their children conform to a mandatory policy or not, and, not for concrete and convincing reasons that wearing a school uniform decreases their children’s aptitude for learning, decreases their social status, or, even decreases their child’s freedom of expression. Albeit some students, especially those in the higher grade levels often rebel by girls pulling their skirts up above the regulated skirt length, this, is in no way a reflection on safety in school.One piece of evidence that is hard to refute is that studies have found â€Å"that due to increased prevalence of school violence, one in five public school students feels less eager to go to school every day, one in seven feels less inclined to pay attentio n to learning in school, and one in 10 stays home from school or cuts class. In unsafe school environments, teachers cannot teach to their maximum potential, and students cannot learn to their full capability† (Everett and Price).Paliokas and Rist note that â€Å"for many individuals, the appeal of mandatory school uniforms is based on conventional wisdom and an intuitive belief that increased structure results in improved child behavior. Nevertheless, there is not much empirical data to support a cause-and-effect relationship between school uniforms and violence†. Simply put, there are other variables which may, in fact, be a direct or indirect contributor to declines in levels of violence with or without school uniform policies.Paliokas and Rist â€Å"posed several questions that must first be answered before declines in school violence can be specifically attributed to the implementation of school uniform programs: a) was the implementation of the uniform policy onl y one aspect of a comprehensive safety plan that included heightened security and stricter rules? b) were local community-policing programs implemented at the same time? c) was the trend of violence in the school at its peak and ready to decline? d) was there an analysis of the trends of violence within that specific school or school district?e) were the decreases in school violence attributed to the Hawthorne Effect in which short-term attention to and visibility of a problem caused the decline? and, finally f) was parental involvement a crucial factor in the reduction of violence? † (Paliokis and Rist). A large problem with the debate over school uniform policies and putting the emphasis on if implementing said policy was, in fact, in direct relation to curbing school violence is that although many school districts were privy to reduction in violence related to students, could there in fact be mitigating factors relative to the reduction.There is a need to look to finding em pirical evidence in support of a mandatory uniform policy through the gathering of a variety of independent studies including: 1) Investigate parent, teacher, and student perceptions regarding school uniforms and violence prevention. 2) Trend analyses to determine whether any decline in violence represents true change or predictable change in trend within the school and/or school district. 3) Must be statistically control for possible intervening variables associated with violence reduction to determine cause-and-effect relationships between school uniforms and violence reduction.4) Compare the prevalence of violence in schools mandating uniforms with schools mandating dress codes. 5) Obtain data from both experimental groups (those required to wear uniforms) and control groups (those not required to wear uniforms). 6) Examination of how schools mandating uniforms address the issue of providing school uniforms to low-income families. 7) Focus on identifying the means to adequately e valuate the effect of mandatory uniform programs on the prevalence of school violence (Paliokas and Rist)Works Cited Paliokas KL, Rist RC. Do They Reduce Violence — Or Just Make Us Feel Better? Online. http://www. edweek. org/we/vol-15/28rist. h15. April 3, 1996. Cohn CA. Mandatory school uniforms: Long Beach's pioneering experience finds safety and economic benefits. School Admin. 1996; 53(2):22-25. King, K. A. Should school uniforms be mandated in elementary school? 1998. Online http://danenet. wicip. org/ncs/forumuniformseval. htm PSParents. net. Pros of Mandatory School Uniforms.Online at http://psparents. net/ in_support. htm United States Government. School Uniforms: Where They Are and Why They Work? Online http://www. ed. gov/updates/uniforms. html American Psychological Association. Violence and Youth: Psychology's Response, Volume 1: Summary Report of the American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth. Washington, DC: American Psychological Assoc iation; 1993:42. Callahan CM, Rivara FP. Urban high school youth and handguns. JAMA. 1992;267:3038-3032.

Economic Value Added

EVA is a way of measuring a firm's profitability. EVA is NOPAT minus a charge for all capital invested in the business (Byrne 1). A more intuitive way to think of EVA is as the difference between a firms NOPAT and its total cost of capital (Kramer & Pushner 40). Stern Staurt's numerical definition of EVA is calculated for any year by multiplying a firm's economic book value of capital  © at the beginning of the year by the spread between its return on capital  ® and its cost of capital (K): EVA=(Rt-Kt)*Ct-1 (Kramer &Pushner 41). EVA is a notion of residual income (Ehrbar Xi). Investors demand a rate of return proportional to the amount of risk incurred. Operating profits determine residual income by plotting them against the required rate of return, a product of both debt and equity. EVA takes into account all capital invested. Peter Druker says in his Harvard Business Review article, â€Å"EVA is based on something we have known for a long time: What we call profits, the money left to service equity, is not profit at all. Until a business returns a profit that is greater than its cost of capital, it operates at a loss. Never mind that it pays taxes if it had a genuine profit. The enterprise still returns less to the economy than it devours in resources†¦. Until then it does not create wealth but destroys it† (Ehrbar 2). EVA is a measure of wealth creation or destruction after all costs are capitalized. Companies use EVA as a measure of corporate performance, as an incentive system and as a link between shareholder and management/employee goals. Stock price indicates investor's certainty concerning current and future earnings potential. EVA is a static measure of corporate performance; MVA is a dynamic, forward looking market performance measure. MVA is a market generated number calculated by subtracting the Capital invested in a firm  © from the sum (V) of the total market value of the firm's equity and book value of debt: MVA=Vt-Ct† (Kramer & Pushner 42). Al Ehrbar describes MVA as exactly equivalent to the stock market's estimate of the NPV of a company. In 1998 CSX Corperation introduced EVA criteria to the fast growing but low margin CSX Intermodal business, where trains deliver freight to waiting trucks or cargo ships. Large amounts of capital are required to power a mammoth fleet of locomotive, containers and railcars. Figuring in capital costs, CSX Intermodal lost $70 million in 1988. â€Å"The CEO issued an ultimatum, et EVA up or be sold† (Fortune, 39). CSX Intermodal freight volume increased by 25%, yet they dramatically reduced their capital cost by reducing the number of container and trailers by 22%, reducing their locomotive fleet by 33%, and reducing fuel costs. EVA in 1992 was $10 million dollars, and was expected to triple the following year. Wall Street responded: CSX stock price rose from $28 before EVA to a 1993 price of $75. CSX concluded that investors care more about their net cash return on capital than accounting figures such as EPS, ROE and ROA. Companies that adopt EVA as a performance measure found tie-in compensation plans very useful in aligning management behavior and shareholder needs. Typical plans consist of two familiar parts, a bonus and stock incentives, applied in new ways (Fortune 50). Bonus targets are established by a percent increase in EVA and recalculated each year by averaging the prior year's goal and the prior year's result. Bonus have no limits, but the manager incurs operating risk because some of the bonus is put in a â€Å"bank,† say, for five years. If over the next five years management performs poorly, and EVA drops, the â€Å"bank† account is depleted. Management incurs the risks and benefits just as owners do. Joel Stern notes that in cases without an EVA incentive plan, employees suffer from a common problem. On average their fixed pay, salaries and pension, are too high, and their variable pay, profit sharing and share options, are to low (Ehbar XIX). Stern adds that size, not value, drives employees in typical incentive programs because size is positively correlated with increases in fixed pay and closely thereafter, variable pay, even if it destroys shareholder wealth. EVA protects shareholder interests by depositing variable pay into a deferred account that can be lost if value is eroded. EVA, as a corporate measure and a predictive tool, generates mixed reviews in the business and academic worlds. AT&T's Jim Meen says, â€Å"The correlation between MVA and EVA is very high. So when your driving your business toward EVA, your really driving the correlation with market value† (Kramer & Pushner, 43). Stern Stewart finds an R squared value of 60% based on 20 groupings of firms (Kramer & Pushner, 41). Contenders site statistical evidence to the contrary. BCG-Holt calculates an R square, after removing 21 outliers, of 27%. Dodd and Chen report that EVA accounts for only 20. 2% of the variation in stock returns for a sample of 500 companies, while ROA explains 24. 5% of market returns (Kramer & Pushner, 43). In their paper â€Å"An Empirical Analysis of Economic Value Added as a Proxy for Market Value Added,† Kramer and Pushner test the hypothesis that EVA is highly correlated with MVA. Simple regression analysis is used to test this hypothesis and other market determinants of market value such as NOPAT. First Kramer and Pushner test the relationship between the level of MVA and the level of EVA using the SS1000. In all cases the level of MVA positively relates to both NOPAT and EVA in the same and prior periods. However, in all cases, NOPAT explains more of the total variation in MVA than EVA† (O'Byrne & Stewart 44). This suggests that the level of NOPAT is not only a better proxy but also a better predictor of corporate performance than the level of EVA. Results for weighted least squares, change in MVA and variations are described graphically in appendix 1. Kramer and Pushner conclude that there is no clear evidence that EVA is the best measure of corporate success in adding value to shareholder investments (Kramer and Pushner, 47). Stephen F. O'Byrne and Stern Stewart and Co. tested a similar hypothesis. Their objective is to show that EVA provides a theoretical and practical measure of operating performance. O'Byrne and Stewart substantiate the explanatory power of EVA relative to earnings because, unlike previous studies, they recognize two important characteristics: Multiples of positive EVA are significantly higher than multiples of negative EVA, which implies that companies with negative EVAs have values that are higher than what would be expected if the market valued EVA at the same multiple. Multiples of capital tend to decline with company size, which suggest that the market assigns higher multiples to a given level of EVA for smaller companies. Stewart, 117). O'Byrne and Stewart suggest at first glance that earnings and EVA have about the same level of success in explaining market value. The variance explained ranges around 32%. Taking into account the two characteristics listed above, the explanatory power of their model increases to 42%. Five-year changes in EVA explain 55% of the variation in market value, and ten-year changes in EVA explain 74% of the variation in ten-year changes. The NOPAT model has 15%-20% less explanatory power. The results of O'Byrne and Stewart research appear in appendix 2. They conclude that because EVA is systematically linked to market value, it proves to be a better predictor of market value than other performance measures. Proponents of EVA also argue that GAAP standards distort true economic reality, produce unreliable corporate standards and serve as an unproductive compensation system. Harvard business school professor Baruch Lev states that; â€Å"Overall, the fragile association between accounting data and capital market's values suggest that usefulness of financial reports is rather limited† (Ehrbar, 161). Some differences in GAAP and economic reality stem from a bias toward conservative estimates, compounded by SEC requirements driving conservative financial policies. The principal divergence is GAAP's treatment of equity. The cost of equity should be capitalized. The cost of borrowed capital shows up in a companies interest expense. â€Å"But the cost of equity capital, which the shareholders have contributed, typically appears nowhere in any financial statement-and equity is extraordinarily expensive† (Fortune, 38). Ehrbar contends that GAAP distorts economic reality in areas such as R&D, strategic management, expense recognition, depreciation, restructuring charges, taxes and balance sheet adjustments (64). R&D under GAAP standards require Corporations to immediately expense R&D in the period in which they occur, where as managers and investors see R&D as an investment. GAAP's treatment of R&D reduces book value by writing down the asset to $0; EVA would capitalize R&D and amortize it over a period of time. Lastly, GAAP incentives can be ineffective motivators. For example, a retiring officer's pension plan is linked to earnings. During their last year they might skimp on R&D to boost earnings because their pension plan is tied to performance. Operating earnings often serve as the benchmark for management compensation. Management has the incentive to negotiate a target that is easy to beat. Managers aim low, insuring their bonus. Trade loading is a second example of how GAAP can affect management decisions concerning bonuses and owner interests. EVA as a measure of financial performance is positively related MVA, but depending on the methodology, the result vary. Kramer and Pushner used simple univariate regressions to compare EVA with other measures explaining EVA. Their results were mixed, NOPAT's explanatory power in Ordinary Least Squares Regressions outperformed EVA by 9%, however when weighted, EVA's explanatory power was higher overall and surpassed NOPAT by 6%. Kramer and Pushner note that the market focuses on profits rather than EVA. Investors rely on earnings estimates that are consistently calculated within the industry. This is not the case for FCF or EVA. Lastly, Kramer and Pushner observe, â€Å"investors certainly need to be aware of capital structure, they should already by familiar with the opportunity cost of their investment and may not need to incorporate this into the measure of performance† (Kramer and Pushner 47). Investors may be familiar with the opportunity cost of their investments, although EVA analysis can illuminate problems, such as those created by GAAP accounting, that may not be recognized otherwise. Stephen O'Byrne and Stern Stewarts calculation required the recognition of two important characteristics that drastically changed the explanatory power of EVA. They note that simple a simple regression model, similar to the one used by Kramer and Pushner, depresses the predictive power of EVA and inflates the predictive power of earnings (Stewart 120). EVA with industry coefficients explains and impressive â€Å"56% of the variation in actual market/capital ratios† (Stewart 121). It also produces notable results for changes in EVA and market value over time. Far better results than NOPAT. My results using a simple linear regression model parallels Kramer and Pushner's results. EVA in 1997 has the highest R square factor, at 33%, but is far from the results calculated by Stewart. EVA's R squared increased dramatically since 1992. This is consistent with the economic trend of the 90's, so the increase may not necessarily reflect an increase in EVA due to internal factors, but an external factor, such as the greatest economic expansion in recorded history. All four factors consistently increase from 1992 to 1997. EVA could be a valuable tool if it is tailored to the company and industry. This requires an understanding and adjustment for different EVA multiples for positive and negative EVA and different capital multiples for different size companies. This requires complex calculations, a regularly cited problem. However, in this context EVA lives up to its reputation as a great measure of corporate performance. Other functions, such as aligning employee and shareholder goals, the basis for an incentive system and a more realistic picture of economic reality, makes EVA more attractive. I would recommend using Stern Stewart model to calculate EVA.