School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Essay

School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Decision - Essay Example Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723). ... According to Gerston (2010, p.3), the politics accompanying the process of policy formulation is mostly characterized by â€Å"confusion, contradictions and consternation.† Other aspects that impact on policies are issues such as advocay, path dependency and bureaucracy. Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723).

Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homework - Essay Example The procedure of PCR is useful because sometimes, during DNA tests and sampling procedures, more DNA than what is available is required. Biochemists find it very useful when they have large number of replicas of the DNA or nucleotides they are working at. Hence, they do not find it difficult finding the DNA, recognizing it during their experiments, and working with it. Restriction enzymes are used to separate the desired DNS from all others in case PCR is not applicable or recommended. These enzymes cut down segments of genomic DNA at particular nucleotide sites. To separate these DNA fragments, electrophoresis procedures are used. Small diameter capillary array gel electrophoresis provides quicker separation of fragments by the application of electric fields. This technique, which in this case is called pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), involves many ways, one of which is electro elusion which involves the use of multiple electrodes located orthogonally from the agarose gel containing DNA which is sealed in a dialysis tubing containing buffer. Small pulses of alternate current are passed all the way through this gel, which results in gene separation from the gel piece. The DNA is still in the dialysis tubing, so it is easily discoverable. Another way of recovering the DNA from the gel is by using agarase to digest the agarose, which leaves behind the desired DNA which we can separate easily. 16s rRNA gene sequencing is used for the identification of bacteria and studying of bacterial phylogeny and taxonomy. The reasons why DNA sequencing can be used for this purpose are many. First of all, 16s rRNA gene is present in nearly all bacteria. DNA sequences are not found in other organisms. Second, since the functionality of 16s rRNA has not altered with time, this means that we can use its sequence changes as an accurate measure of time or evolution. In other words, when we have to identify a lot of diverse types of organisms, we require two main

Characteristics seen in Hamlet throughout the play Essay Example for Free

Characteristics seen in Hamlet throughout the play Essay I have been studying the text of Hamlet and the following characteristics are what he shows throughout the play. We see that Hamlet can be Nationalist. He is being nationalist when he is criticising Denmark and says it is a drinking country which is saying he does not trust them much. He is also like this when he says that Norway is robbing the land from Denmark, so this is then proving that Claudius is weak and so they might as well lose all their land. Hamlet is being very nationalist, when he says that Denmark is like a prison. This means that he feels as if he has no freedom to do what you want to do. Hamlet can be loving towards his friends and family easily, except to his uncle. He can be loving in a friendly way towards Horatio. He shows love towards his mother all throughout the play. He is being loving because he does not want his mother to flirt and have sex with his uncle so close after his fathers death. Hamlet says he is disgraced and when he confronts his mother in her bedroom, he asks her questions about his uncle. He then sees movements behind the curtains and thinks that it is his uncle who is too scared to face him, and so he draws his sword and stabs the person behind the curtain only to find out that it was Ophelias father (Polonius). He then plays around with his uncle and he acts as if he is mad and he will not tell him where the body is. I think Hamlet killed the person behind the curtain because he thought it was time to get revenge for his father, by killing his uncle. So this was the right thing to do, but only if he definitely knew who was behind the curtain in his mothers bedroom. He is seriously in love with Ophelia, and both she and Hamlet admit their love for each other. Hamlet expresses his love for Ophelia on page 187 Act 5 Scene 1: Forty thousand brothers Could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. Earlier on in the play, Hamlet shows his love for Ophelia his girlfriend. The second time he expresses his love for her was at her funeral. This was in front of everyone and then a fight ensued between Hamlet and Laertes. Ophelia shows her love for Hamlet on page 84(Act 1 Scene 3). She also tells everyone that Hamlet has said he loves her. Hamlet is very religious and he goes to a Protestant school in Wittenberg, but on the other hand he is a Catholic because when he is going to kill his uncle in a religious place he realises he will go to heaven. This was on page 144. Act 3 Scene 3: Now might I do it pat, now a is a-praying I, his sole son, do this same villain send To Heaven We see that when Hamlet finds the ghost he is very shocked by it and yet he still does what it says. He tells his friends that it is real and to believe in it, which also proves he is religious. Throughout the play, he uses two different religions, which are found to be; Protestant and Catholic. Hamlet can be very sarcastic and intelligent in the play especially when Polonius asks him what he is reading, and he replies with Words! This then leads Polonius to start quizzing Hamlet on ting about him and Ophelia. Therefore, the answers that Hamlet gives Polonius he then goes and tells them to King. Due to the answers, that Hamlet has given leads to Polonius to say it proves that Hamlet is mad. So the King and Polonius set up a trap for Hamlet to fall into by getting Ophelia to ask Hamlet questions, but Hamlet plays smart and so he gives weird answers which leads people to think he is mad and then he uses it against his uncle at the end of the play. Hamlet is also intelligent when he is being sent to England by boat because he reads the Kings notes on what they have to do to him and then he changes the notes to what he wants them to say, so this is Hamlet playing smart. He then seals the envelopes, by using his ring to put an indent into the wax on the page so it looks as if it was from the King. The page where he finds out about the letter was; Page 153 Act 3 scene 4: Theres letters sealed Let it work. At this time, he was talking to his mother. Hamlet is also intelligent when he gets the actors to act out the death of his father. By doing this he can find out if his uncle is guilty or innocent. By doing this and constantly taking to the King, he is using his educated mind to find out the truth. Therefore, throughout this play we see that Hamlet can use a lot of emotions and characteristics. When Hamlet uses them, they are used with power and forcefully to make an effect on who ever he is talking to. He makes an impact most of the time except from when everyone thinks he is mad they just think that he is talking rubbish. His intelligence brings out the best in him especially when he gets the play put on for his uncle. So in my opinion Hamlet is smart and very intelligent.

Prevalence of H. pylori Isolates and Genotypes and CagA Gene

Prevalence of H. pylori Isolates and Genotypes and CagA Gene 1. Introduction The best-known gastric Helicobacter species is Helicobacter pylori which is a slightly curved, microaerophilic Gram-negative. This microorganism has established a niche in the stomach of more than half of the world’s human population and become a dominant species of the human gastric microbiome. H. pylori colonization causes persistent inflammatory responses.H. pylori-induced gastritis is the strongest singular risk factor for cancers of the stomach however only a small proportion of infected individuals proceed to the development of malignancy. It is still unknown what factors are responsible for the different outcomes ranging from asymptomatic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) to gastric cancer (GC). The changes in the epidemiology of these different demonstration of H. pylori infection suggest an environmental factor, an interaction between environmental factor and the host, or a change in prevalence of strains differing in virulence H. pylori has two phenotypic charact eristics among strains are the vacuolating cytotoxin (vac) and cytotoxic associated gene A (vacA) protein which encoded by the and cagA genes respectively. cagA and genes are considered as candidates for the identification of strains with enhanced virulence. For instance, gastric mucosa from patients infected with cagApositive H. pylori strains which containing a 40-kb cag pathogenicity island (which includes cagA gene) typically exhibits more severe inflammation than that of gastric mucosa infected with cagA-negative strains (Jafari et al., 2008). Despite the gene is present in most H. pylori, but the product may not be expressed in all cases. They have important attempt to described and classify distinction in the gene and to associate specific genotypes with different H. pylori-associated diseases The protein contains three distinct segments that exhibit variation within the amino-terminus. These areas of variation are broadly defined as the signal (s), intermediate (i), and midd le (m) regions. Two primary variants have been described for signal region (s1 or s2) and middle region (m1 or m2) while three variants has been reported for intermediate region (i1, i2, or i3) (Jones et al., 2010). The m region affects host cell tropism of toxins. Encoding the m1 region are toxic to a broader range of host cells compared to that of m2 region. The i region which determine the vacuolating capabilities is positioned between the s and m region and is the most recent region to be described. The i1 variants of have been shown to have stronger vacuolating activity than i2 variants (Jones et al., 2011). Atherton et al. (1995) reported three of the four possible subtypes with the exeption of s2-m1 variant. The presence of the s2-m1 variant was later reported but with very rare prevalence (0 to 3%). Despite variants have been described, but is still remains unclear whether the genotypes are useful markers for the prediction of clinical outcomes. Initial reports indicated tha t the s1 and i2 genotype would be found in close association with clinical outcomes in Western countries (Jafari et al., 2008); however the prevalence of this genotype was extremely high (almost 100%) in East Asian countries irrespective of the clinical outcomes (Jafari et al., 2008). The prevalence of H. pylori infection is about 50% of the world’s population and has been reported to be 40 to 60% in Malaysian (Goh et al., 2009). The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence of H. pylori isolates in patients with a full spectrum of clinical demonstration of H. pylori infection to evaluate whether the assumed associations with genotypes and cagA gene would be applicable to patients with H. pylori infection in Malaysian populations. 2. Material and methods Isolation and culture of H. pylori Gastric biopsies were obtained from each patient by using endoscopy. Each specimen was placed in a transport medium and sent to the laboratory immediately. The specimens were then incubated onto chocolate (selective/non-selective) agar containing 10% sheep blood for 3 days at 37 ºC under microaerobic conditions (10% CO2, 5% O2, 85% N2). All H. pylori strains were positive for urease, oxidase, catalase and were identified by Gram staining under light microscopy. Colonies directly harvested from the plates were used for DNA extraction. Endoscopic findings were also recorded and based on the information patients were divided into two groups. Group I patients had duodenal or gastric ulcer (Peptic Ulcer Disease, PUD) and group II patients had Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia (NUD). Population studied A total of 209 gastric biopsies were collected from patients presenting with symptoms of gastroduodenal diseases during July 2011 to August 2012 at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). Four biopsy specimens were taken from the greater curve of the antrum, body, cardia and Esophagous, one was used for histological examination and one for H. pylori culture. Genomic DNA extraction Bacteria from both the 10 single colonies and the sweeps were resuspended in 1.2 ml Elution buffer (EB). Bacterial pellets were obtained by centrifugation at 5,233 Ãâ€"gfor 5 min, and genomic DNA was extracted by using a Qiagen kit. The amount of DNA was calculated by spectrophotometry. Detection of H. pylori and genotyping of 16sRNA, cag A, E, L and vac genes and EPIYA motifs by PCR In this study PCR was used to detect the H. pylori specific 16sRNA gene for confirmation of H. pylori isolates, the virulence-associated vacA mosaic structure and the presence of cag A, E, L genes. All primer sets were selected from the published literatures (Table 1). The PCR was carried out in a volume of 25  µl including100 ng of genomic DNA, 20 pmol of each of primers (Table 1), 5  µl of i-PCR 5X Master Mix (iDNA, Singapore) which contain 0.1 unit/ µl 5  µl of i-PCR 5X Master Mix (iDNA, Singapore) which contain 0.1 unit/ µl of Taq DNA Polymerase, 1 mM of dNTP’s, 10% of glycerol and 7.5 mM of MgCl2. Negative control tubes included all materials except template DNA. The sequences of the primers are listed in Table 1. PCR products were checked on 2.0% agarose gels with 100 bp ladder size markers. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the EPIYA motifs was performed in separate reactions according to the method described by Argent et al. (Mitchell et al., 2009). using the common forward primer cag2 with one of three reverse primers, cagAP1C, cagAP2TA, and cagAP3E, for the amplià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation of EPIYA-A, -B, and -C and -D, respectively. Table 1. Oligonucleotide primers used for cagA/E and L, vacA alleles and EPIYA motifs

I.t. Doctors Database Analysis :: essays research papers

There are some parts of a Doctor’s Surgery that could benefit from computerisation. As time goes on technology will aid most types of work, for instance office work (Department of Trade and Industry, for example). Technology could be used in a Doctor’s surgery to computerise the patients’ files, to print out prescriptions and certificates for things like immunisations. The patients’ file would consist of their name & address, telephone number, D.O.B, sex, allergies, and diseases. In addition, it will be faster for the doctor to access his or her files because they are all just a few clicks of a mouse button away instead of loads of paper-based files in a big fat cabinet away. If you were to misplace a file in your office, it would probably be hard to find it, whereas if you lost a file on a computer you could use the find utility in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or 2000 (by pressing the button and F at the same time) and the file would be found in a few seconds. On a computer you could automatically put the files in alphabetical order by whatever- name, GP, date of birth e.t.c. However, in an office cabinet it really would not be easy at all to put and keep the files in some sort of alphabetical sequence. Currently the database is pen-and-paper based, which may be cost effective but is very time-consuming when compared to a computer-based database. Say you have a paper-based database. If one of your clients move house or get married, you would have to create a whole new record because of the altered information. And say it was a family who moved residence, and then after you made the new records the parents got married. It would cause a lot of hassle and waste a lot of time, wouldn’t it? The doctor would get annoyed searching for people’s files and they would take longer to get through things, which means less appointments every day. The dilemma is that I need to make a database to answer all these problems. I will make a database for a doctor’s surgery so the doctors can look up and alter the files of their patients with just the click of a button. The database will be able to find their medical record (allergies, etc.), their home address, their home phone number, their allergies (if any), and their diseases (if any). I.t. Doctors Database Analysis :: essays research papers There are some parts of a Doctor’s Surgery that could benefit from computerisation. As time goes on technology will aid most types of work, for instance office work (Department of Trade and Industry, for example). Technology could be used in a Doctor’s surgery to computerise the patients’ files, to print out prescriptions and certificates for things like immunisations. The patients’ file would consist of their name & address, telephone number, D.O.B, sex, allergies, and diseases. In addition, it will be faster for the doctor to access his or her files because they are all just a few clicks of a mouse button away instead of loads of paper-based files in a big fat cabinet away. If you were to misplace a file in your office, it would probably be hard to find it, whereas if you lost a file on a computer you could use the find utility in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or 2000 (by pressing the button and F at the same time) and the file would be found in a few seconds. On a computer you could automatically put the files in alphabetical order by whatever- name, GP, date of birth e.t.c. However, in an office cabinet it really would not be easy at all to put and keep the files in some sort of alphabetical sequence. Currently the database is pen-and-paper based, which may be cost effective but is very time-consuming when compared to a computer-based database. Say you have a paper-based database. If one of your clients move house or get married, you would have to create a whole new record because of the altered information. And say it was a family who moved residence, and then after you made the new records the parents got married. It would cause a lot of hassle and waste a lot of time, wouldn’t it? The doctor would get annoyed searching for people’s files and they would take longer to get through things, which means less appointments every day. The dilemma is that I need to make a database to answer all these problems. I will make a database for a doctor’s surgery so the doctors can look up and alter the files of their patients with just the click of a button. The database will be able to find their medical record (allergies, etc.), their home address, their home phone number, their allergies (if any), and their diseases (if any).

Global Warming and the Kyoto Treaty Essay -- Climate Change and the Ky

According to David Easterling, principal scientist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. in twenty years the United States has had thirty seven weather related catastrophes each with damages exceeding one billion dollars (Levin 1). A country as wealthy as the United States can afford to pay thirty seven billion dollars in twenty years, assuming of course that the weather related disasters only cost one billion dollars each. Unfortunately, the weather does not work that way. Hurricane Katrina alone may have cost one hundred billion dollars (Tucker 13). What could be causing these devastating storms? Many atmospheric scientists like Kerry Emanuel believe that global warming is the cause of the increased ferocity of the hurricanes (Nash 38). With the polar temperatures increasing the icecaps are melting. Without the ice to reflect the sun's light, the water absorbs the heat. This creates a vicious cycle. The ocean levels rise with their temperatures. Hurricane Katrina was only a category one hurricane when it crossed Florida. However, when it reached the newly warmed Gulf waters, hurricane Katrina ballooned into a mind-blowing category five hurricane that destroyed the gulf region (McKibben, Year One 30). The melting of the polar icecaps has long been believed to be caused by global warming. Until recently, the cause of global warming itself has largely been up for debate. Now atmospheric scientists attribute global warming to increased greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the earth's atmosphere (Greenstone 323). With the knowledge that carbon dioxide causes global warming countries can start taking actions to prevent future global warming. The United States alone produces twenty four percent of the world... ... 166 Issue 1 (2004): 10-12. Phelps, Megan. "More Action, Less Hot Air." The Mother Earth News Vol. 210 (2005): 30. Stenger, Richard. "Man on the Moon: Kennedy Speech Ignited the Dream." CNN.Com. 25 May 2001. Time Warner. 30 Nov. 2013 . Sunstein, Cass R. "It's Only $300 Billion If We Can Fund the War in Iraq, Why Can't We Fund the Kyoto Protocol?" The Washington Post 10 May 2006. 12 Nov. 2013 . Tucker, Patrick. "The Rising Costs of Global Warming." The Futurist Vol.39 Issue 6 (2005): 13. "Warming Trends What Global Climate Changes Could Mean for Wisconsin." Wisconsin Natural Resources 12 Nov. 2006. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 12 Nov. 2013 .

Dropbox Case Analysis Essay

Although Dropbox trailed behind its competitors to catch onto the initial wave of the cloud computing, this minor setback did not restrain the company from revolutionizing the way we store data today. When Houston noticed the limited aptitude of preexisting online backup companies, he seized the opportunity to address the transfer of information across firewalls, unreliable wireless connection, and inability to effectively process a large amount of data. Whereas the competition relied on a distant server to enable file accesses over the Internet, Dropbox stored files locally on computer hard drives and synchronized copies on their servers to save time and bandwidth. When Houston applied to Y Combinator, he included several assumptions in his business model. Originally, Dropbox would directly target individual users, including consumers and businessmen. This decision was contingent on the theory that IT would overlook the company’s limited track record to certify Dropbox after witnessing such high demand. Adopting a freemium model, Dropbox would offer 1 GB to non-paying subscribers and 10 GB to paying subscribers for 5 dollars a month. To raise the funds necessary to launch Dropbox, Houston aimed to raise capital from investors like Y Combinator and Sequoia Capital. Having developed a strong following from an eclectic group of 782,000 users, Dropbox must now maximize profits through price differentiation. This would help them combat their current operating losses of $14.234 million. By classifying their users into various consumer segments, Dropbox could charge each segment the maximum price they are willing to pay. In this case, the consumer segment would be small to medium sized businesses. Aside from requiring a lot of customer support, these clients would most likely be working with many computers and a lot of data at a time. To tailor to their needs, Dropbox should release a different version of their software and market it at a set bundled price per month. This bundle should include all of the benefits deemed most appealing to businesses, such as: file sharing, large storage capacity, Pack Rat (unlimited undo history), and a personal hotline. By using bulk pricing, Dropbox could offer a deal for groups of  computers rather than charging per each computer separately. By pursing this strategy, Dropbox would stay relevant with competitors like Mozy and Carbonite who have already released different versions of their software to accommodate different consumer segments. This strategy would encourage Dropbox to invent new services that they otherwise would not have invested in without being properly compensated. Additionally, Dropbox would enjoy minimal acquisition costs because small to medium businesses are the consumers who would be most actively searching for these data storage services to optimize operations, thereby coming across Dropbox all on their own. In order to justify this decision, Houston should use a conjoint analysis to determine which Dropbox features hold the most value to these businesses. This will allow them to better customize the bundle and determine the price that will capture the largest market share. Dropbox should also develop a running prototype and expose it to pretest markets or run a beta test. This will reduce risk, increase expected benefits, and forecast sales. To collect feedback from their target audience, Dropbox should continue to follow support forums closely, forward customer surveys, implement A/B testing, and conduct usability tests. With a more refined understanding of this consumer segment’s needs, Dropbox can design a customized premium product that will pave the way for company growth and success.