Saturday, August 31, 2019

Abraham Lincoln Summary

The book Abraham Lincoln, written by James M. McPherson, constitutes not only Abraham Lincoln’s life, but also his remarkable presidency. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He also was considered a peacemaker because his passion was to follow God’s law and create every man to be equal. During Lincoln’s first term of presidency in 1860-1864, he followed his passion by abolishing slavery, otherwise known as the Thirteenth Amendment. Following his first term, his second term’s goal is now known as the Fifteenth Amendment.To say the least, McPherson argues the brilliancy of Abraham Lincoln’s ideas and the colossal contribution Lincoln had regarding the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 by Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Lincoln’s childhood was preserved, and his education was gained through many different schoolhouses since his father was on the move so much. Abe Lincoln’ s love for reading made his father’s relationship with Abe more distant.Since Lincoln did not have love for the plantations or farming, his father grew bitter towards his son’s future. Abe Lincoln’s coming of age required him to realize he was getting old. He decided to marry Mary Todd in 1842. A few years after his father died in 1851, Lincoln volunteered for the militia. This increased his interest in government and the Union. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican with Whig ideology. Lincoln succeeded in his campaign for congressmen and after that, he decided to run for president.Although his campaigns for presidency failed several times, Abraham Lincoln never gave up because he knew it was what he wanted to do. His last candidacy with Senator Douglass was a hard campaign, but Lincoln’s lead in free state votes guaranteed his election as a Republican president. This was only the beginning of a long crucial time for the North and South. The decreasing supplie s at Fort Sumter lead to the start of the American Civil War. The American Civil War was a long lasting war between the Union [northern states] and the Confederacy [southern states].The origin of this war was the quarrel issue regarding slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln stated his view on the purpose of the war. Stating, â€Å"This nation could either be perished from the earth, or might live through this flexible, simple issue, which can only be tried by war† (McPherson 35). Lincoln was not fond of violence, but he knew that this is what it took for the United States to become a country of equality and righteousness. Throughout the war, Abe Lincoln had many commanders that failed him and his hope for winning the war.There was one commander that Lincoln applauded because they had the same military strategy. Ulysses S. Grant was the successful commander that led the Union multiple battles of victory. In fact, Abe Lincoln was so pleased with Grant, Lincoln granted a higher rank for Grant; making him general in chief of all Union armies. As matters bound up throughout this war Lincoln stood tall and firm on his beliefs regarding different issues. One matter rose up about slavery, this was during 1862, the time the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.The Emancipation Proclamation was essentially a document that freed slaves from Confederate territory forever. As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln and his administration decided to adopt a Constitutional Amendment to abolish slavery. This is now known as the Thirteenth Amendment. Although Abe Lincoln did not live to see the issue of the Thirteenth Amendment, his presidency is the foundation of that Amendment. In November 1865, Lincoln was reelected to be president. However, that term did not last very long.In April 1866, Booth, an egotistic member of the Confederate secret service, shot Lincoln in the head. Few might say Lincoln help too much power, but others would proclaim him as a saint. J ames McPherson contends Lincoln’s phenomenal presidency and his great contribution to the United States of America. Without Lincoln, the nation might have still been divided, and segregation would be more than a controversial topic. Abraham Lincoln is a riveting book that tailgates not only Lincoln’s life, but also his fascinating presidency.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Water Resource Plan

Water pollution has become a major problem in our water sources. People think that when they litter or dump in our waters that their little contribution will not hurt anything, but everyone’s little contributions add up to some major problems. Our water ecosystems and the species that reside in them are being destroyed and we need to take the steps necessary to stop this. Why would anyone use the source of most of the world’s food as a dumping ground for garbage? People need to start realizing what it is they are doing when they do not take the proper steps to dispose of their garbage and the problems they are making for the future. Water pollution can come from many different sources. Not only does it come from people dumping their garbage into our bodies of water but it can also come from sewage and wastewater runoff, industrial waste, oil pollution, underground storage leakages, and radioactive waste. Global warming is even causing water pollution. (Grinningplanet. com) Pesticides, fertilizers, oil, gasoline, and mining are just a few of the harmful sources of wastewater runoff that flow into our rivers and lakes from being left behind on the ground. (Water-pollution. org) All these things can be prevented and I would like to propose a plan to do exactly this. To stop water pollution, we must stop the dumping. The first phase of my plan is to not only post signs and â€Å"NO DUMPING† warnings near every major body of water but also to put into effect a major fine for any person caught dumping their wastes. Now how to enforce such a fine and catch the perpetrators? I propose to put â€Å"rangers† along the banks of any body of water where dumping is known to take place. This would not only provide more jobs for the people in these hard economic times but it would also be a source of income to pay these workers and to help enforce these new laws. With more workers keeping an eye out for such people, the more people that get caught and the more fines that need to be paid. Now one might say that such signs are already posted near water sources and they do nothing to ward of people meaning to do harm to our water. But that is what the rangers would be for, to catch these people in the act and be there to take the necessary steps to collect the fine. As for pollutions that already exists. This is where phase two of my proposal comes into play. Instead of inmates only picking up garbage along the highways, they alternate between that and picking up garbage along to riversides. Because litter is litter and we do not want to forget about it anywhere. Volunteer programs and delinquent programs can also be put into place for those that want to help and for those that need community service hours in order to stay out of trouble. This way we can stop people from adding more pollution and also help get rid of the pollution that already exists. Runoff is another issue. This takes a few more steps than preventing garbage pollution and it is also where phase three will take place. To this I would like to incorporate mandatory courses to any industrial businesses that end with waste products that need to be disposed of. This course will teach these people the proper and safe way to dispose of their toxins and places that they can do so legally. This course will be free to these companies but if they do not participate they will be fined, which will in turn help to fund the program and pay the employees that teach the course. In order to stop the problem, one must attack it at its source. My proposal will not only help save our water but help to prevent further damage to them as well. It will not have any affects on the surrounding communities that reside amongst the rivers and lakes and will not be any kind of annoyance or inconvenience to their neighbors. It will only be there to help and nothing but benefits will come from it. My only hope is that we can stop this polluting of our waters before it is too late. It is only a matter of time before these pollutants start affecting the food that we fish out of these waters and put into our bodies. Who is to say that a contaminated fish would not in turn make the person that eats that fish sick as well. It is already fact that 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are already too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life. (Grinningplanet. com) Let’s take the steps to make sure that percentage does not get any worse.References http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/09-06/water-pollution-causes-article.htm http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/07-26/water-pollution-facts-article.htm http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/causes.html

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Learning and memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning and memory - Essay Example Senator and a ruthless political operative, played by Angela Lansbury. By programming his memory in this manner, the Koreans are able to program him into a killing machine. The cards function as the hypnotic device, while the Queen of Diamonds is the direct conditioning stimulus. Once he has killed, the soldier fails to remember his actions when the hypnotic spell is broken and his mind is wiped completely clear of any memory of his criminal acts in killing others. In effect, he suffers from a case of partial amnesia whenever he is conditioned and primed by the stimulus of the cards, so that the events occurring during the spell when he is conditioned are completely wiped out of his conscious memory. Implicit memory also plays a role in this film. Implicit memory is a separate kind of memory in which a person’s previous experiences may aid in the performance of a task without a conscious awareness of these previous experiences (Schacter, 1987). This is the case with the character of the soldier programmed to kill, as played by Laurence Harvey. He has been taught how to kill without scruples during a hypnosis session involving all of his team mates. In ordinary circumstances, his sense of ethics and morals could have functioned as a bar to indiscriminate killing and he would have found it acceptable to kill only in a war situation, being a soldier. However, under a state of hypnosis when he is in a temporary state of amnesia, his explicit memory of killing as a soldier serves to enable him to perform killing tasks with unimpaired ability because he always visualizes himself as being in a collective, combat situation with his team mates. However, these memories do remain as a part of his unconscious memory and the film deals with how one of his team mates helps him to break the amnesia that is cast upon him through conditioning. In the case of the character of Marco played by Frank Sinatra, the collective programming of memory that has

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Relationship between Academia and Practice Essay

Relationship between Academia and Practice - Essay Example In a clear scenario, it is supposed that a person needs academic training in Medicine to be a doctor; whereas another person needs training in Education to be a teacher. However though, the issue of whether or not people explicitly apply the knowledge they acquire in school to their occupation is a debate that will continue for good. The same phenomenon exists with the conduct of research. A lot of people argue that a person does not need personal experience or academic knowhow to conduct research in a particular area of operation. To others though, without personal experience and academic qualification, it is not possible to undertake a research in a said area of practice. This essay seeks to examine these two points of view. Do you have to have personal experience of a specific area of practice in order to be able to conduct research into it? According to the Cambridge Dictionaries Online (2003), a research is â€Å"a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (n ew) information or reach a (new) understanding.† From this definition, it can be established that research is conducted purposely to come out with or identify new area of knowledge. To this effect, it can be said that there would not be the need for a research if the researcher embarking the research is sure of what the result of the research would be. This therefore makes it logically right to argue that research is in itself an act of learning as learning also concerns itself with the acquisition of new ideas (Boateng, 2001). For this reason, it is possible to conduct research in a specific area of practice even in the absence of personal experience. This is because we all start learning specific concepts without any person experiences in the said concept. However though, the need to have some level of personal experience in the area of research only gives the researcher additional benefits though it does not serve as prerequisite condition to enable one undertake a research in a particular area. With personal experience and having learnt about a specific area of practice, the researcher is put in a position to easily understand occurrences in the field of research. Personal experience in the conduct of research also makes the handling, analysis and use of data collected very easy, meaningful and useful. Do you have to fully understand the theory of research in order to conduct research in a business environment? It has been said earlier that research is in itself an act of learning and so as we all start learning without any foreknowledge of the concepts to be taught but we most of the time end up excelling in the courses we started learning about. However, there can be a school of thought that would argue that one also needs to know how to learn because successful learning can take place. Going by the latter argument, it can be said that if one does not have total understanding of the theory of research, conducting research in the business environmen t would be a fiasco especially as the business environment has been identified to be very volatile. It must be noted that business research involves a lot of technical calculations and manipulation of figures, which require only people with background. As noted by Jenlink (2009), â€Å"There is a blurring of boundaries in the knowledge-practice and inquiry-practice relationships that define both the learning to lead and the practice of leading in the educational setting.† Therefore, the absence of a full understanding of the theory of research (as an academia) would make research in the business environment (as practice) extremely challenging. Does research that is designed by practitioners, with little or no influence of academic theory incorporated, of any value in assisting practitioners

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Financial and Management Accounting information Essay

Financial and Management Accounting information - Essay Example Management accounting information is mainly used for internal purposes and communication to management (Berry & Jarvis, 1997). The use of financial and management accounting information to the running of an organisation are discussed in the first and second part of this essay respectively. One of the main uses of financial accounting information is for funding purpose. Capital from shareholders and loans and credit from creditors require reporting of financial accounting information to solicit funds (Atrill & McLaney, 2003; Berry & Jarvis, 1997). Since the owners or shareholders provide the funds for the organisation to run, they are interested in the returns earned on their investments. Financial ratios such as return on shareholders' funds can be calculated to assess the returns earned on their investments. They use information on past performance obtained from the financial statements comprising the profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement together with the present economic market conditions to predict the future returns. Also, since the shareholders elect the board of directors, they would want to regularly evaluate the management's performance. Profitability ratios, indications of earning capacity and ability to make profits, can be used by the shareholders to evaluate the management's performance. Examples of profitability ratios are the gross profit ratio, the net profit ratio, and the return on total assets. Loan creditors, such as bankers are interested in the financial stability and liquidity of the organisation, as assessed by the liquidity ratios, solvency ratios, and capital structure ratios, such as the fixed assets to long-term liabilities ratio and the capital gearing ratio. Loan creditors would also like to know whether the organisation is able to pay interest on time and to repay the principal of the loan. They can use financial ratios such as the coverage of fixed interest charges to assess the organisation's ability in this regard. They are also interested in the amount of security existing for their debt, other liabilities the organisation has and security offered for them. The balance sheet offers this information. Trade creditors let the organisation obtain goods or services with postponed payment. They are interested in the ability of the organisation to pay its debts as they fall due, as revealed by liquidity ratios, such as the current ratio and the acid test ratio/liquidity ratio/quick ratio. Both shareholders and creditors use financial accounting information to assess the timing and uncertainty of prospective cash receipts. The prospects of cash receipts depend on the organisation's ability to generate enough cash to meet its obligations when due and its other cash operating needs. The cash flow statement, when used in conjunction with the rest of the financial statements, provides information that enables users to evaluate the changes in net assets of an enterprise, its financial structure (including its liquidity and solvency) and its ability to affect the amounts and timing of cash flows in order to adapt to changing circumstances. Another use of financial accounting information is to solicit investments from potential investors (Atrill & McLaney, 2003, Berry & Jarvis, 1997). Potential investors require information on various matters, including solvency,

Monday, August 26, 2019

The African Athena Controversy Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The African Athena Controversy - Thesis Example Another is that the lack of knowledge with regards to the ancient world puts historians inside a box with only plausible ideas looming overhead, not probabilities since everything is already in the past tense, and reconstructions are the only available options to build the events of past civilizations (Berlinerblau). However, those who contest the possibility of Phoenicians and even Egyptians influencing Pre-Hellenistic Greece argue that relying only on etymologies of the words found in the Greek language does not give enough justification but rather, it only reveals the patterns and the sphere of influence on the population in question (Lefkowitz). Still, words are much the same as models, wherein they are seen as necessary symbols to represent a united representation of our reality (Bernal). Bernal’s Ancient Model regarding the origin of the ancient Greeks, or those of the Pre-Hellenistic culture states that there is an intermingling of Phoenicians and Egyptians long before the settling of the Aryan Race from the north, and that in this sense, the Pre-Hellenes or the Ancient Greeks were a race with strong Asian or Egyptian origins, and were eventually succeeded by the arrival of the Indo-Europeans or the â€Å"Aryans† (Bernal). It is plausible because the Phoenicians were able to teach the alphabet to ancient Greeks, introducing a form of written language in the area, while the Egyptians taught them farming strategies, such as building irrigation systems to continually water the crops. The Egyptians would also be able to teach the Ancient Greeks about their gods, the names as well as how to worship them, since Egyptians have a long and solid history with regards to religion and the occult. With such a premise, Bernal was able to further provide readers an idea of his premise that there are indeed Semitic and African elements in the formation of the cultures of Pre-Hellenistic or Ancient Greeks

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Why All New Buildings Should Be Eco-Friendly Essay

Why All New Buildings Should Be Eco-Friendly - Essay Example Besides, there is a general perception that developing eco-friendly building means disregard for aesthetic values. As a result, eco-friendly buildings are still not so widespread. The costs of developing an eco-friendly building vary from building to building; most of them are more costly than conventional buildings. For instance, in order to minimise the effects on environment, the risk mitigation fee of eco-friendly buildings is near three times higher than it is of conventional ones, as well as the overheads during construction are up to four times more (Newell 2008). Beside these costly inputs, the chief obstacle which causes investors are costly home and commercial property integration of energy efficient technologies which do not offer returns to the investors. Obviously, the owners will save their energy fee from these technologies but the builders can only balance these inputs by selling in higher prices which may cause losing the potential customers consequently. Another problem related to cost efficiency is that the market perceives the cost of capital and construction of eco-friendly building increase significantly as standards are established. Bef ore a new eco-friendly building could be put on the market, it has to be scrutinized by rigid criterion to be qualified as eco-friendly; this entails more money spending on building maintenance. For example, in Australia, it takes more than one year to be certified as â€Å"Green Star† which is a standard launched by Green Building Council Australia (GBCA), and about 8 percent of total financial investment have to be paid for advertising, management and equipments maintaining during this period (Newell 2008). However, in the long run, the return of eco-friendly buildings will out performs the cost invested (Kozlowski 2003 in Miller and Buys 2008).

Ang Lees Eat Drink Man Woman and Cultural Values of Contemporary Chin Essay

Ang Lees Eat Drink Man Woman and Cultural Values of Contemporary China - Essay Example The inclusion of the fast food restaurant demonstrates the film’s thematic concern with Western influence in Eastern culture, as fast food has primary been identified as a Western entity. This theme is also developed with the inclusion of the Christian sermon. The film explores the Eastern/Western dichotomy through the perspectives of two of the sisters. The more liberal sister is more accepting of Western values and perspectives and has a relationship with a man who had lived in the United States. The conservative sister, by contrast, refused to follow her love interest after graduation to the United States and her life has been lived in opposition to this decision since. Food is a central concern of the film and is used for a number of symbolic purposes. Indeed, director Lee himself even indicated that he incorporated food as a central metaphor (Berry 2005). In one scene the father encounters the young girl while jogging and asks her why she is eating breakfast at the bus stop and she tells him she doesn’t have time for breakfast. As she enters the bus one sees the distress in the father’s eyes as a result of the conflicting new world values embodied in the time constraints of a modern society that eliminate the opportunity to sit and eat breakfast. Another significant thematic concern is the nature of love and social relations. The film explores an old world vs. new world dichotomy. These contrasting values are embodied in the perspectives of the sisters. One sister who is moving out has embraced a more liberal sensibility that understands relations to be based on a more open, and ever-changing foundation where being with multiple partners is permitted and leaving someone when the relationship has soured is acceptable. The other sister embraces a conservative sensibility and believes that a relationship should be long term. They two differ on the  nature of their parent's relationship, with their argument indicating the clash of these value systems.  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Importance of Crisis Management Plan in Organizations Research Paper

Importance of Crisis Management Plan in Organizations - Research Paper Example Some common examples are threat of bankruptcy, computer system failure, a big industrial accident, defect of a manufactured product and its recall, sudden fall in the sales and so on. In fact, the senior management of an organization is the most affected when there is a crisis. It is for the management to ensure that suitable people are arranged in a proper fashion to deal with major problems that could affect the organization. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that even the crisis management plan reflects the company’s core values. Also, there should be properly defined methods to communicate with various stakeholders including clients and shareholders during a crisis. Admittedly, organizations can considerably improve their readiness to face crises by testing the methodologies they have developed. First of all, a suitable crisis management plan can make an organization strong enough to withstand potential threats and secondly, awareness about possible threats makes the organization able to take early action, thus resulting in reduced damages. Also, the development of a suitable crisis management plan will give the organization an upper hand over other poorly-prepared competitors. Moreover, effective communication at the time of crisis will make the public realize how the core values and beliefs helped the organization overcome the challenges, thus giving it a better public image. Some other benefits are that the plan restores critical business processes and systems in less time, reduces the length of the interruption process, minimizes reputation damage, maintains customer relations, protects assets, saves lives and reduces the chances for further injuries. The Action Checklist of Crisis Management The first step in crisis management involves developing an overall crisis management plan that does not significantly vary from the organization’s core values and beliefs. Thereafter, it is necessary to develop a crisis management team structure and define the roles and responsibilities of each personnel. In addition, it is necessary to define the lines of authority as absence of this may result in communication anarchies. Also, it is vital to ensure that during a crisis, appropriate action is taken to communicate with stakeholders. Lastly, it is vital to connect the crisis management with business recovery program. The purpose of crisis management Effective management of a crisis involves prevention, planning, testing, evaluation and maintenance. However, when a crisis management plan is developed, it is necessary to ensure that the plan restores critical business processes and systems, reduces the length of the interruption process, minimizes reputation damage, maintains customer relations, protects assets, saves lives and reduces the chances for further injuries. The planning process Successful crisis management involves planning, testing, evaluation and maintenance. In fact, successful risk management is a mix of sound organizational practices and the use of basic safety-related technology. So, the first stage is enhancing security to avoid the possibility of unintentional events. In order to identify the possible crises, it is necessary for organizations to develop a vulnerability assessment process. This will help the organization identify the probable threats and the need to make necessary changes. When assessment is conducted, it is necessary to include warning signs because before certain crisis, there is the possibility of certain warning signs. For example, erratic employee behavior can be the indication of a

Friday, August 23, 2019

Theater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Theater - Essay Example In addition, the scene where the daughter of Lear, Cordelia dies is still engraved in my mind (National Theatre Live, n.d.). When the film with the same screenplay on silver screen is being compared with that of the play on theatre one could really find that, it did not appeal the minds as the live play did. Actually, the most important dynamics of a live theatre is the relative aspect of the theatre. It is through this relative aspect that audiences are able to watch the actors cry, laugh, run before their eyes but does not transport the audiences into a utopian land. On the contrary, the audiences are able to form a strong discourse, which relates the awareness of the audiences watching live actors performing on stage with the impromptu performance of the actors of the live theatre (Live Theatre, 2014). Notably, there is a huge scope to display and develop a vivid spectacle and visual panorama on stage through music, light, sound, stagecraft and most importantly, through the live performance of the actors. The experience of a live theatre is always spectacular (Reason, 2004). Correspondingly, as I strongly believe with my experience, an important facet is its relative aspect, which could be attained in live theatres through the liveliness of the performing

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Chemiluminescence of Luminol Essay Example for Free

Chemiluminescence of Luminol Essay Introduction In this experiment, luminol was mixed with hydrogen peroxide (an oxidising agent) resulting in chemiluminescence. The experimentis designed to see how the duration of luminescence is affected by varying temperatures. It has been made to be deliberately inaccurate, so another objective would be to see whether subjective observations can be improved by repetition and averaging. Chemiluminescence is the production of light from a release of energy in a chemical reaction without the aid of heat. The light produced is due to electrons being given an excess of energy and this energy being released as the electrons revert to their ground state, a luminescent light being given off as a result. An important use of this reaction is in forensic science where luminol and hydrogen peroxide are used to highlight samples of blood at a crime scene. The two chemicals react readily due to the iron present in haemoglobin, giving off a luminescent glow as a result. Chemiluminescence occurs even in living organisms where it is termed bioluminescence. Using fireflies as an example, a reaction where luciferin combines with adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) and reacts with the enzyme luciferase. The action of the enzyme acting on luciferase simulates something similar to luminol and a peroxide being catalysed by a transition metal catalyst, providing electrons with enough energy to reach a higher energy level which then gives off light as they relax back to their ground state. Reaction pathway of luminol 2H2O22H2O + O2(g) Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide In this experiment we used luminol and hydrogen peroxide solution. When the two react, a dianion is from the peroxide reacting with the luminol. As hydrogen peroxide reacts, oxygen is evolved which then reacts with the dianion to produce an unstable peroxide; the instability of the peroxide causes it to break down immediately and lose nitrogen, producing 3-aminopthalate. (above) Experimental A set of five test tubes were prepared and labelled with a letter(A-E) and their temperatures; 220C (room temperature which varied between groups), 250C, 350C, 60C and 400C. 250C, 350C and 400C were conducted in water baths whereas 60C used an ice bath.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Ethics in Human Resource Management

Ethics in Human Resource Management This report mainly focuses on providing a critical analysis of ethics and HRM. It further shows the issues to be considered to ensure fairness and justice in the employment relationship. It examines that how changes in the nature of the work are causing illness. The focal point of this report is to examine the real causes of stress and illness in the workplace and evaluation of their solutions. Through entire study and findings, it is concluded that although the changes in the nature of work cause stress and illness, still these can be eradicated by adopting appropriate measures like good management style, training, mentoring, health and safety measures, planning and time management. Introduction Human Resource Management is the systematic and effective management of people to achieve the desired objectives. To gain a strategic edge, it is very important to manage the people resources productively. This will help to attain the strategic goals as well as the satisfaction of the individual employee needs. All the Human Resource practices are based on ethical foundation. It is the responsibility of the employers to maintain health and safety of their employers in the workplace. The main objective of this report is to provide a critical analysis of ethics and HRM and examine the real causes of illness in the workplace and evaluate their solutions. This report helps in undertaking a search in analyzing the ethics to be used in HRM for ensuring employee health and safety. Thus, it mainly focuses on finding the causes that increase illness in the workplace and it proposes various ways to eradicate illness. Moreover, workplaces culture should be developed in such a way that it should allow flexibility, security, autonomy, recognition, participation and involvement to employees in order to create a stress free atmosphere. Ethics and HRM According to Winstanley, Woodall and Heery (1996), Ethics is a special branch of philosophy that focuses on the questions related to morality, that is concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong ; fairness and righteousness. Business ethics deals with the degree and extent of morality to be used in business (George Zoe, 2010). Morals, standards, values and ethics have becoming more complex in the present modern society and the concept of absolutes is taken away by ambiguity. As per Pitt (2007), Human Relations Management is concerned with a variety of ethical issues to be dealt with for making decisions related to businesses. Before making the decisions, the various alternatives catering to the needs of the business must be checked and their effects on the lives of the employees must be considered. Nowadays the relationship between ethics and HRM is becoming a major issue to be taken care of. A significant turning point has been experienced by ethics and Human Resource Management . The business ethics mainly put attention on the social and ecological responsibilities of the companies within the society. Ethics are now becoming one of the most important internal concerns for the companies. Previously, the interests of the employees were not taken into consideration but now it has become one of the main responsibilities of the company to ethically manage its human resources (Christian Andra, 2009). Now its the era of ethical leadership. Acts of its employees towards a business perspective to his moral character is a litmus test.  Relationship between business and its employees is based on employment contract. The principle of ethical selection is followed by an ethical organization for hiring prospective employees. As per this principle an organization should only hire a person who is expected to contribute the maximum towards increasing the long-term value of the business (Glenn, 2001). According to this principle, factors like gender, age, nationality a nd religion are not relevant for hiring a person. The ethical issues which are reflected in the case are: Safety and health: Much of the work in the industries and companies is hazardous. All this is because of the use of heavy technology. Nowadays there is much use of machineries and high temperature based production processes. In addition, there is more dependence on chemical compounds. All these aspects increase injuries, illnesses and accidents in the workplace. For instance, the job of a bullfighter or bomb disposal expert (De Cieri Kramar, 2008). New sources of accidents and illnesses are increasing day by day. Risk is present in every job but its frequency differs from job to job. Face to face ethics: These types of ethics arise due to human element in the activities in the workplace. No work is possible without employees. Corporate policy ethics: The use of more technology in the workplace has replaced the labor in the workplace. This has made hundreds of persons jobless. The managers are responsible for making policies and their successful implementation. The ethical content of these policies has massive impact throughout the company. It should be such that it can be able to send right signals to every person in the company (Shuttleworth, 2004). Employee Relations: Its the duty of the HR manager to maintain objectivity in hiring, discipline, promotion, training, retention, termination and compensation (Ken Joanne, 2010). All this lies at the core of human resources. HR should make it sure that the company policies should follow anti-discrimination legislature and polices of the integrity of performance reviews to make sure that the evaluation process remains fair with all the jobs (Ken Joanne, 2010). Communication: Another duty of the HR Department is to keep informed everyone in the organization on relating to the various legal and ethical issues. HR prepares various communication vehicles to advise employees of the companys code of ethics and no-tolerance policies such as documents, seminars, and informal meetings (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). Increase in competition, locally or globally, need that organizations should be more adaptable, flexible, agile, and customer focused to succeed (Markiewicz, 2007).  And with this change in the environment the human resource professional needs to be a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and moreover, a change mentor within the organization. Grove (2009) suggests that in order to succeed a business driven HR function with a thorough understanding of the organizations big picture may be more important to be able to influence decisions and policies.  In general, todays human resource managers focus is on strategic personnel retention and developing talent (Teasdale, 2006).  A recent study (Grove 2009) found that human resource professionals, coaches, counselors, mentors, and succession planners will help to motivate organizations members and their loyalty.  Human Resources Manager will also promote and fight for values, ethics, beliefs, and spirituality within their organizations in the management of workplace diversity, specifically. Insecurity and risk: Another ethical issue that is depicted in the case is insecurity and risk present in the job. This has arisen because of the changes in the macro-economic environment and mass un-employment (Makin Winder, 2009). All this happens because of business restructuring and stripping out of the costs due to redundancy, outsourcing, contingent contracts and systems of rewards in the employment (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007).   Another problematic element of the shift to greater risk and insecurity for workers is that what is happening when other stakeholders have to act on the same insulation from risk (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Undoubtedly, a key element of economic life in recent years has been a transfer of risk from those who finance business i.e. banks, institutional investors, shareholders, taxpayers and the Treasury to those in gainful employment (Teasdale, 2006).  The moral question here is whether this shift is fair, or compatible with the ru les of distributive justice.  It could be suggested that the transfer is unfair because the investors are in a stronger position to risk-sharing by employees and that this has happened, crudely, it is the exploitation of the change in the bargaining power by the strongest party in industrial relations (Teasdale, 2006). Surveillance and control: It is major ethical concern these days. The right of the employing agency to enter into the subjectivity of the worker to control and manipulate, is taken for guaranteed (Pitt, 2007).  Whether the use of psychometric tests for selection or promotion of employees, culture change programs that seek to challenge assumptions on the job or competence-based HRM, which seeks to promote compliance  with attitudes and behavior, the assumption is that it is lawful for the employer to trespass on workers autonomy.  Such misconduct will never be complete, but the trend for a large complex HRM is to invade privacy of employees. While new forms of work organization can be effective in increasing productivity, but possible adverse effects on the welfare of workers should be considered when evaluating these initiatives (Christian Andra, 2009). A wide range of human relations management activities is concerned with various ethical issues, both on the part of upper-level for management of business and management decisions of low-level regarding treatment of the individual employees (Winstanley, Woodall Heery, 1996).   This can be devastating to individual employees and the communities in which they live.  Managing decisions must be honestly done by taking into account all the factors, including social responsibility as well as stockholder concerns.   HR manager should consider various options for business needs and take the decision that is best for company and employees as well as it will have an impact on employees live.    Issues involved in considering rights, responsibilities, fairness and justice in the employment relationship: There are many issues which are needed to be considered to have good and faithful employment relationship as it has impact on the whole society and economy as a whole. Good Faith: There should be positive relationship between employer and employee. Good faith means to deal with honestly, openly and without misleading each other. It also requires parties to actively and constructively creating and maintaining a productive relationship (Glenn Klaas, 2001).  Such behavior makes sense. Workers with positive relationships are more likely to enjoy the benefits of sustainable, decent work.  Employers also benefit productive employee. On the other hand, an employment relationship may be affected if it is based on distrust and there is doubt or lack of communication. Workplace health and safety: The purpose of workplace health and safety is to protect the health and safety of health and safety of all in a workplace (Markiewicz, 2007). Grawitch, Trares and Kohler state that Effective management of health and safety in the workplace is not only good business, but it is a requirement under the law. Employers have an obligation to ensure that the way in which business is conducted has no adverse effects on health and safety of themselves, their workers or anyone who enters the workplace. The occupational health and safety plan need not be complicated.  It should be simple, practical and easy to implement.  As a result of the implementation of health and safety of the business processes can also benefit from significant productivity gains and cost savings (Makin Winder, 2009). Occupational health and safety is a discipline with broad scope, with many niche areas.  In its broadest sense, it is diverted towards promoting and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; preventing workers from the adverse health effects caused by their working conditions; protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health (George Zoe, 2010). In other words, the occupational safety and health include social, mental and physical well-being of workers, which is the whole person. On the other hand, poor working conditions can also affect workers living environment.  This means that occupational hazards can have harmful effects on workers, their families and others in the community and the natural environment around the workplace.  It has been estimated that the indirect costs of an accident or illness can be four to ten times greater than direct costs, or ev en more. Occupational disease or accident can have so many indirect costs for employees that are often difficult to measure them.  One of the most obvious indirect costs is the human misery caused to families of workers, which cannot be compensated with money (Ken Joanne, 2010). Management Commitment: Strong management commitment and involvement of employees are necessary for a successful health and workplace safety program.Effective management addresses all work-related risks, not just those covered by the standards of government, and communicate with employees (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Workers in every profession can be faced with a multitude of risks in the workplace.  Business addresses health and safety in a wide range of risks in the workplace accident prevention in the most insidious dangers, including toxic fumes, dust, noise, heat, stress, etc. The prevention of occupational diseases and accidents should  be the goal of occupational safety and health programs instead of trying to solve the problems after they have already developed (Teasdale, 2006). Changes in the nature of work: There has been a dramatic change and growth in the workplaces. The workplaces have gone through a remarkable revolution over the last two decades as a result of globalization, democratization and innovations i.e. both technical and creative. The swift growth has brought momentous changes in the structure of the labor market and in the organization of the work resulting in changes both within and outside the framework of the employment relationship. The type of employments has been changed now. Workers are now more engaged and employed in atypical, conditional and contingent employment relationships like casual employment, use of contract work, and the rise of the use of vague and disguised employment (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). The work environment is now changing fastly. The employment is now becoming unstable, less secure and more concentrated. The trend of the collective bargaining has now been shifted towards individual negotiations (Shuttleworth, 2004). All these factors are res ulting causing the employee to be sick as a result of more work pressure, less secured job and more responsibilities. The trend is shifting towards privatization and the seniors who are more experienced are being replaced by the freshers or the younger graduates who are less experienced and they are more often engaged in the employment that is non-permanent ( Markiewicz, 2007). In the real terms, the average rate of the pay is also decreasing, or its standing still from the last five years (Markiewicz, 2007). For instance, in the media industry, all these changes have resulted in having a negative effect on the editorial contents quality and as its consequence it is jeopardizing the role of the media as a watchdog for the society and it ultimately puts effects on the mental health of the employees as well (George Zoe, 2010). Moreover, more layoffs, longer working hours are there. There is lack of physical activities and poor seating as well. These factors are the biggest sources of stress. Real causes of illness in the workplace and evaluation of their solutions: There are many real causes of illness of workers in the workplace. Some of them can be: Workload: The very first cause of illness in the workplace can be the increasing workload on the part of employees. It is causing stress. Employees are often found in stress when the workload is too high or too less. Its the responsibility of the manager to divide the work properly among employees based on the priorities (Makin Winder, 2009). Targets should be challenging but should be kept realistic. Before making a shift in the responsibilities, its impact should be known in advance. Furthermore, the cost resulting from the stress must be taken into consideration (Teasdale, 2006). More care to be taken when increasing the workload of any worker or when there is a need to hire more people. Moreover, there should be a balanced workload with control over the tasks to be performed. Persuasive uncertainty: When the workers are confronted by new rules, requirements and the procedures, there will be an increase in the level of illness. Its the duty of the manager to check whats going on at regular intervals and convey each piece of information to the staff (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). In this way, stress can be controlled and this will ultimately result in increasing the productivity. In some companies, the manager writes out the new information in a memo so that it can be conveyed to the employees and the facts can be reviewed (Grove, 2009). Moreover, information given in this way is appreciated by the staff members. This will help in reducing mental illness. Mistrust and unfairness: Mistrust and unfairness can also be the cause of illness in the workplace. These will keep everyone in the workplace on the edge, create bad attitudes, and will decrease productivity (Pitt, 2007). Misunderstanding can be avoided through an open line of communication and by knowing what and how the staff members are thinking about the decisions. Its managers duty to consistently build trust and treat everyone equally. This helps in reducing illness in the workplace. Lack of control: The employees should be given an opportunity to say regarding the things those affect them as if they have no say, and then there will be more chances of workplace illness. All the employees should be given a sense of being in control. The managers should involve employees in both operating as well as administrative decisions. And the frontline employees must know what they are talking about. All this will result in increasing productivity and reducing the stress levels. The managers who are efficient and effective understand that controlling stress and illness are leadership responsibilities and these are as important as any other management functions (Glenn Klaas, 2001). Lack of communication: When the communication system is not good, this will result in lack of understanding, bad performance and less productivity with stress (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). The communication system should be two way so that the employees can be able to receive full information and give suggestions and in this way, there will be no stress. No appreciation: Lack of appreciation will also lead towards illness in the workplace. If the employees do not get feedback on what they are doing, not being appreciated for good performance, they will feel mentally stressed and this can be one of the causes of illness (George Zoe, 2010). To overcome this, the managers should appreciate the good work from time to time. This will create a feeling among the employees that are valuable for the company and they will feel happy and stress free. Poor relationships: Poor relationships with colleagues can also be the factor of illness. If the employees are treated with discrimination then there can be chances of stress. Unclear policies and no sense of direction: If the policies are not clear to the employees and they are not in the written form, then these can cause stress among employees. The policies should be enforced properly and communicated in a clear way. The policies can be reinforced in a number of ways from time to time like memos, personal meetings, bulletin boards, articles, small group discussions, etc. the employees should be informed about the business direction and the significant changes (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). Contributory factors with regard to sickness: There are many factors causing sickness among the people. The reasons can be tiredness or unappreciation or they can have the travel difficulties. For instance, a person who is suffering from diarrhea or dysuria is very unlikely to come to work from home if he has to drive for 50 miles to get there, whereas another person who is working from home or working in an office which is close to toilet may continue the work for long (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). Moreover, the workers who are positively motivated they can simply take easy and simple remedies. If there is a bullying environment in the workplace or the manager is over-enthusiastic, then taking sick leave for a minor illness thinking that the power balance has become unequal in the favor of manager? Other sources of workplace illness can be layoffs, absenteeism, alcoholism, lack of motivation, bad decisions, petty internal policies, harassment, lack of equipment, lack of autonomy, etc. Ways to reduce illness in the workplace: Preparing Education Programs: To overcome illness, the employees should be educated about the causes, symptoms and treatment and it should be ensured that all the individuals should have early treatment. Employers can provide assistance by ensuring that every person in the organization from the top down has received full information about all the issues related to mental health and illness (Christian Andra, 2009). Stress management training and counseling services should be implemented in the workplace to eradicate stress. This will help the employees in better management of work during pressure. This will help them to learn techniques like time management, leadership skills, assertiveness, relaxation, etc. The employee must learn how to relax in case of stress. Mentoring: Mentoring can also be very helpful to reduce stress and illness in the workplace. This will help to create strong bonds among colleagues and they can share their work related skills (Ken Joanne, 2010). This can help to create awareness among employees related to the diversity which is very helpful to reduce stress. This will make the employees more confident as they can get to know more things which they previously dont know. Moreover, it will promote team spirit. Encourage exercise: Another way to keep employees healthy and fit is to encourage exercise. Employers should encourage their employees to keep physically fit. Doing exercise and taking a healthy and balanced diet will help employees to have more stamina and energy in the office (Markiewicz, 2007). Exercises can be of various types. For instance, tennis, ballroom dancing, swimming, jogging, cycling, etc. All these will not only promote fitness but also help to get relief from counter stress. The workplace should be clean for the wellbeing of the employees and the overall mental attitude of the employees. The employees should talk with each other so that they can discuss their problems and can reduce stress. Duties of employers towards employees: To reduce stress and illness, it is the duty of the employer to treat each employee equally. Each and every employee should be involved in decision making so that they can feel that they are part of the organization (Grawitch, Trares Kohler, 2007). Each employee should be well trained. The managers need to behave proactively to handle stress. They should be able to understand the signs and symptoms of stress. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs to reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety. There should be no bullying and harassment in the workplace. Workplace culture: The organizations need to set proper organization culture to reduce levels of stress in the workplace. Workplaces culture should be developed in such a way that it should be allow flexibility, security, autonomy, recognition, participation, involvement, etc (Teasdale, 2006). All these factors are very important for a stable workplace and industrial relations. Consequently, there will be more employee satisfaction with more productivity. Management style: Management style plays a vital role in ensuring good work environment. The management style should be such that gives encouragement to employees so that they can discuss problems with the managers freely. They should be provided with regular feedbacks and should be given freedom to express their ideas (Rodney, Matrina Anne, 2008). Planning and time management: Stress and illnesses can also arise from lack of proper planning. To get relief from stress, the employees should make a proper planning so that they can make work life balance (Hughes Bozionelos, 2007). In-depth training for managers: Further in-depth training for managers is essential.  The  managerial role may be one of the most stressful jobs within an organization.  Managers are often exposed to many competing pressures and demands.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Managers who are skilled in managing the pressure not only are more effective role models, but also better able to recognize common signs and symptoms stress-related psychological disorders, to make confident risk assessment of staff and providing appropriate support (Glenn Klaas, 2001).   Conclusion Eventually, ethics play a vital role in HRM. The management should consider ethical issues relating to health and safety of employees. There has been a vivid change and growth in the workplaces. The changes in the workplace are causing the employee to be sick as a result of more work pressure, less secured job and more responsibilities. Lack of communication, more workload, lack of appreciation, lack of autonomy are the another biggest sources of stress. Companies are dealing with these sources to eliminate stress in a prudent way but still there is need for more improvements. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs so that they could reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety and moreover, a good communication with their employees in order to have deep understanding with each other. Consequently, there will be more employee satisfaction with more productivity. Recommendations Through entire study and findings, the following recommendations are made: There should be a balanced workload with control over the tasks to be performed. Employers should provide proper health and wellness programs to reduce stress in the workplace and to ensure health and safety. There should be no bullying and harassment in the workplace. Stress management training and counseling services should be implemented in the workplace to eradicate stress. The employees should talk with each other so that they can discuss their problems and can reduce stress. The employees should be provided with regular feedbacks and should be given freedom to express their ideas. There should be flexibility, security, autonomy, participation and involvement in the organizations culture.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Glucose Transporter 4 (GLUT4) and Diabetes

Glucose Transporter 4 (GLUT4) and Diabetes Insulin and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signal pathways are known to be involved in glucose uptake regulation, but the integration of signals between these two pathways in maintaining glucose homeostasis remains mysterious (1). Insulin stimulates glucose uptake into skeletal muscle mainly via the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane (2). Also the exact mechanism involved is not yet fully understood, however, in insulin-induced glucose transport cascade it seems that insulin activates specific protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms (2). In Liu L. Z. et al work, stimulation of insulin conferred a glucose uptake or translocation of surface glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4).Using specific inhibitors to key kinases of both pathways and PKCzeta small interference RNA, it was found that protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta) regulate insulin-stimulated protein kinase B (PKB) activation and inhibit AMPK activity on dorsal cell surface, whereas in the presence of berberine, PKCzeta controlled AMPK activation and AMPK blocked PKB activity in perinuclear region. The inhibitory effect exerted by PKCzeta on AMPK activation or the arrestment of PKB activity by AMPK still existed in basal condition. Overall, these results are suggestive for an antagonistic regulation between insulin and AMPK signal pathways, which is mediated by the switch roles of PKCzeta. The protein kinase Akt is associated with different cellular processes, including cell proliferation, growth, metabolism and importantly, insulin-regulated transport of glucose into muscle and fat cells. Activation of Akt involves binding of an extracellular ligand to its cognate tyrosine kinase receptor, which lead to activation of PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) and generation of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. This in turn enables the translocation of Akt to the plasma membrane where it is phosphorylated at Thr308 and Ser473 by PDK1 (phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1) and the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin)/rictor (rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR) complex respectively. Once activated, Akt phosphorylates a range of substrates that regulate a variety of key biological processes (3). There are several Akt isoforms, Akt1 function is mainly related to growth and proliferation. On the other hand, Akt2 is more involved in metabolism, and loss-of function mutations in Akt2 have been link ed to Type 2 diabetes (3). Akt has been involved in the insulin-induced expression of GLUT1 in hepatoma cells and GLUT3 in skeletal muscle (4). Insulin-regulated transport of glucose into muscle and fat cells is thought to be mediated by Akt-dependent movement of GLUT4 glucose transporters to the plasma membrane (3). It was found after Tan S. X. study that non-ATP-competitive allosteric Akt inhibitors in 3T3-L1 adipocytes caused a decrease in the Akt signaling pathway simultaneously with reduced glucose uptake, notwithstanding, no such reduction in GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane was seen. This is explained by the fact that minimal amount of Akt phosphorylation is prerequisite for robust GLUT4 translocation, thus a marked reduction in Akt phosphorylation may not necessarily translate into a similar reduction in GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane (3, 5). Additional investigation revealed that the inhibitory effects on glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes of these compounds were independent of the Akt signaling pathway. Moreover, inhibition of glucose transport was also noticed in other cell types such as hum an erythrocytes that are rich in GLUT1 and T-47D breast cancer cells, proposing that these effects are not specific to GLUT4, and that the Akt inhibitors affect glucose uptake in different cell types (3). Alternatively, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signal transduction pathway is a well-known mediator of cell growth, proliferation, and survival signals. Riley J. K. et al studied the Inhibition of the PI3K pathway, and results indicated that inhibition of this pathway cause an induction of apoptosis in both murine blastocysts and trophoblast stem cells. Moreover, the apoptosis induced correlates with a decrease in the expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1 at the plasma membrane (6). Additionally, blastocysts cultured in the presence of the PI3K inhibitor LY-294002 exhibited a reduction in 2-deoxyglucose uptake and hexokinase activity. In rat primary brown adipocytes, insulin acutely stimulated glucose uptake in a PI3-kinase-dependent but p70S6-kinase-independent manner, and Akt represents an intermediate step between these kinases. Therefore, the goal of Hernandez R. et al study was to investigate the contribution of Akt to insulin-induced glucose uptake in brown adipocytes using ML-9, a recently proposed chemical inhibitor of Akt activity (7) and by using Akt protein with dominant-negative activity to block (4). ML-9 treatment of primary brown adipocytes showed a complete inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and also impaired GLUT4 redistribution from internal membrane to plasma membrane in response to insulin. It was found that ML-9 inhibited Akt activity and Akt phosphorylation at Ser473. Furthermore, results showed that long-term treatment with ML-9 produced down-regulation of the GLUT4 mRNA accumulation, inactivation of Akt, and possibly its translocation to the nucleus (8). Co-transfection with à Ã‚ ªAkt prevented insulin stimulation of GLUT4 promoter activity, suggesting that PI3-kinase/Akt pathway is regulating GLUT4 gene transcription by insulin (4). It is well known that phosphatidylinositol (PI)3-kinase activation mediates GLUT4 redistribution to the plasma membrane, and overexpression of the catalytic subunit of p110 produced GLUT4 translocation and increased glucose uptake (9). Alternatively, inhibition of PI3-kinase (by chemical inhibitors or by microinjection of blocking p85 protein, or by transfection with a dominant-negative mutant of p85) prohibits insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation (10). Two classes of Ser/Thr kinases have been suggested to act downstream of PI3-kinase, and they are Akt/PKB and the atypical protein kinase (PK) C isoforms ÃŽ ¶ and ÃŽ » (PKC ÃŽ ¶/ÃŽ »). It well established that expression of a constitutively active, membrane-bound form of Akt cause a persistent localization of GLUT4 at the plasma membrane and increased glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, yet, it did not promote GLUT4 translocation or glucose transport in L6 myotube(4, 11). Despite the fact proved by in vivo studies that GLUT4 expression in insulin-responsive tissues is under insulin and/or metabolic control (12), experiments performed with cultured fat cells had failed to establish a stimulatory role of insulin in GLUT4 expression (13), and the positive effect of insulin seen on GLUT4 gene expression had only been noticed in the presence of dexamethasone (14). Nevertheless, rat cardiomyocytes showed a direct effect of insulin on GLUT4 transcription (15). Different studies have validated that insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is separated from GLUT4 translocation based on using phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor; wortmannin .Therefore, it can be concluded that GLUT4 translocation and the intrinsic activity of GLUT4 are differentially regulated. Insulin is known to activate p38MAPK, and using SB203580; p38MAPKÃŽ ± and p38MAPKÃŽ ² inhibitors reduce insulin- stimulated glucose uptake without affecting GLUT4 translocation. p38MAPKs are serine/threonine kinases that are activated by several factors such as environmental stressors, inflammatory cytokines, protein synthesis inhibitors, growth factors like insulin and muscle contraction. It has four isoforms; p38ÃŽ ± and p38ÃŽ ² that are ubiquitously expressed, p38ÃŽ ³ that is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and p38ÃŽ ´ in the lung and kidney (16). Full activation of p38MAPK necessitates dual phosphorylation on residues corresponding to threonine-180 and tyrosine-182 on p38ÃŽ ± catalyzed by dual-specificity MAPK kinases 3 and 6 (MKK3 and 6). p38MAPK inhibitors like pyridinyl imidazole derivatives (SB203580 and SB202190) or azaazulene pharmacophores (A291077 and A304000) have the potential to inhibit insulin-mediated glucose uptake without producing any effect on GLUT4 translocation. As a conclusion, insulin increases the intrinsic activity of GLUT4 via p38MAPK (16). Antonescu, C. N. et al aimed to determine whether p38MAPK is required for insulin- stimulated glucose uptake in L6-GLUT4myc myotubes using a mutant of p38ÃŽ ± (DR-p38ÃŽ ±) resistant to SB203580, dominant-inhibitory mutants of p38ÃŽ ± and p38ÃŽ ² and siRNA against p38ÃŽ ± and p38ÃŽ ². The results obtained by these independent molecular methods to interfere with p38MAPK signaling did not interfere with stimulated glucose uptake. Nonetheless, SB220025 was found to inhibit p38MAPK as strongly as SB203580, but again, had no effect on insulin stimulated glucose uptake. So, collectively, it can anticipated that p38MAPK is not involved in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and that the SB203580-mediated reduction in glucose uptake is a result of SB203580 action on another protein (16). References 1. Liu LZ, Cheung SC, Lan LL, Ho SK, Chan JC, Tong PC. The pivotal role of protein kinase C zeta (PKCzeta) in insulin- and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated glucose uptake in muscle cells. Cellular signalling. 2010;22(10):1513-22. Epub 2010/06/24. 2. Braiman L, Alt A, Kuroki T, Ohba M, Bak A, Tennenbaum T, et al. Activation of protein kinase C zeta induces serine phosphorylation of VAMP2 in the GLUT4 compartment and increases glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Molecular and cellular biology. 2001;21(22):7852-61. Epub 2001/10/18. 3. Tan SX, Ng Y, James DE. Akt inhibitors reduce glucose uptake independently of their effects on Akt. The Biochemical journal. 2010;432(1):191-7. Epub 2010/09/08. 4. Hernandez R, Teruel T, Lorenzo M. Akt mediates insulin induction of glucose uptake and up-regulation of GLUT4 gene expression in brown adipocytes. FEBS letters. 2001;494(3):225-31. Epub 2001/04/20. 5. Ng Y, Ramm G, Burchfield JG, Coster AC, Stockli J, James DE. Cluster analysis of insulin action in adipocytes reveals a key role for Akt at the plasma membrane. The Journal of biological chemistry. 2010;285(4):2245-57. Epub 2009/11/10. 6. Riley JK, Carayannopoulos MO, Wyman AH, Chi M, Moley KH. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity is critical for glucose metabolism and embryo survival in murine blastocysts. The Journal of biological chemistry. 2006;281(9):6010-9. Epub 2005/11/08. 7. Smith U, Carvalho E, Mosialou E, Beguinot F, Formisano P, Rondinone C. PKB inhibition prevents the stimulatory effect of insulin on glucose transport and protein translocation but not the antilipolytic effect in rat adipocytes. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 2000;268(2):315-20. Epub 2000/02/19. 8. Salinas M, Lopez-Valdaliso R, Martin D, Alvarez A, Cuadrado A. Inhibition of PKB/Akt1 by C2-ceramide involves activation of ceramide-activated protein phosphatase in PC12 cells. Molecular and cellular neurosciences. 2000;15(2):156-69. Epub 2000/02/16. 9. Martin SS, Haruta T, Morris AJ, Klippel A, Williams LT, Olefsky JM. Activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is sufficient to mediate actin rearrangement and GLUT4 translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The Journal of biological chemistry. 1996;271(30):17605-8. Epub 1996/07/26. 10. Cheatham B, Vlahos CJ, Cheatham L, Wang L, Blenis J, Kahn CR. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation is required for insulin stimulation of pp70 S6 kinase, DNA synthesis, and glucose transporter translocation. Molecular and cellular biology. 1994;14(7):4902-11. Epub 1994/07/01. 11. Kohn AD, Summers SA, Birnbaum MJ, Roth RA. Expression of a constitutively active Akt Ser/Thr kinase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes stimulates glucose uptake and glucose transporter 4 translocation. The Journal of biological chemistry. 1996;271(49):31372-8. Epub 1996/12/06. 12. Berger J, Biswas C, Vicario PP, Strout HV, Saperstein R, Pilch PF. Decreased expression of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter in diabetes and fasting. Nature. 1989;340(6228):70-2. Epub 1989/07/06. 13. Flores-Riveros JR, McLenithan JC, Ezaki O, Lane MD. Insulin down-regulates expression of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) gene: effects on transcription and mRNA turnover. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 1993;90(2):512-6. Epub 1993/01/15. 14. Hajduch E, Hainault I, Meunier C, Jardel C, Hainque B, Guerre-Millo M, et al. Regulation of glucose transporters in cultured rat adipocytes: synergistic effect of insulin and dexamethasone on GLUT4 gene expression through promoter activation. Endocrinology. 1995;136(11):4782-9. Epub 1995/11/01. 15. Petersen S, Bahr M, Eckel J. Insulin-dependent regulation of Glut4 gene expression in ventricular cardiomyocytes: evidence for a direct effect on Glut4 transcription. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 1995;213(2):533-40. Epub 1995/08/15. 16. Antonescu CN, Huang C, Niu W, Liu Z, Eyers PA, Heidenreich KA, et al. Reduction of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in L6 myotubes by the protein kinase inhibitor SB203580 is independent of p38MAPK activity. Endocrinology. 2005;146(9):3773-81. Epub 2005/06/11.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Consequences of Drinking and Driving Essay example -- Criminal Jus

The facts are plain and simple, that alcohol and driving do not mix. About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives. Every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable. To curb this national travesty, concerned Americans need to examine the problems, the effects, and the solutions to drunk driving. First of all, America has had a problem with drunk driving since Ford perfected the assembly line. Alcoholism is a problem in and of itself, but combined with driving can have a wide range of effects. The consequences of this reckless behavior can include a first time DUI or licenses suspension; a small fender bender, or worst of all a deadly crash. Most drivers that have only one or two drinks feel fine, and assume they are in control, which is irresponsible and dangerous. Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the body's ability to react and impairs judgment. To drive well, you need to be able to have a quick reaction time to avoid accidents. Unfortunately, people continue to drink and drive. However,...

Anthrax :: essays research papers

1. The anthrax bacillus is considered the first "germ" proved to cause human disease. In 2001, Anthrax was deliberately spread through the postal system by sending letters with powder containing anthrax. This caused 22 cases of anthrax infection. 2. Anthrax is a serious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a bacterium that forms spores. There are three types of anthrax: skin (cutaneous) lungs (inhalation) digestive (gastrointestinal) 3. Anthrax is not known to spread from one person to another. Humans can become infected with anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by breathing in anthrax spores from infected animal products (like wool, for example). People also can become infected with digestive anthrax by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. 4. The symptoms (warning signs) of anthrax are different depending on the type of the disease: Cutaneous: The first symptom is a small sore that develops into a blister. The blister then develops into a skin ulcer with a black area in the center. Gastrointestinal: The first symptoms are nausea, loss of appetite, bloody diarrhea, and fever, followed by bad stomach pain. Inhalation: The first symptoms of inhalation anthrax are like cold or flu symptoms and can include a sore throat, mild fever and muscle aches. Later symptoms include cough, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, tiredness and muscle aches. 5. Antibiotics are used to treat all three types of anthrax. Early identification and treatment are important. Treatment is usually a 60-day course of antibiotics. Success depends on the type of anthrax and how soon treatment begins. 6. Vaccination. There is a vaccine to prevent anthrax, but it is not yet available for the general public. 7. Those who are often exposed to animals, or those in developing countries, especially those without strong veterinary public health programs. 8. The bacterium's destructive properties are due largely to toxins, which consist of three proteins: protective antigen, edema factor, and lethal factor. Protective antigen (PA) binds to select cells of an infected person or animal and forms a channel that permits edema factor and lethal factor to enter those cells. Edema factor (EF), once inside the cell, causes fluid to accumulate at the site of infection. EF can contribute to a fatal buildup of fluid in the cavity surrounding the lungs. It also can inhibit some of the body's immune functions.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

An Unwinnable War Essay -- American History, The War on Terrorism

As America find herself in today’s â€Å"War on Terrorism,† one can easily find a number of similarities between today’s situation and the war in Vietnam. As the Taliban steadily loses control and power over Afghanistan, it becomes exceedingly important to discuss potential replacement governments. Afghanistan is, like Vietnam in the 50’s and 60’s, a very volatile country full of a variety of people speaking different dialects and practicing different religions. It is very important, then, that the government that is installed is one that is capable of maintaining some type of control or authority over its diverse people. On July 7, 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem came to power as the Prime Minister of South Vietnam (Fishel 107). Diem was backed by the United States as the best man for the job to prevent communism in South Vietnam. The problem is that while â€Å"every foreign power to intervene in Vietnam eventually attempted to install some group of Vietnamese figures to prevent a Communist victory,† many of them failed to consider that by installing a government that continued to exploit and alienate its people, they were driving the population more toward Communism because at least it seemed to be a government for the people (Gettleman 134). Likewise, the U.S. was concerned with its own interest and unfortunately overlooked the interests of the Vietnamese. In the first five or six years of Diem’s reign, the United States was quite pleased with its choice of Diem. Proponents of Diem praised him as an advocate of human rights who worked to uphold a democracy. Others who were not quite as flagrant in their approval simply stated that he was the best man among the limited choices being that he was strongly anti-communist. Many, includin... ...enerals who don’t even command a company. He lives in an ivory tower surrounded by his family† (Behind 150). Diem was also said to have given the Catholic regugees â€Å"preferential treatment in land redistribution, relief and assistance, commercial and export-import licenses, government employment, and other GVN largess† (Buddhist 217). The U.S. constantly pressured Diem to issue land reform in order to win some support from the peasants because, as his American advisors recognized â€Å"an exploited and impoverished peasantry provides fertile soil for communism, as in China; therefore, intelligent land reform, preserving private property and simultaneously creating a new middle class of farmers, is a necessity for ‘free world’ objectives† (Behind 142). This idea plays into the aforementioned assertion that America focused too heavily on their own interests (

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Pschology Module 27: Thinking, Language and Intelligence The Availability Heuristic Essay

Availability Heuristic: A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that comes to mind. When you are trying to make a decision, a number of related events or situations might immediately spring to the forefront of your thoughts. As a result, you might judge that those events are more frequent and possible than others. You give greater trust to this information and tend to overestimate the probability and likelihood of similar things happening in the future. Examples After seeing news reports about people losing their jobs, you might start to believe that you are in danger of being laid-off. You start lying awake in bed each night worrying that you are about to be fired. After seeing several television programs on shark attacks, you start to think that such incidences are relatively common. When you go on vacation, you refuse to swim in the ocean because you believe the probability of a shark attack is high. After reading an article about lottery winners, you start to overestimate your own likelihood of winning the jackpot. You start spending more money than you should each week on lottery tickets. Availability heuristic influences our decisionns and judgments by remembering something that shapes our impression to make these decisions and lead us astray in our judgments that makes information pop into our minds. Availability heuristic leads us to fear the wrong things and we shouldn’t always fear everything. Four influences that feed fear and cause us to ignore higher risks 1. We fear what our ancestral history has prepared us to fear (Confinement and heights, and therefore flying) 2. We fear what we cannot control (We can control a car by driving but not a plane) 3. We fear what is immediate (Teens are indifferent to smoking’s toxicity because they live more for the present than the distant future) 4. We fear what is most readily available in memory (Availability Heuristic) (Scary, vivid images like 9/11 cause our judgments of risk, we remember and fear natural disasters like hurricanes tornados and earthquakes that kill people instantly)

Friday, August 16, 2019

Persuasion, Manipulation, and Seduction

Persuasion, manipulation and seduction are best described as cousins in a family tree of a genealogy. Although each term is different in meaning the end result of each are the similar. Depending on the information and the intentions of the persuader, this is how we can tell the difference from persuasion, manipulation, and seduction; According to Codoban (2006), author of from persuasion to manipulation and seduction.PersuasionIt is almost impossible for people to avoid persuasion throughout the course of their day. If they listen to the radio or watch television, they encounter advertisements, news media and the opinions and values expressed by announcers, actors, show hosts and advertisers. If they go to work, they are likely to encounter persuasion from their boss, co-workers, or clients. If they share a home with other people, they are likely to engage is persuasion over what to eat, which television shows to watch or where to go for fun.Persuasion comes in many forms. Persuasion itself cannot be good or bad. By nature, it is neutral, until the intention of the persuader and the response of the persuadee are incorporated into the equation. It is only when put into practice and responded to that a particular persuasion can be considered positive or negative. For example, persuading a person to eat healthier foods is a good persuasion if you are genuinely concerned for their health, but doing so in order to evoke feelings of guilt or shame would be bad.Likewise, persuading someone to ride a roller coaster may seem harmless unless the persuadee is convinced to ignore medical complications or go against their will. There are some types of persuasion that, while they may not always be negative, usually carry a negative connotation. Two of these forms of persuasion are manipulation and seduction.ManipulationExample/Comparison A perfect example of the modern day persuasion, manipulation and seduction is when I politician is running for office. This is the most ful filling process to engage in. Your life becomes shared with thousands of people who want to see a different type of person. Someone whose qualities represent the values that society is supposed to represent. Someone that people aspire to become, or wish they were in life. In reality, the politician has no idea that they are going to possess the qualities of persuasion, manipulation and seduction.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Use-case Diagram

Object Oriented Analysis and Design Tutorial – Week 4&5 – Chapter 5 End of Chapter 1. Why is business process modeling important? 2. What is the purpose of a fork node? 3. How do you create use cases? 4. How do you create use case diagrams? 5. Give two examples of the extend associations on a use case diagram. Give two examples for the include association. 6. What is the purpose of an activity diagram? Your Turn 5-2 Use Cases Look at the activity diagram for the appointment system in Figure 5-2 and the use case that was created in Figure 5-5.Create your own use case based on an activity in the activity diagram or the activity that you created in Your Turn 5-1. Use Figure 5-6 to guide your efforts. 5-3 Use Case Diagram Look at the use-case diagram in Figure 5-10. Consider if a use case were added to maintain patient insurance information. Make assumptions about the details of this use case and add it to the existing use-case diagram in Figure 5-10. The only required chan ge to the existing diagram would be the addition of the new use case.It would be labeled â€Å"Maintain Patient Insurance Information† and would be linked to both the â€Å"Create New Patient† and â€Å"Make Payment Arrangements† use cases using associations. 5-5 Campus Housing Create a set of use cases for the following high-level processes in a housing system run by the campus housing service. The campus housing service helps students find apartments. Apartment owners fill in information forms about the rental units they have available (e. g. , location, number of bedrooms, monthly rent), which are then entered into a database.Students can search through this database via the Web to find apartments that meet their needs (e. g. , a two-bedroom apartment for $400 or less per month within a half mile of campus). They then contact the apartment owners directly to see the apartment and possibly rent it. Apartment owners call the service to delete their listing when they have rented their apartment(s). 5-6 Drawing a Use-Case Diagram In Your Turn 5-5, you identified use cases for a campus housing service that helps students find apartments. Based on those use cases, create a use-case diagram. ExercisesA. Create an activity diagram and a set of detail use case descriptions for the process of buying glasses from the viewpoint of the patient, but do not bother to identify the flow of events within each use case. The first step is to see an eye doctor who will give you a prescription. Once you have a prescription, you go to a glasses store, where you select your frames and place the order for your glasses. Once the glasses have been made, you return to the store for a fitting and pay for the glasses. B. Draw a use case diagram for the process of buying glasses in Exercise A.C. Create an activity diagram and a set of detail use case descriptions for the following dentist office system, but do not bother to identify the flow of events within each use case. Whenever new patients are seen for the first time, they complete a patient information form that asks their name, address, phone number and brief medical history, which are stored in the patient information file. When a patient calls to schedule a new appointment or change an existing appointment, the receptionist checks the appointment file for an available time.Once a good time is found for the patient, the appointment is scheduled. If the patient is a new patient, an incomplete entry is made in the patient file; the full information will be collected when they arrive for their appointment. Because appointments are often made so far in advance, the receptionist usually mails a reminder postcard to each patient two weeks before their appointment. D. Draw a use case diagram for the dentist office system in Exercise C.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Trap Ease Answer

Q1: They face once in a lifetime opportunity means that they are talking about the potential for profit and growth required following Information to Evaluate the Opportunity:-Determine the product selling point that will put it as a competitive advantage over other products. -make a survey about customers if they are willing to pay a higher price for the innovative product offered by the company.– make Competitive Frame of Reference (customer awareness-product quality-product availability-technical assistance-selling staff) -Identify the market segments (com/mkt3013-practice-2/">market segmentation), and select the target segment (market targeting). – Advantages of using the Ease-Trap over other competitors product (User Friendly-Child Friendly-Pet Friendly-No Poison-reuse-no clean up)I think the group is going to write the following â€Å"mission statement†: We produce a trap that you could use safer and easier than the traditional one, with no risk of catching your fingers while loading itI suggest writing the following â€Å"mission statement†: â€Å"we are making innovative mousetrap that traps mice easily, friend of the environment, and good value of money with no danger for your child†.Q2/ She identified the best target market (women) because they don’t like the mess or the risks created by traditional mouse traps. This is a good marketing segment to begin with They could try to focus on– Environmentalists as trap-ease is reusable so creates less of a strain on the environment which would make it a very attractive thing for them, -Animal lovers would love the Trap-Ease mouse trap because it doesn’t require poison or pose the risk of snapping closed on a paw or tongue of a pet. -Corporate Businesses as Food Company would probably like the Trap-Ease mouse trap because of its high quality more futuristic image and the fact that it would create as much of a mess, -families which have a kids as trap-ease with no danger for kids -hospitals-people who live in new cities as mice were spreadQ3/ They had positioned the product by mentioning that it is safer and easier to use than the competitors' products (Traps Mice Easily), and that there is no risk of catching one's finger while loading it.I think they can position the trap-ease as no dangerous for small children at home, Never seeing or touching a dead mouse again, fewer waists because it is re-useable, by having an incredibly good customer service team that could deliver services to their customers that were having problems using the productQ4/ The marketing mix of a company consist of the four P’s: Product: trap-ease.Price: about five times more expensive than standard trap.Place: trap-ease distributed directly through national grocery, hardware and drug chains (retailers) such as Safeway, sellers, Canadian tire, and shoppers drug mart avoiding any wholesaler or other intermediaries. Promotion: Trap-Ease had an promotion bud get about $60.000 They are spent $10,000 on advertising, the other $50.000 are spent on travel costs to visit trade shows and to make sales calls on retailersProblems:– Price is very high; she could offer a wider range of prices on the different models of their trap in order to offer more variety – Place: she was trying to distribute their product through large stores. They can use internet shop (E-shop) as People on the internet are often caring with quality, ease of use, and innovativeness and don’t mind spending a little more money to get what they want.It is also a high profit market because it reduces transportation costs and there are no middle man costs – promotion: she concentrated whole marketing budget on visiting trade shows and advertising on chatelaine and other home magazines ,she should promote over the internet for certain on sites and also think about putting out ads on TV. Q5/ Trap-Ease America’s competitor is any company that cre ates mouse traps competitors include Victor, JT Eaton, Riddex and D-CON who offers both baits and traps.They actually also offer a version of a no touch mouse trap in which you don’t have to touch the mouse after you have trapped it. They are selling this for $4.29 which is higher than the suggested retail price for the Trap-Ease mouse trap which is $2.99, which will give trap-ease a pricing advantage. Havahart offer traps which humanely catch everything from mice to voles and shrews and are competition for the humane factors of the Trap-Ease. There are also in direct competitor as poisons that are sold which are a danger to pets and animals as well as the mice they are supposed to kill.Q6/ Swot analysisInternal Strengths Weakness 1/very innovative product and engneered well 2/long life product as it is re-useable 3/with low risk specially for kids 4/highly environmemntal 1/high price 2/low promotion 3/do not detemine good target of market segmentation 4/product oriented stra tegyExternal Opportunities Threats 1/unique product,so it is a high potential market 2/less competitors 1/traditional marketers 2/chemicals and pesticidesNew marketing strategy:- 1/targeting:The targeting should have been done within a broader demographic area. Slums, warehouses, go downs, docks, kirana shops, retail stores, restaurant, canteens and cold storages must be targeted for potential customers. The segmenting must avail wholesalers and the intermediaries too apart from the retailers. Marketing channels like Toll-free numbers, newspapers, television, radio and mobile marketing must be used effectively to target MEN. Pest control companies must be primarily targeted and a joint venture can be planned if necessary. We should target to environmentalists, animal lovers and corporate business. 2/ PromotionsWhen two traps are sold in a single package it might not be appealing to the customers who are ready to experiment. So it should be one at a time. The cost must be cut down as low as possible at least for initial days because the customers are driven to products that are freely available for fewer prices. Here the packaging plays a prominent role. Free samples to the agencies must be initially given so that they get the customers acquainted to the product in order to gain a good name in the market. There should be mass distribution of the product and free demo services must be provided.The marketing network within the organization must be increased, instead of Martha being the single salesperson. There must be door-to-door salesperson to make the sales effective. The administrative costs must be cut down and more money should be spent in promotional activities like advertising in movie theatres. Showing a demo in the retail shops, approaching government to promote in railways and bus-stands as a social cause and environment savior. A brand ambassador must be endorsed to promote the product in order to attract the customers. Money back promise should be m ade to the customers if the products are found defective. This way they will gain the trust of the customers. 3/ Using Customers Value Triad:Though there’s value in terms of quality, satisfaction of the customers from the product is less because of its high price. And proper feedbacks must be taken from the customers as well as the retailers in order to assess the true position of the product. Online booking facilities must be provided so  that more customers can know the details about the product and buy it easily.The cost and communication of the four 4c’s concept must be kept in mind. The safety and re-usability aspects of the product must be communicated well to the customers. Retaining customers is very important and that can be done only through quality service. Customers are gods and promises made to them should be kept. They lost an order because of time the management and Matha doesn’t seem to learn from the mistake. The goodwill of the organization i s necessary for any product to remain for a long time. 4/ Planning:A proper market research is necessary to understand the wants of customers. Timely adjustments must be done based on the marketing environment. There must be a backup plan always when the target sales and profits are not achieved. When the sales have gone down in April, the marketing strategy must be immediately changed.The administrative costs must be cut down heavily. Also the reasons for why the product is not bought the second time must be found out and necessary changes made to the product as per customer benefits. Repeat buying will happen only when the services provided are beneficial to the customers. When the trade shows haven’t bought enough sales, the costs should be cut down there and allocate more money for advertising.Target Group Product Strategy Distribution Strategy Promoting Strategy ControlThe first thing I would do to change Trap-Ease’s marketing strategy would be to increase the amo unt of people in their marketing team. Although Martha was probably trying to keep down costs by not hiring anyone for her marketing team she made one important mistake. One of the most important things when coming out with a new product is the Marketing because until you’ve communicated the benefits of your product to the Consumer there will not be sufficient demand for it. Her entry into the market was too small scale and chances are that with such an innovative

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Deception By the Investigating Officer in the Investigative, Research Paper

Deception By the Investigating Officer in the Investigative, Interrogative, and Testimonial Processes - Research Paper Example Getting criminals to confessing their crimes turns out to be a problematic affair; as a result, investigating officers are involving the use of deception in obtaining the necessary information. According to Justice without Trial, when an investigator perceives the case law as an impediment to his main duty of apprehending criminals, in most cases, he endeavours to construct the facade of compliance instead of allowing the offender to get away from apprehension. Permitting officers sworn to maintain the law to outwit that same law is similar to planting the seeds of its obliteration. Apart from that widespread, along with openly acknowledged, deception demeans the trustworthiness together with perception of the police, as well as the whole criminal justice system. There are numerous reports of investigators lying while on the stand, which is an emergent problem. Apparently, police perjury is not only pervasive, but also a serious cancer that is invading the criminal justice system. Wh ile, on the other hand, utilizing deception in entrapping offenders into admitting their complicity turns out to be a means of downgrading police work into trickery (Vrij, 2000). There are substantial arguments that, at the primary stages of investigations, investigators have to circumvent the law in apprehending, while, at the same time, convicting criminals, ongoing avoidance of the law is an illustration of a lack of respect for the same laws which investigators get sworn to maintain. Therefore, tactics such as police sting operations used in capturing burglars, fabrication of nonexistent witnesses for the duration of interrogations, as well as Abscam-type operations, are ideal examples of deception which are in most cases routinely applied by investigators. Therefore, the given notion that often the ends justify the means as applied by the investigators during the processes of investigation, interrogation and testimonial are wrong for a number of reasons; firstly, it is immoral since wrong is wrong, and, secondly, it is illegal. Consequently, investigators must find a way of working within a severe and agonizingly conflicting environment without tampering with their moral order that demands for specific forms of fidelities (Pollock, 2011). Question Two Deception within the criminal justice system degrades the image of the legal system, as well as the equitable carriage of justice (Yeschke, 2002). In instances, whereby the criminal justice system gets the permission of engaging in immoral, along with even criminal behavior, then there comes a tie when the system together with those engrossed in it ceases being superior to the criminals they are attempting to entrap. Apparently, the investigator lies since lying turns out to be a routine way of dealing with legal impediments; this is because the law allows the investigator to lie during the investigative stage, at a time when he is not totally convinced whether the suspect is a criminal or not, but prohibits lying concerning procedures at the testimonial stage, whereby the investigator is certain of the guiltiness of the accused. This is because the investigator characteristically weighs the short-term disutility of the action of suppressing evidence, rather than the long-term utility of the law’s due process for protecting, as well as enhancing the nobility of the citizen under investigation. Within the criminal