Hyperthyroidism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hyperthyroidism - Research Paper Example It can be treated in a variety of ways, with the doctor deciding the best method of treatment after studying the age, history and cause of the disease of individual patients . The disease is more common in women than in men and rarely affects children below 15 years of age.It is estimated that about 1% of the US population has hyperthyroidism. It is most often seen in elderly people who are over 60 years of age in the form of thyroid nodules that are lumps in the thyroid gland. The condition is treated with anti-thyroid drugs, surgery, or radioactive iodine. People with hyperthyroidism can live normal, active lives with regular monitoring and medical care. The human endocrine system is made up of glands that secrete hormones that are released into the bloodstream and maintain the body’s metabolism.The endocrine glands are the main hormone producing glands in the human body. The thyroid gland in the neck is one of the glands of the endocrine system, the pituitary gland in the b rain is another. The pituitary gland which is about the size of a pea, is located at the base of the brain. It is often referred to as the master gland because it controls several glands in the endocrine system. ... Iodine is a very important component of the thyroid hormone. When the thyroid gland produces too much of the thyroid hormone, it results in a condition known as Hyperthyroidism commonly known as overactive thyroid. It is sometimes called thyrotoxicosis which is the technical term for too much thyroid hormone in the blood. The term hyperthyroidism refers to a group of disorders that are associated with increased levels of thyroid hormone in the blood. â€Å"Hyperthyroidism affects 2.5 million people in the United States, but could affect up to 4.5 million people because more than half of the people with thyroid disease don't know they have it. Although it occurs at all ages, hyperthyroidism is most likely to occur after the age of 15.†(Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative medicine 2005) The term hyperthyroidism is used to refer to diseases that are caused due to excessive production of the hormones produced in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland produces two hormones - One contain ing 4 units of iodine called Thyroxin (T4) and the other called triiodothyronine (T3) which contains three units of iodine. These two hormones regulate the body's metabolic rate by helping to form protein ribonucleic acid (RNA) and increasing oxygen absorption in every cell. An increase in metabolic activity, is how cells respond to the thyroid hormone. Metabolic activity, or metabolism, refers to the processes in the body that produce energy. The chemical substances necessary for cells to grow, divide, to form new cells, and perform other vital functions are all processes included under the term metabolism . Metabolism controls the rate at which cells burn fuels from food to produce energy. Increase

Rising of Oil Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rising of Oil Prices - Essay Example On the one hand, the western world led by the United States as the world’s largest consumer of energy, has been practicing geo-political policies that would ensure control and supply of this vital natural resource; on the other, the realization of the value of this near monopoly resource by the world’s leading oil producers has upset the supply, demand and price equation in a most significant manner. This conflict of interest has resulted in what we are witnessing today: cartelization of the oil industry, soaring oil prices, weakening the dollar, rising inflation and worst of all, war/threat of further wars in West Asia - the major oil-producing region of the world. At USD 110 per barrel, there are ominous signs of not just in the US but a serious worldwide economic downturn.  In the West Asian region, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf countries are among the world’s largest oil producers. The US, UK, and other European oil corporations were controlling th e oil exploration and refining industry here and setting the price of this vital commodity. The growing economies of the western countries and Japan needed ever-increasing volumes of the oil products, which had to be imported mainly from the Gulf region. The Arab-Israel conflict and the formation of the oil cartel – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led to the first oil price shock. In the words of Meyer et al., â€Å"†¦possession of a monopoly resource by OPEC countries †¦a rising tide of nationalist self-awareness, old resentment at exploitation †¦would force renegotiation of the terms on which petroleum was to be made available†¦ The  outbreak of the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and the subsequent oil embargo led to a quadrupling of the oil prices† (Meyer et al., p.6). The days of cheap oil were over once and for all, although the later fluctuations in the prices were generally in tune with the increased availability of non-OPEC s upplies, the occasional breakdown of cartel arrangement, supply/demand situation etc. For example during 1982 – ’83, oil prices fell by 15% (Meyer et al., p.95) due to a decrease in US demand. Disruption of supplies due to the recent militant events in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has also impacted oil prices (Shanmugam & Singh). Similarly, Russia’s stranglehold on supplies of oil and gas to east European nations dictates the energy prices.

Belonging Essay Example for Free

Belonging Essay Belonging is a natural reaction, intrinsic. We search in order to find a community, a group of friends, a country in which we belong. America is a place whereWhen we feel uncomfortable, we say â€Å"I don’t belong here† and when you find a situation in which you are happy, you can be yourself, natural and free you feel as if it was created only for you. It can also be the most wonderfully liberating experience when you find yourself in a culture in which you do not belong. In not belonging, you become someone free of restrictions, free of the expectations, free to creatively exre your imagination without the guilt that often latently lies behind the veiled threat of failure and disappointment. The apparent fact of not belonging is open for everyone, but ittms the course of action taken in light of this cultural segregation which should be the goal of the traveler today. I had, I realized become strangely accustomed to living in Korea, even though a part of me desired to be back on the beach in Thailand. Rules, or lack of, which shaped me more as an individual than any thing else I had experienced in my life. We are expected to increase our spending power as we age, not our understanding of other cultures, not our compassion for each other or for those living on the other side of the economic spectrum. The traveler, if open to the possibility, is in a perfect position to experience this transcendence. America is the ultimate machine, the ultimate company, and the by-product of its hyper capitalist model is the increasingly glaring loss of personal creativity and individualism within its borders. We are consumers and we are resources to be used and abused in a cycle of production of consumption. I didntmt belong, but I could never belong and it was a liberating experience, one which taught me in a way the rules for living on the fringe of a society. I was an outsider, I obviously did not belong into this society, one which is very homogeneous, one in which a foreigner learns to live with the constant attention of being gawked and stared at, around each corner, in each subway car, in every restaurant, everywhere. In our own cultures, where in a sense, at least culturally, linguistically and historically we do belong, life often becomes a stifling world in which our lives are predestined, packaged products.

Chinese Managers Leadership Style

Chinese Managers Leadership Style 3.1 Introduction Among various choices of research methodologies, this study draws on a framework within the qualitative research paradigm. The study takes an interpretive approach and adopts a data collection design of participant interviews. The purpose of this section is to introduce the underpinning philosophical arguments regarding methodological consideration and to justify the appropriateness of qualitative design to the context of this study. Supportive theories for this choice as well as the sampling methods, data collection methods, arrangements for interviews and the relevant research considerations will be addressed. In order to link the methodological choices with the study purpose, research questions will also be reiterated. 3.2Research questions The purpose of qualitative research is to describe, explore, and explain phenomena being studied (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). Qualitative research questions, therefore, often take the form of what, how and why, and are more concerned with the process rather than the outcome. As this study is to explore how Chinese culture, specifically Confucius philosophical doctrines have shaped Chinese leadership style, as well as how Western theories have exerted a profound influence on Chinese leadership in modern Chinese society, the research questions of this study go as follows: What are the main characteristics of Chinese managers leadership style in Public Sector in Tianjin? Given the above, to what extent does Chinese culture, particularly Guanxi affect and shape Chinese leadership style? In this day and age, how is leadership in China influenced by Western leadership models? What are the implications that Chinese leadership styles present for the future practice? As a result, the research methodology was selected and employed to explore the development of the topic to answer the above questions. 3.3 Methodological choice 3.3.1 Interpretive research tradition Among the three research traditions, i.e. Positivism and Postpositivism, Interpretive Research, and Critical Postmodernism (Gephart, 2004), Interpretive Research is generally considered the most appealingly applied by a significant number of researchers. This study takes an interpretive approach to understand the Chinese managers leadership style as perceived by their Qualitative research can be either interpretive or positive depending on the philosophical assumptions taken by the researcher. According to Schwandt (2000), qualitative research is a diverse term covering an array of techniques seeking to describe, decode, translate, and somehow come to terms with the meaning, rather than the measurement or frequency of phenomena in the social world. Interpretive research is a more specific term. Interpretive studies assume that people create and associate their own subjective and intersubjective meanings as they interact with the world around them. With regards to the epistemology, interpertivsts recognize that the way they make sense of the world is shaped by their goals, culture and experience (Creswell, 2003; Weber, 2004). Reality is viewed as socially constructed and cannot be objectively determined (Easterby- Smith et al., 1991). The foundation assumption for interpretive research is that knowledge is gained, or at least filtered, through soci al constructions such as language, consciousness, and shared meanings. In addition to the emphasis on the socially constructed nature of reality, interpretive research acknowledges the intimate relationship between the researcher and what is being explored, and the situational constraints shaping this process. Interpretivists believe that the researcher and the researched are interdependent and affect each other in their interactions (Gephart, 2004; Weber, 2004). Walsham (1995) indicates that interpretive research attempts to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them. It does not predefine dependent and independent variables. Nor does it set out to test hypotheses, but rather aims to produce an understanding of the social context of the phenomenon and the process whereby the phenomenon influences and is influenced by the social context. 3.3.2 Qualitative study Within the field of social research there have been opposing views on how the social world can be or should be understood. Traditionally the positivist paradigm has been related to quantitative research techniques, scientific measurement and empirical findings (Silverman, 2000). However, recently research methodology is considered as a continuum between quantitative and qualitative designs with the approach adopted based on an ability to answer or add knowledge to a particular issue (Creswell, 2003; Miller and Brewer, 2003). According to Creswell (1994), a qualitative study is defined as an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a complex, holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting. Although a quantitative research method was useful in studying statistical differences among variables and factors for proofing assumptions, its limitation was the inability to fully reveal the underlying meanings people associated with particular activities or social process (Esterberg, 2002). In favor of this argument, Silverman (1997) further extends that quantitative research may overlook the social and cultural construction of variables as well as the attitudes and meanings behind the variables. Qualitative studies, though perceived to be complex, time-intensive, and sometimes fraught with methodological challenges, can be the richest of studies, often illuminating complex phenomena in radically new ways (Conger, 1998). They are responsible for paradigm shifts, insights into the role of context, and longitudinal perspectives that other methods often fall to capture (Isabella, 1990; Mintzberg, 1973; Roberts and Bradley, 1988). Qualitative research may take on different traditions or assumptions such as phenomenology, hermeneutics and ethnography. However, Mason (1996) indicates that there are three common elements that bind qualitative research strategies together: Qualitative research takes an interpretive position in relation to understanding interactions within a multi-layered social world; Data generation is flexible and sensitive to the social context in which data is produced; Data analysis that use explanation building which involve understanding the relevant complexity, detail and content of the subject matter. (Mason, 1996:4) Such an argument provides a strong theoretical foundation for this study regarding the interaction between managers and their subordinates in Public Sector in China. As a result, having considered these arguments, qualitative methodology would be useful in exploring the meanings and perspectives in this dissertation, because it permits an exploration of participants concepts of Chinese leadership, the interpretation of cultural effects on Chinese leadership style and the complexity of issues that contribute to the subject. 3.3.3 Qualitative leadership studies It has been widely held that qualitative research in the social sciences plays an important part only in the exploratory phases of a research. At this stage, the researcher knows about the subject he/she is to investigate, and his/her hypotheses are purely speculative. Once the researchers understanding gradually becomes well-defined, quantitative analysis can follow to refine and validate the hypotheses generated by the previous qualitative research. However, Conger (1998) challenged this assumption by arguing that in reality, qualitative research must play an important role on matter at what stage in the investigation of leadership topics. The main reason, he points out, is the extreme and enduring complexity of the leadership phenomenon itself. Since leadership involves multiple levels of phenomena, possesses a dynamic character, and has a symbolic component, quantitative methods, which are largely based on surveys in the leadership field, tend to focus on a single level of analysis such as behavioral dimensions (Yukl, 1994), and in turn overlook the organizational and environmental factors (Conger, 1998). Therefore, they are insufficient to investigate thoroughly phenomena as complex as leadership. In addition, other scholars have drawn limitations and narrowness of the investigation frame of quantitative analysis in the leadership study. For example, Phillips (1973) argues that quantitative surveys are usually influenced by social desirability concerns of respondents and only reflects behavior attitudes rather than actual observed behavior. Lantis (1987) also articulates that quantitative analysis is unable to measure interactions, which is a critical element of leadership. Qualitative methods, as proposed by Conger (1998), when properly employed, may render leadership studies distinct advantages over quantitative methods: First, more room to explore leadership in depth (Bryman, 1992); Second, the flexibility to detect unexpected phenomena during the research; Third, more opportunities to sense the contextual factors; Fourth, more effective to investigate symbolic dimensions (Morgan and Smircich, 1980). It is based on all these arguments, that this study adopts a qualitative method, trying to put into full play the advantages that qualitative method possesses in studying the Chinese leadership style in Public Sectors. 3.4 Interviews 3.4.1 Interviews as a qualitative method Based on the methodological discussions, interview was chosen as the most appropriate method of data collection for the research at hand. This method is the most frequently used qualitative method and recommended in situations where a detailed understanding of complicated behavior is sought and where detailed probing of the respondent is anticipated. Kvale and Birnkmann (2009) emphasize a qualitative research interview as a professional conversation focusing on an alternation, which occurs on the personal interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee around a particular issue or range of topics and on the descriptive data conducted through that interaction. Unstructured interviews 3.4.2 Semi-structured interviews In this study, semi-structured interviews were applied as a research tool. Semi-structured interviews form an important part of qualitative research (Cassell and Symon, 2004). In semi-structured interviews, the interviewer designs a general structure by deciding in advance what ground is to be covered and what questions are to be asked. This leaves the detailed structure to be worked out during the interview. The interviewee is given considerable freedom to express his/her views on his/her own words. This results in them raising issues and topic that the researcher may not have thought about as important for the study (Banister and Booth, 2005). The interviewer can respond using prompts, and follow-up questions to encourage the interviewee to clarify or expand on their answers. He/She can also react via facial expression and body language. This would allow the interviewer to innovate and give the interview a direction (King, 2004) and get explanatory answers for questions about peoples behavior and opinions (Saunders et al, 2003; Banister and Booth, 2005). This is one of the strengths of this kind of interviews. In summary, semi-structured interviews provide the opportunity for the researcher to probe deeply to uncover new clues, open up new dimensions of a problem and to secure vivid, accurate inclusive accounts that are based on personal experienced (Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). In semi-structured interviews, the application of probing is one of the most significant techniques. Probing centers on assisting the interviewee in continuing to speak his/her mind by the interviewer posing questions fully and relevantly (Cooper and Schinder, 2000). Patton (1990) identifies three types of probing techniques, namely detail-oriented probes, elaboration probes, and clarification probes. In this study, the elaboration probe is employed to encourage the interviewee to express more feelings (Patton, 1990). The interviewer took the initiative and encouraged the interviewee by supplementing questions like What makes you think so?; Can you give some examples?; Can you tell me more about this? etc. For semi-structured interviews, basic structures and frameworks are necessary. Before conducting the interviews, boundaries were drawn with pertinence to the research questions and research objectives. In turn, boundaries and framework also provide reference for the judgment of data to be obtained. Without boundaries and framework, the discussion can go on different track and become too general (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000). With boundaries set to the interview, the interviewer can not only maintain the exploratory principles through the use of major topic themes within the questions but also had sufficient flexibility to extend the boundaries of the original theme or to vary the sequence and emphasis of the questions (Corbetta, 2003;Kvale, 1996; Miller and Brewer, 2003). 3.4.3 Framing the interview questions Framing the questions for the interview is very important. The questions allow respondents to quantify individual experiences and convey the results or answers that are expected from the research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000; Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). Silverman (2001) and King (2004) suggest that research questions should not reflect the researchers own presuppositions or biases. Saunder et al. (2003) also stress that the questions framed should not be leading or suggesting a restricted set of answers. The interview questions in this study include a series of open-ended questions (Appendix). This is because open-ended questions provide the opportunity to gather an authentic understanding of peoples experience (Silverman, 1999). Moreover, they also allow the interview respondents to talk freely and explain their understanding on Chinese leadership style and Chinese and Western cultural effects on framing such kind of leadership style. As discussed above, discussion on these questions may move beyond the research boundaries, therefore sub-questions have been framed to direct the discussion in the required directions. 3.5 Sampling Sampling for qualitative research seeks to provide explanations of attitudes and behavior rather than quantify their extent in the population. According to National Centre for Social Research (2002), qualitative samples should not be as large as survey samples or to be statistically representative. Rather, qualitative samples should be selected purposively to encompass the range and diversity present in the target population. Miles and Huberman (1994) also assert that qualitative researchers should work with small samples of people, bound by specific contexts, and studied in depth. In this study, unstructured interviews were conducted individually with five senior managers from five organizations of the Public Sector in Tianjin, as well as semi-structured interviews were employed seven subordinates of these managers. Therefore the sample size of the study is twelve. Additionally, nonprobability sampling, a non-random and subjective sampling method (Cooper and Schindler, 1999) is used for this research. Different from random sampling, this method allowed the interviewer to choose sample members as she wished or wherever she could find them. Another concept related to nonprobability sampling is judgment sampling. As one kind of nonprobability samplings, judgment sampling is used to select sample members to conform to some criterion (Cooper and Schindler, 2000). With the application of judgment sampling, people who work as managers in Public Sector in Tianjin were selected for main target samples, and their subordinates for sub-target samples. Since the study is to investigate the general perception of the leadership style in Public Sector in Tianjin, the sampling frame of this study is the public in general who work in different managerial levels in Public Sector in Tianjin. 3.6 Data collection 3.6.1 Data collection procedure The data collected for this dissertation has been obtained from a combination of both secondary and primary sources. The secondary data include a selection of variety of books, journals and articles. The primary data were gathered from a series of unstructured and semi-structured interviews. In total, 12 interviews were undertaken with interviewees form 5 organizations in Public Sector in Tianjin (Appendix). These multiple sources of data allowed the researchers to address a broader range of historical, attitudinal, and observation issues (Yin, 1989). Furthermore, multiple sources of evidences provided multiple perspectives of the same phenomenon. Participants in this study ranged from general staff to senior managers. The judgment sampling method employed here correlates with one of the approaches described by Mason (1996) in that it seeks to provide a detailed view of particular units; not with any intent to act in a representative way of the wider population but to generate theory that may be applied or evaluated within a broader context. Five senior managers form different organizations are researchers relatives. The close relationship, therefore, contributed to both fulfillment of the interviews and the in-depth exploration of the research. In addition, seven subordinates work with five managers respectively. Subordinates perception of their managers characteristics could enrich the performance of the research. As a result, this elicited 12 interviews that formed the database of this study. The five organizations from which 12 interviewees stemmed cover the following five sectors: Economy and Trade Commission Justice Bureau Department of Cultural Affairs Urban Planning Bureau Public Primary School Interviews were undertaken in June and July 2010. Among the 12 interviews, five with senior managers were conducted in their houses or the researchers house, and each interview lasted 40 minutes around. Others 7 were taped in interviewees offices, lasting 20-30 minutes respectively. Moreover, interviews were conducted in the interviewees native language (Chinese) so that the subject was able to express their ideas fully. All the interviews took place in a private and quiet environment with only the interviewer and interviewee present. All participants were made fully aware of the details of the study. The schedules were directly and respectively sent to all participants ahead of the interviews so as to confirm the researchers intent to record the interview via audiotape and to introduce the arrangements related to confidentiality. All participants consented to the using of the tape recorder during the interviews. Such pre-interview communication proved important, because on the one hand, it allowed the participants enough time to get into the purpose and questions of the interview; on the other hand, it played an essential role in requesting informed consents (Kvale and Birnkmann, 2009) from the participants, assuring them of safety, showing respect to their dignity, rights, and well-being. Especially when conducting qualitative research with sensitive topics, such ethical issues need to be a concern of the researcher (Malhotra, 2004), since there is much closer interaction between the interviewer and the individual examined (King, 2004) and usually more personal or sensitive information is shared. Therefore, the researcher had the responsibility to care for the rights and needs of the respondents (Kvale and Birnkmann, 2009). All this also supported the development of trust in the interaction of the interviewee with the interviewer to ensure that they would be as truthful and open about their experiences and feelings as possible (Easterby-Smith et al., 1999) 3.6.2 Data analysis As is typical in qualitative research (Creswell, 1994), data analysis proceeded in tandem with data collection. The interview transcripts served as the basis for the data analysis. After a general sense of the information gathered through reading the transcripts several times (Creswell, 2003), coding of the data was used to analyze the interviews. Coding is defined as the formal process of selecting all the usable material from the complete data collected (Fisher, 2004). To code the data, it would be useful to identify clear themes at the initial stage. Hence, themes that consistently emerged in the interviews were identified and the material was divided into chunks and allocated to the themes (Creswell, 2003; Fisher, 2004). This approach to data analysis has the advantage as it is flexible and can be adapted to the needs of the study while it still forces the researcher to take a well-structured approach to analyzing the data, which assists in creating a clear and organized account of the findings. Therefore, after the transcription of the interview data from the audiotapes, the data analysis was categorized into four theme sections. The process of coding and analyzing data was ongoing and continued throughout the formulation of the subsequent chapters. Therefore, codes remained open to modification until the end of the study and were modified and developed as the analysis proceeded (Fisher, 2004). In the analysis process, the method of direct quotations was used to illustrate informants responses precisely. Additionally, examples of contradicting arguments of the interviewees were included to ensure a balanced account of the data gathered. This enhanced the validity and authenticity of the research (Creswell, 2003; Spiggle, 1994). The presentation of the findings is structured around the main themes identified. Care was taken not to drift towards generalizations but keep in mind the individual experiences from which these themes were developed (Creswell, 2003; King, 2004). 3.7Limitations Undertaking any form of research regardless of methodology or study design takes the author on a journey that is often challenging and frustrating. A potential major weakness of the research method employed in this study could be the problem of bias. Bell and Opie (1999) suggested that interview as a qualitative method is highly subjective technique and therefore there is always the danger of bias. This is true because there is a strong possibility that interviewees might choose not to reveal all issues related to the research questions due to feelings of embarrassment or a lack of knowledge on the topic and confusion etc. The researcher may tend to seek out answers that support preconceived notions. This may not be deliberate but may arise due to the classification of information and the flow of analytical thinking. Such a bias may limit the scope of the available data in relation to the study themes (Miller and Brewer, 2003) and greatly influence the reliability of the data collected. However, as Gavron (1966) suggested, awareness of the problem plus constant self-control can help alleviate the degree of bias. Another challenge that this study was facing is the transcribing of data. Since all interviews were conducted in Chinese, transcribing from the record in the audiotape into English written words may easily involve errors. This may occur due to the misunderstanding or mishearing of respondents words or ignoring the emotionally loaded intonations. Moreover, the language barrier constitutes another problem. Although the researcher tried her best to maintain the authenticity and reliability of the data, the slangs, jargons, colloquial expressions and established phrases in one language may not be possibly given a parallel in another language. Therefore, all that the researcher could do was to try to avoid any interventions and misunderstandings during the interview and repeated respondents key points in front of the respondents so as to ensure that interviewees opinions were fully and accurately understood by the researcher.

Cats Amazing Ability to Survive Falls Essay -- physics cat cats fall

Your chance of surviving a fall of 50 feet (approximately 4 stories) is about 50%, while almost no one who falls 6 stories will be around to tell their tale. However, in a study conducted by Manhattan veterinarians, Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff, it was discovered that out of 115 cases of cats falling (accidentally) from multi-story heights, 90% of them survived. An even more surprising result is that if a cat falls from more than 7 stories its chance of survival doubles, compared to a cat having fallen from 2 to 7 stories (a story averages about 12 feet). No wonder cats are fabled to have nine lives. It turns out that the two most important variables which contribute to the cat's survival are its ability to land on its feet and its reaching terminal velocity (both of which involve a fair deal of physics). Whitney & Melhaff's Study Cats' apparent fearlessness concerning heights leads to many accidental falls. In fact so many cats are brought to veterinarians for treatment after a fall, that in 1976 Dr. Gordon Robinson coined the term feline high-rise syndrome to describe the resulting pattern of injuries. Eleven years later Drs. Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan conducted a study over a five month period on cats brought in for treatment after a fall. They compiled a database of 115 cats who fell a range of two to thirty-two stories, primarily ending their falls on concrete pavement. The mean fall was 5.5 stories. Three of the cats were dead upon arrival and 8 more died in the next twenty-four hours, leaving 104 living cats or about 90%. This is a remarkable statistic. When the height the cats fell is taken into account, it is found that only 5% of the cats who fell seven ... ... a small amount of mass, but also their ability comes from their flying squirrel (relaxed) posture upon reaching terminal velocity and from their superb inner gyroscope. Works Cited * Diamond, Jared. "How Cats Survive Falls from New York Skyscapers," Natural History 20-26; August 1989. * Diamod, Jared. "Why cats have nine lives," Nature 332, 586-587; April 14, 1988. * Fredrickson, J. E. "The tail-less cat in free-fall," The Physics Teacher. 27, 620-625; November 1989. * Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker. Fundamentals of Physics, 5th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1997. * Mehlhaff, Cheryl and Wayne Whitney. "High-rise syndrome in cats," J. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 191, 1399-1403;1987. * "Terminal Velocity," Discover 9,10; August 1988. * Von Baeyer, Hans Christian. "Swing Shift," The Sciences 30, 2-4; May/June 1990.

Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies William Golding I. England II. Protagonist- Ralph is a rational boy who was elected the leader by the other boys. He tries to keep them civilized and plans to get them rescued. Antagonist- Jack is Ralph’s rival. He wants to be chief, so he gathers a group of boys and forms his own tribe. The boys are taught to b hunters and they act like wild animals. III. A plane carrying a group of schoolboys has crashed on an island. Ironically, the boys were escaping a nuclear war and being flown to freedom. Upon reaching this island they are overwhelmed by the fact that there are no adults and no rules. Ralph, a boy of twelve, is encountered with several male survivors. Him and the others decided to go in search of any other potential survivors. A boy named Jack and his troop then meets them. The two different groups don’t really seem to like one another and they are very different in matters of life. The boys are then faced with many obstacles and try to learn how to deal with it. At this point Jack does not like the way Ralph handles things and forms his own tribe. Ralph as the leader, does not feel that he has much control over the boys and that is why Jack formed his own tribe of hunters. Only two of the boys stayed and showed support to Ralph. Because of all the chaos Ralph no longer wants to be the chief and he knows that he can not change the way the other boys think or act. He doesn’t know what to do at this point and feels that he can’t make anyone civilized. Piggy and Simon are the two boys who stayed back with Ralph and because they chose to stay with him Jack’s group kills them. Everything just seems to be falling apart and no one is thinking straight. Through everything that has happened, Ralph struggles for survival against the â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, the other boys. There was an out-of-control fire meant to kill Ralph, but he did not die. He is then encountered with the boys and at this point they come to realize that they have to get a hold of themselves and move forward. The end of the novel shows that Ralph and the others are relieved by the fact that they no longer should act the way they did.

Arguments for and Against the Minimum Wage in the Uk

Arguments for and against the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the UK: stop employees being taken advantage of by being paid unfair wages by their employers. set a standard of the minimum worth of a worker. This benchmark was set so that employers would be unable to hire any staff for less than the suggested hourly rate. reduce pay differentials between genders. What is the new minimum wage? : In October 2009, the NMW for workers increased from: ?5. 73 to ? 5. 80 per hour – aged 22 years and older ?4. 77 to ? 4. 83 per hour – aged 18 to 21 years ?3. 53 to ? 3. 7 an hour – aged 16 and 17 years As of October 2010, the adult minimum rate will start from 21 years. Who qualifies for the Minimum Wage? Home workers, agency workers, part-time employees, pieceworkers†¦ most adult employees working legally in the United Kingdom with a written, verbal or implied contract, qualify for the NMW. The relationship between Demand and Supply: Arguments in favour of the NMW: Dia gram showing potential earnings from the NMW: {draw:frame} Diagram showing increasing demand for Normal goods: {draw:frame} Reduced labour turnover, raised productivity: Economic benefit for the country: Monopsonistic labour markets: A monopsony occurs when one buyer faces many sellers in a market. The buyer thus controls a large proportion of that market share. In the diagram below, a monopsonistic business maximises its profits at Q2, paying a wage at W1. (Demand = Marginal Revenue Product and supply =Average Costs). If the minimum wage increases to W2, demand for labour will increase to Q1. The level of unemployment will not increase until the minimum wage increases to an amount higher than W3. Diagram showing NMW effects on a Monopsony: draw:frame} Arguments against the NMW: Law not properly enforced: The NMW is not a properly enforced law. The result is that is has merely become a guideline to which employers are expected to adhere. It is estimated that 5% of the UK workforce receives less than minimum wage (WordPress 2009). If an employee reports his employer for paying less than the minimum wage, the employee pays a nominal fine. Fines are not severe enough (HM Revenue and Customs 2009). Low-skilled workers suffer: Many opposed the NMW when it was first introduced. Some believed that it would increase unemployment and cause wage inflation. They argued that if the minimum wage was high enough to be effective, unemployment among the inexperienced and handicapped would escalate. The workers with lesser skills would be harmed to the benefit of those who were more highly skilled. The demand for jobs at the higher wage levels would be greater than the supply of jobs available. Businesses could therefore afford to be more selective in the employees they chose, and workers with limited skills and experience would typically be excluded. Cost of production increases, leading to higher prices for consumers: Another argument is that an increase in the minimum wage willincrease production costs, thus increasing the overall cost of the product. The result of this would be reduced profits for the business, due to: producers absorbing the extra costs, leaving less money for re-investment. Diagram showing how an increase in the price of a product affects supply and demand: {draw:frame} The original price of product X is ? 35, and the demand for the product is 320 units (E1 representing Equilibrium between demand and supply). Product X then increases in price to ? 4 due to an increase in the NMW, resulting in a drop in demand for the product to 120 units. This drop in demand then results in an oversupply of goods from the producer, who is then forced to reduce his supply to the new demand level, or goods may sit on the shelf. E2 represents the new Equilibrium level between supply and demand. If the good was perishable and th e supplier did not adjust his supply, there would be a lot of wastage. Not everybody qualifies: Those who are exempt from receiving the NMW include; Apprentices under 19 years of age, and apprentices 19 years or older in their first year of their apprenticeship. Students on a work placement, forming part of a higher- or further education course, where the placement is for less than one year. The self-employed Those on a Department for Workers and Pensions back-to-work scheme The Recession: A recession is characterised by a period of at least two consecutive quarters of negative growth. During a recession, demand and supply of goods and services in the economy contracts. The UK economy contracted by 1. 5% in the last quarter of 2008 and the Gross Domestic Product experienced its biggest fall since the second quarter of 1980 (Kowelle 2009). This is the first time since the inception of the NMW that employment has fallen. Unemployment is rapidly on the increase. A reduction in output means that the need for labour is reduced. In the early stages of a recession, companies tend to cut back on employee hours, rather than making workers redundant. If companies are forced to reduce their employee numbers, they will initially attempt to do this through natural wastage, putting a hold on hiring, and not replacing workers who leave the company of their own accord. Thus the demand for new entrants to the market is very limited. The current recession has caused a very limited availability of credit and reduced demand worldwide. It is expected that high levels of debt and the fall of housing prices and equity prices will affect the UK more than many other nations (Bain 2009). What if there were no minimum wage in place? : Without a set minimum wage, the quantity of labour supplied will continue to change according to price, until the level of labour demanded is equal to the level of labour supplied. That is to say, an equilibrium price will be reached, where supply and demand curves intersect. {draw:frame} Deepak Lal, criticises the minimum wage, stating that it is â€Å"an inefficient, well-intentioned but inexpert interference with the mechanisms of supply and demand.. † References: DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION & SKILLS. , 2007. National Minimum WageGuide for Employees [online] United Kingdom. Available from: http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file53059. pdf [Accessed 23 November 2009] eHOW How To Do Just About Everything. How Does The Minimum Wage Affect The Economy [online video]. Available from: http://www. ehow. co. uk/video_4974004_minimum-wage-affect-economy. html? cr=1 [Accessed 20 November 2009] NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE COMMISSION. , 2009 National Minimum Wage. Low Pay Commission Report 2009. (Chairman George Bain). United Kingdom: The Stationery Office. WORD PRESS. , 2009. New Deal Scandal: UK Unemployment Course Scandal and Welfare Reformconcerns [online] 20 August. Available from: http://newdealscandal. wordpress. com/2009/08/20/national-minimum-wage-nmw/ [Accessed 23 November 2009]