The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property Essay

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property - Essay Example They believed that the earth floats on the sea and whenever it is agitated, earthquakes are produced. And, the best story that portrays the damages caused by earthquakes is that of the people from Peru. They believe that earthquakes occur whenever their god visits the earth to count the number of people in it. As he does so, the people leave their houses in order to help him finish his work faster and keep themselves safe at the same time. Even now, in the present, people have created some myths that describe the damages caused by earthquakes. One of them is that of the Swallowing Earth which theorized that a chasm can form along the fault and anything and anyone in that vicinity can be swallowed by the earth. No one, however, has been reported to have died from such a fate. Contrary to the myths that were presented in this introduction, this paper will focus on the documented damages caused by earthquakes. The two major effects caused by earthquakes are shaking and ground rupture. This can lead to damages to buildings and other rigid structures. The intensity of the damage is defined by the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the area from the epicenter or the origin of an earthquake, and the geological and geomorphological conditions of the location which can significantly increase or decrease the propagation of the waves generated by an earthquake. When there is an earthquake, the area where the epicenter is located is usually the most damaged. This can be clearly described by a graph made by a Japanese engineer, Shigeru Tani, that showed the relationship of the damage percentage of the fill dams in Japan to the distance of the epicenter. According to the graph, the farther the fill dams are from the epicenter, the lesser the damage is. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. There are times when the biggest damage can occur away from the epicenter. A very good example would be the Denali Fault Earthquake in Alaska which happened in November 3, 2002. In this case, the area 330 kilometers away from the epicenter received the greatest damage. Since the location was sparsely populated, there were no deaths and there was little damage on the structures. A facility which is 40 miles from the eastern part of the fault rupture was damaged such that it was no longer usable. This was the runway of the Northway Airport which was damaged by lateral spreading and sand boils. Fortunately, none of the oil pipes in the ruptured areas were destroyed during the earthquake. The worst thing about earthquakes is that they do not choose the structures that they bring down. Many buildings, dams and roads have been damage by earthquakes. Even historical sites are not saved from this disaster. In Israel, an earthquake which has an intensity of 5.3, shook the Temple Mount, opening up a large hole. In addition to the damages caused by shaking and ground rupture, earthquakes can also cause landslides and avalanches. A very good example of this is the January 13 earthquake in El Salvador which had an intensity of

Germany in Ww Essay Example for Free

Germany in Ww Essay History Department Year 10 World War 1 – World War 2 Written Research Assignment The weaknesses of Germany’s opponents were equally responsible for Hitler’s military successes as his Blitzkrieg tactics between 1939-1941. The Blitzkrieg tactics were very effective during the Second World War but this was also partly due to the fact that the Allied generals and tacticians were so incompetent. The fact that Blitzkrieg and the incompetency of opposition generals were equally responsible for Hitler’s military successes is best shown in his campaigns in Poland, France and Russia. In these conflicts the largest deciding factors were the Blitzkrieg tactics and the incompetency of the opposition generals. Blitzkrieg won the day in all of these conflicts but, as was shown in the later years of the war, once the Allies had competent generals the Blitzkrieg tactics were defeated. One of Hitler’s largest military successes between 1939 and 1941 was the campaign in Poland. The Campaign in Poland was an immensely easy victory for the Germany War machine. The Polish Army was large and well trained, but it was immensely outdated. They still had a large amount of cavalry regiments in there army which were completely destroyed by German tanks. They had very few tanks of their own and those that they did have were nothing compared to the strength of the German Panzers. They had quite a large well trained infantry but many of them still used swords and their guns were completely outclassed by the German assault rifles. They also had a small and rather average air force but this was made obsolete by the larger and better German air force. Also Poland is a flat country and it had few natural obstacles making it ‘ideal tank country’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ]and therefore the perfect target for Blitzkrieg. As well as the actual Polish army, the tactics and generals of the Polish were also very outdated. When the time came for battle The Polish Generals arranged their army into the Standard and age old line formation. When the Armies met the Blitzkrieg tactics worked perfectly due to this arrangement and the Polish were defeated with ease. As shown here the Blitzkrieg tactics and fail Polish generals result were equally responsible for Germany’s success. As Peter Crisp said in his book, Blitzkrieg, ‘Geographically and strategically, Poland was the perfect target for a Blitzkrieg attack. ’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ] The Blitzkrieg tactics were responsible for the actual win but if Poland had had more competent generals they had made better defences for the Blitzkrieg style of attack and had ditched the cavalry and upgraded and enlarged their tank and air forces they would have been able to repel the Germans and their Blitzkrieg. That is why the Blitzkrieg tactics and weak opponents were equally responsible for Hitlers military success. Another of Hitlers early military success was his campaign in France, also known as operation Sicklecut. This is due to the way the main force was supposed to punch through a hole in French defences and cut around like the cut of a sickle to attack the French forces from the rear. The main French forces were supposed to be distracted be a diversionary German force. This plan worked perfectly and the main German for Force smashed into the rear of the French force where together they pushed the French and supporting British armies into the coast in a thorough defeat. The Germans then pushed through to Paris where after a mass evacuation of the crumbling French forces Germany took control of Paris. This is a great example of the fact that Hitlers military success was due equally due to the Blitzkrieg tactics as the incompetency of his opposition. In the campaign in France the Blitzkrieg tactics were very effective, not just beating the French army but spreading panic throughout the country and forcing the chain of command to crumble, but it could have and would have been defeated if it wasn’t for the useless generals of the French army. The Panic caused by the Blitzkrieg tactics was a very effective weapon for the Germans, one unknown French soldier even recounted in his diaries that his saw own comrades running ‘with their hands over their heads not bothering to even return fire’ [ (Trueman, 2000) ]. The French had the capabilities to defeat the Germans and their Blitzkrieg tactics but they stuffed it up. Most of the Generals were veterans of the First World War and they were using the same tactics as they did then. Towards the end of his life Marshal Petain, the commander-in-chief of the French armies, said ‘After the war of 1914-1919, it was finished for me. My military mind was closed. When I saw the introduction of other tools and other methods I must say they didn’t interest me,’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ] showing exactly the attitude of the French military leadership at the start of the War. This allowed the Germans to defeat them with ease. They believed that the Germans would use the same plan that they used in the First World War and easily were defeated by the superior tactics of the Germans and when the Germans continued their advance through France and were bearing upon Paris in a matter of the days the French Leadership started to breakdown. If the French generals had been more competent they could have used their own tanks and air force more effectively and then the Germans would have been defeated and the French would have been successful. The Campaign in Russia, also known as Operation Barbarossa, named after the twelfth century Prussian King who was prophesied to rise from his grave and restore Germany to world power, is another great example of the fact that Hitlers military successes were equally due to his Blitzkrieg tactics and the ineptitude of his opposition. The Campaign in Russia started out as what seemed to be a complete annihilation. ’ When Operation Barbarossa opened, on 22 June 1941, the Soviets were taken completely by surprise. ’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ] The German army was rapidly advancing and defeating the Red Army with ease. The Red Army had huge numbers of men and many tanks and aircraft but most of these tanks were obsolete and the Air force was built mainly for tactical air support, not for air superiority. The main problem for the Red Army was the leader of Russia, Josef Stalin. After Stalin and his brutal Communist regime’s murder of all of the senior officers for political reasons and the strict constrictions placed on the remaining young and inexperienced officers which meant there was no room innovation during the heat of battle leaving the Red Army incredibly handicapped. At the beginning of operation Barbarossa ‘Stalin refused to believe the invasion was really happening. He thought the attack was a provocation by a German commander acting independently of Hitler, and ordered his frontline soldiers not to fire back’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ]. The fact that Hitlers military success required both a weakness of Hitlers opposition and the Blitzkrieg tactics is best shown in the next part of the campaign in Russia. Once Stalin finally allowed his officers some flexibility and the winter allowed them to build many more of their new T-34 model tanks the Russians started to come back. After a period of intense fighting, particularly around Stalingrad, the Germans were defeated and forced to retreat and as General Mellenthin of the Germans wrote ‘with the failure of our supreme effort, the strategic initiative passed to the Russians. ’ [ (Crisp, 1990) ] This shows how necessary the weakness of Hitler’s enemies for his military success due to the fact that the second one of his enemies obtained good weapons, like the T-34, and successful leaders the Germans Blitzkrieg tactics were neutralised and they were defeated. The Blitzkrieg tactics and the weakness of Hitlers opposition were equally responsible for Hitler’s military success between 1939 and 1941 during the Second World War. Without the Blitzkrieg tactics the German Army simply would not have been able to defeat the Allied forces and without weaknesses of Germany’s opposition the Blitzkrieg tactics would have been defeated by the superior enemy forces. The areas of the war which best show this are the campaigns in Poland, France and Russia. In all of these operations Blitzkrieg and inferior opposition played a major part. This is why the Blitzkrieg tactics and weak opposition were equally responsible for Hitler’s Military success. Bibliography Crisp, P. (1990). Blitzkrieg. Wayland publishing. A very good source. Lots of good information and quotes on all necessary areas. Deighton, L. (1979). Blitzkrieg. Pluriform Publishing. An alright source. Some good info but no quotes Trueman, C. (2000). Blitzkrieg. Retrieved May 2010, from History Learning Site: http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/blitzkrieg. htm A good source. Not a lot of information but some good quotes Unknown Author/Date. Barbarossa. Retrieved May 2010, from World War 2 Database: http://worldwar2database. com/html/barbarossa. htm A good source. Not many quotes but a good source of info Unknown Author/Date. France. Retrieved May 2010, from World War 2 Database: http://worldwar2database. com/html/france_40. htm A good source. Not many quotes but a good source of info Unknown Author/Date. Blitzkrieg. Retrieved May 2010, from World War 2 Database: http://www. 2worldwar2. com/blitzkrieg. htm A alright source. Not many quotes and an alright source of info W

Role of Omega-3 and Vitamin B6 in Cancer Prevention

Role of Omega-3 and Vitamin B6 in Cancer Prevention A critical analysis of the role of omega-3 and vitamin B6 in cancer prevention: current evidence, proposed mechanisms and future directions Abstract: A critical analysis of the role of omega-3 and vitamin B6 in cancer prevention: current evidence, proposed mechanisms and future directions Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and according to the World Health Organization(WHO accounted for 8.2 million deaths in 2012(1). The complex and dynamic nature of cancer is evident, however 30% of cancers could be prevented by modifying factors such as diet, not smoking, physical activity and moderate use of alcohol(2). Scientific evidence suggests that nutritional supplementation of some nutrients can affect the risk of different cancers. For the purposive of this essay I will perform a critical analysis of the role of omega-3 and vitamin B6 in cancer prevention by reviewing the current evidence, proposed mechanisms and investigating the future directions of omega-3 and vitamin B6 use in cancer prevention. Omega-3(n-3) and omega-6(n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) are essential fatty acids that cannot be made by the human body and therefore must be obtained from the diet. The use of n-3 PUFAs in a number of chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome and rheumatoid arteritis has been associated with health benefits. Increasing evidence from animal and in vitro studies indicate that n-3 PUFAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic(DHA) acid play a role in inhibiting cancer progression(3). However epidemiological data on the association between n-3 PUFA intake and cancer risk appears to be somewhat less consistent. High fat intake, typically seen in western diets is associated with an increased risk for cancer development. N-3 PUFAs are an exception as studies have found that n-3 PUFAs have protective functions in prostate, pancreatic, breast and colon cancer. Western diets typically contain a high n-6 to n-3 ratio which has been found is positively associated with prostate cancer development. A study carried out in Jamaican men who had a high ratio of dietary n-6 to n-3 ratio, found that n-6 PUFAs was positively correlated with prostate carcinogenesis while n-3 PUFAs inhibited cancer growth(4). In agreement with this study a case control study of 79 prostate cancer cases and 187 controls, found a high ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFAs increased the overall risk of prostate cancer in white men and possibly increase the risk of a high grade prostate cancer in all men(5). Population based studies have found that the use of n-3 PUFAs are protective against cancer development. A population based prospective cohort study of 90,296 subjects found that a diet rich in n-3 fish or n-3 PUFA appeared to protect against the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (6). In agreement with this study a population-based prospective study in Japan found an inverse relationship between n-3 PUFA intake and the risk of cancer in the proximal site of the large bowel(7). However not all studies have found beneficial effects of the use of n-3 PUFAs in cancer prevention. A French study comprising of over 56,000 women, who were followed for eight years found no associated between n-3 PUFA and breast cancer risk(8). Numerous mechanisms have been proposed for the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFAs in cancer prevention. PUFAs are capable of influencing the fatty acid composition of glycerophospholipids in cell membranes. N-3 PUFAs can replace n-6 PUFAs in glycerophospholipids(9) and a high n-3 to n-6 ratio has been found to affect cell membrane signalling. Lipid rafts are important signalling domains within the cell membrane which contain receptors such as epidermal growth factor receptor(10). As DHA has a poor affinity for cholesterol in lipid rafts it can supress raft associated signal transduction(10). This is important as in many cancers signalling pathways can be over activated. It has also been suggested that n-3 PUFAs may induce apoptosis and reduce proliferation in human cancer cells by decreasing signalling through AKT/NFkB and by modulating the PI3k/AKT/p38 MAPK pathway(11). N-3 PUFAs are involved in the suppression of arachadonic acid (4n-6) derived eicosanoids, which are involved in cellular growth, cell differentiation and have proinflammatory effects (12). Arachadonic derived eicosanoids such as PGE2, have been positively linked to cancer (13), unlike EPA eicosanoids which have anticancer effects(14). As mentioned above incorporation of n-3 PUFAs into the phospholipid membrane replaces n-6 arachadonic acid precursors, decreasing arachadonic derived eicosanoids and increasing EPA eicosanoids. N-3 PUFAs have also been found to supress cyclooxygenase-2 (15), which has anti-tumour affects as COX-2 down regulates apoptotic pathways(16). This is in contrast to n-6 PUFAs which have been found to upregulate COX-2(17). It is also interesting to note that in breast, colon and prostate cancer COX-2 is overexpressed (18, 19). Taking this into account it is likely that suppression of COX-2 by n-3 PUFAs may be a preventative measure in these cancers. In conclusion there is evidence for the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFAs in cancer prevention, however due to inconsistencies in epidemiological data it is too early to recommend the use of n-3 PUFAs for cancer prevention. Possible explanations to explain these inconsistencies may be that population-based studies rely heavily on data from self-reported dietary PUFA intake. This form of data collection may poorly correlate with accurate PUFA intake. Another possible explanation is that the amount of n-3 PUFA administered in studies, may not be of a sufficient quantity to have a protective functions in cancer prevention. Further studies are needed to be carried out to account for the current variation in published studies before recommending n-3 PUFAs for cancer prevention. According to the latest report from the National Cancer Registry: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in both men and women in Ireland (20). Environmental factors such as diet have been identified as playing a role in the risk of CRC development. Preventability estimates from the World Cancer Research Fund show that 47% of cases of CRC in the UK can be prevented by modifying factors such as eating and drinking healthily, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight(21). According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004 24% of people (who did not take supplements containing vitamin B6) have suboptimal active B6 plasma concentrations (22). Vitamin B6 is a water soluble vitamin, which in its active form: pyridoxal 5’-phostphate (PIP) is involved in more than 100 coenzyme reactions, including lipid, carbohydrate and protein metabolism(23). Vitamin B6 may play a role in CRC prevention through its role in one carbon related DNA synthesis and methylation(24). Vitamin B6 has also been shown to reduce the formation of nitric oxide(25), inhibit angiogenesis(26) and reduce oxidative stress(27), creating an unfavourable environment for tumour development. Despite the mechanistic evidence supporting for the role of vitamin B6 in CRC cancer prevention, epidemiological evidence has been inconsistent. A meta-analysis of 9 studies carried out between 2002-2009 on Vitamin B6 intake in relation to CRC risk, found inconsistent results with both an inverse and positive association(28). The same meta-analysis included four nestled case-control studies investigating serum PLP on CRC risk. All four studies found an inverse relationship between PLP levels and CRC risk, with an overall reduced risk of CRC for every 100-pmol/mL increase in serum PLP(28). In the 9 studies of vitamin B6 intake and CRC risk it seems that highest vs lowest category of vitamin B6 intake was most important. When the study’s results were pooled together, a 21% significant reduction in CRC risk was found when comparing high vs low vitamin B6 intake in studies with a wider range of exposure (>1.5-mg difference)(28). A different study prospectively followed up 26,440 women and 44,410 men to assess whether a higher vitamin B6 intake in the remote past(12-16years prior to diagnosis) was more strongly associated with a lower risk of developing CRC than an intake in the recent past (4 years prior to diagnosis)(23). The results of this study did not support a strong role of vitamin B6 intake in preventing CRC development. However most of the participants were relatively well nourished, with only 5-10% of people having a vitamin B6 intake below the recommended daily allowance(23). This limited the study as it is not the most accurate measures of determining the potential effects on suboptimal vitamin B6 on CRC risk. The Japan Public Health Centre-based Prospective study investigated the association of dietary folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine on CRC risk(29). The study included 81,184 participants (38,107 men and 43,077 women) who were followed from 1995-98 to the end of 2002. A significantly inverse relationship between vitamin B6 intake and CRC was found in men. Men in the highest quartile of vitamin B6 intake had a 35% decreased risk of CRC compared with men in the lowest quartile. No association was found in vitamin B6 intake and CRC in women. Interestingly a higher intake of vitamin B6 appeared to be beneficial in men with higher alcohol intake. The study found that the risk of CRC associated with alcohol intake was significantly higher in those who had a low vitamin B6 intake, however this risk was found to decrease in those who had a higher vitamin B6 intake(29). In conclusion there is evidence to suggest that vitamin B6 may play a role in CRC prevention, however it appears that plasma PLP appears to be more strongly linked to a reduced risk in CRC. Studies investigating the effect of vitamin B6 intake on CRC risk appear to be inconsistent. In contrast studies on PLP have found higher plasma PLP CRC risk by 30-50%(23). It is also important to note that studies have found that individuals with higher activity levels, higher dietary intakes of folate and calcium and individuals who do not smoke have higher vitamin B6 levels and a decreased risk of CRC(23). In these individuals it is difficult to determine if it is these healthier behaviours or the increased B6 levels that decreases CRC risk. It is also difficult to assess the impact of dietary vitamin B6 on its own on CRC risk, as most foods containing vitamin B6 contain various other nutrients such as folate and vitamin D. Further studies are needed to be carried out to explain the current inconsistencies in the use of vitamin B6 and CRC risk before vitamin B6 can be recommended as a preventive measure. 1.International Agency for Research on Cancer WHO. GLOBOCAN 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence in 2012 2012. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr/Pages/fact_sheets_cancer.aspx. 2.Organization WH. Cancer fact sheet 2014 [updated February 2014]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/index.html. 3.Parada B, Reis F, Cerejo R, Garrido P, Sereno J, Xavier-Cunha M, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit tumor growth in a rat model of bladder cancer. BioMed research international. 2013;2013:368178. 4.Ritch CR, Wan RL, Stephens LB, Taxy JB, Huo D, Gong EM, et al. Dietary fatty acids correlate with prostate cancer biopsy grade and volume in Jamaican men. The Journal of urology. 2007;177(1):97-101; discussion 5.Williams CD, Whitley BM, Hoyo C, Grant DJ, Iraggi JD, Newman KA, et al. A high ratio of dietary n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer. Nutrition research (New York, NY). 2011;31(1):1-8. 6.Sawada N, Inoue M, Iwasaki M, Sasazuki S, Shimazu T, Yamaji T, et al. Consumption of n-3 fatty acids and fish reduces risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology. 2012;142(7):1468-75. 7.Sasazuki S, Inoue M, Iwasaki M, Sawada N, Shimazu T, Yamaji T, et al. Intake of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and development of colorectal cancer by subsite: Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study. International journal of cancer Journal international du cancer. 2011;129(7):1718-29. 8.Thiebaut AC, Chajes V, Gerber M, Boutron-Ruault MC, Joulin V, Lenoir G, et al. Dietary intakes of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk of breast cancer. International journal of cancer Journal international du cancer. 2009;124(4):924-31. 9.Gu Z, Wu J, Wang S, Suburu J, Chen H, Thomas MJ, et al. Polyunsaturated fatty acids affect the localization and signaling of PIP3/AKT in prostate cancer cells. Carcinogenesis. 2013;34(9):1968-75. 10.Turk HF, Barhoumi R, Chapkin RS. Alteration of EGFR spatiotemporal dynamics suppresses signal transduction. PloS one. 2012;7(6):e39682. 11.Schley PD, Jijon HB, Robinson LE, Field CJ. Mechanisms of omega-3 fatty acid-induced growth inhibition in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Breast cancer research and treatment. 2005;92(2):187-95. 12.Larsson SC, Kumlin M, Ingelman-Sundberg M, Wolk A. Dietary long-chain n-3 fatty acids for the prevention of cancer: a review of potential mechanisms. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2004;79(6):935-45. 13.Cheuk BL, Chew SB, Fiscus RR, Wong PY. Cyclooxygenase-2 regulates apoptosis in rat epididymis through prostaglandin D2. Biology of reproduction. 2002;66(2):374-80. 14.Cockbain AJ, Volpato M, Race AD, Munarini A, Fazio C, Belluzzi A, et al. Anticolorectal cancer activity of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid. Gut. 2014. 15.Hamid R, Singh J, Reddy BS, Cohen LA. Inhibition by dietary menhaden oil of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 in N-nitrosomethylurea-induced rat mammary tumors. International journal of oncology. 1999;14(3):523-8. 16.Rose DP, Connolly JM. Omega-3 fatty acids as cancer chemopreventive agents. Pharmacology therapeutics. 1999;83(3):217-44. 17.Badawi AF, Archer MC. Effect of hormonal status on the expression of the cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 genes and prostaglandin synthesis in rat mammary glands. Prostaglandins other lipid mediators. 1998;56(2-3):167-81. 18.Williams CS, Mann M, DuBois RN. The role of cyclooxygenases in inflammation, cancer, and development. Oncogene. 1999;18(55):7908-16. 19.Dempke W, Rie C, Grothey A, Schmoll HJ. Cyclooxygenase-2: a novel target for cancer chemotherapy? Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology. 2001;127(7):411-7. 20.Registry NC. Cancer In Ireland: Annual report of the National Registry. 2013. 21.Fund WCR. Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention. Food, Nutrition, and Physical activity: a Global Perspective. 2009 updated 2011. 22.Morris MS, Picciano MF, Jacques PF, Selhub J. Plasma pyridoxal 5-phosphate in the US population: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2004. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2008;87(5):1446-54. 23.Zhang XH, Ma J, Smith-Warner SA, Lee JE, Giovannucci E. Vitamin B6 and colorectal cancer: current evidence and future directions. World journal of gastroenterology : WJG. 2013;19(7):1005-10. 24.Selhub J. Folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 and one carbon metabolism. The journal of nutrition, health aging. 2002;6(1):39-42. 25.Komatsu S, Watanabe H, Oka T, Tsuge H, Kat N. Dietary vitamin B6 suppresses colon tumorigenesis, 8-hydroxyguanosine, 4-hydroxynonenal, and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein in azoxymethane-treated mice. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology. 2002;48(1):65-8. 26.Matsubara K, Mori M, Matsuura Y, Kato N. Pyridoxal 5-phosphate and pyridoxal inhibit angiogenesis in serum-free rat aortic ring assay. International journal of molecular medicine. 2001;8(5):505-8. 27.Jain SK, Lim G. Pyridoxine and pyridoxamine inhibits superoxide radicals and prevents lipid peroxidation, protein glycosylation, and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity reduction in high glucose-treated human erythrocytes. Free radical biology medicine. 2001;30(3):232-7. 28.Larsson SC, Orsini N, Wolk A. Vitamin B6 and risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. 2010;303(11):1077-83. 29.Ishihara J, Otani T, Inoue M, Iwasaki M, Sasazuki S, Tsugane S. Low intake of vitamin B-6 is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer in Japanese men. The Journal of nutrition. 2007;137(7):1808-14.

Developing Managers :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Developing Managers: The Functional, the Symbolic, the Sacred and the Profane [*]. Author/s: Ken Kamoche Abstract This paper offers a new perspective on international management by examining the role of culture and management development in creating international expertise, a sense of identity and realizing organizational control. A critical analysis of the culture transmission and management development philosophy and practice of a UK-based transnational reveals how the transmission of culture accomplishes management development objectives, while management development itself serves as a vehicle for the transmission of the desired corporate values. This recursiveness is sustained by a corporate ideology that urges the creation of integrative values and, in turn, is legitimized by the quest for favourable functional and symbolic consequences. Descriptors: management training and development, culture, ideology, functionalism, symbolism Introduction Reconciling headquarter-subsidiary interests while maintaining a distinct identity continues to be a major challenge for multinational firms, hence the think global/act local paradox. For Ghoshal and Bartlett (1990) this problem can be addressed by effectively handling the network of exchange relationships. Other solutions include socialization and the management of expatriates (e.g. Edstrom and Galbraith 1977; Tung 1982); managing relationships between expatriates and host-country subordinates (e.g. Shaw 1990); creating cultural synergy (e.g. Adler 1980); fostering cooperative relationships and developing conflict-resolution mechanisms (e.g. Doz et al. 1981); diffusing 'best proven practices' (e.g. Rosenzweig and Singh 1991); reconciling organizational linkages (e.g. Borys and Jemison 1989) and diffusing and leveraging knowledge (e.g. Gupta and Govindarajan 1991; Kamoche 1996). Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989: 187) found that successful transnational firms used management development 'to build cultural norms, sha pe organizational processes and influence individual managerial behaviour in a way that reinforced worldwide strategies and organizational objectives'. This implies a potentially integrative role for culture and management training and development (MTD). Going beyond the typical concern with 'better skills', this study offers a much more complex and multi-faceted picture of MTD which reveals an intricate interplay between MTD and corporate culture. We show how managers in a multinational firm disguised as International Products (IP) account for their training and career development activities and how they rationalize such activities in terms of an integrative corporate culture. [1] Thus, MTD serves as a tool for the transmission of culture, while a putative integrative culture in turn furnishes the rationale for MTD. This recursiveness finds legitimacy in the ideological premise, promulgated by senior management, that it is in the joint interests of the firm and the managers to absorb and internalize the organizational values inherent in the corporate culture, because this helps managers to secure a high-flying career.

Gambling among Adolescents in North America Essay

Lottery, card games, sports betting and money wagers. These are a few kinds of gambling that adults engage in; however, the youth of today are also found to be gambling more than adults (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002; Huang & Boyer, 2007). According to Derevensky & Gupta (2002), there is an alarmingly high percentage of children and adolescents engaged in gambling activities. In a long-term analysis between 1984 to 1999, it was found that the prevalence of youth gambling in North America increased from 45% to 66% and that the proportion of the youth who have serious gambling-related problems have increased as well from 10% to 15% in the same time period (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In the past 25 years in the United States and Canada, it has been found that the youth is significantly associated with gambling-related problems; the percentage of youth classified under the Sub-clinical or problem gambling (Level 2) and the pathological gambling (Level 3) were at 14. 6% and 4. 8% respectively in 2006, which is more than twice of the adults who only have a percentage of 2. 5% and 1. 5% each (ibid). Among the youth, it has also been found that more young men gamble more than women and they are also identified to be problem gamblers than young women and even among adults (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In North America today, approximately 80% of adolescents have participated in some form of gambling for money within in their lifetime (Felsher, Derevensky & Gupta, 2003; Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). This is an alarming rate. The number of youth who are engaged in adolescent gambling is higher today more than ever before and it is starting to become a serious public health issue that many nations, especially the United States and Canada, are trying to address (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Considerable research by psychologist and sociologists are being conducted regarding this problem. This paper will identify the causes of adolescent gambling, its consequences and what psychologists and the government are doing to treat this issue. Causes of Adolescent Gambling The availability and accessibility of gambling increased progressively in the United States and Canada from 1984-1999, which was also the time that an increase in youth gambling also occurred (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002). This increase in youth gambling has been attributed to the support of the two governments in the lucrative gambling industry. Political economy theories of Sauer maintain that this is due to the need for revenue generation of the large governments (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The youth have become exposed to numerous gambling establishments, directly and indirectly (Felsher et al, 2003). The widespread legalization of the different kinds of gambling in North America has greatly exposed the youth to the addictive game (ibid; Huang & Boyer, 2007). Gambling has already become a â€Å"well-established recreational form of entertainment† (Felsher et al, 2003) and there is already an estimated 15. 3million adolescents in North America who have engaged in gambling activities and 2. 2 million of these are problem or pathological gamblers (Huang & Boyer, 2007). Among 12-17 year old Americans, 4%–8% of them are already pathological gamblers and another 10%–15% of the youth are at risk of developing a serious problem (Felsher et al. , 2003; Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Adolescents gamble because they are tempted by the â€Å"lure of excitement, entertainment, and potential financial gain associated with gambling† (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Increased exposure to gambling will teach the kids to gamble, and the social learning theory of Albert Bandura points out the role of observation and imitation in the acquisition and maintenance of socially desirable and undesirable characteristics (Felsher et al. , 2003). The increased exposure they have in gambling influences them to do the same. Family and friends are the primary reference groups, but it is the parents who have a stronger influence since they occur earlier than the peer group (ibid). The parents are observed to be having fun and adolescents surveyed said they gamble because their parents play for enjoyment and excitement, and it is the parents who play their children and engage them in gambling (ibid). In the social learning theory, there are six mechanisms identified that is involved in the development of gambling and these are: 1) affective states such as anxiety or depression; 2) cognitive distortions about gambling; 3) behavioral reinforcement schedules; 4) social and institutional determinants such as opportunity to gamble; 5) sub-cultural conditions like prevailing attitude towards gambling and values of the adolescent’s social context and reference groups (as seen in the preceding paragraph); and 6) internal fantasy relationships with personifications like the parents or â€Å"lady luck† (Upfold, 2007). Lottery is the most favored form of gambling by adolescents because of its ease of accessibility and the minimal amount of money required to participate in the draw (Felsher et al. , 2003). Parents purchase the lottery tickets and they include their children in their gambling activity by asking for their advice, such as what number/s they should pick, let them carry the money, fill in the lottery stubs, scratching the numbers, etc. (ibid). This observation and direct participation of gambling from significant reference groups, such as the parents, influences the youth’s participation in gambling activities (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The parental acceptance of gambling as a recreational activity further encourages the youth to partake in it (Felsher et al. , 2003). Adolescents who gamble say that they have learned it from their parents. 15% of children made first bet with their parents and another 20% with other family members (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Parents gamble in close proximity to their children and they have a poor understanding of the negative consequences that this will have on their child (ibid). The Cognitive-Behavioral Model, which is part of the social-learning theory, may explain this cause. The model is based on the principles of learning from imitation, observation, schedules of enforcement and cognition or how the youth would interpret and draw conclusions about the events around him or her (Upfold, 2007). They are enforced to gamble since the adolescents report that their parents are aware of their gambling and that they do not object to it; 50% of parents are aware and are not worried, disregarding the age of the child (Felsher et al. , 2003). 58. 5% of children in the study of Felsher et al. (2003) also say that they wager money with their parents, hence they are taught to gamble; some parents even purchase lottery tickets for their child’s behalf and it has been found that the more severe gambling a child is doing, the more tickets there are purchased by parents. Also, adolescents who were found to be regularly gambling report that they gamble with their family members and 40% say they do it with their parents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). â€Å"Problem gambling is governed by a complex set of interrelating factors, causes, and determinants: biological, familial, behavioral, social, and environmental† (ibid). Under environmental, ease of access of online-gambling sites on the Internet is a new problem since the youth can easily access it and can be enticed by the visual appeals of Internet gambling (ibid). Another important reference point and part of the environmental factor which indirectly teaches gambling to children and reinforces it is the school. There are schools who promote gambling through fundraising activities including lottery, raffle draws, bingo, casino nights, and by permitting card playing within schools (ibid). Another explanation for causes of gambling is the Psychodynamic Model, which proposes that personal problems â€Å"lie within the psyche and are an attempt at self-healing or a strategy of resolving unconscious psychic conflicts†¦beyond voluntary control,† (Upfold, 2007), hence the individual continues to engage in gambling. There are three main components in this model and they are: 1) Gambling is an unconscious substitute for aggressive outlets; 2) Gambling involves an unconscious desire to lose- a wish to be punished in reaction to guilt; and 3) Gambling is a medium for continued enactment of psychological conflict (ibid). Adolescents do not engage in gambling for money but for excitement and enjoyment; through video lottery terminals, sports betting, cards, lotteries, bingo and other forms of gambling, adolescents with a gambling problem exhibit a number of dissociative behaviors such as escape into another world where they have altered egos (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002). Their personality traits that are correlated with risk-taking behavior such as excitable, extroverted, anxious and lower self-discipline show that they have poor coping and adaptive skills, so when they cannot cope with many hardships in their life or the stress of being a teenager, they gamble to â€Å"escape from the realities of daily life† (ibid). Gambling has been a way for adolescents who experience negative life events and use emotional-coping strategies to escape their problems, even if they have claimed to have social support from their peers (ibid; Bergevin, Gupta & Derevensky, 2006). The Trait Theory of Gambling is also part of the psychodynamic model and it show that there are certain personalities that is related to the problem of gambling such as depression, anti-social personality disorder- particularly for pathological gamblers, and narcissism- as seen in the compulsive gamblers (Upfold, 2007). Other identified risk factors that may lead to adolescent gambling include male gender, alcohol and drug use, deviant peers, family history of gambling, and impulsive behavior (Pietrzak, Ladd & Petry, 2003). Consequences of Adolescent Gambling The consequences of adolescent gambling are somewhat similar to that of adult gamblers; they not only affect themselves but society as a whole. Adolescent gambling does not only affect the individual adolescent but their families, peers, communities and health services (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The consequences the adolescent gamblers face are widespread and affects their psychological, behavioral, legal, academic, family and interpersonal domains- they become delinquent, have poor academic performance, impair their academic performance or even drop out from school, disrupt their relationship with family and friends, and display criminal behavior (ibid). They face negative health, psychological, social, personal and financial consequences that is why gambling is becoming a public health issue (ibid). It has been found that there is a strong correlation between adolescent gambling and the increased likelihood to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco and use drugs (Hardoon, Gupta & Derevensky, 2004). Huang & Boyer (2007) also says that adolescent gamblers are more likely to experience psychiatric problems, especially substance use disorders. The common factors that lead to this among adolescents are low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, victim of abuse, poor school performance, history of delinquency, poor impulse control, being male, early onset of gambling, parental history of gambling, and community/family acceptance of gambling (ibid). This will greatly affect the future of the youth since all that they indulge in is gambling. They become dissociated from the real world and spend much of their time gambling that they do not get to develop themselves as individuals anymore. They become more susceptible to suicide ideation and attempts, they replace their old friends with their gambling associates and they have a higher risk to develop an addiction or poly addictions (Gupta & Derevensky, 2002). In the study of Felsher et al. (2003), they found that 94% of young male gamblers and 93% of young female gamblers are not afraid to get caught. This shows their lack of concern on what may happen to them if they are caught and this may also show the acceptance of their parents. Since parents and most institutions fail to recognize gambling as a serious problem or certain activities to be gambling (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002), the adolescents are at a higher risk to further develop their gambling addiction. The course of gambling varies from one individual to another; however, the social learning theory shows that since gambling behavior is acquired it can be thought of as a continuum or stages from problem-free gambling all the way to pathological gambling (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005; Upfold, 2007). Messerlian & Derevensky (2005) states that â€Å"as gambling escalates and one moves along the continuum of gambling risk, the negative outcomes begin to outweigh any potential benefits† and this is when they would start experiencing different kinds of impaired personal, health, financial and social consequences. Treatments to Adolescent Gambling The numerous psychosocial costs of gambling to the individual, his/her family and to the community shows that this is a problem that must be addressed and treated (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002). Some adolescents do not know that they have a gambling addiction or disorder and this prevents them from getting proper treatment (ibid) however, with the intervention of family, friends or event the school, the adolescent may get treated. There are several kinds of treatment for adolescents who are already problem or pathological gamblers. Before these are discussed, prevention models for gambling will be discussed first since prevention is better than cure. Government policies should be stricter regarding gambling, particularly On-line gambling since that is readily accessible to the youth. Public policies that can influence the social environment and minimize unhealthy gambling behavior such as â€Å"legislation on advertising and promotion, laws regulating minimum age-requirements and their enforcement, provision of programs for harm minimization, fiscal measures, and regulation of the availability of products† should be balanced with the economic gains of the gambling industry (Messerlian & Derevensky 2005). Other prevention models suggested by Derevensky & Gupta (2002) include the need for awareness of the problem; activities that increase knowledge on adolescent gambling; programs to help modify and change attitude that gambling is not harmless; teaching of effective coping and adaptive skills to prevent problematic gambling; changing inappropriate conceptions about skill and luck, the illusion of control and independence in gambling activities; and identification, assessment and referral of students who are indicative of being at risk to gambling problems. Psychosocial approaches are one of the methods used to treat pathological gambling and this for adults this includes Gamblers Anonymous (Pietrzak et al. , 2006). For the adolescents several youth groups have been formed such as youthbet. net in Canada and wannabet. org in the United States; these website are managed by youths and non-governmental organizations to offer assistance and collaboration to adolescents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Piertzak et al. (2006) found that cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and eclectic therapy have been helpful in reducing problematic gambling behaviors. CBT involves altering the inaccurate perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of adolescents about gambling. The eclectic therapy is the individual approach to treating gambling problems and consists of: detailed assessment, acceptance of the problem, development of effective coping skills, restructuring of free time, involvement of family and social supports, cognitive restructuring, establishment of debt payment plans and relapse prevention (ibid). The motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is also used and is based on the concept that behavior change occurs through identifiable stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance (ibid). In this approach, the therapist is non-confrontational and elicits the adolescent’s understanding of the consequences of gambling and strengthens the commitment to change the ways of the individual; since it has a shorter duration that CBT and other therapies, MET is recommended for onset problems (ibid). A disease model is also sometimes used to treat gambling problems. In this approach, the compulsive gambler is made to embrace abstinence from gambling, to participate in self-help groups and to maintain abstinence by going through therapy to deal with previous or latent psychological problems (Upfold, 2007). There is also the Ecological Approach wherein gambling behavior is viewed from multiple perspectives and addresses the behavior from an individual and socio-environmental level where interventions are made at five levels that affects an individual to gamble: biological, familial, behavioral, social and environmental (Messerlian & Derevesnky, 2005). Internal and external factors cause an adolescent to gamble. Occasional gambling is harmless but once exposed to gambling especially at a young age, gambling problems may occur and develop into an addiction, which may affect the social, academic and personal life of the adolescent. Treatments vary such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, eclectic therapy, motivational-enhancement therapy and ecological approach; however, prevention of adolescent gambling is still the best and this can be done through increased awareness about the public health problem and stricter government policies regarding access of adolescents to gambling venues, especially online gambling. Bibliography Bergevin, T. , Gupta, R. and Derevensky, J. (2006). Adolescent gambling: Understanding the role of stress and coping. Journal of Gambling Studies, (22), 195-208. Derevensky, J. L. and Gupta, R. (2002). Youth gambling: A clinical and research perspective. The Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues. Retrieved April 9, 2008 from http://www. camh. net/egambling/issue2/feature/index. html Felsher, J. R. , Derevensky, J. L. , Gupta, R. (2003). Parental influences and social modelling of youth lottery participation. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 13: 361-377. Hardoon, K. K. , Gupta, R. and Derevensky, J. L. (2004). Psychosocial variables associated with adolescent gambling. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18 (2), 170 – 179. Huang, J. H. and Boyer, R.. (2007). Epidemiology of youth gambling problems in Canada: A national prevalence study. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52 (10). Messerlian, C. and Derevensky, M. (2005). Youth gambling: A public health perspective. Journal of Gambling Issues (14). Pietrzak, R. H. , Ladd, G. T. and Petry, N. M. (2003). Disordered gambling in adolescents: Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. Pediatr Drugs, 5 (9), 583 – 592. Upfold, Darryl. (2007). An introduction to conceptual models of problem gambling. Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved April 13, 2008, from http://www. problemgambling. ca/EN/ResourcesForProfessionals/Pages/AnIntroductiontoConceptualModelsofProblemGambling. aspx

Culture of Nacirema People

Culture of Nacirema People The Nacirema community has its distinct believes just as any other cultural group. They believe that human body is very essential for the continuity of a person. However, they believe that human body is susceptible to various evil spirits which cause diseases. For a person to be sick in the Nacirema community, his or her body must have been attacked by some devilish spirits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Culture of Nacirema People specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Treatment in the Nacirema community is by exorcism which entails very crude and painful procedures but they do not see any problem. To them, pain is unavoidable while one is still living. In this regard, Nacirema people spend every day of their lives undertaking various rituals to get rid of the evil spirits. They view a human body as being incapable of protecting itself from diseases and should be assisted by medicine men and herbalists. This is quite dif ferent from the society where I come from because we believe that at any given situation the body tries to fight foreign substances. Moreover, we believe that diseases do not necessarily mean that evil spirits have attacked the body. Due to their believe that evil spirits attack the body hence making one sick, the Nacirema people believe in magic. Every person has to perform several rituals each day to protect themselves. It is important to note that to the Nacirema people, magic is part of life. Magic is used to protect the body from evil spirits and at the same time to heal it from diseases when one is sick. People in this community have based their day to day lives on magic and elimination of it can lead to a complete breakdown in the social order. Medicine men, herbalists and other people who have magical abilities are highly respected because they are thought as being superior. Nonetheless, the charms that the Nacirema use to heal and protect the body do not always work. To beg in with, their teeth usually decay yet they conduct oral rituals every morning. On the same note, people still fall sick after all the protection charms that they use. Above all, when people fall sick and go to the temple to sick medication, very few of them survive. It is ironical that the Nacirema people have not learnt that their rituals are not that effective as they think. Where I come from, we also have body rituals. We believe that the immune system of the body sometimes fails to properly protect the body from foreign substances. Moreover, we believe that divine intervention is necessary for one to live a complete life. In this regard, people usually go to church to seek the help of God in strengthening their souls.Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is more or less similar to the beliefs of the Nacirema people. On the same note, similar to the Nacirema rituals, we do have rituals to cleanse the mouth. We brush our teeth daily. Nonetheless, according to us there is no connection between the mouth and morality of a person. However, we differ with them because we do not believe that evil spirits need to be exorcised from the body. The rituals that the Nacirema people undertake are weird. With all the civilization and given the continent from which they come from, it is not expected that they could still believe in magic. These rituals would shock people from other parts of the world to death. However, the Nacirema people do not view their rituals as beingodd. Day in day out, they religiously follow what they think as being basic part of life. They wake up in the morning and do the morning rituals without fail. There has never been anyone who has stood up to complain about the absurdity of the rituals. To confirm that these people do not see anything funny in their rituals, they initiate their children into these rituals. While the number of p atients who survive from the temples is very low, people are still willing and work very hard to go into the temple when they fall sick. To a certain extent though, one might say that the Nacirema people know that their rituals are unusual. This is due to the fact that they conduct them with a high degree of secrecy that even the children do not get to know about them until initiation. The Nacirema are people from America. It is quite crucial to know that the Nacirema are inhabitants of North America. Ironically, despite their neighbors being modernized they are not. They have for years clung to their rituals. They are surrounded by the Canadian Cree and Tarahumare of Mexico. This is an area which is surrounded by developed economies and people are relatively rich. Their other neighbors include the Carib, the Arawak and the Yaqui. It has been argued that they migrated into this region from the East though this is subject to argument. Naturally, they are hardworking people and spend most of their time executing various economic activities.

Production and Operation in Manufacturing

Production and Operation in Manufacturing Free Online Research Papers Quality Customers that are businesses will define quality very clearly using specifications, standards, and other measures. This makes the point that quality can be defined and measured. Although few consumers could define quality if asked, all know it when they see it. This makes the critical point that quality is in the eye of the beholder. With the total quality approach, customers ultimately define quality. (Derek L. Waller. 2002) People deal with the issue of quality continually in their daily lives. We concern ourselves with quality when grocery shopping, eating in a restaurant, and making a major purchase such as an automobile, a television, or a personal computer. Perceived quality is a major factor by which people make distinctions in the marketplace. Whether we articulate them openly or keep them in the back of our minds, we all apply a number of criteria when making a purchase. The extent to which a purchase meets these criteria determines its quality in our eyes. One way to understand quality as a consumer-driven concept is to consider the example of eating at a restaurant. Most people apply such criteria as the following: ? Taste ? Response time ? Food preparation ? Service ? Environment ? Price ? Selection Personally the way driven me to choose the restaurant is the taste, other factors will be the environment, food preparation and service. Because we go to the restaurant for lunch or dinner, want to have a nice time and happy mood with it. I think taste is the most important factor, if the taste is wonderful customers will continue visit this restaurant even introduce their friends to come. Otherwise they will lose their customers. On the other hand, the environment, response time, food preparation, price and selection all are also very important for a restaurant. A good restaurant is good for everything, the food is fresh and won’t let customers wait so long for their food. And their staff service also very good, for example the customer don’t have enough drink in their cup then the staff will top up their cup. Another example is the customer order something not sell in this restaurant but the customer don’t know, the staff worker still go somewhere and b uy the thing order by the customer. Try their best to satisfy the customers demand then I can make sure the customer will visit the restaurant again, because customer happy with the restaurant, happy with the staff and happy with the service of this restaurant. Quality Management Quality management is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system and its performance. (www.wikipedia.com) Quality Standards The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created the Quality Management System (QMS) standards in 1987. These were the ISO 9000: 1987 series of standards comprising ISO 9001: 1987, ISO 9002: 1987 and ISO 9003: 1987; which were applicable in different types of industries, based on the type of activity: designing, production or service delivery. The standards have been regularly reviewed every few years by the International Organization for Standardization. The version in 1994 and was called the ISO 9000: 1994 series; comprising of the ISO 9001: 1994, 9002: 1994 and 9003: 1994 versions. The last revision was in the year 2000 and the series was call ISO 9000: 2000 series. However the ISO 9002 and 9003 standards were integrated and one single certifiable standard was created under ISO 9001: 2000. Since December 2003, ISO 9002 and 9003 standards are not valid, and the organizations previously holding these standards need to do a transition from the old to the new sta ndards. The ISO 9004: 2000 document gives guidelines for performance improvement over and above the basic standard. The Quality Management System standards created by ISO are meant to certify the processes and the system of an organization and not the product or service itself. ISO 9000 standards do not certify the quality of the product or service. Recently the International Organization released a new standard, ISO 2000, meant for the food industry. This standard covers the values and principles of ISO 9000 and the HACCP standards. It gives one single integrated standard for the food industry and is expected to become more popular in the coming years in such industry. The most elaborated and accepted concept of quality management is the model of the EFQM Excellence Model. (www.wikipedia.com) Now I’m gonna introduce a Dumpling Restaurant called Ding Tai Feng, this company got their own restaurant and service. They produce the dumpling by them-self and provide service by them-self as well. No matter how good the Ding Tai Feng’s manager manage his restaurant, but they still got some problems can not avoid. Such problems from two ways: one way is manufacturing environment, other way is service environment. For this dumpling restaurant which name is Ding Tai Feng I’ll use the following five quality tools to describe the problems that Ding Tai Feng face. For Manufacturing Environment I’ll use: ? Pareto Chart ? Histogram ? Check Sheet For Service Environment I’ll use: ? Scatter Diagram ? Run Chart Pareto analysis A Pareto analysis, named after Vilfredo Pareto a 19th-century Italian economist, is a graphical representation showing the frequency of the causes of a problem. (Operations Management) people use pareto charts can help them to focus attention on those categories of variables that occur most frequently, and to weight the factors being considered to enable priorities for action on those items that most need attention. Manufacturing This is shown in Figure 1. Dumpling meat filling is the major problem, which may be directly related to customers. Reasons for People don’t like the dumpling Number of Customers Percentage % Meat Filling 57 51.82 Vegetable 22 20.00 Dough 18 16.36 Source 9 8.18 Soup 4 3.64 Total 110 Figure 1 From Figure 1 which quality tool named Pareto Chart we can see the Meat Filling is the biggest problem that people don’t like the dumpling from Ding Tai Feng which the percentage is 51.82. So Ding Tai Feng has to pay attention on this area and ask for the reason why the customers don’t like the meat filling and improve it. Otherwise this dumpling restaurant will shut down soon. From this chart we can see all the factors very clearly and easy to pay attention on the most important factors. Meat filling is the biggest problem, other factors are vegetable, dough, source and soup and the percentage for them are 20%, 16.36%, 8.18% and 3.64%. Histogram In statistics, a histogram is a graphical display of tabulated frequencies. A histogram is the graphical version of a table that shows what proportion of cases fall into each of several or many specified categories. The histogram differs from a bar chart in that it is the area of the bar that denotes the value, not the height, a crucial distinction when the categories are not uniform width. The categories are usually specified as non-overlapping intervals of some variable. The categories must be adjacent. (www.wikipedia.com) Understanding a few basic facts is fundamental to the use of statistical techniques for quality and process applications. All processes are subject to variability, or variation by histogram. There are many examples of this. But I want to use the graph about the Ding Tai Feng selling the dumpling in different weight range of meat filling. Under the Ding Tai Feng’s manager don’t know the market before so he tests the market start by 21~30g weight meat filling inside the dumping so they found they sold 10 dumplings per day. After the first step they continue test the market and each time add 10 more G than last test. Every time they add more meat filling inside of the dumpling and the dumpling they sold were more and more than last time. Till the weight of meat filling is 41~50g they sold 98 dumplings per day. On the other hand this is the best selling till now. After this range which is 41~50g the selling will be drawn. Then Ding Tai Feng’s manager will know the weight of meat filling around 41~50g was the best selling of dumplings. So they will consider this range of weight and produce the dumpling that can make the Max profit. From the graph Figure 2 we also can see very clearly when the range is 41~50 the podetium is the highest one. When this restaurant start test the market from the first day is the lowest just put 21~30 meat filling so the customers don’t like it then the selling number of the dumpling is less. The flatter and wider the frequency distribution curve, the greater the process variability. The taller and narrower the curve, the less the process variability. Even though the variability may change from process to process, it would be helpful to have a common means of measuring, discussing, or understanding variability. Fortunately Ding Tai Feng do. To express the process’s variability we need to know only two things, both of which can be derived from the process’s own distribution data: standard deviation and mean. Standard deviation is represented by the lowercase Greek letter sigma (?) and indicates a deviation from the average, or mean, value of the dumplings in the data set. The mean is represented by the Greek letter mu (?). In a normal histogram, ? is seen as a vertical line from the peak of the bell curve to the base, and it is the ling from which deviation is measured, minus to the left of ? and plus to the right. Standard deviation (?) is normally plotted at -2?,-1? (left of ?), and +1?, +2? to the right (refer to Figure 3). Because mean and standard deviation are always derived from data from the process in question, standard deviation has a constant meaning from process to process. Check Sheet The check sheet is a simple document that is used for collecting data in real-time and at the location where the data is generated. The document is typically a black form that is designed for the quick, easy, and efficient recording of the desired information, which can be either quantitative or qualitative. When the information is quantitative, the check sheet is sometimes called a tally sheet. A defining characteristic of a check sheet is that data is recorded by making marks on it. A typical check sheet is divided into regions, and marks made in different regions have different significance. Data is read by observing the location and number of marks on the sheet. (www.wikipedia.com) Figure 4 From figure 4 we can easy to see the problem of Ding Tai Feng got. Depend on the customer’s feedback about the dumpling from Monday to Sunday. Everyday got the same problem and same feedback but the times are different. Meat filling smelly, vegetable not fresh, dough too thick source too sweet and worm inside soup are the major problem feedback made by customers. We can see on Monday they got a lot of problem especially the meat filling smelly and dough too thick, maybe the stuff are lazy to work or something like that. But on Friday they got fewer problems, seem like near the weekend all people working very hard. Scatter Diagram The scatter diagram is used to determine the correlation between two characteristic. Suppose you have an idea that there is a relationship between dumpling sold and the percentage of delivery per day. Percentage of delivery per day on the y-axis and number of dumpling sold per day on the x-axis; percentage of delivery per day and number of dumpling sold per day are the two characteristics. Examination of the scatter diagram of Figure 5 shows that the aggregate of data points contains a slope up and to the right. This is correlation, and it supports the thesis that many people like to eat the Ding Tai Feng’s dumpling. But they all lazy to go out so would like use to use the phone call and order the dumpling which is delivery. But figure 5 is a collection of scatter diagrams illustrating strong positive collection. Figure 5 Run Chart A run chart is a graph that displays observed data in a time sequence. Often, the data displayed represent some aspect of the out put or performance of a manufacturing or other business process. (www.wikipedia.com) For example this run chart is talking about the quantity demand of dumpling from Monday to Sunday. Time is generally represented on the horizontal (x) axis and the property under observation on the vertical (y) axis. Often, some measure of central tendency of the data is indicated by a horizontal reference line. We can see very clearly from Monday to Thursday the curve is going up day by day. On the other hand is the quantity demand of dumpling is getting higher. Seem from Friday to Saturday the line is dropping down maybe the customers want to change the food to eat. After Saturday the curve going up again. We use run chart can help us easy to get information about the quantity demand of customers and the Ding Tai Feng’s manager can produce the dumpling to satisfy the customers. In conclusion I was done the five quality tools in Ding Tai Feng the manufacturing dumpling which are: Pareto Chart, Histogram and Check Sheet for manufacturing environment. Scatter Diagram and Run Chart for service environment. The company use these five quality tools can see the problems easier; can help them find the way to fix the problem faster. References: ? David L. Goetsch Stanley B. Davis. (2006). Quality Management, Upper Saddke River, New Jersey 07458. ? Derek L. Waller. (2002). Operations Management, Second Edition, USA: Thomson ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_management ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Check_sheet ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_chart Research Papers on Production and Operation in ManufacturingBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceOpen Architechture a white paperAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)

Six Idioms with Dozen

Six Idioms with Dozen Six Idioms with Dozen Six Idioms with Dozen By Maeve Maddox The English word dozen comes from French douzaine, which in turn comes from Latin duodecim: â€Å"two plus ten.† It occurs in several English idioms. 1. cheaper by the dozen: costing less when bought in quantity. The expression appears on the Google Ngram Viewer in the 19th century, but its usage rises significantly beginning in 1942. The novel Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey was published in 1948, and the popular movie version based on it (starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy) was released in 1950. 2. a baker’s dozen: thirteen instead of twelve In the Middle Ages, bakers were discouraged from cheating their customers by strict weights and measures laws. Lacking precise modern equipment, medieval bakers couldn’t be sure that every loaf that came out of their ovens would be identical in weight. To protect themselves from being fined, they threw in a little extra with each order. Two other expressions used to mean â€Å"thirteen† are devil’s dozen and long dozen. 3. by the dozen: in large quantities, not necessarily in units of 12. For example, the following headline uses the expression to mean â€Å"in large quantities: â€Å"Applications by the Dozen, as Anxious Seniors Hedge College Bets† 4. daily dozen: a short set of daily physical exercises, performed in sets of 12. The phrase originally referred to a set of 12 callisthenic exercises devised by Yale football coach Walter C. Camp (1859-1925). The Google Ngram Viewer shows the phrase peaking in 1928 and then dropping off. 5. to talk nineteen to the dozen: to talk endlessly or at great speed. The fast talker says nineteen words for every twelve that a person speaking at normal speed would say. Although not an idiom, a commonly heard expression is â€Å"the Dozens.† 6. the Dozens: a game of spoken words between two contestants in which participants insult each other until one gives up. The insults may refer to the other player’s intelligence, appearance, and character, or to family members, particularly the other person’s mother. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:35 Synonyms for â€Å"Look†Latin Words and Expressions: All You Need to KnowPreposition Review #1: Chance of vs. Chance for

English paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English paper - Essay Example Writing in the first person, Rose defies the traditional political and cultural associations relating to personal achievement to insist that the narrative of an individual’s life is both the product and process of surrounding social and educational narratives. In this article, I will feature the title both metaphorically and literally. The American education institutions are diverse in culture and population. In almost all institutions, one will find themselves surrounded by African, African American, Hispanic, Cantonese, and Asian among other students. Also to be considered is the economic vantage and disadvantage of the student in question, their esteem levels, the parental control as well as the will by the student. Being an African student, I can relate to Rose’s experiences. Coming from a culture that does not value education in general, it was hard to enter into a classroom. Being a girl added insult to injury. Growing up, my going to school was not debatable. I will begin by giving you a glimpse into a traditional Maasai homestead. A girl is supposed to get married as soon as she â€Å"graduates† into a woman. The graduation is marked by pomp and color, after which one undergoes female genital mutilation (FGM). Additionally, culture and family (save for my mother) did not support my dreams or care to provide a conducive environment for my studies, the call was inherent and evident. I loved education and dreamt of being a writer despite the many hurdles and bleak future ahead. Like Rose, my education journey has been a long way coming. Miraculously, I was able to swim my way through high school and won a scholarship to study in the United States. Now came the freshman experience in foreign soils. The alienation and the loneliness was enough to dampen my spirits. In â€Å"The Politics of Remediation†, Rose discusses these feelings. The experience was more or less

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

Prodigies - Essay Example Teachers at Queensmill encouraged him to speak by taking away his art drawings so that he could ask for them when he needs them. He responded by making some sounds, which made him to eventually utter his first word paper and he finally, learned to speak when he was nine years old (Sacks, 2012). He is highly interested in American cars; Stephen became fascinated with architectural drawing of landmark London buildings. One of his teachers took him on a drawing excursion and entered his work in children’s competition, of which he won many of the awards. The media become impressed and suspicious on how a young child could sketch such masterful drawings. The interest from the local media became national when he attained eight years of age; thus, enabling him launch his lifelong career. When he turned nine, he received his first work from the Prime Minister Edward Heath to make an architectural drawing of Salisbury Cathedral. At the age of 10, Stephen embarked on his project dubbed, London alphabet, which was a group of pictures depicting landmark structures that are found in London starting from Albert hall to London zoo (HappeÃŒ  & Frith, 2009). He did many things correctly to achieve fan base, fame and financial stability that he enjoys currently. A mixture of good intuitive decisions and raw talent from that tender age was his recipe for success. He is much motivated and he feels encouraged when he makes other people feel happy thereby making him proud, he has a motto that says, â€Å"Do the best you can and never stop. He cannot live alone because he needs moral support from close family relatives; this is evident as he still lives with his mum (Sacks, 2012). Stephen is very confident and loves London. He is an ambassador for those suffering from autism and their parents. He also assists the disabled by talking to them and telling them how drawing changed his life. Wiltshire is

Soft Systems Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Soft Systems Methodology - Essay Example This action research-based, interpretive approach is strongly influenced by Vickers' (1968, pp.59,176) description of the importance of appreciative systems in dealing with human complexity. Checkland (1981), and Checkland and Scholes (1990) have attempted to transform these ideas from systems theory into a practical methodology that is called Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). Soft Systems Methodology developed by Professor Peter Checkland is a way of dealing with problem situations in which there is a high social, political and human activity component. (Checkland, 1981) This distinguishes SSM from other methodologies that deal with hard problems which are more technologically oriented. Thus, SSM can be a useful research tool for understanding problematic ELT situations. (Holliday, 1990) Hard problems are problems characterized by the fact that they can be well defined. The assumption is that there is a definite solution and we can define a number of specific goals that must be accomplished. Soft problems, on the other hand, are difficult to define.When we think of soft problems, we don't think of problems but of problem situations. It is the classic situation of it not being a "problem" but an "opportunity". Soft Systems methodology was developed for the express purpose of dealing with problems of this type.His "Soft Systems Methodology" was created through a number of research projects in industry and its application and refinement over a number of years. A leading SSM specialist in Japan, suggests that SSM can be a useful research tool in the educational context, and argues that it can be applied to any messy, problematic human situation that requires decision-making aimed at improvement (Kijima, 1999) The most important feature of this analysis of data, informat ion and knowledge is that the act of creating information is a human act, not one which a machine can accomplish. It is the human being who can attribute meaning to the selected data. (Checkland, Holwell, 1998)SSM is divided into seven distinct stages. These are; 1. Finding out about the problem situation. This is basic research into the problem area. Who are the key players How does the process work now etc. 2. Expressing the problem situation through Rich Pictures. As with any type of diagram, more knowledge can be communicated visually. A picture is worth a 1000 words. 3. Selecting how to view the situation and producing root definitions. From what different perspectives can we look at this problem situation. 4. Building conceptual models of what the system must do for each root definitions. You have basic "Whats" from the root definitions. Now begin to define "Hows". 5. Comparison of the conceptual models with the real world. Compare the results from steps 4 and 2 and see where they differ and are similar. 6. Identify feasible and desirable changes. Are there ways of improving the situation. 7. Recommendations for taking action to improve the problem situation. How would you implement the changes from step 6. Step 1: Problem situation unstructured The initial stage consists simply of managers and/or employees (problem owner) deciding that a review or change of tasks and the way they are performed is required, and an analyst (problem solver) is called in to review and provide recommendations. Step 2: Problem situation expressed Step 1 is basically that people of the organization think there

The History of Winter Olympic Games Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The History of Winter Olympic Games - Term Paper Example The Winter Olympic Games were disrupted by both World War 1 and World War 2. Other than the games being completely canceled because of the war and the plans being suspended, there were strained relations after the war between the nations that had been at war and their allies (Wickenheiser, 2009). The Olympic Games were feared to be held in some nations such as the Soviet Union after the war for fear of reaction of the enemies of the Soviet Union. The Worlds Wars also led to world depression and hence after the wars, few nations were able to participate in the next winter Olympic Games as the rest lacked expense money. The participants even from the nations that attended were few. Doping has been a headache to the organizers of this particular sport as with many other sports. The measures taken since 1967 have been to perform random drug tests on the participants and banning those found with positive results. The most common doping drugs are the performance enhancers. The other controversy that has rocked these games is the bribing of the planning committee officials with expensive gifts in order for their countries to be selected to host the games. The most controversial and which saw 10 officials sent packing is the 2002 Salt Lake City, USA Olympics (Gerlach, 2004). Politics have always been a silent but present issue in these winter Olympic Games. Most nations still have cold war amongst themselves and they push them in the games. Some nations use the winter Olympic Games as an opportunity to show off to the nations and those which have been successful in the number of medals use this as a way to express their powers such as the US. The nations that have always had a grudge against each other go to the extent of skipping the winter games when they take place in the enemy country. Even though the politics are silent and not expressed openly, it still affects the sole purpose of the games

Insufficient Staffing and Medication Errors Essay

Insufficient Staffing and Medication Errors - Essay Example Understanding the different factors affecting health care delivery to the patients should be analyzed in order to make sure its objectives are attained. One of the issues that healthcare systems should address in order to optimize its role in delivering quality health care to its patients is medication error. Medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate use of harm to a patient while medication is in control of the health care professional, patient or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures and system including prescribing, order communication, administration, education, monitoring, and use. According to various studies concerning errors in patient medications, there are around 7,000 to 7,400 people in the United States who dies due to such form of negligence. Specifically in New York, there is approximately 1,400 people die every year or twenty percent of medical injuries are due to medicati on errors. Lawsuits have been filed across the United States health care system as a result of medication errors, which exposed the patients into dangerous situations that eventually cause the death of some patients. According to the National Law Journal, out of the 13 largest medical negligence lawsuits in the US in 2002, seven of these were in New York alone. The number of deaths from medication errors in the US per year is at least one death every day. In addition, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research found that a total of 1.3 million people are injured because of medication errors. Types of Medication errors Medication errors occur in different ways and at any degree. Medical negligence of this type may be made by any health care practitioner, from the nursing staff to the attending physicians. One type of medication error may be a misdiagnosis of a patient’s illness identified as a diagnostic error. A mistake as complicated as this, may result to more serious prob lems when made. Misdiagnosis could result to recommending an incorrect choice of therapy to the patient that would further injure them. Failure to use an indicated diagnostic test is also a result of diagnostic error that may cause a patient’s illness to become worse and very serious. Test results may also be misinterpreted due to an error in diagnosis. Patients suffer the consequences of not being able to get the right treatment to their illnesses when such diagnostic error happens. In addition, when patients are misdiagnosed, medical staff may not be able to correctly handle abnormal situations that are brought about by the patient’s illness or disease. Equipment failure is another form of medication error that is classified under this category. Some examples of this are dead batteries in defibrillators and easily dislodged or bumped valves of intravenous pumps. When such conditions are unnoticed, patients may have increased doses of medication over a short period of time that may be too dangerous, worse, fatal to the. Physicians are not spared in committing medication errors as well. The same thing goes with the nurses. Their roles require them to be in close contact with the patients. While physicians prescribe the medications or recommend the proper treatment necessary for the patients, the nurses are those who implement them.

Charting trip across the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charting trip across the US - Essay Example We were making an adventurers religious journey organized by the Presbyterian churches of USA. It entailed all youth members around the nation. This was back in 1856, when the Natives’ policies in the United States of America were not fully defined. We began the train in an open caravan of the time at around 8pm. We were to follow the direction as shown in the diagram below. One of the most demanding moments was when we got to the famous Gunnison National Forest. This is a forest known to have poisonous serpents, and other large animals. Therefore, we had to camp on the western side of the forest, to facilitates the continuation of the journey the following morning. At around 3am, we continued with the journey, hoping for the best. At Utah, State at the central region as one approaches west; we met a group of youths having their way to Reno. They looked hostile and unfriendly, so we kept a safe distance as they were three times the members of my group. They were Indians and Mexicans, just like most of us; this meant that they had come from the southern-west boarder. Between the two regions, the journey was excellent as we met other three groups a distance of 102KM from the Capital of Utah. The trail took us 4 days, and we arrived to the destination point safe and sound. Reno was familiar to me, as this was my home area; I learnt in Roselle Park, and luckily got and employment in the same region. 1. The Concentration Policy – this was an idea to concentrate these native in one large reservation. It was to prevent them from interfering with the white settlers in their railroad constructions and other travelling adventures. The policy affected the trail in a great way; we had to get a permit. It came to a success because the initiators of the trip were white religious leaders (Marger 36). 2. Termination Policy – it is the policy that ended the Bureau of Indian Affair. It also ended the government’s social responsibilities.

The History of Winter Olympic Games Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The History of Winter Olympic Games - Term Paper Example The Winter Olympic Games were disrupted by both World War 1 and World War 2. Other than the games being completely canceled because of the war and the plans being suspended, there were strained relations after the war between the nations that had been at war and their allies (Wickenheiser, 2009). The Olympic Games were feared to be held in some nations such as the Soviet Union after the war for fear of reaction of the enemies of the Soviet Union. The Worlds Wars also led to world depression and hence after the wars, few nations were able to participate in the next winter Olympic Games as the rest lacked expense money. The participants even from the nations that attended were few. Doping has been a headache to the organizers of this particular sport as with many other sports. The measures taken since 1967 have been to perform random drug tests on the participants and banning those found with positive results. The most common doping drugs are the performance enhancers. The other controversy that has rocked these games is the bribing of the planning committee officials with expensive gifts in order for their countries to be selected to host the games. The most controversial and which saw 10 officials sent packing is the 2002 Salt Lake City, USA Olympics (Gerlach, 2004). Politics have always been a silent but present issue in these winter Olympic Games. Most nations still have cold war amongst themselves and they push them in the games. Some nations use the winter Olympic Games as an opportunity to show off to the nations and those which have been successful in the number of medals use this as a way to express their powers such as the US. The nations that have always had a grudge against each other go to the extent of skipping the winter games when they take place in the enemy country. Even though the politics are silent and not expressed openly, it still affects the sole purpose of the games

Charting trip across the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charting trip across the US - Essay Example We were making an adventurers religious journey organized by the Presbyterian churches of USA. It entailed all youth members around the nation. This was back in 1856, when the Natives’ policies in the United States of America were not fully defined. We began the train in an open caravan of the time at around 8pm. We were to follow the direction as shown in the diagram below. One of the most demanding moments was when we got to the famous Gunnison National Forest. This is a forest known to have poisonous serpents, and other large animals. Therefore, we had to camp on the western side of the forest, to facilitates the continuation of the journey the following morning. At around 3am, we continued with the journey, hoping for the best. At Utah, State at the central region as one approaches west; we met a group of youths having their way to Reno. They looked hostile and unfriendly, so we kept a safe distance as they were three times the members of my group. They were Indians and Mexicans, just like most of us; this meant that they had come from the southern-west boarder. Between the two regions, the journey was excellent as we met other three groups a distance of 102KM from the Capital of Utah. The trail took us 4 days, and we arrived to the destination point safe and sound. Reno was familiar to me, as this was my home area; I learnt in Roselle Park, and luckily got and employment in the same region. 1. The Concentration Policy – this was an idea to concentrate these native in one large reservation. It was to prevent them from interfering with the white settlers in their railroad constructions and other travelling adventures. The policy affected the trail in a great way; we had to get a permit. It came to a success because the initiators of the trip were white religious leaders (Marger 36). 2. Termination Policy – it is the policy that ended the Bureau of Indian Affair. It also ended the government’s social responsibilities.

The Background of Fairy Tales stories and their Multiple Versions Essay Example for Free

The Background of Fairy Tales stories and their Multiple Versions Essay â€Å"The Background of Fairy Tales stories and their Multiple Versions† In this essay, I am going to discuss the different versions that writers had written about the famous fairy tale â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood† by Charles Perrault, or sometimes known as â€Å"Little Red Cap† by the Grimm Brothers. To start we are going to be arguing a critical essay explaining why fairy tales are created, and what’s the reality behind these stories. First, according to a critical essay â€Å"The trials and tribulations of Little Red Ridding Hood† by Jack Zipes there had been different versions of this famous fairy tale each of them are related to the actual world that we live in. In this critical essay, Zipes talks about the origins of â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood† tale and he also discusses the new version that was updated or recreated by Perrault. As we all know, the character Little Red Ridding Hood has been used to warn kids about the consequences of disobedience or the consequences of talking to strangers. At the beginning of the essay, Zipes says, â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood has never enjoyed an easy life† (P.1). This line grabs my attention because it makes me realize that Little Red Ridding Hood is a character that is meant to reflect the disobedience and its consequences. This girl didn’t have an easy life and she’s never going to get a better one because this world is getting harder, also, I can say that these tales are created to show and teach children about what’s going on around the world, especially to innocent girls because they have to be in guard of wolf/men who want to abuse them. For example, we all know that in the 21st century, there are many wolves that want to eat innocent girls, but as we know those wolves can be very intelligent and show themselves attractive and gentle, but at the end of the day they will show their sharp teeth to attack their prey. Furthermore, Zipes mentions that Little Red Ridding Hood has suffered abused after abused and that seems to be very suspicious. In my opinion, there is nothing suspicious about it, because that was the way that it was on the past where men abused women just because they thought they were superior to women. However, we know that nowadays it is not like that anymore because women have proclaimed equality between men and women. Therefore, I believe that in the 21st century fairy tales show characters that can take control of dangerous situations without the help of  a huntsman, police man etc. In other words, women are more capable to fight for their own safety because they have learned that men are not supe rior to women. The social function of â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood† is to teach children how dangerous it could be to talk to strangers, which makes sense because the scenes of this story describe exactly what could happen to them if they disobeyed their parents advices. One interesting fact that we can see in any version of â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood† is that the girl always deceived the wolf and saves herself without the help of her grandma, hunters, police, or father! This means that kids need to learn how to take care of themselves and learn to be independent because there might be occasions where mom or dad are not going to be there to help them. I believe that kids need to grow up with these tales; tales that are appropriate (and by appropriate I mean tales with no sexual content) to their age. Like that they can learn how to become confident and independent. Now let’s talk about Perrault’s Transformation of the Tale One important fact that I can mention about Perrault’s transformation of â€Å"Little Red Ridding Hood† is that this writer wrote two different versions of the tale (one for children and there is a another one for adults). What I like the most of this fact is that parents can be more confortable that their kids are learning good things from this tale and most importantly, the content is according to their age. For example I can mention a video cartoon that I watched on YouTube entitled â€Å"Red Hot Ridding Hood† in which Little Red Ridding Hood is dancing on a bar and is there when the wolf goes crazy about her. In this video the wolf looked and spoke to the girl in a sexual way. As we see, this cartoon should be classified as an adult program and not for children because sexuality is a strong content in this video, even though, it does not show inappropriate images, but the behavior of the characters is not the best for a child to watch. Therefore, I think that it doesn’t matter how innocent cartoons look, parents should always pay attention on what their kids are watching on TV or on the Internet. In addition, the adult’s version is a good idea of the author, because, young adults can learn from this story too. Some people would say that adults  don’t need to learn about those things, but others would say that it is good for adults to read and learn from this kind of stories. I agree with those people because some adults either women or men don’t really know how to behave in an appropriate way or how take care of themselves. Therefore, I believe that adults should learn from fairy tales, because these stories are easier and faster to learn a lesson from (learn their attributes, good manners, and behaviors). But adults are the ones who choose what they want to learn and which character they want to represent in real life. Another quote that I can bring up is when the writer says, â€Å" It may take another 200 years for us to undo all lessons Red Ridding Hood, and the wolf as well, were forced to learn†(P.9). On the one hand, this line is saying that women need to learn how to behave in a way that a real woman should do it. But on the other hand, it is also saying that there are many men who need to learn how to treat and respect women and give them their place as a woman. In the story we see that the wolf is compared as a man and he’s the bad apple of the story/life, but not every man is a bad apple because we saw that in the fairy tale there was a hunter that became the hero of the tale. Therefore I can say that men have the decision if they want to become a hero or they want to be the bad apple of the story. While I was reading Perrault’s critical version, I learned many things from it, I will point the most relevant and interesting lines that I loved the most. First, he was one of the first writers of children’s books (books that were realistic and related to real life). Secondly, Perrault says, â€Å"Accustomed to being the center of attention, Little Red Ridding Hood stops to listen to the wolf and tries and tarries in woods. The child seek to amuse herself, and she ends her shot life by being the object of the wolf’s amusement.† In other words, sometimes women are responsible of men depravation against them because some women try to catch men’s attention by seducing them, but they end up being men’s victims. Just as my mother always says, â€Å"if women want to be respected by others, they are the one who have to start respecting themselves first † I agree with those words, no one will take care and respect women if they don’t s tart giving themselves the respect they expect to receive from others.