Glucose The Most Important Monosaccharide in the Body

Introduction to the topic: Glucose is the most important monosaccharide in the body. It serves as the primary energy source for humans. Every pathway, every form of metabolism has glucose involved with it. Glucose also serves as the backbone for many important molecules in the body. Glucose is also further uses to make disaccharides and polysaccharides. The metabolism of glucose or cellular respiration yields a lot of ATP in the human body. Since glucose serves such important functions, understanding the biochemistry and clinical applications of malfunction of glucose metabolism are important. Glucose testing in a hospital setting can lead to important results such as if a patient has diabetes or hyperglycemia. This paper focuses on glucose testing done in a clinical setting and the biochemistry behind why and how glucose testing serves such an important role. Biochemistry of Glucose and its metabolism: As it has already been established glucose is the primary source of energy, it is found in many tissues of the human body. For example, the nervous tissues itself cannot produce carbohydrates; due to this it is essential to have a steady supply of glucose to the tissue. Similarly, the liver and pancreas to perform its metabolism utilize glucose. Most of the ingested food is carbohydrates, which has to be broken down to glucose before it can be utilized by the body for it’s metabolic functions. Glucose once derived from the carbohydrates through enzymes such asShow MoreRelatedEssay about Chemistry and Carbohydrates1082 Words   |  5 Pages The Chemistry of Carbohydrates The chemistry of carbohydrates most closely resembles that of alcohol, aldehyde, and ketone functional groups. As a result, the modern definition of a carbohydrate is that the compounds are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones. The chemistry of carbohydrates is complicated by the fact that there is a functional group (alcohol) on almost every carbon. In addition, the carbohydrate may exist in either a straight chain or a ring structure. Ring structures incorporate twoRead MoreCarbohydrates : An Important Part1224 Words   |  5 PagesCarbohydrates paly an important part in athelets perfomenace. The basic componant of a carbohydrate is a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are three major kinds of Carbohydrates: monosaccharides (or simple sugars), disaccharides, and polysaccharides. 1. Monosaccharides: [Sugar] It is the simplest form of carbohydrate as it consists of single-sugar unit. The monosaccharides is main and primary source of energy for organisms. 2. Disaccharides: [simple or fast-acting carbohydrate]Read MoreThe Effect Of Glycogen On A Healthy Body1270 Words   |  6 PagesGlycogen is a carbohydrate and mainly a stored form of glucose. 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Food provides the energy in the form of calories as well as the materials needed to build and maintain all body cells. î  Ã® â€šÃ®â‚¬â€™ What is the benefit of nutrition to the body? Nutrients are the substances obtained from food that are vital for growth and maintenance of a healthy body throughout life. î  Ã® â€šÃ®â‚¬â€™ What is one classification of nutrients? Nutrients can be classified as essential orRead MoreChemistry : Water s Chemical Composition776 Words   |  4 PagesBackground Research Water’s chemical composition is H20. It is two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of oxygen combined. Water is a necessity. The human body can not go more than three days without a substantial intake of water. Ninety percent of the human body is water. All of our cells need water to do their daily objectives, and if we get to the point where there is not enough water the cell will not be able to do its intended function. 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Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that significantly affects the health of human beings. TheRead MoreChemistry : The Chemistry Of Life1165 Words   |  5 Pagesmonossaccharides. Monossaccharides are also known as â€Å"simple sugars† because they are composed of a single molecule such as glucose, fructose, or galactose. Two monossaccharides make a disaccharide, which is the second classification. The most common disaccharide is sucrose, also known as ta ble salt. The third classification is polysaccharides, which is three or more monosaccharides. Examples of polysaccharides would include starch and cellulose. These â€Å"simple sugars† can be presented by using the Benedicts

Lalala Free Essays

Summary of the story Weekend is a short feminists story depicting traditional middle-class family, consisting of the mother- Martha and the father of three- Martin, going for the weekend to their cottage near Stonehenge, where they will meet their friends. On Friday, Martha is preparing some things, food and complaining Nearly) about her life. Martin wants her to be perfect, as she says â€Å"he Likes women with small hips and big bosoms, that’s Incredible. We will write a custom essay sample on Lalala or any similar topic only for you Order Now † She has a suspicion that her husband has an affair with his secretary, who looks exactly that way. Martin has a small sport car, but they take Marsh’s car for the trip, since it is bigger, although it is the older one. Martha can ‘t drive, because her driving license was taken away for drunken driving. The whole Journey, Martin Is Joking about the car, but Martha takes It personally, whilst she has got the feeling, he Is ambiguously talking about her. Late at night, their friends- Colic and his girlfriend Katie, arrive to visit them in their cottage. His previous wife, Janet with whom he has two children, was a nice woman and Martha liked her, however she was not so stunning like the new one. Martha prepares mushroom omelets In her night, sets the table, cleans everything after the late supper and goes to bed at 2 a. M. Katie sits and has a good time, without any intention to help her. The other day Martha sleeps longer than usually and has the consumptions, because everything in the kitchen stays exactly in the same place, where the consumers had left It. She should ‘t sleep so long. Glamorous Katie did not help with anything. Again. The rest of their friends, Harry and Beryl, come for the lunch. They bring fresh artichokes. Ill Martha Is preparing the artichoke soup, the top of the blender flies away and the kitchen is full of artichoke puree. Awkward Martha. Jenny starts her first period and Martha is impressed and cries. She is not her little child anymore, but a little woman. To sum up the story, a woman must be always perfect. Great wife, mother, babysitter, awesome cook, successful careerist, best friend, psychologist, teacher, doctor, dishwasher, cleaner wit h bottomless sexual appetite. While exhaustion, influenza, migraine or other illnesses are mission impossible. And naturally, you would do it all in high heels, scented, with exquisite hair, flawless make- up and smile on your face. 2) Characteristics of the mall characters wants to be a perfect woman and tries to manage everything, what in her eyes woman should manage; however, her husband does not see that. She feels undervalued by him as long as he is criticizing her and looks back to the other women, young, childless, with big bosoms and little hips. She is also helping pretty much with house expenses, the thing, she’s not very satisfied with, because a good husband of his good wife should manage that. Martin- husband of Martha; iconic example of a man who comes home, extremely exhausted after all day in work and awaiting the house to be clean, children calm and that his wife will be neat, scented, smiling and ready to make him a supper according to his wishes. He is not satisfied with his wife. She should be slimmer, nicer, make healthier meals, and use plenty of perfumes he keeps buying her. Jenny, Jasper, Colony- children of Martha and Martin. We don ‘t know much about them. Jenny dries off her hair with Katie ‘s Yves Saint Laurent towel and gets the erred for the first time at the end of the story. Jasper has hay fever. Katie- a glamorous, childless, scented chick in her middle thirties; kind of a â€Å"modern wife†, who came to the relationship with one bag of clothes, intelligence and free mind. Colic- boyfriend of Katie, he loves her very much and wants to marry her. He has two children from the previous marriage. Katie does not like his ex-wife Janet and their children; he can meet them Just once per month. He is a successful businessman. Harry and Beryl- friends of Martin and Martha; Beryl is a secretary and Harry is an artist. She falls asleep during the visit and Harry gets drunk and is going to drive. He has scar on his temple from the car accident. Mrs†¦ Hooded- came in twice a week to clean and Martha paid her from her wages 3) The story is described from Martha ‘s perspective. Would it be the same, if the narration would be done by Martin? No, definitely. It would not be the same. As far as l’ m concerned, Martin perceives the whole situation completely differently than Mart does. He is looking onto problems and situations with a â€Å"man’s eye†. He does not feel that Martha does too much around the house, children etc. He feels that she should cook better, have smaller hips and try to be fresher. 4) What are Martha ‘s main worries? Why does she obey Martin in everything? Why does she never object? She wants to be an amazing wife of her great husband that’s why she obeys him. She feels that it is her duty in the role of a woman, mother and wife to behave that way. She is afraid of losing of Martin and fail in all her roles. Martha cannot imagine her life without a husband – she does not realize she could live a different life, because this is what she knows. That is why she is trying to keep Martin at all costs although she is not happy with him. Martha is a prototype of housewife and Katie is her opposite. Martha has a husband, three children and her family is something sacred for her. But she works and keeps her own money that means, she can get by from her wages. Katie has different attitude to these things. She hates to be in the traditional position of a woman, like Martha is. Katie is divorced twice and doses t have children. From my point of view, she is that kind of woman, who needs husband to take care of her in general, mostly from the viewpoint of expenses. Although Katie appears as a confident woman, we also witness her insecurities – she realizes that Colic is tied to Janet because they have children together and that her position might not be that stable. ) How is the story narrated? Are there long descriptions or dialogues? Why not? The story is narrated as Mart ‘s train of thought. Her mind is important. She is describing the situations from subjective point of view, not like the omniscient narrator. There are no long descriptions, nor dialogues, because they are not necessary (and Martha does not have time for them since she rushes from one task o another – so the narration reflects her state of mind); the reader understands from the situations the whole context. Anyway the direct speech is used for being more authentic. Her descriptions make the story more personal than the universal third person narrator or â€Å"the eye of the camera†. If any woman reads it, she finds herself in many similar situations and that is the aim, to personalize the story and give the percipient the space to make his point of view about the piece and given problem. 7) Look at Martin ‘s comments which are inserted in the brackets. What do they suggest? They suggest Martin’s dissatisfaction or ironical view on Martha and her acts. They are not formulated as direct criticism, but are rather indirect. Though he might appear as a kind husband, Martha takes his remarks personally as a form of criticism and thus puts even more pressure on herself. 8) What is author’s opinion on women like Martha? Who is responsible for their unhappiness- is it men or the women themselves? A woman should love her family and her husband, but should not obey him in the way like Martha did. She gave her win â€Å"Self† and life to her family, but doses ‘t get it back from them. She doses t feel intrinsic fulfillment, which she should feel, living this pattern of life. They are both responsible for their unhappiness – males and females. Because if Martha doses ‘t want to, she din ‘t have to behave this way. As long as, we are concerning on feminist fiction, then men are responsible for the woman’s unhappiness 0. Weldon is critical not only to men, but to women as well. She points to the fact that they have power in their hands and they should be active in pursuing happiness. Martha, forever, only relies on her husband, not on herself so it is her own fault that she leads an unhappy life. ) Why does Martha cry at the end of the story? Because her only daughter is becoming a woman. From this important hoar stone in her and they will cause troubles to her woman being and gain control over her whole life, like Martin does to Martha. Martha realizes that her own daughter is now entering the period of womanhood with all its responsibilities. The ending also shows that Martha feels powerless and does not realize that her own daug hter does not have to have the same life as she does. How to cite Lalala, Papers

Judgment in Oedipus free essay sample

The next thing that happens would be when Oedipus finds out that he married his mom and killed his father which was what he was trying to stay away from his whole life. Another trait that a Tragic Hero has is experiences heavy suffering. Oedipus suffers many times in this play. When Oedipus was on top of the mountain his parents put some type of metal pipe in his feet so he could not walk. Oedipus must have felt pain there. Emotional wise when he found out the king and queen of Corinth were not his parents he must have felt pain. When he found out he killed his biological father he must have felt pain and when he found his wife/mother hanging he felt pain. When Oedipus looks back at all the tragedies in his life you can see that he had heavy suffering throughout his entire life. The last thing that can be a characteristic of a tragic hero is when his misfortune Is brought about by error of Judgment. We will write a custom essay sample on Judgment in Oedipus or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This also happens a lot in the story Oedipus Rexes. The fist error of Judgment in my opinion would be when Coast and her husband decide to put Oedipus on the mountain Instead of killing him right on the pot.If they would have none of this would have happened. Another misfortune by error of Judgment would be when he killed his father. He and his gang of thugs killed the king and most of his men. Why did he have to do It? That death was cause for no real reason accept for money and he could have escaped the prophecy If he aloud have stopped killing for money. These are the errors of Judgment In Oedipus A TRAGIC HERO OR NOT ay Sean Havana Oedipus is definitely a tragic hero. In Aristotle theory he talks about the ways you become a tragic hero.The first thing that happened to Oedipus is the the reversal of he is a baby he was sent to the mountain to be killed which would be a misfortune. A ere last thing that can be a characteristic of a tragic hero is when his misfortune is husband decide to put Oedipus on the mountain instead of killing him right on the killed the king and most of his men. Why did he have to do it?

Speech analysis free essay sample

The speech made by Manal- Al Sharif called â€Å"A Saudi woman who dared to drive† is presented in a TED conference (Technology, Environment, and Design) which is a global set of conferences. They offer live streaming of the talks and address a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture. The speech was filmed sometime within June 2013. Manal- Al Sharif is a woman from Saudi Arabia who advocates for women’s right to drive, male guardianship annulment, and family protection in Saudi Arabia, and in this speech she tells the story of her campaign and how big the discrimination is for women who want to drive in Saudi Arabia and the campaigns that she created has started a change for women. In the beginning of her speech, she starts out by giving the audience a rhetorical question that she later on hopes that she can answer throughout her speech. We will write a custom essay sample on Speech analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The question is which battle is the hardest, the battle against oppressive governments or oppressive societies? The speaker starts off by establishing credibility after she asked the rhetorical question. Examples of the way the speaker tries to establish credibility is when that the speaker starts to say â€Å"I am a Saudi women that was put to jail for driving a car, in a country where it is not acceptable for women to do so† By telling the audience this, her credibility scale grows higher because the whole speech is about women who drive cars in Saudi Arabia and it’s more likely that she has more credibility than if a man from America were to be talking about this situation. She continues the speech by speaking about her family and personal experiences to make people comprehend the significance of how bad the perception of women driving cars really is. Already one of these examples is of her son and she brings it up in the beginning, that he asks if they were bad people and the reason for him asking this question is because of kids at his school bullying him because they thought that Aboody (Her son) and her should be put to jail because they knew she drove a car. Not only but even that her own brother was detained twice in jail just by giving her, his car keys. An example like these makes a speech more interesting, why I say that is because her bad experiences can be used in something good. Like for example this speech, where she is trying to make the people see the situation through her eyes and make a change and through her bad situations she can make people see things in the speaker’s perspective, how serious it really is and make a change along the way. Later on she continues making a connection with the audience by presenting facts about her campaign and what the purpose of the campaign was. She tells the audience that the campaign was made to encourage women to get behind the wheel and drive the day of 17 July. When that day then did come, streets were packed with police cars and religious police cars. But some hundred Saudi women broke the ban and drove that day and none were arrested, she then claims that they broke the taboo. She brings out her own credentials and what she accomplished. She brings hope that every woman can do the same, you just have to want it bad enough to bring yourself up to make a change. The speaker later on posits the claim by mentioning facts such as â€Å"There is no actual law that prevents women from driving, it was just a custom and tradition that are enshrined in deep religious fatwas (learned interpretation that a qualified jurist or mufti can give on issues pertaining to the Islamic law)† with this statement she displays the audience how the situation really is, giving them real fact and at the same time making them understand it is society who has stripped women of their right and that it’s the way people perceive of women driving and that it is no real law against it. She brings out more facts and one of those is why women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. The reason was that there was a study that was presented to the Shura-council (its consulate of consults appointed by the king of Saudi Arabia) from a local university professor that claimed the study was based on results from UNESCO (United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) this study said that the percentage of rape, adultery and prostitution is higher in countries where women do drive than in countries where they don’t. This argument is a very remarkable one, just for the reason that she is giving factual information of why it’s so frowned upon for women to drive but at the same time displaying how absolutely absurd the study that has been presented to the Shura-council really is. When making this statement look stupid she is making her own statement and purpose in the speech more significant and superior. As written earlier she shows that its society that has the wrong image of women because of the way that these ultraconservative customs and traditions have made it unacceptable for women to drive or have any other rights at all. Throughout her whole speech she is very focused on her ethical appeal, why she does that is because with the speeches purpose she makes a connection with the audience that involves trust. You could create a speech that evokes a specific emotion or you could construct a lot of logical arguments and it would still make people pay attention but the way that she constructed her speech was to make people see her as one of them, one of those who have had gone through struggle and one who has actually been oppressed because mostly you listen more to somebody who been through it then somebody who has only read about it. The tone was just very informative and motivational, because it was fitting to what the purpose of the speech was, it was supposed to be motivational neither sad nor happy. The speaker did not really use imagery or diction, she addressed her purpose very simple by mostly just using her body language and with that you could see that she was giving off a relaxed feeling but not too relaxed to make it all seem that she was not serious. The speech was about showing the truth of how it really is and there are women that really want to make a change to gain more rights as human beings.

Comparison of the French and Russian Revoloutions. essays

Comparison of the French and Russian Revoloutions. essays The use of either physical (such as the aggressiveness shown by the Cheka, the Russian secret police) or political force (such as War Communism) was prevalent in both the French (Between May 1789 1795) and Russian (Between February 1917 1924) revolutions. To protect and reinforce the revolutions (which were violent overthrows of the government) leaders of the time believed that force (which is defined as the use of power) was the an option available to secure the revolution. The force used came in different forms such as the Reign of Terror in France, to the Red Terror experienced in the Russian Civil War. Force was seen in many eyes to be the solution to securing the revolution and preventing any counter-revolutions, however it was not the only factor that secured the consolidation of the revolutions. Factors such as the N.E.P (New Economic Policy) implemented by Lenin, contributed to the stability of the revolution, as it was a reform that needed to implemented for the revolution to be a success. During the course of the French and Russian Revolutions the threat of counter-revolutions always loomed. One of the threats of counter-revolutions came from the previous leaders (King Louis XVI and Tsar Nicholas II) creating an uprising to topple the revolution. King Louis XVI attempted to do this in the famous Flight To Varennes, which took place in June 1791; where Louis XVI and his Austrian wife Marie Antoinette attempted to flee France, in order to rebuild their counter-revolutionary forces. However their effort was halted and both were brought back to Paris, and taken prisoner. This showed that the old imperial leader could not be trusted, which eventually led to the death of King Louis XVI, and a major hope of any counter-revolution. It is obvious to see that force, by the death of the past leaders was necessary in order to make sure that they never regained power again, to counter the revolution. After 1792, the ...

Free sample - Mexico drug war and US border patrol security. translation missing

Mexico drug war and US border patrol security. Mexico drug war and US border patrol securityAbstract The Mexico drug war and U.S border patrol security is today known to be the most influential conflict that has ever occurred. In the U.S- Mexico border, several incidences have taken place including the sending of bullets whizzling across the Rio Grande region, which borders the two countries. For a long time, the authorities did not care because they were sure that they were going to win the battle. The facts behind the war actually are that it sends many fears to the public because it left many dead (Archibold 238). When the security was intensified in this region, bullets could be heard from El Paso, which caused violence further in Mexico and Juarez and making this region to be the most feared. Today, the American police can boast of their success in bringing peace in this region, because it was thought to be the most dangerous war, which influenced several communities living in the region. Several issues were considered before security was improved in this region. As Sheriff, Ri chard puts: ‘Guns will never be a solution to the war, but peace comes through talks.’ This was the beginning of the reconciliation process between the countries (Marina 62). Introduction The recently US beef up security on its border with Mexico has threatened their diplomatic relations. Historically, Mexico has for a long time been used as safe passage for narcotics, illegal immigrants, and smuggled commodities predestined for the U.S. market originating from South, Central America, and elsewhere in the world (Marina 62). Commonly reported in the 1980s to early ‘90s, Colombian drug barons were the main traffickers of cocaine and other illegal drugs into the U.S. When American anti-narcotic authorities intensified the Caribbean and South Florida, the Colombian organizations collaborated with the Mexican drug accomplices to transit cocaine to the U.S through Mexico. Mexico, having been a major origin of heroin and cannabis, the partnership was accomplished with minimal difficulty since Mexico had already an operational drug infrastructure capable of serving the Colombian traffickers as well (Coyle 68).  Ã‚  Ã‚   The robust growth of the illegal trade went on until after mid 1980s when Mexican and Columbian trackers got into loggerheads. This misunderstanding arose from disagreement over sharing of benefits and over who-does-what in trafficking systems. With the passage of time, several drug cartels from Mexico were vanishing from the system as new one emerged (Warner 81). This was a result of deaths, arrest, or withdrawal of cartel leader from the trade creating power vacuums. These vacuums offered great opportunities for anti-drug law enforcement agencies in the U.S and Mexico to combat the trade. Mexican cartels would often bribe Mexican police to take action one another or disclosing to the US officials the secret operations of the rival cartels. This escalated into violence. The war among the rival cartels began to cool down since shortly before 1990 after the arrest of the Mexican drug baron, Gallardo Miguel (Marina 62). Through the 1990s, there was a quiet period until 2000 when the ca rtels resumed into violence (Warner 81).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paradigm can be termed as concepts used in looking for a solution on something. In this case, we are going to use three paradigms namely deterrent theory, collective security, and collective defense. Deterrent theory: this is seen as a case where one party convinces the other that a particular incidence will bring a problem that will not benefit either of the countries. Rather than just looking at its cost, this method is useful in solving many problems. This particular method attempts to identify who will prevent what using which method (Archibold 341). This method is obviously accompanied by a few assumptions. The parties involved assume that are taking part in ensuring that this method is working. In the case of the United States, they should come on board with the Mexico and know that, given that the two countries stand to lose either way, one country should be given mandate to look on these matters of drug trafficking within the borders. Collective security: this method was used during the world war by the then international community league of nation. This particular method goes to heightened degrees in that, countries join hands and decide to settle the existing row in a peaceful manner. The countries are brought together on a neutral ground and agree not to use force in ensuring the problem at hand is solved (Coyle 68). An organization is created to ensure that, those who attempt to frustrate efforts are curbed as this can frustrate efforts of solving the problem in question and bring war. In this case, of United States and Mexico, the two countries have been pointing fingers and none is accepting to accept the blame. Recently, a fifteen-year-old Mexican was shot dead by the United States border patrol while trying to gain entry in the country carrying some drugs. This has in return brought many problems and exchange of words has ensued. Collective security can be used in ensuring peace is realized (Archibold 341) . Collective defense: this is where countries agree that if any of them is affected so is the other. They also agree that, if any problem arises they will help one another in solving it. If by any chance, one country cannot handle the problem alone the other can come to its rescue. They should make use of the armed forces at all times for defense. In the same breath, the United States border patrol should enter into such agreement with Mexican patrol security. Any time drugs enter in either of the two countries, the other party should take it with a lot of seriousness just as if it is her who is being affected (Coyle 68). Discussion The United States border patrol is a department that ensures laws are strictly observed when admitting individuals who are not citizens of the United States. This department has the highest number of officers charged with the responsibility of enforcing law. However, drug dealers’ from neighboring country Mexico have recently threatened the good work that is being done by this department. The Mexican security argue that, the little money that is paid to go through the bridge to get to Texas is to blame for the increase in drugs and arms in these countries. Another factor as seen is the leniency within the borders. The extent at which this shoddy business is taking place is alarming. Studies indicate that, over 90% of the firearms that are used in Mexico have their source in the United States (Archibold 341). Mexico and the United States have left no stone unturned in ensuring that trade between the two countries is going on without any hitches. However, drug traffickers have threatened the mutual benefits that have been there between the two countries. This has been on the rise since president Felipe took the office. This week the patrol officers because of the same menace shot a Mexican youth. The Mexican drug war is a term that has been used to refer to the armed fighting among the cartels who want to take control over some regions, and conflict between the drug cartels with the Mexican government whose objective is to reduce drug trafficking. The drug trafficking organizations have formed very powerful alliances despite existing for just few years. The drug market in the U.S and Mexico are now dominated by the Mexican cartels. Apprehensions of the main culprits behind the cartels have led to escalated violence, as the players behind each cartel rival for routes into the United States (Coyle 68). Statistically, Mexico has been identified as one of the leading drug producing and tracking country. It is the main distributor of cannabis (methamphetamine) to the U.S. (Archibold 341). Recommendation Beginning in 2005, a strategy which was meant to end the war in the US and Mexico border was established. The strategy, which was dubbed in America as a national strategy, would be able to set the goals, which would govern the behavior of the people living within the affected zone. The strategy was built in five strategies, which include developing ways of combating terrorism and banning of illegal firearms, which get into the region. Through this, it was foreseen that the border will remain calm and that none of the individuals will live in fears again. Another objective of the strategy would be to discourage entry, which were illegal in the US by developing a procedure, which would improve the enforcement of the police. The strategy was also established in a bid to apprehending, detecting, and getting rid of drugs, human smugglers and other sources of crimes, which had become rampant in the region (Marina 62). This process was geared at ensuring that individuals will be free of guilt and abrupt chaos, which arose any time in the region. Through the strategy, a smart border technology would be created. This involved coming up with a very systematic method of combating crime and illegal transactions in the region. In it involved the use of technological tools to conduct a serious scrutiny of individuals in the area and thoroughly search for any illegal entry of guns and other matter in the US and Mexico (Coyle 68). The strategy also stipulated a method, which would improve the general live of individuals in the region and reduce the crime that had so long been felt in the region. This was in line with the strategy of expanding the territories so that Mexico and the US could be satisfied with the boarders. In 2007, specialized groups were also formed, which would see to it that the peace was also improved in the region. Some of these groups included the National Special Response Team, the Air Mobile Unit, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit and the Search, Border Patrol, Rescue and Trauma. Conclusion The Mexico drug war and U.S. border patrol security is an issue to recon. More than 7,000 people were left dead in 2008, and others especially in Juarez and Sinola began to battle for boundaries in the Mexican authorities. Their aim was to gain access to most of the cities, which were owned by the Mexicans. Through the creation of smuggling routes and creation of authorities, more than 30,000 people from the United States gained access to the Mexican region and more than 38,000 others have been killed since Calderon, the Felipe president introduced the offensive against the cartels when he took office in 2006. Today, most communities in the US are secured from further attacks, which occur just accords the river (Warner 81). By looking at this war and discussing it basing on the IR paradigms, it can be seen that the war in Mexico and US border was much more than psychological but also influenced the social lives of people living in these regions. It is evident that war is a subject of social torture, a phenomenon which is common in the region between the US and Mexico. References: Archibold, C. Government issues waiver for fencing along border. New York, NY:   New York Times. 2008   (2) 234-342 Coyle, MWaivers for border fence challenged: Environmental groups take their complaints to   Supreme Court. The Recorder.   2008 (2) 65-73 Kanterly, D.   Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress. DIANE Publishing. 1999 (1) 54-73 Marina Caparini.   Borders and security governance: managing borders in a globalised world.   London: LIT Verlag Mà ¼nster. 2006 (4) 2-76 Tony Payan.   The three U.S.-Mexico border wars: drugs, immigration, and Homeland Security Greenwood Publishing Group,   2006 (3) 54-63 Warner, J. U.S. Border Security: A Reference Handbook. Contemporary World Issues, ABC-CLIO,   2010:  Ã‚   54-83

Western architecture 1100-1650AD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Western architecture 1100-1650AD - Essay Example The aim of building the tower of Pisa is to provide a self-supporting bell tower for the nearby cathedral, Piazza del Duomo, located in Pisa. The objective of the builders of the bell tower is to provide a media for informing worshipers in the Pisa on matters of church schedule. Skillful and renowned architects from the 12th century will design the building. They will use their unique skills to harmonize Romanesque and Gothic styles into the tower. A lot of experts are predicted to play a role in the construction of the building; the move has attracted Galileo a scientist who has stated that he will complete his experiment on gravity using the building2. The Pisa tower is among the four buildings that will compose the cathedral complex at Pisa in Italy known as Campo dei Mira coli which refers to a field of miracles. The first building that will be constructed at Piazza dei Mira coli will be the cathedral locally known as the Duomo di Pisa. The building will rest on a purely white limestone pavement and will be a remarkable display of Romanesque architecture. On the west side of the dome a baptistery will also be constructed. Officially the work campanile will begin in August 1173. There is however, a possibility that the campo Santo and the cemetery will be completed before the campanile is built. TheCampo dei Mira coli will be a splendiferous collection of Romanesque architecture in the whole of Italy. The cathedral with its white and gray lined marbles bristling with arches and columns and an Islamic dome similar to that of a domed baptistery will be surrounded by a pea green lawn. Neighboring one side of the cemetery, the camposanto or piazza will be a graciously elongated cloister. The cloister will enclose the burial ground that was used mostly in the Crusades of Golgotha3. The tower will have eight stories, the bells chamber included. The bottommost story will consist

Process of Heating the Water Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process of Heating the Water - Assignment Example The heater design is made on certain assumptions being – (1) steady state rate of heat transfer (or that heat transfer rate is constant with time); (2) the cylindrical structure allows thermal symmetry so that the transfer of heat occurs merely on one dimension and varies not along the axial direction; (3) the metallic composition of the water tank (having thin metal sheet of stainless steel) on the inside possesses negligible thermal resistance; (4) thermal conductivities are uniform throughout the heating process; and that (5) very negligible heat losses take place on surfaces at the top and at the bottom.Among the available insulating materials in the market, the ‘foam’ is chosen for its affordability and low cost of installation. Compared to the other prospected insulators, its thermal conductivity appears to have given the most reasonable values for the length and surface area of the heater via R-equation, while others came out with lengths that converge to t he value of the corresponding outer radius which is not likely in the actual. During the process of heating the water, every 500-W increment is dissipated through the insulated tank wall so the increase of power input ought to be compensated with the addition of foam with relative thickness so as to prevent unnecessary heat loss until the water has achieved the desired temperature at 65Â °C. Stainless steel is preferred to carbon steel or some other steel alloys due to the fact that it potentially resists corrosion over considerable time period.

WAN devices Essay Example for Free

WAN devices Essay Switches are very similar to hubs with the exception of containing the ability to read the packets received. This means that the device gets the packets, reads them and only forwards them to the appropriate attached device. Because switches can read the packets instead of just sending them on to all devices, it means they operate at the data link layer, layer 2. Repeaters A repeater is a simple device that boosts the signal so that it can travel much greater distances or avoid obstacles. They operate at Layer 1 of the OSI Model. Hubs A hub is simply a device that connects parts of LANs together. They are multiport devices and copy the data received from one port onto the other ports. Hubs operate at the physical layer (level 1) as they operate by using simple physical transmissions to send data from one device to the next. Hubs only use bits to send the data and cannot understand anything above bits on the OSI model. Bridges Bridges and Routers are quite similar they both direct traffic between two devices. A bridge will connect hardware together using hardware assigned MAC addresses. Bridges are a layer two device. This means that bridges cannot determine the type of network that theyre running on. Routers Routers, like hubs and switches, connect together multiple networks. Routers use headers and forwarding tables to create and send packets to determine the path through the networks and this means they operate at level 3, the network layer. Gateways Gateways are used to interface with another network that uses different protocols. This allows two different systems using two different protocols to work with each other. Gateways operate at all levels of the OSI model. Gateways can handle what can access the network and what cannot and helps to control the applications that require networks to run. LAN Connectivity Local Area Networks are very easily constructed with the use of these devices. LANs are quite easily created using; routers; hubs, switches, bridges; gateways and repeaters as well as UTP wiring. The network consists of many devices. Depending on the purpose of the network; the devices attached to it will be different. A network that needs an external connection will include a router as this makes external access possible but Local Area Networks could use hubs, switches or bridges to connect parts of the network together. Gateways are also a possibility when connecting devices together that dont necessarily know how to interface with each other. Connectivity Uses Range Main Points Copper Twisted Pair Cable Short to medium distance networks 100 meters. Â  Can have problems with interference. Â  Cheaper than newer types of technology. Â  Main different types used for many varied uses. Created when two conductors are twisted together. Â  More twists desirable less interference. Coaxial Cable TV, broadband and radio Between 750ft and 1500ft dependant on cable type Uses insulation to carry the signal with the least amount of interference. A lot of research has gone into creating the most effective systems those with space carry the signal better. Â  Extremely cheap and easily available. Â  Two types rigid and flexible. Fibre Optic Cable TV, broadband and radio 160km when used with amplifiers. Â  Light is sent down an optical cable. Â  Created in the 1980s. Â  Replacing older systems. Â  Much more reliable less chance of interference. Â  Expensive. Wireless Ethernet Sharing a connection or resources across a short distance network 30 meters. Standards known as 802. 11. G and B are the most common. Â  Requires a wireless router to project the signal to a computer or other electronic device. Satellite The internet and WWW. Worldwide signal sent across many satellites. Bandwidth of 34 Mbit/s* Ability to send large amounts of information across the world. Microwave Internet, mobile phones, networks, TV and many other uses. Line of sight unless amplification is used. Â  Transmitter and receiver need to line up. Â  Used in many ways 802. 11g is one example of a microwave. Importance to Small Office, Medium Business and Large Company on a scale of 1 to 3. Small Office Medium Organisation Large Organisation Speed 2 2 3 Size 3 2 1 Cost 3 3 2 Connectivity 1 2 3 Selecting Equipment Choosing any type of network equipment is a very important decision. Each and every organisation and office will be unique in its requirements. Speed Speed is a necessity for some offices; usually those that rely heavily on the network for day to day activities. The more computers that are connected the network, the more bandwidth the equipment must be capable of providing. A single slow device on the network is going to slow down everything as networks are only capable of running at the speed of their slowest device so ensuring that all devices are capable of carrying the correct speeds. Other networks are not going to need high speeds such as those that only connect just a few computers together, or those that will only connect to the network occasionally. Size The size of a device is not necessarily all that important for most businesses if they have the room to keep it. For a medium to large business, finding space to place your hardware is unlikely to be a major problem. Smaller businesses will usually have less space to place their hardware, particular the type of safe and secure space that is required by such important devices. Finding a device that is small enough to be stored but still fulfils other requirements is required. Cost The cost of a device is not going to be all that important to larger businesses; spending a lot of money on a useful device seems only natural. But when spending the vast majority of a networks budget on a single device, cost definitely becomes a factor. It must be the right device and it must do the job its required to do but it should also be at the right cost to the business. Connectivity Connectivity is heavily dependent on the number of computers that are being connected as well as what services the network is trying to provide and how the devices are going to be connected. The device that is eventually chosen must be a combination of the most important needs of the network. Placing a value on each of these factors should suggest the device that is needed.

Truth and Hypocrisy in Animal Farm and The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers fc

Truth and Hypocrisy In Animal Farm and The Scarlet Letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lies are often distorted into truth by those in power, who eventually become hypocrites as they continue to delude for selfish gain. In the process of this distortion, they will do everything possible to conceal and maintain their hunger for dominance and deference. This theme of truth ( or lack thereof ) and ultimate hypocrisy is skillfully shown through Napoleon in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and Reverend Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most notable characteristics shared by Napoleon and Reverend Dimmesdale is their ability to skillfully twist lies into the truth. In Animal Farm, Napoleon is relentless in his deception of the other animals. According to Graham Greene ( Bloom, 1996, 21), he is a â€Å"consummate powermonger† who can skillfully undermine any idea that isn’t his own. The first signs of his dishonesty are shown when he hoards the milk and apples, with a message to the others that â€Å" It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.† ( Orwell, 52 ) From there, the lies only increase in frequency and size. It’s easy to compare this to the deceptive nature of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale of The Scarlet Letter. The young minister veils his sin from his Puritanical community by â€Å"cultivating an image that is far from the real truth.† ( Johnson, 14) From the revelation of Hester’s scarlet letter to that of his own, Dimmesdale conceals his shame by portraying himself as a â€Å"miracle of holiness†. ( Hawthorne, 139) Thus, both Napoleon and the minister share the negative attribute of fraudulence throughout their respective novels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another notable comparison between the two novels is that both Napoleon and Dimmesdale lie for ambition. This is distinctly observable in Animal Farm, where the pigs take the immediate initiative to establish themselves as the leaders. Napoleon is instantly placed as a head, being the only Berkshire boar on the farm that has â€Å" a reputation for getting his own way.† ( Orwell, 35 ) From the moment the animals beat Jones out of the farm, it’s obvious that Napoleon is shrewdly planning to fill the farmer’s position. He envisions plans that will benefit only himself, yet â€Å"make him appear to be working for everyone’s advantage.† ( Allen, 37 ) Thus, he will rise in the animals’ eyes as a caring and considerate leader. This is exemplified by his

Tsunamis: Ocean and Wave Shape Changes

6 05 Tsunami Nicolai Kortendick 1. The web site presents extensive information regarding tsunamis. Survey the site. A. Select the five facts about tsunamis that were the most interesting or surprising to you. Make a list of your facts. 1. A tsunami is made up of a series of traveling ocean waves of extremely long wavelength. 2. They are triggered by earthquakes and undersea volcanic eruptions and deep sea landslides. 3. The wave shape changes and the height increases as it approaches the coastline. . Far field tsunamis have a long travel time so it is easier to predict their effects. 5. Near field tsunami have a travel time of one or two hours, making it harder to evacuate people to safe, high areas before the tsunami reaches the coast. B. Now look over your list. In your opinion, what is the most intriguing item on your list? Explain. The most intriguing item on the list to me is that tsunamis resemble waves that I see a lot every day and they have extremely long wavelengths. 2.If y ou were on a ship at sea, and a tsunami passed under your ship, what would probably be your reaction? Explain. I would be pretty scared if I knew it was a tsunami, and I would be worried for the people on the coast it was heading for. It probably wouldn’t be a very big wave if I was far out in the ocean so it wouldn’t scare me as much. 3. The site offers a tsunami quiz. Take the quiz. What was your score? I got 7 out of the 10 questions correct. 4. When you viewed the â€Å"Introduction to Waves† video, you learned several terms that apply to all waves.How do the following terms apply to tsunamis and what are typical values for a tsunami’s wavelength and amplitude? Use the following sites to look for answers: http://www. enchantedlearning. com/subjects/tsunami http://hyperphysics. phy-astr. gsu. edu/HBASE/Waves/tsunami. html C. Wavelength Tsunamis have an extremely long wavelength (which is the distance between the crest of one wave and the crest of the n ext wave) – up to several hundred miles long. D. amplitudeThe amplitude of a wave is the height of a wave from the still water level to the top of the wave crest. As a tsunami reaches a coastline its amplitude increase greatly. E. crest The crest is the top of a wave. The wavelength of a wave is measured from the crest of one wave to the crest of another. F. trough The trough is the bottom of a wave. As a tsunami approaches the coast (where the sea becomes shallow), the trough of a wave hits the beach floor, causing the wave to slow down, to increase in height and to decrease in wavelength.

Reading and Students with Mental Retardation

Reading proficiency is considered a top priority in education, and a skill with myriad implications for learning and achievement in other areas. Yet in the past, literacy rarely has been emphasized for students with mental retardation. With interventions that recognize the importance of literacy for all students, students with mental retardation can build reading skills that can lead to new interests, increased competencies, and greater independence. Understanding the characteristics of students with mental retardation is an important step toward the development of effective instruction and appropriate assessment. This paper is intended to begin a discussion of the issues surrounding reading and students with mental retardation; it is not intended to be a comprehensive research review. The paper provides: (1) an overview of the characteristics of students with mental retardation, (2) a description of common approaches to reading instruction, and (3) assessment approaches and issues that surround the assessment of reading for students with mental retardation. The paper is one of several brief papers developed to contribute to the process of conducting research and developing accessible reading assessments for students with disabilities. Creating accessible reading assessments based on accepted definitions of reading and proficiencies of reading requires knowledge of the issues specific to each disability and how they affect reading and the assessment of reading. The information in these papers was obtained through a broad review of literature and Web sites of national agencies and organizations, along with input and feedback from professionals in the disability areas. Each paper is intended as a first step to facilitate discussions that include individuals who do not know the disability, in this case mental retardation, and those who may know the disability but have not considered the interaction of the disability with reading or the assessment of reading through statewide testing. Students with Mental Retardation More than 600,000 students 6-21 years of age in the United States received special education services for mental retardation during the 2000-2001 school year, comprising about 11% of all students with disabilities in U. S. schools (U. S. Department of Education, 2002). The causes of mental retardation in children vary widely, including fetal alcohol syndrome, genetic disorders like Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, environmental factors like lead poisoning, or diseases such as meningitis. The American Association on Mental Retardation (2002) defines mental retardation as a â€Å"disability characterized by significant limitations bo th in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. For many years students with mental retardation were identified solely using intelligence testing. IQ levels among students labeled as mentally retarded can vary from 20-25 (profound mental retardation) to 50-75 (mild mental retardation); according to the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), 85 percent of individuals with mental retardation have mild mental retardation. It has been estimated that 28,056 K-12 English language learners (ELLs) received special education services for mental retardation in 2001-2002. Thus, approximately 7. % of school-age ELLs with disabilities were identified with mental retardation (Zehler, Fleischman, Hopstock, Pendzick, & Stephenson, 2003). The challenge of learning English and having a disability adds another level of complexity to learning to read and demonstrate reading achievement (Mueller & Markowitz, 2004). Similar to other special education categories, but perhaps more unexpectedly, the criteria for students to be eligible for th e mental retardation label varies from state to state (Beirne-Smith, Ittenbach, & Patton, 1998). The Twenty-Fourth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reported that poor students were 1. 5 times more likely to be referred to special education; it noted significantly lower cognitive development and lower achievement among this population than among non-poor students. The report speculated on causes from lead poisoning to parent education level, but some advocates have argued that poor students, and particularly poor minority students, have been over-identified in the mild mental retardation category and misplaced in special education classrooms (Losen, 2002). The term â€Å"mental retardation† is widely used and coded into federal law, but the term remains the subject of considerable controversy. Some advocacy groups and professional associations argue that the negative stigma of the term mental retardation could be avoided by using less loaded language. The ARC of the United States, one of the country's largest advocacy organizations for people with mental retardation, eschews the term mental retardation in its mission statement (The ARC, 2004) in favor of â€Å"cognitive, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. In 2004, Special Olympics updated its terminology from â€Å"mental retardation† to â€Å"intellectual disabilities† (see the Language Guide under â€Å"About Us,† then â€Å"Information about Intellectual Disabilities† at www. specialolympics. org). In this paper we use the term â€Å"mental retardation† as a legal term defined by IDEA, while cognizant of this significant shift in terminology. Characteristics of students with mental retardation vary widely. Students with mental retardation may have difficulty with expressive language, poor short-term memory, low level meta-cognition skills, and poor use of logic and organization. Some students who are labeled as mentally retarded also have motor difficulties that can affect their handwriting or their ability to hold reading material steadily (Rizopoulos & Wolpert, 2004). Students with mental retardation, like all students, demonstrate wide variation in strengths, weaknesses, interests, and motivation, all of which should be reflected in each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Traditionally, special educators have de-emphasized literacy, particularly for students with moderate to severe mental retardation, in favor of functional, social, or motor skills (Kliewer & Biklen, 2001). Many people with mental retardation read below their projected capabilities, and both general and special education teacher education textbooks are marked by a scarcity of information on academic characteristics, assessment procedures, and instruction in literacy for students with mental retardation. Only recently have educators begun to recognize the value of reading and writing skills for all students, including those with severe mental retardation (Katims, 2000). Since school systems have begun to include students with moderate to severe mental retardation in assessments (IDEA, 1997, 2004) and accountability (NCLB, 2001), and thus also included in more academic instruction, these students have been achieving at much higher and more complex levels than researchers, practitioners, and even advocates expected (see Moore-Lamminen & Olsen, 2005). This powerful evidence has forced educational professionals to revisit long-held assumptions about the benefits of academic instruction for all children, and is generating provocative reading research on new, rigorous approaches to reading instruction for students with mental retardation (e. g. , Reading, Writing, Math, and Science for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities, Diane Browder, PI). Instruction for Students with Mental Retardation The focus in education for students with mental retardation has shifted from an emphasis on providing services related to placement, such as disability specific classrooms or special schools, to providing individualized supports to help every student access the general curriculum in an inclusive classroom setting. American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), a lead advocate of the â€Å"supports model,† emphasized in its 2002 definition of mental retardation that the effects of mental retardation can be ameliorated with personalized supports. This shift in thinking correlates with an increased emphasis on inclusionary and mainstream education for students with mental retardation, giving these students access to a challenging and interesting general curriculum and an integrated social environment. IDEA 1997 emphasized that students with disabilities must have access to the same challenging content taught to all students; this was reiterated and strengthened in IDEA 2004. Many special education researchers and advocates argue that holding students with disabilities, including mental retardation, to the same high expectations as all students will improve learning and educational outcomes for these students (McGrew & Evans, 2004). Approaches to teaching reading to students with mental retardation fall broadly into two categories. One broad category is the traditional or direct instruction approach, which teaches reading as distinct subsets of skills such as phonics and sight word recognition (Rizopoulos & Wolpert, 2004). The traditional approach is based on a behaviorist model, emphasizing drill and practice of a linear set of literacy skills. The second approach is a progressive, holistic approach that teaches comprehension and critical thinking along with phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and reading for enjoyment (Katims, 2000). Each of these approaches has had support with some students with mental retardation and for various purposes (Browder & Xin, 1998; Cunningham, 1999; Driscoll & Kemp, 1996; Hendricks, Katims, & Carr, 1999; Joseph & McCachran, 2003; Katims, 2000; Moni & Jobling, 2000). Assistive technology and technology increasingly have become important supports for reading-related instruction and reading for students with mental retardation. For example, Erickson and Koppenhaver (1995) found that computer and light technology can give students with severe mental retardation the supports they need to build communication skills. Continued interest in the literacy outcomes of students with mental retardation and supporting research has blossomed in the past few years, and is most likely to be a productive area for the reading futures of students with mental retardation (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2005; Erickson, Clendon, Abraham, Roy, & Van de Karr, 2005; Sturm, Erickson, & Yoder, 2003). In their review of literacy approaches for adolescents with developmental delays, Rizopoulos and Wolpert (2004) suggested that both traditional and progressive approaches to literacy instruction can be appropriate for certain students. Recent research by Diane Browder looks closely at the assumption that students with the most severe mental retardation benefit only from functional approaches to literacy. Browder and Algozzine argue more research is needed to understand how students with severe mental retardation might benefit from explicit instruction in decoding and comprehension skills (Browder & Algozzine, draft). Assessment of Students with Mental Retardation Most students with mental retardation participate in the same large-scale reading assessments as all students. While not all students with mental retardation will require supports or accommodations on large-scale assessments, these students have access to the same accommodations that other students with disabilities receive. Whether a student will require extra time on tests, large print, read-aloud directions, alternative setting accommodations, or other supports to demonstrate maximum proficiency depends on the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student. The most common accommodations used for students with mental retardation include breaking tasks into smaller steps, providing read aloud directions or questions, and visual cues (such as arrows, stickers, or stop signs, highlighting of key words or verbs, or supplementing text with pictures). Other accommodations range from encouraging students to stay on task and oral directions accompanied by written directions, to noise buffers and adaptive furniture (Clapper, Morse, Lazarus, Thompson, & Thurlow, 2005). Some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to participate in large-scale assessments even with accommodations are eligible to take alternate assessments. All alternate assessments are aligned to grade-level academic content standards, but they can be based on either grade level achievement standards or alternate achievement standards. The students who may participate in alternate assessments on grade level achievement standards may need accommodations not available on general assessments or need different formats or contexts to demonstrate grade-level proficiency (National Center on Educational Outcomes Web site, 2005). Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities can demonstrate proficiency on an alternate achievement standard. Alternate assessments should promote access to the general curriculum and reflect professional judgment of the highest achievement standard possible for each individual student. Summary The intent of this brief paper is to highlight issues surrounding reading and students with mental retardation. While not a comprehensive review, it is intended to give enough of a sense of the characteristics of the students, general instructional approaches used with them, and assessment approaches and issues to generate discussion about the possible ways in which more accessible assessments can be designed for those students who are proficient readers given their diagnosis of mental retardation. This paper is part of the background for research on accessible reading assessments conducted by the Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessments, and for discussions among collaborators on the National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP).

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Cost Justification and Benefits

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Cost Justification and Benefits Free Online Research Papers Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Cost Justification and Benefits Information Technology Essays The problem with today’s authentication is the ability to electronically prove and provide confidence in a person’s identity. Authentication focuses on confirming an individual’s identity based on reliable credentials. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD) was created to solve this problem and provide better identity management security at federal agencies. The HSPD 12 directive requires the development and agency implementation of a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification for Federal employees and contractors. This directive signed by President Bush in August 2004 established an official federal government policy for the issuance of a common identity verification standard. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how agencies justify the costs involved in complying with the HSPD 12 mandate, what benefits agencies expect in return for their investment, and the risks associated with identity management. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) determined that secure and reliable forms of identification need to be both physical and logical for entry into federal buildings and technology data centers. NIST decided the standard would include the use of smart cards with embedded biometric fingerprints, and public key infrastructure (PKI) that links an individual to a specified public key for electronic signing (See Appendix A). NIST created the Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201 (FIPS 201) and Personal Identity Verification (PIV). According to NIST, the FIPS 201 includes two parts called PIV I and PIV II, and states the following (See Appendix B): The requirements in PIV I support the control objectives and security requirements described in FIPS 201, including the standard background investigation required for all Federal employees and long-term contractors. The standards in PIV II support the technical interoperability requirements described in HSPD-12. PIV II specifies standards for implementing identity credentials on integrated circuit cards (i.e., smart cards) for use in a Federal system. FIPS 201 requires agencies to: 1. Establish roles to facilitate identity proofing, information capture and storage, and card issuance and maintenance. 2. Develop and implement a physical security and information security infrastructure to support these new credentials. 3. Establish processes to support the implementation of a PIV program. (GSA, 2005a) The notion behind these standards is to provide enhanced security at Federal facilities and information systems. Cost Justifications: One way an agency can justify the cost of identity management is the fact that it enhances security by safeguarding access to buildings, secure areas, and electronic systems. Conventional authentication can be easily forged, stolen or altered to gain unauthorized access. This type of security breach can lead to identity theft that has the potential to cost individuals and agencies large financial losses. The Federal Trade Commission in 2004 conducted 4,057 interviews with individuals who incurred losses associated with identification theft and estimated the costs to them. The loss estimates were compiled from the data gathered from the interviews and was said to cost nearly $10,200 per incident and $33 billion total for agencies, businesses and financial institutions. The frequency of these incidents indicates a growing problem of theft and loss. Examples of compromised records include 1.4 million credit card numbers from DSW Shoe Warehouse, 200,000 client files from Ameritrade, reco rds for 30,000 students and staff at George Mason University, 59,000 student records at a California University, Bank of America tapes with information on 1.2 million government employees, University of California laptop stolen with 100,000 identities, 280,000 possible victims at LexisNexis, 145,000 social security numbers at ChoicePoint, (FTC, 2003) and most recently the social security numbers of 26.5 million veterans. The use of smart cards developed pursuant to the NIST PIV II standard would provide enhanced security authentication. What a smart card offers is a plastic device about the size of a credit card that contains an embedded hardware computer chip that is separate from the computer. (See Appendix C). If a compromised computer is infected, the smartcard itself would not be affected. Smart cards operate in their own separate space, which make them less susceptible to being compromised, thus making them a more robust method for authentication as well. A second way government agencies can justify the cost associated with smart cards is that they provide the hardening of logical security. This could prevent thieves from unauthorized access and help address the concerns associated with identity theft. The unique advantage that smart cards have over traditional cards with simpler technologies like magnetic stripes or bar codes is that they can exchange data with other systems and process information. (See Appendix D). Older card versions were static and could not exchange data. By securely exchanging information, a smart card can help authenticate the identity of the individual possessing the card in a far more thorough way than is possible with traditional identification cards. A smart card’s processing power also allows it to exchange and update many other kinds of information with a variety of external systems, which can facilitate applications such as financial transactions or other services that involve electronic record- keeping. (GSA, 2005b) This enhanced security reduces the risk of identity theft and financial losses. A third way government agencies could justify the costs associated with smart cards would be through enhanced security for remote authentication. (See Appendix E) Most agencies have developed systems to allow remote access even though it provides an alternative method for non employees to gain access. Normally, controlled computer environments like those found at federal agencies, banks, financial institutions and physical stores have security measures in place to stop malicious behaviors. This is not always the case when people work at home using their own computers. These computers are usually directly connected to the internet and are outside controlled settings. Because of this, the potential risks are significant when data is left unprotected. Using PKI public key cryptography can help solve the problem with unprotected data. This encryption technology stores a person’s digital certificate and has the ability to thwart thefts by safeguarding identities. Many agencies have looked at smart cards and the PKI model to include key management. When a certificate is created, there is a multistage process involved. Typically, for authentication and digital signature key pairs, the keys are generated locally on the smart card. The private key never leaves the smart card, while the public key is exported for inclusion in a certificate request. There are four key components for PKI to be successful: 1. Registration/Enrollment: To create a digital certificate, PKI systems require a secure process for verifying the persons identity. PKI products supported multiple methods of making sure that applicants for certificates were legitimate and actually were who they were claiming to be. The same secure registration process is needed for granting access to customer identity information. 2. Repository: PKI required both a trustable public repository for public keys and a secure repository for backup of private keys. Protecting stored identity information requires a secure repository, as well. 3. Revocation: For digital certificates to be meaningful, a process was needed to inform those relying on certificates that a certificate had expired, had been revoked or was, for whatever reason, no longer valid. Revoking access to customer identity information when that access no longer has business justification is a critical requirement. 4. Reliability: PKI systems included mechanisms for archiving and backing up encryption keys, had guidelines for protecting the PKI infrastructure, and had auditable mechanisms (defined in certification practice statements) for defining the security processes that would be employed to maintain the trust of the entire PKI. Systems that handle sensitive identity information should have standard formats for documenting similar assurances. (Pescatore, 2005a) Using the public key infrastructure (PKI) components described above has the ability to save government agencies time and money by mitigating the risks associated with identity theft. (See Appendix F) The recent incident involving the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that compromised the identities of up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses provides plenty of justification of the cost for better identity management security. Gartner research evaluated costs related to identity thefts similar to the ones being publicly announced. They estimated that data breaches will cost companies 50 percent more than data protection will. Gartner states the following: A company with at least 100,000 accounts to protect can spend, in the first year, as little as $6 per customer account for just data encryption or as much as $16 per customer account for data encryption, host-based intrusion prevention and strong security audits combined. These unit costs will be reduced drastically if these strategies are applied to protecting millions of customer accounts. This compares with an expenditure of at least $90 per customer account when data is compromised or exposed during a breach. Likewise, these costs may escalate dramatically if proposed legislation mandating fines up to $11,000 per exposed and damaged customer account is imposed. (Pescatore, 2005b) According to Gartner research, nearly all data theft attacks could have been prevented if the sensitive data was encrypted and the encryption keys were properly protected. For large environments such as government agencies with over 100,000 records to safeguard, Gartner estimates the costs associated with equipment, integration and maintenance to be about $6 per person in the first year. The estimates of using PKI encryption would decrease each year and cost approximately $1 per account per year in recurring costs. Gartner research’s evaluations show there are significant losses associated with not protecting data. Their cost estimates for data encryption show a cost savings in comparison, and should help agencies decide whether to move forward with this technology. Benefits: One of the benefits of this technology is the ability to consolidate personal identity requirements. Consolidating logical and physical security controls into a single, card connected system has the potential to save money and reduce security costs by 40 to 60 percent over traditional approaches, while enabling an agency to control a greater percentage of its access points. A single system eliminates the costs of installing and wiring traditional access points. It also reduces the considerable expense of traditional architectures and system for access control at remote locations. These savings would allow agencies to expand the number of locations and systems that are electronically secured. Agencies can also benefit from using a single interface to control both wired and card-connected access points. This would allow administrators to manage a large number of users and locations more efficiently. Each smart card credential securely carries the roles and privileges of the individual from wired to standalone access points, creating a card-connected environment. The benefit is realized when the cardholders become an extension of the physical access network, and their cards carry information to and from the readers. By following this model, security is increased significantly at a fraction of the normal cost. For example, if an employee leaves the agency, rather than replace door locks and wiring (at a cost of $5,000 each, as well as time delays), the card permissions can be immediately revoked and the employee can no longer access the facility or information networks. (Electronic Government: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Sta ndard: GAO-06-178, 2006) A second benefit of this technology is electronic authentication. This provides simpler access to multiple agency applications through the re-use of credentials and established identities. Using a single central credential permits access to multiple systems without having to key in multiple passwords. An example of an industry leader providing easier access to multiple systems is UBS, a global financial company headquartered in Switzerland. They accomplished identity authentication by the successful implementation of PKI. This company implemented the use of digital certificates that linked their employees to a specified public key for electronic signing. They used the PKI security architecture as a method to address efficient and secure authentication. UBS concluded that the processes and technology that had worked in a centralized environment were no longer effective in a decentralized one. Major concerns were increased inefficiency, rising costs and the reduced ability to control r isk. Their problems included the following: 1. The network of open production systems could be reached from anywhere, putting critical data at significant risk. 2. Existing applications were not designed to function within such an environment. User authentication by plain old passwords was increasingly seen as providing an unacceptably low level of protection against illegitimate access in such an environment. 3. The bank had almost half a million different passwords in use: The average user had to remember at least 15 passwords, making it inevitable that many users would write down their passwords. Additionally, significant help desk resources were devoted to resetting forgotten passwords. (Noakes-Fry, 2005b) The technologies and processes that were in place prior to moving towards PKI could not eliminate or reduce the three problems indicated above. The company predicted the problems would only worsen as the network continued to grow. UBS decided it needed to change in order to provide a strong, reliable, and human-accessible user authentication to information resources. Identity authentication objectives at UBS were defined by a single sign-on process. This allowed each user to only remember a single PIN and authenticate once per login session to access all systems. The company used smart cards that permitted user access to the computer and authentication to additional systems. The public-key infrastructure (PKI) was the key component to support stronger user authentication and identity management in the environment. Cost savings were realized because UBS was able to reduce the number of help desk calls for password support. According to UBS, many hours were spent each retrieving or resetting users passwords which resulted in the loss of productivity. Since implementing single sign on the company has increased security, improved functionality and reduced help desk expenses. A third benefit of this technology is the ability to move away from paper signatures and towards public key digital signatures. This move has the potential to reduce the amount of time normally spent processing paperwork and transform business electronically. Moving away from paper records and towards electronic forms supports the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA). This act recommended that federal agencies establish electronic forms to provide immediate feedback from data submitted online. It stated that forms should be electronically fill-able, file-able, and signable, and a model of user friendliness and efficiency. Signed records can be stored and retained for the purposes of retrieving them for later use, either as part of a related business process or a legal proceeding. Some records may be retained for decades. This move was successful in the case of a student loan company with a portfolio of more than $2 billion that implemented an online application process for consolidation loans using digital signatures. According to Gartner research, the company met its goal of having electronically fill-able applications in place before the huge wave of applications began arriving in June. These electronic applications were signable with digital signatures and received immediate acceptance from borrowers. Gartner noted that the company experienced a significant reduction in cost and reduction in turnaround time for each application: It previously cost $12 to send an application via FedEx (and including a prepaid FedEx envelope cost another $12), but it now costs $1.35 to send. Under the old system, the company received 35 percent of the applications back with signatures; 65 percent of electronic applications are returned with digital signatures. Using previous delivery methods, it took 10 days to get the application back; with digitally signed electronic applications, turnaround is one day. (Noakes-Fry, 2005a) Risks: There are several risks involved with implementing HSPD 12. These risks include the cost and the looming October 2006 deadline for agencies to meet compliance. Cost is always a big concern at federal agencies, and implementation can be prohibitively expensive for any one agency to bear all of the expenses. Many federal agencies and contractors are already stretched for funding and resources. HSPD-12 is an initiative that requires interoperability between complex federal government systems, the reevaluation of business processes, and unprecedented collaboration between IT, human resources, and physical security staffs. Looking at the requirements for PIV card use, the implementation includes digital certificates, the PIV Cards, printing, middleware software, IDMS, a card management system (CMS), and an OCSP capability. These costs were estimated using models identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Larger departments estimate that the first year costs per person are between $90 – 110. It is anticipating that out years costs at larger departments will decrease to approximately $60 for initial year based on deployments exceeding 500,000 users. It is anticipated in time these cost will decrease even further. (GSA, 2005a) The recommendation from OMB states smaller agencies need to align themselves with larger federal agencies to lower the total costs of ownership. Moreover, there are a number of costly infrastructure components and processes that an agency may be required to purchase. This would include the expenses associated with physical access control systems that can link multiple agency locations together. These costs may exceed the amount agencies can afford and can absorb by themselves. The concern arises if a single agency were to out source the entire implementation to commercial vendors with its current employees and contractors. If this were to occur, OMB says the costs per person could easily exceed $200. The guidance from OMB proposes waiting until the larger agencies such as the Department of Defense implement smart card use. This way smaller agencies can align themselves with other large volume agencies to take advantage of volume discounts. The United States Government Accounting Office published key findings in the February 2006 report entitled, â€Å"Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Standard.† This report provided guidance about smart card technology planning and budgeting activities. There were several concerns raised in the report with regards to the smart card technology. The concerns involved the time frame for effective planning, information gathering about risk, and cost benefit information. The GAO noted the following: As part of the annual federal budget formulation process, agencies are required to submit their budget requests 1 year in advance of the time they expect to spend the funds. In addition, in the case of major IT investments, which could include new smart-card based credentialing systems, OMB requires agencies to prepare and submit formal businesses cases, which are used to demonstrate that agencies have adequately defined the proposed cost, schedule, and performance goals for the proposed investments. In order for agencies to prepare business cases for future funding requests, they need to conduct detailed analyses such as a cost benefit analysis, a risk analysis, and an assessment of the security and privacy implications of the investment. However, agencies have lacked the information necessary to conduct such reviews. For example, agencies have not had reliable information about product costs and cost elements, which are necessary for cost-benefit analyses. In addition, without FIPS 201 compliant products available for review, agencies have been unable to adequately conduct risk analyses of the technology. Most importantly, the lack of FIPS 201 compliant products has inhibited planning for addressing the investment’s security and privacy issues. (Electronic Government: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Standard: GAO-06-178, 2006) The GAO did provide three recommendations that would be helpful in addressing the concerns and enable agencies to move forward with the HSPD 12 mandate. The report discussed the following key activities regarding the compliance standard and recommended the following three actions: 1. Provide specific deadlines by which agencies implementing transitional smart card systems are to meet the â€Å"end-point† specification, thus allowing for interoperability of smart card systems across the federal government; 2. Provide guidance to agencies on assessing risks associated with the variation in the reliability and accuracy among biometric products, so that they can select vendors that best meet the needs of their agencies while maintaining interoperability with other agencies, and 3. Clarify the extent to which agencies should make risk-based assessments regarding the applicability of FIPS 201 to specific types of facilities, individuals, and information systems, such as small offices, foreign nationals, and volunteers. The updated guidance should (1) include criteria that agencies can use to determine precisely what circumstances call for risk-based assessments and (2) specify how agencies are to carry out such risk assessments. (Electronic Government: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Standard: GAO-06-178, 2006) Conclusion: With little more information than a social security number, an identity can be stolen. As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) points out â€Å"Social Security numbers play a pivotal role in identity theft. Identity thieves use the Social Security number as a key to access the financial benefits available to their victims.† (FTC, 2003) Identity theft is growing rapidly and has become a serious threat. It is easy to open fraudulent lines of credit in the name of some unsuspecting victim. The FTC statistics for 2004 indicate that credit card fraud (28%) was the most common form of reported identity theft, followed by phone or utilities fraud (19%), bank fraud (18%), and employment fraud (13%). Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were government documents/benefits fraud and loan fraud. (FTC, 2003) Congress is considering several measures to prevent the crimes identified by the FTC and among them is the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2005. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced the bill. He wanted the measure to require a review of federal sentencing guidelines to allow a maximum penalty to be imposed on identity thieves and impose financial penalties on data brokers for allowing data breaches to occur. The bill also outlines procedures for data brokers and consumers to follow to correct incorrect information contained in personal records, and increases criminal penalties for computer fraud involving personal data, unauthorized access to personal information. It also makes it a crime to intentionally conceal a security breach involving personal data. (Moye, 2006) The HSPD 12 implementation requires Federal agencies to make investments for secure and reliable forms of identification. HSPD 12 was formed to resolve problems associated with identity management and provide enhanced security at federal agencies. Government agencies will be asked to justify the costs involved in complying with the HSPD 12 mandate and understand what benefits it can expect in return for their investment along with the associated risks. Moving forward with the mandate will involve both logical and physical changes. These changes will most likely include costly infrastructure components and smart card readers for computers logging onto the network. Additionally, desktop computers will need to be equipped with smart card readers for logging onto the network and for accessing network resources. Moreover, the badging process will require additional physical security for buildings and secure areas. The conventional method of proving your identity will need to change to accommodate the enhanced public key infrastructure (PKI) components. Authentication to agency resources will involve the combination of biometrics, digital certificates, and passwords for single sign on capabilities. The technology has the ability to provide simpler access to multiple agency applications through the re-use of credentials and established identities. It also allows each user to only remember a single PIN and authenticate once per login session to access all systems. This will provide a relatively high level of security because it relies on multiple layers of specific information prior to authentication. The benefit to the user results in eliminating the need for multiple cards, remembering multiple PINs and login information. Like insurance, the real value can be measured against the cost and impact of the bad things that could happen if you do not protect yourself. Electronic Government: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing New Federal Employee Identification Standard: GAO-06-178. (2006). GAO Reports, 1. FTC. (2003). STATEMENT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WAYNE ABERNATHY ON THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSIONS IDENTITY THEFT SURVEY REPORT, FDCH Regulatory Intelligence Database. GSA. (2005a). Federal Identity Management Handbook: GSA. GSA. (2005b). GOVERNMENT SMART CARD HANDBOOK: GSA. Moye, S. (2006). Congress Assesses Data Security Proposals. Information Management Journal, 40(1), 20-22. Noakes-Fry, K. (2005a). Case Study: Loan Company Uses E-Signatures to Cut Costs and Save Time. Gartner Research(G00129945). Noakes-Fry, K. (2005b). Case Study: UBS Manages IDs with PKI-Based Smart Cards to increase Security and Reduce Costs. Gartner Research(G00130280). Pescatore, J. (2005a). Apply the Lessons of Public-Key Infrastructure to Protecting Customer Information. Gartner Research(G00126768). Pescatore, J. (2005b). Data Protection is Less Costly than Data Breaches. Gartner Research, G00130911. Research Papers on Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Cost Justification and BenefitsOpen Architechture a white paperNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalTwilight of the UAWGenetic EngineeringQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Everything You Need to Know About Shakespeares Plays

Everything You Need to Know About Shakespeare's Plays William Shakespeare is best known for his plays, although he was also an accomplished poet and actor. But when we think about Shakespeare, plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing immediately spring to mind. How Many Plays? A remarkable fact about Shakespeares plays is that scholars can’t agree on how many he actually wrote. Thirty-eight plays is the most popular hypothesis, but after many years of wrangling, a little-known play called Double Falsehood has now been added to the canon. The main problem is that it is believed that William Shakespeare wrote many of his plays collaboratively. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the content penned by the Bard with any accuracy. What Were Shakespeares Plays About? Shakespeare was writing between 1590 and 1613. Many of his early plays were performed at the building that would eventually become the infamous Globe Theatre in 1598. It was here that Shakespeare made his name as a budding young writer and penned such classics as  Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Taming of the Shrew. Many of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s and would have been performed at the Globe Theatre. Genres Shakespeare wrote in three genres: tragedy, comedy, and history. Although this seems very straightforward, it is notoriously difficult to categorize the plays. This is because the histories blur comedy and tragedy, the comedies contain elements of tragedy, and so on. Tragedy Some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are tragedies. The genre was extremely popular with Elizabethan theatergoers. It was conventional for these plays to follow the rise and fall of a powerful nobleman. All of Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists have a fatal flaw that propels them towards their bloody end. Popular tragedies include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet,  King Lear, and Macbeth. Comedy Shakespeare’s comedy was driven by language and complex plots involving mistaken identity. A good rule of thumb is if a character disguises themselves as a member of the opposite sex, you can categorize the play as a comedy. Popular comedies include Much Ado About Nothing, and The Merchant of Venice. History Shakespeare used his history plays to make social and political commentary. Therefore, they are not historically accurate in the same way we would expect a modern historical drama to be. Shakespeare drew from a range of historical sources and set most of his history plays during the Hundred Years War with France. Popular histories include  Henry V and Richard III. Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare used a mixture of verse and prose in his plays to denote the social standing of his characters. As a rule of thumb, common characters spoke in prose, while noble characters further up the social food chain would revert to iambic pentameter. This particular form of poetic meter was extremely popular in Shakespeare’s time. Although iambic pentameter sounds complex, it is a simple rhythmic pattern. It has ten syllables in each line that alternate between unstressed and stressed beats. However, Shakespeare liked to experiment with iambic pentameter and played around with the rhythm to make his character’s speeches more effective. Why is Shakespeare’s language so descriptive? We should remember that the plays were performed in daylight, in the open air, and with no set. In the absence of atmospheric theater lighting and realistic sets, Shakespeare had to conjure up mythical islands, the streets of Verona, and cold Scottish castles through language alone.