Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Positive and Negative Impact of Genetically Modified Food Essay
Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides. In the future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential, or improving the efficiency of food production systems. All GM foods should be assessed before being allowed on the market. FAO/WHO Codex guidelines exist for risk analysis of GM food. Positive and Negative Impacts Genetically Modified Food Has on the World The term ââ¬Ëgenetically modified foodââ¬â¢, also known as ââ¬Ëgenetically modified organismsââ¬â¢, is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. The reason these plants are being modified today is to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides (pesticides used to kill unwanted plants) or improved nutritional content. In order to create these genetically modified foods, scientists must introduce specific changes to their DNA by using extremely precise genetic engineering techniques. While there are some benefits that genetically modified foods may offer, there are also some risks and negative affects that these foods can cause as well. Genetically modified foods have been helpful in many aspects of the world. Firstly, they have the ability to help meet the growing demands for food supply as the world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years or so. Ensuring enough food supply for this booming population is going to be a major struggle in years to come, and genetically modified foods will help do this in a number of ways. For example, crop losses from insect pests can be shocking, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. By growing genetically modified foods such as B.T. corn, farmers can help eliminate the production of chemical pesticides that cause potential health hazards, and there will be higher crop yields that many experts argue can help to feed people in these countries. In addition to this, plants can be genetically modified to be resistant to bacterial, fungal or viral infestation. For example, sweet potatoes have been modified to improve viral resistance, and bananas have been modified to resist the Black Sigatoka fungus. Growing genetically modified foods will therefore lead to lessâ⬠¦ [continues] Harmful Effects of the Agent Genetically modified organisms (GMOââ¬â¢s) are a broad group of plants, animals, and bacteria that are engineered for a wide variety of applications ranging from agricultural production to scientific research. The types of potential hazards posed by GMOââ¬â¢s vary according to the type of organism being modified and its intended application. Most of the concern surrounding GMOââ¬â¢s relates to their potential for negative effects on the environment and human health. Because GMOââ¬â¢s that could directly effect human health are primarily products that can enter the human food supply, this website focuses on genetically modified food. To date, the only types of products that have been approved for human consumption in the U.S. are genetically modified plants (FDA website). All genetically modified foods that have been approved are considered by the government to be as safe as their traditional counterparts and are generally unregulated (FDA website). However, there are seve ral types of potential health effects that could result from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism. Health effects of primary concern to safety assessors are production of new allergens, increased toxicity, decreased nutrition, and antibiotic resistance (Bernstein et al., 2003). Food Allergy Food Allergy affects approximately 5% of children and 2% of adults in the U.S. and is a significant public health threat (Bakshi, 2003). Allergic reactions in humans occur when a normally harmless protein enters the body and stimulates an immune response (Bernstein et al., 2003). If the novel protein in a GM food comes from a source that is know to cause allergies in humans or a source that has never been consumed as human food, the concern that the protein could elicit an immune response in humans increases. Although no allergic reactions to GM food by consumers have been confirmed, in vitro evidence suggesting that some GM products could cause an allergic reaction has motivated biotechnology companies to discontinue their development (Bakshi, 2003). Increased Toxicity Most plants produce substances that are toxic to humans. Most of the plants that humans consume produce toxins at levels low enough that they do not produce any adverse health effects. There is concern that inserting an exotic gene into a plant could cause it to produce toxins at higher levels that could be dangerous to humans. This could happen through the process of inserting the gene into the plant. If other genes in the plant become damaged during the insertion process it could cause the plant to alter its production of toxins. Alternatively, the new gene could interfere with a metabolic pathway causing a stressed plant to produce more toxins in response. Although these effects have not been observed in GM plants, they have been observed through conventional breeding methods creating a safety concern for GM plants. For example, potatoes conventionally bred for increased diseased resistance have produced higher levels of glycoalkaloids (GEO-PIE website). Decreased Nutritional Value A genetically modified plant could theoretically have lower nutritional quality than its traditional counterpart by making nutrients unavailable or indigestible to humans. For example, phytate is a compound common in seeds and grains that binds with minerals and makes them unavailable to humans. An inserted gene could cause a plant to produce higher levels of phytate decreasing the mineral nutritional value of the plant (GEO-PIE). Another example comes from a study showing that a strain of genetically modified soybean produced lower levels of phytoestrogen compounds, believed to protect against heart disease and cancer, than traditional soybeans (Bakshi, 2003). Antibiotic resistance In recent years health professionals have become alarmed by the increasing number of bacterial strains that are showing resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics by creating antibiotic resistance genes through natural mutation. Biotechnologists use antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers when inserting new genes into plants. In the early stages of the process scientists do not know if the target plant will incorporate the new gene into its genome. By attaching the desired gene to an antibiotic resistance gene the new GM plant can be tested by growing it in a solution containing the corresponding antibiotic. If the plant survives scientists know that it has taken up the antibiotic resistance gene along with the desired gene. There is concern that bacteria living in the guts of humans and animals could pick up an antibiotic resistance gene from a GM plant before the DNA becomes completely digested (GEO-PIE website). It is not clear what sort of ris k the possibility of conferring antibiotic resistance to bacteria presents. No one has ever observed bacteria incorporating new DNA from the digestive system under controlled laboratory conditions. The two types of antibiotic resistance genes used by biotechnologists are ones that already exist in bacteria in nature so the process would not introduce new antibiotic resistance to bacteria. Never the less it is a concern and the FDA is encouraging biotechnologists to phase out the practice of using antibiotic resistance genes (GEO-PIE website).
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Weapons of World War II - The Technology of Warfare
Weapons of World War II - The Technology of Warfare World War II Leaders People | World War II 101 Weapons of World War II It is often said that few things advance technology and innovation as quickly as war. World War II was no different as each side worked tirelessly to develop more advanced and powerful weapons. During the course of the fighting, the Axis and Allies created increasingly more advanced aircraft which culminated in the worlds first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me262. On the ground, highly effective tanks such as the Panther and T-34 came to rule the battlefield, while at sea equipment such as sonar helped negate the U-boat threat while aircraft carriers came to rule the waves. Perhaps most significantly, the United States became the first to develop nuclear weapons in the form of the Little Boy bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima. Aircraft - Bombers Photo Gallery: World War II Bombers Avro Lancaster - Great Britain Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - United States Boeing B-29 Superfortress - United States Bristol Blenheim - Great Britain Consolidated B-24 Liberator - United States Curtiss SB2C Helldiver - United States De Havilland Mosquito - Great Britain Douglas SBD Dauntless - United States Douglas TBD Devastator - United States Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger - United States Heinkel He 111 - Germany Junkers Ju 87 Stuka - Germany Junkers Ju 88 - Germany Martin B-26 Marauder - United States Mitsubishi G3M Nell - Japan Mitsubishi G4M Betty Japan North American B-25 Mitchell - United States Aircraft - Fighters Photo Gallery: American Fighters of World War II Bell P-39 Airacobra - United States Brewster F2A Buffalo - United States Bristol Beaufighter - Great Britain Chance Vought F4U Corsair - United States Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - United States Focke-Wulf Fw 190 - Germany Gloster Meteor - Great Britain Grumman F4F Wildcat - United States Grumman F6F Hellcat - United States Hawker Hurricane - Great Britain Hawker Tempest - Great Britain Hawker Typhoon - Great Britain Heinkel He 162 - Germany Heinkel He 219 Uhu - Germany Heinkel He280 - Germany Lockheed P-38 Lightning - United States Messerschmitt Bf109 - Germany Messerschmitt Bf110 - Germany Messerschmitt Me262 - Germany Mitsubishi A6M Zero - Japan North American P-51 Mustang - United States Northrop P-61 Black Widow - United States Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - United States Supermarine Spitfire - Great Britain Armor A22 Churchill Tank - Great Britain M4 Sherman Tank - United States M26 Pershing Tank - United States Panther Tank - Germany Ordnance QF 25-pounder Field Gun - Great Britain Little Boy Atomic Bomb - United States Tiger Tank - Germany Warships Admiral Graf Spee - Pocket Battleship/Heavy Cruiser - Germany - Pocket Battleship/Heavy Cruiser - Germany Akagi - Aircraft Carrier - Japan USS Alabama (BB-60) - Battleship - United States USS Arizona (BB-39) - Battleship - United States USSà Arkansas (BB-33) - Battleship - United States HMS Ark Royal - Aircraft Carrier - Great Britain USS Bataan (CVL-29) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS (CVL-24) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS (CV-20) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Bismarck - Battleship - Germany USS ââ¬â¹Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Cabot (CVL-28) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USSà California (BB-44) - Battleship - United States USS Colorado (BB-45) -à Battleship - United States USS Enterprise (CV-6) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Essex (CV-9) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Franklin (CV-13) - Aircarft Carrier - United States USS Hancock (CV-19) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Haruna - Battleship - Japan HMS Hood - Battlecruiser - Great Britain USS Hornet (CV-8) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Hornet (CV-12) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USSà Idaho (BB-42) - Battleship - United States USS Independence (CVL-22) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Indiana (BB-58) - Battleship - United States USS Indianapolis (CA-35) - Cruiser - United States USS Intrepid (CV-11) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Iowa (BB-61) - Battleship - United States USS Langley (CVL-27) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Lexington (CV-2) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Lexington (CV-16) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Liberty Ships - United States USS Maryland (BB-46) - Battleship - United States USS Massachusetts (BB-59) - Battleship - United States USSà Mississippi (BB-41) - Battleship - United States USS Missouri (BB-63) - Battleship - United States HMS Nelson - Battleship - Great Britain USS Nevada (BB-36) - Battleship - United States USS New Jersey (BB-62) - Battleship - United States USSà New Mexico (BB-40) - Battleship - United State USSà New York (BB-34) - Battleship - United States USS North Carolina (BB-55) - Battleship - United States USSà Oklahoma (BB-37) - Battleship - United States USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Battleship - United States USS Princeton (CVL-23) - Aircraft Carrier - United States PT-109 - PT Boat - United States USS Randolph (CV-15) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Ranger (CV-4) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Saratoga (CV-3) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Scharnhorst - Battleship/Battlecruiser - Germany USS Shangri-La (CV-38) - United States USS South Dakota - Battleship - United States USSà Tennessee (BB-43) - Battleship - United States USSà Texas (BB-35) - Battleship - United States USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Tirpitz - Battleship - Germany USS Washington (BB-56) - Battleship - United States HMS Warspite - Battleship - Great Britain USS Wasp (CV-7) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Waspà (CV-18) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS West Virginia - Battleship - United States USS Wisconsin (BB-64) - Battleship - United States Yamato - Battleship - Japan USS Yorktown (CV-5) - Aircraft Carrier - United States USS Yorktown (CV-10) - Aircraft Carrier - United States Small Arms M1903 Springfield Rifle - United States Karabiner 98k - Germany Lee-Enfield Rifle - Great Britain Colt M1911 Pistol - United States M1 Garand - United States Sten Gun - Great Britain Sturmgewehr STG44 - Germany
Monday, October 21, 2019
Whats a Bad ACT Score Nationally and By College
What's a Bad ACT Score Nationally and By College SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you taken the ACT recently? Do you think you did badly? Or maybe youââ¬â¢re just wondering what the minimum score you need to get into college is. We will explain what a bad ACT score is, both in terms of the national averages and colleges you want to go to. Nationally, Whatââ¬â¢s a Bad ACT Score? If you look at the ACT percentiles, any composite score below 20 (the 50th percentile) is below average. (For more on how the ACT is scored and how the composite is calculated, see our guide.) In other words, to be above average nationally, you need at least a 21 ACT composite score. Any composite 16 or lower is in the bottom 25%. If you score below 16 or lower on the ACT, your score is definitely in the very low range nationwide. What Do Colleges Think Is a Bad Score? Your percentile rank is important, since it compares you to every other high school student who has taken the ACT. But itââ¬â¢s actually more important to think about what your score means in terms of the colleges you want to attend. After all, you take the ACT to get into college! If youââ¬â¢re above a collegeââ¬â¢s average ACT score range, even if your score seems low nationally, then your admissions chances arenââ¬â¢t compromised. On the flip side, you could have an ACT score that looks great nationally ââ¬â say the 90th percentile, a 28 composite ââ¬â but is far below the ranges of selective colleges like the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and MIT. So itââ¬â¢s much more important to consider scores in context of your target colleges, rather than just the national percentiles. Letââ¬â¢s explore what a bad ACT score might look like at highly selective, selective, and less selective colleges. Whatââ¬â¢s a Bad ACT Score for the Most Selective Schools? If youââ¬â¢re aiming for the most selective schools ââ¬â like Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, MIT ââ¬â most scores that aren't considered amazing at the national level will be seen as low. For example, at Stanford, the middle 50% range for the ACT Composite is 31-34, which is between the 97th and 99th percentile nationally. Additionally, since these top tier schools often turn away applicants with scores in range, itââ¬â¢s best to aim for the top 50% of admitted student scores, not just to be within the middle 50% range. In fact, being in the lower end of score ranges can lower your chance of admission by half of the usual admission rate. For example, if the normal admission rate is 10% and you're at the 25th percentile for that college, it can lower your chance of admission to 5% or lower. So you shouldnââ¬â¢t just aim to break a 31 composite if you're set on a top school. Your ACT composite should be 33 or higher ââ¬â in the 99th percentile nationally ââ¬â to be very competitive at Stanford or other top colleges. And the closer you can get to 36, the more you will stand out. (Read more abouthow many students get a 36 ACT every year and how their admissions chances are improved.) So to recap, any ACT score below 33 will lower your chances at the most selective schools. And any score below a 30 is decidedly low for top colleges. Whatââ¬â¢s a Bad ACT Score for Selective Schools? Once youââ¬â¢re out of the top 15, a ââ¬Å"badâ⬠ACT score for a school is anything below their middle 50% ACT range. We say ââ¬Å"badâ⬠not because the score is necessarily bad on a national scale, but because it could lower your chances of admission at certain schools. Letââ¬â¢s look at NYU as an example. Itââ¬â¢s a top 50 school, with an ACT middle 50% range between 28 and 32. That means a bad ACT score for NYU would be anything below 28. Itââ¬â¢s still possible you would get in, but much less likely. Even though 28 is very strong nationally ââ¬â itââ¬â¢s in the 90th percentile! ââ¬â you need to get to that score or higher to be competitive at NYU. But the threshold for ââ¬Å"badâ⬠will vary by school, so definitely look up the ranges of schools you are interested in using our guide below. Whatââ¬â¢s a Bad ACT Score for My Local State School? When you are applying to large local universities or less-selective colleges (colleges that admit more than half of applicants), the ACT score ranges are often much more forgiving. As an example, letââ¬â¢s take a look at California State Long Beach. Their ACT middle 50% range is between 20 and 25. Fun fact: that giant pyramid is called the Walter Pyramid and is used for athletic events at CSU Long Beach. This score range is between the 50th and 80th percentile nationally. So you could get an average ACT score but still be competitive for admission at CSU Long Beach. In other words, many schools are more forgiving of an average ACT score. If youââ¬â¢re mainly applying to schools in this range, you wonââ¬â¢t have to stress quite as much about studying! How To Find a Collegeââ¬â¢s Score Ranges To see what any collegeââ¬â¢s ACT score ranges are, you just have to do a quick search online. Here at PrepScholar, weââ¬â¢ve compiled the ACT score ranges ââ¬â as well as GPA averages and overall admissions rate ââ¬â for colleges and universities nationwide. To find our data page for any school, search ââ¬Å"[Name of College/University] ACT Scores site:prepscholar.comâ⬠in any search engine. We should be the first or second result. As an example, this is what a search for Harvard's ACT score ranges would look like. Click on the first link to see Harvard's ACT score ranges, as well as a tool that predicts your admission chances based on your GPA and ACT score. Next Steps Look up the middle 50% ACT ranges of all colleges you are interested in. This will help you get a better understanding of the ACT score you should aim for ââ¬â and which scores to avoid. If you want, you can fill out the table below as you look up collegesââ¬â¢ ACT middle 50% score ranges. Name of College/ University ACT 25th Percentile ACT 75th Percentile If you havenââ¬â¢t taken the ACT yet or are planning to retake it, set your target score at the upper bound of the middle 50% range of the most competitive school on your list. For example, if NYU is the most competitive school on your list, set your ACT target score at 32. If you make that score, youââ¬â¢ll be competitive wherever you apply! But if you miss it by a bit and get a 30, youââ¬â¢ll likely be well within range for most colleges on your list, and still be competitive at NYU. Whatââ¬â¢s Next? So you know what a bad ACT score looks like. What's a good score? An amazing one? See our guide here to find out. Read our guide on getting a perfect ACT score by our 36 full scorer. Even if youââ¬â¢re not going for a perfect score, following these principles will help you reach your score goal. Not sure you can study alone? Consider using our online ACT prep program. We take the hard part out of studying by analyzing your weak spots and giving you targetted practice questions. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Overview of Folk Etymology
Overview of Folk Etymology Folk etymology involves a change in the form or pronunciation of a word or phrase resulting from a mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning. Also called popular etymology. G. Runblad and D.B. Kronenfeld identify two main groups of folk etymology, which they call Class I and Class II. Class I contains folk-etymologies where some change has occurred, either in meaning or form, or both. Folk etymologies of the Class II type, on the other hand, do not usually change the meaning or form of the word, but function mainly as some popular, though false, etymological explanation of the word (Lexicology, Semantics, and Lexicography, 2000). Class I is by far the more common type of folk etymology. Connie Eble points out that folk etymology applies mostly to foreign words, learned or old-fashioned words, scientific names, and place-names (Slang and Sociability, 1996). Examples and Observations The process of altering otherwise incomprehensible words, in order to give them a semblance of meaning, is called folk, or popular, etymology. A product of ignorance, it nevertheless should not be underestimated as a factor of language history, for many familiar words owe their form to it. In kitty-corner, kitty is a jocular substitution for cater-. Cater-corner is an opaque compound, while kitty-corner (diagonally from) suggests the movement of a prowling cat. . . .Stepmother, stepdaughter, and so forth suggest the derivation from step. Yet a stepchild is not one step removed from its natural parent; -step goes back to a word meaning bereaved. Many people share Samuel Johnsons opinion that bonfire is a good fire, from French bon, but it means bonefire. Old bones were used as fuel down to the 1800s. The vowel o was shortened before -nf (a regular change before two consonants), and a native English word began to look half-French.(Anatoly Liberman, Word Origins: Etymology for Everyone. Oxford University Press, 2009) Woodchuck and Cockroach Examples: Algonquian otchek a groundhog became by folk etymology woodchuck; Spanish cucaracha became by folk etymology cockroach.(Sol Steinmetz, Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meanings. Random House, 2008)à Female Historically, female, from Middle English femelle (from Old French femelle, a diminutive form of Latin femina woman/female), is unrelated to male (Old French male/masle; Latin masculus (little man/male); but Middle English femelle was clearly remodeled into female based on the association with male (approximately the 14th century) (OED). The remodeling of female brought female and male into their current and apparently sense-related and asymmetric relationship (one that many of us, now, are going to some lengths to unmake.(Gabriella Runblad and David B. Kronenfeld, Folk-Etymology: Haphazard Perversion or Shrewd Analogy.à Lexicology, Semantics, and Lexicography, ed. byà Julie Coleman and Christian Kay. John Benjamins, 2000) Bridegroom When people hear a foreign or unfamiliar word for the first time, they try to make sense of it by relating it to words they know well. They guess what it must meanand often guess wrong. However, if enough people make the same wrong guess, the error can become part of the language. Such erroneous forms are called folk or popular etymologies.Bridegroom provides a good example. What has a groom got to do with getting married? Is he going to groom the bride, in some way? Or perhaps he is responsible for horses to carry him and his bride off into the sunset? The true explanation is more prosaic. The Middle English form was bridgome, which goes back to Old English brydguma, from bride guma man. However, gome died out during the Middle English period. By the 16th century its meaning was no longer apparent, and it came to be popularly replaced by a similar-sounding word, grome, serving lad. This later developed the sense of servant having the care of horses, which is the dominant sense toda y. But bridegroom never meant anything more than brides man.(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003) EtymologyFrom the German,à Volksetymologie
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Anthropocentrism and Environmental Ethics & Preservation of Nature Essay
Anthropocentrism and Environmental Ethics & Preservation of Nature Gaia - Essay Example The biosphere produces just the right temperature for the earth. The mechanism for the stability of the temperature on earth is sustained by biological components. Everything works together in synergy (Lovelock, 1979). The Gaia theory may imply that our world is fragile ââ¬â that, because the harmony of the living things on this world is what continues to sustain the earth, if there is an imbalance caused by manââ¬â¢s plunder, then the earth may cease to exist. But Lovelock (1979) has a different idea about this. Gaia is robust, which means that life will always exist in some form, even if the life forms on earth are reduced to ants and algae. Nevertheless, whether or not man can survive an upset in the ecosystem is another story ââ¬â man destroys large swaths of the rainforest and the oceans, which, in turn, means that trillions of micro-organisms which are necessary for the stability of the composition of the atmosphere are endangered. Yet our earth has sustained severe injury in the past ââ¬â such as the accumulation of corrosive and toxic gas oxygen two billion years ago ââ¬â and survived it (Grey, 1980). Because Gaia is predicated upon the synergy of all living things, in spite of what Lovelock (1979) states about the robustness of the theory of Gaia, it still appears that there needs to be a certain synergy for human life to exist. Life, in some form, may always exist on this planet, and certainly, if humans destroy the ecosystem to the point where the earth becomes uninhabitable for the human species, and we die out, then the less complex life forms will repopulate ââ¬â there would be no humans left to plunder the earth. However, this, of course, is not ideal, because it would mean our extinction. Therefore, there is a need for a different environmental ethic than the one that we have ââ¬â according to Sylvan (1973), the dominant Western ethic is that the world is ours to spoil. Yet, life affects the regulation of the earthâ⠬â¢s system (Lenton, 2002). This is important, because regulation is essential for persistence of systems ââ¬â systems which are unregulated tend not to survive, whereas regulated systems do survive. Lenton (2002) posits that there are biotic effects which might push our earth towards the boundaries of tolerability, beyond which life would not be sustainable. When this occurs, Mother Nature tends to push back. Our species is disruptive to the delicate Gaia, and this might result in a change in the Earth that would not be beneficial for the human race, but might be beneficial to the Earth as a whole. For instance, according to Lenton (2002), some 2 billion years ago, atmospheric oxygen rose, which was considered to be a catastrophe. However, while this change killed off much of the existing life during this period of time, it opened the door for new life ââ¬â the obligate anaerobes were affected detrimentally, but other life forms were able to emerge. Conclusion It appears t hat we must have more respect for nature and what we are doing which might affect our delicate ecosystem. Our Western ethos sticks to the belief that nature is here for our disposal: the rainforest exists for us to cut down the trees, animals exist for us to kill, and our natural resources exist for us to use. Gaia theory provides the incentive to not do this as much. If we chop down the rainforest, then, not only will we have fewer trees, but the species that live in the rainforest
Fund Transfer Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Fund Transfer Pricing - Essay Example A method used to measure the performance and profitability of banks, therefore, should put into consideration the deposits and loans by banks thus considering the net interest. FTP is a management control technique that is used to calculate the true NIL component of profitability of business units, products, portfolios, and customers (Suresh 2010). It is used to calculate the cost of funding assets and credit for funds provided inform of deposits. This is mainly the net interest which is used in the income statement and balance sheet that consists of loans generated on the asset side and funds purchased from transfer funds pool on the liability side. Fund transfer pricing is a method that banks use to internally measure, allocate and assign profit contribution value to funds collected from customer deposit, given out as loans to customers (Singh & Dutta 2013). Therefore, FTP is a component in measuring the profitability of banks since the net interest margins arrived at, as a result, is what contributes to the determination of performance and profitability of banks. FTP reflects perspective market prices, including maturities and repricing characteristics of corresponding assets and liabilities (Greuning & Brajovic 2003). It, therefore, helps the banks to determine the value of their assets in the capital markets and this further helps the banks in their investment decisions that are meant to increase their lending capacity. In addition, FTP places cost of use of capital inherent in the extension of credit to an obligor (Gross, 2006). In this way, it determines the profitability of customers, which helps the banks in making lending decisions. FTP helps to calculate the cost of the portfolio, which helps the bank in making loans and lending decisions (Saita 2007). FTP determines a banking portfolio and transfer prices that apply to loans and deposit collection (Blessis 2014). Determination of portfolio helps banks to determine how much they can lend.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Product Development Process Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Product Development Process - Personal Statement Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of the major differences is that in sequential product development process each step that is followed in the process of design must be completed before the next step can begin. On the other hand, in concurrent process, each step is linked to production and testing an aspect that allows the information between the departments to be passed among the steps. As a result, the activities in the process occur in parallel an aspect that allows any challenge arising to be solved together. On the other hand it is disadvantageous because more resources are used through regular check and instead, the process could have be verified once. Another difference between the two processes is that in sequential, once the product is obtained, it is taken through the testing process in order to check the usability of the product. This is different in concurrent where this step is omitted an aspect that may lead to inapplicable products in the market. The a dvantage of this step is that it ensures that the quality of the product or service is maintained. On the other hand, it is disadvantageous because it is time consuming. One of the major similarities is that both processes are designing. In both processes, the product is first designed in order to come up with ideas to be followed in the processes. In addition, quality mechanism in concurrent and verification in sequential product development process are similar. The step involves ensuring that the product that was previously designed has the characteristics that were previously set.
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