Bad News

Bad News Letter Guidelines Tips: Before you start writing the letter, you have to ask yourself the following questions: 1. Is the letter for internal or external communication? * How close are the sender and the receiver? The Salutation (Dear / Hello / Mr. / Wolfgan? ) and the Closing (Sincerely / Best / Love / Regards? ) should pay attention! 2. How many parties are involved in the event? (a Mainland company IS NOT the name of the supplier!! ) 3. Do you understand the basic manufacturing process of a product / the product? NO Google it then!! Make sure you understand the meaning of ‘supplier’, ‘electrical component’, ‘assemble’, and ‘end product’ because components are very different from end products). 4. What is the role and duty of each part involved? 5. What is the event happened? What is the damage to the factory? Why is it related to the large consignment? What is the bad news exactly What is the real problem led by the incid ent in the factory? What is the immediate impact on the large consignment? 6. Is there any damage involved in the case? What kind of damage (e. g. financial, relationship†¦etc.? ) will bring to the company?And recommendations on solution? What kind of short- / long- term effect will bring between the company and the supplier? 7. What’s the immediate solution to the immediate problem? Why and How is it going to solve the problem 8. What other concerns is arose from the incident that constitute impact / damage to the company in longer term? What’s your suggestion / solution? What are the reasons to support your suggestion / solution? 9. Some of you mention about ‘customers / clients’. Where are they in the chain? What’s their role? If they are involved, what kind of damage will cause to them due to the incident?Why is it important to keep relationship with the clients? What is / are the solution(s)? What are the benefits of the solutions (in the short-term or long-term? ) Salutation| Internal or External? Dear / Hello†¦ Billy / Mr. Chan†¦ | Buffer| Think of it as an introduction of an article. It should briefly preview the main messages of the letter. The last sentence leads in to the next paragraph. | Reason & Bad News| Begin with the incident Bad New Implication to the consignment? | Immediate Impact & Solution| Begin with a sentence linking last paragraph’s last sentence. Briefly and clearly states the mmediate impact to the company or other party involved the solution why will it solve the impact| Longer-term Impact & Solution| Begin with a topic sentence hinting this paragraph is about longer term planning Briefly state the concern clearly states why the concern can be an issue to the company explain the solution clearly and logically (using â€Å"logic transitional words†) states the possible positive outcome. | Closing | Short and simple. Simply asking for approval / comments / meeting for fur ther discussion†¦ etc. And be positive| Complementary Close| Internal or External? Sincerely / Regards / Best / Best Regards? | Bad News Bad News Letter Guidelines Tips: Before you start writing the letter, you have to ask yourself the following questions: 1. Is the letter for internal or external communication? * How close are the sender and the receiver? The Salutation (Dear / Hello / Mr. / Wolfgan? ) and the Closing (Sincerely / Best / Love / Regards? ) should pay attention! 2. How many parties are involved in the event? (a Mainland company IS NOT the name of the supplier!! ) 3. Do you understand the basic manufacturing process of a product / the product? NO Google it then!! Make sure you understand the meaning of ‘supplier’, ‘electrical component’, ‘assemble’, and ‘end product’ because components are very different from end products). 4. What is the role and duty of each part involved? 5. What is the event happened? What is the damage to the factory? Why is it related to the large consignment? What is the bad news exactly What is the real problem led by the incid ent in the factory? What is the immediate impact on the large consignment? 6. Is there any damage involved in the case? What kind of damage (e. g. financial, relationship†¦etc.? ) will bring to the company?And recommendations on solution? What kind of short- / long- term effect will bring between the company and the supplier? 7. What’s the immediate solution to the immediate problem? Why and How is it going to solve the problem 8. What other concerns is arose from the incident that constitute impact / damage to the company in longer term? What’s your suggestion / solution? What are the reasons to support your suggestion / solution? 9. Some of you mention about ‘customers / clients’. Where are they in the chain? What’s their role? If they are involved, what kind of damage will cause to them due to the incident?Why is it important to keep relationship with the clients? What is / are the solution(s)? What are the benefits of the solutions (in the short-term or long-term? ) Salutation| Internal or External? Dear / Hello†¦ Billy / Mr. Chan†¦ | Buffer| Think of it as an introduction of an article. It should briefly preview the main messages of the letter. The last sentence leads in to the next paragraph. | Reason & Bad News| Begin with the incident Bad New Implication to the consignment? | Immediate Impact & Solution| Begin with a sentence linking last paragraph’s last sentence. Briefly and clearly states the mmediate impact to the company or other party involved the solution why will it solve the impact| Longer-term Impact & Solution| Begin with a topic sentence hinting this paragraph is about longer term planning Briefly state the concern clearly states why the concern can be an issue to the company explain the solution clearly and logically (using â€Å"logic transitional words†) states the possible positive outcome. | Closing | Short and simple. Simply asking for approval / comments / meeting for fur ther discussion†¦ etc. And be positive| Complementary Close| Internal or External? Sincerely / Regards / Best / Best Regards? |

New Code Raises Standards of Pharmaceutical Ethics and Practice in UK Essay

1. Introduction Pharmacists play a role in the public health system and the provision of medical care public health system as critical as that of physicians. Most of the time, pharmacists only fill the prescriptions coming from physicians, but pharmacists often need to prescribe and dispense medicines on their own, especially over-the-counter drugs that people usually use for self-medication of common ailments.   With less prudence and circumspection, pharmacists may prescribe medicines that do more harm than good.   In recognition of these potential threats to the integrity of the pharmaceutical profession, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has developed a new code of ethics and performance framework, which provide that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the whole of UK receive quality education necessary for fostering the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to provide a consistent and safe practice. In formulating the new pharmaceutical code of ethics, the Society, as the RPSGB is more popularly known in UK, noted how the profession has been smeared by controversies involving some of its members, regarding issues on assisted suicide, making a prescription error, sedating an unruly patient, dispensing high-cost drugs and recommending treatment that would allow parole7,,8.  Ã‚   This paper discusses the revised code of ethics for British pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as to the likelihood of its lifting the professional practice of pharmacy to new heights of ethical proficiency and integrity. 2. Literature Review The requirements of the revised code reflect key issues for modern pharmacy practice, such as encouraging patients to be involved in decisions about their care, respecting patient choice and working in partnership with other healthcare professionals8.   All the provisions of the code are supposed to reflect in the conduct, practice and performance of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, designed as it is to promote and support a culture of accountability and professional judgment.  Ã‚   For this reason, the code sets out seven principles of ethical practice that pharmacists or pharmacy technicians need to observe in the pursuit of their profession.   2.1. Key Principles The revised code of ethics is based on seven principles, each of which is supported by requirements that explain the types of actions and behaviors expected of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians when applying said principles in practice. The seven principles are: 1) make the care of patients the pharmacist’s first concern; 2) exercise professional judgment in the interests of patients and the public, 3) show respect for others, 4) encourage patients to participate in decisions about their care, 5) develop professional knowledge and competence, 6) be honest and trustworthy, and 7) take responsibility for your working practices. Unlike previous versions, detailed standards and guidance will be produced separately from the code. Seven professional standards and guidance documents have also been developed to support and expand on the principles of the new code of ethics in the following areas: †¢ Patient consent †¢ Patient confidentiality †¢ Sale and supply of medicines †¢ Pharmacist prescribers †¢ Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in positions of authority †¢ Advertising †¢ Internet pharmacy This means that people are forbidden to accept pharmaceutical work when they do not possess the necessary skills and competence7.   If they do have the proper knowledge and experience, the code says that the pharmacist should start work by establishing the scope of his role and responsibilities and clarifying any ambiguities or uncertainties about where his responsibilities lie.   In addition to complying with his legal and professional obligations, the pharmacist is also expected to keep up to date with and observe the laws, statutory codes and professional obligations relevant to his particular responsibilities8.   2.2. Role and Responsibilities If subject is a pharmacy owner, superintendent pharmacist or pharmacy manager in a hospital, trust, or other field of practice, the code obliges him to set the standards and policies for the provision of pharmacy services by his organization.   The idea is to make the organization – its premises, departments or facilities – properly maintained so that none of its activities would bring the pharmaceutical profession into disrepute.   For this purpose, all the medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients, devices and other stocks at the pharmacy premises or facilities are stored under conditions appropriate to the nature and stability of these products.  Ã‚   In hiring people, management of a pharmacy must conduct background check to ensure that they are qualified for the job and have no criminal records1. The code deems it important that the people employed in a pharmacy are conscientious enough to raise concerns about risks to patients or the public.   Thus, the pharmacy should emplace an appropriate and effective mechanism for staff to raise concerns about risks to patients or the public, including concerns about inadequate resources, policies and procedures, or problems with the health, behavior or the professional performance of others.   2.3. Ethical Development Ethical practice in any profession is commonly perceived to be the outcome of good education and training.   However, studies in the UK context reveal that classroom discussion and experiential clerkship training have no significant impact on the ethical decisions that pharmacists make later3.   In an interview of pharmacy students regarding parole and drug rationing, it was found that majority would recommend treatment to allow parole and restrict the use of expensive drugs6. The ethical choice here is between the benefits to the patient and the risks or costs to society. On physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, few students expressed willingness to dispense any lethal dose of medication to terminally ill patients.   In cases of unruly patients, however, more students would dispense the appropriate sedative.   These responses give rise to questions so to whether pharmacy students are trained to be patient-focused in their future practice3. The code also specifies training on such aspects of pharmaceutical practice as good consultation skills and meticulous record keeping.   To the code, it matters if pharmacists forget to ask questions in a medication review or in dispensing a repeat prescription; or misinterpret body language and miss cues from patients about emerging problems. The reason is that pharmacists may be the only healthcare professional the patient is seeing routinely so it matters if they miss something or handle a clinical situation poorly.   2.4. Advertised Drugs A recent randomized controlled trial using model patients found that patient requests for advertised drugs were a stronger determinant of prescribing decisions than whether or not the patient had the condition the drug aimed to treat2. Another study of prescribing decisions in response to patient requests found that if a patient asks for an advertised brand, he usually receives it, although the physician is more likely to be ambivalent about these prescribing decisions6. These studies suggest a need for physicians and pharmacists to receive adequate training on how to respond to patient requests. The global withdrawal of the drug Rofecoxib from the market in 2004 illustrates this point. Rofecoxib was no more effective than alternative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in treating the symptoms of arthritis but it was widely promoted as safer and accepted by the public as such. Although there were studies that it brought the side effect of increased heart disease risks, the drug made it big in the market, with 80 million prescriptions worldwide3.   The market success of the drug is a testament to the triumph of marketing over science.   Only after the US Food and Drug Administration reported 35,000 cases of cardiac arrests and a congressional investigation was consequently held that the drug was pulled out.   The incident highlighted the need to ensure that health professionals are adequately prepared to evaluate promotional claims, and to assess and understand interactions with the pharmaceutical industry2. 3. Discussion Educators in many countries are clearly aware of the influence of pharmaceutical promotion on the health professions and wish to prepare students for this aspect of their professional lives. As a physician educator from India said, â€Å"†¦Whatever rational things we want to inculcate in them, that should be done in the student period itself. Once they taste big money then habits develop and later die hard9.†Ã‚   This is precisely the habit the code of ethics for UK pharmacists seeks to discourage. On pharmacy education, the literature agrees that there is no consistent, well-designed and deliberate approach to teaching students ethics during clerkship. Moreover, it has been observed that factors such as life experiences and normal maturation are likely to contribute to the students’ ethical development.   Acknowledging these limitations, the code simply seeks to determine if there were noticeable changes in the ethical decisions made by students at different points in their education. Since it was seen that classroom and clerkship experiences do not impact on the ethical decisions made by pharmacy students, the code encourages pharmacy schools to attend to this problem.   On top of the proposed agenda is a revision of the curriculum such that it can provide a deliberate and consistent ethical component to the clerkship experience5. A review of ethics literature in medicine and pharmacy found that pharmacy schools lag considerably behind medical schools in the integration of ethics into the curriculum1.   Additionally, medical schools were found to use a more patient-oriented approach to teaching ethics.   It is believed that a patient-oriented, clerkship-based approach could enhance ethics education and is worthy of further study.   The Society is thus currently making efforts to more effectively design and study alternative approaches to ethics education during clerkship, and throughout the pharmacy curriculum8. 4. Commentary The finding that pharmacy students do not learn ethical behavior from their classroom and clerkship experience in UK casts doubt on full compliance with the code of ethics for this type of healthcare professionals. The above studies conclude that students have a less defined professional ethical system, which may be due to a lack of pharmacy practice experience. They recommend that further studies be done to document the ethical growth and development of pharmacy students. Other authors have suggested that future studies longitudinally evaluate the influence of pharmaceutical education and training on the moral development and ethical behavior of students. Furthermore, it has also been suggested that ethics education should include both theoretical and practical components.   If the code of ethics has to influence the practice of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, concerned authorities must take these suggestions to heart.   Otherwise, the code will only be good on paper.

Quantitative Analysis of Salicylates by Visible Spectroscopy

Introduction: The purpose of this lab was to learn how to use a spectrophotometer to measure the amount of light absorbed by different concentrations of salicylic acid, compare those concentrations to our unknown sample and to use the data collected to compile a graph showing the levels of absorbance of the different concentrations. Methods and materials: In this lab we used a spectrophotometer, a test tube filled with water to be used as a blank, six test tubes with different concentrations of salicylic acid ranging from 0 mg/dL to 5 mg/dL and one test tube with an unknown concentration of salicylic acid.We set the spectrophotometer to a wavelength of 540 nm. We adjusted the transmittance to 0%. Next we placed the test tube with the water into the spectrophotometer and adjusted the transmittance dial to 100%. We removed the test tube containing the water and replaced it with the first concentration of 0 mg/dL. We recorded the absorbance and repeated the test for a total of 5 reading s. We did this for each concentration. We then calculated the average of each concentration’s absorbance readings and plotted the averages onto the graph.Once we had gathered the data for our known concentrations we then repeated the procedure for our unknown concentration. We again took the average and plotted that on the absorbance curve to determine the concentration of the unknown. Observations and Data: Calibration Standard| Absorbance Reading 1| Absorbance Reading 2| Absorbance Reading 3| Absorbance Reading 4| Absorbance Reading 5| AverageAbsorbance Reading| 0 mg/dL| 0. 007| 0. 010| 0. 007| 0. 005| 0. 006| 0. 07| 0. 5 mg/dL| 0. 032| 0. 036| 0. 037| 0. 041| 0. 038| 0. 037| 1. 5 mg/dL| 0. 098| 0. 100| 0. 098| 0. 099| 0. 096| 0. 098| 2. 5 mg/dL| 0. 150| 0. 149| 0. 153| 0. 154| 0. 150| 0. 151| 3. 5 mg/dL| 0. 234| 0. 239| 0. 237| 0. 250| 0. 229| 0. 238| 5. 0 mg/dL| 0. 286| 0. 287| 0. 288| 0. 292| 0. 291| 0. 289| Unknown A| 0. 241| 0. 238| 0. 239| 0. 241| 0. 241| 0. 239| Base d on the data from the known concentrations I found our unknown to be a concentration of 3. mg/dL. Conclusions: We used a spectrophotometer to determine the concentration curve for the known samples then used both the spectrophotometer and the concentration curve to determine the concentration of the unknown sample. This technique can be used by toxicologists to determine the amount of drugs in a person’s blood. This can be helpful if there was an overdose or if the district attorney needed to know the concentration of drugs in someone’s system.

Organizational Change Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Change Project - Essay Example The organization has also undergone transitions from its family based orientation to its current form that is professionally managed. Simmons has also identified a decision-making culture in which decisions are based on the organization’s history. Its culture also involves creativity and innovation, utility optimization and customer satisfaction as core principles. Even though it once deviated from its core objective of manufacturing mattresses, the organization realigned to its original objective. Two years ago, Simmons recruited Eites, a dynamic manager who has proposed a cultural change program to the organization’s environment that has become unfavorable. Effects of recession and the September 11 terror attack besides bankruptcy of three major customers have for example hit the organization. One of the organization’s suppliers also delivered spoilt raw materials, leading to defective product (Edmondson, 2007). Facts in the case identify diversified challenges and problems that require change. Its historic decision making culture that induces rigidity and resistance to change is an example. The organization also faces adverse economic conditions from recession and effects of the terror attack. Resistance to proposed changes and receipt of bad materials are other issues that identify the need for change (Edmondson,

Data Model and Data Flow Diagram Assignment Essay

Data Model and Data Flow Diagram Assignment - Essay Example As the customer starts selecting products, the customer is given a "shopping cart". At the end, the customer can check out the shopping cart. At this time, he will be asked for personal information as well as login information for future purposes. The personal information includes the email, gender and date of birth in addition to the usual personal information needed for online shopping. He is also asked for credit card information (PresRX accepts only Master, Visa and American Express). Since PresRX also sells prescription drugs, if the "shopping cart" for the customer contains a product that is available only by prescription, the customer must provide the physician's information as well. This information will include the physician's name, address, specialty, phone number, email, fax number and hospital/clinic affiliation (we care about only the clinic that our customer goes to). (If the physician's info is not provided, we will contact the customer and obtain the info.) The custom er can also select the shipping method: we provide overnight, standard air and standard ground. For some of the drugs that are time and temperature sensitive, the customer will not be able to select the shipping method: the shipping method will automatically be chosen. The products will always be shipped to the person who orders them. If the customer wishes to use his insurance to make the purchase, we obtain the insurance company information as well as the insurance number and we will validate it by contacting the insurance company. Once the credit card is validated, we request validation from the insurance company on the prescription, physician on the prescription and validation of the physician from the hospital/clinic (to prevent fraudulent prescriptions). This is done via an automated email sent to the clinic as well as the physician. If emails are not made available, one of the employees will fax the request. This request will contain the drug requested, the quantity ordered, date it was ordered and the customer's name, address and phone number. The insurance company is called. We do this every time the person shops. The physician's office is given access to a physician's portal where his office can approve the prescription drug order. On approval, the drug is packed and shipped to the customer. The physician's portal is available where physicians can log in to not only approve the prescription request but also to renew the prescription for their patients. We also need to obtain supplies regularly. The reordering is based on need, triggered by low stocks. The system will have to reorder from the supplier via automatic ordering. As the products are shipped to our customers, the system updates the product quantity and as soon as the quantity goes to a pre-set "low" (different for each product), the system will immediately send an order to the product's supplier. Since we handle brand items, each product will have only one supplier. For each product we receive, our employees will update the product quantities in our system. The employees doing this will be the warehouse managers and we need to know who entered which batch of received shipments. Since prescription drugs

During the 1980s and early 1990s recessions, British manufacturing Essay - 1

During the 1980s and early 1990s recessions, British manufacturing management restored profitability, sacked employees, and tran - Essay Example The depression had been caused by the great value of the pound, towering rates of interest, a firm fiscal policy, the economic boom and bust, high charges of mortgage interests, and the use of the Exchange Rate System Since the recession in the 1980s, British manufacturing has not been able to regain its position as the world’s top manufacturing nation. Although the decline experienced by Britain has been inevitable, a number of measures have been taken to improve British manufacturing. Among these is the New Growth Economics, which focuses on growth policy, convergence and catching-up, social capability, human capital, and investment. The United Kingdom has also made efforts to sustain a high level of foreign direct investment, which is one of the foundations to the revival of British manufacturing. Keywords: Recession, British Manufacturing, Gross Domestic Product, Inflation, Manufacturing Sector, Competitors, Unemployment, Economy A recession is a â€Å"downturn in the bus iness cycle during which real GDP declines, business profits fall, the percentage of the work without jobs rises, and production capacity is underutilized† (Tucker, 2008, p.252). GDP means, â€Å"the value of a country`s overall output of goods and services during one fiscal year at market prices, excluding net income from abroad† (â€Å"gross domestic product (GDP),† n.d.). ... Source: (â€Å"Causes of recessions,† n.d.). A recession consists of two quarters, whereby the decline in the GDP; during a recession the economy is functioning inside and further away from its production possibilities curve. During a recession the economy is affected in a downfall, demands begin to slowly go down; this is because the market is saturated and the demands for goods and services becomes weak (Montgomery, 2011). Factors that lead to the recession in Britain during the 1980s and early 1990s include: 1. Great value of the pound: This reduced the demand for exports since they became more expensive. British manufacturing was the sector that was mostly affected. 2. High rates of interest: Inflation in the UK was above 15% in 1979 (â€Å"Causes of Recessions,† n.d.). High inflation was inherited by the conservative government, which made a commitment to reduce it. The government focused on tight fiscal and monetary policies, which reduced inflation, but caused a reduction in investment, spending, and output. 3. A firm fiscal policy: The government focused on reducing its borrowing level to reduce inflation, which was necessary for the economy. To achieve this, taxes were increased, consequently reducing consumer spending due to the fact that their disposable income was reduced by the tax increase. 4. Economic boom and bust: There was rapid economic growth during the 1980s. As a result of this inflation increased above 10% (â€Å"Causes of Recessions,† n.d.). The UK government embarked on reducing the inflation by increasing the rates of interests, which led to a reduction in spending. 5. Use of the Exchange Rate System: The UK

Substandard Patient or Health Care Delivery Paper Essay

Substandard Patient or Health Care Delivery Paper - Essay Example discussed in this paper will relate to the issues of poor communication, resulting in substandard care, and failure to follow basic hygiene guidelines in an Emergency Room (ER) setting. Experience: A few years back, I went to the ER in a large city hospital with a friend who had fallen and broken her wrist. It was only midday, but they were very busy and the receptionist told us we would wait for around 30 minutes to see a triage nurse. Once this happened and a history and details of the accident were taken, we were told to wait to be called to see the doctor. The nurse gave no indication as to how long we would wait. There seemed to be no regular order in place, and at no time did any staff member apologize for delays, ask how people were doing, or announce a waiting time. After two hours, another nurse called us to a treatment cubicle. We waited a further half hour and during that time, I noticed the condition of the cubicle. There was a dirty, used paper towel under the sink, other paper on the floor, and on one wall, there were splashes of dried blood. More worrying, was that when the doctor came in, he straight away began to examine my friend’s wrist, w ithout washing his hands or putting on gloves. His manner was friendly but brusque; he was moving from patient to patient as fast as possible. He told us that bloods and x-rays would be taken, and the nurse came and sent us back to the waiting area. After an hour, we were directed to x-ray and while waiting there, somebody took blood tests. During this time, she was in pain, but because of the need for test results, no pain relief was offered. After 30 more minutes, the x-ray results came back and at this point, the wrist was put in plaster and a sling attached. We could not leave until the bloods results were available. Everybody was polite and efficient, but no apologies for oversights and delays were offered, and we left before the results came; my friend had to sign a disclaimer for doing

Short Answer Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Answer Responses - Essay Example speech, privacy and the right to a fair hearing and the opportunity to counter the allegations of incompetence and inappropriate remarks are the substantive rights that require protection. 2. Due process under the 5th and 14th Amendment apply in Situation B because the teacher is tenured and property rights are at stake. To this end the dismissal essential deprives the teacher of his property rights and to do so requires that the authorities take certain fair procedural steps as provided for under the US Constitution. The mode of action taken must commensurate with the interest the interest protected. To this end, deprivation of job security should entail an opportunity to respond to the allegations giving rise to the action plan and the dismissal, an opportunity to be heard on the issues and right to appeal any decision. These procedural rights are measured against the school’s interest and the welfare of the students and will only be protected to such an extent that they do not compromise school policy and the welfare of the students. 3. Virginia Code SS 63.2-1503, 63.2-1505 and 63.2-1516.1 apply to situation B. Virginia Code SS 63.2.1503 requires investigation by School officials of suspected incidents of child neglect and abuse. In this case the teacher has been accused of Child neglect with respect to his method of teaching and making inappropriate comments to the children. This invokes Virginia Code SS 63.2.1502. Virginia Code 63.2-1505 requires that the person/teacher investigated be notified of the complaint investigation. In other words a fair protocol regarding employment greivances is required to be followed. If the matter goes to court, the codes may be invoked by the plaintiff to counter any claims by the defendant that he was denied procedural due process. 4. Title VI and IX of the Civil Rights Act 1964 as amended does not arise in the case in Situation B. Title VI arises in instances where the application of public funds is

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Performance Management - Essay Example sue that affects employee performance is the use of electronic communications especially in an era where social media has found its use in the workplaces. As such, companies us performance appraisals to evaluate their employees to reward the top performers and punish the non-performers. Therefore, the essay discusses the implications of random drug tests for current employees, establishes if it is justifiable to monitor the use of electronic communications and the importance of performance appraisals. Currently, companies are in a bid to implement policies that will allow them to random carry out drug tests on their employees. However, the random drug testing especially on the current employees is a subject to human privacy violation implying that organizations should consider the applicable regulations as well as statutes that protect the employee rights (Wall, 2011). On the other hand, random drug testing should take course under insurance and employment contract requirements to address the drug problem at the workplace. Random drug testing may be justifiable because organizations, through the executive management, have the responsibility to provide safe and healthy work environment. Employees who are on drugs may be a threat to others because they may be prone to mistakes that may result in serious injuries at the workplace. Therefore, random drug testing for the current employees is only justifiable if the employees sign the drug testing policy upon their employment to an org anization because this way, there will be a balance between privacy and safe workplace. In Canada, firing an employee can be quite a nightmare even if the employer believes that the employee is incompetent in the assigned task. The implication is that if the termination of the employee takes place in a wrong manner, the court may compel the organization to pay for damages. However, there are steps that organizations can take to reduce the chances of facing legal suit from the employee.

Juno American Feature Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Juno American Feature Film - Essay Example Juno has a very basic story line as well as concept attached to the tale; it is about a young girl trying to explore the nooks and crannies of intimacy and relationships without understanding the implications that might arise along with the same. The film has been directed in a very concise manner making use of pencil stylized ‘rotoscoped’ images right from the credits in the beginning, making use of animation in order to help the audience understand the maturity level of the girl and the kind of colourful life that she always wanted to live for herself. This entire sequence took a period of seven to eight months to be mastered as each and every shot that follows Juno on her way to the medical pharmacy was taken in short screenings. The set design is incredible, assisting in providing the film with a touch of wonder. The various characters within the movie have been portrayed in a very interesting manner. The director has taken his time to choose the main protagonists an d provide them with a different twist. Juno is a young teenage girl who comes off a little strong on the first meeting with everyone. The lighting during the course of the film is a light and well maintained one without any qualms as such, helping to show the warmth emanating from the characters at different points throughout the course of the movie. Full of sarcasm, Juno helps to put an indie spin in the movie and gives a very intense performance with her dominating nature and need to control everything that might not even be in her reach. However, she understands where she went wrong by getting pregnant but decides to bring about a change in a couple’s life with the help of her baby who she is willing to give up in order to make someone else happy. There was a vast amount of dramatisation in the film played by the other characters, namely Juno’s parents which helped to calm the situation by making her understand what she had gone through, and helping her come out wit h a solution rather than screaming at her and making her feel the pain of the implications and consequences that she was already suffering. The two characters acted in an excellent manner, almost very real and lifelike, helping parents all around to understand how to cope with their children if they befall such a similar situation in their future. The entire design of the film is based on the four seasons of the year and the film has thus been divided into four aspects with different materials used to give the picture of the various seasons that passed by. For example, the use of fake flora and flowers were made in order to depict spring taking place. Fans were used in order to blow leaves and flowers around in order to show autumn and the shedding of leaves and trees. The use of fake cherry blossom trees were also made to make the set look more real. Different colours were also used wisely by the director as he tried to use each colour to signify the weather on the outside. For exa mple, the opening sequence of the movie shows Juno walking in a red hoodie jacket, walking through sombre coloured green and brown lush greenery around her (Sciretta). Juno’s bedroom as well was a very cleverly designed set as it helped to appeal to the minds of most young teenagers, showing how most young people keep their rooms; messy as

Is there international law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is there international law - Essay Example The vast organization that constitutes international law includes an assortment of international traditions, formal contacts, pacts, consensus, and charters such as the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Charter has various codes of conduct or protocols, law courts and summaries of legal agreements which include legal examples of previous decisions handed down by the International Court of Justice. In the absence of a potent governing apparatus to enforce implementation of international law, international law is confined to the parameters where enforcement of international law is only possible when those in power agree to abide by the law (MacCormick 259). The underlying argument of this paper is whether there is international law which every country confides and abides to fully. Countries have different governing systems, and they usually adhere to their own version of international law which might include both case laws and legislation in their country. The adherence to int ernational laws includes practical implications, measures and legal redress. These principles are recognized as part of international procedure which are implemented as a courtesy and respect for the Charter of the United Nations. This Charter includes but is not limited to national and international laws for respecting human rights and the sovereignty of other countries. They also include international laws regarding investments, offshore banking, tariffs, imports and exports, contracts, dumping and much more. However, to be recognized as a sovereign state, it is mandatory for a state to have its own government and defined territory (Wood 169). The sources such as international organization like the United Nations which are involved in the international law making processes face difficulties in formulating and implementing international laws since this is a complicated process that has to take into consideration any issues which that specific international law may produce. Determin ing the basis of international law will also include its claim to legal authority, its legality and rationalization and why should people be in compliance with such laws. The issue of origins is commonly addressed by international scholars by referring to the prescribed sources of international law, most specifically sources that are found in Article 38 of the 1945 International Court of Justice Statute treaty law and universal philosophy and ethics, supported by other reliable sources such as case laws written by renowned scholars. The legal philosophy advocated by Grotius is not written in the constitution, but refers to respect accorded to other sovereign states. This had become absolutely necessary during the early seventeenth century because there was no way of enforcing international law and the monarchies that had power or had seized power refused to adhere to or obey any law except their laws. All disagreements between states were settled by the use of military force (Kammer hofe 88). Conventionally, the states have used established international law makers and have formulated laws that apply to specific issues within their own states and the same laws are applicable to other states and individuals equally. Consequently, there

Sallust and the Fall of Rome Essay Example for Free

Sallust and the Fall of Rome Essay Sallust also said â€Å"at home they lived frugally and never betrayed a friend†. This means they were always kind and never betrayed anyone. This was all before money became a factor. Sallust could see that Rome was becoming greedy and started to care only about money and knew Rome was going to collapse. He said â€Å"as soon as wealth came to be a mark of distinction and an easy way to renown, military commands and political power, virtue began to decline†. This was before the actual fall of Rome but it was absolutely correct. Rome began to fall apart over money and never went back. They ended up fighting themselves over money and that allowed others to take over. Sallust also said â€Å"such men, it seems to me, have treated their wealth as a mere plaything: instead of making honorable use of it, they have shamefully misused it on the first wasteful project that occurred to them†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This sums up how the thought of money as a toy and used it on the first thing they saw. This greed made Rome fall. Rome was the greatest empire of its time but all things come to an end. Some things ended with war or disease but Rome fell because of the greed of the people there. Greed never leads to anything good and this is probably the best example of that in history. Sallust was completely right when he predicted the fall of Rome over money but no one listened and that was the end of Rome.

The continuing evolution of leadership theory

The continuing evolution of leadership theory The articles and the book chapters chosen identify varying leadership perspectives, dynamics, and leader follower characteristics in the educational contexts. Kellerman in what every leader needs to know about followers suggests that every leader has at least one follower and good followers make informed decisions about their leaders and what they espouse. Based on their judgments about the leaders, they take appropriate actions. This article was chosen due to its insightfulness of leader follower relationships, and how closely these can be linked with the early childhood contexts Hard (2006), in Horizontal violence in early childhood education and care (ECEC) explores the relationship between the leadership in ECEC, and the internal and external factors inhibiting leadership development of early childhood professionals. This article also provides an insight into the lack of leadership, and complexities between the management and leadership within the early childhood field. Rodd (2006) identifies the need for the early childhood profession to become more active in up skilling early childhood professionals with leadership skills. Rodd stresses the importance of leadership development by saying It is necessary to nurture and train leaders within the early childhood profession and to empower the early childhood field from grass roots up. Rodd also suggest that early childhood professionals need to see themselves as leaders and to take the challenges in facilitating high quality early childhood services for children and the families. Leadership in early childhood is an insightful book which provides a field specific knowledge and understanding of what is leadership within the early childhood context. Critical summaries and application The typology of the leader follower relationship proposed by Kellerman allows the leaders to identify, to determine, and to appreciate the differences of their followers. Kellerman (2007) uses leader follower engagement as the defining factor and identifies five types of followers: followers who are completely detached as isolates; bystanders as free riders, participants who are willing to make an impact by some level of participation, activists who are very much engaged in what is happening; and diehards who are very much engaged that they are willing to go down with the ship or throw the captain overboard. Perhaps this is very much true in early childhood contexts where identifying people who would fit into any one of these categories is easy to find. Although Kellermans emphasis on leaders having to know the followers could have positive impact on leadership success, it could be suggested that the followers too need to know their leaders and their expectation in becoming effective group members. Warren Bennis cited in Dubrin,Dalglish,Miller (2006) suggest that a key role of the followers is to collaborate with their leaders to achieve organisational goals through team work: a new kind of alliance between the leaders and the led (pp.472-473) Hard (2006), identifies the lack of understanding of what leadership is within the early childhood field, and states that until recently, leadership had not been widely researched in early childhood education and care. According to Hard(2006), , leadership involves influencing people, situations and role responsibilities and relationships specific to each context within which they operate. Leadership also requires meeting the needs of the people, and managing the resources and power in a profitable manner. Hard also suggests that: management and leadership are interrelated concepts and a clear separation is not necessarily possible or desirable. Management positions often do incorporate some leadership skills however; most often leadership in early childhood involves management duties. Hard suggest perhaps the essence of the term leadership articulates the notion of creating positive change in organisations. Rodd (2006), identifies that the development of leadership skills continues to be a vital and critical challenge for early childhood practitioners in providing culturally and socially responsive early childhood contexts for young children and their families. Rodd unpicks the leadership in early childhood contexts and encapsulates the uniqueness of each early childhood setting and how it makes it difficult to specifically define leadership broadly and exclusively. According to Rodd, developing relationships and teamwork seems to be enhancing affective leaders within the early childhood settings. Trust, sharing collaboration and empowerment are believed to be contributing factors in developing leadership in early childhood settings. Rodd also explores who the leaders are in the early childhood contexts; functions of leaders in the early childhood field and many other factors unique and significant to early childhood contexts. An important point made by Rodd includes the need for early childhood professional to have leadership dispositions as they are required to implement and ensure Regulatory and Quality Assurance expectations within the early childhood contexts. This requires all early childhood educators to possess an understanding of essentials of leadership skills specific to the early childhood field. Another important point Rodd makes is that leadership skills are to be necessary and equally important as the curriculum knowledge pursued by the early childhood practitioners. Reviewing leadership theories and literature provides an understanding that earlier leadership theories lack the significance and the applicability to the early childhood contexts. Early childhood contexts are mainly occupied and managed by women and often the management and leadership involves joint and shared leadership approaches and characteristics uniquely preferred by women. Women often feel the need for intimacy, flexibility, individualised organisational strategies and processes, and the ethos of collaboration and collective success for all within the environment (Rodd, 2006, Dubrin,Dalglish,Miller2006). Early childhood leadership focuses on influencing people rather than using power and authority. These characteristics are seen as more suited, and perhaps unique to the early childhood field (Rodd, 2006) Looking from Kellers (2007) point of view, it is important for leaders to know who they are leading and their aspirations, in becoming better leaders. The relationship between leaders and the people they are leading is not single sided and not all followers are the same. Followers like leaders too, act upon individual self interests, and therefore, should not be treated as one. Although the followers may lack authority like their leaders, they possess power and influence to make change happen. Perhaps it would be beneficial to look at educational leadership from a different perspective. Looking from Senge (1990) and Argris and Schon (1996) and other learning organisation perspectives, educational leadership requires leaders to create an environment where the individuals have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues to reflect, expose and to test and improve mental models in achieving better organisational outcomes for all involved. Leading educational contexts therefore requires leaders to be able to manage and to lead the most valuable asset of the organisation which is its people. Peoples skills and knowledge: the knowledge economy, is the value of the organisation. People are not just the cogwheels of machines anymore, and they are seen as active participants who contribute to the organisational goals and outcomes through participative and distributive leadership. The implication of this knowledge economy seems to be that it requires the managers and the leaders to take the leadership stance where they are to define and provide the purpose and value for the tasks assigned. Managers need to focus on nurturing and in developing skills of the work force and inspire positive outcomes for the individuals, the organisation, and the community within which they operate (Dubrin,Dalglish,Miller 2006). Peter Drucker states: The most valuable assets of a 20th-century company were its production equipment. The most valua ble asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledgeable workers and their productivity. (Drucker 1999) [URL]. As mentioned above, the purpose of an early childhood service is to provide quality care and education for young children. Developing leadership for reflective practice and change is a key role for the early childhood professionals. Change is constant and is one of the few uncertainties in everyones life (Ebbeck Waniganayake, 2003). In early childhood contexts, reflective practice allows individuals: to adapt; respond to problems and difficulties; to be flexible; to question traditional or established practices; to question individual practices; and to question ideas or methods in order to develop new understandings, and then to apply them. it is important for the leaders to remember that the actions and styles of a leader, interactions, values and beliefs influence the people they lead and determine how they respond to the leader. Leadership in early childhood also involves transforming the mind sets and responding to change required by both internal and external constraints.(Rodd, 2006). Effective change is the ability to adapt to the changing circumstances. The planning for and implementation of the change is one of the major challenges that face the early childhood leaders (Saracho,1992). The four frameworks: Structural, Symbolic, Human Resources and Political Frames, as described by Bowman and Deal (2008) encourage leaders to look at situations differently and to effectively manage change. Traditional leadership theories have provided with multiple lenses to view varying aspects of management and leadership characteristics people use in different situations and institutions. It has contributed to the understanding of management and leadership perspectives, the roles and the responsibilities of leaders, and to be able to apply theoretical knowledge appropriately in achieving better outcomes in educational contexts. Theoretical understanding enables the leaders to use it wisely as a guiding factor in approaches to management and leadership within the educational contexts.

Causes of Animal Extinction and Disappearing Species

Causes of Animal Extinction and Disappearing Species Newler argues that, animals become extinct when they die and no longer exist; at that death of the only existing members of the species. Extinction simply means to be away forever. The process takes place over a period of time. A species may be regarded to as functionally extinct before it is fully extinct when only a few of them exist. The existing group is for one reason or another unable to reproduce and propagate the species, hence termed as functionally extinct. The process begins from the time when the death rate is higher than the birthrate. The number of animals then slowly decreases to extinction, (Newler, 102). Newler also adds that in biology extinction is the end of a given species of animals in an ecosystem. Though not documented, scientist believe that 99.9% of the species that have existed before have so far been extinct. A certain species of animals may get extinct because it cannot survive in the changing environmental conditions; allowing only the species that are well adapted to the environment to survive. This shows that there are certain natural factors within the environment that causes extinction, (Newler, 102). According to Manwel, a number of animals that existed several years ago have since been extinct. These include: tyrannosaurus Rex (extinct 65 million years ago), Stellers sea cow: the defenseless beast (extinct since 1768), Thylacine: the Tasmanian tiger (extinct sine 1936), Quagga: half Zebra, half Horse (extinct since 1883), Irish Deer: the largest deer that ever lived (extinct about 7,700 years ago), Caspian Tiger: the third largest (extinct since 1970), Aurochs: a very large type of cattle (extinct since 1627), Great Auk: largest of all Auks (extinct since 1844), Cave Lion: one of the largest lions ever (extinct since 2,000 years ago) and Dodo: the archetype of extinct species (extinct since late 17th century), (Manwel, 75) Causes of animal extinction Although some cases of animal extinction is attributed to natural factors within the environment, it is however evident that human activities play a very key role in the process. Scientists have studied the human activities that causes immense environmental changes which makes the environment unfit for the existence of a particular species of animals. Since humans have become the dominant species on earth, increase in human activities leads to exploitation of the resources within the environment and leads to emissions that may cause serious climatic changes which reduce the chances of survival of the animals. Some of the causes of extinction include the following. Global warming According to Manwel, there is a close association between global warming and extinction of animal species on earth. Scientist argue that 251 million years ago, life on earth nearly came to an end when there was mass extinction that saw the death of over 90% of all species on earth. This was caused by a volcanic eruption that caused an increase in atmospheric temperatures by 6 oC setting off a greenhouse effect that led to the mass extinction. The greenhouse effect was caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from the volcanic eruption. The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere creates greenhouse effect, (Manwel, 77). Ruckler adds that with the increase in human activity and industrial advancements lead to the emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which causes greenhouse effect. As the levels of carbon dioxide increases, the evidence of its effects on the planet becomes more glaring. At present, a number of animal species are at the verge of extinction because of the serious environmental changes cause by global warming. Global warming leads to increase in atmospheric temperatures and reduces the amount of oxygen both in the atmosphere and the water bodies. This greatly affects the existence of animals. For example, when the amount of oxygen dissolved in water is reduced, anaerobic bacteria increases and the number of the other aquatic animals reduces drastically. Global warming also affects migration of animals, hatching of eggs and distribution of animal species in the planet. There is factual evidence that global warming is tied with animal extinction. In Australia for example, White Pos sum is believed to be extinct as a result of global warming. The animal died because it could not withstand the high temperatures, (Ruclker, 56). Overhunting and overfishing According to Raloff, overhunting refers to the harvesting of wild animals beyond the growth rate of the population; such that the total population of the animals gradually reduces. Both overhunting and overfishing reduces that number of animal species. For example, a number of fish species are facing extinction because of overfishing. Overhunting in the high seas has reduced significantly the population of whales, sea turtles, sea cows and other fish species, (Raloff, 23). Most humans hunt for wild animals for their hides and meat. Human encroachment into the forest and new habitat has seen the extinction of animal species. In North America, 11,000 years ago, when people first migrated from Serbia to Alaska, it is thought that some species of animals including the mastodon, mammoth and Saber-toothed tiger became extinct within a few centuries because of hunting and resource exploitation. The effects of global warming are evident from the extinction of a member of the primate group in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The red colobus and the red-checked monkey became extinct from the African forest because overhunting and destruction of its habitat brought about by human inhabitance. Raloff argues that in the past, the extinction of animals such as elephant birds and lemurs in Madagascar, kangaroos in Australia, Moas in New Zealand, herbivores in America are overhunting. Hunting poses major threat to animals and has lead to the increase in the number of endangered species. The most endangered groups of animals in the world today are the mammals and birds. For mammals the main disadvantage they have is that they are big (require more food and water) and reproduce at a slower rate hence they can be easily wiped out through overhunting. Birds are susceptible for overhunting because of their conspicuous nature. This makes the two goops the most endangered groups in the modern world, (Raloff, 23). Habitat degradation Manwel and Mwenda pointed out that most animals live well in given set of condition provided in a given habitat. Habitat degradation means that the conditions are altered making it unsuitable for animal inhabitance; which may cause the extinction of a species of animals, which directly depend on the environment for food and shelter. The environment is changing from time to time in a slow pace. Human activities cause rapid changes in the environment to the disadvantage of animals which are slow to adapt to the fast changing environment. Increase in agriculture, mining, logging and fishing are just but a few human activities that expedite the extinction process through environmental degradation, (Mwenza, 96). Habitat degradation may cause extinction of animal species either directly or indirectly. The industries and farms produce a lot of toxic products. The effects of these products include; reduced reproductive capacity, short life span and reduces that ability of the animals to survive the environmental conditions. The availability of food and shelter from the environment is reduced by habitat destruction. Overpopulation Manwel and mwenda said that overpopulation in animals stiffens the competition for food and shelter. When the population of animals is higher than the carrying capacity of a given ecosystem, there will be a shortage of resources which definitely leads to the death of some animals. Overpopulation leads to overexploitation of the existing resources. When there is overpopulation of predators, the population of the prey reduces to and becomes one of the endangered species. If the increasing population of the predators is not controlled, the prey soon becomes extinct, (Manwel and Mwenda, 29). Conclusion The number of endangered species in animals increases with time. This means that the total population of animals on earth reduces gradually. A number of animal species are now facing extinction. The main causes of extinction can be either natural causes or human activities that affect those animals directly or indirectly. The causes include: global warming, overhunting and overfishing, overpopulation and habitat degradation. The main effects of these factors is that they endanger some animals species. Work cited Manwel, Paula. and Mwenda, J. Earths Endangered Creatures. 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1998. Newler, Martin. Disappearing Species. London: McGraw-Hill publishers, 2000. Raloff, Geoffrey. Extinction and Environmental Changes. 2nd Ed. Boston: Allyn Bacon publishers, 2004. Ruckler, Benjamin. Species Disappearing at an Alarming Rate. (3rd Ed.). New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc, 2006.

Free Scarlet Letter Essay: Is Hester Patterned after Anne Hutchinson? :: Scarlet Letter essays

Is The Scarlet Letter's Hester Patterned after Anne Hutchinson? Four Works Cited There are some things that could have happened to Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter if she had followed the footsteps of Anne Hutchinson. Anne Hutchinson believed differently from most Puritans in the 1640's. She held these beliefs with all her heart. People did not like her for that so they banished her. Hester Prynne commits adultery, but she handles it differently than Anne. She does not believe with all her heart that it was the right thing to do, so she is not punished as severely as Anne was. Hester begins by doing something against the authorities but she handles it differently than Anne did. In chapter one of The Scarlet Letter, Anne Hutchinson is considered a heroine because of her imprisonment. The chapter describes a rosebush that grew from where Anne had stepped into the prison. Rose bushes are usually associated with passion (beauty plus pain) or the church (as in Dante). Anne had a passion about her beliefs about the church and is a heroine. This rose bush grew in memory of her. Hester Prynne herself walks into this prison for almost the same reason as Anne Hutchinson. Hester had a passion symbolized by the rose also. She had a different kind of passion, though. It was not for her beliefs, but for a man of the church, Rev. Dimmesdale. This passion was in the church (the rose) but people in the church opposed this passion, just as they opposed Anne Hutchinson. The rose symbolizes what happened to both women. Right away Anne was considered a threat to authority because of her growing number of followers. People said her meetings were disorderly, but she said she was following God. Mostly because she was being more than a wife and mother and going above her place as a woman, the church banished her. The church leadership was getting upset because she had said that certain pastors were wrong and that people should live only under a "Covenant of Grace," not works, something which sounded like antinomianism. They figured that getting rid of her was the only answer. Hester had really done something wrong and deserved punishment according to the law. She had to wear a scarlet letter A. The way she handles the punishment is very different from Anne Hutchison.

The Efforts to Regulate the Internet Essay -- Computers Web Technology

The Efforts to Regulate the Internet Abstract â€Å"Cyberspace is both the popular media's new darling and new demon, revealing a new, expansive intellectual horizon but simultaneously providing easy access to an infinite, virtual Pandora's box† [1]. This paper shall discuss the situations that have raised the need for the Internet regulations, and in particular, Internet content censorship. Then, it shall review the regulatory efforts worldwide, with respect to the local cultures and governmental systems. Also, technological tools for regulating the Internet contents shall be presented. The ethical discussion shall focus on the right to regulate the Internet content, in light of the implications this restriction may have on the individual and common good of the cyber community. Introduction The popularity of cyberspace is growing. As more people gain access to cyberspace, unpleasant elements are getting more media attention, and there is a growing population of supporters for regulation. Some of the concerns of regulation supporters are pornography, pedophilia, vulgar language, and cyber scams. Pro-regulationers hope that a structured form of monitoring and policing will prevent such occurrences online. The idea that policing is imminent in cyberspace is quickly becoming a part of the cyber culture. Though currently self regulation is the main mode of practice, counties are beginning to take steps, which will define what is and is not acceptable online content. [2] The following headlines related to a child pornography case in Britain is an example that can serve as a good argument for those who are pro-regulations [3]: - Launched after FBI passed credit card details of 7300 alleged British subscribers ... ...] North Park University, â€Å"Adam Smith writes The Wealth of Nations: 1776† http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/AdamSmith.CP.html [14] Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Ethic in Internet, John P. Foley. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_ethics-internet_en.html [15] â€Å"Case studies in Information and Computer Ethics†, Richard Spinello, Chapter 2 [16] Privacy Initiatives, Federal Trade Commission. http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/index.html [17] Positions Based on Ethical Principals and Values, Chris S. Show. http://www.students.stedwards.edu/~cshaw/Position%20Based%20on%20Ethical%20Principles%20and%20Values.htm [18] Pornography and Ethics, Free speech or Civil rights, Muhammad Hozien. http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/mih/ethics/e5.htm

Principles of communication in adult and social care settings Essay

Ai Identify four different reasons why people communicate Making and developing relationships People communicate to make new relationships. The way I first speak and listen to a newcomer can make them feel welcome or overlooked. As I speak or comment, listen and watch, take an interest, smile and nod, whether to a service user, a member of their family, a colleague or a visiting practitioner I am building and developing my relationship with them. Communication will continue to be the main way I nurture and develop my relationships at work. Read more: Identify different reasons why we communicate  essay Giving and receiving information At work I will be expected to give and receive different types of information. Perhaps a service user confides in me, or a member of their family asks me a question. A colleague could give me instructions a visiting practitioner might make an observation. The information I give, receive and pass on will help me to carry out my work effectively. Expressing needs and feelings Expressing needs and feelings is part of being human and these are communicated through behaviour as well as speech. Most people need to share needs and feelings with each other and in this way build up a sense of trust with the person they confide in. Sharing thoughts and ideas Human process many of their thoughts by discussing them. If I have ideas, questions and opinions about my work, sharing them with colleagues helps to clarify, develop and even change the way I think and act. The way in which I respond to the thought processes of service users could encourage or discourage their sharing with me. Affirming one another Affirmation is about acknowledging and encouraging each other and reassuring individuals of their worth and value. Affirmation is communicated through positive words, praise and gestures. Some care settings use support groups, staff meetings and appraisals as ways of affirming practitioners about their work performance. Aii Describe two ways how communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues and other practitioners. The ability to communicate well is a key skill that enables me to work effectively with others. Communication process is much about listening and receiving messages as it is about talking and giving messages. As a care worker I need to be skilled in both aspects. My communication skills will develop and become more effective as I gain experience in my work role, learning from observing more experienced colleagues. Learning from others, seeking for advice and using support are all part of this process. During my work with service users there will be specific situations where good communication skills are particularly necessary. Sharing information In a care setting it is vital that information is shared appropriately between workers to enable each member of team to carry out his or her role effectively. I will also need to share information with service users and their relatives. Sometimes the information might be of a sensitive nature, such as when breaking bad news or dealing with private information, and I will need to be especially sensitive. In the course of my work I will need to find out information, pass on information and listen information. Providing support Communication is the main way in which I continue to sustain relationships and build this up. As a health and social care worker I will need to offer support to service users and their families and this is enabled through both verbal and nonverbal communication. I will need to listen, as much as I  speak and the use of appropriate and non intrusive touch can add to sense of being supportive. Aiii Using the table below, identify three ways of finding out the communication and language needs of an individual. For each method, describe how effective it is at establishing the needs of the individual. Asking/Observing the Individual. Asking/Observing is probably the best way of establishing the individual’s communication and language needs as this would immediately allow me to establish their usual language, if they are visually or hearing impaired etc. Check the Care plan for the individuals communication needs. The Care plan can be a good source of information on the needs of the resident, but if documented incorrectly due to human error this method becomes ineffective. If the first two don’t provide me with the needed information I could ask resident’s family, friends, doctor or other professionals who have worked with the individual. This is another effective method, only to be used if the first two fail. Aiv Describe three factors to consider when promoting effective communication Proximity. Physical distance: the better you know a person the closer I am likely to be physically. Closeness can encourage sharing. Positioning chairs at an angle rather than side by side makes it physically easier to talk to another person. Sitting directly opposite is more formal and can feel confrontational. Sometimes a table between me helps a person feel protected. Yelling from one room to another doesn’t aid communication. Orientation. Body position: leaning forward can communicate that you are interested, but too close might invade â€Å"body space†. Turning away can show lack of interest , but standing directly opposite a person can be too direct, where being at  an angle can provide a helpful space. Posture. Behaviour: folded arms can look defensive and discourage communication. Friends and family without realising, often mirror the other person’s posture during conversation, which is thought to increase a sense of familiarity. Standing over a person who is seated might feel patronising or threatening. Av Describe three verbal and three non verbal communication methods and styles that a social care worker may use in an adult care setting. Communication is a complex process made up of many different elements to do with verbal and non verbal language. These are reflected in a range of communication styles and methods. Communication is also a two-way process that must take into consideration the reactions of others and respond appropriately. To be a skilled communicator and interpreter of communication I must pay close attention to my words and actions, as well as the words and actions of others. Verbal communication. It’s about the choice of words being spoken, but also the way the words are said. Vocabulary. Choosing words that are appropriate to the service user’s level of understanding is important. Perhaps English is not their first language, or they have communication difficulties associated with a physical condition. At the same time, I need to be aware of not being too simplistic and coming across as patronising. Tone of voice. Tone of voice concerns the emotional message being conveyed alongside the spoken words. When these don’t match, people can become aware of my emotions and will pick up whether I am irritated or anxious, for example. Pitch of voice. Pitch of voice concerns how low or high my voice sounds. Speaking in a low voice can be calming and soothing, but too low and I can sound boring. In contrast, a high pitch can sound shrill and be unpleasant to listen to. Non verbal communication Non-verbal communication is a form of communication that take place almost subconsciously, that is, without being aware of thinking. It provides clues about the meaning of spoken language. Body language. Body language relates to the way my body reflects my thoughts and feelings. This can add emphasis to my words, but if I don’t really mean what I am saying it can also reveal a truer and contradictory message beneath my words. For example, exclaiming, â€Å"how fascinating† might sound as though I am interested, but body language of tapping fingers, poor eye contact and stifled yawns betrays I am actually bored. Gestures. Gestures are signs made with the hands and arms to illustrate or emphasise my words or to stand in place of words. People often gesticulate during conversations without really thinking about it. I might see someone gesticulating while talking on the phone, even though the person receiving the call cannot see their gestures. Some gestures are understood across many different countries of the world, such as thumbs up, meaning â€Å"good news†, but not all the gesture are universal and instead of clarifying a message, could create a confusion. Eye contact. Eye contact is very important and sometimes it is difficult to know if a person is telling the truth unless I can look into their eyes. Holding someone gaze is a sign of intimacy, but to do so with a person I don’t know well can feel uncomfortable, even threatening. During most conversations it is normal for my gaze to flit to and from another’s face. When working with service users who have communication difficulties it can help to exaggerate elements of non-verbal communication to provide more clues about my spoken message. Avi Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions  during communication. The following qualities will help to respond appropriately to the communication of others. Awareness of how my communication is being received. Look for nonverbal cues that indicates the recipient’s interest and understanding and equally those that indicate misunderstanding or boredom. Sensitivity to tune into my recipient’s emotional responses to my words. Flexibility to change the way I am saying something in order to clarify my meaning and increase understanding. Communication techniques. Some communication techniques assist with the process of responding to the reactions of others. Echoing. Echoing is a technique where I repeat back what a person has said in a way that both checks my understanding of their words and also affirms the underlying feeling being expressed. For example, if a distressed resident of a care home tells me she thinks someone has stolen items from her room, I might say, â€Å"It must be upsetting for you to think someone has been interfering with your personal belongings.† Mirroring. Mirroring is a communication technique used to improve rapport with another person. In many cases it happens naturally, where one person reflects the other person’s physical positions and mannerisms, their tone of voice, word use and communication style. Asking questions. If I want a person to express their ideas and feelings I am best to ask open questions which invite broader responses. ‘How are you feeling today’ Is and example, where a service user is free to respond in a way they choose. If I ask a closed question the answer is usually reduced to one word, for example ‘Are you feeling better today?’ Invites a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ Avii Explain how an individual’s background can influence the way they  communicate. Communication is all about sharing with one another and yet each person communicates slightly differently according to their different background and experience. The impact of differences. Diversity is something to be celebrated and enjoyed, but our differences can also lead to misunderstanding and different interpretations of the same communication Cultural background. Cultural differences refer to a variety of different influences, such as family background, peer group, religion, and ethnicity. These all play a part in shaping the way a person views the world and spin dot it. Cultural differences are revealed by particulars attitudes, values and practices, all of which have bearing on how a person communicates and understands the communication of others. For example, if an individual comes from a family where it is usual to make decisions through noisy and heated discussions, this person might find it difficult to accept an order without question. Individual personality. Although individuals share personality traits in common with others, the unique make-up of these and the way they operate together is individual to that person. One individual might be quiet and reserved, another enthusiastic and bubbly and this will affect the way each communicates and responds to communication. Levels of confidence. All communication requires a certain amount of confidence to speak up, make a statement, or share with others through spoken or written words. Sometimes a person has had their confidence undermined by a previous experience of communication, such as being misunderstood, or laughed at for mispronouncing a word, or perhaps an experience from childhood, such as failing their English exams. Confidence builds up over time but can be knocked down in seconds by a thoughtless or unkind response. Competence in communication skills Literacy skills refer to a person’s competence in reading, writing and speaking in a particular language. The service users I work with may be a different levels of competence in literacy and need to be communicated with a level they can cope with. Some adults struggle with literacy and may feel embarrassed by their difficulties. As well as literacy skills, some individuals will have better access to and be more competent using information and computer technology (ICT) than others. I should not assume that everyone I have dealings with at work has access to the internet and email, or mobile phones, or that they are competent in using such technology. Aviii Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier. Barrier: sender speaks different language. Overcome: to have a translator or a dictionary Barrier: poor or incomplete information selection. Overcome: to give as many details possible Barrier: hearing difficulties, visual difficulties. Overcome: to seek for medical advice and find a way of communication Barrier: sender cannot express message clearly, I speech or writing. Overcome: to use body language and sign language Barrier: distraction. Overcome: to change the environment, to focus Aix Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstanding Communication is a complex process and Health and social care is a complex area, so it is inevitable that misunderstandings will arise from time to time. When a. Is understanding happens it is important to have a range if methods to clarify the situation and improve communication. Adapt my message: Sometimes the message needs to be said or written in a different way. Perhaps the tone need to change, or the message style. The language I have used might need to be simplified. Maybe a phone conversation has been unsatisfactory in some way, but a face to face meeting would help establish better communication. Change the environment: It might be necessary to make changes to the environment to enable better communication. For example, if I am conducting a meeting in an office where people are constantly coming in and out, or the phone keeps ringing, I will need to find a quieter place to speak. Ask for feedback: In most situations it is acceptable to stop the flow of conversation with the person I am speaking with to check that I have understood correctly what is being spoken about. Equally, I can check that the person I am communicating with can hear me or understand me. Ax A social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or service that they may be helpful. There is a range of support available to enable effective communication with the service users I work with and members of their family. Importantly, individuals need to be informed about these services and be able to access them. For example: – support available via local authorities and services, such as NHS and adult social services departments. Help is also available from national charities, such as ICAN, for speech and language needs and the national Autistic society for those with autism. – The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is another source for advice and assistance on advocacy, translation and interpretation. – in addition there may be projects operating in local areas and these are likely to be advertised at a local library or community centre, or in a health centre. Communication support tends to include these categories: – speech and language services – translation and interpreting services – language service professionals (LSP) – advocacy services. Task B case study You are a social worker and a service user, Hannah, tells you she is unhappy  taking her medication. She thinks she does not need it and so she is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does not need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep this confidential and not to tell anyone especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry. Bi How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality to Hannah’ I would say to Hannah that confidentiality refers to the need to handle personal information in ways that are appropriate, safe and professional and meet legal requirements. And it is my duty of care to look after her and to inform the appropriate people about possible situations when she might be at risk. In this case, not taking medication could be a risk for her mental health and I need to report to my managers in first instance and to seek for medical advice or other professional advice if need it and to explain all this to Hannah. And also that might need to involve family if necessary or if it specified in Care plan. Bii Describe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others or Hannah’s decisions and keeping this information totally confidential. The relationship I built with service users and their families are central to my care role. If I share their personal information with others who have no need or right to know I risk breaking their trust in me. Hannah also needs to know thee are secure systems and procedures operating in the care stating to protect confidential information. Some information must be kept confidential for safety reasons. For example, some service users as categorised as vulnerable adults, such as a person with special needs whose wearer outs might need to be protected from a relative who abused them in some way in the past. Biii Describe ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication A great deal of information will pass around at my work placement through conversations, hand-over reports, letters, written reports and emails. Some  of it will be confidential and I need to know how to manage this appropriately in a care setting. If I am unsure whether information is confidential, ask a senior member of staff. Spoken information: Oral information can be transferred via face to face conversations, or over the phone. These might take place during meetings, or in less formal settings. If I need to discuss a confidential matter with a service user, family member, or with a colleague or visiting practitioner, I have to make sure I find somewhere private where I will not be interrupted or overheard. In care settings it is not generally the policy to discuss confidential matters over the telephone, unless I can verify the person is who they claim to be. Never leave confidential messages on an answering machine. Do not at any time be tempted to gossip about confidential work matters. Paper information: Personal records including notes, reports and letters concerning individual service and their families should be kept together in a file which is locked in a safe place. A lockable filing cabinet is inky safe if keys are not left lying around. Equally, rooms with keypads are not secure if the door has been propped open. To be aware of leaving documents around such as diaries, telephone messages and faxes if these contains confidential information. Many organisations have a policy that personal records must not be removed from their workplace, because could be lost, seen by others, damaged, or the information could be taken and used wrongly. Electronic information: These days great deal of information is stored and transferred electronically, via computer. Computer files should be protected using passwords which are only shared with authorised individuals. Care must be taken to close private documents after use, to prevent individuals who are passing from catching sight of the screen. To be vigilant when transporting information between computers via memory pens or discs. To make sure the memory pen doesn’t get lost and that the information doesn’t remain on the hard drive of the computer it was played on. Biv Explain when and how a social care worker should get advice about  confidentiality Anytime need it. We can always ask our superiors for advice, read policies and procedures and talk with appropriate bodies. When we are not sure about a situation or a person we should always double check first with our manager and to go to their files or documents and find out more information. We can always ask HR department as well.

God is responsible for everything that happens

God is responsible for everything that happens in the universe – Discuss The idea of God being responsible for everything within the universe is disputed both within religion itself and outside of religion. The Bible assures that God has onmiqualities, which suggest that nothing happens outside of Gods control. But it also states that some things happen which are not part of God's will. If God is responsible, then why do we pray if God is in control of future events or have free will? In order to disagree with this statement, it could then God must be responsible or evil.However for many Christians, this is not the case, as God is not capable of evil. In the Bible, God is considered to be eternally or perfectly good and the source of all goodness. Because of this, God is neither capable of bad or tempted by evil. Due to God being omnibenevolent and perfectly good, God cannot be responsible for any bad which happens. Many would argue that if God is omnibenevolent, he wouldn't c ause pain or suffering, because an all loving God, to cause such evil contradicts the benevolent quality of God.However, it is often said that God causes suffering, such as the death of a loved one, in order to teach humanity a lesson. In this case it might be to make the deceased's family and friend value life and encourages us to live life to its full and not take living a happy and healthy life for granted. By causing evils such as natural disasters, God could be seen to be teaching humans to care for the vulnerable. Pain and suffering makes for better people, which could be seen as God's intention. Suggesting that God is responsible for everything hich happens, even evil, as the negatives only highlight the positives.Another argument against this statement is free will, given to man by God. It's impossible for God to be responsible for everything that humans do, if they employ free will. Free will implies that people make their own decisions, as to how to act. Therefore making t hemselves responsible for their own actions, instead of God. This however only makes God not responsible for humanitys actions and not animals, as they have not been given the freedom of choice, as they don't have the ability to reason.The creation stories in Genesis could be used in order to suggest that God is responsible for all that happens. This is because God is the ultimate creator. He is described as having created every aspect of the universe, including the land and sea. With regard to humans, in Genesis 2, God bring Adam into existence by breathing into his nostrils â€Å"breathed the breath of life into his nostrils†. By depicting God as the creator of the universe and everything in it, he is therefore responsible for everything in it.Just a tailor would be responsible for anything which might happen to the suit he made, with regards to its design, God is responsible for what happens to humanity and the universe as the creator. Against the idea of God been the crea tor of everything is that there are several things in the Bible, which have seemingly not been created. For example the darkness, which was chaos before the beginning of time. So to presume that God created everything, could be viewed as somewhat contradictory.The Devil is nother example ot something in the Bible which was not created. Theretore, it did not create everything, God cannot be responsible for everything that happens. In conclusion, for many Christians, it is reassuring to know that everything which has happened, has happened in God's will. And that therefore there's a reason for both good and bad to occur. But for others in disagreement, the argument of pain and suffering is one of the strongest in suggesting that God is not responsible for all that happens.

Endothelial tight junction proteins Essay

Endothelial tight junction proteins Introduction            The endothelium is situated at the inner side of all kinds of vessels and comprises of a monolayer of endothelial cells. Inter-endothelial junctions comprise junctional complexes, such as adherens junctions (AJ), tight junctions (TJ) and gap junctions (GJ) that play essential roles in tissue integrity, barrier function and intercellular communication respectively. These junctional complexes are related to those found at epithelial junctions with notable changes in terms of certain molecules and structure.            Endothelial junctional proteins play important roles in tissue integrity but also in vascular permeability, leukocyte extravasation and angiogenesis. Dormant endothelium may be exposed to stimuli provoking leukocyte extravasation at seditious sites and propagating angiogenesis. Both activities have an intense impact on endothelial cell-cell junctions.            Tight junctions aid the major functional objective of establishing a barrier inside the membrane, by controlling paracellular permeability and sustaining cell polarity. They achieve this by constricting apical or basolateral transmembrane diffusion of lipids and they have been suggested to contribute in regulating proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. However, the components that are involved and the signal routes concerned are unknown (Mitic & Anderson 1998).            Tight junctions are made up of integral membrane proteins claudins, occludin, tricellulin, junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs), including many peripheral membrane proteins such as the scaffold PDZ- domain proteins. This review will however, focus on ZO-1 and ZONAB. Histology of endothelia junctions            The junctional structures situated at the endothelial intercellular fissure are related to those located at the epithelium; however, their formation is more inconsistent and in most vascular beds their topology is less constrained than in epithelial cells. Adherens junctions, tight junctions and gap junctions are in most cases intermingled and create a complex zonular system with disparities in depth and thickness of the sub-membrane plate associated with the junctional structure (Franke et al. 1988; Rhodin 1974). In contrast to epithelial cells, GJs are often found close to the luminal surface. Hence, the term â€Å"Apical junction† used to jointly describe epithelial TJ and AJ may not be applied to the endothelium. The endothelium forms the vascular barrier with controlled permeability properties between the blood and the underlying tissues.            Tight junctions exhibit considerable inconsistency among different segments of the vascular tree (Franke et al. 1988). This disparity composes a major evidence of vascular bed differentiation of endothelial cells and has a strong impact on vascular permeability and leukocyte extravasation. Variations concern the complexity degree of the occluding strands as well as tight junction composition.            Large Artery endothelial cells, which are exposed to high flow rates, display a well-developed system of tight junctions. Within the microvasculature, tight junctions are less complex in capillaries than in arterioles, and even less in venules. It is important to mention that, post-capillary venules are the primary site of leukocyte extravasation, and accordingly, they display a high content of permeability mediator receptors, such as those for histamine, serotonin and bradykinin. On the other hand, blood brain barrier (BBB) and the blood retinal barrier (BRB) are predominantly rich in Tight Junctions and endothelial tight junctions have been principally studied in these sites.            Endothelial intercellular realms differ from those of epithelial cells by the absence of desmosomes (Franke et al. 1988). The transitional filaments, comprised in the endothelium by vimentin molecules, are poorly connected to cell-cell contacts. However, contrary to the situation in epithelia, the vimentin filaments may be associated to endothelial adherens junctions in junctional structures similar to desmosomes, called complexus adherens.            It must be emphasized that interendothelial junctions are vibrant structures, subjected to multiple regulations. Moreover, leukocytes extravasate majorly in postcapillary venules either through transcellular or paracellular methods. Extravasation via the intercellular junction is a rapid and controlled process, through which the leukocyte is squeezed in the fissure (diapedesis), followed by rapid junction reformation.            ZO-1 is a protein located on the cytoplasmic membrane plate of intercellular tight junctions and is engaged in transducing signals at cell-to-cell junctions. ZO-1 links tight junction transmembrane proteins to a cytoplasmic plaque and the actin-based cytoskeleton (Aijaz et al. 2006; Tsukita et al. 2001). In epithelial cells, ZO-1 interrelates with the transcription factor ZONAB to regulate cells proliferation in a cell density related manner (Balda & Matter 2000); however, the functions of ZO-1 and ZONAB in endothelial cells are still not clearly understood.            Unpublished work shows that downregulation of ZO-1 in endothelial cells stimulates redistribution of two transmembrane proteins; claudin-5 and JAM-A, and radical changes in the cytoskeleton affecting the localization of mechanosensor proteins and VE-cadherin role in the control of cell-cell tension.            These observations imply that one function of ZO-1 in endothelial cells is to coordinate components of the tight junction and associate them to the cortical cytoskeleton. However, it is unfamiliar whether the ZO-1 associated transcription factor ZONAB is linked to such ZO-1 effects.            Despite the fact that, ZO-1 explicitly associates with epithelial tight junctions (Stevenson et al. 1986), it has been observed that the protein appears in the nucleus in the process of proliferation (Gottardi et al. 1996). While the functional impact of the nuclear localization is currently not clear, studies reveal that these discrete subcellular distributions of ZO-1 are exquisitely sensitive to the state of cell-to-cell contact.            ZO-1 plays a major role of restraining ZONAB and regulates its accumulation in the nucleus through cytoplasmic sequestration. MDCK cells found in the epithelium exhibit two forms of this Y-box transcription factor (ZONAB) i.e. ZONAB -A and ZONAB -B which vary in a 68-amino acid supplement. Both categories of ZONAB bind to ZO-1 and link with intercellular junctions (Balda & Matter 2000).            ZONAB was initially designated in canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK) and is a Y-box transcription factor. Y-box transcription factors are multipurpose control mechanisms of gene expression and studies suggest that they play a common role in enhancing proliferation (Bargou et al. 1997). ZONAB is one of the tight junction-associated dual localization protein: it localizes to junctions where it attaches to the SH3 surface of the adaptor protein ZO-1, and to the nucleus where it regulates transcription.            The distribution of ZONAB is controlled by the cell density as it localizes to both junctions and nuclei in low density, proliferating cells, and becomes constrained to the cytoplasm in high density cells (Balda & Matter, 2000). This distribution is also exhibited in its transcription activity, as ZONAB is transcriptionally vigorous in proliferating cells but inactive in non-proliferating cells. In the MDCK cells, ZONAB is necessary for normal rates of proliferation and controls G1/S phase transition (Balda et al. 2003).            ZONAB affects cell cycle development by two distinct processes: it controls the nuclear accumulation of CDK4 through a direct interaction and controls manifestation of genes encoding cell cycle regulators for example, PCNA and cyclin D1 (Balda et al. 2003; Sourisseau et al. 2006 ).            In 3D principles of MDCK cells, regular ZO-1 and ZONAB processes are necessary for epithelial cyst formation, implying that the Y-box transcription factor also controls epithelial differentiation (Sourisseau et al. 2006). Since ZO-1 and ZONAB can also relate with other types of intercellular junctions, for instance the gap junctions, in cells that lack tight junctions, it is possible that ZO-1 or ZONAB signaling is also of useful significance in other cell types other than epithelia (Ciolofan et al. 2006; Giepmans & Moolenaar 1998). Aims of the study            The aim of the study is to understand the functional consequences of downregulation of ZONAB in endothelial cells, and whether and how ZONAB cross-talks with other junctional components to regulate endothelial cell migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. Currently, we are looking at similarities and differences between the phenotype of downregulation of ZO-1 or ZONAB by RNA interference. Changes in expression and localization of a given protein are analysed using specific antibodies for immunoblots and immunofluorescence. Preliminary Results            It is observed that downregulation of ZO-1 or ZONAB resulted in similar redistribution of actin and vinculin from cell-cell junctions to stress fibers and focal adhesions, respectively. However, the localization of transmembrane proteins such as Claudin-5 and JAM-A is affected by downregulation of ZO-1 rather than by downregulation of ZONAB. The localization of the polarity protein PAR-3 is changed in both conditions.            Additionally, downregulation of ZONAB causes changes in ZO-1 by immunofluorescence that needs to be tested for expression by immunoblots. Next, we will characterize other transmembrane proteins (e.g. MD3 and claudin-1), polarity proteins (PKCzeta), Rho regulators and mechanotransducers such as PAK2, Zyxin and YAP.            ZONAB is a DNA and RNA binding factor that it is involved in transcription (e.g. cyclin D1 and PCNA) in the nucleus and translation (e.g. cell cycle inhibitor p21) in the cytosol. Thus, we are also trying to identify new genes regulated. We have identified that expression of fibronectin is regulated by ZONAB. We are evaluating whether the changes in protein expression of fibronectin are due to ZONAB role on transcription or translation, using actinomicin D to inhibit transcription or cyclohexidimide to inhibit translation. Additionally, we are validating new genes identified by cDNA array analysis of endothelial cells with downregulation of ZONAB.            The tight junction localizing protein ZO-1 symptomatically forms a continuous band around the apices of well-differentiated, confluent, polarized epithelial cells in culture. However, under nonconfluent conditions, endogenous ZO-1 can localize to the nucleus in addition to the border of cell-cell contact.            ZONAB manifestation tends to be high in proliferating but low in growth-impeded MDCK cells, implying that high manifestation levels might be a necessity for cell proliferation (Balda & Matter 2000).            ZONAB confines in the nucleus as well as tight junctions in proliferating cells, however, it is not noticeable in the nucleus of nonproliferating high density cells (Balda & Matter 2000), proposing that accumulation of ZONAB in the nucleus might be necessary for efficient proliferation.            ZO-1 quantities are low in proliferating cells and they rise with cell density, and overexpression of ZO-1 hinders accumulation of ZONAB in the nucleus (Balda & Matter 2000); hence, ZO-1 may control proliferation by inhibiting ZONAB from accumulating in the nucleus. Overexpression of ZO-1 in low density cells triggers a redistribution of ZONAB from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and reduced proliferation.            CDK4 is a major regulator of G1/s transition (Sherr 2000; Malumbres & Barbacid 2001). Thus, ZONAB could control proliferation by regulating the process or the localization of CDK4. Since ZONAB binds CDK4, the nuclear pools of the two proteins may diminish in a parallel manner.            Symplekin is combined with ZONAB in the nucleus; hence, it could be argued that Symplekin modulates the transcription activity of ZONAB. Increased expression of Symplekin results in stimulation of the transcriptional suppressor ZONAB. However, it is also noted that Symplekin is absent in endothelial cells (Keon et al. 1996).            ZONAB controls cell cycle entry. ZO-1 overexpression results in a reduction in DNA synthesis, implying that entry into S-phase was distressed.            These experiments will allow understanding the role of ZO-1 and ZONAB in endothelial cells. Depending on the results, we plan to test how these two proteins are involved in endothelial stress conditions such as shear stress and high glucose. Conclusion            The collaboration of ZO-1 with tight junctions can only be significant for the stabilization of ZO-1, as opposed to attaching ZO-1 to the plasma membrane so as to constrain nuclear accumulation of related proteins. This is supported by the opinion that a truncated protein comprising only the HA-tagged SH3 domain accumulated in the Cytosol, but was adequate to decrease proliferation and nuclear accumulation of ZONAB (unpublished data).            ZONAB and ZO-1 control proliferation and the ultimate cell density of MDCK cells. Explanations that ZO-1 accumulates with increasing cell density, and overexpression of ZO-1 in transfected cells lowers the final density proposes a pattern in which ZO-1 serves as a measure for cell density whereby, on reaching the threshold level, provokes growth impediment by cytoplasmic sequestration of ZONAB and the related cell cycle kinase CDK4. It will be essential to control how the ZO-1 or ZONAB pathway associates with the other signaling methods that affect proliferation.            Vascular endothelial stress induces dysfunctions that have been implicated in many diseases such as diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, characterization of the role of tight junction molecules in different endothelial cell behavior and functions will help us to understand the molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and these findings may be implicated in prognosis and possibly to develop new treatment strategies. References Balda, MS and Matter, K 2000. 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