Alternative Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alternative Energy - Essay Example They do not believe that alternative energy is the solution to dependence on oil. This essay presents and analyzes both sides of the debate, and critically examines its implication for sustainability. Argument for Alternative Energy Sources Numerous factors have triggered the debate over the capacity of alternative energy sources to solve dependence on oil. Some scholars claim that there is an urgent need to use alternative and renewable energy sources. Most energy scholars have the same opinion that, in the future, the world will completely drain its limited supply of oil. Scholars have the same opinion about the availability of coal in the future; as reported by the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), supply in the U.S. alone can meet present energy demands for two centuries (Smith & Taylor, 2008, 38). The remaining supply of natural gas and oil are a much more disputed subject. Scholars vary considerably in their estimates of the peak of oil reserves, also refer red to as the ‘topping point’ (Smith & Taylor, 2008, 38-39). Oil’s topping point will occur when the world has used up precisely one-half of the total amount of remaining oil. This implies that the topping point of oil has been reached and that oil reserves will start to dwindle because oil is a nonrenewable energy source (Smith & Taylor, 2008, 39). The supply of natural gas, which is dependent on the availability of oil, is directly connected to this topping point (Podobnik, 2006). The United Nations (UN) made a decision to build the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1983. The name of the commission was eventually replaced with Brundtland Commission (Elliott, 2003, 7). Its objective was to look for sustainable environmental approaches. By raising awareness about the issues with nonrenewable, non-sustainable sources of energy, the Commission fueled and exposed the debate over the limited supply of fossil fuels and other justifications for the nec essity of using alternative and renewable sources of energy. Energy issues have been at the center of economic, political, scientific, and environmental discourses from then on. Those supporting a rapid adoption of alternative and renewable sources of energy believe that the calculated dates for the peak of oil production are mostly immaterial (Elliott, 2003, 18). Environmental issues and the likelihood of tipping points imply that continuous dependence on oil may bring about permanent harm to the natural world. The worst possible damage is a global extermination of species, as well as human beings. Since fossil fuels have to be burned to produce energy, air pollution has been a problem since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Air pollution has largely been the outcome of burning fossil fuels to produce electricity and supply energy to transportation. Hence, air pollution contains chemicals emitted from burning of fossil fuels (Schmidt, 2007). Air pollution does not only bring about a huge number of untimely deaths annually in developed countries, it also causes environmental destructions. Bodies of water can also be damaged by the use of fossil fuel not merely through acid rain, but through contamination of surface water as well. A case in point is the Exxon Valdez oil leakage. Valdez, the oil

Compare, Contrast, and Evaluate Plato and Aristotle on human Well-being Essay Example for Free

Compare, Contrast, and Evaluate Plato and Aristotle on human Well-being Essay Platos ethics concerning well-being arise from the end of the discussion on justice where Thrasymachus articulates that justice is in fact merely a social contract whereby people agree not to inflict harm on others in return for not being harmed. Out of this rises the question well if this is all justice is, if it is only desirable for its consequences, In this case the avoidance of harm, then why shouldnt I cheat? If I can get away with it why wouldnt one cheat? Now follows the Gyges story, Glaucon puts it to Plato that if two men, one whom leads a life of virtue and one who doesnt, acquired a ring that could turn you invisible, even the virtuous man would not be able to resist acting immorally so therefore people are not actually virtuous, more just scared of the consequences of not being so. This is making the point that no man is so virtuous that he could resist the temptation of being able to steal at will by the rings power of invisibility. In modern terms, Glaucon still argues that morality is a social construction, whose source is the desire to up hold ones reputation for virtue and honesty; when that sanction is removed, the moral character would evaporate. However Plato disagrees, he thinks the truly virtuous man would act morally and be happy and at peace with himself, even when the outcome may not be seen as in their best interests e.g. loss of reputation; when sentenced to death Socrates had the chance to escape and go and live in another place but he refused to because it would be wrong to obey the laws of the land only when they suited you, so he stayed and was killed. For Plato this is not only the right thing to do but he would go as far to say that he would be happier dying virtuous than living having broken the law. Although I think this should not be taken as he enjoyed his actual death rather there was a certain content dignified air about it, as through living a virtuous life he had reached eudemonia because for Plato virtue is sufficient for human well being. Then to illustrate the extreme of what Plato is saying a second ring is added, and it is put to Plato that if both men had a ring, one just and one unjust, and the unjust man carries out his unjust activities but is clever enough to disguise it and up holds his reputation for being a moral citizen so therefore gets away un punished however conversely the just man whom has been virtuous in all his actions is misunderstood and crucified for being unjust and his reputation soiled. Is Plato saying even in this case it is still better to be the just man? Plato explicitly maintains that yes it is, and uses this example to show that if it is the most beneficial and right thing to do in this situation then I must follow that it is the most beneficial and right thing to do in all situations. But why is it the most beneficial? Why should people be just, Plato believes that it is down to the tri-partite nature of the soul; if things are not in the right balance then it becomes a matter of damaging your mental health. Plato believes that justice is gratifying in itself not merely because of its consequences. The purpose of human life is to live virtuously. The end that all virtuous beings should aim at; to be in union with the form of the good, this is the way of achieving the highest form of human well-being. In order to live virtuously one must have justice in the soul. Justice in the soul can only be present when the tripartite elements are in accurate harmony; when reason is ruling over spirit and spirit is controlling desires or appetites; wisdom can be seen to represent the rational part of the soul and courage parallels the spirited part of the soul with discipline existing in controlling desires. When the soul is in balance only then can virtue be exercised and human well-being achieved. Plato states that it is impossible for one to be happy if justice is not present in the soul and put forward this argument to illustrate why the unjust mans life leads to misery. Plato believes that the tyrant is the most unhappy of people because he is in a position of slavery and has no real freedom, he is ruled and governed by passion and surrounded by enemies. Due to being dominated by passion his main aim is to seek pleasure. Plato argues that each of the three parts of the soul corresponds to a different type of pleasure Rational- Gains pleasure in seeking the truth. Spirited- Gains pleasure out of achievement and honour. Appetitive- Gains pleasure through the empirical senses, e.g. sex/drink/food. The tyrant thinks that his pleasure is the best type, this can also be said for the oligarch and the philosopher, however Plato claims that only the philosophers assertion can be the real truth for he has experienced all types of pleasure and is therefore in the best position to decide. when the whole mind accepts the leadership of the philosophical part, and there is no internal conflict, then each part can do its job and be moral in everything it does, and in particular it can enjoy its own pleasures and thus reaps as much benefit from pleasure as is possible (586) But if the mind is controlled by either the spirited or appetitive elements it is not possible for it to attain its own correct pleasure and begins to coerces the other two elements to engage in false happiness, so far as that appetitive desires are farthest removed from reason and therefore law and order, and the tyrant is then farthest removed from mans true and proper pleasure so therefore cannot achieve well being and leads to the most of unhappy lives. So because justice is now desirable in itself and for its consequences its not a case of why should I do it, for Plato you act justly for its own sake. So how would the just man know what actions are virtuous and which are not; This is where the theory of the forms can be introduced, according to Plato we live in a world of appearances of which we cognise through perception, appearances are temporary, changing, fallible and subject to doubt. Although Plato also believed that there is an infallible, eternal, unchanging realm; the realm of the forms. The forms are independent of the mind metaphysical entities as real as anything we cognise through are empirical senses. So in order for one to posses any true knowledge then one must have access to the forms. In order to know what courage is one must know the form of courage so that when deciding if a particular act is courageous you can compare the form with the act and see if they have anything in common. Upon gathering this information you are now and only after consulting the form, in a position to obtain an objectively correct answer. Does this mean that those whom dont have access to the forms of the virtues cannot be virtuous and in turn not achieve well-being? So in summary one must have the soul in the correct balance; this is the necessary and sufficient clause for well being and why is this the case because of the tri-partite nature of the soul. Aristotles ethics are very similar to that of Platos, sharing distinct similarities but also some differences. For Aristotle human-well being can also be translated as Eudemonia (flourishing). In book one Aristotle states that that every art, every investigation and similarly every action and pursuit is aimed at some good and that happiness is an activity of the soul according to virtue. As an early virtue theorist Aristotle believes a person should be judged on their character and not their actions. According to Aristotle virtue is something learned through constant practice beginning at a young age. To further understand this we should fully translate arà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½te-this is the word translated into virtue in most English translations however the word more generally translates into excellence, so for example a musician will exhibit arà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½te in performing without any moral connotations. It logically follows that excellence in music cannot be reached simply by reading about it, it requires systematic practice and practical implementation. For Aristotle there is not necessarily an essential distinction between being virtuous and exercising a learned skill like playing an instrument, he believes that virtue is also a learned excellence (the highest learned excellence). So to be virtuous one must practice at it; human well being for Aristotle involves living well and exercising virtue is a necessary condition of this. Aristotelian virtue ethics are more specific than Platos, he talks of virtue in a more systematic sense. This is highlighted by the doctrine of the mean; his theory that virtue exists between the vicious extremes of excess and deficiency. For example the virtuous mean of courage lies between the vices of recklessness and cowardice, which represent excess and deficiency respectively. In order to achieve well being one must attempt to find the golden mean of all the virtues in the 36 name table, however Aristotle does clearly remind us that there are no exact laws in political sciences rather we need to approach each case individually informed by calculated virtues and some practical wisdom. Virtue for Aristotle is A posteriori; learning through experience, what is the mean path relative to us? Like Plato, for Aristotle we cannot pick and choose our virtues, we cannot decide to display courage and patience but not truthfulness and modesty, nor can people be virtuous if they do not demonstrate all the virtues. One of the most crucial points Aristotle makes is that although virtue is necessary for well-being it is in fact not sufficient. In order to be truly happy one must have three things. 1. A good character. 2. One must be active in living virtuously 3. One must have external goods. Happiness according to Aristotle is a public not a private affair, so whom you share this happiness with is of great importance. The city-states of ancient Greece were tightly knit communities. In politics Aristotle says we cannot fully realize our potential as humans outside the bonds of a Greek city-state so therefore well being cannot be achieved in the life of a hermit. This is not the only external good that is required, Aristotle also believes that in order to achieve well-being wealth is required, although I feel it should be made clear that he is not saying one needs to be rich to happy, rather that there needs to be a absence of extreme poverty; the view that it is hard to be happy when starving. This is in direct contradiction with Platos teachings and is blatantly outlined in the story of the ring of Gyges. Another fundamental difference between Aristotle and Platos teachings on well being is that the whole of Platos metaphysics is underpinned by the forms. To be fully virtuous one must have access to the forms but Aristotle completely rejects the forms as having no tangible foundation for believing them. Aristotle thinks that the problem solved by the forms can in fact be answered empirically; he presents us with the function argument: this explains that the function of a harpist is to play the harp well. A human also just like the eye has a set purpose or function and the function of a good man is to live well or achieve well-being. But Plato believes that people who reject the forms for empirical verification are sophist whose beliefs have no basis. It seems that both Aristotle and Plato believe that in order for humans to achieve well being they must fulfil their function, so in order to identify the real difference of their views on well being we must understand their views on what our function is. Platos view on this is outlined in Book One of The Republic; Socrates is trying to prove to Thrasymachus that it is better to be just than unjust. He starts by determining that all things have their own definite function, and that that function is that which one can do only with it or best with it (Republic I 352e). For example, the function of eyes is to see, and since a pruning knife is better suited to pruning than a butchers knife, its function is to prune. Having established this, Socrates goes on to argue that everything also has a measured virtue that corresponds to the implementation of its function. The virtues of our ears are hearing and the virtue of the knife would be its sharpness. An object that is deficient in its virtue is said to be incapable of performing its function well (a dull knife would not be able to cut properly). Having demonstrated this, Socrates now looks at the human soul and its function. Is there some function of a soul that you couldnt perform with anything else, for example, taking care of things, ruling, deliberating? Is there anything other than a soul to which you could rightly assign these, and say that they are its peculiar function? What of living? Isnt that a function of the soul? (Republic I 353d) Thrasymachus agrees to Socrates definition of the souls function and they go on to examine what the virtue of the soul is, that allows it to perform its function. From his previous argument regarding the importance of virtue in the performance of ones function, Socrates infers that a non-virtuous soul would do a poor job of ruling etc, while a virtuous soul would do a good job. Then going back to where he and Thrasymachus had agreed that justice was the virtue of the soul, and injustice its vice. This enables Socrates to conclude that a just soul and a just man will achieve human well being and flourish, while an unjust man will not achieve well being and be unhappy. Aristotle agrees with Plato that the good for anything that has a function relies on the implementing of that function. So it follows that Aristotle tries to work out if human beings have a function (the function argument). Then do the carpenter and the leatherworker have their functions and actions, while a human being has none, and is by nature idle, without any function? Or, just as eye, hand, foot and, in general, every part apparently has its functions, may we likewise ascribe to a human being some function besides all theirs? (Nicomachean Ethics Book I Chapter 7 29-33). So assuming that there is a function specific to humans Aristotle discounts sense perceptions because they are not only human traits. He concludes that the human function is to exhibit reason. The function of the excellent man to equal the function of any man the only difference is that the excellent man exhibits his function well. So For Aristotle, the human good seems to be synonymous with human well being. Th us, in order for a human being to be happy, he or she must live a life that successfully expresses reason. Here we see that both agree that to achieve well being, humans must fulfil their function but do they disagree on what that function is? Plato believing that it is living a just life and Aristotle that it is excellent reasoning, I think not, isnt being virtuous having reason ruling over the soul, surely this is the same as exhibiting excellent reason.

A Triumphant Indifference :: Essays Papers

A Triumphant Indifference 1 Gene Giraudoux, the French playwright wrote â€Å"If two people who love each other let a single instant wedge itself between them, it grows—it becomes a month, a year, a century; it becomes too late.† [Source?] Based on the introduction of the author F[Z]ora Hurston, it is possible this story Sweat [Titles] is about the lives of real people in the South. The story focuses on one type of relationship that can exist between husbands and wives. The men can be abusive and the women will try to survive by working from their homes from dawn to dusk to make ends meet. The theme of this story is survival in the face of (or in spite of) adversity. [New paragraph] The main character’s key to survival is her triumphant indifference to her husband's aggression. 2 [No paragraph] From the beginning of the marriage Delia learned to live with adversity. [Topic sentence appears to be from a plot summary.] She comes to realize Sykes is not a person she can count on for a home, support and income. His cruel sense of humor is manifested in the scenes where he places the whip on Delia’s shoulder leading her to believe it is a snake, a creature that fills her with terror. He demonstrates his carefree and careless nature, [no ,] by spending money that Delia earns to court another woman. 3 African American women have a history of being church going, God fearing individuals who are content to work hard for a living. To survive they learn to be well organized and efficient with time and money. The opinions of the townspeople lead a person to question what Delia was like before she got married and became indifferent to Sykes jealousy and resentful attitude toward her working for white folk. Sweat and religion are her keys to survival. 4 Why does Delia remain passive through all the turmoil in her life? She knows that physically she is no match for Sykes. She thwarts his attempts to draw her into confrontations by remaining indifferent to his abuse. It states in the beginning of the story that she gave up on love when Sykes started cheating on her. Without love Delia needs to focus her energy on other things to make her life worthwhile.

Economies of North and South During American Civil War Essay -- Histor

The economies of the North and South were vastly different leading up to the Civil War. Money was equivalent to power in both regions. For the North, the economy was based on industry as they were more modern and self-aware. They realized that industrialization was progress and it could help rid the country of slave labor as it was wrong. The North’s population had a class system but citizens could move within the system, provided they made the money that would allow them to move up in class. The class system was not as rigid as it was in the South. By comparison, the South wanted to hold on to its economic policy. In doing so, the practice of slavery kept the social order firmly in place. The economic factors, social issues and a growing animosity between the two regions helped to induce the Civil War. The population of the North consisted of forward thinking individuals. They realized that a change had to be made from agriculture to industry if they were to prosper and for them to use free labor to accomplish prosperity would be to take a step backwards. This ushered in an small and early Industrial Revolution. Factories and mills that produced finished goods sprung up all over the Northern United States along major waterways. These factories produced fabric, iron, machinery, weapons. Raw materials such as cotton was bought from the South and then sold back to them in the form of clothes. Iron workers made iron railroad ties for the growing railroads across the country. More machinery was being built than ever before. These machines were able to multiply the work that could be accomplished. These industries drew in people from rural areas because they were paying for work. As more people came, they settled around the factori... ....com the largest and most complete history site on the web. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://www.historycentral.com/CivilWar/AMERICA/Economics.html Kelly, M. (n.d.). Overview of the American Civil War . American History From About. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/civiloverview.htm London, B. (n.d.). A Changing Economy. Georgia and the American Experience. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from www.mystatehistory.com/georgia/ga_05/ch_6_3.pdf London, B. (n.d.). Henry Grady: The South's Best Salesman. Georgia and the American Experience. Retrieved November 16, 2010, from www.mystatehistory.com/georgia/ga_05/ch_9_4.pdf Tariff - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tariff Economies of North and South During American Civil War Essay -- Histor The economies of the North and South were vastly different leading up to the Civil War. Money was equivalent to power in both regions. For the North, the economy was based on industry as they were more modern and self-aware. They realized that industrialization was progress and it could help rid the country of slave labor as it was wrong. The North’s population had a class system but citizens could move within the system, provided they made the money that would allow them to move up in class. The class system was not as rigid as it was in the South. By comparison, the South wanted to hold on to its economic policy. In doing so, the practice of slavery kept the social order firmly in place. The economic factors, social issues and a growing animosity between the two regions helped to induce the Civil War. The population of the North consisted of forward thinking individuals. They realized that a change had to be made from agriculture to industry if they were to prosper and for them to use free labor to accomplish prosperity would be to take a step backwards. This ushered in an small and early Industrial Revolution. Factories and mills that produced finished goods sprung up all over the Northern United States along major waterways. These factories produced fabric, iron, machinery, weapons. Raw materials such as cotton was bought from the South and then sold back to them in the form of clothes. Iron workers made iron railroad ties for the growing railroads across the country. More machinery was being built than ever before. These machines were able to multiply the work that could be accomplished. These industries drew in people from rural areas because they were paying for work. As more people came, they settled around the factori... ....com the largest and most complete history site on the web. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://www.historycentral.com/CivilWar/AMERICA/Economics.html Kelly, M. (n.d.). Overview of the American Civil War . American History From About. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/civiloverview.htm London, B. (n.d.). A Changing Economy. Georgia and the American Experience. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from www.mystatehistory.com/georgia/ga_05/ch_6_3.pdf London, B. (n.d.). Henry Grady: The South's Best Salesman. Georgia and the American Experience. Retrieved November 16, 2010, from www.mystatehistory.com/georgia/ga_05/ch_9_4.pdf Tariff - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tariff

Barilla Operations Case

Barilla Case ____________________________________________________________ ______________ Overview of Barilla Barilla appears to be in a commodity industry, suggesting flat demand. Barilla positions themselves as the branded, premium, dry pasta. Their order qualifiers are consistency and quality, and their order winners are brand recognition and variety in shapes. In fact their product line is extensive – 800 products. However, Barilla faces demand fluctuations that strain their supply chain operations and making it difficult to anticipate product demand. Barilla proposes a Just in Time Delivery system to help improve margins. Our overall recommendation is that a JITD delivery system is premature, and instead we recommend building a new information management system to resolve the information bottleneck between customer and the manufacturer and align incentives at each stage in the supply chain to reduce inventories. Only then can a JITD delivery system be properly evaluated. The Impact of Fluctuating Demand on Operations Fluctuating customer demand results in higher inventory for distributors who carry a cross-section of product lines, as demand among product lines fluctuates in unpredictable ways. Certain lines will stock out, while other inventory will merely sit. Thus the sitting inventory creates higher carrying costs. Unanticipated demand will result in higher stock without sufficient information to forecast demand. This is a mismatch in inventory allocation, and a information-transmission issue. Since the manufacturer cannot anticipate which lines will be in greatest demand, lead time is increased, as the manufacturer cannot tailor production to the increased demand until determining which line to produce. These lead times essentially result in a whip-lash effect, in which the factories over-react to stock outs. This results in higher inventory and higher costs. These higher inventory costs contribute to the lower margins and stock outs impair Barilla’s brand equity as a premium brand – a premium brand should not have empty shelf space. The causes of the fluctuating demand The underlying causes include customer demand, customer price sensitivity, some seasonality, the manner and duration of the promotions, the lack of sufficient information to anticipate demand, and the fragmented information stream from small shops. Customer demand is not well recorded. Though pasta volume tends to be steady other than some seasonality, demand among varieties is uncertain, and this flows up the supply chain. Furthermore, the extensive product offerings make it difficult to determine if certain lines are purchased as a substitute for others. One aspect of this uncertainty is the fragmented information stream that results from the many small shops, each conducting inventory at different times, with few incentives to pass information upstream except when they decide to place a new order. This lack of real-time info about customer demand other than periodic orders is a large barrier to accurate forecasting. The promotion structure may be exacerbating the demand problems. We do not know the windows of promotions, but narrow promotion windows should increase ability to forecast demand, suggesting that they do not use promotions that are narrow enough to predict demand. Internal and External Barriers to Implementation of JITD First of all, there is an information bottleneck just past the customer, and the information relating to amount and timing of demand does not flow directly up the Supply Chain. Instead Shops, Distributors and Barilla’s Factories are forced to use existing orders to inform their supply decisions. Barilla’s Long lead time 10 days combined with distributors reviewing inventory levels once a week, does not allow orders to catch up with the demand. This will make the accurate forecasting that Barilla needs to perform JITD very difficult. Distributors distrust giving Barilla info. Barilla has inadequately explained toe potential costs savings that could result from reducing inventory. Distributors also fear that they will lose the volume discounts they currently receive if the JITD system results in smaller batches. Externally there are concerns that greater dependence on Barilla due to a smaller inventory would place them at risk of supply chain interruption. Our recommendations to deal with the barriers to implementation Barilla could vertically integrate, buying the distributors, and centralizing shipment information. Alternatively, we think that incentives could be aligned better to promote the free flow of information up the supply chain and reassure distributors regarding discounts. To reassure distributors, we would recommend basing discounts not on individual shipment size, but monthly volume, so that they would, on average, receive the same discounts under JITD. Also, Barilla should use promotions with short terms to create set periodic demand for promoted products. Rewards should be established as incentives to distributors and retailers to better document sales volume. This could invest in electronic barcode readers and tracking technology. Similarly, Distributors should be educated about the specific gains that they could realize by assisting Barilla to produce more efficiently, including improved margins and reduced lead times. With accurate delivery, retailers only need to maintain minimum amount of inventory and thus reduce the inventory management cost. Good incentives will produce good information. Accordingly, we recommend, building a new information management system that better gauges distributor and retailer statistics to provide accurate customer demand. Only when demand can be forecast can a JITD system’s efficiency be properly evaluated.

The Colombia FARC Guerrilla Group

The Colombia FARC Guerrilla Group FARC is an acronym for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). FARC was founded in Colombia in 1964. Objectives of FARC According to FARC, its goals are to represent Colombias rural poor by seizing power through armed revolution, and establishing government. FARC is a self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist organization, which means it is committed in some fashion to the the redistribution of wealth among the countrys population. In keeping with this position, it opposes multinational corporations and the privatization of national resources. FARCs commitment to ideological goals has waned considerably; it often appears largely to be a criminal organization. Its supporters tend to join in search of employment, less than to fulfill political goals. Backing and Affiliation FARC has supported itself through a number of criminal means, most notably through its participation in the cocaine trade, from harvest to manufacture. It also has functioned, like the mafia, in rural areas of Colombia, requiring businesses to pay for their protection against attack. It has received outside support from Cuba. In early 2008, news surfaced, based on laptops from a FARC camp, that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez had forced a strategic alliance with FARC to undermine Colombias government. Notable Attacks July 17, 2008: Eight civilians were kidnapped and held for a week before being released. FARC is estimated to be holding about 800 hostages.April 15, 2005: A cylinder gas bomb attack killed a child and injured over twenty civilians in the town of Toribio. The attack was part of FARCs ongoing conflict with the government. FARC has frequently been accused of causing unnecessary civilian deaths.June 3, 2004: 34 coca farmers were found bound and shot. FARC took responsibility, and said they had killed the men for support of right-wing paramilitaries. FARC was first established as a guerrilla fighting force. It is organized in military fashion, and governed by a secretariat. FARC has employed a vast array of tactics and techniques to achieve military and financial goals including bombings, assassinations, extortion, kidnapping and hijacking. It is estimated to have about 9,000 to 12,000 active members. Origins and Context FARC was created in a period of intense class turmoil in Colombia and after many years of severe violence over the distribution of land and wealth in the rural country. In the late 1950s, two warring political forces, Conservative and Liberals, backed by army power, joined to become a National Front and began consolidating their hold over Colombia. However, both were interested in helping large landowners invest in and use peasant land. FARC was created out of guerrilla forces that opposed this consolidation. The increasing pressure on peasants by the government and property owners in the 1970s helped FARC grow. It became a proper military organization and gained support from peasants, but also students and intellectuals. In 1980, peace talks between the government and FARC began. The government hoped to transform FARC into a political party. In the meantime, right wing paramilitary groups began to grow, in particular to protect the lucrative coca trade. In the wake of peace talk failures, violence between FARC, the army and the paramilitaries grew in the 1990s.

State-by-State Listing of Vital Records Available Online

State-by-State Listing of Vital Records Available Online Search indexed vital records online or browse actual digitized images of certificates of birth, death and marriage online. This listing directs you to vital records online for the United States, organized by state. The majority of these online vital records can be accessed for free. Those that require a fee to search or view are clearly indicated. Alabama Alabama Death Records, 1908-1974 FreeA free name index to death certificates from the state of Alabama. Extracted information includes (where available) full birth and death date, place of birth and death, parents names, spouses name and occupation. Arizona Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates, 1844-1964Â  FreeSearch public birth certificates (1855-1933) and public death certificates (1844-1958) from the state of Arizona. This free vital records resource from Arizona Department of Health Services includes PDF images of the actual certificates. Western States Marriage Records Index FreeThis growing database includes names and other information extracted from mostly pre-1900 marriage records in several western states, including quite a few from Arizona. More recent marriage records (as late as 1950s) are also included for several Arizona counties. California Western States Marriage Records Index FreeThis growing database includes names and other information extracted from mostly pre-1900 marriage records in several western states, including California - most notably the counties of Kern, Santa Barbara and Santa Clara. More recent marriage records are also included for several California counties. Colorado Western States Marriage Records Index FreeThis growing database includes names and other information extracted from 19th and 20th century marriage records in several western states, including a little over 5,000 records from Colorado. The majority of the included Colorado records are from Gilpin and Douglas counties. Delaware Delaware State Birth Records, 1861-1908 FreeSearchable name index and images of Delaware birth records, including delayed birth records, free from FamilySearch. Florida Florida Deaths, 1877-1939 FreeFree name index of Florida death records created by Florida Department of Health and Vital Statistics. Extracted information in this database includes (where available) full birth and death date, place of birth and death, parents names, spouses name, occupation, and date and place of burial. Georgia Georgia Death Records, 1914-1927 FreeThe Georgia State Archives has online digitized copies of death certificates issued by the state of Georgia between 1919 and 1927. There are also a number of certificates from 1914-1918, with the bulk dating from 1917 and 1918. Idaho Idaho Death Certificates, 1911-1937 FreeFree name index to death certificates from the state of Idaho includes most information found on the original certificates including (where available) full birth and death date, place of birth and death, parents names, spouses name, occupation, and date and place of burial. From FamilySearch. Western States Marriage Records Index FreeThis growing database includes names and other information extracted from 19th and 20th century marriage records in several western states, including over 180,000 marriage records from the state of Idaho. Illinois Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 FreeFamilySearch offers indexes and images of certificates of birth as recorded at Cook County, Illinois - including the City of Chicago. Collection still being digitized and placed online and currently includes only years 1878-1915. Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915 FreeName index and images of birth registers as recorded at Cook County, Illinois - including the City of Chicago, online at FamilySearch. Collection currently includes years 1871-1879, 1906-June 1907, and July 1908-1915. Cook County Marriage Records, 1871-1920 FreeSearch or browse name index and images of marriage licenses and returns recorded in Cook County, Illinois, including the City of Chicago, online at FamilySearch. Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 FreeThe Illinois State Archives and the Illinois State Genealogical Society offer this free searchable index online. Available information includes the full name of both parties, date and county of marriage, a nd the Vol. and page number, and/or the license number for the marriage record. Cook County Clerks Office - Birth Certificates, Marriage Licenses and Death Certificates Search is free. Payment required to view digital certificates.The Cook County Clerks Office hosts this pay-per-view Web site to access their birth certificates (75 years or older), marriage licenses (50 years or older) and death certificates (20 years or older). Searches are free. Payment is required to view digital copies of the actual certificates. Covers Cook County and the City of Chicago. Indiana Indiana Marriages, 1911-1959 FreeIndexed in partnership with the Indiana Genealogical Society, this free online name index includes details taken from marriage returns and licenses for the counties of Adams, Blackford, Decatur, Franklin, Henry, Huntington, Owen, Rush, and Sullivan. Kentucky Kentucky Death Certificates and Records, 1852-1953 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredThis Ancestry.com collection includes the Kentucky Death Index 1911-2000, plus digitized Kentucky death certificates from 1911-1953. Earlier death records including mortuary records, registers of death and return of death are also available for many counties.Kentucky Birth Index 1911-1999 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredAn index to births recorded in the U.S. state of Kentucky between 1911 and 1999, including the following information: name, gender, race, birth date, birthplace, and parents names.Kentucky Marriage Index 1973-1999 FreeAn index to about 2.3 million individuals who were married in Kentucky between 1973 and 1999 from the University of Kentucky. Also included are a Kentucky Death Index 1911-1992 and Kentucky Divorce Index 1973-1993Kentucky Vital Records Project FreeThis free resource includes the statewide Kentucky Death Index, plus approximately 250,000 digitized Kentucky dea th certificates from the twentieth century. Louisiana Louisiana Deaths, 1850-1875; 1894-1954 FreeThis free name index to Louisiana Deaths from FamilySearch includes statewide death records for all parishes for 1911-1954. Earlier death records available only for Jefferson Parish, 1850-1875 and 1905-1921. Maine Maine Marriage Index FreeThe Maine State Archives features this searchable online Marriage Index covering the years 1892 to 1996.Maine Death Index FreeA searchable online Death Index covering the years 1960 to 1996 from the Maine State Archives. Massachusetts Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915 FreeA free name index and digitized images of Massachusetts statewide death registers and certificates from FamilySearch.Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 Requires paid membership to NEHGSA name index and digitized images of Massachusetts statewide birth, death and marriage registers and certificates from the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). Not all record images yet online, but those that are not can be ordered from NEHGS for a small fee.Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915 Requires paid membership to NEHGSA name index and digitized images of Massachusetts statewide birth, death and marriage registers and certificates from the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). Births currently completed, marriages complete through 1914 and deaths still to be added in the future. Michigan Michigan Death Records, 1897-1920 FreeThe Seeking Michigan collection from the Library of Michigan features nearly 1 million digital images of death certificates online for free searching and viewing. Use the Search Digital Archive box at the top of this page to search this and other Seeking Michigan collections.Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897 FreeA free name index and digitized images of Michigan statewide death registration entries from FamilySearch.Michigan Births, 1867-1902 FreeA free name index and digitized images of Michigan statewide birth registration entries from FamilySearch.Michigan Marriages, 1867-1902 FreeA free name index and digitized images of marriages recorded in the state of Michigan from FamilySearch. Minnesota Minnesota Death Certificates Index FreeThe Minnesota Historical Society has a great online index to Minnesota death records from death cards from 1904 to 1907 and death certificates from 1908 to 2001.Minnesota Birth Certificates Index FreeA free index to Minnesota birth records from 1900-1934, and selected records from pre-1900 from te Minnesota Historical Society.Minnesota Official Marriage System FreeFree searchable index to marriage certificates from 87 participating Minnesota counties. Most marriage records date back to the 1860s, although some counties have them back to the early 1800s. Index links take you to an easy order form for purchasing a copy of the marriage certificate. Missouri Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1958 FreeThe Missouri State Archives steps up with this free index and digital images to statewide Missouri death certificates from 1910-1958. New Hampshire New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900 FreeFamilySearch has online a free index and digital images of early New Hampshire birth records to 1900. New Mexico New Mexico Death Records, 1889-1945 FreeFamilySearch has online a free name index to death certificates and records of death from the state of New Mexico. Available information (where provided) includes full name, date and place of birth and death, spouse and/or parents names, occupation and date/place of burial. North Carolina North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930 FreeFamilySearch features a free name index and digital images of death certificates recorded in the state of North Carolina Ohio Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 FreeA free name index and digital images of Ohio statewide death certificates from FamilySearch. Pennsylvania Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915 FreeThis free online collection from FamilySearch includes a variety of digitized death records, depending on the time period: death certificates, returns of death, and even undertaker transit permits.Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951 FreeDigital marriage indexes online at FamilySearch are arranged by the names of brides and grooms with the year of marriage and license number. Fully searchable. Rhode Island Rhode Island Births Christenings, 1600–1914 FreeA partial name index to birth, baptism, and christening records from Rhode Island, compiled from a variety of sources. FamilySearch.org offers coverage details, including how many records are included by location and time period.Rhode Island Deaths Burials, 1802–1950 FreeA partial name index to death and burial records from the state of Rhode Island. Most of the records extracted in this database of 840,000 names include source information. FamilySearch includes information on coverage details in this article, with details on included records by time period and locality.Rhode Island Marriages, 1724–1916 FreeA partial name index to birth, baptism, and christening records from Rhode Island, compiled from a variety of sources. Scroll down in this article on FamilySearch.org for coverage details, including how many records are included by location and time period. South Carolina South Carolina Deaths, 1915–1943FamilySearch hosts this free online collection of digitized S.C. death certificates from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Records are arranged by year and alphabetically by locality, and a searchable name index is also available.South Carolina Death Records, 1822–1955 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredThis searchable database plus digital images includes statewide death certificates, 1915-1955; Charleston City death records, 1821-1914; Spartanburg City death records, 1895-1897 and 1903-1914; and Union City death records, 1900 and 1913-1914.South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766–1900 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredThis partial database of delayed South Carolina birth certificates (includes digitized images) contains approximately 25,000 birth returns for the city of Charleston, South Carolina from the years 1877-1901, and approximately 55,000 delayed applications for birth certificates from throughout the state, covering the years 1766-1900. South Dakota South Dakota Birth Records Over 100 Years Old FreeMore than 225,000 South Dakota births are searchable in this free online database of birth records from the South Dakota Department of Health, including many delayed birth certificates issued for people born before statewide registration began in 1905.South Dakota Death Index, 1905–1955 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredThis index to deaths that occurred in South Dakota between 1905 and 1955 contains the death certificate number, name of deceased, county or county code, and date of death. Tennessee Tennessee Death Records, 1914–1955 FreeFamilySearch hosts this free searchable database, plus digitized images, of Tennessee death certificates from the beginning of statewide registration in 1914.Tennessee County Marriages, 1790–1950 FreeSearch and/or browse images of marriage registers, marriage licenses, marriage bonds, and marriage certificates acquired from local Tennessee county courthouses. This growing collection on FamilySearch is not yet complete browse the records to see what is currently available by county. Texas Texas Deaths, 1890–1976 FreeAlmost 9 million digitized records are included in this free collection of Texas statewide death certificates- including delayed certificates, foreign deaths, and probate obituaries- from the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin, and hosted online by FamilySearch.org.Texas Deaths, 1977–1986 FreeImages of Texas statewide death certificates, including delayed certificates, are available online in this free FamilySearch.org collection, from the Texas Department of State Health Services. For a list of records by dates and localities currently published in this collection, select the browse feature. Utah Utah Death Certificate Index, 1904–1961 FreeThe Utah Division of Archives Records Service hosts free downloadable images of Utah death certificates for the period 1904 to 1960; 1961 is also available as browsable images, but not yet indexed.Salt Lake County Death Records, 1908-1949 FreeA free name index and images for Salt Lake County death records from 1908-1949 from FamilySearch. Also included are a few deaths occurring before 1908 where the remains were re-interred between 1908 and 1949.Utah Death Registers, 1847–1966 Paid Ancestry.com subscription required.This collection of images and index includes deaths that occurred in Utah between 1905 and 1951, Utah death registers for 1898–1905 (the dates vary slightly by county, and Grand County includes records for 1961–1966), and interment records for Salt Lake City, 1848–1933. Vermont Vermont Vital Records, 1760–1954 FreeName index and images (index cards) of town clerk transcriptions of births, marriages and deaths in Vermont through 1954. Indexing is ongoing, and additional records from 1955–2008 will be added to the collection as they are completed.Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 Paid Ancestry.com subscription requiredName index and images of death certificates and amended death certificates issued in Vermont from 1955–2008. Virginia Death Indexing - Virginia FreeA fully-searchable index to Virginia city and county death registers compiled 1853-1896, part of an on-going project sponsored by the Virginia Genealogical Society. Fifteen cities and counties have been indexed to date.Virginia Births and Christenings, 1853-1917 FreeAlmost 2 million names can be searched in this name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Virginia. Online at FamilySearch.org. Washington Washington State Archives - Birth Records, 1891–1907 FreeThe Washington State Archives has begun to digitize the birth records in their collections and make them available online for free. Available birth records cover the period 1891–1907 (birth records after 1907 are not open to the public) for most counties.Washington State Archives - Death Records, 1891–1907 FreeThe Washington State Archives has begun to digitize the available death records in their collections and put them online for free. Available death records cover the period 1891–1907. Post-1907 death records in Washington are not open to the public for research.Washington State Archives - Marriage Records, 1866-2002 FreeThese online marriage records include indexed, digitized images created by the Washington State Archives in a project to make the entire marriage series available from the beginning of marriage record keeping in 1866. The more current index records (approximately 1995 forward) ar e updated by partner Auditors on a periodic basis and may not include images. West Virginia West Virginia Vital Records Research Project FreeOne of the first states to start making vital records available online, West Virginia hosts indexes and images to birth and death records dating back to about 1853, and marriage records dating back to county formations. Records and time periods available vary by county. Wisconsin Wisconsin Genealogy Index FreeSearch for pre-1907 Vital Records, including birth, death, and marriage records, in this free online database of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Wyoming Wyoming Marriages, 1877-1920 FreeA free name index to approximately 14,000 marriage records from the state of Wyoming online at FamilySearch.org.

Stress management Essay

Stress management Essay Stress management Essay We, as nursing professionals, are in the midst of caring for others on a daily basis. We are involved in implementing and evaluating the care plans that were developed for our patients, and oftentimes, this can take a toll on our well-being and cause stress. So what exactly is stress? The following is a synopsis of the history of our awareness of stress: Walter Cannon (1871–1945) pioneered the initial understanding of stress. He investigated the sympathetic nervous system as it reacts to heat and noticed that the body responds in a predictable sequence (Selye, 1956). Han Selye furthered Cannon’s work by defining stress as the "rate of wear and tear on the body" and stressors as the "causative agents of stress" (1956). Selye found that stressors may be physical, such as infection, injury, and pain, or may be psychological, such as fear, anger, and sadness. He identified what he called a general adaptation syndrome (GAS), whereby the body seeks to maintain homeostasis or balance. Lazarus enlarged our understanding of stress and the ways people deal with it when he observed that, when individuals view a new or evolving situation, they first decide whether it is a threat. He called this primary appraisal. Then, as individuals continue to monitor a threat, they evaluate their ability to cope with it by what Lazarus called secondary appraisal (1956). In this second step of appraisal, individuals may judge themselves unable to handle the situation and withdraw. Others, especially caregivers, are apt to believe they "should" be able to handle anything and attempt to do so no matter how great the cost. Seyle, Cannon, and Lazarus (Folkman, 1984) further recognized that stressors can lead to burnout and job fatigue if there are no coping mechanisms in place - this is especially true for the professional nurse. According to the American Nurses Association, nurses report that there are many factors that promote stress and lead to the classic â€Å"crash and burn† syndrome that many nursing professionals experience. The following are just some of the issues that nurses face that often contribute to stress: Anxiety related to demands of the job. Inefficient coping related to the lack of knowledge for job requirements. Spiritual distress related to the inability to find meaning or purpose in professional and personal life. Ineffective leadership ability; ineffective assertiveness training. Inability to motivate staff. Ineffective ability to balance work, family, and personal life. Lack of supervisory support. Poor co-worker relationships. These stressors can lead to the classic â€Å"burn-out† syndrome. Instead of persisting until this happens, nurses can learn more effective coping strategies, become self-aware, acknowledge their own limitations, and acquire emotion-focused and problem-solving skills (Selye, 1956). Likewise, managers can provide physical and emotional support for staff members because they value them and understand the stressful nature of their work. Nurses are strong at supporting patients and families through stressful situations, so perhaps they can simply adopt these same strategies for their own stressful battles. The following are several strategies that nurses can use combat stress: Learn to Identify Feelings Breaking through denial and admitting there's a problem is a step toward finding solutions to stress. Feelings can be named in one word: betrayal, guilt, anger, sadness, frustration, etc... Registered Nurses are trained to treat others with compassion, but unless they identify their own emotions, they can't generate compassion for themselves and begin to heal. Journaling, meditating and praying are strategies to help one get in touch with those deep rooted inner feelings. Similarly, interests such as poetry, gardening, working, animals, and painting are useful methods to unleash these deep rooted feelings. Consider the nurse who has just

Advise Brian as to the application of EU law on the free movement of Essay

Advise Brian as to the application of EU law on the free movement of goods to this situation - Essay Example According to the case presented, Brian is a recognized trader in these items and has dealt them for years. Having sold the products for ten years, one would judge Brian as an experienced manufacturer and supplier of these materials. The free movement of goods treaty aims at restricting limitations to trade between member states of the European Union and compliance is key for a good relation for the different states. France as a state is part of the treaty and is bound by the treaty to comply and eliminate any restrictions that are developed either by its domestic suppliers of Power Saws or by legislation that seeks to create a discriminatory effect to the trade aspects of the EU. A number of cases exist on the aspects of discrimination in trade because of legislative effects of member states of the European Union. These include the following. According to a case as per Schmidberger, case Case C-112/00 on free movement of goods vs. protection of fundamental right1. According to this case, respect of fundamental rights of persons in the different states is part of the responsibility that the states have. The free movement of goods into and out of France needs not affect the livelihood of the people especially their health. Considering the health aspect attached to the case, the rights of protection on health aspects for the people is the mandate of the government that limits the exposure as per the goods in relation to the PSs. The free movement of goods relates to the removal of barriers from the market free trade to exist2. Brian is a manufacturer within the UK, which is part of the European Union. He manufactures goods that qualify for sale on the European Union and that explains the reasons why he has for ten years supplied the goods in UK and Germany markets and all these have appreciated his products. Among the facts involves the position of France as one of the European Union members,

The impertence of communicationing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The impertence of communicationing - Term Paper Example This can be related to Socrates’ second principle which is about knowing your audience (Socrates, p.5). In this case Ted according to a co-worker, Linda, is very self-centered. This is one of the problems in communication, when people do not know how to listen. Communication can only be effective when one party is listening to what the other is saying and take turns in doing so. Another important issue that can be pointed out in the episode is the use of one form of communication and understanding the errors related to the use of this way of communication. According to the third Principle of Communication presented by Socrates, one must master the medium of communication that he or she chooses (Socrates, p.8). In this case, the company chose to use a company-wide memo system to reach the employees and tell them the different updates in terms of the company’s policies and rules. In this case, the management did not impose and stress the importance of communicating the message accurately. A simple typographical error can change the meaning of a memo completely and can cause misunderstanding. The scenario presented by the TV show resulted to ethical issues since the memo is requiring the company employees to say bad words to each other. Aside from being a negative form of communication, this is against ethical principles projected for the common good (E thical Principles, p.10). In terms of the two issues, it is important to take into consideration the lessons presented by Socrates. No matter what era, the 7 Principle of Communication can still be effective. With regards to the first issue, which is about knowing the audience or the listeners, the solution presented in the program is to be more open to audience which in this case is the employees. It is important even for entertainers and speakers to know the audience to be able to effectively convey the

Analysis situation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis situation - Essay Example Consumers of both these drugs express a somewhat mixed reaction towards the drugs as regards their outcome. However, researchers found it worth recording that, patients treated with lower dosage of new pradaxa are less likely to encounter a major bleeding problem as compared to rate of bleeding in patients treated with warfarin (34). As a result, consumers would prefer the new pradaxa since it is efficacy is higher. It is clear that patients cannot use warfarin if they are subjects of surgery since, if administered, it can lead to severe side effects like heavy bleeding that can cause death. Contrary, some countries approved the use of pradaxa in assisting to prevent blood clotting in patients gone through elective complete hip or knee replacement surgery. In conclusion, the need to provide an effective and suitable alternative to the common warfarin is acting as a market booster for pradaxa. With support and market approval, pradaxa will reap a huge market share due to uniqueness and effectiveness. Additionally, pradaxa consumers can swallow the pill and immediately turn off the heparin hence allowing fib patients room to go head home without an enoxaparin bridge (41). Pradaxa will capitalize and dominate the largest market share since it makes consumers feel less anxious about intracranial bleeding compared to Coumadin (warfarin). Another fact that will make pradaxa a total market effect is the fact that consumers do not need frequent blood test monitoring thus proving time and money

Men and Masculinities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Men and Masculinities - Essay Example It was found that 39.6% (p=0.00) of white males think politics is rather or very important. This compares with 40.4% (p=0.00) of black males and 40.1% (p=0.00) of Hispanic males. The number of white males who thought politics was not very important or not at all important was 59.4% (p=0.00). Black males in this category were 58.2% (p=0.00) while Hispanics were 58.9% (p=0.00). White females had 33.3% (p=0.00) that believed politics was rather or very important. Blacks in this group numbered 31.1% (p=0.00) and Hispanic females were at 29.7% (p=0.00). The numbers of white females who thought that politics was not very or not at all important was 65.6% (p=0.00). Black females in this group numbered 66.6% (p=0.00) and Hispanic females were 68.8% (p=0.00). The results clearly showed that men were more likely to believe that politics was rather or very important than were women. However, there was very little difference across racial and ethnic lines. In fact, black males who are traditionally underrepresented in government were the most likely to believe that politics was important. However, the differences between white, black, and Hispanic males were small. The differences in gender were much more pronounced. ... Belief in the importance of politics is a genderized attitude. Women have traditionally placed more value on home and family than men have. Men have been viewed as the provider and have been given access to economic and social power. This has translated into a belief that political power is important and that it has value. Women feel political power is less important because they derive their social power from family and community and not the traditional political, economic, or cultural power structure. GSS Introduction Using GSS data the study explored the attitudes of gender and race towards business profits. The research question was how does gender and race impact a person's attitude toward business profits People were asked the question: Do you agree or disagree that allowing business to make good profits is the best way to improve everyone's standard of living. The study hypothesized that the groups who benefit most from business profits would be more likely to agree with the question. White males would strongly agree while black females would strongly disagree. There would be a large difference between genders as males have the most direct access to the economy. Results (Study: GSS 1972-2004 Cumulative Datafile) The results showed that 57% (p=0.00) of the white males agreed that allowing business to make good profits would improve everyone's standard of living. Only 25.2% (p=0.00) of the white males disagreed. 52.3% (p=0.19) of the black males agreed with the statement and 26.9% (p=0.19) disagreed. The overall male total was that 55.9% (p=0.00) agreed with the statement and 26.9% (p=0.00) disagreed. When the question was posed to white women, 48.3% (p=0.00) agreed and 33.3% (p=0.00) disagreed. When black females were

Cardiovascular safety of NSAIDa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cardiovascular safety of NSAIDa - Essay Example As analgesics, NSAIDs are strange in that they are non-narcotic and thus are used as a non-addictive alternative to narcotics (Sundaram, 2014) The most common members of this group of drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are all available over the counter in most countries. Acetaminophen (parecetamol) is not considered an NSAID because it has only little anti-inflammatory activity. It treats pain mainly by blocking COX-2 mostly in the central nervous system, but not much in the rest of the body.NSAIDs work by inhibiting the activities of both cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). They achieve their function by synthesizing prostaglandins and thromboxanes (Hughes, 2008 p. 100). It is believed that inhibiting COX-2 leads to the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. It has been discovered that, those NSAIDs that inhibit COX-1, particularly aspirin, may cause gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. For this reason, the use COX-2 selective inhibitors may be preferred to COX-1 inhibiting NSAIDs. This paper will, therefore, primarily focus on the cardiovascular safety or effect of such NSAI Ds. According to John Vane (1927-2004), in his Nobel-winning works â€Å"the Mechanism of action of aspirin† he elevated that, most NSAIDs act as nonselective inhibitors by targeting enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) (Bruera & Portenoy, 2009 p. 271). They achieve their goal by inhibiting both the isoenzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Most of this inhibition caused by NSAIDs is competitively reversible (although at fluctuating degrees of reversibility), except the mechanisms of aspirin, which is irreversible inhibition. COX more specifically works as it catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins and thromboxane from arachidonic acid (a compound that is derived from the cellular phospholipid bilayer by phospholipase A2). Prostaglandins act among other things as messenger molecules in the process of

Men and Masculinities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Men and Masculinities - Essay Example It was found that 39.6% (p=0.00) of white males think politics is rather or very important. This compares with 40.4% (p=0.00) of black males and 40.1% (p=0.00) of Hispanic males. The number of white males who thought politics was not very important or not at all important was 59.4% (p=0.00). Black males in this category were 58.2% (p=0.00) while Hispanics were 58.9% (p=0.00). White females had 33.3% (p=0.00) that believed politics was rather or very important. Blacks in this group numbered 31.1% (p=0.00) and Hispanic females were at 29.7% (p=0.00). The numbers of white females who thought that politics was not very or not at all important was 65.6% (p=0.00). Black females in this group numbered 66.6% (p=0.00) and Hispanic females were 68.8% (p=0.00). The results clearly showed that men were more likely to believe that politics was rather or very important than were women. However, there was very little difference across racial and ethnic lines. In fact, black males who are traditionally underrepresented in government were the most likely to believe that politics was important. However, the differences between white, black, and Hispanic males were small. The differences in gender were much more pronounced. ... Belief in the importance of politics is a genderized attitude. Women have traditionally placed more value on home and family than men have. Men have been viewed as the provider and have been given access to economic and social power. This has translated into a belief that political power is important and that it has value. Women feel political power is less important because they derive their social power from family and community and not the traditional political, economic, or cultural power structure. GSS Introduction Using GSS data the study explored the attitudes of gender and race towards business profits. The research question was how does gender and race impact a person's attitude toward business profits People were asked the question: Do you agree or disagree that allowing business to make good profits is the best way to improve everyone's standard of living. The study hypothesized that the groups who benefit most from business profits would be more likely to agree with the question. White males would strongly agree while black females would strongly disagree. There would be a large difference between genders as males have the most direct access to the economy. Results (Study: GSS 1972-2004 Cumulative Datafile) The results showed that 57% (p=0.00) of the white males agreed that allowing business to make good profits would improve everyone's standard of living. Only 25.2% (p=0.00) of the white males disagreed. 52.3% (p=0.19) of the black males agreed with the statement and 26.9% (p=0.19) disagreed. The overall male total was that 55.9% (p=0.00) agreed with the statement and 26.9% (p=0.00) disagreed. When the question was posed to white women, 48.3% (p=0.00) agreed and 33.3% (p=0.00) disagreed. When black females were

Collaboration of Nurses on the Prevention and Management of Pressure Research Paper

Collaboration of Nurses on the Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers - Research Paper Example Because of this, it is necessary to gather relevant data while the measures are being implemented. This data will then be the basis of whether the use of that particular guideline will be continued or not. STEPS IN PREVENTING PRESSURE ULCERS UTILIZING LITERATURE REVIEW To use the obtained articles in order to derive the most up-to-date standard of care in preventing pressure ulcers, the main points of each of the studies were listed down. From the list, the common themes were put together, and these common themes, together with the other ones, were used to make a logical concept map regarding the best approach to take in preventing pressure ulcers, from the development of guidelines to their implementation. CONCLUSIONS FROM THE RESEARCH Both quantitative and qualitative studies have been conducted in order to determine the set of guidelines that work best in prevention of pressure ulcers, and most have recognized that the following of guidelines is dependent upon several factors. How ever, a change in behavioral attitude must be apparent from the development of guidelines down to its implementation (Armstrong, et al., 2008; Delmore, Lebovits, Baldock, Suggs, & Ayello, 2011), Prevention as priority In trying to prevent ulcers, a change in attitude, in that prevention of pressure ulcers becomes a priority for the patient care center, whether at hospital or at home, should be first and foremost. This is necessary in order to initiate the development and implementation of guidelines deemed effective for during patient care, which involves identifying and correcting flaws, as well as continuously reviewing procedures in place (Delmore, Lebovits, Baldock, Suggs, & Ayello, 2011) Making the guidelines: framework For those that have made the decision of making the prevention of pressure ulcers as priority, different sectors of the American healthcare industry have suggested a framework from which healthcare providers and caregivers can follow to provide the acceptable ca re for preventing pressure ulcers. This includes 1) providing the necessary information not only to caregivers but to patients as well, 2) facilitating communication between caregivers and patients, and 3) standardizing toolkits and protocols. All of these are necessary in the prevention of pressure ulcers among inpatients (Armstrong, et al., 2008). No specific standards have been provided to foster the development of a guideline specific for the needs and capabilities of the patient care setting. Catering guidelines to specific situations A guideline specific for the patient care setting to which it is meant to be used is important. In fact, according to experienced nurses, pressure ulcer prevention at home is more complex compared to that used in nursing homes and hospitals, in that it should consider whether 1) appropriate to the economic and insurance status of the patient, 2) done by at least one caregiver that has the ability to provide the suggested care to the patient, and 3 ) knowledge of supply vendors in order to obtain supplies and material needed in the care of patient (Bergquist-Beringer & Daley, 2011). In addition, guidelines should be easy for caregivers to use. Using protocols in documentation as analogy, Friesen, Vivanco, Haydaman, Hamel, & McLeod (2012) pointed out that despite the presence of a standardized guideline,

Paper Towns Book Response Essay Example for Free

Paper Towns Book Response Essay The? Book? Talk? visual? which? caught? my? eye? the? most? was? Clare? Considine’s? project? on? ‘Paper? Towns’? by? John? Greene.? After? talking? with? her? I? learned? the? book? is? about? two? young? people,? Margo? and? Quentin? who? navigate? through? their? senior? year? in? the? suburbs? of? Orlando,? Florida? in? the? early? 2000’s.? When? exposed? to? a? dead? man? who? has? committed? suicide? in? Jefferson? park,? Margo,? at? 10? years? old? says? â€Å"Maybe? all? the? strings? inside? him? just? broke. †? After? this? moment,? the? two? continually? link? human? emotions? to? acting? as? â€Å"strings†? throughout?the? novel. ? In? the? middle? of? the? book? Margo? runs? away? and? the? plot? is? transformed? to? Quentin’s? finding? her? on? a? long? road? trip? with? his? two? best? friends? Ben? and? Radar? and? Ben’s? girlfriend? Lacey.? The? two? create? idealist? views? of? each? other? which? only? by? the? end? is? proven? wrong? by? reality.? In? the? visual,? there? is? a? series? of? 6? maps? showing? the? states? which? are? driven? through? in? the? novel? to? find? Margo,? North? Carolina,? South? Carolina,? Pennsylvania,? New? York,? Virginia,? and? Florida.? Starting? at? the? front? of? the? map? and? ending? at? the? end,? there? is? a? path? which? takes? the? viewers? of? this? visual? through? the? plot? of? the? story.? Also,? there? are? various? quotes? spread? about? the? map? to? support? the? explanation? of? the? plot.? To? begin,? the? trail? starts? at? two? houses,? Margo? and? Quentin’s.? Starting? here,? the? black? tacks? represent? Margo? and? the? white? tacks? show? Quentin.? This? contrast? to? me? exemplifies? a? ying? yang? situation.? Next,? the? string? goes? down? to? four? houses:? Lacey,? Jace,? Becca,? and? Karen’s,? whose? houses? have? a? spraypainted? ‘M’? on? them.? This? ‘M’? symbolizes? Margo’s?  anger? toward? them? because? her? ex? boyfriend? Jace? cheated? on? her? with? Becca? her? best? friend,? and? this? was? kept? a? secret? by? Karen? and? Lacey? her? are? her? close? friends? also.? It? then? leads? down? to? Sea? World? which? they? break? into? and? then? the? path? leads? to? the? sun? tower.? At? the? sun? tower? Margo? says? the? significant? quote? â€Å"All? those? paper? people? living? in? their? paper? houses,? burning? the? future? to? stay? warm.? All? the? paper? kids? drinking? beer? some? bum? bought? for? them? at? the? paper? convenience? store.? Everyone? demented? with? the? mania? of?  owning? things.? All? the? things? paper? thin? and? paper? frail.? All? all? the? people,? too.? I’ve? lived? here? for? eighteen? years? and? I? have? never? once? in? my? life? come? across? anyone? who? cares? about? anything? that? matters. †? After,? the? track? leads? to? two? paper? people? with? Margo? and? Quentin’s? tacks? on? them? suggesting? they? are? too? one? dimensional? paper? people? by? this? point.? Following,? Margo’s? tack? then? moves? into? a? question? mark? when? she? runs? away.? By? this? point? all? Quentin? knows? is? she? is? going? to? a? ‘Paper? Town’.? Quentin’s? tacks? continue? into?  subdivisions? in? Orlando,? Florida? where? he? begins? his? search? with? thoughts? that? by? ‘Paper? Towns’? she? is? referring? to? the? bland? subdivisions? with? nothing? ever? changing? but? does? not? find? her? there.? The? next? tack? is? at? a? barn? where? he? sees? Margo? has? spraypainted? the? words,? â€Å"You? will? go? to? Paper? Towns? and? you? will? never? return. †? There? he? realizes? Paper? Towns? are,? by? literal? definition,? fake? towns? choreographers? put? on? their? maps? to? prevent? plagiarism.? This? leads? him? to? Algoe,? New? York,? (represented? by? the? car? on? the? visual)? where? he?  finds? Margo? in? a? barn.? The? last? part? to? the? visual? is? a? little? booklet? with? ‘expectations,? assumptions? and? idealism’? written? on? the? pages,? illustrating? the? journal? Margo? keeps,? writing? down? all? to? happen? to? her? including? her? idealizations? for? Quentin.? This? points? out? the? moment? when? Quentin? and? Margo? realize? they? had? been? idealizing? one? another? to? be? something? they? are? not? the? whole? time? and? so? they? decide? to? part? ways.? Ultimately? this? visual? is? very? thorough? and? creative? and? illustrates? the? theme? of? the? ideal? person? being? nonexistent.

Solar Energy Sector In India General Studies Essay

Solar Energy Sector In India General Studies Essay India with abundant sunlight, unutilized manufacturing potential, readily available labour and significant demand for power, is one of the most promising markets for solar energy. The country is currently the seventh largest producer solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and ninth largest producer of solar thermal energy. Most parts of the country receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per square meter per day. There are 250-300 clear, sunny days in a year. This puts countrys solar potential at around 600TW per year. Still, solar energy is not the most popular source of renewable energy in India. Wind at 9,522 MW, continues to dominate the renewable energy sector , accounting for over 70% of total renewable capacity of 13,451 MW as of Sept, 2008. This sectoral report tries to cover the niche sector of solar energy in India which is still in nascent stage with very few detailed reports available. The sectoral report covers the size and growth of this sector various government initiatives taken to ensure the growth momentum considering the fact that solar power is still quite costly as compared to conventional sources of power. Thereafter the various key success parameters in the form of various issues challenges which decides the growth in this sector are covered like managing high cost, policy hurdles, environmental concerns, low land availability, power evacuation hurdles, profitability problems, entry barriers for new manufacturing facilities etc. Next the key enablers to sustainable success of solar energy sector in the form of technological innovations is discussed based on various factors. Here the focus is on various upcoming technologies in the solar sector like crystalline silicon, thin film, solar thermal/ CSP etc . Sectoral Report also give a brief overview of the key initiatives in the solar sector taken by a company which made it a leading company in solar sector. Finally the growth projection for the solar sector as a whole is being highlighted. Size and Growth of Solar energy sector in India The government of India started focusing on the solar energy segment when Ministry of New and renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a countrywide solar PV programme as a part of its renewable energy programme. It aimed to provide remote village electrification through decentralized distributed generation(DDG) using solar technologies and promote such technologies for urban, industrial and commercial applications. India has since transformed into a low cost hub for manufacturing solar PV cells and modules, a large proportion of which is exported to other countries. For instance, according to a 2008 study on solar PV industry by Indian Semiconductor Association, India produced 335 MWp of PV products during the period 2002-07 of which 225 MWp was exported. The annual production of solar PV cells increased from 9.5 MW in March 2000 to 110 MW in March 2000. The production of solar PV modules grew from 11 MW to 135 MW over the same period. In 1982, the government launched the national solar thermal energy programme to promote solar technologies such as parabolic troughs, parabolic dishes and solar power towers for generating grid-interactive power. The programme involved increasing awareness about the use of solar thermal energy as well as encouraging the manufacture of solar thermal equipment. The government even subsidized solar thermal products like water heating systems and solar cookers. Since then, Indias solar thermal energy collector area (a solar thermal collector absorbs sunlight to convert it into heat energy) has increased significantly from 119,000 square metres to over 1.66 million square metres as of March 2007. However the number of solar thermal installations (comprising parabolic troughs, parabolic dishes and solar towers) per 1000 people is still very low at 0.52. The MNRE has targeted installing 5 million square metres of collector area by 2012. In terms of end-use, there was area of solar water heating systems and 0.62 million box-type solar cooker units as of Dec, 2007. Recent government initiatives In June 2008, the prime minister launched the National Action Plan for Climate change (NPACC), which categorically targets an increase in solar based generation in country. As part of the plan, the government has approved the creation of national solar mission on the lines of the Atomic Commission. The mission has a target of adding 1000 MW of concentrated solar power in the next 10 years. Also as part of governments plan for solar energy segment is the launch of a major research and development programme which would enable the creation of more affordable and convenient solar power systems, and promote innovations for storing solar power for sustained, long term use. International cooperation would be an important part of RD programme. The US government recently sent a delegation including fourteen US-based solar energy companies on its first trade mission on solar energy in India. Till date the union government has made various concessions for solar energy development in India. The MNRE in an effort to promote large sized grid-interactive solar power generation projects, recently introduced a generation based incentive (GBI) of Rs 15 per kWh for solar PV and Rs 13 per kWh for solar thermal projects. Solar PV power generation plants with minimum installed capacity of 1 MWp per plant are eligible for the incentive. However, the incentive is available only for maximum cumulative capacity of 10 MWp of grid-interactive solar PV power generation projects in a single state, with the overall project size being limited to 50 MWp. Further, no single entity can achieve GBI for projects of more than 5 MW. The industry has been demanding the removal of the total capacity and per plant limits but, so far , no steps have been taken by the government in this regard. The government has also sanctioned the Development of Solar Cities Programme for the Eleventh Plan Period. The programme will extend support to municipal corporations for preparing and implementing the plan to set up 60 solar cities at investment of Rs 5million, which will enable a minimum of 10 per cent reduction in total demand conventional energy by 2012. The Forum of Electricity Regulators, headed by the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, is working on the road map to achieving the NAPCCs target of sourcing 5% of total power generation from renewable sources. Key Success Parameter for Solar Sector Growth: Handling Issues Challenges Despite these efforts, the solar industry still faces a plethora of issues including high production costs, lack of land, inadequate financing options and rising environment concerns. Moreover, despite the government offering many incentives, the industry is demanding more in order to be commercially viable. Policy Hurdles According to project developers, further policy action is required on the solar energy front. There is still a cloud of confusion surrounding the policy framework. Developers have cited issues as lack of clarity regarding the clearances required to set up operations. Others complain that it takes excessive time to obtain the multiple clearances required. Many developers have also faced problems with state governments as the latter have not adhered to the power purchase agreements. There is also strong demand for removing the cap on MNREs GBI. High Costs Despite costs coming down over the years, power generation from solar PV is still four to five time more expensive than fossil fuel-based generation. The estimated cost of generation from solar PV and solar thermal sources in India is Rs 12-20 per KWh and Rs 10-15 per KWh respectively. On the other hand, power from conventional sources can cost as little as Rs 3-4 per KWh. According to industry estimates, the current tariffs for initial 10-year period are not sufficient to make solar projects viable. This combined with project financing at 12-14 per cent with a loan tenor of seven-eight years result in internal rate of return (IRRs) of 6-10 %. Attractive IRRs have been the single most important factor for growth for the solar PV industry in Europe, with developers receiving at least an incremental return of 4-6 per cent over the capital/ financing cost. Several factors have contributed to this trend. With respect to crystalline solar PV-based power production, one of the most significant cost components is the high cost of energy, which constitutes around 11% of the total production cost (for a vertical integrated plant). Energy costs borne by solar power developers in India are especially high as industrial consumers are typically charged higher energy tariff to cross subsidize domestic and agricultural consumers. Interest cost and depreciation are two other important cost components, comprising 15% of production cost. According to a presentation by Rajeewa Arya, Chief Executive Officer, Mosaer Baer Photo Voltaic , project financing for solar power developers is usually granted at an interest rate of 12-14% for a loan tenor of seven-eight years, making solar PV projects ‘unviable. Thin film based solar PV technology is a cheaper alternative to mono or polysilicon based solar PV technologies as it costs less to manufacture thin film modules. Thin film modules are created by coating entire sheets of glass or steel with thin layers of semiconducting materials, which obviates the need for large quantities of semiconductors, thus lowering energy inputs and, consequently, the cost of production. With thin film modules, there is also added opportunity of locally sourcing raw material. The current cost structure of thin film silicon-based modules varies from Rs 50 to Rs 64per watt peak (Wp) depending on the efficiency (6 to 8.5%) of the module compared to Rs 88.7per Wp for silicon crystalline modules. Entry Barrier against Competitors for Manufacturing Process Solar PV cell manufacturing is a technology-intensive process requiring sophisticated expertise and know how. The technological landscape is changing rapidly. Moreover, as it is challenging for new entrants to replicate the success of companies having a long standing in solar PV market, competition is reduced to an extent. Environmental Concerns Some of the raw materials used for producing solar PV cells, like cadmium , are hazardous. Other raw materials, like plastics are non-biodegradable. Although some of the wasted generated during the manufacturing process is recyclable (for example silicon), not all materials are recyclable . As a result disposal is challenge. Low Land availability Solar Power plants require large areas of land 35-40 acres for a 5 MWp installation. However suitable tracts of land are not always available and land acquisition is sometimes subjected to local resistance. Power Evacuation In the past, it has been often seen that a transmission line is required to be drawn from solar power plant site to the nearest substation, which is usually 4-5 Km away. The concerned power utilities generally insist the line be drawn by the promoter of solar project. Setting up a transmission line is not only unfamiliar work for solar project promoters or engineering, procurement and construction contractor , it also adds substantially to the capital costs incurred. For conventional power plants, the respective transmission or distribution companies set up the line and purchases power from premises of the generating station. This is because TD companies have the experience and legal support to tackle socio-political issues that arises while setting up transmission lines across land owned by multiple landowners. Profitability In addition to raw material and project financing costs, Indian solar PV manufacturing companies face the problem of achieving profitability, as most companies are partially integrated. This means that they either buy wafers and convert them into cells , or buy cells and convert them into modules. In the value chain, 60% of value addition lies in the polysilicon and wafer manufacturing segments. In India, however cell and module manufacturing is largely carried out domestically, leaving polysilicon and wafers to be imported. This leads to a substantial loss in margins, increases the cost of the solar panel, and thereby increases the cost of the energy generated from solar power. If it is assumed that both the partially integrated manufacturer and vertically integrated manufacturer can sell the module at around Rs 145( based on international pricing of a crystalline silicon module), this gives the vertically integrated manufacturer a margin gain of 42 percentage points over the partially integrated one. There are however , several technical limitations as a result of which partial integration is more feasible than vertical integration. These include unavailability of technology and raw material. A key reason for this is high capital requirement for setting up such manufacturing capacities. In light of this , capital subsidies could boost vertical integration and reduce cost of production. Solar Thermal Advantages of Solar Thermal Power Solar Thermal power exhibits a different set of dynamics from solar PV as energy storage is much easier in the former. Solar thermal power plants have systems for heat storage and , consequently , generate power even after sunset . Solar thermal technologies have the additional advantages of being able to generate electricity right after the construction of collector (in other technologies, there is usually a gap between plant construction and production of electricity , which increases the interest cost to investment made). Limitations of Solar Thermal Technology On the flip side, however the technology has two key limitations. First, while PV systems can be installed in proximity to customers , thereby decreasing transmission and distribution costs, concentrated solar thermal systems require optimal solar conditions and large open spaces, which are only available at a great distance from customers. The second reason, as is explained in a report by McKinsey Consulting, â€Å"The ability of concentrated solar thermal power to cut costs further may be limited because it relies on conventional devices such as pipes and reflectors whose costs will probably fall less significantly than those of materials used in semiconductor-based PVs†. Issues Challenges- Going Forward Overall, solar energy costs can be expected to decrease significantly in the future. Capital costs have already declined over the past two decades, bringing down the cost of solar PV and solar thermal. Costs are projected to continue reducing to eventually compete with fossil fuel prices. With economies of scale and development of new technologies, the industry is targeting to achieve a level of Rs6-8 per kWh in three to five years. Analysts have further advocated that developers undertake cost cutting measures such as sharing operational resources, and building the plant closer to consumers to save on transmission expenses etc. Moreover, a carbon tax on coal based generation could provide a significant boost to CSP technology. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology also promises a significant increase in solar cell efficiencies from current values of around 15% to over 50%, which could subsequently reduce the cost of the solar energy produced. Key Success Enabler for Sustainable Growth in Solar: Growth in Technological Innovations Crystalline silicon The development of crystalline silicon technology took shape in 1976 when the government launched a five year programme focusing on indigenous commercial production of solar cells and modules based on crystalline silicon. Advantages of Crystalline Silicon Crystalline silicon technologies have several advantages. They are tried and tested and relatively more widely available in the Indian market, thus familiarity among groups and producers. Consequently, most applications for solar PV use have been designed on the basis of silicon-based PV characteristics. The technology also has relatively high conversion efficiencies of 15 to 18% for the polycrystalline versions and 17-18% for the monocrystalline version. Hence, they are ideal for locations with space constraints as the size of the panels need not be very large. Issues with Crystalline Silicon On the flip side , however , crystalline solar PV technologies are heavily dependent on pure solar grade silicon which has limited supply. Though accessing high quality of sand for manufacturing silicon is not a constraint in India, production of refined metallurgical silicon is costly , complicated and energy intensive. Crystalline technologies are also expensive, costing $2.4 and $2.15 to produce a 1 Watt monocrystalline and polycrystalline cell respectively. Crystalline technologies consume 8-9 grams of silicon per watt. However, silicon is a scarce commodity in India and these costs end up constituting a large part (40-50%) of the module costs. Over the years though, silicon usage in crystalline technologies (in terms of grams per watt) is expected to reduce. Future outlook of Crystalline Silicon The future of crystalline silicon technologies will be driven by technological advances that will establish new benchmarks in solar PV cell efficiency using materials that can trap a higher proportion of incident spectrum and convert it into useful energy and reduce cost by developing less energy intensive techniques of production and benefiting from decreasing polysilicon prices , and reduces waste. In the future, though other emerging technologies are likely to gain prominence , industry experts expect that solar PV systems based on crystalline silicon will dominate the off-grid applications segment with small rooftop-based installations. Though crystalline technologies monopolize the solar PV market at present, they are expected to slowly be replaced by more cost-effective technologies such as those based on thin film. By 2011-12 , the market share of silicon crystalline is expected to decline to 65-70%. Thin Film Thin film-based solar PV technology is a low cost alternative to crystalline silicon. The market share of thin film technologies currently stands at around 8% but is expected to go up to 35%in the next few years in India. In contrast to silicon crystalline technologies, thin films are expected to be especially important for on-grid applications in India Advantages of using Thin Film The key advantage of thin-film technologies is that they are more cost effective than other crystalline-based solar PV technologies as they require fewer materials and energy. Issues with Thin Film However thin film-based technologies are still at research and evolution stage and have relatively lower conversion efficiency compared to silicon crystalline technologies. There are other future challenges. Although thin film technologies have revealed long-term stability, some degradation has been observed. This is yet to be properly understood and dealt with. Moreover, in the long term , the availability and price of tellurium ( a key raw material in the production of thin films) are likely to become a bigger concern when the production capacity level reaches tens of gigawatts. Solar thermal/ CSP In addition to solar PV, solar thermal technology is also gaining traction in India. For on-grid applications, concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. This technology is commercially available with over 12 billion units of operation experience. The one drawback it faces is its use of an oil based heat transfer medium, which restricts operating temperature to up to 400 C , resulting in stream of moderate quality. This technology is again suited for grid connected plants but with high temperature process heat requirement. The highest capacity achieved until now for a single unit with this technology is 10 MWe. This technology is ideally suited for stand-alone, off-grid power systems or clustered to larger grid-connected dish parks. The highest single unit solar capacity achieved with this technology is 25 kWe. In some recent designs, a unit size of about 10 kWe has been claimed. However projected mass production goals and costs are yet to be achieved. Status of Solar Thermal in India The cumulative collector area of solar thermal thermal energy in India has grown steadily from 119,000 sq metres in 1989 to more than 2.6 million square metres in December,2008. Though this is substantial increment , the absolute number of solar thermal installations per 1000 people is very low at 0.52. In terms of end-use, there are 2.6 million square metres of collector area of solar water heating systems and 640,000 box-type solar cooker units as of January, 2009. Issues with spread of Solar Thermal The key disadvantage with all concentrated solar power systems is that the hours of power production coincide theoretically with hours of sunshine. However, with some adaptations , such as energy storage , it is possible to control the hours of power production. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy , India has a gross potential of about 30 million square meters of collector area. In fact , in its draft policy , it has target of installing 5 million square metres of collector area till 2012. However, given the current status, a lot of distance is yet to be covered. However there are several key issues that needs to be addressed. Solar thermal power developers have to incur a high initial cost of equipment. Solar thermal equipment also requires a large quantity of space compared to conventional electric equipment. Currently , the number of equipment suppliers, spare part manufacturers and service providers for solar thermal equipment is limited. According to industry players , there is an urgent need for developing supply chain that can bring efficiencies to the system , from design to delivery. Concentrated Solar PV systems In order to tackle the above challenges, the industry is experimenting with concentrated solar PV-based systems, which use mirrors or lenses to focus light onto solar PV cells to produce electricity. This is in contrast to concentrated solar power using parabolic troughs or dishes that use heat from sun to produce steam, which turns an electric generator. Concentrated solar PV systems are so far at an experimental stage. Spanish firm Solfocus is working on a 3 MW concentrated solar PV power plant in southern part of the country. Future Growth Projections of Technological innovations in solar Substantial research is being undertaken to come out with more cost-efficient and conversion-efficient versions of solar power technologies. Researchers are targeting conversion efficiencies between 30% to 60% , while using similar low-cost materials and manufacturing techniques. In the solar PV field, new and emerging technologies are being designed to overcome the shortcomings of thin film such as poor electrical performance while maintaining low production costs. New solar cells made of nano materials are reportedly the next big advancement in the solar PV industry. Nano materials exhibit superior properties , such as high strength and flexibility , and trap more energy than conventional solar PV cells. Leading Companies in Solar Sector Applied Materials Inc.: Key success factors Future Growth projections Applied materials creates and commercializes nanomanufacturing technology that helps produce virtually every semiconductor chip and liquid crystal flat panel display in the world. Applied materials built on that expertise to enter PV cell manufacturing equipment industry and become the number one supplier in 2008 (Source: VLSI Research, Inc.) For crystalline silicon, they have the best-in-class tools with a focus on thinnest wafers , highest productivity and higher efficiency . The Precision Wafering System division offers MaxEdge â„ ¢ using the dual wire concept to enable cutting large loads with thin wire along with wire saw systems for cropping and squaring. The Baccini â„ ¢cell division offers the industry-leading solution in line metallization and test that can handle ultra-thin wafers. Further the companys Aton â„ ¢ offers the highest productivity and cost benefits for ARC deposition and passivation in cell manufacturing. For the thin film market, Applied has developed the SunFabâ„ ¢ Thin Film production line , the worlds first line capable of producing 5.7 square meter solar modules. As PV manufacturers seek to build highly automated , efficient plants, Applied Materials ability to commercialize innovative solar technologies and its unmatched global resources and service network bring the promise of a cleaner, brighter energy future. Future Growth Projections in Solar Energy Sector According to analysts and financial consultants, there may be temporary slowdown in the solar energy sector due to the current economic crisis. Funds have become restricted and companies are looking for safer investments. However the situation is going to turn around with increased government focus. According to industry estimates, the total annual demand for solar energy (including solar thermal systems) in India will rise from current 30-40 MW to 700 MW by 2012 due to falling costs of solar systems. The MNRE is targeting a solar energy capacity of 500 MW by the end of the eleventh plan period. However, this target is expected to be surpassed. By 2017, the MNRE expects Indias solar capacity addition is expected to rise from current 30-40 MW per annum to 70 MW by 2012, driven by decreases in the prices of solar PV. Around 50% of capacity addition is expected to come from solar PV based grid-interactive generation. Solar based generation for the grid is expected to be 25 MW, 50 MW, 75 MW and 100 MW in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The increase will be partially drawn by generation based incentive, which has already led to companies such as Reliance Industries and Moser Baer expressing interest in setting up grid-interactive solar PV plants worth over 1000 MW. All in all , the Indian solar energy industry is looking at busy times ahead. List of References: http://mnes.nic.in/ http://www.powermin.nic.in/ http://www.projectsmonitor.com/ http://www.indiasolar.com/ren-india.htm Datamonitor- Online Library Resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_India http://www.solarpowerindia.com/ http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ multiple news related to solar power sector http://www.cercind.gov.in/ http://www.crisil.com/research/ Based on Three years of work-experience in power sector related industry contacts Study of various textbooks literature regarding solar energy while I was doing Post Graduate diploma course in Thermal Power Plant engg from an institute under ministry of Power