The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy Term Paper

The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy - Term Paper Example It is included in the list of diseases that has the highest morbidity rate in the world’s aging population. The degree and the time course of the disease vary and do not coincide with the linear expression of symptoms. People suffering from such disease normally have asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction or both. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the state of the disease that is expressed when the balance between malfunction and compensation is disordered such that cardiac output can no longer be maintained at normal left ventricular filling pressures. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 16) Types of Cardiomyopathy There are three types of cardiomyopathy; dilated, hypertrophic and unclassified cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common among the three types. In this type, the heart’s main pumping chamber – the left ventricle, coming from the term ‘dilated’, grows bigger than its normal size. Th e ability to pump blood throughout the body becomes less forceful, making the blood flow uneasily. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 24) Although as mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 3 cardiomyopathy can occur to people of any ages; this is most commonly seen in middle-aged people and is more often to occur in men. Some people who have this type of cardiomyopathy acquire the disease hereditary. The second type of cardiomyopathy is hypertrophic. This type of the disease entails the abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, affecting the main pumping chamber of the heart – the left ventricle. As the thickening occurs, it affects the blood circulation in the body due to the stiffening and the shrinking of the heart’s pumping chamber, which affects the ability of the heart to deliver blood to the entire body. Just like any other types of this disease, this may develop in any ages but it becomes more visible during childhood. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 33) Normally, people who acquire th is disease have a family history and more often than not, linked to some genetic mutations. Affected patients of this type of cardiomyopathy may be asymptomatic or may have signs of hindlimb paralysis or acute dyspnea. Examinations demonstrate abnormal heart sounds; from soft to prominent systolic cardiac murmurs and gallop heart sounds. The last type of cardiomyopathy is unclassified or better known as restrictive cardiomyopathy. The heart muscles of people who develop this type of disease become rigid and less elastic, which tends the heart to not expand properly to be able to contain blood between heartbeats. This is common in older people although it can develop in any ages just like the other types. This type is the least common among the three and can occur without known reason – idiopathic. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 41) This can also be caused by other diseases that affect the heart. This type includes patients with visible abnormalities in the myocardium on echocardiog raphy that do not fit into the other two types. This type of disease is also seen in cats. As mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 4 restrictive cardiomyopathy have unknown causes. Nursing Intervention The disease is defined as ventricular dilation, systolic contractible dysfunction, low cardiac output and other congestive heart failure symptoms (crackles, edema, etc.) The decrease in the blood supply comes hand in hand with the decrease of amount of oxygen supply in the body. This can lead to kidney

Personal essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal - Essay Example This paper aims to define what is important to me and how I realized the significant role of it in my life. Moreover, it provides an account of the event that helped me realize the actual worth of it in the life of other people. I always knew the importance of money and its power in the modern world. I have always been conscious about having the best thing out of the list. Of course, nothing can be bought without spending money today. I used to spend a lot on shopping, eating, gaming and partying. However, I always knew that it is ‘money’ that buys me everything. I used to be a spendthrift and was not much conscious about the amount that I used to spend on things and friends. I never thought that there might be some people living in bad circumstances who might not be able to meet their necessities even. I being a person of a selfish nature did not ever pay enough heed to the necessities of other people and went on living my life so that i made the most of it. Once my friend commented on my way of leading life by saying ‘Do you ever think of saving money as you would not be left with anything when you’d need this money later onwards in your life? And i sarcastically replied ‘T he best way of saving money is to forget who you borrowed it from’ A group project to slum (bad housing) in 11th grade brought a great twist in my life. During the project, I met people who were facing severe difficulties and were fighting everyday to get access to food, clothing and other needs. The places in which these individuals resided were in such a bad condition that a disease would spread with the speed of light in the vicinities. Sanitation and health facilities were not adequate enough to provide them with the basis of a healthy life. Education was yet another factor in that area as the children there could not even get to study. Their situation made me realize the importance of money and resources which i possessed. This

Quantification of Opiates in Hair Samples

Quantification of Opiates in Hair Samples The analysis of controlled drug abuse has been primarily been carried out using urine samples. This is then complemented further with use of other biological fluids such as blood, sweat and saliva. There are many advantages as to why urine is a better biological fluid to use in comparison to the other biological fluids. Some these include: Less invasive No needles required to obtain the sample. Little medical supervision required Cost of conducting the test is lower Urinalysis however also has some limitations, some which are The drug detection window (DDW), the time frame in which the drug can be detected is somewhat short. It is typically 1-3 days. The sample can be easily contaminated; therefore testing is carried out on an altered sample. The sample can be easily changed if it is diluted. [2] There are also safety issues, if improper care is taken when handling the sample then sin contact may lead to infections. Abstinence can also provide inaccurate readings. If prior knowledge of when the test is going to be carried out, the user may abstain from using the controlled substance a few day prior to the test being carried out. Consumption of excessive water the user excessive amount of water are consumed then the sample given may be diluted, therefore providing an inaccurate concentration of the drug abuse. The cut off point- Urinalysis tends not to have a low enough of a cut off point. This will mistake controlled drug abuse with other possible metabolites of food. An example of this is the consumption of poppy seeds. This can be mistaken for morphine abuse. With further developments analytical techniques such as GC/MS hair samples are now the preferred sample to for the analysis of controlled drug abuse. This is then complemented with urinalysis and blood analysis. The advantages using hair include Drugs are commonly found in hair samples. Hair tends to be more of a qualitative test rather than a quantitative. It measures the concentration and frequency of the abuse, not just its presence. [3] A longer DDW measures the abuse the abuse over months and years, as appose to days. The chart above shows the concentration of a drug present urine and hair over a period of 12 days Hair is easier to handle poses no threat of infection if skin contact is made [4]. Hair is a more stable specimen it has a stable protein structure which cannot be easily contaminated [5] Little medical supervision or surgical intervention is required when obtaining the sample and is therefore seen to be less invasive. 1 HAIR 1.1  Anatomy of Hair Hair is made up of two distinct compartments, the shaft and the follicle/root. The shaft is the visible outer part, which comes out of the skin on the scalp. This part is often referred to as the dead part of hair. The reason for this is that the compartment within the skin, the follicle has a bulb shaped ending. Within the centre of the bulb there are cells, which are constantly dividing. As new cells are produced the older one are pushed up. As they are moving up they die slowly, which then form the hard shaft. Each strand of hair is made up of protein fibres called keratins. The chemical composition of keratin includes long chains of amino acids. One key example of these amino acids is cysteine, which contains sulphur. One key ability of sulphur is its ability to form bonds with other sulphur molecules, disulpher bridges. This is type of chemistry is present in hair. Adjacent keratin proteins link together to form disulphide bonds. The molecular interactions between these bonds are quite strong, and therefore it is quite hard to break the bond between them. The disulphide bonds can be broken using an alkali solution, as acidic solutions generally have no effect. Each strand consists of three layers the cuticle, cortex and medulla. The medulla is made up of cells that are quite large and hollow. The middle layer is the cortex, which makes up the majority of hair. The cells in this layer are tightly packed due to cross links between the keratin chains. The characteristic of hair are predominantly determined by this layer. This includes the colour of hair. Other characteristic determined by the cortex are the flexibility and strength of hair and the also the texture. The cuticle is the outermost layer and is formed by a single layer of overlapping tightly packed cells, which are transparent in appearance. This layer provides protection for the cortex and the medulla. This layer also characterises the strength of hair, as its strenuousness it is able to take the effects of any impact. Within the root is the follicle, this is a multilayered bulb like structure. Where each layer has its own function. At the base of the bulb is the dermal papilla. This is fed by small blood vessels. The function of these vessels is to provide essential nutrients and oxygen to the growing hair, it also removes any waste products. This is also the site of where signals are received, instructing hair to grow. [7] This is done by the presence of hormones and adrenogens. The adrenogens determine when hair grows and also the size of the follicle. Therefore influencing the physical properties of hairs, i.e. thickness. The hair follicle is covered by two sheaths, the inner and outer. The function of these sheath is to provide protection to the hair shaft. The inner sheath coats the follicle up to the opening of the sebaceous gland. The outer sheath coats the follicle all the way up to the gland. 1.2  The Hair Cycle Each strand of hair grows in a repeated three stage cycle, starting with the Anagen phase continuing to the Catagen phase and concluding with the Telogen phase. [8] Anagen phase: Hair growth phase Occurs with 85 % of hairs at any one time Duration: 2-6 Years Activity: Stimulus received at dermal papilla → Rapid reproduction of  keratinocytes within the bulb → Upward movement of keratinocytes → Formation of hair shaft Catagen Phase: Regression phase Duration: 1-2 Weeks Activity: Mitosis cycle ends and reabsorption occurs → The old keratinocytes  cells are then preceded by the new ones → Death of the previous  keratinocytes → Hair follicle size reduced by 1/6 → Degradation of  the lower part → Hair follicle becomes detached → Keratinocytes  cells attached to the follicle and the dermal enter the next phase. Telogen Phase: Rest phase Occurs with 15% of hairs Duration: 3 Months Activity: Dermal papilla is in a resting state → Towards the end of the stage,  the hair and follicle become detached from one another → a new  connection made between the lower part of the follicle and the dermal  papilla → Once the connection has been made, the cycle will start  again → Anagen phase → Formation of a new hair, if the previous  hair is still attached to the follicle then the new one will push out the  old hair [8] 1.4  Integration of Opiates Into Hair There have been several studies carried out that look into how drugs and their metabolites are integrated into hair. These studies have proposed some simple mechanisms as to how this is done. However an in depth explanation would require further studies to be carried out. As hair has a protein structure, it is able to trap the metabolites present in the blood into hair whilst the structure is being synthesised. This is auctioned whilst the hair is attached to the follicle, i.e. whilst the hair is growing. As the hair fibre is being formed, the drug and its metabolites become integrated. This will result in the drug and its metabolites to be stabilised within the keratin structure. The basic model proposes a mechanism that a drug and it metabolites may be integrated by passive diffusion. This is where the drug is passively diffused from the dermal capillaries into the growing hair cells. The point at which this passive diffusion occurs is when the hair is follicle length is at a length of approximately 1.2 1.5 mm long. This is the length between the hair matrix area and the area of the keratinised area. This suggests that if the hair is 1.2 1.5 mm long then drug exposure of about three days is available for analysis. A more detailed model can also explain how drugs and their metabolites can be integrated into hair. This takes into account different mechanisms occurring various times of the hair growth cycle, and at a number of different locations. The research into this multi-compartment theory was initiated by Henderson [10], but has since been backed up by further studies. An example of this is, the movement of the drugs and its metabolites from sweat and Sebum. The integration of the drugs and their metabolites occurs once the hair has been formed. Studies have shown that the concentration of drugs in sweat is higher than the concentration found in blood. This would therefore explain the high concentrations if drugs found in hair. [10] Drugs can also be integrated into hair from the external environment, i.e. from air, water and hair treatments such as hair dying, and perming. As well as the external environment drugs can also be integrated with hair by intradermal transfer. This happens deep within the skin compartment, where highly lipid soluble drugs can penetrate into the skin layer and then become integrated into hair. [11] Also melanin content may have some influence on the drug being transferred. The drug may associate with melanin sites that are present in the skin. This will result in the transfer of the drug and its metabolites as well as melanin pigment molecule. The actual properties of the drug being integrated will also ultimately influence which mechanism is used for the drug to be integrated with hair. Examples of these properties include the structural, chemical, and physical properties. When looking specifically at the structural properties, there are three factors that will influence the mechanism undertaken to integrate the hair. [13] These include: The melanin content of the hair The lipophilicity of the drug The basicity of the drug The influence of melanin on the integration of the drug with has been examined in several studies. A sample of grey hair was analysed. It can be seen that the sample contains white hair and pigmented hair. It was found that even though the root had been placed under the same conditions, i.e. the same concentration of the drug and its metabolites in the blood the pigmented had ten times the concentration of the basic drug compared to the hair sample that was not pigmented. [14] This study carried out by M. Rothe et al prompted further studies to be carried out. These looked at the difference in drug concentration between black, brown, blonde and red coloured hair. The results obtained from this study also found the correlating results. The integration of uncharged organic i.e. lipophilic drugs can infiltrate the membrane with ease, as well as being able to diffuse along the concentration gradient. This however is not the case with lipophobic or charged drugs. When they try to infiltrate the membrane a drug resistant barrier is formed, therefore restricting the drug from entering the membrane. Also basic and acid drugs, are highly ionised can enter the membrane if the charge they have is neutralised. This is achieved by deprotonation or protonation. This suggests that the pkA of the drug is an important factor, when it is trying to enter the melanocyte cells so it can be integrated with hair. Studies have also found that the intracellular pH of melanocytes typically ranges from 3 to about 5. Due to this chemical property, there is an increase in the accumulation of drugs at pigmented sites. However this is not the case for all acidic drugs, so this is why they are often found in lower concentrations. [13] 2. Opiates and Opioids 2.1  Derivation and active component The opiates are derived from opium. Opium is released from immature seeds that grow within the poppy plant, also known as papaverus somniferum. The active component from which the opiates are synthesised, is known as the latex. This is a white milk like emulsion fluid that is released, when an incision made on the green wall of the poppy plant seed. The latex is removed typically between 1-3 weeks after the poppy plant has flowered. The white latex is then dried, leading to the formation of brown coloured opium. They are a group of about twenty opiate alkaloids. An opiates can however is a synthetic chemical/drug that can be synthesised using an opiate as starting material, or be fully synthesised to mimic the action of an opiate. Morphine is the most prominent opiate present within opium, making up 10%. Codeine is second, which makes up approximately 5% of opium. The other main constituents of opium include thebaine, noscapine and papaverine. Some of the twenty alkaloids can be synthesised further in laboratories They can be synthesised using an opiate as starting material, or be fully synthesised to mimic the action of an opiate. An example of this is the synthesis of heroin from morphine. There are also opioids that can be synthesised fully in a laboratory. An example of this type of opioid is methadone. 2.2  Classification The opiates can be classified into three main categories, natural opiates, semi synthetic opioids and fully synthetic opioids. 2.2.1  Natural Opiates These are chemical/drugs that are synthesised directly from the latex that is produced from the seedlings of the poppy plant. Once the latex has been dried it is now known as opium. The natural opiates are then extracted from the dried opium. The most abundant chemical/drug present in the opium is morphine, accounting for 10 % of opium. The second most abundant natural opiate is codeine, account for approximately 5 % of opium. Thebaine is the third most abundant opiate, accounting for approximately 3% of opium. Thebaine The chemical composition of morphine and codeine is quite complex. This is why it is not feasible to synthesise them in a laboratory. This therefore means that the best method of obtaining these opiates is through direct extraction from the poppy plant. 2.2.2  Semi Synthetic Opiates These types of opiates are synthesised using the natural opiates, such morphine as starting points. There are a vast amount of semi synthetic opiates. One example of a natural opiate being used to synthesise a semi synthetic opiate is the production of heroin from morphine. HEROIN The reaction of morphine with acetic anhydride results in the formation of diacytylmorphine, also known as heroin. Morphine as well as the other natural opiates are the starting material for many semi synthetic opiates. The table below shows examples of these semi synthetic opiates. Semi Synthetic Opiate Also Known As Starting Natural Opiate Chemical Structure Hydromorphone Dihydromorphinone and Dimorphone Morphine Hydrogenated ketone Hydrocodone Dihydrocodeinone Codeine and Thebaine Oxycodone Dihydrohydroxycodeinone Thebaine The structure is similar to codeine, but differs in 3 ways 1 -hydroxyl group at C-14, codeine has a H 2- has a dihydro between C 7,8, codeine has double C bond 3- carbonyl group present instead of a hydroxyl group Oxymorphone 14-Hydroxydihydromorphinone Thebaine or Morphine Esterification of the hydroxyl groups Desomorphine Dihydrodesoxymorphine Morphine Remove 6-hydroxy group Saturation of the 7,8 C double bond Heroin Diacetylmorphine Morphine- Addition of acetyl ester groups at C 3,6, therefore diacetyl ester of morphine Codethyline Ethylmorphine Codeine or Morphine the OC2H5 group substituted for an aromatic 3-OH 2.2.3  Fully Synthetic Opiates The fully synthetic opioids are completely chemically different to opiates, however the mode of action on the body. The fully synthetic opiates are able to mimic the way morphine acts on the body. The first type of fully synthetic opiates that was synthesised was called meperidine. This was then with the production of methadone. Some other examples of fully synthetic opiates are fentanyl, pethidine, tramadol and dextropropoxyphene. The advantages of synthesising these synthetic opiates are that the potency of the chemical/drug can be rapidly increased, in comparison to that of morphine. 2.2.4  Endogenous Opiates These are natural substances that are produced within the brain. The characteristics of the endogenous opiates are similar to that of the alkaloid opiates that derived from the poppy plant, commonly known as exogenous opiates. The endogenous opiates interact with opiates receptors in the same way as the exogenous opiates i.e. causing analgesia and euphoria. Examples of these endogenous opiates are Endorphins Enkephalins Dynorphins 2.3 Mode of Action of Opiates Opiates are chemicals that act on the body in two ways. The first is by reducing or stopping chemical signals, therefore having sedative effects. This will result in a reduction reaction time in which the body reacts to pain, also helps to decrease the awareness of pain and finally helps increase the tolerance of pain. The second way in which the opiates act within the body is to create a feeling of elation. The mechanisms that allow the opiates to behave this way is achieved by the interactions that occur at the opiate receptors. The opiate receptors are located mainly in the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord and also within the respiratory centre. The body also produces it own natural opiates, known as endogenous opiates. Some examples of these endogenous opiates are endorphins, enkephalins and dynorphins. They are all released naturally to interact with the opiate receptors. The endorphins are located in the hypothalamus, and are released in response to stress. The enkephalins are present within the central nervous system, and act on the pain pathways. The dynorphins are also located in central nervous system, the spinal cord. They are also associated with the pain pathways. These natural opiates interact with three main opiate receptors mu, kappa and delta, which are g-protein coupled. The opiates that are derivative of the poppy plant are called exogenous opiates. They also interact with the mu, kappa and opiate receptors. If the use of the exogenous opiate s is abused, adverse effects. As well as the opiates being able to block pain, they also make the user feel elated. This is the result of the opiates reacting with mu opiate receptors. The same receptor that the endogenous opiates, endorphin reacts with. Due to these properties it is often the case that opiates are used recreationally as appose to medically. 3. Extraction of Opiates from Hair 3.1 In order to determine the presence of in a hair sample, the drugs need to be extracted from the hair structure. The reason for this is that there have not been any developments in analytical techniques that analyse the hair and drug when they are combined in one structure. This is why extraction steps are taken to analyse the drug separately from the hair structure. The choice of solvent used for the extraction process must take into consideration the chemical structure of the drug, and what response they will have to the solvent. 3.2  Division of hair in to segments Hair must be divided into segments prior to the opiates being extracted. As hair grows at a rate 0.5 inches per month [ref -see notes], it provides a timeline of when and at what concentration the opiates we consumed. The hair sample must be all be of the same length prior to being analysed. It is quite difficult to quantify at which period of time the opiate was consumed if a clump of hair is used as appose to a single strand of hair. it is generally get harder the longer the distance from the root. This is why it is beneficial to analyse the hair sample in sections. [25-22] Studies carried out, have found the following divisions of a 45 cm length provide the optimum analysis. Staring from the root the following divisions are made: 4 x 0.5 cm 3 x 1.0 cm 2 x 2.0 cm 2 x 3.0 cm 2 x 5.0 cm 2 x 10 cm 3.3  Decontamination of hair Prior to any extraction techniques being carried out on hair, any external contaminants must be removed. Although the analytical techniques analyse the opiates that are incorporated within the hair structure, sometimes other substances may be detected if the decontamination process is not actioned correctly. The results of the analysis may account for surface contaminants that may have made contact with hair, i.e. if the user has touched a substance and subsequently touches their hair. This will result in a positive result eng obtained even though the user has not consumed the substance. Other possible sources of these contaminants may be from hair care products such as shampoos and conditioners. Also any hair styling products, such waxes and hair sprays also need to be removed. As well these sweat and any fatty sebum released from the sebaceous glands need to be removed. Also environmental contaminants such dust need to be discarded. If the sample prior to being cut was exposed to any drugs in the environment, this step will remove this source of contamination. The reason for decontaminating the hair sample is to prevent any background noise when the sample is analysed. The choice of the decontaminant has to have specific properties. This is because it has to remove any external contaminants, however not be able to remove any of the drugs and its metabolites from the hair sample. [15] Non protic solvents such as dichlormomethane and acetone are good decontaminates as they do not swell the hair, so extraction will not occur. Using a 300mg sample of hair is used. It is placed into an ultrasonic bath, There are series wash cycles performed on the hair sample, and are usually initiated with two washes with dichloromethane. A typical experiment conducted in [16], which tried to determine the opiate content in hair carried out four different wash cycle, on four different samples of hair. 20 ml of dichloromethane, 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of isopropanol, 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of dichloromethane, 15 ml of isopropanol, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. 20 ml of n-hexane , 15 ml of acetone, 15 ml of methanol, 10 ml of methanol. This experiment showed that a mixture of solvents could be used to wash the hair samples. 3.4  Disintegration of opiates from hair structure As there are currently no analytical techniques that test for opiates whilst they are integrated within the hair structure. This means that the hair structure must first of all be digested and then the drugs and its metabolites are extracted, to determine which drugs are present. There are various solvents used to extract opiates and its metabolites from hair. 3.4.1  Extraction with Methanol Methanol is a good solvent used to extract opiates from hair. It is hydrophilic, so it can enter the hair structure quite easily. The action of methanol is that it causes the hair to swell up. This will result in the drugs integrated within the hair structure to be released. This is done by the opiates diffusing out. This extraction is carried out in an ultrasonic bath. This helps to degrade the hair structure. There are some impurities still present once this methanol extraction has been carried out. So a secondary clean up is still required. [17] There are some disadvantages to this extraction method. This is because the amount of drug obtained from the extraction procedure, is quantitatively less than other extraction methods used to derive opiates hair from hair. However the main disadvantage of using is that using methanol extraction, this is that the opiate extracted can sometimes be hydrolysed. An example is the conversion of 6-monoacetylmprphine (Heroin) to morphine. This results in the non detection of monoacetylmprphine (heroin). [13] Therefore when trying to detect the opiate Heroin, it can be hydrolysed to morphine. Therefore resulting in the heroin present in hair to go undetected. [21] 3.4.2  Extraction with a buffer solution This extraction procedure is widely used to extract opiates and their metabolites from hair. It generally seen to be one the more successful methods. A typical buffer solution would be a phosphate buffer, at a pH of approximately 6.4 7.6. [18] In comparison to methanol phosphate buffer are seen to be a cleaner approach of extracting opiates. In addition to use the phosphate sometimes additional enzyme are added to help to determine intricate metabolites. A typical enzymes used are combination of glucuronidase and arylsulphitase. 3.4.3  Supercritical Fluid Extraction This method uses a supercritical fluids such carbon dioxide (CO2) to extract opiates from hair. It is seen to be advantageous over other extraction methods, as supercritical fluids have specific properties that allow them to be more efficient in extracting opiates and their metabolites from hair samples. Some examples of these properties include that physically, supercritical fluids are less viscous than other solvents. This in turn allows them to move more freely. [19] They have an increased speed of extraction, in particular with opiates. Research carried out into the extraction of opiates from hair using supercritical fluids by Edder et al. It was found that use of the supercritical fluid carbon dioxide, not only speeded up the extraction process but also retrieved a high yield. It was found that 100 % of the morphine that was present in the hair sample was extracted, along with 98.2% codeine, and 92% of methadone. This was all done in a 25 minute procedure. [20] Other advantages of using supercritical fluids to extract opiates from hair samples are that it has been found that supercritical fluids tend not to contaminate the samples, in comparison to solid phase extraction and liquid liquid extraction. The efficiency of this method also allows the procedure to be more automated in comparison to other extraction techniques. 3.4.4  Enzymatic Digestion of the Hair matrix This method primarily uses the enzymes pronase and protein kinase A to break down the hair structure. The procedure requires the hair sample to be placed into the enzyme mixture at temperature between 40 -60oc for approximately 6 12 hours. [22] The action of these enzymes is to breakdown the disulphide bonds that are present within the hair structure. Often dithiothreitol is used to aid pronase and protein kinase A, by decreasing the time taken to extract the opiates and their metabolites from the hair sample. Other enzymes used to breakdown the hair structure include glucuronidase and arylsulphitase. The disadvantage of using this method in comparison to other extraction techniques is that some of the sample may be altered prior to them being for the analytical tests. An example is the antibodies that are required for radio immunoassays, may be denatured by excessive heating required by this extraction process. 3.4.5  Digestion with Sodium Hydroxide. The use of alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide in digesting hair for the extraction of opiates has proven to be very compatible. This is because unlike acid solvents the constituents of the opiates are not hydrolysed along with the hair structure. An example of study conducted by Aldo Polettini et al found that in some case hair samples of heroin users, when digested in methanol hydrolysed the heroin to morphine. Whereas the hair sample that was digested in sodium hydroxide successfully hydrolysed the hair structure but did not alter the opiate and its constituents. [ref] Typical experiments digest hair samples in a 2M concentration of sodium hydroxide, set at a temperature of about 79 °c for 60minutes. 4. Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Hair Samples 4.1  How GC/MS works Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry are two separate analytical techniques that are used together to quantitatively detect low concentrations of opiates. This analytical technique has exceptional specificity to the detecting in opiates in hair, with levels ranging from nanograms to picograms. 4.1.1  Gas Chromatography The gas chromatograph is a heated unit that has thin silica capillary columns, which have a cross linked silicone layer. The opiate sample is injected into an inlet and heated. The sample is heated until the boiling point of the last part of the opiate sample has been exceeded by approximately 20 ËÅ ¡C. This is typically between 200 260 ËÅ ¡C. This leads to the vaporisation of the opiate sample. The vaporised opiate sample will move to the beginning section of the silica capillaries. This is aided by an inert gas, typically helium. The temperature is somewhat reduced at the silica capillaries, typically 120ËÅ ¡C. This will result in the condensation of the opiate sample. The reason for this condensation step is to ensure that all of the constituents of the opiate sample commence forward from a uniform point. The opiate molecule will start to disintegrate as it moves along the capillary column. This disintegration is caused by varied physiochemical interactions that occur with the different constituents of the opiate molecule, during the stationary phase. The time taken for each constituent or metabolite to move of the opiate sample to move through the capillary tube, from the point of injection is referred to as the retention time. [28] 4.1.2  Mass Spectrometry Once the separate constituents of the opiate sample leave the capillary column, they begin to enter the mass spectrometer. The compartment between the gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer is under high vacuum, which have quadrapoles that cover the end of the silica capillary. Now that the sample is moving along from the GC they are met by a beam of electrons, resulting in the sample to become ionised. The quadrapoles split the different constituents of the opiate samples, in relation to their electrical charge and their molecular weight. An electrical pulse is generated as the ion detector acts on the charged opiate constituents. This is all recorded on to library computer, which generates a spectrum of the opiate constituents behaviour within the mass spectrometer. [29] A Typical GC/MS A capillary tube COMPUTER 4.2  A typical GC/MS procedure on hair samples of opiate abusers. 4.2.1  Typical GC Conditions The type of capillary column used to quantification of the opiates is a HP 5MS, 5% phenyl methyl siloxane, with dimensions of 30m x 0.25m x 0.25 µm film thickness. The temperature of the inlet is set to 230 °c. The inert gas used was 99.999% helium, which flows at a rate of 1ml/min. The temperature of the oven is held at 150 °c for 1 minute. The GC is then programmed to increase the temperature in the following increments. [30] 4.2.2  Mass spectrometry Conditions The mass detector was set up to operate at voltage of 70eV. The temperature at the quadrupol

Coppolas Adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula Essay -- Movie Film comp

Coppola's Adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula      Ã‚   The legendary creature Dracula has mesmerized readers and viewers for nearly a century. In Bram Stoker's masterpiece, Dracula, the infamous monster affects each reader in a different way. Some find the greatest fear to be the sacrilegious nature of his bloodsucking attacks, while others find themselves most afraid of Dracula's shadow-like omnipresent nature. The fascination with Dracula has assimilated into all parts of society. Dracula can now be seen selling breakfast cereals, making appearances on Sesame Street, and on the silver screen. Countless film adaptations of Stoker's original novel have been undertaken by the some of the most skilled directors in Hollywood including, Francis Ford Coppola who completed a film adaptation of Dracula in 1993.    In creating his film, Coppola strived to create a film that remained true to Stoker's original creation. In fact, he insisted upon calling the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula, but in reality the movie fell well short of his lofty goals. Coppola realized the complexity of Dracula's character and hoped to combine all of the irresistible qualities that have made him legendary. Coppola however, became too attached to the loving seductive nature of Dracula and neglected the monster's horror. Stoker's original novel centers on the fear Dracula creates and the omnipotent nature of his existence. Dracula only directly appears in the novel a few places. The majority of his existence occurs on a sub textual level, which starkly contrasts the most recent film version.    In Coppola's film, Dracula has a very active and visual role in almost every scene. It is quite understandable the temptation Coppola had of showing Dracula a... ... it is not. The movie is simply a vehicle for making money and is not truly a retelling of the original Dracula. The story is not Stoker's and is merely Coppola's representation of what he feels Dracula means to people in the twentieth century. The film has certain aspects of fear but falls drastically short of the fear that exists in Stoker's classic story. The movie will simply be added to the long list of films that have attempted to recapture the magical horror of Stoker's novel but have fallen drastically short.    Works Cited    Holte, James Craig. Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film Adaptations. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1997. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Signet, 1992. Bram Stoker's Dracula. Screenplay by James V. Hart. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves. Columbia Tristar, 1992.

How Regional Integration and Globalisation Affects Abu Dhabi

The UAE in the Global Business Environment (ECON 605) Fall 2012 Dr. Fernando Zanella / f. [email  protected] ac. ae Brief course description Deeper global economic integration is a key strategic goal for the UAE and is seen as a catalyst AE’s sustainable economic development. This course will provide students with an in depth understanding of how international business issues affect the UAE and how the UAE is positioning itself in the global economy. The course will provide a clear framework for understanding the process of globalisation, international transactions, financial issues, global trends and their significance for UAE organisations.Learning objectives 1. To understand the importance of globalisation, and evaluate the opportunities and threats for the UAE 2. To understand the process of economic integration through examining international trade and investment 3. To explore the role of regional integration in the international business environment 4. To identify the key strategic sectors of the UAE economy which are driving the UAE’s global integration 5. To critically analyse current international business and economic events in relation to the UAE 6.To understand how government policy can facilitate or hinder economic integration Learning methodology Students are encouraged to participate: 1. Lectures 2. Case study and articles analysis 3. Group work problem solving 4. Class discussions 5. Written reports 6. Presentations and peer evaluation Course meeting times Sundays and Tuesdays 05:30-09:30 pm Course textbook Griffin, R. W. and M. W. Pustay (2010). International Business (6th ed. ). USA: Pearson Course Materials support Dr. Emilie Rutledge Summary of course topics Sessions| References| 1| The UAE in the global economy| | Part 1: Globalisation and International marketsPart 2: The UAE in the global economy| Lecture material: Griffin & Pustay: C1 & C2| 2| The UAE in the global business environment| | | Part 1: National competitive adv antage in a globalised worldPart 2: Strategic planning in the UAE – SWOT framework| Lecture material:Griffin & Pustay: C6 & C11| 3| The UAE – a highly open economy| | | Part 1: International trade theoriesPart 2: A study of UAE trade and trade policy| Lecture material: Griffin $ Pustay: C6 & C9| 4| Foreign Investment| | Part 1: Foreign investment theoriesPart 2: Foreign investment, sovereign wealth and diversification| Lecture material: Griffin & Pustay: C6| 5| International issues in money and finance| | | Part 1: Exchange rate issuesPart 2: The financial services sector in the UAE| Lecture material: Griffin & Pustay C8| 6| Regional economic integration| | | Part 1: The theory of regional economic integration, global experiences and trade blocsPart 2: The GCC economic agreement and the common market| Lecture material: Griffin & Pustay: C10| | Deadline for Business Report| | | UAE Strategic Economic Sectors – Group Presentations and discussions| | | | | 8| Final Exam| | Group presentation (30% ): During the final week of the course groups will be asked to make a presentation. Students will choose a strategic sector of the UAE economy and discuss the implications of globalisation for this sector and use an analytical framework discussed during the course to analyse its strategic position internationally (e. g. SWOT analysis).Each student in the group should present, the presentation should be no less than 12 slides and no more than 20 in length. You should begin work on your group presentation from the second week off the course. Group work and discussion sessions (20%): During the course there will be group work and discussions. Following the lecture and case studies, students will for instance be given a particular economic scenario which they discuss/brainstorm as a group. During these sessions the instructor will observe and assess individual student participation in the group.You will be given feedback your group work and your mark fro m 20% at the end of the third week of the course. Business Report (20%): The topic of the business report is how regional integration and globalisation affects your organisation which employs you (or how it might do so in future if it does not do so significantly already). The business report should be around 9 pages in length, its format should be as follows: 1. Cover-title page (1 page); 2. Summary (1 page) : a short paragraph; 3. Table of contents (1 page) 4.Introduction (1 page) – explaining the particular aspects of regional or international economic integration which affects the business or industry you work in. 5. Background (1 pages) – an overview describing the business or institution where you work. 6. Analysis (2 pages) – Explain in detail using a SWOT analysis how aspects of economic integration affect the business you work in. 7. Conclusion summary (1 page) – main concluding points and prospects for your business in light of your findings. 8. References, appendix, glossary – if any (1 page).Final exam (30%): The final exam will consist of short answer questions. The short answer questions will be open ended/case study questions, where you will be able to choose from a number of questions and discuss a case study or topic which we have focused on during one of the sessions. All open ended exam questions and essay/case study questions will be drawn from the lectures, group exercises and case studies we have completed during lessons. Further details of the final exam will be discussed prior to the exam.Academic honesty and integrity Each student is expected to do his/her own work for individual business r exam. Asking questions and discussing ideas with your colleagues is acceptable report as part of your coursework, but copying the work of another or submitting identical work is not. The business report should also be your own original work. Whilst it is, of course, acceptable to reference other works, it is note t o copy and paste large amounts of text from source on the internet.If you copy word for word you must use quotation marks and proper referencing. Group work on the presentation assumes you are working together and that you are contributing fully to your group’s work. Please note that as a member of your group you are expected to be knowledgeable about all aspects of your groups’ output. During the final exam, any student who cheats or assists another student in cheating will fail the course. The case will also be forwarded to the Academic Affairs for disciplinary action. All UAEU academic policies apply in this respect.

Occupational Health and Safety Act

†¢ The Occupational Health and Safety Act provides us with the framework and the tools to achieve this goal.†¢ Changes to the Act in 1990 and subsequent years continued the evolution of occupational health and safety legislation in Ontario. These improvements are based on our experiences.†¢ Occupational injuries and illnesses have been present throughout history: – Ancient Egypt: stonemasons with respiratory problems– Industrial Revolution: introduction of new materials/ processes (asbestos, oils)†¢ OHS first evident in late 1800’s in Ontario with the passage of legislation establishing safety standards .By the 1900’s every province had laws that regulated heating , lighting, ventilation, hygiene, fire safety, and accident reporting†¢ 1974 was the start of the OHS system that we see today. The Royal Commission on the Health and Safety of Workers in Mines was formed by the Ontario government.†¢ This commission was the first to articulate the 3 principle rights of workers. These 3 rights still enshrine out current legislation and provides the basis for the OHS programming in Canada.1. The right to refuse dangerous work without a penalty2. The right to participate in identifying and correcting health and safety problems3. The right to know about hazards in the workplace Current OHSA. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) was created to ensure a safe working environment†¢ Encompasses several regulations to cover various industries, working environments, and hazards†¢ Allows for quantifiable guidelines on exposure to hazards †¢ Used in combination with other Acts and Codes to maintain every worker’s basic right: to leave work in the same state they entered Tragedies that changed the Safety Movement. †¢ Elliot Lake Minor Strike – 1974 – Workers on Strike to protest deplorable health and safety conditions. Catalyst for the health and safety act. †¢ Westray Mine Disaster 1992 – was the result of actions, omissions, mistakes, incompetence and neglect. Methane gas ignited killing 26 miners. Took several years (2003) amendment to the criminal code now hold corporations and their senior officers accountable for criminal negligence in the workplace. Internal Responsibility System (IRS). The internal responsibility system is the underlying philosophy of the occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian Jurisdictions. Its foundation is that everyone in the workplace –both employees and employers –are responsible for his or her own safety and for the safety of co-workers Work and Workplace Not Covered. †¢ Work done by the owner or occupant, or a servant, in a private residence †¢ Farming operation†¢ Workplaces under the federal government– Post offices– Airlines and airports– Banks– Some grain elevators– Telecommunication companies– Trucking, shipping, and railway– Federal workers are covered under a different law: The Canada Labor Code The Rights of Workers. †¢ The Right to Participate: Workers have the right to part of the process of indentifying and resolving workplace health and safety†¢ The Right to Know: Right to know about any potential hazards to which they may be exposed. This is done through WHMIS†¢ The Right to Refuse Work: Right to refuse dangerous work. Duties of Employers. †¢ The Act imposes duties on those who have any degree of control over the workplace, the materials, and equipment in the workplace and direction of the workforce.†¢ There is a general duty on employers to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of workers. 12Duties of Supervisor. †¢ Supervisor shall ensure that the workers works in the manner and with the protective devices, measures and procedures required by this Act and the regulations; and†¢ The worker uses or wears the equipment, protective devices or clothing that the worker’s employer requires to be used or worn. Duties of Supervisor. †¢ Advise a worker of the existence of any potential or actual danger to the health or safety of the worker of which the supervisor is aware;†¢ Provide a worker with written instructions as to the measures and procedures to be taken for protection of the worker; and†¢ Take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker. †¢ Work in compliance with the provisions of this Act and the regulations;†¢ Use or wear the equipment, protective devices or clothing that the worker’s employer requires to be used or worn;†¢ Report to his or her employer or supervisor the absence of or defect in any equipment or protective device of which the worker is aware and which may endanger himself, herself or another worker; and†¢ Report to his or her employer or supervisor any contravention of this Act or the regulations or the existence of any hazard of which he or she knows. TO AVOID:†¢ Using or operating any equipment, machine, device or thing or work in a manner that may endanger himself, herself or any other worker; or†¢ Engaging in any prank, contest, feat of strength, unnecessary running, or rough conduct. 16Joint Health and Safety Committees. †¢ A joint health and safety committee is required:†¢ At a workplace at which twenty or more workers are regularly employed;†¢ At a workplace with respect to which an order to an employer is in effect under section 33; or†¢ At a workplace, other than a construction project where fewer than twenty workers are regularly employed, with respect to which a regulation concerning designated substances applies. Duties of the Committee. †¢ Identify situations that may be a source of danger or hazard to workers.†¢ Make recommendations to the employer and the workers for the improvement of the health and safety of workers.†¢ Recommend to the employer and the workers the establishment, maintenance and monitoring of programs, measures and procedures respecting the health or safety of workers.18Composition of the committee†¢ A committee shall consist of:– At least two persons, for a workplace where fewer than fifty workers are regularly employed.– At least four persons, for a workplace where fifty or more workers are regularly employed.

Medical Billing Essays

Medical Billing Essays Medical Billing Paper Medical Billing Paper Medical billing process transpires between an insurance company and a healthcare provider. Basically, in order for healthcare providers to obtain payment and be indemnified for the services they provided, they necessarily submit and follow up medial billing claim to the insurance companies. The imbursement of a claim is based on a precise amount previously agreed by the insurance company and healthcare provider. Initially, the insurance company will verify the authenticity of the medical billing claim that was presented for payment. If for what ever reason the medical billing claim did not meet the insurance company’s standards, then the billing will be rejected and the claim will be consequently denied. Several people do not understand that the procedure of filing medical billing claims is very strenuous, energy-draining and time consuming for the healthcare providers. In addition, it takes 60 to120 days to collect the claims’ imbursements (American Business Systems). Unfortunately, as a result over 30 percent of these claims are continually being rejected. However, healthcare providers have two fundamental alternatives to avoid or at least reduce the rejection of claims; by hiring at least one dependable staff, or by hiring reliable independent medical verifiers. The additional staffs are assigned in filing the time-consuming and labor intensive medical billing claims. If the medical billing claim is rejected, the staffs are then duty bound to find out what caused the rejection, solve it, and re-submit the claim. On the other hand, with the same responsibilities, medical verifiers present a useful outsourcing alternative for the healthcare providers. Unlike most healthcare providers, these verifiers generally use their computers to make more efficient the medical billing process. Nevertheless, to eliminate or at least reduce the number of rejected claims, these appointed assistants must carefully complete the required claim forms, by carefully searching out the correct codes placed in the medical problem and treatment of the insured; make sure that significant terms are not misused; and must be aware on what services are covered and who are eligible for the medical coverage. Every minute detail on the paperwork must therefore be filled out carefully and correctly. Reference American Business Systems. (n. d. ). How American Business Systems’ state-of-the-art, Real-time Electronic Medical Billing solves billing challenges for doctors†¦and lets you build a stable, high-profit business. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from absystems. com/real-time-electronic-medical-

Free Essays on Marlyin Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is a true Hollywood legend. At a young age she rose to stardom and is remembered in such movies as â€Å"A Gentlemen prefer Blondes†, â€Å"The Seven Year Itch†, and â€Å"Niagara†. She dominated the age of movies to become the most famous woman of the 20th Century. Born Norma Jean Mortenson on the 1st June, 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Gladys Baker. The identity of her farther is unknown. Due to Gladys Baker’s psychological problems Norma Jean only spent a few short years with her mother and was then placed in fosters homes for most of her childhood years until 1934, when she moved in with a family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Grace loved and adored her and often told Norma Jean â€Å"You're going to be a beautiful girl when you get big...an important woman, a movie star." Unfortunately due to financial problems, Norma Jean was again placed in an orphanage from September 1935 to June 1937. Although Grace frequently visited her, taking her to the movies, buying clothes, and teaching her how to put on makeup. In September 1941, Norma Jean met Jim Dougherty. Grace had found out that her husband was transferred to the East Coast and couldn’t afford to take the 16 year-old with her so she quickly made plans for Norma Jean to marry Jim Dougherty on the 19th June, 1942. Dougherty had soon joined the Marines and was sent overseas. While working in a factory inspecting parachutes, Norma Jean was photographed by the Army to show women on the assembly line contributing to the war. By the spring of 1945, Norma Jean was quickly becoming known as a â€Å"photographers dream† and had already appeared on 33 national magazine covers. In the fall of 1946, Norma Jean had divorced her husband. Now free and on her own, Norma Jean signed a contract with 20th Century Fox Studios. From this point on she would be known by her fans as Marilyn Monroe. After a few minor parts in movies, Marilyn’s first serious acting job came in 1950, ... Free Essays on Marlyin Monroe Free Essays on Marlyin Monroe Marilyn Monroe is a true Hollywood legend. At a young age she rose to stardom and is remembered in such movies as â€Å"A Gentlemen prefer Blondes†, â€Å"The Seven Year Itch†, and â€Å"Niagara†. She dominated the age of movies to become the most famous woman of the 20th Century. Born Norma Jean Mortenson on the 1st June, 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Gladys Baker. The identity of her farther is unknown. Due to Gladys Baker’s psychological problems Norma Jean only spent a few short years with her mother and was then placed in fosters homes for most of her childhood years until 1934, when she moved in with a family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Grace loved and adored her and often told Norma Jean â€Å"You're going to be a beautiful girl when you get big...an important woman, a movie star." Unfortunately due to financial problems, Norma Jean was again placed in an orphanage from September 1935 to June 1937. Although Grace frequently visited her, taking her to the movies, buying clothes, and teaching her how to put on makeup. In September 1941, Norma Jean met Jim Dougherty. Grace had found out that her husband was transferred to the East Coast and couldn’t afford to take the 16 year-old with her so she quickly made plans for Norma Jean to marry Jim Dougherty on the 19th June, 1942. Dougherty had soon joined the Marines and was sent overseas. While working in a factory inspecting parachutes, Norma Jean was photographed by the Army to show women on the assembly line contributing to the war. By the spring of 1945, Norma Jean was quickly becoming known as a â€Å"photographers dream† and had already appeared on 33 national magazine covers. In the fall of 1946, Norma Jean had divorced her husband. Now free and on her own, Norma Jean signed a contract with 20th Century Fox Studios. From this point on she would be known by her fans as Marilyn Monroe. After a few minor parts in movies, Marilyn’s first serious acting job came in 1950, ...

Reddit Marketing Guide How to Drive Targeted Traffic - CoSchedule Blog

Reddit Marketing Guide How to Drive Targeted Traffic Blog Since you’re reading this on the internet, I’m going to assume you know what Reddit is. Even if you’re not a dedicated redditor, you probably have a general idea of what the site is all about. (If you really don’t know anything about Reddit, it’s basically a gigantic online community made up of user-generated and user-curated content.) Reddit ranks within the top 25 most-visited websites  in the world, and often sees more than one million unique pageviews  in a single day. Consider those last two points from a marketer’s perspective. Light bulbs going off yet? Simply put, if you go about it the right way, Reddit can be a major  source of targeted traffic  for your website- and ultimately lead to massive conversions. Additionally, Reddit is considered the â€Å"front page of the internet, for a reason- if your post makes it to Reddit’s homepage or to the top of a subreddit, there’s a good chance of getting coverage for your product or service or getting a link back if you’re promoting a post as a lot of influencers and publishers are scouring Reddit to find content for their own sites But, that’s a pretty big if. The thing about Reddit is, it’s not like most other social networks full of â€Å"everyday† users. While effective marketing on any social network happens when you provide serious value to the readers, because Redditors are good at spotting marketers, you better be prepared to provide serious value to the Reddit community. Redditors are good at spotting marketers, so you better be prepared to provide serious value.If it’s blatantly obvious that you’re using it just to promote your business, things aren’t going to go well for you. Not only do you face the possibility of being banned from posting within a certain area of the site (or possibly the entire site altogether), but you also run the risk of ruining your online reputation as a whole. Now, this isn’t to say that it’s impossible to generate traffic and leads by posting your own content to Reddit. But it’s not going to happen overnight, either. The following article will discuss the process you’ll need to go through in order to successfully leverage the Reddit community as a reliable source of long term - trafficas well as common pitfalls to avoid while doing so. (Sure you could skip this whole guide and bribe moderators, buy upvotes, and attempt to brigade other posts in an attempt to get your post front and center, but marketing isn’t manipulation and a strategy like this isn’t sustainable). Before We Move On, Get Your Free Reddit Blog Post Ideas Bonus Guide Supercharge your blog with Reddit. Download your free Reddit Blog Post Ideas Guide and learn how to mine the popular link sharing site to find awesome blog ideas. Reddit Marketing Guide to Driving Targeted TrafficWhy Use Reddit for Marketing? As a content marketer, becoming a redditor can benefit you in a number of ways: (As mentioned) It can help drive massive amounts of targeted traffic to your blog or website It can help you expand your audience base It can point you toward trending topics and areas of interest within your niche Let’s take a look at each of these benefits in greater detail. Recommended Reading: How to Use Reddit to Unlock Awesome Blog Post Ideas A Traffic Influx There’s no shortage of content marketers’ success stories with using Reddit to drive traffic to a specific website. Eddy Azar’s website went from 41 to 4,266 visitors a day  overnight  after he posted a single link to a post on his site. (Source  / Caption: Can’t argue with results.) Ryan Stewart discovered how to leverage Reddit to grow his traffic numbers by over 1,000 visitors  (an increase of about 33%). And Travis Levell also gained almost 1,000 site visitors  after posting a link to an article he’d written- and he posted it pretty much on a whim. Recommended Reading: 14 Time-Tested Tactics to Get Tons of Traffic From Social Media But there’s more to these examples than just traffic stats. After posting on Reddit: Eddy’s Medium following grew from zero  to over 14,000 in one month Ryan now uses Reddit to generate the majority of his traffic Travis earned over 600 signups for a brand new offering in the two weeks after posting So, not only did posting on Reddit help these guys get more eyes on their site, but it also helped them gain a larger following, and provide them the potential to grow their business. And that’s because†¦ Reddit Makes It Easy to Target Highly-Qualified Audience Members Reddit is made up of thousands and thousands of â€Å"subreddits†, which are forums dedicated to a specific topic or idea. Subreddit topics can be fairly general (such as /r/science  or /r/gaming), or they can be ultra-specific (â€Å"Squirrels eating unconventional things†). Yes, we’re serious. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SEUT/. There are also subreddits dedicated to educating the community in some way or another. On /r/explainlikeimfive/, members share simplified explanations of complex topics. On /r/todayilearned, people discuss interesting factoids they had never known before. What this means for you as a marketer is you can almost certainly find at least one (and, more likely, numerous) subreddits full of individuals who align perfectly with your ideal customer personas. As mentioned in the previous section, seeing an influx in traffic is one thing. Knowing that the new visitors to your site are champing at the bit to engage with you is another. Recommended Reading: 30 Social Media Engagement Tactics That Will Boost Shares and Conversions Reddit Uncovers Industry Trends as They Happen If something worth knowing is happening in your industry, you can bet Reddit’s members will be on top of it. Even if you’re just lurking through subreddits and not actively looking to generate traffic at the time, you can still glean valuable insight regarding: Your customers’ pain points Validate market demand  for your product or service New technologies in your industry News and events that could change the way your company operates The information you discover while browsing through your favorite subreddits can lead you to create new blog posts, fine-tune your marketing strategies, and better understand your customers. In this way, using Reddit can even indirectly affect your business in a positive manner. Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Blog Writing Process to Create Killer Posts How to Use Data to Fuel Your Content Marketing Strategy How to Find Your Target Audience and Create the Best Content Can You Build Instant Karma? We mentioned earlier that using Reddit to generate traffic is a fairly involved process (that’s totally worth the effort, mind you). So before we dig into the nitty-gritty of how to leverage Reddit to grow your business, we need to discuss karma. Reddit’s karma system essentially measures your reputation as a redditor. You can gain (or lose) karma in two different areas: the links you post, and the comments you make on posts. It might take you a while to reach this level of Reddit epicness. Source: karmalb.com/. While the number of upvotes and the timeframe those votes happen in a major part of how Reddit’s ranking algorithm  works, karma is an important aspect of achieving success on Reddit. Basically, you can think of karma as a means to an end. The higher your karma level, the more respect you’ll gain from the Reddit population (Also, some subreddits won’t even allow you to post links until you reach a certain level of karma).  The more respect you have from the population, the more likely they are to trust you when you eventually begin posting your own content. The more you are trusted, the more likely Redditors will give you an upvote (assuming whatever you are posting is epic), even if it’s self-promotional. #Reddit Tip: The more you are trusted, the more likely Redditors will give you an upvote:Though whether you gain or lose karma is technically up to other users, the general rules are: Posting valuable content, providing insightful commentary, and offering an overall positive experience will result in good karma. Acting selfishly, being rude, trolling, and begging for upvotes or clicks will lead to bad karma. As alluded to earlier, one of the biggest no-no’s when it comes to posting on Reddit is this: Do not  use Reddit solely to promote your own content. Redditors will see through you immediately, and, as mentioned earlier, will use any opportunity they can get to expose you to the community. (You eventually will  have the opportunity to promote your content, but we’ll get to that in a bit.) Do NOT use #reddit solely to promote your own content. Do this instead:Using Reddit to Drive Traffic Okay, now we’re ready to dive into the actual process of using Reddit to drive traffic to your site. In this section, we’ll discuss the following: Picking the right subreddits to focus on Becoming a valued member of the community Posting your content The logistics behind posting on Reddit Advertising potential on Reddit Let’s get started. Picking the Right Subreddits As we’ve discussed, there are literally thousands of subreddits to check out. Of course, not all of them are relevant to your industry. But there are likely dozens (at least) that are. But, even if a subreddit is relevant to your industry, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be the best place to focus your efforts. An incredibly small sample of the list of Reddit communities. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/ListOfSubreddits/wiki/listofsubreddits. Before you begin actually browsing through possible subreddits to join, ask yourself the following questions: What, specifically, are your areas of expertise? What value are you aiming to provide your audience? What are your target audience members interested in? The answers to these questions will help you narrow down exactly which subreddits will help you achieve your goal of driving more traffic to your website. Without considering these questions, you run the risk of focusing on a subreddit that, as it turns out, doesn’t provide the much in terms of mutual value. To find potential subreddits to join, search Reddit for keywords your target audience would use to search for your product or service. You’ll almost certainly be given a laundry list of subreddits to check out, some of which you’ll be able to screen out immediately. (Note: you can browse through the following list  to find the top 5,000 subreddits). If you live in the US, the second result probably isn’t for you. Source: https://www.reddit.com/search?q=content+marketingrestrict_sr=sort=relevancet=alltype=srcount=3after=t5_2rdsd. Once you’ve generated a decent-sized list of possible subreddits to hone in on, browse through them to get a good idea of: How many subscribers each subreddit has The most talked-about topics  and types of content that have been posted within the past month How active the community is in terms of posting and generating discussion Popular opinions held throughout the community Specific etiquette and rules for that subreddit Some of the rules for posting on /r/todayilearned. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/. Regarding the last two points, each subreddit is a community unto itself. Taking certain actions or making certain comments that might be acceptable in one subreddit may not be so well-received in another. #Reddit Tip: Actions or comments acceptable in one subreddit may not be well-received in another.If it’s not immediately clear where the community stands on a hot-button issue, dig deeper until you know for sure. Otherwise, you’ll come off looking like an outsider, and will almost certainly lose karma points in the process. Consider using a spreadsheet to keep track of what’s acceptable to post where. Source: https://sumo.com/stories/growth-hacking-reddit/. Getting â€Å"In† With the Community Once you’ve joined a good amount of subreddits, and have learned as much as possible about the nuances of each, you’ll be ready to get involved. But this doesn’t mean you should start posting your own content just yet. Instead, begin by joining in the major discussions being held in the comments sections of the more popular posts. But don’t just offer canned responses. A run-of-the-mill comment might not necessarily result in bad karma. But it won’t get you any positive points, either. In other words, if your comment is boring and cookie-cutter, you might as well not say anything at all. On the other hand, an insightful comment full of facts, examples, or links to further reading will not only earn the respect of the community, but it will also keep the conversation flowing. Go out of your way to be helpful for good karma. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheoryOfReddit/comments/18r63h/does_reddit_protect_your_karma_totals_from_mass/. If you happen to disagree with a comment someone else posted, that’s fine- as long as you’re respectful about it. Not only should you be respectful, but you also should back up your claims with (as mentioned above) facts, examples, and other documentation. Again, the point of commenting is to further the discussion, even if that means offering counterpoints and rebuttals. Another thing to consider when putting yourself â€Å"out there† on Reddit is the hivemind aspect  of the community. Essentially, this refers to the fact that a good percentage of redditors in a community will blanketly agree or disagree with you based on whether or not you’re â€Å"going along with the herd.† In other words, be careful when posting counterpoints (even when justifiably warranted), as you might end up getting down-voted for reasons other than the quality of your comment. Whether you agree or disagree, it never hurts to give kudos to others for voicing their opinion (and working hard to back it up). This extra bit of generosity can go a long way toward earning you a positive reputation within a subreddit, making it easier for others to trust that you’re there for the good of the community as a whole. Once you’ve interacted with other community members enough to start gaining some karma (and possibly making connections), you can then begin actually posting content. But not your own. Instead, share resources such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, and infographics that will contribute to the on-going conversations in the community. By sharing content which you have zero stake in, you’ll further the notion that you’re there to provide value to the community, not just gain publicity for yourself. Note that you should only share content if it will truly provide value to the community. In other words, don’t post dozens of links hoping a handful will resonate with other members. In the same way you (hopefully) don’t share every meme you come across with your friends on Facebook, be prudent when it comes to sharing resources in your targeted subreddits. Also, stay away from controversy as best you can. Yes, you want to get noticed within the community, but you don’t want to be known as a rabble rouser. Even if the content you’re thinking of sharing is  insightful and possibly valuable, if it’s too opinionated you run the risk of alienating a good amount of the community. Once you’ve become a valued member of the community, it’s time to start sharing your own content and generating traffic to your site. Posting Your Own Content on Reddit Now that you’ve built a reputation for yourself as an active redditor who cares about your industry and community, you can start sharing your own content. Regarding the actual content you share, follow the tried-and-true rules for creating epic content  you’ve (hopefully) always followed. At this stage, the importance of sharing incredibly valuable content of your own is essential. Of all the content you’ve shared during your time engaged with the community, you want your own to be the absolute best of the best. Recommended Reading: The 6 Types of Social Media Content That Will Give You the Greatest Value The content you share could be posts you’ve written previously - as long as it’s in-line with currently-trending topics in the subreddit. If the discussion steers toward a topic you’ve already written about (and your post meets the highest standard of quality), toss it out there for others to check out. You can also leverage the on-going discussions within your community and create new  content  that goes along with it. Use the skyscraper technique  to transform a so-so post into an absolute masterpiece. Provide information that supplements another user’s epic content. Or go against the grain and offer up a longform rebuttal. You might be wondering if it’s acceptable to post the same piece of content in multiple subreddits. The answer is â€Å"yes, with a ‘but.’† Begin by posting the link to the most appropriate subreddit (i.e., the one that prompted you to think of your content in the first place). Then, when posting to similar subreddits that would also get value from your content, include the phrase â€Å"[posted from /r/originalsubredditname]† in the subject line. Without this addendum, your multiple posts will look like spam to anyone who sees them in more than one spot. Now that you’ve begun sharing your own content, there are a few things to note: Don’t force it. You have a much better chance of gaining traction by posting articles that relate to the current topic than you do by posting something that came out of left field. Don’t stop posting other people’s content. The community will figure out your intentions if you start posting links only to your own site. Don’t beg for upvotes or clicks. The other community members don’t owe you anything. If they like your content, they’ll check it out. Tip:  Remember, just because you’re now at the stage of posting your own content doesn’t mean you can go back to marketing yourself. Being a part of the Reddit community is about providing value, not promoting your business. Logistics Behind Posting Content on Reddit These last pieces of advice will probably sound pretty familiar: When posting content to Reddit, make sure it’ll get in front of the most eyes as possible, and make sure the title begs to be clicked. Because Reddit’s massive community is active throughout the world, there’s no single optimal time to post your content. However, you can use Later for Reddit’s Subreddit Traffic Analysis tool  to figure out the best time to post on a specific subreddit. This tool requires you have a ballpark idea of how many upvotes you believe your content will get, assuming you post at the best possible time. For example, if you think you’ll get 50 upvotes, you might want to set the Vote Threshold at around 20-25. The best time to post on /r/science seems to be 8:00am on Wednesday mornings. Source: https://www.redditlater.com/analysis/#/r/science. While it’s possible to post at a less-than-optimal time and still see your fair share of upvotes, it’s best to get your content out there when you know the most people are looking - for two reasons: The human factor. The more recent the link, the fresher (and more-clickable) it will appear in the eyes of your audience. Reddit’s ranking algorithm. Newer stories are inherently scored higher than older ones. If your subreddit sees more than a few dozen posts per day, your content will easily get buried if you post at an inopportune time. One thing worth noting here is, you really only need to worry about the time you post when posting your own  content. Feel free to post other people’s content whenever you feel (as long as you follow the guidelines we set above). If only a small amount of people see those posts, it’s a no-harm-no-foul situation. On the other hand, if you post your own  content and nobody sees it, you’ve wasted an opportunity. Moving along, you also want to make sure your headline attracts as many viewers as possible. Similar to when creating the perfect headline for a blog post, you want to take time to craft a headline for your Reddit post that intrigues your audience and tells them what they’ll get out of clicking through to the full article. As should be clear by now, redditors are well-versed in all things internet. They’ve seen every clickbait headline known to man. Don’t do it. No matter how valuable your full piece is, no self-respecting redditor will click something with the phrase â€Å"you won’t believe what happened next!† in it. Use clickbait, and you can expect to get downvotedwhether your audience members actually clicked on your post or not. Recommended Reading: How to Write Headlines that Drive Traffic, Shares, and Search Results What About Advertising on Reddit? All throughout this article, we’ve made it a point to drill home the fact that coming across as a marketer on Reddit is all but a death sentence for your company. So how are you supposed to get away with actually posting paid advertisements  on the site? Well, the reason we left this for last is because you need to make sure you’ve done everything  else right up until the point that you begin thinking about posting ads on Reddit. Once you’ve been accepted into a subreddit community, you at least have a bit of leverage when it comes to selling your products or services to other community members. (Who would you  trust more with your money in the real world: a long-time town resident who you’ve known and respected for years, or the new guy who just moved in last week from parts unknown?) As long as you’re fully confident that you won’t face backlash from posting an ad to your most-frequented subreddit, it’s worth giving it a go. The three ways you can go about advertising on Reddit are: Sponsored Posts: These will be pinned to the top of the subreddit of your choice at a cost of $0.75 CPM (with a minimum purchase amount of $5). You can choose to either post link to external content, or to a full-length text post on that subreddit. Display Ads: If your advertising budget can handle it, display ads on Reddit work just as they do on any other site - with one addition: users can seamlessly upvote and downvote your ad, and even generate discussions about them, as well. To post these type of ads, you’ll need to speak directly with the Reddit team (rather than simply fill out billing info). Sponsored QA: Similar to Reddit’s famous (or infamous) Ask Me Anything sessions, sponsored question and answer forums allow you to set up a specific time in which you’ll provide answers to your target audience’s burning questions regarding your product, service, or industry as a whole. Again, to set up a sponsored QA session, you’ll need to collaborate with the Reddit team to determine how long you’d like the session to last, and which subreddits the session will be posted to. When actually creating content to be advertised on Reddit, the ground rules remain the same: Provide ultimate value: As we’ve said time and again, redditors hate marketers - unless you can truly  provide them something that will drastically improve their lives in one way or another. If there’s ever a time to share the absolute best you have to offer, this is it. Be real: Be honest with your intentions: you have something of value to sell, and you want your community to know about it. Also, be personable and true to your audience. If you truly are a part of the community, others will likely be more than happy to share their hard-earned cash with you if they trust you’ll give them something incredible in return. Learn from the experience: If you take the leap into advertising on Reddit and it doesn’t go as well as you’d hoped, don’t turn tail and run. Address your audience’s concerns, respond to negative comments, and figure out what you can do better the next time. Redditors want to know their  voices are being heard; if you tweak your campaigns to fit their needs, they’ll most likely forget all about the negative experiences of the past. Even if you do  see success with advertising on Reddit, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Continue to share other content as you normally would, and reserve paid posts for when you have a major announcement to make, such as a product release or change in services provided. Ready to Start Driving Traffic With Reddit? If you’ve never actually used Reddit before, you might be under the misconception that it’s all memes and silliness. While it certainly has its fair share of ridiculous content, Reddit can also be an incredible source for marketers and entrepreneurs in terms of generating traffic and staying up with current industry trends. Now, all that’s left is for you to start building up that karma.

The Later Roman Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Later Roman Empire - Essay Example Stephen Williams and Gerard Friell discover why and how, contempt same political and military agitations, the western empire all but broke down and the eastern empire lived and amalgamated its strength confront of the incursive weak, barbarians, and immature imperial and machinations around the globe.   The article explores the threats from the huns, due to the fact of tribal power. The article discusses about the factors of durability during establishment of Roman Empire. It highlights the administrative, fiscal and diplomatic experience.The Rome That Did Not Fall examines the remarkable convalescence of the eastern empire, equating the straight and varying growths in east and west, and retracing the development of new accomplishments and schemes in the east_diplomatic, political, military and fiscal (Williams, Feriell 1). It gives a clear and explanatory discovery of the Roman Empire in fifth century.The end of the Roman Empire is written by BRYAN WARD. It discusses about the dec line of Roman Empire.   It highlites the factors and facts that are related to the decline of the Roman Empire. It covers both the sequential annihilation of the political, military, and economic and other related social schools of Rome and the barbarian encroachments that were concluded as its final sentence in Western Europe (Perkins 1).The Roman Empire decline was slow, it didn’t occur overnight. Many authors look this decline in several different perspectives. The slow decline took place over.... s raise the question about the importance of this date, this is not just because the legitimate emperor Julius Nepos, identified by the East Roman Empire, used to live in Dalmatia, until he was killed in 480. More significantly, the Ostrogoths who safely assumed themselves maintainers of the direct line of Roman traditions. And as Bryan noticed, the Eastern Roman Empire was losing its strength and continuously facing decline until the on May 29, 1453 when the Fall of Constantinople occurred. The author takes the new perspective of the Fall of Rome, by arguing that the caused the demise of the Empire. He has concluded that the fall of Rome was because of the political instability, reduced tax revenue and foreign invasion (Demandt 12). The invasion left long term damage on Rome. The invasion lessoned about the long term capability to equip the hordes with predictable outcomes. As regular invasions instigates provisional rebellion as self help by implementing imperial resources. He argu es that some people did not see the decline of the Rome as a bad thing for the involved. On the other hand, many authors consider the decline of the Rome as a disaster. The author also points the series of facts, and decision which caused the huge disaster in Rome (Jones 284). Western Europe has now recovered a lot but it took around thousand years and still there is room for recoveries. Rome still needs to recover a lot in order to retain its previous position back. The decline was a huge disaster and it needs more efforts and strong policies in all sectors in order to regain its position. Proper implementation of strong policies will surely help a lot in achieving the powering position of Rome (Heather 41). Western Europe has actually recovered a lot but it took a long to retain back its

UnME Jeans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UnME Jeans - Essay Example The brand manager of UnME Jeans is faced with complex media in which the traditional media such as television, radio and print advertising have become less effective over the time because of the declining number of audience, increase in the advertising clutter and turning out of the consumers. In this case Foley is set to explore the options provided by Web 2.0 social media and determine ways to better handle advertising and branding objectives. Therefore, the major challenge for Foley is to ignore all the hype made by Web 2.0, and analyze the social media for UnME Jeans by delving into the needs of the consumers and their behaviours underpinning the technologies of Web 2.0. Situation Analysis The case study describes a situation where Margaret Foley, the brand manager of UnME, carries out an investigation with respect to emerging media Web 2.0. The brand manager had been allocating a huge amount of budget in the traditional means of communication and only about $250 towards social media which were not sufficient in the new era of competitive environment to survive, attract and retain the loyal customers. It has been analysed that with a change in the consumer’s demands and mindset, consumers are spending much of their time by staying online rather than watching television. The percentage rate of television viewers has dropped drastically and it had become essential for UnME to implement the new form of media. The fir m did not spend much on online marketing and as a result, the brand manger was not satisfied with the response from the target consumers. In the era of new technologies and various media options, the target customers, the teenagers, prefer visiting online sites and staying online for most of the time. As per a survey, it has been seen that the social media are a highly acceptable form of media. The below figures compare the use of various forms of promotional tools. Figure 1: Media Trends (Source: McGee, 2011) The above figures compare the media trends from 2010 to 2011. It has been seen that the use of social media is predicted to increase by about 63.6% in 2011 year-on-year, as compared to the use of television. As per the Internet World Stats (2012), about 78.3% of the US population uses the Internet, and the amount of time spent rose to 20% and the youngsters tend to spend about 40 hours per week. Change has taken place in the Internet population in US and it was predicted that about 71% of the population would be online in 2010 and it would continue to grow and would reach about 250 milion people in 2014 (European Travel Commission, 2012). The following table shows the future prediction of Internet usage by the consumers in the present and future. Table 1: Internet users (ETC, 2012) With the growth of social media among the customers, the youth sector still dominates the social media market and UnME, which targets the teenagers, is lagging behind in positioning the brands effectively through the use of social media. Teens and young adults showed the greatest penetration. According to eMarketer, out of five Internet users four of them belong to the age group of 12 to 34 (eMarketer, 2011). The figure below shows the trend of social network users, which is estimated to rise each year. Figure 2: Social Network Users (Source: eMarketer, 2011) The

The impact of advertising on children and youth Thesis

The impact of advertising on children and youth - Thesis Example Advertising through media options have often been argued, mostly in the negative connotation, to strongly influence the children and youth. Correspondingly, whether media exposure has been one of the major contributory factors towards the degrading social contexts, especially within the segment comprising of children and youth, has been a commonly debated issue in the global plethora (Villani, 2001). Where scientists accuse these media advertising to influence the psychological as well as the physical growth of the children and the youth, socialists argue 21st century advertising to encourage violence within the society. Stating precisely, obesity, learning behavior of children and youth, lifestyle preferences of these populaces and on the whole the development of these individuals have been widely argued as strongly influenced by advertising in the recent phenomenon (Wiecha and Kim, 2013; Kunkel et. al., 2004). Where on one hand, the significance of advertising has increased in the industrial context; on the other hand, social issues such as school drop-outs, teenage pregnancy rate, violent acts performed by young adolescents as well as obesity has also increased. Hence, researchers have often been inclined towards examining any possible linkage between these alterations in the industrial and the social contexts which has, in major instances, led to the classification of advertising as a negative force in this context. It is worth mentioning in this context that advertising is applied with the sole intention to generate awareness amid the targeted audiences. However, when concentrating on the impacts caused by advertising on the children and youth, either positive or negative, it can be observed that not the intention but the contents of advertising tend to impose major influences on these populaces (Diaz, 2011). Apparently, owing to the fact that a majority of the audiences of media today comprises children or youth, it becomes quite challenging to exclude th ese populaces from the audience group even though the message conveyed through the advertising is actually intended towards other age group people. Role of parental guidance has also been argued in this context which is expected to obstruct the negative influences caused by advertising on the adolescents. However, studies conducted with emphasis on this particular aspect, yet lack precise connotation to the linkage or the impact caused by advertising on children and youth along with the limitation of rational judgments on the role of family as well as the advertisers to combat such an issue (The Australian Psychological Society, 2000). This thesis will be aimed at assessing the linkage between advertising initiatives through television, internet as well as print media and the development of children and youth from a social perspective taking into account the various measures recently adopted by governmental bodies, industrial communities as well as social organizations. With this ai m, the thesis will critically evaluate the psychological as well as the physical impacts caused by advertising on the populaces (i.e. the children and youth) suggesting few remedial actions based on the identified benefits and risks associated with such media exposures. Advertising to the Young Audiences Advertising to the young audiences, that is to the children and the youth has been proved to be quite beneficial for the advertising industry throughout the globe. It has been apparently observed in this similar circumstance that the advertising industry spends nearly about $12 billion per year on making advertisements particularly targeting to the

Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal Reserve - Essay Example The Board of Governors is appointed by the President who controls the functions of the Federal Reserve System. There are Federal Reserve Banks which operates in major cities of US. The major objectives of the Federal Reserve System are aimed at the welfare of the US economy. The Federal Reserve System in US is responsible for maximizing the employment opportunities in US, stabilizing the prices in US economy and achieving stability in long term interest rates (Wells 58). The monetary policy is designed by the Federal Reserve System of US. The other functions of the central banking system in US include regulation of the banking structure that includes the government and the private players as well as the advisory councils. The central bank also provides financial services to other depository agencies. The overall financial stability of the economy of US is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve System. Before the Federal Reserve System was set up in 1913, there were around 30000 cu rrencies in the economy of US. Many business houses and even the drug dealers could issue currency notes for financial transactions. This created a situation of instability in the economy of US. ... Apart from this, the various currencies in US had different denominations and values. The absence of a standardized currency created difference and problems among the traders. The business, imports and exports all suffered due to the presence of varying numbers of currencies and absences of standardized form of currency in the economy of US. The Federal Reserve System of the US was created to standardize the currency of the economy of US and thereby establish a position of stability in the economy (Grey 98). The Federal Reserve System provides a central banking system to the economy of US where the business and he individuals could deposit their money in the standard currency of US dollar. The depositors could also withdraw their money from the Federal Reserve System at the time of need. These withdrawals took place in the same standardized currency of US dollars. Thus the Federal Reserve System could drive away the intermediate currencies and their varying values and established a s tandardized form of currency to be followed by the customers and traders in order provide an organized monetary system and sufficiency in liquidity. The US economy invariably needs the Federal Reserve System in the economy without whose functions there would be ample distortions in the economy that would hamper the economic growth of US. This could be understood from the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System and the implication on the US financial and economic system in absence of its role. The Federal Reserve System plays the role of balancing between the centralized role of the government for the welfare of the economy and the private interests of the

Methods of Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methods of Analysis - Essay Example The most commonly utilized tools include vertical analysis, horizontal analysis and ratio analysis (Haber, 2004). Vertical analysis-Vertical analysis involves reporting every item as a percentage of the other larger item. This method compares between 2 or more corporations within the same industry simple. In addition, vertical analysis permits a firm to weigh present reports against those of the past, illuminating areas that might require enhancement. For instance, when analyzing a balance sheet vertically implies that each item on the balance sheet is usually restated to be a % of the total sum of the assets. This technique also known as common-size analysis permits analysts to view the compositions of the various classes of financial statements. Sales is normally used as a reference class in addition to being the denominator of the rest of the computations when doing an income statement. On the other hand, the balance sheet makes use of total equity, total assets and total liabilities. One of the demerits of vertical analysis is the fact that it provides a view at only one singular period of operations, normally a year. This usually, makes it hard to arrive at conclusions regarding the company over time (Haber, 2004). Horizontal analysis-Horizontal analysis is a kind of essential analysis in which particular financial data is made use of to evaluate the performance of a business over a certain length of time. This sort of analysis can be evaluated on one company over a given length of time, making comparisons of similar ratios or items, or it can be done on several companies operating within the same industry to evaluate the performance of the company relative to the competition. Variations in this sort of analysis are referred to as the trend analysis; which basically begins with the 1st year a firm is in business, also commonly referred to as the base year. A