Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Stem Cell Research - Essay Example In order to describe the problems related to stem cell it is important to know the general features of the stem cells. Stem cells are the basic unit of life for human beings through which other cells develop in them. These cells help to form organs and tissues in the human body and can thus be called the stem of human beings. These cells are now being researched upon so that they can be used in order to cure major health related diseases (Solo & Pressberg 2007). These stem cells are characteristically divided into adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are retrieved from the embryo of a human being whereas the adult stem cells can be found in the organs or skin of an adult. The issue arises in the process of retrieval of stem cells from the human embryo. It is here that the opponents of stem cell research put forward that the life of an innocent is being taken through this embryo whereas the proponents put forward that the life of the child has yet not begun in an embryo (Newton 2007; Stem Cell 2011). In my view stem cell research should be recognized and encouraged because it can lead to many breakthroughs in the world of science. According to scientists stem cell research can prove to bring about new medical therapies in the treatment of certain diseases which were previously considered to be incurable. Previously it was thought that the genetic and nervous disorders were incurable but nowadays with the help of stem cell research some of these disorders can be cured. These stem cells can replace the neurons in the body and can even repair the nervous system if they can be put to use. The stem cells can be integrated into the system of one’s body after which they have the capability to regenerate. This regeneration of stem cells can cause the neurons to form (Newton 2007; Solo & Pressberg 2007). However it is here that the question of morality arises regarding the stem cell research. In order to retrieve the stem cells it is nec essary that the outer covering of the stem cells known as trophoblast is removed. In this process the embryo dies and this creates a controversy in the ethical world. According to the opponents of stem cell research the killing of embryo is just like the killing of an innocent individual. Thus the innocent individual is being denied the right to live which every constitution allows him to (George & Gomez-Lobo 2002, 258). A five day embryo according to the opponents has a right to live and is innocent. The opponents of stem cell research also put forward that embryos which are being used in the research are at times donated and they can be used by infertile couples rather than being used for research purposes. If these infertile couples use these embryos they can bring a life to the world whereas if these embryos are used for research purposes they would definitely be killed. On the other hand the proponents of stem cell research have opposing views regarding the topic. According to them the stem cell research is done on a five day embryo which does not have any moral right because the embryo cannot even breathe. They put forward the fact that an embryo starts with the process of coordination when it is 16 days old whereas a five day old embryo does not even enter the process of coordination (Smith & Brogaard 2003). They also put forward that a five day embryo does not have the mental capability to think or manage which means that they are not yet recognized as individuals of the society. Regarding the infertile couples the proponent state that the embryos donated are not being used by these couples and are rather being killed in one way or the other. Abortion is a way through which these embryos are being killed in some cases. Hence it can be said that killing an embryo for a cause is

Reading and write essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Reading and write - Essay Example Other scholars argue that, focus on population should rest upon the government, and its role will be to plan, and regulate the human reproductive activities (Weeks, 9). The media plays a role in this debate. It highlights circumstances where there is environmental degradation, and relates the situation to destructive activities of mankind. This is because man is looking for new habitats, and to get them, he has to clear forests or interfere with water catchment areas. The media equates this to a rise in population. This paper seeks to explain what this debate is about, and what it means. This paper explains where the main focus should be on, and the reasons. It has a concluder, which highlights the harmful effects of technological innovations as opposed to population growth. The last 100 years has seen a growth in population, due to technological innovations in medicine and agriculture (Weeks, 31). The rise in population is also as a result of an improvement on the living conditions of mankind brought about by the industrial revolution. This saw a degradation of the environment, in search of raw materials to satisfy the various industries in Europe. On this note, the environment population debate is an argument on the role of the population growth in the destruction of the natural resources. These resources are either minerals, fuels, forests, lakes and rivers, or even the climate. The debate takes place in two levels, the macro level, and the micro level (Weeks, 27). The Macro involves large units of analysis, such as the state, the region and the globe. This debate focuses on the role of governments and multi-national corporations in regard to protecting the environment (Weeks, 29). For instance, large companies in China, for purposes of making profits, they increase the emission of carbon in the air, causing the destruction of the ozone layer. On this

The Importance Of Finding Alternative Materials Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Finding Alternative Materials Environmental Sciences Essay What is Alternative Building? This is usually the type of building that are considered alternative today, have their heredity in structures that humans have been constructing for centuries. The reason why these building techniques are gaining popularity in modern times is twofold. First, the old building techniques are far more eco-friendly than the majority structures we used to seeing; second, these structures are simple enough in nature that they can built cheaply and can be built without the aid of a lot of the heavy and expensive equipment which is normally related with most new construction. Currently words such as green, sustainable and alternative get used often in the construction industry, which make its pretty confusing and difficult to tell if any one particular method or material fall under one or many of these heading. The report will help identify, green alternative building method and materials which are less damaging to the environment than a similar practice used in conventional lumber-framed construction. The need to find alternative practices will encompass any building technique that can be done repeatedly without changing the environment in any noticeable way. The Importance of Finding alternative Materials As the world population continues to grow at an alarming rate, people are realizing that planet cannot sustain such continuous and exponential growth. With land being increasable limited and we are continually diminishing our natural resource such are timber, with majority of it being used to build homes. It is evident that we cannot continue to use our natural material at this rate to build our homes. With the awareness of these natural materials become increasing limited, has made the construction industry rethink their way and start to think more about sustainable construction. Using alternative material for 8building homes is much more environmental sustainable than conventional homes building. Depending on the type and amount of sustainable materials used, these types of alternative material can reduce the carbon footprint which is produce in building homes. According to the Worldwatch Institute, an independent organization that analyzes critical global issues, one-fourth of the worlds wood and one-sixth of its fresh water are used  in building construction. This situation will only become worse as the worlds population and more people continue to migrate toward cities. The greater demands also will add pressure on increasingly scarce essential resources, especially water. The Environment The environment has now become issues and with it being heightened news, the Governments and individuals have seem to take notice and now taking to make a change because we cannot continuing abusing the environment, this is not an option anymore. The chart below shows the proportion of CO2 emissions in the UK from buildings in use, the construction process (mainly due to the CO2 from the manufacture of building materials) and from all other sectors including industry, transport, agriculture etc. Buildings in use contribute about half of our CO2 emissions (and consume about half of our energy use). Figure 1 CO2 emissions The next chart shows where these emissions come from and with over half of our energy use and CO2 emissions from building use come from heating our buildings. Figure two Energy Waste. Government Action The UK government have stated that England must take action now, in order to make vast improvement to energy efficiency in both new and existing buildings. The government have set many ambitious goals, an example of one: they anticipate dramatic energy reductions to achieve its goal that all new homes in England will be carbon-neutral by 2016. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2007) There are three main approaches to energy neutrality: Cut buildings energy demand by, for example, using equipment that is more energy efficient Produce energy locally from renewable and otherwise wasted energy resources Share energy create buildings that can generate surplus energy and feed it into an intelligent grid infrastructure. Efficiency gains in buildings are likely to provide the greatest energy reductions and in many cases will be the most economic option. A study by McKinsey estimated that demand reduction measures with no net cost could almost halve expected growth in global electricity demand. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report estimates that by 2020 CO2 emissions from building energy used can be reduced by 29% at no net cost World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2007) and a cost curve for greenhouse gas reduction, McKinsey Quarterly 2007 Number 1. Fox and Murrell (1989) state the fundamental ecology principle of renewable material, such as wood is sustainable source and are renewable however, for materials like metal, plastic, gravel and sand, stone-based materials such as cement, concrete and plaster, have been used cannot be used again, their consumption if the earth itself. (Berge, 1992) The extraction of certain raw material can be very destructive effects especially to the water table and wildlife habitats. Over usage of these materials can affect the availabilities of in the near future, cause environmental degradation, and contribute to global warming. Impact of the Construction The industry has a major impact on the environment, it affect are not only on the resources it consumes but also the waste it produces. The construction industry is accountable for producing a whole variety of different wastes, the amount and type of which depends on factors such as the stage of construction, type of construction work and practices on site. In Great Britain, over 90% of non-energy minerals is extracted and are used to supply the construction industry with materials. Furthermore, every year more than 70 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste has been produced in England and Wales The key is alternative basic materials because they have historically driven innovation in every industry, and could spur significant advances in todays housing. In order to gain acceptance, however, basic alternative materials must offer more benefits than the traditional materials or methods they replace. They must reduce costs, increase design flexibility, enhance sustainability, perform multiple functions, have superior performance characteristics, or meet a market niche. Another potential driver for adopting alternative basic materials is a shortage of existing natural materials or concerns about their long-term sustainability. Martà ­n(2005) states that in recent years, there has been a shortages of core natural resources; including lumber, steel, and gypsum, and this has driven construction costs higher. This volatility of supply and price motivates the industry to look for more sustainable solutions. Sustainability and resource shortages, in fact, will help to drive innovati ons in the future. The objective of alternative basic materials is to develop new materials that spur innovation by serving multiple functions, increasing cost-effectiveness and efficiency, and using more sustainable materials. In many cases, these technologies form building systems that enable other Concept Home principles such as integrated functions, floor plan flexibility, and improved production processes. Alternative basic materials consist of core technologies that manufacturers can use to create products or systems and composite systems that builders can purchase and use to build homes. Martà ­n(2005) Before considering the use of alternative materials, and before implementing into homes, practical issues must be considered, (Berge, 1992) say to be realistic to imagine a technology that functions in line holistic ideas, none-mainstream approach but also providing humanity with an acceptable material standard of living, basically Berge is trying to say there just be a balance between the Eco approach and what consumer want. Government Schemes and Regulation After The Stern Review (2006) advised that the implications of climate change couldnt be avoided any longer and urgent action was required, by that the comment the government took notice and started implementing changes to building regulations. In 2007, the Government introduced the  Code for Sustainable Homes  to help improve the standard of energy efficiency and sustainability of the housing sector, by setting target for all new houses to achieve a carbon rate of zero by 2016. This is a level 6 in the Code for Sustainable. Currently, the standards of the code are not mandatory for private house builders but there are intentions to incorporate them into the  Building Regulations over the next couple years, by implementing the changes to Part L which started in 2010. CAN I ADD MORE Constructing environmental friendly house To construct an environmental friendly houses are to focus on reducing the environmental impact of both its  construction  and its ongoing  operation. This is achievable at the design phase by selecting the correct material and the process. Environmental friendly houses and sustainable construction present an exciting opportunity for building houses. With the prospect of living in an environmentally efficient house that can generate its own power, also by reducing waste and running costs would be the first positive step for a sustainable future. Our activities have had a negative effect on the plant and the the Office for Climate Change 2010, attributing have stated that 27% of the UKs total carbon emissions to household heating and electricity, house construction is an area where we can make a huge difference. Ecological impact During the development and construction stages of house being built, a ecological assessment should be carried out that reduces its impact and if it would be possible to construct green or living roofs for new habitats to live.

Patriot Act Essay -- essays research papers

The â€Å"Patriot Act† In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress sprang into action. Within a month, U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the USA Patriot Act of 2001, giving law enforcement and intelligence agent’s broader authority to fight terrorists operating in the United States. Signed into law by the President on October 26, the Patriot Act is designed to fight terrorism on several fronts. First, it gives the U.S. government authority to hold foreigners suspected of terrorist activity for up to seven days before charging them with a crime. The legislation also gives investigators the legal right to tap any phone a suspected terrorist might use. The Act also gives complete access to financial records, medical records, and even library records. In addition to tracking cellular-telephone communication, agents can now subpoena Internet providers to surrender records of e-mails that they judge suspicious. This component of the law was significant, given that the men who hijacked the four planes on September 11 had communicated extensively about their plans via the Internet. The Patriot Act also sanctioned funds to triple the number of border-patrol agents and Immigration and Naturalization Service inspectors along the northern border. Some of the major areas of contention are as follows†¦ Conducting "sneak and peek" searches, which allow law enforc...

Random Variable and Highest Expected Profit

I. Introduction Arrowmark Vending has the contract to supply pizza at football games for a university. The operations manager, Tom Kealey, faces the challenge of determining how many pizzas to make available at the games. We have been provided with demand distributions for pizza based on past experience and know that Tom will only supply plain cheese and pepperoni and cheese combo pizzas. We also know that there is a fixed cost of $1,000 allocated equally between the two types of pizzas, and that the costs to make plain cheese pizza and pepperoni and cheese pizza are $4. 50 and $5. 0 respectively. Both pizzas sell for $9. 00 and unsold pizzas have no value. The purpose of this report is to provide Tom with some information regarding how many of each type of pizza he should produce if he wants to achieve the highest expected profit from pizza sales at the game. II. Analysis In order to determine at which production level Tom will achieve the highest expected profit, it is first necess ary to determine the potential profit or loss associated with producing at each demand level. To do this, a discrete probability distribution is composed for each potential level of production.For example, if 200 plain cheese pizzas are produced and 200 are demanded, the potential profit is $400. This profit consists of $1800 in sales revenue minus $1400 in costs ($900+$500 fixed). This profit will result regardless of whether more than 200 are demanded. Accordingly, if 400 cheese pizzas are produced and only 200 demanded, there is a potential loss of $500. Using these distributions, we are then able calculate the distribution’s mean, which is the expected value of the profits at each level of production.The expected profits in this case are the weighted average of the potential profit values, in which the weights are the probabilities. The expected profits associated with each type of pizza are provided in the tables below: | | Expected Profits at each Production Level| | | 200| 300| 400| 500| 600| 700| 800| 900| Plain Cheese Demand| 200| $40| -$5| -$50| -$95| -$140| -$185| -230| -275| | 300| $60| $128| $60| -$8| -$75| -$143| -210| -277. 5| | 400| $60| $128| $195| $128| $60| -$8| -75| -142. | | 500| $80| $170| $260| $350| $260| $170| 80| -10| | 600| $80| $170| $260| $350| $440| $350| 260| 170| | 700| $40| $85| $130| $175| $220| $265| 220| 175| | 800| $20| $43| $65| $88| $110| $133| 155| 132. 5| | 900| $20| $43| $65| $88| $110| $133| 155| 177. 5| | Total| $400 | $760 | $985 | $1,075 | $985 | $715 | $355 | $(50)| | | 300| 400| 500| 600| 700| 800| Pepperoni and Cheese Demand| 300| $70| $20| -$30| -$80| -$130| -$180| | 400| $140| $220| $120| $20| -$80| -$180| | 500| $175| $275| $375| $250| $125| $0| | 600| $175| $275| $375| $475| $350| $225| | 700| $105| $165| $225| $285| $345| $270| 800| $35| $55| $75| $95| $115| $135| | Total| $700 | $1,010 | $1,140 | $1,045 | $725 | $270 | III. Recommendation If Kealey wants to achieve the highest expected profit from p izza sales at the game, he should produce 500 cheese pizzas and 500 pepperoni and cheese pizzas. Looking at the tables, we know this is the best option because we see the highest expected profit of $1,075 associated with this production level for cheese pizza and $1,140 in profit for pepperoni and cheese pizza. This number takes into account the probabilities at each demand level, so we can be reasonably assured that this is an accurate recommendation.

Analysis of the Fast Food Industry Essay

Introduction Airline industry is the topic I researched in this analysis. Companies in this industry provide scheduled domestic and international passenger transportation, mail and freight transportation. Major US companies include American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United Continental, as well as the air operations of express delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS. The industry key survival factors are efficient operations, reliability of services, and safety. The drivers of change are internet economy, globalization, and low cost competition. Based on the key survival factors and drivers of change, large companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing and the ability to provide more extensive services. Small airlines can compete by serving local or regional routes. All the information was collected from online journals, news, and research and report papers. The sources include industry reports such as Hoover, Bloomberg, and Forbes. The data was organized by folders and then summarized i nto Words before putting in the paper. Each source was written in a separate Word file every time it was used. The analysis uses the Porter’s 5 forces and PEST analysis. Key Survival Factors In airline industry, demand depends highly on the health of the economy, which affects spending on business and leisure air travel. Since many costs are fixed, efficient operations act as a core factor to determine the profitability of airlines companies. The basic operations of airlines include acquiring and maintaining airplanes and airport facilities, acquiring passengers and/or freight, managing staff, and operating flights. The flight equipment (airplanes) that an airline uses is crucial to efficient operations. The next key survival factor for airline industry is safety. Air traffic is growing rapidly, airports are more congested, and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"with two million passengers in the United States boarding more than 30,000 flights every day, maintaining that safety record will be a challenge.† Therefore, all airline companies should have a procedures encompassing the theory, investigation, categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulatio n, education, and training. The company could have lost the public image if they don’t have a procedure in advance to response quickly enough in case of emergency. Last but not least, reliability of service is another key survival factor for airline industry. A positive public image could be developed among customers due to a reputation for reliable services, which can lead to more repeat business. Reliability in the airlines industry includes: reports of mishandled baggage, the on-time arrival of flights, involuntary boarding denials from overbooking flights, and passenger complaints. Those airlines that are able to control these elements could provide better service to the customer, and thus offer more reliable service. Drivers of Change The internet and e-commerce has completely altered the airlines distribution (the booking and ticketing of passengers for air travel). Nowadays, travelers can book e-tickets on their flights through the airlines’ websites or a third-party website. This has allowed airlines to eliminate paperwork, reduce operational expenses, and bypass travel agent commissions. Moreover, the potential in the global travel market makes airlines companies focus more on globalization. To facilitate international growth, U.S. airlines are lobbying for â€Å"open skies† treaties between the U.S. and other nations. These treaties are bilateral agreements that essentially deregulate travel between the involved countries, thus opening up certain markets to competition. â€Å"The U.S. currently has signed more than 60 open skies treaties with nations around the globe.† Finally, the rise of the low-cost carriers has forced a change in the competitive environment of the air travel industry. Southwest, and JetBlue implement low-cost strategies that allow them to offer relatively low airfares. These low fares change the entire industry and force rivals to lower their costs and decrease their fares in order to stay competitive. Overall Assessment The airline industry is currently not very attractive. Both business and  tourist travel are reduced when the economy slows. â€Å"Global aviation traffic typically rises and falls at twice the pace of economic output, so a change in the economy can double the impact for airlines.† Because of relatively high fixed costs of airplanes, airport facilities, and labor, airlines can’t easily adjust to reduced passenger traffic. Based on the financial results on Hoover’s database, the industry has a very low growth rate of personal consumption expenditures as of 2014, and it was forecasted to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4 percent between 2014 and 2018. Works Cited Mouawad, Jad, and Christopher Drew. â€Å"Airline Industry at Its Safest Since the Dawn of the Jet Age.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . â€Å"Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry.† Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . â€Å"Good times for the Airline Industry.† The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . Fulton, Jeff. â€Å"Airline Industry Key Success Factors.† EHow. Demand Media, 29 July 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. .