Mc Donalds and Burger King free essay sample

His seemingly endless enthusiasm and constant support helped me thru-out my program at Kent State University. I thank my other committee members Dr. Shawn Banasick and Dr. Chuanrong Zhang for their valuable comments and suggestions. I thank Dr. Milton Harvey and Mrs. Mary Lou Church for their affection and concerns. I am grateful to them and all my friends at McGilvrey Hall, for being the surrogate family during my years at Kent and their continued moral support thereafter. I thank Dr. MunroStasiuk, Dr. Schmidlin, Dr. Sheridan, Dr. Kaplan, Dr. Haley, Dr. Dymon, Dr. Bhardwaj and other faculty members in the Department of Geography for making the atmosphere in the department stimulating for research and academics. The Kent State University Library staffs are acknowledged for their efficiency and availability. A particular thanks to Edith Scarletto, Head of the Map Library, who helped me, gather the initial data required for the research. I would like to thank my friend Sathy for his help in formatting the entire text. We will write a custom essay sample on Mc Donalds and Burger King or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I am forever indebted to my family, for their blessings and love and who have supported and encouraged me to do my best in all matters of life. Particular thanks, to my husband, Harsha, for his tireless support, love and affection and without whom I would have struggled to find the inspiration and motivation needed to complete this thesis. ix Last but not the least, I dedicate my thesis to my Grandmother â€Å"Jhaiji† who’s Blessings and loving support has encouraged me throughout my academic career and life. Sadly, Jhaiji left for her heavenly abode just a few days before the thesis was submitted. x Chapter 1 Introduction There has been a growing interest among the academia and the private sector for the use of GIS techniques in the analysis and planning of retail store network. Almost without exceptions, various retail organizations need to plan for complex consumer markets and keep up with competitions. Over the past few decades the methodologies used for research of sighting of retail outlets have become more sophisticated as a result of applicable modeling procedures being developed with GIS. This study conducts a retail location analysis of the relationship between the fast-food store performance of McDonald’s and Burger King and the various spatial and socio-economic factors of their respective catchment areas. Analytical procedures in GIS and statistical techniques have been applied to carry out the analysis in this study. In particular, study areas have been partitioned into a set of Thiessen polygons and into various spatial configurations using variable buffer polygons to emulate various spatial configurations of catchment areas (i. e. , trade areas) associated with each fast food store. The socio-economic profiles in the partitioned polygons have been analyzed with a series of regression models. The result of the study brought out a better understanding of how location factors influence the performance of 1 2 the stores as well as how the socio-economic attributes of the catchment areas affect the store revenues. 1. 1 Research Objectives: The main objective of this retail location analysis is to develop and apply methodology for analyzing the relationship between fast food store performance and the various socio-economic and demographic factors with various spatial configurations of their catchment areas in Portage and Summit Counties. The traditional role of GIS in retail demand-and-supply analysis has been to analyze market characteristics such as consumer demand, geodemographics, traffic flow, competitor locations, etc. and to search for an optimal location for a new retail outlet or to close retail outlets in over crowded markets. Knowing the geographical distributions of retail demand and supply is important in conducting marketing analysis using GIS analytical tools. GIS can overlay different data sets onto one another in an integrated environment. GIS analytical tools have been widely applied for exploring the relationships between demand and supply in many types of business practices, including operations of fast food restaurants. However, perhaps due to relatively low real estate costs and flexible rentals or perhaps due to the all too often time lag in adopting newly emerging technology, many retailers do not make use of sophisticated location analysis methods that are now available. Many a times, retailers follow the location decisions previously made by anchor retailers. The choice of a store location has a profound effect on the entire business of a retail operation. For picking an optimal store-site, it is necessary to utilize data of the demographics of that area (income, family size, age, ethnic composition, etc of the population), traffic patterns, and similar kind of retail outlets or competition in the area. These factors are basic to all retail location analysis. GIS tools can help to find the right site along wit h market penetration, market share and trade areas by combining aerial photos/maps, competitors’ locations, geodemographic factors, customer surveys and census data. GIS market analysis tools can also help to determine whether the products match the lifestyle and buying patterns of the customers. In this study- Retail Location Analysis: A Case Study of Burger King McDonald’s in Portage Summit Counties, Ohio, an analysis of catchment areas of the analyzed restaurants has been done using a series of regression models to analyze socio-economic and demographic factors in various spatial configurations of the study area. The study area has been partitioned to a set of Thiessen Polygons and also to sets of spatial configurations by using different buffering zones surrounding the retail outlets to create different proximity polygons for further analysis. Thiessen polygons define individual areas of influence around each service center, or in this case each fast food restaurant, in a set of points/locations of fast food outlets geocoded in such a way that any locations within a Thiessen polygon are closer to the polygon’s centroid (the retail outlet used to make up the polygon) than to any other retail outlet. Buffer polygons have been constructed around the fast food locations 4 based on various assumptions of how far the distances consumers may be willing to travel to receive fast food services. With the various spatial configurations of Thiessen polygons and buffer polygons as defined by the locations of retail outlets, regression models have been constructed to examine the importance of a set of selected socio-economic and geodemographic factors. The different regression models that use different independent variables as structured by both the Thiessen polygons and Buffer polygons have been done to see how well or poorly either of the two approaches capture the variations in the sales volumes of fast food stores. In today’s world of highly competitive market environment, it has become imperative that retailers must make use of spatial analytical technology to acquire new clientele, retain the existing/current customers, to enable market expansion, and to stay abreast with changing consumer tastes and requirements. Advances in GIS technology reiterates the fact that the future success of retail, real estate and restaurants will be determined to get a great extend by using this smart technology. 1. 2 Summary: Many successful businesses in the United States make use of GIS software to integrate, view and analyze data using geography. Use of GIS techniques enables retailers to understand and visualize spatial relationships and improves productivity and effectiveness of the business processes. The use of multiple regressions modeling in this study has been done to identify how the ethnic composition of population and median 5 household income in the service areas of Burger King and McDonald’s restaurants interact with one another to produce a specific sales outcome. Chapter 2 Problem Statements Retail location analysis is an important part in site selection of a retail store. â€Å"A trade area of a retail store is the geographical area from which it draws most of its customers and within which its market penetration is the highest†(Ghosh and McLafferty, 1987). Retail location analysis also helps to determine the focus areas for marketing promotional activities, highlights geographic weaknesses in the customer base and projecting future growth and expansion of the retail services (Berman and Evans, 2001). 2. 1 Size and Shape of the Retail Trade Area: The size of the retail trade area often depends on the nature of goods and services rendered at the retail outlets, along with the geographical distribution of other competing retail outlets. For instance, fast food restaurants like Burger King and McDonald’s sell goods and services that are popular, easily substituted and affordable by the majority of consumers create a smaller retail trade zone as compared to a specialty restaurant. Usually, retail trade zones are not geometrically regular, i. e. , a circle, a square or a polygon. Rather, the shape of the trade zone is based on road networks, geology and topography of the area, land use of the neighboring areas, etc. 6 7 When examining the way customers travel to make retail purchases, it is always necessary to take into consideration the distance that a customer has to travel. The distances that customers may be willing to travel are different, depending upon the type of object to be purchased. The number of trips undertaken by consumers and the travel time will be different based on specialty or commodity product (Salvaneschi, 1996). For purchasing a specialty product, which is generally expensive, unique or long lasting, the consumer is willing to travel over a longer distance. This tends to expand the trading area of that good or service. On the other hand, to purchase everyday supplies or common items consumers often prefer convenience, as the trips for such goods are frequent, distances are short and travel time is brief. For instance, people typically will not drive to another town for fast food, unless they are on way to or back from other destinations. According to consumer behavior studies the time availability of consumers is an important variable in the convenience and fast food market. Therefore, it should be an important part of market strategy (Darian and Cohen, 1995). In this thesis research, the study area is partitioned into polygons representing trade areas for further analysis. Several different approaches to creating trade areas are used. These include trade areas defined as buffer polygons surrounding fast food restaurants with widths of 1, 2 and 5 miles. In addition, partitioning the study area into a set of collectively inclusive but mutually exclusive Thiessen polygons with the restaurants as polygon centroid also generates trade areas. Generating buffers around features is a commonly used analytical procedure in GIS. Most buffering methods create simple-distance bound geometric buffers around the 8 features. Buffers surrounding retail outlets(or other service-rendering establishments) are also known as service areas, hinterlands or market areas and have useful in many geographical applications (Shaw, 1991; Sierra et al. , 1999; Van Wee et al. , 2001). A buffer delineates the area within a specified distance of a feature. It can be created from points, lines or polygons. The output buffers may be lines or polygons depending upon the features and their distance are specified in map units (Price, 2004). Concentric buffers represent the delineation of multiple levels of proximity. For example, different distances of 1 mile, 2 miles and 5 miles from the store can be used to generate buffer polygons around retail outlets. This type of concentric buffers may reveal patterns of market penetration in which the inner buffers often account for the largest proportion of customers while the density of customers decreases as one moves away from the outlet to the subsequent buffers. This distance-decay effect reflects the impact of geographic accessibility on store patronage. The actual size of the trade area for each store varies, depending on the location of the store. The sharper the distancedecay effect, the smaller would be the trade area for each of the fast food store. For this study a regression models are applied that relates sales outcomes (dependent variable) to many factors such as ethnic composition and median household income (independent variable) of population in the retail trade zones of the Burger King and McDonald’s in Portage and Summit Counties. These regression models show that Burger King’s annual sales are better explained by the included independent variables for buffers with widths of 1 and 2 miles than those of McDonald’s sales by the same set of variables. For a 5-mile buffer and Thiessen polygons, sales are better explained for 9 McDonald’s. Ethnic population and median household income for buffer polygons of 1 and 2 miles around the restaurants better explain annual sales for Burger King and polygons of 5-miles for McDonald’s. 2. Summary: Retail location analysis helps in site selection for a business outlet and in determining the performance of retail outlets in the trade area of the store. The trade area of the store reflects the socio-demographic characteristics of the clientele and is thus useful in determining the marketing strategies. The size and the shape of a retail trade area are determined by the nature of goods and services offered. Since fast food restaurants sell goods that can be easily substituted, majority of consumers form a small retail trade area. Ethnic composition of population and the median household income within the buffer polygons constructed around the fast food restaurants indicate how much time and distance consumers drive or travel to patronize these restaurants. Chapter 3 Literature Review During the past three decades, several important advancements have taken place in spatial-data analysis, data storage, retrieval and mapping. Geographic Information Systems have been very useful in tackling spatial analytic approaches and in forming an interface with the field of location science (Church, 2002). Several studies give an overview of the major impacts of GIS on works done in the field of location science in terms of model application, development and various methods that can be used for landuse suitability modeling (Malczewski, 2004). For example: GIS is now the most widely used software for analyzing, visualizing and mapping spatial data such as retail location analysis, transport networks, land-use patterns and census track data. Since GIS can be used to assemble large volumes of data from various sources with different map scales and in different coordinate systems, it is considered an important tool in location analysis. GIS can combine and simultaneously use several databases by transforming them into a common set of database (Pettit and Pullar, 1999). However, the use of GIS in location analysis involves the aspect of accuracy of representing real world situations in a GIS database. The notion of accuracy is the representation of geographical objects and representing socio-economic, cultural and political elements of the environment within which location analysis is done (Church, 2002). Not only is GIS used 10 11 as the source of input data for a location model, it has also been used as a means to present model results (Malczewski, 2004). . 1 GIS for Business and Service Sector Planning: The growing consumer orientation in business and service planning along with advances in GIS and spatial analysis techniques, have led to the promotion of the use of GIS in the area of business and service planning (Longley and Clark, 1995). Several books and articles assess the use of GIS for supporting business a nd service planning at the level of tactical and strategic decision-making (for example: Davies and Clarke, 1994; Benoit and Clarke, 1997; Clarke, 1998; Birkin, et al. , 2002). These studies aim to further explore and promote the use of GIS in the area of business and service planning by demonstrating the benefits of both methodological advances and evidence of benefits in GIS applications and spatial models in GIS. Business planning requires a critical review of geodemographic features and paying attention to requirements posed by endusers (Longley and Clark, 1995). By linking GIS and spatial analysis software, proprietary GIS can be applied to solving problems in several applications like retail location analysis, localized marketing, etc. This involves the integration of spatial models and GIS customized to the specific information needs of retail organizations for specific localities. Thus spatial modeling is used in the explanation and prediction of interaction between demand and supply for retail facilities and the search for suitable locations for retail outlets in an area. The major theme of these studies is the evolution of GIS towards a more flexible 12 and powerful spatial decision support system (DSS) or intelligent GIS (IGIS), applied in several service sectors, including retailing, financial services and health care. Marketing information systems (MKIS) are decision support systems targeted at marketingspecific decisions (Birkin, Clark and Clark, 1996). There is a realizable benefit in integrating GIS with MKIS because of its ability to provide map-based data presentation considered most effective for decision-makers (Ronald and Lawrence, 2004). 3. 2 GIS as a tool for Retail Location Decision: A dynamic and uncertain environment characterizes retailing and retail organizations as needing to plan for the complex consumer markets, while anticipating and reacting to competitions. This competitive nature of retail environment and the large number of techniques made use of by the retailers in locational planning, has led GIS to be used as an aid in strategic retail decision making and applications (Davies and Clark, 1994). GIS is used not just for location and catchments analysis but also for other retail sector issues such as category management, merchandising, marketing communications and relationship marketing (O’Malley, Patterson and Evans, 1997). Existing literature contains a practical framework and other important issues involved in retail network planning. GIS has contributed immensely in improving the efficiency and precision of retail planning and marketing. Since the 1960s methodologies used for retail outlet location research have become more sophisticated 13 as a result of modeling procedures brought about by GIS (Birkin, Clark and Clark, 2002). The US experience shows that the effective utilization of geospatial databases, and the development of decision support systems (DSS), is becoming a significant source of competitive advantage for retailers over those without. Some retailers further explore information opportunities afforded by GIS technology for their business practices. Rather than relying on customer information alone, they are now combining data from several sources simultaneously in a bid to better support their process of decision-making (Birkin, Clark and Clark, 2002). 3. 3 GIS Methodologies for Retail Location Studies: For analyzing the spatial structure of retail activities with location data at micro scale, a number of technologies are now widely available and utilized. These include application of methods such as Probability Density Function (PDF), Decision Support Systems (DSS), Spatial Interaction Models, Network Huff Model, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (Byrom, 2005), MATISSE (â€Å"Matching Algorithm, A Technique for Industrial Site Selection and Evaluation†), and RASTT (Retail Aggregate Space Time Trip Model) (Baker, 2003), and others. The Probability Density Function (PDF) of the retail stores is a function of how densities of the subject matters vary over specified dimension. If the specified dimension is time, the probability density function describes how such matter changes their frequencies and distribution over time. Alternatively, if the specified dimension is 14 locations (or space), the probability density function then describes how such matters vary in their spatial patterns. The PDF has been used to analyze the spatial structure of retailing (Sadahiro, 2001). Sadahiro tested the validity of this method by applying this method to the locational data of retail stores in Yokohama. This approach helps to measure the degree of agglomeration, spatial patterns, the relationship between the size and function of retail agglomerations and analyzes the spatial structure of retail agglomeration. Retailers for sales promotion activities and long-term strategic decision-making are increasingly developing GIS as DSS. GIS merges endogenous database by retailers and the exogenous databases sources to introduce retail decision- making and systems implementation (Nasirin and Birks, 2003). As an example, the examination of the experiences of some of the UK based retailers reflecting GIS implementation in retail location analysis shows a highly organized series of process management that has resulted as a result of this application. The Network Huff Model is formulated on a network with the shortest-path distance as an extension of the ordinary Huff (based on Euclidean distance) (Okabe and Okunuki, 2001). This computational method can be used for estimating the demand of retail stores on a street network in a GIS environment. Extending from the gravity model, the original and network Huff models use distances (Euclidean or shortest distance over a network) between retail outlets as inverse weights to estimate divisions of the entire market area into individual trade areas of the retail outlets. The benefits of 15 these models are the ability to meaningfully divide the studied space into a set of trade areas to support retail business operations. MATISSE is a knowledge-based decision support system (KBDSS) based on decision tables that can be used by industrial decision-makers and planners to assess the suitability of potential sites (Witlox, 2003). Witlox explains how a relational approach to the modeling of the site suitability concept can be implemented and tried to find all possible locations that meet the spatial production requirements based on the organizational characteristics of the firm. The growing interest of urban geographers and economic geographers in applying KBS, DSS and integrated system has been largely attributed to the development of computer systems. Computers are able to store, organize and process enormous amount of data as well as make possible the availability and accessibility of the domain-specific knowledge underlying the spatial problem. Witlox has identified three major categories of location factors at the highest level of decision-making. These three conditions are site conditions, investment and operating considerations and make up MATISSE’S head decision table. He points out that the experience with the construction of the system indicates that the developed procedure of knowledge in acquisition worked quite well, however, there are some problems with capturing of compensatory decision-making in terms of the decision table formalism. Nevertheless, the system is at a stage where it can be used in a straightforward manner.

The eNotes Blog Top Ten Classics Dissed Amazon Commenters FightBack!

Top Ten Classics Dissed Amazon Commenters FightBack! Recently, the blog Brain Pickings wrote a piece titled The Greatest Books of All Time, as Voted by 125 Famous Authors.   Well, apparently none of these famous authors consulted some of the people who had previously commented on their selections at Amazon.com. Here is a sampling of their.err. opinions. 1.   Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov I ended up throwing this book away after reading about 5 chapters..if you enjoy reading the pedophilic ramblings of a perv, go for it! Yuk! And Im a very open minded person but this book is just gross. 2.   The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald That book was the poorest excuse for literature I ever had the displeasure of reading. I did read it twice, but each time, I was disgusted with it. The characters in the story were worthless wastes of human flesh. Daisy was a ditz, Gatsby himself was a possessive stalker and everyone else didnt have enough brains to realize that they were all being used!! 3.   Ulysses by James Joyce ULYSSES is tiresome, tedious, and passe. The appeal of reading the mind wanderings of a pasty, weak pseudo-intellectual grows stale after the first dozen pages. For those enterprising readers such as myself who feel guilty dumping a Joyce work after only a chapter, read on. It gets worse. Confession: the genius mind-maze that is Joyce is sometimes just not worth exploring. One would have better luck escaping the Minotaur than successfully exiting this lingual labyrinth. 4.   To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf Someone needs to end the farce that Virginia Woolf is a good writer. Her work, to me, is neither thought-provoking nor well-written. I was really disappointed with this work and actually threw my copy into a box headed for Goodwill (not really good will to pass it on, but I had to get it out of my house)and I never give away books. Lets stop pretending folks . 5.   The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner The book starts nowhere, ends absolutely nowhere, and has little of interest in between. The characters are not interesting. They dont do anything interesting. Their thoughts, the main feature of the book, are not interesting. 6.   Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Whomever claims this to be a great book needs their head examine or probably has been subjected to a lobotomy. This 900 page of rubbish is no more than a glorified, pompous, shallow soap opera nicely ensconced in a setting I would terrorize and throw rocks at with much enthusiasm. I gave it one star because it makes a much needed bookend on my shelf. Anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, and even Raymond Chandler, trumps and surpasses this hail storm of snobbish prose. I propose a petition to burn all Anna Karenina novels from the face of the earth and implement a law of 10 years in prison if caught with this novel in your possession. There, I said it . 7.   Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Every time I have to help a high-school student or college freshman slog through Madame Bovary, I find myself wondering why the assignment isnt a violation of the Geneva Convention. Im as dedicated a soldier as any in the war against illiteracy, but there is such a thing as an inappropriate and inhumane weapon. 8.   Moby Dick by Herman Melville I will tell you somethingYOU havent read Moby Dick either. Why else would you be considering buying it? Most people who have read Moby Dick are just happy to have been done with it. Im sure the majority of people who have read this classic novel/slapstick comedy indeed are overjoyed to have been at it and done with it. I bet they would never want to read even a long-winded review of it. So, there you are. Proof that you have not read Moby Dick, just as I have not read Moby Dick. Maybe you better just forget about Moby Dick entirely and just go have a nap. Maybe a cup of blended celery juice will fix you of the notion of reading Moby Dick. Come to think of it, maybe that would solve my bladder disease. 9.   Great Expectations by Charles Dickens BY FAR the worst book Ive ever had to read. I along with half of my class could read no more than one page of it without falling into a deep slumber. Im getting sleepy just thinking about it. Anyway, if someone does want to buy this book for some strange reason, I hope that they do not have Great Expectations for it, because they will be very disappointed at the end when their expectations arent fulfilled! 10.   Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky Reading CP is like getting hit on the head with a sledgehammer, repeatedly. The author has a point to make; he makes it. Then, just in case you didnt get it, he makes it again. And again. And again. There, now did you get it? The entire book could be condensed into a short story and still effectively convey the same message. And on a more minor note, shouldnt *something* happy happen at least once in a novel? Shouldnt there be at least one scene in which a little birdie chirps a happy song from a pretty tree? Does *everyone* have to be spitting up their lungs into the gutter on a dark and gloomy day? Sheesh!!

Stem cell research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stem cell - Research Paper Example â€Å"Mouse embryonic stem cells treated in culture with a growth factor and then injected into the liver reverse a form of hemophilia in mice analogous to hemophilia B in humans, the new study shows.† (Stem Cells Treated with Growth Factor) Stem Cell Research- a clash of Science vs. Ethics, could well be a debate that might go on for generations as every individual has a different opinion about the subject. Should we allow doctors to play God and reverse our own destiny? Should we strive to provide cures that reverse the processes of injury and death? Or do we hold strong on our religious and moral aspects? These are the sorts of questions that have sparked the massive debate we have today. The purpose of our study, though, is not to argue about one particular stand point but to discuss both the view points and finally to allow readers to draw their own opinions and conclusions. In addition the process has been facilitated by providing an integrative review that details previ ous research, theories, explanations and answers and then counteracting them with questions and objections so that at the end of our research readers can make their own rationalistic conclusion. The Beginnings of Stem Cell Research Stem Cells, as defined by The National Institute of Health, are cells that have the ability to develop into different cell types within the body. Two facets make them incredibly important: Firstly, they can renew themselves during cell division and secondly, when grown under certain conditions, they can achieve specialized functions. These cells differentiate and form almost all the tissues of the body- skin, lung, brain, heart and muscle tissues among others. Stem cells can also be divided into two types: Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells which differ in both function and characteristics. According to the UK Stem Cell Foundation, stem cell work was first conducted in the early 1900’s with the discovery that white blood cells, red blood cel ls and platelets all arose from the same source. However, it was not until 1963 when Ernest A McCulloch and James E Till noted â€Å"the self-renewing activities of transplanted mouse bone-marrow cells† that confirmed such theories. Adult stem cells now play an integral role in chemo and radiation therapy as well as in other fields of biotechnology as they are grown and replicated in the lab. The discovery by James Thomson and his researchers from Madison University really helped to put Stem Cell Research on the map (Boyle, A., 2005). In 1998, for the first time ever, he isolated human embryonic stem cells from fertility clinics and then harvested them in the lab. This attempt along with the cloning of Dolly, the Sheep, two years earlier, caused a major ripple within the community. The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research Pros Stem cell research has paved the way for scientists to decipher â€Å"how we are made or formed and try to reverse problems† (Richard Hamilton, n .d). It has been described as having â€Å"limitless potential† (McLaughlin, 2009) by many as it can aid in finding cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Stroke, Heart Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Diabetes, and hundreds of rare systemic immune disorders (Drlica,1997, p279) 1998). . There have been a number of researchers confirming the clinical application of stem cells. Stojanoski et al (2009), stated that stem cells taken from the peripheral

BPA fetal exposures affect male and female development and quality of Research Paper

BPA fetal exposures affect male and female development and quality of life as adults - Research Paper Example In essence, early exposure to BPA, as well as other chemicals, especially in the foetal stage signifies an increase in the risk of disease later in life. This paper will examine the impact of BPA in adults following foetal exposure. Health Concerns Some of the risks involved with foetal exposure to BPA include increased risk for prostate cancer in adult men and breast cancer in both women (Okada et al 32). In addition, foetal exposure to BPA results in adverse metabolic changes, early onset of puberty and decreased fertility. Furthermore, immunological changes are also a major consequence of foetal exposure to BPA (Rubin 30). Whenever foetal exposure to BPA occurs, the chemical infiltrates the body in an active fashion. BPA binds to the body’s oestrogen receptors replicating the functions of oestrogen. Furthermore, in both male and female adults, BPA causes adverse reproductive effects, particularly in populations exposed to BPA due to their occupations. During the initial 11 weeks of gestation, which is a time when most pregnant women are unaware of their pregnancy, the internal communication systems, and organs of the foetus develop quite rapidly, thus are extremely sensitive to external pressures. Organs such as the brain and mammary glands develop during gestation, thus experience a prolonged period of vulnerability to the effects of BPA, especially since foetal development of such organs is susceptible to oestrogen fluctuations. Additionally, in certain instances, BPA has been shown to cause obesity. When BPA binds to oestrogen receptors in the human body, it causes alternative estrogenic effects, which start outside the nucleus. The alternate path caused by BPA ultimately alters lipid and glucose metabolism, resulting in weight gain (Rubin 31). This is primarily since the alternative oestrogen receptors trigger pathways that result from exposure to BPA to rework the functions of vital components that play a significant role in metabolism, for insta nce, adiposities and pancreatic B cells. In a recent study, it was confirmed that foetal exposure to BPA has the capacity to potentiate the systems inherent in the central dopaminergy. This is bound to result in marked super sensitivity to the drugs linked to abuse-induced reward implications. In essence, by affecting mesolimbic dopamine activity, BPA causes adverse effects such as attention deficits, hypersensitivity and an increased sensitivity to drugs linked to abuse. Furthermore, BPA is also known to bind to receptors of the thyroid hormone, and possibly cause certain side effects on its functions. For instance, BPA impacts triiodothyronine in adults following exposure to the chemical during the prenatal development phase (Rubin 33). Researchers now consider that there are actually two ways through which BPA interrupts the regular endocrine function (Okada et al 32). The compound can perform as a weak estrogen, which binds to the estrogen receptor. It also can, on the other han d, impede the impact of stronger natural estrogens, restraining estrogen function. They are usually considered performing in the cell nucleus via the estrogen receptors, which control gene expression. Many other ways of BPA action are considered to be related to its biological

Climate Change Essay Example for Free

Climate Change Essay Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change is caused by factors that include oceanic processes (such as oceanic circulation), variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and human-induced alterations of the natural world; these latter effects are currently causing global warming, and climate change is often used to describe human-specific impacts. Causes of climate change Natural causes Continental drift You may have noticed something peculiar about South America and Africa on a map of the world dont they seem to fit into each other like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle? About 200 million years ago they were joined together! Scientists believe that back then, the earth was not as we see it today, but the continents were all part of one large landmass. Proof of this comes from the similarity between plant and animal fossils and broad belts of rocks found on the eastern coastline of South America and western coastline of Africa, which are now widely separated by the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of fossils of tropical plants (in the form of coal deposits) in Antarctica has led to the conclusion that this frozen land at some time in the past, must have been situated closer to the equator, where the climate was tropical, with swamps and plenty of lush vegetation. The continents that we are familiar with today were formed when the landmass began gradually drifting apart, millions of years back. This drift also had an impact on the climate because it changed the physical features of the landmass, their position and the position of water bodies. The separation of the landmasses changed the flow of ocean currents and winds, which affected the climate. This drift of the continents continues even today; the Himalayan range is rising by about 1 mm (millimeter) every year because the Indian land mass is moving towards the Asian land mass, slowly but steadily. Volcanoes When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur dioxide (SO2), water vapor, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Although the volcanic activity may last only a few days, yet the large volumes of gases and ash can influence climatic patterns for years. Millions of tons of sulphur dioxide gas can reach the upper levels of the atmosphere (called the stratosphere) from a major eruption. The gases and dust particles partially block the incoming rays of the sun, leading to cooling. Sulphur dioxide combines with water to form tiny droplets of sulphuric acid. These droplets are so small that many of them can stay aloft for several years. The earths tilt The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted at an angle of 23.5 ° to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. For one half of the year when it is summer, the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun. In the other half when it is winter, the earth is tilted away from the sun. If there was no tilt we would not have experienced seasons. Changes in the tilt of the earth can affect the severity of the seasons more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters; less tilt means cooler summers and milder winters. The Earths orbit is somewhat elliptical, which means that the distance between the earth and the Sun varies over the course of a year. We usually think of the earths axis as being fixed, after all, it always seems to point toward Polaris (also known as the Pole Star and the North Star). Actually, it is not quite constant: the axis does move, at the rate of a little more than a half-degree each century. So Polaris has not always been, and will not always be, the star pointing to the North. When the pyramids were built, around 2500 BC, the pole was near the star Thuban (Alpha Draconis). This gradual change in the direction of the earths axis, called precession is responsible for changes in the climate. Ocean currents The oceans are a major component of the climate system. They cover about 71% of the Earth and absorb about twice as much of the suns radiation as the atmosphere or the land surface. Ocean currents move vast amounts of heat across the planet roughly the same amount as the atmosphere does. But the oceans are surrounded by land masses, so heat transport through the water is through channels. Ocean currents have been known to change direction or slow down. Much of the heat that escapes from the oceans is in the form of water vapour, the most abundant greenhouse gas on Earth. Yet, water vapor also contributes to the formation of clouds, which shade the surface and have a net cooling effect. Any or all of these phenomena can have an impact on the climate, as is believed to have happened at the end of the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. Human causes Greenhouse gases and their sources Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide. Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. About  ¼ of all methane emissions are said to come from domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses, and sheep. These animals produce methane during the cud-chewing process Methane is also emitted from landfills and other waste dumps. If the waste is put into an incinerator or burnt in the open, carbon dioxide is emitted. Methane is also emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines (due to accidents and poor maintenance of sites). A large amount of nitrous oxide emission has been attributed to fertilizer application. This in turn depends on the type of fertilizer that is used, how and when it is used and the methods of tilling that are followed. Contributions are also made by leguminous plants, such as beans and pulses that add nitrogen to the soil. How we all contribute every day All of us in our daily lives contribute our bit to this change in the climate. Give these points a good, serious thought: Electricity is the main source of power in urban areas. All our gadgets run on electricity generated mainly from thermal power plants. These thermal power plants are run on fossil fuels (mostly coal) and are responsible for the emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Cars, buses, and trucks are the principal ways by which goods and people are transported in most of our cities. These are run mainly on petrol or diesel, both fossil fuels. We generate large quantities of waste in the form of plastics that remain in the environment for many years and cause damage. We use a huge quantity of paper in our work at schools and in offices. Have we ever thought about the number of trees that we use in a day? Timber is used in large quantities for construction of houses, which means that large areas of forest have to be cut down. A growing population has meant more and more mouths to feed. Because the land area available for agriculture is limited (and in fact, is actually shrinking as a result of ecological degradation!), high-yielding varieties of crop are being grown to increase the agricultural output from a given area of land. However, such high-yielding varieties of crops require large quantities of fertilizers; and more fertilizer means more emissions of nitrous oxide, both from the field into which it is put and the fertilizer industry that makes it. Pollution also results from the run-off of fertilizer into water bodies. Effects of Climate Change Today Over 100 years ago, people worldwide began burning more coal and oil for homes, factories, and transportation. Burning these fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These added greenhouses gases have caused Earth to warm more quickly than it has in the past. Sea level is rising. During the 20th century, sea level rose about 15 cm (6 inches) due to melting glacier ice and expansion of warmer seawater. Models predict that sea level may rise as much as 59 cm (23 inches) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal communities, wetlands, and coral reefs. Arctic sea ice is melting. The summer thickness of sea ice is about half of what it was in 1950. Melting ice may lead to changes in ocean circulation. Plus melting sea ice is speeding up warming in the Arctic. Glaciers and permafrost are melting. Over the past 100 years, mountain glaciers in all areas of the world have decreased in size and so has the amount of permafrost in the Arctic. Greenlands ice sheet is melting faster too. Sea-surface temperatures are warming. Warmer waters in the shallow oceans have contributed to the death of about a quarter of the worlds coral reefs in the last few decades. Many of the coral animals died after weakened by bleaching, a process tied to warmed waters. The temperatures of large lakes are warming. The temperatures of large lakes world-wide have risen dramatically. Temperature rises have increased algal blooms in lakes, favor invasive species, increase stratification in lakes and lower lake levels. Heavier rainfall cause flooding in many regions. Warmer temperatures have led to more intense rainfall events in some areas. This can cause flooding. Extreme drought is increasing. Higher temperatures cause a higher rate of evaporation and more drought in some areas of the world. Crops are withering. Increased temperatures and extreme drought are causing a decline in crop productivity around the world. Decreased crop productivity can mean food shortages which have many social implications. Ecosystems are changing. As temperatures warm, species may either move to a cooler habitat or die. Species that are particularly vulnerable include endangered species, coral reefs, and polar animals. Warming has also caused changes in the timing of spring events and the length of the growing season. Hurricanes have changed in frequency and strength. There is evidence that the number of intense hurricanes has increased in the Atlantic since 1970. Scientists continue to study whether climate is the cause. More frequent heat waves. It is likely that heat waves have become more common in more areas of the world. Warmer temperatures affect human health. There have been more deaths due to heat waves and more allergy attacks as the pollen season grows longer. There have also been some changes in the ranges of animals that carry disease like mosquitoes. Seawater is becoming more acidic. Carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans, is making seawater more acidic. There could be impacts on coral reefs and other marine life.

What is Truth - Comparison of Plato and Peirces Philosophy :: essays research papers

What is Truth?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For thousands of years, mankind has persistently pursued truth, knowledge, and understanding. For most, this pursuit is a driving force which usually doesn’t end until one finds a â€Å"truth† that is satisfying to him or her. Even then, however, one may choose to look for an alternate truth that may be even more satisfying to them. This pursuit does not always follow the same path for everyone as there are different ideas as to how truth is actually obtained and which is the best way to obtain it. Two individuals and great philosophers of their time, Plato and Charles Peirce, each had their own ideas on how truth and knowledge could be obtained.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main differences between Plato’s and Peirce’s philosophies regarding truth is that Plato believed truth is founded in knowledge while Peirce believed knowledge could never be obtained. Plato believed that everyone possesses knowledge and the realization of this knowledge could be achieved through recollection. This was demonstrated in Plato’s Meno when Socrates presented the â€Å"square of double size† question to the slave boy. Socrates did not teach the slave boy how to get the answer, he merely asked the boy a series of questions and the boy came to the right answer through recollection. In this way, the boy already possessed the knowledge to answer the question correctly. With this philosophy, truth is past-oriented. Past experiences and universal knowledge is the key to truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato also had the philosophy of dyadic intuitionism. Intuition, Plato believed, is the basis of knowledge. Logical progressions need not be made to determine relationships and discover truth. Plato was closer to the side of the â€Å"Realm of Being† as opposed to the â€Å"Realm of Becoming†. The ‘Realm of Being† is eternal, involves recollection and acquisition of knowledge, and consists of a more optimistic view of truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peirce, on the other hand, believed that true knowledge could never be obtained. He believed that truth was future oriented. Peirce’s preferred method of pursuing truth was the scientific method. This method consists of forming a hypothesis and trying to disprove the hypothesis through practical evidence. Although Peirce thought the scientific method was the best approach to search for truth, he believed that it could only be used to disprove a hypothesis, and that nothing could be proven for certain. It is through this idea that his belief that knowledge can never be obtained is founded.

Duty vs. Desire

The road to self-actualization is one filled with forks. One must constantly make decisions that affect character and one’s ultimate destination in life. Some travel this road very consciously, making informed and well thought out decisions that they hope will lead them in the right direction. Others live haphazardly, not taking into account the possible consequences of poor decisions. Often times one of the most major forks is a decision between moral obligation and private passion.Pressing matters of family or work may call one to put personal aspirations on hold for the sake of the whole. But does one necessitate abandonment of the other? Which way will lead to a happier life? Tom Wingfield, the disillusioned narrator of Tennessee Williams’ Depression-era play, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie,† must battle through this specific plight. He struggles to find the answer to the question of when desire overrides duty. All humans are blessed with a plethora of gifts, but all have one in common: life.This being said, there is one common humanistic duty: the obligation to live that life in the most satisfying manner in the hopes of reaching fulfillment. However, the individual decides which manner is most pleasing to himself or herself, and one person’s idea of a life well lived is wholly different from another’s. This fact should not be disdained, but embraced. Diversity is what allows for unique and inspirational perspectives that can create new ideas and changes in society and culture.Nevertheless, there are those that do not share this view, which leads to an all-too-common clash of wishes – between parents and children, subordinates and superiors, students and elders, etc. Tom Wingfield conflicts with his mother, Amanda, in this way. Her only wish is that her children, Tom and Laura, fulfill the classic American Dream of hard work and success. However, Tom has dreams of being a writer, and Laura is too painfully shy to even l eave the house. Clearly there will be at least one person displeased at the end of the day.The Wingfields live lives of short fuses hidden under good intentions – Tom and Laura do not wish to disregard their mother entirely, but they have their own wishes that she does not respect. There are daily battles over who has the right to decide the lives of the family. Tom rightfully uncovers the truth that in order to achieve true happiness in self-actualization, one must choose the paths one takes alone. As stated above, some people truly put thought into their decisions, while others do not.This done not imply that the thought-out choice is the superior one. One can reflect upon an important decision for weeks, months, or years, and still make the wrong choice. If this is true, how is one supposed to make the proper choice? How does one settle on the fork leading to the happier life? The answer is blunt and cruel. Sometimes there is no â€Å"happier life. † Many situations present themselves with no clear better choice. Tom debates his ever-growing desire to desert Amanda and Laura and live the life he feels he would enjoy infinitely more.He convinces himself that this would be his happier life, and does leave in the end, but not without some unwanted baggage. Wherever he goes, he is haunted by guilt of leaving Laura behind. It is evident that even when one does all the right things, when one takes into account outcome and consequences, and still makes the decision alone, it is very possible that there is no silver lining. One must simply do one’s best to make the decisions one feels good about and live with them.