Thursday, November 14, 2019
Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life :: essays research papers
Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life This chapter taught me the importance of understanding statistical data and how to evaluate it with common sense. Almost everyday we are subjected to statistical data in newspapers and on TV. My usual reaction was to accept those statistics as being valid. Which I think is a fair assessment for most people. However, reading this chapter opens my eyes to the fact that statistical data can be very misleading. It shows how data can be skewed to support a certain groupââ¬â¢s agenda. Although most statistical data presented may not seem to affect us personally in our daily lives, it can however have an impact. For example, statistics can influence the way people vote on certain issues. In evaluating statistical data one thing to consider is the measure that is used. By understanding the different statistical measurement tools and how they differ from one another, it is possible to judge whether a statistical graph can be accepted at face value. A good example is using the mean to depict averages. This was demonstrated by using the mean as a measure of determining the distribution of incomes. The mean income depicted was, $70,000 per year. At face value, it looks as though the sample population enjoys a rather high income. However, upon seeing individual salaries, it becomes obvious that only a few salaries are responsible for the high average income as depicted by the mean. The majority of the salaries were well under the $70,000 average. Therefore, the mean distributed income of $70,000 was at best misleading. By also looking at the median and mode measures of the income distributions, one has a clearer picture of the actual income distributions. Because this data contained extreme values, a standard deviation curve would have given better representation of salary distribution and would have highlighted the salaries at the high level and how they skewed the mean value. Another important concept outlined in this chapter is the correlation coefficient. The importance of this is being able to understand to what extent two things actually relate to each other. By having this awareness, we are better able to understand and function in the world we live in. I learned some key factors in making the determination whether statistical data is reliable: Consider the population sample and if it is representative of the inferences that the data is claiming.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Harley Davidson – Organizational Behavior
Harley History Harley Davidson was seen in America as a company that produced motorcycles with ââ¬Å"raw power. â⬠The company was founded by Arthur and Walter Davidson and William Harley in 1903. In 1918, Harley Davidson had become the largest motorcycle producing company in the world. Their production totaled 28,000 motorcycles. Production continued to increase with the onset of World War II and the military use of Harleyââ¬â¢s motorcycles. The mystique of the product had a tough sense to it with famous actors such as James Dean and Marlin Brando sporting the bikes.After World War II, foreign competitors became interested in the motorcycle market. Japanese competitors entered the market in 1959; Harley Davidson executives did nothing to counter the advance of the competition. Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s share of the industry began dropping while Japanese competitors introduced high quality products. The confidence in Harleyââ¬â¢s reputation was causing the firmââ¬â¢s ma rket share to decline steadily. AMF Years Harley Davidson lacked resources to finance new products and designs to expand their production. They were taken over by AMF, a heavy-industrial conglomerate.At this time there was high demand for motorcycles in the U. S. The AMF team thought that they would be able to sell anything they produced, even without taking quality into consideration. After the take over, production was increased drastically at the cost of the quality of the product. AMF began spending large amounts of money on Harleyââ¬â¢s manufacturing plants. Production increased from 15,475 units in 1969 to 70,000 units in 1973 due to these new expenditures on capital. To make things worse for Harley, the Japanese firm Honda introduced the ââ¬Å"Goldwing. This was the first introduction of a foreign ââ¬Å"heavy weightâ⬠motorcycle that would directly compete with Harleyââ¬â¢s market share. With Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s share of the heavyweight market beginning to d ecrease, the quality of their products also decreased because they were becoming outdated compared to the new advanced Japanese products. Vaughn Beals was brought into the picture by Harley executives to lead the firm. Vaughn Beals Saves the Day Vaughn Bealsââ¬â¢ ideals were different than those of AMF its top management. It became clear that AMF did not have the same amount of concern for Harleyââ¬â¢s success as Beals, so AMF began looking for a buyer.With Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s profitability down, Beals and some other Harley Davidson managers orchestrated a highly leveraged buyout. This large amount of debt for the buyout forced Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s managers to adopt a new strategy: survival. Vaughn Beals realized that his firm needed to change to become a more competitive force within the motorcycle industry. Change Many things at Harley Davidson were going wrong. The motorcycles were being made at a low level of quality and the focus was too much driven by quantity r ather than quality. The organization was formed around the traditional top thinks and everybody acts.It was very apparent that if nothing changed, Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s reputation would be forever tarnished due to low quality products. Forces for Change: Competition (chapter 19) Competition for business is changing. Competitors can come from across the ocean or from across town. For Vaughn Beals, his main force for change was the Japanese competition that was continuing to decrease Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s share of the market. He realized that something had to be done. While visiting the Honda plant, he learned many things that the Japanese did better than Harley Davidson. The differences between Harley Davidson and Honda were striking. For example, only 5 percent of Hondaââ¬â¢s motorcycles failed to pass final quality inspection; over 50 percent of Harleyââ¬â¢s failed during the same testâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). Job Design Instead of allowing manufacturers to keep producing the products at a high pace, with little attention to quality, Beals and his top management wanted to change the way the elements in an employees job was organized. Harley Davidson initiated this new job design through the productivity triad. The Productivity TriadAfter the visit, Beals and his team realized the only way to compete with the very effective management of the Japanese was to improve the quality of their product and the production process that was necessary to produce it. The productivity triad was based on Japanese methods of manufacturing and production. ââ¬Å"This new approach involved (a) employee involvement, (b) use of JIT inventory practices, and (c) statistical operator control (SOC). Organizational Structure (chapter 16) To improve the quality of Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s motorcycles, a complete change of the organizations structure was necessary.Job tasks would be divided, grouped, and coordinated much differently under the productivity triad. To cha nge the structure, Beals and his management introduced many new aspects to the employeeââ¬â¢s average day at work. Employee Involvement (chapter 7) Harley Davidson executives realized that using the input of employees would increase their commitment to the much-needed new success of Harley Davidson. They ââ¬Å"reasoned that full participation of employees at all levels was the key to successful improvement of both the product quality and the production processâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006).Job Characteristics Model Harley Davidson uses 3 out of 5 of the characteristics in the model developed by J. Richard Hackman. This model proposes that any job can be described in terms of these core dimensions. Autonomy (chapter 7) Since the line workers were more knowledgeable about what techniques would work and not work in the production process, they were encouraged to make decisions about the production process. This provided a substantial amount of freedom in determining the procedures to be carried out for producing the product. Skill Variety (chapter 7)Instead of just relying on the line workers to construct the product, Beals and his team wanted to make sure that the motorcycles were going to be of a much higher quality than in the past. To avoid catastrophes, such as oil leaking onto a showroom floor, ââ¬Å"top management reasoned that training and empowering employees to measure quality and recommend change was essential for improvementâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). Using the Statistical Operator Control method, employees could now see how problems developed and how they could fix them during the production process.Task Identity (chapter 7) The same employees that were measuring the products for quality issues were also manufacturing the product. This would allow the employee to really become part of his/her product. It would also allow for a more efficient method of production. Creating a Learning Organization Learning Organization (chapter 19) To have a continuous ability to adapt and change would allow Harley Davidson to keep up with the competition and provide its employees with the knowledge to continue to produce quality products.In the 1990ââ¬â¢s, Harley Davidson ââ¬Å"began emphasizing organizational and individual learning at all levels through a program it termed the Leadership Instituteâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). The organization took on a strong belief that anyone could learn more. The traditional top thinks and everyone else acts was merged into thinking and acting in all jobs. Along with all this learning, the firm began to change many core aspects of its operations. New Design Options To help Harley Davidson compete more effectively, top management began to mphasize teamwork at all levels. This would allow for easy information sharing and constant learning throughout the organization. To enhance the effectiveness of teams, Harley Davidson wanted to break down any barriers that would prevent employees from sha ring information, developing new ideas, or catching current production problems. To do this, they needed to get away from the traditional roles that employees and managers play. Team Structure (chapter 16) Harley Davidson eliminated the positions of senior vice president in marketing and operations.They observed that these jobs did not add any value to the motorcycles. A create demand team, a team that was in charge of producing the products, and a product support team were introduced to help employees. Instead of having to approach one top manager for help and get sent to another department to solve the problem, Harley executives realized these teams would be more efficient. Boundaryless Organization (chapter 16) For all of these new changes to actually work, executives in a sense had to let employees become their own managers.To make the changes the most effective, Harley Davidson eliminated the chain of command, allowed the employees to have limitless spans of control, and replac ed departments with empowered teams. Types of Teams Self Managed Work Teams (chapter 10) Harley-Davidson employees were put into work teams and encouraged to participate in the decision making process because they knew better than management what worked and what did not. Because the productivity triad emphasized employee involvement so much, the logical way to form teams would be to allow the members to make most decisions. Types of TrainingMost of the training that the employees would go through when they sought new knowledge was technical based. They would be taught about any aspect of the firm they felt would benefit production or quality. Technical Training (chapter 18) At Harley-Davidson top management saw that as technology became a larger part of the production process their employees needed to have better training to be able to operate productively. Also, after benchmarking itself against Japanese competitors Harley-Davidson saw that learning about all fields within the orga nization would benefit everyone.This led to the invention of the ââ¬Å"Leadership Instituteâ⬠, which encouraged employees to seek out training when they needed it. They wanted to create a program that would allow employees to have the opportunity to do a quality job every time. This included learning more about the theories behind the latest technologies and learning about related fields. Since Harley-Davidson was now using empowered teams to make important decisions throughout the organization, each team member needed to have a good handle on technical aspects involved with their responsibilities. CultureWith all of these changes underway, Harley Davidson began to develop its own sense of internal culture that became a system of shared meaning held by the employees. The productivity triad and the Learning Institute both helped pave the way for a unique new culture at Harley Davidson. Organizational Culture (chapter 17) It is not hard to assume that with such drastic changes i n an organizationââ¬â¢s structure, there could be changes in the culture as well. Since employees were allowed to make a lot more of their own decisions and management was not seen as so much of an authority, gaining knowledge in the organization became more of a choice. An employee must make the decision that he or she wants more training ââ¬â no one will tap you on the shoulder ââ¬â but once you are there, we will help youâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). The executive committee wanted to heavily emphasize that they too had much to learn. This became the norm for employees and managers throughout the firm. A willingness to learn about all fields within the production of a motorcycle was seen as a very desirable trait within Harley Davidson.This would improve the quality of the product because increased knowledge about different aspects of the motorcycle, which were perhaps previously unknown organization wide, would now be put to use. Core Values (chapter 17) The primary or dominant values that were accepted throughout the Learning Institute included the work itself, the supporting systems, and how the work was done. Employees were encouraged to master all the skills necessary to do a quality job every time. To uphold the idea of constant learning, they were expected to learn more of the theories behind the latest technologies of oneââ¬â¢s job.To emphasize the boundaryless aspect, employees were expected to branch out and learn the related fields of work around them. Each employee should also have a high degree of knowledge about how the motorcycle works and how it can be improved. If they have a good handle on how the motorcycle operates and how to fix it, this could drastically improve customer relations. Since employees became empowered to make decisions for the production process, they were also expected to take responsibility for their product.If there was a quality problem in their product, it was up to them to figure out how to solve it. Having an open mind was important too. An employee was expected to always be looking for new things to learn about improving their work. There were no strict guidelines that employees had to stick to when it came to brainstorming ideas. Creativity and experimentation were encouraged. Conflict Functional (chapter 15) Since Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s new culture involved a lot of participation and independent learning, there were a lot of different opinions from different employees.This would be a good amount of conflict that would avoid groupthink and promote creativity. Process (chapter 15) After production quality began to increase, the idea of over seas production had come up. There was a lot of debate about whether or not Harley should produce motorcycles abroad, or just increase domestic production for export. Some of the employees thought that the overseas manufacturing of Harley Davidson motorcycles was inconsistent with ââ¬Å"buying a piece of the American Dreamâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). The international market for Harley Davidson is growing.The firm has subsidiaries across the globe in countries such as: Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The German subsidiary also serves Austria, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. Germany, Japan, Canada, and Australia represent the firmââ¬â¢s largest export markets. It is very apparent that Harley Davidson is known worldwide. Europe holds the worldââ¬â¢s largest heavyweight motorcycle market and is ââ¬Å"expected to become the next battleground for heavyweight motorcyclesâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). Rewarding EmployeesTo increase motivation and work performance, Harley Davidson really wanted their employees to understand empowerment. They rewarded them with power and of course pay. Participative Management (chapter 7) At Harley-Davidson top management realized that the employee needed to be utilized as a resource for ideas on how production of motorcycles should work. Harle y-Davidson also realized that there were un-needed positions at the corporate level of the company ââ¬Å"We eliminated those jobs because they didnââ¬â¢t add value to our products. The people were auditors.They were checkersâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). This led to the company eliminating the Senior Vice President in Marketing and Operations position among other positions. These positions did not add value to the product. Instead of having these jobs, employees were put into teams and were encouraged to use their own expertise in the decision making process. Harley-Davidson wanted their employees to become more like managers and to not feel the need to ask someone above them on how to do things. This is a key tool for increasing job satisfaction and motivation.Merit Based Pay (chapter 7) Another new program that Harley-Davidson began was a pay for performance pay system. Harley-Davidson wanted their employees to understand empowerment, so they encouraged their employees to le arn as much as they could about the company. This would improve quality, which would allow a general wage increase to take place. Task Groups (chapter 9) When Harley-Davidson created these teams it meant that employees had more power in their own decisions. Many of the teams specialized in one aspect of production, so they had very specific tasks.After the teams were created, these teams would make decisions on production instead of higher ups in the company, ââ¬Å"Before Harley established teams, people would go up to one boss and that boss would go over to another boss and he would go to still another boss. And we wondered why the Japanese beat us on the issue of timeâ⬠(Buller & Schuler 2006). Conclusion Harley Davidsonââ¬â¢s market share began to dramatically increase in the late 1980ââ¬â¢s and early 1990ââ¬â¢s. The structural and cultural change that Vaughn Beals and Harley executives imagined truly did save the firm. Harley Davidson motorcycles today are seen as very high quality machines.They have become a symbol of status and lifestyle in todayââ¬â¢s society. Observing how much customization a consumer can request for his/her bike reflects the creative aspect of the firmââ¬â¢s internal culture. Harley continues to exemplify individuality through its production process and large amount of die hard followers. Contributions to the project: Jared and Scott wrote the paper; everyone did their part for the power point. References: Buller & Schuler. (2006). Managing organizations and people. U. S. : Thomson South Western. Judge, J. A. , & Robbins, S. P. (2008). Organizational behavior (13th edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Pretrial Process
PRETRIAL PROCESS This outline is to show the Pretrial process. Above all else we need to be aware of the suspects Sixth Amendment rights. The right to a lawyer- This right is given to all. This is a guided hand for the defendant. Prosecutions decision to charge After arrest the government has the decision on whether to file charges or not. If they decide to charge then they will file an indictment, Based on the facts. Reviewing the charges Once the indictment is filed in the lower courts then a judge has to decide if there is enough legal evidence for probable cause. If so, then the judge schedules for a first appearance.First court appearance Where the judge reads the charges to the defendant Advises the defendant of certain rights they have Lawyer or Public defender if indigent Sets bail Bail Normally cash or bond If set too high then detention until trial Grand Jury Review Charges, evidence, and testimony goes before the grand jury Preliminary Hearing Both prosecution and defendan t present their cases to the judge to again see if there is enough evidence for trial The defendant has the chance to challenge the prosecutionââ¬â¢s evidence Judge then decides again if there is enough evidence for trial Pretrial motionsMotions of Discovery Motion to suppress Jury selection 64 people become possible jurors Prosecution and defense make their preemptory challenges For 8 rounds each till down to 12 jurors and 4 alternates Trial commences Direct examination, cross examination, witnesses heard, evidence entered, closing arguments Jury Instruction Judge tells the jury what they are allowed to consider and what charges they are deciding on Must be beyond a reasonable doubt.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Quotation Marks, Apostrophes, and Other Raised Symbols
Quotation Marks, Apostrophes, and Other Raised Symbols Quotation Marks, Apostrophes, and Other Raised Symbols Quotation Marks, Apostrophes, and Other Raised Symbols By Mark Nichol This post details the function of various symbols that appear the top of a line of type to communicate additional information about the text. Apostrophe The apostrophe signals that, depending on usage, one or more letters are missing or are being added to perform a grammatical function. An apostrophe marks omission of one or more letters (as in the contraction of cannot to canââ¬â¢t or, in an extreme case, of the substitution of foââ¬â¢cââ¬â¢stle for forecastle) marks possessive case (as in ââ¬Å"Johnââ¬â¢s hatâ⬠or ââ¬Å"the girlsââ¬â¢ smilesâ⬠) marks plurals of individual characters, as in ââ¬Å"dot the iââ¬â¢s and cross the tââ¬â¢s.â⬠Quotation Marks The primary use of double quotation marks (called, in British English, inverted commas) is to indicate direct quotation of spoken or written content. (Single quotation marks are used only to frame quotations within quotations, as in this section of this post, or in technical usage such as in linguistics texts.) A self-contained quotation is capitalized (ââ¬Å"She asked, ââ¬ËWhere are you going?ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ) A partial quotation is not capitalized when it is syntactically integrated into the framing sentence (ââ¬Å"He explained that they ââ¬Ëhad some issues to work out.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ) They also frame meanings and definitions (ââ¬Å"That sign means ââ¬ËStopââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ; ââ¬Å"The definition of insanity is ââ¬ËDoing the same thing over and over again and expecting different resultsââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ). Quotation marks are sometimes employed as scare quotes and sneer quotes, which emphasize ironic usage (ââ¬Å"After the bombing, no one remained alive in the village to celebrate its ââ¬Ëpacificationââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ) or signal that a writer is using but not endorsing a term (ââ¬Å"Beware executives who want to ââ¬Ëleverageââ¬â¢ everythingâ⬠). They are unnecessary when naming something, even when the term is slang used for a meaning other than its original sense (ââ¬Å"The process of extracting digital content is called rippingâ⬠). Use of so-called preceding a term in scare quotes is redundant. Avoid use of quotation marks to set off clichà ©s (ââ¬Å"This behavior creates lethal ââ¬Ëblind spotsââ¬â¢ in an organizationâ⬠). Quotations also set off titles of components of compositions when referred to elsewhere than in the composition itself, such as references to the following: newspaper or magazine articles titles of chapters in a book titles of short stories or short poems names of episodes of television series titles of songs titles of speeches In addition, quotations frame a term consisting of more than one word when the term refers to itself rather than to the concept the term represents (ââ¬Å"What does ââ¬Å"net neutralityâ⬠mean?); italicize single words used as words (ââ¬Å"The word strike can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjectiveâ⬠). Avoid using straight quotation marks (), which have a plain, primitive appearance. (But see below.) Prime A prime is a symbol similar to an apostrophe or a close quotation mark that in technical usage follows a number to denote a unit; in lay content, a single prime (â⬠²) most frequently represents feet or minutes, and a double prime (â⬠³) indicates inches or seconds (ââ¬Å"The deck is 10â⬠² 6â⬠³ by 12â⬠²Ã¢â¬ ) or minutes (ââ¬Å"The duration was 3â⬠² 36â⬠³Ã¢â¬ ). (There are also triple and quadruple primes.) Primes are sometimes indicated by simple straight quotation marks (ââ¬â°and ). These symbols (which originated as miniature Roman numerals I, II, and III) are best reserved for informal use or in practical content such as text about woodworking, or in charts or tables. Otherwise, spelling out the terms the primes represent is recommended. Ordinal Indicator An ordinal indicator is a superscripted, or raised, number, letter, or other character used in text as a cross-reference to a footnote or endnote or a list of referenced sources. These are employed, especially in academic texts, to direct readers to additional information that would be distracting if embedded in the running, or regular, text. When encountering an ordinal indicator, readers can ignore it or can direct their attention to the cross-referenced material and then return to the position of the indicator and resume reading the running text. Superscript characters are located directly after the pertinent word, phrase, or sentence in the text, though they follow, rather than precede, punctuation (with the exception of a dash, which the indicator should precede). Degree Symbol The degree symbol (à °), following a number, most often represents degrees of arc or of temperature, though it has other specialized functions. Usually, the symbol is appropriate only for technical usage or for charts and tables and should be replaced by degrees in lay content. Asterisk An asterisk (*)- the word is from the Greek word for ââ¬Å"little starâ⬠- has various functions in scientific disciplines, but in general writing, it is used as an ordinal indicator when, because of the small number of notes in a text, a sequential system of numbers or letters are not required. (However, sometimes, when there are a handful of references requiring such indicators but numbers or letters are not used, other symbols such as the dagger and double dagger are employed in a traditional hierarchy.) Asterisks also take the place of bullets, frame a word or phrase to represent italic or boldface type when it is not available, and appear in a group of three centered on a page to denote a major narrative transition. Bullet A bullet is a typographic mark, usually a solid dot but often represented by other characters, used in a vertical list when numbers are not appropriate because the list is not hierarchical or sequential. (See this post and others at DailyWritingTips.com for more information about vertical lists.) Ditto Mark A ditto mark is a close quotation mark used to represent a repeated number, word, or phrase, as in an inventory list in which the quantity of one item is identical to that of another item. It is generally not used in formal writing; in informal usage, the word ditto is shorthand for ââ¬Å"the same,â⬠as in the declaration ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m hungry,â⬠and the response ââ¬Å"Ditto,â⬠indicating that the respondent is also hungry. Dagger A dagger is a typographical mark resembling a knife pointing downward, or a Christian cross. The dagger, and the double dagger, often appearing more as a plus sign stacked atop another, are sometimes used to signal a footnote when an asterisk has already been employed. The daggers also have distinct uses in notation for various disciplines and pastimes. Intellectual-Property Symbols The symbols à ©, à ®, ââ , and â⠢ denote specific rights to intellectually property, including compositions, brand names, and the like. They are employed in commercial communications to represent that the users are honoring the right of the copyright holder or trademark holder, for example, to claim the intellectual property, but they are not required when mentioning, for example a brand name. Publishers are required, however, to obtain permission to reproduce, for example, an excerpt from a songââ¬â¢s lyrics. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating ConjunctionsThe Many Forms of the Verb TO BEMankind vs. Humankind
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Indian Red Scorpion Facts (Hottentotta tamulus)
Indian Red Scorpion Facts (Hottentotta tamulus) The Indian red scorpion (Hottentotta tamulus) or eastern Indian scorpion is considered to be the most lethal scorpion in the world. Despite its common name, the scorpion isnt necessarily red. It can range in color from reddish brown to orange or brown. The Indian red scorpion doesnt hunt people, but it will sting to defend itself. Children are most likely to die from stings because of their small size. Fast Facts: Indian Red Scorpion Scientific Name: Hottentotta tamulusCommon Names: Indian red scorpion, eastern Indian scorpionBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: 2.0-3.5 inchesLifespan: 3-5 years (captivity)Diet: CarnivoreHabitat: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri LankaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Not evaluated Description The Indian red scorpion is a fairly small scorpion, ranging from 2 to 3-1/2 inches in length. It ranges in color from bright reddish orange to dull brown. The species has distinctive dark gray ridges and granulation. It has relatively small pincers, a thickened tail (telson) and a large stinger. As with spiders, male scorpion pedipalps appear somewhat inflated compared to those of females. Like other scorpions, the Indian red scorpion is fluorescent under black light. Several color morphs of Indian red scorpions exist. Sagar khunte /à Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license Habitat and Distribution The species is found in India, eastern Pakistan, and eastern Nepal. Recently, it has been seen (rarely) in Sri Lanka. Although little is known about the Indian red scorpions ecology, it appears to prefer humid tropical and subtropical habitats. It often lives near or in human settlements. Diet and Behavior The Indian red scorpion is a carnivore. It is a nocturnal ambush predator that detects prey by vibration and subdues it using its chelae (claws) and stinger. It feeds on cockroaches and other invertebrates and sometimes small vertebrates, such as lizards and rodents. Reproduction and Offspring In general, scorpions reach sexual maturity between 1 and 3 years of age. While some species can reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis, the Indian red scorpion only reproduces sexually. Mating occurs following a complex courtship ritual in which the male grasps the females pedipalps and dances with her until he finds a suitable flat area to deposit his spermatophore. He guides the female over the spermatophore and she accepts it into her genital opening. While scorpion females tend not to eat their mates, sexual cannibalism is not unknown, so males quickly depart following mating. Females give birth to live young, which are called scorplings. The young resemble their parents except they are white and unable to sting. They stay with their mother, riding on her back, at least until after their first molt. In captivity, Indian red scorpions live 3 to 5 years. The female Indian red scorpion carries her young on her back. Akash M. Deshmukh /à Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license Conservation Status The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has not evaluated the conservation status of the Indian red scorpion. The scorpion is abundant within its range (except for Sri Lanka). However, there are high bounties on collection of wild specimens for scientific research, plus they may be captured for the pet trade. The population trend of the species is unknown. Indian Red Scorpions and Humans Despite their potent venom, Indian red scorpions are kept as pets. They are also kept and bred in captivity for medical research. Scorpion toxins include potassium channel-blocking peptides, which may have use as immunosuppressants for autoimmune disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis). Some toxins may have application in dermatology, cancer treatment, and as antimalarial drugs. Indian red scorpion stings are not uncommon in India and Nepal. While the scorpions are not aggressive, they will sting when stepped on or otherwise threatened. Reported clinical fatality rates range from 8 to 40%. Children are the most common victims. Symptoms of envenomation include severe pain at the site of the sting, vomiting, sweating, breathlessness, and alternating high and low blood pressure and heart rate. The venom targets the pulmonary and cardiovascular system and can cause death from pulmonary edema. While antivenom has little effectiveness, administration of the blood pressure medication prazosin can reduce the mortality rate to less than 4%. Some persons suffer severe allergic reactions to the venom and antivenom, including anaphylaxis. Sources Bawaskar, H.S. and P.H. Bawaskar. Indian red scorpion envenoming. Indian Journal of Pediatrics. 65 (3): 383ââ¬â391, 1998. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(95)00005-7Ismail, M. and P. H. Bawaskar. The scorpion envenoming syndrome. Toxicon. 33 (7): 825ââ¬â858, 1995. PMID:8588209KovaÃ
â¢Ã k, F. A revision of the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, with descriptions of four new species. Euscorpius. 58: 1ââ¬â105, 2007.Nagaraj, S.K.; Dattatreya, P.; Boramuth, T.N. Indian scorpions collected in Karnataka: maintenance in captivity, venom extraction and toxicity studies. J. Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis. 2015; 21: 51. doi:10.1186/s40409-015-0053-4Polis, Gary A. The Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0-8047-1249-1.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Accounting methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Accounting methods - Research Paper Example ââ¬Å"Implications of IFRS Conversion on US Tax Accounting Methodsâ⬠is an article written by Christine Turgeon.This paper discusses the impacts of conversion of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles to International Financial Reporting Standards In the view of Turgeon, Rabinowitz, and Wong (2008), IFRS conversion causes a change in book and tax accounting methods which will have a direct effect on the companyââ¬â¢s income tax reporting, cash taxes payable, and tax compliance. Many scholars are of the opinion that IFRS conversion would lead to hundreds of book accounting method changes. In contrast, some experts argue that most of these book changes would not result changes in tax accounting methods. However, it has been observed that IFRS conversion mandatorily requires certain changes with tax accounting methods. For instance, IFRS does not allow the use of GAAP and hence it necessitates the mandatory replacement of some old practices such as LIFO method. The tax accoun ting method issues associated with IFRS conversion may cause difficulties to companiesââ¬â¢ cash taxes. The IFRS system does not permit the application of LIFO inventory method and this situation may cause the recapture of the tax LIFO reserve over four taxable years even though longer spread periods have been suggested. The structural difference between GAAP and IFRS also creates problems in the leasing process. Accounting practitioners opine that IFRS conversion would hasten the recognition of advance payments.... The IFRS has designed more liberal terms for private companies regarding income tax reporting. On the other hand, it is mandatory for the publicly held companies to adopt IFRS as they issues publicly traded debt securities. Hence, the difficulties related to income tax reporting hurt the public companies more. As discussed earlier, IFRS conversion and thereby the tax accounting method troubles raise a series of complications to companiesââ¬â¢ cash taxes. Sometimes, it adversely affects the computation of book tax differences; and such conditions will impede income tax reporting process also. Precisely, public companies are more affected by income tax issues than private firms. 3. Impact of IFRS on college students/professors The IFRS conversion will largely affect professors as well as student groups. To illustrate, as this systemââ¬â¢s complete structure has not been framed yet, the IFRS and its features are not included in the academic curriculum. Educational institutions wou ld not include IFRS topic in their academic syllabus until there is a precise assistance from the SEC for large companies and some evidences on what may happen with private companies. Even the accounting professors have no precise idea regarding this concept. Therefore, students do not get an opportunity to assess different strengths and weaknesses of this new idea to distinguish between GAAP and IFRS. It is noticed that even experienced accounting professionals possess little knowledge about the complex features of the IFRS. Since students do not get the basic ideas of IFRS from their primary classes, they will face further difficulties in understanding this method in
Friday, November 1, 2019
Look at the pictures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Look at the pictures - Essay Example Compared to the past, there are now simpler modes of communication, there are phones and computers which can utilize the vast internet system and enable people interact and communicate through messages, emails and even by web cameras where they can see each other. Technology has revolutionized the world not only positively but negative aspects that under values writing. Concern regarding writing skills has been raised every now and then; this has been mostly noted on the 21st century generation, the writing skills of most students and the general public has gone down compared to the skills of people that existed in the 18th and 19th century. This undermining of the writing skills can be attributed to the communication advancement whose roots have dug and spread deep in the modes of writing. Social media impacts on writing skills Social media is advancement during these times where different people across all continents has the need to interact and share activities in their lives, soc ial media such as Facebook and Twitter are some of the most popular social media in the world (Young, 146). These sites are known for interactions of friends who mostly use informal language and shortened words to pass their messages across. Statistics shows that social media is addictive to the youth of the current generation who have been known to spend most of their time in social media ââ¬Ëchattingââ¬â¢. This chatting habit reciprocates to transfer of using of the chatting language to school settings which is inappropriate to the setting of formal language and writing. The negative side of social media is on how it affects the writing skills of the users, since this communication mode is cheap and available to everyone this affects growing children who engages in it at a very young age. This then becomes the way of life for these young people who donââ¬â¢t realize there are other ways like reading books by which people can spend their time. By reading books written by f amous people in the likes of William Shakespeare the young minds could have attained very special writing styles in form of stylistic devices and vocabulary. By use of social media, the means of communication is texting, this is by typing the words by pressing on buttons of the mobile phones and computer keyboards, this impacts negatively to the social media users as it does not allow them time to be able to improve on hand writing skills . The witting by way of pens is an activity that was very popular especially in the beginning of 18th century; this even led to the innovation and development of creative writing as the calligraphy a talent that had to be improved by constant practice by pen and paper. How education is affected by technology Positive As much as there are a lot of negative impacts of technology on writing, technology has some positive impacts on student writing. These impacts are positive in the fact that they enhance the educational value of all students who uses t he new technology (Ferris, 23). Through being able to go back and revise through the work, this is facilitated by software designed to check grammatical errors. Students find this easier compared to writing on paper which they have to go through word by word and in most cases ends up missing some mistakes (Ferris, 34). For many high and middle school students there has been a rise of the number of students who text update blogs and are constantly using the social
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