GE Turbines and Balanced Scorecard Essay

A balance scorecard is essential for developing a healthy business growing place. It is a vital key for defining the goals and targets of a company as well as the vision, mission and the SWOTT Analysis. A balanced scorecard is, â€Å"A set of measures that are directly linked to a company’s strategy: financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business processes, and learning and growth† (Pearce & Robinson, 2013, p. 194). This company will relate the in-building turbines values, mission, vision and SWOTT Analysis with the four perspectives of the scorecard (financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business process, and learning and growth. Financial Perspective/Shareholder Value A strong and well defined vision and mission statement will facilitate this company to achieve its target. The objectives of the in-building turbines should be implemented as a daily routine so as to increase the performance of the company. The first and foremost responsibility of a company is to seek its customer satisfaction, benefit utilization, increased net revenues and also to achieve financial stability. GE being a financially stable company already gives this new product line a head start for the investors to trust this product. In order to evaluate the financial stability of a company, one should calculate the Operating cost, Earnings per share, growth revenue & return on interest and capital. The shareholders of GE should be very excited for this new line because if it is as successful as hoped for, the stock for the shareholders could see multiple splits happening for GE stock in the near future. These splits will double the already invested, as well as lower the cost per share for new investors. Customer Value Perspective The customers will determine the success of the company. Customer satisfaction must remain at the top of the list for this company in order to see it grow in both demand and profitability for GE and their shareholders.  With the approach of letting the customer have constant monitoring capabilities during the fabricating process of their turbine orders, the more the customer will be engaged with the company and satisfied with the product. This type of approach should also increase the image for the turbines in the market. there must be consistency in the value & quality of the product. It’s the responsibly of GE and their new division to generate awareness in the public and should also offer benefits to those customers who believe in the product during its infancy. The in-building turbine company will also implement a survey board on the website in order to constantly better themselves based on the customer’s desires. The company will monitor their stock share value in the market constantly. By doing this it will allow for GE to offer special promotions on the turbine purchases, with discount percentages for all customers if the shares are constantly moving upward. This will be a way to gather the attention of new customers by introducing this program to them. When the new company and employees’ performance reviews by the customers are favorable for a long enough period of time, it could mean the turbine company is strong enough to hold its position alone in the market and do nothing but strengthen GE’s already established position there. If the reviews from the survey system are poor, the turbine company will have a chance to address the issues and still have to lean on GE for support with their structuring and financing. Process/Internal Operations Perspective Strategic planning is necessary to deliver the turbines to the customers. It should be done in accordance with the customer’s needs for energy conservation and desires of lower energy bills. In order to improve the business efficiencies, market value as well as the current position; one should have an effective strategic management team to overcome all the resistance from the energy providers. The most important thing is to define the purpose or intention of the strategy, this will lead a company smoothly towards its goals. The goals highlight the vision and mission statement of the company. GE’s plan with this new company is to show the world they are the new innovation in green energy through normal daily routines. For the satisfactory outcome of the company the strategic objectives and goals should be monitored on a daily basis. The company will set its objective, as  well as start down a path to be followed while keeping in mind the values and interest of the customers without fail. There will be a tool or set of measurements which may be used to measure the targets, public interest, share value in the market, and budget in hand. In the company’s strategic planning, the surveys will be done constantly so they will be able to change daily to critique their new company to the desires of the customers. GE will be providing excessive financial aid to this company to constantly monitor and aggressively attack the market with this new product through marketing, distribution, and any other means necessary. These turbines will make paying for energy easier on every customer who desires lower bills. GE feels that with this new product, all it will take is for the first customer to experience the difference they can make in attacking inflation. Learning and Growth Perspective The learning and growth process is considered as an extremely important aspect in the balance scorecard, this perspective focuses on the growth and prosperity of the company as well as the learning of internal and external public needs. â€Å"Learning† in accordance with this turbine company is to learn about the attitudes of the internal employees and external customers. This technique of Balance Scorecard will help the company to maintain its position in the market and also bring technological changes. The technological changes are being implemented from the initial launch of this product. GE is able to use their influence to create a technology that hopefully will take the competition years to catch up with. The surveys will provide valuable information to achieve the organization’s mission to constantly learn and improve their product and how the company is operating. The strategic planning should focus on employee training to have competent employees who constantly develop their skills and ultimately provide benefits to the company. For the in-building turbine company, the strategic objective will bring constant improvements in the company. The improvements will be in the form of new technology in the company, constant recruitment of the deserving candidates with retaining the highly skilled workers, as well as letting the customers know the company is always working on the suggestions they provided to increase the organization’s trust and customer circle. The organization will develop a strategy in order to provide more benefits to the customers such as online purchasing and billing for the turbines, letting the customer overlook the fabricating process, constantly introducing new advancements with the products and services, and introducing attractive packages and offers like the discounts for the customers for helping keep the shareholders interested in this type of energy production. The success of the company depends on its vision and mission statement. The best way to attain the targets and goals of the company is to have a strategic plan which can effectively explain and deliver the objectives of the company. The achievements and goals of the company will be easily measured. The well-balanced business will develop the balance scorecard, which is the most significant technique to achieve all targets for GE’s new organization. The balance scorecard’s four perspectives defined here are: Financial perspective, Customer perspective, internal process, and Learning and Growth. With each perspective, the company will define the strategic objectives, performance measures, targets and initiatives. References: Budget. (2014). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/budget Buhrman, M. (2014). Energy rates could increase after storm. Retrieved from http://russellville.thv11.com/news/news/111997-entergy-rates-could-increase-after-storm Lorette, K. (2014). Importance of Product Packaging in Marketing. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-product-packaging-marketing-648.html Product Focus. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.productfocus.com/pricing_how_to_price.php What is Carbon Fiber? (2014). Retrieved from http://www.dragonplate.com/sections/technology.asp Strategic Management Insight (Sep 03 2013). Retrieved from http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/general-electric-mission-statement.html Balanced Scorecard Institute (2009) Balanced Scorecard Basics. Retrieved Sept. 19, 2014 from http://www.balancedscorecard.org/BSCResources/AbouttheBalancedScorecard/tabid/55/Default.aspx Pearce, J. A. & Robinson, R. B. (2013). Strategic management: Planning for Domestic and Global Competition (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Living at Home and Living Away from Home

Nowadays, most students study at a university after graduating from high school. Due to the distance between their hometowns and colleges, a few students live with their family while many others live far away from home, and the most of them think about living away from home as the best part in their lives because they will have more freedom and that can be really exciting for them. However, they do not realize that living at home has more benefits compared to living away from home. Firstly, I prefer living at home, because students who are living at home can enjoy better living conditions than ones living far from home. As home is the whole family’s place, it is normally large and well-equipped with many electric devices. Also, the work required to keep a home clean tends to go unnoticed when the mother does it. Clean floors, tidy rooms, and fresh laundry tend to be taken for granted. Even though the average teenager may help around the house one of the parents tends to do most of the housework. The floor is always clean, the rooms are always tidy, and laundry is never less than fresh and neatly folded. In addition, students are provided with fresh, nutritious food. On the contrary, dormitory or a rented house are usually small with poor facilities. For example, many students living in a cramped rented house have to use one small space for cooking, eating, learning and sleeping. Also the laundry will pile high and become a daunting task for them to achieve. The back door step will be dirty, and the rooms will become cluttered. Owing to busy learning, students may skip their meals or eat fast food, which badly influences their health. Secondly, living at home differs from living far away in that it helps students avoid financial problems. Living at home, students have the telephone bills, electricity bills and other daily expenses paid by their parents. Also living at home with parents makes bills appear as some fictional scary story. The most a students usually pays for is a car to drive, and a few other luxuries. The parents pay for the water left dripping, the gas burnt by the stove, and the power consumed by the light left on. Students living at home will never even notice any of these expenses. In contrast students living far from home have to pay all those things on their own with a monthly amount of money. Unlike students who receive parents’ instruction, students who do not live with their family often lack financial managing skills. As a result, they often spend money on unnecessary items and cope with running out of money. Another difference is the emotional aspect that you have to face. Living at home can result less frustrating than living alone because you can share the problems that you have with your parents, siblings or any member of your family in order to look for some solutions to difficult situations that you may face. In contrast, if you live away from home most of the time you are going to be alone, so finding someone who wants to listen your problems can be difficult to get. Your friends are going to be the only people that might help you to solve your problems. However, they are not your relatives and sometimes they are not going to be with you. The fourth difference between living at home and away from home is the environmental issue. Life at home is secure and well known. Furthermore, home is where one has lived their entire life and they are well adapted to the surroundings. On the other hand, the new home can be in a complete different neighborhood or city. Also, it’s not always similar to the home people are used to since the new house is usually smaller, less fancier, and it’s usually located in a less attractive neighborhood than the parents’ home. While the students who choose to leave home may think that it’s not a big deal to confront a decrease in their living status, those that choose to stay home might think that the difference in the environment is a major drawback. Finally, the other obvious difference is that living far from home provides students more independence than living at home. It goes without saying that parents want to take good care of children by setting a wide range of rules for them. Moreover, when you have an important meeting and it is impossible for you get home, you can stay at a friend’s house without problems. Consequently, students living with family have to ask for their parents’ permission if they want to go out or invite friends to their homes. Additionally, parents also control their time spent on using computer and TV. In contrast, students living without parents’ control have more privacy ecause they do not have to obey the strict rules. They can go out whenever they want and freely gather with their friends. Thanks to independent life, they can flexibly spend time on learning, surfing websites or playing games without any complaints. In general, though living at home and living far away from home have some considerable differences, each type has its own advantages and disadvantages to students, and at some moment in life you have to decide between staying at home with your parents as you have always done or starting a new life alone that means being independent. At the moment that you want to make a choice between these two styles of life. You should know that living at home and living away from home has some similarities and some differences that you have to consider before making a decision. Therefore, no matter what kinds of living students choose, they can still enjoy their wonderful life at college.

Plant Physiology Biology - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 3956 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Biology Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Introduction In the study of general biology, a number of fields such as plant anatomy, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, comparative ecosystems, comparative animal physiology, neurophysiology, physiological ecology, endocrinology, and principles of electronic instrumentation may be topics of interest. In this paper, the writer will discuss plant physiology. The paper contains the definition of plant physiology in different dimensions, notes related study fields that complement or overlap the topic and explains the branches (or specific study areas) in the topic, detailing examples of what is studied within each subtopic. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Plant Physiology Biology" essay for you Create order A general conclusion is given at the end of the presentation. An accompanying reference to the discussed topics is provided at the end of the paper. Definition of plant physiology Physiology has been defined as ‘the science of the normal functions and phenomena of living things. The current understanding of physiology crops from the works in Europe during the Renaissance interest in experimentation with animals. William Harvey (1628) who was a doctor to Charles I described the working of the heart in sparkling analyses after observations lead to the conclusion of experimental proof and functionality and which informs the importance of physiological analysis as ‘physiology. Physiology is based on hypothesis testing or functionality of given living phenomena. Harveys work also emphasized the natural relation between physiology and anatomy (structure of living things) which makes the understanding of the former easier. The successive meanings of ‘physiology are illustrated by instances of its use. Harris (1704) in Lexicon Technica describes physiology as part of medicine that teaches the constitution of the body so far as it is soun d, or in its Natural State; and endeavors to find Reasons for its Functions and Operations, by the Help of Anatomy and Natural Philosophy. Another definition by Huxley150 years later is clearer and closer to the current definition: ‘whereas that part of biological science which deals with form and structure is called Morphology; that which concerns itself with function is Physiology to make a distinction between structure and function in living organisms. From the foregoing, plant physiology can be described as that aspect of study that deals with the functioning of plants both microscopically and macroscopically. It assumes the system of understanding the functionality of plant life within itself, without it and within its immediate environment. The field of plant physiology relates closely to cell morphology which studies development, formation and structures of different species of plant, ecology, which studies the plant habitat, biochemistry which lumps all the biochemical activities of cells, and molecular processes inside the cell. All these fields interact or overlap in the study of plant physiology. The general field of plant physiology involves the study physical processes and chemicals that describe life and elucidates how they occur in plant. The study is at many levels that encompass various scales, time and sizes. The smallest scale is the molecular interactions that include the photosynthesis interaction in the leaves and diffusion of water in cells. Diffusion also happens for mineral and nutrients within the plants. In the large scale there are concepts of plant development, dormancy, seasonality and reproduction. Other major disciplines of plant physiology include phytopathology that studies diseases in plants and the study regarding biochemistry of plans, also called phytochemistry. Plant physiology as a unit is divided into many areas of research. Elementary study of plant physiology mainly concentrates on stom ata function, circadian rhythms, transpiration , respiration, environmental stress physiology, hormone function, photosynthesis, tropisms, photoperiodism, nastic movements, seed germination, dormancy, plant hormone functions, photomorphogenesis and plant nutrition. Branches of Plant Psychology The subtopics of plant physiology can safely take the forms of photochemistry, biological and chemical processes, internal cell, tissue and organ interaction within the plant, control and regulation of the internal functions (anatomy) and the response to external conditions and environmental changes (environmental physiology). In the following section, these branches of physiology will be discussed in details. Photochemistry refers to the chemical actions that take place within or without the cell. Plants are considered unique in their chemical reactions since as opposed to animals or other organisms, they have to produce chemical compounds to be used within the same plant. These chemicals are in the form of pigments or enzymes directly used within the plant. The functions of these chemicals are various. They may be used for defence against external interference from such quarters as herbivores or primary consumers and pathogens. This mechanism is advanced in plants beca use they are immobile. This, plants do through the production of tissue toxins and foul smells. Toxicity from plants is associated with plants alkaloids which have pharmacological effects on animals. The Christmas setta if eaten by dogs causes poisoning to them. Another plant in its fresh form, the wolfs bane (the Aconitum genus; Aconitum carmichaelli) has toxic aconite alkaloid that is known to kill wolves and causes tingling, nausea or numbness of tongue or vomiting if tasted by mouth. Some other plants also have secretions or chemical compounds that make them less digestible to animals. Plants also produce toxins to repel invasion form other plants or in instances of competition for similar nutrients. They produce secretions that are repellent thereby maintaining autonomy over competed for resources. The foul smell exhibited by other plants help to keep herbivores away. The rafflesia (Rafflesia arnoldii) of the Magnoliophyta division has flowers with distinctive smell of rotting flesh of animals to keep herbivores that are known not to eat flesh away. Toxins or smell can also be produced to guard against encroachment of disease causing organisms or to guard the plant from the effects of drought or unfavourable weather conditions. Enzyme or hormone secretion has been observed in the behaviour such as in preparation for dormancy for the seed, shedding of leaves for deciduous trees in preparation for dry conditions and withering in some plants are caused by chemical reactions in plants. Innate immune systems such as those of plants are known to repel pathogenic invasions. In an experiment, small protein secreted by strains of the fungus caused it to overcome two a tomatos disease- resistant genes. A third resistance gene, however, would target this suppressor protein, making the tomato plant fully immune to any form of fungal strain that produced the protein. With the right combination of resistance genes, tomatoes can overcome invasion of fungus despite the fungus molecular tricks. Attraction of possible pollinators for the furtherance of the species of plants is also employing the chemical reactions in plants. Some plants, during their reproduction cycles are known to produce very pleasant smells to attract insect which then help in pollination. An example is the night rose or the Aloysia triphylla that smell so to attract insects that symbiotically gain their nectar and help in pollination of their flowers. Photochemistry involves the understanding of the metabolic actions of compounds within the plant cells. Studies of these metabolic compounds have been successful through the use of extraction techniques, isolation processes, structural elucidation and chromatography. Modern approaches are numerous and thus expand the field for further studies. Plant cells vary so much from cells of other organisms. This necessitates different behaviour in order to perform their productive actions. Plants cells have cell walls that are rigid and thus restrict their shape as opposed to animal cells that have both cell walls and cell membranes. This is primarily responsible for plants immobility and limited flexibility. The internal cell structures vary according to specializations required of the plant to adapt to its life. For example, the cell vacuole is responsible for storage of cell food material, for intracellular digestion and storage and discharge of cell waste material. It also protects the cell and is also fundamental in endocytosis processes of the cell such as the regulation of the turgor pressure of the cell in response to cell fluid uptake. The chloroplast is responsible for photosynthesis within the cell and contains the sugars for the photosynthesis. It is also the manufacturer of food for the other organelles. The ribosome use genetic instructions form the Ribonucleic acid (RNA) to link amino acids in long chain polypeptides to form proteins. These plant protein s are very important in plant structures. Golgi complexes store packages and distribute proteins within the cell endoplasmic reticulum. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum synthesizes lipids while the rough endoplasmic reticulum synthesizes proteins. The plastid is found in the cytoplasm and possesses double membranes surroundings that depend on the environmental conditions of the parent plant and the plants adjustment to these conditions. They store molecules such as pigments which give the characteristic colours of flowers and fruits during plant reproduction. They also store photosynthetic products. The plant cell contains chlorophyll, pigments that are responsible for the manufacture of the plants own food. The cell physiology is such that the adaptations of different internal cell organelles are commensurate to the ability of the plant to live in a given environment. The cell structure thus plays a major role in plant adaptation. Plant cells are the smallest unit in building a special system of a plant life. Cells make up tissues that specialize in given plant functions. Tissues coordinate to form organs within the plant that respond to environmental needs as appropriate as is required of the plant. The specialization of difference types of plant cells such as the parenchyma cells, the collenchyma cells and the scherenchyma cells make it possible for plants to coordinate its functions in its habitat. The parenchyma cells are divided to storage cells for storing cell material, the photosynthetic chlorenchyma cells that are adapted to photosynthesis and transfer cells that are responsible for phloem loading functions of transfer of manufactured food within the plant. These cells have thin cell walls for mediation or simply passage of material from cell to cell. The collenchyma cells also have only one thin cell wall. They mature from the meristems of the plant tissues. The scherenchyma cells have strong sclereids and fibres made of lignin that provides mechanical support to the plant. This rigidity has also found value in discouraging herbivory. The tissue systems include the meristematic tissues- the xylem and the phloem as well as the epidermal cells of the external plant cells. The xylem is made up of cells specialized in uptake of minerals active transport. The phloem has a composition of cells mostly of the transfer cells. The epidermal cells are rigid and cuticular to prevent the loss of fluid and are also for protecting the inner weaker placid cells. All these systems focused to perform different function within the plant both chemically and physical. For example, the roots and the rhizoids help to hold the plant into position for vantage production of its food. For earth plants, the roots have the penetrative power while the aqueous plants have roots helpful in buoying them in place for mineral acquisition. The leaves are adapted to trap sunlight that is instrumental in photosynthetic proc ess of making food. The leaf structure is such that it is adapted to the habitat of the plant. The position of the stomata in the leaves, for example, is atop and not under the leaf to regulate the flow of gases. The specialized guard cell for the opening and closure of the stomata depicts just how the specialization befits the functionality of the cells, tissues and the plant organs. Plants also possess transport systems that rely on physical processes in absorption and use of nutrients, air and water within and without the plant. The absorption of minerals depends on a combination of diffusion and active transport that is regulated by the plant in its environment. The roots are developed to successfully execute this process. Up into the plant the uptake of minerals and water has a developed xylem system that relies on osmosis, diffusion and even active transport in tissues specially adapted to this function. The phloem system successfully executes the transport of manu facture food from the leaves and the stems to other parts of the pant body. The vascular tissues are just an indication of how these forms of interactions work for the benefit of the plant. Plants have internally developed mechanisms that coordinate responses. These mechanisms are developed on hormonal systems that are instrumental in the development and maturity of the plants. Examples of hormonal coordination in plants include reproduction in flowering plants, ripening of fruits and subsequent expulsion of the same from the mother plant and loss of leaves in response to impending drought or inadequacy of water, just to mention but a few. The ripening of fruits result from the reactions of the Brix acid in the fruit. The amount of the acid in the fruit determines its ripening. A gas called ethylene is usually created from a compound called methionine acid belonging to the amino group. The ethylene increases the intercellular levels of enzymes. The amylases hydrolyze starch into sugars while the pectinases hydrolyzes pectin that are responsible for the hardness of fruits while breaking down the green pigment with the colour turning to orange, red or yellow depending on the plant pigments. The process of ripening is related the degree of pollination such that properly pollinated fruits ripen during maturity while those not properly pollinated may have to be shed off before maturity Abscission in plants is associated with the hormone ethylene. It is believed that ethylene (and not abscisic acid as was previously thought), stimulates the process of abscission. It takes the forms of falling leaves of deciduous trees to conserve water, shedding mostly branches for reproduction purposes, abscission after fertilization, fruit drops to conserve sources or dropping of damaged leaves to conserve water and for photosynthetic efficiency Paradoxically, ecological physiology is on one hand a new field of learning in plant ecology while again, it is one of the oldest. Physiology of the Environmental is the favoured name of the sub-discipline among botanical physiologists. It however goes by other names in the field of applied sciences. It is more or less synonymous to eco-physiology, ecology of crops, agronomy and horticulture. The discipline overlaps with the field of ecology since the plants act in response to the surrounding. Ecological physiologists scrutinize plant reaction to factors that are physical such as radiation such as visible light and ultraviolet radiation from the sun, fire, wind and temperature, Of particular interest are water interactions and the stress of deficiency of water or inundation, exchange of gases with the ambient air as well as cycling of nitrogen and carbon nutrients. Ecological physiologists also analyse and examine plant reaction to biotic factors. This includes not only unfavourable relation, such as rivalry, parasitism, disease and herbivory, but also favourable interactions, suc h as pollination, symbiosis, and mutualism. Plants react to environmental changes in a very fantastic way. These reactions are only comparable to the homeostatic processes hitherto experienced splendidly in animals. Environmental changes may impact the plants either positives or negatively and the plants have developed systems to change appropriately. It is however, important to note that environmental variations may sometimes be too extreme to be avoided by plants leading to their demise or possible extinction. This may be understood well in topics such as evolution or more specifically, the ecological succession. Plants respond to stresses from loss of water in their habitats. Since they are usually stationery, the water usually has to find the plant and not vice versa. An example is the wilting process associated with non woody plants or non-woody parts of woody plants. This process is a reaction to turgidity in non-lignified cells of the plant such that the plant lose s rigidity. This results from inadequate water. The process modifies the effective photosynthetic area of the leaf so that the angle of leaf exposed to the sun such that erectophile conditions are enhanced. This condition may result from drought, reduced soil moisture, increased salinity; saturated soils or a blockage of the vascular tissues of the plant by bacteria or fungi to cause clogging that deprives the leaves of water. Changes in the composition of the air are also another determinant of plant reaction to its environment. The greatest effect comes from the amount of water vapour in the air. The humidity of the air determines the rate of photosynthesis. Wind also plays a major role in actuating the rate of photosynthesis. Some substances are also toxic to photosynthetic plants. These therefore trigger varied response from plants. Plants act in response both to directional and non- directional stimuli like gravity or sunlight hence it is called â€Å"tropism†. A reaction to a non-directional stimulus, such as humidity or temperature is called a nastic movement. Tropisms in plants result from differential cell growth. This is where the cells on a single side of the plant become longer than those on the other side of the plant. This causes a bend toward with less growth. Most common tropisms experienced in plants include autotropism, that signifies a bed towards a side where light comes from. This allows the plant to maximize on its absorption of the much needed light or to allow the plant to receive associated heat from the source of light. Geotropism is the reaction of the roots of a plant to gravitational pull that reacts on all substances. This growth is usually downward towards the earth enables the plant roots to grow downwards due to direction of gravity. Tropism is a direct influence of hormonal communication within a plant. Nastic movements on the contrary are reactions from the influence of turgor pressure and ma y occur within a short period of time. A good example is the thigmonasty reaction that is a reaction of a carnivorous plant or yet still the Venus fly trap that react to touch to trap insects that acts as their food. Mechanisms used here are a network of blades with sensitive trigger thin hairs that shut closed and traps the invader instantly. This is done for additional nutrient. The leaf has to grow slowly between successive catches and readjust before the next catch. Another recent and most important area of ecological physiology is the study the way plants resist or cope with these diseases in them. Plants, just like animals and other organism are susceptible to a host of pathogenic organism such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. The morphology of plants differed from that of animal. This implies that their reaction to diseases also vary greatly. Plants may react to an invasion only by shedding their leaves. Animals however have to obtain either innate immunity or tackl e the intrusion through other antibodies. Diseases organisms affecting plants also vary from those causing that cause disease to animals. Plants cannot usually spread diseases because of their immobile nature thus physical contact infections are rarely the case. Their pathogens thus usually spread through spores or are transmitted by animals that act as vectors. Plant habitat and competitive environmental conditions also necessitate readjustments in plants. Competition for nutrients due to encroaching competitors may force the plant to change its morphology or other aspects of plant functionality. Many phototrophic plants use a photoreceptor protein such as phytochrome or cryptochrome to sense changes in seasons, changes in length of day and take to allow them to flower. In a broader sense, phototropic plants can be grouped into short, long or neutral day plants. When the day extends past the critical period such that night is shorter that day the long day plant flow ers. The plants generally flower during spring or in the early summer with longer days approaching. Short day plants flower when the day is shorter than a standard or critical length. This is when the night is longer than a critical length. The plants generally flower during late summer or during fall when the shorter days are approaching. Scientist concur that the night length and not that of day controls the pattern of flowering. Thus flowering in a longer day plant is necessitated by shorter nights which mean longer days. The opposite is true; short day plants will flower when the nights get longer than the critical duration of day. This has been done by using night break experiments. For instance, a long night (long day) will not flower if a pulse of say 10 minutes of artificial beam of light is shone at it during midnight. This occurrence is not possible with natural light such as the moon in the night, fire flies or even lighting since the light from these light sourc es are not sufficiently intense to help trigger the response. Day neutral plants are not affected by photoperiodism. They always flower regardless of the presence of light or absence of the same, the length of light in day or night variations. Some have adapted to use temperature instead of light. Long or short day plants will have their flowering enhanced or interfered with inn the presence of variations in length of day or night. They will however flower in sub optimal or half day lengths and temperature is a likely effect to their flowering time. Contemporary biologists believe that it is the happenstance of the active kinds of phytochrome or cryptochrome, resulting from the light during daytime, with the sync of the circadian clock that enables plants to determine the duration of the night. Other occurrences of photoperiodism in plants are like the growth of stems or roots within some seasons or the loss of plant leaves at other seasons. Transpiration and stomata a ctions also greatly affect the plant in almost all the cited circumstances above. Transpiration in plants is the process by which evaporation of water molecules usually through the leaves but also takes place from flowers, roots and even stems. The stomata are the major site for transpiration. The opening of the stomata is a regulated process through the stomata guard cells and the process of water loss may be considered both unfortunate and necessary. The stomata open to allow the diffusion of the photosynthetic gas, carbon dioxide and allows out oxygen. Transpiration has a dual action of cooling the plant in excessive heating and will also aid the loss of unwanted water within the plant system. It also enables the mass flow of mineral nutrients that is aided by the flow of plant water. This is a hydrostatic process that thrives on diffusion of water out of the stomata. The rate of transpiration is directly affected by the rate of stomata opening. The evaporation demand of the atmosphere is also another factor that influences the release of water. Humid conditions dont favour evapotranspiration. Wind also enhances this rate. The amount of water through the process also depends on the individual plant size, the surrounding intensity of light the ambient temperature, soil water supply and the soil temperature. Genetic, physical and chemical factors affects all the environmental responses, internal cell functions and external adjustments. The plant functioning is a complex that embraces all the aspects of botanical science and one cannot be studied alone in isolation. All the functions may vary from one plant to another depending on the cell morphology, anatomy or ecological niche but essentially, for all photosynthetic plant, the general functions are read along similar lines. Deviations may occur as a result of evolutional characteristics or adaptations. These deviations, however, have not deterred the organization of the study of plant physiology. Research on physiology of plants is still developing and a great understanding of the topic is essential if it is approached from all aspects of the study of Biology as a discipline and may call for inclusion of other disciplines. Bibliography Hodgkin, Atmourserg, The Pursuit of Nature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Boyd, Claver. The logic of life: Challenge of Integrative Physiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. Robinson, Trevor. The Organic Constituents of Higher Plants, Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing, 1963. 183. Fosket, Donald. Germination of Plant.A Molecular Approach. San Diego: Academic Press 1994, 498-509.

Do Flies Really Vomit and Poop When They Land on You

Lets get to the bottom of a common belief about flies: do they really vomit and poop when they land on you? Where There Are People, There Are Flies First of all, we need to be a bit more specific. Were talking about houseflies here—known by scientists the world around as Musca domestica—the house fly associates with people. Virtually anywhere on the planet where you can find people, you will also find Musca domestica. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a backyard barbecue knows that house flies crash your picnic table, walk all over your potato salad, and attempt to taste your burger, should you dare to leave it unattended for just a moment. And occasionally, those flies will come to rest on you. So you are probably wondering what theyre up to while they sit there. Its a totally understandable and realistic concern. Yes, House Flies Vomit (a Lot) Lets tackle the first bit of this question first. Do flies vomit on you? The answer is a resounding sometimes. House flies do vomit, sort of, and they do so pretty often. Unfortunately for the house fly, it is not equipped to chew solid foods. Most insects that feed on solid food—beetles, for example—have chewing mouthparts, with which they can properly masticate their meals into tiny, digestible bits. House flies were instead blessed with sponge-like tongues. Only in flies, we call their tongues labella (the singular is labellum, but the fly has a matched pair). House flies taste with their feet, so they have no choice but to walk on their food (and ours, should they be sampling our picnic menu). When a house fly comes upon something that seems like it might be yummy—keep in mind that dog poop is the kind of thing house flies find yummy—it will reflexively stick out its labella and press them against the potential food item to investigate. Liquids can be slurped up without much effort. Inside the house flys head is a structure called a cibarial pump (or food pump), which generates a suction to draw the liquid up through channels in the mouthparts (called pseudotrachea). So, how does the house fly make a meal out of meat, or any other solid food (like dog poop)? It uses those same mouthparts to liquefy the entrà ©e. The house fly dabs the tasty morsel with digestive enzymes by bringing up a little regurgitated food and saliva. The enzymes begin breaking down the solid food, gradually turning it into a slurry the house fly can then lap up. Meat milkshake, anyone? House Flies Also Poop (a Lot) Now, think about the last time you had the stomach flu. Anytime you vomit repeatedly, you run the risk of dehydration, so you have to drink a lot of fluids to replace the ones you lost. Flies are no different. This liquid diet means flies require a lot of water. And when you drink a lot of water†¦well, lets just say what goes in, must come out, right? So flies do a lot of defecating, too. Therefore, in answer to the original question, Do flies really vomit and poop when they land on you? Yes, they do, but not every single time they land on you. They void when they land on food. It really depends on whether or not the fly thinks you are a potential meal. If the fly gets a message from its feet saying, Hmm, this guy tastes pretty good. Take a lick! youre probably going to get a little fly vomit on you. And hey, if the fly has got to go, its got to go, so you might just get a little fly poop on you, too. Should You Worry? Yes, you should worry. Houseflies are strongly suspected of transmitting at least 65 different diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, anthrax, leprosy, and tuberculosis. A single housefly can carry over one million bacteria. Before modern antibiotics were invented, flies were definitely deadly. It is important to control any type of fly that may be indoors or in your backyard, by killing the individuals and by eliminating the food waste in which they feed and reproduce. Practice good sanitation, indoors and outdoors, and wash your hands frequently. Resources and Further Reading Jacobs, Steve. â€Å"House Flies.† Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, Jan. 2013.Cranshaw, W S, and F B Peairs. â€Å"Flies in the Home.† Colorado State University Extension, Jan. 2017.Mckay, Tanja, et al. â€Å"Dont Swat That Fly! Using House Flies in an Inquiry Activity.† Science Scope, vol. 37, no. 6, 1 Feb. 2014, doi:10.2505/4/ss14_037_06_22.Redmond, Kate. â€Å"House Fly (Family Muscidae).† College of Letters Science Field Station, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 4 Jan. 2011.Resh, Vincent H. Encyclopedia of Insects. Edited by Ring T. Cardà ©, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 2009.Triplehorn, Charles A., and Norman F. Johnson. Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th ed., Cengage Learning, 2004.

Captain Americ The First Avenger Essay - 983 Words

The movie, â€Å"Captain America: The First Avenger,† involves two posthuman characters, which Marvel Comics created. Captain America is a super hero, who is known as the world’s first super soldier and many humans look up to him all over the planet. Red Skull is a super villain and is known to create havoc and terror in the lives of humans. Post humans can challenge the idea of community in several ways, but one factor that tends to stay the same, relating to posthumans, is that humans can easily be persuaded to follow in the footsteps of someone they believe is superior to them, such as Captain America or Red Skull. To begin, a doctor, named Dr. Erskine, from New York, New York created Captain America in 1941. This was a time when Americans were very proud of their nation and centered everything around World War II. The community was mostly anti-German, since Germany was one of the three countries America was battling during World War II. Captain America, who was known as Steve Rogers before he transformed over, was a scrawny boy who failed to meet the requirements to join the military. Eager to join, Steve Rogers volunteered himself for an operation that Dr. Erskine planned to conduct, which would alter his physique to that of a super human. After ingesting the â€Å"Super Soldier Serum,† Steve Rogers transformed into Captain America. His muscles and reflexes were greatly enhanced, as well as his height and frame. An agent from Nazi, Germany assassinated Dr. Erskine because he

Write About the Ways Love Is Explored in Two Soliloquies free essay sample

Shakespeare expresses the theme of death throughout Romeos soliloquy to enable the audience to empathise and feel pathos toward Juliet â€Å"Death that hath suck the honey of thy breath†. The word â€Å"breath† is ironic and is symbolic of how Romeo cannot bare to be without Juliet, so much so that he feels the sensation of suffocation. Dramatic irony is also apparent as the audience knows that Juliet is still alive; this sentiment provokes emotion as the audience is willing for Romeo to notice that she is not dead. Also the fact that love is blind plays an ironic almost humorous part here as Romeo is failing to see Juliet is still alive. The theme of death continues as Shakespeare personifies death throughout the soliloquy to present it as a more sinister force and rival for Juliet’s love: â€Å"shall I believe that unsubstantial death is amorous? And that the lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in the dark to be his paramour? † The negative language negative language used to personify death, â€Å"lean abhorred monster†, illustrates Romeos sense of disgust but more importantly, the fear that death has taken Juliet from him. Romeo’s fear is clearly expressed when Shakespeare writes: â€Å"For fear of that I still will stay here with thee/here i will remain†. The repetition of â€Å"here† conveys Romeos determination to stay with Juliet to the extent that he will take his own life. Therefore, the audience get the impression that Romeo feels he must kill himself to preserve their love, a trait which links with his hamatia. Furthermore, Shakespeare employs the ongoing lexical field of death to create a sense of foreboding and heighten the dramatic irony. The main protagonist Romeo personifies death using a metaphor to express its severity. He explains how death has not â€Å"conquered† Juliet’s beauty â€Å"yet†. The word yet implies that death is inevitable which links to the phrase â€Å"star crossed lovers† that is delivered in the prologue. Elizabethan people were highly superstitious and believed heavily in fate which would have contributed to the many attributes that make Romeo a tragic hero. â€Å"And deaths pale flag is not advanced there. Shakespeare‘s use of nautical language is used to infer how Romeo has almost been â€Å"shipwrecked† (as he says later in the soliloquy) which highlights his solitude and his incomplete sensation he feels without Juliet present. In Addition, the audience so observes that Romeo’s obsessive and unconditional love for Juliet contributes to his fall from grace and greatly adheres to his hamartia. â€Å"Thee here in dark to be his paramour/hereâ €™s to my love†. Dramatic irony and a paradox of light is used her to show Romeo’s possessiveness and impetuousness. The fact that he says â€Å"my† shows his obsessive naivety, as he almost loves Juliet too much so to speak. It is clear for the audience to see that Romeo is ruled by fate, doomed from the start. A contemporary audience would have profoundly disagreed to this ethos as in a modern way we believe that we choose or make our own â€Å"fate†. Contrastingly Shakespeare uses powerful repetition to emphasise the importance and severity of Othello’s opening line. The use of monosyllabic words creates tension, highlighting Othello’s chilling tone. It is the cause, it is the cause my soul â€Å". Here Othello is addressing his soul and conscience, trying to justify the terrible act which he is about to commit; but in his mind he already has established the inevitability of his actions. The fact that Othello uses the word â€Å"It â€Å"shows he cannot bring himself to name the act that Desdemona has supposedly committed. Even this early in the soliloquy, the read er can clearly distinguish Othello’s hamartia (the traits that make a tragic hero). We see his serious errors in judgment (believing Iago without proof) which later leads him to committing the dead (Taking Desdemona’s) that leads to his downfall. Additionally, Othello changes the address of his soliloquy from his inner self, to the â€Å"Chaste stars â€Å". It is a commonly known fact that the Elizabethan era were very superstitious; so it is very understandable that they could empathise with Othello’s â€Å"cause â€Å" and understand his alliance with the stars. â€Å"Let me not name it to you, chaste stars â€Å". This is reminiscent of the prologue in Romeo and Juliet, where it refers to â€Å"star crossed lovers â€Å", the audience can now see a clear correlation between obsessive love and death, which is sad as in both plays the deceased lovers are â€Å" innocent â€Å". Here Othello is further trying to reassure himself that he is doing the just thing; that his actions are almost written in â€Å"alabaster â€Å"inevitable. Referring to the â€Å"chaste stars â€Å" is also part of Othello’s hamartia; the idea of being doomed from the beginning . Also his obsessive, overpowering love for Desdemona, distorts his perception of reality, which is why he failed to detect the lies being fed to him by Iago. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to highlight Desdemona’s innocence, the fact that Othello says â€Å"chaste â€Å"is almost humorous as the audience knows that Desdemona is completely innocent, never committing adultery in her extremely short life. Just as Romeo speaks of Juliet’s beauty, even in death, to emphasise his love for her, so too does Othello in acknowledging Desdemona’s outward perfection and beauty. â€Å".. hiter skin than snow/And smooth as monumental alabaster.. † Here Shakespeare uses and extended metaphor, which is ironic as Othello is comparing Desdemona to white snow, white being symbolic of innocence and purity which paradoxes the vile dead which he is about to commit. Shakespeare use of figurative language here powerfully reflects Othello’s intense love and adoration for Desdemona. The fact that Othello elevates Desdemona to a position of â€Å"Monumental† perfection shows that he is savouring her beauty before confirming his resolve that â€Å"she must die†. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s clever use of dramatic irony and ability to control the audiences’ emotions through powerful imperative verbs is shown in this part of the soliloquy. â€Å"Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men†. Othello’s resolve is highlighted by a break in the flow of the verse, emphasised by a colon. This break represents his sorrow, regret and anguish. The fact that Othello is a â€Å"Moore† means he suffered both outwardly (isolation and alienation attacks) and inwardly (tortured conscience). Unfortunately the finality of this statement conveys to the audience the harsh reality that Othello is going carry out this injustice. Also this particular line said by Othello links with what Brabantio (desdamona’s father) says in the beginning of the play â€Å"Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee†. This here is very ironic, as Othello is going to murder Desdemona for the exact thing her father warned him about, except she has not committed the act. We the audience feel pathos toward Desdemona as even her father had a false predicament and made an extreme error in judging his own daughters character. Unsurprisingly this links with Romeo and Juliet’s struggle to be together as a result of the â€Å"family feud†. Love is portrayed to be a hardship in both plays, which may be one of the reasons the love is so obsessive and unhealthy. To conclude, I believe that the theme of love is convayed very effectively in both Romeos and Othello’s soliloquy. Both invoked a variety of emotions and allow the audience to really connect with the characters. A great amount of dramatic irony and tension is delivered at pivotal points in both plays where obsessive leads to the suicide of Juliet and contrastingly the murder of Desdemona.

Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia

Introduction Different countries have different reasons for possessing dangerous ulcer weapons. Many of the countries in possession of the weapons cite defense as their foremost reason. It proves difficult to ascertain the exact number of the weapons a country possesses due to the high level of secrecy involved. For instance, as revealed by the federation of American scientists, China records approximately 180 full of zip nuclear weaponry but owning 240 of them in summation as recorded in the 2009 statistics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite of these, China is the â€Å"second smallest country that possesses such weapons as compared to other five major states possessing these nuclear weapons† (Kristensen, Robert, Matthew, 2006, p.53). However, what triggers the minds of many is whether th e Chinese nuclear weapon arsenal is stability or an instability force in Asia. As the paper unfolds, China’s nuclear weapon arsenal stands out as a force for stability in Asia. Discussion China has signed various treaties for its safety use of its nuclear weapons. It is one of the countries, which have signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The treaty, ratified by China in 1992, illustrates the commitment of China in using its nuclear for the purposes of stability of its continent as opposed to causing instability (Kristensen, Robert, Matthew, 2006, p.45). Therefore, the claim alone is a package enough to declare the Chinese nuclear weapon arsenal a stability force in Asia. Furthermore, among the five states, China gave an assurance of security to those countries without possession of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the Chinese policy â€Å"no first use rule† asserts their concerns on stability. This policy means that the use of their nuclear weapons will come as t he last resort if the circumstances require that they use them. As Michael (2011, Para. 4) observes, â€Å"The white paper of 2005 released by the foreign ministry states that the government would not use its weapons under any circumstances and at any time as its first option† during any time of war. It further postulates that China will under no circumstances use nuclear weapons on a non-nuclear weapon state. Furthermore, China has, of recent had good relations with other countries, the US being among them. For instance, in the status and evolution paper on the china nuclear arsenal, union of concerned scientists assured the world that China had no intention of enhancing any parity with the Us (Michael, 2011, Para.5). Further, the paper raised the concern of its arsenal being able to protect the people of China in order for it to survive any attack and have the ability to retaliate. This therefore, implies that China has no ill intention of its nuclear weapon causing any for m of mayhem but rather fosters stability of its country as well as the safety of its people.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion In conclusion, while some countries possesses nuclear firearms based on some instability force evident in their corresponding continents, China assumes the reverse as its nuclear weapon arsenal is no more than a force of stability in Asia. It proves therefore important to note that China is not the only country in possession of such weapons of mass destruction. Although issues have been raised concerning the ill motives of China’s possession of the firearms and secret manufacturing of these weapons, it remains not clear to tell what decision the country can come up with tomorrow. The various treaties signed on usage of the weapons remains the only reference point, but overall, the Chinese nuclear weapons exist purposely to foster stability of the country and only used as the last resort. Reference List Michael, C. (2011). Debate over China’s nuclear policy Analysis: Questions remain on China’s nuclear stance. Retrieve June 2, 2011 from www. nuclear-news.net/2011/05/23/debate-over-chinas-nuclear-policy/ Kristensen, M., Robert, S., and Matthew, G. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning. Oxford: Oxford UP. This essay on Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia? was written and submitted by user Kamila Burt to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.