Opening Statement Before the HOR Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations free essay sample

Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary Of His Life

Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in G Major, Fugue in G Minor ("The Great"), St. Matthew Passion, and Jesu Der Du Meine Seele. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist, and taught his son the basic skills for string playing; another relation, the organist at Eisenach's most important church, instructed the young boy on the organ. In 1695 his parents died and he was only 10 years old. He went to go stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. Johann Christoph was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as on the harpsichord. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany, and so left his brother's tutelage. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a "lackey and violinist" in a court orchestra in Weimar; soon after, he took the job of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here, as in later posts, his perfectionist tendencies and high expectations of other musicians - for example, the church choir - rubbed his colleagues the wrong way, and he was embroiled in a number of hot disputes during his short tenure. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach became fed up with the lousy musical standards of Arnstadt (and the working conditions) and moved on to another o... Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary Of His Life Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary Of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in G Major, Fugue in G Minor ("The Great"), St. Matthew Passion, and Jesu Der Du Meine Seele. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist, and taught his son the basic skills for string playing; another relation, the organist at Eisenach's most important church, instructed the young boy on the organ. In 1695 his parents died and he was only 10 years old. He went to go stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. Johann Christoph was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as on the harpsichord. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany, and so left his brother's tutelage. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a "lackey and violinist" in a court orchestra in Weimar; soon after, he took the job of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here, as in later posts, his perfectionist tendencies and high expectations of other musicians - for example, the church choir - rubbed his colleagues the wrong way, and he was embroiled in a number of hot disputes during his short tenure. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach became fed up with the lousy musical standards of Arnstadt (and the working conditions) and moved on to another o... Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary Of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in G Major, Fugue in G Minor ("The Great"), St. Matthew Passion, and Jesu Der Du Meine Seele. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist, and taught his son the basic skills for string playing; another relation, the organist at Eisenach's most important church, instructed the young boy on the organ. In 1695 his parents died and he was only 10 years old. He went to go stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. Johann Christoph was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as on the harpsichord. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany, and so left his brother's tutelage. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a "lackey and violinist" in a court orchestra in Weimar; soon after, he took the job of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here, as in later posts, his perfectionist tendencies and high expectations of other musicians - for example, the church choir - rubbed his colleagues the wrong way, and he was embroiled in a number of hot disputes during his short tenure. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach became fed up with the lousy musical standards of Arnstadt (and the working conditions) and moved on to another organist job, this time at the St. Blasius Chur...

Developing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing leadership - Essay Example With the field of information technology changing rapidly, it is going to necessitate organizations to increase their reliance in technology in the future. This can be done through strategy although it is clear that the changing technologies shall compel organizations to change. Organizations have to invest in cutting edge technology for them to remain relevant. Organizational analysts have been using their domain knowledge to develop business models (Hesselbein & Goldsmith 2009). These models are made up of individual, departmental tasks. With growing information technology, architects shall be forced to assemble services and use workflow to automate executions at a faster rate in the coming years. The current trends show that resultant businesses in organizations shall be automated to a large extent. All the organizational employees and workers shall be compelled to use common vocabulary to collaborate and describe most of the organizational processes due to the impact of the comin g technologies. Forecast shows that it shall be a vital requirement for organizational workers to have more than the basic information technology skills (Yadav & Prabhu 2007). Going by the current trend, it shall be decisive for employees to have professional information technology skills in their own organizational portfolios (Rasmus & Salkowitz 2009). The chief executive offices have to use specialized software, which is customized, for the organization and equipped to monitor all the processes in the organizations. Information technology experts shall have to dwell much on developing software and hardware that can deliver (Prasad 2010). They shall also be involved in monitoring various aspects of the functionality of their product once it is deployed. The information technology firms shall be interested in improving these installations (Rasmus & Salkowitz 2009). Organizational processes shall need software and expertise for future survival. This shall constitute the concept of organizational proc esses management. Future corporate leaders: The leadership of organizations shall have to build on top of information technology basics. The future challenge of organizational leaders is to acknowledge that organizations will be run through linking individual, business tasks to develop a valuable product (Hesselbein & Goldsmith 2009). This will not necessarily take thousands of employees. It is likely that some future organizations shall outsource professional information technology services to improve quality and speed. Outsourcing is not a new concept in running of organizations (Buchen 2011). However, the need for specialized information technology skills to give multinationals a competitive advantage is set to rise. A telling example is sum sang group of companies. In South Korea, the elderly are adored according to corporate culture. However, the outgoing chief executive officer of Samsung group of companies has recommended a young successor. In a statement, he thought that, fo r the company to remain competitive in the dynamic market, it has to give room to leaders who are able to understand technology. Indeed age and gender prejudice has been associated with organizational leadership for decades (Chandna & Krishnan 2009). The youths have been kept out of leadership until the rise of the technological phenomenon. Organizations in the future shall have to depend on information techn

Edward Burtynsky & Banksy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Edward Burtynsky & Banksy - Essay Example Thus, while Burtynsky tries to instill an artificial sense of beauty and comfort by taking his viewers away from reality, Banksy tries to make people aware about the social issues by portraying realities satirically. This article intends to compare and contrast both the artists. The early years Burtynsky was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. He was brought to the world of photographs by his father when he purchased a darkroom along with camera and instruction manuals. After gaining some knowledge in the field, he started a small business of taking portraits. Later on, he enrolled at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute for better understanding of photography. Thus, he obtained a BAA in Media Studies Program. It seems that Burtynsky was influenced by a number of other artists. Some of them are Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eadweard Muybridge, and Carleton Watkins (Edward Burtynsky: biography). Banksy was born in 1974 and brought up in Bristol. Though he was the son of a photocopier techni cian, he was destined to get training in butchery. However, the genius got himself involved in graffiti as it was the time of aerosol boom. Thus, his work shows similarity to the works of Blek le Rat, and Massive Attack (Brian Sewell Art Directory). Burtynsky concentrated mainly on landscapes which are altered by the advancement of industry; including mines, piles of scrap and quarries. However, the mere fact is that his photographs of industrial wilderness are often more beautiful than the landscapes it altered. Thus, one wonders if he is a fan of industrialization in a world where art and science do not cohabit. As Ballamingie points out, in order to cover the grand beauty of industrial landscapes, he even visited countries like China. On the other hand, Banksy’s works mainly deal with political and social themes. They cover messages including anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, anti-authoritarianism, anarchism, nihilism, and existentialism. In additi on, he exhibits mastery in exhibiting human conditions like poverty, despair, alienation, greed and hypocrisy. Technique Burtynsky is fond of large format field camera and his photographs are taken on 4x5 sheet film. They are then developed into high-resolution, large-dimension prints of nearly 50x60 inches. The photographs are often taken from higher platforms (â€Å"Artist analysis..†). Banksy is a street artist. So, his weapon was stencils. However, one has to assume that he even used computers to develop images because of the photocopy nature of his some works. According to Banksy, as he was too slow doing graffiti with stencils, he developed some intricate stencils which minimize time. His art work took every form and every place as he only considered efficacy as the prime aim. To illustrate, he painted his Gorilla in a pink mask on the exterior wall of a social club in Eastville. As Danny writes, as Banksy’s graffiti appeared in public places, at times, governmen t officials considered his graffiti as a form of vandalism. Important works Burtynsky’s one photographic series was named ‘Mines’. It was photographed in Bingham Valley, Utah; Sudbury, Ontario; Butte, Montana; Highland Valley, British Columbia and Revelstoke, British Columbia. Another series ‘

VALUE OF HUMAN CAPITAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

VALUE OF HUMAN CAPITAL - Essay Example The accountants continue to ignore the value of human capital and stick to the age-old theory of ratio analysis and interpretation of financial statements. Ironically, these too are fraught with errors and can be easily manipulated to deceive the stakeholders. The happenings at Enron are well known when all they were concerned was with maximizing shareholder value and hence they hid debts and overemphasized profits (Gardner, 2006). Dubious accounts were passed and the account that was presented to the public was fraught with discrepancies. At WorldCom the company’s profits were artificially boosted and costs were considered as capital investment, on which they even claimed depreciation (Bhattacharya, 2004). All these helped the company to sustain its apparently smooth and rapid earning growth. The stock prices were artificially escalated and the company loan was used to buy personal properties. Several such instances can be found round the world and such manipulation is possible only with the connivance of the auditors or the accountants. Human capital has become important as it is the source of innovation and strategy. Human capital is the combination of genetic inheritance, education, experience and attitude towards life and business (Bontis and Fitz-enz, 2002). Tacit knowledge is acquired by interacting with others and is connected to life’s experiences. This tacit knowledge has to be converted and retained within the organization so that they can compete in the knowledge-based economy (Marwick, 2001). Human capital adds value, is not substitutable and leads to sustained competitive advantage. At Microsoft, human capital is the greatest asset, is demonstrated by the fact that they form teams to accelerate design and test new software modules. They invest in people and technology and they have learnt how to share knowledge rapidly through out the organization (Edmondson, 2003). They

Interpersonal Deception Theory: Example Case

Interpersonal Deception Theory: Example Case In the daily life, we are always having social interactions and communicate with people.  Therefore, we will be faced through a variety of conditions or circumstances faced by either consciously or unconsciously which has involved ourselves into what is called Interception Deception Theory which has been stated by David Buller and Judee Burgoon. Interpersonal Deception Theory means is trying to explain how is the individual make the interactions with the real lie or perceived in the conscious or unconscious while they are involving in the face to face communication. Communication would not be static because it has been influenced by not only ones goals itself, but it is also by how the interaction context. By sending the message and it was affected by the conduct and the message of receiver and vice versa. Furthermore, deception is different from the truth communication which means that intentional fraud requires more significant cognitive resources than the truthful communication, does the sender involved in the falsification creates a fiction, concealment hides a secret or equivocation dodges the issues. Buller and Burgoon define as a message knowingly transmitted by a sender to foster a false belief or conclusion by the receiver. (Buller and Burgoon, 1996: 203-242) The processes to establish a good relationship with the boyfriend, friends, family, leaders or lecturers are not always smooth as envisaged.  Therefore, we must be smart to choose the way for good relation which has been existed previously. Every person in this world will have a lied to a particular purpose, which namely was the target, maintaining their goals or saving their face themselves. Deception needs an effort and hard work. The liar has to be continued to deal with its task which was very complex in managing their lie strategy. If the lie have been too much, so there will be a leaking and this leak will affected to the non-verbal behavior. Lie will also create feelings of guilt and doubt which will be seen from the actions or behavior. The succession of the lie is also depends on the suspicion of the respondent. The respondent usually has the feelings that can be easily detected by the liar. The suspicion will be in the fact and fiction. According to Buller and Burgoon (1996:203-242), Communication senders attempt to manipulate messages so as to be untruthful, which may cause them apprehension concerning their false communication being detected.  Simultaneously, communication receivers try to unveil or detect the validity of that information, causing suspicion about whether or not the sender is being deceitful. (Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. (1996), Interpersonal deception theory Communication Theory, 19966:203-242) Interpersonal Deception Theory means that there are times when someone must lie. Lying is a manipulation of information, but someone who wants to lie should have a strategy which could be falsification, concealment and equivocation. According to Buller and Burgoon (1996:203-242), there are three aspects of deceptive messages which are: The central deceptive message, which is usually verbal. Ancillary message, which includes both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication that often reveals the truthfulness of a particular message.   Inadvertent behaviors which are mostly nonverbal and help to point out the deceit of the sender through a term called leakage. (Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. (1996), Interpersonal deception theory. Communication Theory, 6, 203-242) Example case: There is a university student who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend since 5 years ago, and there is unexpected thing happens. The mother of her boyfriend had been in the verdict of a breast cancer by doctor when she had her healthy check up. Since the girl has been in a relationship for five years, she is so closed with her boyfriends family. She has been treating by her boyfriends parents like their own daughter, because they have their closed relationship so she is calling his boyfriends parents as Mom and Dad. The girl is taking care of her boyfriends mother because of their relationship and also because her boyfriend is the only child in the family so there was not any person who can take care of her mother except the girl. They went to Singapore continually to do the surgery and chemotherapy treatment and radiotherapy treatment. The girl always accompanies them to do all the things and helping them to go through the healing process. And since the girl is also a student in a university and she still having the class at that time, so sometimes she have to skipped the class in order to accompany her boyfriends mother and she told to her lecturers that her mother is having a breast cancer and she have to go to Singapore quite often to accompany her and the lecturers give their permission to her. And later on, the lecturers found out from the girl classmates or gossip that the girl is not telling the truth about the mother who was the girl says as her mom, it is not her biologic mother but her boyfriends mother. The girl says that is because she is calling her boy friends mother as my mom. In this case, it can be considered as interpersonal deception based on the three aspects of deceptive messages from Buller and Burgoon. There are two aspects that related with the case above which are: The central deceptive message, which is usually verbal means that there are miss communication between the girl and the lecturer. It has been misunderstood verbal communication in which she said her mom who according to her is the mother of the boyfriend who was she considered as her own mother that maybe it could be misunderstood by the lecturer who thinks that her mom was to show the biological mother  of this girl. So, there is a miscommunication and misunderstanding via verbal communication way between the girl and the lecturer which can be considered as interpersonal deception by the lecturer. And the other aspects is Ancillary message, which includes both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication that often reveals the truthfulness of a particular message which means that v erbally, the girl said she is going to accompany her mom to have her medical treatment and care.  This girl is no intention to defraud or lie to the teacher by saying her mom who is the mother of her boyfriends mother as her own mother due to their close relationship between the girl and her boyfriends mother is already very close which causing the girl has been considered as child  of their own.  Furthermore, by the non verbal, the girl also gave evidence in the form of letters from the doctors who assume to write which it was true that the girl is coming to accompany her mother to having the medical treatment and medical care. Theoretical Perspective Interpersonal deception theory is a fraud which based on theoretical views of interpersonal communication.   Therefore, Buller and Burgoon assume that fraud is as an interactive process between sender and receiver. In contrast with previous studies of deception that focused on the sender and receiver individually, Interpersonal deception theory focuses on the dyadic, relational and dialogic nature of deceptive communication. The behaviors between the sender and receiver are dynamic, multifunctional, multidimensional and multimodal. (Buller and Burgoon, 1998) Dyadic communication  refers to communication between two people. A dyad is a group of two people between whom messages are sent and received. Relational communication refers to communication in which meaning is created by two people simultaneously filling the roles of both sender and receiver. Dialogic  activity refers to the active communicative language of the sender and receiver, each relying upon the other within the exchange. MANIPULATING INFORMATION: THE LANGUAGE AND LOOK OF LIARS Basically deception is hoax fraud information. Liars always use the falsification, concealment or equivocation to complete their lie. Fraud is usually done on the basis of motive to deceive. Usually a person who will commit a fraud has at least three goals which is to complete a certain task, to establish or maintain the relationships with the respondents, and to save their face or maintain the image of one or both parties. In our daily life, we always communicate to each other. The way that every individual communicate is different. The language that used was also different in accordance with the objectives to be achieved, so that sometimes some people think that the need to commit fraud. Based on Buller and Burgoon, they assume that the motivation and interpersonal identity fraud inherent in stimulating the text over the mark as a less honest communication. Although sometimes the respondents did not know or see any signs of deception, in theory there are four characteristics that reflect the strategic objectives, which are: Uncertainty and vagueness If the girl does not want the lecturer know about the truth that her mom who is not the girl biological mother, the girl will probably to keep the answer secretly and shortly. No immediacy, reticence and withdrawal If the lecturer suddenly say that the mother who the girl was accompany and taking care for the medical treatment and medical care is not her biological mother, the girl will probably wish that it is better that she do not tell anything to her friends. The girl might silent to hear the lecturer opinion about her statement. Disassociation The girl will give the explanation to the lecturer about the miscommunication and misunderstanding from the word her mom that the girl stated. The girl has been treating by her boyfriends parents like their own daughter, because they have their closed relationship so she is calling his boyfriends parents as Mom and Dad. Image-and relationship-protecting behaviour When the people want to do a fraud, they usually will acknowledge the existence of non-verbal leakage which will provide the signs that the words they communicate are lie. Based on Buller and Burgoon, It seems that smile might be a simple all-purpose strategy applies to cover lies.   (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) People who want to know a clear way to separate the truth from the fraud can be through the four strategic signs that will give the right way to get honesty.  In the world of communication, it is not easy because almost all communication is intentional, goal directed, and conscious. Buller and Burgoon adopt the term leakage to refer to unconscious nonverbal cues that signal an internal state. IDTs explanations of interpersonal deception depend on the situation in which interaction occurs and the relationship between the sender and receiver. Over half of their 18 propositions involve the important distinction between strategic and nonstrategic activity. (Buller and Burgoon, 1996) Sender and receiver cognitions and behaviours vary systematically as deceptive communication contexts vary in (a) access to social cues, (b) immediacy, (c) relational engagement, (d) conversational demands, and (e) spontaneity. During deceptive interchanges, sender and receiver cognitions and behaviours vary systematically as relationships vary in (a) relational familiarity (including informational and behavioural familiarity) and (b) relational valence. Individual communicators also approach deceptive exchanges with their own set of pre-interaction factors, such as expectancies, knowledge, goals or intentions, and behavioural repertoires that reflect their communication competence. IDT posits that such factors influence the deceptive exchange. Compared with truth tellers, deceivers (a) engage in greater strategic activity designed to manage information, behaviour, and image and (b) display more nonstrategic arousal cues, negative and dampened affect, non-involvement and performance decrements. Context interactivity moderates initial deception displays such that deception in increasingly interactive contexts results in (a) greater strategic activity (information, behaviour, and image management) and (b) reduced nonstrategic activity (arousal, negative or dampened affect, and performance decrements) over time relative to non-interactive contexts. Sender and receiver initial expectations for honesty are positively related to degree of context interactivity and positivity of relationship between sender and receiver. Deceivers initial detection apprehension and associated strategic activity are inversely related to expectations for honesty (which are themselves a function of context interactivity and relationship positivity). Goals and motivations moderate strategic and nonstrategic behaviour displays. As receivers informational, behavioural, and relational familiarity increase, deceivers not only (a) experience more detection apprehension and (b) exhibit more strategic information, behaviour, and image management but also (c) more nonstrategic leakage behaviour. Skilled deceivers appear more believable because they make more strategic moves and display less leakage than unskilled deceivers. Initial and ongoing receiver judgments of sender credibility are positively related to (a) receiver truth biases, (b) context interactivity, (c) and sender encoding skills; they are inversely related to (d) deviations of sender communication from expected patterns. Initial and ongoing detection accuracy are inversely related to (a) receiver truth biases, (b) context interactivity, (c) and sender encoding skills; they are positively related to (d) informational and behavioural familiarity, (e) receiver decoding skills, and (f) deviations of sender communication from expected patterns. Receiver suspicion is manifested through a combination of strategic and nonstrategic behaviour. Senders perceive suspicion when it is present. Suspicion (perceived or actual) increases senders (a) strategic and (b) nonstrategic behaviour Deception and suspicion displays change over time. Reciprocity is the predominant interaction adaptation pattern between senders and receivers during interpersonal deception. Receiver detection accuracy, bias, and judgments of sender credibility following an interaction are a function of (a) terminal receiver cognitions (suspicion, truth biases), (b) receiver decoding skill, and (c) terminal sender behavioural displays. Sender perceived deception success is a function of (a) terminal sender cognitions (perceived suspicion) and (b) terminal receiver behavioural displays. (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) THE RESPONDENTS DILEMMA: TRUTH BIAS OR SUSPICION? According to Burgoon and Buller (1996: 203-242) that respondents tend to think of interpersonal messages truthful, complete, direct, relevant, and clear-even when the speaker is lying. So no matter what you might say about the girl is accompanying her mother for the medical treatment and medical care, the lecturer probably will believe the girl. Whatever the reason for the assumption of veracity, Buller and Burgoon are convinced that whatever is said by people close to you, then the respondent would still believe the words despite occasional doubts. The experts of the theory found that whatever is said by people who close to us and that we love, friends and family will be hoping to get the honesty and truth of the spoken words. Although sometimes a strong truth and valid bias between each other face to face interaction, people also can doubt our word.  The lecturer may also suspicious of the doubt that the girl say after listening to gossip or news about the reality that the word her mom was not according to the girl biological mother. Buller and Burgoon define a suspicion as state of doubt or distrust that is held without sufficient evidence or proof. (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) Phosphotransferase Systems: Regulations and Types Phosphotransferase Systems: Regulations and Types Abstract Not a single specific class of antimicrobial agent during the past few decades has yet been discovered leading to development of the new improved drugs for humans. Regardless of the enhanced existing class potency, the requirements for the new agents of anti-microbes continue. The purpose of this study was to explore the PTS system, its regulation and different PTS systems and to investigate catabolite repression and virulence factors in different bacteria especially Escherichia coli and it’s relation with the PTS system. Extensive literature was identified for this purpose to examine the ways through which the PTS system makes antimicrobials and antibiotics. For the discovery of new agents, the PTS or bacterial phosphotransferase system offer a possibility to offer new opportunities. This type of system offers an entry vehicle into the initiation of metabolism pathways and infecting bacteria for such agents. These agents are found to be active on both the sessile and growing forms and due to the eukaryotic lack of the counterparts of PTS these analogues are thought to be non-toxic for the animal host. INTRODUCTION Bacteria often live in inhospitable environments and numerous other bacteria are live in places with no oxygen. Hence, there options for generating the energy are limited. There are many clever ways developed by bacteria that may live off whatever is available and it tends to exploit these best advantage resources. In 1964 Kundig, Ghosh, and Roseman highlighted a novel system of sugar phosphorylation in one of the novel phosphorylating sugar system in Escherichia coli. It is a key transport system type which is exclusively found in the world of prokaryotes and the best-known group translocation system, a process in which an organic molecule such as glucose is transported to the cell while being chemically modified. The exclusive features of this phosphotransferase system comprise of phosphoenolpyvate (PEP) as the phosphoryl donor for phosphorylating sugar and the three vital catalytic entities present termed as Enzyme II, Enzyme I, and heat-stable, histidine-phosphorylatable protein HPr. The PTS system is responsible for the transport of sugar across the membranes of the bacteria as per the subsequent reaction: PEP (in) + carbohydrate (out) – pyruvate(in) + carbohydrate –phosphate (in) The system of phosphotransferase is often catalyzed by the concomitant sugars phosphorylation as well as hexitols and it usually regulates the response mechanisms dependant on the carbohydrate availability (Postma, et al.1993). It is a very complex system as it often acts as an environmental sensor and therefore requires performance of a numerous functions to sense and successfully delivering a desirable carbohydrate. Typical bacterial cells make many similar transporters that all stand ready to import whatever sugars are available. A complex regulatory network makes a decision which transporters are switched on and used at any given time. The PTS is also a very energy-efficient system when compared to the other transport systems in the cell. Many transporters use ATP to power the import of nutrients, but PTS uses a molecule of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP-one of the intermediates in glycolysis) instead, to power the PTS reaction and provide the phosphate. This pre-phosphorylation of sugars primes them for entry into the energy production pathways (Kotrba, et al. 2001). In E.coli the PTS system is made up of two general cytoplasmic proteins: Enzyme I and a heat-stable protein (HPr). Both participate in transport of all PTS carbohydrates. The substrate-specific protein – Enzyme II consists of three functional domains: IIA, IIB (cytoplasmic and hydrophilic) and IIC (membrane-bound and hydrophobic) (Prescott, 2002). The Enzyme II domains are specific only for one or a few carbohydrates (Postma, et al 1993). However, in the PTS fructose transport of E. coli Enzyme I and HPr are fused together with central M domain and it is specific for this particular transport only (Reizer Saier, 1997). Figure 1 represents the constituents of the PTS system. Figure 1. Components of the bacterial PTS system: phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), Enzyme I (EI), heat-stable protein (HPr), and Enzyme II (EIIA, EIIB, EIIC). Figure illustrates two examples of the PTS system in E. coli: glucose-specific and mannitol-specific. In this project I would like to present a review of literature on the PTS structure, role and regulation. I would like to show the connection between virulence and the phosphotransferase system in different bacteria and finally to examine the ways in which we can use the PTS system to create new antimicrobials and antibiotics without targeting the commensal organisms within the host. PTS structure Enzyme I Enzyme I (EI) is one of the two universal compounds at the entry point of the PEP-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system. The EI monomer consists of three structurally independent domains which are separated by long linkers (Fig. 2): N-terminal protein-resistant region (EIN) and the PEP-binding C-terminal domain (EIC) and linker helix that separates them (Margques et al, 2006). The N-terminal region is responsible binds HPr,and the C-terminal region which consists of the initial acceptor of the phosphoryl group (His-190) which binds PEP (Oberholzer et al, 2005). EI can appear as a monomer and a dimer (EI-P) but only a dimeric form can be phosphorylated (Chauvin et al 1994). It has been recently shown that magnesium and PEP influence both forms of EI but it remains unclear how a change from monomer to dimer activates an ability of EI to autophosphorylate (Patel et al 2006). Experiments on gel filtration showed that EIN which does not dimerize lacks a PEP-binding site but is still able to accept phosphaote from HPr in reversible phosphorylation (Chauvin et al 1996). Figure 2. Diagram of the Enzyme I model showing N- and C terminal domains with linker helix (Marques ate al, 2006). EI catalyses the first step in the PTS cascade. The activity levels of EI will determine the phosphorylation state of all PTS components, therefore it plays a key role in regulatory functions of PTS (Patel et al 2006). Low molecular heat-stable protein (HPr) HPr (histidine containing phosphocarier protein) is a single-domain cytoplasmic protein with molecular mass of 9kDa. Its main function is to accept the phosphoryl group from EI. Recently it has also been found that HPr acts as a intermediate in the signaling cascade that regulates transcription of genes which are related to the carbohydrate-response system. Those functions both involve reactions of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, but at a different sites (Maurer et al 2001). The structure and function of HPr has been studied in the wide range of organisms. It was purified, inter alia, from: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus lactis, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes. HPr consists of four-stranded antiparallel B-sheet and L-helixes (two long and one short) set at one side of B-sheet (Fig.3). Interestingly the amino acid sequence in HPr protein differs among the species however, it shows similarity in secondary-structure elements and its tertiary fold (Hahmann et al, 1998). Figure 3. Structure of the HPr by Feng et al, 2001. Enzyme II complexes Enzyme II complexes are specific to one or few carbohydrates and consist of two hydrophllic domains: IIA and IIB, and one membrane-bound hydrophilic domain IIC. All three domains can be fused together in a single polypeptide chain or exist as two or three chains that interact with each other (Saier Reizer 1992). The first EII domain that was described was the II Man complex in E. coli which was later illustrated as EIIA and EIIB (Kundig Roseman, 1971). IIA domain carries the first permease-specific phosphorylation site and becomes phosphortlated on anhistidine residue by HPr. Domains IIA and IIB are similar in size and usually consists of 100-160 amino acids residues. IIC domain can form 6-8 transmembrane helixes and has around 350 residues (Kotrba et al 2001). The phosphoryl group is transferred from IIA to histidine or cysteine residue on IIB domain, depending on the carbohydrate transported. The third domain IIC is a substrate- specific site that develops a translocation channel for the sugar to be taken up through the membrane. Some specific transporters, like Mannose family in E.coli, possess another membrane-bound protein IID(ebi.ac.uk many references) Recognition of specific carbohydrate by IIC is not fully understood, yet. Although it is known that a certain motif, [Gn]-[Iv]-[Tsn]- E, plays a role in sugar identification. This highly conserved motif is shared among the IIE families and is located in the loop which is faced towards exterior of the cell and may be a part of the sugar-binding site (Robillard Bross 1999). Also, a glutamate residue located in the most conserved part of IIC GITE sequence (Chang et al 2005) is involved in phosphoryl transfer to the bound sugar ( Lengeler et al 1990). Families of PTS Enzyme II A bacterial cell may contain many PTS EII complexes, each exclusive to a different sugar. Most of those complexes share a number of characteristics: three domains IIA, IIB and IIC organized as free or fused structures which can be coupled by linkers and/or arranged in a different order (Lengeler, 1990). Four superfamilies have been described according to the evolutionary status (Saier et al., 2005): Glucose-Fructose-Lactose (Glu-Fru-Lac); L-ascorbate D-galactitol (Asc-Gat); Mannose (Man); Dihydroxyacetone (Dha). The Glu-Fru-Lac and Man super families are well-described. They are well incorporated with the PTS and are not able to transport carbohydrates by any other mechanism (Saier et al., 2005). D-Fructose is the only sugar that is taken into glycolysis reaction without rearranging its carbon backbone. Many bacteria lack other permeases but most possess fructose-specific PTS permease. It has been proposed that D-fructose was ubiquitous and specific to primeval organisms (Saier, 1977). In E .coli the multiphosphoryl transfer proteins (MTPs) were found in fructose-specific EI-like and HPr-like domains. MTPs are domains that display homology to modular proteins encoded by genes of some proteobacteria (Reizer Saier, 1997). The IIA Fru-like domain with central M domain of unknown function, phosphorylates IIB domain which is fused with another IIBC domain (Kotrba et al., 2001). It is the only example of protein with two IIB domains fused with IIC. In glucose permease of E. coli, EIIGlc contains protein IIA Glu encoded by crr gene and the IIB Glu encoded by pts gene. EIIA phosphorylates EIIB at a cysteine residue which is fused to EIIC through a linker (Postma et al., 1993). Other superfamilies like Asc-Gat have been characterized from genetic and biochemical view fairly recently (Nobelman Lengeler, 1996; Hvorupet al., 2003) and can act as secondary carriers depending on their specificity. Enzyme II complex of DHA family displays some similar mechanical characteristics to ATP-dependent precursor and PEP- dependent complex. Role of the PTS in chemotaxis Phosphotransferase system is well known of its ability to perform many different functions (Table 1). The role of PTS in chemotaxis has been described in 1974 by Alder and Epstein. They studied glucose transporter as chemoreceptor by using mutants lacking galactose binding protein. Mutants lacking EII glu but not EII Man did not move towards D-glucose and mutants lacking EII Man not EII Glu carried out movement with the specificity for D-mannosamine. Therefore, enzymes II work as recognition elements for specific chemoreceptors however the exact interaction between PTS and receptor-mediated signal remains unclear. Table 1. Functions of the PTS. In E. coli and many other bacteria, sensory centre is composed of chemoreceptors: kinase CheA and n adapter protein CheW that are organized in group which increase the signal through communication between those protein. Studies in vivi showed that signal from PTS is sent directly to the chempreceptors ChA and CheW through mediated interactions of EI and perhaps EIIA Glu (Neumann et al., 2012). The participation of EI and EIIA Glu in chemotaxis is reflects the importance of those components in other functions. The phosphorylation status of EI is associated with the rate of uptake of sugars. Phosphorylation of EIIA Glu is affected by the uptake of other sugars, not only glucose, maltose and trehalose because of the reversible reactions that occur within the PTS (Lengeler Jahreis, 2009). Regulation of PTS sugar uptake Thursday 20/03 3.1 Inducer exclusion and catabolite repression in E. coli 3.2 Global regulation of CCR 3.3 CCR and inducer exclusion in other bacteria Saturday 22/3 3.2 role and regulation by the EIIA Glu PTS protein in enteric bacteria 3.3 The Mlc transcription factor regulated by EIICBGlc in enteric bacteria 3.4 Regulation by HPr-Ser –P on low G+C Gram positive bacteria Sunday 23/03 Carbon metabolism and virulence in bacteria 4.1 Enterobacteria – E. coli 4.2 Vibrio cholera 4.3 Klebsiella pneumonia 4.4 Clostridium difficile PTS as a potential target for drug therapy Conclusion References (124)

Technology is Good :: Computer Science Technology

Technology is scientific developments that aid in problem solving and extend human capabilities. Its purpose is to help mankind, but often it has a negative effect. Guns were developed as a tool to protect oneself by killing the enemy. However, they?re often used for murder and on innocent people. Many more people die from the gun than are protected by it. Is the gun something that is harming the human race? Many argue that it is ?people who kill people?, not guns. Even if there weren?t guns, people would kill each other with different means. Although, the invention of something decidedly a weapon cannot be viewed as positive. Leaps and bounds have been made in the medicinal area of technology. Inventions of differing medicines and drugs have promoted the health of millions of people and even saved many of our lives. We no longer fear that influenza will be the death of us, nor any epidemics like the bubonic plague. This does not include third-world countries, which have been neglected and left behind. Not to mention that not all drugs turned out to be good. Many have horrible side effects and have been labeled ?bad? such as marijuana, cocaine, and LSD. Thousands of people are hooked to the stuff in ever downward-spiraling addictions. The internet is a wonderful communication network that connects the world and gives anyone access to billions of faucets of information anytime! With no effort at all you can talk to someone on the other side of the globe or buy something quite easily from an online store. The negative side, however, is that it can be dangerous, too. With lurking viruses and spy ware, are people out to steal your identity always looming. A great trafficker of porn and tons of false information, the internet can be highly addictive. The piracy rates have soared with free music downloads and software and such. Finally, one inarguably good invention is the refrigerator. It stores food like a cabinet and cools it to keep it from rotting days after it normally would. So, it saves food and garbage and money.

Enterprise Architecture at American Express Essay

Critical facts American Express, located in New York City, was founded in 1850 (Corporate Profile, 2015). It is one of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Corporate Profile, 2015). American provides services such as credit cards, charge cards, and traveler’s checks (Corporate Profile, 2015). American Express cards account for 24% of credit card transactions in the U.S. (Corporate Profile, 2015). According to the company’s 10k, the company generates $33 billion in revenue and over $5 billion in income. The company’s total assets are over $150 billion. American Express has one of the largest IT infrastructures and is able to handle an extremely high number of transactions each second (Demirkan, 2006). In 2011, the company won the first annual InfoWorld/Forrester Enterprise Architecture Award for its EA initiatives (Knorr, 2011). American Express chose to use an Enterprise Architecture (EA) as their IT framework that aligned their business and organizational needs to their information technology. Enterprise architects were the employees responsible for using this framework to continuously make their processes more efficient and utilizing their IT/IS to the fullest extent (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). Analysis I will be analyzing the success of American Express’s Enterprise Architecture, how Zachman Framework is used to structure the EA, and how this improved their existing service-oriented architecture (SOA). Changes in the way that mobile payments were being used by their clients, the company had to be flexible and adapt to the transformation. New delivery channels required American Express to adjust their prior time-to-market guidelines for payment services (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). The company turned to its Enterprise Architecture (EA) to guide them through the current market conditions. The opportunity that American Express saw was to use EA to meet the demands for a hastily changing environment. EA is a complex framework of rigid standards for developing an IT architecture and infrastructure that provides a design of how the IS of a company relates to the businesses and processes  (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). The architecture analyzes a great deal of the company, identifies core processes and how they work together, and then organizes how business units will interact and how IT will provide support (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013. The EA includes the Core business processes, shared data, linking/automating technologies, and customer groups (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013), with key components like the ability to do business effectively while utilizing new payment methods and mobile devices (Knor, 2011). Though an EA can help organize a company in a meaningful way, there are also potential drawbacks, which are discussed below. Zachman Framework is a tool that can be used to obtain the knowledge about itself with Enterprise architecture. It is a logical structure that classifies and organizes the descriptive representations of an enterprise (Pereira, Marques and Sousa, 2004). The framework integrates and aligns the IT infrastructure and business goals (Nogueira etc. al, 2011). Whereas an EA is used to document and develop the organizational data for American Express, the company uses the Zachman framework methodology to implement the EA. Zachman proposed the framework for IT architecture so that all of the IS architectures are depicted from top to bottom. It uses a matrix to provide a standard to ensure information environments are properly integrated (Nogueira etc. al, 2011). The 5 roles included in the framework are Planner, Owner, Designer, Builder, and Subcontractor. The EA provided several good things to the company. The EA system streamlined American Express’s processes, even as they were constantly re-analyzing how their business was being performed with the added intricacies of new delivery channels (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). The employment of their enterprise architecture was key to adapting to this new business environment the company now found itself in. The enterprise architects worked closely with other departments and were able to both standardize applications throughout the organization and help create the strategies for each division. The Zachman framework positively assisted in the implementation by answering the questions: What (data), How (function),  Where (network), Who (people), When (time) and Why (motivation). It helped point out the information needed for the EA and their relationships (Nogueira etc. al, 2011). The strategies they helped create involved initiatives for each business, along with their IT support, that aligned well with the overall business plan of the organization. These initiatives, referred to as â€Å"road maps,† standardized their tools, architectures, governance, capabilities, and many other processes (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). Three types of roadmaps in particular were used by American Express: Technology, reference architecture, and utility/capability. The three roads maps all used a consistent lifecycle management standard and a standardized architecture governance process. Another helpful aspect of the system included the flexibility that EA provided, which worked well with their existing architecture service-oriented architecture (SOA). SOA is an architecture type where larger software programs are broken down into services connected to each other via orchestration (Pearlson and Sanders, 2013). The services work together to form a business process, creating an agile, reusable system for creating applications. The existing software components can be modified to quickly build applications in a rapidly changing environment like the one American Express was experiencing. The enterprise architects assisted in the company’s SOA with an emphasis on reusable utilities and components (Demirkan, 2006). This system is ideal for a rapidly changing environment such as the one American Express was experiencing. Though SOA is a widely-used technology that can increase the IS’s agility, flexibility and interoperability between applications, there are also drawbacks, including the economic and personnel resources (Choi, Nazareth and Jain, 2010). SOA can reduce IT costs and increase the company’s return on IT investment, however the short-term requirements to implement SOA could outweigh long-term benefits (Choi, Nazareth and Jain, 2010). There are also some drawbacks to implementing an Enterprise Architecture,  including the cost of implementation, the risk of stakeholders’ unwillingness to accept it, and the new EA not corresponding to the business goals. When implementing SOA or EA, the entire IS organization is affected, along with the business alignment (Choi, Nazareth and Jain, 2010). Using a Zachman framework to implement the EA defined the involvement of stakeholders, as well aligning the EA goals with the business goals, which alleviated much of the risk of implementing the EA. The Zachman framework helped to avoid the risk that the architecture was not a fit for the employees and customers. In conclusion, the implementation of an EA is a complex endeavor, but was a necessary one for American Express to have the necessary tools to organize and document the whole enterprise, allowing them to quickly and efficiently change with the ever-changing business environment and customer needs. The Zachman Framework assisted in the implementation of the EA, and the company’s SOA gave it the desired agility needed to meet the customers’ needs. Recommendations My recommendation is that American Express’s continue to use the agility of their SOA to keep up with the changing environment. Their current EA was a great architecture that fit in perfectly with their business strategy. Moving forward, American Express will continue to use their highly efficient EA to meet the industry demands that they and their customers will face. The EA has worked well for them thus far, and should carry on as the ideal architecture of the firm in the near future. American Express will continue to face challenges beyond the near-term future and need re-analyze the situation prior to considering another overhaul of their current infrastructure. Many companies fail when attempting to implement an enterprise architecture. An EA will often fail if it is regarded as a separate initiative (Lohe, 2014), but American Express used it as a driver of their business and embedded it into their corporate strategy. Per the drawbacks noted above, this is a large and potentially costly undertaking. The agility of their current SOA and EA should allow the  company to adapt future challenges and they should not rush into an architecture overhaul. Furthermore, I would recommend using this system to its fullest potential by embracing the changing environment as much as possible. They can gain an edge on their competitors by focusing on mobile payments, new payment methods, and the newest innovations and technologies their clients are exposed to. The technological environment is constantly changing with new payment methods like Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Due to their EA, American Express is in prime position to accept these new methods as they develop. References Choi, J., Nazareth, D. L., & Jain, H. K. (2010). Implementing Service-Oriented Architecture in Organizations. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 26(4), 253-286. Corporate Profile. (2015, January 1). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://ir.americanexpress.com/CorporateProfile.aspx?iid=102700 Demirkan, H., & Goul, M. (2006). AMCIS 2006 PANEL SUMMARY: TOWARDS THE SERVICE ORIENTED ENTERPRISE VISION: BRIDGING INDUSTRY AND ACADEMICS.Communications Of The Association For Information Systems, 18546-556. Knor, E. (2011, September 19). The 2011 Enterprise Architecture Awards. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.infoworld.com/article/2619868/enterprise-architecture/enterprise-architecture-the-2011-enterprise-architecture-awards.html Là ¶he, J., & Legner, C. (2014). Overcoming implementation challenges in enterprise architecture management: a design theory for architecture-driven IT Management (ADRIMA). Information Systems & E-Business Management, 12(1), 101-137. doi:10.1007/s10257-012-0211-y Nogueira, J. M., Romero, D., Espadas, J., & Molina, A. (2013). Leveraging the Zachman framework implementation using action – research methodology – a case study: aligning the enterprise architecture and the business goals. Enterprise Information Systems, 7(1), 100-132. doi:10.1080/17517575.2012.678387 Pearlson, K. (2001). Organizational Strategy and Information Systems. In Managing and using information systems: A strategic approach. New York: J. Wiley & Sons. Pereira, C. M., & Sousa, P. (2004). A method to define an enterprise architecture using the zachman frameworkdoi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/967900.968175

Ancient Nepal, ca. 500 B.C.-A.D. 700

Ancient Nepal, ca. 500 B.C.-A.D. 700 Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people were living in the Himalayan region in the distant past, although their culture and artifacts are only slowly being explored. Written references to this region appeared only by the first millennium B.C. During that period, political or social groupings in Nepal became known in north India. The Mahabharata and other legendary Indian histories mention the Kiratas (see Glossary), who still inhabited eastern Nepal in 1991. Some legendary sources from the Kathmandu Valley also describe the Kiratas as early rulers there, taking over from earlier ​Gopals or Abhiras, both of whom may have been cowherding tribes. These sources agree that an original population, probably of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity, lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago, inhabiting small settlements with a relatively low degree of political centralization. Monumental changes occurred when groups of tribes calling themselves the Arya migrated into northwest India between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. By the first millennium B.C., their culture had spread throughout northern India. Their many small kingdoms were constantly at war amid the dynamic religious and cultural environment of early Hinduism. By 500 B.C., a cosmopolitan society was growing around urban sites linked by trade routes that stretched throughout South Asia and beyond. On the edges of the Gangetic Plain, in the Tarai Region, smaller kingdoms or confederations of tribes grew up, responding to dangers from larger kingdoms and opportunities for trade. It is probable that slow and steady migration of Khasa (see Glossary) peoples speaking Indo-Aryan languages were occurring in western Nepal during this period; this movement of peoples would continue, in fact, until modern times and expand to include the eastern Tarai as well. One of the early confederations of the Tarai was the Sakya clan, whose seat apparently was Kapilavastu, near Nepals present-day border with India. Their most renowned son was Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 B.C.), a prince who rejected the world to search for the meaning of existence and became known as the Buddha, or the Enlightened One. The earliest stories of his life recount his wanderings in the area stretching from the Tarai to Banaras on the Ganges River and into modern Bihar State in India, where he found enlightenment at Gaya still the site of one of the greatest Buddhist shrines. After his death and cremation, his ashes were distributed among some of the major kingdoms and confederations and were enshrined under mounds of earth or stone called stupas. Certainly, his religion was known at a very early date in Nepal through the Buddhas ministry and the activities of his disciples. continues... Glossary KhasaA term applied to the peoples and languages in the western parts of Nepal, closely related to the cultures of northern India. KirataA Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting eastern Nepal since before the Licchavi Dynasty, just prior to and during the early years of the Christian era. The political struggles and urbanization of north India culminated in the great Mauryan Empire, which at its height under Ashoka (reigned 268-31 B.C.) covered almost all of South Asia and stretched into Afghanistan in the west. There is no proof that Nepal was ever included in the empire, although records of Ashoka are located at Lumbini, the Buddhas birthplace, in the Tarai. But the empire had important cultural and political consequences for Nepal. First, Ashoka himself embraced Buddhism, and during his time the religion must have become established in the Kathmandu Valley and throughout much of Nepal. Ashoka was known as a great builder of stupas, and his archaic style is preserved in four mounds on the outskirts of Patan (now often referred to as Lalitpur), which were locally called Ashok stupas, and possibly in the Svayambhunath (or Swayambhunath) stupa. Second, along with religion came an entire cultural style centered on the king as the upholder of dharma, or the cosmic law of the universe. This political concept of the king as the righteous center of the political system had a powerful impact on all later South Asian governments and continued to play a major role in modern Nepal. The Mauryan Empire declined after the second century B.C., and north India entered a period of political disunity. The extended urban and commercial systems expanded to include much of Inner Asia, however, and close contacts were maintained with European merchants. Nepal was apparently a distant part of this commercial network because even Ptolemy and other Greek writers of the second century knew of the Kiratas as a people who lived near China. North India was united by the Gupta emperors again in the fourth century. Their capital was the old Mauryan center of Pataliputra (present-day Patna in Bihar State), during what Indian writers often describe as a golden age of artistic and cultural creativity. The greatest conqueror of this dynasty was Samudragupta (reigned ca. 353-73), who claimed that the lord of Nepal paid him taxes and tribute and obeyed his commands. It still is impossible to tell who this lord may have been, what area he ruled, and if he was really a subordinate of the Guptas. Some of the earliest examples of Nepalese art show that the culture of north India during Gupta times exercised a decisive influence on Nepali language, religion, and artistic expression. Next: The Early Kingdom of the Licchavis, 400-750The River System In the late fifth century, rulers calling themselves Licchavis began to record details on politics, society, and economy in Nepal. The Licchavis were known from early Buddhist legends as a ruling family during the Buddhas time in India, and the founder of the Gupta Dynasty claimed that he had married a Licchavi princess. Perhaps some members of this Licchavi family married members of a local royal family in the Kathmandu Valley, or perhaps the illustrious history of the name prompted early Nepalese notables to identify themselves with it. In any case, the Licchavis of Nepal were a strictly local dynasty based in the Kathmandu Valley and oversaw the growth of the first truly Nepalese state. The earliest known Licchavi record, an inscription of Manadeva I, dates from 464, and mentions three preceding rulers, suggesting that the dynasty began in the late fourth century. The last Licchavi inscription was in A.D. 733. All of the Licchavi records are deeds reporting donations to religious foundations, predominantly Hindu temples. The language of the inscriptions is Sanskrit, the language of the court in north India, and the script is closely related to official Gupta scripts. There is little doubt that India exerted a powerful cultural influence, especially through the area called Mithila, the northern part of present-day Bihar State. Politically, however, India again was divided for most of the Licchavi period. To the north, Tibet grew into an expansive military power through the seventh century, declining only by 843. Some early historians, such as the French scholar Sylvain LÃ ©vi, thought that Nepal may have become subordinate to Tibet for some time, but more recent Nepalese historians, including Dilli Raman Regmi, deny this interpretation. In any case, from the seventh century onward a recurring pattern of foreign relations emerged for rulers in Nepal: more intensive cultural contacts with the south, potential political threats from both India and Tibet, and continuing trade contacts in both directions. The Licchavi political system closely resembled that of northern India. At the top was the great king (maharaja), who in theory exercised absolute power but in reality interfered little in the social lives of his subjects. Their behavior was regulated in accordance with dharma through their own village and caste councils. The king was aided by royal officers led by a prime minister, who also served as a military commander. As the preserver of righteous moral order, the king had no set limit for his domain, whose borders were determined only by the power of his army and statecraftan ideology that supported almost unceasing warfare throughout South Asia. In Nepals case, the geographic realities of the hills limited the Licchavi kingdom to the Kathmandu Valley and neighboring valleys and to the more symbolic submission of less hierarchical societies to the east and west. Within the Licchavi system, there was ample room for powerful notables (samanta) to keep their own private armies, ru n their own landholdings, and influence the court. There was thus a variety of forces struggling for power. During the seventh century, a family is known as the Abhira Guptas accumulated enough influence to take over the government. The prime minister, Amsuvarman, assumed the throne between approximately 605 and 641, after which the Licchavis regained power. The later history of Nepal offers similar examples, but behind these struggles was growing a long tradition of kingship. The economy of the Kathmandu Valley already was based on agriculture during the Licchavi period. Artworks and place-names mentioned in inscriptions show that settlements had filled the entire valley and moved east toward Banepa, west toward Tisting, and northwest toward present-day Gorkha. Peasants lived in villages (grama) that were administratively grouped into larger units (dranga). They grew rice and other grains as staples on lands owned by the royal family, other major families, Buddhist monastic orders (sangha), or groups of Brahmans (agrahara). Land taxes due in theory to the king were often allocated to religious or charitable foundations, and additional labor dues (vishti) were required from the peasantry in order to keep up irrigation works, roads, and shrines. The village head (usually known as pradhan, meaning a leader in family or society) and leading families handled most local administrative issues, forming the village assembly of leaders (panchalika or grama pancha). This ancient history of localized decision making served as a model for late twentieth-century development efforts. The River System of Nepal One of the most striking features of present-day Kathmandu Valley is its vibrant urbanism, notably at Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon (also called Bhaktapur), which apparently goes back to ancient times. During the Licchavi period, however, the settlement pattern seems to have been much more diffuse and sparse. In the present-day city of Kathmandu, there existed two early villagesKoligrama (Village of the Kolis, or Yambu in Newari), and Dakshinakoligrama (South Koli Village, or Yangala in Newari)that grew up around the valleys main trade route. Bhadgaon was simply a small village then called Khoprn (Khoprngrama in Sanskrit) along the same trade route. The site of Patan was known as Yala (Village of the Sacrificial Post, or Yupagrama in Sanskrit). In view of the four archaic stupas on its outskirts and its very old tradition of Buddhism, Patan probably can claim to be the oldest true center in the nation. Licchavi palaces or public buildings, however, have not survived. The truly impor tant public sites in those days were religious foundations, including the original stupas at Svayambhunath, Bodhnath, and Chabahil, as well as the shrine of Shiva at Deopatan, and the shrine of Vishnu at Hadigaon. There was a close relationship between the Licchavi settlements and trade. The Kolis of present-day Kathmandu and the Vrijis of present-day Hadigaon were known even in the Buddhas time as commercial and political confederations in north India. By the time of the Licchavi kingdom, trade had long been intimately connected with the spread of Buddhism and religious pilgrimage. One of the main contributions of Nepal during this period was the transmission of Buddhist culture to Tibet and all of central Asia, through merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries. In return, Nepal gained money from customs duties and goods that helped to support the Licchavi state, as well as the artistic heritage that made the valley famous. Data as of September 1991 Next: The River System of Nepal Nepals Climate | Chronology | Historical Setting Nepal can be divided into three major river systems from east to west: the Kosi River, the Narayani River (Indias Gandak River), and the Karnali River. All ultimately become major tributaries of the Ganges River in northern India. After plunging through deep gorges, these rivers deposit their heavy sediments and debris on the plains, thereby nurturing them and renewing their alluvial soil fertility. Once they reach the Tarai Region, they often overflow their banks onto wide floodplains during the summer monsoon season, periodically shifting their courses. Besides providing fertile alluvial soil, the backbone of the agrarian economy, these rivers present great possibilities for hydroelectric and irrigation development. India managed to exploit this resource by building massive dams on the Kosi and Narayani rivers inside the Nepal border, known, respectively, as the Kosi and Gandak projects. None of these river systems, however, support any significant commercial navigation facility. R ather, the deep gorges formed by the rivers represent immense obstacles to establishing the broad transport and communication networks needed to develop an integrated national economy. As a result, the economy in Nepal has remained fragmented. Because Nepals rivers have not been harnessed for transportation, most settlements in the Hill and Mountain regions remain isolated from each other. As of 1991, trails remained the primary transportation routes in the hills. The eastern part of the country is drained by the Kosi River, which has seven tributaries. It is locally known as the Sapt Kosi, which means seven Kosi rivers (Tamur, Likhu Khola, Dudh, Sun, Indrawati, Tama, and Arun). The principal tributary is the Arun, which rises about 150 kilometers inside the Tibetan Plateau. The Narayani River drains the central part of Nepal and also has seven major tributaries (Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Kali, Marsyandi, Budhi, and Trisuli). The Kali, which flows between the Dhaulagiri Himal and the Annapurna Himal (Himal is the Nepali variation of the Sanskrit word Himalaya), is the main river of this drainage system. The river system draining the western part of Nepal is the Karnali. Its three immediate tributaries are the Bheri, Seti, and Karnali rivers, the latter being the major one. The Maha Kali, which also is known as the Kali and which flows along the Nepal-India border on the west side, and the Rapti River also are considered tributaries of the Karnali. Data as of September 1991 Nepals Climate | Chronology | Historical Setting

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Think of an executive, a lawyer, an accountant, and other professionals who provide an image of high status associated with their occupations. If I were to ask you to give me a description of what their outer appearance would be like in today’s environment, could you? You might be surprised to discover your mental picture differs quite a bit from the current style of today’s workplace. Despite the constant changes in the corporate and professional dress code that take place every year, I still perceive the professional businessman such as a senior executive to be clothed from head to toe in the traditional formal attire. The images of dark colored two-piece suits, matching ties, mid-length skirts, and shiny leather shoe and heels still lingers from my upbringing; labels that will forever convey to me a sense of intelligence, education, and professionalism in a highly regarded field. There is this growing trend in the corporate industries that has brought up many controversial debates. The trend of â€Å"casualization† has spread through corporate America like wildfire. Dressing down in the corporate workplace is not just for Fridays anymore nor is it solely reserved for Internet start-ups alone. The trend may have begun at Silicon Valley during the sixties, with computer companies allowing their employees to dress more comfortably to promote productivity and creativity. It has now come to transform many of today’s Law firms, brokerage houses, and other corporate companies from all across America. There are an abundance of respectable and influential arguments both for and against casual dress codes in the workplace. My feelings on this issue are quite mixed at this current moment. In order to better understand this topic let us first define this term â€Å"casual dress.† Casual dress generally means that employees can ditch their uncomfortable and expensive business suits, skirts and blazers or mid-length dresses, bla... Free Essays on Code Free Essays on Code Think of an executive, a lawyer, an accountant, and other professionals who provide an image of high status associated with their occupations. If I were to ask you to give me a description of what their outer appearance would be like in today’s environment, could you? You might be surprised to discover your mental picture differs quite a bit from the current style of today’s workplace. Despite the constant changes in the corporate and professional dress code that take place every year, I still perceive the professional businessman such as a senior executive to be clothed from head to toe in the traditional formal attire. The images of dark colored two-piece suits, matching ties, mid-length skirts, and shiny leather shoe and heels still lingers from my upbringing; labels that will forever convey to me a sense of intelligence, education, and professionalism in a highly regarded field. There is this growing trend in the corporate industries that has brought up many controversial debates. The trend of â€Å"casualization† has spread through corporate America like wildfire. Dressing down in the corporate workplace is not just for Fridays anymore nor is it solely reserved for Internet start-ups alone. The trend may have begun at Silicon Valley during the sixties, with computer companies allowing their employees to dress more comfortably to promote productivity and creativity. It has now come to transform many of today’s Law firms, brokerage houses, and other corporate companies from all across America. There are an abundance of respectable and influential arguments both for and against casual dress codes in the workplace. My feelings on this issue are quite mixed at this current moment. In order to better understand this topic let us first define this term â€Å"casual dress.† Casual dress generally means that employees can ditch their uncomfortable and expensive business suits, skirts and blazers or mid-length dresses, bla...

Letter of Affection and Roxanne (1987) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter of Affection and Roxanne (1987) - Essay Example Looking back, I can definitely say that it was your personal involvement with me, the way you encouraged me to read books and how you introduced me to some of the great works in literature that saved me from my loneliness and distraught. Long four years, it was a crucial time in my life; moreover high school was my turning point. Initially it was a hard time with my studies, and it took time to cope up the new environment, and above all method of study was extremely different here. I had felt really disappointed. But you never made me feel that I was out of home. It was only because of your strong support, and guidance in my studies that I could cope with the situation and achieve my objectives. You always kept me out of my troubles and stress. As a ward I am grateful to you, that you took the pain to come along with me during the time of admission and for the meetings. My friends used to tell about your concern towards me, in spite of your busy schedule especially in finding time to often visit my teachers and personally discussing my problems and sorting them out. Your patience and conscious behavior are something that I admire. You were there around me whenever I needed somebody. I never had to come to you; instead you always came to me to find out what I needed. Uncle, you are my best friend too, and I am aware of the fact that I won’t get a person like you again. Four years have been great albeit with sprinkles of bitter experiences. There are so much of emotions bubbling up within my heart, and I can never let go of even one, because that would invariably mean that this chapter along with you never

Relationship between Stock Market Prices and Macroeconomic Variables Essay

Relationship between Stock Market Prices and Macroeconomic Variables - Essay Example This is an indication that the indexes will rely majorly on the stock prices of the major companies in the capital market. Therefore most financial experts like relying on this index as it is closer to representing the real market. According to Madura (2008, pg 347), the index is calculated by considering the stock price of five hundred biggest companies in the market. It explains that the companies are selected based on their market capitalization. To understand this dynamic relation the relation between the stock price and the variables in the macro economy, a clear and incisive analysis of the effects of these variables on the financial markets is required. This paper examines some of the relationships between the stock prices and market indices and the variables of the macroeconomic environment within economies of countries like the United States and England. Â  The GDP of a nation covers all the products and services produced in a single financial year. In Berezina (2012) opinion, it covers the entire products, from the smallest item to the largest possible item and services purchased by the consumers in this economy. It notes that investors pay keen attention to indicators of sustainable growth in the GDP of an economy to make decisions on investment. When the report shows that there is growth in GDP, many investors will be attracted to the economy. This translates to higher stock prices as investors rush to acquire stakes in companies within these economies. In the absence of growth, the investor confidence is low and the stock prices are likely to slump. This is usually reflected in the performance of the index of the market. Analysts believe that the performance of a market over a financial year will reflect the overall performance in GDP. For instance, Madura (2008) explains that economic factors that affect the stock prices includ e indicators like GDP (Madura 2008, pg 270).