Standardize Testing in American Schools - 2466 Words

As child growing up some of the frightful memories include a visit to the dentist; an evil man with scary drill whose solve purpose is to hurt you or the first day in elementary school you finally leave all behind the cozy classrooms and nap times of kindergarten and enter the big leagues. All of these are considered a cakewalk compared to standardize testing. Since the start of elementary school students in the United States are taught to test. In many instances students are held back or placed in remedial classes because of lower grades. But many don’t realize that some students are not great at testing taking and because of the lower grades some educators believe that these students are lower achievers. This leads to lower self-esteem and encourage students to drop out in later years. Also students are forced to memorize information merely as facts without sparking their creativity or enhancing their knowledge. Prior to the educational reform movements of the 1970s and 1980s, standardized tests were primarily employed as measures of student achievement that could be reported to parents, and as a means of noting state and district trends (Moon 2) . Teachers paid little attention to these tests, which in turn had little impact on curriculum. However, in the continuing quest for better schools and high achieving students, testing has become a central focus of policy and practice. Standardized tests are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same,Show MoreRelatedStandardized Testing Is Not Be Completely Honest I Do Not Know About Standardized Test1151 Words   |  5 PagesStandardize Testing Being completely honest I do not know much about standardized test. I remember having to take them as a student in elementary and junior high. I knew that I would not be receiving a letter grade on these test. I remember never stressing about taking the test. To be honest if I did not understand the question I was the kid that just made a design on the answer sheet. I absolutely was not aware of the reasoning or purpose of test. As a parent, I see my kids stress out about takingRead MoreStandardized Testing Is Not Be Completely Honest, I Do Not Know About Standardized Test1363 Words   |  6 Pages  Standardize Testing Being completely honest, I do not know much about standardized test. I remember having to take them as a student in elementary and junior high. I knew that I would not be receiving a letter grade on these tests. I remember never stressing about taking the test. To be honest if I did not understand the question I was the kid that just made a design on the answer sheet. I absolutely was not aware of the reasoning or purpose of tests. As a parent, I see my kids stress outRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge W. Bush and it passed with bipartisan support on Jan. 8, 2002. This Act states that there will be mandated annual testing in the subject reading and math and science. In the grades 3-8 and 10th grade. It shows the Adequate Yearly Progress of each school in the system of the United States. (source 1) The biggest point of this Act is that no child is â€Å"trapped in a failing school† (source 1). That each student in the United States is being able to get the fair treatment as every other student inRead MoreNo Child Left Behind Is An Act Designed985 Words   |  4 Pageslearn more in the elementary through high school grade levels. The act was put into place on January 8th, 2002 by President Bush as a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind). The act was implemented into every public school in America, and has promoted the emphasis on math, reading and writing (White). The act required annual testing in schools of all students from third to eighth grade in the 2005 to 2006 school year. Studies have shown that No Child LeftRead MoreThe End Goal Of Education1375 Words   |  6 Pagesstimulate and excite us to learn more about our field of interests. I am attending Montclair State University simply for a degree. I am not here because of a conscious choice to better myself academically. It was engrained in me throughout my high school career that the only way to get ahead is to show that I have the necessary qualifications. Generally, it requires me to attain a degree that will ultimately qualify me professionally, thus opening better opportunities financially. 0 Society sellsRead MoreThe Limitations Of Standardized Testing Essay705 Words   |  3 Pageslimitations of â€Å"standardized testing† as a rigid and narrow criterion for gauging the educational capabilities of students in public education. The criterion for standardized testing relies on narrow areas of knowledge that define a hierarchical imposition of â€Å"intelligence† testing that forces the student to perform ion a constrained academic environment. This type of testing has become a mechanized tool to reject the individual needs of the student in a linear testing methodology. The importanceRead MoreThe School Entrance Examination Board Essay826 Words   |  4 Pagesa member of American Psychological Association, Brigham was appointed secretary of the College Entrance Examination Board, creating the blueprint and later developing the SAT assessment (Kamin, 1975). The Gatekeepers In order to monitor student’s aptitude with college prep subjects the College Board was formed (Atkinson Geiser, 2009). Created in 1900, 12 prominent universities assisted in forming the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). The organization help to standardize the admissionRead MoreWhat Does Education Mean?1613 Words   |  7 Pageswell-paying job. Grades and standardize testing have become representations of an individual. In the video Losing Ourselves poses a question to society if our education system is really benefiting all students to be successful in their lives? A Scarsdale high school senior helped capture the reality of our education system, and how it prepares students to take a test rather than discover themselves. The education system and the Common Core have resorted to using standardized testing scores to assess theRead MoreAre We Considered Educated?1487 Words   |  6 PagesPeople who are more knowledgeable about a subject, get put in charge to lead others. It is erroneous to think otherwise. The question many should now ask, is â€Å"What makes American Education different to the education in other countries?†. There is a separation between these systems through techniques in teaching, mandatory testing, social affairs, and expectations. In order to produce well-educated people, there must be a scholarly educator who spends time to teach the future generation, or in short-termsRead MoreSchool As A Context For Development956 Words   |  4 Pages Schools as a Context for Development â€Å"Environmental influence during the first few years of life is crucial to all later abilities, especially intellectual ones†(Lightfoot et al., 2013, p.437). In the United States many children don’t receive an excellent education due to living in neighborhoods that are economically poor, typically where many minority children grow up. Children usually learn through social enhancement, imitation and explicit instruction that are provided in their culture from

Classification Of Forests By Functions Environmental Sciences Essay Free Essays

Forests play a critical function in the development and in guaranting environmental sustainability of the state. Besides providing wood merchandises for economic development, woods besides contribute significantly to cut downing inundation and storm amendss by keeping and chairing H2O flows, providing H2O for production and support activities, extenuating erodings, landslides, and bring forthing hydroelectricity. Forests besides heighten clime control, conserve biodiversity and familial resources, and supply chances for eco-tourism and out-of-door diversion. We will write a custom essay sample on Classification Of Forests By Functions Environmental Sciences Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Forests besides hold a important portion in the Earth ‘s clime by absorbing and hive awaying C – therefore cut downing planetary heating. Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the greatest work forces in the US history has said: â€Å" A state that destroys its dirts destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, sublimating the air and giving fresh strength to our people † . In Viet Nam, a state that the bulk of population still depends on agribusiness, forestry significantly contributes to sustainable, economic growing, stabilisation of society. However, as the state grows economically, the demand for forestry additions quickly, therefore influences the biodiversity every bit good as the ecosystem. This essay will show the function of wood in Vietnam, so travel on to the categorization of wood and eventually illustrate key issues that impacting woods and forestry. Discussion of findings Functions of woods As the natural woods are greatly of import to the state, the functions of woods in Vietnam are shown in assorted facets. Forests are beginning of nutrient. In many parts of the state, particularly some distant countries, woods play an of import portion in human nutrient supply. Human nutrient from woods can be classified into 2 chief groups: workss and animate beings origin. The group of workss includes gathered fruits, seed, foliages and mushroom. Because of the natural growing, workss nutrients are wholly fresh and incorporate a high degree of foods such as saccharides, fructose and other micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, for case ( Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department 1996 ) . In some instances, seeds or olives and palm fruits can be pressed to bring forth vegetable oils, which is highly healthy for human by incorporating a big figure of Calories and no cholesterin ( Simpson A ; Ogorzaly 1995, p.315 ) . The 2nd group, carnal nutrients, includes insects, larvae and hunted animate beings. Forests are beginning of medical specialty: Since the early age of human history, workss have been proved to be particularly utile for handling diseases. Many remedies for black diseases were originated from workss ( Simpson A ; Ogorzaly 1995, p.376 ) . These yearss in Vietnam, wild workss are still considered as the chief medicative beginning for pharmaceutical industry. It is possible in the close hereafter that more utile botanical drugs, will be found as different workss are tested ( Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department 1996 ) . Forests are the chief stuff beginnings. In Vietnam, forests hold an indispensable portion in providing stuff for human. Wood harvested from plantations is the chief stuff beginning for edifice houses and bring forthing domestic equipment. Forests besides provide natural stock for forest merchandise processing industry and firewood for dependent cultural minorities in cragged countries ( Tien A ; Thong 2008 ) . Forests protect home grounds. Forests provide shelter for human life and wildlife. They have an highly ecological map with the environment. Forests significantly take portion in doing the clime equable, minimising negative effects of inundations and battling eroding. Harmonizing to Tien A ; Thong ( 2008 ) , forest ‘s part in keeping the stableness and birthrate of land dirt is undeniable. It is estimated that the sum of dirt eroding where close woods are available is equal to merely 10 % of those topographic points without woods. Forests provide relaxation and amusement: with fresh air and a cool atmosphere, woods are perfects finishs for those seeking for peaceable topographic points to loosen up in holidaies, avoiding pollution and bad effects from noisy urban countries ( Tien and Thong 2008 ) . Coastal protection: woods contribute to protect the state ‘s sea seashore, particularly mangrove woods. They are really utile for screening moving ridges, air current, storms and sea invasion. Many studies about function of woods in the defence against tsunami have been done after the atrocious tsunami in December 26th, 2004 caused the decease of 100s of 1000s people in assorted states in Asia and Africa. Shuto ( 1987, cited in Latief and Hadi 2007 ) said that: Forests may cut down tsunami impact and asserted that a wood is effectual for several grounds: 1 ) it stops driftwood and other jetsam ; 2 ) it reduces H2O flow speed and flood deepness ; 3 ) it provides a life-saving trap for people swept off land by a tsunami run-down ; and 4 ) it amasses wind-blown sand and create dunes, which serve as a natural barriers against tsunamis. Forests play an of import function in C segregation and storage. Forests contribute unusually to cut down the heating of the Earth and life environment. Forests provide the indispensable environmental universe service of recycling C dioxide into O. 40 per centum of the O is produced in tropical rain woods ( Boland 2009 ) . In other word, they are â€Å" Lungs of the Planet † . This map besides evidently belongs to natural woods in Vietnam. Therefore, forest loss could do unexpected alterations in the ambiance and natural catastrophes. Forests contribute to the society: forestry creates occupations for Vietnamese, particularly for people in rural and cragged countries. In recent old ages, the development of ecological touristry besides contributes to lifting income degree for local people and cut downing poorness ( Tien A ; Thong 2008 ) . 2.2. Categorization of woods by maps Entire land country that the Government planned for forestry is 16.24 million hectares. It is divided into 3 forest classs. Special-use wood: the land planned for development of special-use woods is 2.199.342 hectares, which accounts for 13.5 % of the entire country. Special-use wood has been identified in order to continue nature, protect species of the forest ecosystem and conserve cistron beginnings. It besides provides for research, protects historical and cultural relics and caters for remainder, diversion and touristry. Harmonizing to Vietnam Administration of Forestry 2011, special-use wood is a combination of National Parks, Nature preservation countries, Landscape protection countries and scientific experimental and research countries. Protection woods: the land planned for protection woods is 4.832.962 hectares, which makes up 37 % of the entire country. Protection woods, which are chiefly planned to protect and modulate H2O resources, contribute significantly in the procedures of protect dirt, prevent eroding, limit natural catastrophes, moderate the clime and guarantee the ecological balance and environmental security. There are 4 chief types of protection woods: watershed protection forest, air current and sand interruptions forest, wave breaks protection forest, protection wood for ecology and landscapes. Production woods: the land planned histories for the bulk of entire country with 8,495,823 hectares, which is tantamount to 52.3 % . Production forests chiefly serve the intent of bring forthing both timber and non-timber wood merchandises for the market and at the same clip to protect the environment and continue the ecological balance ( Vietnam Administration of Forestry 2011 ) . 2.3. Key issues Vietnam forestry is confronting up several issues. Harmonizing to Coe 2005, forest coverage in Vietnam has fallen 29 % over the last 60 old ages. Pressure on land and wood merchandises is increasing due to the development of agribusiness and the growing of population ( Raven, Evert A ; Eichorn 1992, p.698 ) . Meanwhile the job of feeding people in cragged countries is highly difficult to work out because of the deficiency of agricultural land and free population motion. Deforestation for agricultural productiveness every bit good as lumber exports has led to serious jobs. The biodiversity of natural wood is diminishing as a effect. Vietnamese Government had taken some action against deforestation and it seemed to hold brought some consequence. From 1993, the sum of lumber cut down illicitly was strongly minimized ( Hill 1997 ) . However, there are still a scope of jobs presents. Forest direction is non united and sustainable. The figure and the ability of forest officers do non run into the demands. Therefore, in some parts of the state, deforestation for illegal lumber exports is still out of the control. In recent old ages, forestry has made some accomplishment but its part to GDP is still really little. Forestry has non efficaciously helped people cut down poorness because the income of people working in this field is extremely unstable. Most of the workers in this field come from distant countries. Their lives can non be wholly dependent on the forestry. Meanwhile, the engineering is non developed plenty to run into the demands. The available methods to utilize 1000000s hectares of natural wood are limited. As a consequence, it could non convey the income to local people ( Forest Science Institute of Vietnam 2009 ) . Decision Vietnam National Forest contributes greatly to environment protection, land care, eroding control, inundation decrease and supplying home ground for wildlife. Meanwhile, forestry and forest merchandise processing industry holds an indispensable portion in the national economic system. In recent old ages, Government ‘s policies to better forestry and protect natural woods have made some alterations. The consequences show in the addition of forest coverage and accomplishment of merchandise processing industry. However, there are still several jobs such as deforestation and force per unit area on land and wood merchandises. It is extremely pressing for the Government to happen effectual solutions to work out the state of affairs and heighten the forestry of Vietnam. 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Office Australian Information Commissioner -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Office Australian Information Commissioner? Answer: Introducation Due to the developments in technology and the increasing accounting of data that agencies must handle, along with the need for reduced costs and better management, agencies such as DAS are increasingly changing and modernizing their information systems (Akella, Buckow Rey, 2009) https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/it-architecture-cutting-costs-and-complexity . This is achieved through measures such as consolidation of IT systems, modernization of information systems, outsourcing some services, such as hardware devices, computing power, and backup, and re-aligning information systems (Bond, 2015). Many organizations are transforming their legacy systems by migrating to the cloud and making use of technologies such as PaaS (platform as a service), SaaS (software as a service), and IaaS (infrastructure as a service). These moves have their benefits, including better service delivery, reducing workload for staff be enabling on-line self service port als, reduced costs as well as reduced complexity of information systems (Akella, Buckow Rey, 2009), (Bond, 2015). These benefits of information systems (IS) modernization through consolidation and using outsourced services also come with associated risks. Cloud computing environments are highly scalable as well as being highly available and reliable, making them attractive propositions, especially for public organizations that have to handle large amounts of public data and manage thousands of employees. Migrating applications to the cloud helps public organizations run their internal systems better and serve the public better (Antonopoulos Gillam, 2017). By handling public information on individuals with personal and personal identifiable information (PII), these IS become increasingly attractive for malicious entities such as hackers. The information system repositories and portals hold information valuable for hackers such as their contacts, addresses, biometric information, and even financial information details such as credit card numbers an details (Mather, Kumaraswamy Latif, 2010). As such, consolidating and migrating services to cloud portals carriers with attendant risks and threats to the security and privacy of PII and even staff information at these agencies. To ensure a safe migration to modern computing platforms, agencies and organization need to fully understand the risks that storing PII in such platforms as online portals (cloud computing) carries through undertaking a risk and threat analysis, for example. Based on such an analysis, the organization will be aware of the risk faced in having PII and organization dat a stored in cloud platforms and running some of their operations on cloud platforms such as PaaS and IaaS (Pfleeger Pfleeger, 2012). The threat and risk analysis will help the organization make informed decisions and develop appropriate measures to protect their data and well as the PII of people (citizens in the case of government bodies or clients/ customers in the case of private/ corporate organizations). Moving data and applications to the cloud is a major long term term trend, but fraught with challenges and risks, not least the threats to PII and enterprise data and information (Mahmood, 2014). When data and information, including PII is migrated to cloud platforms there are inherent risks due to the nature and sensitivity of the information; the threat and risks to migrating to the cloud start right before the migration begins, when data is being stored in the cloud platforms, and when there is exchange of data and information between the cloud environment and access points . This paper will evaluate the threats and risks that the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) would face when consolidating and migrating its applications and data, including PI for its staff and members of the general public, to a cloud environment. In the DAS scenario, there is a new cloud first policy in which the DAS wants to consolidate all the services offered to the public by various departments including contractor management and procurement, as well as licensing to its own data centers. Further, the DAS wants to migrate its application services including HR and personnel management, contract tendering management, payroll, procurement, and contractor management to a consolidated data center; a strategy that will see the ful adoption of the shared services model. DAS will centralize several services for the whole of government (WofG) such that every Agency or Department that offers any of the targeted services for its internal users and for members of the public, will ha ve to migrate them into the DAS data center where it will all be consolidated into the DAS database. These services will then be centrally provided by DAS to all other government departments. DAS has commenced the switch to the cloud first policy and is presently implementing the following services; A HR and personnel suite in the SaaS model, A Contractor management suite also in the SaaS model A COTS Payroll solution implemented in the AWS cloud A Share Point PaaS platform that is the basis of its intended Intranet platform for the WofG Further, a decision has been made for all applications for, and renewal of licenses form various government agencies to be taken to a single web portal, named MyLicense. Citizens will then be encouraged to register in the MyLicense portal for renewal of nearly all licenses, and have designed this process to follow one process flow for all licenses. The Government will use the portal to better view licenses held by every citizen thereby having PII for citizens in its web portal and exposing citizens data to possible data risks. This paper will develop a suitable data protection and data privacy policy for DAS staff and for citizens with relation to PII. In this paper, a threat and risk assessment for PII data in the MyLicense portal is developed with regard to privacy and protection of this data. Thereafter, a PII strategy proposal for the MyLicense portal is also developed for threats and risks to the PII data and management for control. The paper also develops a strategy for the pro tection of informal digital identities created by users in the MyLicense portal for privacy and data protection, along with measures to mitigate the identified risks. Finally, a governance plan will be developed PII data for both the public and DAS staff. Threat Risk Assessment for PII Data in MyLicense Portal Internal and External Threats The cloud platform amplifies internal threats to PII data security and privacy in the cloud; the figure below illustrates the threats due to external factors and those due to internal factors; The threats and risks will be discussed in the context of both internal and external threats; while internal threats pose the biggest risks, the external threats usually have the biggest impacts, such as ransomware attacks, and most external attacks occur as a result of internal human factors, such as poor strategies, deliberate actions, and mistakes/ ignorance (Vohradski, 2012). The nature of the cloud means that the attack surface can only get bigger and wider, so reducing the attack surface is not an option. The threats and risks are discussed below; Malicious Insiders An example of this is the Edward Snowden case in which lots of the NSA information was made public, creating headlines around the world (Waxman, 2017). When there is a malicious employee insider an organization with a a huge cloud portal having lots of information, the risks are magnified several times over. The insiders can steal information and sell it for financial benefit or just to get back at their employee, or for the Snowden case, to operationalize a private crusade. Employees can also modify data or delete them irretrievably, especially those trusted to manage such data. Further, its possible for employees to leave backdoors or vulnerabilities that allow external collaborators to access PII for use for other purposes, either for profit or due to disgruntlement (Subashini Kavitha, 2011). Breaches to PII Data Cloud computing entails having the data in different states; data at rest, data in transit, and data under use in the cloud platform. Cloud computing has forced malicious entities to innovate new ways of circumventing security protocols in the cloud and administer new attack methods. Breaches to PII has serious consequences, including legal, reputation, and financial; it is also embarrassing for the top person in the organization to have to face an irate public and the media and try to explain what happened and what they will do (Metheny, 2017). Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) usually provide strong and rigorous security protocols to guard against such attacks, cyber criminals still always find a way through, such s the recent case of Equifax (Gressin, 2017). However, the same threats that traditional IS (information systems ) face also pose threats to PII in the cloud. Inherent weaknesses such as side channeling timing exposure, where a user in a VM (virtual machine) is able to liste n to activity signaling that an encryption key has arrived on another VM sharing the same host can result in sensitive data for the DSA falling into the wrong hands, more so because of the cloud nature where many users share services and resources (Ren, Wang Wang, 2012). Loss of Data Permanently Data breaches are due to intrusive actions or the result of malicious action, including by insiders in the organization. The loss of data means that information is lost an a manner in which it cannot be retrieved or recovered, for instance a disk drive dying/ failing when no backup for the data stored in it was created; this is especially a risk for DAS in a hybrid cloud architecture. It is also possible for data to be permanently lost when the data owner of encrypted data loses the decryption key, or forgets it (LeClair Keeley, 2015). An example is when some data (small) were lost by AWS when Amazons EC2 Cloud suffered whet they termed a re-mirroring storm caused by an error by a human operator in 2011(Goldman, 2011). data can also be lost due to deliberate actions of insiders deleting or modifying data by encrypting it, or externally due to malware attacks that deletes all data, as happened to the Saudi State Oil Company or Ransomware as happened to the UK National Health Service. Hijacked Accounts This would normally be expected to happen in traditional computing; but it is also a major risk in the cloud environment. Accounts in the cloud can be hijacked through loss of credentials and passwords, such as when employee devices they use to access cloud services containing PII are lost. It can also happen due to exploitation of vulnerabilities in software, for instance, buffer flow attacks or through Phishing and Social Engineering attacks (Pearson Benameur, 2010). Intruders that hijack accounts of DAS staff can manipulate transactions, eavesdrop, give false damaging information, or simply steal crucial information such as addresses and credit card numbers, or obtain information to use for other nefarious acts such as identity theft. If the account(s) with PII is connected to other accounts, there can be a quick loss of control over other accounts as well. The passwords given or developed by the users can also be weak and lead to their passwords being stolen. Further, its common for citizens to access government cloud portals such as MyLicense portal using their devices, the work/ office device, or a public portal and even forget to sign out. If these devices had malware that steals passwords, the user account can be hijacked and the password changed (Robinson, 2011). Hacking of Interfaces and APIs that are Insecure Another major threat is interfaces and APIs that are weak/ insecure that get hacked; the MyLicense platform aims at providing services to millions through various government agencies and also attempting to limit the damage these millions of users can cause the service, given they they are mostly anonymous users. The solution lies in developing APIs (application programming interfaces) that are public facing that define how third parties connect to applications (Abraham Thampi, 2013)in the MyLicense portal service. Further, communication with other cloud services also utilize APIs in many cases meaning that the APIs security also have direct impacts on the security of PI in the cloud. Chances of these APIs increase when access to the APIs are granted to third parties and the result would be the loss of PII or having the exposed to the general public (loss of privacy) (Dinh, Lee, Niyato Wang, 2013). DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) Type Attacks DDoS are common forms of cyber attacks; however, when targeted at cloud platforms, the effects can be devastating as these attacks affect the ability of DAS and government agencies to run critical services while consuming significant amounts of resources, including processing power, raising bills for cloud services (Yu, 2013). Cloud Services Abuse The cloud platform means resources and services are shared by different users; including hackers who can use the same cloud services and their processing power and resources cause attacks, such as decrypting encryption keys within a short time. Cloud servers that are shared can also be used by cyber criminals to launch attacks such as DDoS, serve malware to steal or compromise PII. While CSPs are responsible for cloud services use, it may be difficult for them to detect abuse and improper use (Daimi et al., 2017), (Ren, Wang Wang, 2012) Weak identity and Authentication Management Failure to implement strong identity and authentication protocols has been a major cause of PII data being breached. There is always a challenge for organizations to manage identity and authentication to access various IS human resources management commensurate with their job roles. If these credentials and authentication methods are weak, cyber criminals can hijack or crack them, resulting in them breaching and accessing millions of PII data that they can use for any other malicious purpose. If identity management is poor, huge cyber security holes is the result, leaving the system at the mercy of hackers and cyber attackers (Ghorbel, Ghorbel Jmaiel, 2017), (Mock Desai, 2013). Advanced Persistent Threats These are parasitic types of attacks where APT s infiltrate the DAS IS infrastructure and establish a foothold. The APT s then extract and ex-filtrate PII data and information over long term periods. APT s move across networks laterally; the fact that DAS will use a PaaS Share Point Intranet further compounds this problem because the APT s can move laterally across its entire IS network. Because APT s easily blend with normal traffic making their detection difficult. APT s gain entry into enterprise networks through infected external storage drives, direct attacks, and spear Phishing (Auer Zutin, 2017). PaaS Intranet Vulnerabilities DAS will build an Intranet using a PaaS platform; this increases the attack surface due to resource sharing and the risk of the root access to servers that will be running many of the instances on MyLicense portal. If cyber criminals gain unauthorized access to this infrastructure, they can change configurations and breach PII or even cause data loss and modification. Failure to properly configure security and other settings in the PaaS platform will escalate threats of cyber attacks; PaaS provides a self service platform, implying that DAS must undertake all protocols to ensure safety and security, including installing and updating anti malware software (Korshed Wasimi, 2012). Insufficient Diligence Migrating and having PII on cloud portals with external access by millions of anonymous users will greatly expose their PII data to attacks and breaches. If DAS does not fully understand the cloud environment and its risks, or adopt an unsuitable policy, starting from migration and how this data is accessed, managed and used in the cloud based web portal, there are risks of the PII data being breached (Herold, 2011). Everything must be carefully planned, starting with the clod architecture, the migration policy, control policies, and management of users After evaluating the threats, a TRA is undertaken to create a threat profile for PII on the MyLicense portal, as shown in the Figure below; Threat Risk Analysis Below is the TRA for the threats and risks inherent to using cloud service platforms (the PaaS and SasS) and the use of public clouds and a data center for storing public information and software suite instances Threat/ Risk Number Threat /Risk Rank 1 Malicious Insiders Extreme 2 Breaches to PII Data Extreme 3 Insufficient Diligence Extreme 4 Weak identity and Authentication Management Extreme 5 Advanced persistent Threats Extreme 6 Loss of Data Permanently Very High 7 Hijacked Accounts Very High 8 PaaS Intranet Vulnerabilities Very High 9 Hacking of Interfaces and APIs that are Insecure High 10 Cloud Services Abuse High Conclusions Agencies are increasingly migrating to the cloud because of its inherent benefits, including a highly scalable platform, greater security, streamline operations, ability to share resources, consolidation of IT systems, and providing users an easy form to access services through self service model. However, migration to the cloud has its own risks and dangers, especially where dealing with public data that contain personally identifiable information such as addresses and names or gender. To remain on top of the game, an elaborate threat risk assessment is necessary to ensure informed decisions and choices are made based on available data and information from the threat risk assessment. DAS is in the process of consolidating its IT systems and services for various departments using its new cloud first policy. Already, it is in the process of migrating its HR and contract management systems to a SaaS platform. Also, DAS is migrating its payroll system, which is a COTS to the AWS. It wil l also have an Intranet implemented in a PaaS Share Point platform. The threats and risks that PII and personal data for users are exposed to include malicious insiders, breaches to PII data, loss of data permanently, hijacked accounts, hacking of interfaces and API s that are insecure, DDoS (distributed denial of service) type attacks, cloud services abuse, weak identity and authentication management, advanced persistent threats, PaaS Intranet vulnerabilities, and insufficient diligence References Abraham, A. Thampi, S. M.. (2013). Intelligent Informatics: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Intelligent Informatics ISI'12 Held at August 4-5 2012, Chennai, India. Berlin: Springer. Antonopoulos, N., Gillam, L. (2017). Cloud computing: psychology, systems and applications.Computer communications and networks Auer, Michael E., Zutin, Danilo G. (2017). Online Engineering Internet of Things: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation Rev 2017, Held 15-17 March 2017, Columbia Universit. Springer Verlag. Bond, J. (2015). The enterprise cloud: Best practices for transforming legacy IT. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media. Dinh, H. T., Lee, C., Niyato, D., Wang, P. (December 25, 2013). A survey of mobile cloud computing: architecture, applications, and approaches. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 13, 18, 1587-1611. Gressin, S. (2017). The Equifax Data Breach: What to Do. Consumer Information. Retrieved 8 October 2017, from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-data-breach-what- do Goldman, D. (2011). Amazon explains and apologizes for cloud disaster - Apr. 29, 2011.Money.cnn.com. Retrieved 8 October 2017, from https://money.cnn.com/2011/04/29/technology/amazon_apology/index.htm Ghorbel, A., Ghorbel, M., Jmaiel, M. (June 01, 2017). Privacy in cloud computing environments: a survey and research challenges. The Journal of Supercomputing : an International Journal of High-Performance Computer Design, Analysis, and Use, 73, 6, 2763-2800. Herold, R. (2011). Managing an information security and privacy awareness and training program. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Khorshed, M. T., Ali, A. B. M. S., Wasimi, S. A. (June 01, 2012). A survey on gaps, threat remediation challenges and some thoughts for proactive attack detection in cloud computing. Future Generation Computer Systems, 28, 6, 833-851. LeClair, J., Keeley, G. (2015). Cybersecurity in Our Digital Lives. BookBaby. Mather, T., Kumaraswamy, S., Latif, S. (2010). Cloud security and privacy: [an enterprise perspective on risks and compliance]. Beijing: O'Reilly. Pearson, S., Benameur, A., 2010 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Cloud Computing Technology and Science (CloudCom). (November 01, 2010). Privacy, Security and Trust Issues Arising from Cloud Computing. 693-702. Pfleeger, C. P., Pfleeger, S. L. (2012). Analyzing computer security: A threat/vulnerability/countermeasure approach. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education International. Robinson, N., Rand Corporation., European Commission. (2011). The Cloud: Understanding the security, privacy and trust challenges. Santa Monica: Rand. Mahmood, Z. (2014). Cloud Computing: Challenges, Limitations and RD Solutions. Cham : Springer International Publishing Metheny, M. (2017). Federal cloud computing: The definitive guide for cloud service providers. Amsterdam : Syngress Mock, K., Desai, A. M. (January 01, 2013). Security in Cloud Computing. InfoSci-Books Ren, K., Wang, C., Wang, Q. (January 01, 2012). Security Challenges for the Public Cloud. IEEE Internet Computing, 16, 1, 69-73. Subashini, S., Kavitha, V. (January 01, 2011). A survey on security issues in service delivery models of cloud computing. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 34, 1, 1-Vohradsky, D. (2012). Cloud Risk10 Principles and a Framework for Assessment. ISACA, 5(1). Retrieved from https://www.isaca.org/Journal/archives/2012/Volume-5/Pages/Cloud- Risk-10-Principles-and-a-Framework-for-Assessment.aspx Waxman, A. B. (2017). Rogues of Wall Street: How to project-management risk in the cognitive era. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley/IBM Press Yu, S. (2014). Distributed Denial of Service Attack and Defense. (Springer eBooks.) New York, NY: Springer New York.

Rough Draft of You Final Paper free essay sample

School: fashion show or uniformed conduct? The day is off to its start. Children are going wild about how they look, contemplating what valuable possession to bring and what they will wear. This is reason for schools to implement a policy on school uniforms. Statistics show that students who wear uniforms make better grades, the male students are not as distracted by what the female students are (or are not) wearing. With schools of today students become bullied, singled out, shunned, or even experience violent acts.Schools choose to endorse uniforms because such is necessary in larger schools to limit violence over clothing and theft over possessions. Although some students would attest to the implementation of school uniforms because it restrains a person’s freedom of expression and removes diversity; Contrary to these thoughts the use of school uniforms has been proven to lower hostility in schools. It is also said that school uniforms increase esprit de corps (pride in school). We will write a custom essay sample on Rough Draft of You Final Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Furthermore, whereas some students feel as though he or she, are derived of freedom by enforcing uniforms, a school is not to be viewed as a fashion show.As a student they are in school to become educated and learn new materials and information not focusing on fashion. If a student cares less about what others think and become focused more on learning he or she would be much more productive. School uniforms symbolize substantial changes to how students behave with reduced tardiness, skipped classes, suspensions, and discipline referrals. This is quite similar to working in the military where one must be sharp in uniform and have a code of ethics, values, and morale. School uniforms also assist in saving time and money, where there is no longer a need to have several articles of clothing and one does not have to rush to make it to school on time. The use of school uniforms eliminates any embarrassing fashion foe paws for children who most clearly have no taste on how to dress. School uniforms promote safety, say if someone were to walk into a school without proper attire he or she would be questioned or authorities would be contacted to remove person from premises.In some smaller schools it may not be beneficial to require school uniforms as it may take away from funding required for teachers or other educational purposes. A schools uniforms help maintain school discipline, decreasing the amount of discipline problems. The argument is that children today are lacking in self-discipline because parents refuse to discipline them. This makes it more difficult on the teacher who has to deal with classes of 25-30 students at a time. If students are not conditioned to a certain set of standards they will not feel as though they are bound to progress.It is imperative that a student learn from his or her mistakes so that such reoccurrences will be prevented from what will be. If it were not for school uniforms and student ids in schools today security would be a major concern toward student safety. Not only do school uniforms provide safety but also cuts costs as well. If a student had to buy several outfits to have clothes for school he or she would be far better of having a uniform that would be a one-time cost. Moreover, school uniforms have many benefits that aid students and faculty alike. At the end of the day school is primarily a place of learning.

global warming3 essays

global warming3 essays Global warming is the most urgent environmental problem the world is facing. Few, if any, trends are more important to our future than climate change caused by human activities. This change is not beneficial. This warming trend occurring because of the buildup of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide- which is a direct result of humans and the Industrial Revolution (EPA, 2000). These gasses are emitted profusely into the atmosphere by factories, cars, and many other devices. As the suns rays hit the Earths surface and bounce off, the gasses trap the heat. This creates the rise in temperature. These warming temperatures have many negative effects on Earth, which also affect us. I believe there are three main categories in which these raising temperatures have an effect: glacial melting and water levels, plant life, and human and animal health. As the temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting. One of its main consequences is the rise in sea level. As the sea level rises, a few things are happening and in the next twenty-five to fifty years, the sea level is expected to rise a full foot. For starters, the coastlines of countries all over the world are slowly being covered and eroded away (Newmann, 2000). Coastal cities are being flooded and people are being forced to move inland. When flooding occurs, there is the chance of fresh water contamination. Changes in the sea level also cause changes in the precipitation patterns. All of these changes have effects on many things humans need and use. Drinking water, navigation, and hydroelectric power are just a few (EPA, 2000). While is seems that flooding might be the only problem, these changes are also responsible for droughts. The explanation for these two tribulations is simple. Increased temperature means increased evaporation. Heavy evaporation takes the moisture o ut of the soil creating a drought. However, when ...

Science Fair Project Ideas That Use Salt and Sugar

Science Fair Project Ideas That Use Salt and Sugar Here are ideas for science fair projects you can do using salt or sugar: How is the speed of sound affected by the salinity of water?Investigate the different types of salt used as de-icing agents. Which is the most cost-effective? Safest for the environment? Best at preventing ice formation? Under what condition?Grow table salt crystals. How is crystal formation affected by the  rate of cooling? Saturation of the starting solution? Other factors? Other crystals you can test include sugar crystals and Epsom salt crystals.You can make a density column by making solutions with different concentrations of sugar. How is the index of refraction affected by the concentration of sugar? Can you relate the angle by which light is bent to the concentration of the solution? Is the angle by which light is bent affected by the temperature of the solution?Which material increases the conductivity of tap water best? salt, sugar, or baking soda? What happens if you change the concentration of the solution?There are many types of salt available at most grocery stores, i ncluding table salt, rock salt, and sea salt. Other salts you can find include Epsom salts, potassium chloride (lite salt), and baking soda. Which type of salt works best for making ice cream in a baggie? When you crush sugar crystals you can cause them to emit light. This is an example of triboluminescence. Examine triboluminescence of sugar crystals, Wint-o-Green Lifesaversâ„ ¢, and other candies. Which produces the brightest spark? Does the ability to produce light seem affected by other facts, such as humidity?

Assignment on Microeconomics 5 questions (350 words to each question) Essay

Assignment on Microeconomics 5 questions (350 words to each question) - Essay Example Cost when unoccupied $76.00, Minus dog care $8.00, Minus security firm $10.00 the balance is $58.00. We also consider depreciation that occurs in excess when someone is living in the house, the excess depreciation is $5, so we add the balance above which gives us $58 plus $5 equals $63. On the gardener's services, because the person renting the house takes care of the gardening services his cost of leaving his house unoccupied reduces by $10 therefore we get $63 minus $10 we get $53. The surgeon should reduce his tent by both the value of dog care and need for a security firm because this are taken care by the person living in the house so our value will be 53-18=35. Therefore the minimum amount the surgeon should accept to receive, as rent should be $35. Substitute goods are products that are similar in that they satisfy the same want, if one's good is not available one can substitute it with another example butter and margarine that are consumed with bread. Butter and margarine can be substitutes of one another. Perfect competitive market is a theoretical market structures in which there are many buyers and sellers with no individual power to influence market price. Prices are determined by demand and supplies in the market assumptions of a perfect competitive market are: Many buyers and sellers, Perfect mobility of factors of production, perfect knowledge, homogenous products, absence of externalities. (Hardwick, Khan & Langmead, p 91, 1997). The analysis of equilibrium price and quantity was by Alfred Marshall (1842-1924). He analyzed the demand curve and the supply curve and stated that where the two curves intersect, they give us the equilibrium price and quantity in the market. (Hardwick, Khan & Langmead, 1997). Qo is the equilibrium Quantity Po is the equilibrium price a) Equilibrium price of butter has increased and that the equilibrium quantity of bread has increased. Possible explanations are: I. Price of milk has decreased - If the price of milk decreases then we expect the price of butter to go down. This is explained by the fact that in production of butter, milk is the key input in the process. Therefore, a decrease in the price of butter cannot explain an increase in price of butter. II. Price of flour has decreased - If price of flour decreases we expect price of bread to go down because flour is the key input in production of bread. If price of bread decreases we expect an increase in the quantity demanded of bread. Therefore this explains the increase in equilibrium quantity of bread. On butter - as the bread demanded increases and having in mind that bread and butter are complementary goods. We expect the price of butter to go up also due to increased demand. Demand and Supply Curve for Bread Price Po P1 SSo 0 Quantity The decrease in price of flour causes the supply curve of bread to shift downwards from SSo to SS1 . our

Assignment on Microeconomics 5 questions (350 words to each question) Essay

Assignment on Microeconomics 5 questions (350 words to each question) - Essay Example Cost when unoccupied $76.00, Minus dog care $8.00, Minus security firm $10.00 the balance is $58.00. We also consider depreciation that occurs in excess when someone is living in the house, the excess depreciation is $5, so we add the balance above which gives us $58 plus $5 equals $63. On the gardener's services, because the person renting the house takes care of the gardening services his cost of leaving his house unoccupied reduces by $10 therefore we get $63 minus $10 we get $53. The surgeon should reduce his tent by both the value of dog care and need for a security firm because this are taken care by the person living in the house so our value will be 53-18=35. Therefore the minimum amount the surgeon should accept to receive, as rent should be $35. Substitute goods are products that are similar in that they satisfy the same want, if one's good is not available one can substitute it with another example butter and margarine that are consumed with bread. Butter and margarine can be substitutes of one another. Perfect competitive market is a theoretical market structures in which there are many buyers and sellers with no individual power to influence market price. Prices are determined by demand and supplies in the market assumptions of a perfect competitive market are: Many buyers and sellers, Perfect mobility of factors of production, perfect knowledge, homogenous products, absence of externalities. (Hardwick, Khan & Langmead, p 91, 1997). The analysis of equilibrium price and quantity was by Alfred Marshall (1842-1924). He analyzed the demand curve and the supply curve and stated that where the two curves intersect, they give us the equilibrium price and quantity in the market. (Hardwick, Khan & Langmead, 1997). Qo is the equilibrium Quantity Po is the equilibrium price a) Equilibrium price of butter has increased and that the equilibrium quantity of bread has increased. Possible explanations are: I. Price of milk has decreased - If the price of milk decreases then we expect the price of butter to go down. This is explained by the fact that in production of butter, milk is the key input in the process. Therefore, a decrease in the price of butter cannot explain an increase in price of butter. II. Price of flour has decreased - If price of flour decreases we expect price of bread to go down because flour is the key input in production of bread. If price of bread decreases we expect an increase in the quantity demanded of bread. Therefore this explains the increase in equilibrium quantity of bread. On butter - as the bread demanded increases and having in mind that bread and butter are complementary goods. We expect the price of butter to go up also due to increased demand. Demand and Supply Curve for Bread Price Po P1 SSo 0 Quantity The decrease in price of flour causes the supply curve of bread to shift downwards from SSo to SS1 . our

Compare and contrast the societies of Mesoamerica and the Eastern Assignment

Compare and contrast the societies of Mesoamerica and the Eastern Woodlands in 1491 - Assignment Example Women did not participate in building homes but assisted in working in the fields. The Eastern Woodland Indians were mainly hunters and gatherers2. The natives mostly spoke Algonquin or Iroquois. The Mesoamerican Indians were inhabitants of Mexico and Northern Central America. The main tribes were Mayans, Olmec, Amazonians, and Peruvians. They lived in caves and other structures curved out of stone. Mesoamerican Indians were the first to cultivate corn, potatoes, varieties of beans, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, chocolate, rubber, cotton and tobacco. The Indians in Mexico developed corn by a breeding process so sophisticated that the journal of science described it as â€Å"mans first and perhaps the greatest feat at genetic engineering†. The natives made different discoveries based on different experiences and ways of life. The Mesoamerican and Eastern Woodland Indians had occupied different parts of America with the eastern Indians occupying the rain forest. Due to this woodland Indians discovered different uses for wood. They made hunting tools, houses, canoes and cooking utensils. The natives who lived near water bodies used the canoes for transport. The Mesoamericans mainly used tools curved out of stone for example, farming tools that were curved out of stone. Both inhabitants practiced farming for food, but they practiced it differently. The Eastern Woodland Indians cleared the forest in order to create more space for farming or when the land got exhausted while the Mesoamericans specifically the Amazonian Indians learned how to farm in the rain forest without destroying it, a process scientists are studying today in the hope of regaining this lost knowledge. The Mesoamericans were very advanced in agriculture. The Native Indians are said to have been the ‘mother of civilization.’ The Mesoamerican Indians having secured their food supply, turned to intellectual pursuits. They invented their own writing, astronomy

Existentialism and Film Noir Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Film Noir Essay Existentialism and its worldview are believed to have derived from Nietzsche’s provocative and controversial statement â€Å"God is dead†. The underlying meaning to Nietzsche’s controversial statement is that empirical natural science has replaced metaphysical explanations of the world. As a result of this, according to Nietzsche we no longer have any sense of who and what we are as human beings. He concludes that no foundation exists anymore for the meaning and value of things. Nietzsche’s philosophy shines light on what film noir is. That is, an artistic response to, or recognition of, this alteration in our understanding of the world. To emphasize the existentialist attitude in film noir, various stylistic and thematic techniques are used. Common techniques or characteristics of film noir that we see in both The Maltese Falcon and The Killers include: unconventional or non-classical narrative patterns, opposition of light and shadow, disorientation of the viewer, incoherent plot lines, inversion of traditional values and its corresponding moral ambivalence, non-chronological ordering of events, and characters whose actions are not motivated or understandable in any rational way. The similarities of characteristics between existentialism and film noir are prominent; for example, Siodmak and Huston distinguish the alienation and disorientation of a post-Nietzschean world, one without transcendent meaning or value. The constant opposition of light and shadow as seen in The Maltese Falcon and The Killers, helps communicate the dark characteristics of a post-Nietzschean world. For instance, when the swede peacefully awaits his assassins, we get a sense of estrangement and lack of sense and meaning. This lack of sense and meaning is further emphasized when the room goes dark and you see him from the neck down in light, but the face is in total shadow. A sense of despair is created through this camera technique by showing that no one else is in the room, leaving him hopeless to escape. A common characteristic of film noir that we see in both The Maltese Falcon, and The Killers, is the use of unconventional or non-classical narrative patterns. The use of non-classical narrative patterns emphasizes the cynical characteristics of a post-Nietzschean world. For instance, in The Maltese Falcon, Miss Ruth Wonderly initially claims to Spade and Archer to be searching for her sister, however her true intentions were to implicate Thursby her unwanted accomplice by killing Archer. Miss Ruth Wonderly’s contemptuous behavior coincides with the pessimistic view about the nature and purpose of human life. Non-classical patterns are established through various stylistic techniques. Such as the non-chronological ordering of events, often achieved through flashbacks. An example of this technique is seen in The Killers, when flashbacks are used to tell the story leading up to Ole Andersen’s death. The use of flashbacks and complicated sometimes-incoherent plot lines, as in The Maltese Falcon, are examples of the stylistic techniques that are used in film noir to communicate the mood and sensibility. A final common technique that is used in film noir is portraying characters whose actions are not motivated or understandable in any rational way. For example, why does Miss Wonderly lie about her name and objective in the beginning of The Maltese Falcon when she is sure to get caught at some point? By portraying the characters in this manner, Huston leaves the viewer with unanswered questions, leading to the disorientation of the viewer. It has been argued that film noir cannot be defined, therefore has no essential characteristics. That being said, considering noir as a response to the death of god helps explain the commonality of elements that philosophers have recognized in noir films. Moreover, the directors of The Maltese Falcon and The Killers use of thematic and stylistic characteristics in their films make them two of the best examples of film noir. They clearly depict a world of the post-Nietzschean period in their films, that is one of despair, alienation, and paranoia, which is essentially an existential attitude towards life.

Dombey and Son :: Free Essays Online

Dombey and Son Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail, and for Exportation Dombey and Son was Dickens’s seventh novel, and was written in 1848. Martin Chuzzlewit precedes it, and David Copperfield follows it. Even though most people are not too familiar with Dombey and Son, this novel was well received by its readers, and is considered to be the first novel that reflects Dickens’s artistic maturity (Schlicke, 280). The novel begins with the Dombey family, which is comprised of Fanny Dombey, her husband Paul Dombey, their little daughter Florence, and their newborn son Paul. Shortly after Paul’s birth, Fanny dies, and Mr. Dombey is forced to hire a nurse to take care of the children. Mr. Dombey sends little Paul to school so that he may be well educated and someday work at Dombey’s firm. Dombey does not view little Paul as a son or a loved one; rather, he views him exclusively as a business partner. While Dombey puts all of his energy into Paul, he neglects to love his daughter. She is of no value to him; therefore, he has no regard for her whatsoever. As a result of Dombey’s cold nature, Florence, and little Paul realize that they only have each other. The love between these two siblings is so great, and the bond they make is tight. Sadly, within the first 300 pages of the novel, little Paul becomes sick and dies. The rest of the story is focused on Mr. Dombey and his daughter. Florence constantly shows her father affection, but he constantly acts cold towards her. Dombey and Son explores relationships between business and private life, parent/child relationships, wealth and poverty, old and new, and male/female relationships. Dombey and Son was serialized in nineteen monthly parts that ran from October 1846 through April 1848 in London's The Graphic magazine. It was illustrated by Hablot Browne, and was published in one volume on April 12, 1848 by Bradbury and Evans (Page, Companion, 149). Dickens wrote Dombey and Son while residing in Switzerland and Paris. Supposedly, he was having trouble with Dombey during the first few stages, so he decided to relocate to Paris for some inspiration.

Early Intervention Of Massage Health And Social Care Essay

Massage is described as the systametic and scientific use of the soft tissue of the organic structure for the intent of obtaining and keeping wellness harmonizing to massage therapy: rules and pattern by Susan G. Salvo ( 2007 ) . Massage has been shown to cut down emphasis, enhance blood circulation, lessening hurting, promote slumber, cut down swelling, enhance relaxation and increase O capacity of the blood, ( Salvo, 2007 ) . â€Å" Because massage therapy is a inactive intervention that requires little, if any, physical demands on the single having the therapy and because it has shown to develope musculus tone for other kids ( Field,1998 ) massage therapy might heighten physical development for kids with Down Syndrome, † ( Hernandez-Reif, et Al ; 2004 ) . Massage has risen in popularity over the old ages particularly for those looking for alternate and complementary therapies to supplement their medical interventions and make a positive impact on their wellness. Massage has shown good to many people ( Salvo, 2007 ) . Down Syndrome is a familial status and it can consequence one in every eight hundred to one 1000 babes per twelvemonth in the united provinces, while there are two babes born every twenty-four hours in the UK with Down Syndrome, ( Fiona Marshall, 2004 ) . Down syndrome is present in a kid when they are formed with three instead than two transcripts of chromosome 21, this gives the kid 47 alternatively of 46 chromosomes ( Marshall, 2004 ) . The symptoms vary from individual to individual and can run from mild to severe, but they can be easy recognised because of the visual aspect. â€Å" The caput may be smaller than normal and abnormally shaped. For illustration, the caput may be round with a level country on the dorsum. The interior corner of the eyes may be rounded alternatively of pointed, † ( Neil K. Kaneshiro, 2010 ) . People with Down Syndrome can endure from typical physical characteristics such as: Reduced musculus tone A little olfactory organ and level seventh cranial nerve characteristics A little oral cavity and a big looking lingua Broad hands with a individual fold across the thenar Shorter than usual in tallness ( Marshall, 2004 ) . Down syndrome is a familial upset impacting 1000000s of people worldwide ( National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 1997 ) its cognitive defects characterise the status ( Nichols et al. , 2003 ; Seung & A ; Chapman, 2004 ) including motor and perceptual developmental jobs ( John et all. , 2004 ; Kearny & A ; Gentile, 2003 ) . There is no specific intervention for Down Syndrome as it is a familial upset, nevertheless, due to this there is a opportunity the sick person may necessitate surgery for GI obstructions and certain bosom defects, ( Neil K. Kaneshiro, 2010 ) . Since there is no intervention for Down Syndrome much can be done to better quality of life and minimise development holds, ( Marshall, 2004 ) . Fiona Marshall ( 2004 ) , sites from Patricia Winders ‘ book, Gross Motor accomplishments in kids with Down Syndrome: A usher for parents and professionals ( 1997 ) , that the motor development can be affected by four factors: deficiency of musculus control, shirker ligaments taking increased flexibleness of the articulations, less musculus strength and short weaponries and legs. The NHS Direct ( 2010 ) , believe that an early intercession plan can supply support to babes and kids with Down Syndrome from the minute they are born until the age of five ; these plans provide health care, instructio n and interventions for illustration address therapy and physical therapy. Harmonizing to Marshall ( 2004 ) , early intercession can antagonize the inclination to hapless musculus tone and so be good for the kid to assist pattern new accomplishments such as sitting and walking. A physiotherapist uses physical methods to advance wellness and wellbeing utilizing use, â€Å" A kid with Down ‘s syndrome will frequently hold physiotherapy from a immature age because it can assist them to better their scope of motion. Babies with Down ‘s syndrome may hold hapless musculus tone, so a physical therapist can assist them to larn to turn over over, sit up or walk, † ( NHS Direct, 2010 ) . Due to the hapless musculus tone of people with Down Syndrome it is harder to execute undertakings which need a grade of physical co-ordination such as eating and dressing, the NHS ( 2010 ) determine that an occupational healer can assist by interrupting down the undertakings into little stairss to assist supply an easier manner to finish the undertaking, step-by-s tep. Harmonizing to Marshall ( 2004 ) , early intercession and physical therapy needs to maintain the long-run motor accomplishments in head and non merely the short-run. Besides physical therapy may non rush up the rate of motor development but it could assist to forestall following unnatural compensatory motion forms, for illustration ; hapless position, walking with the pess broad apart or unnatural spine curvature. Harmonizing to the National Down Syndrome Society { NDSS } ( 2011 ) , references that some of the alternate therapies are aimed at handling the whole organic structure non merely the disease of symptom. It besides states that â€Å" Most of these therapies have non made claims for people with Down syndrome that have been any different from the claims they have made for the general population. However, some therapies have claimed to better motor and cognitive maps every bit good as growing and overall activity specifically in individuals with Down syndrome. Some have claimed to alter some of the physical characteristics of Down syndrome to a more â€Å" normalized † visual aspect and to change by reversal rational disablement. † NDSS merely recommends interventions that have gone through scientific tests for people with Down Syndrome. Harmonizing to Susan Mumford ( 2009 ) , massage can assist the musculuss by exciting normal organic structure processes. Waste merchandises such as lactic acid are released from the musculus fibers, enabling them to travel more freely, this returns the musculus tone to an optimal degree. It besides helps to better circulation and conveyance foods to the musculuss and variety meats and have a good consequence on the bosom rate.Case Studies- Applying Theory to pattern:The focal point of this is on whether massage therapy can assist with the betterment of musculus tone and motor development in kids with Down syndrome. In 2004, Hernandez-Reif, Field, Largie, Mora, Bornstein and Waldman decided to mensurate the, if any betterment in the motor map and musculus tone of people who suffer from Down syndrome, with the early intercession of massage. Twenty-one kids with moderate to high working Down syndrome received early intercession where chosen at random to have two half hr therapies, either massage therapy or a reading session. This went on for a period of two months. The kids ‘s operation degrees where assessed on both the first and last twenty-four hours utilizing the Developmental Programming for Infants and Young Children graduated table ( DPIYC ) and musculus tone was assessed utilizing a new preliminary graduated table ( ALT ) . During the initial first twenty-four hours the kids ‘s motor maps where measured by utilizing the following shaping characteristics, perceptual/fine motor, gross motor, self-care ( feeding etc ) social/emotional, linguistic communication and knowledge. This was used to demo any strengths and failings and to demo which developing accomplishments were emerging. The CPIYC was used in this trial for convenience and because the kids were already accustomed to it as they had been routinely administered by the professionals the kids already working with. A basal degree had been found and the survey could get down. The therapy Sessionss where for half an hr twice a hebdomad for the two months where a full structu red massage therapy was given and the reading Sessionss were done on the same clip agenda and the reading Sessionss consisted of the healers merely keeping the kids as they read the books. The consequences show that the ALT tonss reflected the original informations ; nevertheless, Mann-Whitney U-tests on certain musculuss show a tone alteration in the tonss uncovering that there was an betterment in musculus tone for the massage therapy group. For the DPIYC, measurings reflected outlooks and showed a greater addition for the massage therapy group on all right motor operation and gross motor working. They besides showed a small betterment in the group for linguistic communication development. However, the alterations might non reflect what should be shown as the developments the kids have revealed in the trials might non really be from the massage Sessionss or the control reading session but could really be due to ripening over the two months. To mensurate which could be due to the intercession or to the ripening of the kids with Down syndrome hereafter research would be needed along with another control group entering how a massage session comprising of light stroking alternatively of a force per unit area would impact the same organic structure countries as the massage therapy group. This would besides decide any cultural issues which could originate from keep backing intercessions from some of the kids. In malice of this harmonizing to Pardew and Bunes ( 2005 ) it is discussed that through research preformed, Field and co-workers in the Touch Research Institute ( TRI. N, D ) . Despite positive findings from other beginnings there is still a ground to be cautious with the usage of intercession of massage to babies as a method to advance mental, motor and /or social-emotional development in immature kids who have disablements. Up until now there have merely been three different reappraisals upon infant massage techniques ( i.e. Gallagher, 2003 ; Ottenbacher, Muller, Brandt, Heintzelman, Hojem & A ; Sharpe, 1987 ; Vickers, Ohlsson, Lucy & A ; Horsley, 2004 ) . Ottenbacher and co-workers conducted and analysis and admitted that the trial groups did better than the control groups nevertheless there was the recognition that there where design flaws with the surveies and where more likely to bring forth positive results for the survey group. The other two reappraisals found that although t he surveies provided positive consequences the credibleness was compromised by methodological defects. While Gallagher ( 2003 ) finalised that the infant massage can non be recommended as grounds for the positive effects on cognitive, motor or social-emotional development in high kink babies. Harmonizing to McWilliam ( 1999 ) Therapeutic, educational and medical are three countries of early intercession controversial interventions. Silver, ( 1995 ) considers discoursing intervention with kids with larning disablements controversial if: â€Å" ( a ) the attack was presented before any surveies were available or when pilot surveies had non been replicated, ( B ) the presented intervention went further than the information, or ( degree Celsius ) the intervention was used in an stray manner when a multimodal appraisal and intervention attack was needed. † Any curative patterns can be seen every bit controversial as they are described to necessitate a certain sum of clip per hebdomad, McWilliam ( 1999 ) . Whereas the more-is-better phenomenon is seen as a subject in the surveies about service use ( McWilliam, Tocci & A ; Harbin, 1995 ) and service integrating ( McWilliam, Young & A ; Harville, 1996 ) . This besides explains why in a therapy service the early intercession squad plans a therapy on the footing of a kid ‘s diagnosing alternatively of be aftering it to back up the ends of the survey ( McWilliam et al. , 1996 ) .Validity and Recommendations:The cogency of this trial might be discussed as there were so few patients involved in the test ; there were merely 21 patients who received merely two 0.5 hr therapies a hebdomad for eight hebdomads ( Hernandes-Reif, et Al, 2004 ) . It could hold been due to ripening effects that the consequences had shown that massage was effectual in the early intercession and to analyze this, an other control group would hold to be involved to find if the consequences were right. This control group would dwell of kids with Down Syndrome who would non have early intercession services to find if the consequences were affected by ripening, nevertheless this would be seen as unethical to with keep the intercession for research intents. ( Hernandes-Reif, et Al. 2004 ) . Although a 2nd control group might hold been added with a assumed massage that merely received stroking to the same organic structure parts alternatively of using force per unit area, this would be a one manner of deciding the ethical issue and would besides be a control for attending and â€Å" prove the effects of moderate poetries light force per unit area massage effects, † ( Hernandes-Reif, et Al. 2004 ) . Another restriction of this survey was that the DPIYC profiles a kid ‘s age scope ( in months ) and non the development age in months, due to this the cogency of the tonss is unknown. A recommendation for this is to utilize another step to change over the information into age tantamount tonss, for illustration the â€Å" Peabody Development Motor Scales ( Folio and Fawell, 1983 ) for gross and all right motor appraisals, † ( Hernandes-Reif, et Al. 2004 ) . â€Å" It is of import to observe, nevertheless, that none of the reappraisals indicated that infant massage was an uneffective intercession for immature kids but instead that to day of the month surveies have been conducted in a mode that adequately paperss efficaciousness. † ( Pardew and Bunse, 2005 ) . R. A. McWilliam ( 1999 ) in Controversial patterns: The demand for a re-acculturation of early intercession Fieldss ; believes that physical and occupational therapy have questionable research as there are no published true experimental surveies demoing the effectivity of one signifier of intervention over another as nil adequately separates the intervention from the control.Decision:The consequences show that massage therapy could assist in bettering the motor map and musculus tone of kids with Down Syndrome, nevertheless, with the restrictions and the recommendations added by those who created the tests and perceivers this could merely be a computing machine mistake, trial mistake, or even happenstance. To turn out that this would really work other factors would hold to be tested alongside the chief trial country as control groups to restrict any false consequences.

Proposal for Artemis Sportswear Company Essay

Cutting operational expenses is something ever organization must learn to balance to ensure productivity and profit margins increase for the company. An increase profit margin is the bottom line for any business and its stakeholders. In order to cut operational expenses productively Artemis Sportswear needs a comprehensive look at the everyday operational expenses. Cutting the everyday expenditures is in need of balance, because to much cuts can cause lose of productivity which in the end will not achieve the desired affect of increase profits. Cutting operational expenses also affects the work force of Artemis Sportswear. This proposal is to define the expenses that need or could be to cut to ensure the success of Artemis Sportswear and how these cuts will affect the workforce. Cutting everyday expenses can help lower operational expenses. When purchasing office supplies, generic is going to be less expensive than brand name products. Buying the store brand name is generally sold at a lower cost. Buying supplies in bulk is cost effective over a long period of time. Leasing equipment is better than buying equipment. When leasing you have the opportunity to upgrade or downgrade when necessary. Technology is always changing and improving, so by leasing there is the option to stay current with the new changes in the equipment. Leased equipment always comes with an insurance policy, which is not needed if there is a currant insurance policy with the company. To avoid being double charged register with your companyÂ’s insurance broker then submit a copy of the new insurance to the leasing company to have it dropped. Smaller equipment such as telephones, printers, fax machines and calculators should be purchased not leased. Usually the smaller equipment will hold its value over time and can be easily replaced if needed. Shopping for bargains or sales of the smaller equipments can save a considerable amount of money. Finding a 3 in 1 package which would include a telephone, fax and printer can also cut costs. Printing in bulk is another way to keep costs down because each copy is less expensive when purchased in larger quantities. Researching various companies for the best rates on telephone services; checking both long distance and local calling plans. Companies that have  plans of unlimited local and long distance are generally the best deals. Another possibility to look into is how much a telephone company charges for each fax that is sent. Most companies charge a flat rate of a minute instead of six second increments which adds up over a period of time. Out sourcing is a great way to significantly cut down costs. The way outsourcing works is when a company obtains a contract with another company to provide services for them. There are many types of companies that specialize in many different services. Companies can rely on outsourcing if they themselves cannot afford or do not want to spend the money on the expensive equipment. These companies can produce less expensive products and labor. In most cases they do not pay their employees benefits and the hourly amount the employees receive is usually very low. These companies typically have less overhead to worry about, making it possible to pay less for their work. These types of contracts are generally done overseas, such as China and India. Outsourcing not only cuts down costs, but it also can aid in expanding the business by building foundations in different countries. The benefit to expanding is more income coming in. Another benefit from outsourcing is that it helps to reduce the work that managers perform allowing them to take care of bigger issues. Of course outsourcing has its disadvantages; it can take away from the personality of the company, by not having a personal communication between the company and clients. “In business, your profits are your reward for your endeavors. In fact, profitability is the only reliable measurement of a business’ success. Profits are the very lifeblood of a business. They fuel growth, support the owners, provide for the well being of the staff, and ultimately determine the success or failure of the business.” Peters Elworthy and MooreCutting operational expenses to increase profit margins is key for Artemis Sportswear to continue selling quality sportswear. First cutting operational expenses in house is a must. In house is where everything begins so thatÂ’s the first place to begin cuts. Hiring a company to help budget Artemis Sportswear is a smart way to educate employees to cut costs. A budget company will first evaluate immediate saving opportunities for Artemis Sportswear by reviewing operating expenses and guiding higher office and  employees to cut operational expenses. Investing in a company to help budget Artemis Sportswear is a smar t way to cut costs and raise profits. There are other ways to cut cost without hiring professionals to help budget the company. Using the internet to search for ideas is also an inexpensive way to save money. After saving money from not hiring a budget cutting company, it will add to ArtemisÂ’s profits. Ideas such as those on ehow.com, ezinearticles.com, and pem.com can save money and just as important, time. Simple tips and ideas like not making cuts without considering the consequences, to leasing gives the option of upgrading or downgrading, depending on needs and changes in technology. Sitting down with the companyÂ’s decision makers and brainstorming strategies to cut spending is another inexpensive way to keep costs low. Look over company expenses and create a list of needs or must haves. Review the companyÂ’s business plan and see what necessary costs have to be made in order for the company to meet its objectives, goals and overall mission. Think about cutting full-time workers into part-time workers or making the positions contract without benefits. Proposal for Artemis Sportswear CompanyWhen discussing cost cutting measures, it is imperative to consider the costs to the employees. When payroll is cut, how Artemis carries the process out can have a negative effect on the employees left and most certainly will have an effect on their work production. Keogh (2001) claims, “Economic trends have been at its worst since 1991” (p 17). A few things have been learned about payroll slashing since then. Some companies are asking the employees what to do in order to cut costs before cutting payroll and have received replies as simple as saving energy to more convoluted solutions. Energy savings alone can result in savings of thousands of dollars. Another fact that has been learned is that it takes a community to support a business. The resulting cuts can have people losing their homes and moving  away from the city that Artemis Sportswear resides in. With loss in population, higher tax levies for businesses may result. The local retail trade is affected. This will also affect the local unemployment rate with an increase in government supplements and food stamps. When people have worked with a company for many years, they donÂ’t have any skills for searching for a job. Even termination can be done with care. It is advised to give ample notice of termination and information about benefits. A company can be hired to help workers cope with “career transition” (Austin, 2001, p 60). When layoffs are activated, the resulting production of the left over employees may or may not be affected; depending upon how the terminations were made. When workers are cut, service is cut. A better idea may be to cut per hour costs or offer early retirement packages for senior employees. A hiring freeze may be a viable alternative. Employees who leave the company are not replaced. Along with lower cost per hour, this might take a while for the company to see profit increase, but if the employees are made to feel part of the solution to its own problems, there may be a significant production increase. This is a point that retraining would come in. Companies like Federal Express and Saturn have gone to retraining programs instead of immediate terminations. Buckstein (1997) explains that “training has yielded $30 for every dollar invested…” (p 131). Bonuses are paid to managers who volunteer to participate as instructors. Retraining consists of team building and changes in workplace culture. Employers can restate what is expected of the workers and let them become aware of what the new focus of Artemis Sportswear is. Company values and ArtemisÂ’s mission statement can be communicated. Employees can be reenergized, knowing that Artemis is trying to keep staff and prevent layoffs. Work assignments can be filled by more than one person as well as rotate, to prevent boredom. This can give a boost to productivity. It is essential to supply information to the workers about proposed changes.  Greenhalgh and McKersie (1980) caution “…rumored use of the layoff strategy leaves employees with a feeling of employment insecurity which affects their work, their relationship with management, and their commitment to continue working for the organization” (p 577). If rumors are circulating, Artemis does not have an accurate measure of their cost cutting implementation strategy. Bleckstein (1997) summarizes, “But a firmÂ’s ability to learn faster than its competitors may be its only sustainable competitive advantage” (p 131). This translates to research. Management must consider the costs overall before cutting jobs. Most important, management must consider the costs to their loyal employees when research indicates effective money saving alternatives. Artemis Sportswear has a few options open to them before cutting payroll. Kinsman (2001) warns, “ItÂ’s time for corporations to start thinking about all the pieces of the success equation before lopping off payroll” (4). Conclusion Business is ever changing in the new world economy. Artemis Sportswear like any other business and will have to take steps to improve business and profit margins. The use of cutting operational expenses is shown in many different forms from out sourcing to cutting back everyday expenses. These are essential for improving the profit margins of Artemis Sportswear but the consideration of how these cuts can affect the worker of the company. References Austin, P. (2001). The making of a one-company ghost town. Business and Society Review, 59-64. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from the EbscoHost database. Blickstein, S. (1997). A wider view of training effectiveness. Industrial and Commercial Training, 29(4), 131-132. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from the EbscoHost database. Greenhalgh, L., & McKersie, R. B. (1980, November/December). Cost-effectiveness of alternative strategies for cut-back management. Public Administration Review, 575-584. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from the EbscoHost database. Kelly, L. (1996). The costs of cost-cutting. Worklife Report, 10(2), 3. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from the EbscoHost database. Keough, J. (2001). The trouble with layoffs. Industrial Distribution, 90(8), 17. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from from EbscoHost database. Kinsman, M. (2001, March 12). The problem with cutting staff in lean times. Westchester County Business Journal,4-8. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from the EbscoHost database. Wise Geek. (2003-2008). Wise Geek: What is Outsourcing?. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-outsourcing.htm

A cost benefit analysis of the environmental and economic effects of Nuclear Energy in the United States

A cost benefit analysis of the environmental and economic effects of Nuclear Energy in the United States Overview There are myriad environmental benefits presented by the production and use of nuclear energy. Studies on this fuel have indicated that it has a negligible contribution to global warming since there are no emissions of greenhouse gases.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A cost benefit analysis of the environmental and economic effects of Nuclear Energy in the United States specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, other toxic gaseous compounds such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen are not emitted in nuclear reactor plants or in points of consumption. In any case, the process entailed in the conversion of nuclear energy to electric energy does not involve any combustion of solid or liquid substances that may be injurious to the environment. Hence, in a conventional sense, no single substance undergoes the process of incineration as it is common with other types of fuels. Besides, the production of heat in nuclear plants is due to fission of radioactive substances but not through the process of oxidation. The quantity of fuels spent in nuclear reactors is almost the same amount of end products (energy) produced by the reactor. This implies that there is minimal loss of energy to the environment in form of waste products. The fuels that have been spent are not let free to the environment but are stored in the assembly points within the reactor. Contrary to the production of energy using fossil fuels, all the solid wastes and particulate matter in nuclear reactors are not disposed to the ambient environment.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although wastes generated from nuclear plants are not emitted freely to the surrounding environment, the impact of releasing such wastes would be disastrous if it were permitted. The reason behind, is the fact that n uclear plants produce an assortment of waste products that are more risky to the environment than fossil fuels. For instance, solid wastes generated from the reactor system may be highly toxic when exposed to living environment. Moreover, there are quite a number of process chemicals that would pose serious threat to fauna and flora if it were emitted to the environment. There is also excessive steam emanating from heated water that as well as spent fuel that contain traces of radioactive substances harmful to life. Nonetheless, there is a distinction between the amount of electric energy produced and the mass of waste products, which is rather small. Therefore, the impact to the environment may not be similar in magnitude to the use of fossil fuels. Moreover, the plant operators have the full control of the harmful wastes being generated. The waste control measure involves variety of individuals and agencies such as plant managers, owners of the nuclear reactors as well as the Depa rtment of Energy. There are stringent measures taken to ascertain that no waste materials fins their way to the environment until the last stage of disposal.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A cost benefit analysis of the environmental and economic effects of Nuclear Energy in the United States specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is also imperative to note that spent fuel from nuclear waste is primarily radioactive in nature. On the other hand, a very small fraction of waste materials from fossil fuels contain radioactive substances. In both cases though, solid wastes can substantially spoil the environment. The nature of damage posed to the environment depends on the nature of the nuclear plant being used and also the extraction process of fossil fuel themselves. Quite often, the management of wastes from nuclear reactors is undertaken up to the disposal phase. However, it is not quite easy to manage partic ulate matter and stack gases from fossil fuels before they are released from the fuel production system. The fact the gaseous waste products are dealt with well after they have been released increases the risk of exposure of these toxic substances to human, animal and plant life. Although it is possible to manage fossil fuel wastes either partially or fully, the process may prove to be costly both in terms of setting up waste management systems within fossil fuel pant establishments in addition to emanating the systems to remain effective and efficient in disposing wastes. On the same note, operators who run nuclear plants have the responsibility of ensuring that appropriate systems are installed within the nuclear reactors to eliminate or control wastes generated during the radioactive processes and reactions. Hence, the cost of controlling wastes through building of structures cannot be evaded by either fossil fuel or nuclear plant operators. Furthermore, it is also pertinent to m ake controversial decisions regarding the most applicable waste control measures to adopt.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To this end, the cost-benefit analysis on environmental impact of nuclear energy compared to other forms of energy relies heavily on the waste value attached on each type of pant used to generate energy resources. For example, airborne wastes originating from nuclear power are largely eliminated before being exposed to the environment. The minimal volume of radioactive wastes generated from nuclear reactors is indeed advantageous in terms of cost since managing such small quantities of wastes is both cost effective and beneficial to the owners of the company due to reduced overheads. Similarly, fossil fuels equally generate harmful solid and gaseous wastes but the environmental impact of the latter may be hefty compared to spent fuel from nuclear reactors. Nonetheless, none of the waste stream can be embraced in the environment. Both wastes are disastrous regardless of the point of source. The wastes produced by nuclear power have been found to bear the highest environmental costs i n comparison to other types of fuels. As already mentioned, the quantity of waste produced from nuclear plants may be quite small when a comparison is drawn with other type of fuels such as fossil fuels. However, if these wastes from spent fuels are not nipped at the bud, the impacts can be extreme. In fact, wastes generation during the production of nuclear energy should never be permitted into the environment at all costs. The waste streams can be handled from the point of production using two key options. To begin with, clean sources of energy, also known as renewable energy are usually in place just in case surplus power needs to be generated. In spite of these alternatives, each of the method of producing energy has its own environmental impact that cannot be avoided in the process of production and consumption of the resource. It is also vital to note that the environmental impacts of these alternative fuels may be positive or negative. The availability of these power generati on sources does not, however, solve the challenge of the ever-increasing power demands in United States. For a considerable length of time now, fossil fuels imported from foreign destination have been instrumental as the chief source of energy. At a time when there seems to be strain and over-reliance on fossil fuels, nuclear power seems to come in handy. Thus, the cost benefit analysis on the use of nuclear power and the projected environmental concerns are crucial in the evaluation of potentiality of nuclear power. Secondly, managing demand for power is critical in a bid to alleviate the environmental impacts of wastes generated from spent fuels in nuclear plants (Morris, 2007). It is definite that power generation is usually accompanied by wastes and the two components can be separate or discussed in isolation. In order to reduce nuclear power wastes, the demand for power should go down. Hence, reducing the demand for power will have a ripple effect on the quantity of wastes prod uced. One likely proposal would be to consume less energy so that the demand for the same is lowered. Consequently, wastes associated with power production will equally be lowered. Nonetheless, this will not address the challenge of economic development since myriad of outlets such as industrials plants and domestic settings will continue to demand for more energy as time progresses. When managing demand for energy, it is pertinent to acknowledge cycles for need ranges from the daily to seasonal basis. The pattern of fuel choice and use will be affected significantly if such consumption cycles are treated on a common platform or flattened altogether. The choice of fuel cannot be merged with managing demand for energy. However, the duo processes may as well complement each other. Indeed, the case of nuclear power being compared with fossil fuel is a critical example of this nature (Ramana, 2009). The base load, for instance, works well with nuclear power source. This base load refers to a state of stable demand for energy over a considerable length of time. Similarly, the cyclical demands for energy can be met using other source of energy like fossil fuels and hydropower. In line with this, it goes without saying that when nuclear power is put into perspective of cost benefit, it remains to be most reliable during both the peak and off-peak loads. Hence, when demand level s are leveled, the production of nuclear power may be favored. This can also be a viable way of regulating environment pollution arising from other sources. On the overall, nuclear energy is a growing contributor of US energy needs, contributing about 20% of the total energy requirement in this vast country. On a global scale, this form of energy accounts close to 14% of energy production. Although the United States and the world at large is still relying heavily on fossil fuel, the need to devise other alternative and clean sources of energy is ever beckoning. Is this agreement is implemented , then depending on unstable nations for crude oil resources will be reduced substantially. Besides, the cost of energy production will also go down. Hence, the additional spending on oil imports can be channeled to other areas of development agenda for the country. Although an alternative power generation is needed to supplement fossil fuel use, the undesirable impacts associated with other sources ought to be addressed beforehand so that the environmental impacts are brought to a level low. Situational analysis In 2005 alone, 86 quadrillion of crude oil was imported and consumed by the United States. The quantity of crude oil consumption has continued to grow exponentially even as demand skyrockets. The rate at which energy is being consumed does not match the production rate thereby leading to deficit. The last fifty years or so witnessed a near balance between the two parameters, namely energy consumption and production. In order to meet this difference, the Federal government h a to import crude oil resources. Sincerely speaking, energy exploration should be given a restart in the US. The reliability of nuclear energy is one the reasons why the United States should be boasting of rich uranium deposits. Generating power from radioactive elements such as uranium and polonium assures an uninterrupted supply of electric energy and hence, it is highly predictable both in terms of timing in availability and quantity demanded. The disposal of wastes generated from radioactive substances remains to be the strongest point in the use nuclear energy. United States has the best potential for producing nuclear power since it is well endowed with deposits of uranium. Premise One outstanding feature of nuclear power is that it can be accessed readily and easily. However, the United States government has not taken the full advantage of this resource as an option that can be employed in harnessing supplementary power. Several research studies have already concluded that nu clear energy is effective in terms of cost management. Moreover, this form of energy is quite worthwhile to invest in owing to well refined process of controlling environmental pollution of nuclear generated wastes. In addition, its sustainability is far beyond par since it can be relied on for a considerably long period of time. If adopted, it can generate adequate power alongside lowering cost of producing energy. Moreover, waste disposal procedures in nuclear plants are indeed phenomenon when addressing the cost benefit analysis of this form of energy. The key problem statement to be addressed in this paper is the identification of impacts of nuclear power as far as cost and benefit are concerned. The effect of this energy resource both economically and environmentally is vital in this discussion. When comparing nuclear energy with other sources of energy, the cost benefit analysis cannot be ignored since it gives the clearest picture. Wastes from nuclear plants Disposing of wast es from nuclear plants face various restrictions from the local, state and federal government. In order to impose these restrictions, myriad of elements are used. For instance, government regulation, enactment and enforcement of by-laws or legislations as well as owner commitment to dispose radioactive wastes are all channels through which waste disposal controls can be put into force. Hence, restrictions of this nature that govern waste disposal from nuclear plants reflects the public opinion on the best measure that can be employed in managing wastes based on their value as well as cost. It is highly likely that there will be opinion differences among different players or concerned members of the public on the best method to use to control wastes from nuclear reactors. In other words, the emission policies may not address the views of all those who are concerned with safe disposal of wastes and the environmental impacts of the same. The type and nature of wastes disposed from an e nergy production process often depicts the type of restriction imposed. Thus, environmental controls on waste disposal will largely depend on the type of power plant being used to produce energy. Besides, variations also exist in terms of level needed to regulate the emission of certain environmental pollutants. A crucial example is the effect of steam discharge from hot water, since it may significantly affect the normal temperature of the surrounding water bodies. In retrospect, it is paramount to note that nay slight change or variation of normal temperature of the nearby water bodies may adversely affect certain plant and animal species which are not accustomed to a warmer environment. Furthermore, the ecology of the affected water masses is altered. Consequently, policy issues emerge to debate on the impact of such discharges and whether corrective actions should be taken or not. When concerns of this nature are addressed in operating nuclear power plants, the nature of control s as well as costs required will be established. For instance, a cooling system that lowers the temperature of hot water can be put in place. Better still, the quantity of waste discharge to the environment can be stipulated in order to monitor how much in terms of pollution is let free in the environment and the degree of impact on plant and animal species. The spent fuel disposal is still the worst environmental fear for all nuclear plants used to generate power. Usually, the fission of process that involves splitting of radioactive nuclides does not pass through any heating stage. In practice, no single matter undergoes combustion since the entire process is oxidation-the loss of electrons by the atomic species in the radioactive nuclides. As a result, the process of nuclear fission is accompanied by minimal conversion of mass of the raw material to energy. From the point of insertion up to the eventual removal from the system, there are myriad of control measures that are put in place. The process of disposing solid and gaseous wastes is so strongest that the immediate environment is not affected negatively at all. The point at which the solid and gaseous toxic products are deposited is keenly monitored, making it cost effective to the environment in terms of pollution control. The adoption of strict disposal measures of nuclear wastes is indeed one of the reasons why the use of nuclear power to generate energy is an excellent option when seeking alternative sources of ‘clean’ energy (Suppes Storvick, 2007). The processes of generating power incorporate two main reactions namely nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. The two processes take place between the materials and the fuel units and are both accompanied by notable loss of heat energy with the emission of certain radioactive particles harmful to skin and the rest of the animal body (Hantula Voege, 2009). The accumulation of products obtained from fission (splitting) and fusion (joining) r esults into the spending of nuclear fuel. At this point, the nuclear fuel cannot generate any surplus power. There is a large amount of energy fuel which is not consumed in this process. However, there is need to investigate whether surplus fuel can be produced from the residues. The chemical and physical characteristics of the spent fuel are not similar I nay way. This difference is indeed necessary in the process of handling waste materials and disposing them before they exit the reactor. Nonetheless, the stages involved in the handling of these wastes do not come without a cost. There are expenses which are incurred and are part and parcel of the nuclear production overhead (Department of Energy, DOE., 1988). Spent fuel can be handled in different applying unique procedures. Hence, potential techniques are varied. For instance, recycling is one of the procedures used to eliminate or alleviate the toxicity of spent fuels which are already in form of wastes. The main advantage of r ecycling is that the process undertakes some form of reprocessing of raw materials that were not completely used up. Hence, recycling is an economically beneficial process that improves the viability of setting up a nuclear plant. When some the spent fuel is recycled, the environmental risk of the crude waste product is reduced significantly. The end product after reprocessing is less harmful and can be safely released into the environment. Another benefit of recycling is the increased output of the total energy production. There is minimal wastage of the raw materials that have been categorized as waste products. The approach being taken in the United States is that which entails burying down all the waste products collectively known as spent fuel. All waste products from radioactive reactors are perceived to be highly toxic and the best alternative of managing such wastes is to burry then deep underground. Although this procedure of disposing wastes seem to be viable, it may equal ly lack sustainability especially in situations whereby landfills are to be acquired separately for burying wastes. This will imply that the operators of nuclear plants will have to undergo additional expenses as part of the production costs. Both transmutation and recycling have not been adopted in totality since they are still under policy considerations. In addition, the two aforementioned processes will interfere with the timing, quantity, period and the nature of the very burials (Nunn Ebel, 2000). The operating costs of the nuclear plants will definitely be increased perhaps by substantial amount. Currently, the overall duty of disposing spent fuels from nuclear plants lies with the US Department of Energy. Well, this has been quite reliable source of funding although sustainability remains to be subject of concern owing to the on-going dispute over the legality and constitutionality of such charges. The burden of funding waste disposal program has been left to the public and the very funds have been considered to be a form of subsidy to the waste disposal initiative. It is important to note that the federal government involves itself directly in the nuclear waste disposal program than any other type of energy production program (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, 2003). There are also concerns over the sufficiency of funds being raised by the public. The costs involved in the reprocessing of wastes may indeed go up with time. Worse still, if the nuclear energy production program is expanded by any means, the volume of nuclear wastes generated will equally increase (Findlay, 2010). This will be the case especially in a few years time since the demand for energy is continually increasing. Hence, nuclear energy generation may face lack of adequate funds in the foreseeable future. Should this happen, then the disposal of toxic nuclear wastes may be a gigantic challenge to the Department of Energy. Furthermore, as the cost of producing nuclear power may also be un predictable owing to factors such as inflation and economic recession. The Department for Energy in liaison with the federal government is currently a burial site for nuclear wastes in Nevada. Although much hope has been vested in acquiring this site, the court dispute is still raging and therefore the time when this site will be acquired is indefinite. Such controversies especially those regarding waste disposal mechanisms has remained to be a major challenge in the adoption of nuclear energy production as an alternative source of energy. Even as environmental concerns continue to bother the Department of Energy, the US energy demand is still an economic quagmire. As it is the case now, the status of nuclear waste disposal is pathetic. The use of temporary sites for disposing spent fuels from nuclear reactors is the order of the day. Hence, most of the wastes emitted from nuclear plants have not been disposed appropriately. The reprocessing of these wastes within the plant system s eems o be the most viable and readily used method as per now. Sooner or later, the alternate or temporary sites will be overwhelmed by the continual disposal unless lasting solution is sought in due time. Comparison The main forms of energy production are quite flexible and resilient in generating electricity. Although oil can be used to generate electricity, its high market cost as an imported product prohibits its use in the generation of electricity (Molak, 1997). As it is well known, the use of natural gas and coal poses gross environmental risks in spite of the fact each of these energy component has its own emission criteria. For instance, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the combustion of coal may not necessarily be the same although both of them are pollutants in the environment. When nuclear power is used to generate electricity, a clear distinction can be drawn right from the outset. There are vivid environmental pollution levels when all of these energy compo nents are used to reduce power. When coal is used, there is a possibility of choosing between cal that contains high and low contents of sulfur alongside other emissions. Similarly, the use of fossil fuels also allows differences in emission levels. These variations may be tagged on the type of burners used, the level of technology employed as well as the apparatus used to monitor and control emission levels. The application of emission allowances as enshrined in the Clean Air Act adopted in 1990 can be a real booster in nuclear waste management. Since 2002, there have been plans to include nuclear power plants in the emission allowances that are applicable with plants that emit oxides of nitrogen. In spite of the low volume of these allowances, it may indeed save a lot in terms of emissions that are usually avoided in totality (Eisenbud Gessell, 1997) Emission levels have been set up by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act as a guide to nuclear and other power generati ng plants. For example, for each 1 MWh of electricity produced, coal plants should not exceed the cap of 2249 of carbon dioxide while for oil plants; the maximum allowable emission is 1135 by volume. The remaining pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and the oxides of nitrogen also have their emission levels which cannot be exceed by operators. However, nuclear plant reactors are not emitted to emit any waste products to the environment, whether the pollutant is considered to be mild or less severe. The reason given behind this prohibition is that any allowable emission to the environment emanating from nuclear wastes may contain traces of radioactive substances known to be highly devastating even after being deposited for a long period of time. The radioactive wastes can still initiate chain reactions millions of years after emission to the ambient environment (Eisenbud Paschoa, 1989). This also explains the reason why the residues emanating from nuclear wastes are buried deep underg round so that the elements do not move to the surface and cause health havoc such as gene mutation in animals. Hence, nuclear power plants should be operated in a very sensitive manner right from the time raw materials are fed into the reactor up to the time period when waste products are being disposed. The quantity of spent fuel produced by nuclear power on an annual basis is estimate at 2,000 metric tons. This quantity is far much less than the stipulated allowable emission levels per every Megawatt hour of electricity produced. This implies that even though the environmental effects of spent fuel can be devastating, nuclear plants emit quite a marginal amount of these wastes to the environment. From this perspective, it is likely that a nuclear plant which operates in more than 90% of the total duration and has a capacity of one thousand MWe, waste generation from this plant will be approximately 46,000 lbs per year translating close to 23 tones. From this evidence, it implies t hat the amount of wastes generated from a nuclear plant per annum is relatively small compared to other forms of energy production. However, the challenge remains how adequately and satisfactorily these wastes can be disposed to avoid pollution of the immediate environment. When the same quantity of electricity is generated from coal, over three hundred thousand tons of waste products in form of ashy residues will be formed. This will translate to about ten prevent of coal burnt. the process of srubbing is used to remove ash impurities. This marks the main difference between the volume of waste products generated in nuclear plants and other forms of energy generation (Simon, 2007). It is possible to make resolutions and change to nuclear fuel from fossil fuel. However, this will rely on the type of fuel being substituted and the emission which is of great significance. Airborne emissions emanating from nuclear power plants and other sources of energy such as coal have common signifi cance throughout. There has been a gradual decline in the building of new nuclear plants since the past three decades or so. By 1996, one nuclear power plant was completed in United States in spite of the fact that there are pending building licenses of nuclear plants (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, NCRP, 2004). There is much hope that yet another nuclear plant will be constructed soon to supplement energy production in meeting high demand. The decline has not been without a cause. For instance, the associated expenses and overheads required to erect new power plants is quite high. The capital required for this investment is huge and as a result, it has prohibited the development of new nuclear sites. In addition to the element of cost, the risks involved in the constructing and running of nuclear power plants are overwhelming. As much as there is increasing demand for energy resources, the returns on nuclear power plants may not be significant especially at the initial stages of production due to the fact that management of wastes from spend fuel is a costly affair. Besides, waste disposal is a mandatory requirement in nuclear plants and as such, the operating costs may remain all time high, thereby jeopardizing operations. Building fossil fuel plants as well as coal plants has been quite easy in terms of cost compared to the construction of nuclear plants (Diesendorf, 2007). There are highly charged views over the possibility of alleviating greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of nuclear power generation. Acidic gases, solid wastes and metallic particles have been a concern for a lengthy period of time. There seems to be concurrence that greenhouse gas emissions can indeed be reduced when nuclear power generation is given a serious thought instead of over-relying on fossil fuels (Sovacool, 2010). Furthermore, the emission of acidic gases like the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen will significantly go down if fossil fuels suc h as coal and oil are sufficiently replaced with energy production using nuclear power. Although the cost benefit analysis of setting up a nuclear plant reveals hefty financial risk, the overall result is definitively impressive. The other side of the coin must also be analyzed. When fossil fuel is replaced with nuclear power, the quantity of nuclear spent will be higher, necessitating the need for further disposal. The control technologies for regulating emissions from nuclear power plants is yet another option that can reduce or completely eliminate the release of harmful waste products to the environment. Environmental effects Right from the initial stage of construction, a nuclear power plant is a real source of noise disturbance to the neighboring community. However, this kind of disturbance is quite common in most industrial establishments (Leeuwen Smith, 2003). For instance, the increase in traffic flow, digging of natural sites trough excavations by heavy machinery, destroy ing of the natural ecosystem by interfering of plant and animal habitats are likely to be experienced whenever a nuclear power plant is being constructed. There are instances when the natural environment is completely defaced, leaving bare ground, deep valleys and rugged surfaces. Nonetheless, it is vital for an environmental impact assessment to be carried out before such construction works begin. This type of assessment will ascertain any mitigation measures that need to be taken or put in place in order to reduce damage to the terrestrial and aquatic environment. An impact assessment to the environment is carried out by environmental experts and a report outlining some of the measures to be taken as the construction goes on is released to the contractor (Diesendorf, 2008). To begin with, the selection of a nuclear power plant site is an important step to take. A carefully selected site will by far and large, minimize the effects of these negative impacts to the environment. For i nstance, it is highly recommended that a nuclear power plant be located away from human settlement. Residential places should not be positioned within the vicinity of nuclear plants. Another environmental impact of nuclear power plants is the thermal discharges that emanates from heat that has not been used in the process of driving the turbines. Both the fossil fuel and heat generated from fission and fusion in the reactor are not conducive to the environment. Complications arising from reproduction, growth and development of initial stages of tiny animal species like insects as well as children and adults. In order to address this environmental problem, there are regulatory agencies whose main role is to set up standards regarding water temperature and the associated discharges being released into the environment (New Nuclear Energy Agency, 2008). The aquatic populations may also undergo demise due to exposure to extremely hot discharges. The transmission lines that are highly vis ible is a common sight in locations where nuclear power plants have been located. These lines serve the purpose of transmitting electricity at very high voltage. Although underground cable can be used t transmit electricity from the source of production to various destinations, such an undertaking is not economically feasible and may as well translate into a financial risk. Hence, the net returns on nuclear power projects may be hampered by not only the cost of transmitting electric power from one location to another, but also the impact posed to the environment by the transmission lines such as accidents, requirement of additional space to erect power lines and so on (Benduhn, 2009). The ionizing radiation emanating from nuclear reactors is indeed the man cause of worry when generating power using nuclear power. Strict monitoring of the power generating plant is necessary at all times. Any slight leakage from the system may lead to hum exposure to high power penetrating radiation s uch as gamma rays and beta particles. In particular, the former has a very high penetrating power and can render the victim dead or with complications after a short period of exposure. In summing up, it is vital to reiterate that the cost-benefit analysis of the environmental impacts of nuclear power generation reveals that in spite the high cost of establishing a nuclear plant in addition to the exaggerated costs of managing wastes in from of spent fuel, this form of energy production is a potential alternative to fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. The total volume of waste products generated by a nuclear plant per annum has also been found to be significantly low compared to other forms of energy production. Nonetheless, the most satisfying way of managing these wastes is still a challenge up to date. The high cost of installing subsidiary systems within the nuclear plant to eliminate toxic wastes requires and additional capital investment (Sovacool, 2008). 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