Future of healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Future of healthcare - Essay Example The government should make the health care system a single pay and nationalize all medical insurance services as well as investing extra in the system to reduce the cost of recurrent spending. The increasing stratification in health care access and provision are other daring challenges facing the U.S health care system. For example, the approach to ask individuals to pay more for their health care will result in stratification in medicare provision. Hooper (2009) predicts that those paying higher insurance premiums will get access to a wider variety of health care services than the struggling middle class and lower class who cannot afford such high premiums. Therefore, the government should adopt a policy that dictates health care provision to all irrespective of the ability to pay. In other words, as Pasdirtz (2007) presents it, the state should reduce privatization of the health care provision. Lastly, the number of the uninsured population in U.S is surprisingly growing with an estimated 45 million people currently being in the uninsured group. The implication is that those uninsured will miss out on better health care provision ad Medicare hence painting a denting image on the government as having failed to give its subjects sufficient health care. The government should bridge the gap between the disadvantaged and the high-income

Explain how firms try to extract consumer surplus using two-part Essay

Explain how firms try to extract consumer surplus using two-part tariffs - Essay Example Consumer Surplus and two part tariffs Monopolist firms are always associated to price discrimination and two-part pricing. Monopoly market structure is a form of market structure in which there is only one consumer and several producers. The monopolists are able to effect two part tariffs because they have the market power and because the consumers have inelastic demand curve. Market power, on the other hand, refers to the firm’s ability to raise the price of a commodity in the market over the marginal cost of producing the good in order to increase profit. The monopolists who act as price makers in the market without losing their customers or decreasing their sales majorly enjoys market power. The goods produced in these markets are very essential to people and that is why they still purchase the goods when their prices increase (Perloff, 2012). Market power is majorly brought about by barriers to entry to the new firms by monopolists. Elasticity is an important factor when o ne wants to determine market power and this depends on the shape of the demand curve where the price is raised above the marginal cost curve by the firm. It is given by the equation below: Price/Marginal cost= price elasticity of demand/ (1 + price elasticity of demand) Elasticity is affected greatly by availability of substitutes in that the more substitutes a good has, the more elastic the commodity is likely to be. Lastly, time affects elasticity as it takes time for consumers to react to the changes in price of goods. It has been observed that the demand for goods may be inelastic in the short run but elastic in the end due to price increase (Goolsbee & Syverson, 2013). Two critical conditions should be satisfied for the two-part tariff to hold. The first condition is that the supplier must have market power and the other is that the producer should be able to control access to the market. According to Pindyck & Rubinfeld (2009) in case where there is only one type of consumers who have the same demand curve then firms captures the concept of consumer prices through setting the price that is equal to marginal cost. Moreover, the fixed fee is set at point where it is equal to the consumer surplus of individual consumer price. Ordinarily, the consumer would charge price Pm and produce quantity Qm which accords the firm a profit shown by region B. However, due to two part pricing the firm will charge price Pc and a fixed charge of ABC making the firm to increase its profit to ABC. By charging price Pc the firm will extract all the surplus and realize increase in profits by AC. Figure 1: the figure shows how consumer surplus is obtained when demand is homogeneous; the diagram applies for each consumer In case there are two types of consumers and all the consumers within the same group possess the same demand curve then the only way to capture consumer surplus is through maximizing the profit function with respect to the price. The firms can attain the consumer surplus in two ways with two kinds of consumers. The first way to attain consumer surplus is through selling to high yield customers (Goolsbee & Syverson, 2013). High yield customers are charged a price, which is equal to marginal cost, and the fee is set equal to the price of the high yield custom

The Things They Carried Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Essay During the Vietnam War Jimmy Cross was tasked as the lieutenant in the Vietnam War in Tim Obrien’s The Things They Carried. He took responsibility full of challenges past warfare. The war was a very psychological war for the positioned soldiers in the army. The strange environment that included shady places, waiting corners, diseases and death other than the problems they carried from home. Every soldier there held on to something that kept them bound to their previous life. Jimmy Cross carried his love for Martha. Jimmy’s love for Martha was in hesitantly controlling over his entire life. Jimmy imagined himself loving her and her loving him the same way back: More than anything, he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her, but the letters were mostly chatty(495), blinded by the truth held in the letters that Martha didnt feel the same way he continued to feel passion. Jimmy Cross feelings for Martha is said to be the cause of Ted lavender death. Surviving the war wasn’t as an accomplishment as everyone thought. Jimmy Cross figured it out the hard way. Norman Bowker was a man who represents the damage that a war leaves in a soldier after the war . Norman Bowker’s sorrow and confusion are so powerful that they prompt him to drive without direction around his hometown in â€Å"Speaking of Courage†.Bowker also wrote a seventeen-page letter to Tim O’Brien explaining how he never felt right after the war in and to hang himself at the end of the chapter. â€Å"War is often†¦ a mass release of accumulated internal rage where the inner fears of mankind of fulfill in mass destruction† was the best summary that was given about war by psychoanalyst Joost Meerloo. War is a mental land mine. The psychological damage of war is so severe that it leaves the threat of hurting someone or yourself. This is known as PTSD (Posttr aumatic Stress Disorder). Soldiers’ re-experience their time at war through nightmares or/and flashbacks. People with PTSD have difficulty sleeping and are hyper vigilance. Every war brings its certain amount deaths and sorrow. Surprisingly most death is caused by the victim themselves. It is said that more American soldier take their own life compared to the soldiers killed in fighting. Suicide rates increase on and off the combat zone. Veterans like Matthis Chiroux regret his choice to go to war. He dedicated to showing young students the side of being a soldier of the army that they don’t talk about. He runs â€Å"We are not your soldiers† lectures which send the message â€Å"Don’t become one of us†. Matthis hopes to stop more people from repeating his mistakes and becoming part of the â€Å"grim statistic†. They say that going to war is scary because of the things you can loose, one limb or maybe two. But second to death, PTSD is the worst scar to bear. To always be haunted of the memories of the thing you had to do or were done in order for you to survive. The horrifying and animalistic behavior you witness. From town massacres to killing innocent children, it will haunt them. Tim O’Brien book â€Å"The Things They Carried† basically explains the horrifying experience he went through and how he found the ability to cope with it and stay sane. But not everyone is that lucky to find a balance in their head to keep them from insanity or suicidal actions. The way I see it Tim O’Brien himself was giving us a lesson.

Importance of Exercise With Cystic Fibrosis

Importance of Exercise With Cystic Fibrosis Critically analyse how the physiological benefits of exercise contribute to an improvement in coping with the physical demands of everyday life in this client group and how it compares with traditional Physiotherapy Techniques (Postural Drainage and Percussion) Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease very common among Caucasians, but rare in Asians and Negroes. It is an autosomal recessive condition, with an estimated one in twenty of a Caucasian population heterozygous for the condition. The number of live births of children having cystic fibrosis is high; between 1 in 500 and 1in 3000 (P. Howard, 1991 p.137), or 1 in 2000 (P. McGowan, 20003 p.142, G.K. Crompton, 1987 p.289). In the UK a figure of 1 in 4000 is given (W.J.M/ Kinnear et al, 1999 p.52). Kinnear et al (p. 52) also suggest a reason for the extremely high number (1 in 20) of heterozygotes in the population, that perhaps this high number is the result of some selection advantage, in this case possibly providing some protection from severe secretory diarrhoea caused by for example cholera. A mutation in a single gene (called pf) causes a defect in a plasma membrane protein called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTC). This gene is found on chromosome 7 (W.J.M. Kinnear et al, 1991 p. 52), and it is this gene that normally controls the movement of calcium ions. With it non-functional, calcium ions cannot pass through the membrane (P.H. Raven G.B. Johnson, 2002 p.261). As with many other inherited disorders, the pf gene has pleiotropic effects, i.e. one gene has multiple effects, in this case overly sticky mucus, clogged blood vessels, salty sweat, pancreas and liver failure and many other symptoms (Raven Johnson, 2002, p.253). Sometimes the gene appears to have the correct amino acid sequence but the condition is still produced. This appears to be due to a defect in one of the chaperone proteins, proteins that enable the gene product to fold to its final form. With the chaperone protein defective this does not occur and so cystic fibrosis is still the result (P.H. Raven GB Johnson, 2002 p.44). The table below shows (a) features of cystic fibrosis, (a) and (b) some complications arising from it. FEATURES OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS Respiratory manifestations Gastrointestinal manifestations Recurrent bronchopulmonary infection Meconium ilius Bronchiectasis Rectal prolapse Diarrhoea Failure to thrive Malabsorption COMPLICATIONS OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS Respiratory complications Other complications Bronchiectasis Abdominal pain Cor pulmonale Biliary cirrhosis Haemoptysis Delayed puberty Lobar collapse Diabetes mellitus Allergic aspergillosus Gall stones Sinusitis Growth failure Nasal polyps Male infertility Wheezing Portal hypertension Pneumothorax Rectal prolapse (Definitions:cor pulmonale: disease of the heart characterised by hypertropy and dilation of the right ventricle and secondary disease of the lungs or their blood vessels. Bronhiectasis: a chronic inflammatory or degenerative condition of one or more bronchi or bronchioles marked by dilation and loss of elasticity of the walls. Anon, 2006 in Medline Plus, Medical Dictionary) Other complications can also occur, some these being given by P. McGowan (2003 p.142) as Meningitis, Metastatic abscess (e.g. in the brain, and Amyloid formation (e.g. in the kidney). At present cystic fibrosis is always a fatal condition, death occurring either from the condition itself, or from one of its many complications. However the outlook for the patient, both in terms of life span and quality of life has continued to improve over the last few decades. Where once it was largely a disease of childhood with only about 5% reaching the age of 17, a 1987 publication estimates perhaps 25% surviving to age 20 (G.K. Crompton, 1987 p. 292). By 2003 though, the mean survival had risen to 29 years (P. McGowan, 2003. p.143). There are several methods of treatment for cystic fibrosis, improvements in some of these being responsible for much of the improvement in outcome for patients seen today. These methods will be discussed, in particular the traditional physiotherapy methods of Postural Drainage and Percussion, and compared to the effect of exercise on the patient’s prognosis. But first a brief consideration of the effects of cystic fibrosis so that it is clear what the treatment is aiming to change. Cystic Fibrosis: Signs and Symptoms Cystic fibrosis is primarily a disease of the respiratory system, although various other parts of the body are also affected. It is caused by the gene mutation referred to in the introduction. There are up to 500 different mutations, but 3 main ones, which cause 90% of the cases (W.J.M. Kinnear et al, 1999, p.52). These adversely affect the exocrine glands and the mucus-secreting glands, resulting in excess mucus and difficulty in clearing it. All such glands are affected, thus its wide ranging effects on other organs apart from the lungs, e.g. the pancreas. The excess mucus production is difficult to remove, due to impaired ciliary action in the airways leading to repeat infections and bronchiectasis. The disease is normally present at birth, although initially it may be asymptomatic or confused with other respiratory conditions such as asthma. Early signs of the disease are not always of a respiratory nature however, as some new-borns present with meconium ilius, while in some young children malabsorption and failure to thrive occur (W.J.M. Kinnear et al, 1999, p.52). Respiratory complications are however, the main feature, and generally present by age ten. Thick, viscid mucus is produced which is difficult to shift, and the bronchial obstruction it causes leads to infection. This leads to further obstruction as DNA from dead bacteria increases the viscosity and so produces a cycle of infection and increasing viscosity. Coughs, occasional at first, become more frequent, eventually leading to bronchiectasis with persistant purulent sputum expectoration. There may be blood in the sputum (haemoptysis), wheezing and intestinal obstruction, and the patient may become breathless (P. Howard, 1991, p. 28). These conditions worsen, nutrition may be poor leading to stunted growth, and finger clubbing becomes common as bronchial infection takes hold, and finally, in the terminal stages there may be cyanosis and cor pulmonale As can be seen from the aforementioned, cystic fibrosis is not a straightforward disease, and often, especially in babies and young children positive diagnosis can be difficult. Symptoms may be similar to other respiratory conditions, particularly in the early stages, plus secondary conditions may occur. These include infections such as with Staphylococcal pneumonia, this initial infection allowing further infections with other bacteria, particularly where broad spectrum antibiotics have been used so removing non-pathogens and allowing colonisation by drug resistant Staphylococci. If the patient survives to 16 or 17 years of age gastrointestinal problems may continue, but then respiratory disease tends to dominate, ending with cor pulmonale and/or respiratory failure (P. Howard, 1991, p138). Because of the variety of symptoms and the difficulty sometimes of diagnosing cystic fibrosis, there is no one specific treatment, treatment being aimed at the removal of mucus secretions so aiding prevention and control of pulmonary symptoms (GK Crompton, 1987, p. 291). And this is the more effective the earlier in the disease process it is started. Thus a definite diagnosis as early as possible will lead to more effective treatment. Various tests are carried out when cystic fibrosis is suspected. This may be because of a family history of the disease, failure of the child to grow at the expected rate, gastrointestinal problems or other respiratory problems such as asthma with which it may be confused. Pre-natal diagnosis may be carried out by amniocentesis or chorion-villous sampling if parents are known to be carriers of the condition. Otherwise various tests, e.g. the Guthrie test, the Immunoreactive trypsin test or most commonly the Sweat test (in which raised levels of sodium and chloride in the sweat are taken as a clear indication of the disease and is the most accurate test for this) are carried out. However the sweat test is not always so effective in adults. Traditional Treatments: Postural Drainage and Percussion Once the condition has been diagnosed treatment should be started immediately, even if the child has only minor symptoms or is asymptomatic. Treatment(s) may be based on any or all of the following: Physiotherapy, Antibiotics, DNase (to degrade the bacterial DNA that builds up in the airways, Anti-inflammatory drugs and nutritional support. It is the physiotherapy treatment that will now be considered. The two traditional physiotherapy techniques that are used for Cystic Fibrosis patients are Postural Drainage and Percussion. As the name implies, the former technique centres around placing the patient in a particular posture to facilitate draining of excess mucus from the airways. It is used in the treatment of bronchiectasis and lung abscesses, and the patient is placed head downwards so that the trachea is down and below the affected area so allowing drainage to occur (Anon, 2006). The use of postural drainage has quite a long history, with the first reference to its use in 1901 by W. Ewart in the Lancet (L. Lannefors et al, 2004). Ewart suggested continuous drainage for hours, with the patient sleeping in the position if possible. For postural drainage their are 12 positions, one for each lung unit, and once the patient is in the appropriate one percussion is applied (L.Lannefors et al, 2004). Percussion is a technique used to assess changes in the thorax or abdomen, and is carried out by tapping the surface to deduce the underlying structure. It is â€Å"done with the middle finger of the right hand tapping on the middle finger of the left hand, which is positioned with the whole palm on the body† (Anon, 2006). This can produce four different sounds, sonorous, hypersonorous, relatively dull sound, or completely dull sound, these indicating the structure below. For example a solid mass will produce a dull sound, while a hollow, air-containing structure will produce a sonorous sound. No studies have been carried out on the effects of manual percussion, but it is thought that air trapped between the chest wall and the cupped hand produces a vibratory wave that loosens secretions attached to the airway walls. These two techniques are often used in conjunction, a problem with the postural draining being the time that the patient must lie in the appropriate position, an hour being suggested as the effective time. For babies and toddlers an hour in this position is only likely to be possible when they are asleep. For older patients compliance with the treatment may be difficult – how many children or teenagers can happily stay still in a particular position for up to an hour without boredom setting in? But what of the actual effectiveness of these techniques? They have been used for a long time now often with modifications to the original method. There is much in the literature concerning these methods but including much that is conflicting, leaving the benefit of these treatments not always clear. There are now many techniques for airway clearance including variations on the two in question, thus it is difficult to make a straight comparison between them all. SG Butler and RJ Sutherland (1998) looked at several airway clearance techniques and concluded that no one technique was shown superior to the others. But a long-term study comparing conventional postural drainage and percussion with the positive expiratory pressure (PEP) technique found PEP to be significantly better. One other study looking at several techniques concluded that there was no particular difference between them, but that all were better than no treatment (J Thomas D Brooks, 1995). More recent papers indicate a lesser use of postural drainage in its original form, for example BM Button et al, (2004), compared traditional postural drainage with a modified form and found that the latter resulted in less episodes of gastro-oesophageal reflux. Similarly a review of the physiotherapy management of hospitalised children (K Farbotko et al, 2005) revealed a significant decrease in the use of postural drainage, but an increase in the use of a modified postural drainage system, and positive expiratory pressure devices. Other methods showed no significant change in their use. Another recent study (F Dennis MJ Rosen, 2006) considered non pharmacological airway clearance therapies by reviewing many papers on the subject, and concluded that such therapies did increase airway clearance, but that their effect compared with the unassisted cough was unknown. Thus there are many studies but they are often not comparable, they assess different methods, do not always have large enough sample sizes to make statistical comparisons, and of course are using different groups of patients who may vary in many ways. For instance in age, sex, seriousness of their symptoms, or in compliance with the treatments. CM Oermann et al, (2000) found that it was the sicker patients who were more likely to be compliant, something that could skew results if not taken into account in further studies. Benefits of Exercise In recent years more emphasis has been placed on the use of exercise as a means of treating cystic fibrosis patients, and for these an improvement in aerobic capacity is particularly useful. Exercise has benefits for all, and changes in both anaerobic and aerobic systems can occur depending on the type of training undertaken. Improvements in anaerobic systems are of more use in preparing for short-lived events requiring power or speed, e.g. weight lifting or sprinting, while improvements in aerobic systems are needed for distance events. In patients whose respiratory systems are compromised as in cystic fibrosis there will often be a reduction in lung volume or distensibility, with a corresponding reduction in vital capacity, total lung capacity and also inspiratory muscle strength (M Estenne et al, 1993). For these patients aerobic exercise is likely to be useful. Aerobic respiration causes various changes in the individuals’ metabolism and in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Some of these are listed below, the list being compiled from Exercise Physiology, by McArdale et al, (1996) Metabolic Adaptations Mitochondria from trained skeletal muscle become larger and more numerous Increased capacity to generate ATP An increase in the trained muscles capacity to mobilise, deliver and oxidise lipids Increased carbohydrate metabolism Selective hypertrophy of fast and slow twitch muscle types depending on use Cardiovascular and Respiratory Adaptations Heart size generally increases Increase in plasma volume Heart rate decreases as a result of aerobic training The heart’s stroke volume and cardiac output increases A significant increase in quantity of oxygen extracted from the blood Aerobic training causes a large increase in total muscle blood flow during maximal exercise Blood pressure is reduced both at rest and at sub-maximal exercise Psychological benefits. A consideration of the above list indicates several changes of interest for the cystic fibrosis patient, for example the increase in oxygen extracted from the blood and an increase in the ability to oxidise lipids. And psychological changes produced by sport or any physical activity are important for both the healthy individual and the CF patient. It can reduce mild depression, aid in sleeping, and give confidence in ones physical abilities, all which will make the patient more confident in themselves and in their handling of their condition. Although exercise alone is not going to replace all other treatments, it has a definite place as one of them, especially in the earlier and milder stages of the disease. An overview of treatment for cystic fibrosis (L Lannefors et al, 2004), describes the methods used at the Lund CF Centre in Sweden, starting in the 1980’s. There the treatment is tailored to each individual, with an emphasis on physical activity and absolutely no use of postural drainage or percussion (not used there since 1983). The treatment is started as soon as the condition is diagnosed and incorporates much physical activity. This is particularly important for babies or very young children, as they need to get used to someone applying physiotherapy. Left to the age of 3 or 4 years the child may not be very amenable to what to them is a boring and pointless activity, but started sooner is more likely to accept the treatment. The activity part of the treatment is tailored for each individual with their input taken into account, and aims to keep air-ways as clear as possible using physical activity, and physical activity as therapy for adults with bronchiectasis has been described ( J Pryor, 2004). Although there appears to be little to back the approach considering the lack of rigorous clinical studies available, it does appear from accumulated clinical experience that patients benefit from it. The paper by DM Orenstein et al, (2004) considers at length strength and aerobic training in children with cystic fibrosis, with many similar points made as in L Lannefors et al, (2004) overview of CF treatments. The introduction to this paper contains a brief review of many others, often showing similarities in results but not backed up by rigorous clinical studies. This study is the first fully randomised trial, measuring fitness, pulmonary function and quality of life, and was tested on a home based exercise programme. The CF patients were chosen according to pre-set criteria and randomly allocated to treatments. Thus the results could be analysed to check for any significant changes in outcomes. Results for this study were not always as expected, particularly for the aerobic training group which showed no increase in measures of aerobic fitness over time. It did not produce any greater fitness or pulmonary function than strength training. However both groups showed significant increases in weight gain, of particular importance, as CF children are often underweight leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The trial did not always give the expected results, but as great care had been taken with the experimental design, at least the results could be properly quantified and analysed. Conclusion In conclusion, it would appear that work still needs to be done regarding appropriate experimental design, to fully understand the rationales for treatment, and to fully appreciate the effect of physical activity on aerobic capacity and disease progression. For as Orenstain et al comment: â€Å"Exercise has the ability to improve the ability of a patient with Cystic Fibrosis to cope with the physical demands of everyday life† (Chest 2004, 126:1204-1214) REFERENCES Anon (2006) Medline Plus on-line Medical Dictionary http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm accessed 29/04/06 Butler, SG, Sutherland, RJ (1998) Current airway clearance techniques. New Zealand Medical Journal vol 111:183-186 Button, BM, Heine, RG, Catto-Smith, AG, Phelan, PD Olinsky, A (2004) Archives of Disease in Childhood vol 89:435-439 Crompton,GK (1987) ‘Diagnosis and Management of Respiratory Diseases’ 2nd ed pub: Blackwll Scientific Publications Dennis, F, Rosen, MJ (2006) Monpharmacological Airway Clearance Therapies Chest. vol 129;250S-259S Estenne, M., Gevenois, PA, Kinnear, W, Soudon, P, Heilporn, A De Troyer, A. (1993) Lung volume restriction in patients with chronic respiratory muscle weakness: the role of microatelectasis. Thorax vol. 48(7):698-701 Farbotko, K, Wilson, C, Watter, P and MacDonald, J (2005) Change in physiotherapy management of children with cystic fibrosis in a large urban hospital. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice vol. 21(1)pp13-21 Howard, P (1991) ‘Respiratory Medicine in Clinical Practice’ pub: Edward Arnold Kinnear, WJM, Johnston, IDA. Hall, IP. (1999) ‘Key Topics in Respiratory Medicine’ pub: Biosis Scientific Publishers Lannefors, L, Button, BM Mcilwaine, M. (2004) Physiology in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis: current practice and future developments. Journal. of the Royal Society of Medicine vol 97 (suppl 44):8-25 McArdle, WC. Katch FI, Katch, VL. (1996) ‘Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance’ 4th ed. Williams Watkins, pub: McGowan, P (2003) ‘Respiratory System’ 2nd ed. Mosby, pub. McIlwaine, PM, Wong, LT, Peacock, D Davidson, AGF (1997) Journal of Pediatrics vol 131(4):570-574 Raven, PH Johnson, GB (2002) ‘Biology’ 6th ed. pub: McGraw Hill, Oermannr, CM, Swank, PR Sockrider, MM. (2000) Chest vol 118(1):92-97 Orenstein, DM, Hovell, Mulvihill, MF, Keating, KK, Hofstetter, CR, Kelsey, S, Morris, K, and Nixon, PA. (2004) Strength vs Aerobic Training in Children with Cystic Fibrosis. Chest. vol 126:pp 1204-1214 Pryor, J. (2004) Physical Therapy for Adults with Bronchiectasis. Clinical Pulmonary Medicine vol. 11(4):201-209 J R Soc Med 2004;97(suppl. 44):pp8-25 Thomas, J, Cook, DJ Brooks, D. (1995) Chest physical therapy management of patients with cystic fibrosis: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. vol 151 (3 part 1):846-850

Essay --

Pomacea insularum Pomacea insularum commonly known as the apple snail is a species of snail from the class Gastropoda. P. insularum are found in warm wetlands habitats. They are capable of fast growth rates and reproduce many offspring which increases their capability to quickly invade different ranges. Recently this species has been spreading through southern United States and altering the environments in which they are found. The Pomacea insularum species in round in shape and is usually brown, black, and yellowish tan. P. insularum may reach 150 mm in length or the size of an apple. Their offspring are large egg masses that are a bright pink color. Pomacea insularum look very similar to Pomacea canaliculata making it difficult to properly identify. To better control the invasive species P. insularum it is important to understand the native range, invasive range, and related species. The known native range of this species is Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. The Apple Snail generally inhabit areas with slow moving or stagnant waters in lowland swamps, marshes, irrigation canals, streams, ponds, lakes and rivers. Currently the species is invading in several areas of the world including several countries in the Asian and European continents. Another continent that P. insularum is found in is North America specifically the southern United States. States that have the species are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas. The first sighting of P. insularum in many of these states were in the 2000’s while in Texas the first sited was 1989. A study done by Howell surveyed 393 sites in Texas and P. insularum was found in 53 of the sites. The snail was found in low densities in ponds and streams but in agr... ...dling age from two to five weeks resulted in significant reductions in snail damage. Management of the apple snails may have to target the entire genus of Pomacea since there are so many invasive species of Pomacea in the United States. Forecasting the potential range of the Pomacea insularum is important for management of the species. Pomacea insularum lives in habits that are generally warm and composed of wetlands. Currently P. insularum is found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas. These states all have areas that are warm and have wetlands. Under current climate conditions Pomacea insularum should not spread much farther through the United States. Along with the right climate P. insularum needs the waters to be ph that is greater than 5.5. If the ph levels are lower than this number the snail’s survival and persistence declines.

The Fast Food Culture is Detroying America Essay -- Fast Food Research

The typical American diet, with its emphasis on fast food and frozen food, is a consumption pattern reflective of, and symptomatic of, our production patterns -- what kind of jobs we find ourselves going to day-in and day-out, and the way these jobs encourage us to see the world we live in. If people are more apt to think of themselves as consumers rather than producers, if gratification is associated with consumption rather than working, doing, and making, we have only to bear in mind that this is a society where work is either unattainable or alienating. (Willis, A Primer For Daily Life, "Learning From the Banana," page 59) The psychological impacts based on today's workplace lead us to believe we have no time. We no longer make our own food. We no longer cook our own food. We experience an alienation from its sources; food comes to us ready-made, pre-packaged, and/or frozen. Our usual food choices are commonly referred to as "junk-food," and when we happen upon someone cooking a meal entirely from scratch, we often joke, "What's this, real food?" Our relationship towards food has become so skewed that we no longer expect quality. If, by chance, we happen to encounter it, we are genuinely shocked and surprised, and almost threatened, for the rare presence of quality exposes that there usually is none. We have no idea what is in our food, or where it comes from. We are alienated from the land which gives us food, and from the actual production of our food. Do we know whose hands our food has passed through before we see it stacked neatly on shelves, or handed to us in a bun at Burger King, ready for us to consume at leisure? Contrary to McDonald's "educational literature" passed out to young children in schools, hamburge... ...5; call 408.423.4069 Vegan Outreach, 10410 Forbes Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235; e-mail mba8+@andrew.cmu.edu Other Useful sources : McSpotlight -- contains over 1600 spotlights of McDonald's wrongdoings (Once you click, choose the server nearest you: Netherlands, Finland, USA, New Zealand) Viva!Guides -- some interesting literature and ideas; "How Now Mad Cow," + others... McDonald's Very Own Dietary Info -- ingredient lists of every product, complete with calorie, fat, fiber, etc counts Screwing McDonald's -- in case you missed the McSabotager earlier in the page... McDonald's is suing people who call their food unhealthy Opposing Viewpoints : Myths & Facts About Beef Production -- The incredible health benefits you will receive by eating beef! (Curiously, funded by...) Beef Handbook--Nutrition & Health -- the U.S.D.A. tells it like they see it...

Compensation – Incentive vs Bonus

A bonus plan is one where the bonus is awarded after the fact and typically has very little or no incentive value. The employees typically come to see it as an entitlement. An incentive plan is a variable pay plan that is tied to some level of performance. The employee is rewarded with a payment that is predefined and non discretionary. The reward is paid when actual performance meets or exceeds predefined goals. incentive| Any form of variable payment tied to performance. The payment may be a monetary award, such as cash or equity, or a nonmonetary award, such as merchandise or travel.Incentives are contrasted with bonuses in that performance goals for incentives are predetermined. Generally nondiscretionary and can be paid at any time of the year| bonus| An after-the-fact reward or payment (may be either discretionary or nondiscretionary) based on the performance of an individual, a group of workers operating as a unit, a division or business unit, or an entire workforce. Payments may be made in cash, shares, share options or other items of value. In the context of sales compensation, a defined, pre-established amount of money to be earned for achieving a specified performance goal.Planned bonus amounts commonly are expressed as a percent of the incumbent's base salary, salary range midpoint, percentage of target cash compensation or incentive compensation, or a defined dollar amount. See also discretionary and nondiscretionary bonus| Bonus versus Incentive – What is the Difference? Here is how our Glossary defines them:Incentive:  Ã‚  Additional pay (above and beyond the base salary or wage) awarded to an employee, such as stock options or a contingent bonus plan, that is ‘forward looking'. Bonus:  Ã‚  Plans that award cash or other items of value, such as stock (or stock options), based on accomplishments achieved.While incentive plans are ‘forward' looking' bonus plans are ‘backward looking'. An incentive that is dangled to ent ice certain behaviors may include cash or prizes or perquisites or anything that activates the motivations of the performers. A bonus is â€Å"something extra† which is usually cash and is always non-guaranteed. The two terms can obviously overlap:   job security in unsettled times can be an incentive for some people to work harder, while a contingent bonus premised on specific outcome results can also be an incentive to achieve those objectives.Cash dropped from the sky as a surprise is generally not considered â€Å"incentive† pay although such bonus gifts have disproportionately strong motivational effects, because the reward was not pre-announced and thus could not entice behavior changes. | Even though Frank and Jim have provided excellent definitions that  draw a distinction between the two terms, I'm sure that they will agree that there is a lot of inconsistency in the use of those terms across business, and even across the compensation profession. Always lo ok for the context that the terms are used in whatever you read or hear. Yep. Like you said, Paul. Term usages vary tremendously between enterprises, industries  and sometimes between applications. As an extreme example, when I'm in meetings and someone says â€Å"comp†, I frequently have to confirm understanding and must ask if they are referring to * compensation (WorldAtWork) * comprehensive (municipal) * complimentary (gambing) * computation (math)Back in The Day, I spent a lot of time translating terms like these and  performance  reviewand such things between disparte audiences who both meant and understood different things from the terms. In the context of sales compensation, WorldatWork defines a â€Å"bonus† primarily in contrast to a â€Å"commission. † In both cases in sales compensation, the reward is generally known in advance and offered for achieving a goal which also generally known in advance. The difference is that the â€Å"commissionâ €  is communicated as a â€Å"piece of the action† (e. g. , 2% of revenue, $5 per unit, 6% of margin dollars); whereas a â€Å"bonus† is a fixed incentive amount offered for achieving a specific objective, often with less offered for lower achievement levels and more for higher levels.Most of the time, the amount of the commission at goal (or â€Å"quota†) is high if the quota is higher – so if one sales person has a $1M quota and another has a $1. 5M quota, then one has a target commission that is 150% that of the other. Whereas in a â€Å"bonus† world, the target incentive is fixed for the role (e. g. , $40k per year) and is paid for hitting quota, which may vary from one person to the next.Of course there are myriad nuances and variations, including the possibility of â€Å"personal commission rates† which communicate a [email  protected] â€Å"bonus† as if it were a [email  protected] â€Å"commission,† etc. But that gets at the gist of it. All that said, I do have a current client with a business that is very weather-dependent (agrichemicals), to the extent that performance of the sales people can only be assessed retrospectively – did they create value for the company, sell well, cement relationships with customers, and achieve solid results given the opportunities that came their way during the year?Because the business itself is so volatile, the sales person's compensation must be less incentive-rich at target than most in similar roles, and performance can only be evaluated fairly in retrospect. However, this is only noteworthy because it is so highly unusual. Wherever possible (and it usually is possible), sales people have clear financial goals with formulaic compensation opportunities tied to how well they do against those goals. | |