Signal Transduction Exam 2018

This figure is from Labasque et al., 2008 (GPCR week). A) Describe the experiment shown here and what was learned as a result. B) Design a negative control for this experiment and describe why it is a good control. C) Design an experiment to confirm this result in living cells. Please include controls in your experimental design. Signal Transduction Exam 2018 A) The experiment was performed on human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cell line. The extracts of solubilized proteins were taken under consideration for this experiment. These were then transfected with different vectors: CTL (empty vectors), co-transfected with GFP fused Calmodulin(GFP-CaM) and serotonin receptor either wild type 5-HT2C or 5-HT2CR376/377A which were treated with a vehicle or 5-HT for five minutes, they analyzed the binding reaction by Western Blot and Immunoprecipitation (IP) techniques. Immunoprecipitation was done of these soluble proteins with polyclonal antibody:anti-GFP. Furthermore, these immunoprecipitated proteins were blotted using a monoclonal anti-GFP antibody along with anti-5-HT2C receptor antibody.As a result of this experiment, it was found that the absence of agonist, 5-HT2C receptor did not co-immunoprecipitate with calmodulin in solubilized proteins that were co-transfected with Myc-5-HT2C receptor and GFP-CaM. However, serotonin receptor co-immunoprecipitated with GFP-CaM after treatment with 5-HT for 5 minutes. But the exposure with 5-HT2CR376/377A did not co-immunoprecipitate GFP-CaM with serotonin receptor. It proves that 5-HT2C receptors are linked with CaM depending on the presence of agonist. The experiment performed is to check the agonist dependent precipitation of GFP-CaM and serotonin receptors in the presence of Myc-5HT2C 5-HT exposure. So, the negative control to be designed here for this experiment can be simply of serotonin receptor and CaM. This would result in no immunoprecipitation and prove as a good negative control. On analyzing it through western blotting it could be proved that no immunoprecipitation had occurred in this control. To confirm the results in living cells the same experiment could be used to check the that whether the immunoprecipitation is agonist dependent or not. Take solubilized proteins from living cells and co-transfect them with GFP-CaM and 5-HT2C receptor followed by exposure to 5-HT, then analyze immunoprecipitation via western blotting. The negative control for this experiment will include only CaM and serotonin receptor, and further analyzing it with western blotting, the results of blotting will show no precipitation in negative.2. These figures are from Fig. 6A,C of Fan et al. (src kinase folder). (A) Explain the experiments shown here. What was being tested? What conclusions can be drawn? How can it be improved? (B) Design another experiment to test the same concept/hypothesis? Include your controls.4839335107886500A) In figure A: Human embryonic kidney cells were transfected with constructs for carrying out this experiment. Immuno-precipitation was carried out of tagged PAG with an antibody against regulator MYC, its interaction is studied here with SRC and BRK followed by immunoblotting analyzation. The result of this experiment was delaying in electrophoretic mobility of tagged PAG protein, when it was co-expressed with SRC. This delay is considered due to the hyper-phosphorylation. However, on co-expression of PAG and BRK this band shift was less evident. In figure C: Co-transfection of HEK 293 cells with MYC-PAG and SRC followed by treatment in the absence or presence of SRC kinase inhibitor SU6656 (5 M) for at least 1 hour. PAG was immunoprecipitated by antibody against MYC, and the binding of CSK was compared by immunoblotting. On the other hand, the disturbance of link b/w CSK and PAG was observed on weakening SRC activity by a small molecular inhibitor SU6656, this experiment concluded the importance of SRC kinase activity for functioning of CSK. Also, this study shows that distinct mechanisms have evolved to regulate the activities of two structurally similar and functionally related kinases, BRK and SRC, understanding of the signaling function of protein phosphatases, including definition of their substrate specificities, will allow us to exploit a greater spectrum of the changes in signaling in disease and to generate new and more effective strategies for therapeutic intervention in major human diseasesB) To test the same hypothesis with controls, take breast cancer frozen samples of different patients, divide the sample in two groups one will be the test group other the control group. The control group will be given doses of anti-tumor medication (like tamoxifen for breast cancer). RNA will be extracted from both groups using Trizol and will be followed by purification assay. The breast cancer cell lines will be transfected with empty vectors or pcDNA3-MKP3-V5. Furthermore, the transfectants will be placed in media like minimum essential media MEM with phenol red, followed by SDS PAGE electrophoresis, and transfer to nitrocellulose membrane. After transferring they will be incubated with primary antibody for an hour or more then with the secondary antibody to observe the chemiluminescence with a reagent. The cells will then be lysed in a buffer, phosphatase reaction carried out will be observed by assays and transfected cells will be compared with control ones to whom tamoxifen was given.36734750003. This is figure 4b from Gresset et al (phospholipases folder). (A) What is the hypothesis being tested in this experiment? (B) Describe how the experiment was done, including results. (C) Predict what might happen to PLC? activity if Tyrosine783 was ‘permanently' phosphorylated and explain why. The hypothesis being tested here is the enhancement in the lipase activity of phospholipaseC-?1 via phosphorylation of one or both specified tyrosine residues (Y775 and Y783) in the downstream process of signal transduction.To perform the experiment, equal concentrations of purified phospholipase-C-?1 were set on incubation with the active kinase domain of the Fibroblast growth factor receptor FGFR2 and ATP in bovine serum albumin containing buffer, the samples of this reactions were tested for two activities: 1) for lipase activity in the phospholipid vehicles indicated in the figure on left Y axis. Secondly the phosphate incorporation in phospholipase-C-?1 was studied, illustrated at right Y axis of the figure. 4 moles of phosphate were added to each test samples, the Wildtype inactive PLC?1 was taken as a normal control with its basal phospholipase activity, active PLC?1 with wildtype FGFR2K served as a positive control with phosphate and PLC?1 knockout mutant served as negative control to quantify the phospholipase activity among the mutants. This was performed to check the phosphorylation of tyrosine and auto inhibition of PLC-? isozymes, 775/783 of PLC-?1 were substitutes at the place of phenylalanine, they could be used individually or together, but in the experiment tyr783 is used individually. Phospholipase activity of resulting mutant after purification was quantified with active domain of FGFR2K (helps in phosphorylation and activation of phospholipase). Certain known moles of phosphates were added into purified PLC-?1 in wild type under above mentioned conditions and observed that phospholipase activity was enhanced 10 times. The mutation of tyr783 completely nullified the kinase stimulated acceleration of phospholipase activity along with reduction in FGFR2K-promoted phosphorylation of PLC-?1. This experiment proves that, phosphorylation of Tyr783 is vital for relief of auto-inhibition.Studies reveal that Tyr-783 was essential for auto inhibition. As discussed above, permanent phosphorylation of tyr-783 will completely nullify the kinase stimulated and FGFR2K stimulated phosphorylation of PLC-?1. Lipase activity of PLC-?1 will be enhanced across its limits and over-expression of PLC-?1 can induce malignant transformation. The results could be leading to production of carcinoma cells. It has been found in various studies that activity of PLC-?1 is more in cancerous cells as compared to normal cells. So, permanent phosphorylation tyr783 could be a way leading to malignant cancers.3416300-254000004. This figure is from Tsui et al. 2015. (lipid raft folder). (A) Explain the relationship between GFR and Ret51 and what they are testing in this paper (the overall idea). (B) Explain the experiment shown in this figure and what was learned. (C) What is a negative control that could improve the conclusions from this experiment?GFR and Ret51 both are receptors, GDNF is found to promote PNS development and kidney morphogenesis through the receptor complex consisting of GDNF family receptor 1 (GFR1) and the other receptor tyrosine kinase (Ret). Ret signal transduction is increased by translocation of GFR. GFR-mediated Ret activation is essential too for the kidney morphogenesis and for various other functions of abdominal precursors that form abdominal nervous system. Also, GFR has many lipid rafts because its GPI anchorage, but Ret is expelled from lipid rafts. In this paper, the gene replacement for GFR in mice results GDNF resulting in Ret activation but prevented its translocation into lipid rafts. These mice showed renal agenesis, and other disorders including loss of the enteric nervous system, and defects in motor neuron axon path similar to GFR mice that was knocked out, all this provided evidence along with lipid rafts GFR is also needed for neurotrophic factor signaling.Primary considerate neurons secluded from Gfr1and Gfr1TM/TM mice were maintained in vitro for some days. Then they treated the neurons with GDNF or medium for exact time of 15 minutes. The Detergent-resistant membranes quarantined from the neurons were examined by immunoblotting for Ret51. The comparative purity of detergent resistant and detergent soluble fractions was confirmed by using immunoblotting for caveolin and transferrin receptor, respectively B, the experiments shown in A, were computed and graphed. Otherwise, Substantial decline in the amount of Ret51 was recorded statistically that translocated into lipid rafts while GDNF stimulation in Gfr1TM/TM neurons compared with Gfr1 neurons. Similar Results were obtained after performing the experiment four times .Moreover, Lipid raft translocation experiments were performed to prove the concept that GDNF/GFR1/Ret complex does not translocate into lipid rafts in Gfr1TM/TM mice. Primary sympathetic neurons from Gfr1/ and Gfr1TM/TM mice were used to extract detergent-resistant membranes. Upon stimulation of Gfr1/ neurons with GDNF, Ret translocated quickly into lipid rafts. This was a contrast to Gfr1TM/TM neurons that an evident reduced movement of Ret into the detergent-resistant was recorded because of GDNF exposure. A small portion of Ret that did translocate into lipid rafts while stimulation may be owing to Ret kinase-dependent translocation of Ret into rafts that occurs with slower movements. There was a significant, 75% reduction in the kinetics of the Ret receptor complex into lipid rafts during GDNF exposure in Gfr1TM/TM neurons according to computation made by these experiments. The negative control design here for confirming the results that Ret doesn't translocate into lipid rafts during GFL activation in Gfr1TM/TM neurons, the primary sympathetic neurons isolated from Gfr1/and Gfr1TM/TM mice will be grown in the same way as test ones, with the only difference that there will be no treatment with GDNF or medium for 15 minutes, and the impact of this will confirm the result to much greater extent upon immunoblotting.

Help Wanted – How the Un Failed in Rwanda

Help Wanted World Politics – POLS*1500 Word Count – 1,562 Abstract: This paper aims to questions the United Nations ability to create and maintain peace within a country. This paper will examine the extent of action that the UN commits when a nation encounters internal conflict. Looking at the Rwanda genocide, the paper concludes that the UN is inefficient at creating and building peace. Help Wanted During the twentieth century the world entered into a new sphere of international relations. New technology which led to military advancements evoked countries to act out wars that were unprecedented in past generations.When their was conflict between nations, it became easier to cause destruction towards the other nation because of new advanced technology, and therefore the brutality of war was far worse. After World War II, which many call the most horrific war of the century, 51 countries came together and formed the United Nations in 1945. This organization set standards for morality so that the world would not have to experience the same brutality that they had faced during World War II. It encouraged cooperation and peace between countries. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. former American ambassador once said that,â€Å"the primary, the fundamental, the essential purpose of the United Nations is to keep peace. Everything it does which helps prevent World War III is good. Everything which does not further that goal, either directly or indirectly, is at best superfluous. †1 The United Nations was an organization who’s principle was to create an international center of understanding and cooperation. Although this was a clear goal, this was a difficult task for the UN because it involved so many different states and actors.The Rwanda Genocide is an example of the United Nations inability to fulfill its goal. In the early 1990’s, the nation of Rwanda faced a ruthless internal conflict between two races, the Tutsis and the Hutus. Although the se two races had the same religion, culture, and language, they saw themselves as different because of past colonial influences that had ensued this society for decades. 2 Although mass killing were taking place in Rwanda, the UN did not intervene to the extent that was demanded.The United Nations’ unclear peacekeeping tactics, lack of resources, and unwillingness to use force during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide led to the murder of over 800, 000 Rwandans and evoked disgrace towards the organization that promised peace. The unfolding events of the Rwanda Conflict had much to do with the hatred that Tutsis and Hutus felt for one another. It was viewed by many as a genocide, but the Security Council of the United Nations had much hesitation accepting that conclusion.In the Charter of the United Nations, it states in Chapter I, Article 2 that, â€Å" nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state†3. The UN believed that within a nation, the government should control its sedentary conflicts and the organization should not intervene with such matters. However, promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is the UN’s main goal, and therefore the organization should intervene in internal conflicts if they believe these rights are being denied.This unclear practice caused the UN to make decisions about intervening in the Rwanda conflict for it depended on the basis opinions of the Security Council instead of decisions based on facts4. Because the definition of genocide could not be construed to an individual conflict, it was up to the Security Council and there underlying goals to come to a decision. As thousands of people were being murdered based on their race, the UN unclear peacekeeping regulations held the organization back from acting. This was also seen when Mr.Waly Bacre Ndiaye, a Amnesty inter national representative, reported to the UN recommending â€Å"a series of steps to prevent further massacres† but the report seemed to be â€Å"largely ignored by the key actors within the United Nations†5. By not taking into consideration the opinions of firsthand witnesses of the genocide, the UN disregarded its duty to protect and build peace within this nation. These irresponsible peacekeeping tactics caused the organization to fail in their peaceful pursuits and ultimately led to the death of thousands. Without taking into onsideration Rwanda’s cultural instability and their need for support, the United Nations was therefore unsuccessful. As the conflict in Rwanda continued to progress to a critical state, the UN did not seem to have the resources needed to neutralize and keep the peace within the country. This has to do with the economic expense of peacekeeping. It is believe that â€Å"the projected cost of peacekeeping rose from some US $600 million in 1991 to an estimated US $2. 3 billion for 1993†6. States were unwilling to contribute more to the UN because they had other concerns that were higher in national interest.The United Nations had to ration the support they gave to each cause and therefore the demanded assistance in a nation could not always be met. When the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was planning their second phase of their mission to create peace, there was â€Å"no estimate of the date of further deployment because the necessary additional resources had not been made available†7. Without the proper materials and supplies available to the United Nations, the organizations power to act was limited because of the lack of resources.It is believed that, â€Å"the predicament of the United Nations is the mismatch of large responsibilities and few powers to fulfill them†8 This problem was seen in Rwanda Genocide. The United Nations had so many responsibilities to the world, a nd yet, the major actors in this organization did not know how to allocate their assistance. The UN’s lack of resources caused a halt in their ability to neutralize the conflict in Rwanda which allowed the massacres to continue, thus, the organization ultimately failed in its peacekeeping pursuits.The United Nations inability to secure peace in Rwanda had much to do with the organizations unwillingness to use military force. When discussing the Rwanda Conflict, the Canadian Forces stated that, â€Å"in order to prevent or suppress the crime of genocide, the necessary international†¦ military will [should have been] marshaled and mobilized†9. Although the UN does not promote the use of military force, and have many steps of peacekeeping before employing this option, the brutality of the Rwanda Genocide could not have been resolved by means of negotiation.This was seen through the failure of The Arusha Accord. Although all the parties in Rwanda had signed this peace agreement, the negotiations created bitterness and violence between the two groups of people which escalated the conflict10. During the UN’s decisions about the conflict, there seemed to be a â€Å"overriding consideration†¦ to avoid entering into a course of action that might lead to the use of force and unanticipated repercussions†11. The UN was unwilling to send troops into Rwanda because of the unforeseen violence that was taking place.The outcry for help was tremendous, however, the conflict’s escalating tension and violence caused the organization to weigh its obligation to this cause. Once the United Nations created a plan of action to be implemented in Rwanda, the â€Å"size of force was far to small to meet the assigned mandate within the increasingly tense conditions†12. Though the United Nations was contributing to creating peace, it lacked the force that was needed. Lieutenant-General[->0] Dallaire â€Å"sent [UN] Headquarters a draft o f Rules of Engagement†¦ pecifically allowing the mission to act, and even to use force, in response to crimes against humanity and other abuses†13 Headquarters, however, never responded. The fear of the repercussions and losses due to implementing military force in Rwanda caused the violence to continue. Peace could only be implemented in Rwanda if the United Nations used military forces as power. Karl Maier a German author stated that, â€Å"in Rwanda, one person's God is another person's Satan†14. The peace needed in the nation would only be achieved by using force and commanding the violence to stop.The UN’s unwillingness to provide the military forces that were demanded allowed the Rwanda massacres to continue and therefore illustrates the United Nations failure during this conflict. The United Nations failure to bring peace to Rwanda was due to the organizations unclear peacekeeping tactics, lack of resources and unwillingness to use military force. Thi s conflict caused many deaths that could have been avoided if the UN had implemented the proper plans and created clear, logical tactics.Although the events are tragic, the United Nations â€Å"had much to learn, and many adjustments needed to make in applying [peace] in the future†15. The former Secretariat of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has given public apologizes and leading actors in the Security Council including former American president Bill Clinton, have expressed their regret to act during the Rwanda genocide. The UN has conducted inquiries to try to understand how a conflict of this magnitude could occur without the United Nations having the ability to neutralize the situation. By understanding the causes, the hope is that history will not repeat itself.The United Nations has taken responsibility for their failure to provide peace within Rwanda. This has led to the organizations credibility to grow in recent years through their work internationally to help build and keep the peace. Although the United Nations did not provide peace in Rwanda, they have had a tremendous affect on the cooperation between different countries. If this international organization can create clear procedures of how to deal with, and when to intervene in internal problems, the United Nations will have more success in their pursuits. Footnotes 1. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Quotes,† Think Exist, November 2, 2011, http://thinkexist. com/quotation/the_primary-the_fundamental-the_essential_purpose/344191. html 2. Dixon Kamukama, Rwanda Conflict: Its Roots and Regional Implications Second Edition, (Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers Ltd. , 1997), 3-4. 3. â€Å"Purpose and Principles,† in The Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice, ed, United Nations (San Francisco, 1945) 3. 4. Michael Barnett, Eyewitness to Genocide: The United Nations and Rwanda, (New York: Cornell University Press, 2003), 2. . United Nations, â€Å"R wanda Genocide and UN’s Contribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 7. 6. Neil Riemer, International Peace and Security: The Cost of Waging Peace, (USA: Praeger Publishers, 2000) 63. 7. James S. Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 75. 8. Mariano Aguirre, â€Å"Power and Paradox in the United Nations,† in Open Democracy (November 2006): accessed October 31, 2011; www. pendemocracy. net/globalization-institutions_government/un_paradox_4073. jsp[->1] 9. â€Å"Learning From the Rwandan Genocide of 1994,† National Defense and the Canadian Forces, November 6, 2011, http://www. journal. dnd. ca/vo6/no2/human-humain-eng. asp 10. Dixon Kamukama, Rwanda Conflict: Its Roots and Regional Implications Second Edition, (Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers Ltd. , 1997), 27-30. 11. United Nations, â€Å"Rwanda Genocide and UN’s Co ntribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 11. 12. James S.Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 74. 13. United Nations, â€Å"Rwanda Genocide and UN’s Contribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 9. 14. Karl Maier, Into the House of the Ancestors: Inside the New Africa, (San Francisco:John Wiley, 1998), 273. 15. James S. Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 77.

Bias: Motor Control and Favorite Color

Abstract What is your favorite color and why? Do you think that simple tasks might be biased by your preferences? Find out in this science project if your color preferences will bias your fine motor skills when doing quick, repetitive tasks. Objective In this science project you will test whether color preference will affect repetitive tasks that require fine motor coordination, like picking up small objects very quickly. Do Preferences Bias Our Choices? Introduction What does it mean to have a favorite color?It may be something that you choose for no good reason, other than the fact that you like it. You may have some kind of emotional reason for choosing a certain color. Can color  preference have biological origins? When we see a color, it is interpreted in our brain by the visual cortex, where different groups of neurons are stimulated. The differential stimulation of neurons within the visual cortex might lead to color preferences. Do these preferences affect other brain funct ions, like our behavior? Our brains also coordinate the movements of our muscles.This occurs in the motor cortex of the brain. If you play sports or video games, you know that one helpful skill is  hand-eye coordination. This means that the different regions of your brain function well together, allowing you to be well-coordinated. When you catch a fast-moving ball, your eyes tell the brain where the ball is, and then the brain tells your arm and hand to catch it. If these two areas of the brain can coordinate complex  movements  and behaviors, then what other sensory responses can influence our behavior?In this science project, you will test how color can affect hand-eye coordination. You will ask participants to quickly choose different-colored M&M candies from a bowl. Will their choices reveal their color preferences? Terms and Concepts To do this type of science project, you should know what the following terms mean. Have an adult help you search the Internet or take you t o your local library to find out more. * Preference * Hand-eye coordination * Movement * Bias * Visual targeting * Differential stimulation of neurons * Biological Orgin Questions How do preferences affect sudden choices, coordination, and movement? * Will color preference influence the color of M&M's your participants pick up? * Are visual targeting and hand-eye coordination biased by our color preferences? Materials Buy  2 14-oz bags or 1 23. 1-oz bag of M;M's  and count out 50 of each color, then combine those in a bowl. * Buy  2 14-oz bags or 1 23. 1-oz bag of M&M's  and count out 50 of each color, then combine those in a bowl. * Dry measuring cup (if you bought individually colored M;M's) * Large bowl * Several participants (at least 12) Sandwich baggies (one for each participant) * Permanent markers * Lab notebook * Graph paper Experimental Procedure 1. Depending on which method you selected in the Materials and Equipment list, portion your M&M's into the large bowl. 2 . Ask your first participant to pick out M;M's as quickly as possible, using only a two-finger pinch, and with one arm behind his or her back. The participant should place them on the table next to the bowl as they are pulled out. As your participant puts them on the table, silently count the number of M&M's on the table.When you see that the participant has pulled out 20 M;M's, ask him or her to stop. 3. Put the M&M's the first participant chose into a sandwich baggie. Ask the participant what his or her favorite color of M;M ® is and write it on the baggie with a permanent marker. 4. Replace the M;M's that the participant removed with the same-colored M&M's that the participant took from the bowl. For instance, if he or she removed three red and five dark brown M;M's, replenish the bowl with three red and five dark brown M&M's, not from the participant's sandwich baggie. . Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all of your participants, replenishing the bowl with the same-colored M&M's as eac h participant removed after every trial. 6. Be sure that you have written each participant's favorite color on  every  baggie! If you forgot to write this down, the data cannot be used and the contents must be disposed of. 7. When you have collected data from several participants, sort your baggies into groups by the favorite color written on the baggies. 8. Starting with one â€Å"Favorite Color† group, tally the numbers of each colored M&M in the bags.Then move on to the next â€Å"Favorite Color† and do another tally, until you have tallied the numbers of all of the colored M&M's picked for each â€Å"Favorite Color† category. Record your data in a data table like the one below in your lab notebook: Participant| Number of M;M's Chosen of Each Color| Total Number of M&M ‘s Chosen| | Red| Orange| Yellow| Green| Blue| Brown| | Red| | | | | | | | Orange| | | | | | | | Yellow| | | | | | | | Green| | | | | | | | Blue| | | | | | | | Brown| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9. To be able to compare numbers between categories, you will need to normalize the data.Do this by calculating percentages of each color picked for each â€Å"Favorite Color† category. First add together the total number of M;Ms chosen for each â€Å"Favorite Color† in each row and insert that in your data table, like the one above. Then calculate the percentages in a new data table by dividing the number of M;M's chosen for a single color (from the  Number of M&M's Chosen of Each Color  column) by the total number of M;M's chosen (from the  Total Number of M&M's Chosen  column), and then multiplying your answer by 100.The new data table should look like this: Favorite Color M;M| Percentage of M;M's Chosen of Each Color| | Red| Orange| Yellow| Green| Blue| Brown| Red| | | | | | | Orange| | | | | | | Yellow| | | | | | | Green| | | | | | | Blue| | | | | | | Brown| | | | | | | 10. Now you want to find out if your participants chose t heir favorite color of M&M from the bowl more often than other colors. You can see this if you make a graph called a  histogram  for each â€Å"Favorite Color† M&M group.On the left side of the graph (y-axis), write a scale of percentages from zero to 100%. On the bottom of the graph (x-axis), write the series of M&M colors. Draw a bar for each color up to the matching percentage. 11. Repeat step 10 for each of the favorite M&M colors. Did your participants tend to pick their favorite color? Evaluation ( insert those graphs and table that were created ) Conclusion was I correct or not ? If so How? If Not Why? How Could You Have Inprpved This project

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 97

Assignment - Essay Example It also leads to an increase in annual crop yields by approximately 30 to 135 million metric tons as well as reduction in projected global mean warming by 0.5Â °C by year 2050 as a result of reductions in ozone in 2030 and beyond. On the other hand BC measures are able to provide significant global climate benefits; however, uncertainties are much larger. In addition, it leads to a reduction in disruptions in regional hydrological cycle, improved agriculture yields and large regional human health benefits. The fact that these policies helps in the protection of food supplies and public health as well as mitigation of climate change may aid in motivating policies to be implemented on the same. Methane and BC measures are complimentary to and distinct from CO2 measures. Early adoption of CH4 and BC measures has little impact on long term temperatures but provides much larger short-term benefits. Mechanisms such as the Prototype Methane Financing Facility and the Clean Development Mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reduces CH4 emissions. Because such measures can provide agricultural benefit, improve health, slow the rate of climate change and enhanced warming mitigation necessitates their early and widespread implementation in order to realize such

Chinese Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese Politics - Essay Example These students were against the failure of the state to mourn Hu Yaobang who was the CPC General Secretary and a symbol of liberal reform and a clean government to them. They were joined by allegiances that were against the communist and in need of economic reform and liberalization. The response of the PRC to the peaceful protests was repressive in nature and an absolute violation of human rights.2 The government had warned the protesters of drastic actions to control the ‘social chaos’. True to their words, army action was taken against the protesters and they were shot dead.3 Given that the troops sent by the PRC were unable to enforce martial law in the face of 100,000 protesters who had protested for seven weeks, they resorted to open fire indiscriminately on the protesters and this saw thousands of protesters killed thus making it the major turning point of the history of China. Apart from the killings, many other protesters together with their supporters were arrested and foreign press banned from the country thus leaving the coverage of events to be controlled strictly by the PRC press. The government used every possible measure to crush the uprising thus enabling it to remain in power. Russia and Eastern Europe faced an economic crisis as their economy performed poorly hence attracting public intervention. This led to protests against the government which was successful as it resulted in the displacement of the communist government. China, on the other hand, did not fall even though it faced similar challenges like the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe since it successfully suppressed every uprising. In addition, the economic performance of China was not declining given that years later under the same party the country has made tremendous progress economically.

The Power Of American Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Power Of American Media - Essay Example Even before America gained her independence in the late 18th century, Europe’s tabloid presses were already having a field day exposing sensational events that would put today’s reality media to shame. Stories like the gruesome attack on a businessman and the â€Å"deflouring† of his two daughters appeared in a Dutch pamphlet in 1601 and led to a crackdown on banditry. Tabloid reports on the adulterous escapades of England’s popular Queen almost sparked a revolt in the early 19th century (Economist 107). So powerful were newspapermen that Burke (1729-1797) coined the term â€Å"Fourth Estate† to describe them as a new and powerful social class in England. It was Burke who pointed out the duty of the press as guardians of public interest and watchdogs of government. He believed that newspapermen had a power all their own in government: the power to speak and the power to make others listen through the printed word, and to act as a check and balance to the other social classes (Lords, Clergy, and People) by upholding democracy and defending public interests (â€Å"A Vindication†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). But it was Carlyle (1795-1881), quoting Burke, who extended the description as to include the â€Å"Able Editors† and printers (â€Å"Heroes†), widening the Fourth Estate as to include the whole mass media. Carlyle, an individualist who vehemently distrusted democracy and legislators and hated industrialists, had in mind William Cobbett, England’s great newspaperman w ho denounced the political system as nepotistic, corrupt, and elitist and had to flee to America in 1818 to escape trial. Returning in 1820, Cobbett reported juicy tidbits of the King’s private life, in the process gaining popular support and acquittal for the embattled Queen.

Spiritual Life Coaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Spiritual Life Coaching - Essay Example However, for this to happen, one must comprehend the true depiction of coaching to begin with. Coaching does not come about as a routine norm for many – it is the basis of attaining a significant level over other individuals yet feeling occupied with one’s own self over a period of time. Since coaching adheres to some good standards on its way, there is a dire requirement to set things right within a person’s entirety. For this reason, it is closely linked with his spiritual life which is cleansed from the inside, and is pure in the most basic sense. A spiritual life is not always assisted by coaching alone – there are other perspectives to it as well. This can be gauged from the dimensions that a society finds itself connected with. It could comprise of the good deeds, the mannerisms of sanity, discussions on topics that have a positive and long-lasting effect, and a number of other subjects related with honesty, clean ways to spend a life, being good to others, use of morality, etc. Coaching is at times even compared along side the training modules and mentoring regimes. This is because these are much similar yet have minute differences existent amongst them. What is important however is to gain an understanding that all three of these – coaching, training and mentoring form the very crust of success that an individual is looking forward to having within his fore, so that his spiritual life could be restored and he can enjoy the benefits that life has to offer to him, time and time again (Walz, 2005). When coaching connects itself with the essence of a spiritual basis, then only can a spiritual life come into full action. This has been proven with the passage of time and much research has already showed that the relation between the two indeed exists. The coaching phase is therefore directly reliant on how well the peers are able to garner interest so that the ones being coached know exactly what to expect out of it and how to go about completing their respective tasks. The spiritual life basis will result from the very same not before they have been taught the very basics of coaching and are geared to reach the top most levels under the aegis of coaching. Whether or not coaching speaks to a person’s spiritual life largely depends on how well he has been coached, as discussed in the above paragraphs. If his coaching helps him to seek an inner world pleasure, then this means something is driven correctly as far as his life realms are concerned. On the other hand, if he believes that he is not being able to satisfy his own self through the coaching methodologies and norms, then this implies for the loss that he has to take the burden of (Nielsen, 2012). What remains to be seen is how well he musters up confidence to turn the coaching module into one of a spiritual journey so that his own life could benefit from it. Often times, the success is in the head alone, yet difficult to envisage due to a n umber of mental blocks along the way. When coaching experts are asked regarding the process of coaching and how it can be termed as merry for one and all, they credit the same to the willpower of the individuals, and how well they adapt to the different situations and behave in accordance with the same. This is much similar to how coaching should be carried out where the inner essence needs to bank on the premise of bringing about a positive change, so that success within such dimensions could be achieved without any hindrance or difficulty. This is however no easy task because the person under consideration has to comprehend his nuances accordingly and thus identify where he has gone wrong all this while by taking the corrective steps along the way. From biblical research, it has been proved that anything

SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTION Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTION - Research Paper Example This paper discusses the components of Betty Neuman’s theory and how they can be employed in the nursing practice Every system that deals with patients is an exceptional array instrument that responds to the environment. Ideally, the responses are covered in a structure that determines the relationship with the environment. Consequently, the theory assumes that there are stressors that have universal tendencies that have a potential of upsetting the stability of the patients. The theory also assumes that the line of defense should act as a caveat to environmental stressors (Meleis, 2011). Essentially, the assumption is that in the absence of a barrier enables the stressor to penetrate the line of defense effectively affecting the well-being of the patient. Every patient has the internal mechanisms that act as a resistance to any form of external aggression. It is essential that potential risks to patients are determined and appropriate measures taken to deal with the issues that may affect the stability of the clients. The theory also notes that clients in hospital environments constantly exchange energy with external surroundings. Moreover, the model intimates that there should be prioritization in terms of identifying the first line of action in so far as dealing with the stressors is concerned (Meleis, 2011). The treatments should be ranked as a consequence of making treatment effective. Neuman’s theory focuses on the extent to which an individual can interact and relate to the environment. Patients have a basic reaction to the environment, and the degree of response leads to the depletion of energy effectively leading to illness. The flexible line of defense is an important component that acts as a barrier to potential threats (Meleis, 2011). Stressors portend a number of negatives that may affect the stability of a patient. Prevention is critical in dealing with the stressors. The primary treatment is important and

I will attach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

I will attach - Assignment Example It limits employees from inquiring about various issues such as marriage, age, terminal disorders and bank statements. According to the law, all Americans are entitled to privacy regardless of their circumstances (Loenen and Rodrigues, 1999). The ‘EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION’ oversees complaints regarding discrimination in the employment sector (Dol.gov, 2014). The anti-discriminatory laws prevent employers from hiring on racial, sex orientation and healthy basis (Seaquist, 2012). According to the laws, it is illegal to obtain information on the employee’s private life regarding their marital status, race, country of origin, age and medical conditions. The purpose of the essay is to apply the anti-discriminatory laws in advertising for a job position. The essay also identifies various legal and illegal questions directed to employees by employers (Seaquist, 2012). The Administrative Assistant will undertake various confidential, technical and administrative tasks within the department. The Administrative Assistant supports several teams in company including the Intellectual property department team, procurement marketing and advertising groups in the company. The assistant will also open new legitimate reviews and obtain responses on business deadlines by pursuing the subject matter in question. In addition, the Administrative Assistant will communicate and advise both internal and external customers on legal requests that relate to communication review, advertising, and appropriate guidelines on trademarks The assistance administrator processes documents, evaluates the legality of the company’s undertakings and researching on law infringements issues in the organization. Moreover, the assistant is responsible for filing patents, infringement and trademarks documents. The assistant administrator prepares internal customers’ reports and works on special project within the organization. Moreover, he or she maintains the

Nursing theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Nursing theory - Essay Example process of the patient’s environment, socio-economic surroundings, and researching the available information to find ways to help the patient achieve optimal health again. The nursing educator, my chosen field of practice, is the greatest disseminator of the required information that helps student nurses correctly learn theories, utilize them in case studies, and to conduct appropriate research to find the right answers to the patient’s problems. The theory of social cognition and metacognition provides an excellent process in education by which students learn the concepts of theories through examining of one’s own cognition or understanding of concepts as relates to how they think and feel. This is achieved through role playing, case studies, and games that provide an educational informative outcome (Hadi, Hamid, Abbas, Eskander, & Sima, 2013). This provides a social cognition opportunity to play the patient (‘walk in his shoes’), the Human Patient Simulation, and to also have students examine what they experience (metacognition) in the other side of nurse role playing. The nursing environment today, allows for quick, in-depth research and analysis of cases from medical databases all over the world, including research studies that have found solutions to various health problems under various conditions, and with specific samples of the population (Alligood, 2014). Much of this information can be found through hospital computer access and through palm-held devices which, with the proper method of search parameters, can provide nurses with quick results and answers to the questions being asked during the search. Informatics is one field of nursing which has benefited nurses greatly, as nurse researchers assist in the latest methods of finding and recording information for others to access as well. In nursing education, the nursing educator provides the means and instruction to all nursing students to understand not only the nursing field in general,

Psychological Testing and Assessment of Adolescents Paper Research

Psychological Testing and Assessment of Adolescents - Research Paper Example Some educators have used intelligence assessment results to separate slow learners from quick learners. The technique has been effective in moderating educational materials for the different learners, with slow learners having longer lessons and more learning materials. Extra learning materials enable slow learners opportunity to get information from different sources, which strengthen understanding. Assessments involving achievement tests have proved practical tools for shaping school curricula. Achievement tests for learners come at the end of a course or a given level of education. The assessments help in determining the level of accomplishment of students, and comparing the results with expectations in the outside social and economic spectra (Ployhart & MacKenzie, 2011). The outcomes of such assessments guide curricular planners to analyze relevance of certain educational items. Where assessment outcomes in achievement tests are low, then it becomes compulsory for curricular planners to refine educational contents to fit expectations. Assessments in education have also been useful in determining admission of students into learning institutions, and promoting learners to different levels of education. Common assessments are in the form of class tests, and term and yearly examinations. Educators also use assessments to measure the extents the extents of transfer of knowledge to learners. The undertaking is usually in the form of questions during learning, and checklists used to mark performance of students in various subject contents. According to Cohen, Swerdlik and Sturman (2013), measures of general achievement are techniques for surveying learning in more than one academic area. General achievement measures classify learning areas in certain broad subsets. The most common subsets are reading, arithmetic, spelling and comprehension reading. The subsets have a

The fall of the Iron curtain in the 1990s Essay Example for Free

The fall of the Iron curtain in the 1990s Essay The fall of the Iron curtain in the 1990s brought a close to a chapter in history that brought the world to the brink of global nuclear-armed conflict. However, at the dawn of the 21st century President George W. Bushs administration is poised to reopen that chapter by pursuing a unilateral defense posture that will only serve to modernize and expand current nuclear war fighting capabilities and break the taboo of nuclear non-use. This paper will argue that the failure of the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as well as the pursuit of a National Missile Defense (NMD) will lock the United States back into its Cold War security dilemma in which striving to increase security breeds more insecurity. CTBT Since the 1950s, opposition to nuclear testing has been spurred by concerns over its health and environmental effects and by testing being one of the more visible signs of the nuclear arms race. Most recently, in 1995-1996, massive worldwide criticism of French nuclear tests in the South Pacific, caused France to curtail its test program. Public opposition and the dangers of an arms race fueled by nuclear testing have lead governments to try to limit and stop nuclear testing for over 40 years. However, in 1999 the United States Senate refused to implement the CTBT, which would have put an end to nuclear weapons testing and development. The United States failure to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty guarantees a future end to the ten-year moratorium on testing. The events of September 11th and the subsequent war on terrorism have the Bush administration searching for new options on the battlefield. Recently the administration began studying options for the development and production of a small, low-yield nuclear weapon called a bunker-buster which would burrow into the ground to destroy buried hideaways of rogue leaders like Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden. This pursuit not only guarantees no chance of the CTBT ever coming into law in the US but it also guarantees the breakdown in the firewall between conventional warfare and nuclear warfare. Using nuclear weapons in conventional warfare guarantees the escalation of conflict that would spiral out of control and only serve to hurt future arms reductions negotiations. The development of low yield nuclear weapons is also likely to spur a new arms race between the US and Russia because of an increased reliance on tactical nuclear weapons, in which the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction is no longer employed as deterrence but as procedure. 1 Therefore the United States effort to increase its security by developing weapons to defeat terrorists would only serve to escalate its own insecurity and showcase US military paranoia. The failure of the US to ratify the CTBT also makes it less likely that other states will enter into the treaty. Pakistan and India, known nuclear states that are the most likely to start a nuclear confrontation have long been waiting to see what the US is going to do on CTBT before they take a stance. The effect of the US ratifying the CTBT would be the equivalent of saying Gentlemen, start your engines. 2 Every government in the world that is considering the treaty would race to get the treaty to enter into force. If those countries were to continue on their current course of nuclear development it is likely that the Bush administration would have to uphold its doctrine that it is using against Iraq in order to prevent the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction to terrorist organizations. Ratification of the CTBT would not only halt US weapons development at its current state but it would also help pave the way for eventual disarmament. The ratification of the CTBT would also help undermine the current security dilemma the United States is locked in to. NMD NMD first appeared under President Reagan in the early 1980s. It was popularly known as Star Wars because it was intended to be a space-based system for the reconnaissance and prompt in-flight destruction of long-range missiles fired at the US3. However, due to its complexity and cost, the Star Wars system was never built. However, anti-missile systems continue to be explored, as for example the Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle developed under President Clinton. 4 NMD represents an attempt to ensure that the US is forever safe from any kind of attack, especially from irrational rogue states armed with long-range missiles. It shows clearly that an interdependent world and globalisation bring with them a sense of insecurity. This sense of insecurity could be said to verge on paranoia, considering the disparity of forces between rogue states and the US. Indeed, as there is brought here, every threat is magnified under the lens of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and must be hedged against. Echoing President Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair argued that in an interdependent world, extensive multilateralism was the only choice that could lead to true security from multiple, global threats. 5 However, President Bush seems to have chosen the opposite path by seeking to protect the US unilaterally, resulting in the logic of the Cold War arms race. NMD in particular, as it is a space-based defense system, seems particularly vulnerable to the logic of the arms race. Indeed, today only one in eight active orbiting satellites belong to the US military. 6 This proportion is set to decrease, as launching satellites into space continues to become more and more affordable to companies and smaller countries. Therefore, in the unilateralist logic, space-based weapons will also become increasingly available to possible enemies, presenting a new threat to US security that must be overcome by ever more expensive technological fixes. Furthermore, since i la carte multilateralism undermines the ABM Treaty, the arms race perspective becomes even more likely, as it contains the most explicit protections of satellites on the books. 7 The ABM Treaty effectively blocked the development of anti-missile defense systems,8 thus ensuring that any country launching a missile attack would be unable to defend itself from a retaliatory strike. Were this treaty to disappear, aggressive acts towards satellites, most probably by present or future rogue states, would only become more likely a self-fulfilling prophecy. This logic serves only to reiterate the fact that The basis of security is that it never works for just one. You have to have security for everyone or it fails. 9. That entering the arms race logic is the result of paranoia rather than realism is shown by the fact that the widening access to satellites to both businesses and countries could equally be seen as reinforcing the USs dominant position. Indeed, because of the USs undoubted technological advantage, it has developed many of the technologies which have become commonplace. For example, the Australian army relies on the American GPS system,10 and it is further woven into the fabric of daily life by being used by navigators in the worlds airlines and ships and even in ordinary peoples boats and cars. 11 Thus it is possible to say that the GPS system is universal and is no longer being tied to any particular territory. A more liberal approach than that taken by the Bush administration would suggest that overall, this diminishes the likelihood of an attack upon the satellites. Indeed By sharing GPS, no one feels so threatened to compete with it, and because of its widespread use any country that damaged it would provoke a global fury. 12 US insecurity is further demonstrated by frequent inversions of its actual military posture. Hence, the US is often represented as a weak military nation, despite its crushing military superiority. For example, Condoleeza Rice, President Bushs national security advisor, claimed during President Clintons tenure that US soldiers had been turned into social workers, and that the armed forces as a whole were as weak as in 1940. 13 The current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke of the increasing vulnerability of the US, and evoked images of a space-based Pearl Harbor early on in President Bushs tenure. 14 This constant fear of vulnerability is mirrored in academic circles. Kagan states that the defense budget needs to be increased rapidly, by as much as $50-100 billion per year. 15 As a budgetary recommendation, this figure seems fanciful, considering the combination of a slowing US economy, the $1. 35 trillion tax cut promoted by President Bush and the difficulty of pushing a far more modest budget increase through Congress this past budgetary session. However unrealistic, it does serve to reflect the condition of institutionalised paranoia. Insecurity is clearly shown when the US, by far the worlds leading military power in terms of budget, technology, logistics and training, is portrayed as being highly vulnerable to people such as Osama Bin Laden,16 the alleged terrorist. Rather, the US is creating the conditions of its own insecurity. Indeed, the combination of i la carte multilateralism, dreams of Full Spectrum Dominance and the idiosyncratic branding of certain states as rogues can only serve to antagonize friends and foes alike. Rather than defusing possible threats at the source, President Bushs policies seem more likely to provoke attack. Of course, any attack would be taken as a justification of these policies, feeding into a vicious circle of insecurity resolved through the deification of technology and the abandonment of the human contact represented by treaty negotiation. In Der Derians words, President Bush symbolizes the leader who has given up on peace on earth and now [seeks] peace of mind through the worship of new techno-deities. 17 Rumsfelds drive to reform the military on the basis of NMD and other space-based technologies implies deep and risky reductions in conventional forces, such as cuts in the number of Army divisions, Navy aircraft carriers and Air Force fighter wings. 18 This further reinforces the fact that techno-strategy is supplanting humanity in security considerations. The search for unilateral absolute security, especially through technology and unilateralism, is a form of the necessarily doomed search for a single power or sovereign truth that can dispel or control the insecurities, indeterminacies, and ambiguities that make up international relations. 19 The negative consequences of smart warfare are one instance of the risks of President Bushs logic. It is clear that if the United States continues to pursue its misguided foreign policy the world will soon witness a new wave of arms races and decreased securitization. Only by pursuing confidence building, regime oriented measures can the United States help avert the next Cold War. Ratification of the CTBT and ending the pursuit of a National Missile Defense seem to be the first steps in the process toward paving the way into the 21st century. The United States can either sit back a not take on its role as a champion of the free world or it can take a proactive stance in stomping out the possibility of a renewed arms race and break out of its Cold War security dilemma. 1 Alexander, B. and Millar, A. (www. fourthfreedom. org/php/print. php? hinc=DefenseNewstnw. hinc) July 11, 2001 2 Kuchta, A. Dickinson Journal of International Law A Closer Look: The US Senates Failure to Ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, 19 Dick. J. Intl L. 333. 3 http://www. nuclearfiles. org/chron/80/1980s. html 4 http://www. msnbc. com/news/845497. asp? 0cv=TB10 5 Blair, T. , Doctrine of the International Community, speech delivered in Chicago, 23 April, 1999, http://www. number-10.gov. uk.

Understanding Of Elemental Cost Analysis Construction Essay

Understanding Of Elemental Cost Analysis Construction Essay The analysis is actually done to be used by the designer and the client for future project and therefore, comparison between two or more buildings can be made. This is brief project cost information gathered from bills of quantities. Apart from the cost analysis, information such a brief project specifications and the overall project information are also included in the ECA. Purpose for ECA To show the cost relationships between several sections/ parts of the building, if there are any. To allow comparisons of cost with other different projects. The cost that is obtained from the cost analysis is insufficient to determine the actual price. It has to take into account the conditions and the details of the project and the quality and quantity of work involved. The cost analysis has been introduced to provide cost information especially for the process of cost planning. The cost analysis is prepared by examining the information of a project which has been planned or constructed in which the bills of quantities have been priced. Therefore, the cost analysis is prepared based on the data received from the successful tender and is not based on the actual sum of the project. However, there are several reasons as to why the cost analysis is not prepared based on the actual cost: The final account is often complex and requires much ttime to analyze the changes in the account. This would result in the decreasing interest of the individual preparing the cost analysis. The preparation of the final account is time consuming due to several reasons and this could result in the cost analysis that is published to be out-dated The historical data for cost planning may not be accurate especially during high inflation (although there are procedures to update this by using indices). It is difficult to make allocations for the increase in cost and contractual claims, which are tailored to the individual elements. Uses of ECA Appreciation It enables clients and designers to know and appreciate how cost is distributed among the functional components of a building and compared to the overall cost of a building. Judgment It enables clients and designers to develop ideas as to how element costs could have been allocated to obtain a more balanced design. This judgement is important to gauge the effectiveness of cost and quality of a building. Belated remedial action Allows remedial action to be taken on receipt of high tender, by revealing the sources of over-expenditure that is by making comparisons between estimated costs and tender price. This will enable belated remedial action to be taken. Planning The cost analysis could be used as a source of cost information to help with the cost planning of future building projects. Abbreviations of forms To simplify the elaboration the author will use the following abbreviations for each form. Form 1 F/1 Form 2 F/2 Form 3 F/3 FORM 1 Information on total project and analyzed building This form is divided into two sections; the first section provides overall information on the project including the location, the client, type of contract etc. The second section provides information and analysis of a single building. Each separate building in the project has a different analysis. The main purpose for the information in Form 1 is to inform the user of the analysis the background of the project and the condition of its price level. This will enable the user to make the necessary adjustments to cater for differences in location, market condition, type of contract, size of contract and specifications of the project. Building type and Code : There are ten classifications on types of building based on (C1/SfB Classification Table 0): 0 : Land, Planning, Landscape 1 : Civil Engineering Work 2 : Transport, Industrial Buildings 3 : Administrative Buildings 4 : Health and Welfare Buildings 5 : Refreshment, Recreation Buildings 6 : Religious Buildings 7 : Educational, Cultural, Scientific Buildings 8 : Residential Buildings 9 : Buildings, Spaces in general Residential Buildings for this project shall be classed under category 8: Buildings, Spaces in general Construction Classes: Construction classes are divided into: A : Reinforced concrete framed construction B : Steel framed construction C : Timber framed construction D : Light framed steel or reinforced concrete construction A 2 321 A 2-storey reinforced concrete framed construction with Gross Floor Area of 321m2 is expressed as follows: The combination of a 2 storey hall building made of reinforced concrete framed construction with Gross Floor Area of 321m2 is expressed as follows: A 321 3- Residential Buildings 3) Job Title: Cadangan Membina Sebuah Banglo 2 Tingkat 4) Location: Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka 5) Client: State the type of client whether government, private or semi government-Private 6) Tender date: Date fixed for close of tender- 7/1/2007 INFORMATION ON TOTAL PROJECT 7) Project details and site condition: Explanation shall include the following: Project description Accessibility to site Proximity of other buildings Site topographical and geological conditions Weather Any omission or exclusion from project Example of elaboration: The project comprise the construction and completion of 2 storey banglo and associated ancillary building and external works. The purpose site is flat and in good condition. 8) Contract: Type of contract used Standard PAM Form of Contract (with quantities) 9) Market Condition: Brief report on market condition shall be provided with regard to availability of materials and labour, keenness and competition Market condition is competitive and price of labour and materials are stable. 10) Tender List: List of tenders received. If the number is too many, state at least the lowest five, arranged in descending order. The highest tender value is listed last in the table. Indicate whether tenders were from local builders (L), by international builders (INT), or by joint venture between the two (JV). Refer to tender report. If there are only a few tenders, the list is as follows: RM Int/JV/L 325060 L 320000 L 289500 L 255200 L If the tender list is extensive, the list is as follows : RM Int/JV/L 325060 L 320000 L 289500 L *255200 L *The highest tender value AREAS 11) Gross Floor Area: Method of measurement: Total of all enclosed spaces fulfilling the functional requirements of a building measured to the internal face of enclosing walls (or column, door and the like) Enclosed spaces are defined as all spaces that have a floor and a ceiling and enclosing walls on all sides at full or partial height. Open balustrades, louvers, screens, columns and the like shall be deemed enclosing walls. The gross floor area is measured gross without omission to areas occupied by columns, internal structures or party walls, etc. Areas of lift rooms, tank rooms, engine rooms and the like above main roof are also calculated in GFA. Sloping surfaces such as staircases, galleries, tiered terraces and the like shall be measured flat on plan Spaces that fulfill the functional requirements of building which are not enclosed spaces shall be shown separately under Unenclosed Spaces. B L: Measured gross without omission to areas occupied by columns, staircases and partitions. GFA = 6156m2 Usable area 231 Circulation area 32 Ancillary area 48 Internal divisions 10 GFA 321 FORM 2 Summary of element costs In general, Form 2 shows the systematic breakdown of the costs of elements of a building. There are more than 20 elements in Form 2 and each element is grouped under six group elements (five building groups and one for each group element of external work and preliminary work). Form 2 provides information on the total cost of element, cost per m2 GFA, element unit quantity, element unit rate, ratio of element per m2 GFA, etc which could be used to make a realistic estimate and to prepare the cost plan for new projects. It could also be used to make cost comparisons to ensure cost does not exceed the estimate. Total cost of element (RM): This is the total cost of element and the cost shall follow the List and Contents of element in the Manual. If cost is not related to the said element, (-) shall be inserted. If costs of more than one element are group together, abbreviated notes shall be provided explaining where they are grouped. All the total cost made from Bills of Quantities or calculated by EUQ x EUR. WBLFF : Total cost of element = EUQ x EUR = 136 m2 x 125 = RM 17000.00 Cost/m2 GFA (RM) : Calculated by dividing Total Cost of element with GFA. FRAME : Cost/m2 GFA = Total Cost GFA = RM 255,200 321 m2 = RM 795.016/m2 Element Unit Quantity : All areas shall be the net areas, for example, area for external walls shall omit area of windows and doors, etc. if the quantity is measured in volume (air conditioning spaces) volume is calculated by multiplying the net area with the height of the space to be air conditioned. The abbreviation used is Tm3. All the amount according to taking off or measured through drawings. Element Unit Rate (RM) : Calculated by dividing Total Cost of Element with Element Unit Quantity. It is rounded off to the nearest ringgit. UPPER FLOORS : Element unit rate = Total Cost EUQ = RM 8000.00 185 m2 = 43.24 Element Ratio /m2 GFA : Calculated by dividing Element Unit Quantity with GFA. It is stated to three decimal places. ROOF : Element ratio/m2 GFA = EUQ GFA = 204 m2 321 m2 = 0.636 Reinforced Concrete (m3) : Quantity of reinforced concrete in elements in m3. Reinforcement (kg) : Quantity of reinforcement in kg. Formwork (m2) : Quantity of formwork in m2. FORM 3 Brief Specification Form 3 provides brief information on project specifications based on each element. It briefly describes the various components in each element including the types and quality of materials used. This form provides a brief picture of the building standards and quality and this information is important for cost comparison purposes. It can be refer to the list and contents of elements. Elaborate briefly the specifications according to the elements. All the specification had made from Bills of Quantities. For example of the specification in the elemental cost analysis, in piling works, the specification must have all works related to foundation piling including sheet piling left in and also need to state the system used, whether it is consultants design or otherwise, number, average length and size of the pile. BENEFIT OF ELEMENTAL COST ANALYSIS ECA means the analyze of cost related to the elements, in construction industry a building or any kind of construction we can divide into number of elements, and price of which is related with that element is called as an elemental cost, elemental costs include material costs, labor costs, and sub-contractor overhead and profit. ECA is also important and give benefits due to the companies that can intends to establish a cost information service by setting out goals and collecting information in a planned and systematic way in collecting and spreading information on a number of elemental cost plans available at the moment. These cost plans will further expanded and users will be able to select the database using a range of criteria, among others, type of building, floor area, date, client type, number of stories, location and method of construction. ECA does help a quantity surveyor when it comes to similar projects that are gone to be built next due to its feature that act as a reference about the price or cost information that is useful to prepare a budget plan. Although it is roughly similar, the project that is being compared to previous projects ECA must be in the relevant range of time CONCLUSION The Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA) is relevant to used. The cost analysis is prepared by examining the information of a project which has been planned or constructed in which the bills of quantities have been priced. Therefore, the cost analysis is prepared based on the data received from the successful tender and is not based on the actual sum of the project. That is the price quoted in the Final Account. There is a possibility for some to think that it would be better to analyses the actual cost as compared to the cost predicted in the tender.

Challenges And Opportunities During Handover Nursing Essay

Challenges And Opportunities During Handover Nursing Essay Variations in communication during staff handover cause a significant number of errors and near misses to occur, leading to adverse outcome In medical care, a hand over (also known as hand off, sign-out or end of shift report in the USA) refers to information about a patient that is transferred by one professional or a team to another. The primary objective of a hand over is to provide accurate information about a patients care, treatment and services, current condition and any recent or anticipated changes. The number and types of handovers for any given hospital patient can vary and may involve physicians, nurses, pharmacists, transport and other services Handovers are not simply a mechanical means for transmitting and receiving information. In medical care, a hand over requires that the sender consider a patients present condition and his/her likely future over the next 8-12 hours. Likewise the receiver must comprehend what is being transmitted and feel confident about the clarity and reliability of the message. In addition handover also involves the transfer of rights, duties and obligations as they relate to the meaning and interpretation of communication between one professional and another. Interest in handovers has grown steadily over the past decade and researchers, hospital administrators, educators and policy makers have learned that variations in communication during handovers cause a significant number of errors and near misses to occur leading to adverse outcome According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) USA, up to 98000 patients die and another 15 million are harmed in US hospitals annually due to medical errors, and two-thirds of these errors are due to communication failure. Question 1 Read the case study 1, and based on the information given; write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Analyse the methods of internal communication you would recommend to ensure that hand over process in hospital wards is made efficiently A patient can be cared for by five different units during one hospital stay the operating room, postanesthesia care unit, critical care unit, step-down unit and medical/surgical unit which makes effective communication between the units all the more important. Hand offs help staff members process information, plan care and build the health care team. The five strategies for effective hand-off communication include (a) the usage of clear language healthcare professionals should avoid and refrain from using unclear or potentially confusing terms ( such as she is a little unstable, he is doing fine, she is lethargic). Define the terms being used and never use abbreviations or jargons that could be misinterpreted. (b) Healthcare professionals should incorporate effective communication techniques such as limit interruptions, focus on the information being exchanged, and allocate sufficient time to this important task. There is a need to implement read-back or check back techniques to make sure there is a common understanding about expectations. There is a need to encourage interactive questioning to allow for better information absorption. Keep the report patient centered and avoid irrelevant details, (c) there is a need for standardized shift-to-shift and unit-to-unit reporting. Using a consistent format increases the amount of info rmation staff members accurately record and recall and improves their ability to plan patient care. Organize the data with a sign-out checklist, a script or an at a glance status display. Make sure you can provide cues of important information to pass on that is otherwise likely to be forgotten in the chaos of shift or unit changes. Keep the report concise and accurate. What is included in hand-off communication varies by setting and discipline but can also include a summary of the patients current medical status, resuscitation status, recent lab values, allergies, a problem list and a to-do list for the covering physician or nurse. Get input from frontline staff to identify what should be included in the report. Smooth hand offs between settings is possible through the transition between the settings of care such as from the hospital to home, community or long term care can be undependable. To prevent problems, communicate with the physician when a patient is admitted and update him or her whenever the patients status changes significant. On discharge, provide the patient with information about discharge medications, discharge diagnoses and results of procedures and labs. A simple follow up call to the patient by a physician, nurse or pharmacist can prevent many postdischarge errors. Assess the impacts of barriers of internal communication within the hospital to achieve effective handover Hand off communication provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, opportunities to express concerns and a pace for offering peer support. Hand off can be a time when health care workers may find it permissible to express and communicate emotions such as grief, anxiety, loathing or amusement that must be suppressed outside the health care arena and can be particularly important for hospital staff members who are caring for terminal patients in hospital acute medical wards. Communications among care providers, responsibility for the patient, shift-change handovers, coordination among providers and different areas of the hospital and physician- nurse interaction are just some of the problems evident in the case. According to Anderson and Helms (1995), continuity of care is a series of interconnected patient care events within a health care institution and among multiple settings that requires coordination across time, settings and providers of health care. In the health care setting, hand offs include nursing shift changes, temporary relief or coverage, nursing and physician hand offs from an emergency department, various transfers of information in inpatient settings and transfers to different hospitals, nursing homes and home care or community health care. In addition to causing emotional harm such as anxiety and confusion to patients and their family members during already stressful situations, poor transition can cause physical harm to patients in which poor hand off communication lead to patient harm. Proper communication between nurses at all points during a patients hospital stay can be difficult because of high patient turnover, lack of overlap between shifts and time constrains. Adding to the problem is the increasing use of agency nurses and the large number of nurses involved in each patient care4. For a number of other reason, there may be gaps in information that is handed from one nurse to the other like new admissions just prior to shift change, fragmentation of communication between physicians and nurses, time available to conduct hand offs and the lack of knowledge about an individual patients condition as well. Due to these barriers to effective hands off there are certain things to improve communication, (a) increase consistency in assigning nurses to the same patients over a number of shifts, (b) structure hand offs to focus on patient progress rather than on tasks (c) include physicians in the hand-off process when feasible and (d) combine the strengths from the di fferent styles of hand-off communications strategy that meets the needs of the individual patient and the organization or unit. Identify how to create an effective communication structure which is standardised within the hospital to improve compliance with effective handover As part of the transition in care, hand offs transfer knowledge as well as responsibility and authority. Failures in adequate hand-off communication may result from the inability of staff members to construct a shared picture of what is going on with the patient at the time of transition, as well as expectations and plans. Standardizing hands off communication can help health care workers avoid common causes for communication failures during hand offs such as the following : (a) physicians and nurses consistently perform their rounds separately, (b) no formal tools are used to support the transition, (c) hand off communications vary greatly, with some occurring one-on-one and some in groups, (d) some sites have standard orders for handling off patients, (e) exchanges are more transactional than interactional, (f) interruptions are frequent during hand offs. There are multiple venues on how to create an effective communication structure which is standardised can be done through the following steps: (a) physician hand offs including resident-to-resident hand off should include information about code status for all patients, ( b) effective implementation of information technology can improve the availability of advance directive information, (c) health care organizations should have a procedure for reporting critical tests and critical results in a timely manner to the responsible licensed caregiver who ordered the test or an authorized agent of the responsible licensed caregiver, (d) physicians are responsible for tracking the results on laboratory tests they order. Checklists and other interventions aimed at decreasing lapses in concentration can prevent forgetting about ordered tests, (e) hospitals should strive for a communication environment where care team members are free to question each others knowledge. Actively engage patients and their families about their care. Use effective and active communication with members of a surgical team when planning procedures based on contingencies. Healthcare worker should engage in formal mechanisms for communicating changes in patient plans such as orders, checklists and briefings including notification of relevant providers. Using checklists, hand off cards and computerized hand offs can increase the quality, reliability and accuracy of information obtained. Verbal techniques such as read-backs where listeners repeats back salient issues, should be instituted as a standard part of the hand off process. Standard information transfer protocols, such as reminder systems to cue providers to check tests, mandates that laboratories or radiology departments contact providers about critical lab values and read -backs of key verbal information, should be adopted by health care organization to prevent transitional errors. ( Word count :1200 ) Case study 2 Redevelopment of the Kings College Hospital Emergency Department Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust was investing significant resources to completely redesign its Emergency Department. The aim was to improve facilities for all its patients, in particular mental health service users, following the closure of the local mental health emergency mental health facility A formal consultation process was necessary to gather the view of local people on its proposals. Despite this being a redevelopment which affected the whole local community, there was a risk that not all voices would be heard and that only those who had been campaigning against the closure of the dedicated mental health facility would engage. There was a need to give all sections of the community the opportunity to contribute Question 2 Read the case study 2, and based on the information given write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Analyze the methods of external communication you would use for the most effective dissemination of the information about the redevelopment at the Kings College Hospital, to all section of the community The improvements needed for the Emergency Department by the Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust relies so much on the contribution and support of the community. Since the entire hospital would require a full gear shift in order to accommodate the influx of mental patients since a mental health facility has been brought to a closure. There is a need to gather the consensus and consult the community since it will affect the entire population with the changes in the hospital itself. There will be changes in the allocation of budget, staffing and availability of healthcare professionals. Thus, there is a need to solicit the opinion and support of the local community. Sources of information outside the organization can provide an understanding of opportunities and challenges that the organization needs to anticipate or that it has encountered in the past. Important types of external information includes publics who come in contact with the organization, information networks linking individuals inside and outside of the healthcare organization, portrayals of the organization by key individuals and the media and information about social, economic and environmental issues related to the redevelopment of the entire Emergency Room of the hospital. It should be the goal of the entire hospital administration to ensure the effective and full redevelopment of the Emergency department to be responsive to the dynamic local needs. There is a need to conduct a thorough consultation process in order to facilitate the proper solicitation of the opinion from the entire community. This will allow consultation initiatives which will allow the local community to air out their sentiments and opinions with regards to site analysis, opportunities and constraints related to the building form, landscape and heritage. The attitude of the community towards the redevelopment of the health facility can be examined through consultation initiatives. The hospital should ensure that the community feedback was solicited at key project milestones and can be done through the utilization of newsletters, websites, site open day, community walks or even open forums. Further consultation will facilitate the understanding of the community regarding the final plans with the redesigning of the Emergency department. There should be a report related to the environmental assessment for public scrutiny and exhibition. This will allow the local community to have informed decisions about the proposal for the redesigning of the Emergency department. In this way, it will ensure the support from the various sectors of the community. It will facilitate the smooth operations of the hospital in its aim to cater the needs of mentally inflicted patients within the community. Assess the impact of external communication barriers on relationships with various community groups Since there is a need for the redevelopment of the Emergency Department of the Kings College Hospital, a thorough community consultation should be done. Effective engagement and relationship with the local community can lead to better assessment and effective planning. It will ensure better and sensible decisions and more excellent outcomes which can help in the avoidance of delay in the planning and implementation of the redevelopment of the emergency room. Through the consultation with the community, it will lead to an improvement of the confidence in the fairness and credibility of the plan to redesign and develop the Emergency room into a facility which can cater the needs of the clients suffering from mental affliction. The hospital administration expects the consultation and external communication with various community groups to be effective in order to find meaning from the planning process to enable the various groups to be reflected in the development of the proposal to redevelop the facility. There should be a consensus from various community groups to eliminate resistance and foster acceptance of the project. Early engagement with the community groups will ensure that the views and interests of the entire group into the proposed redevelopment. Barriers to effective external communication would be the failure of involvement in the identification and involvement of the people and the organization who are interested to focus on the engagement to further consult each other. Failure of the healthcare facility to fulfil the requirements of the statutory community consultation. The submission of a proposal to various community groups and stakeholders will provide an avenue for the community to contribute regarding the development of the project and its planning phase. The stakeholders are those with some stake or opinion in the decisions to be made in the entire community. These community groups provide the voice in behalf of the people who are affected by the decisions made. Various community groups which can be affected by the change in health care facility are the local government, families and support groups of mentally challenged individuals, healthcare professional alliances, environmental groups and even the neighbourhood where the facility is supposed to be built. The involvement of these stakeholders should include direct access to facilitate consultative process. The involvement of many stakeholders as possible is very important to make sure that there is effective communication to prevent resistance among the locals. Through the face-to-face dialogue there will be an increase in the likelihood that all opinions and views are taken into consideration. This is very important since the silent majority is fully involved in the process of consulting with the entire community. Identify how to create an effective external communication structure in the hospital based on the experience of the above case study The redevelopment of the Emergency room of the Kings College Hospital will definitely involved the entire community. Since this reorganization of the physical arrangement of the hospital is caused by the closure of a mental health institution located within the vicinity of the community. Consulting with the community will truly evoke the sentiments and opinions of the entire population. In order to thoroughly and completely gather the insights of various community groups, information dissemination regarding the proposed organizational redevelopment. This is to make sure that the public has been informed of the plans to reorganize the hospital to further accommodate the mental health needs of the entire community. These can be done through publication of newsletters in local community papers in circulation. Local television programs and radio stations can help in informing the public for such plans related to an existing health facility. This will allow the entire community to get a birds eye view of what to expect and how the redevelopment of the Emergency Room should affect them. A community dialogue can be organized by the external affairs department of the hospital in order to provide a venue for the community and the hospital administration to discuss the significance, the importance and the plans on how to make such changes in the healthcare institution. Walk in and open house events can be done to allow community members to personally witness and assess the necessity of a redevelopment. It should include the necessary information and facts for the need to accommodate mental health patients. In this way, it will magnify the positive responses from the community itself. There is a need for the hospital administration to ensure that they make the most comprehensive information regarding the need for such redevelopment. It will ensure a favourable response and an informed decision from the entire community. After the first touch base with the community, the hospital administration can start planning out a proposal on how to carry out the plans for the redevelopment of the emergency room. The hospital administration should provide a proposal involving the finances to support, the needed manpower, funds and machineries for the plans to be executed. There should be proper coordination with the various departments of the hospitals to thoroughly cover staffing needs of various areas of the hospital that would be affected by the changes, budget allocations and the resettlement area for the emergency department while the redevelopment is ongoing. ( Word count :1200 ) Case study 3 Reputation audit and communication support for NHS Milton Keynes Issue NHS Milton Keynes wanted to improve its communication with all stake holders (GPs, patients, voluntary groups, partner organisations and politicians), and raise its profile in the local media to enable it to deliver on challenging issues such as the national 18 weeks wait and public health objectives and priorities. A strategic plan need to be implemented to achieve this objective Read the case study 3, and based on the information given write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Question 3 Plan an effective communications strategy to communicate with the stakeholders of the NHS Milton Keynes to raise its profile and communicate its strategic objectives Although the benefits of having a good reputation are many and varied, they come down to one thing: a strong reputation creates a strategic advantage. Since companies are constantly competing for the support of the stakeholders, clients, local communities and employees. A good reputation creates an intangible obstacle that lesser rivals will have a tough time overcoming. A good reputation enhances profitability because it attracts customers to the companys product, clients and employees to its jobs. In turn, esteem inflates the price at which a public companys securities trade. The economic value of corporate reputation can therefore be gauged by the excess market value of its securities. To successfully manage reputation, a company must establish the programs necessary for actively relating and communicating to the stakeholders of a hospital or healthcare institution. The company must regularly audit or check into its reputational profile. There is a need to fully execute reputational auditing which would allow thorough diagnostic review of the hospitals current identity. Images and reputation. A reputation audit can help manage and analyse the gaps between the desired reputation, aims, roles and values of the healthcare institute. A research or survey can be conducted to effectively communicate what the stakeholders, community members regarding their priorities and perceptions in the impact and significance of the institution itself. At the end of the reputation audit, the hospital will know which are working and what organizational changes should be done to further reach out to its target population. There should be a leadership consensus about the significant issues as well as collective dialogue. There should be thorough evaluation of the internal capabilities and available resources to support the necessary changes to improve image and reputation. Media monitoring can be one of the ways to effectively identify the essential understanding of the concurrent reputation of the hospital. It will give a warning on the development of issues and will give you the ability to determine if news coverage is negative or positive. There should be a positive relationship with media through media training for the key players of the organization who have credibility on the issues on hand. Measuring the reputation of a company is a dynamic and complex process. A range of issues can be assessed and evaluated. Good reputation management is about developing high sensitivity to the concerns and expectations of all stakeholders and establishing a mature dialogue with them so that actions taken that principally affect one stakeholder group recognize the concerns and expectations of all the others. Reputation management is synonymous to risk management which involves anticipating the downside risks to the companys reputation from losing support from any stakeholder whose personal interest might diverge from those of the institution. Communications among organizations should be monitored in order to ensure marketing and branding activities will align with other efforts to build a better reputation for the hospital. The key point to maintain the alignment of a reputation audit. In this way, it can help the organization to determine the effectiveness in a driving engagement and achieving favourable results with external stakeholders such as the media, clients, customers and various community groups. Discuss how you would implement your communication strategy. Corporate communication has in recent times evolved into a full field of study, both in practice and in scientific theory. Grant (1996) has in my opinion tackled the most important issues in the area of coordination of all forms of communication. He argues that there are four mechanisms within an organization that integrate specialist knowledge (such as communication knowledge). These are: (a) rules and instructions, procedures, rules, standardized information and communication systems, (b) sequencing the organization of the primary process in a sequential can be improved is the extent to which the story can be characterized as sustainable. Consistency in communication is one of the crucial factors in increasing success with corporate communication. This implies the necessity of ensuring the clarity about who is responsible for what and especially about what. Reputation acts like a resource to the company- one that is difficult to gain and difficult to imitate, and that enables the company to achieve superior levels of performance. Companies with better corporate reputations are better able to improve their operating performance over time. The higher levels of operating performance that result from a good reputation virtually guarantee that a company will receive favourable endorsements from stakeholders and the media. Charles Fombrun and Mark Shanley showed that reputations measured by Fortunes most admired company ratings were heavily influenced by a health institutions performance, media visibility and significance to the community, strategic behaviour heavily intertwined.(C. J. Fombrun V. Rindova 2001). Organizations are increasingly aware of the fact that the joint communication efforts by all specialists in this field in an organization are not always effective. Communication is sometimes fragmented or even contradictory. The magic phrase by which solutions to this problem are often looked for seems to be integration of communication. The hospital should be able to identify which organizational activities related to external stakeholders should be analyzed. The perspectives of higher-level functional categories within the organizations communication strategy. There should be an analysis on the branding, advertising, public relations and even maintaining online presence through a website or webpage, community management or social media strategy through facebook or twitter. Afterwards, you can start rating your current level of effectiveness for the various categories of communicating with external stakeholders. A target audience should be consulted for each of the areas of external communication strategy, determine what you want to accomplish and if you have achieved the goals you have to improve the reputation of the health institution. The ratings will help you identify the areas by which you are supposed to concentrate and improve and develop strategies to realign them with the goals of the healthcare institution. Corporate reputation is the entire expectations and perceptions of the stakeholders about the hospital in reference to the personal ideals of the stakeholders. Reputation of the hospital is not necessarily informed by any form of actual knowledge, form of communication or mere interaction within the company which can be communicated by various stakeholders outside the institution. Management of reputation must include managing and monitoring perceptions in order to achieve favourable response from the community, patients and other members of the community. How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your communications strategy? A communication strategy is a model or guide of which you can follow to help create effective messages for specific purposes. Health care communication strategies offer advice or suggestions about gaining insights into a patients background and health care beliefs. Strategies are also valuable in helping overcome barriers to effective communication between hospital, stakeholders, caregivers and patients. Communicating effectively and often during a reputation improvement process is essential. Crises create unsettling ambiguities. Companies facing crisis are usually under siege from the media, the financial community, disgruntled employee, online and offline critics and in some cases the hospital administrators. Rescuing reputation and taking the first steps on the path to long term recovery require a greater level of communications than is typical in less stressful times. Communications from the top are needed in heave doses to steady the employees who may e reeling from bad news or uncertainty. It is the leaders job to choose the most effective channels and the right words, and then give communications their most meaning during challenging times. In professional organizations, developing external communication strategies that emphasize consistency and stability is very important. Internally, induction and training procedures can be usefully employed to encourage professionals to behave in standardized ways when dealing with clients. However, the need to be carefully monitored to ensure that a balance between individual creativity and firm goals is struck. The study by Covaleski et al. (1998) highlighted the problems with two such induction strategies: MBO (management by objectives) and mentoring. Opinions research rely on polls to gauge public opinion. We may well want to construct reputational profiles and rankings of companies in quite similar ways. To determine the effectiveness of the communication strategy by the healthcare institution, there should be careful identification of each members of the constituent groups. The effectiveness of the communication strategy can be measured with the proper solicitation of feedbacks and ratings from relevant areas of the institution to specific target audience. The better represented are all of the companys constituents in the reputational audit, the more valid is the reputational profiles that it can generate. The main concern is with the constructing samples of constituents that will not have bias results. To achieve a representation of the population at large, political pollsters advocate random sampling- respondents are not selected because of their typicality or of their representatives. Insofar as corporate ratings accurately reflect the multiple images of a company that are being disseminated, they provide a useful tool for assessing the companys overall performance. For some companies, the fragmented images will converge, producing strong reputations. Communication is used to determine who needs to know something, what they need to know and how best to interact with them. A strategic public relations program will address the audience that is relevant to the public relations and reputation improvement campaign. Research initiatives should link this understanding to the reputation improvement endeavours of the hospital. In the process, it must provide a benchmark from which to judge the impact and effectiveness of the public relations strategy utilized by the healthcare institution. Word count :1500 )