International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example Pushing the implementation of SABIC’s international joint venture plan in China opens a lot of business opportunities by enabling SABIC penetrate the market of China within the shortest possible time. Likewise, this strategy could benefit SABIC through economies of scale, cheaply expand the business internationally, increase profit by diversifying its risk management portfolio, improve SABIC’s market power and competitive advantage against its global competitors. Despite the business opportunities behind the international joint venture project, the strong government control in China on top of the market saturation and the differences in the way Chinese people do business could lead to a long-term business failure. To improve SABIC’s internationalization strategies, the company should carefully analyze the current social, political and economic situation in China aside from selecting the right business partner, implementing a proper cross-cultural management, and selecting the best options for international joint ventures. In relation to the tight competition in the global markets, some of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) based chemical companies entered into mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or joint venture as a way of expanding its businesses around the world. For the reason of easy access to domestic and international market, easy access to technology transfer, and product diversification; Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has been continuously entering into joint venture projects with other local and international companies (Arab News 2007). Established back in 1976, SABIC managed to expand its business by going through a series of joint venture. Today, the company is known as one of the biggest and most profitable petrochemicals manufacturing company based in Riyadh (SABIC, 2010a). Other than manufacturing chemicals, SABIC also manufacture polymers and innovative plastics, fertilizers, and metals

Computer and Network Hardware Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Computer and Network Hardware - Assignment Example This issue will have a great disadvantage on centralized management as well as security of a network system. Multiple domain controllers may also lead to fault tolerance within an Active Directory environment. DNS servers are installed in computer networks to provide fault tolerance, traffic loads as well as replication. DNS servers therefore have to be planned with care to ensure that the required number of zones and requests from clients are included. In a case where a DNS server records low performance, additional RAM can be added to the server to improve its performance. In installation of a DNS server, a primary server, backup as well secondary server will be required to ensure high availability (Technology facts, 2012). A DNS server is standardized by application of a set of Request for Comments to ensure it provides interoperability with other implementations of network servers. These system capabilities enable it to work successfully with other DNS server implementations. A high application Director DNS can be replicated to provide a high availability of the server as it monitors the DNS application processing. A terminal access gateway authorizes remote network users to establish a connection to a private or internal corporate network from any device that is internet enabled. Resources of this network can include computers in which Remote Desktop has been enabled, terminal servers or terminal servers that run Remote Application programs. It should be installed in a different cluster in which a web service has been installed. A terminal access gateway establishes an encrypted and secure connection for remote users through the uses of a Remote Desktop Protocol. A connection will also be developed between the remote users and the internal network resources in which their applications run. A web server responds to a user’s

Urine Culture and Urinalysis Experiment

Urine Culture and Urinalysis Experiment Abstract This lab report analyses the findings of two important tests. These are microbiological analysis of urine on CLED agar plate (urine culture) and biochemical analysis of urine (urinalysis). Urine culture test examined urine sample cultured on cystine-lactose-electrolyte deficient agar plate for any possible bacterial growth after the incubation period. Gram positive or gram negative bacteria growth can be found or not. However the presence of 10 colonies of each in this experiment which were E. coli and S. aureus bacteria indicated either possible contamination of the urine sample or infection of the urinary tract by various disease and disorders of the urinal tract. The biochemical analysis of urine was also done where by the sample urine both positive and negative controls were subjected to tests for presence of different constituents not normally found in normal urine using test strip with absorbent pads capable of testing different constituents by observation of color change. Presence of unexpected urine constituents indicates infection of the urinal tract and sometimes certain diseases, disorders and nutrition imbalance. Introduction Urinalysis which is also termed as biochemical analysis of urine is a biochemical test on urine sample purposely meant to assist in diagnosis of a wide range of urinary tract diseases. Examples of such diseases include high urinary glucose levels in people suffering from diabetes, high ketone bodies levels in urine in situations of ketunia among other urinary disorders. Urine is also subject to immunological analysis and these tests are the ones used to detect pregnancy (Carricajo, 1999). Microbiological analysis of urine also termed as urine culture is a microbial test responsible for detection of pathogenic microbes capable of causing urinal tract diseases and disorders (Martinko, 2005). The enumeration of such microbes for our case is by use of cysteine-lactose and electrolyte-deficient agar mostly abbreviated as CLED agar. However other types of agar media that can be used instead of CLED agar include blood agar and MacConkey agar. CLED agar medium is a non selective medium which is able to support growth of many pathogens found in the urinary tract and has the ability to give a clear differentiation of such pathogens colonies with minimum or no proteus species spread (Kee, 2001). Methodology For biochemical analysis of urine, both positive and negative control samples of urine were conducted by strict following of the instructions by the manufacturer. A test strip detecting eight different substances was dipped into the urine sample, then the strip was taken out and the extra urine was removed by wiping the edge of the strip to the inner side of the tube. The color of the pads on the strip was observed for any changes and the pads were read in the direction of the arrow and within the time given in the container. The reading was recorded and the test was repeated for a negative control urine sample (Clarridge, 1998). For the urine culture test, the cysteine-lactose and electrolyte-deficient agar medium was prepared according to the instructions provided on the label by the manufacturer by first weighing accurately and dissolving in appropriate amount of distilled water. Sterilization of the media was then conducted at 121 degrees Celsius for fifteen minutes in an autoclave (Nunez, 1995). The sterilized media was the poured on to several sterilized plate for solidification and this was done on a clean and sterile microbiology working bench. After obtaining the urine sample for microbial analysis, the sample was mixed gently to avoid foaming and the end of a sterile 10 micro-liter calibrated loop was dipped in the urine sample to just below the surface and was removed vertically. Then the volume of urine within the calibrated loop was inoculated over the entire surface of CLED agar plate, which was then incubated in ambient air overnight at 37 degree Celsius (Chernecky, 2001). Results For the urine culture test, this examined a urine sample cultured on cystine-lactose- electrolyte deficient agar plate for any possible bacterial growth after the incubation period of 24-48hours. Urine culture was positive with two bacterial species growth observed according to the typical colonial morphology and colors on the CLED agar plate. A count of 10 colonies of Gram negative bacteria E.Coli were recorded ÂÂ  on the CLED plate as well as ÂÂ  10 colonies of gram positive S.aureus. The number of colony from each bacterial species isolated on the agar plate was then multiplied by the dilution factor of 1.000.000 to obtain a density of 10.000.000 CFU/L of urine. For urinalysis, a test that enables us detect abnormal constituents of urine such as glucose, protein, ketones bodies, blood and bile pigment, the positive control urine test results showed abnormalities in its constituents by the presence leukocytes, blood, nitrites, proteins and ketones bodies in the sample compared to the negative control urine which showed normal results in its constituents. Discussion of the results Urine is a by product and it is produced in the kidneys and then into the urinary bladder where it accumulates till enough stretching of the bladder walls is achieved which leads to its release via the urethra. Urinalysis is very important to determine whether the urine is normal or if it is from unhealthy individual since it contains different ranges of waste products which should be present in normal urine and others which are not expected in normal urine thus there presence indicates certain diseases and disorders. Urinalysis gives us a clear indication of the internal biochemical processes of the patient under test. According to this experiment, the presence of leukocytes, blood, nitrites, proteins and ketones bodies in the positive control urine sample indicated the following. Presence of leukocytes indicates shows us that the urinary tract from which the urine was obtained was infected and this is evident due to detection of esterase enzyme which is normally absent is normal ur ine. This indicates that this sample of urine should be subjected to further tests like culture test, sensitivity and even microscopy (Kouri, T. (2000). Healthy individuals do not contain ketone bodies in their urine. Therefore presence of ketone bodies in the urine sample tested indicates that the individual was deprived of carbohydrates since ketones and acetones are actually the byproducts of metabolism of the fat. This shows that the individuals was either suffering from diabetes mellitus or he individual was lacking carbohydrates since both of them are possible causes of presence of ketones and acetones in the urine. When urine is detected to have blood, it indicates a condition known as hematuria. Sometimes the blood may not be visible to our naked eyes and this is called microscopic hematuria while sometimes the blood stains are visible to our eyes and this is known as frank hematuria. Many renal conditions exhibit this condition of henaturia. These include renal, urethral and ureteric calculi, acute nephritis, malignant papiloma, renal ca, and chronic kidney diseases and sometimes the administration of sulfonamides or anticoa gulants may cause hematuria (Wallach, 2000, p. 26). The salt of nitrous acid is known as nitrate. So when the urine tests positive of nitrates, it indicates firmly that the urinary tract is infected and possibly by bacteriuria which is an indication of pyelonephritis, cystitis and sometimes urethritis disorders. But sine the second sample of urine did not show any of this constituents, it indicates that the urine came from a healthy individuals. However other dangerous constituents that should not be found in normal urine include urobinogen, glucose, Bilirubin, urobilinogen among others (Henry, 20005). In the case of urine culture test, E. coli is a bacteria that is often found in the gut and it is harmless unless it if finds its way to wrong venue of the body like the bladder. Therefore presence of these bacteria which is a gram positive bacterium detected by pinkish color on the plates and S. aureus which is a gram negative bacteria indicated by bluish or purple coloration on the plate indicated that the person from which the urine was obtained from might be suffering from urinal tract infections mostly the bladder infections. It might also indicate contamination of the urine sample as the results obtained suggests a probable contamination as two bacterial species were isolated and there was no predominance between the two of them (Aspevall, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, these test results were expected and significant in both urine culture and urinalysis. Urine culture on CLED agar plate was very useful for the growth and enumeration of gram positive and gram negative urinary tract microorganisms while urinalysis was equally essential for providing critical information to assist in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of wide range of diseases.

The Role of Sugar and Insulin in Weight Gain Essay -- Health Nutrition

The Role of Sugar and Insulin in Weight Gain The Atkin’s diet is one of the most popular diets that emphasizes weight lose in a short amount of time without the need for exercise. Patients under the diet need to consume foods that are high in fat and protein such as cheeses, hamburgers, bacon and heavy creams. Foods that are high in starches and sugar are not to be consumed within the diet because they will affect the two main causes of weight gain within the body. The two main causes of weight gain are high concentration levels of sugar and insulin within the body. To decide which cause can increase weight gain can difficult decision to decipher. As one of the main external causes of obesity and overweight, the level of sugar within the body is based on the amount of sugar concentration within the body’s bloodstream. Sugar concentration found within the body is usually attained from the consumption of food, such as sweets, fruits, bread, pasta and grain. The sugar from the food consumption is broken down by the body in order to give energy for the body which allows it to function. The energy broken down from the sugar is used to help the body to carry on with daily functions such as moving or thinking. In comparison to the sugar level, insulin is an internal cause of weight gain. Insulin is a hormonal substance that is produced and dispersed within the body in order to regulate the flow of blood sugar through the conversion of sugar molecules into energy. The energy converted from the sugar molecules are either needed immediately for the body or fat cells. Fat cells are sugar molecules stored within the body for use at a time when the body needs more energy to function. Fat cell... ...d 1. S. Warshaw, H. (2004, July). The Diabetes Food Pyramid: Starches. Retrieved November 7, 2004 from http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/starches.jsp 2. Mehta, P., & Mehta, P. (n.d.). Blood Sugar, Low Blood Sugar or High Blood Sugar. Retrieved November 14, 2004. http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/blood-sugar.html 3. R. Hertzler, S. & Kim, Y. (2003). Glycemic and Insulin responses to different types of energy bars. Glycemic and insulinemic responses to energy bars of differeing macronutrient composition in healthy adults, 9(2). Retrieved November 17, 2004, from http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_9/no_2/3230.pdf 4. Berland, T. & Consumer Guide. (1974). Rating the Diets. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company 5. R. Eades, M. & D. Eades, M. (1996). Protein Power. New York: Bantam Books

Personal experience

The light shone through the curtains emitting a soft peaceful glow from the designs on its fabric, with my head aching and my eyes barely open I peered through a carving on the curtain and squinted my eyes to see if the weather had changed from its usual continuous downpour, my expectations were drowned and revived for it was dry but frost had added it's touch to the scenery. Following the same routine each week, I threw on some old but very warm clothes and found my way carelessly downstairs, there was a reason for me to be happy today, but I was not fully awake yet to remember why. I passed through the kitchen avoiding the cupboard that I always seemed to knock into in the morning, sunlight shone through the window reflecting the brilliance of the kitchens woodwork, glasses lay shimmering in the light on the drying board beside the sink, I filled up the kettle to make myself a cup of coffee and watched as the steam implanted marks on the beige wallpaper. Looking through the patio while drinking my coffee I had a more broad view of today's weather, Frost had embedded itself on all solid objects in view. Trees, plants even the gravel of the driveway shone in brilliance with this white sheet of frozen dew. As I opened the patio door and hastily put on my slippers a soft, cool breeze blew across my body sending a shiver down my spine and causing the hairs on my arms to stand. I inhaled the cool, crisp air which was waking me better than my coffee, I walked alongside the garden admiring the view and took special interest in the way that the grass sparkled as I swept past which reminded me of jewellery such as diamonds or emeralds. As I went back inside I put down my cold mug of coffee and headed upstairs where I found a bundle of towels, half-wet, half-dry lying on the ground, this was the place they were thrown the last time they were used. Twenty minutes later after a warm refreshing shower I realised I was ready for breakfast, by this time I had realised that the reason for me to be happy today was due to the fact that I did not have to go into work and that later on two friends of mine Stephen and Scott were to come to my house. I threw myself on the couch and relaxed as the enormous cushions sank beneath my weight, I lay there reviewing the week's happenings in my mind and wondering what I should do today, time passed as I lay in this trance and was deeply frightened when I was aroused by the sound of knocking on the front door. I sat upright and headed for the door, on the way grabbing my wallet, keys and mini-disc player. I opened the door which gave a loud creak and slammed it shut with force while trying to fit my keys into the keyhole, I glanced briefly at Stephen and Scott, while saying â€Å"hi† I stroked the cat as I walked past the box from which it was emerging stretching it's legs, no doubtedly I had woken it up while closing the door. After we had conspired the decision was made that we would go to Curry's first as I needed a new pair of headphones for my mini-disc player. After a careful selection process for a pair that were of a good quality standard and cheap in price we headed outside to the car park so I could attach the newly bought product. After I had discarded of the plastic case in which the headphones were contained, I inserted the headphones into the player and wrapped the wire around the player itself, I put it in Scott's bag, as I did this however, I noticed that coming down the hill was a group of six unruly looking ruffians aged from around 17 to 19. I made it clear to Steve and Scott that we should go as the youths were pointing in our direction, as we were about to make off, to our misfortune, a jet black jeep with only two seats which were occupied by two passengers pulled by us. It held two women who were looking for directions, by now the gang who we had spotted had walked past us which came as a great relief to me. After we had helped the two women and they had figured out where their destination was they departed, and we ourselves thought we ought to do the same. With a quick turn I noticed that through the buildings see-through shutters that we were not alone, it turned out that the gang had waited there and started to follow us as we left. Steve and Scott started to quicken their pace quite fast leaving me behind them as they broke into a run and were followed by five shouting â€Å"there he is, get him† they were a good distance away from me so I thought of going back to curry's for help when suddenly I felt a great weight pound on the back of my neck, it struck shock into me as it had surprised me more than anything. One of the gang had stayed behind and strayed a little to clumsy behind me since I was the biggest of the three, unlike him, he was a tall, dark, rough looking character wearing what looked like a ‘hand me down' baseball cap and protruding from the cap was his thick black greasy hair which was curled from the tips upward. His muscular build summed up his attitude so I thought it best to run, and I did, but it wasn't long before I was stopped again. The greasy haired thug sprinted after me in a fit of rage and tripped me up, those few seconds of falling before impact with the ground made me think of the horror which may yet come to be. With a quick glance after a hard collision with the ground I noticed three other thugs were surrounding me, they had given up on the chase for Stephen and Scott and thought that it would be fun to take a kick at me, and they did they kicked me over and over again. They booted me in the back of the head laughing like schoolchildren with a new toy, I was surrounded with no way out, they had formed a circle where each person was able to get a kick in, I waved my arms in the air hoping to block blows that came to my face, I squirmed around trying frantically to escape this vicious circle of attacks while continually receiving kicks in every part of my body. I tried to scramble to my feet, tried to get away but was stopped my another fierce kick to the stomach which had winded me, at this point I hadn't realized that it didn't actually hurt, sure my arms were drenched with blood and my legs weren't functioning properly but with each and every kick I only heard, not felt, like sound vibrations off a pair of speakers each kick was like ripple of sound of a dance beat, maybe the shock of all this had suppressed the pain, or the adrenaline in the heat of the moment. With the attacks coming yet still to the stomach and arms I screamed out as best as I could â€Å"why, why are you doing this, I've done nothing† yet from saying this must have induced a renewed attack from members of the group who were seeming to ease off, laughter was the only reply from which I heard. Even now clearly, I am haunted by the look, from which I was greeted by one of the group, his eyes were filled with malice, hatred, malevolence, but why? Who was he? I didn't know him, â€Å"what have I done†. I screamed as loud as I was fit to, with my voice quivering during the end of the outburst still I relentlessly waved my arm in the air noticing that what was once a blue piece of clothing had turned to dark red with rips all over, at this they scattered, they ran why? I picked myself off the ground, I collapsed under my own weight, I tried again and yet I failed at this attempt, I crawled, squirming my body left and right trying not to put pressure on my arms. I got to the nearest wall and propped myself up against it, I inspected my injuries and only now realizing the pain I was in, when I looked around I caught sight of Stephen and Scott, apparently they had stopped someone on the road for help and were coming towards me, they helped me into the car which they had stopped and surprisingly it turned out to be a friend of my fathers. As he drove me home the increasing pain seemed overwhelming, I drifted away into deep thought as I sank into the seats of the car. Weeks have passed and a formal complaint has been made about the thugs but I have yet to hear from the police, it had turned out that the thugs were after Stephen and Scott because of their religion, they both were protestant. The thugs themselves were catholic and lived in a local estate area which is notorious for crime and supposedly uncontrollable to the law, they had mistaken me for a protestant and I had received the full beating intended for all of us. As I look back on this experience now it makes me wonder what these youths have gone through in their lives to make them capable of committing such an act and thinking in the way they do on the differences in religion, I am continually haunted by that piercing look I received on the day, that look, the look I got was from something not human, it was something else. These people care nothing about what they have done to me and to support their reasons the only response was the fact that they thought I was of another religion, their bias is so thin, so pointless.

Classical to the Post-Modern Eras Essay

In this essay, I’m going to trace the development of Classical Music from the late 1750s to the Post-Modern era in the 2000s and provide a brief history of music, and how they link together to form what we have today. There are many preconceptions of what the history of music is. Some people think it is mainly a biography of composer’s lives, but they are wrong. The history of music is primarily the history of musical style. In order to appreciate this, it is essential to become acquainted with the different sounds and to hear them in their contexts. Fashions in history change with the generations, like fashions in musical tastes. Lets first start with the classical music, Classical is an era; it is from about 1730 to just after 1800. A few people who contributed to the music in the Classical era are: Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Classical period focused on the opposite types of sounds- music during that period was orderly, uncluttered, well planned and precise. Music was expected to be technically pleasing and grounded in certain traditions and styles that had been approved by the public, often quite formal. Composers were seen as workers who were hired to write music that would please their employer (Sagebiel). The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. The classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had three movements, the sonata, the minuet and the finale. Building of the achievements of earlier composers, Haydn, and Mozart brought the symphony to its peak in the last twenty years of the 18th century. Haydn excelled in rhythmic drive and development of theme-based music (Bishop 325). Mozart also added to the symphony by contrasting memorable lyric themes in full sounding orchestral settings. There are many styles of music within classical music, including symphony, opera, choral works, chamber music, Gregorian chant, the madrigal, and the Mass. A Classical composition will fluctuate in mood. Not only there are contrasting themes within a movement, but there also may be striking contrasts even within (Vardy). In Classical music, there is a flexibility of rhythm. A classical composition has a wealth of rhythmic patterns. Classical music is basically homophonic. However, texture is treated as flexibly as rhythm. Classical melodies are among the most tuneful and easy to remember. The Classical composers’ interest in expressing shades of emotion led to the widespread use of gradual dynamic change – crescendo (gradually getting louder) and diminuendo ( gradually getting softer). By varying the finger pressure on the keys, a pianist can play more loudly or softly. Classical works show a great deal of musical sophistication and use development, key changes, variation, musical phrases of varying lengths, counterpoint, polyphony and advanced harmony development. It uses very specific instruments, most markedly those invented before mid-10th century and adopted in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as instruments like violin, cello, viola, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and other instruments in the orchestra and solo instruments such as piano, harpsichord, organ and guitar. The classical period had a musical style that was consistent, which means that if you were a composer in this time period; you knew what was expected of you. Haydn had a huge influence on the development if Classical music and so did Beethoven but he chose to focus on a more romantic style which had a simple chord structure. This brings us to the Romantic era; The Romantic music period began in 1825 and ran until 1900. Several historical themes were at work during this period, including the increasing role of science as a worldview, the rise of nationalism in Europe, and a growing appreciation for the arts. The style of the Romantic music period is generally characterized by a wider range of dynamics, a greater variety of instruments, more dramatic melodies, more extreme tempos, fuller harmonies, and expanded formal structures within the compositions. Some of the most famous composers of all time lived and worked during the Romantic music era. Schubert, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler are among the most recognizable names. The transition from nineteenth-century Romanticism to twentieth-century Modernism is perhaps one of the big points in music history. Because the speed of twentieth-century innovation in all areas has been so accelerated, music has also moved from one new idea to another with such speed that no previous era can be compared to. Technology and scientific discovery are probably the basic influences on musical creativity and production. Dissonance became very important and in fact most of the pieces are made up of dissonant chords (Palisca). During the Modern era, many new musical techniques emerged. They were seen in melody , harmony , rhythm, meter, texture, tonality, and sonority . It is important to note that during the twentieth century not all changes in music were a revolution or a return to old ideals. Contrapuntal textures in music dominate the Modern era. While, homophonic textures are present, it is to a lesser degree and with less importance. During the 20th century, tone color has become a more important element of music then it was ever before. It has a major role which is creating variety, continuity and mood. Consonance is no longer in use in the 20th century. 20th century music sound fantasy like, distant and mystifying. Chords are never as fundamental as it is in previous centuries. Poly chords are created by placing one traditional chord over another. The rhythmic vocabulary of the 20th century was expanded with increased emphasis on irregularity and unpredictability. The Melody was very elusive.