Investigation of the Probiotic Properties of Bacterial Strains from Two Probiotic Drinks and Their Survivability in Artificial Gastric Juice

Investigation of the probiotic properties of bacterial strains from two probiotic drinks and their survivability in artificial gastric juice ABSTRACT: Two probiotic drinks were investigated in vitro to test their ability to survive acidic conditions and their probiotic factors. Both the products: Actimel and Yakult contain gram-positive bacteria, but Actimel also has a gram-negative bacteria. The ability to survive was investigated by adding artificial gastric juice to the products and incubating at different times.Actimel and Yakult were both able to survive the gastric juice. Actimel produced more colonies than Yakult but they both lost the same percentage of viability. The longer the time incubated the more the loss of viability. Introduction: In recent years health promoting functional foods has entered the global market as a result of increased prevalence of lifestyle related diseases (A. A. Aramide et al, 2009). People use functional foods and diet to maintain optimal health. C onsumption of probiotics is one of the ways someone could reach and maintain their optimal health.A probiotic is â€Å"living microorganisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition† (Todd R. Klaenhammer, 2000). According to the WHO/FAO report 2001 these probiotics can help prevent disorders associated with the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhoea caused by certain pathogenic bacteria and viruses, inflammatory diseases, allergies and a lot more. Actimel and Yakult is a couple of the said probiotic drinks. They claim to increase your body’s natural defences by fighting off the â€Å"bad† bacteria. Actimel is a yogurt-type drink produced by a company called Danoneâ„ ¢.It has three strains of bacteria, two traditional yoghurt cultures: Lactobacillus bulgaricus  and  Streptococcus thermophiles and a third one called L. casei Imunitass ® (http://www. actimel. co. uk/About/-WhatIsActimel. aspx, Accessed Feb, 28, 2010). Lactobacillus is a genus of bacteria that aid in the conversion of lactose to lactic acid hence increasing acidity in the stomach making it hard for harmful bacteria to survive (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lactobacillus, Accessed Feb 28, 2010). Actimel contains 10 billion L. casei Imunitass ® bacteria per 100ml bottle.This bacterial strain works under a wide range of pH and temperature hence able to survive the acidic conditions in the stomach. This ensures that the bacteria reach the gut alive and active. It helps by topping up the good bacteria in the stomach and making it hard for the germs to survive. The bacteria also aids in strengthening the gut wall so that only certain nutrients can pass. In 2004 a trial carried out to find the effect of Actimel on the immune response of subjects under academic examination stress showed that Actimel was able to control the number of lymphocytes and CD56 cells in subjects under academic examination stress.Other studies also show that the Actimel bacterial strains can be used in treating allergic rhinitis, prevention of diarrhoea and induce immune responses. On the other hand Yakult is milk based probiotic and contains only one strain of bacteria: Lactobacillus  casei  Shirota. It is produced and distributed by Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd. It contains 6. 5 billion L. casei Shirota per 65ml bottle. A variety of scientific studies have shown that Yakult has an effect on the human NK-cell activity, intestinal micro flora and immune parameters in humans.As a guideline a probiotic microorganisms should be resistant to gastric juices and be able to grow in the presence of bile under conditions in the intestines. The aim of this experiment is to measure the survivability of the strains in artificial gastric juice and to identify the bacterial strains said to be in the product. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gram Stain: Firstly the bacteria were heat fixed according to the instruction in the lab manual. After heat fixing , crystal violet stain was added to the bacteria for 2 minutes, then washed in water and Lugol’s iodine for 30 seconds.The bacteria were decolorised by adding 95% alcohol for 15 seconds followed by a water wash and counter stain with safranin for 1 minute. This was then washed with water and examined under high power (x100) using oil immersion. A picture of these strains each from Actimel and Yakult directly and pure culture was taken. DNA Extraction: To extract the DNA, 1 ml of culture was centrifuged for 5 minutes. The pellet was re suspended in 480 ? l of 50mM EDTA with 60 ? l of 10mg/ml lysozyme then incubated at 370C for 45 minutes, centrifuged for 2 minutes and re suspended in 600 ? of nuclei lysis solution and incubated at 800C for 5 minutes. After cooling down 3 ? l of RNAase was added and left to incubate at 370C for 30 minutes. The mixture was left to cool and 200 ? l of protein precipitation solution was added, left on ice for 5minutes followed by high speed (13000 rpm) centrifuging for 5 minutes. The supernatant was then added to 600 ? l of isopropanol and mixed until DNA â€Å"threads† were formed and centrifuged for 15 minutes. The DNA pellet was washed with 200 ? l of 70% ethanol and centrifuged for 2 minutes. The ethanol was then removed and the DNA left to air dry and then re suspended in 50 ? of sterile water. PCR of chromosomal DNA: A 2 ? l of the DNA was added to 1 ? l of AmpF primer(GAGAGTTTGATYCTGGCTCAG), 1 ? l of AmpR (AAGGAGGTGATCCARCCGCA) primer, 2 ? l of dNTP’s, 10 ? l of x10 PCR buffer, 83 ? l of water and 1 ? l of Taq polymerase was added. This mixture was placed in the Promega Wizard Chromosomal DNA preparation kitâ„ ¢ and run according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. PCR Purification: The PCR reaction contents were added to a 1. 5 ml Eppendorf tube with 500 ? l of buffer PB1. This was centrifuged at high speed in the spin column for 30 seconds.A 750 ? l of buffer PE was added to the spin column and centrifuged for 1 minute. The spin column was then placed in an Eppendorf tube and 50 ? l of water was added and centrifuged for a further 1 minute. A 15 ? l of this PCR product was added to 5 ? l of Gel loading buffer and was run at 50 V for 2 hours. 20 ? l of the PCR product was then sent to the John Innes sequencing service for sequencing. Media Preparation: To media was prepared by adding 37g of Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) to 1 litre of distilled water and mixed using a magnetic stirrer.This was then added to a conical flask with 3g of agar and autoclaved at 1210C, 15 psi for 10 minutes. The media was then microwaved and poured onto petri dishes with Bunsen burner going, to sterilise the air around. Survival Studies: For carrying out the survival studies, 5 ml of the product was added to 25 ml of artificial gastric juice and left to incubate at 370C for 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The product was taken from different bottles to ensure replicates. After incubation the mixture was then diluted to 10-5 for Yakult and 10-7 for Actimel. This was spread onto a petri dish and was left to incubate.The plates were then counted and the number of CFU/ ml was calculated. RESULTS: Culturing bacteria: Firstly the number of colony forming unit (cfu) per ml was worked out by culturing the bacteria from the probiotic products and counting the number of colonies formed. This was then used to work out cfu/dose by using the volume they are produced in, which are 100 ml and 65 ml of Actimel and Yakult respectively. Table 1: Class data of cfu/ml and cfu/dose of bacteria in the product Yakult(cfu/ml)| Yakult(cfu/dose)| Actimel(cfu/ml)| Actimel(cfu/dose)| 4. 21. x 109| 2. x 1011| 4. 36 x 109| 4. 36 x 1011| 4. 14 x 109| 2. 86 x 1011| 2. 6 x 108| 2. 6 x 1010| 9. 7 x 10 9| 7. 8x 1010| 2. 1 x 109| 2. 1 x 1011| 1 x 109| 6. 3 x 109| 7. 5 x 108| 7. 5 x 1010| 1. 6 x 109| 6. 5 x 1010| 5. 5. 2x 108| 5. 5 x 1010| 9 x 107| 5. 8 x 109| 1 x 1010| 1 x 1012| 7 x 107| 4. 5 x 109| 2. 5 x 109| 2. 5 x 101 1| 4. 6 x 109| 2. 99 x 1011| 1. 21x 109| 1. 21x 1011| 1. 68 x 108| 1. 09 x 1010| 4. 3 x 1010| 4. 3 x 1012| 4. 02 x 108| 2. 61 x 1010| 1. 18 x 109| 1. 18 x 1011| 9. 1 x 107| 5. 9 x 109| 2. 89 x 108| 2. 89 x 1010| 1 x 108| 6. 5 x 109| 2. 7 x 109| 2. 7 x 1011| x 108| 3. 2 x 1010| 3. 6 x 109| 3. 6 x 1011| 3. 4 x 107| 2. 2. x109| 2. 7 x 109| 2. 7 x 1011| 2. 39 x108| 1. 5 x 1010| 3. 78 x 109| 3. 78 x 1011| 9. 7 x 107| 6. 3 x 109| 5. 0 x 1010| 5. 0 x 1012| 1 x 108| 6. 5 x 109| 1. 4 x 109| 1. 4 x 1011| 1 x 108| 6. 5 x 109| 2. 6 x 109| 2. 6 x 1011| To compare the mean differences between these two products an independent t test was carried out assuming equal variance. Table 2: Independent t-test of the class data for cfu/dose on Actimel and Yakult Independent t-test| | | Mean| Standard Deviation| SE Mean| P Value| cfu/dose| Actimel| 7. 9 x 1011| 1. 45 x 1012| 3. 41 x 1011| 0. 056| | Yakult| 6. 29 x 1010| 1. 04 x 1011| 2. 46 x 1010| | The mean shows that Actimel contains 10 times more bacteri a than Yakult on average. But only the mean is not significant to come to a conclusion as this could be because of sample variation. The P value from the t-test is 0. 056 which is greater than 0. 05 (P>0. 05) hence the difference between the mean of the two products are not significantly different from zero at the 5% confidence level. Gram Stain: Figure 1 shows the gram stain images from Actimel (i) and Yakult (ii).Figure 1 shows the gram stain images from Actimel (i) and Yakult (ii). Gram stained slides of both Actimel and Yakult were captured onto a computer at x1000 magnification. From the images you can see that Yakult is stained all in one colour but the Actimel contains two different coloured stains. Survival studies: To test the survivability of the bacteria they were incubated with artificial gastric juice for 30 60 and 90 minutes. The colonies were then counted Table 3: Viable counts of survival studies at different time and different replicates | Actimel|Time/min| 1| 2| 3| Mean| CFU/ml| CFU/dose| 0| 329| 69| 1088| 371. 5| 3. 72 x 1010| 3. 72 x 1012| 30| 321| 39| 880| 322. 5| 3. 23 x 1010| 3. 23 x 1012| 60| 309| 28| 740| 286. 8| 2. 87 x 1010| 2. 87 x 1012| 90| 204| 24| 642| 238. 8| 2. 39 x 1010| 2. 39 x 1012| | Yakult| | 1| 2| 3| Mean| CFU/ml| CFU/dose| 0| 312| 135| 53| 125. 0| 1. 25 x 108| 8. 13 x 109| 30| 190| 134| 11| 96. 3| 9. 63 x 107| 6. 26 x 109| 60| 159| 130| 11| 92. 5| 9. 25 x 107| 6. 01 x 109| 90| 149| 84| 8| 81. 5| 8. 15 x 107| 5. 3 x 109| The table shows that colonies on both Actimel and Yakult decrease over time in all the replicates.Both the products decreased to about 65% of its original count. A graph (Figure 2) was plotted with the CFU/dose against time on a log scale and it showed a linear decline over time in both the products. DNA Extraction: Figure 3 shows the Chromosomal DNA gel image. Figure 3 shows the Chromosomal DNA gel image. The DNA from the bacteria was extracted and gel electrophoresis was carried out to ensure that a DNA was obtained from the extraction procedure. Lanes 3 and 4 have migrated towards the positive side showing that chromosomal DNA was obtained.PCR Purification: After the DNA underwent the PCR process, the PCR product was purified and run on a gel electrophoresis to check if PCR product has been obtained. Figure 4 shows the image of PCR product run under electrophoresis. Figure 4 shows the image of PCR product run under electrophoresis. As the image shows there is a PCR product obtained as there is a distinct band in lanes 2 and 3. DNA Sequencing: The PCR product was then sent to the John Innes centre for sequencing and the following sequence was obtained.Actimel: GGGTCGGGGCGGGTGCTATACATGCAGTCGAACGAGTTCTCGTTGATGATCGGTGCTTGCACCGAGATTCAACATGGAACGAGTGGCGGACGGGTGAGTAACACGTGGGTAACCTGCCCTTAAGTGGGGGATAACATTTGGAAACAGATGCTAATACCGCATAGATCCAAGAACCGCATGGTTCTTGGCTGAAAGATGGCGTAAGCTATCGCTTTTGGATGGACCCGCGGCGTATTAGCTAGTTGGTGAGGTAATGGCTCACCAAGGCGATGATACGTAGCCGAACTGAGAGGTTGATCGGCCACATTGGGACTGAGACACGGCCC AAACTCCTACGGGAGGCAGCAGTAGGGAATCTTCCACAATGGACGCAAGTCTGATGGAGCAACGCCGCGTGAGTGAAGAAGGCTTTCGGGTCGTAAAACTCTGTTGTTGGAGAAGAATGGTCGGCAGAGTAACTGTTGTCGGCGTGACGGTATCCAACCAGAAAGCCACGGCTAACTACGTGCCAGCAGCCGCGGTAATACGTAGGTGGCAAGCGTTATCCGGATTTATTGGGCGTAAAGCGAGCGCAGGCGGTTTTTTAAGTCTGATGTGAAAGCCCTCGGCTTAACCGAGGAAGCGCATCGGAAACTGGGAAACTTGAGTGCAGAAGAGGACAGTGGAACTCCATGTGTAGCGGTGAAATGCGTAGATATATGGAAGAACACCAGTGGCGAAGGCGGCTGTCTGGTCTGTAACTGACGCTGAGGCTCGAAAGCATGGGTAGCGAACAGGATTAGATACCCTGGTAGTCCATGCCGTAAACGATGAATGCTAGGTGTTGGAGGGTTTCCGCCCTTCAGTGCCGCAGCTAACGCATTAAGCATTCCGCCTGGGGAGTACGACCGCAAGGTTGAAACTCAAAGGAATTGACGGGGGCCCGCACAAGCGGTGGAGCATGTGGTTTAA Yakult: TAGGAGTGGGCGCGTGCCTATACATGCAAGTCGAACGAGTTCTCGTTGATGATCGGTGCTTGCACCGAGATTCAACATGGAACGAGTGGCGGACGGGTGAGTAACACGTGGGTAACCTGCCCTTAAGTGGGGGATAACATTTGGAAACAGATGCTAATACCGCATAGATCCAAGAACCGCATGGTTCTTGGCTGAAAGATGGCGTAAGCTATCGCTTTTGGATGGACCCGCGGCGTATTAGCTAGTTGGTGAGGTAATGGCTCACCAAGGCGATGATACGTAGCCGAACTGAGAGGTTGATCGGCCACATTGGGACTGAGACACGGCCCAAACTCCTACGGGAGGCAGCAGTAGGGAATCTTC CACAATGGACGCAAGTCTGATGGAGCAACGCCGCGTGAGTGAAGAAGGCTTTCGGGTCGTAAAACTCTGTTGTTGGAGAAGAATGGTCGGCAGAGTAACTGTTGTCGGCGTGACGGTATCCAACCAGAAAGCCACGGCTAACTACGTGCCAGCAGCCGCGGTAATACGTAGGTGGCAAGCGTTATCCGGATTTATTGGGCGTAAAGCGAGCGCAGGCGGTTTTTTAAGTCTGATGTGAAAGCCCTCGGCTTAACCGAGGAAGCGCATCGGAAACTGGGAAACTTGAGTGCAGAAGAGGACAGTGGAACTCCATGTGTAGCGGTGAAATGCGTAGATATATGGAAGAACACCAGTGGCGAAGGCGGCTGTCTGGTCTGTAACTGACGCTGAGGCTCGAAAGCATGGGTAGCGAACAGGATTAGATACCCTGGTAGTCCATGCCGTAAACGATGAATGCTAGGTGTTGGAGGGTTTCCGCCCTTCAGTGCCGCAGCTAACGCATTAAGCATTCCGCCTGGGGAGTACGACCGCAAGGTTGAAACTCAAAGGAATTGACGGGGCCCGCACAAGCGGTGGGA Figure 5 shows the graphical summary of â€Å"strong† hits in the database of Yakult (i) and Actimel (i). Figure 5 shows the graphical summary of â€Å"strong† hits in the database of Yakult (i) and Actimel (i).This sequence was then run through the BLAST analysis to identify the probiotic isolate. Discussion: A Probiotic must be able to survive the conditions of the stomach and pass through to the gu t without significant loss. The bacteria found in the probiotics are cultured on petri dishes to test the amount of colonies present in the product. As mentioned above Actimel contains 10 billion per 100 ml and Yakult contains 6. 5 billion per 65 ml. From the t-test there was no significant difference in the content of the two products (Table 1). This was due to the fact that they both contain 100 million bacteria per ml of product. From the gram stain images both Actimel and Yakult was stained with the same conditions.But Yakult had only one stain whereas Actimel had two different stains. This is due to the fact that there is more than one species of bacteria in Actimel. The colour of the staining represents two different types of bacteria: gram-negative and gram-positive. All species of the lactobacillus genus are gram-positive. Gram-positive organisms retain the stain when they are stained with crystal violet but gram negative organisms lose their purple/violet stain when washed with alcohol but when retain safranin stain. Therefore the Yakult contains only gram positive bacteria (L. casei Shirota ®) while Actimel contains both gram positive and gram negative bacterium (Figure 1). From the survival studies we can

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Operations Management And Supply Chain Management

Operations Management And Supply Chain Management Introduction. Operations management is a process which primarily deals with the area of the production of goods and services. Operations management takes up the liability of making sure that all business operations are efficient and use as little resource as and when required, and ensures its effective in meeting customer requirements. Operations management deals with managing a system that changes inputs such as materials, labor and energy into outputs such as goods and services. Every service we get all around us whether it be in supermarkets, hospitals, police station, schools, etc all have been manufactured through the different processes of Operational Management. Operations management includes activities such as managing purchases, list control, excellence control, storage space, logistics and evaluations. The core objective is to have a prime focus on competence and the efficiency of the process. Hence, operations management often includes a decent amount of dimension and scrutiny of in-house processes. Operation Managers are the people who are responsible in taking care of the resources which consist of the different operational functions. This is an assignment which goes through a case study on Weldon Hand Tools, Europes one of the most successful hand tool manufacturers, moving into the woodworking tools market. Task 1. Calculation of Number of People need to assemble the Product. YEAR 1. 1ST QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 98,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 98,000 units = 98,000 X 1.60 = 156800 mins. One year has 52 weeks or 4 quarters, One quarter = 52 / 4 = 13 weeks For the first quarter all new workers for the manufacturing site will have a 2 day training period. This training will include Induction to the Company, Site tour, Risk Assessment, Fire and Safety Hazard Training. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as 4 weeks in a year. Hence we can assume all full time employees will have a week off as Holiday every quarter. Amount of time lost for Training and holiday = 2 working days + 1 week = 1.4 weeks. Since one week has 5 working days, 2 working days is 0.4 weeks. Working weeks in 1st Quarter = 13 1.4 = 11.6 Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 40 hrs X 11.6 Weeks X 60 mins = 27840 mins †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.EQUATION : 1 Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 98,000 units = 156,800 / 27,840 = 5.632 = Approximately 6 new workers Hence we can conclude 6 workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the first quarter will be able to assemble forecasted sale volume. 2ND QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 140,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 140,000 units = 140,000 X 1.60 = 224,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as 1 week every quarter. Working weeks in 2nd Quarter = 13 1 = 12 Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 40 hrs X 12 Weeks X 60 mins = 28800 mins†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..EQUATION : 2 This worktime is for existing employees since they dont need any training. Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 140,000 units = 224,000 / 28,800 = 7.78 = Approximately 8 workers Currently we have 6 fulltime workers. There is an increment of about 40% in the no. of units manufactured in the preceding quarter. There are two ways to resolve the shortage of labour. Firstly we can request the existing workers to do overtime and cover the difference. But as we can see the forecast predicts the sale volume going further higher next quarter. Hence the most feasible option would be to hire new workers. From above calculation (EQUATION 1), new workers can cover 27,840 mins per quarter. So two new workers will cover: 27,840 X 2 = 55, 680 mins 6 existing workers will cover = 6 X 28,800 = 172, 800 mins Therefore total work time covered by all workers = 172, 800 + 55, 680 = 228,480 mins. Work time required to manufacture 140, 000 units = 224, 000 mins. Hence we can conclude 6 existing workers and 2 new workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the second quarter will be able to assemble forecasted sale volume. 3rd QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 140,000 units. (From Table 7.3) It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 140,000 units = 140,000 X 1.60 = 224,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 28800 mins from EQUATION : 2 Therefore no. of existing workforce required for the manufacturing of 140,000 units = 224,000 / 28,800 = 7.78 = Approximately 8 workers Hence we can conclude 8 existing workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the third quarter will be able to assemble forecasted sale volume. 4th QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 170,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 170,000 units = 170,000 X 1.60 = 272,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 28800 mins from EQUATION : 2 Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 170,000 units with existing employees = 272,000 / 28,800 = 9.44 workers Currently we have 8 fulltime workers. This is about a shortage of 18% in employee work mins. As said before there are two ways to resolve the shortage of labor. Firstly we can request the existing workers to do overtime and cover the difference or we could hire new workers. Since the sales forecasts suggest that the sale volume may go down next quarter, the more feasible option would be to request the current employees to do overtime. 18% shortage of 40 hours each employee= 7.2 hours Hence we can conclude 8 existing workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, and an additional 7 to 10 hours per week have to be requested by employees in an average cover up the shortage and avoid any future redundancy. YEAR 2. 1ST QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 140,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 140,000 units = 140,000 X 1.60 = 224,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. In the middle of 1st quarter of the second year a two day Kaizen event is held. Kaizen is a daily activity; its purpose is to improve simple productivity. It is a process that, if done correctly, makes the workplace more humanly, removes overly hard work, and teaches everyone how to perform experiments at work using safe scientific methods. It teaches us to spot and eliminate waste in business processes. Kaizen events suggest a humanized approach to workers and to increasing productivity: The main concept was to take care of the companys human resources as much as it is to praise and encourage participation in kaizen activities. Primarily it requires full participation from workers. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover (including two days training)= 27840 mins from EQUATION : 1 Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 140,000 units = 224,000 / 27840 = 8.05 = Approximately 8 workers with a little overtime. Hence we can conclude 8 existing workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the first quarter with a little overtime will be able to assemble forecasted sale volume. 2nd QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 170,000 units. (From Table 7.3) It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 170,000 units = 170,000 X 1.60 = 272,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 28800 mins from EQUATION : 2 Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 170,000 units with existing employees = 272,000 / 28,800 = 9.44 workers Currently we have 8 fulltime workers. As said before there are two ways to resolve the shortage of labor. Firstly we can request the existing workers to do overtime and cover the difference or we could hire new workers. In this condition the sales forecasts suggest that the sale volume could only go higher next quarter, hence the more feasible option would be to hire two more employees. From above calculation (EQUATION 1), new workers can cover 27,840 mins per quarter. So two new workers will cover: 27,840 X 2 = 55, 680 mins Therefore total work time covered by all 10 workers = (8 X 28,800) + 55, 680 = 286,080 mins. Work time required to manufacture 170,000 units = 272, 000 mins. Hence we can conclude 8 existing workers and 2 new workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the second quarter will be able to assemble in surplus forecasted sale volume. 3rd QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 200,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 200,000 units = 200,000 X 1.60 = 320,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 28800 mins from EQUATION : 2 In this condition again the sales forecasts suggest that the sale volume is going higher next quarter, hence the more feasible option would be to hire more employees. From above calculation (EQUATION 1), new workers can cover 27,840 mins per quarter. So two new workers will cover: 27,840 X 2 = 55, 680 mins Therefore total work time covered by all 10 workers = (10 X 28,800) + 55, 680 = 343,680 mins. Work time required to manufacture 200,000 units = 320, 000 mins. Hence we can conclude 10 existing workers and 2 new workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, for the third quarter will be able to assemble in surplus forecasted sale volume. 4th QUARTER: Sales forecast for no. of units manufactured = 230,000 units. It takes 1.60 standard minutes to assemble and pack one unit. Therefore total time required to assemble and pack 230,000 units = 230,000 X 1.60 = 368,000 mins. Standard holiday pay package for a permanent full time employee can be put as a week off every quarter. Now assuming full time workers working 40 hours (8 hrs shift X 5 working days) per week, Then one worker can cover = 28800 mins from EQUATION : 2 Therefore no. of workforce required for the manufacturing of 170,000 units with existing employees = 368,000 / 28,800 = 12.78 workers Currently we have 12 fulltime workers. This is about a shortage of 6.5% in employee work mins. As said before there are two ways to resolve the shortage of labor. Firstly we can request the existing workers to do overtime and cover the difference or we could hire new workers. Since from the sales forecasts suggest that the sale volume may go down next quarter, i.e. the first quarter of year 3 the more feasible option would be to request the current employees to do overtime. 6.5% shortage of 40 hours each employee= 2.6 hours Hence we can conclude 12 existing workers working fulltime, i.e. 40 hours each week, and an additional 2 to 4 hours each week have to be requested by employees in an average cover up the shortage and avoid any future redundancy. Type of Facilities that the Company need to buy. Managing Facilities is an integral process within an organization that helps maintaining and developing the services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary exercise.   It comprises of multi-disciplinary exercise within the built environment and taking care of their influence upon people and the workplace. It facilitates to the impartment of strategic and operational objectives. On a microscopic level, effective facilities management provides a safe and efficient business environment, which is important to the realization of any business whatever its size and scope. For Weldon Hand Tools, designing the manufacturing operation and selecting the type of facilities is of primary importance since the sales forecast predicts a high demand. Capacity Planning: The first question which will arise will be considering the size of the facility. Once we have the workforce size of the Operating System, we can start working out the different facilities required to facilitate the effective services which support its primary activities. Facility Location: The geographic site of the workshop has to be selected in such a way that if demand proves higher than forecast, then there will be enough room to expand the workshop. Analyzing location for the advantageous placement of facilities in order to minimize transportation costs, avoid placing hazardous materials near housing, outperform competitors facilities, etc. The company will need to have setup a research on customer requirement in order to be successful and surface the growing demand for the product. Customers nowadays are more demanding; they want better quality at the same price. There could be a rapid change in the composition of customers and their preferences. An ambiguous and changeable economic climate, customer needs constantly evolving, and upcoming technology continually shakes up market turbulence.   Raw materials are one of the major factors of production along with labor and capital. Raw materials are so important to the production process that the success of a companys business and economy can be found by the amount of natural resources the company owns to provide for manufacturing. In this case it would be the pricing for the piece parts used to assemble into the product. An active human resource management with e-recruiting, training and education is also very important since the size of the sales forecast predicts a considerable amount of inflation and deflation. Product promotion, creating new sales channels, internet sales are some of the ways to provide Marketing opportunity to the company. With the increase in sales managing inventory, and having a warehouse could become imperative. All business faces competition. Knowing our competitors can help improve our products, services and marketing. It will enable us to  set our prices competitively and  help to respond to rival marketing and promotional campaigns with our own initiatives. Task 2. Layout of the Assembly Operations. The layout of an operation is the most important within the general area design in operations management. This is because the way facilities are placed in relation to each other has an important effect on so many aspects of operations. Considering all the facilities, machines, equipment, and etc layout is the first thing we notice because it governs the appearance of a company. Layout determines the flow of customers, materials and information within the operation. All these factors affect the total distance travelled by materials, which in turn affect the cost, the general effectiveness and the quality of the operation. The strategic objectives of an operation depend on a layout. There are certain general objectives pertaining to all operations which should be considered while doing a layout. They are: Any process which could pose a danger to the staff or the customers should not be accessible to unauthorized. Measures to be taken to minimize the flow of materials or information. Flow of materials should be well signposted, clear and evident to staff. Any noisy or unpleasant part of an operation should be located away from staff. There should be coordination for the supervision and communication of the location assisted by equipments aiding it. All machines and equipments should be maintained and cleaned properly. Space should be used precisely. The most important factor to consider the layout to be done here is long term flexibility. If the demand keeps going higher based on the sales forecast there should be plenty of room for expansion within the workshop. For Total Work Content: All Time in Standard Minutes (SM) Element A: Assemble poke subassembly 0.12 Element B: Fit poke subassembly to frog 0.10 Element C: Rivet adjusting level to frog 0.15 Element D: Press adjusting nut screw to frog 0.08 Element E: Fit adjusting nut to frog 0.15 Element F: Fit frog screw to frog 0.05 Element G: Fit knob to base 0.15 Element H: Fit handle to base 0.17 Element I: Fit frog subassembly to base 0.15 Element J: Assemble blade subassembly 0.08 Element K: Assemble blade subassembly, clamp and label to base and adjust 0.20 Element L: Make up box and wrap plane, pack and stock 0.20 There are four quarters each year. 52 weeks makes up a year. Hence in each quarter there will be: 52 / 4 = 13 weeks. Now lets assume that a full time employee would work 40 hours per week. Therefore total time put in for one cycle = 13weeks X 40hrs X 60mins = 31,200 mins No. of units for 1st quarter = 98,000 The required cycle time = 31,200 / 98,000 = 0.31837 The required no. of stages = the total work content / the required cycle time 1.60 mins / 0.31837 mins = 5 approximately This means 5 stages. Now looking at the assembly, different tasks could be further differentiated and grouped into different work stations. For example assembling poke assembly does not depend on fitting the knob to the base. All the dependant jobs can be put into same workstation. Hence looking at the different tasks we can group them into five workstations. Lets name them as Workstations 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Workstation 1: Workstation 1 will comprise of all the jobs entailing with the assembling of components of frog subassembly. Element A, B, C, D, E and F. This will include: Assemble poke subassembly Fit poke subassembly to frog Rivet adjusting level to frog Press adjusting nut screw to frog Fit adjusting nut to frog Fit frog screw to frog Workstation 2: Workstation 2 will comprise of all the jobs entailing with the assembling of components of base subassembly. Element G, H and I. This will include: Fit knob to base Fit handle to base Fit frog subassembly to base Workstation 3: Workstation 3 will comprise of all the jobs entailing with the assembling of components of blade subassembly. Element J. This will include: Assemble blade subassembly Workstation 4: Workstation 4 will comprise of all the jobs entailing with the assembling of all the subassemblies. Element K. This will include: Assemble blade subassembly, clamp and label to base and adjust Workstation 5: Workstation 5 will comprise of all the jobs entailing with packaging. Element L. This will include: Make up box and wrap plane, pack and stock. The flowchart above shows the final allocation after breaking down the process into different stages of the long thin arrangement, which is easy to manage. This arrangement makes materials handling simple and the operation becomes a lot more efficient. The layout will need to be adjusted in terms of the design of the products, since this is one of the two main significant factors in deciding on which control values would be useful, the manufacture resources concerning adjustability and capability being the other. The layout proposed is a very simple yet very efficient one. From the layout it could be seen the three sub-assembly workshops are just adjacent to the assembly workshop. Lying just beside the assembly workshop and the packaging workshop is the Inventory. This arrangement would save time from transporting the product back and forth. The Inventory also helps us to keep some of the product in a well maintained stock. Plenty of free space is available around the manufacturing site to enable us to expand our workshops if the demand of our product requires so. The main building with all the different facilties is located just on the other side of the manufacturing site. Previously the effectiveness of a mechanism was exclusivel y measured by the numeral of processed units per hour. A further focus has been put on the quickness and sharpness of the machine. There still exist numerous high proficient machines with low sharpness even though they are time consuming to set up amid the diverse products. However, Weldon Hand Tools may detach the products into standard, whereby it is processed in the old machine, and special. As a result the quantity of special products will be so little that a flexible machine with a comparatively low capacity may be adequate to encounter any competition. Conclusion. In the current market situation companies manufacturing furniture are put through a lot of difficult situation which includes short business cycles, lack of technical knowledge, and delayed returns. The organization itself is very outdated. Hence examining and studying all these issues put together with the high prices of commodities and supplies, state laws, only puts the whole organization into a position where they have work on low income and revenue.

Comparing three poems from different cultures :: English Literature

Comparing three poems from different cultures Introduction The three poems that I will be comparing are ‘Presents from my aunts in Pakistan’ by Moniza Alvi, ‘Half-caste’ by John Agard and ‘Island Man’ by Grace Nichols. All of these poets have mixed-race backgrounds and all of these poems are linked in with the difficulties arising from having different cultural backgrounds. Story/theme ‘Presents from my aunts in Pakistan’ is reflective of Moniza Alvi’s childhood and her experiences of being from two different backgrounds â€Å"glass circles, recall the story how the three of us sailed to England.† She tells the reader about her experiences in Pakistan, the journey from Pakistan to England and about being in England. This shows that although she is confused about her background, she remembers everything from both cultures. ‘Half-Caste’, however, is a very confrontational poem and John Agard addresses the reader personally. â€Å"Excuse me†¦explain yuself†¦yu must come back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Agard addresses the reader personally and confronts them about their opinions or beliefs of Half-caste people. He asks them to tell him what they mean by the phrase half-caste, then gives various scenarios about what they may mean which are incongruous. This puts his point across and makes people think about or change their beliefs. Conversely, ‘Island Man’ is the story of a man that used to live on an island, possibly the Caribbean, and then moved to London. This poem describes his feelings as he wakes up for the first day back in London â€Å"Comes back†¦to dull North Circular Road†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This poem also shows that he would much prefer to live on his â€Å"emerald island† than in London. This shows that the man has made a conscious decision about which part of his background he prefers and which part of his life he would like to fulfil. Emotions expressed ‘Presents from my aunts in Pakistan’ is a very sensitive poem and many emotions are expressed throughout the poem. In the first stanza, Moniza Alvi expresses excitement as she lists all of the wonderful things that her aunts have sent her from Pakistan. In the second stanza, she seems down heartened about everything and says, â€Å"never be as lovely as those clothes.† For the rest of the poem she seems confused about her background and indecisive about which background she prefers. ‘Half-Caste’, however, expresses a feeling of confrontation throughout the poem and it always seems as if John Agard wants the readers to respond to what he says but because of his hectoring tone the reader believes that they cannot. On the contrary, ‘Island Man’ has a pessimistic feel to the poem throughout. It seems as though the island man is constantly

Cosmology and Moral Philosophy :: Worls Philosophical Essays

Cosmology and Moral Philosophy ABSTRACT: The universe as a whole can be shown to consist of two worlds: the real world and the transcendental world. The real world is a multitude of passing things in a gravitational field: it is the world of nature, every unit of which is born (from the transcendental world), develops, degrades and dies (that is, it returns to the transcendental world). The transcendental world is the world of the integrated, nonpassing, unborn and undying, internally functioning Unity, which is the other side of the real world (so to speak) as roots to a tree and its branches in relation to the surface of the Earth. The fundamental science of the real world is theoretical physics. The transcendental world is also a 'physical' but energyless world. In this paper, I outline characteristics of the real world, and the basic characteristics of the transcendental world which are essential for constructing a theory about the functioning of the cosmological vacuum. 1. Basic characteristics of the structure of the real world The real world of our universe one can present as consisting of the totality of the interconnected (through the known fundamental interactions) units of the nature, for example, photons, atoms, molecules, cells, living organisms, men, stars, galaxies and ets. Their materiality is shown, for example, in the outwards activity (the power), in which the units of nature come forward as integrated formations in the relation of other units of nature; their spirituality, enlightened through the materiality, in the form (in order of the growth of the spirituality) of the inside activity (that is of the spontaneous transitions into their different states), in the form of the senseorganized unity ( regulated by any laws), of the soul, and of the spirit. Different units of nature have different degrees of the spirituality, which are shown in the spontaneity, statisticality, selforganization, freedom of the will and so on, therefore one can say about corresponding spiritual aspects of any units o f nature. The transcendental part of the universe exerts the influence on the inside activity of the units of nature through creation of the virtual states and virtual processes. The units of nature of a complicated structure have the central organizing element, functioning of which gives the selforganized integrity to on initial unit, and the loss of which means destruction of this material-spiritual unit of nature. The structureless (not disintegrated into elements) units of nature (for example, photons) can arise and disappear only through their birth and destruction as a whole, while the structural units can arise and disappear in parts.

Psychology Resilience Paper Essay

â€Å"Our history does not determine our destiny,† stated Boris Cyrulnik, author of Resilience: How Your Inner Strength Can Set You Free From the Past. Resilience can come from many places in a person, but when looking at the nature versus nurture perspective, it is nature that most strongly determines how resilient a person will be, and not based quite as much upon how they were nurtured. As Cyrulnik said, it is not our history, in other words, not how we’ve been previously nurtured, that determines what we will become, or how resilient we will be in times of trial. Before discussing the idea of how nature applies to the idea of resilience, it is important to first understand what resilience is. Cyrulnik defined this word as such: â€Å"The ability to succeed, to live in a positive and socially acceptable way, despite the stress or adversity that would normally involve the real possibility of a negative outcome. † (Cyrulnik, 1999. ) this means that when a person goes through a hardship in their life, they continue to live normally instead of allowing it to affect their lives in a bad way. One important point that the textbook Invitation to Lifespan Psychology brought up was that â€Å"adversity must be significant† in order for a person to be considered resilient. (Berger, 2010. ) therefore, when discussing resilience, the problem that a person has to overcome must be major/life-changing for it to be considered resilience when it is overcome. While nurture may have an impact on how resilient a person can be, it is their nature that truly determines this. Cyrulnik gave an example of how two hundred children were at â€Å"serious parental and social risk. † (Cyrulnik, 1999. Out of those 200 children, 130 of them had serious mental and emotion issues in their lives decades later. However, that left 70 children that went on to lead completely normal lives. If this were to be looked at from the perspective of nurture being the key role in how resilient a child will be, it hardly makes sense. All 200 of these kids were in the same abusive type lifestyles; they were all nurtured the same. If it were nurture that determined how resilient a child will be, then it should have been closer to 200 kids that ended up being greatly negatively impacted later in life. 5% of the kids went on to lead normal lives. They were not nurtured to do so. It was in their very nature to continue to lead a positively normal life, so how they were nurtured could not affect that. Studies have shown that the ability for a child to make friends and learn new things can impact how resilient a child is. Berger stated in Invitation to Lifespan Psychology: â€Å"Another key aspect of resilience is whether or not a stressed child can develop friends, activities, and skills. (Berger, 2010. ) The social skills of a person is strongly dependent on their genes. In a study covered by CNN, they stated: â€Å"People who have two â€Å"G† variants of this oxytocin receptor gene tend to have better social skills and higher self-esteem. † (CNN, 2011 â€Å"Is empathy in our genes? † Retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/2011/11/15/health/empathy-genes/index. html). This is important because, as Berger stated, the ability to make friends is a huge part of a child’s ability to become resilient. As CNN suggested, social skills are genetic, which leads to the idea that the ability to be resilient is linked to a person’s nature, and the better their genes are regarding social skills, the better the chance they have to become resilient. Not only are social skills hugely a part of the nature of a person, the need to interact with other people is deeply rooted in human nature. Cyrulnik gave the example of Michel, who spent three weeks in a camp during WWII after spending six months in hiding. (Cyrulnik, 1999. One might assume that a child would become very unhappy and depressed in a war camp, but Michel became thrilled, and felt as if he were at a party. This is because he had very little human interaction while he was in hiding, and he was finally able to interact with people when he was sent to the camp. He was resilient after his time in camp, able to move on with his life and not allow what happened to him to have a negative influence over his life. It was his human nature of needed contact with people and interaction that changed his whole perspective on his ordeal. He was nurtured well enough when in hiding, but he was miserable. It was his inborn nature that saved him because of the much-needed human interaction, which illustrated how it was his nature that was able to cause him to be resilient, and not the way that he was nurtured. Nurture will always impact people, but it is nature that impacts the lives and resilience of people the most. Cyrulnik describes multiple examples which help to illustrate this idea, such as the case of Michel. Resilience is what keeps people together when they have an intense struggle. Nature impacts the strength of that resilience.

History of Criminal Justice Essay

The modern criminal justice system has evolved since  ancient  times, with new forms of  punishment, added  rights  for  offenders  and victims, and  policing  reforms. These developments have reflected changing  customs, political ideals, and economic conditions. In ancient times through the middle Ages,  exile  was a common form of punishment. During the  Middle Ages, payment to the victim (or the victim’s family), known as  wergild, was another common punishment, including for violent crimes. For those who could not afford to buy their way out of punishment, harsh penalties included various forms of  corporal punishment. These included  mutilation,  branding, and  flogging, as well as  execution. Though a prison,  Le Stinche, existed as early as the 14th century in  Italy, incarceration  was not widely used until the 19th century. Correctional reform in the United States was first initiated by  William Penn, towards the end of the 17th century. For a time,  Pennsylvania’s criminal code was revised to forbid  torture  and other forms of cruel punishment, with  jails  and  prisons  replacing corporal punishment. These reforms were reverted, upon Penn’s death in 1718. Under pressure from a group of  Quakers, these reforms were revived in Pennsylvania toward the end of the 18th century, and led to a marked drop in Pennsylvania’s crime rate. Patrick Colquhoun,  Henry Fielding  and others led significant reforms during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. [19] Definition Criminal justice  is the system of practices and institutions of  governments  directed at upholding  control, deterring  and mitigating  crime, or sanctioning those who violate  laws  with criminal penalties and  rehabilitation efforts. Those accused of crime have  protections  against abuse of investigatory and prosecution powers. The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: (1)  Legislative  (create laws); (2) adjudication (courts); and (3)  corrections  (jails, prisons, probation and parole). In the criminal justice system, these distinct agencies operate together both under the  rule of law  and as the principal means of maintaining the  rule of law  within  society. Policing The first contact an  offender  has with the criminal justice system is usually with the  police  (or  law enforcement) who investigate the suspected wrongdoing and make an  arrest, but if the suspect is dangerous to the whole nation, a national level  law enforcement agency  is called in . When warranted, law enforcement agencies or police officers are empowered to use force and other forms of legal coercion and means to effect public and social order. The term is most commonly associated with police departments of a  state  that are authorized to exercise the  police power  of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility. The word comes from the  Latin  politia  (â€Å"civil administration†), which itself derives from the  Ancient Greek   , for  polis  (â€Å"city†). The first police force comparable to the present-day police was established in 1667 under King  Louis XIV  in France, although modern police usually trace their origins to the 1800 establishment of the  Marine Police  in  London, the  Glasgow Police, and the  Napoleonic  police of Paris. Police are primarily concerned with keeping the peace and enforcing  criminal law  based on their particular mission and jurisdiction. Formed in 1908 the  Federal Bureau of Investigation  began as an entity which could investigate and enforce specific federal laws as an investigative and â€Å"law enforcement agency† in the United States;[10]  this, however, has constituted only a small portion of overall policing activity. [11]  Policing has included an array of activities in different contexts, but the predominant ones are concerned with  order maintenance  and the provision of services. [12] Courts Courts of Law The courts serve as the venue where disputes are then settled and justice is administered. With regard to criminal justice, there are a number of critical people in any court setting. These critical people are referred to as the courtroom work group and include both professional and non professional individuals. These include the  judge,  prosecutor, and thedefense attorney. The judge, or magistrate, is a person, elected or appointed, who is knowledgeable in the law, and whose function is to objectively administer the legal proceedings and offer a final decision to dispose of a case. In the U. S. and in a growing number of nations,  guilt  or innocence (although in the U.S. a jury can never find a defendant â€Å"innocent† but rather â€Å"not guilty†) is decided through theadversarial system. In this system, two parties will both offer their version of events and  argue  their case before the court (sometimes before a judge or panel of judges, sometimes before a jury). The case should be decided in favor of the party who offers the most sound and compelling arguments based on the law as applied to the facts of the case. The prosecutor, or district attorney, is a  lawyer  who brings charges against a person, persons or corporate entity. It is the prosecutor’s duty to explain to the court what crime was committed and to detail what  evidence  has been found which incriminates the accused. The prosecutor should not be confused with a  plaintiff  or plaintiff’s counsel. Although both serve the function of bringing a complaint before the court, the prosecutor is a servant of the state who makes accusations on behalf of the state in criminal proceedings, while the plaintiff is the complaining party in civil proceedings. A defense attorney counsels the accused on the legal process, likely outcomes for the accused and suggests strategies. The accused, not the lawyer, has the right to make final decisions regarding a number of fundamental points, including whether to testify, and to accept a plea offer or demand a jury trial in appropriate cases. It is the defense attorney’s duty to represent the interests of the client, raise procedural and evidentiary issues, and hold the prosecution to its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Defense counsel may challenge evidence presented by the prosecution or present exculpatory evidence and argue on behalf of their client. At trial, the defense attorney may attempt to offer a  rebuttal  to the prosecutor’s accusations. In the U. S. , an accused person is entitled to a government-paid defense attorney if he or she is in jeopardy of losing his or her life and/or liberty. Those who cannot afford a private attorney may be provided one by the state. Historically, however, the right to a defense attorney has not always been universal. For example, in  Tudor  England criminals accused oftreason  were not permitted to offer arguments in their defense. In many jurisdictions, there is no right to an appointed attorney, if the accused is not in jeopardy of losing his or her liberty. The final determination of guilt or innocence is typically made by a third party, who is supposed to be disinterested. This function may be performed by a judge, a panel of judges, or a  jury  panel composed of unbiased citizens. This process varies depending on the laws of the specific jurisdiction. In some places the panel (be it judges or a jury) is required to issue a unanimous decision, while in others only a majority  vote  is required. In America, this process depends on the state, level of court, and even agreements between the prosecuting and defending parties. Some nations do not use juries at all, or rely on theological or military authorities to issue verdicts. Some cases can be disposed of without the need for a trial. In fact, the vast majority are. If the accused confesses his or her guilt, a shorter process may be employed and a judgment may be rendered more quickly. Some nations, such as America, allow  plea bargaining  in which the accused pleads guilty,  nolo contendere  or not guilty, and may accept a diversion program or reduced punishment, where the prosecution’s case is weak or in exchange for the cooperation of the accused against other people. This reduced sentence is sometimes a reward for sparing the state the expense of a formal trial. Many nations do not permit the use of plea bargaining, believing that it coerces innocent people to plead guilty in an attempt to avoid a harsh punishment. The entire trial process, whatever the country, is fraught with problems and subject to criticism. Bias  and  discrimination  form an ever-present threat to an objective decision. Any prejudice  on the part of the lawyers, the judge, or jury members threatens to destroy the court’s credibility. Some people argue that the often Byzantine rules governing courtroom conduct and processes restrict a layman’s ability to participate, essentially reducing the legal process to a battle between the lawyers. In this case, the criticism is that the decision is based less on sound justice and more on the lawyer’s eloquence and  charisma. This is a particular problem when the lawyer performs in a substandard manner. The jury process is another area of frequent criticism, as there are few mechanisms to guard against poor judgment or incompetence on the part of the layman jurors. Judges themselves are very subject to bias subject to things as ordinary as the length of time since their last break. [13] Manipulations of the court system by defense and prosecution attorneys, law enforcement as well as the defendants have occurred and there have been cases where justice was denied. Interpol The  International Criminal Police Organization  (ICPO), widely known as  INTERPOL,[3]  is an  intergovernmental organizationfacilitating international police cooperation. It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923 and adopted its telegraphic address as its common name in 1956. Its membership of 190 countries provides a budget of around â‚ ¬60 million through annual contributions. The organization’s headquarters is in  Lyon, France. It is the second largest  intergovernmental organization  after the  United Nations  by  member states. In 2011, the Interpol General Secretariat employed a staff of 673 representing 93 member countries. [1]  Its current Secretary-General is  Ronald Noble, a former United States  Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement. Succeeding  Khoo Boon Hui, its current President is Deputy Central Director of the French Judicial Police  Mireille Ballestrazzi. In order to maintain as politically neutral a role as possible, Interpol’s  constitution  forbids it to undertake any interventions or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial nature. [4]  Its work focuses primarily on public safety,  terrorism,  organized crime,crimes against humanity,  environmental crime,  genocide,  war crimes,  piracy, illicit  traffic  in  works of art,  illicit drug  production,drug trafficking,  weapons smuggling,  human trafficking,  money laundering,  child pornography,  white-collar crime,  computer crime,intellectual property crime  and  corruption. Interpol’s headquarters are located in  Lyon, France. Corrections Offenders are then turned over to the correctional authorities, from the court system after the accused has been found guilty. Like all other aspects of criminal justice, the administration of  punishment  has taken many different forms throughout history. Early on, when civilizations lacked the resources necessary to construct and maintain prisons,  exile  and  execution  were the primary forms of punishment. Historically  shame  punishments and  exile  have also been used as forms of censure. The most publicly visible form of punishment in the modern era is the  prison. Prisons may serve as detention centers for prisoners after trial. For containment of the accused, jails are used. Early prisons were used primarily to sequester criminals and little thought was given to living conditions within their walls. In America, the  Quaker  movement is commonly credited with establishing the idea that prisons should be used to reform criminals. This can also be seen as a critical moment in the debate regarding the purpose of punishment. Punishment (in the form of prison time) may serve a variety of purposes. First, and most obviously, the incarceration of criminals removes them from the general population and inhibits their ability to perpetrate further crimes. A new goal of prison punishments is to offer criminals a chance to be rehabilitated. Many modern prisons offer schooling or job training to prisoners as a chance to learn a vocation and thereby earn a legitimate living when they are returned to society. Religious institutions also have a presence in many prisons, with the goal of teaching ethics and instilling a sense of morality in the prisoners. If a prisoner is released before his time is served, he is released as a parole. This means that they are released, but the restrictions are greater than that of someone on probation. There are numerous other forms of punishment which are commonly used in conjunction with or in place of prison terms. Monetary  finesare one of the oldest forms of punishment still used today. These fines may be paid to the state or to the victims as a form of reparation. Probation  and  house arrest  are also sanctions which seek to limit a person’s mobility and his or her opportunities to commit crimes without actually placing them in a prison setting. Furthermore, many jurisdictions may require some form of public or community service as a form of reparations for lesser offenses. In Corrections, the Department ensures court-ordered, pre-sentence chemical dependency assessments, related Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative specific examinations and treatment will occur for offenders sentenced to Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative in compliance with RCW 9. 94A. 660. Execution or  capital punishment  is still used around the world. Its use is one of the most heavily debated aspects of the criminal justice system. Some societies are willing to use executions as a form of political control, or for relatively minor misdeeds. Other societies reserve execution for only the most sinister and brutal offenses. Others still have outlawed the practice entirely, believing the use of execution to be excessively cruel or hypocritical. History of criminal law The first civilizations generally did not distinguish between  civil law  and criminal law. The first written codes of law were designed by the Sumerians. Around 2100-2050 BC  Ur-Nammu, the  Neo-Sumerian  king of  Ur, enacted the oldest written legal code whose text has been discovered: the  Code of Ur-Nammu although an earlier code of  Urukagina  of  Lagash  ( 2380-2360 BC ) is also known to have existed. Another important early code was the  Code Hammurabi, which formed the core of  Babylonian law. Only fragments of the early criminal laws of  Ancient Greece  have survived, e. g. those of  Solon  and  Draco. [2] The similarly significant  Commentaries  of  Gaius  on the  Twelve Tables  also conflated the civil and criminal aspects, treating theft or  furtum  as a  tort. Assault and violent  robbery  were analogized to trespass  as to property. Breach of such laws created an obligation of law or  vinculum juris discharged by payment of monetary compensation or  damages. The criminal law of  imperial Rome  is collected in Books 47-48 of the  Digest  After the revival of  Roman law  in the 12th century, sixth-century Roman classifications and jurisprudence provided the foundations of the distinction between criminal and civil law in  European  law from then until the present time The first signs of the modern distinction between crimes and civil matters emerged during the Norman  of England. The special notion of criminal penalty, at least concerning Europe, arose in Spanish Late Scolasticism (see  Alfonso de Castro), when the theological notion of God’s penalty (poena aeterna) that was inflicted solely for a guilty mind, became transfused into canon law first and, finally, to secular criminal law. [6]  The development of the  state  dispensing  justice  in a court clearly emerged in the eighteenth century when European countries began maintaining police services. From this point, criminal law had formalized the mechanisms for enforcement, which allowed for its development as a discernible entity. Objectives of criminal law Criminal law is distinctive for the uniquely serious potential consequences or  sanctions  for failure to abide by its rules. [7]  Every crime is composed of  criminal elements. Capital punishment  may be imposed in some jurisdictions for the most serious crimes. Physical or  corporal punishment  may be imposed such as  whipping  or  caning, although these punishments are prohibited in much of the world. Individuals may be  incarcerated  in  prison  or  jail  in a variety of conditions depending on the jurisdiction. Confinement may be solitary. Length of incarceration may vary from a day to life.

Psy 375 Senior Interview Essay

1. What is the environment of your home like? Busy, before they got guardianship of their grandson, life was quiet and there was not very much that had to be done around the home. Once their grandson came to live with them at age 3, life became â€Å"a buzz† again. â€Å"Before our grandson came to us, we usually would get up in the morning, sit and relax as we drank our coffee and had a quiet breakfast together. Now, we (her and her spouse) are up early to get our grandson ready to go to school. † She also says â€Å"We had time for the things that we wanted to do in our later years of life, visiting family, traveling and such. Now our time is dedicated to raising our grandson who keeps us going and on our toes but we would not change the situations we are in now for the world. † 2. Has aging changed the home environment? Yes, when they were younger, they had the energy and health to do the things they wanted to. Sally says â€Å"With age came some small struggles to stay at the pace we had always had when we were younger. Things that were always easy slowly became more time consuming, housekeeping used to be something that I could complete pretty quickly; now, I am a little slower (with the help of my grandson). Otherwise, she says â€Å"life keeps us all busy. † 3. Do you rely on others for help with any activities in the home? Sally answers â€Å"No, we are still able and willing to do our chores and keep up with the necessary tasks that we have. Although, we do have â€Å"John† (grandson) visit family a few times a month so that we have time to recharge. † 4. Do you still drive? If so, how has aging changed how you drive? Sally answered, â€Å"Yes, we both (her and her husband Mike) still drive. Driving is something that you would think would stay the same as you grow old until you get old. When I am driving now, I feel like everyone is in a rush to get where they want to go and here I am taking my time, trying to be safe while all around me are probably cursing me and saying â€Å"Damn old lady is driving so slow. † (She laughed as she made the last remark. ) 5. What changes in your home do you face as you get older? Sally answers, â€Å"As my husband and I get older, we are starting to be slower at things that once took us very little time. I think as we continue to get older, we will continue to get slower. † She also says, â€Å"With having our grandson home with us, he is helping us when he sees us even struggle a little with even small things. I think as we get older, he will be the one to help us more than anyone else. Recreational Activities: 1. In the past, what did you do for recreation? What do you do now for enjoyment? Sally answers, â€Å"When we were younger and our children were at home with us, we would spend a lot of time outdoors. We loved to go camping, fishing and hunting as a family. As our children got older, they all had things that they were involved in that took that time away that we had for the fun things. † She then explained that as her and her husband grew older, that they became more focused on the things that they wanted to do like traveling and visiting family. Sally then explained â€Å"Now that we have our grandson, I go to the movies, library, and toy shopping an awful lot. † But then she explained that she takes pleasure in spending time with her grandson doing the things that he likes to do because she â€Å"loves to see the smile on his face. † Sally also explained that they are active members of a church that they go to twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) and they get great pleasure out of the service. 2. How often do you participate in these activities? Sally says â€Å"When â€Å"John† is a good boy at school and does what he is told here we usually take him out about once a week to do something special. † She then explains, â€Å"Church is a large part of our lives. We go to church not only to worship but also to have time with people that are around our age with and are like-minded. † 3. Have the things that do for recreation changed as you aged? As stated above, in their younger years, their recreation revolved around their family. As they got older, she says â€Å"The things we did slowed. We were not out all the time we possibly could have been. † Sally says, â€Å"We now spend time where we feel most comfortable, church and doing things with our grandson are what we do most now. † Social Support and Interactions: 1. Who do you interact with on a regular basis? Is this the same amount of contact you had in younger years of life? Sally says, â€Å"On a daily basis, my husband and grandson. I usually call my sister every couple days and see how she is doing and on a weekly basis the brothers and sisters I have at church. † She also says, â€Å"In the past, we had friends and neighbors that we were in contact with on a daily basis but as time went on, the friends we have kept are passing away or just losing contact with them all together. It is hard getting older and watching the friends you have start to pass away, it make me think that I will not always be here and then it makes me worry about who will keep our grandson when we are gone. † 2. Do you participate in any social clubs? Sally says, â€Å"The only real structured social club, if you can call it that, would be church activities. On Wednesdays, we go to church for bible study and social time where we talk with our friends there and on Sunday, we go to service that provides us with God’s word and time with our church brothers and sisters. † Meaningful Activities: 1. What gives your life meaning? Sally says, â€Å"My family is what gives my life meaning. I try to do as much as possible to stay in the loop of what is going on with my children and grandchildren. My children have always been the reason that we have worked so hard. We always wanted them to have the better things in life and we wanted them to be happy. † She also says â€Å"Now, my life revolves around taking care of â€Å"John† and making sure he feels that everything is okay and that he has a stable home to grow up in. † 2. Do you still engage in these activities as you did when you were younger? Sally says, â€Å"When we were younger, we had a lot more activities when our children were young. As they grew up, moved out on their own and had families of their own, our lives quieted down and the activities we were always doing changed into activities that â€Å"Mike† and I wanted to do until we got â€Å"John† and once we got â€Å"John† life became busy again with all of his activities. † Mental Stimulation: 1. In the past, what did you do to keep your mind sharp? Sally says, â€Å"In the past, I had my work to keep my mind sharp. I was a secretary at the middle school in the town we live for almost 20 years and was always busy with the tasks that were I had to do. My children also kept my mind going and I loved helping them with their homework because this helped me keep my mind working and remembering how to do problems like math and science. † 2. What do you do now to keep your mind sharp? Sally says, â€Å"Now to keep my mind sharp I do a lot of word and number puzzles. I love to do Sudoku puzzles and word find puzzles. Sudoku puzzles really keep my mind working because sometimes I feel like my hair is on fire when I am done with them (she chuckles.) I also spend time with â€Å"John† to helping him with his homework and I think this helps to keep me learning still because I have noticed that the way children are taught now has really changed from when I had my children in school. † Physical Activities: 1. In the past, what did you do to keep physically fit? Sally says, â€Å"In the past, when my children lived at home, we were always on the go. We would go places where we would walk and hike through the woods like when we would go hunting or fishing. We lives close to the corner store so we would also just walk to the store when we needed a few things instead of get in the car and drive. † She also says â€Å"I never was a really big health nut who was always worried about exercise because my weight was never an issue. I felt that is my weight was good then I was getting plenty of exercise. † 2. What do you do to keep physically fit now? Sally says, â€Å"Nowadays we love to take â€Å"John† for walks at the local trails. It’s nice to be out in the fresh air and be able to not only spend time with â€Å"Mike† and â€Å"John† but to get a little exercise because I have noticed that the older I get the less muscle I seem to have. † â€Å"It seems like the little things are more of a challenge than they were in previous years. Even just opening a jar is sometimes a challenge. † 3. Are you able to keep up with the daily physical stresses that you are tasked with on a daily basis? Sally says, â€Å"Yes, it seems like I am still doing a pretty good job keeping up with everything I have to do on a daily basis (as she looks around her living room. ) She also says â€Å"Keeping a house clean is a chore in its own when you have a grandson to pick up after everywhere he goes. † She also says, â€Å"I get around to the things I need to do now when I get to them. I used to try to make sure the house was perfect when my children and â€Å"Mike† would come home each day and thought that having a clean house for them, food cooking and clothes laid out for them daily was what I was supposed to do. Now that I think about it, I would have much rather of been having fun with them instead of being worried about the house. † Ending the interview, her last statement is, â€Å"Life now is a little bit harder than it was when I was younger. It seems like the older I get, the slower I am. † She then tells me, â€Å"Make sure that you spend your time doing what makes you happy. †

Coraline Book review

Coralline is a horror story featuring a family that has recently moved to a new house. Coralline, a young girl, detests the move. When she discovers a door in the drawing room, she becomes curious. When she looks the first time, there is Just a brick wall, but the next time she checks, there is a passageway to an alternate universe. Coralline starts to believe that she likes this newfound world more, but will it stay that This British novella takes place in a community in Britain in summer 2002. This is a horror book but isn't as frightening as other books.The main characters are Coralline Jones, Mrs.. Jones, Mr.. Jones, The Cat, The Other Mother, and The Other Father. The story is told in third person and focuses mainly on Carolina's adventures. The plot revolves around a young girl named Coralline traveling through a door in her house to an alternate universe that has other versions of her parents that try to take her from the real world. Coralline believes she likes it there at fi rst and wishes she could live there but soon finds the evil in her other parent's plans. There are two possible themes to this book.The first is be careful what you wish for and the second is it's hard to look past the surface when it looks so perfect. This book was incredibly interesting and very different from any horror book I've ever read. Although it didn't terrify me like other books might, it was written differently and had a very interesting plot. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new book or a good book to read. I read this book due to the interest In the movie that I saw when I was younger and I enjoyed It twice as much as I loved the movie. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Declaration of Independence

Perhaps there is no other man in our history who has stressed the importance of the Declaration of Independence to our society except the former US President Abraham Lincoln. In his Gettysburg Address of 1863 he explained, â€Å"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. † Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776 drafted the Declaration of Independence declaring that the union with Great Britain should be dissolved. It was finally adopted on July 4, 1776. After years of colonial rule, the Thirteen Colonies declared that they were independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain. It is considered as a manifestation of our country’s yearning for freedom and our country’s most cherished symbol of liberty. The Declaration of Independence is divided into five parts: a) Introduction; b) Preamble; c) Indictment of George III, d) the Denunciation of the British People and e) the Conclusion. (â€Å"The United States Declaration of Independence†) The Introductory part basically declares that the Laws of Nature have given each and everyone of us the power to assume political independence. What is important however is that the basis for such independence must be reasonable. The Preambles declares that all men are created equal. In view of this equality, the government has no authority to violate the rights and dignity of every man. In case this happens, then revolution for violation of human rights becomes justified. The Indictment enumerates the countless violations and transgressions of human rights committed by the British Government against the Americans. The Denunciation declares that the American people have constantly pleaded for justice and magnanimity of the British government. No action however, was extended. As a result, revolution and declaration of independence is justified. II. The United States Constitution The Articles of Confederation was once the supreme law of the land for the United States Government. It was submitted for ratification on November 17, 1977 and was finally ratified on March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation was created during the American Revolutionary War. During those times, the different states were more concerned with the over-concentration of power in the national government and the possible abuse that may result. It is because of this reason that less authority was given to the national government. Further, the Articles of Confederation was considered very weak. Among its weaknesses are: a) the Congress could only request the states to pay taxes instead of levying taxes; b) there was no system of federal courts; c) the powers of the president are weak being limited to presiding over the sessions of Congress; d) there was no system of controlling trade between and among states. (Greg D. Feldmeth, 1998) In view however of the dissatisfaction by the people on some of the provisions of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention was created for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Articles of Confederation. The members of the Constitutional Convention prepared the draft of the United States Constitution in Pennsylvania. It was then adopted in 1787 and took effect in 1789. Among the members of the Constitutional Convention who helped in preparing the draft are James Madison, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. If the Declaration of Independence was written for the purpose of declaring our liberty, the United States Constitution was ratified for the purpose of establishing the government of the United States. It sought to inform the people of the extent of the powers of the government while at the same time limiting these governmental powers. It also sought to establish a formal structure of government by dividing the powers of government into three: the power to make the law; the power to execute the law and the power to interpret the law. These three main powers of government were divided into three branches: a) the executive branch; b) the legislative branch and the judicial branch.