Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Report

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Report Jason Taylor Introduction Glucose is a simple sugar that provides nearly half of the body’s energy, it can’t be eaten directly thus it is obtained from eating foods that contain carbohydrates. The liver stores about 1/3 of the body’s total glucose in the form of glycogen while muscle cells store 2/3 of glucose in the same form (Whitney Rolfe, p99). The amount of sugar present in the blood is known as the blood sugar, these levels need to be tightly regulated by the body (Jiang Zhang 2003). Eating food causes an increase in blood glucose levels, this stimulates insulin release from the pancreas into the blood stream, insulin stimulates glucose uptake into cells, stimulates liver and muscle cells to store it as glycogen and then the excess glucose is converted into fat (Whitney Rolfe, p99). Low blood glucose levels are stimulated by the glucagon release from the pancreas, this causes the stored glycogen to be converted to glucose which causes an increase in the blood glucose levels (Whit ney Rolfe, p99). Diabetes Mellitus is a group of disorders that have glucose intolerance in common, type I and type II diabetes are the most common. Type I diabetes mellitus is when the cells don’t produce enough insulin and its symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, lethargy, unexplained weight loss and wounds that heal slowly. Type I diabetes is due to the loss of beta cells in the pancreas which are responsible for the secretion of insulin (McCance Huether, pg745). There have been two types of type I diabetes identified, type 1A is an autoimmune disease in which environmental and genetic factors trigger the destruction of beta cells. Type 1B is non-immune and it’s when individuals having varying amounts of insulin deficiency (McCance Huether, pg746). Type II diabetes mellitus is less common and is when cells don’t respond to insulin, genetic factors such as a lack of insulin receptors combined with environmental influences like obesity can result in the pathophysio logic mechanisms for type II diabetes like decreased insulin secretion and insulin resistance. These are crucial for the development of type II diabetes mellitus (McCance Huether, pg750). There are numerous complications associated with diabetes such as hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis. Hypoglycaemia is when there’s low levels of glucose which is damaging as the brain and nervous system rely on glucose to function. Hypoglycaemia can be caused by too much insulin, strenuous physical exertion or inadequate food intake (Munter Spiegelman, 2007). Impaired glucose regulation can lead to hyperglycaemia which is abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood, for this to occur at least 80-90% of the beta cell function have to be compromised (McCance Huether, pg758). Carbohydrates need to be broken down into monosaccharaides before they can be absorbed. Their digestion begins in the mouth when salivary amylase hydrolyses them to shorter polysaccharides, they then progress to the stomach that doesn’t play a role in carbohydrate digestion however its low pH inactivates the salivary amylase (Whitney Rolfe, p101). The small intestine is where most of the digestion occurs, pancreatic amylase breaks down the polysaccharides to monosaccharide’s which are then absorbed (Whitney Rolfe, p103). A glucometer is used to calculate the concentration of glucose in the blood, a small drop of blood or a sample is placed on a disposable strip which is inserted into the glucometer which calculates the blood sugar levels (Whitney Rolfe, 2013). An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is used to detect diabetes mellitus, there are accepted minimum and maximum values for glucose levels in blood (mmol/L) to be within, if they are beneath or exceed them it could indicate a diabetic profile. In this report we investigated the presence of glucose in urine samples as well as the BGL in prepared samples to determine if any of the patients showed a diabetic profile. Methods Most of the methods were followed as stated in: â€Å"RMB2530 Pathophysiology 1: Laboratory Manual, 2013† however due to safety and health issues real blood and urine samples were not taken. Results Table 3: Class Glucose Tolerance Test Results (Mary) Table 3: Class Glucose Tolerance Test Results (Alex) Graph 1: Blood Glucose Vs. Time for Mary and Alex Discussion Mary had a normal OGTT result as her blood glucose levels didn’t have a dramatic increase and they decreased efficiently as well. Mary’s blood glucose rose at 30 minutes (6.06 mmol/L) however the liver responded to the extra glucose by releasing insulin which promoted the uptake of glucose by cells and its storage as glycogen (Rubin Strayer, pg680). Alex had an impaired response to glucose as his glucose levels rose at 30 minutes and kept rising till 60 minutes, his highest glucose reading was 16 mmol/L while Mary’s highest was 6 mmol/L. From 60 minutes onwards Alex’s blood glucose exceeded the maximum range acceptable for blood glucose levels. At 60 minutes his blood glucose was 17.16 mmol/L while the maximum accepted range is 8.9 mmol/L. This indicates a diabetic profile as a normal response is insulin release by the pancreatic beta cells that regulate glucose uptake in liver and skeletal muscle. The delayed decline in glucose suggests that the beta cel ls aren’t producing glucose or that the cells aren’t responding to the insulin (Rubin Strayer, pg1090). The liver is the primary organ involved in glucose homeostasis responding rapidly to fluctuation in blood glucose levels. The reason that there is an increase in blood glucose is due to the consumption of food. Eating foods causes an increase in blood glucose, this stimulates the release of insulin by the pancreas which is responsible for stimulating glucose uptake. Excess blood glucose is utilised by the body and stored as glycogen in liver and skeletal muscle while excess glucose is converted to fat (Whitney Rolfe, p99). During periods of starvation or fasting, there is a lack of glucose. Low blood glucose levels are stimulated by the glucagon release from the pancreas, this causes the stored glycogen in the liver to be converted to glucose which causes an increase in the blood glucose levels. The conversion of glucose to glucose is known as glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis is formation of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids and fatty acids and is utilised dur ing fasting periods. Symptoms of patients with diabetes mellitus include excessive urination and thirst, lethargy, headaches, dizziness, mood swings and leg cramps. Type I and II are the most commonly known diabetes forms however there are other types. Some people don’t have high enough blood glucose levels to be classified as diabetes, however since they are not normal it’s known as impaired glucose metabolism or pre-diabetes. There are two pre-diabetic conditions; impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). IGT is when glucose levels are not high enough to be classified as diabetes, however they are still high while IFG are when blood fasting glucose levels escalated during fasting states but are yet again not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a high blood glucose level during pregnancy as a result of the hormones, it usually goes away after the baby’s birth. Excessive thirst with large amounts of diluted urine is known as diabetes insipidus (DI), it occurs in two forms; central diabetes insipidus (CDI) and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). CDI is due to an ADH d eficiency, ADH or anti-diuretic hormone is responsible for retaining water. NDI is when the kidneys or nephrons are insensitive to ADH. Glycosuria is the presence of glucose in the urine, glucose is usually filtered back into the bloodstream by the kidneys. Untreated diabetes mellitus is due to elevated glucose levels which leads to glycosuria. Filtrate pass through sieves in the kidney walls and get reabsorbed in to the blood. Damage to the filters results in filtrate excretion into urine. Urine sample A belonged to Alex and was positive for glucose as it changed from blue (negative) to dark green (+). Urine sample B belonged to Mary and it was negative for glycosuria. Alex’s positive urine sample could be due to his elevated glucose levels. Any differences between individual results could be attributed to a number of different reasons, there could have been errors during the glucometer readings such as contaminating the glucometer stick. There could have been errors made during the pipetting of the stock glucose and water resulting in a different concentration to what was required. The experiment should be repeated again to add validity to the results. Overall the experiment followed scientific expectations, the patient with diabetes mellitus was identified through measurement of the blood glucose levels as well as testing of a urine sample. The experiment should be repeated again to add validity to the results. References Tortora, GJ, Funke, BR, Case, CL (2010).Microbiology: An Introduction. 10th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. 318, 586, 587, 710. McCance, KL, Huether, SE, Brashers, VL, Rote, NS (2010).Pathophysiology:The biological Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. 6th ed. Missouri: Mosby Inc . 296, 1684. Rubin, R, Strayer, DS (2012).Rubins Pathology: Clincopathologic Foundations of Medicine. 6th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. 332, 346, 348. Jiang, G. Zhang, B.B. 2003, Glucagon and regulation of glucose metabolism,American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism,vol. 284, no. 4, pp. E671-678. Whitney, E Rolfes, S (2012).Understanding Nutrition. 13th ed. Australia New Zealand : Yolanda Cassio. Pg95-101.

Danegeld: Survival and Demise Essay examples -- Literature

And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane.# Poet Rudyard Kipling outlined it best with his poem Dane-geld, first published in 1911. Even though it was written as an allegory for the relations of humanity at large, the specificity of the source demands elucidation in regard to how such a metaphor even came into existence. While no society plans for its own destruction or subjugation intentionally, the realities of such actions are a matter of historical fact. One such instance, and indeed perhaps the most pivotal of all such events for the English-speaking world, is the creation of the Dane-geld in pre-Norman Britain and how the efficiency of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in collecting the national tax led directly to their downfall. There were indeed other factors involved in the success of the Norman Conquest in the latter half of the eleventh century but without this pre-existing, self-sufficient means of funding, which was used to fuel William the Conqueror's military machine in post-1066 campaigns, it is doubtful that the immediate impact of the invasion - the nearly complete replacement of the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy with Norman rulers - and the devastation of northern England, through the genocidal acts of the Harrying of the North, could have been achieved. This essay will outline the process by which the Dane-geld came into existence, its impact on Anglo-Saxon society and its immediate use by Norman invaders in taking this preexisting system and turning it against its creators in order to subjugate and control them in what would prove to be the most important invasion in the western world un... ... Anglo-Saxon England, 500-1087. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1984. Loyn, H. R.. Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest. 2nd ed. London: Longman, 1991. Williams, Ann. Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c.500-1066. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Williams, Ann. The English and the Norman Conquest. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell Press, 1995. Williams, Ann. The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy, 871-1066. London: Continuum, 2008. Primary Sources The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. London: Everyman Press, 1912. Translation by Rev. James Ingram (London, 1823), with additional readings from the translation of Dr. J.A. Giles (London, 1847). Online: http://omacl.org/Anglo/ Dane-geld, A.D. 980-1016. Kipling, Rudyard. First published in 1911. Online: http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_danegeld.htm

A Different Kind of Leadership

When The Economist magazine recently asked 180 leaders what the major influence on future organizations would be, two-thirds of them said it would be teams and groups. Clearly, the John Wayne model of leadership won't work. What is needed today is a different kind of leadership. People who think they can do it by themselves are somewhat deluded. Despite these kinds of statements the cult figure of the Chief Executive Officer still exists. They are enshrined, and probably celebrated too much. This is partly an American phenomenon. However throughout Europe there are beginning to be reactions against these icons for companies and these are ominous signs for the future of figureheads. Groups, teams, communities, partnerships, stakeholders, colleagues, collaborators signal the end of the â€Å"Great Man,† the death of the John Wayne myth. As the business world becomes more complex and interdependent, executives cannot afford to lead in isolation. Instead, they must tap into the collective knowledge and expertise of their colleagues by creating real teamwork at top levels of the organization. They need to build truly effective leadership teams. Successful management in today's society are forever trying to seek out the most competent individuals to employ in specific roles within a business environment. The criteria on which an individual is selected are widely recognised as the common attributes of a leader. These qualities would include; intelligence, forcefulness, sensitivity, patience, decisiveness, the person would be reflective and dynamic, a good communicator as well as being a good listener. The list of desirable traits continues to describe the perfect leader-manager who would be effective and most probably flawless. In reality this person could not exist, simply because many of the characteristics seem to conflict with one another. It is unlikely that someone could be both forceful and particularly sensitive. The inability of a single individual to possess all the skills that are sought after, presents the opportunity for the development of a team that certainly could. Teams also have the advantage that if a single member of a team is unavailable, then the productivity of the team may not be impacted significantly, whereas if a single person had full responsibility for a task and then was taken ill for example, any progress due to be made on the task would be halted. Another problem with focussing on training individuals to a high level and therefore becoming somewhat reliant on that person is that, if that person decided to leave to take a position with a competitor or to take early retirement to spend time with their spouse then the business is left trying to adjust for the loss. By focussing on teams the business is somewhat less exposed to these potential problems. However the development of teams to provide protection against competitors ‘poaching' personnel, has become less effective, especially in the service industries. An example of this kind of activity occurring was seen in November 1999 when a team of Merrill Lynch & Co. telecom analysts defected to Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). This forced Merrill to reshuffle its depleted research effort just as the firm's telecom bankers were positioning to land the mandate on what could be the biggest initial public offering in history. The highly regarded telecom analysts Dan Reingold and Mark Kastan left Merrill for CSFB on 22nd November, taking with them a group of five other analysts – almost Merrill's entire U. S. telecom research team. With such an emphasis on the formulation of effective self-managed teams, the question of whether leadership is actually required arises. It has been suggested that to organize genius and to have a great group, the fine art of herding cats must learnt. This analogy is used to demonstrate the difficult skill of persuading members within a team to carry out tasks they may not particularly want to, and feel good about doing it. This ‘soft skill† is very important if a group is to have a member in a leading capacity. Some leaders have managed to succeed without having great people skills. Examples include Steve Jobs at Macintosh Computers, Walt Disney, Kelly Johnson at Lockheed's Skunk Works, and John Andrew Rice at Black Mountain College. In fact they have been described as having herded their cats with whips; and yet still produced phenomenal results. Leaders typically provide direction and meaning that resonate in the heart, soul and mind. But many leaders of great groups are abrasive, if not downright arrogant. Another analogy used to describe these people is that they are all alchemists. They are creating something out of nothing. They are creating something magical. They are creating an object of enchantment. An explanation given for why these team leaders were obnoxious at times was that when believing that they were involved in a group that would change the world, they could be afforded the opportunity of being a â€Å"son-of-a-bitch† for a time. If a group can be created that thinks they can â€Å"make a dent in the universe,† as Steve Jobs told the team that created the Macintosh computer, one's personal foibles, losing one's temper, one's style become less important. If the team feels transported, and part of the excitement, the thrill and the electrifying feeling of doing something that nobody has ever done before, arrogance on behalf of the leader can be excused. Undoubtedly this aggressive style of team leadership producing outstanding results is the exception to most group situations. The charismatic nature of the people involved probably had more to do with the eventual result rather than the manner in which they lead. Charisma is intangible, difficult to assess, and cannot be taught, yet can override all learnt skills of good team leading. However there have been studies that suggest that the personality of the leader may adversely affect the team†s performance. Mary Fontaine, head of the Hay/McBer's competency practice, a U. S. management consulting group, carried out a study that found that team leaders with a variety of managerial styles-authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching can be successful as long as they encourage dialogues. However team leaders with a coercive managerial style were found to be far less successful at promoting dialogues. In contrast to the success of the individuals and their organisations mentioned earlier it was found that it wasn't the best and the brightest who excelled. â€Å"Sucking the oxygen out of the room with excessive charisma or with an intimidating intellect and self-confidence was often detrimental to team efforts,† Fontaine says. â€Å"The truly outstanding leaders frequently were those whose contributions were less visible, who worked behind the scenes to create structures and arrange for organizational supports that made it easier for their teams to excel. There seems to be a threshold level of team skills required to be a competent leader, and above this level charisma can either make an average leader-manager into someone special or more likely hinder the groups performance. The ideal that leaders are not born, but make themselves supports this theory. A person may develop to be charismatic, however in order to grow as a leader they must learn the necessary people or ‘soft† skills. These are the hardest skills to learn. They are the things that will make the biggest difference in organizations. Bob Haas, CEO of Levi Strauss, has said the hard skills are not getting the pants out the door. The hard skills are creating the work force that will be motivated to be productive. So, the soft skills are the hardest skills. It seems that there is still a place for leaders within teams, but not in the traditional sense. Leaders are purveyors of hope who suspend disbelief in their groups. They represent the group†s needs and aspirations. They don't know that a task cannot be achieved. Most individuals are hungry spirits, and any leader who can dangle a dream before them usually gets their attention and the collective talents within a team make that dream a reality. Today the one thing that the majority of professional people want is to be inspired. For many years the qualities of individuals have been studied, and the successful characteristics copied. However the successful features of a management team are less well understood. A team has proved more difficult to study than a single person. However there has been recognition of some of the main elements of what makes one team more successful than another. A number of studies have been carried out to try to depict the foundations of teamwork and the complimentary relationships between members. The format of the team and the relationships within seem indicative to whether the team is successful. It is not necessarily the ability of individuals within the team. Given a free choice of members and the need to form a high-powered management team to solve complex problems, it would seem sensible to select members who have sharp analytical minds. This would suggest creating a team composed entirely of intellectually clever people. These types of people would be equipped for coping with major projects and big decisions. Creating a ‘Think-Tank' would initially appear to be the best solution for high profile managerial teams. However, studies carried out by Belbin concluded that the grouping of highly intellectual and similarly analytically minded people within a team in general does not produce the expected high performance. Belbin championed the result as â€Å"Apollo Syndrome†, named after the team consisting of the intellectually clever people that carried out the executive management exercises he designed. The analysis of these highly intellectual ‘Apollo' teams illustrated some of the flaws within the group interaction. A large proportion of each individual's time was engaged in trying to persuade the other members of the team to adopt their own particular, well stated, point of view. No one seemed to convert another or be converted themselves. This was largely due to the ability to spot weak points in each other's argument. There was, not surprisingly, no coherence in the decisions that the team reached – or was forced to reach. Subsequent to the eventual failure of the team, finishing last in the exercise, the aftermath was marked by mutual recrimination. If having a team consisting of homogeneous people with respect to members' demographics, cognitions and high intellect does not create a successful group, then the obvious alternative would be to create groups of heterogeneous individuals. Scholars have carried out studies to investigate the various types of diversity within a group. Diversity differentiates individuals by the degree to which they are directly related to the task at hand. Job relatedness is one form of diversity and is an important property because it determines whether a particular type of diversity constitutes an increase in a group's total pool of task-related skills, information, and perspectives. The magnitude of this pool, in turn, represents a potential for more comprehensive or creative decision making. This concept has been studied by Milliken and Martins. The idea of having a diverse team to provide a wide spectrum of views has been used as a starting point to formulate teams. However, teams do not just happen when people get together. At the start, a team is just a collection of individuals. And, like most collections, it is only as strong as its weakest member. The optimum number of individuals within a team is a major issue for discussion when creating a team. This figure would to some extent depend on the amount of work that needs to be performed. In general the larger the group, the greater the unseen pressures that make for conformity. These pressures may impinge upon an individual to the extent that in mass meetings, congregations and assemblies they feel anonymous. Behaviour within the group is further complicated by group structure. The stronger the structure, the less tolerance there is for dissenters or for any form of deviant expression. Where groups are unstructured, for example large numbers of people meeting for a purpose but without any imposed constraints, studies have shown that rather than the individual recovering a sense of mature individuality, they are likely to revel in the anonymity which size offers. Investigations have discovered that large gatherings of people has the effect of either their constituents becoming excessively passive or, if full self-expression is permitted, inclined to irresponsible behaviour, aggressive verbal declarations, or even acts of destruction. In a team building situation this type of behaviour would clearly not promote the synergy and effectiveness that is sought after.

Italians essays

Italians essays Where did the people come from? Food Famous Person Why did they leave their country? Religion What areas of North America did they settle? Music Why did they settle where they did in North America? Language Most of the Italians who came to North America in the 1800's were from southern Italy. In the 1800's life was hard for Italians in in southern Italy. The country was going through a time of policatal troubles, and crop failures had caused widespread starvation. The Italians wanted to get better jobs and have a better way of life. What areas of North America did they settle? Although most Itailians had been farmers in Italy, when they came to North America they settled in cities such as New York City, the port where most Itailains arrived. Others went to Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and to Canada in Montreal and Toronto. Why did they settle where they did in North America? Many of the Italians who stayed in New York worked in construction or railway companies or on docks. Most of the Italians had no job training and little education so they had trouble getting jobs. They would take any of the jobs they could find. In New York three quarters of the laborers in the construction industry were Italians. Many of them built the New York Subway. When North Americans think of Italians food, they usually think of pizza and spagettie. However, Italian cooking is much more varied. Each region of Italy has its own specialities and cooking styles, depending on the local ingrediants that are avaiable. Some of the food and drink that many North Americans enjoy today, such as pizza, and a type of strong coffee, called espresso, were brought by Italians. Italian food was unknown in North America before the arrival of the Italian immagrants. Today, Italian ...

Roskill and Howard Davies Airport Commissions and the Third London Airport The WritePass Journal

Roskill and Howard Davies Airport Commissions and the Third London Airport Introduction Roskill and Howard Davies Airport Commissions and the Third London Airport ). Capacity expansion pursuits have been long drawn over half a century involving two airport commissions and political intrigues (FT, 2014). The Third London Airport commission popularly known as the ‘Roskill Commission’ anticipated growth in air transport and speculated that by the end of the century London might have to accommodate 100 million passengers (Abelson and Flowerdew, 1972). It was an appropriate estimate as the actual number was 115 million (CAPA, 2013). This ceiling has been surpassed and London airports are operating under strenuous volumes. The pursuit of an alternative airport, additional runways to expand capacity, among other options continue to feature in public discourse almost half a century later with myriad arguments and counterarguments (FT, 2014; The Independent, 2014). This report explores the works of the airports commissions (Roskill and Howard Davies commissions), as well as the consideration of the controversial Boris Island alternative. It focuses on the demand and supply of airports among other considerations significant for such ventures as the development of new airports or aviation facilities. History of commissions and development of arguments A 1964 interdepartmental committee on the Third London Airport forecast that the capacity of Heathrow and Gatwick airports combined, even with the addition of a second runway at Gatwick, would be insufficient for Londons air traffic by 1972 (Mishan, 1970). After the consideration of options, the commission on the Third London Airport (Roskill Commission) was set up in 1968. With their evaluation of the timing of need, expansion capacity requirement, and after a careful study of a total of 80 proposed project sites, the commission finally chose four sites, among them a new airport at Cublington (Abelson and Flowerdew, 1972). It was the first time that a full range of environmental and economic arguments were brought to bear on a major investment decision, providing substantial and significant systemic evidence on which to base decisions (HC, 1971). Its excellence in approach and output was however to not much good as government, with a variant perception and opinion immediately rejected its findings choosing instead a scheme to build an airport at Foulness, in the Thames Estuary (Mishan, 1970). Interestingly, this option had been considered and had been decisively rejected by the Roskill Commission on the basis of cost, distance and convenience to prospective passengers (FT, 2014). Neither of the two propositions (Cublington and Foulness) was built and a subsequent change in government and complexion led to the devise of a different scheme a limited expansion of an existing airport at Stansted which was accomplished a decade after proposition. This option had also been considered by the Roskill Commission and never made its shortlist of key options (Helsey and Codd, 2012). It was a predictable failure and is still challenged by the lack of success in supporting long-haul operations by airlines, only benefitting from low-cost carriers (principally Ryan air) drawn by attractive landing charges which offset consequent inconvenience to their passengers (AOA, 2013). A proposal which has re-emerged and gained prominence is the new airport at the Thames Estuary. The ‘Boris Island’ alternative Dubbed Boris Island as a consequence of its support by London Mayor Boris Johnson, the London Britannia Airport (a name adopted for the latest iteration of the idea in 2013) is a proposed airport to be built on an artificial island in the River Thames estuary to serve London. Plans for this airport go several years back but the idea was revived by the Mayor in 2008 (CAPA, 2013; Mayor of London, 2013). Proponents of the project cite the significant advantage it portends in the avoidance of flights over densely populated areas with consideration of noise pollution and attendant safety challenges. However, its critics who include some local councils, nature conservation charity RSPB, as well as current London airports, oppose the scheme, suggesting that it is impractical and expensive (AC, 2013b). It is still under consideration of the Howard Davies Airports Commission, which estimates the entire undertaking including feeder roads and rail to cost  £112 billion, about five times the presently shortlisted short-term options (AC, 2013c). The overall balance of economic impacts of the project would be uncertain given the requirement for the closure of Heathrow and by extension London city for airspace reasons (CAPA, 2013). Renewed pursuit Howard Davies Airports Commission In spite of the myriad arguments and criticisms of the various alternatives, not much has changed and the Howard Davies Airports Commission set up in 2012 still wades in the long running controversy (CAPA, 2013; AOA, 2013). There has evidently been little learnt in the several decades of bad policy making given the hedging, stonewalling, and political posturing that still characterizes the endeavour, a readiness to oppose policies espoused by those of different complexions or the persistent complication of issues when there is requirement for bold action. This characterizes policy today as it did half a century earlier with elaborate models being grossly misused and deliberately disregarded. Minor challenges and disadvantages are greatly amplified overshadowing potentially more substantial benefits (FT, 2014). The Airports Commission was set up to examine the need for additional UK airport capacity and to recommend to government how this can be met in the short, medium and long term. The commission is tasked with creating economic, sustainable and socially responsible growth through competitive airlines and airports. (AC, 2013a). The findings of the Howard Davies Airports Commission contained in their interim report released in December 2013 (preceding a final report expected in 2015) are mainly focused on the continued growth of air travel, mainly in the South East of England. The Commission considers that the region needs an extra runway by 2030, and another possibly by 2050. On the shortlist for the expansion of airport capacity are three options comprising a third runway at Heathrow 3,500m long; lengthening of the existing northern runway to at least 6,000m enabling it to be used for both landing and take-off; as well as a new 3,000m runway at Gatwick (CAPA, 2013; AOA, 2013). Not included is the brand new hub airport in the Thames Estuary, which is side-lined citing uncertainties and challenges surrounding the proposal at this stage (AC, 2013d). However, the Commission promises an evaluation of its feasibility and a decision on its viability later in 2004 (The Independent, 2014). The Stansted and Birmingham options, however, failed to make the shortlist, although the decision remains open for their qualification in the long term (CAPA, 2013). In the Commission’s view, the capacity challenge is yet to become critical although there is potential if no action is taken soon. However, capacity challenges and the jostling and vying for a slice of anticipated extra capacity by airports signals need (AC, 2013d). Arguments on the expansion of airport capacity The Howard Davies Commission acknowledge the ‘over-optimism’ in recent forecasts of growth in demand for the aviation sector, but consider the level of growing demand as prominent requiring focus on the earliest practicable relief (AC, 2013c). This is in response to contentions by opponents that the current capacity is adequate basing their primary argument on earlier inaccurate demand forecasts. These opponents posit operational changes including quieter and bigger planes could serve to accommodate more passengers negating the need for ambitious and expensive ventures. Some also argue that constraining growth in the aviation industry would be the best option for emissions reduction and that government should utilise available capacity, pushing traffic from London’s crowded airports to others around the country, (AC, 2013b; c; d; AOA, 2013 DOT, 2013). The Commission accepts the changes in aviation practice and aircraft design could deliver modest improvements in capacity but argue that none of these submissions suggested significant transformational gains (AC, 2013c). It also stresses that deliberations were alive to the issue of climate change and were focused on the delivery of the best solution for the UK, which entails the achievement of carbon targets and delivery of required connections for the economy and society(AC, 2013c; d). The Commission notes that doing nothing to address capacity constraints could have unintended economic and environmental consequences with the possibility of some flights and emissions being displaced to other countries (AC, 2013d; CAPA, 2013; Mayor of London, 2013). Reliance on runways currently in operation would likely produce a clearly less ideal solution for passengers, global and regional connectivity, and would be sub-optimal in the endeavour to minimize the overall carbon impact of aviation (AC, 2013a; AOA, 2013). To achieve statutory mechanisms aimed at operational efficiency and emission reduction are critical. Conservationists, such as the Friends of Earth, decry growth arguing that the building of more airports and runways will have a major impact on local communities and the environment (Mayor of London, 2013; AC, 2013b). The argument for sustainable growth is welcomed by industry players in light of calls for constraint (AOA, 2013; The Independent, 2014). Through time, the argument has significantly centred on the timing of need for expansion of capacity with the uncertainty over growth and demand estimates. The drive for more intensive use of existing capacity is most appropriate in the short-term given that operational and aircraft design improvements have enabled the handling of more volumes than anticipated. Though limited, there is still capacity for improvement benefitting environmental conformity and overall efficiency. Several tactical improvements are proposed by the Davies commission to enable full and efficient use of available resource and capacity (DOT, 2013; AC, 2013d). The Davies Commission proposes the encouragement of greater adherence to schedules by airlines through stricter enforcement of aircraft arrival time. This would enhance efficient sequencing of arrivals ending the practice of ‘stacking’ especially at Heathrow (Europe’s busiest airport), which is expensive in fuel costs and time and has adverse environmental impact. They also propose ‘smoothing’ of timetables and the tackling of surges in traffic and bottlenecks, such as restrictions of arrivals before 6am and the designation procedures of runways which impede efficiency (AC, 2013d). Also considered are ‘mixed-mode’ operations which entail simultaneous use of runways for take-offs and landings. Through this mode, Heathrow expects to gain 15% in airport capacity without extra building (AOA, 2013). The Airports Commission rules out proposed mixed-mode operations suggesting its use when arrival delays arise and eventually to allow envisaged gradual traffic build up and increase in operations towards the opening of additional runways rather than a flood-gate of activity. In their consideration of noise pollution and impact on residents, the Commission recommends ending of simultaneous landings at both runways with an exception of times of disruption (AC, 2013d). Presently, Heathrow designates different runways for landings and departure which are switched daily at 3 pm to allow for respite for communities near the airport (AOA, 2013; FT, 2014). The Howard Davies Commission suggests that there might not be need for one huge hub airport as growth in recent years has come from low-cost carriers (AC, 2013a). This view makes the case for expansion of Gatwick Airport. In anticipation of confirmation of expansion priorities and solutions, airport bosses are at loggerheads with Gatwick bosses suggesting that it would not make business sense for their second runway if Heathrow is also given a green light for simultaneous expansion (AOA, 2013). This is in consideration of an extension of time to achieve return on investment from the expected 15-20 years to 30-40 years. Gatwick’s case is compelling given that it is cheaper, quicker, has significantly lower environmental impact and is the most deliverable solution in the short term (CAPA, 2013). Heathrow rejects this argument insisting there is a clear business case for a third runway regardless of development at Gatwick. With the airport operating at 98% of its capacity, they highlight potential for parallel growth delivering choice for passengers (AOA, 2013). Mayor Johnson is, however, opposed to Heathrow’s expansion citing the misery inflicted on a million people or more living in west London. He notes that there has been significantly more concern for the needs of passengers superseding the concerns of those on the ground. Johnson proposes focus on the new hub airport (Boris Island) to relieve impact on residents as well as to enhance UK’s competitiveness (Mayor of London, 2013). Supporters of Heathrow’s expansion say it will be quicker and will help to maintain the UK as an international aviation hub increasing global connections. Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt are closely competing for this business (DOT, 2013). Conclusion The examination of need for additional airport capacity and recommendation of solutions for the short, medium and long term, has taken the UK half a century and two commissions and still there is no confirmed venture despite the raft of proposals. The earlier Roskill Commission reached conclusions on four promising sites-including a new ‘Boris Island’ airport, which are still under consideration in the later commission the Howard Davies Airports Commission. Considering several arguments with regard to their mandate, the latter commission has proposed additional runways one at Gatwick and possibly two at Heathrow despite potential adverse effects to London residents. They are still to deliver a verdict on the new Thames Estuary project, promising a decision later in 2014 after evaluation. References Abelson, P. and A., Flowerdew, 1972. Roskills successful recommendation. In: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Vol. 135. No. 4, pp.467 Airports Committee, 2013a. Emerging thinking: Aviation Capacity in the UK. 7th October. Viewed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aviation-capacity-in-the-uk-emerging-thinking Airports Commission, 2013b. Stakeholder responses to Airports Commission discussion papers. 25th October. Viewed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stakeholder-responses-to-airports-commission-discussion-papers Airports Commission, 2013c. Airports Commission discussion papers. 29th July. Viewed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/airports-commission-discussion-papers2 Airports Commission, 2013d. Short and medium term options: proposals for making the best use of existing airport capacity. 7th August. Viewed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/short-and-medium-term-options-proposals-for-making-the-best-use-of-existing-airport-capacity CAPA, 2013. The Davies Commission’s Interim Report on UK airports: the big loser remains UK competitiveness. Centre for Aviation. Department of Transport, 2003. The Future of Air Transport White Paper and the Civil Aviation Bill. [online] viewed on 14/1/2014 from: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers Financial Times, 2014. Londons new airport held to ransom by folly. December, 2013 Helsey, M., and F., Codd, 2012. Aviation: proposals for an airport in the Thames estuary, 1945-2012. House of Commons Library. Viewed from: http://cambridgemba.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/sn4920-1946-2012-review.pdf House of Commons Hansard, 1971. Thhird London Airport (Roskill Commission Report). 4th March. Vol. 812. cc1912-2078. HC Mayor of London, 2013. Why London needs a new hub airport. Transport for London. Viewed from: tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/26576.aspx Mishan, E., 1970. What is wrong with Roskill? London: London School of Economics Airports Operators Association, 2013. The Airport Operator, Autumn 2013. The Independent, 2014. Sir Howard Davies Airports Commission: Air travel could be transformed within a few years – with no more stacking. 17th December, 2013

Health Care Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Care - Research Paper Example According to Frontline video there is need to focus on other healthcare systems with an aim of drawing comparison. The United Kingdom healthcare system is unique in that the governments pays for healthcare and are responsible for the national health services. This enables affordable healthcare to all while exempting the old and the young from payment related to drugs. In the case of Germany, citizens are allowed to purchase their insurance cover from private companies. This is positive in the sense that people are at liberty to choose an insurance cover that suits their needs. In Japan, the government ensures each individual has an insurance cover in that the employers enroll its employees to a suitable insurance company. The employee is required to pay a large amount of the required premiums those unemployed are enrolled in government plan. In Taiwan, the government monopolizes the health insurance hence minimizing healthcare cartels. The mandatory government insurance plan ensures low cost of drugs as well as a subsidized healthcare. In Switzerland, the country subsidizes healthcare services for lower income earners. This is an effort of ensuring that the healthcare system is accessible to all. The cost of healthcare service is a major concern. In Switzerland, the amount of premium paid is slightly below $ 800. Citizens pay the premium amount totally and no exemption is given to citizens. The Germany case is such that the private sector is given more powers in matters insurance. The model applied by the country may be ineffective to those of low incomes. In Taiwan lack of competitor in social insurance would imply that the government may fail to regulate standards in the healthcare. In Japan there is need to focus on limited government participation in healthcare service provision. The private sector solemnly controls the health sector thus government lacks

Business Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Accounting - Essay Example Acer Group generated revenues of $14.74 billion in 2012 (Acer-group, 2012). Its revenues decreased by 9.62% in comparison with the previous year. The gross profit of the company was $1.48 billion and its gross margin equaled 10.04%. Gross margin is a measure of the broad profitability of the company. Despite its solid broad profitability the company incurred in net losses for the year of $99.88 million. Its net losses for 2012 were lower than the 2011 losses of $226.59 million. The net margin of the firm was -0.68%. Net margin measures the absolute profitability of a firm. The return on assets (ROA) of Acer Group was -0.04%. ROA indicates how profitable a firm is in relation to its assets (Investopedia, 2013). The return on assets of Acer Group was bad for two reasons. First the metric result was negative. A negative ROA is an undesirable outcome. The second reason is that it was below the computer industry average ROA of 4.4% (Dun & Bradstreet, 2013). The return on equity (ROE) of t he firm was -0.13%. Acer Group’s return on equity is much lower than the industry average of 9.7%. The current ratio measures the ability of a company to pay off its short term debt (Accountingexplained, 2013). This ratio is calculated dividing current assets by current liabilities. Acer Group had a current ratio of 1.19. Its current ratio is acceptable because is above the 1.0 threshold, but it is 1.01 below the industry average current ratio of 2.20. The quick ratio is another liquidity metric. It is calculated similarly than the current ratio with the exception that inventory is subtracted from current assets in the numerator of the formula. The quick ratio of Acer Group was 0.89 which is lower than the industry average of 1.50. The working capital of a business is calculated subtracting current liabilities from current assets. Acer Group had a working capital in 2012 of $954,888,000. This metric measures the ability of the company to pay off its short term debt using sole ly its current assets. The debt ratio measures how much a company relies on debt to finance its assets (Investorwords, 2013). It is calculated dividing total debt by total assets. Acer Group had a debt ratio in 2012 of 0.67. Considering its size the company is not too leveraged which allows the option of using additional debt in the future to expand. The debt to equity ratio of the organization was 0.49. This ratio measures the amount of assets being provided by creditors for each dollar of assets being provided by stockholders (Garrison & Noreen, 2003). The debt to equity ratio of Acer Group is lower than the industry average of 0.82. Acer Group has depended less on debt than its competition. The inventory turnover of the company was 8.91. This implies that the company sold its inventory nearly nine times during the year. The average sale period of the firm was 40.95 days, thus it took the company less than 41 days to sell its entire inventory. The asset to sales ratio of the busin ess was 52.77% which is slightly below the industry standard of 53.40%. The sale to working capital ratio of the firm was 15.43. This ratio is good considering the fact that the industry standard is only 3.50. The times interest earned ratio measures the company’s ability to make interest payments. Acer Group had a times interest earned ratio of 1.25. Task 2 The common stocks of Acer are trading in the market under the symbol ACEIF. The stocks were priced at $3.02 as of December 25, 2013 (Yahoo, 2013).