Gender-Based Differences in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Research Paper

Gender-Based Differences in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) - Research Paper Example As reported by the American Heart Association (2006), almost 70% of the total population of the United States has cardiovascular disease. As shown in the charts above (Health Care Online, 2011), males are more prone to develop CVD than women at the age below 60. Men die 10 years younger than women from heart attacks (Kannel et al., 1976). However, this biological advantage of women over men shrinks as they age. II. Biological Theories The primary biological advantage of women over men in terms of CVD risk is the female sex hormone, estrogen. Estrogen protects women from cardiovascular disease. Most of the protective functions of estrogen originate from its role in controlling cholesterol levels. This hormone works in the liver to eliminate unnecessary cholesterol in the body (Saleh & Connell, 2007). More particularly, estrogen boosts the level of good cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and minimizes the buildup of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Bad chol esterol buildup blocks blood vessels which then can disrupt blood flow to the heart. In contrast, good cholesterol reduces these blockages by minimizing the level of bad cholesterol (Vitale, Miceli, & Rosano, 2007). Estrogen strengthens the prostacyclin receptor. The prostacyclin receptor, which soothes the production of vascular smooth muscle cells and minimizes pulmonary vascular disorders, is a primary goal for estrogen being controlled by the estrogen receptor proteins— ERa and ERb (Saleh & Connell, 2007). Prostacyclin receptor can hinder the tightening of vessel walls, blood clotting, and clustering of platelets (Sugden, 2001). Thus the protein can help protect the body from heart disease. Estrogen also prevents the development of dangerous blockages by working on white blood cells. These white blood cells can cause blockages by accumulating in the interiors of blood vessels (Sugden, 2001). Women in their childbearing years have higher amount of the protein annexin-A1 in their white blood cells compared to men. Annexin-A1 stops white blood cells from aggregating in the blood vessel wall which can cause vascular disorder (Sugden, 2001). Therefore, Pre-menopausal women are less prone to CVD than post-menopausal ones. Epidemiological studies reported lower CVD risk factors among estrogen-enriched women. These findings resulted in the assumption that estrogen-enhancing therapy, such as the use of birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), for a specified period of time before the onset of the menopause is feasible. It is assumed that estrogens assume a major physiological function when the heart exhibits reperfusion disorder, which is an injury to the renal blood vessels (Saleh & Connell, 2007). Normally, estrogen activity is interceded by particular estrogen receptors (ERs). ERs are part of the primary group of steroid hormone receptor, which can function as endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which serves a vital function in sus taining vascular homeostasis by combining and discharging a number of soothing elements, like prostacyclin (Saleh & Connell, 2007), with possible repercussions for coronary heart function. Nevertheless, the use of birth control pills has been linked to the raised amount of C-reactive protein related to CVD. This C-reactive protein (CRP) is generated in the body as a reaction to inflammation (Mendelsohn, 2002). Recurrently high CRP levels have been connected

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay Example for Free

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay â€Å"There’s an honest graft and, I’m an example of how it works†¦I’ve seen my opportunities and I took ‘em† (3). An excerpt that defines the confident and political leader: George Washington Plunkitt. As a brilliant and successful businessman Plunkitt managed to use his method of machine politics to win the heart and commitment of people and political power. In the novel Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, author William L. Riordon, Plunkitt’s political reporter who records the many lectures Plunkitt presented at Tammany Hall. The book emphasizes on Plunkitt’s advocacy for political control and the political machine that helped him gain wealth and a political seat in Tammany Hall. In novel, Plunkitt defends the political machine by explaining the difference between â€Å"honest graft† and â€Å"dishonest graft†. Many accused the political leaders of Tammany Hall of gaining wealth from graft. Plunkitt describes the difference between the two terms. He describes â€Å"dishonest graft† as â€Å"blackmailin’ gamblers, saloonkeepers, and disorderly people† (3). In other words, the corruption of gaining political or business power used from bribery. Plunkitt’s term for â€Å"honest graft† has to do with the example of purchasing and selling off land for business projects. For example, if the town begins discussing a specific piece of land to be used for a community park, Plunkitt would buy that piece of land, inflate the price, and sell the property to the project developer. Plunkitt finds his way of profiting â€Å"honest†; I call this taking advantage of ones political power. As an â€Å"honest† Irish- American Plunkitt knows how to take advantage of the game and he will continue to play it until sand turns into stone. With the ability to win over voter’s hearts and gain political support Plunkitt comfortably knows how to keep a seat in Tammany Hall. One of his, again, â€Å"honest† tactics, Plunkitt knows how to target specific types of voters. In the chapter â€Å"To Hold Your District†, Plunkett claims how to target the lower class people. He would start house fires so that the poor would not have any clothing or food. Then Plunkitt would act as a friend to the people giving them quarters for clothing and food to win the heart of the people. In other words, he was gaining a vote. Plunkitt would even hand out candy to children to promise to make sure their parents were voting for him in elections. As a corruption to society, Plunkitt knew how fake the political act and win people over with friendships. According to Plunkitt in order to become a politician in Tammany Hall one must know how to bluff. Everything was about winning a vote, whether it was taking someone to a baseba ll game or handing out candy to children. What ever it took. As a business and political man, Plunkitt knew the political game inside and out. With corruption, he managed to continue to remain in office for countless years. Even though Plunkitt’s grammar was inferior to a professors’ or college graduate, it had nothing to do with being a political powerhouse. A politician had to have common sense and know how to gain ones trust, even if it meant dishonesty. By selling himself and taking advantage of political and business opportunities with â€Å"honest† or â€Å"dishonest† graft, Plunkitt attentiveness always kept himself in front with wealth and politically.

The influential factors behind the growth of globalisation

The influential factors behind the growth of globalisation Current business environment is more volatile and dynamic. There are different reasons behind this transformation in the world. Globalisation is one of the main factors that behind the above change. We can define globalisation as a process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Earlier existed boundaries between countries in the world have been dramatically reduced due to the globalisation. This is seen as more than simply a way of conducting business- it can be considered as a continues process. This is not a new force that emerged few years back, it has been taking place for hundreds of years but it has speeded up enormously over the last half-century. In History, in a similar manner, the techniques of industrial manufacturing lead to create the process of industrialisation, now that process has linked with the globalisation and has created new environment of operating businesses. There are few influential factors behind the growth of globalisation. Increase in communication technology is one of them. TV, telephony and the internet have permitted information and ideas to travel quickly. As an example USA businesses can have a call centre in Philippine or India answering calls from local customers. Another factor is improvements in the transportation sector. It has become more quick and cheap. People can go for holiday all around the world. Workforce can seek for a job opportunity available in another country. Businesses can easily ship their product and raw materials all over the world. Another main influential factor behind the growth is trade liberalisation. This has been excelled due to the Laws restricting for free trade and fo reign investment movements have been relaxed between countries. Some governments even offer grants and tax incentives to attract foreign companies to invest in their country. These actions have lead to create free trade zones in the world. In other words theses are known as trade blocs where groups of nations who form an economic union or customs union. Governments follow friendly rules and regulation within those regions for trading purposes. For example the European Union (EU) aims at not just a customs union but also economic union by way of harmonisation of taxes, establishing a common monetary policy and moves towards a single currency. EU has now expanded over 26 member countries and benefited to combined population of 356 million. Trading blocs generally increase the integration and interdependency of the member economies which is speed up the globalisation process. As a result of trading blocs trade amongst the members has increased, which ultimately increase the world trade capacity. Further it gives the opportunity to businesses better access to effective capital and labour markets which increases the movement of labour within the countries and increase investments. For example Poland workers have been well recognized in the UK and Ireland labour markets. As result of the globalisation process international trade has increased dramatically in the 20th century. Many countries get more chances to participate in the world trade. As a result of increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) many labour oriented countries get access to capital market and vice -versa. Their natural resources value has increased and countries have more capability to use them to manufacture export oriented goods. Increase in international trade brings better standard of living through access to many ways of satisfying their needs and wants. Further it is argued that current development of trading blocs help international trade through making global negotiations easier, in the case of trade negotiations.   For example the EU will negotiate as a single trading block making it easier to push through practises which increase free trade. As per the following graph it is arguable that benefits of international trade have been equally distributed among the world population. Globalisation and increase in international trade is probably helping to create more wealth in developing countries and has affected to the balance of international trade. However globalisation is having a dramatic effect on the organisations for good or ill. Some positive impacts are as follows; Increase greater access to capital market. Inward investment by MNCs helps organisation to start new businesses locally and in foreign countries. This will provide new jobs and skills for local people. Companies can bring wealth and foreign currency to local economies when they buy local resources, products and services. Release of government regulation and establishing better infrastructure in the local economy attract foreign investments. China is well known for cheap labour compared to western countries labour cost. This has become a main reason for many organisations moving their businesses to China. Further investment friendly environment through strong financial support (Tax benefits, financial institutes) for new businesses, attract their cheap resources for other countries. Most of the western countries resources are fully utilised and market have become more matures, but there are emerging economies like China, India, Brazil and Russia which consist many untapped cheap resources. Therefore as a result of pressure built up from the Western markets, businesses now moving for those emerging markets. This process has been made easier and more comfortable due to the globalisation. The extra money created by these investments can be spent on education, health and infrastructure of the countries. (Corporate Social Responsibility activities) Achieve economies of scale. Economies of scale means the increase in  efficiency of production  as the number of goods  being produced increases.  Economies of scale lowers the average cost per unit through increased production since fixed costs are shared over an increased number of goods. Initially Adams Smith identified division of labour and specialization are the main factors that lead to economies of scale. However as Globalisation process increases companies get other opportunities to reduce their production cost and achieve economies of scale. Access to lower inputs and specialized inputs in different countries would bring the economies of scale. Costly inputs such as research and development, advertising, managerial expertise and skilled labor now can be outsourced to specialized countries and it will result in increased efficiency and lead to a decrease in the average cost of production and selling. Therefore economies of scale provides  big companies  access to a larger market with lower cost of production and greater margin for their products.    Globalisation increases awareness of events happening in the world. For example, the USA was quickly made aware of the 2011 tsunami in Japan and sent help rapidly in response. Globalisation may help to make people more aware of global issues such as deforestation and global warming and alert them to the need for sustainable development. The sharing of ideas, experiences and lifestyles of people and cultures. People can experience foods and other products not previously available in their countries. Globalisation has resulted in many businesses starting or buying operations in other countries. Companies that operate in several countries are called multinational corporations (MNCs) or transnational corporations (TNCs). Presence in different countries brings interaction with different cultural and social values. On this case business practices that are successful in local country could be act as negatively or positively under different cultural and social values. Therefore it is advisable to find answer to following questions before starting a new venture with another country. What are the main difference between cultures?, Are they matter of learning a new handshake, or do they go deeper than that?, Can cultural differences really have that much impact on the business deal? Etc. Finding solution for those questions is helpful for organisations to handle cultural differences in business expansions. For example language differences, the way they perceive time, traditional and religious believes etc. play a big role in Asian countries. When US and European base organisations move towards the Asian countries the above cultural factors could act as barriers for entry to those markets. In terms of communication US and Europeans are considered as low context cultures, language is direct and explicit, but when it comes to Asian countries they are known as high context cultures where language is indirect. Further as per certain cultural and social practices men dominate in the business sector than the women but in European organisation everyone gets equal opportunity to participate in the operations. Therefore when companies setup new business in a different culture, that company need to customise their corporate culture as per the local cultural values. As an example the US fast food chain McDonalds, large MNC which has nearly 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries, had a problem of sell ing beef burger in India due to the religious believes. Further they launched Mc Rice in Sri Lanka since rice is the main food in the Sri Lankan culture. Likewise multinational companies tend to customise their strategies to overcome certain social and cultural restrictions as well as implement new thing to take advantageous. In current business environment sometimes it is difficult to follow a global strategy for their operation in throughout the world. Therefore most companies tailor their management strategy and organisational structures to respond to the local factors. In other words local responsiveness is essential when a psychic distance is higher in two different countries. As a result of this new relationships will occur in managing businesses globally. Joint venture agreements, alliances etc. are common relationships that business partners follow to reduce their risk exposure in the current business environment. Designing of organisational structure and management style is important capture the opportunities available in the market. Some companies follow decentralised structure to increase the speed of decision making in the particular market. Some other companies follow a selective approach by some functions are retain in with the parent country and others establish in different markets. As exa mple GAP Inc.s designing function is conducted in centrally and manufacturing function has been outsourced to Asian countries. This mechanism has benefitted them through utilising Asian countries specialised capabilities of manufacturing to convert their design into practical product. Therefore globalisation process brings new organisational designs and management styles to the market. Local markets work force have now increased and well interact with the MNCs. Earlier they were only involved for lower level operations but now management representation also has increased. This is a good advantage for MNCs to take advantage of innovative skills of the local employees since they have more experience in the particular market. Microsoft has given more concentration on Indian market since that workforce well recognised for IT skills. From employees perspective also this will be a good opportunity for them to utilise their skills effectively. Recognition, income level, career opportunities, opportunity to obtain foreign exposures etc. will be increased through working in multinational company. Their innovative concept could bring to the world market through the help of MNCs. So far this report addressed only the good side of the Globalisation and not that mean it doesnt have a dark side. Following are few negative impacts of globalisation Globalisation operates mostly in the interests of the developed countries, which continue to dominate world trade at the expense of developing countries. The role of developing countries market has become to provide the North and West with cheap labour and raw materials at lower cost. There are no guarantees that the proper benefits from inward investment will benefit the local community in developing countries. Often, profits are sent back to the MNCs parent countries. This has become easier for them due the tax relief offered by the local governments. Further these MNCs with their massive economies of scale, possibility to drive local companies out of business. After that If these MNCs realised that it becomes cheaper to operate in another country than the current one then they move for better opportunity by closing down the factory and make local people redundant. This would be a major hit for the local economy. Increase environmental population due to the high industrialisation. Globalisation is viewed by many as it affects to the worlds cultural diversity and it feared that it may westernise the local traditions and languages. After considering the above negative sides of the globalisation we can state that it is not helping to close the gap between the worlds poorest countries and the worlds richest. In the case of trading blocs, it is argued they create conflicting parties fighting for regional interests not for every ones benefits. As per the World Trade Organisations statistics, the worlds poorest countries share of world trade has declined by more than 40 per cent since 1980 to a mere 0.4 per cent and the poorest 49 countries make up 10% of the worlds population, but account for only 0.4% of world trade. (Online, www.gatt.org) This clearly shows benifits of globalisation has not been distributed equally. Further its doubt that MNCs pay fair amount for the developing countries resources. As a result of these negative reasons poor peoples living standards remain same and the gap between poor countries and rich countries wont reduce. Conclusion Globalisation has a major impact on the business environment as well as the people general life pattern. Within the current knowledge economy, knowledge workers have more opportunities due to the globalisation. Their career is not static as compared to the traditional workers. They always seek better opportunities in the market and as a result of globalisation their career path has extended even for different countries. However, as a MNC, they have more responsibilities and accountability for their actions in the different markets. As a good corporate citizen they must give their focus on improving local social and educational life the local people also. Further they must ensure fair consideration for the resources utilised the developing countries. These will ultimately useful to break the bridge between rich and poor countries.

Capital Punishment - Cruel and Inhumane? :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Capital Punishment - Cruel and Inhumane? After centuries of nearly universal implementation, the death penalty remains a deeply debated issue. While one execution takes place, other murders occur, and the question still stands: Will the death penalty safeguard society and deter murder, or will it not? The death penalty cannot be considered a proper economical and moral means of punishment to deter those who might commit capital offenses, or can it? In the past, capital punishment horrified people, which deterred them from committing crime. In England, the country from which the United States adopted the death penalty, the death penalty was imposed for a rather large number of offenses in an effort to discourage people from committing crimes. Methods of inflicting the death penalty have ranged "From stoning in biblical times, crucifixion under the Romans, beheading in France, to those used in the United States today: hanging, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad, and lethal injection"(Bedau 124). There were drastic penalties for such serious crimes as homicide. Execution was a suitable punishment for those times. Today, though, the law is not as strict. This leads potential criminals not to fear the death penalty because government today uses more "humane" methods of execution, rather than the brutal punishment that history portrayed. People who oppose the death penalty say that "there is no evidence that the murder rate fluctuates according to the frequency with which the death penalty is used" (Masur 153). It is more likely that the convict would be paroled instead of being executed because of the present practice of allowing unlimited appeals. Convicted criminals are not exposed to cruel punishment, but rather given a long waiting period. If the criminal is put to death, it is usually done as mercifully as possible. One problem with the death penalty, presently, is that crime is not decreasing, but rather increasing. If capital punishment is supposed to deter crimes such as murder, it is not serving its purpose. Even philosophers, such as Beccaria, Voltaire, and Bentham of the Enlightenment Period, argued that "the death penalty was needlessly cruel, overrated as a deterent, and occasionally imposed in fatal error" (Fogelson 89). Another problem with the death penalty is the enormous amount of money being spent on implementation. It costs taxpayers millions of dollars more to execute a criminal than to lock him up for life. The number of prisoners on death row has been steadily increasing and will soon meet all time highs. This fact brings up the question of economic feasibility of the implementation, as well as the question of weather the death penalty is actually an effective

Political Bias Based on Demographic Region

â€Å"The biases the media has are bigger than conservative or liberal. They’re about getting ratings, about making money, about doing stories that are easy to cover. † This may seem like a trite saying but it holds an enormous amount of truth. As Americans, we trust what reporters write in the newspaper and say on television and radio stations. We expect them to report the truth. However, current media outlets distort stories and certain news reports are getting too much attention.The most important stories are never seen on television, or read in the newspaper, or heard on the radio stations, while minor and trivial stories get the most news coverage. Hence celebrity engagements, divorce, entrance in rehabilitation centers and DUI cases are sold to the media. American people are then left without valuable information contrary to what story is getting 24-hour news coverage.Media bias is a â€Å"term used to describe prejudice in news and media reports, in which it is perceived as an imbalance or unfair presentation of facts or selective reporting of which events or facts are reported. † The main point here is when biases in media distorts certain stories, and other stories are spoken about entirely too much, it hurts democracy in America. The media, in that case, fails to focus on real issues that underlie the American culture, it has one-sided opinions, favoring a liberal’s point of view, and it caters to the majority, favoring the wealthy.Media biases causes the America people to become misinformed or too well informed, often due to the tendency of the media covering unimportant stories about celebrities, while overlooking issues like war, poverty, disease, violence, and education. The media content and news coverage rarely display the underlying issues that the American people face. Rather, it only acknowledges news that may appeal to the audience â€Å"because of its dramatic or entertainment value. Senator Barack Obama recogni zes the failure of the American media in updating America with real issues at Southern New Hampshire University Commencement: â€Å"We see it in a media culture that sensationalizes the trivial and trivializes the profound – in a 24-hour news network bonanza that never fails to keep us posted on how many days Paris Hilton will spend in jail but often fails to update us on the continuing genocide in Darfur or the recovery effort in New Orleans or the poverty that lagues too many American streets† The media bonanza on Paris Hilton’s 14 day jail sentence was among one of most overplayed (unimportant) stories recently because TV news ran hundreds of hours of news coverage, while only showing 60-second sound bites of yet another death of an American soldier in combat in Iraq. Paris Hilton, a hotel heiress and the star in the media spotlight, was sentenced to a 14 day jail sentence at Century Regional Detention Centre in Lynwood, California on a traffic violation. The news media made the story seem so valuable and significant to report for so many hours.Some reporters believed that she deserved to be placed in jail because too many celebrities don’t receive the justifiable punishment they deserve like ordinary citizen because they are wealthy. Others believed that her jail sentence was too cruel just for a DUI charge, it was unfair and that she became the victim because of her prestige and as a famous figure in America. While Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and ABC were breaking in the entertainment news, debating whether her punishment was too cruel or justifiable, they failed to inform the American people about.When Hurricane Katrina unfolded in New Orleans, the media placed a lot of dramatic biases on the issue and missed the underlying point, misinforming the public. On August 23, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck down in New Orleans becoming one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the United States. The media unfolded the events that those most effected in the black community, remained in New Orleans looting stores in search of food and water that weren’t available by any other means. On the other hand of the issue, white Americans were â€Å"wading through chest-deep waters finding soda and bread floating in the water from a grocery store†.But while Paris Hilton was hogging the headlines the media failed to report that during that week the Washington Post reported â€Å"that about $854 million offered by allied countries worldwide after Hurricane Katrina. To date, the Post reports, only $40 million in foreign aid has been funneled to the Gulf Coast. The story goes this way: Apparently the Bush administration was stymied on what to do when offered this aid, since the U. S. is not usually in a position to need or accept such assistance. How, and from whom the $40 million was accepted is unclear, but what is eminently clear is that $800 million could have put the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast into f ast forward mode). † This goes to show that the media is filled with close-mindedness in which entertainment news surpasses â€Å"hard news every time. †5 Instead of bringing American people together to work in effort to make children lives better, the economy better, the living welfare of families better, the media devours our interest to support a difference by resembling soap operas and commercial television shows. Dateline is the same as ER or Friends.They all have to compete for prime time audiences. CBS and 48 Hours is the same as Everybody Loves Raymond. Notice how importance never enters into the equation. Notice how there isn't even a pretense to public interest. TV †news† has become celebrity trials and runaway brides, and sex — while foreign bureaus are closing and news budgets are shrinking and we become a people ever more thoroughly entertained than informed, even as we live through the most dangerous and portentous days in recent history . The media also has the tendency to uphold one-sided opinions, favoring liberals, whereas the mainstream media holds liberal biases.Liberals in a political sense relate to ideas and theories of government in which they advocate individual liberty, for example, race, abortion, affirmative action, homelessness, and gay rights. They use liberal principles and ideas that influence their news coverage and or selection of stories. Liberal biases undermine the American value. In the controversial book, â€Å"Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distorts the News,† Bernard Goldberg said â€Å"journalist doesn’t see their views as liberal but merely reasonable and civilized. † In contrast, the media, for the most part, is helpful in feeding the mass with stories that reflect America.In fact, America has never been provided with a broad arrangement and providers of news. However, government cannot solve the problems of media bias because part of the media bias is in part of political [government] decadence. The government embraces liberal views! The media only identifies problems for the government to solve, such as poverty, disease, and violence. To solve the problem of media bias, educational groups are needed to educate people about wanting to understand the truth and demand a balance in media coverage through advocacy and petitioning.

Judges essays

Judges essays Qualifications for judges of district-level courts include U.S. citizenship, residence in the district for two years immediately before election or appointment, and a license to practice law in Texas. As a guarantee of practical legal experience, a district-level judge must have been a practicing lawyer, a judge of a court of record, or both for at least four years prior to election. As in the case of Texas judges in other state courts, a vacant judgeship (resulting from death, resignation, retirement, removal, or the creation of a new court) is filled by gubernatorial appointment with the advice and consent of the Senate. More tan half of the judges in district-level courts initially reach the bench as a result of appointment. Historically, having the political advantage of running as incumbents, they retained their positions b winning subsequent elections. In recent elections, however, incumbent Democratic judges have been defeated in increasing numbers as party affiliation has become more important than The Long Star State's appellate courts consist of 14 courts of appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Texas. Each of these courts has three or more judges or justices, and all members are popularly elected for terms of six years. Terms are staggered so that one-third of the members are elected or re-elected every two years because it helps to ensure hat at any given time, barring death, resignation, or removal form office, each appellate court will have two or more judges with prior experience on that court. Justices of courts of appeals, judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals, and justices of the Supreme Court of Texas must be at least 35 years age and have had ten years of experience as a practicing lawyer or ten years of combined experience as a practicing lawyer and judge of a court of record. Decisions are reached by majority vote of the judges ...