Toxic Metals in Traditional Chinese Medicine Determination

Toxic Metals in Traditional Chinese Medicine Determination Determination of toxic metals in Traditional Chinese Medicine samples by atomic emission spectrometry Traditional Chinese Medicines(TCM) have gained increasing attention worldwide because of their effectiveness and small side effects[1]. The excess of toxic metals in these medicines have become one of the biggest problems that affected their export and hindered their introduction to the world[2]. In recent years, many domestic and abroad testing organizations paid great attention to the toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicines. Generally, toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicines including Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, Copper and so on[3], sometimes people also prefer including Arsenic as toxic heavy metal. Different types of heavy metals in human effect different parts or systems, and the symptoms of poisoning can be on the nervous, digestive, hematopoietic systems or people’s metabolism and other body damage. So to accurate detect and limit the content of toxic metals is the key to protect the people of medication safety, to promote the internationalization of t raditional Chinese medicines. Recently, themost commonly used detection methods of detection of toxic metals include colorimetric assay and instrumental analysis[4]. With the increasing requirements for toxic metal limits, instrumental analysis method has become the primary means of detection of heavy metals. In this paper, the determination of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicine samples by atomic emission spectrometry technology are reviewed. 1. The national limits for toxic metals in herbal medicines and product In general, quantitative tests and limit tests accurately determinate the concentrations of toxic metals in the form of impurities and contaminants. The latter are unavoidably present in the samples being tested. Member states can elect to use either quantitative tests or limit tests and their choices will be influenced by the nature of the sample and the contaminants or residues, assessed on a case-by-case basis. Another factor would be that the methods identified, and chosen to be applied to control toxic metals, should be relevant and should meet the requirements at a regional and national level. Some examples of proposed national limits for arsenic and toxic metals in various types of herbal products are shown in Table 1[5]. Table 1. Example of national limits for arsenic and toxic metals in herbal medicines and products 2. The sources of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicine samples The toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicines can be from the soil where is contaminated, in the processes of collection and production. 3. Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is a method of chemical analysis, when the analyte atoms in solution are aspirated into the excitation region(flame, plasma, arc, or spark at a particular wavelength) and underwent desolvated, vaporized, atomized, these high-temperature sources provide sufficient energy to promote the atoms into high energy levels, after decaying back to lower energy levels by emitting light, the wavelength of the atomic spectral lines gives the identity of the element and the intensity of light proportional to the concentration of atoms, this can be used to determinate the quantity of elements in a sample. Since all atoms are excited simultaneously, they can be detected simultaneously. 3.1 The classification of AES Flame atomic emission spectroscopy(FAES) The energy source is flame, a sample is brought into the flame by a nebulizer in the form of gas, sprayed solution. A flame provides a high-temperature source for desolvating and vaporizing a sample to obtain free atoms for spectroscopic analysis. For atomic emission spectroscopy the flame must also excites the atom to higher excited states. Then subsequently emit light when they returning to the ground electronic state. Each element emits light at a characteristic wavelength, which is dispersed by a grating or prism(monochromator) and detected by photo detector. Due to its low temperature(1700~3200 °C), nitrous oxide-acetylene is the best flame as this gives the highest temperature. FAES used mostly for determination of alkali metals and occasionally calcium, and need internal standard to correct for variations flame[6]. So FAES is always used with FAAS together to determinate the content of metals in a sample. Slavica RaÃ…Â ¾iÄâ₠¬ ¡ used FAAS/FAES to determinate the elements of Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, K, Ca, Mg in some of herbal drugs[7]. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy(ICP-AES) Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy(ICP-AES) uses an inductively coupled plasma as thermal source to excite atoms and ions to their excited energy levels and emit electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths characteristic of a particular element[8]. ICP-AES has a lot of advantages such as low inter-element interference, multi-element capability, high sensitivity, high concentration range, low chemical interference, with stable and reproducible signal and high degree of selectivity, precision and accuracy(0.3~3%), can use with gas, liquid or solids samples. Disadvantages are serious spectral interferences(too many emission lines), procedures complicated, consume large Ar gas and operating expense, not possible to determinate the elements of H, N, O, C or Ar in trace levels as they are used in solvents and plasma, and also not possible to determinate F, Cl and noble gases at trace levels as they require high excitation energy. Spark and arc atomic emission spectroscopy For solid samples, spark or arc atomic emission spectroscopy is used for the analysis of metallic elements. 4. Determination of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicine by ICP-AES Because of its high sensitivity, low detection limit, high precision, wide linear range, multi-element analysis, small matrix effects and many other advantages for the detection of most of the metallic elements. ICP-AES has become the most effective method that was widely used in all kinds of traditional Chinese medicines in the determination of toxic metals[9]. Yan Qing-hua used ICP-AES to determinate 14 kinds of elements Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cr, Ni, Pb, Se, As, Cd in traditional Chinese medicines for clearing heat and detoxification. Showed the determining elements in traditional Chinese medicine by IPC-AES saving time and effort, reducing environmental pollution, good stability, high sensitivity and multi-element simultaneous analysis[10]. Liu Er-dong used ICP-AES to determinate metallic elements for quality control of Chinese herbal medicines showed this method is accurate and rapid[11]. 4.1 Sampling process With the development of separation science, sample preparation methods have also been substantially developed, especially the sample preparation method for complex material systems, which has gained more attention in recent years. The specific method requires special preparation methods or combination methods according to the specific nature and status of the sample preparation. The traditional Chinese medicines samples are very complicated[12], the preparation method usually includes conventional extraction methods such as steam distillation, water extraction, and alcohol precipitation, alcohol precipitation of water, organic solvent extraction, fractionation, absorption. For the determination of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicine samples, people have made a lot of work in improving the equipment, good analysis methods to improve the experimental measurements. But always overlook one more important factor, sampling. So how to improve the accuracy of sampling is also one of the most important topics to be studied. 4.2Digestion condition Digestion is an important process in the determination of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicines. The general methods of digestion including ashing, wet digestion, microwave digestion, combustion method and high pressure dissolving. But all of these methods have their limitations: (1) can’t be guaranteed fully adapted to all organic samples; (2) the waste of analyte; (3) perchloric acid is flammable and explosible. Li Yang compared the digestion methods of dry ashing, wet digestion and microwave digestion in the process of determination of elements in periostracum serpentis and periostracum cicadae[13]. The results showed the microwave digestion with the highest efficiency. The samples of traditional Chinese medicine are always cleaned the sediment and washed with tap water, rewashed with de-ionized water, dried under 80à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ smashed and filtered through 40 mesh sieve, dried under 80à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ again for 1h, put into drier for using. 4.2.1 Ashing digestion Ashing digestion is digest samples at high temperature, this is used to find the total mineral content of a sample. Kuziemska Beata used ashing digestion method to determinate the contents of toxic metallic elements in red clover biomass[14]. Normal procedure as follows: Weighed dry sample 1g (wet 2~4 g), put it in porcelain crucible, charring with low heat , then ashing in furnaces at 450à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 3 hours, cooled and added a little distilled water, heated slightly to dry, then placed in a high temperature furnace ashing completely, cooled, add 1: 1 HNO3 1.0 ml, dissolved with heating, set the volume to 25ml. 4.2.2 Wet digestion In the process of wet digestion, normally use the solvent of acid or oxidant to digest the samples. The commonly used acid and oxidant are as follows: Nitric acid: The most commonly used acid in the process of digestion, it is also a strong oxidant which is widely used to dissolve trace elements in plant samples, get their soluble nitrate. Xue Yan used nitric acid as digestion reagent to detect chromium in medical materials showed the detection limit was 1.42 ng/mL, and the deviations were 1.43%~1.79%[15]. Perchloric acid: Can decompose organic component completely, which is used when the other reagents can not digest. However, the heat concentrated perchloric acid is explosible when contact with organic components, so the operator must be very careful. Aqua regia: It is a strong oxidant, can applied to digest inorganic components, such as gold and platinum. Tahar Kebir used aqua regia to digest food plants near a polluted site for the measurement of toxic metals(Fe, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Mn, Cr and As) and got excellent results[16]. Hydrofluoric acid: It is an efficient reagent to dissolve silicon-containing material. It can change silicate into SiF4, which is used to digest silicon samples completely. When mixed with nitric acid, could digest TiO2, W, Zr et al. Hydrogen peroxide: It is one of the most commonly used oxidants, if combined with HNO3, HCIO4, HCI or mixed acid, the efficiency could be better. Sulfuric acid: Strong acid and oxidant. The capacity of these acid and oxidant are different. In the practical applications, normally use the mixture of two or more inorganic acids with different proportion(HNO3-H2SO4, HNO3-HCIO4, H2SO4-HNO3-HCIO4). It has proven that the optimal digestion reagents are the mixture of HNO3-HCIO4, could digest multiple components simultaneously. Tong Wen-jie used HNO3-HCIO4 to digest sunflower(Helianthus annuus L) and analyzed the mineral elements content[17]. Cai Yanrong also used HNO3-HCIO4 as digestion reagents in the study of trace elements(Fe, Cu, Zn, Al, K, Na, Ba, Sb, Pb, As) in hair samples[18]. 4.2.3 Microwave digestion Microwave digestion requires only a small amount of sample and can digest in short time. It is a widely used digestion method in the determination of elements in herbal drugs. Li Feng-xia used microwave digestion method to test and analyze of inorganic elements in 466 traditional Chinese medicines[19] showed that the measurements of each element are within the reference range, and RSD of determination is less than 10% for most of detected elements. In Yan Qing-hua’s study, his experiments also used microwave digestion technology, the recovery of the element reach 96.79%~103.47% and RSD less than 5.0%[10]. Zhang Sheng-bang used HNO3-H2O2 as solvents, microwave digestion to study multi-elements in traditional Chinese medicine Ophiopogon japonicus and Lotus seeds by ICP-AES[20]. Conclusion and outlook In recent years, the toxic metals in traditional Chinese medicines are concerned increasing all over the world. The methods of determination of toxic metals are not yet fully unified and also lack of regulation, scientific and systemic research. In the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2010 version), in addition to the classical colorimetric method, more and more inclined to the using of high sensitivity and precision instruments measurements. ICP-AES has proven to be a quick, high sensitive and multi-elements analysis method. But there are still a lot of problems to be solved, new methods of determination of toxic metals are required, we hope there is a even faster and cheaper method to satisfy the measurements of toxic metals for TCM’s quick check in the process of import and export. Of course, the determination of toxic metals in Chinese medicine samples is a long-term work, with the development of detection technology, the detectable levels of toxic metals in traditional Chinese medic ines will be increased, thereby enhancing their safety. References: [1] T. J. Zhang. Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs, 2011, 42, 1–9 [2] P. C. A. Kam; S. Liew. Anaesthesia, 2002, 57, 1083–1089 [3] Catherine Buettner; Kenneth J.; Mukamal; Paula Gardiner; Roger B. Davis ScD; Murray A. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2009,24(11),1175-1182 [4] Anna Filipiak-Szok; Marzanna Kurzawa; Edward SzÅ‚yk. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2014, ASAP [5] Patel Parthik. IJRAP, 2011, 2(4), 1148-1154 [6] Anderson S. Ribeiro. J. Braz. Chem. Soc., 2012, 23(9), 1623-1629 [7] Slavica Raziˆ¡c ´; Antonije Onjiab; Svetlana à ogo; Latinka Slavkovic ´; Aleksandar Popovic. Talanta, 2005, 67, 233–239 [8] A. Stef†²ansson. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2007, 582, 69–74 [9] Mao L; Tan MX; Chen ZF; Liang H. Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi, 2009, 29(9), 2568-70. [10] Yan Qing-hua; Yang li; Wang Qing; Ma Xiao-Qin. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 2012, 16, 287–290 [11] Liu Erdong; Zheng Yong-jun. Asian Journal of Chemistry, 2011, 23(3), 1091-1094 [12] Fang, Luo; Yang, Guonong; Song, Yu; Li, Fanzhu; Lin, Nengming. Journal of Separation Science, 2014,37(22),3245-3252 [13] Yang, Li; Li, Yanlan; Xj, Guoxj; Ma, Xiaoqin; Yan, Qinghua. Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society, 2013, 58(3), 1876-1879 [14] Kuziemska, Beata; Kalembasa, Stanislaw. Archives of Environmental Protection, 2009,35(1),95-105 [15] Xue Yan. Huaxue Fenxi Jiliang, 2012, 21(5), 52-53 [16] Tahar, Kebir; Keltoum, Bouhadjera; Abderrazzak, Baba Ahmed. International Journal of Research and Reviews in Applied Sciences, 2014, 18(1), 51-58 [17] Tong, Wen-jie; Chen, Fu; Wen, Xin-ya. Guangpuxue Yu Guangpu Fenxi, 2014, 34(1),231-234. [18] Cai Yanrong. Biological trace element research, 2011, 144(1-3), 469-474 [19] Li Feng-xia; Ouyang Li; Liu Ya-qiong; Zeng Jing; Yan Lai-lai; Wang Jing-yu. China journal of Chinese materia medica. 2011,36(21),2994-3000 [20] Zhang Sheng-bang; Ji Xiao-wu; Liu Cui-ping. Advanced Materials Research (Durnten-Zurich, Switzerland), 2012, 535-537

Windows 95 :: essays research papers fc

Windows 95 Windows 95 may very well be the most talked about software release in history. With more people than ever using personal computers, and given Microsoft's dominance in this still growing market, Mr. Gates' newest offering has caused quite a stir. As with any new product in this ultra-competitive industry, Windows 95 has come under intense scrutiny. Advocates of the new operating system applaud its new features and usability, while its opponents talk about the similarities to Apple's operating system. As I have never used an Apple computer, I can't address this point, but I will attempt to outline some of the more interesting "new" features of Windows 95. Arguably the most welcome innovation Win 95 offers is the "task bar". Use of the task bar eliminates the need to navigate through several open application windows to get to the one you need. When you first start an application, a corresponding button appears on the task bar. If after opening other windows you need to return to the original window, all you need do is click on the application's button on the task bar and the appropriate window will come to the fore. According to Aley, "the most gratifying, and overdue, improvement is Windows 95's tolerance for file names in plain English" (29-30). Traditionally, users had to think of file names that summed up their work in eight letters or less. This was a constant problem because frequently a user would look at a list of files to retrieve and think "now what did I save that as?". Those days are over. Windows 95 will let the user save his or her work with names like "New Speech" or "Inventory Spreadsheet No. 1", making the contents of those files obvious. Much to the annoyance of software developers, Windows 95 incorporates many features that previously required add-on software. One such feature is the Briefcase- a program for synchronizing the information stored on a user's desktop and notebook computers. Keeping track of which files were the most recently updated was a big problem. As Aley puts it, "Which copy of your speech for the sales conference did you work on last, the one in the laptop or the one in the desktop?" (29-30). One solution was to use programs like Laplink which would analyze which copy of a file was updated last. Now that Windows 95 provides this utility, there is no need to buy the add-on software. While mice have always come with two or even three buttons, most programs have only provided for the use of the left. With Windows 95 there is finally a use for the right.

Venture Capital Financing Essay -- essays research papers fc

What is Venture Capital   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Venture capital is money provided by professionals who invest alongside management in young, rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significant economic contributors (NVCA). Venture capital is an important source of equity for start-up companies. These portfolio companies that receive venture capital are thought to have excellent growth prospects. Start-up companies don’t usually have the access to capital markets because they are private. Venture capitalists are one solution to financing high risk, but potentially high reward companies. Usually the investors receive a say in the company’s management, they may be on the board, and they expect to receive returns 5-10 times their investment of up to 50 million dollars (Burk). History of Venture Capital It is important to start out with the history of venture capital to see how it has grown as well as to show its ups and downs. It was thought to be developed in the years following WWII but it can actually be dated all the way back to partnerships in the Babylonian Code (Gompers). These Babylonian partnerships used gold or silver to finance caravans. The terms for were 12 years and 100% profits (Heise). Much later the first venture capital firm was established in 1946. Karl Compton, the MIT President, along with Georges Doriot, a Harvard Business School Professor, formed American Research and Development (ARD). There were also local businesses leaders involved in the project. During the war, there were many new technologies developed as well as other innovations from MIT. About half of ARD’s profits came from its investment in Digital Equipment Company in 1957. It had only invested $70,000 but had grown in value to $355 million. A decade later, many other venture capital firms were formed. They were all structured as publicly traded closed-end funds as were ARD’s. Closed-end are mutual funds whose shares must be sold to other investors, instead of being redeemed from the issuing firm. In 1958, the first venture capital limited partnership was formed, Draper, Gaither, and Anderson. Others soon followed suit, but limited partnership remained the minority during 1960’s and 1970’s. The rest were either closed-end funds, or small business investment companies. During these years, the total annual venture funds were small and never exc... ...try. They are very optimistic about the future of venture capital funding. They say this is due to the fact that more investors are investing in venture capital, as well as the increase of IPO’s (Raffa). Works Cited Bartlett, Joseph. Fundamentals of Venture Capital. Rowman Publishers, 1999. Burk, James, and Richard Lehman. Financing Your Small Business. Sphinx Publishing,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2004. Camp, Justin. Venture Capital Due Diligence. Wiley Inc, 2002. Gompers, Paul, and Joshua Lerner. Venture Capital Cycle. Cambridge: The MIT Press,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2000. Heise, John. â€Å"The History of the Bronze Age in Mesopotamia.† 1996. http://mahan.wonkwang.ac.kr/lecture/ancient/meso/sron/bronze_age.html National Venture Capital Association. 2005. http://nvca.org/ Raffa, David. â€Å"Pipe Dreams and Other Opportunities on the Venture Capital Road   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ahead.† 2004. www.catalyst-law.com/document/237 Sherman, Andrew. Raising Capital. 2nd ed. Amacon, 2005 Timmons, Jeffrey, et al. How to Raise Capital. McGraw-Hill Companies, 2004. Venture Capital Journal. Thomson Financial, 2005. http://www.venturecapitaljournal.net/vcj/topnews.html

Serious Case Reviews in Childcare Sector

Unit 25Understand how to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People Outcome 1. 4 Explain when and why inquiries and serious case reviews are required and how the sharing of the findings informs practice. Serious Case Reviews (SCR’s) are undertaken when a child dies (including death by suspected suicide), by a local authority (and more often than not by the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board) if abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death.SCR’s are not enquiries into how a child died or who was responsible; that is a matter for the Coroner's and Criminal Courts to determine. Instead the purpose of Serious Case Reviews is to: †¢ Establish whether there are lessons to be learned from the case about the way in which local professionals and organisations work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. †¢ Identify clearly what those lessons are, how they will be acted on and what is expected to change as a res ult. †¢ Improve inter-agency working and better safeguard and promote the welfare of children.Additionally, LSCB’s may decide to conduct a SCR whenever a child has been seriously harmed in any of the following situations and the case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (including inter-agency and inter-disciplinary working). The two most popular deaths in recent years to be highlighted by the media which highlighted public concern about safeguarding concerns within the children are undoubtedly the deaths of Victoria Climbie and Peter Connelly (Baby P).In both of these cases there was public outrage, especially at the magnitude of Peter's injuries, and partly because Peter had lived in the London Borough of Haringey, North London, under the same child care authorities that had already failed ten years earlier in the case of Victoria Climbie. Her tragic circumstances had led to a public enquiry which resulted in measures being put in place in an effort to prevent similar cases happening. The child protection services of Haringey and other agencies were widely criticised following Baby P’s death.Following the conviction, three inquiries and a nationwide review of social service care were launched, and the Head of Children's Services at Haringey removed from post. Another nationwide review was conducted by Lord Laming into his own recommendations concerning Victoria Climbie's killing in 2000. The death was also the subject of debate in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The public’s viewpoint on the tragedy of Baby P was that it should never have happened as he was already known to social services and was seen as many as sixty times by social services, but still died horrifically at the hands of his carers.All of these incidents have resulted in a distinct lack of confidence in the work that social workers do and the childr en’s sector overall, and it will take a long time to rebuild that trust. The Baby P case in particular has damaged social work’s public image, led to fewer people entering the profession and made it harder to retain experienced staff. It is certainly the case that social work has a rather poor public image and that it seemingly can do no right whatever it does.At times, the profession is castigated for putting children at risk by failing to intervene early enough into family life, whilst on other occasions it is criticised for undermining parental authority by interfering too readily. Partnership working increased and tightened after the death of Victoria Climbie and included the implementation of the Children Act 2004 and the public enquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death. The inquiry, chaired by Lord Laming, found massive failings on the part of as many as twelve agencies with a role to play in protecting children.The findings led to recommendations for a radical reform of services, particularly in the areas of better joined up working and information sharing. Following this, several programmes and frameworks were later implemented into all establishments that worked with children, and these included â€Å"Every Child Matters† services, planned around children’s and young people’s needs and the improvement of the five key outcomes which contribute to their well-being: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy & achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.There was also the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) system which enables multi agencies to access and add information about a child’s needs. The CAF is used at the earliest opportunity when it is highlighted that a baby, child or young person may need help in their lives in order to progress. It is used when there is concern about a child, or agencies have recognised a child has additional needs, that require further e xploration and a multi-agency response.The assessment provides further information and understanding of the child’s circumstances. Another more recently publicised incident, included the review into â€Å"Little Teds† nursery whereby a member of staff, Vanessa George abused toddlers at the nursery, photographed it and publicised it on the internet, showed a lack of staff supervision and training within the setting, which again caused public outrage.The serious case review for this incident report detailed a number of lessons learned, which included the danger of mobile phones within day care settings. As a result locally the use of mobile phones is now prohibited in any children’s centre within the Wakefield district, however it is recognised that this alone will not prevent abuse or transmission of images on the internet from taking place.Other lessons learned is that staff at Little Ted’s Nursery did not recognise the escalation of George's sexualised b ehaviour as a warning sign and there is an urgent need for staff working in early years settings to receive training to help recognise potential signs of abuse and become confident in responding to a fellow staff member's behaviour. As a result, training on â€Å"whistle blowing† and the need for policies and procedures to be in place has become a more urgent need in the childcare sector.Other recommendations set out by the Little Teds SCR include the need for The Early Years Foundation Stage to set out specific requirements for child protection training which considers sexual abuse and the recognition of abuse within the workplace; also the need for the Government to review and consider changing the status of day care settings operating as unincorporated bodies to ensure that governance and accountability arrangements are fit for purpose and are sufficiently clear to enable parents and professionals to raise concerns and challenge poor practice. Serious Case Reviews in Childcare Sector Unit 25Understand how to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People Outcome 1. 4 Explain when and why inquiries and serious case reviews are required and how the sharing of the findings informs practice. Serious Case Reviews (SCR’s) are undertaken when a child dies (including death by suspected suicide), by a local authority (and more often than not by the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board) if abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death.SCR’s are not enquiries into how a child died or who was responsible; that is a matter for the Coroner's and Criminal Courts to determine. Instead the purpose of Serious Case Reviews is to: †¢ Establish whether there are lessons to be learned from the case about the way in which local professionals and organisations work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. †¢ Identify clearly what those lessons are, how they will be acted on and what is expected to change as a res ult. †¢ Improve inter-agency working and better safeguard and promote the welfare of children.Additionally, LSCB’s may decide to conduct a SCR whenever a child has been seriously harmed in any of the following situations and the case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (including inter-agency and inter-disciplinary working). The two most popular deaths in recent years to be highlighted by the media which highlighted public concern about safeguarding concerns within the children are undoubtedly the deaths of Victoria Climbie and Peter Connelly (Baby P).In both of these cases there was public outrage, especially at the magnitude of Peter's injuries, and partly because Peter had lived in the London Borough of Haringey, North London, under the same child care authorities that had already failed ten years earlier in the case of Victoria Climbie. Her tragic circumstances had led to a public enquiry which resulted in measures being put in place in an effort to prevent similar cases happening. The child protection services of Haringey and other agencies were widely criticised following Baby P’s death.Following the conviction, three inquiries and a nationwide review of social service care were launched, and the Head of Children's Services at Haringey removed from post. Another nationwide review was conducted by Lord Laming into his own recommendations concerning Victoria Climbie's killing in 2000. The death was also the subject of debate in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The public’s viewpoint on the tragedy of Baby P was that it should never have happened as he was already known to social services and was seen as many as sixty times by social services, but still died horrifically at the hands of his carers.All of these incidents have resulted in a distinct lack of confidence in the work that social workers do and the childr en’s sector overall, and it will take a long time to rebuild that trust. The Baby P case in particular has damaged social work’s public image, led to fewer people entering the profession and made it harder to retain experienced staff. It is certainly the case that social work has a rather poor public image and that it seemingly can do no right whatever it does.At times, the profession is castigated for putting children at risk by failing to intervene early enough into family life, whilst on other occasions it is criticised for undermining parental authority by interfering too readily. Partnership working increased and tightened after the death of Victoria Climbie and included the implementation of the Children Act 2004 and the public enquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death. The inquiry, chaired by Lord Laming, found massive failings on the part of as many as twelve agencies with a role to play in protecting children.The findings led to recommendations for a radical reform of services, particularly in the areas of better joined up working and information sharing. Following this, several programmes and frameworks were later implemented into all establishments that worked with children, and these included â€Å"Every Child Matters† services, planned around children’s and young people’s needs and the improvement of the five key outcomes which contribute to their well-being: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy & achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.There was also the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) system which enables multi agencies to access and add information about a child’s needs. The CAF is used at the earliest opportunity when it is highlighted that a baby, child or young person may need help in their lives in order to progress. It is used when there is concern about a child, or agencies have recognised a child has additional needs, that require further e xploration and a multi-agency response.The assessment provides further information and understanding of the child’s circumstances. Another more recently publicised incident, included the review into â€Å"Little Teds† nursery whereby a member of staff, Vanessa George abused toddlers at the nursery, photographed it and publicised it on the internet, showed a lack of staff supervision and training within the setting, which again caused public outrage.The serious case review for this incident report detailed a number of lessons learned, which included the danger of mobile phones within day care settings. As a result locally the use of mobile phones is now prohibited in any children’s centre within the Wakefield district, however it is recognised that this alone will not prevent abuse or transmission of images on the internet from taking place.Other lessons learned is that staff at Little Ted’s Nursery did not recognise the escalation of George's sexualised b ehaviour as a warning sign and there is an urgent need for staff working in early years settings to receive training to help recognise potential signs of abuse and become confident in responding to a fellow staff member's behaviour. As a result, training on â€Å"whistle blowing† and the need for policies and procedures to be in place has become a more urgent need in the childcare sector.Other recommendations set out by the Little Teds SCR include the need for The Early Years Foundation Stage to set out specific requirements for child protection training which considers sexual abuse and the recognition of abuse within the workplace; also the need for the Government to review and consider changing the status of day care settings operating as unincorporated bodies to ensure that governance and accountability arrangements are fit for purpose and are sufficiently clear to enable parents and professionals to raise concerns and challenge poor practice.

The History Of The Systemic Approach Education Essay

In fact, survive with computing machines in the schoolroom, it is a spot like populating with an elephant, it is nerve-racking, it is cumbrous, it is upseting. What do you make with an elephant. We try to chasten the otherwise tame. This is engineering, efforts to incorporate them into learning pattern. But how? Changing wonts and behaviour. But alteration is complicated, it requires be aftering, must be checked and it is non easy to pull off an elephant, nor the usage of computing machine equipment. A A A About 25 old ages ago that we are working to incorporate â€Å" new † engineerings in different states. At different rates, depending on altering the joys, successes and failures in sequence – some losing forbearance, argue that it is an ageless – and yet†¦ Each cringle of the coiling brings us innovative farther in front. The school exchange and usage of progressively engineerings and digital resources to consolidate these alterations. Change, innovate, integrate, absorb engineering â€Å" new † â€Å" The engineering in the school will be † new â€Å" if teaching method that employs is new. ‘ A A A One manner to alter their instruction patterns is to incorporate digital engineerings in their instruction patterns. But it must be remembered that this alteration does non introduce. For there to be invention, ICT integrating should advance the development of one or more of the undermentioned rules: A A A A increased contact teachers-students or distance ; A A A A promote high outlooks vis-a-vis pupils A A A A support larning reactive, proactive and synergistic ; A A A A facilitate effectual and immediate feedback ; A A A A better and increase the clip of survey and reading ; A A A A promote diverse endowment ; A A A A enhance cooperation among pupils. A A A If the usage of ICT is non contributing to the development of one or the other of these rules, so there is alteration, but there is no pedagogical invention. But how and with what tools can we heighten the educational development of these rules? The â€Å" public presentations † of new engineerings in schools are non connected to the power or edification of machines†¦ can non assist believing that it is easier to fault the machines need educational†¦ Finally, everything is at that place, new engineerings in schools will be â€Å" new † if the teaching method that employs is â€Å" new † or instead renewed. ‘ A A A Is that correct? Are at that place baronial utilizations of engineering in instruction live togethering with enfeebling or unworthy intents? This is improbable. It is instead a inquiry of development, integration measure. We must larn to utilize simple engineerings before embarking into complicated utilizations. A A A To introduce through engineering, we must foremost be concerned pupils and so take attention of tools. This is the foundation of a humanistic, interdisciplinary and â€Å" anthropocentric † and a systemic attack to invention in instruction and basic reengineering the school utilizing engineering. A A A Too frequently, the execution of information engineering is under the mark of improvisation. We believed, and still believe one of the â€Å" innovators † , the diffusion of an invention in instruction is by osmosis and contagious disease nearby. This vision of â€Å" Utopian † procedure returns as follows: a instructor sets up an advanced undertaking utilizing ICT in the schoolroom. Spontaneously, co-workers, intrigued by both invention and covetous of such a success, eager to transform their teaching method, innovate and take part in this educational success. Just direct them the know-how. The shriveling expands and shortly the whole school is â€Å" tainted † by the new engineerings, each wishing to have an elephant in its category! A A A Unfortunately, invention is non spread in this manner in the field of instruction. It agree, this scheme has non vicarious delivered the expected consequences. Few thousand early adoptive parents have non wholly spread in their schools. Colleagues in the â€Å" innovator † did non spontaneously coveted innovate or chambarder their teaching method, or rearrange their classs. They did non instantly agreed that the success of an invention undertaking was due to the engineering, even if it was really present in the undertaking. In this vision of â€Å" spontaneousness † of the diffusion of invention, we must oppose systematic and systemic attack. A A A The systemic attack is divided into four phases. First measure, the system is in equilibrium functional school. Each histrion ( manager, instructors, pupils, professionals, director, support staff ) takes his function and the system is runing usually. It accomplishes its mission decently and wholly? If so, there is no demand to interrupt, the chambarder. Otherwise, the school does non let pupils to develop adequately its function in society. The school system is so critiqued and challenged. It is clip to alter it. Second measure, given the insufficiencies of the school riotous inventions are introduced doing daze moving ridges and instability. Third phase, the school system responds to this instability in two ways: a ) rejection of freshness to maintain the same old balance unstable and unsatisfactory B ) if the first maneuver did non work so the school system efforts to incorporate new, but minimising its effectivity and impact†¦ It is riotous and instructors seeking to incorporate engineering but altering nil in their instruction. Teachers try once more with these new tools the same as before but more frequently and more rapidly. Fourth measure, if the tactical integrating harmonic rejection or non fonctionnees so the system tries to absorb new engineering and animate a new systemic functional balance. Then there is reclamation of learning patterns. These four stairss are carried out consecutive and the procedure can be accelerated or stopped at any clip. This is why it is so of import when presenting technological inventions in instruction planning in continuance, to persist and to maximise the disruptive and destabilizing. Until a new equilibrium is non reached systemic one can state that an establishment is in the procedure of integrating but non assimilation. If the advanced release system force per unit area on the freshness consequence may regress and everything can be once more. A A A Furthermore, it is of import non to pout and success when instructors say the engineering used in their pattern non yet to the full renewed you must cognize the clip encouraged to go on doing the coveted alterations. Thus the â€Å" innovators † , backed up by the governments, can distribute the freshness and â€Å" contaminated † the whole community. 3. The â€Å" formula † for a successful execution â€Å" Let us all engineerings, but Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘s slave ordinal number ‘ A A A Already in 1987, the â€Å" innovators † of the integrating of engineering in learning had discovered the â€Å" formula † for a successful execution. [ 5 ] Here it is: 3.1. Ingredients A A A A Strong political will which beef up local directors in their attempts and back up â€Å" firm † instructors. A A A A Significant fiscal resources and provided yearly for several old ages, conditions for long-run planning. A A A A Many computing machines, efficient, dependable, accessible, networked and connected to the Internet for teleco and learning communities. A A A A Powerful applications, stable, dedicated, easy to utilize, user friendly and supply entree to content and quality digital resources seamlessly incorporate subjects. A A A A Information and support in good measure and at a changeless flow and steady. A A A A A systemic integrating consequence of a happy complicity between the spouses in instruction ( instructors, principals, counsellors, engineering directors ) . A A A A Time for instructors, clip for contemplation, for preparation, for planning of larning state of affairss and rating ( SAE ) authentic, contextualized and described in conformity with the preparation plan. 3.2 Preparation A A A Each of these ingredients should be available in good measure and assorted in proportions that meet regional liberty and the sensitiveness of local histrions ( schools ) . For illustration, the Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-Iles lists five phases of ICT integrating in instruction: entry, acceptance, version, appropriation and innovation. The innovation is the phase where the instructor imagine new utilizations for enriching the preparation plan [ 10 ] . Depending on the phase identified resource demands, preparation and support may change. This is the first component to see when planning integrated and contextualised by a systemic attack. A A A Regarding pupils, without desiring to give the urban fable sing the genetically programmed acquisition who would be born â€Å" between a mouse and a keyboard † , we must acknowledge that many are non expected the chance to step into the schoolroom, or connected Television chance to collaborate. A A A If readying and ingredients are non sufficient quality and measure, mayonnaise may non acquire as stressed this illustrated â€Å" Barriers to ICT for instructor. tekki â€Å" . 3.3 Tips and Tricks A A A This â€Å" recipe † known in 1987 and repeated in 1997 [ 13 ] , should be reissued in 2007 for everyone to retrieve that the universe of engineering has non appeared today and will non vanish with him. Sing its airing in instruction, there is a universe of distinction. A A A However, nowhere resources will non be sufficient to fulfill the impatient. Two digressive forces hinder this forced March towards ICT everyplace for everything and for all, at least in industrialised society. First, the human and fiscal resources are scarce and must be shared among multiple precedences. More money to engage instructors or purchase equipment? A A A There is so the opposition to alter. Throughout the West, school systems are shaken – interviewed – and this uncertainness before school decision makers and instructors do non desire to be confused disrupted rushed. The instructor of the present clip is a tired adult male band – and this schematisation of his public presentation ( Figure 2 below ) begins its resiliency and helps to deter. 4. The effectivity of digital engineerings for learning â€Å" It takes a small town to raise a kid†¦ with a computer. ‘ A A A For the school adapts to alterations in engineering and integrates computing machine and Internet, you need a vision-based acquisition ecology of the school is based on the construct of computerized acquisition environment, what, besides known as digital work environment ( DWE ) , practical campus or practical office work [ 16 ] . Specifying the school as a acquisition environment, it is refocusing on acquisition and, therefore, more efficient usage of its resources. This is when they are placed in rich acquisition environments, including effectual cognitive tools, these are existent or practical environments that kids every bit good as grownups, learn and develop intellectually and socially. A A A Christian Barrette, an analyst at the Association for Research in college ( CRA ) , has compiled a batch of research on the effectivity of new engineerings for learning and larning. [ 17 ] Barrette concludes that ICTs are effectual when they are portion of a structured educational finely diversified acquisition activities and pedagogical attacks. In other words, the course of study offers larning of cognition, thoughts, constructs, and accomplishments development ( cognition, know-how, accomplishments ) and the instructor must cognize how to utilize ICT sagely to accomplish all these ends. A A A Confirming the research of Professor Marcel Lebrun Louvain-La-Neuve [ 18 ] proposes to consolidate Barrette pedagogical attacks into three categories-behavioral attacks empiricist, positivist, humanist and cognitive-constructivist which it associates the technological point of position the applications and attacks reactive, proactive and synergistic. Should prefer the constructivist attack when utilizing ICT at school? Not needfully run into Barrette. We need to diversify pedagogical attacks, learning methods and digital tools. And the research worker noted that â€Å" Among these attacks, the emerging of societal constructivism in pedagogical discourse, but small in pattern. It has been said about it, it could be good served by these engineerings that facilitated communicating and exchange in the transmutation of information into cognition meaningful. â€Å" The empirical grounds, drawn from the research reviewed, indicate that it is possible that ICTs are besides centered a ttacks to knowledge transportation ( behaviourism reactive manner ) or witting control of cognitive accomplishments ( proactive manner and cognitivism reflexive ) . A A A The reappraisal of undertakings and technological devices for larning ( larning state of affairss or learning scenarios and computing machine system ) really shows that these devices fall into three households: A A A A devices bring oning larning public presentation ( behaviourism, reagent ) ; A A A A bespeaking devices metacognition ( cognitivism, proactive – reflexive ) ; A A A A devices back uping collaborative acquisition ( constructivism, synergistic – ego ) . A A A Lesson effectual digest of assorted surveies reviewed by Barrette is hence as follows have proved effectual preparation devices ( attack, method, activity, larning state of affairs, digital tools ) : A A A A bring oning larning public presentation ( expressed ) and utilizing adaptative tools and differentiated exercisings repeated as gymnastic apparatuss, tutorials, educational games, lifes, chiefly used in the schoolroom or computing machine lab A A A A seeking metacognition and utilizing tools such as tutorials, dynamic geometry, demos, simulators, scheduling, robotics, drawings, portfolios in single activities that extend beyond the schoolroom or research lab ; A A A A back uping collaborative acquisition with tools such as practical preparation environments, wikis, web logs, electronic mails, forums, preparation platforms, which support active communities of exchange and cooperation particularly outside of the schoolroom or computing machine lab. A A A Figure 3 summarizes these three pedagogical attacks and this for each definition of acquisition, the scholar, the instructor ‘s function, the position of cognition, learning methods and illustrations of digital tools preferred. You will besides happen the didactic rules that promote educational invention and educational success. Empiricism Behaviorism Rationalism Cognitivism Humanitarianism Constructivism Definition of larning alteration in discernible behaviours. Change in ways of thought and work outing jobs. Cognitive struggles. Change in ways of thought, in co-creation activities. Motivate. Definition of larning Learning reactive hearing, watching, reacts and attempts once more. Active acquisition, information processor, treat the information, automatic procedure, high outlook Interactive Learning, cognition builder which initiates a undertaking and self-regulating, reflective, high outlook Role of the instructor sender of information and cognition. It presents, describes, schematically, programs and cheques. Manager of acquisition, usher, leads, directs, advocate says, is sing jobs, regulates redress. Guide, Zanzibar copal, aid, cause, inquiries, organizes, provides, suggests redresss and allowed to move, suggests ego Status of cognition / skills nonsubjective external world that the pupil must get, assimilate and reproduce. External world that the pupil must incorporate its mental forms and reuse. Reflexivity. Objective external world but perceived and reconstructed competency = know how to move by mobilising Teaching methods Teaching group, explicit, E3, repeated pattern, immediate feedback, survey clip, frequent contacts. Individualized direction, differentiated strategic attack deductive – inductive survey clip, frequent contacts. Vicarious larning strategic, differentiated by undertakings inductive-deductive, less frequent contact, promotes cooperation. Digital tools preferred Gymnastic apparatuss, tutorials, games, ICT competency, life, web portfolio, trial hidden words quiz Net and others. Simulations, simulation, robotic, jobs, You ‘re the hero, programming, Create a Web page, DAO, experience, portfolio, geometry, practical research lab, SAE, Scoop, webquests..

Long Term Investment Decisions Essay

Long term capital decisions involve choosing how to finance long term projects. For a movie rental company, such decisions would include opening new shops in new markets or buying new machinery that would improve the firm’s technology. Before making such decisions, a firm has to do an analysis of the returns that the new project would bring against the cost outlay of the project. There are several ways of doing such an analysis. They include the payback period, net present value, internal rate of return among others. The main aim of conducting this analysis is to determine whether the expected returns meet a certain predetermined benchmark, usually higher than the risk free return. Rationale for government intervention The United States government intervenes in business processes in a number of ways; it has formulated regulation that governs the film distribution industry to ensure a level playing field, ensuring employee protection, protection of the environment etcetera. For instance, there are laws that govern advertising. These laws are set to ensure that advertisers are truthful and honest in their adverts. To protect the rights of employees, the government regulates issues such as the minimum wage payable to an employee, the maximum working hours and a good working environment. In addition, the government has put measures that regulate waste management and protection of the environment. Through the environmental protection agency, the government ensures businesses comply with environment protection regulation in order to protect the environment (Graham et al, 2010). Why Government Regulation is needed Governments in all countries in the world regulate business for both economic and social reasons. In the recent past governments have continually regulated businesses for economic reasons mostly to prevent falling productivity especially in developed economies. Social regulation is practiced in order to ensure businesses comply with the social or the moral expectation of the public. For instance in a movie rental company, the government would engage regulations that restrict distribution of pornographic and other banned films or limits the distribution to only the age appropriate groups (Khan & Jain, 2004). The main reason why a government is formed is to protect the rights of its citizens. There are a number of rights that if not protect may lead to social unrest. A government should ensure that property rights are enforced to ensure that the producers leap from their hard labor. In addition, the government should ensure the kind of media that is on sale is age appropriate. It should protect kids from content that may not be appropriate to them. For example, small kids should not be allowed to access pornography or content that is extremely violent. Another reason why a government should regulate businesses is to ensure a level playing ground for all firms. Because of the disparities in some resources a firm may possess an unfair advantage over other firms. In order to ensure that an industry is competitive, the government has to ensure that the industry has a level playing field and needs to be regulated. For instance, in the movie industry, the government may come in to break cartels that form in order to influence the prices of production and the distribution channels. Specifically, a government can put in place regulations that liberalize the market and break such cartels. In addition, the government has a moral obligation to protect the environment by ensuring that hazardous material is properly disposed. In a movie rental company, there are a lot of technological wastes generated. Lack of proper disposal of pc’s and other such like materials that cause cancer to humans may lead to increase in incidents of cancer. Therefore, the government must come up with measures that ensure that there are proper disposal mechanisms for such waste. The benefits of a merger There are a lot of advantages that blockbuster would enjoy as a result of forming a merger. One of the greatest advantages of forming a major is that blockbuster would enjoy the economies of scale as a result of operating as a larger company. Economies of scale occur as a result of reduction of average costs as a result of increased output. In addition, the merger can help blockbuster achieve diversification. For example, blockbuster can merge with firms that provide a different service from what it offers. By doing so, block buster will obtain access to knowledge and expertise that may help the firm gain competitive advantage. However, the advantages of forming a merger depend on a number of factors. Specifically, the success of a merger depend on the scope of economies scale created, effects on monopoly power, and the effects on cost. However, due to the threats, blockbuster chooses to pursue its expansion plan by capital investment. Capital projects are long term investments that are made to build on, or improve a capital intensive project. A project that is capital intensive requires the input of considerable amounts of capital especially financial and labor to start and run. They also require a lot of planning and resources. There are a number of ways that a firm can finance capital projects. Before determining the best way to finance capital projects, a firm should seek to determine the costs, the viability of the investment and the stream of returns from the investment. Despite the advantages of forming a merger, there are a lot of complexities that makes it less attractive to form a merger. For example, there is the issue of dilution of control. By forming a merger, the firm will reduce the amount of control it has on decision making. It will have to contend with the inclusion of new investor who will inherit the right to vote on significant decisions. This may change the goals of a company and work to slow decision making. A merger also reduces the public’s confidence in a firm. The public may construe the move as a measure to save the firm from imminent failure. In order to eliminate these complexities, it becomes paramount to seek alternative ways of expanding a business. One of the alternatives is capital expenditures. However, it is not overly advantageous. Complexities of funding expansion using capital expenditures The cost outlay of financing capital expenditures is particularly high. Therefore, a firm has to do a comprehensive review of the cost and benefits of using the available funds to expand the business. In addition to the cost, capital expenditures require a huge investment of time and labor. Given that these resources are limited a firm is constrained by the availability of the factors of production. For a firm that has limited resources will find it extremely difficult to expand via capital expenditures. Convergence of the needs of the stockholders and managers The need of stockholders is to maximize increase their wealth. On the other hand, the management aims to achieve management efficiency and increase a business’s competitiveness. The common goal of both parties is profitability. A stockholders wealth is increased significantly by profits. On the other hand, a business becomes efficient if uses the least resources to achieve the greatest possible profit (Thukaram, 2003). The method of expansion chosen for the firm will be the most efficient and that will maximize the return on investment by the stockholders. To determine the returns from the investment a firm can use scientific ways of measuring the highest possible level of returns. These methods include, evaluating the marginal rate of return for the project.

Research Ethics Stanford Prison Experiment Summary Essay

The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) was conducted in 1971 at Stanford University in the basement of the psychology building. Philip Zimbardo as lead researcher headed the research team to study the impact of situational variables on human behaviour. Zimbardo and his team advertised for volunteers to a social experiment offering $15 in payment per day. Wanting to examine the â€Å"dark side† of human nature, applicants were required to have no criminal record, no psychological issues and no major medical conditions. Each of the 70 applicants were psychologically tested and the 24 most â€Å"normal† were selected to take part in the SPE. The 24 selected participants were then divided into two groups randomly, with one half being prisoners and the other half being guards. The guards were taken to the mock prison before the prisoners arrived to help in the final stages of the prison’s construction and to help select their military style uniforms, this was to give the guards a sense of ownership over the prison environment. Alternatively the prisoners were surprised with real police and authentic processing before being incarcerated into the prison. Despite it being an artificially created environment the guards and prisoners quickly altered their behaviour in response to the situational variables of the experiment. Prisoners were dehumanized and their individuality stripped away, while the guards became increasingly more sadistic and degrading towards the prisoners. After the guards crushed an early attempted rebellion by the prisoners, one prisoner was released for acting irrationally to a point that seemed pathological. After this some of the prisoners became super-conformist, following rules to the letter. While other prisoners began to act crazy in an effort to passively escape like the first released prisoner. The guards fell into three categories with some acting sadistically and degrading towards the prisoners, others going completely by the book and some guards acting kindly and doing small favours for the prisoners. None of guards ever intervened or questioned the actions of other guards however no matter what kind of guard they were. The experiment was terminated early after just six days when an outsider, a recent PhD graduate came in from the outside and saw how out of control the experiment had become. Ethical issues that arose during the SPE were the harm done to the participants. Guards were allowed to inflict real pain and humiliation on the prisoners over an extended period of time. The experiment was allowed to continue for longer than it should have because the participants and observers fell too deeply into their roles. There was also little or no regard for the participants’ confidentiality during the SPE.