Monday, March 9, 2020

The understanding of what has happened in Great Britains economy over the last two years

The understanding of what has happened in Great Britains economy over the last two years Introduction The Great Britain has experienced one of the most devastating crises since 2007 following the famous economic catastrophe that hit the entire Europe. The crisis has come to be known as the European crisis since has affected most of the countries that lie within the euro zone.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The understanding of what has happened in Great Britain’s economy over the last two years specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the United Kingdom is one of such countries, it has also been affected by the disaster. Researchers have indicated that the root of this financial crisis is the inability of most of the European countries to repay their financial debts. With such a calamity, countries must be bailed out through the help of third parties. Great Britain has enacted various economic policies to emancipate itself from the crisis. The Bank of England has also enacted various economic pacts in an effort to get Britain and other European nations out of the crisis. The European crisis emanates from both the government and the private sectors’ inability to repay their debts. Both the British government and the Bank of England have been trying to revive this economy but with little success. However, the crisis is not yet solved. In fact, over the last two years, the Great Britain has experienced a double recession. Therefore, the paper seeks to discuss the question of whether the British government and the Bank of England have been successful in running the economy over the last two years. The paper also endeavours to describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies that have been used by the British Government and the Bank of England over the last two years. The Extent of Success of the British Government and the Bank of England in Running the British Economy over the last two Years The British government and the Bank of England have not been successful in ru nning the British government in the last two years. Although the British economy has experienced a recession since the year 2007, this downturn has doubled in the past two years. In fact, within the last three years, this economy has sunk twice. Worse still, the rate of unemployment has increased especially in the financial and construction quarters. The beginning of the crisis in England was in 2007. In this year, government and private sectors’ debt started rising very fast because of the increased levels of private and government debts in the world and the downgrading of debts owed by government in various states in Europe. Because of the increase in property bubble, the private sector easily became autonomous. This impact was also attributed to bailouts by various banks in Europe including the Bank of England. The Bank of England was responding to instructions from the government of England in reaction to stopping the post bubbles effects of the economy. At this point, in dividual states in Europe have begun to tackle the problem individually. Consequently, the crisis has threatened to split the European Union.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Surprisingly, the Bank of England being one of the most established banks in Europe has contributed to the current recession problem facing its country. This bank helped Greece to cover its financial position for a long duration leading to the worsening of the crisis, which still affects the United Kingdom today. The inability to sustain the wages and pensions by the government of Greece led to accumulation of debt. This debt crisis has negatively affected the United Kingdom over the last two years. However, Greece tried to conceal its fiscal position through the aid of major well-established banks in Europe. Some banking institutions benefited from this action although it was short lasted sinc e the crisis soon became so glaring. Since the Bank of England is one of the largest banks in Europe, it had a hand in the formation of this crisis. For this reason, its efforts to solve this crisis over the last two years have not born any fruits. The crisis continues to grow from bad to worse. The government of the United Kingdom has been trying to end this crisis with no success. The greatest hindrance has been the use of a single legal tender by the whole European Union. Since the euro zone uses one currency though with a variation in taxation and public pension system, the government of England cannot respond to this crisis with competence. The Bank of England has been struggling to clear its debts over the last two years. Most banks in the European region have big debts, which make them have their solvency questioned. This issue has influenced more negatively on the economy of England. The rate of inflation has doubled followed by a cut in tax limitation meaning that the two h ave not been successful. It is also clear that the government of England and the Bank of England have not been successful in their efforts to end the economic crisis facing their nation in the last two years. In fact, the two have contributed to the worsening of the crisis witnessed in the last two years. According to Deirdre (2008), in 2008, the Bank of England experienced a decline in mortgage up to the 70% mark. It was only in 2010, 2011 followed by 2013 that the economic crisis in Europe grew from bad to worse. The European countries including the United Kingdom are therefore trying various intervention methods though they have not yet succeeded. Such methods include the creation of European financial stability facility, banks writing off 53.3% debts from individual creditors, and the creation of European fiscal compact.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The understanding of what has happened in Great Britain’s economy over the last two years speci fically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the countries that were worst affected by the European crisis were Greece and Portugal. However, the United Kingdom has also been affected by this crisis. The bank of England has been spearheading efforts to bail out various banks in Europe in a bid to end the European crisis (Gore, 2010). Today, the government of England is still working out policies to ensure that European countries work together towards ending the financial crisis. The government is doing so by working out plans to integrate the European Union banking administration with an all-inclusive oversight and insurance in an effort to save the collapsing banks. The Bank of England is also working in tandem with the central bank of the European Union. As Gary points out, the European Union’s central bank is also checking on money flows through the provision of lower rates of interest (2009). This bank is also working hard to salvage the i mpact of the crisis. Over the last two years, this effort has been done by giving the failing banks cheap loans. The government of England just like other governments in Europe has also begun implementing the Euro plus Pact. This strategy shows that the government of England is dedicated and committed to see the success of the pact. Therefore, the government has been working hard to end the current financial crisis in England. This pact aims at changing the political standing, the monetary position, and the competitive ability of the European region. The government of England through its economists has also advised that the country should embark on addition on investments on the public and levying of friendly taxes that consider growth especially on wealth, property, private sector, and financial institutions. This strategy has been implemented over the last two years although there is no tangible positive effect from it so far. The European crisis threatens the unity of the Europea n Union. The government of Europe has also been advocating for increase in European Investment bank funds. Such political-economic decisions have also influenced politics and leadership in some European countries, for example, Greece, Ireland, and France. One can therefore deduce that the government of England and the bank of England have invested in methods of ensuring that their nation gets out of the European crisis. However, their efforts have not been effective. It is even predicted that this recession may continue up to 2014. The Main Macroeconomic Policies used by the British Government and the Bank of England over the Last Two Years There are various macroeconomic policies that have been used by the British Government and the Bank of England over the last two years to address the issue at hand. The policies are based on the premise that product market and labour keep on changing implying that the recession that England is facing is temporary. The economy of Britain may have remained in recession since 2007 due to the rigidity of prices and wages.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These two facets can make the economy stagnate below its full potential for a long time. According to Fried (2012, p.100), the major drawback to enactment and implementation of policies geared towards economy recovery are reduction of nominal wages and prices. For example, every trade union will completely go against the reduction of wages while employing companies would celebrate wage reduction in order to cut on cost. The government of England has enacted policies to ensure consumer confidence in the economy by encouraging consumers to spend their disposable income. This policy also involves consumer protection, which regulates consumer financial services and products to attain similar standards. The consumer protection agency also ensures that accurate information is disseminated to the consumers concerning products and even services. This strategy will protect customers from hidden charges, deception, and abusive conditions during the exchange of goods and services. Should consu mers put confidence in their economy, the rate of recession would decrease. The government has also put measures to reduce the amount of income tax available for disposal thus increasing buyers’ confidence to spend their income rather than to save it. The second policy being implemented by the bank is the formulation and execution of monetary policies. The Bank of England has cut the interest rates severally over the last two years aiming at stimulating the demand for loans by consumers or borrowers. When the interest rates are reduced, people will develop the confidence to borrow and spend their income. According to Conway (2008), the heavy borrowing has led to a huge economic deficit impact in Great Britain. People also gain confidence to invest in the economy. This policy is also used to ensure that England develops at the same level with other members of the European Union. The other policy that has been enacted by England’s government is the fiscal policy. The gov ernment has come up with fiscal policies that expand on the previous policies because such policies can help an economy get out of recession. Fiscal policies also involve correction of key aspects of the regulatory framework that control elements like accounting standards, capital rules, and credit controlling agencies. The policies also help in solving the question of unemployment. Unemployment resulted from inability of the governments in England to repay their debts hence reducing the available income to pay employees. However, regardless of these policies, this problem still affects England. Through such fiscal policies, governments are able to reduce crowding in the economy because the policies make the government spend its funds as a way of reducing the amount spent by those in private investments as applied by the British government. The government of England has also worked very hard to control deflation through price regulation across the country. It is important to manage depreciation since customers will withhold their money when they realise that prices of various goods are likely to go down in the future. This situation can retard the economy. To avoid it, the government enacts micro-prudential supervision, which will supervise and regulate thrifts, banks, holding companies, and the non-bank institutions. This strategy majorly covers the financial organisations and utilities of financial markets. The government of England has also enacted policies to guard its economy against supply shocks under the premise that, when the prices of supplies hike very much, prices of goods and services shift. Hence, there is a reduced economic growth and increased inflation. This policy also includes the enactment of Macro-prudential supervision where countries create financial stability oversight councils to identify the risks that may threaten the financial wellbeing of the nations or promote market discipline and communication. For example, this supervision has provided the economy with a financial cushion from losses of both non-financial and financial institutions in case of a crisis. It has helped to heighten response to threats that may emerge in the financial wellbeing of the countries. Conclusion In conclusion, the United Kingdom has faced economic recession since 2007 because of the wider European crisis that has been ongoing. The European crisis is the economic crisis that has affected most countries in the European zone since they become unable to re-finance their debts without the intervention of third parties. Efforts by the Government of the United Kingdom and the Bank of England have not been able to overcome the menace. Although the bank has intervened severally in a bid to cut down the interest rates, the recession has grown to worse. This crisis has made the Bank of England unable to pay its wage bills and or even control its lending rates. Out of the credit boom initiated by big banks, global equities and real estate resul ted in a dangerous lending behaviour across Europe (Foldvary, 2008). It has also reduced profits in many financial institutions in England. In England, the government has taken various measures in the form of policies in a bid to ensure that it cushions its nation from the effects of this recession in the form of macroeconomic developments in the country’s economy. The government of England has also enacted policies to guard its economy against supply shocks. The government of England has also worked very hard to control deflation. The other policy that has been enacted by England’s government is the fiscal policy as discussed amongst other policies. References Conway, E 2008, Gordon Brown policies piling up budget deficit, viewed on https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/2795798/Gordon-Brown-policies-piling-up-budget-deficit.html Deirdre, H 2008, ‘Nationwide warns of recession as house price drop doubles’, The Times, 11 Aug., p. 5. Foldvary, F 2007 , The Depression of 2008 , The Gutenberg Press, London. Fried, J 2012, Who Really Drove the Economy Into the Ditch, Algora Publishing, New York. Gary, D 2009, ‘Bank ‘prints’ Â £75bn and cuts interest rates in half’, The Times, 5 March, p. 4. Gore, C 2010, The global recession of 2009 in a long-term development perspective’, Journal of International Development, vol. 22 no. 6, pp. 714-38.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Unit 3 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 3 assignment - Essay Example how the problem has affected the citizens and the world at large in order for the reader to have detailed information concerning the problem being research. The author did not give the central aim of research. Instead, he highlighted the problem in the literature review. This results to failure of the author to attract the attention of reader. Although he highlighted that he will use quantitative and qualitative methods to collect their data that they will use in making the conclusion, they never gave the size of the population. In a well researched paper, the author should state the research methods used eg longitudinal design or use of focus groups to retrieve information. In addition, the author could have explained more on how he manipulated the data obtained through coding to come up with report or conclusion. He never highlighted the size of the sample to be used in gathering the information. This is important in helping the reader determine the credibility of the information discussed in the paper. Furthermore, he did not summarize the results obtained in the study. This could have given the reader a clue of what to expect after reading the whole article. Nevertheless, the paper qualify to be a research paper because it has been well formatted despite major points of a research paper being missed. Fraud has been one of the major problems that have been facing health sectors in the world an aspect that has caused them lose a lot of money. This paper addresses the issue of Medicare fraud by pinning down the core problem bringing about the fraud in the first place and then seeks ways in which by using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches, the problem can actually be studied, understood and addressed appropriately. To gain clarity of objective, the issue is addressed from different world views and more importantly, aligns the world view with the research methodologies.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Discussion Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion Responses - Essay Example Doing nothing in such circumstances is often the best solution to the problem. 3. People who are unaware of the systematic methods of decision making, have not developed their critical thinking skills and thus prone to making wrong decisions. People who usually make decisions based on critical analysis have cultivated their critical decision making skills and have more chance of making a correct snap decision if needed. No effective and efficient leader who has honed their decision making skills will rely on repeated snap decisions however because the risks are too high. 4. In order to extract the root cause of any problem I ask myself why it has arisen; the answer to this question will usually lead to another, and then another. I realize that in most instances problems may be attributable to a number of causal links and that the first or most obvious cause is generally not the right one. Sometimes when working in this way to realize the negative cause and effect configurations I find there is more than one root cause to a particular problem. 5. Effective decision makers and problem solvers are people who impart their knowledge with humility - the two go hand-in-hand. A leader who respects the needs, feeling and opinions of others gain respect and commitment from others, and the leader who seeks, acknowledges and considers the input of others in their decision making and problem solving tasks are more likely to acquire the whole picture rather than a one-eyed self opinionated

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Matricaria Chamomilla (Chamomile): A Pharmacognosy Review

Matricaria Chamomilla (Chamomile): A Pharmacognosy Review Abstract Matricaria chamomilla is one of the most ancient and renowned medicinal plant from Asteraceae family. Chamomile is a well-heeled plant of natural stuff having pharmacognostic properties. This plant is natural source of blue oil, prepared by various methods such as hydro-distillation, chromatography techniques, etc. Earlier studies on plant compounds classified have nutritional values and more than one biological activity. Chamomile is thus used in cosmetics, perfumery, in food industry and aromatherapy since thousands of years. It has been suggested as alleviate for numerous diseases. This article briefly reviews the details on chemical constituents of essential oil and plant parts as well as their pharmacological properties, accomplished by QSAR and pharmacophore studies which is an in silico approach that increases the activity of plant by modifying its functional groups. This is an attempt to compile and document information on various aspects of chamomile plant and emphasize its need for research and development. Keywords: Matricaria chamomilla, chemical constituents, pharmacognostic, QSAR Introduction The relationship of plant life and human well-being has been renowned for thousands of years.1,2 Herbs have been vital to both traditional and non-traditional forms of medication dated back to at least 5000 years.3-5The enduring popularity of herbal remedies may be enlightened by the propensity of herbs to graft gradually, typically with minimal toxic side effects. Plants are imperative sources of medication since time immemorial. Studies on natural-products are meant to establish therapeutic values of plants by exploration of existing precise scientific knowledge, conventional uses, and invention of potential chemotherapeutic agents.6 The history of herbal medicine is as old as human civilization. With the promising global concern in adopting and studying customary system of medicine and exploring their potential based on different Medicare systems, the estimation of rich heritage of medicinally active plants is primarily carried out on the basis of morphological, phytochemical, pha rmacological and different techniques such as chromatography, distillation, etc.7 One of the most common herbal plant used for curative purposes is chamomile whose homogeneous tea and herbal mines are primed from dried flowers ofMatricariaspecies.8 Taxonomical classification Kingdom: Plantae, Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plant), Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons), Family: Asteraceae, Genus: Matricaria L., Species: Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile).9 Morphology of plant Matricaria chamomilla commonly known as German chamomile is one of the most ancient annual herbaceous plant of composite family Asteraceae.10 This composite flower is largely favoured aromatic plant having multi-therapeutic values. Chamomile is highly imperative medicinal herb native to southern and eastern Europe. It is most ancient medicinal plant used in herbal remedies for thousands of years known to mankind. Matricaria Chamomilla is a natural resource of blue oil. Various sections of plant such as aerial parts, root and shoot system contains essential oil that has been recommended for variety of healing ailments and diseases.11 Chamomile is a rich source of natural products. There is an immense demand for chamomile plant world-wide because of its influential medicinal values and pharmacological properties. Chamomile plant has a sweet, verdant, and faintly fruity scent. Its florae are daisy-like flowers, with yellow cores and white petals.12 The color of the Blue oil is due to the terpenoid chamazulene, which has been reported for its anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and antispasmodic properties.13 Chamazulene is biosynthesized from sesquiterpene Matricine, which is reported to have solid antioxidant activity and antimicrobial pharmacological actions.14,15 Ethnobotanical Profile Chamomile being a constituent of various traditional, unani, and homeopathic medicinal provisions, it has been used greatly in flatulence, colic, hysteria, and intermittent fever as a drug.16-18 Many scientists have quoted from writings of several doctors of ancient times that chamomile was also used in cardiac diseases and in functioning of liver.19-22 The diverse range of essential oil isolation techniques and analytical procedures have been smeared for studying the volatile components of chamomile by several groups.23 Numerous essential oils are currently in use as aromatherapy agents to ease anxiety, pressure, and depression. Standard anxiolytic oils include lavender oil, rose oil, orange oil, bergamot oil, lemon oil, sandalwood oil, rose-scented geranium oil and chamomile (German and Roman).24 This aromatherapy is the use of concentrated essential oils extracted from herbs, flowers, and other plant parts to heal several diseases. Aromatherapy is becoming increasingly more popula r; however there are only a few apparent indications for its use.25 Aromatherapy massage exerts optimistic effects on anxiety, self-esteem and also highly reduces stress and stress responses in adolescents by taking aroma treatments.26, 27 The international demand for chamomile oil has been steadily growing. Chamomile is internally used as tisane for stomach pain, slow digestion, diarrhoea and nausea; more rarely and very efficiently for inflammation of the urinary tract and for aching menstruation. Chamomile is used chiefly as an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, also as antispasmodic and mildly sudorific.28 The chamomile extracts was found to have the most effective anti-leishmanial activity.29 The other uses of Matricaria chamomilla are in cosmetics, perfumes, food additives, while the external use includes the powder form of drug that can be applied for healing, skin eruptions, and infections.10,30 A number of chemical constituents have been identified in chamomile as secondary metabolites, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenyl propanoids and many other additional compounds with potential pharmacological action. Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Compounds Plants engender primary and secondary metabolites which encompass a wide range of functions. Plants can produce many different types of secondary metabolites that comprise of compounds having multivariate function, exposed by humans for their beneficial role in a varied array of applications.31 Phytochemicals have been the single most fruitful source of leads for the expansion of new drug entities from the dawn of drug discovery. They cover up a wide array of therapeutic indications with a huge assortment of chemical structures.32 The Phytochemicals isolated from Matricaria chamomilla have been classified into different classes of compounds (see table no. 1). The detailed information for each class of compounds can be accessible from supplementary table no. S1-S10. Alkanes Alkanes are acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2 , and therefore comprises completely of hydrogen atoms and saturated carbon atoms.33 Drugs are increasingly being developed from natural products and several alkane compounds such as hexane have already been reported, offering a very promising approach to identify novel anti-angiogenic and anti-cancer agents.34 A considerable number of alkanes derived from chamomile have been identified mostly as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents. A list of alkanes along with its structure and biological activity has been documented in a table (see supplementary table no. S1). Flavonoids Flavonoids are low molecular weight bioactive compounds of enormous biological importance. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites outlined by flavan nucleus and its carbon framework refers to C6-C8-C6.35 These compounds can be classified as polyphenols or phenolics. Flavonoids can be further grouped into subclasses such as flavones, flavonols, flavanones, chalcones, aurones, isoflavones, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins. Flavonoid displays several biological properties like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiobesity, cardio protective, and neuroprotective activities.36 A huge number of flavonoid compounds such as rutin, quercetin hesperidin and many others have been reported as drugs that tend to possess anticancer, antioxidant and even senescence effects.37,38 A list of flavonoids along with its structure and biological activity has been listed in a table (see supplementary table no. S2). Terpenoids Terpenoids, encompasses the most abundant and morphologically diverse group of plant secondary metabolites. Terpenoids are more frequently present in plants and around 23,000 compounds have been isolated in all. Terpenoids being a rich reservoir of candidate compounds have been characterized as monoterpenes, diterpenes, hemiterpenes and sesquiterpenes.39 Terpenoid production from plants has various defensive and protective functions that holds potential therapeutic properties such as anticancer (mostly leukemic), analgesic, antioxidant, antimicrobial and others. The terpenoid, eucalyptol which is a fragrant chemical has been propagated as nutraceutical having analgesic, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.40,41 A list of terpenoids along with its structure and biological activity has been revealed in a table (see supplementary table no. S3). Coumarins Coumarin, which was isolated in 1820 for the first time is classified as an element of benzopyrone family of compounds.42 Coumarins are the well-known phytochemicals that are comprehensively used as a natural active compound. The synthesis of coumarins and their derivatives have noteworthy significance from organic and medicinal chemists for several years. They have been generally used in food, perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and as optical brighteners.43 Several coumarins and their derivatives have been reported for its antimicrobial and anticancer effects, some of which act as drugs. Dicumarol, cyclocoumarol, coumarin and its derivatives are used as an anticoagulants.44 A list of coumarins along with its structure and biological activity has been listed out in a table (see supplementary table no. S4). Phenyl propanoids Phenyl propanoids are the varied family of organic compounds synthesized from amino acid phenyl alanine.45 Phenyl propanoids are the plant polyketides that tend to possess multiple biological functions such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-depressant and anticancer.46 Phenyl alanine which is an essential amino acid is sold as nutritional supplement for its reputed analgesic and antidepressant effects.47,48 Phenyl alanine first gets converted to cinnamic acid by deamination which is than followed by hydroxylation and frequent methylation to produce coumaric acid and others with phenyl propane.49 A list of phenyl propanoids along with its structure and biological activity has been recorded in a table (see supplementary table no. S5). Spiroethers Spiroether isomers isolated from chamomile showed antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory activities.50 A list of spiroethers along with its structure and biological activity has been mentioned in a table (see supplementary table no. S6). Fatty acids Fatty acids are carboxylic acids with a long aliphatic hydrocarbon tail produced by hydrolysis of triglycerides. These are either saturated or unsaturated naturally occurring fatty acids. 51 More interestingly, isoamly acetate released from honey bee’s sting act as pheromone.52 Isoamyl acetate is also found to be isolated from wine.53 Fatty acids possesses anticancer, antioxidant and other pharmacological actions which has been depicted in a table (see supplementary table no. S7). Fatty acid esters Fatty acid esters can be obtained by esterification of fatty acids. They are the product of combination of fatty acid with an alcohol.54 Fatty acids acts against microbes, as an analgesic and also as melanogenesis inhibitor. A list of fatty acid esters along with its structure and above mentioned biological activity with its references has been reported in a table(see supplementary table no. S8). Pthalic acid Phthalic acid is an aromatic dicarboxylic acid which is formed by catalytic oxidation of naphthalene directly to phthalic anhydride.55 The significant pharmacological properties of phthalic acid involves anti-androgenic, antimutagenic and anti-leukemic activity. Phthalic acid along with its structure and biological activity has been depicted in a table (see supplementary table no. S9). Fatty alcohol Fatty alcohols are the aliphatic alcohols which are naturally found as waxes produced by plants, bacteria and animals having various biological properties.56 The metabolism of fatty alcohol compounds in fibroblasts is impaired in several inherited humanperoxisomaldisorders, includingadrenoleukodystrophyandSjogren-Larsson syndrome.57 Fatty alcohol along with its structure and biological activity has been documented in a table (see supplementary table no. S10). Catalogue of Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics repositories The large amount of Chamomile phytochemical information is highly discrete and can be easily procurable by a number of web-accessible bioinformatics and cheminformatics databases like PubChem,58,59 Chemspider,60 Human Metabolome Database(HMDB),61 ChemBank,62 NAPRALERT,63 SuperNatural database,64 NPACT65 and many more. PubChem is an open repository for chemical structures and their biological activities, maintained by NCBI, a division of NLM under NIH. PubChem is becoming a valued reserve for drug development fascinating noteworthy interest from researchers in academe and diligence.66 PubChem includes substance information, compound structures, and BioActivity information from three principal databases, Pcsubstance, Pccompound, and PCBioAssay, respectively. Pcsubstance contains descriptions of small molecules, PcBioassay contains biological screening results of substances provided by depositors and Pccompound database contains the unique chemical structures. The aim of PubChem is to make this information easily available.67 Pcsubstance contains about 93 million records, Pccompound contains nearly 33 million unique structures and PCBioAssay contains more than 621,000 BioAssays.68 ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing rapid text search and structure search access to more than 28 million structures from hundreds of data sources.69 ChemSpider is a very valued web-based database that facilitates access to various chemical structures, nomenclature, chemical properties and other systematic information. ChemSpider is integrated with RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry).60 The Human Metabolome Database is an opulently annotated resource that is devoted to provide researchers with most recent and comprehensive coverage of human metabolome.70 The latest version of HMDB release is HMDB 3.0 that contains 40278 metabolite entries. The database is intended to contain three kinds of entries: chemical data, clinical data and molecular biology/biochemistry data.61 ChemBank is a public web-based database cheminformatics database established by Broad Institutes Chemical Biology Programand funded by National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Initiative for Chemical Genetics (ICG). ChemBank, a unique among small molecule database houses all the chemical molecular information such as names and identifier of the compounds, their calculated molecular descriptors as well as human curated biological information.62 NAPRALERT (NAtural PRoduct ALERT), an largest ethnobotanical database on pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicology and phytochemistry of plants. NAPRALERT, a relational database was initiated in 1975 by Norman Fransworth and is housed within the Program for Collaborative Research at College of Pharmacy, UIC. It includes biochemical information of extracts of organism, in vivo, in situ, in vitro in humans and clinical studies.63 SuperNatural database is the first public database containing 3D structures, their conformers, derivatives and analogues. It consists of ~ 50,000 natural compounds from different sources. Natural products compounds are classified based on different classes of compounds.64 NPACT is Naturally Occurring Plant-based Anti-cancer Compound-Activity-Target database. It presently comprises of 1574 compound entries with detailed information on the structure, and activity of compound. This database gathers experimentally validated plant derived natural compounds exhibiting anti-cancerous property, both in vitro and in vivo. It also provides inhibitory values of compounds (IC50, ED50, EC50, GI50), their molecular targets and drug-likeliness.65 Conclusion Chamomile is extensively in use in world market because of its wide and varied appliance in medical science. Moreover, natural substances are preferred more, rather than synthesized one due to its minimal side effects and easy extraction of its compounds. Chamomile is a natural source for plenty of bioactive substances that cure numerous diseases. Cheminformatics, an in silico approach is a way out for ample of problems in field of medicinal chemistry. This avenue can be used in drug discovery processes. In silico has gained a considerable thrust over last few years. Due to increased availability of computational power, in silico simulations have reward over in vitro methods. In silico methods are time and cost effective, tumbling lots of biological confirmations and offers the possibility of replacing some animal tests with suitable insilicomodels. QSAR and Pharmacophore studies can be carried out at primary level to increase the activity of the compounds which further leads to drug discovery processes.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Rap Music Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine an inner city kid having grown u in an environment where real life street violence is a way of life. His body, having survived personal experiences of violence, endured barely life sustained conditions, and many sleepless nights caused by the constant yet unpredictable call of death. His mind doubtful over where his next meal will come from, lost in search of some higher guidance, struggling through a world, not of innocent childish fantasies, but trapped in a forced reality. His only outlet is the loud blaring music coddling his already pent-up rage, an escape from these harsh realities, seducing him to a life of violence. In him is created a â€Å"me against the world† mentality that is manifested in the rap and hip-hop music that dominates his culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among the most common subjects of rap and hip-hop is violence and misogyny. They emphasize these two as inevitable regularities of the life lived in the streets. Their music reflects this fact by promoting violence and misogyny, which poses adverse influences on not only children and teenagers in the ghettos and urban cities but also other people affected by them. Violence and misogyny is a very serious problem that the American people have to face in today’s society. It is rapidly growing and is more frequent in major cities and suburbs. Most random acts of violence are surprisingly committed in the streets by young teenagers and even young children, most of which are influenced by their favorite rap or hip-hop artists. The subject of violence and misogyny found in rap and hip-hop music promotes violent crimes in city streets as well as influencing our innocent youth to commit random acts of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most common acts of violence committed are armed shootings and rape, many of which are commonly committed by teens and young children from urban cities living with poor family values. According o Senator Dole, â€Å"†¦ The loss of family values is caused by the moral corruption of popular culture, and therefore we should hold rap artists, Hollywood moguls, and record executives responsible for our moral chaos.† (Maker) Poor family values and influences from rap and hip-hop music may also tend to lead the young teen or child to commit acts of violence such as armed shooting and rape. â€Å"Our kids have adapted the gangs... ...an image that all women are just looking for sex.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you though that song lyrics are bad, the song titles are just as worse. Most song titles are very extreme and have deeper meanings to it. For example Dr.Dre’s hit son â€Å"Let Me Ride,: has two connotations: the first refers to sexual encounter and the second refers to the sexual act of intercourse. Snoop Doggy Dog’s album â€Å"Doggystyle† refers to the sexual act of having sex through the â€Å"rear entry† position. Finally, K7’s â€Å"Come Baby Come,† incorporates a â€Å"catchy† chorus line saying â€Å"I come baby come, baby baby, come come†¦ if ya gotta give me loving then you’ve gottta give me some†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd in Sexton 64) which basically refers to the sexual act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is surprising that music can have such an impact on American society today. The truth is that rap and hip-hop music not only affects teenagers and children that commit violence, but also affects those victims who suffer from the violent acts, Violence and Misogyny is a very serious problem that Americans face today and in order to create peace in our city streets, we must set guidelines to what our children should or should not hear.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Sci207: Vocational Issues with Copd

Social Implications for Patient’s with COPD SCI207: Social Implications of Medical Issues August 1, 2011 Social Implications for Patient’s with COPD CASE 1 Mr. L. , a 55-year-old bartender in a large metropolitan area, has been a heavy smoker for 40 years. He was diagnosed as having COPD 7 years ago. Mr. L. lives in the city and takes the city bus to work, although he still has to walk about three blocks to the bar where he works. He has found it increasingly difficult to walk the three blocks without stopping to rest at frequent intervals. At work, his manager has also expressed concern about the effect Mr. L. ’s continuous coughing has on customers. (p. 440). According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), smoking is the leading cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and it is considered one of the most common lung diseases known. â€Å"COPD is a diagnostic term used to describe a group of conditions that are characterized by respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea (shortness of breath), cough, sputum production, limitation of air flow, and chronic inflammation of the lungs. † (Falvo, 2008, p. 420). Often, people have both. On the flip side, there are also the rare cases of nonsmokers who lack a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin that can develop into emphysema. The longer a person smokes, the likelihood of developing COPD is high but there are some who are exceptionally fortunate who do not contract this disease as a result of routine, long term smoking. This paper will examine the causes, the symptoms and complications and what the social implications of having COPD that can affect an individual in an adverse way using the above case study as the example. It is known that Mr. L. began smoking at fifteen years of age. At age 48, he was diagnosed with COPD yet still continues to smoke. Let us assume that Mr. L. has had a nice physique given to him from good genetics rather than regular visits to the gym. Let us also assume that he is a New Yorker and has lived there all of his life. Because the city is so large, there is also automobile traffic that never ceases at any hour – day or night which produces high amounts of carcinogens into the air. There are still manufacturing buildings that also produce pollutants such as exposure to gases or fumes as well as tens of thousands of smokers who release second hand smoke into the environment. Add barbeques and smoke pits or poor ventilation in a smoky bar into the mix and one is exposed to heavy amounts of carcinogenic pollutants every single day. This kind of long term exposure can attribute to some of the causes that may be factored in as to why he was diagnosed with COPD. Mr. L. has been told by his physician that he needs to quit smoking and start a regular exercise routine along with the prescribed medicine to make his conditions manageable and bearable. Because Mr. L. as smoked for 40 years and lived in an urban environment with long term exposure to pollutants along with his own habit, he began to notice a â€Å"smoker’s cough† or excessive mucus that is lingering much longer than a common cold. He notices that he begins to wheeze and gets fatigued when simply walking a few blocks from his bus stop to work or home. Once at work or home, he may realize that he has a hard time catching his breath (dyspnea) with any mild activity such as changing out a k eg, moving a case of beer or carrying out the garbage. He’s given up going to the gym as it wears him out to easily and is embarrassing to him because he wheezes and coughs too often and doesn’t want to be the subject of ridicule from younger, healthy people. He has noticed more lines on his face from not only age, but the smoking has aged him even faster. His teeth are yellowed from nicotine as well as his index and middle fingers from where he holds his cigarettes. New York has passed a non-smoking law for all public places as of the year 2000 and where there were once many smokers, it seems that more have quit than smoke. His patrons have been verbal about his coughing near their beverages or how they have to wait on him as he runs out back to catch a quick smoke, and he does this quite often because he is a 2 pack a day smoker. They complain that his breath and clothing smell of stale cigarettes even though he tries to cover it with breath fresheners and cologne. The patron’s regularly harass him on his choice to smoke and taunt him to quit which annoys him and makes him irritable. Smoking which at one time made him look cool, has now made him a pariah in most social circles as well as the stigma attached to his habit and symptoms. They tease him and say that he will become one of â€Å"those† people who will have to carry an oxygen tank around with him. Johnson, Campbell, Bowers and Nichol assert that â€Å"Stigma is a social construction that defines people in terms of a distinguishing characteristic or mark, and devalues them as a consequence†. Their article further reports that, â€Å"a study involving 27 women and men living with COPD reported that respondents repeatedly described a sense of stigmatization that was a direct result of using supplemental oxygen around other people and which led to feelings of embarrassment and social isolation. (2007). Since there is no cure for COPD, clearly the fastest way to retard lung damage for Mr. L. before he absolutely needs the oxygen tank is to stop smoking. Taking his prescribed medications can treat many of the symptoms such as the wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. He can increase the amount of time walking to build up strength. The stig ma of smoking will then change to encouragement from his patrons to see success in his effort to quit. His breath will not be so offensive nor will his clothes smell of cigarettes. His nails will begin to lose the yellow discoloration and he can whiten his teeth so that he can feel better about his physical looks along with his self pride can be restored by committing to quit. No longer will he feel dismay, embarrassment or be annoyed because of the stigma attached to a smoker that displays the outward symptoms of his disease. Mr. L. ’s whole outlook and attitude will change by simply giving up a horrible habit that can destroy not only his health, but other’s as well. References Falvo, D. R. (2008). Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability. 4th ed. ). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Johnson, J. L. , Campbell, A. C. , Bowers, M. & Nichol, A. (2007). Understanding the Social Consequences of Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease: The Effects of Stigma and Gender. The Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society. Retrieved August 1, 2011 from: http://pats. atsjournals. org/cgi/content/full/4/8/680#otherarticles The N ational Center for Biotechnology Information Web site provides information on COPD http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001153/