Pursuing A College Transfer Degree Essay - 1393 Words

Pursuing a college transfer degree has many obstacles that many students, especially transfer students has to embark just to succeed because of self-doubt, not having financial and the change of scenery. Just as (Edison) said â€Å"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time.† In these images, you would look through my eyes as a transfer student and see the struggles that I had to embark on coming to Governor State University (GSU) from Kennedy-King College (KKC). The challenges that I have had and am still going through as a transfer student that this is a difficult, long, and stressful process. There might be many questions a student who is thinking about transferring from one college or university to another may need to answer. As you look at the images you might be asking yourself some of these questions. Would the studentss get their question answered or would the students take matters in their own hands? I chos e to examine this issue from the perspective of the class of low-income students because being a low-income student myself, I wanted to show the light that we as transfer student had/will go through as a student. I think everyone at one point in their life asks themselves these questions as a student: How am I going to afford school and books? What is my professor like? How will my first day go? How will I get there? What am I going to wear? Those are just some question that students have. While being someShow MoreRelatedPursuing A College Transfer Degree1219 Words   |  5 PagesPursuing a college transfer degree has several obstacles, that countless students, especially for low-income students ought to embark just to succeed since of self-doubt, not having enough finances and the change of scenery. Just as (Edison) said â€Å"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time.† In these images, you would analyze through my eyes as a low-income transfer student and comprehend the struggles that I remained obligated to tolerateRead MoreMost Of The High School Students Follow The Footsteps Of1032 Words   |  5 Pagesafter undergraduate degree pursuit of master’s degree. However, the timeline isn’t quite as organized. As more students are encouraged to apply to colleges, more colleges and Universities are being founded. However most of the major public Universities such as Penn State, Rutgers and Indiana University of Pennsylvania gain their share of students through transferring students. According to the article published in USA Today, students are taking longer than 4 years to graduate college and the main reasonsRead MorePaths to Education: A Comparative Analysis664 Words   |  3 Pagesgo about pursuing a collegiate education. Typically the first step towards formal, postsecondary education is the earning of a bachelors degree. Due to advances in technology and the changing of the times, students now have a few options when it comes to completing their undergraduate education. The two most popular of these include attending a traditional four year university immediately out of high school, or enrolling in a junior or community college and earning an associates degree prior toRead MoreAttending College : A Terrific And Terrifying Experience1476 Words   |  6 PagesAttending college can be a terrific and terrifying experience. It is something can forever alter your path in life. Just imagine, the professors with all the knowledge inside their minds, scheduling our courses hoping that it doesn’t get filled too quickly, and the dreaded finals. Then there is the topic concerning whether to attend a community college then transferring to a 4-year university. I believe it should be judged case by case, but not every person can be dropped into the deep end of theRead MoreCommunity Colleges And Large Universities876 Words   |  4 PagesCommunity colleges and large universities have a differentiation. A community college is a two-year school which provides affordable postsecondary education as a pathway to a four-year degree. A large university is an institution of higher education and research which grants academic degrees within a variety of different subjects. Many community colleges have a higher rate of graduation rates than universities. Community Colleges have some similarities but they also differ a number as well. CommunityRead MoreTm College Essay757 Words   |  4 Pagesits the closest university to home and i dont have to go out of state to become what ive always wanted. My steps to become a veterinarian is to take my basics (2 years) at stc then transfer to texas am. Located in College Station, Texas, Texas AM University Veterinary is a large four year public college offering both undergrad and graduate programs.The Texas AM system endowment is one of the 10 biggest in the nation. 67% of submitted applicants are accepted.In the most recent statisticalRead MoreThe University Of North Carolina At Wilmington1315 Words   |  6 PagesStatistics show that after high school, many graduates tend to end their education. Many people do not choose to continue their education and attend college. My goal is to not be a part of this statistic. After I graduate from Wayne Early Middle College High School with my high school diploma and my two-year Associate in Science degree, I hope to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. According to newly released facts by the Business Journal, the University of North Carolina atRead MoreDentistry Career Paper : Dentistry1412 Words   |  6 Pagesup to twelve years or more. According to the Occ upational Outlook Handbook (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), no specific major or undergraduate degree is required to apply to a dental school, but dental schools do require specific courses like biology and chemistry; also, applicants must pass the Dental Acceptance Test during their junior year of college. Courses such as biology and chemistry are required because they are intended as a foundation to prepare the student for what they shall learn inRead MoreThe United States Banking Sector1562 Words   |  7 Pagesfinancial analysts are projected to increase 12% from 2014 to 2024, this is faster than the average of all professions (â€Å"Summary†). In 2014, the average salary for a financial analyst was $92,250. High compensation is usually the main factor luring college graduates into finance today (â€Å"Organization†). This increase of focus on finance can only be promising for our country and I hope it can positively impact our economy for many generations to co me. If I were a financial analyst, what would my typicalRead MorePersonal Statement : Taking College Degree At The Age Of Good Courage, And He Shall Strengthen Your Heart872 Words   |  4 Pagesschool, I always struggled in my academics and that turned into a lack of motivation. I recall taking college courses that did not fall into a plan of pursuing a degree. All I wanted was to take fun classes such as drumming and water polo and did not take the opportunity of taking college serious. I was young and uncertain of what I wanted to pursue. In addition to discovering myself through college I also was a partner of business that I had to manage at the age of 19. Even though it was a lot of

Paris’s Appeal to the Lost Generation - 761 Words

The Lost Generation refers specifically to the group of American expatriate writers associated with 1920s Paris. It is a term used to refer to the generation that came of age during World War I. Ernest Hemingway is said to be the most distinguished author of this group of writers having first used the phrase You are all a lost generation as the epigraph to his first novel The Sun Also Rises. After World War I, when nineteen-year-old Hemingway returned home, his parents did not understand the psychological trauma he had suffered during the war, and they pestered him to continue a normal life by finding a job or going to college. After he married his first wife, he moved to Paris where he joined the group of American expatriates that would†¦show more content†¦That is why they start to lose themselves in violence, drinking, sex, and drugs. Paris had everything they thought they needed to find themselves again, but unfortunately in the end they los themselves even more. The des tructiveness of sex is depicted in The Sun also Rises and gives an example of how the members of the Lost Generation begin to lose themselves. The notions of morality are blurred and sex is used as a destructive tool that eventually leads to violence. As they struggled with their disillusionment, these authors started to questioned society as aShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesoverseas American interventions from the late 1800s. The last two essays in this collection focus on vital themes that assumed growing importance in the last decades of the twentieth century, and will very likely be considered by subsequent generations to be among the processes that distinguish that era, not only from those proceeding it but from the rest of human history altogether. The essay by Gabrielle Hecht and Paul Edwards provides a nuanced interweaving of analyses of the nuclear armsRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesa few even for decades. I hope you will find this new edition a worthy successor to earlier editions. I think this may even be my best book. The new Google and Starbucks cases should arouse keen student interest, and may even inspire another generation of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more

Evaluating International Marketing Opportunities

Question: Discuss about theEvaluating International Marketing Opportunities. Answer: Toyota is one of the most competitive global automotive firms. Its market is diverse in terms of o and global market conditions and consumer preferences. Because of this, the companys, market matrix is designed to the many variations. Toyota Corporation was founded in 1973, and since then, it has grown firm a local business to a global firm. Today, it has operations most regions of the world, except a few parts of African and the Middle East and Mongolia. The companys global success demonstrates that is has developed and implements and effective marketing mix. SWOT Analysis Strengths Toyotas strengths have enabled it to remain competitive in the marketplace. This global company is a well-known brand with an outstandingly strong reputation. As result of this, it has a large market share, and customers prefer to associate with most of its products. Toyota also relies on modern technology to manufacture vehicles. Other than the advantage of a strong brand, its vehicles are efficient, affordable, and faster. A variety of vehicles that Toyota produces meets different needs of different classes of customers. Additionally, it manufactures fuel efficient vehicles and implements lean manufacturing approaches (Sako 2006). Weaknesses Toyota has weak organizational structures. This weakness makes it difficult for the organization to make the right decisions at the right time. The ultimate effect of this is low profitability. The automobile industry faces a lot of problems due to the instability of prices. Toyota has difficulty handling these factors. At present, it has no ability to keep the balance between fluctuations between price and demand. Additionally, Toyota has a problem managing the international network of its subsidiaries as well as franchises. Due to an increase in competition, the corporation is experiencing a decline in the overall sale, and this has led to a significant amount of debt (Sako 2006). Opportunities Toyota also has several opportunities that it can exploit to become more efficient and productive. It can invest in RD so as to introduce environmentally friendly vehicles. In the automotive industry, firms are on the lookout for better opportunities to enhance their processes. Since initiating most innovative processes is costly, most firms fear to invest fully in it. This offers Toyota a great opportunity for success given that it has a substantial amount of capital (Wells 2015). Other opportunities are the ability to introduce solar power vehicles and introduce ecology-friendly cards. These opportunities make it possible to enhance the companys brand image. Due to globalizations, it has a significant opportunity to penetrate larger markets. Besides, the company can continue to expand to new segments and new markets and retain its outstanding competitiveness (Theisen 2010; Barabba 2007). Threats The 2009 economic meltdown shoot all big world economies. While the economic environment has improved since then, most world economies are performing below expectation. The automobile industry is facing the crisis of constantly increasing oil prices. Competition is also increasing, and firms with the capacity to withstand cutthroat competitions are ailing finically and are on the verge of closure (Theisen 2010). Additionally, the continued economic meltdown has brought about many negative changes. The prices of manufacturing materials continue to escalate. Interest rates are also highly volatile. The government and international bodies have responded to these factors by tightening emission regulations and standards (Theisen 2010). Segmentation and Positioning For Toyota to be able to market its products, it should segment its market. The companys new products are selected based on the desire of its customers to go green, core requirements of customers such as efficiency, affordability, and reliability. Other criteria are the requirements of the government of eco-friendly vehicles as well as the key government regulations and standards. As an executive marketing manager of Toyota, I consider it appropriate for the company to manufacture more vehicles that have hybrid features and meet the above requirements. Toyotas new product that meets these criteria is Toyota Prius (Baker 2014). For Toyota, market segmentation matrix is effective for defining the segments for hybrid owners. These segment groups are the United Kingdom, Opportunists or Green lovers, pioneers, income, and environment. Pioneers followed by Green lovers are the most suitable segments for the new product, Toyota Prius.' There should be a strategy for targeting these two behavioral segments (Baker 2014; Barabba 2007). Appropriate Targeting and Positioning Targeting is the process of evaluating the attractiveness of each market segment and choosing at least one segment to enter. Some of the most common targeting strategies are undifferentiating, concentrated, and differentiated. Toyota cannot adopt undifferentiated strategy since the company does not need to convey the same message to everyone. Toyota can, however, use either differentiated or concentration targeting strategy. When using the differentiating strategy, the company can decide to target each of its segments with its marketing mix so as to meet the desires of its clients. The concentration targeting strategy can be the best option for Toyota as it enables the company to target distinct groups of customers (Science TQM, New Quality Management Principle 2012). The key positioning objectives for Green lovers and pioneers are developed depending on the criteria that are set to serve the new hybrid vehicle. The main strategic objective for pioneers is to offer innovative products to increase its market share for hybrid vehicles. The main goals for Green lovers are to provide products that meet the standards of the environment so as to be able to expand the market share of this segment (Ayers 2004). SWOT Analysis Product Mix Toyota produces the diverse set of products. They include Marine products, engines, welcab series, Toyota automobiles, Lexus automobiles, and spare parts and accessories. The most popular products in this list is Toyota automobiles. The luxury product is Lexus automobiles. Place Mix Toyotas main place for distribution is dealerships. However, it also distributes its products such as accessories and spare parts to retailers. Promotion Mix Toyota uses a promotion strategy that targets all its key markets. It uses personal selling and individuals who personally market the items to potential buyers. Also, it use advertising through platforms like websites, TV, and newspapers. Toyota also uses public relations to promote its products. Sales promotion and direct selling are other approaches that Toyota uses. Sometimes, it carries out infrequent sales promotion through special deals. For corporate clients, it uses direct selling. Price Mix Toyota uses different pricing strategies fir different product lines and models. It uses the market-oriented strategy to establish prices based on various market conditions and the influence of competitors. This pricing strategy applies in most of Toyotas products, including trucks and saddens. Since this strategy cannot meet all its needs, Toyota uses valued-based pricing as well. Using this strategy involves fixing prices depending on the actual and perceived value of the product. The value-based strategy applies best in Prius and other high-end and more expensive products. Recommendations Toyota should choose the right marketing strategies at each product life cycle stage. The product life cycle offers a helpful structure for crafting a strategy for products promptly. Toyota needs to evaluate all these stages of planning today and for the future. At the introduction stage, the company can implement generic strategies so as to grow and maintain a competitive advantage. For Toyota to be successful, it can adopt product differentiating, heavy advertising using the Internet, newspapers, and TV, and price penetration (The Toyota Way and the Toyota Production System (TPS), 2013). Additionally, Toyota should adopt the right growth stage strategies. For the company to achieve its goals, it should focus on expanding its market share rapidly. The appropriate tool for doing this is porters cost leadership strategy. At the maturity stage, Toyota should focus on increasing its market share. Since the Toyota brand is strong in the UK, it is the right market to focus on. However, Toyota has less market share in this market as compared with other firms. The main reason behind this shortage is the lack of product differentiation. Toyota being a global company, it has been focusing on both market segmentation and cost leadership. While this strategy has helped to make Toyota be one the biggest global automotive firms, it does not help the company to expand in the UK. In this region, Toyota should use a product differentiation strategy. At the decline stage, Toyota needs to invest in new and emerging markets, segmentation strategy, value adding or value chain strategy, and cost cutting strategy. For Toyota to compete effectively in the UK market it can use the differentiation strategy for Additionally, Toyota should carry out several RD activities so as to know all the needs of its customers. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is apparent that Toyota is the market leader in manufacturing Hybrid products. However, due to many business reasons, it is facing weak profitability. For Toyotas new product, Toyota Prius, it should target and position green lovers and pioneers in all the levels of PLC using communication channels like electronic media and the Internet. It should embrace marketing strategies such as price penetration and heavy advertisement. Finally, Toyota needs to adopt differentiation strategy so as to compete in the UK marketplace more efficiently. References Ayers, C 2004, Evaluation of 2004 Toyota Prius Hybrid Electric Drive System Interim Report, doi:10.2172/885776 Baker, M, J 2014, Marketing and Corporate Strategy, Marketing Strategy and Management, 25-59. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-34213-3_2 Barabba, V, P 2007, The Toyota innovation model, Strategy amp; Leadership, 35(4). doi:10.1108/sl.2007.26135dae.002 Sako, M 2006, Strategy and Structure at Toyota Group, Shifting Boundaries of the Firm, 92-126. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268160.003.0005 Science TQM, New Quality Management Principle: The Quality Management Strategy of Toyota, 2012, doi:10.2174/97816080528201120101 The Toyota Way and the Toyota Production System (TPS), 2013, The Objective is Quality, 295-328. doi:10.1201/b16067-11 Theisen, T 2010, Natural gas for power generation and the automotive market, Handbook of Fuel Cells, doi:10.1002/9780470974001.f301002 Wells, P 2015, The market for new cars, The Global Automotive Industry, 19-28. doi:10.1002/9781118802366.ch3

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Question: Describe about the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? Answer: Clinical audit is the evaluation process of practices that helps in ensuring that patients are receiving accurate treatment and proper services. This is done by measuring the services and the care provided against each research based standards thus identifying scope of improvement in the existing practice in order to deliver best services (Borbasi, 2010). Research is a systematic process of investigation in order to either increase the current knowledge or to discover new facts. Research is divided into two categories namely basic research and applied research. The aim of the basic research is to increase the scientific knowledge whereas the aim of the applied research is to utilize the basic research for problem solving and to develop new processes and techniques (https://www.rph.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Hospitals/RPH/PDFs/The_Difference_between_Clinical_Audit_and_Research%20NHS.ashx. 1.1c Clinical audit characteristics: Research characteristics: It aims at evaluating the parameters of practice to be considered as best It aims at establishing the best possible practice It is very specific to a particular patient group The design and results can be replicated Initiated by service provider group Initiated by the researchers It is practice driven It is theory driven 1.1d Project 1: Project 1 is an example of clinical audit. Here the disease and problem related to its diagnosis has already been defined. The healthcare staffs design a project plan between the primary and secondary care for the patient based upon the experiences of the patient. In research patient is a subject upon whom study is carried out and there is no involvement of the subjects in any the decision making procedure. Secondly the project 1 shows that the project designed aimed at assessing different aspects of the standards maintained from diagnosis to treatment and finally the entire management. This is a part of clinical audit where the actions and research are analyzed to find if they are appropriate or not and what is the scope to make improvements in delivering the services. Clinical audit is carried out for a specific group of patients likewise here a particular sample of patients is identified and assessed. Findings from the analysis of the questionnaires, local guidelines, the status o f secondary care, improvements to be made in the treatment and support system are some of the outcomes of the clinical audit carried out. Project 2: The project 2 is also a clinical audit. The various steps of clinical audit are planning, measurement of the performance, implementation of the changes and sustaining the improvements. In the present project, the issue considered is administration of drug, which is a crucial aspect of nursing care. This is because error in drug administration will lead to fatal consequences. There is a chain of events in administration of drug that involves different healthcare staff members. To carry out clinical audit first a specific methodology was designed which was reviewed by a designated committee. The project aimed at ensuring the accurate drug administration in a safe way, improving the clinical practice and to provide evidences to support further planning and managerial changes. Close analysis of all the planning leads to few outcomes such as a proper analysis of pre and post registration and to design a policy in order to manage and support the nurses involved in any kind of drug incident s. 1.2 The clinical governance is mechanism used to ensure high standards of clinical care are being maintained across all the NHS (McSherry, 2011). Clinical audit is one of the six elements of clinical governance the other five are education, management of risk, clinical effectiveness, research and openness. Initially clinical audit was not considered as a part of clinical governance used for measuring the quality of the clinical care given rather it was a separate process for clinically managing the activities. However it was realized that the clinical audit has several primary functions for the clinicians as it helps in shaping and managing the programs to achieve the strategic objectives of an organization. The board of clinical governance is responsible to take care of the extent of effectiveness of the functions and to carry out scrutiny of the arrangements for risk management. Clinical audit is the top priority of the board as it gives scope to increase the assurance and functions by proposing different programs to increase the trust factor between the healthcare staffs and the patients. Hence it can be said that the clinical audit is an integral part of the clinical governance in order to design a quality framework (McPherson, 2011). 2.1 The clinical audit obligations for a healthcare organization are as follows: To fill the gap between the actual care and evidence based practices in order to address the shortcomings in the safety of the patients. Healthcare staffs required to participate in the systems for quality assurance and improvement and so has to increase the opportunities of the patients to heal faster. Disciplined and ethical conduct of the healthcare staffs is required. This is because often it happens that patients do not get safe and effective care or benefit of one patient is in the expense of another patient. Hence a focused and discipline staffs will increase the effectiveness of the services provided without wasting much of the healthcare resources. Healthcare organizations also do have ethical obligations regarding medical practice and should ensure that medical staffs are bound by their professional ethics and oaths. All the healthcare staffs at their own level should constructively respond to the audit outcomes and performance reviews so as to undertake any kind of training further as and when necessary (Nouraei, 2009). 2.2 The potential advantages of clinical auditing are as follows: It offer ways to assess and improve the patient care services It helps the healthcare staffs to identify the risk factors within the services provided Regular audit helps in creating a culture of improvement in the quality in the clinical setup. For the participants it is informative process. It helps the healthcare staffs to keep themselves updated with evidence based practices. It helps in achieving job satisfaction Altogether it can improve the effectiveness and quality of the healthcare (Gupta, 2009). The involvement of healthcare staffs in carrying out clinical auditing is important as it enhances their analytical skills, helps them to gain knowledge through collaborations with colleagues. Healthcare staffs tend to learn many clinical to technical aspects of their job and to work in a dynamic group. Theoretically gaining knowledge often doesnt help healthcare staffs to take crucial decisions hence evidence based practical gain of knowledge helps in identifying real issue and to take important crucial decisions (Som, 2009). Clinical audit improves the patient care by routinely checking whether patients are getting right treatment and in a right way or not. When and as required the clinical staffs are able to take measures to improve the care and services provided to the patient. Understanding and defining the standards of patient care is very important outcome of clinical auditing. This is done when clinical staffs goes thoroughly into the records of the patient and directly collects information from them. Precise data analysis helps in gathering accurate information regarding health status of the patient which in turn helps in deciding whether the quality of care provided to the patient is acceptable or not. Depending upon the results of the quality of care being provided, further actions are taken. For example if quality of care is not found good enough then possible reasons are searched and actions are taken to improve the quality (Luxford, 2011). 3.1 Criteria and standards are the two terminologies in clinical audit that are often misunderstood. Criteria can be defined as the item for care or an aspect to perform practice for. A criterion is written as individual statement and represents the best practice that should take place in day to day operations. Whereas standards are refer in percentages. Example of criterion with respect to pharmacists is that the drugs supplied to patients should not be outdated and that of standard is that the drug should be 100% in date. 3.2 Person having diabetes should get his eye and feet checked in every 6 months and not annually. This is because a person suffering from diabetes is vulnerable to several foot problems. High diabetes tends to damage nerves and reduces the blood flow to the feet. Similarly eye check up is required in every six months as the small blood vessels in retina gets affected due to high diabetes. Damage of retinal vessels is known as retinopathy. It damages the vision and when left untreated can causes permanently blindness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). The front sheet of the patients record should consist of name of the patient, NHS number, age. However apart from this it should also consist of last diagnosis, the disease and the code of operation and the signature of the doctor attending. This is important because the next attending doctor will instantly get an idea of the present situation of patient and accordingly can plan for next diagnosis or treatment (Baorto, 2009). Flu is a common disease yet it can cause fatal consequences if not treated at right time. Mostly flu is accompanied by mild illness that which requires light medication and they can recover in less than a week time. However there are certain conditions under which the complications of flu may increase and patient will be required to hospitalize. People generally aging above 65 years need special care for flu. Administration of antiviral drugs and proper care is required as the complication of flu increases with age. The immune system of older people becomes weak compared to young and healthy adults. The seasonal diseases easily affect the weak immune system of the older people and since the immune defense system is weak, older people are not being able to revive easily from the flu symptoms often leading to death (Mereckiene, 2010). 3.3 PATIENT POPULATION AUDIT DATA COLLECTION SAMPLE 50 44 300 169 1000 278 10000 370 .3.4a The below documentation audit is developed to analyze the type of diagnosis and care is provided to patients admitted in ICU. This is important because patient in ICU requires high quality and safe nursing care. Hence nursing documentation audit is integral part of delivering good care to the patients. Name of the patient: Age: Personal details of the patient Name of the Unit referred to Ongoing medications: The nursing care plan The nursing diagnosis Nursing outcomes Nursing interventions Progress report Discharge note No Criterion Standard Source 1 Should be clear and accurate 100% Trust policy 2 In English 100% Trust policy 3 Time of entry 100% Trust policy 4 Date of entry 100% Trust policy 5 Written in dark ink and should be reproducible 100% Trust policy 6 Written in objective way 100% Trust policy 7 Relevant with the patient 100% Nursing documentation in nursing records 8 Include only personal information of the patient 100% The personal details of the patient in the patients record. 9 Accurate statements of clinical interaction 100% Evaluation notes in the nursing record. 10 Distinguish between what was observed and performed. 100% Nursing care plan in the nursing record 3.4b Data Collection Form: Name of the patient Age: Sex: Past medical history of the patient Result of any physical examination conducted before Any kind of alcohol or drug abuse Allergies Findings of physical examination Current illness Types of diagnosis carried out Recommendation made References: Baorto, D., Li, L., Cimino, J. J. (2009). Practical experience with the maintenance and auditing of a large medical ontology. Journal of biomedical informatics, 42(3), 494-503.Borbasi, S., Jackson, D., Lockwood, C. (2010). Undertaking a clinical audit.Using evidence to guide nursing practice, 2, 113-132.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 201.Gupta, V. (2009). Benefits versus risks: a prospective audit. World journal of surgery, 33(7), 1432-1438.Luxford, K., Safran, D. G., Delbanco, T. (2011). Promoting patient-centered care: a qualitative study of facilitators and barriers in healthcare organizations with a reputation for improving the patient experience. International Journal for Q uality in Health Care, 23(5), 510-515.McPherson, R. A., Pincus, M. R. (2011). Henry's clinical diagnosis and management by laboratory methods. Elsevier Health Sciences.McSherry, R., Pearce, P. (2011). Clinical governance: a guide to implementation for healthcare professionals. John Wiley Sons.Mereckiene, J., Cotter, S., D'Ancona, F., Giambi, C., Nicoll, A., Levy-Bruhl, D., ... O'Flanagan, D. (2010). Differences in national influenza vaccination policies across the European Union, Norway and Iceland 2008-2009. Euro surveillance: bulletin europen sur les maladies transmissibles= European communicable disease bulletin.Nouraei, S. A. R., OHanlon, S., Butler, C. R., Hadovsky, A., Donald, E., Benjamin, E., Sandhu, G. S. (2009). A multidisciplinary audit of clinical coding accuracy in otolaryngology: financial, managerial and clinical governance considerations under paymentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ byà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ results. Clinical Otolaryngology,34(1), 43-51.Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Leech, N. L. ( 2004). Enhancing the interpretation of significant findings: The role of mixed methods research. The Qualitative Report, 9(4), 770-792.The Difference Between Audit Research, https://www.rph.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Hospitals/RPH/PDFs/The_Difference_between_Clinical_Audit_and_Research%20NHS.ashx, retrieved on 05.04.2015Saleem, J. J., Russ, A. L., Justice, C. F., Hagg, H., Ebright, P. R., Woodbridge, P. A., Doebbeling, B. N. (2009). Exploring the persistence of paper with the electronic health record. International journal of medical informatics, 78(9), 618-628.Som, C. V. (2009). Quantity versus quality dilemma of health staff in NHS UK: Does clinical governance provide a solution?. Clinical Governance: An International Journal, 14(4), 301-314.Vadiveloo, T., Donnan, P. T., Cochrane, L., Leese, G. P. (2011). The Thyroid Epidemiology, Audit, and Research Study (TEARS): morbidity in patients with endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 96(5), 1344-1351.

Postanski ured u gradu Buje je otvoren 5 dana u tj Essays

Postanski ured u gradu Buje je otvoren 5 dana u tjednu od 08 sati ujutro do 15h popodne , osim ponedjeljkom kada je radno vrijeme do 17h. Tijekom sezone radno vrijeme se obicno produzuje do kasnih popodnevnih sati. Pored postanskih usluga , u uredu poste mozete obaviti i novcane usluge ; zamjena novca , isplata gotovine ili usluga transfera novca . Banke u Bujama su otvorene preko tjedna od 8 do 16 sati, te subotom u jutarnjim satima . Zatreba li vam neki od spomenutih postanskih ureda ili banaka , popis ce te pronaci u nastavku . Vecina benzinskih postaja u Republici Hrvatskoj radi od 6 do 22 sata , dok je uz autoceste i u vecim gradovima uobicajeno radno vrijeme od 0-24.U gradu Buje nalazi se jedna benzinska postaja koja radi sve dane u tjednu ukljucujuci i blagdane od 06 do 22 sata . Pored mogucnosti kupnje razlicitih goriva moguce je kupiti raznu ostalu robu iz asortimana ulja i maziva , te robu siroke potrosnje . Listu benzinskih postaja u okolici Buja mozete pogledati u nastavku . Vecina marketa i supermarketa u Bujama i blizoj okolici za vrijeme sezone radi svakodnevno od 08-22 sata , a van sezone od 08-20 tjednom i nedjeljom od 08-13 sati. Moguce je izvrsiti placanja gotovinom i raznim kreditnim karticama . Listu trgovina i supermarketa u Bujama mozete pogledati u nastavku .

Great Ideas that can Help all Students Write the American Dream Essay

Great Ideas that can Help all Students Write the American Dream Essay When writing your American dream essay, reflect your passion and hard work in this academic work to get high grades. There are some steps that you should take to impress readers. Picking a great topic for the American dream essay is one of the most effective strategies to use, but you need to research it carefully. Proceed with this academic assignment by reflecting different perspectives. Structure your American dream essay after learning more about the culture, life, and social trends of this mighty country. It should include your strong thesis statement that introduces key aspects. Conduct your in-depth research based on many interesting dimensions and ideas related to the American dream concept to impress teachers or instructors. How to write the best American dream essay Consider these important factors when writing the American dream essay: Sort out interesting and suitable American dream essay topics to choose a good one for your piece of writing; Use your efficient analytical skills to frame a strong thesis statement; Write a separate section with the definitions of important terms; Use relevant quotes to make your paper more appealing to readers; In a concluding paragraph, sum up major details and restate your thesis. How to create the American dream essay outline? Make the American dream essay outline by listing a topic sentence of every paragraph because it’s a simple way to ensure that all sections will serve their specific purposes. Feel free to eliminate or combine potential sections when outlining. That’s because the first draft may contain repetitive ideas or facts that have a negative impact on the central argument of your essay about American dream. If you have any problems with revising it, your outline offers an efficient way to identify the weak and strong sides of your academic paper. How to write the American dream essay introduction? An introductory paragraph prepares readers for your major argument. It should start with a discussion of your chosen American dream subject and give context to prepare them for your thesis statement, which comes at the end of this section and states the central argument or purpose of the entire paper concisely and clearly. The introduction prepares readers for your statement. Body Paragraphs Your American dream assignment should contain the main body with these basic elements: Each paragraph needs a separate topic sentence that introduces its major idea; Put enough evidence, such as expert quotes, statistics, facts, and other data to prove it; A concluding sentence should sum up all details and include smooth transitions. ASK FOR PROFESSIONAL HELP The American dream essay conclusion The American dream essay conclusion should both restate your major claim and tie it into a broader discussion. How to do that? Revisit a thesis statement and focus on finishing your paper by leaving valuable comments, offering a further study, or including a call to action instead of simply reiterating all points in the conclusion of your American dream essay. Why use a hook for American dream essay? Consider the opening sentence of your piece of writing as a catchy hook that grabs readers’ attention and allows you to reel them into it. A hook for American dream essay can be in the form of thought-provoking questions, interesting quotes, entertaining anecdotes, little-known facts, statistics, or anything else. How to choose good American dream essay topics? There are many interesting ideas that concern the American dream, but it’s hard and confusing to pick the best one. Look for something interesting and unique. Consider the following list of useful suggestions. Common topics to write about the American dream What is the American dream essay; Whether people need to judge how others achieve their American dream; The Great Gatsby American dream essay; A particular generation of people who worked a lot to make their American dream come true; Does the American dream still exist today essay; Share your personal opinion about the American dream; Is the American dream achievable essay. Narrative and descriptive topics for your American dream paper Choose a life event or accomplishment that is a part of the American dream; Explain to readers how it’s like for immigrants to achieve their American dream; Describe any person you’re familiar with who made it come true; Share your opinion if the American dream is worth pursuing. What are ideas for college and high-school students? Prejudices that ruined the American Dream; If it’s possible to revive the original American Dream; The development of the American Dream; True beneficiaries of the American Dream; Whether the American dream is a fallacy. If you’re struggling to write about the American dream, use examples below. If they aren’t enough to draft a perfect paper, get our professional assistance and order high-quality custom writing services. Hire our experienced authors to succeed. ORDER MY AMERICAN DREAM ESSAY What is the American dream essay The American dream has always been an important part of the culture and society in America. It still remains relevant in modern times. What is the American dream? It’s worth mentioning that people can’t measure it bases on what they have because they need to apply its principles to social matters and trends. The first part is the dream of abundance. It’s all about the ability to be filled with material goods. Many other countries envy a nation or consumers and producers because only a few of them can match the sheer range of goods that America makes. Think about the dream of democracy and equal rights. This concept is about people’s ability to buy goods, regardless of who they are and where they’re from, and it links back to their constitutional rights. The dream of freedom of choice is another important part. It ties back to the state constitution, which allows people to choose their own lifestyles, use different goods, and have the freedom to be who they want to be. Don’t forget about the dream of novelty. It’s all about the concept of a broadening of consumer choice and it has a huge impact on the American society today. Current skills on demand keep changing over time. It’s not necessary for people to specialize in specific areas to get along in their lives because they can be sure that there’s always a demand to niche skills to provide them with more freedom of choice. The constitution is significant for the American dream because it wouldn’t be able to persevere without this legal document. Nowadays, the American dream stays relevant. How people make it come true change, but its basic principles remain the same, and the main difference is that young people choose innovation methods to go about their pursuit. The American dream is a symbol of prosperity. Does the American dream still exist today essay Some people argue whether the American dream remains obtainable and alive. They all have unique values and lives. This means that people have different definitions of the American dream. One of the main reasons why it’s alive is that there are endless opportunities that people get on a daily basis. Many public schools provide their students with the tools and methods they require to succeed, so it’s only up to them if to use them to achieve life goals or not. What’s next? Another fact proving that the American dream exists is that people have multiple job opportunities at their disposal. Not all of them end up becoming famous lawyers or doctors, but they all can be successful and earn their living. The world is full of available opportunities. There are different jobs to choose from, such as construction workers, apprentices, electricians, technicians, lab employees, engineers, and so on. It’s not even necessary to attend any college. There are many successful and prosperous people who failed to obtain their college degree, but it didn’t stop them from making the American dream come true. Why do people feel that it’s not alive today? Most of them end up thinking this way because of the economy. America has weaker job markets and slower economic growth, and that’s why most interest rate profits don’t go to the public. The national debt is quite high, which is another contributing factor, but it results in higher taxes that help earn more revenue. The major negative effect of the national debt is increasing inflation. It can lead to lower standard of living. Despite the above-mentioned negative trends, there are positive concepts and factors proving that the American dream still exists in the modern world. Many people keep pursuing it for different reasons. Some of them want to be happy, while others prefer to get rich or achieve other life goals.

PepsiCo in 2007 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PepsiCo in 2007 - Case Study Example Natural resources essentially drop out of the competitive equation. Being born rich becomes much less an advantage than it used to be. Technology gets turned upside down. New product technologies become secondary; new process technologies become primary. PepsoCo obtains better terms from distributors and suppliers and promotes their products and services to consumers better than foreign firms because of common cultural heritage, ties, and language should be used for their greatest advantage. The main strength is new product development and product reformulation. Customers accept, reject, or alter propositions, perhaps through on-the-spot negotiations. Also, PepsiCo establishes close relations with distributors and follows aggressive acquisition strategy. The company relies on innovations and Product One strategy and strong leadership (Thompson et al 2008). For PepsiCo, Power One strategy is both a component and a determinant of the marketing mix. The company considers the life-style factors influencing product development. Urbanization, leisure, competition, discretionary income, travel, styles, tastes, automobiles, informality, and convenience have led to the emphasis on product form, readiness, packaging, combination, and selectio n convenience. For PepsiCo, product development refers to the conversion of ideas into successfully marketed products. It combines technical and marketing competence, and is concerned with strategies of programmed introduction of new products to markets as replacements for decaying ones. Since it carries out an important mission directed at corporate growth and advancement, product development should report to top management (Thompson et al 2008). Strong leadership and positive corporate culture support development and strategic growth of the company. Opportunities In implementing the product mix concept, companies are shifting away from being producing units, with set production capacities that merely broaden their line by adding similar items. They are becoming units that assess market opportunities against such criteria as rate of return on investment, and that change their facilities when the opportunities warrant it. This orientation demands a change from product rigidity to product flexibility. International expansion proposes great opportunities for PepsiCo (Thompson et al 2008). The idea is to establish effective management in multi-brand companies by developing a series of profit centers in which product executives assume responsibility for the total marketing effort for a line. This approach grows out of the inability of one executive to master the intricacies and details of marketing several dozens or hundreds of products. Product managers develop product ideas, nurture their brands, compete effectively within and outside the company , prepare budgets, work with marketing-research and advertising agencies, influence salesmen, wholesalers, and retailers, and generate sales, profits, and larger market shares. They understand and represent markets, customers, and consumers. "PepsiCo management believed international markets offered the company's greatest opportunity for growth since per capita consumption of snacks in the United States averaged 13.9 servings per month" (Gambler 2008). Weaknesses Both PepsiCo and distribution-channel members are faced with the problem of deciding the best combination

Police Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police Roles - Essay Example In the story of how the inmate overpowered the corrections officer, the inmate pleaded that he had to use the restroom. Preying on the corrections officer's compassion and empathy, the inmate was allowed to break free. The efficiency of teamwork and manpower was phenomenal in this story. "The 24/7 operational demands of a police officer's job can have serious consequences. A significant body of scientific and operational literature clearly establishes that around the clock operations can degrade safety, performance, health, mood, and alertness" (Amendola, Hamilton, Wyckoff, 2006, p. 3) In Findlay, Ohio; the police force knows all too well that the hours can be long and the job can be stressful. But in the same sense, the officers know that community involvement is key in order to keep in touch with the public. The County has started a program named NEAT (Neighborhood Enhancement & Abatement Team). The program was established in 2004, and helps deal with nuisance problems and neighborhood cleanups. In Modesto, California two police officer while on duty working on a holiday (labor day), assisted a woman in giving birth to a baby boy in a parked car, not very far from the nearest medical center. The role of social servant rings true in this story, where the call of duty was performed in an over exceeded amount of time. When officers are placed in position, like in this story, they have to keep the "victim" calm and focused, using amateur psychology tactics. In crime shows on television, such as Law & Order, SVU, The Shield, or COPS; they show a sort of distorted view of how officers have to handle situations with quick reflex's and snap decisions. What normally would take hours to handle in real life, in television the situation is under wraps in a matter of minutes. In fact, the real scenario in life takes a major amount of time in order to achieve a positive outcome. The Fine, Fading Art of Directing Traffic Albeit, it takes a certain amount of talent, the art of flowing ease, and knowing your fellow humans in order to direct traffic. It's about multi-tasking and by not bringing the spotlight on yourself as an entertainer with your orange vest and white gloves, but keeping the driver focused on the road. The role of order maintainer in this story is depicted in such a way that it seems almost glamorized. The job in itself can be dangerous, but for the most part, directing traffic is a basic act of maintaining order where there is chaos. Simple as that. In the Findlay County Police Station, they too have had to direct traffic several times. Not one officer is in charge of this, instead one is assigned from the list of officers that are on duty. Several times even while on their "beat", officers have had to come to a site and direct traffic without getting prepared until medical crews or backup has arrived. They take this

Learn to think critically Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Learn to think critically - Essay Example How do you do that without carrying out this problem-options process again and again I would like to suggest a way to stop this regress by turning an option into a step towards a goal or objective that needs to come about because of my action. What am I trying to accomplish by doing this versus that Once I have that, all the rest falls into place. For example, in this exercise, how can I answer the question of which critical thinking skill can I or should I develop more I can say one option for this problem is to stay up all night to get this paper turned in on time. Another answer is a goal, a condition or state of what it would be like that I want to have. That desired state might be something like this: I will always be prepared for the requirements of school. From this ideal, action steps (options) come, and may include for me to prioritize everyday challenges at school such that I can turn my work in on time and perhaps get better grades. The option of staying up all night for a one-page paper then is not optimal. It does not help me get to my goal or objective very well. Think of what it would mean for me. I have. Staying up late or working all night will deprive me of my beauty rest, another important goal of mine.

A Review On VBNC Bacteria

A Review On VBNC Bacteria Viable but Non-Culturable (VBNC) state is a unique survival strategy of many bacteria in environment in response to adverse environmental conditions. VBNC bacteria cant be cultured on routine microbiological media but they remain viable and retain their virulent capacity too. VBNC bacteria can be resuscitated when provided with appropriate conditions. A good number of bacteria including many human pathogens have been reported to enter VBNC state. Though, there was disputes on the existence of VBNC in past, extensive molecular studies have resolved most of them and VBNC has been accepted as distinct survival state by all. VBNC bacteria are considered as threats to public health and food safety due to their non-detectability and virulence as food and water have been reported to be contaminated with pathogens at VBNC state though conventional methods declared them as safe and clean. A number of outbreaks have also been reported where VBNC bacteria has been implicated as causative agent. Further molecular and combinatorial research in conjunction with predictive modeling are needed to elucidate the mechanisms and to identify the critical points to tackle the threat posed by VBNC bacteria with regard to public health and food safety. Key words: VBNC, Pathogen, public health, Food safety, Detection Introduction The cells that form colony in specific media are the culturable cells. Viable means metabolically or physiologically active. So the cells those are metabolically or physiologically active but cant be cultured on specific media are the viable but non-culturable cells (VBNC) (Bogosian Bourneuf, 2001). Most microorganisms growing in nature have yet to be cultured in the laboratory. In fact less than 1% of the microorganisms in natural water and soil samples are cultured in viable count procedures (Barcian Arana, 2009). In 1982, Prof. Rita Colwell and co-workers introduced the term Viable But Non-Culturable Bacterial Cells (VBNC) to distinguish particular cells that could not form colonies on solid media but obtained metabolic activity and the ability to elongate after the administration of nutrients (Xu et al., 1982). According to Oliver (1995), VBNC can be defined as a metabolically active bacterial cell that crossed a threshold in this way, for known or unknown reasons and become unable to multiply in or on a medium normally supporting its growth. Most of the bacteria that enter VBNC state are gram negative species belonging to the gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria branch, except for Rhizobium, Agrobacterium and Helicobacter-Campylobacter species (Oliver, 2000). History Debra Bashford and colleagues announced that they had recovered Vibrio cholerae from streams and drainage ditches, including sites with negligible chance of sewage contamination. Around the same lime, Rita Colwell was also finding Vibrio cholerae in Maryland. She and her coworkers showed that both this bacterium and E. coli, incubated in artificial sea water remained viable but lost the capacity to form colonies on culture media (Colwell Grimes, 2000). Soon Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella sonnie and Legionella pneumophila joined the list of organisms known to be capable of entering a state in which they failed to show up on nutrient agar yet took up substrates and signaled in other ways that they were certainly not dead. The use of laboratory media to recover and enumerate bacteria and lo link them with or absolve them from pathological and other activities became obsolete by the new discoveries and a term VBNC (viable but non-culturable) came (McDougald et al., 1998). VBNC Microorganisms that do not grow in culture methods, but which are still metabolically active and capable of causing infections in animals and plants are said to be in VBNC state. Traditional laboratory culture conditions methods cannot meet the requirements of VBNC organisms to resume growth (Yamamoto, 2000). Semi-starved bacteria usually resume growth immediately when appropriate nutrients conditions are provided. Viable but non-culturable cells will not resume growth even when nutrients are provided (NystrÃÆ'-m, 2001). VBNC cells exhibit active metabolism in the form of respiration or fermentation, incorporate radioactive substrates, and have active protein synthesis but cannot be cultured or grown on conventional laboratory media. They have been detected by observing discrepancies between plate count enumeration of bacterial population and direct staining and microscopic counts (Sachidanandham Gin, 2009). These cells may be of particular problems in the environment if they are pathogens, for example, viable but non-culturable cells of Vibrio cholerae, Enteropathogenic E. coli, Legionella pneumophila and various other bacteria have been shown to regain culturability after they have entered the intestinal tracts of animals (Colwell et al., 1996). The VBNC state is defined as a state of dormancy triggered by environmental harsh conditions, such as nutrient starvation (Cook Bolster, 2007), temperature (Besnard et al., 2002), osmotic stress (Asakura et al., 2008), oxygen availability (Kana et al., 2008), several food preservatives (Quirà ³s et al., 2009), heavy metals (Ghezzi Steck, 1999), exposure to white light (Gourmelon et al., 1994) and decontaminating processes, as pasteurization of milk (Gunasekera et al., 2002) and chlorination of wastewater (Oliver, 2005). VBNC state is believed to be a unique survival strategy of bacteria in response to environmental stresses (Oliver, 2010). It is also considered as an important reservoir of many human pathogens in the environment (Lleo et al., 2007). VBNC state has been a matter of dispute for ling since its inception, due to the difficulty of differentiation of VBNC cells dormant cells through resuscitation phenotypic studies, recent molecular studies, data of which supported the existence of VBNC state, the dispute has mostly been put to rest (Barer and Harwood, 1999). VBNC Pathogens Following list includes but not limited to pathogenic bacteria that can enter VBNC state (Oliver, 2010)- Aeromonas hydrophila, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Burkholderia cepacia, Campylobacter jejuni, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli (including EHEC), Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Streptococcus faecalis, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus (types 1 and 2) Characteristics of Bacteria in VBNC state 1. Maintain apparent cell integrity; 2. possession of some form of measurable cellular activity (Lai et al., 2009); 3. possess apparent capacity to regain culturability (Anuchin et al., 2009); 4. respond to external stimulus by specific gene expression (kell et al., 1998); 5. low metabolic activity (oliver, 2005); 6. Exhibit dwarfing (Costa et al., 1999); 7. reduced nutrient transport; 8. High ATP level and high membrane potential (Signoretto et al., 2000); 9. extensive modifications in cytoplasmic membrane fatty acid compositions (Day Oliver, 2004); 10. Changes in cell wall peptidoglycan such as increasing cross linking, increasing muropeptides bearing covalently bound lipoprotein shortening of average length of glycan strands (signoretto et al., 2002); 11. Higher autolytic capability than exponentially growing cells; 12. Plasmids are retained; 13. changed antibiotic sensitivity as metabolic activity is lower, most bacteria at VBNC state demonstrate high antibiotic resistance (Ol iver, 2010); 14. Changes in outer-membrane protein profile (Muela et al., 2008); 15. Continuous gene expression (Maalej et al., 2004) etc. Conditions stimulating VBNC state In the environment, bacterial cells can enter VBNC state may be due to- 1. Lack of nutrients; 2. Lack of temperatures; 3. High pressure; 4. Sharp changes in pH or salinity (Cunningham et al., 2009); 5.damage to or lack of an essential cellular component; 6. DNA damage; 7. activation of lysogenic phages or suicide genes such as sok/hak or autolysins (Aizenman et al., 1996); 8. Nutrient starvation; 9. incubation outside the normal temperature range of growth; 10. elevated or lower osmotic concentrations; 11. oxygen concentrations (Mascher et al., 2000); 12. food preservatives; 13. Heavy metals (Del Campo et al., 2009); 14. exposure to white light; 15. pasteurization of milk (Gunasekara et al., 2002); 16. chlorination of wastewater (Oliver, 2005) etc. Public health significance of VBNC Though virulence of bacteria in VBNC state is still not very clear, many believed that pathogens in VBNC state are unable to induce infection/disease but still retain their virulent properties has potential to cause disease infection following resuscitation and resume of active metabolic state, which occurs when they pass through host animal (Baffone et al., 2003). The VBNC state appears to be the common to many bacteria especially those which have aquatic habitats, and may represent a mechanism to survive adverse environmental factors as temperature, salinity etc. or have a means of inducing cross protection against other adverse factors (Du et al., 2007). Among these bacteria entering this state are many significant human pathogens and indicator bacteria of these pathogens; such cells may represent a public health hazard and may be a factor in human health and/or disease (Rivers Steck, 2001). Even today, it is still not possible to cultivate most bacterial species directly from the environmental samples or after exposure of previously culturable cells to environmental conditions unfavorable for growth and multiplication in vitro. The passage of VBNC through an appropriate animal host will induce return of culturability. Even these VBNC bacteria retain their pathogenicity and may trigger life in vivo and thus cause severe disease (Sardessai, 2005). Under normal condition it is not possible to culture or detect VBNC. Many diagnostic laboratory set up does not have sufficient molecular facilities to detect VBNC. In case of food and water quality control test, such VBNC may not be detected. Even some indicator of some pathogenic bacteria undergoes VBNC state and may remain undetected (Signoretto et al., 2004). Upon consuming such food or after drinking such water, one may be infected by those VBNC that can trigger life as well as pathogenicity (Adams et al., 2003). Thus, environmental and clinical samples no longer can be considered free from pathogens if culturing yields negative results. For the general public, the presence of VBNC in water and food may be related to low-grade infections or so called aseptic infection. For example, Vibrio cholerae O1 in the surface water remain as non-culturable state. These water sources are used for domestic purpose regularly and posed a risk of infection (Edwards, 2000). When conditions are not favorable for growth then it transforms to the non-culturable state in association with crustacean copepods. Persistence of Vibrio cholerae in water in the VBNC state is an important public health factor, since detection will not be successful if only conventional cultural methods are used (Barer et al., 1993). Similarly, Shigella can undergo VBNC state in water but become a threat when enter in human body. Thus it is important to recognize that non-culturable bacteria are capable of producing diseases. The first evidence of pathogenicity of non-culturable cells was the demonstration of fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loop assay (RICA) by VBNC Vibrio cholerae O1, followed by human volunteer experiments (Amel et al., 2008). VBNC E. coli non-culturable cells were re-isolated after passage through rabbit ileal loops 4 days post inoculation and chick embryos died when injected with non-culturable cells of Legionella pneumophila, led to the conclusion that VBNC pathogens remain potentially pathogenic. So, VBNC has a huge significance in public health care (Cappelier et al., 2007). Previous studies indicated that a good number of pathogenic bacteria can survive food water treatment processes persist as well as retain virulence in processed food, pasteurized milk, potable water environment (Colwell et al., 2000). Many evidences suggested that recurrent urinary tract infections in many individuals are caused by uropathogenic E. coli cells which remain in VBNC state (Anderson et al., 2004) thus resistant to antibiotic treatment cause reinfection when resuscitate back to active metabolic state (Steck, 2001; Mulvey et al., 2001). Studies also showed that uropathogenic E. coli retain enteropathogenicity at VBNC state through continued production of enterotoxin (Pommepuy et al., 1996). Nilsson et al. (2002) showed that VBNC Helicobacter pylori cells can express virulence factors such as cagA, vacA and vreA. All these above evidence proved that many deathly pathogenic strains not only enter but also persist survive in VBNC state in environment most of them remain infectious as well. VBNC state of foodborne bacteria- a challenge in food safety Many evidences suggested presence of VBNC bacteria in food (Ordax et al., 2009). For example, in stored wine, acetic acid and lactic acid bacteria entered VBNC state as consequence of lack of oxygen and presence of sulphites, respectfully (Millet and Lonvaud-Funel, 2000). Food and its surrounding environment is a complex system, in which physic-chemical characterisitcs (pH, aw, chemical composition) and environmental factors (storage temperature and time, decontamination treatments, packaging under modified atmosphere) act simultaneously on contaminating bacteria (Sun et al., 2008). For example, it has been demonstrated that refrigerated pasteurized grapefruit juice induced VBNC state in E. coli O157:H7 and S. typhimurium within 24 hours of incubation (Nicolo et al., 2011). Again, Gunasekera et al. (2002) reported that in pasteurized milk which have undergone thermal treatment, contaminating bacteria such as E. coli and Pseudomonas putida enter into VBNC state but retained transcription and translation machineries. Several foodborne outbreaks has been reported in Japan, where pathogen such as Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (Asakura et al., 2002) and E. coli O157 (Makino et al., 2000) in food in VBNC state were responsible for the outbreak. Therefore, the role of food and treatment for food preservation in induction of VBNC state has to be elucidated. Predicitve models offered by biomathematics and bioinformatics would be very helpful tools, in order to evaluate the possibility that, under certain conditions, pathogen bacteria contaminating a tipology of food may enter the VBNC state (Fakruddin et al., 2012). Methods of detection of VBNC bacteria 1. Bright Field Microscopy with Nalidixic acid For detection of Bright-field or light microscopic is usually used. Cell division inhibitor such as nalidixic acid (20-40 mg/L) is used to stop cell division. After such treatment the viable cells, which actively growing, will be appeared as lengthen and the non-viable/ metabolically inactive cell will remain as it is. The cells are then observed under microscope. Viable cells will be seen as elongated whereas VBNC/ dormant cells will be seen as oval and large. 2. Fluorescent Microscopy Various fluorescent staining procedures are used in combination with other procedure to determine VBNC organisms. Frequently used stains are Acridine orange, 4,6- Diamino-2-phenyl indole (DAPI), Fluorescein isothiocyanante (FITC), Indophenyl-nitrophenyl-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT), 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) etc (Villarino et al., 2000). Table: Fluorescent dyes used for detection of VBNC bacteria Dye Mechanism Reaction Acridine orange Acridine orange stain cells depending on the ratio of DNA to protein in the cells Actively reproducing cells appear green but slow-grower or non-reproducing cells at time of staining appear orange Di-amino-phenyl-indole (DAPI) Living cells look green under fluorescent microscope Indophenyl-nitrophenyl-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT) INT deposit red dye in cells that have active dehydrogenase and thus determine which of the observed cells are metabolically active INT react with dehydrogenase enzyme to produce formazone and red color, thus living cells appear red. Nalidixic acid (NA) Lengthen metabolically active cells, VBNC cells remain as it is Cells that are dividing appear to be longer in size than VBNC Fluorescein isothiocyanante (FITC) Enzyme activity in living cell FITC stain living cells violet or blue In recent years, a new differential staining assay, the BacLight ® Live/Dead assay, has been developed. The assay allows to simultaneously count total and viable (metabolically active) cells, by using two nucleic acid stains, that is green-fluorescent SYTO ® 9 stain and red-fluorescent propidium iodide stain. SYTO ® 9 propidium iodide has significant difference in their cell membrane penetration capability. SYTO ® 9 stains both live and dead bacteria whereas propidium iodide penetrates only bacteria having damaged membranes. When used together, propidium iodide reduces SYTO ® 9 fluorescence in staining dead bacteria with damaged membranes. As a result, viable bacteria with intact membranes fluoresce green while dead bacteria with damaged membranes fluoresce red (Rowan, 2011). 3. Gene probe / oligonucleotide probe / hybridization: Molecular analysis can also be used to study non-culturable microorganisms in nature. Oligonucleotide probes of l8-20 nucleotides are proving most useful because they hybridize rapidly to specific DNA sequences of target organisms. These gene probes can reveal closely related organisms or organisms with similar functional capabilities. Especially useful for the analyses of rRNA that demonstrate the presence of diverse microbial populations whose phylogenetic relationships can be ascertained by comparison with rRNA sequences from previously described microorganisms (Josephson et al., 1993). Blotting: There are different types of blotting such as colony blot, slot blot, dot blot and southern blot. The principle of blotting is the use of radio- or non-radioactive or fluorescence labeled probe (DNA/RNA/Antibody) to detect VBNC cells directly from the environmental samples. Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH): In situ hybridization is an alternative format for hybridization probes in which fluorescence labeled DNA or RNA probes are hybridized with target nucleic acids in whole, permeabilized cells. The application of this method to the detection of single microbial cells by using rRNA-targeted probes in combination with epifluorescent microscopy has been developed. This is done through selective targeting of regions of rRNA, which consist of conserved and variable nucleotide regions. By choosing the appropriate rRNA probe sequence, FISH can be used to detect all bacterial cells (a universal probe) or a single population of cells (a strain specific probe) of VBNC. It has lower sensitivity and cannot distinguish live and dead cells. 4. Molecular techniques: Hybridization probes and DNA/RNA amplification: Hybridization probes are nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) which have been (a) chemically or radioactively labeled and are used to detect complementary target DNA/RNA. Hybridization assay DNA/ RNA probes form a stable double stranded structure with target nucleic acid via H-bonding between complementary bases. Amplification of targets: DNA Based methods: Specific amplification of DNA targets in bulk DNA extracts from environmental and clinical samples permits detection of specific organisms or groups of related organisms without the need to cultivate them. DNA recovery procedures do not discriminate between culturable and non-culturable forms of the target organisms- all cells with intact amplification targets will be detected. Confocal laser microscopy in combination with fluorescence-based hybridization assays, also provide a more sensitive method for detecting and identifying VBNC organisms. RNA based methods: Due to the failure of distinguishing between dead or live cells by DNA-based methods, the mRNA level may be a valuable estimate of gene expression and/or cell viability under different conditions (Lleo et al., 2000). RT-PCR: RT-PCR (Reverse Transcriptase PCR) can distinguish between Live and dead cell. This is possible because this is an mRNA based method and mRNA is short lived (half-life less than 1 minute), mRNA is only present in metabolically active cells, not found in nature after the cell death. By this method we can study community relationship and can also detect non-culturable but active or live cells. DNase enzyme is used during the isolation of RNA from environmental samples. Reverse transcriptase and random primers are added to the reaction mixture and the RNA in the sample (both RNA and rRNA) is transcribed into DNA. PCR is then use to amplify the specific sequence of interest (Pai et al., 2000). Is the concept of VBNC is a misnomer? By extending the concept of bacterial self-suicide scientists tried to explain what happens when cells are exposed to chemical and physical injury (Forsman et al., 2000). Thus VBNC organisms came alongside with those, which do not grow in ordinary media but which do grow when offered selective or enrichment media. They said, Such cells are not un-culturable they wrote We are simply failing to provide appropriate conditions to support culture (Sinton, 2006). The reasons, which made the term, VBNC a misnomer are as follow: 1. VBNC bacteria semi-starved bacteria very often mimic each other. Semi-starved bacteria resume growth if provided with appropriate nutrients conditions. But viable but non-culturable bacteria do not resume growth even though nutrients are provided. VBNC cells become too starved to grow on nutrient rich medium directly. This phenomenon resembles a widely accepted condition termed substrate accelerated death (Heim et al., 2002). These starved VBNC cells require an adjustment period to allow phenotypic adaptation back to normal growth state (Epstein, 2009). Sudden shift to nutrient enriched media imbalances metabolic networks of the cells resulting formation of DNA damage agents such as super-oxide free radicals causing cell death (Barer Harwood, 1997). 2. There is yet no complete and perfect media to isolate arid culture all the organisms from environment. 3. Cells are usually-injured or stressed or starved condition in natural environment. So complete system has been devised to enrich or resuscitated the VBNC cells. Culture condition that can be applied in laboratory is not sufficient to recover all microorganisms i.e. yet it is not possible to provide or stimulate exact environmental conditions in the laboratory. Conclusion From the above discussions, it is evident that a number of non-spore forming human pathogenic bacteria enter VBNC state with maintained cellular structure biology persistent gene expression but remain non-culturable by traditional cultural techniques. Thet can survive revert to culturable conditions when provided with appropriate conditions. It is also evident that VBNC bacteria pose significant threat to both public health and food safety. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism to combat the threat of VBNC in future.

Analysis of Centaur Abducting Woman with Fallen Lapith Man Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the most interesting period in Greek sculpture is the Classical period. During this glorious period of unbelievable craftsmanship, numerous pieces celebrated the Greek’s infatuation with fable and war. The sculpture, nicely titled Centaur Abducting Lapith Woman and Fallen Lapith Man, is a wonderful symbol of the artistic period and image of war. Sculpted somewhere around 447-438 B.C., the sculpture was carved out of solid marble to produce a beautiful, and yet horrifying scene from a battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This sculpture was most likely the artist’s attempt to capture the essence of some fable that had been passed down through the generations. Perhaps more likely, it could have been the artist’s own imagination that fathomed the macabre beauty of the rendered scene. The sculpture is done in high relief, carved out of a solid block of marble. The lines and curves of the sculpture give each character within it great definition. It almost appears though, from the way in which the centaur holds the woman, that he has no head. This adds to the already existing complexity of the sculpture. It is very similar to other sculptures of the Classical period in the way that it depicts a man at death’s doorstep, and a woman being abducted. It seems to be a reoccurring theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sculpture is done in a monochromatic brown hue. It depicts a valiant centaur with a Lapith woman slung over his shoulder. A Lapith...

Styles of Policing

Legalistic style of policing is more bureaucratic and professional. This style tends to impose the rule of law on all sections of the society in an unbiased manner. Closer scrutiny and evaluation methodology led to increase in the legalistic style where law enforcement and intervention in certain circumstances is practiced. Police men do a lot of research, planning and are actively involved in community relations department to manage relations and act as a responsible law enforcement agency.This style followed the initial watchman style of policing where instead of having been arrested for having liquor in a restricted area, the offender might have been given street justice by the police. Watchman style of policing also left a lot to be desired as it was more prone to political intervention. Hence the legalistic style of policing focuses on upholding the rule book while taking an unbiased view of the situation. Service style of policing is more lenient than legalistic style with the latter being more rule based.It intervenes in a proactive manner where there is a need but this is an informal act at most times. The idea is to prevent petty criminals to become hard core offenders and have a compassionate view of the community. Drug rehabilitation and treatment might be an option that police might consider under this style rather than go for legal provisions for punishing minor offenders. The citizens are treated as customers with great care taken to ensure that people are treated with courtesy and that the police goes to great length to ensure the comfort of citizens.This style of policing leads to a very image conscious police force. It also leads to a less risk based approach in dealing with problems unlike other styles which might use an operational style. Team style of policing is based on the concept of neighborhood policing which got popularized in 1970’s. The idea is based on working closely with communities in focused smaller teams that leads to hi gher degree of trust and cooperation between all involved. The police unlike in other scenarios have a visible, familiar and accessible perception.Strategic policing relates to having a more proactive style of policing. This style of policing relies a bit on the information channels that it has build and acts in a silent and behind the scene manners when needed. Problem solving style deals with issues that can be solved within the legal and a community engagement framework. The objective is to deal with problems that might not necessarily come in the legal gambit and also to look for alternatives other than arresting offenders.Police needs to recognize that legal provision to arrest is just one of the tools to deal with a problem. There could be other legal provisions or an opportunity to have a dialogue with stakeholders concerned and come to a logical conclusion. One another aspect of problem solving style is to reduce constant offending by a select few people of the community. Th e police communicate with the community, gathers and analyzes information, creates solution in consultation with the community and helps in implementation of these plans.

The Mexican Drugs Cartels

The Mexican Drugs Cartels Mexico City is well known for drug trafficking which took place smoothly without any interference. The emergence of the Mexican drug cartels was initiated by Miguel ngel Fà ©lix Gallardo, who was a Judicial Federal Police agent in Mexico in the 1980s.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Mexican Drugs Cartels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The drug trafficking was easily achieved because he developed a wells of the illegal drugs traded Mexico’s drug cartels are known to control nearly 70 percent of the total traded illegal drugs in the United States. Among the major drugs traded include, cannabis sativa and methamphetamine as well as heroin. Additionally, it is estimated that 90 percent of the total cocaine supplied to the United States come from Mexico having been produced in Columbia. This is estimated to earn them approximately $13.6 billion to $48.4 billion on yearly basis. Recent research findings revea l that the Mexican economy would drop considerably by 63 percent should drug trading be cleared completely (Randal, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Mexican Drugs Cartels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Current cartels Apparently, there are two major alliances of drug dealers in operation since February 2010; one composed of Tijuana cartel, Los Zetas, Juarez cartel and Beltrn-Leyva Cartel‎‎, and the other one made of Sinoloa cartel, Gulf and La Familia cartel (Randal, 2009). Transnational organized crime (TOC) It is also referred to as transnational crime, which is planned offense, practiced across national borders between states. Transnational organized crime is dreaded most because of its deleterious effect on national security affecting social, economic, and political development of the society. Some of the planned offences include human trafficking, trafficking of firearms, drugs trafficki ng, money laundering, trafficking of migrants where the most prevalent one is peddling of drugs which attracts huge profits. There is a dire need for the governments to cooperate with UNODC in finding a solution to the impending problem as well as prevent further development of these offences (Fukumi, 2008). The increased involvement in trade between nations because of modernization and globalization has paved way for more involvement in criminal activities. However, the ancient form of governance has ceased, replacing it with loose networks that are now dominant in the drugs trafficking. It has been observed that these organized crime â€Å"groups involved in drug trafficking are commonly engaged in smuggling of other illegal goods† (Stares, 1996). Indeed, the fight against these well-established or organized gangs is an uphill task since these groups are deeply entrenched and are hard to dislodge. Some of the recommendations to curb their operations may include use of elect ronic gadgets to fast track the criminals, carrying out impromptu inspections of people and vehicles, enacting tighter rules of disclosing criminal activities (Seelke, 2010). The effect after government interference This took effect when Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched war against drugs in an effort to combat the violent crimes that were committed by the drug traffickers. Both the military forces and the police came together to cut back the brutal murders as security was an issue all over Mexico. However, this has not borne much success as corruption of the government officers has led to the criminals being set free (Randal, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The current status of the state is that of an incompetent government which has no power over these criminals; indeed, the state is now in panic as brutal blood shedding and violence are the norm of the day as more powerful, wealthier and influential gangs of drugs have come up to bribe the police force leading to escalation of crime. However, the government has not given up; it is determined to recruit more honest and reliable police and military forces to execute justice and good governance. The government is also strategizing on setting up federal police troops who would campaign against drugs as a way of reforming the corrupt groups. The government has incurred a lot of expenses in quest for security and peace in Mexico. The war on drugs has so far adversely affected the economy of Mexico as the government tries to curb the impending crimes (Rakrf, 2008). In addition, the Mexican government faces a great challenge of gaining confidence in the state as drug trafficking is so much entrenched in the peoples’ daily life as it brings much more food on the table than any other source of income. Conclusion It is quite clear that the fight against these forms of organized crimes will never end as long as the enacted laws have been breached or are not well established. The fight against its further penetration into the less prevalent areas has not been very successful. This may partly be attributed to lack of cooperation among states to prevent consumption of hard drugs, and partly because of corruption among government officials (Seelke, 2010). More stringent laws should be enforced on the criminals and drug policies should be re-examined to ensure there is no loophole left for drug traffickers to operate. On the other hand, the government should strive to provide the necessary machinery that is lacking in the society, which makes them result to crimes, as well as try to eliminate unemployment, under-development, poverty, over-population, tribalism, environm ental deprivation and illiteracy (Stares, 1996). References Fukumi, S. (2008). Cocaine trafficking in Latin America: EU and US policy responses. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Grayson, G. (2010). Mexico: narco-violence and a failed state? Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Randal, C. A. (2009). Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over, Alarming U.S. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/us/23border.html Rakrf, J. (2008). Calderon defends war on cartels. Retrieved from https://mexicoinstitute.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/calderon-defends-war-on-cartels/ Seelke, C. R. (2010). Latin America and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and U. S. Counterdrug Programs. NY: DIANE Publishing. Stares, P. B. (1996). Global habit: the drug problem in a borderless world. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press.

The Best AP US History Books Full Expert Reviews

The Best AP US History Books Full Expert Reviews SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Need some help studying for AP US History? Look no further. In this post, we cover the best AP US History books, from textbooks to prep books, and even study tools such as flashcards and websites. Read on to get the best help you can get for studying for the AP US History exam. Best AP US History Textbook: The American Pageant, 16th Edition Amazon Price: $130 for hardcover, $70 for eTextbook As we covered in our review of the best AP US History textbooks, The American Pageant is far and away the most popular APUSH textbook. Not only does it include all the material you must know for the AP US History exam, but it also has lots of helpful tools, including timelines at the end of chapters to help you get down dates and primary sources to help you prepare for the Document-Based Question (DBQ). What's more, The American Pageant reads more like a novel than it does a textbook, so many students find it more engaging than your usual US history class readings. (That said, if you want a more straightforward textbook, check out our textbook review post and also keep reading for our thoughts on APUSH prep books.) To take a brief example, this is what The American Pageant section introducing Christopher Columbus reads like: "Onto this stage stepped Christopher Columbus. This skilled Italian seafarer persuaded the Spanish monarchs to outfit him with three tiny but seaworthy ships, manned by a motley crew. Daringly, he unfurled the sails of his cockleshell craft and headed westward. His superstitious sailors, fearful of venturing in the oceanic unknown, grew increasingly mutinous. After six weeks at sea, failure loomed when, on October 12, 1492, the crew sighted an island in the Bahamas. A new world thus swam within the vision of Europeans." This definitely sounds like a novel! In comparison, here's a more straightforward textbook introduction of Columbus (from the APUSH textbook Making America): "Eager to capitalize on the new technology and knowledge, Christopher Columbus, an ambitious sailor from the Italian port city of Genoa, approached John II of Portugal in 1484 and asked him to support a voyage westward from Portugal, to the East Indies. The king refused when his geographers warned that Columbus had underestimated the distance. Undeterred, Columbus peddled his idea to various European governments over the next several years but found no one willing to take the risk. Finally, in 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella's defeat of the Moors provided Columbus with an opportunity." Pageant is also a favorite of many teachers of the AP US History class (the textbook is mentioned on tons of blogs and reviews from AP US History teachers). So if you’re without a textbook for AP US History, you’re a teacher shopping around for materials with which to teach your class, or you just want some extra study material, this is the best APUSH textbook to get. You can rent the latest edition of Pageant for around $30 on Amazon. But here's another tip: you can usually buy used older editions for a lot less. Since this book doesn’t change dramatically between editions, buying a used older edition of it is a great way to get a super cheap and useful textbook for your AP US History studies. Best AP US History Review Book: Cracking the AP US History Exam, 2019 Premium Edition Amazon Price: $15-$20 for paperback If you’re looking for a book to help you thoroughly review for the APUSH test, Cracking the AP US History Exam is your best bet. (Note that a prep book does NOT replace a textbook you would use during the school year- it’s a big-picture overview, not a teacher!) This book has clean, concise, readable summaries of key AP US history points and events to help jog your memory and review what you need to know for the exam. The summaries are quick and to-the-point, so you don't have to slog through tons of pages. This book also contains end-of-chapter review questions to help you retain information as you move through it. Not only does Cracking the AP US History Exam cover all the historical information for the APUSH exam, but it also spends ample time explaining the exam essays, including the tricky document-based question. So basically, the book preps you for the AP US History exam's material and helps you get ready for the exam itself. The 2019 premium edition of the book also includes five full practice tests, which tend to be more challenging than the actual AP test. But this is good since it means you'll get the best AP practice possible. (Some prep books have the opposite problem in that their practice tests are too easy, causing you take the real test somewhat unprepared.) Cracking the AP US History Exam also offers many helpful strategies for tackling multiple-choice questions and clearly explains how many raw points you should aim for to pass the test (get at least a 3) or ace it (get a 5), depending on your goal. This info is extremely useful in helping you develop a strategy for the AP US History exam. Finally, the book provides you with access to the online AP Student Tools portal for more practice, study plans, and up-to-the-minute information about the test. Perhaps the only major downside (if you consider it one) is that The Princeton Review's angle is to paint the AP US History test as a bogeyman, with the tone coming off a bit snarky. (I personally like Princeton Review books for this reason, but I know others might prefer materials that are less biased against the test.) Other AP US History Book Mini-Reviews If you’re not a big fan of The Princeton Review’s angle or if you just want another prep book, here's a brief overview of some other quality APUSH books on the market and their pros and cons. Based on your study needs, you can pick out the best prep book (or books!) for you. Kaplan's AP US History Prep Plus, 2018-2019 Edition Amazon Price: About $15 for paperback, $16 for Kindle Kaplan's latest AP US History book gives you tons of practice, thanks to the three full practice tests it includes. The practice tests reflect the recent AP US History redesign, unlike some past popular favorites which had been criticized for not accurately updating their practice tests (for example, the books 5 Steps to a 5 and Crash Course). However, some students worry that many of Kaplan's APUSH practice tests are too easy, with direct questions about the date of events, or DBQs focused mainly on cartoons/images rather than written sources. In addition, the book lacks answer explanations to the multiple-choice questions in the practice tests, making it difficult to determine where you went wrong. Verdict: This is a great book for extra exam practice, but it's not the best source for a clean and accurate US history summary. While this shouldn't be your main AP US History review book, you can definitely use it as a supplementary resource in your prep. AP US History Crash Course, 4th Edition Amazon Price: About $13 for paperback, $10 for Kindle AP US History Crash Course is the fastest read in terms of APUSH books, so it's probably the best choice if you’re in a pinch! Crash Course is known for being very clear and concise. The drawback here is that there's only one practice test, meaning both The Princeton Review and Kaplan give you better bang for your buck in terms of test practice. Verdict: This is a great book for a quick review of AP US History topics and strategies, but it's not a great book if you want lots of practice. If you have a teacher who gives tons of practice exams and all you need is a brief review of the material on the APUSH test, this is a good book for you. AMSCO's United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination, 2018 Edition Amazon Price: About $25 for paperback AMSCO's AP US History book has decent reviews and well-written chapter tests that are similar to the actual AP test; however, it only comes with one full practice test at the end of the book, so it might not be the best deal out there. The biggest drawback is that for some reason the student edition of this AP US History book doesn’t automatically come with an answer key. It's also apparently hard to order an answer key for the practice questions. Only teachers can order the answer keys, so if you want them you will have to find a way to ship them to your school. Verdict: Since practice tests are only useful tools when you can review the answers, unless you want to go out of your way to order this book and the answer key, we suggest one of the other prep books on this list to save yourself the trouble. Barron's AP United States History, 4th Edition Amazon Price: About $15 for paperback, $20-25 for Kindle Think of Barron's as the jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none: it has a decent summary of the AP US History test and five full-length practice tests (two in the book, three online); that said, it's not as snappy and readable as The Princeton Review and it's not as concise as Crash Course. This might be your best bet if you want a second prep book or if you're looking for access to lots of AP practice tests, but it probably shouldn’t be your first choice. Verdict: You should buy a prep book with a clear goal in mind: either for all-around review and practice (Princeton Review), fast and efficient AP review (Crash Course), or tons of practice tests (Barron's). Best Free Study Tool: Online AP US History Quizzes Just looking for multiple-choice practice and lots of it? Our AP US History exam guide offers a compilation of the best AP US History quizzes, gathered from textbooks' websites and other free resources. Altogether, we've found hundreds of quizzes you can take to learn more about each major era of US History. This is a great way to review parts of US History you don’t remember that well or to get an overall review for the AP US History Test. The drawback here is that these questions are not AP multiple-choice; they are multiple-choice questions from various textbooks and websites, so the style is somewhat different. In addition, many of these quizzes are focused on just one era of US history, so you don’t get the wide range of questions you'll see on the actual AP exam. Still, these quizzes will help you master specific eras of US history for the actual AP test. I highly recommend checking them out! Best Study Tool to Buy: Barron’s AP United States History Flash Cards, 3rd Edition Amazon Price: About $15 Barron's AP US History flash card set is a great way to review key facts, dates, and figures for the AP exam. Flash cards are an excellent learning tool, and these will save you the hours it would take you to make your own. This set gives you 500 cards that quiz you on everything, from the exploration period to present day. These cards are divided into seven general categories: Arts and Sciences, Domestic Policies, Presidential Matters, Wars and Foreign Relations, Economy and Business, Legal Issues, and Society and Culture. All cards are numbered and labeled, so you can quiz yourself by time period or category, which will help you focus your studying. They even come with a metal ring so you can choose which cards to take with you and study. These are a great choice if you want to be able to study on the go! The only downside is that there's quite a bit of information on each card, so some people might find that they're more like informational cards than they are true flash cards. Best Study Website: AP Study Notes AP Study Noteshas detailed notes on every era of US history, taken from The American Pageant- and it’s completely free! This is a great resource if you want to brush up on a particular era of US history before the AP test in May. Our blog can also help you prepare for any in-class AP US History tests. You can get a detailed breakdown of each era in our AP US History study notes article. Bottom Line: How to Study for the AP US History Test There are lots of potential resources you can use to study for the AP US History exam, including textbooks, prep books, flash cards, websites, and more. Don’t feel as though you have to use them all to get a high score, though. On the contrary, you should find a resource or two you find particularly helpful and use it consistently. As long as you pace yourself and give yourself plenty of time to study and practice, you'll be more than prepared when you sit for the AP US History exam in May! What’s Next? Get more information about the AP program- what the hardest and easiest classes are, when the exams are this year, and whether taking AP classes is worth it. Taking AP US History this year? We also suggest you take the SAT Subject Test in US History if you’re applying to colleges that require/highly recommend SAT Subject Tests. You can read more about SAT Subject Tests, and why you should take them, right here. Learn about checks and balances in the US government, the executive branch's checks on the judicial branch, the Platt Amendment, and lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis with our expert breakdowns. Also studying for the SAT/ACT? Learn the best time in your high school career to take the SAT/ACT for the first time, and get tips on how long you should study for the SAT/ACT. Want to relax with some off-the-beaten-APUSH-path history explorations? We'll teach you about the invention of the 3-hole punch, the history of hip hop, and the twists and turns of the Loomis Fargo heist. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: