MRP5 - Methodology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MRP5 - Methodology - Assignment Example However, it will adopt the use of ethnographic study, case study and survey research designs. These will help in analyzing and describing all the necessary data about the target population’s history, behaviors and responses through the use and analysis of the available primary and secondary sources. Thus, the research will be valid, authentic and reliable. As the foundation of education, elementary school needs to be under a good management. This is the only ay through which it can help in preparing learners to be well-groomed and competitive students as they proceed to the middle school, high school and college. However, many cases of poor performance have been experienced in the past especially in the American elementary schools. One of the reasons for this has been lack of motivation to the teachers. This paper will conduct an intensive research to find out if it is really true that elementary school teachers produce dismal performances because they are demoralized. Hence, the research will be a useful one since it will help in giving out recommendations aimed at rectifying the situation. The vastness of education sector means that it has a very large population. With interest groups ranging from learners, teachers, school administrators, school management boards, Department of Education officials and the general public, it means that the list of participants will e so big. However, to save on time and costs, the researcher will have to use a purposive sampling procedure. It will help in identifying the proportionate population sample to rely upon as the representative sample for the entire target population. Giving each participant an equal opportunity to participate in the study will definitely make it bias-free. The hypothesis of this study will be: To what extent does the motivation of teachers influence the performance of teaching staffs in American

Engineering technology and sustainbility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Engineering technology and sustainbility - Essay Example It can be said that technological improvements are due to two reasons; one is the requirement or the necessity of such a product and the other reason is when an opportunity presents itself. It was by a natural process by which farmers around the world learned the methods of practising irrigation and also developed mechanisms to conserve the water which would be available at irregular periods during the year. (Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) Sometimes opportunities present itself like the case of a Chinese princess who accidentally dropped a silkworm cocoon into a cup of hot tea. The events that unfolded thereafter led to the production of silk. Another example is that of tin being discovered in Anatolia. This led to the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Middle East. (Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) The strategic locations of certain advanced civilizations with other developing civilizations was also a contributing factor since mutual exchange of ideas led to mo re technological advances taking place in both regions. Abbasid Empire which had its communication channels open through the Mediterranean Ocean and the Indus River valley had a robust growth in technology. In this scenario Papua and New Guinea who were one of the earliest civilizations to practise farming bananas never had any major technological advancement since it was cut off from major developing regions.( Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) Communication between different regions then manifested itself in many forms. Since man was always restless, the desire for mobility led him to discover the motor vehicle. This then further led to the development of the steam engine and finally the aeroplane. Source: www.eastgwillimburywow.blogspot.com This is not the only form how communication has kept changing. The advent of information technology which stands as the next best thing about the Scientific Revolution has brought about advanced computing methods which the revolutioniz ed the communication field. (Advancing Technology, 2005) Several patterns of thinking have brought about this change in information technology. Compared to the human the computer was capable of doing more work at a lower cost. The degree of accuracy obtained was of a higher quality compared to the same work done by the human hand. (Mahoney Michael et al, 1998) The time involved in such an exercise was also a small percentage of the time required to do it manually. Modern computing methods apart from offering the above advantages also increase the quality of life as a whole. Advanced computing has brought about a large degree of automation thus effectively reducing mishaps caused due to human negligence. Forecasting weather, information on the radar regarding approaching ships and banking transactions are some of the areas that information technology is playing a vital role. Source: U.S. Army Photo" Console of BRLESC-II computer, front view, from the archives of the ARL Technical Lib rary However technology has its share of criticisms. Primarily, it defines what a person should possess in order to be seen as successful in society. (Forman Paul, 2007) The answer which most would give are items that have an element of luxury like cars, television, electronic gadgets. This leads to man having materialistic leanings and unhealthy egos. Technology also tends to tamper with the laws governed by nature which produces a backlash in the natural

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill and Women’s Movement Essay John Stuart Mill was born in London in 1806. He became renowned as an economist, a writer, a philosopher and senior personnel in the East India Company (EIC). John Stuart Mill rendered much of his life time to a prominent activist working for women’s rights and movements. The Beginning The history which links Mill to the feminist movement dates back to the year 1851 when he married to a widow named Harriet Taylor and got settled in Blackheath Park. This place is said to be his spot from where a number of influential writings that advocated women’s right were written, which subsequently became popular worldwide. The Victorian Womens Movement in England is also said to reach to this very place of Mill in the hope of counseling, headship and financial assistance (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill started working for the women’s cause after getting married to Taylor. As a matter of fact, he had to be subtle in participating in reform movements while being a member of the EIC. This is the reason he had to use his pen to work for the purpose. Mill retired from the East India Company in 1858. The first popular writing that he have with his name was written in 1860 and 1861 entitled as The Subjection of Women, which he did not give to publish as yet (Sunshine for Women, 2003). The Breakthrough In the year 1865, Mill was asked to stand at one of the positions for the parliament, the offer which was readily accepted by him. The agreement was basically, on the basis of the platform’s top most agenda as to give women rights to vote along with other equality rights. Following Mill’s enthusiasm for the cause and seeing his participation, different other women’s rights organizations approached him for his support. In due course, a Ladies Discussion Group carried out a poll asking its members if they thought it right for the women to participate in the public affairs. To their surprise, all the women members consented with this. Such an overwhelming response made Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, a leading early nineteenth century feminist and educationist, take a daring step. She suggested at par to build a suffrage society. Unfortunately, this step could not be carried out at that point in time because other contemporary activists were also afraid of extremists’ actions against the idea. However, Mill was courageous enough to support this idea once it was made certain that a Reform Bill would be put forward to the Parliament. He asked Bodichon to get more than hundred signatures in support of the petition. The stride proved to be quite successful and Bodichon was able to bring around 1,500 signatures following the formation of the first ever Women’s Suffrage Committee. Subsequently, when Mill put forth the petition after almost a eyear in 1866, the Bill was passed and the agenda of having women’s suffrage was incorporated in the parliament. Despite many hurdles, Mill’s one another daring step towards the cause was to make an amendment in the clause that dealt with property qualifications. He proposed to substitute the word ‘man’ with ‘person’ (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Nevertheless, at that point in time, the amendment was defeated with a larger number of votes against it. Unfortunately, this committee did not live very long and was dissolved with the dissolution and reformation of the bill as well. But, the women and Mill’s support did not end here and Mill’s wife along with other women members of the committee succeeded in creating a whole new organization which they named as London National Womens Suffrage Society (Sunshine for Women, 2003). Mill’s leadership led him to become the honorary president of this very organization. At this moment, this organization needed something in written to disseminate among their members and among the external public. Mill felt a dire need to make his writings public and thus his The Subjection of Women got published and it saw gaining popularity worldwide being translated into a number of languages. Most importantly, this piece of writing was only of its kinds to be present on such a topic until World War 1 (Sunshine for Women, 2003). This step certainly, proved to be a milestone in women’s movement in that era. Subjection Mill’s Subjection remained a limelight for decades whenever women’s movement and feministic approach was talked about. What he wrote in it was women’s persistent low-leveled position which was in a constant struggle to rise. His writings show his sensitivity towards the issue as he talked about the prevalent attitude of the society towards a patriarchal system while subjugating women’s very existence. Subjection also talks about how women’s existence could be kept on exploiting once the society does not follow the norms of equality and justices. The comprehensive book also gets the reputation of advocating how terrible domestic violence is and could prove to be. However, it voices that the right to vote granted to women is only the first step towards a series of obligations that should be followed to treat them as equal beings (Mill, 2003). Conclusion All in all, analyzing John Stuart Mill’s life we can conclude that he got depression and physical ailment at a much younger age, but his intellect was far above those of his contemporary men. He thought and spoke high of women and worked for the feminist movement as much as his health granted him to. References Mill, J. S. (2003). On Liberty and Other Writings. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Sunshine for Women. (2003, February n. d. ). John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). August 2, 2010, from www. pinn. net

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis Bark extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antimicrobial efficacy: A low cost effective synthesis route Debasis Nayak, Sarbani Ashe, Pradipta Ranjan Rauta, Manisha Singh, Bismita Nayak Abstract In this current investigation we report the biosynthesis potential of the bark extracts of Ficus benghalensis and Azadirachta indica for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles without using any external reducing or capping agent. The occurrence of dark brown color indicated the complete synthesis of the silver nanoparticles which was validated by the absorbance peak in UV-Vis spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly illustrated the crystalline phase of the synthesized nanoparticles. Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was performed to identify the role of various functional groups in the nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesized sliver nanoparticles showed promising results against gram negative and gram positive pathogens which could have a broad therapeutic role against multiple drug resistan t bacteria. Keywords: Green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), antimicrobial Introduction Silver, a noble metal maintains its exceptional optical and electronic properties in quantum size [1-2] which paved its curiosity towards the nano regime. The interest in silver nanoparticles gained prominence owing to its excellent plasmonic activity, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects compared with the other metal nanoparticles and its versatile use in dentistry, clothing, catalysis, mirrors, optics, photography, electronics, and in the food industry [3].Conventional physical and chemical methods for stable nanomaterial synthesis present the problem of nanoparticle aggregation, harsh reaction conditions and the toxicity of the reagents used. So for synthesis of monodispersed and stable nanoparticles with reduced toxicity concerns new synthetic routes based on green chemistry principles have been explored [4, 5]. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using green chemistry principles maximizes safety and efficiency, and minimises the environmental and societal impact of toxic raw ma terials. Green synthesis of nanoparticles focuses on three important aspects i.e. (i) use of green solvents, (ii) use of an eco-friendly benign reducing agent, and (iii) use of a nontoxic material as a stabilizer [6]. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using various plant extract has been reported [4, 7]. The extracts contains different enzymes/proteins, amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, poly phenols, etc., which act as both reducing and capping agents during the nanoparticle synthesis [8]. Ficus benghalensis commonly known as ‘banyan’ is an evergreen tree found all over India and belongs to the family Moraceae. Its various parts are used in ayurveda for the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, rheumatism and as an astringent, haemostatic and antiseptic agent. The bark has been reported to contain leucopelargonidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-L rhamnoside, leucocynidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-D galactosyl cellobioside, glucoside, beta glucoside, pentatriacontan-5-one, beta sitostero-ÃŽ ± -D-glucose [9-13]. Azadirachta indica (family- Meliaceae) is commonly called as ‘village dispensary’ in traditional medicine as the tree has its efficacy in every disease. Different compounds have been isolated from the bark extract such as Nimbin, Nimbinin, Deacetyl nimbin, Nimbinene, 6-Deacetyl nimbinene, Nimbandiol, polysaccharides G1A, G1B, G2A, G3A, NB-2 peptidoglucan [14-17]. The neem bark has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti malarial, antioxidant and anticancer activity [18]. Various plants parts have been used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles but rarely the barks have been used. In the present study the barks of Ficus bengalensis and Azadirachta indica have been employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The leaves of Azadirachta were used as a reference sample as much work has been already been done on the ability of A. indica leaves for synthesis of Ag-NPs [19]. Experimental Section Silver nitrate, Mueller Hinton agar and Mueller Hinton broth of analytical grade were purchased from Hi-Media laboratories and deionised water was used throughout the experiment. Preparation of bark extract The barks of F. benghalensis and A. indica were collected from the campus of NIT, Rourkela. They were washed properly with deionised water to remove any traces of dust and impurities. The bark extract of F. benghalensis and A. indica was prepared by dissolving 5g of the bark powder with 50 ml of distilled water and boiled in a water bath at 50 ºC for 1 hour. The extracts were filtered using whatman filter paper and kept at 4 ºC until used. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles 90 ml of silver nitrate solution (1M) was mixed with 10 ml of bark extract and the reaction mixture was kept in a water bath at different temperature conditions (20, 40, 60 and 80 ºC) till the occurrence of the dark reddish color of the reaction mixture. After the color change inference the nanoparticle solutions were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 45 min (C24-BL centrifuge, REMI, India) thrice with successive washing with distilled water to remove any traces of un-utilized bark phyto-constituents. The resultant pellet was lyophilized and stored for further characterizations. Characterization To investigate the ideal temperature and time required for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles the reaction mixture was monitored periodically in a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 ® (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MS, USA)) operated at a resolution of 1 nm at room temperature scanned in the wavelength range of 400-600 nm. The hydrodynamic (Z-Average) size, polydispersity index (PDI) and surface zeta potential (charge) of the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by Zeta sizer (Zs 90, Malvern Instruments Ltd, Malvern, UK) and the results were obtained by the Malvern ZS nano software. The morphology of the synthesised silver nanoparticles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (Jeol 6480LV jsm microscope). The nanoparticles were fixed on adequate support and coated with platinum using platinum sputter module in a higher vacuum evaporator. Observations under different magnifications were performed at 20kv. Further morphological studies were done by atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension D3100, Veeco) in contact mode under normal atmospheric conditions. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of silver nanoparticles was obtained using X-ray diffractometer (PANalytical X’Pert, Almelo, The Netherlands) equipped with Ni filter and Cu KÃŽ ± (l = 1.54056 Ã…) radiation source. The diffraction angle was varied in the range of 20-80 degrees while the scanning rate was 0.05degree/s. The Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR- FTIR) spectroscopy analysis was conducted to corroborate the possible role of the various phytochemicals present in the bark extract on the surface modification of the synthesized nanoparticles. The ATR- FTIR was performed on a Bruker ALPHA spectrophotometer (Ettlinger, Germany) with a resolution of 4 cm-1. The samples were scanned in the spectral region between 4000 and 500 cm-1 by taking an average of 25 scans per sample. 1 drop of sample was kept of the sample holder and the samples were scanned and the result obtained was analyzed through OPUS software. Antimicrobial activity The antimicrobial activity of the green synthesized AgNPs against the nosocomial Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Vibrio cholerae were investigated by agar well diffusion method. Briefly, the pathogenic strains were grown on Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) (HI-MEDIA, Mumbai) at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The colony forming unit (CFU) was adjusted to 2.5 X 10-5 CFU by adjusting it with 0.5 McFarland constant and observing the OD at 600 nm in a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer [20]. Then, the stains were swabbed onto Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) plate (in triplicates) and wells were formed by using a cork borer. 100 µl of the synthesized AgNPs were added to each well having a concentration of 1000 µg/ml and the plates were incubated at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The mean surface area of the diameter of the inhibition zone was measured in mm. Results and discussion The optimal temperature and time required for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The UV-vis spectra results are an indirect and most efficient method for detecting the formation of the nanoparticle. The reaction process was followed by observing the color change as well as the absorbance maxima peak in the range of 420-460 nm. Fig. 1 shows the time taken for the total synthesis of the nanoparticles when the reaction mixture was incubated at 80  ºC. The absorption peaks were observed at 426 nm and 420 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively within 30 minutes of incubation suggesting a very rapid synthesis route. The occurrence of the absorption peak is due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) property of the metallic nanoparticles which occurs due to the oscillation of free electrons on the surface of the metal lic nanoparticles when they align in resonance to the wavelength of irradiated light [21]. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies were conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic size, poly dispersity index and surface zeta potential of the synthesised silver nanoparticles in a colloidal aqueous environment. When dispersed in a medium the particles move due to the Brownian motion which is measured by the fluctuations in the intensity of scattered light from which the translational diffusion co-efficient is calculated by applying the Stokes-Einstein equation which gives the hydrodynamic size of the particle [22]. Fig. 2 (a,b) shows the size of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica which were 85.95 nm and 90.13 nm respectively. The poly dispersity index (PDI) is the measure of the width of the particle size distribution calculated from a cumulants analysis of the DLS measured intensity autocorrelation function where a single particle size is assumed and a single exponential fit is applied to the autocorrelation function [23]. Th e PDI value ‘0’ represents monodisperse distribution where as value ‘1’ represents polydisperse distribution. Fig. 2 (c, d) shows the surface zeta potential of the synthesized silver nanoparticles from the respective bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Zeta potential is a measure of the magnitude of the electrostatic or charge repulsion or attraction between particles in a liquid suspension. It is one of the essential parameters for characterization of stability of the nanoparticles in an aqueous environment. Particles with zeta potentials more positive than +30 mV and more negative than −30 mV are normally considered stable for colloidal dispersion in the absence of steric stabilization. [24]. Table.1 shows the hydrodynamic size, PDI and zeta potential of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Fig. 3 shows the typical image of the surface morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The roughly spherical surface morphology of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was clearly illustrated by the SEM micrographs. Fig. 4 shows the pictographs of the 3D surface morphology and size analysis graphs obtained from atomic force microscopy (AFM). The size obtained from the AFM pictographs in the contact mode from the line analysis measurement by using the SPMLab programmed Veeco diInnova software were 68 nm and 7.38 nm for silver nanoparticles synthesized from bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a non-destructive technique to identify the crystalline phase, orientation and grain size of the synthesized nanoparticles. Fig. 5 shows a typical XRD diffractogram showing Bragg peaks (angle 2ÃŽ ¸) at 32.19 º, 38.15 º, 44.28 º, 64.46 º, 77.37 º and 32.11 º, 37.96 º, 44.18 º, 64.37 º, 77.23 º for the silver nanoparticles synthesised from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively which corresponds to (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) miller indices thus, confirming the formation of face centred cubic (FCC) crystalline elemental silver indexed with the JCPDS data 04-0783. Many unassigned peaks were seen which might be due to the crystallization of the bioorganic phases that occur on the surface of the synthesised nanoparticles [25-26]. The average grain size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was determined by using Scherer’s eqn [d= KÃŽ »/ÃŽ ² cos ÃŽ ¸] where, ‘d’ is the mean diamet er of the particle; ‘K’ is the shape factor (0.9); ‘Î »Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the X-ray radiation source (0.154 nm) ; ‘Î ²Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is (Ï€/180)* FWHM and ‘Î ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the Bragg angle [27] which was approx. 29 nm and 39 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. The ATR-FTIR measurements were carried out to identify the chemical transformation that occurred during the interaction between the functional groups present in bark extract and formation of the nanoparticles. Fig. 6 shows a typical ATR-FTIR spectrum of the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Nearly similar peaks were observed in both the synthesized silver nanoparticles some of which occurred at 3590 cm-1, 3340 cm-1, 2310 cm-1, 1693cm-1, 1519cm-1 and 615 cm-1 for silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extract of F. benghalensis and 3617cm-1, 3332cm-1, 2319cm-1, 1663 cm-1, 1523 cm-1, 1523 cm-1 and 635cm-1 absorption peaks occurred for silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of A. indica. The absorption peaks were assigned to the presence of the following functional groups: O-H stretching (presence of alcohols and phenols), N-H stretching (presence of primary and secondary amines), C ≠¡N stretching (presence of nitriles), C=C stretching (presence of aromatic rings) and C-H stretching (presence of alkynes). From fig 4 it can be clearly seen that the O-H and N-H functional group has a clear role in the fabrication of silver nanoparticles which are the main constitutional groups present in the flavonoids, terpenoids and phenols. Although the exact mechanism for the reduction of silver nanoparticles is not know Ajitha et al proposed that the flavonoids present in T. purpurea leaf extract may act as powerful reducing agent and the carboxylate group present in the proteins may act as surfactant to attach on the surface of the nanoparticles resulting in their stabilization during the synthesis reaction [28]. The results obtained from the mangrove leaf bud extract of R. mucronata [29] were quite similar to our ATR-FTIR results thus furnishing a coherent role of the bark extract as reducing and capping agents to prevent agglomeration of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The antibacterial potential of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by the agar well diffusion assay. Fig. 7 shows well defined zones of inhibition (diameter in mm) against gram positive strains of Bacillus subtilis and gram negative strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholera when 100 µl of 1000 µg/ml of the synthesized nanoparticles were supplied to the agar wells (9mm). In this experiment the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the leaves extract of A. indica was used as a standard as its antimicrobial potential has already been demonstrated by Nazeruddin et al [19]. Our results show slightly higher zone of inhibition against gram negative strains as compared to gram positive isolates. This may be attributed to differences in structure and composition of cell wall between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The thin peptidoglycan layer enveloped by the lipopolysaccharide layer lacks strength and rigidity, facilitating easy penetrat ion of silver nanoparticles into the cells. While a gram positive bacterium possesses a thick and rigid peptidoglycan layer in the cell wall which makes the entry of silver nanoparticles into the cell difficult [30]. Though the antimicrobial activity is very prominent by the silver nanoparticles, its mode of action is still debatable. It has been proposed that silver nanoparticles has the ability to attach with the bacterial cell membrane causing structural changes in its membrane leading to the formation of ‘pits’ where they accumulate [31]. Feng et al and Matsumura et al proposed that silver nanoparticles release silver ions which interact with the thiol groups of many enzymes thus inactivating most of the respiratory chain enzymes leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes the self destruction of the bacterial cell [32-33]. According to Morones et al., silver acts as soft acid which acts upon the sulphur and phosphorus bases of DNA and ina ctivates its replication and thus inactivating the nuclear machinery of the cell [34]. Conclusion The present study on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles through the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica is a novel, cost-effective, environmental friendly route of synthesis having large scale production ability where no additional reducing agents or capping agents were employed for the reduction and stabilization of the nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were highly crystalline, roughly spherical in shape having mean grain size of 29 and 39 nm each. Thus with further modifications these synthesized nanoparticles can be used as suitable candidates for biomedical applications and as therapeutics for targeted drug delivery with minimal side effects. The synthesized silver nanoparticles showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against the gram negative and the gram positive bacterial strains which could boost them as antimicrobial agents with the day to day emerging cases of multiple drug resistant pathogens. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Archana Mallick, Dept of Metallurgical Materials Engineering for helping in AFM images and NIT, Rourkela for supporting and funding the current research work.

The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus Essay examples -- essays researc

The following is a book report about: The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus, and was written by, (Cottrell, et al., 2003). This is an eighty-page leadership skill-building book, published by the Performance Systems Corporation in 2003. There are eight main points (Santa Secrets) discussed by the authors in this book and I agree with them all. However, I will attempt to reveal why I agree that to â€Å"Build A Wonderful Workshop† is important, discuss one secret (â€Å"Listen To The Elves†) I see being practiced in my unit, and express how I will spearhead effecting to â€Å"Share The Milk And Cookies†. I agree with the authors’ idea of â€Å"Building a wonderful workshop†. This chapter speaks on making our mission our main idea while remembering our core values to help us stay focused on our teammates and purpose. Our mission, values, and team are the foundation, cornerstone, and core of what we do, how well we do it, why we do it, and how we see each other in our given roles. If we as a team earnestly keep this statement and all it incorporates as our focus, then I believe the other eight â€Å"secrets† cannot be far off. One of the â€Å"secrets† I see being practiced in my unit is: â€Å"Listen to the Elves†. In this chapter the author discusses the importance of inviting participation from the team. The author also encourages the reader to notice how others perceive them and to spend some time walking in their teammates shoes. I believe this motto involves the entire team, is a constant work in progress...

Macbeth: Serpentine Imagery Essay -- essays research papers

The snake has long been used as a symbol of sly subtlety. A serpent’s presence has been characterized by cunning cynicism dating as far back as biblical times, when the snake persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Eden’s garden. Even the phrase â€Å"snake in the grass† expresses latency. Shakespeare uses this treacherous reptile in Macbeth to convey the same evil. In his poetic prose, Shakespeare may not speak of a character’s malevolence directly; rather, he alludes to it through serpentine imagery. Macbeth contains four separate images of this type. What is their purpose, and what do they signify? A deep undercurrent of meaning flows beneath each image. In act one, scene five, Lady Macbeth tries to instill invisible evil into herself and her husband in preparation for Duncan’s murder. She asks for supernatural unsexing, for a thickening of her blood that will â€Å"stop up th’ access and passage to remorse.† She fears her husband is too weak to murder Duncan, which she believes is Macbeth’s only path to the crown. After tauntingly questioning her husband’s manhood, she convinces him to follow her gory plan and gives him instructions to do so. â€Å"To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under ‘t.† She says that to succeed, they must feign mediocrity amongst their guests, concealing their sinister desires. Appearing normal will not invoke suspicions. The serpent Lady Macbeth s...

Hacking and Cybercrime Essay

The Symantec Global Internet Security Threat Report noted a shift in malicious activity to be emerging. The growing level of malicious code activity has also resulted in the proposal of a new cybercrime bill. Malicious activity tends to increase in rapid growth in broadband infrastructure and connectivity. In January 2010, reports emerged that dozens of large companies had been compromised by attackers using the Hydra Trojan. Typically, this type of attack begins with some reconnaissance on the part of attackers. Typically, this type of attack begins with some reconnaissance on the part of attackers. This can include publicly available information about the company and its employees, such as from social networking sites. This information is then used to create specifically crafted phishing email messages, often referred to as spear phishing, that target the company or even specific staff members. These email messages often contain attachments that exploit vulnerabilities in client-side application or links to websites that exploit vulnerabilities in web browsers or browser plug-ins. In 2009, 60 percent of identities exposed were compromised by hacking attacks. Which are another form of targeted attack. The hackers gained access to the company payment processing network using an SQL injection attack. The attackers then installed malicious code design to gather sensitive information from the network, which allowed them to easily access the network at their convenience. The attacks resulted in the theft of approximately 130 million credit card numbers. Web-based attacks have replaced the mass mailing worm in this position. Attackers may use social engineering, such as in spam messages, to lure a user to a website that exploit browser and plug-in vulnerabilities. These attacks are then used to install malicious code or other applications such as rogue security software on the victim’s computer. Four of the top five being exploited were client-side vulnerabilities were frequently targeted by web-based attacks. Two of these vulnerabilities were in Adobe Reader, while one was in Microsoft Internet Explorer and the fourth was in an Active X Control. A Crimeware Kit is a toolkit that that allows people to customize a piece of malicious code design to steal data and other person personal information. Crimeware Kits like zues make it easier for unskilled attackers to compromise computers and steal information. These kit allow anyone who buys them to customize them to their own needs. The SpyEye Kit, is addition to stealing information, also has the ability to detect if a computer already has Zues installed and if so, to intercept its communications. Fragus Exploit Kit contains mechanisms to prevent buyers from reselling their copies of it. A side effect of these kits is the creation of tens of thousands of new malicious code variants that may only be seen by a single user. The volume of financial services spam also remained relatively unchanged in 2009, while the levels of financially oriented spam and phishing have remained relatively constant despite the recent economic downturn, attackers have made adjustments in their tactics. Symantec observed more messages advertising refinancing of debts and mortgages along with offers of loans or opportunities to earn money while working from home. This shows that attackers are able to rapidly adapt their social engineering techniques to better take advantage of current events and situations. Symantec expects attacks against web browsers and malicious code variants installed through these attacks to increase. One of the botnets linked to this ISP was Pandex. This botnet was responsible for as much as 35 percent of spam observed globally before dropping to 8 percent after the ISP was shut down. Spam Zombies that lack a critical command system are unable to send out spam. Additionally, a security researcher allegedly attacked and disabled 250,000 computers associated with the Ozdok botnet. The volume of spam sent by both botnets recovered several days afterwards because unaffected zombies were instructed to significantly increase their spam output, indicating that these events may have been a large factor in the decrease of spam zombies in the United States. Symantec advises end users to use antivirus software, antispam software, firewalls, tool bar blockers, and other software- detection methods. Symantec also advises end users to never disclose any confidential personal or financial information unless and until they can confirm that any request for such information is legitimate.