Pleasure turns Sour – Creative Writing

A big beautiful mansion sitting right up the road of a busy small town. The outer parts is as beautiful as a paradise and it everyman's fantasy with a welcoming golden writing hanging on the beautiful light blue wall. The inner part is as bright as a tunnel with loads of space. The building was so bright that it light up the whole town. I was on a tour with some friends to find an interesting adventure to write in our novel. We have travelled from town to town till we came to this town called GRAVE HILL. The people of Grave hill are very nice people and there were loads of things to write about the town and the way they survive on their little farm and how they live together as a family helping each other in time of trouble. They were very welcoming and made us feel appreciated and they also were willing to help us with our adventure and they also promised to show us around the town but because we arrived late they told us to wait till morning. The only problem we had was accommodation; the people never had a big apartment to accommodate us. You can pass the night in my Attic†¦Said the Old Lady AN ATTIC†¦ exclaimed Sandra Hell no, How can I live my big bedroom all just to come and sleep in an attic, there is absolutely no way that is going to happen (she whispered). We were not thrilled by the old woman's offer so we refuse it. Having being attracted by the golden bright writing ‘A HOME FOR PLEASURE' on the front of the big bright mansion that was up the road we ask the people if we can pass the night there, the people did not hesitate to let us stay there they just told us that if we know that we can stay there alone. YES†¦ We shouted excitedly We are going to be fine alone beside we have sleepovers and we have the whole house to ourselves, so that should not be a problem said Denise. Thrilled and excited about sleeping in a mansion we couldn't wait to get into the mansion. Having led us to the front of the beautiful and bright mansion the people said good night and went back to their hut. Excitedly we walked around the mansion went in and out of the building we saw a big swimming pool,7 double sized bedroom, a kitchen with loads of food and all the necessary things you need in a kitchen, a king sized living room with a big screen TV like the one in the cinema. This is way better than sleeping in some old attic†¦ said Clare. I cannot wait to get in that pool†¦said Denise I am so hungry†¦ said Clare I can wait to sleep in that big sized bedroom†¦ said Sandra What about you, why are u so quiet? Asked Denise Nothing on like you people I'm not so thrilled I just have this bad feeling†¦ I said What is it this time? Asked Clare I'm just surprised and baffled that's all†¦ I said About what? Asked Denise I just don't get it, why is a big beautiful mansion like this being abandoned here? Why is a big building like this built in a small town like this? Who lives here? Were are they? Why is there no evidence that someone live here not even a picture or if it was a hotel why is there no receptionist here? I had enough of you and your feelings we are here already and there is nothing that has happened†¦ said Sandra so why don't we just enjoy our one night stay here without your feelings can you do that for us please†¦ pleaded Sandra. Ok then I will try my best I'm just baffled that all†¦I replied. Denise got in the pool, while Sandra went to bed and Clare to the kitchen while I was left alone scared and baffled in the living room. After couple minute of silence ahhhhhhhhhhhhh†¦screamed Denise What is wrong? I asked as I raced outside to the pool. On getting there I found the pool has turned RED with Denise's body floating around lifelessly. I was so scared so I raced inside to tell my friends then I heard another scream but this time it was coming from the kitchen only to find Clare was no longer in the kitchen but all I found was a cracked egg with BLOOD in it and Clare's body was no were to be find. So scared I raced outside to see if we can get any help on get outside whole town was dark because the house that brightened up the town has turn dark and the golden writing has changed to red writing ‘A HOME OF HORROR' I was so scared I could not go out because it was already dark so I raced back inside to go and get Sandra and explain what has happened to her. on getting up the stair I did not find a big bedroom no more but all I saw was a big dark trench with loads of dead bodies and Sandra was no were to be found. So scared and knowing that I'm not safe I took my pen and wrote all that as happened and I left a note for the people to take to my school in the hope that I might be able to survive this horror. When I finished writing, it was already morning and things were back o normal except my friends were no more.

Economic Policy Essay

The essence of economic policy in the areas of urban housing, urban education, and urban transportation in the United States National Government is cored on the achievement of trade targets. Boosting its market efficiency and redistribution of supply and services grounded on public values are its primary interest (Feldstein, 1999). These economic policies make up a part of the body of agenda. These are of regulated policies prepared by the Federal Reserve System headed by the President of the United States of America and the legislative branch of government (Poole 1999). Body At the outset, economic policies are decisions. President Harry Truman was a decision maker of the land in his time (Mankiw, 1998). He mentioned of his need to find one-armed economist (Mankiw 1998). This is a manifestation that the concept of economic information is ambivalent (Mankiw, 1998). Decisions are taken initially based on individual principles of: trade offs in efficiency and equity, cost of something versus opportunity cost, marginal changes to a plan, and response of people to trade offs (Mankiw, 1998). Subsequently, societal interactions principles are considered based on: trade, markets, and governmental market policy (Mankiw, 1998). Finally, national economy is considered upon the principles of: production of goods and services, inflation, and tradeoff between inflation and unemployment (Mankiw, 1998). Three of the economic policies Of the United States of America National Government are in the areas of urban housing, urban education, and urban transportation. These are parts of the regulated competitive industries (Feldstein, 1999). The urban housing policy covers private and social benefits of homeownership (Haurin, 2003). Bush said, homeownership is the core American values of individuality, thrift, responsibility, and self-reliance (Haurin, 2003). It represents a pathway to pride and prosperity for many families, encourages values of responsibility and sacrifice, creates stability for neighborhoods and communities and generates economic growth that helps strengthen the entire nation (Haurin, 2003) Dietz and Haurin (2003) however showed that 25% more of spouses in owner-occupied households work or are employed. They also have to face up to inevitable tax revenues through mortgage deductions (Haurin, 2003). While the data presumes that the rest of the population in owner-occupied households does not work, this would mean, this group is above average income in the strata of society. The next issue then is to know why were governmental supports for homeownership projects in the scale of billions of dollars far exceeded expenditure on education (Haurin, 2003) when most homeowners have beyond workers financial capabilities. Were the determinants of families becoming homeowners covered by public policy (Haurin, 2003)? What economic public policy would justify lumping up of burdens on homeowners who are mere workers? What economic public policy would explain governmental support to boost the status of those who can afford a home? Would this public policy be in consistent with the targets of government as pronounced by the President? Enhancement of market efficiency is focused on: developing performances of industries by eliminating anticompetitive elements; providing consumer protection like making informed choices possible; and ensuring product cost would include externalities (Feldstein 1999). While redistribution of resources and services anchored on the policy of collecting higher taxes from those who earn more to provide for those who earn less (Feldstein 1999). These policies however are often influenced by international institutions like the International Monetary Fund or World Bank as well as political beliefs and the consequent policies of parties. Housing Policy for example is usually analyzed in economic industry, as a form of market. Market leads to efficient allocation through a complex process of matching supply and demand. This depends on competition, good information, the existence of multiple suppliers, and the existence of different multiple purchasers. At the beginnings of the 21st century the demographical changes in the United States shaped housing consumption (Masnick, 1990). This is marked though by the big problem in urban housing policy which became inadequate for the increased number of houses required to support increasing population (Masnick, 1990). The number of homeless people is constantly increasing annually (Masnick, 1990). Homelessness became a very complex problem (Masnick, 1990). This means, if there were not enough places for people to live, then there are really those who does not have any shelter of their own (Masnick, 1990). The housing market bloated beyond previous policy allocations (Masnick, 1990). As a consequence, those who were not originally included generally became the poorest constituents of society (Masnick, 1990). Subsequent to demographical changes is the alternative of the homeless to find shelter in temporary shanties on unoccupied lands (Dunleavy, 1981). This led to problems of land entitlements (Dunleavy, 1981). Squatters over time on squatted settlements built more stable houses (Dunleavy, 1981). Homelessness often led to development of individual characteristics such as alcoholism, psychiatric illness, unemployment, and marital breakdown (Dunleavy, 1981). The situation is further aggravated by the decrease in privately owned housing programs (Dunleavy, 1981). The local governmental systems then were obligated to absorb the market (Dunleavy, 1981). As it turned out, it is cheaper to buy houses than to rent (Dunleavy, 1989). Housing conditions in many cities which were particularly unsatisfactory being old and in poor condition were improved (Dunleavy, 1989). Looking back, series of policies since the late 1960s focused on the problems of deprivation in inner city areas (Dunleavy, 1989). Much of the concern was with the inner cities growth which was an attempt to produce an acceptable racial policy. Despite this, ethnic minorities have had no proportionate share of resources from policies for the inner cities (Dunleavy, 1989). However, local government economic policies today are more focused, and greatly in consistent with constant changes in the societal demographics regardless of ethnicity (Gabriel, 1990). Another consideration however must be made. This is because of: the limited availability of affordable rental units, mortgage finance, reduced housing and income assistance to very low income populations, problems of public housing, low income housing preservation, issues of equal opportunities in housing and housing finance market (Gabriel, 1990). Thus it could be said that housing trends are developed largely because of statistical increase in the number of people as well as their movements for relocation needs (Masnick, 1990). The individual household needs were then used as the foundation for the modification of housing policy. This is in addition to the different economic changes which were built-in, in the shifting demographic landscape (Masnick, 1990). In the area of education, improvements must be made in urban education policy (Hess, 2001). Urban districts are now facing hazardous problems in educating young people because of the lack of support from the local government (Hess, 2001). Many buildings in urban public schools are very old (Hess, 2001). Because of this, despite the big number of public schools in the United States, only one-fourth of the country’s students are attending the classes throughout districts (Hess, 2001). These are the main problems of the district official in the urban public area (Hess, 2001). They are unable to comply with the needs of their student population Hess, 2001). The rates of dropout students are also increasing (Hess, 2001). The urban education policy that would most likely fit implementation will be one that is site-based management throughout the district (Hess, 2001). This will allow officials and teachers at the school level to focus more on the specific needs of the students (Hess, 2001). Educational reform efforts and policy initiatives are now under way that shows commitment in improving the quality of education. It will include the proper raising of the student outcomes in the urban districts (Hess, 2001). A key issue though in urban education policy is the potential impact of market-based reforms (Hess, 2001). It will require more than the application of additional money in improving the quality of urban education (Hess, 2001). Allocations of school funds must be centered on the functions of instruction, administration, operations, and maintenance of almost the same statistical number of clients (Picus, 1996). Urban transportation policies must likewise be modified as societal demographics evolved (Norton, 1955-1970). Many states have still no urban freeways (Norton, 1955-1970). The ever increasing numbers of privately owned cars warrants improvement in policies (Norton, 1955-1970). Evolving Americans have to face up to transport problems in the cities (Norton, 1955-1970). The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 made a beginning at bringing highways to the city (Barranda, 2004). It set aside 25 percent of federal highway funds for urban projects and called for the designation of a â€Å"National System of Interstate Highways† (Barranda, 2004). Although funding of these projects in the late 1940s and early 1950s was at more than two and a half times the prewar levels, total annual federal highway appropriations remained a half billion dollars or less (Barranda, 2004). The problem was that while government and industry both wanted highways, neither wanted to foot the bill (Barranda, 2004). Industry opposed excise taxes and tolls, while government opposed special bond issues and debt increases (Barranda, 2004). Divisions between pro-highway industries impeded their ability to lobby for an effective highway program (Barranda, 2004). However, eventually, the highway system that the government-industry partnership built was urban (Barranda, 2004). The unique degree of private participation in U. S. ransportation policymaking, and a federal policy treated all transportation problems as matters for highway engineers to solve (Barranda, 2004). In 1954, President Eisenhower suggested that â€Å"metropolitan area congestion† be â€Å"solved† by â€Å"a grand plan for a properly articulated highway system (Larsen, 1995). In 1956, the House Committee on Public Works urged â€Å"drastic steps,† warning that otherwise â€Å"traffic jams will soon bring down our growing economy (Larsen, 1995). The demise of the highways-only policy stemmed also from serious flaws in the policy itself (Larsen, 1995). At the end of World War II, the federal government began a significant intervention in urban transportation (Larsen, 1995). It was one which had increased to enormous proportions by 1960 (Larsen, 1995). But the funds were provided exclusively for the construction of urban highways (Larsen, 1995). Thus, urban transportation systems necessarily became imbalanced in favor of automotive transport (Larsen, 1995). Even the automotive transport systems were imbalance too (Larsen, 1995). Inequality was brought about by the ways in which federal dollars were allocated (Larsen, 1995). For example, while new freeways were providing automobiles unprecedented ease of access to cities, substantially, less federal allocations was provided for the downtown streets that had to bear the increased load (Larsen, 1995). No budgets were also allocated to provide the record numbers of cars for parking areas (Norton, 1955-1970). The US new urban transportation policy serves greater idea in resolving congestion problems in the cities (Barranda, 2004). Highway-Only Policy is one of those new integrated ideas (Barranda, 2004). Industry, not government, took the initiative in proposing that highways go downtown (Barranda, 2004). Eisenhower’s coalition was composed of industries â€Å"associated with the highway problem† and â€Å"interested in highway development,† in the words of the Clay Committee report (Barranda, 2004). Although the Clay Committee conferred with the American Railway Association in drafting its report, this group was the only one of twenty-two trade organizations consulted which had an interest in rail transport (Barranda, 2004). Fourteen of the groups consulted were expressly concerned with roads (Barranda, 2004). But these industries were not simply developing a highway policy (Barranda, 2004). This is their foundation in creating a new national transportation policy (Barranda, 2004). However, many cities in the United States have recently built light-rail systems to combat congestion problems and at the same time avoid pollution (Barranda, 2004). To some critics oppose this policy is not fit because of the function in some small downtown areas (Barranda, 2004). The application of this light-rail however, after its almost universal domination in the 20th century is one of the greatest twists in transportation history. This application policy is an exclusive idea whose time appears to have come (Barranda, 2004). Local government now hopes that the light-rail will gain moderate transportation that will reduce the traffic problems around the country (Barranda, 2004). Fighting congestion was the main rationale for making American highways enter cities to a degree unmatched elsewhere in the world (Barranda, 2004). The consequences of the improved policies ultimately transformed U. S. urban transportation system (Barranda, 2004). Critics of the policy, in government, and outside of the government circles achieved broad bases of support by confronting this problem (Barranda, 2004). Expertise in urban transportation matters, which had been the exclusive domain of highway industry, emerged in other institutions, both governmental and private (Barranda, 2004). The road builders’ promises to end congestion, to keep downtowns vital visibly failed to pan out (Barranda, 2004). In brief, the vigor of the government-industry partnership that brought the freeways into the cities did not last, but is envisioned to trigger interest on alternative prospective partners (Barranda, 2004). Conclusion The basic portfolio principles of economics provides conceptual structures underlining maintenance of flexibility of economic policies whether it is in housing, education, or transport, or even in prices where speculators are left with the liberty to discern and give value to market stocks so long as it is within the economic parameters of the United States of American government, its Federal Reserve System, its legislature as well as its executive governmental administrators that works within the framework of Federal Democracy.

English literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

English literature - Essay Example n Frankenstein there seems to be a continuous struggle for the women characters however the author appears to be very specific in considering independence for women, in the sense not woman character is likely to decide and act independently like that of Jane Eyre. There remains lack of action from the part of women characters, where as in Jane Eyre women characters take the leading as well as challenging position representing their presence in the novel as active. â€Å"However, the passive nature of the female characters adheres more closely to what would typically be expected of them, as both Elizabeth and Frankensteins mother are portrayed as wonderful but nevertheless altogether dependent on the men for provision. It is possible that Shelley felt that too many radical positions in the book might alienate the very audience she was attempting to influence,† observes Shader [2002]. There is one final female character in the book. Frankensteins servant Justine, who is possibly the ideal picture of women in the book. However, the character of Justine has been criticised only as a failure. Elizabeth describes her "softness and winning mildness", while Frankenstein calls her "frank-hearted and happy." It is interesting to note that one woman praises another for her passiveness, and indeed, it is this passive nature that is typical of women in the book and particularly prominent in Justine. Even in the face of the greatest injustice, Justine submits to the judicial system, saying, "I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence. Shader [2002] â€Å"Another pattern that both Anne Mellor in "The Female in Frankenstein" and William Veeder in "Frankenstein: Self-Division and Projection" discuss is that of name symbolism, which reinforces Victor Frankensteins hubris in trying to eliminate the female as he attempts to win eternal fame as the founder of a new line of superhuman. Instead of submitting himself to the will of the community and the

Do privacy rights extend to sexual orientation Essay

Do privacy rights extend to sexual orientation - Essay Example Here, homosexuals are not ostracized and discriminated against. And the disclosure of this personal information to the other party is of little significance. (Habermas, 1989) One could argue that threats to privacy rights of homosexuals come from two sources. First is due to social stigma and taboo, as is the case in conservative/rustic regions. Second is government mandated laws that prohibit gay marriage and gay sexual activities (although some radical new developments are taking place in this area in recent years – the decision by a Massachusetts court allowing gay marriage was unprecedented). In both cases, the society and the government can be seen as intruding into what is essentially a private matter between two adults. Hence, privacy rights can be divided into positive rights. Positive privacy rights would translate as legitimately claiming the status and benefits accorded to a married couple irrespective of their orientation. Negative privacy rights, on the other hand , empowers individuals to withhold details of their sexual orientation from employers, landlords and government if it would prevent possible discrimination.

Marketing Research Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Research Individual Assignment - Essay Example Achrol, and Mentzer established three forms of customer commitment: affective, instrumental, and temporal commitment.1 Affective customer commitment occurs when a positive attitude towards the future existence of the relationship is demonstrated. A number of approaches have been established in constructing affective customer commitment. One of the most prominent approaches has been through the development of strong brand identity. It’s noted that, â€Å"Every organisation has an identity. It articulates the corporate ethos, aims and values and presents a sense of individuality that can help to differentiate the organisation within its competitive environment.†2 Large arrays of approaches to creating brand identity have been established. One perspective embraces corporate social responsibility as strongly contributing to brand identity.3 Such approaches have been embraced by organizations such as Ben & Jerry’s and Starbucks. The recognition being that through crea ting a socially responsible image, customers will increasingly express long-term satisfaction with the company. Another approach has been the establishment of emotional connections through advertising; this approach is witnessed in brands such as Nike and Coca-Cola.4 In either instance, â€Å"By effectively managing its corporate identity an organisation can build understanding and commitment among its diverse stakeholders.†5 In terms of measurement practices, qualitative methods of understanding have been implemented that use focus groups and semi-structured interviews as a means of better understanding customer perceptions. Ultimately, this specific organization could improve affective customer commitment through ensuring that the corporate brand is well maintained. Another of the major forms of customer commitment is ‘instrumental’. Instrumental customer commitment is demonstrated when investment through time or resources is made in the brand relationship. One prominent means of creating customer commitment has been through specific outreach measures referred to as community relationships. It’s noted that, â€Å"that marketers can strengthen brand communities by facilitating shared customer experiences in ways that alter those dynamic characteristics.†6 Perhaps the most prominent implementation of these techniques has been witnessed with Harley Davidson and their development of the Harley Owners Group (HOG). It’s noted that this is, "the granddaddy of all community-building efforts serving to promote not just a consumer product, but a lifestyle.†7 In this way, Harley Davidson sponsored its own motorcycle club to improve customer commitment. In terms of measurements, among approaches to customer commitment this approach is perhaps the most easily quantifiable as commitment is established through membership rates and sales of club merchandise. The establishment of this motorcycle club then improved customer commi tment as the various Harley owners joined the club and increasingly purchased Harley products. There is the recognition then that as a means of facilitating customer commitment this organization could similarly sponsor outreach groups. The final form of customer commitment is temporal commitment. Garbarino and Johnson8 indicate that temporal commitment is the demonstration that the relationship occurs over an extended period of time. While customer relationships through

Project two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project two - Essay Example This has however become much better than ever, women have started enjoying equal rights and have equal power as their counterparts. Feminism is a very important concept that must be thrown light upon when gender conflict is being talked about. Feminist aims at providing women more power and more rights than ever seen before. There are several feminists fighting for the rights of women all across the globe. Respect is also another important factor for which the feminists are consistently fighting. Gender conflict has made us understand how people enjoy preferential treatment and how the inferior strive for parity in the society. Race conflict is also quite similar to gender conflict, some people consider that their race is superior and others are inferior to them, this is certainly beyond the pale. Having a level playing field in the society is essential to facilitate growth; an ideal society always provides a level playing field. â€Å"Rae Lesser Blumberg developed a theory emphasiz ing women’s degree of control of the means of production and the distribution of economic surplus.† (Blumberg) Blumberg’s aimed at explaining the position of women relative to men in almost all types of societies. These societies included the earliest societies to the late twentieth century. This theory discussed some really important aspects like economic power of women, importance of women in the society, economic power of women in the society, sexual stratification so on and so forth. â€Å"Sexual stratification, Blumberg argues, is ultimately driven by the degree to which, relative to men, women control the means of production and the allocation of productive surplus or, in Marxian terms, â€Å"surplus value.† Such control gives women  economic power  that, in turn, influences their level of political power, prestige, and other stratifying resources. In Blumberg’s view, sexual inequalities are â€Å"nested† at diverse levels: Male-fe male relations are nested in households; households are nested in local communities; and if a society is sufficiently large to reveal a coercive state and a system of class stratification, household and community are nested inside of the class structure that, in turn, is lodged within a larger state-managed society. This nesting is important because women’s control of economic resources can be located at different levels, and the level at which their economic power is strongest influences the power that women can command at the other levels of social organization.† (Feminist Conflict Theory) Macro level control and micro level control are some important aspects which must be paid attention to. A woman is ought to enjoy power in a household if she contributes immensely to the income of a household, she will have a say in micro aspects of the household as well if she can contribute towards work and family income. Similarly a woman who is not able to earn and contribute to wards the household income will not enjoy as much freedom and control as a woman who can earn and support her family. Financial freedom is extremely important for a woman to be considered powerful enough; only a powerful woman can make decisions and can stand against oppression. Economic power at a macro level facilitates women in getting political as well as coercive power in the society. The economic power of women is consistently on the rise; this is the time of transition. This period of transition is perceived as a major

Drugs, Alchohol and tobacco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Drugs, Alchohol and tobacco - Essay Example The disease of substance abuse is distinguished by compulsivity, or the irrational, negligent, uncontrollable act of resorting to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco (French et al., 2010). This essay tries to prove that addiction is a disease through a thorough examination of the nature and extent of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use in the United Kingdom. Some people consider addiction a disease because a number of occurrences can be associated with a biological tendency and because addictive substances alter the brain. Nevertheless, every goal-directed action is moderated by the brain, and acquired behaviour is largely influenced by changes in mental functioning (Pates & Riley, 2012). For instance, genetic research suggests a biological tendency towards different kinds of criminal activities, and it appears probable that later studies will reveal that particular environmental phenomena change the brain in ways that raise the possibility of aggression or violence (Ghodse et al., 2011). Hence, by the principle of biology, criminal acts would in time develop into a disease. The assumption that addicts abuse substances against their will has been fluently explained by researchers and medical practitioners. Miller and Chappel (1991 as cited in Brownsberger & Heymann, 2009, p. 100) stated that addiction is a disease because addicts have a n uncontrollable urge to abuse substances. Yet, the assumption that behaviour is ‘uncontrollable’ does not appear to involuntarily make it a disease. Moreover, the argument that addicts are not capable of controlling their substance use is incorrect (Barton, 2012; Rassool, 2008). For instance, DSM criteria classify people who smoke one pack a day as addicts, but ever since the 1964 statement of the Surgeon General on the health impacts of smoking, tens of millions of heavy smokers have stopped smoking (Brownsberger & Heymann, 2009, pp. 100-101). Furthermore, majority of them quit without clinical support; they

International Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

International Business Strategy - Essay Example Howard Schultz turned out to be the key success factors of the company. Such decision is discussed in this section. Product diversification to customer segment (Explanation Using Ansoff Model) Throughout the 90’s and the 00’s In order to target new customer segments Starbucks decided to go for product diversification. In 1994 Starbucks and PepsiCo entered in to a joint venture, which is now known as the North-American Coffee Partnership to sell product closely related to coffee in cans and bottles. Thus the Starbucks catered to a whole new customer segment. In 1998 the company allowed Kraft foods to become a licensed provider of the Starbucks ground coffees and whole bean across US. In this case Starbucks ensured product quality, while Kraft foods took care of promotion and distribution. In 2008 Starbucks struck a partnership with Apple iTunes and started providing pick of the week music card in the 7000 stores (Henry, 2008, p.131). The diversification strategy can be w ell explained by using the Ansoff Product grid matrix. The four key elements of the product matrix grid are market penetration, Market Development, Product Development and Diversification. Among these Starbucks went for diversification as the company launched new product in a new market. Here it may be added that although Starbucks provided new products, but the core product remained the same. Rather the company went for augmentation. This also meant that the company used concentric diversification instead of conglomerate diversification, because the company added new product s hat was similar in nature keeping the core product i.e. Coffee in mind. Store Expansion Strategy to achieve Market Expansion (Explanation Using Different Market Entry Modes and Strategic Actions) Even before becoming the President and CEO of the company Mr. Schultz had a vision to expand the business of the company. This was one of the key reasons for which Mr. Schultz bought the company. In the early 90†™s the company began the geographic market expansion strategy. The management of the company decided to work on a hub and spoke model to expand the market. In this case the major cities acted as a hub. It had specialist teams of professionals located in the hub. As a number of stores opened in the hub the company decided to open additional stores in the surrounding cities. The stores in the surrounding cities were monitored by the team of professional located in the hub cities. Due to such strategies very soon the company had a blanket of retail stores in the major as well as surrounding cities of the country (Wenderoth, 2009, p. 145). In the mid 90’s as a part of the expansion strategy the company got in to licensing agreements to cover those locations where the company may not able to have own outlets. The company entered into a licensing agreement with Marriot host international hotel operates in airport locations. Once the company had established a strong store network in United States the company decided to venture internationally. There were various options available in front of the company which

Article Rebuttal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Rebuttal - Essay Example The views of Mr. Mackey are one dimensional and lack a sense of ethics. His argument is weak since he does not provide any empirical evidence that philanthropy is bad for business. My perspective regarding this issue is the complete opposite of Mr. Mackey. As a customer anytime I see a company donating money to a good cause such as world hunger I get excited about the initiate. The good deed stays in my mind and when I go shopping if I see any products produced by that company I am inclined towards supporting the firm. The use of social responsibility adds value to the brand of a corporation. John Mackey seems to believe that the only purpose of going into business is making money. He fails to realize that each corporation has a different reason for existence. The man that was once the richest person in the world, Bill Gates, has donated billions of dollars generated by Microsoft towards social causes. The company is still the market leader in the software industry. Shareholders do not mind when a company that is profitable shares some of the wealth with the less fortunate members of our society. John Mackey went as far as saying that donating money towards social causes is stealing money from the investors. This view is completely biased and does not represent the views of the majority of businesspeople in the United States and abroad. I think that by making these absurd statements Mr. Mackey is the one that is decreasing the shareholder value of the company. As a customer I would not support any company with a management team that has such a greedy perspective in life. There are many problems our global society is facing. The majority of the world’s wealth is not in the hands of the 210 governments of the world. The private corporations have hundreds of trillions of dollars in wealth. Our society depends on the generosity and good intentions of the corporate world. In the United States corporations can deduct up to 5% of net income if they

ICT Part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

ICT Part 1 - Essay Example However, a correct solution can only be selected based on correct evaluation of existing system. Identifying the importance of evaluation Burgess (65) states, â€Å"The topic of the evaluation of ICT influence on the company performance has been a concern for both IS researchers and practitioners since the first business application.† Following is a detailed evaluation of five major issues that are facing the organization. The purpose of this evaluation is to isolate an issue with the highest priority, so that a strategic plan may be sketched out to address the issue. The present system is managing business information effectively but it is unable to give a big picture of the business that can provide decision support to business managers. The system is recording almost every aspect of the business from daily transaction to yearly reports. However, managers are unable to extract useful information just in time from the heaps of reports that are present in the system. Mallach (15-16) observes, â€Å"To make a real difference, we must look beyond improved efficiency†. It is important because â€Å"The benefits that come from providing managers with information to make better decisions are far greater.† The second issue facing RR is to work out the competitive advantage that the outsourcing can bring to the company. Presently, entire software development, infrastructure maintenance and desktop support is managed by the in-house ICT department. This over burdens the ICT team of 120 members at RR. The problem is closely related to the third issue of keeping the costs under control for ICT operations. The migration of RR from simple Transaction Processing System (TPS) to a Decision Support System (DSS) is a tough ask as far the provisioning of adequate resources is concerned. Lastly, it was noted that implementation of electronic supply chain will not have a relative importance to managers in the current economic

The problem of minority prisoners Essay Example for Free

The problem of minority prisoners Essay The problem of minority prisoners has been high on agenda for several decades already. In this paper I will focus my attention on possible measures and remedies aimed at establishing bridges of understanding between minority prisoners and corrections. I have critically examined a significant number of authoritative sources regarding the issue and I’m going to evaluate the problems that exist in current situation with minority representatives in prison and advocate for the necessary policy change. I shall note with regret that escalating tension between minority prisoners and the personnel is jeopardizing the rehabilitation of the convicts. This problem is often but inadequately addressed by prison authorities. Let me bring some examples. In Pakistan, according to Shehar Bano Khan’s article entitled â€Å"’Ordeal’ of Minority Prisoners†, Christian prisoners suffered from the â€Å"bitter ordeal of discrimination†, and the â€Å"prison authorities unbridled highhandedness and discriminatory behaviour has become a major personal safety concern†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm) I want to start enlisting methods of building bridges of understanding between minority prisoners and corrections by quoting the message of the Scottish Prison Service: â€Å"The Prison Service is absolutely committed to ensuring race equality and delivery of good race relations in all aspects of our work. We will ensure that race issues are addressed in all parts of our business – and promote race equality as a core standard and essential ingredient for running a successful prison.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education and Lifelong Learning in the report on prison education came to the following conclusion: â€Å"Black and ethnic minority prisoners may have different learning needs and some requirement for different sites and modes of learning. For example there is a need for more culturally sensitive programmes for such prisoners prisoners whose first language is not English will need different learning programmes.† (http://www.natfhe.org.uk/says/pubsfued.html) This should be a very serious concern in the prisons worldwide; this principle should be applied to any interaction between the staff and minority prisoners, let alone the educational process. The staff of the prison should always keep in mind that prisoners from different racial and ethnic background may require using different interaction models. All the minority prisoners must have access to quality interpretation services; this is the first step to build the bridges of understanding in a literal sense. This may sound unrealistic for the moment but prison personnel should work towards the completion of this important goal. Keeping in mind, that minority prisoners may be vulnerable and sensitive about some issues, it would be of great use organizing a special training session for prison staff concerning cultural and religious practices of minority prisoners serving their sentence in a specific institution. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons advices â€Å"to ensure effective training incorporating race equality issues†¦is developed and delivered to employees and contracted staff on the basis of learning need.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) Basically, the question of religion is a separate topic. The prison personnel should be very attentive to this issue since religious disrespect may cause tension and confrontation. For centuries prisoners have been deprived of their right to religious practices because it was perceived as an effective way to demoralize them. Let’s remember the controversy over the religious discrimination of the prisoners in Guantanamo. Shehar Bano Khan’s article also informs that in Pakistan, â€Å"discriminatory treatment of Christians and other minorities has become a regular feature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  with â€Å"janitorial work†¦assigned to the Christians only† and with â€Å"no preacher for them.† (www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm) The prison personnel should ensure that every minority prisoners has an opportunity and facilities to practice his/her religion; spiritual literature should be supplied if necessary. The guard shouldn’t subject the convicts to discrimination due to their religious beliefs. The Race Equality Scheme being implemented by Scottish Prison Service states the same: â€Å"Members of all religious groups have the same right to practice their faith. Arrangements should be made to give each group the same opportunities to do so.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) There’s much debate over the question of the religious practices in prisons. It’s widely recognized that â€Å"although prisoners retain the right to free exercise of religion, incarceration places some practical limits on this right,† as Mara Schneider informs in the article entitled â€Å"Splitting Hairs: Why Courts Uphold Prison Grooming Policies and Why They Should Not.† (Michigan Journal of Race Law 2004)   Therefore, the prison personnel should ensure religious freedom unless it’s incompatible with safety concerns. The article by Jennifer Vogel entitled â€Å" White Guard, Black Guard: Racism in Washington Continues† informs that â€Å"more than one third of the more than 14,000 state prison prisoners are of minority descent.† In the article the issue of violence against minority workers and prisoners is scrutinize. The author proposes a highly efficient measure to establish fair treatment of minority prisoners. She especially stresses the fact that â€Å"while 23 percent of prisoners are black, only 6 percent of DOC employees are black.† (www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm) Employing guards from minority background will provide a positive model of non-discrimination. Still, careful workplace control should be initiated. The offences of minority guards are reported and such practices lead to violence towards minority prisoners. This caused, according to Vogel’s article, â€Å"a frightening atmosphere where white guards refer to blacks as â€Å"coons† and worse; where minority prisoners are targeted for beatings; where black guards receive threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm) We live in multiethnic societies. Until there is no equality and fair representation of minorities in staff we can’t speak of establishing efficient communication between the prisoners and the guards. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality advices â€Å"to increase the proportion of staff from minority ethnic groups to achieve a representative workforce†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) The statistical report entitled Ethnic Minorities: Crime and Criminal Justice states the following: â€Å"Ethnic minorities are under-represented in the police, prison service, lay magistracy and at senior levels in all criminal justice agencies.† (http://www.rouncefield.homestead.com/files/a_soc_dev_35.htm) The guards should never deprive prisoners of the use of any prison facilities. The Scottish Prison Service recommends the following: â€Å"The range of facilities provided and opportunities offered to staff and prisoners, including jobs, should be responsive to the needs of ethnic and racial groups. All staff and prisoners should have equal access to those facilities and opportunities.† (www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf) The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons also supports this view by stating that the following should be proposed to all the prisoners on the equal basis: â€Å"Facility licences enable eligible prisoners the chance to participate in; training, employment, educational and community service or for official purposes such as attending civil court proceedings.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) We must admit that the most efficient way of protecting minority prisoners’ right is launching a formal complaint. Numerous court cases were initiated on this issue. Therefore I would suggest informing both the prisoners and the guards about non-discrimination legal acts and policies as well as practical methods of protecting their rights. All the necessary support should be provided to the prisoners who want to defend their right. Kimmett Edgar and Carol Martin interviewed the ethic minority representatives in the local prisons. Here’re their findings: â€Å"32% said they had not experienced anything that warranted a complaint†¦36% of those who had experienced discrimination said that they had complained.† The reasons for not complaining included that the prisoners â€Å"were frightened of reprisals from staff if they did complain,† or â€Å"believed it would be futile to complain,† or â€Å"they did not know how to complain.† (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr1104.pdf) Ensuring transparency and efficiency of the complaint system should be the primary concern of the prison personnel. An article reviewing The Black and Asian Prisoner s Guidebook and the Law attracts our attention to the fact that the basic rights of every person should be always respected: â€Å"The Civil and Human Rights of ethnic minority prisoners systematically apply by colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion and religious beliefs.† (http://www.blink.org.uk/pdescription.asp?key=1095grp=16) Legal Assistance Available to Minority Prisoners in Delaware, the most comprehensive study of possible models of legal assistance, points out a series of problems preventing the prisoners from minority background from receiving qualified legal protection. This list includes poor interpretation services, shortage of paralegal help, shortage of the advocates speaking the languages of ethnic minorities as well as shortage of public defenders and judges. The prison personnel should help the prisoners to overcome all this barriers and to obtained necessary legal help. The report entitled Implementing Race Equality in Prisons stresses the importance of proper monitoring and surveying. This should include 1. Prisoner Ethnic Monitoring data outcomes, 2. Race Relations Management Audit score, 3. Substantiated/unsubstantiated racial incidents (prisoners/visitors), 4. Prisoner survey outcomes,5. Visitor survey outcomes. The report also proposes â€Å"to develop effective systems at national and establishment level to monitor progress on race equality ensuring compliance with†¦[the legislation]†¦and taking remedial action to address difficulties.† (www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf) Laura May in her article entitled Action Needed over Race Relations at Jail, Report Finds states the following:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Black and ethnic minority inmates in a prison believe they have been marginalised but inspectors could find no evidence of direct discrimination†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1979788) Proper monitoring should be in place to prevent such common situations. Scottish Prison Service in the annual 2004 report indicated several important initiatives aimed at building bridges between minority prisoners and guards and establishing racial equality. From my point of view, the most interesting of them were â€Å"development of closer links with a number of external organisations in the promotion and development of race equality within our Service,† â€Å"the introduction of a foreign language book rental scheme for prisoners,† â€Å"the continued development of our Race Relations Complaints system and monitoring from our national Race Relations Liaison Monitoring Group,† as well as â€Å"the development of Dietary Guidance in relation to ethnic minority catering throughout the estate.† (http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/race_equality_reports/default.asp) To sum up my paper, I would like to stress once more the importance of building bridges of understanding between the minority prisoners and corrections. The rights of the prisoners and non-discrimination should be the key principles in providing proper treatment of minority representatives. There is a variety of measures aimed at ensuring equality in prisons ranging from staff training to monitoring. But I would like to stress that all these measures would work only if applied consistently and simultaneously. References    NATFHE Prison Education Submission to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education and Lifelong Learning,   June 2004 Available: http://www.natfhe.org.uk/says/pubsfued.html Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Shehar Bano Khan, â€Å"Ordeal of Minority Prisoners†, DAWN, 29 August, 2004 Available: www.dawn.com/2004/08/29/nat16.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Jennifer Vogel, White Guard, Black Guard: Racism in Washington Continues, May, 1999 Available: www.prisonlegalnews.org/ban.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Mara R. Schneider, Splitting Hairs: Why Courts Uphold Prison Grooming Policies and Why They Should Not, Michigan Journal of Race Law, Volume 9, Issue 2, Spring 2004 Scottish Prison Service, Race Equality Scheme, 2000 Available: www.sps.gov.uk/home/reqs.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Kimmett Edgar, Carol Martin, Perceptions of race and conflict: perspectives of minority ethnic prisoners and of prison officers, University of Oxford Centre for Criminological Research, Home Office Online Report 11/04, 2004 Available: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr1104.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Legal Assistance Available to Minority Prisoners in Delaware, 1989 Available: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/edocs/usccr/pdf%20files/Preservation%20Resources%20PDF/cr12as7z.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Commission for Race Equality, HM Prison Service, Implementing Race Equality in Prisons, December 2003 Available: www.cre.gov.uk/pdfs/PrisonsFI_action.pdf Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Scottish Prison Service, Race Equality Annual Report, 2004 Available: http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/race_equality_reports/default.asp Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 The Ethnic Minority Press, The Black and Asian Prisoner s Guidebook and the Law, A review, 19 August 2002 Available: http://www.blink.org.uk/pdescription.asp?key=1095grp=16 Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Ethnic Minorities: Crime and Criminal Justice Available: http://www.rouncefield.homestead.com/files/a_soc_dev_35.htm Last Accessed: 3 November 2004 Laura May, Scottman.com, Action Needed over Race Relations at Jail, Report Finds, 25 September 2003 Available: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1979788 Last Accessed: 3 November 2004

Sodium Alginate and Polymer Drug Delivery Systems

Sodium Alginate and Polymer Drug Delivery Systems Sodium alginate is a hygroscopic material, although, stable at low humidities and at cool temperatures. Aqueous solutions of sodium alginate are most stable at ph 4-10. Below ph3, alginic acid is precipitated. Sodium alginate solutions are susceptible to microbial spoilage during storage, which may effect on solution viscosity. Subsequent loss of viscosity due to depolarization was observed when sodium alginate was heated above 70Â °c. Preparations containing sodium alginate for external use may be preserved by the addition of 0. 1% chlorocresol, chloroxylenol, or parabens and if the medium is acidic, benzoic acid may be used. Bulk material should be stored in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. Sodium alginate is incompatible with acridine derivatives, crystal violet, phenyl mercuric acetate and nitrate, heavy metals and ethanol in concentrations greater than 5%w/v. Low concentrations of electrolytes cause an increase in viscosity but high electrolyte concentrations causing salting out of sodium alginate; salting out occurs if more than 4% of sodium chloride is present. Sodium alginate is used in variety of oral and pharmaceutical formulations. In tablet formulations, sodium alginate may be used as both a binder and disintegrant. It has also been used as a diluents in capsule formulations and also been used in the preparation of sustained release oral formulations, since it can delay the dissolution of a drug from tablets, capsules and aqueous suspensions. Recently, sodium alginate has been used for the aqueous microencapsulation of drugs in contrast with the more conventional microencapsulation techniques which use organic solvent systems. It has also been used in the formation of nanoparticles. The adhesive nature of hydrogels prepared from sodium alginate has been investigated and the drug release from oral mucosal adhesive tablets based in sodium alginate has been reported. Hydrogel systems containing alginates have also been investigated for delivery of proteins and peptides. Therapeutically sodium alginate has been used in the combination with an h2 receptor antagonist in the management of gastroesophageal reflux and as a haemostatic agent in surgical dressings. Alginate dressings, used to treat exuding wounds often contain significant amounts of sodium alginate as this improves the gelling properties. Sodium alginate is also used in cosmetics and food products at concentrations given in table 4 Safety Sodium alginate is widely used in cosmetics, food products, and pharmaceutical formulations, such as topical products, including wound dressings. It is generally regarded as a nontoxic and non-irritant material, although excessive oral consumption may be harmful. The WHO has not specified an acceptable daily intake for alginic acid and alginate salts as the levels used in foods do not represent a hazard to health. Handling precautions. Sodium alginate may be irritant to eye or respiratory system if inhaled as dust;eye protection, gloves, dust respirator are needed while handling. Sodium alginate should be handled in a well ventilated environment. Related substances The various substances related to sodium alginate include alginic acid, potassium alginate, calcium alginate, propylene glycol alginate. CHITOSAN Chitosan is a derivative of chitin and it is a unique polysaccharide and hydrophilic polymer. Non Proprietary Names BP: Chitosan hydrochloride Ph Eur : Chitosan hydrochloridum Chemistry Preparation The principle derivative of chitin, namely Chitosan (C6H11O4N)n is a unique polysaccharide and hydrophilic polymer which is taken from the chitin, a polysaccharide found in exoskeletons of crustaceans. it is processed by removing the shells from shellfish such as shrimp, lobusters and crabs. The shells are then ground into a pulverous powder. This powder is then deacetylated. This involves boiling chitin in concentrated alkali (50%) for several hours. This will yield chitosan with a degree of acetylation between 20-30%, the most popular commercial form of Chitosan. In such a chitosan, the acetyl groups are uniformly distributed along the polymer chain. This is in contrast with the Chitosan of similar degree of acetylation, but isolated from fungal cell walls in which the acetylresidues are grouped into clusters. Special chemical treatments are required to obtain completely de-acetylated forms of chitosan. CHITIN Functional category It is used as a coating agent; disintegrant; film forming agent; mucoadhesive, tablet binder; viscosity increasing agent etc. Chemical character Chitosan is a cationic polyamine with a high charge density at ph The amino group in chitosan has a pka value of approximately 6. 5, thus chitosan is positively charged and soluble in acidic to neutral solution with a charge density depend on ph and the %da. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the salt form, molecular weight, and degree of deacetylation as well as ph at which chitosan is used all influence how this polymer is utilized in pharmaceutical application. Chitosan is incompatible with strong oxidising agent. Typical properties Chitosan is a cationic polyamine with a high charge density at ph Acidity / alkalinity pH=4-6(1%w/v aqueous solution) Density 1. 35-1. 49g/cm3 Particle size distribution Stability and storage conditions Chitosan is a stable material at room temperature although it is hygroscopic after drying. Chitosan should be stored in a tigjtly closed container in a cool and dry place. Incompatibilities Chitosan is incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. Safety Chitosan is being investigated widely for use as an excipient in oral and other pharmaceutical formulations. It is also used in cosmetics. chitosan is generally regarded as biodegradable, nontoxic and non irritant material. it is biocompatible with both healthy and infected skin. Applications Chitosan is found useful in many fields like sustained drug delivery, components of mucoadhesive dosage forms, rapid release dosage forms, improved peptide delivery, colonic drug delivery systems and use for gene delivery. Chitosan is processed into several pharmaceutical forms including gels, beads, films, microspheres tablets and coatings for liposomes. PROPRANOLOL HYDROCHLORIDE (ÃŽÂ ²-adrenergic blocking agents) Adrenergic nonselective ÃŽÂ ²-receptor antagonist. (antihypertensive, antianginal and antiarrhythmic. ) STRUCTURE Chemical name (ÂÂ ±)-1-isopropylamino-3-(1-naphthyloxy) propan-2-ol hydrochloride Molecular formula C16H21NO2. HCl Molecular weight 295. 8 Description: A white powder, odourless and bitter in taste Solubility: Soluble Soluble 1 in 2 of water and ethanol Slightly soluble in chloroform I . PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS a. Cardiovascular-Propranolol diminishes cardiac output, heart rate, and force of contraction. These effects are useful in the treatment of angina. b. Peripheral vasoconstriction-Blockade of ÃŽÂ ²-receptors prevents ÃŽÂ ²2-mediated vasodilation. The reduction in cardiac output leads to decreased blood pressure. c. Bronchoconstriction-Blocking ÃŽÂ ²2 receptors in the lungs of susceptible patients causes contraction of the bronchiolar smooth muscle. Î’-blockers are thus contradicted in patients with asthma. d. increased Na+ retention-reduced blood pressure causes a decrease in renal perfusion, resulting in an increase in Na+ and plasma volume. in some cases this compensatory response tends to elevate the BP. For these patients, ÃŽÂ ²-blockers are often combined with a diuretic to prevent Na+ retention. II. THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS a. Hypertension-propranolol lowers BP in hypertension by decreasing cardiac output. b. glaucoma-propranolo is effective in diminishing intraocular pressure in glaucoma. c. migraine-propranolol is also effective in reducing migraine episodes by blocking the catecholamine induced vasodilation in the brain vasculature. d. angina pectoris-propranolol decreases the oxygen requirement of heart muscle and therefore effective in reducing the chest pain in angina. e. myocardial infarction-propranolol and other ÃŽÂ ²-blockers have a protective effect on the myocardium. thus, patient who have had one myocardial infarction appear to be protected against a second heart attack by prophylactic use of ÃŽÂ ²-blockers. III. ADVERSE EFFECTS a. broncho constriction-when propranolol is administered to an asthmatic patient, an immediate contraction of the bronchiolar smooth muscle prevents air from entering the lungs. Therefore, propranolol must never be used in treating any individual with obstructive pulmonary disease. b. arrhythmias-treatment with the ÃŽÂ ²-blockers must never be stopped quickly because of the risk of precipitating cardiac arrhythmias. c. disturbances in metabolism- ÃŽÂ ² bloackade leads to decreased glycogenolysis and decreased glucagon secretion. d. drug interaction-drugs that interfere with the metabolism of propranolol, such as cimetidine, furosemide and chlorpromazine may potentiate its antihypertensive effects. conversely those that stimulate is metabolism, such as barbiturates, phenytoin and rifampicin can mitigate its effects. PHARMACOKINETICS Propranolol is well absorbed after oral administration but has low bioavailability due to high first pass metabolism in liver. it is highly bound to plasma proteins. Metabolism of propranolol is dependent on hepatic blood flow. DOSE Oral 10mg BD to 10mg QID (average 40-60mg/day) I. V 2-8mg injected over 10min with with constant monitoring. it is not injected S. C or I. M because of irritant property. MATERIALS NAME OF THE MATERIALS NAME OF THE COMPANY Propranolol hydrochloride Sodium alginate AR Hi-Media biosciences Ltd, Mumbai. Calcium chloride AR S. D Fine chemicals Ltd, Mumbai Barium chloride AR Qualigens Fine Chemicals Ltd, Mumbai Chitosan AR Fluca Biochemicals Ltd, Switzerland. (Viscosity 200-400 mPa. s) Acetic acid EQUIPMENTS USED Name of equipment Name of company UV/Vis Spectrophotometer JASCO V-530 IR Spectrophotometer Jasco-FT-IR 8201 PC Differential scanning calorimeter DSC-60 (Shimadzu, Tokyo, Japan) Optical Microscope and Stage Micrometer Erma. Japan Scanning Electron Microscope JSM 6400 x-ray diffractrometer Bruker AXS D8 Dissolution apparatus Electrolab TDT-08L, USP XXIV Type I Apparatus. Chennai Remi Hi-speed motor Universal motors. Mumbai Digital balance Denver Instruments 18002098899 simi INTRODUCTION MICROENCAPSULATION A process in which very thin coatings of polymeric materials are deposited around particles of solids or droplets of liquid. Different terms for solid particle systems are employed in drug delivery among them pellets, beads, microcapsules, microspheres, millispheres are few. The terminologies of most relevant multiparticulate systems are provided here. Pellets can be defined as Small, free flowing spherical particles manufactured by agglomeration of fine powders or granules of drug substances and excipients using appropriate processing equipment. The size of these particles rae usually between 0. 5 and 1. 5mm. sphericity and intra granular porosity are the two important quality attributes of pellets. The terms spherical granules and beads have been applied interchangeably to pellet system. Microspheres are solids approximately spherical particles ranging in size from 1 to 1000ÂÂ µm. They are made of polymeric, waxy, or other protective materials, that are biodegradable synthetic polymers and modified natural products such as gums, proteins, waxes etc. Microsphere: the enbtrapped substance is dispersed throughout the microsphere matrix. Microcapsule: the entrapped substance is completely surrounded by distinct capsule wall. The similiarities between microsphers and microcapsules are clear and illustrations of these particles are shown in Fig: Encapsulation methods Two major classes of encapsulation methods have evolved, viz chemical and physical. The first class of encapsulation involves polymerisation during the process of preparing the microcapsules. examples of this class are usually known by the name of interfacial polymerisation or in situ polymerisation. The second type involves controlled precipitation of a polymeric solution where in physical changes usually occur. The precipitation and or gelation listed in table cover many techniques. one example isthe precipitation of water soluble polymers such as gelatin with water miscible solvents such as isopropranol. other examples include the precipitation of ethyl cellulose from cyclohexane agin by cooling, and gelation of sodium alginate with aqueous calcium salt solutions. in all cases the objective is to precipitate a performed polymer around the core (sometimes a multi-particulate) to cause encapsulation. Process Coating material Suspended medium Interfacial polymerization Water soluble and insoluble monomers Aqueous/organic solvents Complex coacervation Water soluble polyelectrolyte Water Simple coacervation Hydrophobic polymers Organic solvents Thermal denaturation Proteins Organic solvents Salting out Water-soluble polymer Water Solvent evaporation Hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymer Organic or Water Hot melt Hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymer Aqueous/organic solvents Solvent removal Hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymer Organic solvents Spray drying Hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymer Air, nitrogen Phase separation Hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymer Aqueous/organic solvents POLYMER BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM There has been growing interest in polymer based bioadhesive drug delivery systems. one of the goals of such systems is to prolong the residence time of a drug carrier in the Gastro Intestinal tract(GIT). The bioadhesive bond can be of a covalent, electrostatic, hydrophobicor hydrogen bond nature. ionic polymers are reported to be more adhesive than neutral polymers, and an increased charge density will also give better adhesion suggesting that the electrostatic interactions are of great importance. except for the oesophagus, the entire GI tract including the stomach is covered with a continous layer of insoluble mucus gel. The mucus gel mainly consists of glycolproteins and due to their content of ester sulphate and sialic acid groups, the mucus layer has an overall strong net negative charge. The mucus layer has been considered as a possible site for bioadhesion and drug delivery by several groups. Natural polymers Recently, the use of natural polymers in the design of drug delivery formulation has received much attention due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, non toxicity and easy in availability. Polymers as carriers used in drug delivery system The different types of polymers for extended release preparations are given below. Biodegradable polymers The biodegradable polymers comprised of monomers linked to one another through functional groups and have unstable linkages in the backbone. They are biologically degraded or eroded by enzymes or generated by living cells. Natural Albumin, alginate, collagen, starch, chitosan, dextran, casein, gelatine, fibrinogen etc. Synthetic Polyalklyl-cyanoacrylate, poly ethyl cyano acrylate, poly amino acids, poly amides, poly acryl amides etc. Aliphatic polyesters Poly(maleicacid), poly (glycolic acid), poly(hydroxyl butyrate), poly (lactic acid), poly vinyl alcohol(PVA) etc. Non-biodegradable polymers Poly ethylene vinyl acetate(EVA), poly ether urethane(PEU), cellulose acetate, poly vinyl chloride(PVC), ethyl cellulose etc. In recent years a lrge number of biodegradable polymers have been investigated for their potential use as drug delivery systems. among them, sodium alginate and chitosan are very promising and have been widely exploited in pharmaceutical industry for sustained drug release. polysaccharides such as alginic acid, agar, chitin and chitosan have been used to agglomerate drugs for controlled drug delivery systems. Chitosan is a anaturally occurring polysaccharide comprosing of glucosamine and N-Acetyl glucosamine with unique poly cation characteristics. The polycationic nature of chitosan leads to a strong interaction with negatively charged alginate. when alginate is dropped into chitosan solution, the electrostatic interaction of carboxylic groups of alginate with the amino groups of chitosan results in the formation of a membarane on the surface of sodium alginate and improves the stability and drug content. This process has been widely used in the preparation of alginate chitosan membaranes with a solid calcium-alginate gel core. There are many advantages of the chitosan coating, such as the improvement of drug loading and bioadhesive property, as well as the prolonged drug release properties etc. Alginate(ionic, hydrophilic polymer) is a negatively charged polysachharide with high charge density and has been reported to be bioadhesive. among polyanionic polymers, alginate has been widely studied and applied for its possibility to modulate the release according to the properties of its carboxyl groups as well as its biodegradability and absence of its toxicity. alginate is a naturally derived anionic polysaccharide mainly from algae belonging to the family of phaeophyceae. Alginic acid is an algal polysaccharide and a species of poly carboxylic acid. alginate consists of two sugar moieties ÃŽÂ ²-D mannuronic acid and ÃŽÂ ±-L guluronic acid which exist either in blocks or random sequences and their relative proportions determines the biofunctional properties of alginc acid. alginate is known to form complexes with divalent cations, such as Ca2+, Ba2+, and Sr2+ in aqueous solution. depending upon the composition of two sugar residues and sequential distribution within the molecules, the complexes form either precipitates or hydrogels. guluronic acid blocks are known to form a rigid buckled structure, the so called egg box array, in which chelating calcium ions are nestled in the aqueous environment of the ordered gel structure due to the spatial arrangements of guluronic block oxygen atoms of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Alginate has been widely used as food additive, a tablet disintegrator or gelation agent, and the mechanism of its gelation have been extensively investigated. when an aqueous solution of sodium alginate(SA) is added dropwise to an aqueous solution of calcium chloride, spherical alginate beads with regular shape and size are produced, since an insoluble calcium alginate matrix is formed by the cation exchange between sodium and calcium ions. alginates are known to form reticulated structure when in contact with calcium chloride ions and this characteristic has been used to produce SR particulate systems for a variety of drugs. GEL FORMATION (GENERAL MECHANISM) A gel in classical colloidal terminology, is defined as a system which owes its characteristic properties to a cross linked network of polymeric chains which form at the gel point. a considerable amount of research has been carried out in recent years to elucidate the nature of the crosslinks and determine the structure of alginate gels. alginate beads can be prepared by extruding a solution of sodium alginate containing the desired drug or protein, as droplets, into a divalent crosslinking solution such as Ca2+, Ba2+, and Sr2+ . monovalent cations do not induce gelation while Ba2+, and Sr2+ ions produce stronger alginate gels than Ca2+. other divalent cations such as Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, CO2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Mn2+ will also cross link alginate gels but their use is limited due to their toxicity. The gelation and cross linking of the polymers are mainly achieved by the exchange of divalent cations and stacking of these guluronic acids with the divalent cations, and the stacking of these gul uronic groups to form the characteristic egg-box structure shown in fig LARGE BEAD PREPARATION In general, beads greater than 1. 0mm in diameter which can be produced by using a syringe, with a needle or a pipette. sodium alginate solution that contains the solubilised drug or protein is transferred dropwise into a gently agitated divalent cross linking solution. The diameter of the beads formed is dependant on the size of the needle used and the viscosity of the alginate solution . a larger diameter needle and higher viscosity solutions will produce larger diameter beads. The viscosity of SA can also influence the shape of the microbeads produced. The beads become more spherical as the concentration of SA increased. however, in general SA solutions of greater than 5% are difficult to prepare. Since, gelation occurs in an aqueous environment, alginate is a promising material as a food additive, drug formulation and useful even for encapsulation of living cells to protect them from immune responses. utilizing this stable complex formation with divalent cations, alginate gels have been utilized for investigation of cells are considered to be the ultimate system for the pulsatile release of biologically active compounds. Formulation of delivery devices for protein and peptide drugs under aqueous conditions are desirable to avoid the undesirable decrease of bioactivities which may occur when using organic solvents or heat during formulations. since relatively stable alginate gels can be formed in aqueous environments through chelation or complexation, which are promising delivery of matrices for bioactive compounds. It has been suggested that the crosslinks were caused either by ionic bridging of 2 carboxyl groups on adjacent polymer chains via calcium ions or by chelation of single calcium ions by hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on each of a pair of polymer chains. although these bonds may play a role in the gelation mechanism which are not sufficiently energetically favourable to account for the gelation of alginate. it has been shown on thebasis of fibre diffraction data and model-building calculations that the shape of both poly-mannuronic acid segments and the polygulutended, and that these extended ribbons can stack together in sheets. on the basis of these data and the properties of gels it has been suggested that the cooperative association of either polymannuronic acid segments or polyguluronic acid segments are involved in the formation of the crosslinked network of polymer chain. This technique has shown attractive applications in different fields, including cell immobilisation, owing to its mild operating conditions. as the encapsulation method is mild, and done at room temperature in aqueous medium, several sensitive drugs, proteins, living cells, enzymes, spermatozoa etc have been successfully encapsulated through alginate beads. The primary structure of alginate depends on the producing species and for the marine species, seasonal and geographical changes might result in variations in alginates extracted from the same species. The polymer is nown to form a physical gel by hydrogen bonding at low pH(acid gel)and by ionic interactions with polyvalent cations such as calcium, the cation acting as a cross linker between the polymer chains. The viscosity and primary structure of polymer are important features determining it swelling and gelling properties. At neutral pH, sodium alginate is soluble and hydrates to form viscous solutions, but below pH3, alginic acid, water swellable but insoluble, which is rapidly formed. since the hydration characteristics of the polymer and the subsequent physical properties of the hydrated gel layer may critically influence drug release. When CA beads are treated with 0. 1M HCl, alginate gels hydrolysed to lower molecular weight fractions of alginic acid. due to conversion of COO- groups into unionised carboxylic groups, the electrostatic attraction between Ca2+ ions and COO- ions in the egg-box junction almost disappears. moreover, there may occur in ion-exchange between H+ ion(presence in the external HCl solution) and free Ca2+ ions inside the beads. thus a reduced Ca2+ ions concentration within the beads results in a weaker Ca2+ cross linked beads when put in phosphate buffer at pH 6. 8. Therefore, the acid-treated beads are loosely crosslinked structure more soluble alginate as constituent. when such beads are put in the phosphate buffer pH6. 8, the beads swell at a faster rate but do not attain a higher water uptake value due to loosely bound structure of the beads which is unable to retain large amount of water within the beads. moreover, there is possibility of ion-exchange between H+ ions produced due to ion isation of carboxylic groups in the buffer at pH. A group of scientists developed a method of enclosing viable cells, tissues, and other labile biological substances within a semipermeable membrane. preliminary in-vitro studies of several types of microencapsulated cells and tissues(redblood cells, sperm cells, hepatica cells, hepatocytes, pancreatic endocrine tissues, and islets) were described by them. essentially, the process involves suspending the living cells or tissues in sodium alginate solution. The cell or tissue suspension is extruded through a device producing micro-droplets which fall into a calcium chloride solution and form gelled microbeads with the cells or tissues entrapped. These cell containing gel microbeads are next treated with polysine which displaces the surface layer of calcium ions and forms a permanent polysalt shell or membrane. finally, the interior calcium alginate is liquefied, either to stay in or to cum out(depending on molecular weight and size of the starting alginate) of the capsule with a calciu m sequestrant such as buffered citrate solution. Gohel et al ., prepared diclofenac sodium microspeheres by using sodium alginate as a polymer and CaCl2 as a cross linking agent. in this investigation stirring speed, concentration of crosslinking agent and heavy liquid paraffin were studied, on the time required for 80% of drug dissolution. a statistical model with significant interaction terms was derived to predict t80 and drug was released by diffusion of anomalous type. The results of multiple regression analysis and F value statistics revealed that, obtaining of controlled drug release and microspheres were to be prepared using relatively lower stirring speed. Literature reports indicate wide spread use of sodium alginate for achieving sustained release of drugs, targeting gastric mucosa and increasing the bioavailability of drugs because of sodium alginates ability to form a stable and bioadhesive gel with calcium ions. Alginate also has several unique properties that have enabled it to be used as a matrix for the entrapment or delivery of a variety of proteins, macromolecules and cells. USES Of Alginate Beads A relatively inert aqueous environment within the matrix. A mild room temperature encapsulation process free of organic solvent A high gel porosity which allows for high diffusion rate of macromolecules The ability to control this porosity with simple coating procedures. Dissolution and biodegradation of the system under normal physiological conditions. Standard graph for propranolol hydrochloride A stock solution of propranolol hydrochloride was prepared by dissolving 100mg of the drug in 100ml of the phosphate buffer of pH6. 8 to give 1mg/ml solution. ten millilitres of stock solution was diluted to 100ml using phosphate buffer f pH6. 8 to produce 100ÂÂ µg/ml working stock solution. from this working solution, dilutions were made with phosphate buffer of pH6. 8 to produce 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ÂÂ µg/ml. The ÃŽÂ » max of the drug was determined by scanning the dilutions between 400 and 200nm using a Shimadzu 1400 UV visible spectrophotometer. At this wavelength, the absorbances of all the other solutions were measured against a blank. Standard curve between concentration and absorbance was plotted. COMPATIBILITY STUDIES One of the requirements for the selection of suitable polymers or carriers for pharmaceutical formulation is its compatibility. Therefore in the present work a compatibility study was done by using Infra Red spectroscopy (IR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to find out if there is any possible chemical interaction between propranolol hydrochloride and the polymers. DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY (DSC) Differential Scanning calorimetric analysis was used to characterize the thermal behaviour of the drug substances. It was performed by using DSC-60(Shimadzu, Tokyo, Japan) calorimeter to study the thermal behaviour of selected formulations. The instrument comprised of calorimeter (DSC60), flow controller (FCL60), thermal analyzer (TA60) and operating software(TA 60). The samples were heated in hermetically sealed aluminium pans under nitrogen flow (30ml/min)at a scanning rate of 5Â °C/min from 24 + 1Â °C to 300Â °C. An empty aluminium pan, sealed in the same way as the sample was used as a reference. SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY Scanning electron microscopy is used to obtain the surface topographical characterization of beads. SEM photographs of prepared formulations were taken with (Instrument JSM-6390)at different magnification ranging from 30 to 5000x at room temperature. The samples were mounted on double sided adhesive tape that has previously been secured on copper stubs. The acceleratio

Disadvantages Of The Open Cycle Configuration Environmental Sciences Essay

Disadvantages Of The Open Cycle Configuration Environmental Sciences Essay The main problems of todays society are; the ever increasing demand in energy, a possible resource shortage and environmental pollution. Therefore a lot of money is spent in research to find alternative ways of producing energy using Earths natural resources like wind, sun and the ocean. This report is a study on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) which might be the answer to the energy and environmental problem our world has to face. A basic description and an introduction to the types and principles of operation of closed cycle, open cycle and hybrids of OTEC technology is given in this report. Emphasis is shown on the hybrid cycle which has advantages compared to other single purpose plants for fresh water production or power generation. The process of desalination of sea water can prove vital for countries which have water shortage. This report is focused on the technology that would be suited for a hybrid cycle OTEC plant situated in Cyprus. Contents Table of Figures 1. Aims and Objectives The aim of this project is to investigate the characteristics of a dual purpose plant for simultaneous production of desalinated water and electric power. An attempt will be made to state the conditions and criteria for adjusting the ratio of desalinated water to power production and also how this ratio is affected by a variation in seawater temperature and pressure. In addition, different design considerations of the hybrid cycle particularly suitable for an OTEC plant operating in Cyprus will be discussed. 2. Introduction The ocean surface absorbs more heat from the sun in one square mile than could be produced by burning 7000 barrels of oil (Avery Wu, 1994). Therefore the solar energy absorbed per day by the surface waters can be used to provide a green, zero-emission production of electricity. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion or OTEC is the technology that meets the technical requirements and is economically viable for harvesting the solar energy absorbed by the ocean. OTEC plants make use of the thermal gradient that exists between the surface of the ocean and the deep cold waters to initiate a power producing cycle. The warm tropical surface waters (at a temperature of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 22 °C) and the deep ocean waters (at a depth of 1000m a temperature of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 4 °C) are used as a source of thermal energy to vaporize and condense the working fluid of a turbine-generator system. The thermodynamic cycle for this heat engine is the called the Rankine cycle. OTEC systems maybe either clos ed cycle, open cycle or a combination of the two also known as hybrid systems. In the closed cycle, seawater is used to vaporize and condense a working fluid, such as ammonia, which drives a turbine-generator in a closed loop, producing electricity. In the open cycle, surface water is flash-evaporated in a vacuum chamber. The resulting low-pressure steam is used to drive a turbine-generator. Cold seawater is used to condense the steam after it has passed through the turbine. The open cycle can, therefore, be configured to produce fresh water as well as electricity. The hybrid cycle consists of both the closed cycle system and the open cycle system. The system is interconnected and arranged in such a manner that the former cycle provides electricity and the latter yields desalinated water. Such a system has promising potential in countries which have issues with lack of water. 3. Literature Review 3.1 Closed Cycle OTEC System 3.1.1 Principle of Operation The closed cycle was first proposed in 1881, by DArsonval in France, and was demonstrated in 1979, when a small plant mounted on a barge off Hawaii (Mini-OTEC) produced 50 kW of gross power, for several months, with a net output of 18 kW (Vega, 1992). The principle of operation of the closed OTEC system is demonstrated in figure 1 below. Figure : Principle of operation of a closed cycle OTEC system (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) In the closed cycle, the OTEC system utilizes the warm surface seawater to vaporize a working fluid, such as ammonia, which flows through a heat exchanger (evaporator). The vapor expands at modest pressures and drives a turbine which is coupled to a generator that produces electricity. The vapor then passes through another heat exchanger (condenser) where it is condensed back into a liquid using cold seawater from pumped from the oceans depths through a cold water pipe. A pressurizer or feed pump is used to pump the condensed working fluid back to the evaporator to complete the cycle, producing continuous power generation as long as the warm water and cold water continue to flow. The closed OTEC cycle is basically the same as the conventional Rankine cycle employed in steam engines, in which the steam is condensed and returned to the boiler after driving a piston or steam turbine, OTEC differs by using a different working fluid and lower pressures and temperatures (Avery Wu, 1994). The four processes of the ideal Rankine cycle are listed below: 1. Isentropic expansion (Turbine) 2. Isobaric heat rejection (Condenser) 3. Isentropic compression (Pump) 4. Isobaric heat addition (Evaporator) 3.2 Open Cycle OTEC System 3.2.1 Principle of Operation The open cycle concept was first proposed in the 1920s and demonstrated in 1930, off Cuba by its inventor, a Frenchman by the name of Georges Claude (Vega, 1992). In the open cycle, the warm seawater is the working fluid. The warm seawater is pumped into a vacuum chamber where it is flash- evaporated to produce steam at an absolute pressure of about 2.4kPa. The steam passes through a low pressure turbine which in turn drives a generator to produce electricity. The steam exiting the turbine flows is condensed by cold seawater pumped from the oceans depths through a cold-water pipe. In this open cycle configuration a surface condenser can be used and therefore the condensed steam remains separated from the cold seawater and provides a supply of desalinated water. Figure 2 below shows the principle of operation of the open cycle OTEC system. Figure : Principle of operation of an open cycle OTEC system (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) 3.2.2 Disadvantages of the Open Cycle Configuration This type of configuration produces less power than the closed cycle alternative but it is attractive in places where water shortage is an issue. In addition, the very low pressure at which the system operates means that connections must be carefully sealed to prevent atmospheric air from entering the system, which could bring the operation to a halt. Another disadvantage compared to the closed cycle system is that the specific volume of the low-pressure steam is very large compared to the pressurized working fluid used in the closed cycle system. Therefore the components must have large flow areas to ensure that steam flow does not reach a high enough velocity which could damage the turbine. Also, a large turbine is required to accommodate the very high volumetric flow rates of the low-pressure steam in order to generate a sufficient amount of electrical power. 3.3 Hybrid Cycle OTEC System 3.3.1 Principle of Operation A hybrid cycle combines the features of both the closed-cycle and open-cycle systems. In a hybrid OTEC system, warm seawater enters a vacuum chamber where it is flash-evaporated into steam, which is similar to the open-cycle evaporation process. The steam vaporizes the working fluid of a closed-cycle loop on the other side of an ammonia vaporizer. The vaporized fluid then drives a turbine that produces electricity. The steam condenses within the heat exchanger and provides desalinated water. Figure 3 is an illustration of the hybrid cycle OTEC system. Figure : Principle of operation of a hybrid cycle OTEC system (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The electricity produced by the system can be delivered to a utility grid or used to manufacture methanol, hydrogen, refined metals, ammonia, and similar products. 3.4 OTEC Components The main components of an OTEC system are described below- namely, heat exchangers, evaporators, turbines and condensers. 3.4.1 Heat Exchangers for Closed Cycle OTEC Systems The design of heat exchangers to meet industrial requirements for efficiency, durability, ease of manufacture, packaging, system integration reliability and cost has led to an extensive technology devoted just to this subject. The special requirements of OTEC can be met by heat exchangers with different operating characteristics than conventional designs. Also, research has been done to increase the overall heat transfer coefficients in ways that will reduce the heat exchanger costs per kilowatt of net power generated. This has led to the investigation of various potential types of heat exchangers with features designed to be optimal for OTEC applications. Some of these are briefly described below. Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers: This is the most widely used type of heat exchanger for industrial evaporator and condenser applications. As the name implies, this type consists of a shell and a bundle of tubes inside it. Specifically for OTEC applications, water flows through the tubes and the working fluid flows across the tube bank in the middle section. In conventional ones, seawater flows through the tubes, and the working fluid evaporates or condenses in a shell around them. This design can be enhanced by using fluted tubes: the working fluid flows into the grooves and over the crests, producing a thin film that evaporates more effectively. Plate Heat Exchangers: Another type of heat exchanger that would offer advantages in performance and cost is the plate heat exchanger. The plate type heat exchanger is more compact than the shell and tube configuration. In this type, the seawater and the working fluid flow in alternate channels separated by parallel plates. Suitable manifolds are used to guide the fluid into the proper channels. With this type of heat exchanger the gains in heat transfer coefficient can be up to 100-200%, compared with the conventional shell and tube designs. The material which heat exchangers are made of is very important in terms of cost and performance. Titanium was the original material chosen for closed-cycle heat exchangers because it resists corrosion. However, it is an expensive option for plants that use large heat exchangers. Therefore other cheaper materials such as corrosion-resistant copper-nickel alloys can be used to protect platform and cold-water pipes, but are not compatible with ammonia, the most common working fluid. A suitable alternative is aluminium which performs well under marine conditions and results indicate that selected aluminium alloys may last 20 years in seawater (Thomas Hills, 1989). Marine organisms and slime can quickly grow on surfaces exposed to warm seawater- a buildup known as biofouling- and this reduces the heat transfer efficiency. Laboratory experiments indicate that the addition of chlorine in the pipes can prevent biofouling (Panchal, Larsen-Basse, Little, 1984). 3.4.2 Evaporators for Open Cycle OTEC Systems Open-cycle flash-evaporators include those with open-channel flow, falling films, and falling jets. These conventional evaporators typically perform to within 70% to 80% of the maximum thermodynamic performance at acceptable hydraulic losses. The technological development led to a vertical-spout evaporator that can perform to within 90% of the thermodynamic limit (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). In this evaporator, water is drawn upward through a vertical pipe (a spout) and violently sprayed outward by escaping steam (Bharathan Penney, 1984). To enhance performance, the spray may fall on screens that further break up the droplets and increase the evaporation rate. To avoid pressure loss, the evaporator has simple intake and exit systems that separate the steam from the discharge. Steam continues through the system, and the remaining seawater is discharged from the bottom of the evaporator. Violent flashing in a spout evaporator causes seawater droplets to be entrained by the steam. If they are not removed, these droplets can cause erosion and stress-corrosion cracking in turbine blades and contaminate the desalinated water discharge as well. Passing the steam through the commercially available mist eliminators used in the process industry removes a sufficient quantity of these seawater droplets (Bharathan Penney, 1984). 3.4.3 Turbines In the open cycle process, after the droplets are removed, steam flows through large, low-pressure turbines, entering at a pressure of about 2.4 kPa. These turbines must be able to handle the large steam flows necessary to produce a significant amount of electric power. Multistage turbines used in nuclear or coal-fired power plants are already available. The low-pressure stages of these turbines typically operate at conditions close to those needed in an open-cycle OTEC plant. In close cycle OTEC systems the turbine needs not be so large because it works with vapor at elevated pressures. 3.4.4 Condensers for Open Cycle OTEC Systems Once the steam passes through the turbines, it can be condensed in direct-contact condensers or surface condensers. A surface condenser consists of an intermediate solid wall, which is absent in direct-contact condensers and therefore the latter provides more effective condensation (Bharathan, Parsons, Althof 1988). In one design-a two-stage condenser (see figure 4 below) developed at Solar Energy Research Institute-cold seawater is distributed through two open-ended vessels filled with a commercially available structured packing material. About 80% of the steam is condensed as it flows through the first vessel in the same direction as the cold seawater. The remaining steam is routed into the bottom of the second vessel and flows through it in the opposite direction to the seawater. At the top of the second vessel, a vacuum system pumps out the non-condensable (inert) gases along with any uncondensed steam (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Figure : Illustration of a two stage condenser (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Surface condensers keep the cooling seawater separate from the spent steam during condensation. By using indirect contact, the condensers produce desalinated water that is relatively free of seawater impurities. The surface condensers considered for use in OTEC systems are similar to those used in conventional power plants; however, these surface condensers must operate under lower pressures and with higher amounts of non-condensable gases in the steam. These non-condensable gases which are present in the open cycle system are released from the seawater when it is exposed to low pressures under vacuum and are namely oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Air can also enter the open cycle vacuum chamber through leaks therefore decent construction techniques can reduce the rate of air leakage to very low levels. These gases, if are not removed from the vacuum vessel, they can build up enough pressure to stop evaporation. An exhaust compressor is usually used to remove these non-condensab le gases. The compressor however requires about 10% of the total power generated by the system (Parsons, Bharathan, Althof, 1985). 4. Methodology In this section, pending work and project plan summary will be described. For the final project, the literature review might be expanded a bit more to include the various types of working fluids that can be used. Furthermore, a section explaining the thermodynamics behind the operation of the OTEC cycle (Carnot efficiency and Rankine cycle) will be added, followed by a more realistic calculation on the OTEC actual thermal efficiency, net power output and production of desalinated water. Once these calculations are carried out, a reasonably concise section on the application of solar heating on OTEC will be written. Then an investigation on the effect of increasing water inlet temperature on power generation and fresh water production will be carried out. In addition, the effect of an increase in pressure on power generation and fresh water production will also be included. Computational software such as Wolframalpha or Matlab will help in determining the relationship between variable temperatures and pressures on power generation and desalinated water production. If time allows it, simulation software such as Simul8 will be used to find the optimum conditions for the hybrid cycle OTEC plant. A section of discussion and analysis of results will follow explaining the obtained results, including suggestions for improving the design. Finally, a segment explaining by what means the proposed hybrid cycle OTEC plant is suitable for operation in Cyprus. This segment will include the economic factors involved (need for finance, government subsidies etc.), drawbacks and benefits such a plant will have on the island. 5. Gantt Chart The Gantt Chart below represents the plan for completion of the project including important deadline dates for presentations and submission of the report. Figure : Figure showing the Gantt Chart 6. Conclusion Water and energy are essential for human life. A steady supply of energy and water is indispensable for improving the living standard and economic stability of any country, especially countries which face water shortage problems like Cyprus. The goal of this report is to demonstrate the characteristics of a dual purpose OTEC plant and through various design considerations find the optimum conditions for such a plant to be as productive and as efficient as possible and at the same time be economically viable to attract investors.