Production of Acetone

5. 1 MANUFACTURING PROCESSES: Acetone is produced directly or indirectly by propylene. Early processes for the manufacture of acetone were based on the thermal decomposition of calcium acetate or the carbohydrate fermentation of corn starch or molasses. The ready availability of propylene in the 1960s led to routes based on the dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol or cumene peroxidation. (1) By Cumene Oxidation (Hock Process). Propene is added to benzene [71-43-2] to form cumene [98-82-8], which is then oxidized by air to cumene hydroperoxide, and cleaved in the presence of an acid catalyst like zeolite. Phenol [108-95-2] and acetone [67-64-1] produced in the process are recovered by distillation. Ratio of phenol to acetone is 1:0. 6. (2) By Dehydrogenation of 2-proponal The hydration of propene [115-07-1] gives 2-propanol [67-63-0], which is then dehydrogenated to acetone. In the United States a C3 stream containing 40 – 60 % propene is used for the manufacture of 2-propanol. A large number of catalysts for 2-propanol dehydrogenation have been studied, including copper, zinc, and lead metals, as well as metal oxides, e. g. , zinc oxide, copper oxide, chromium-activated copper oxide, manganese oxide, and magnesium oxide. Inert supports, such as pumice, may be used. CH3CH=CH2 CH3CH(OH)CH3 CH3COCH3 +H2 (3) By catalytic oxidation of Propene (Wacker-Hoechst). The process is analogous to the oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde by theWacker process. The catalyst solution typically contains 0. 045M Palladium (II) chloride, 1. 8M Copper (II) Chloride, and acetic acid. The reaction usually is carried out in two alternating stages. In the first stage, air is used to oxidize the metal ions to the +2 oxidation state. In the second, air is removed and propene added. Palladium (II) oxidizes propene, and the resulting Palladium (I) is reoxidized by the pool of copper (II). Besides propionaldehyde, chlorinated carbonyl compounds and carbon dioxide also are formed. Acetone and the byproducts are removed from the catalyst solution by flash evaporation with steam and separated by fractional distillation. A mixture of acetone (92 % selectivity) and propionaldehyde (2 – 4 % selectivity) is produced. CH3CH=CH2 + ? O2 CH3COCH3 + CH3CH2CHO (4) By oxidation of p-Disisopropyl Benzene (Goodyear Process). Acetone is coproduced with hydroquinone [123-31-9] from p-diisopropylbenzene [100-18-5] in a process analogous to the phenol – acetone production from cumene. In the Goodyear process p-diisopropylbenzene is oxidized by oxygen in the presence of caustic. The p-diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide [3159-98-6] formed is crystallized and washed with benzene. It is then dissolved in acetone and cleaved to hydroquinone and acetone in the presence of sulfuric acid. Next the acid is neutralized with ammonia and the ammonium sulfate formed is filtered. Acetone is recovered by distillation from the reaction mixture. 5) By distillation of Calcium Acetate. Manufacture of Acetone from Acetate of Lime, etc. – Acetone is produced commercially by the dry distillation of various acetates, calcium acetate (commercial grey acetate of lime) or barium acetate being generally used. The single acetate is usually employed, although mixtures of two acetates have been recommended. Grey calcium ace tate usually contains about 80 per cent calcium acetate, the remaining 20 per cent consisting of water and various impurities, including small quantities of calcium formate and propionate as well as salts of other organic acids. Calcium acetate when heated at a temperature of about 380Â ° C. decomposes, giving acetone and a residue of calcium carbonate, but at the same time the accompanying calcium salts present as impurities also react and acetaldehyde and various higher ketones are formed together with the condensation products. In addition other impurities (such as dumasin) and tar-like bodies are formed. Ca(CH? -COO)? CH? -CO-CH? + CaCO? (6) By fermentation of Corn Products by selected Bacteria. The process was started during World War II to provide acetone needed for the manufacture of cordite. The last operating plant in the United States (Publicker Industries) closed in 1977. The fermentation of cornmeal or molasses by various members of the Clostridium genus yields a mixture of 1-butanol, acetone, and ethanol in 2 % overall concentration. The products are recovered by steam distillation and then fractionated. 5. 2 SELECTION OF PROCESSES: Sr NoProcessesParameterCatalystAdvantages/ Disadvantages 1Cumene OxidationYield:- 40% Selectivity:- 90% 1)For Cumene hydroperoxide Temp:- 120 0C Pressure:- 1 atm 2) For acetone Temp:- 60-65 0CAcid catalyst like zeoliteAdvantage:- Valuable main product phenol Disadvantage: – ) Higher operating cost. 2) Acetone is as a byproduct. 2Dehydrogenation of 2-proponalYield:- 90% Selectivity:- 98% Temp:- 300-500 0C Pressure:- 3 atm Dehydrogenation Catalyst:- ZnO, CuAdvantages:- 1) The primary advantage of this process is that the acetone produced is free from trace aromatic compounds, particularly benzene. 2) Less operating cost 3) Valuable byproduct Hydrogen which is 99% pure. 4) High Yield 3Catalytic oxidation of PropeneYield:- 97-99% Selectivity:-92% Temp:- 140 0C Pressure:- 14 atmPalladium Chloride – Cupric ChlorideAdvantage:- 1) Single stage Disadvantages:- 1) High capital & operating cost. 2) Corrosion problem. 4Oxidation of p-Di-isopropyl BenzeneYield:- 20% Temp:- 80-90 0CSulfuric acidDisadvantage: – 1) Higher operating cost. 2) Acetone is as a byproduct. 3) Lower yield 5Distillation of Calcium AcetateYield:- 75% Temp:- 380 0C Disadvantage: – 1) Higher operating cost 2) Lower yield 6Fermentation processYield:- 28-30% Temp:- 35-450CClostridium Madisonii VacteriaDisadvantages: – 1) Lower yield. 2) Higher processing cost due to increase in price of petrochemical feedstock which is used for extracting the acetone. On the above discussion between various methods we are choosing the IPA route to produce Acetone. 5. 3 PROCESSES DESCRIPTION: The production of acetone is divided in two parts. 1)Production of IPA through Feed drum is a kind of tank used for the mixing of the recycle stream and feed stream. Recycle stream concentration was assumed to be same with the feed stream. The temperature of the feed stream is assumed to be 25 0C at 2 bar pressure, which is assumed to be constant. The temperature of recycle stream was calculated as 111. 5 0C. The temperature of the leaving stream was calculated as 32. 9 0C, by the energy balance around feed drum. In the vaporizer molten salt was used for heating. The temperature at the entrance of the unit is the temperature of the mixture leaving the feed drum, which is 32. 89 0C. And the leaving temperature is the bubble point temperature of the mixture, which is 109. 5 0C. The pressure is 2 bars, and assumed to be constant. Since the temperature leaving the vaporizer is not enough for the reaction a pre-heater was used. The unit is working at 2 bars, and assumed to be constant. The entrance and leaving temperatures are 109. 50 0C and 325 0C. The reactor was the starting point for the calculations. The temperature values for the entering and leaving streams were found from literature, which are 325 0C and 350 0C, respectively. The reaction taken place inside is endothermic, for this reason the reactor has to be heated. For heating, molten salt was used. The pressure is 1. 8 bar, and assumed to be constant. The entrance temperature of the cooler is 350 0C and leaving is 94. 70 0C. For cooling, water was used. Instead of water a refrigerant may be used. Better results may get. But since it costs too much, it wasn’t chosen as the cooling material. From the temperature values it’s easily seen that the load is on the cooler not on the condenser, for this process. But in reality the unit cannot cool that much, and the load is mostly on the condenser. In this process, the mixture cooled down to its dew point. The pressure is 1. 5 bar, and assumed to be constant. The temperature of the entering stream is the dew point and the leaving temperature is the bubble point of the mixture. In the condenser water was used as cooling material. In the calculation of the dew and bubble points Antoine Equation was used. Trial and error was used with the help of Excel. The mixture includes acetone, i-propyl-alcohol, water and hydrogen. But hydrogen was not taken into consideration in the calculations. Since the condensation temperature of hydrogen is very low, it is not condense in the condenser. It stays in this for this reasons it has no effect on bubble and dew point calculations. Also since it does not affect the temperature calculations it’s not taken into consideration on mole and mass fraction calculations. The leaving and entering temperatures are 94. 70 0C and 81 0C, respectively. The pressure is 1. 5 bar, and assumed to be constant. Flash unit was assumed to be isothermal, for this reason temperature was not changed. It is 81 0C in the entrance and exit. The pressure is 1. 5 bar, and assumed to be constant. By trial and error method, (V / F) value was found to be 0. 2. The entrance temperature of the unit is the bubble point of the mixture, but if it was its dew point the (V/F) value would be much higher. Scrubber was assumed to be adiabatic. The temperature of water entering the unit was assumed to be 25 0C. The temperature of the off gas, including hydrogen and a very little amount of acetone, was assumed to 70 0C. But this assumption is too high, a lower temperature should have been assumed, since a lot of water is used in the unit. It should have been around 40 0C – 50 0C. The temperature of the leaving stream was found to be 28. 10 0C. The pressure of the unit is 1.. 5 bar, and assumed to be constant. The streams leaving the scrubber and flash unit are mixed together before entering the acetone column. The temperature leaving the flash unit and scrubber are 81 0C and 28. 10 0C, respectively. The temperature of the mixture was found to be 45 0C. This result was getting by using energy balance around the mixing point. The acetone column is used to separate the acetone from the mixture. The entrance temperature is 45 0C. The leaving temperatures for the top and bottom product are 102. 3 and 105, respectively, which are the bubble and dew points. Top product of the unit includes acetone i-propyl-alcohol and 99wt% of the product is acetone. This amount is assumed to be the desired acetone production rate, which is 115000 ton/year. From the bottom i-propylalcohol water and a very little amount of, 0,1 %, acetone is discharged. The pressure is 1. 1 bar, and assumed to be constant. In the distillation column, i-propyl-alcohol and water are separated. The entrance temperature is 105 0C. The leaving temperatures of the top and bottom products are both 111. 50 0C. The top product is recycled to the feed drum. For this reason it’s assumed to have the same concentration with the feed stream. But in reality a very little amount of acetone exists in the stream. It’s calculated but neglected on the recycle stream calculations. The bottom product is assumed to be pure water and it’s thrown away. Since its temperature is very high it cannot be recycled to the scrubber. But if a cooler is used, a recycle can be used. The pressure is 1. 1 bar, and assumed to be constant.

Corporate Strategy and Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries Such as India Essay

Foreign direct investment (FDI), in its simplest term, is when a company from one country makes an investment into building a facility in another country, or when investments are made in order to acquire a certain stake in enterprises operating outside the economy and country of the investor. FDI plays an extraordinary role for firms wanting to operate and compete in a global business. It can provide a firm with new markets to penetrate, cheaper production facilities, access to new technologies, skills, and financing. For a host country or the foreign firm receiving the investment, it can provide many opportunities that are necessary for economic growth and development. FDI can also come in many different forms, such as direct acquisition of a foreign firm, setting up a facility in a foreign country, or investing in joint ventures and/or strategic alliances with local and foreign firms (Kim & Kim, 2006). In the past decade, due to a dramatic change in the way businesses are conducted, combined with loosening of governments’ regulations on foreign investments, FDI has increased dramatically on a global scale. When companies make decisions regarding FDI, this process require the efficient allocation of funds to investment opportunities, which often require large amounts of money that will hopefully bring greater returns to its investors. With foreign investments being far riskier than domestic investments, the effective and efficient use of funds is critical for the future performance of a multinational company. Multinational companies that engage in FDI provide a range of potential benefits that extend to the actual investors as well as the host country that is receiving the investment which are quite apparent. An example within many of these advantages include, increased profits for the industry or the firm due to lower costs of resources abroad, and increase in jobs provided in the host country. However, despite the positive arguments for FDIs there are still also many reasons how or why these type of investments can prove to be harmful. Domestic firms may consider these investments as unfair competition because the home-market is losing jobs that are instead being set-up abroad. Also, the host country may feel that they are losing their national identity due to foreign cultures and influences being imposed on them. Despite the many benefits that FDIs have provided both companies and host-countries, it is still unsure that such activities will not extend harmful effects to either participant due to the various reasons mentioned above. A reasonable outline for investments should be set-out in order to allow investors reap the benefits of their investments, while simultaneously contributing positively towards the growth and development of the host-country. The following sections of this report will attempt to analyze FDI effects on developing countries, the means available for companies to invest in foreign markets, mergers and acquisitions, and other issues related to the field of foreign direct investment. Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries Foreign direct investments initiated by MNCs occur primarily because in most cases these type of activities aim to fulfill all MNC’s primary objective; to maximize shareholder value (stock price) by â€Å"taking-on† various value-adding activities or investments. As such they are considered as being major contributors to economic growth for developing countries. A host country will usually want to attract foreign investors in order to acquire additional resources such as capital, new technologies, knowledge, as well as increased job opportunities for its population. Over the past decade globalization has increased dramatically, which has also sparked increasing flows of FDI in developing countries as governments begin to ease up on their regulations. According to publications from the Institute for International Economics, FDI in developing countries, and countries who are in a transition phase of their economy (i. e. China) grew dramatically during 1990-1998, from $24 billion per annum to approximately $120 billion per annum. Mentioned in the previous section, FDI in theory, as well as in practice, has proved to offer several gains to developing host countries who accept MNC’s investment efforts. From these gains, the major ones that are usually more specific to developing host countries include the transfer of technology that couldn’t otherwise be acquired through investments or trade, development of human capital through employee training, and gains in profits resulting from corporate tax revenues in the host country (Loungani and Razin, 2001). The fact is that the impact of FDI in a certain country may vary from one country to another country, therefore the degree of FDI impact really depends on the government policies and regulations that are set forth in order to either attract or deter FDI inflows. Therefore, we could concur that government policymakers have the most important role when it comes to FDI decisions. They should be aware of the different methods that could be used to promote FDI and how each of these means would affect the development and growth of the local economy. Often, policymakers seem to rush into FDI liberalization policies without considering the pros and cons of such actions. However, as the South East Asian economies have well proven to the rest of the world, if FDI can be used strategically, it can be an extremely useful tool for emerging economies and developing countries. FDI in India India’s recent liberalization of its foreign investment regulations has generated strong interest by foreign investors, turning India into one of the fastest growing destinations for global FDI. Foreign firms are setting up joint ventures in several of India’s fastest growing sectors such as telecommunications, computers software, financial services, tourism, etc. According to a global survey conducted by KPMG International on corporate investment plans in June 2008, India is expected to experience the largest overall growth in its share FDI, and will most likely become a haven for investments within the manufacturing industries. It’s true that India is becoming one of the most favored investment destinations for many developed countries as well as countries whose economies are in a transition phase. The following diagram shows how GDP per capita growth, trade volumes, and FDI inflows have surged over the years 2001-2006. Within the past few years, Japanese firms are increasingly purchasing various amounts of equity ventures in Indian firms, particularly within the automobile, electronics, and IT sectors. FDI is now recognized as one of the most important drivers of economic growth for India, and as such, the Indian government is making all efforts to attract and facilitate FDI and investment from foreign investors. India’s liberalization efforts have not only removed national barriers towards foreign investments, but have also made the process of investment activities much easier by establishing various measures. According to India Business Directory (IBD, 1999-2009), some of these implemented measures include: †¢Loosening of foreign exchange controls in order to promote greater tradebetween India and other countries †¢Companies now have significant amount of freedom to raise funds from foreign markets in order to invest and expand their foreign operations in India †¢Trade between countries is subject to fewer trade restrictions; i. . decreasing tariff levels †¢Foreign investors can pass on earnings from Indian operations with relative ease As India and its industries continue to develop and expand, more and more investors are attracted to its market with hopes of experiencing great returns. The possibilities of foreign investment in India seem endless with the combination of incentives and benefits that the Indian government offers to foreign investors. Some of these incentives include tax exemptions due to the various tax treaties that India has with 40 other countries, as well as investment incentives offered by the Indian government and the state (IBD, 1999-2009). One of the major reasons why India has attracted vast amounts of FDI in recent years is due to its FDI policies. According to the Embassy of India website (2009), FDI up to 100 percent is allowed under the â€Å"automatic route† in all sectors and activities except for those that are otherwise stated. Some of these sectors that don’t permit full ownership by the foreign investor include such items that require special licensing; i. e. alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and tobacco products, electronic aerospace and defense equipment, explosives, and hazardous chemicals. There are also other sectors of the economy that are prohibited from receiving ANY form of FDI, which include atomic energy, railway transport, ammunition and defense equipment, and mineral oils. However, most of the sectors fall under the â€Å"automatic route† for FDI, which basically implies that FDI can take place without the approval of the central government.

Beggar at Damascus Gate

‘Yasmine Zahran was born in Ramallah, Palestine. She was educated at Columbia University, and London University. She earned a doctorate in archeology from the Sorbonne. She is the author of two previous books; one on ancient Palestine, Echoes of History, and a novel, The First Melody [3]. ’ A Beggar at Damascus Gate is a story of love, intrigue and mystery.It is quite difficult to classify it in a single genre. At one point it seems like a love story, at another, like a spy novel, and yet at other times, it just seems like a literary work of history [2].Cold and alone in a small inn, an archaeologist/professor, Foster comes across an old dusty canvas bag in the closet of his room. Opening this, he finds letters and journals. He hesitates at first, not wanting to go through someone else’s personal journals, but curious, he reads them, to discover that they belong to two lovers – A Palestinian woman Rayya, living in exile in France and an English man Alex. Th ey were married to each other. What follows is a well crafted novel, weaved with passages from the lovers’ journals. Foster is fascinated, and decides to compile the journals and letters into a single manuscript, and get it published.Zahran’s novel can simply be called a master piece. â€Å"It is story about lovers of two contending cultures. † Rayya is a deeply patriotic woman, completely devoted to her cause, of seeing Palestine as a free and sovereign state. A lot of the narrative is based on Rayya’s determination. The book is set in the time immediately after the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict. Palestine is under military occupation. Britain has colonized Palestine. There relationship is marred by political instabilities, and stubborn national loyalties. When Rayya and Alex first come to know each other, Zahran follows a light-hearted course.Both tease each other about their backgrounds, their different cultures and their different heritage. But slowly an d sadly, this emerges into a much deeper rebellion – both begin getting suspicious about each other. Is Rayya more devoted to her homeland, or to her love? Is Alex really the man he shows himself to be [2]? Suspicions begin when Rayya discovers that Alex can speak Arabic [4]. She begins fearing that he could be an English spy. There relationship is painful and poignant. At times, out of national loyalty, both try to separate from each other, but emotions continue to draw them together.Rayya’s suspicions eventually cause Alex’s death [4]. The narrative follows the eight year relationship between the two. Zahran also brings out the contemporary Palestinian culture and thought to life. In fact, the plight of the Palestinians’ is what stands out most in the book. Even something as strong as true love is not able to bring two people from these two vastly different cultures together. The fate of the Palestinian people hangs continually over their relationship a nd the story follows a tragic path of treachery and suspicion. The book shows the â€Å"collective psyche of the Palestinian people, and what the ‘Nakba’ did to it [2].† Palestinians were expelled from their territory, where Israel was born. The Palestinian exodus is called the ‘Nakba,’ meaning disaster. Zahran cleverly intertwines snatches of the journals in the narrative, and we come across Rayya’s poetry, which is very moving. Her writing is dreamlike and full of feeling, ‘A poetic, empowering portrayal of the struggle for liberation – both personal and political liberation [2]. ’ Foster spends ten years looking for the couple desperately, and finally, is about to give up hope, till he actually finds Rayya.The tension builds up, and ultimately, Zahran brings us to an anti-climax, as life often is [2]. Good does not always triump over evil, nor does love over hate. Zahran avoids using cliche’s [2]. What she depicts is the true plight of millions displaced from their very homeland. The relationship between Alex and Rayya too is not a typical one. Both have their national loyalties, and will abide by them no matter what. Rayya, in particular is passionately devoted to the Palestinian cause. Never does Zahran isolate the characters from the life around them.It is indeed the life and the war around them that lead to their separation. What many critics believe is that Alex probably never truly understood Rayya’s passion for her homeland, since he had never lived a life of oppression. He did not understand what it was like to have your home country and people under military occupation, for years. Rayya, on the other hand had been brought up in a time and region of constant political instability and military warfare. The experiences in her life had shaped her into an intensely patriotic, strong person, defending her cause, her people and her nation.Written in first person, from the mind of Fo ster, Zahran has built up an interesting and engaging narrative structure that keeps the reader captivated. In fact many have found Zahran’s writing almost magical, and strangely close to life. Her style is deceptively simple. It can undoubtedly be accepted that ‘A Beggar at Damascus Gate’ is one of the best works of contemporary literature. The book is also a beautiful preservation of an emotional human relationship, and the culture and life of a daunting era. The book ends vaguely, but Zahran has made herself clear. The tragedy lies not only in Alex and Raya’s alienation.It lies in the damage war and conflict can do. Zahran states it herself – â€Å"Love is a constantly changing landscape [1]. † Even though the lovers cannot be together by the end, Zahran does not leave the reader dejected. What Rayya and Alex shared may not have lasted, but it left its impact. For both, the relationship proved to be a journey of self-discovery; â€Å"the final resolution surprises them both and reveals a depth to their commitments that neither had previously realized [3]. † It also proved to be a deep experience for Foster, and resulted in his determination to find either of the two, and to get the manuscript published.What is more haunting is the fact that readers, even today can understand the strife of the characters – Palestine is still far from free. Rayya’s dream is still a dream; her homeland is still not free. As Marzahn stated in her review; â€Å"We all need a little place to call home, a little piece of world to which we belong. The realization for some people that it is not possible to return home is one of sorrow. Reading The Beggar at Damascus Gate by Yasmin Zahran brings to the forefront that poignant struggle facing many Palestinians.It is a book that makes one think about home, loss, and the just cause [4]. † Works Cited: 1. Zahra, Yasmin. A Beggar at Damascus Gate. The Post Apollo Press, ISBN: 0-942996-24-0 2. Amazon Reviews, A Beggar at Damascus Gate, retrieved from http://www. amazon. com/Beggar-at-Damascus-Gate/dp/0942996240 3. Swensen, Cole and Cooke, Miriam, A Beggar at Damascus Gate (short review), retrieved from http://www. postapollopress. com/A_Beggar. html 4. Marzahn, Michelle A. A Beggar at Damascus Gate: A War Between Emotions and Politics, Book review from Al Jadid, Vol. 2, No. 7, May 1996

International marketing environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International marketing environment - Essay Example Thus, governments play a highly influential role in promoting, restricting and regulating import and export of the goods. In a way, government interventions cause a tremendous impact on the firms marketing the goods internationally (Vorton, 2010). Further, government’s role is crucial in formulating trade policies, negotiating trade agreements with other countries and preparing an environment that helps promote multilateral trade among the countries. For example, the Office of the US Trade Representative, a body under the US government, is fully responsible to develop trade related policies with the other countries. The office works as the presidents spokesperson, chief trade advisor, and finally as a negotiator with trade organizations of the other countries. It is pertinent to note here that the US has entered into free trade agreements with a total of 19 countries. The North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada is considered one of the largest of all the free trade agreements to promote bilateral trade among the member countries (NAFTA, 2012). Economic factor is quite important and critical as environmental uncontrollable while going for international marketing operations. Markets differ worldwide significantly in their growth prospects, size and the current GDPs. Some of them are developed, while many are in the developing stages and therefore, they differ widely in terms of opportunities. Many of the countries or regions do not have adequate infrastructure to undertake a fast paced economic growth. Natural resources, minerals, water, energy, skilled manpower are the key ingredients that are needed for the growth and industrial activities. Thus, marketers need to consider individual regions and economies carefully before launching any marketing operations (The Economic Environment, 2012). International marketing is influenced by the

Analysing Argument - A Way to Pay for College, With Dividends Essay

Analysing Argument - A Way to Pay for College, With Dividends - Essay Example The article is based upon the argument of proving the benefits of human capital contract as the more suitable and appropriate source of study finance that is beneficial for the students as well as for the entire society and labour market. The author has impressively described the pros and cons of several ways of arranging the higher studies finance and has persuasively concluded that the human capital contracts are the most expedient and equitable way for the students to manage finance for their higher education. The author has included the experience of some students who have availed different options for securing the finance for their higher education. In the light of the experiences of these people the author insists that the most suitable, fair and supportive mode of college finance is human capital contract that needs to be further refines and elaborates to provide students will freedom of choice about their professional careers. He also highlight the disadvantages and problems associated with the other modes of higher education finance and argues that the comparison of all the possibilities unveils that human capital contract is the best options among all the choices and schemes available and implemented for providing the finance for the higher education to the students. The article explains that the choice of getting study finance through the "human capital contract" appears to be helpful resource for finance for the low income students of US, Mexico and Colombia etc. The author compares this option with certain other possibilities of getting finance. He also talks about the income based repayment introduced by US government and criticizes the finance schemes like income based repayment. He argues that in these methods the students are bound to repay the loans once they finish their education. This liability limits their freedom and they have little options in front of them to initiate their careers and rather spending time in the job of their choice, th ey are compelled to work for the corporations from where they could earn enough to pay their loans. The author argues that human capital contracts have more options and freedoms for the students and that rather than becoming slaves they could make free choice for their working careers. He shares his opinion â€Å"with human capital contracts, students would have wider options. They would know that, regardless of their career choices, their payments would not be unmanageable†. The author answers the people concerns and criticism regarding the market based mechanism of financing and their demands for the free college financed by the government. The author explains that it is not realistic approach to expect that the government should get enough from the taxes to build the free college for the students because usually the government fail to collect the desired amount of taxes from the citizens. He stresses upon this opinion by explaining that expecting government to provide educ ation finance will cause heavy tax burden on all the citizens that will eventually added to the problems of the people rather facilitating them. The article presents the author’s viewpoint that if the government will take the initiative to provide free college education it will result in the

John Stuart Mill and Aristotle's Viewpoints in Their Epistemological Essay - 6

John Stuart Mill and Aristotle's Viewpoints in Their Epistemological and Metaphysical Attitudes - Essay Example The researcher states that Mill and Aristotle have different viewpoints over what constitutes satisfaction in life. In his writings on Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill upholds utility as the ultimate happiness principle. In this sense, an individual should strive towards maximizing one’s pleasure and works towards minimizing pain. Mill, therefore, holds that pleasure and the absence of pain are the ultimate ends in a person’s life. On the other hand, in Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes the ultimate end of life as leaving in virtue and reason. Aristotle argues that happiness is a subjective concept that differs in every person. He refutes honor as concerned with seeking legitimacy among other people. In this sense, honor is not necessarily the legitimacy that it represents. Aristotle argues that a satisfied person must master the intellectual virtue and the moral virtue. Besides, satisfaction demands that a person possesses the ability to use one’s facultie s of reasoning in the appropriate sense. John Stuart Mill and Aristotle disagree over what makes up correct knowledge. Aristotle, in the Organon, developed a method of logic that comprised a system of principles for establishing syllogisms. In this sense, individuals could utilize their intuition to develop logic. Such forms of arguments start with a core premise that precedes a conclusion. On the other hand, Mill, an empiricist, believed that knowledge could only form out of senses. Forming logic depends on observing a system of related instances that bear a premise true. In his System of Logic, Mill created hegemony between deductive thinking and inductive thinking. In deductive thinking, a conclusion leads towards the development of principles that support it. On the other hand, inductive thinking involves drawing a conclusion from clearly stated premises.

The evalution of copycats impact in market Essay - 1

The evalution of copycats impact in market - Essay Example premise encompassed high-similarity copycats would loose while the subtle copycats gain in the presence of a leader brand (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). Since, the clients will be capable of making critical comparisons backed by former theories, which they have regarding the leader brand. Therefore, the article’s authors hypothesized that â€Å"shopping situation† usually avails consumers with an ample time meant to explicitly compare copycat brands with the leader, whereby the blatant lose and the subtle copycats gain (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). To prove this hypothesis, the authors utilized both comparative and noncomparative evaluations to ascertain which copycats’ category would gain or lose under each test (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). Results indicated that, moderate-similarity copycats gained under comparative evaluation contrary to high-similarity copycats because leader brands acted as their standard measures (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). Conversely, high-similarity copycats gained under noncomparative evaluation whereas the moderate or subtle lost due to the assimilation aspect (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). In the latter test, there was no leader brand meant for comparison, hence the clients ended up suggesting the high-similarity copycats being close to the standard brand (Van Horen & Pieters, 2012). In conclusion, despite a recent court ruling declaring reputation riding is unacceptable, subtle copycats will still benefit without the leader brands’ corporations prosecuting them (Van Horen & Pieters,

English 101 Common Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English 101 Common Assignment - Essay Example Even knowing where to begin describing it can be difficult due to its wide-ranging variety. To begin with, America was born from a revolution. In 1776, the American Revolution began (Zinn, 32). This was in large part a tax revolt. English settlers in the coastal states were unhappy with the British government's attitude towards them. They overthrew their masters and created a new country with a new constitution. They wanted more rights for ordinary people. They wanted freedom of speech and separation of church and state. Over the next few decades America grew. It faced perhaps its greatest trials under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. This war occurred between North and South. This was a war about slavery, which was practised in the South. It was a bloody war, but eventually the North won. Slavery was abolished. During the 20th century America grew in size and power. It fought in many wars and usually won. Today, it has the largest economy in the world and a la rge population. Its culture is exported around the world. Some people dislike it, but many more love it. America's geography varies because the country is so huge. It hosts the Rocky Mountains and the forests of New England and the plains of the Midwest. The geographical features are diverse (Birdsall, 5). It is hard to describe so various a country.

Procopius secret history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Procopius secret history - Essay Example Justinian is presumed to be of average height, he is not tall or short. He is also described as moderately flabby and not thin. The author continues to describe Justinian as healthy looking. His physical appearance is not affected even when he fasts for two days. In contrast, Justinian has a different character from his attractive appearance (Halsall 1). This makes it difficult to describe Justinian. Justinian is illustrated as amenable and villainous. People may refer to him as a moron. Justinian is never honest with any individual, but all the time crafty in his actions and words. Nonetheless, he is tricked by any person who wants to delude him. In addition, Justinian’s personality is an unusual mixture of wickedness and foolishness. His contradictory characteristics combine in his makeup. Justinian’s Administration Justinian changes the country’s laws and regulations as soon as he takes charge. He reintroduces into the administration whatever elements of the s ociety that are forbidden. In contrast, Justinian repeals all customs or practices that were previously set up. Moreover, Justinian abolishes existing agencies and creates different ones to manage the public issues of the state. He also alters the structures of the army. He changes the regulations and laws of the military. He makes all these changes, not for any advantage or improvement of justice, but to make everything recent and named after him (Halsall 1). His foolishness is further highlighted when he renames institutions and structures he is unable to alter. Justinian also does everything to acquire property, including looting and killing. He accumulates property through looting. He grabs the houses of the wealthy and searches for more property. He shares a part of his loot with barbarians. Justinian’s Laws He has a thought of killing more people in the state and gaining more property. He promotes frontier warfare, and civil strife to conquer the Romans. He creates a ne w way of eliminating his people. He sets up new laws that abolish previous religious beliefs, for example, he calls for the abolishment of heresies, used by the Christian faithful in the Roman Empire. He replaces the religious beliefs with the orthodox dogma, theeatening. For example, he proposes loss of the heretic’s entitlement to give possessions to his household or further relatives. These laws make the heretic churches extra wealthy. These depict a vast wealth disparity between the heretic churches and the entire Roman Empire administration (Halsall 1). He also enforces a law that prosecutes offences regardless of the time they occur. Period of Existence The writer lived in a period of dictatorship and inadequate freedom. This is because this period had a lot of restraints. There are a number of suggestions that the administration of Justinian has not been efficient as perceived. People were forced to move from the state to other areas (Halsall 1). The people spread to d ifferent cities and countries. This is because they were escaping prosecution from the administration. Conclusion From the beginning, the resource characterizes Justinian as an individual with different characters from his appearance. This is because he never practices honesty with any person and is always crafty in his actions and words. He is also depicted as evil and foolish because he get whatever he wants through any means and can be easily tricked by anyone. The work

Teen Pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Teen Pregnancy Essay Teen pregnancy is a health issue in New Zealand because it is a matter which has significant public importance as a society we value a woman having children once they are educated and fanatically stable but teen pregnancy goes against the social value. New Zealand has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world almost 4000 babies born to teen parents a year. ’’ Since 2000, births 15-19 year olds have been trending upwards again with the birth rate increasing between 2001 and 2008 from 27. 5 births per 1000 women in 2000 to 33 births per 1000 in 2008. The number of births to this age group in 2008 was 5185, compared with 3787 in 2000. ’’(1). The social factors contibute to teen pregnancy one of ‘the reasons which highlight at risk teenagers it is widely acknowledge that children who were born to teenage parents are more likely to become teenage parents themselves’(2). Since they would think that is right to get pregnant at a young age because their mother fell pregnant when she was young they would just follow what they did also they would think if their mother has done it then why can’t they do it. This is a bad influence from their mothers and that is the one of the reasons why so many teenagers are getting pregnant more and more every year and also getting younger and younger to get pregnant. In 2009, there were 4,670 births to women under 20 years in New Zealand. Approximately two thirds of these were to 18 and 19 year olds. There were an estimated 6,000 mothers aged 16-19 and most of these mothers (around 5,000) were aged 18 or 19. 3)This is basically a cycle of children who are born to teen parents are more likely to be teen parents. Peer persures is another social factors that contribute to teen pregnancy is the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging is person to change his or attitudes, vaules, or behavior that relates to teen pregnancy. If one of your friends fell pregnant, and got popular you would automactily think that this is the right thing to do to get yourself popular, look cool and every one will talk to you. The girl may find a high school boyfriend and feel that he will be the one she will always love and he is just interested in the sex and pressures her and there is always the partying that goes on with teenagers, and the intoxication can make it easier to give into your urges. ‘A lot of teenagers indulge in early sexual behavior due to peer pressure. Teenagers growing in largely promiscuous societies tend to date far earlier than others in slightly more conventional setups. This is due to the fact that they feel the great need to be hip and accepted by their circle of friends. The only way they could probably achieve that would be by having a boyfriend or girlfriend or at least by dating and indulging in sexual acts often. This kind of rash behavior could lead to unintended pregnancies. ’(4) They are all contributing teen pregnancy and it is also cycles that if one of your friends falls pregnant and you will just follow one and other. One of the major cultural factors that are contibuting to teen pregnancy in New Zealand is whether you identify as being Pakeha or Maori or Asian you still have higher risk of teen pregnancy and parenthood but in New Zealand Maori people tend to have higher teen pregnancy rate compared to other entehics. ‘Maori and Pacific Island teenagers have a higher fertility(completed pregnancy) rate than European, and their abortion rate is higher also. (2)’ ‘In 2009, there were 4670 births to women aged under 20, 29 of these births were to women aged under 15 years old. Apporximately two thirds of teen births were to those aged 18 or 19 years old and half of the total number of teen births were to Maori women. (3)’ The Maori teen birth rate is 4 times higher than the non-Maori rate, and the Pacific teen birth rate is 1. 5 times higher than the total teen rate. (3) In developed countries and the European culture if a teenager gets pregnant it is seen as a ‘bad thing’ so is negative and frowned upon but in the Maori culture it is not a bad thing that girls get pregnant at a young age and it is normal and celebreated. In the latest censes (2006) 9. 3% of Maori teenage women were mothers compared to lower rates for Pacific (5. 4%), European (3. 2%) and Asian (1%). The reason causing Maori girls have higher teen pregnacy rate than other enthic group Tariana Turia stated in her speech at the Sexual and Health Conference, that: ‘We must celebrate that Whakapapa in every heartbeat, every birth and in the lives we lost’. The values of whakapapa and whanau are very important to Maori and tamariki are very important for the Maori culture to continue and succeed. Tariana Turia coleader of the Maori party stated that ‘When we look at the faces of our babies, we recognise the imprints of those before us (6)‘This shows that Maori culture encourage Maori women or Maori families wanting to get pregnant at a young age so that they can grow the next generation even faster and the families are encourage their daughters to get pregnant because the parents will look after and caring for he babies,supporting because the values of whakapapa nd whanau are very important to Maori and tamariki are very important for the Maori culture. The Maori culture, tradition, values and beliefs are contributing are causing high teen pregnancy rate in New Zealand. The factors of political can also influence young girls are getting pregnant more and more every year is the government laws and policies that influence young people views, attitudes and behaviours regarding alcohol but the major factor is their benefit support to the teen mothers. Benefit receipt amongst teen parents is high, with around 78 percent (mostly Mothers) receiving a benefit. At the end of December 2009 there were 4,169 teenagers (aged 16 to 19 years) receiving the Domestic Purposes Benefit (includes those receiving the Emergency Maintenance Allowance (EMA)). Of these, 52 per cent were Maori, 30 per cent were European, and 9 per cent were Pacific. ’(5). The statistics show the there are quite among of teenagers are getting benefit and more than half of them are Maori teenagers. The DPB is influencing teenagers are getting pregnant because they would think if they got pregnant they can just get benefit, live on with it and don’t need to find a job or go to school and just staying at home doing nothing wasting time. Most of the teenagers who are likely of being on benefit 10 years later by age at first birth rather than older age. In 2009, the numbers of new female entrants to the DPB-SP (Domestic Purposes Benefit-Sole Parent) or EMA (Emergency Maintenance Allowance) with a child aged less than one year were as follows: 800 aged 16-17; 1,900 aged 18-19. Most teen mothers (62 percent) first enter the DPB from another benefit (usually Sickness Benefit received in pregnancy). Their average length of time on the DPB in the ten years after entry is 7. 1 years, higher than the average of 5. 2 years for all women aged 16 64. Forty percent of entrants have an additional newborn child included in DPB in the 10 years following entry. (5) The statistics has shown there are more teenagers are getting benefit than the older age people and they’re also carrying on their benefit for over 10 years. The government is giving too much support to the teenagers which contributes high teen pregnancy rate in NZ because in their view is so easy to just get benefit and to live on with their lives with their children by not earning their own money or educating but in fact it is not. Being a teen mother can affect her personal well-beings physically, mentally and spiritually in positive and negative. In physically teen mothers will get tired,put on weight get stretch marks, be in pain during the birth, take along time to recover from the birth, have sore breasts, struggle to lose weight,be sleeo deprived etc, all those physical will affect her mentally welling as well and it is not good to their pregnancy and their phsyical body (7)and they are from many ways like when the teens get pregnant they become scared and panicked. Confused about making the right decision for herself and her child, the relationships between the child’s father and fear about giving birth may all cause her an amount of stress. She may also be frustrated that she can no longer participate in activities with her friends and frightened that she will be a bad mother or that her parents will react badly (2) that all cause she worries and stress and she will be lonely and sad since everyone of her friends are still at school studying and partying but she just left behind and all those sort of emotions are not good to her pregnancy at all and will also effect her relationships with family since she might be grumpy. In spiritually she will question her actions and behaviors and ask herself ‘’why me’’ since she got pregnant at a young age at first she could not believe herself got pregnant while other friends are still enjoying their teenage lives and why did she do it. She would believe that life is not fair for her; why she’s going through all this and her friends don’t have to but she will be encouraged by the miracle life, she would be proud that she brought the baby into this world and she will also find faith from her family but while they’re all suffer all these implications that will lead them to grow up to be an adult and mature to look after their own babies. The negative and positive implications for interpersonal are the relationships between people directly affected by teenage pregnancy. The negative implication could be the judgments from her parents or family members. Some teenage parents are lucky enough to have the support of their family, but this isn’t always the case. For some, judgment from their parents or family members means that they go through this difficult time with little, if any, support. While older parents get to celebrate their pregnancy and the birth of a child, many teenage parents miss out on the celebration because they are busy ‘dealing with it’ or making the most of their ‘mistake’ (2). And that will affect her emotions because no one likes judgments from anyone and specially families and they ould really let her down and how feels about her family and the relationships between them. In the positive way the relationships between teen mother and her child will try to build a positive relationship. She will do her best for her child and provide a good environment also install her child strong beliefs and values that could prevent her child being a teen parent just like herself and that could bring that family together. Another negative implications are her relationships between her friends and partner. She might loss of social contact with peers. Your teenage years are a time of socializing and building friendships, but the responsibility of parenting means many teenage parents lose all social contact with their peers. While friends may visit in the short term, the inability to just drop everything and go means that friendships change. Many teenage parents feel like they no longer fit in with their peers, but because of their age, they don’t fit in with other parents either. Teenage parent schools or support groups are a great resource for teenage parents to meet people in a similar situation. (2) The lack of support from their partner. ‘ Parents of all ages face the risk of an unsupportive partner, but for teenage parents the risk is even higher. Even if both the mother and father do take responsibility for the pregnancy, most of these relationships eventually end in separation. ’ The reason of their relationships will end because mostly the child’s father can not deal with all those money problems or having a child at a young age while he can still have fun so he might chose to leave the mother and the child so the it’s not good for a child growing up without his father.

History of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents

History of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents Biological warfare (BW), also known as germ warfare, is the use of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, other disease-causing biological agents, or the toxins produced by them as biological weapons (or bioweapons). There is a clear overlap between biological warfare and chemical warfare, as the use of toxins produced by living organisms is considered under the provisions of both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Toxins, which are of organic origin, are often called midspectrum agents. A biological weapon may be intended to kill, incapacitate, or seriously impair a person, group of people, or even an entire population. It may also be defined as the material or defense against such employment. Biological warfare is a military technique that can be used by nation-states or non-national groups. In the latter case, or if a nation-state uses it clandestinely, it may also be considered bioterrorism. History: Biological warfare has been practiced repeatedly throughout history. Before the 20th century, the use of biological agents took three major forms: Deliberate poisoning of food and water with infectious material Use of microorganisms, toxins or animals, living or dead, in a weapon system Use of biologically inoculated fabrics The ancient world: The earliest documented incident of the intention to use biological weapons is recorded in Hittite texts of 1500-1200 B.C, in which victims of plague were driven into enemy lands. Although the Assyrians knew of ergot, a parasitic fungus of rye which produces ergotism when ingested, there is no evidence that they poisoned enemy wells with the fungus, as has been claimed. According to Homers epic poems about the legendary Trojan War, the Iliad and the Odyssey, spears and arrows were tipped with poison. During the First Sacred War in Greece, in about 590 BC, Athens and the Amphictionic League poisoned the water supply of the besieged town of Kirrha (near Delphi) with the toxic plant hellebore. The Roman commander Manius Aquillus poisoned the wells of besieged enemy cities in about 130 BC. During the 4th century BC Scythian archers tipped their arrow tips with snake venom, human blood, and animal feces to cause wounds to become infected. There are numerous other instances of the use of plant toxins, venoms, and other poisonous substances to create biological weapons in antiquity. In 184 B.C, Hannibal of Carthage had clay pots filled with venomous snakes and instructed his soldiers to throw the pots onto the decks of Pergamene ships. In about AD 198, the city of Hatra (near Mosul, Iraq) repulsed the Roman army led by Septimius Severus by hurling clay pots filled with live scorpions at them. Medieval biological warfare: When the Mongol Empire established commercial and political connections between the Eastern and Western areas of the world, its Mongol armies and merchant caravans probably inadvertently brought bubonic plague from central Asia to the Middle East and Europe. The Black Death swept through Eurasia, killing approximately one third to one half of the population and changing the course of Asian and European history. During the Middle Ages, victims of the bubonic plague were used for biological attacks, often by flinging corpses and excrement over castle walls using catapults. In 1346, the bodies of Mongol warriors of the Golden Horde who had died of plague were thrown over the walls of the besieged Crimean city of Kaffa (now Theodosia). It has been speculated that this operation may have been responsible for the advent of the Black Death in Europe. At the siege of Thun lEveque in 1340, during the Hundred Years War, the attackers catapulted decomposing animals into the besieged area. Modern times: The 18th Century: The Native American population was decimated after contact with the Old World due to the introduction of many different fatal diseases. There are two documented cases of alleged and attempted germ warfare. The first, during a parley at Fort Pitt on June 24, 1763, Ecuyer gave representatives of the besieging Delawares two blankets and a handkerchief that had been exposed to smallpox, hoping to spread the disease to the Natives in order to end the siege. William Trent, the militia commander, left records that clearly indicated that the purpose of giving the blankets was to Convey the Smallpox to the Indians. British commander Lord Jeffrey Amherst and Swiss-British officer Colonel Henry Bouquet, whose correspondence referenced the idea of giving smallpox-infected blankets to Indians in the course of Pontiacs Rebellion. Historian Francis Parkman verifies four letters from June 29, July 13, 16 and 26th, 1763. Excerpts: Commander Lord Jeffrey Amherst writes July 16, 1763, P.S. You will Do well to try to Inocculate the Indians by means of Blankets, as well as to try Every other method that can serve to Extirpate this Execrable Race. I should be very glad your Scheme for Hunting them Down by Dogs could take Effect, Colonel Henry Bouquet replies July 26, 1763, I received yesterday your Excellencys letters of 16th with their Inclosures. The signal for Indian Messengers, and all your directions will be observed. While the intent for biological warfare is clear, there is a debate among historians as to whether this actually took place despite Bouquets affirmative reply to Amherst and each having written to the other about it twice. Smallpox transmitted to Native American tribes could have been due to the transfer of the disease to blankets during transportation. Historians have been unable to establish whether or not this plan was implemented, particularly in light of the fact that smallpox was already present in the region, and that scientific knowledge of disease at that time had yet to discover bacteria or develop an understanding of plague vectors. Regardless of whether this plan was carried out, trade and combat provided ample opportunity for transmission of the disease. See also: Small pox during Pontiacs Rebellion. The 19th Century: In 1834 Cambridge Diarist Richard Henry Dana visited San Francisco on a merchant ship. His ship traded many items including blankets with Mexicans and Russians who had established outposts on the northern side of the San Francisco Bay. Local histories document that the California smallpox epidemic began at the Russian fort soon after they left. Blankets were a popular trading item, and the cheapest source of them was second-hand blankets which were often contaminated. During the American Civil War, General Sherman reported that Confederate forces shot farm animals in ponds upon which the Union depended for drinking water. This would have made the water unpleasant to drink, although the actual health risks from dead bodies of humans and animals which did not die of disease are minimal. Jack London in his story Yah! Yah! Yah! describes a punitive European expedition to a Pacific island deliberately exposing the Polynesian population to Measles, of which many of them died s:South Sea Tales/Yah! Yah! Yah!. While much of the material for Londons South Sea Tales is derived from his personal experience in the region, it is not certain that this particular incident is historical. The 20th Century: During the First World War, Germany pursued an ambitious biological warfare program. Using diplomatic pouches and couriers, the German General Staff supplied small teams of saboteurs in the Russian Duchy of Finland, and in the then-neutral countries of Romania, the US and Argentina. In Finland, Scandinavian freedom fighters mounted on reindeer placed ampules of anthrax in stables of Russian horses in 1916. Anthrax was also supplied to the German military attache in Bucharest, as was Glanders, which was employed against livestock destined for Allied service. German intelligence officer and US citizen Dr. Anton Casimir Dilger established a secret lab in the basement of his sisters home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, that produced Glanders which was used to infect livestock in ports and inland collection points including, at least, Newport News, Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York, and probably St. Louis and Covington, Kentucky. In Argentina, German agents also employed Glanders in the port of Buenos Aires and also tried to ruin wheat harvests with a destructive fungus. During the 1948 Israel War of Independence, Red Cross reports raised suspicion that the Jewish Haganah militia had released Salmonella typhi bacteria into the water supply for the city of Acre, causing an outbreak of typhoid among the inhabitants. Egyptian troops later captured disguised Haganah soldiers near wells in Gaza, whom they executed for allegedly attempting another attack. Israel denies these allegations. During the Cold War, US conscientious objectors were used as consenting test subjects for biological agents in a program known as Operation Whitecoat. There were also many unpublicized tests carried out on the public during the Cold War. E120 biological bomblet, developed before the U.S. signed the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention Considerable research on the topic was performed by the United States (see US Biological Weapon Testing), the Soviet Union, and probably other major nations throughout the Cold War era, though it is generally believed that biological weapons were never used after World War II. This view was challenged by China and North Korea, who accused the United States of large-scale field testing of biological weapons, including the use of disease-carrying insects against them during the Korean War (1950-1953). Biological agents: Biological warfare is the deliberate use of disease and natural poisons to incapacitate humans. It employs pathogens as weapons. Pathogens are the micro-organism, whether bacterial, viral or protozoic, that cause disease. There are four kinds of biological warfare agents: bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae and fungi. Biological weapons are distinguished by being living organisms, that reproduce within their host victims, who then become contagious with a deadly, if weakening, multiplier effect. Toxins in contrast do not reproduce in the victim and need only the briefest of incubation periods; they kill within a few hours. Biological Weapons Characteristics: Anti-personnel BW: Ideal characteristics of biological weapons targeting humans are high infectivity, high potency, non-availability of vaccines, and delivery as an aerosol. Diseases most likely to be considered for use as biological weapons are contenders because of their lethality (if delivered efficiently), and robustness (making aerosol delivery feasible). The biological agents used in biological weapons can often be manufactured quickly and easily. The primary difficulty is not the production of the biological agent but delivery in an effective form to a vulnerable target. For example, anthrax is considered an effective agent for several reasons. First, it forms hardy spores, perfect for dispersal aerosols. Second, pneumonic (lung) infections of anthrax usually do not cause secondary infections in other people. Thus, the effect of the agent is usually confined to the target. A pneumonic anthrax infection starts with ordinary cold symptoms and quickly becomes lethal, with a fatality rate that is 90% or higher. Finally, friendly personnel can be protected with suitable antibiotics. A mass attack using anthrax would require the creation of aerosol particles of 1.5 to 5 micrometres. Too large and the aerosol would be filtered out by the respiratory system. Too small and the aerosol would be inhaled and exhaled. Also, at this size, nonconductive powders tend to clump and cling because of electrostatic charges. This hinders dispersion. So the material must be treated to insulate and discharge the charges. The aerosol must be delivered so that rain and sun does not rot it, and yet the human lung can be infected. There are other technological difficulties as well. Diseases considered for weaponization, or known to be weaponized include anthrax , ebola, Marburg virus, plague , cholera , tularemia, brucellosis, Q fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Coccidioides mycosis , Glanders, Melioidosis, Shigella, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus , Psittacosis, yellow fever , Japanese B encephalitis , Rift Valley fever, and smallpox [19][31]. Naturally-occurring toxins that can be used as weapons include ricin, SEB, botulism toxin, saxitoxin, and many mycotoxins. The organisms causing these diseases are known as select agents. In the United States, their possession, use, and transfer are regulated by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Select Agent Program. Anti-agriculture BW: Biological warfare can also specifically target plants to destroy crops or defoliate vegetation. The United States and Britain discovered plant growth regulators (i.e., herbicides) during the Second World War, and initiated an herbicidal warfare program that was eventually used in Malaya and Vietnam in counter insurgency. Though herbicides are chemicals, they are often grouped with biological warfare as bioregulators in a similar manner as biotoxins. Scorched earth tactics or destroying livestock and farmland were carried out in the Vietnam war and Eelam War in Sri Lanka. The United States developed an anti-crop capability during the Cold War that used plant diseases (bioherbicides, or mycoherbicides) for destroying enemy agriculture. It was believed that destruction of enemy agriculture on a strategic scale could thwart Sino-Soviet aggression in a general war. Diseases such as wheat blast and rice blast were weaponized in aerial spray tanks and cluster bombs for delivery to enemy water sheds in agricultural regions to initiate epiphytotics (epidemics among plants). When the United States renounced its offensive biological warfare program in 1969 and 1970, the vast majority of its biological arsenal was composed of these plant diseases. In 1980s Soviet Ministry of Agriculture had successfully developed variants of foot-and-mouth disease and rinderpest against cows, African swine fever for pigs, and psittacosis to kill chicken. These agents were prepared to spray them down from tanks attached to airplanes over hundreds of miles. The secret program was code-named Ecology Biodefence: Role of public health departments and disease surveillance: It is important to note that all of the classical and modern biological weapons organisms are animal diseases, the only exception being smallpox. Thus, in any use of biological weapons, it is highly likely that animals will become ill either simultaneously with, or perhaps earlier than humans. Indeed, in the largest biological weapons accident known- the anthrax outbreak in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in the Soviet Union in 1979, sheep became ill with anthrax as far as 200 kilometers from the release point of the organism from a military facility in the southeastern portion of the city (known as Compound 19 and still off limits to visitors today, see Sverdlovsk Anthrax leak). Thus, a robust surveillance system involving human clinicians and veterinarians may identify a bioweapons attack early in the course of an epidemic, permitting the prophylaxis of disease in the vast majority of people (and/or animals) exposed but not yet ill. For example in the case of anthrax, it is likely that by 24 36 hours after an attack, some small percentage of individuals (those with compromised immune system or who had received a large dose of the organism due to proximity to the release point) will become ill with classical symptoms and signs (including a virtually unique chest X-ray finding, often recognized by public health officials if they receive timely reports). By making these data available to local public health officials in real time, most models of anthrax epidemics indicate that more than 80% of an exposed population can receive antibiotic treatment before becoming symptomatic, and thus avoid the moderately high mortality of the disease. Identification of bioweapons: The goal of biodefense is to integrate the sustained efforts of the national and homeland security, medical, public health, intelligence, diplomatic, and law enforcement communities. Health care providers and public health officers are among the first lines of defense. In some countries private, local, and provincial (state) capabilities are being augmented by and coordinated with federal assets, to provide layered defenses against biological weapons attacks. During the first Gulf War the United Nations activated a biological and chemical response team, Task Force Scorpio, to respond to any potential use of weapons of mass destruction on civilians. The traditional approach toward protecting agriculture, food, and water: focusing on the natural or unintentional introduction of a disease is being strengthened by focused efforts to address current and anticipated future biological weapons threats that may be deliberate, multiple, and repetitive. The growing threat of biowarfare agents and bioterrorism has led to the development of specific field tools that perform on-the-spot analysis and identification of encountered suspect materials. One such technology, being developed by researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), employs a sandwich immunoassay, in which fluorescent dye-labeled antibodies aimed at specific pathogens are attached to silver and gold nanowires. Biological agent A sampling of Bacillus anthracis-Anthrax A biological agent is a bacterium, virus, prion, fungus, or biological toxin that can be used in bioterrorism or biological warfare. More than 1200 different kinds of biological agents have been described and studied to date. Applying a slightly broader definition, some eukaryotes (for example parasites) and their associated toxins can be considered as biological agents. Biological agents have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild allergic reactions to serious medical conditions, even death. These organisms are ubiquitous in the natural environment; they are found in water, soil, plants, and animals. Because many biological agents reproduce rapidly and require minimal resources for preservation, they are a potential danger in a wide variety of occupational settings. Antibiotic resistance: Antibiotic resistance is a specific type of drug resistance when a microorganism has the ability of withstanding the effects of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance evolves via natural selection acting upon random mutation, but it can also be engineered by applying an evolutionary stress on a population. Once such a gene is generated, bacteria can then transfer the genetic information in a horizontal fashion (between individuals) by conjugation, transduction, or transformation. Many antibiotic resistance genes reside on plasmids, facilitating their transfer. If a bacterium carries several resistance genes, it is called multiresistant or, informally, a superbug. The term antimicrobial resistance is sometimes used to explicitly encompass organisms other than bacteria. Antibiotic resistance can also be introduced artificially into a microorganism through laboratory protocols, sometimes used as a selectable marker to examine the mechanisms of gene transfer or to identify individuals that absorbed a piece of DNA that included the resistance gene and another gene of interest. Causes: The widespread use of antibiotics both inside and outside of medicine is playing a significant role in the emergence of resistant bacteria. They are often used in animals but also in other industries which at least in the case of agricultural use lead to the spread of resistant strains to human populations. In some countries antibiotics are sold over the counter without a prescription which compounds the problem. In human medicine the major problem of the emergence of resistant bacteria is due to misuse and overuse of antibiotics by doctors as well as patients. Other practices contributing towards resistance include the addition of antibiotics to the feed of livestock. Household use of antibacterials in soaps and other products, although not clearly contributing to resistance, is also discouraged (as not being effective at infection control). Also unsound practices in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry can contribute towards the likelihood of creating antibiotic resistant stra ins. Certain antibiotic classes are highly associated with colonisation with superbugs compared to other antibiotic classes. The risk for colonisation increases if there is a lack of sensitivity (resistance) of the superbugs to the antibiotic used and high tissue penetration as well as broad spectrum activity against good bacteria. In the case of MRSA, increased rates of MRSA infections are seen with glycopeptides, cephalosporins and especially quinolones. In the case of colonisation with C difficile the high risk antibiotics include cephalosporins and in particular quinolones and clindamycin. Mechanisms: Antibiotic resistance can be a result of horizontal gene transfer,[30] and also of unlinked point mutations in the pathogen genome and a rate of about 1 in 108 per chromosomal replication. The antibiotic action against the pathogen can be seen as an environmental pressure; those bacteria which have a mutation allowing them to survive will live on to reproduce. They will then pass this trait to their offspring, which will result in a fully resistant colony. The four main mechanisms by which microorganisms exhibit resistance to antimicrobials are: Drug inactivation or modification: e.g. enzymatic deactivation of Penicillin G in some penicillin-resistant bacteria through the production of ÃŽÂ ²-lactamases. Alteration of target site: e.g. alteration of PBP-the binding target site of penicillins-in MRSA and other penicillin-resistant bacteria. Alteration of metabolic pathway: e.g. some sulfonamide-resistant bacteria do not require para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), an important precursor for the synthesis of folic acid and nucleic acids in bacteria inhibited by sulfonamides. Instead, like mammalian cells, they turn to utilizing preformed folic acid. Reduced drug accumulation: by decreasing drug permeability and/or increasing active efflux (pumping out) of the drugs across the cell surface. Conclusion: Specific consensus recommendations are made regarding the diagnosis of anthrax, indications for vaccination, therapy for those exposed, postexposure prophylaxis, decontamination of the environment, and additional research needs. Of the numerous biological agents that may be used as weapons, the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense has identified a limited number of organisms that could cause disease and deaths in sufficient numbers to cripple a city or region. Anthrax is one of the most serious of these diseases.