Financing Value Chains a Case of Crdb Bank Plc Essays

Financing Value Chains a Case of Crdb Bank Plc Essays Financing Value Chains a Case of Crdb Bank Plc Essay Financing Value Chains a Case of Crdb Bank Plc Essay Essay Topic: Chains â€Å"DEVELOPING AND FINANCING EFFECTIVE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS† Experience from CRDB Bank Plc Samson Keenja, CRDB Microfinance Services Company Limited, Dar es salaam, Tanzania INTRODUCTION Agriculture is the leading economic sector in Tanzania, providing a livelihood to 80% of the population. It is the primary source of food and raw materials accounting for 50% of the GDP and a leading export sector. It remains important for achieving sustained growth, poverty reduction and rural development. Agriculture in Tanzania is dominated by smallholder farmers (peasants) cultivating an average farm sizes of between 0. 9 hectares and 3. 0 hectares each. About 70 percent of Tanzania’s crop area is cultivated by hand hoe, 20 percent by ox plough and 10 percent by tractor. It is rain fed agriculture. Food crop production dominates the agriculture economy 5. 1 million ha. are cultivated annually, of which 85 percent is under food crops. The major constraints facing the Agriculture sector includes. 1. The falling labour and land productivity due to application of poor technology. 2. Dependence on unreliable and irregular weather conditions. Crops are adversely affected by periodical droughts. 3. Unreliable markets for the farm produce, affected not only by the principles of demand and supply but also by the Government policies on food security. 4. Poor road infrastructure for supply of farm inputs and transportation of farm produce to the markets. In Tanzania, most of production, processing and marketing functions have been assigned to the private sector. : However despite efforts by the private sector in investing in processing of crops yet a substantial amount of crops are sold unprocessed including crops such as cashew nuts and cotton. Agricultural value chains are becoming more complex over time due to change in the market environment driven by various factors among them being changes in demand, regulations, government policies and changes in lifestyles. As a result of these changes then product and market standards change which in turn, require changes from various actors in the chain that supply these products including their inputs to meet arket requirements. A critical input in the business of creating value in these changing agricultural chains is finance. Financial products need to also respond to the changing market requirements in the output markets. Mechanisms in terms of improving effectiveness of financial products, access and repayment need to be examined (Southeast Asian Regional Conference Value Chain Financing, 2007). What is a value chain? In order for a product to reach the consumer or user, there often are many processes or steps involved. Each step must have a direct link to the next in order for the processes to form a viable chain. At each stage, some additional transformation or enhancement is made to the product. Hence, a value chain is often defined as the sequence of value-adding activities, from production to consumption, through processing and commercialization. Value chains, or supply chains, in agriculture can be thought of as a â€Å"farm to fork† set of processes and flows – from the inputs to production to processing, marketing and the consumer. Each segment of a chain has one or more backward and forward linkages. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and hence the stronger the links, the more secure is the flow of products and services within the chain (Calvin Miller and Carlos da Silva, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome) Value chain in summary: [pic] Source: Paper on â€Å"Value Chain Financing in Agriculture† by Calvin Miller and Carlos da Silva FINANCING EFFECTIVE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS Finance is critical to increasing efficiency, improving product quality, and raising the productivity and income of value chain actors. Without access to finance, small farmers will continue to make little investment, have low of actors in the agricultural value chains financed by CRDB Bank; 1. INPUTS PRODUCTION: AMCOS, FARMER GROUPS, SACCOS, UNIONS and small to medium agribusiness entities. . PROCESSING: CURING COMPANIES, GINNERY COMPANIES and CASHEWNUTS PROCESSORS. 3. DISTRIBUTION: Loans to meet (1) transportation cost of inputs to farmers (2) meeting transport costs of harvested produces to factories, storage areas or market place. DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS CRDB Bank has been participating in developing effective agricultural value chains through variety of ways. In an effort to offer better services to our clients, special departments and in other case establishment of a dedicated Company to serve certain type of clients has been established. Our agriculture customers who fall in the value chain are normally segmented in the following categories (1) Microfinance customers (2) SME’s customers and (3) Corporate customers. In all three segments above, efforts are made by the bank into ensuring that there is effective agricultural value chain that address default risks while in turn reduce production unit cost, increase production volume while strives to add value in the chain. Activities that are aimed into attaining this are: ? Engage in promotion and establishment of various farmer cooperative societies such as AMCOS, SACCOS and UNIONS. Provision of technical assistance to these associations ? Assist in product designing ? Infrastructures loans such as for building irrigation system, warehouses and office buildings. ? Training and coaching our customers plus their staffs SAVINGS AND CREDIT COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES (SACCOS) are exclusively served by the CRDB Microfinance services Company Ltd, a subsidiary of CRDB Bank P lc that has been established specifically to serve micro-entrepreneurs through financial intermediaries. To develop the MFI the Company undertakes sensitization of the communities to establish microfinance institutions in areas with demand for financial services but without a financial institution. On the other hand, it takes onboard weak local microfinance institutions, building their capacities to offer tailor made products and services that really address the needs of their communities. The Microfinance Institutions, benefits by receiving free: 1. Technical assistance 2. Capacity building 3. Marketing as well as 4. Product design assistance. On the other, hand the Company initiate and manage microfinance loans on behalf of the Bank. These loans include agriculture loans (for farm inputs and cultivation), equipment loans for powertillers, tractors and irrigation systems, stock finance loans and office building loans. The Company has a team of dedicated staffs who are responsible for providing technical assistance to the affiliate intermediary institutions on regular basis, capacity building assistance and marketing assistance. They are also responsible for guiding the MFIs in accessing banks products and services. Farmer’s Groups, AMCOS, UNIONS, Company’s and Individuals engaged in agricultural activities are served by two departments of the Bank depending on their size  and credit requirement. Those departments are the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Corporate Department. Customers served by SME are those with loan requirement of up to TZS 200 million. Customers with loan requirement above that amount are served through the Corporate Department of the bank. It has been realized through experience that capacity building before lending especially to those taking loans for the first time is vital for effective utilization and management of the loans. Therefore, training is conducted to the beneficiaries to improve their entrepreneurial skills but also in business management to ensure loan repayment. . CRDB FINANCING TO DIFFERENT ACTORS [pic] EXAMPLES OF PRODUCT AND SERVICES OFFERED BY CRDB BANK TO ACTORS IN DIFFERENT VALUE CHAINS Examples of products and services offered by CRDB Bank Plc to various agricultural value chains: A) PADDY VALUE CHAIN S/N |VALUE CHAIN STAGE |PRODUCTS/ SERVICES OFFERED | |1 |Crop production |Farm development loans | | | |Farm maintenance loans | | | |Powertiller/tractor loans | |2 |Storage |Stock finance loans | |3 |Processing |Loans to millers | |4 |Distribution |Loans to cover transportation costs | | | |Crops purchase loans | | | |Loans to buy transportation vehicles | B) COFFEE VALUE CHAIN: S/N |VALUE CHAIN STAGE |PRODUCTS/ SERVICES OFFERED | |1 |Crop production |Farm development loans | | | |Farm maintenance loans | |2 |Processing |Loans to curing companies | |3 |Distribution |Loans to cover transportation costs | | | |Crops purchase loans | | | |Loans to buy transportation vehicles | | | |Loans to cover export costs (CIF costs to the buying | | | |country) | | | |Crops purchase | C) SUGARCANES VALUE CHAIN: S/N |VALUE CHAIN STAGE |PRODUCTS/ SERVICES OFFERED | |1 |Crop production |Farm development loans | | | |Farm maintenance loans | |2 |Harvesting |Loans to purchase harvesting equipments e. g cane loaders | | | |Loans to buy transportation vehicles to ship canes from | | | |farms to factories | |3 |Processing |Loans to sugar factories | |4 |Distribution |Loans under SME to distributors who sells sugar to retailers| D) TOBACCO VALUE CHAIN: S/N |VALUE CHAIN STAGE |PRODUCTS/ SERVICES OFFERED | |1 |Crop production |Inputs purchase loans | |2 |Harvesting |Burns constructions loans | |3 | Processing |Loans to tobacco factories | [pic] SOME NOTED CASES ON IMPACT OF FINANCING THE VALUE CHAINS Sugarcane Financing Bank has been financing sugarcane production in various stages of the value chain from production to delivery at factory. One example is that of financing farmers at Turiani ward in Morogoro region through their TUR SACCOS by providing them with loans for farm development, maintenance and transportation to factory. The result of financing in the past seven years has been remarkable as shown in the table below. It will be noted that between 2007 and 2008 there was a rapid increase in all aspects of production, this was contributed by the decision by the Company to finance farmers (through their group) to purchase grab loaders equipment to facilitate harvesting of sugarcane. As in the previous years, not all sugarcanes from outgrowers farmers were being harvested to due lack of equipment despite higher demand from factory. This was causing farmers to lose their crops and those who harvested late after start of the rain season obtained lower renderment and thus lower returns. |SUGARCANE PRODUCTION TREND AS A RESULT OF SACCOS FINANCING TO OUTGROWERS- TUR SACCOS | |   |   |2002 |2003 | |1 |Price during Harvest (100kgs) |35,000 |100 | |2 |Price at selling time after storage(100kgs) |70,000 | | |5 |Production per acre before WRS (tons) |1. 6 |100 | |6 |Production per acre after WRS (tons) |3 | | SECTOR WISE DISTRIBUTION OF CRDB BANK PLC LOAN PORTFOLIO Agriculture and Livestock constitute the largest portion of the CRDB Bank Loan portfolio with 21%, however by considering financing of the value chain then three sectors will be involved of microfinance, manufacturing/processing and agriculture with a percentage of about 34%. CONCLUSION Through financing the agriculture value chain by considering the different actors from small farmers to corporate agribusinesses it is possible to overcome the challenges o f agriculture in a country. This can only be possible through innovative approaches to serve the different segments by considering their differences in their activities, finance requirements, understanding of farming business and management of loans. It has also been proved beyond doubt that access to finance to the different actors has helped in reducing production unit cost, increase production volume while adding value in the chain. Corporate PHYSICAL FLOWS SME Corporate CRDB Microfinance Corporate CRDB BANK PLC STORAGE AMCOS. GINNERY COMPANIES AND CASHEWNUT PROCESSORS DISTRIBUTION TRANSPORTERS PROCESSING CURING COMPANIES GINNERY COMPANIES AND CASHEWNUT PROCESSORS INPUTS PRODUCTION AMCOS, FARMERS GROUPS, UNIONS, SACCOS, Agribusiness entities CRDB Microfinance SME

Symptoms of the Black Death

Symptoms of the Black Death The Black Death is a plague which killed millions of people. In one particularly destructive explosion, over a third of the whole European population might have died in a few years in the mid 14th century, a process which changed history, birthing, among other things, the start of the modern age and the Renaissance. For a history of the Black Death in Europe, see our page here. This is an explanation of what happens when someone contracts it. You really have to hope you never do! How you get the Black Death Despite plenty of people trying to claim other things, the evidence comfortably points to The Black Death being Bubonic Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pestis . A human being usually receives this by being bitten by a flea which has ingested the disease from the blood of a house rat. The infected flea has had its system blocked by the disease, and remains hungry, regurgitating older infected blood into a human before drinking new blood, spreading infection. The rat’s flea doesn’t usually target humans, but seeks them out as new hosts once their colony of rats die off from the plague; other animals could also be affected. Plague carrying fleas didn’t have to come straight from a rat, as the fleas could survive for several weeks in bundles of cloth and other items humans conveniently came into contact with. On rarer occasions, a human could receive the disease from infected droplets which had been sneezed or coughed out into the air from a sufferer of a va riation called Pneumonic Plague. Even rarer still was infection from a cut or sore. Symptoms Once bitten, a victim experienced symptoms like headaches, chills, high temperatures and extreme tiredness. They might have nausea and pain throughout their body. Within several days the bacteria had begun affecting the body’s lymph nodes, and these swelled up into painful large lumps called ‘buboes’ (from which the disease takes its popular name: Bubonic Plague). Usually those nodes closest to the initial bite were first, which normally meant in the groin, but those under the arms and in the neck were also affected. They could reach the size of an egg. Suffering great pain, you could then die, roughly a week after you were first bitten. From the lymph nodes the plague could spread and internal bleeding would begin. The sufferer would expel blood in their waste, and black spots could appear all over the body. Sufferers with the spots almost invariably died, and this is noted in the chronicles of the day. The disease could spread to the lungs, giving the victim Pneumonic Plague, or into the bloodstream, giving Septicaemic Plague, which killed you before the buboes appeared. Some people did recover from the Black Death – Benedictow gives a figure of 20% - but contrary to the beliefs of some survivors they did not gain an automatic immunity. Medieval Reaction Medieval doctors identified numerous symptoms of the plague, many of which correlate with modern knowledge. The process of the illness through its stages wasn’t fully understood by medieval and early modern doctors, and some interpreted the buboes as signs the body was trying to vent foul liquids. They then attempted to relieve the illness by lancing the buboes. A punishment from God was seen at the frequent underlying course, although quite how and why God was inflicting this was heatedly discussed. The situation wasnt one of total scientific blindness, as Europe has always been blessed with proto-scientists, but it was confused and unable to react like modern science. Even so, you can still see this confusion exist today when it comes to popular understanding of illness.

Business formation and purpose Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business formation and purpose - Lab Report Example All these four airline services were integrated on 31st March 1974 to form British Airways. BA continued its operations for almost 13 years as a state-owned company. In February 1987, the BA was privatised as part of the Conservative government’s wider privatisation plan. Soon after its privatisation in 1987, the company acquired British Caledonian in the same year, Dan-Air in 1992, and British Midland International in 2012 so as to promote its global expansion. BA is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance along with other founding members like American Airlines, Qantas, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. Today the Oneworld alliance has become the world’s third largest airline alliance after SkyTeam and Star Alliance. On 21st January 2011, BA merged with Iberia to form the International Airlines Group (IAG), which is the parent company of BA. IAG is the third largest airline group in the world and the second largest in Europe by annual revenues. It has been liste d on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE 100 Index. The BA operates under airline industry. While analysing the industrial classifications of the BA, it seems that the company maintains four major subsidiaries including BA CityFlyer, OpenSkies, British Airways Limited, and British Airways World Cargo. The BA CityFlyer, Didsbury based wholly owned subsidiary airline of BA, operates a number of European and domestic services from London City Airport. This BA subsidiary has gained a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A operating licence to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircrafts having 20 seats or above. In 2008, the BA CityFlyer signed a contract with Embraer to obtain the delivery of 11 E-Jet aircrafts for the purpose of modernising the fleet. In addition, the organisation ordered 3 extra Embraer 190 aircraft in late 2013. According to official data, the company carried roughly 1.2 million

Business Regulations and practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business Regulations and practices - Essay Example The offeror, in this case Sullivan, may need to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he was not in the right frame of mind when he made the offer. if he does, a court of law may render the contract invalid, otherwise it remains binding and Sullivan must sell his 40-acre tract of land to Ball for $60000 (Elliott et al 3). In contract laws, both making an offer by the offeror and acceptance or rejection of the offer by the offeree must be communicated to both parties. The offeree must receive the offer, and the offeror must receive a communication from the offeree notifying him/her or the acceptance or rejection of the offer. Chernek makes an offer to sell used farm equipment to Bollow for $10000. Bollow receives the offer, which is okay. Chernek dies before Bollow accepts the offer. Bollow accepts the offer after the offeror had died, but the Chernek is no longer living to be able to receive the acceptance. There is no valid contract in this case. Bollow must accept that there is no more Chernek to complete the contract by receiving his acceptance (Elliott et al 4). When the equipment were lost to an accidental fire disaster, and it is proven that the fire was indeed purely accidental, the contract becomes invalid because it even happened prior to Bollow sending her acceptance of the offer to Chernek. Since the equipment that would been the subject of a contract no longer exist, and they are burnt down before there is the acceptance bit of the deal, the contract is instantly rendered null and void even if Bollow sends the acceptance. Chernek died before the acceptance of the offer by Bollow. The general rule is that, if the offeror dies before the offeree accepts the contract, it remains terminated. It is evident acceptance was only communicated after Chernek’s death; hence the contract was terminated. What makes

Chinese philosophy Essay Example for Free

Chinese philosophy Essay Taiji (literally great pole) is a Chinese cosmological term for the Supreme Ultimate state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality, contrasted with the Wuji ( , Without Ultimate). The term Taiji and its other spelling Tai chi (using Wade-Giles as opposed to Pinyin) are most commonly used in the West to refer to Taijiquan (or Tai chi chuan, ), an internal martial art, Chinese meditation system and health practice. This article, however, refers only to the use of the term in Chinese philosophy and Daoist spirituality. Contents [hide] 1 The word 2 Taiji in Chinese texts 2. 1 Zhuangzi 2. 2 Huainanzi 2. 3 Yijing 2. 4 Taijitu shuo 3 Core concept 4 See also 5 References [edit]The word Chinese taiji is a compound of tai ? great; grand; supreme; extreme; very; too (a superlative variant of da ? big; large; great; very) and ji ? pole; roof ridge; highest/utmost point; extreme; earths pole; reach the end; attain; exhaust. In analogy with the figurative meanings of English pole, Chinese ji ? ridgepole can mean geographical pole; direction (e. g. , siji four corners of the earth; worlds end), magnetic pole (Beiji North Pole or yinji negative pole; anode), or celestial pole (baji farthest points of the universe; remotest place). Common English translations of the cosmological Taiji are the Supreme Ultimate (Le Blanc 1985, Zhang and Ryden 2002) or Great Ultimate (Chen 1989, Robinet 2008); but other versions are the Supreme Pole (Needham and Ronan 1978), Great Absolute, or Supreme Polarity (Adler 1999). [edit] Taiji in Chinese texts Taiji references are found in Chinese classic texts associated with many  schools of Chinese philosophy. Zhang and Ryden explain the ontological necessity of Taiji. Any philosophy that asserts two elements such as the yin-yang of Chinese philosophy will also look for a term to reconcile the two, to ensure that both belong to the same sphere of discourse. The term supreme ultimate performs this role in the philosophy of the Book of Changes. In the Song dynasty it became a metaphysical term on a par with the Way. (2002:179) [edit]Zhuangzi The Daoist classic Zhuangzi introduced the Taiji concept. One of the (ca.3rd century BCE) Inner Chapters contrasts Taiji great ultimate (tr. zenith) and Liuji six ultimates; six cardinal directions (tr. nadir). The Way has attributes and evidence, but it has no action and no form. It may be transmitted but cannot be received. It may be apprehended but cannot be seen. From the root, from the stock, before there was heaven or earth, for all eternity truly has it existed. It inspirits demons and gods, gives birth to heaven and earth. It lies above the zenith but is not high; it lies beneath the nadir but is not deep. It is prior to heaven and earth, but is not ancient; it is senior to high antiquity, but it is not old. (tr. Mair 1994:55) [edit]Huainanzi The (2nd century BCE) Huainanzi mentions Taiji in a context of a Daoist Zhenren true person; perfected person who perceives from a Supreme Ultimate that transcends categories like yin and yang. The fu-sui (burning mirror) gathers fire energy from the sun; the fang-chu (moon mirror) gathers dew from the moon. What are [contained] between Heaven and Earth, even an expert calculator cannot compute their number. Thus, though the hand can handle and examine extremely small things, it cannot lay hold of the brightness [of the sun and moon]. Were it within the grasp of ones hand (within ones power) to gather [things within] one category from the Supreme Ultimate (tai-chi ) above, one could immediately produce both fire and water. This is because Yin and Yang share a common chi and move each other. (tr. Le Blanc 1985:120-1) [edit]Yijing Taiji also appears in the Xici Appended Judgments commentary to the Yijing, a late section traditionally attributed to Confucius but more likely dating to about the 3rd century B.C. E. [1] Therefore there is in the Changes the Great Primal Beginning. This generates the two primary forces. The two primary forces generate the four images. The four images generate the eight trigrams. The eight trigrams determine good fortune and misfortune. Good fortune and misfortune create the great field of action. (tr. Wilhelm and Baynes 1967:318-9) This two-squared generative sequence includes Taiji, Liangyi Two Polarities; Yin and Yang, Sixiang Four Symbols (Chinese constellation), and Bagua Ba gua. Richard Wilhelm and Cary F. Baynes explain. The fundamental postulate is the great primal beginning of all that exists, tai chi – in its original meaning, the ridgepole. Later Indian philosophers devoted much thought to this idea of a primal beginning. A still earlier beginning, wu chi, was represented by the symbol of a circle. Under this conception, tai chi was represented by the circle divided into the light and the dark, yang and yin, . This symbol has also played a significant part in India and Europe. However, speculations of a Gnostic-dualistic character are foreign to the original thought of the I Ching; what it posits is simply the ridgepole, the line. With this line, which in itself represents oneness, duality comes into the world, for the line at the same time posits an above and a below, a right and left, front and back – in a word, the world of the opposites. (1967:lv) [edit]Taijitu shuo Zhous Taijitu diagram The Song Dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073 CE) wrote the Taijitu shuo Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, which became the cornerstone of Neo-Confucianist cosmology. His brief text synthesized aspects of Chinese Buddhism and Daoism with metaphysical discussions in the Yijing. Zhous key terms Wuji and Taiji appear in the opening line , which Adler notes could also be translated The Supreme Polarity that is Non-Polar! . Non-polar (wuji) and yet Supreme Polarity (taiji)! The Supreme Polarity in activity generates yang; yet at the limit of activity it is still. In stillness it generates yin; yet at the limit of stillness it is also active. Activity and stillness alternate; each is the basis of the other. In distinguishing yin and yang, the Two Modes are thereby established. The alternation and combination of yang and yin generate water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. With these five [phases of] qi harmoniously arranged, the Four Seasons proceed through them. The Five Phases are simply yin and yang; yin and yang are simply the Supreme Polarity; the Supreme Polarity is fundamentally Non-polar. [Yet] in the generation of the Five Phases, each one has its nature. (tr. Adler 1999:673-4) Instead of usual Taiji translations Supreme Ultimate or Supreme Pole, Adler uses Supreme Polarity (see Robinet 1990) because Zhu Xi describes it as the alternating principle of yin and yang, and †¦ insists that taiji is not a thing (hence Supreme Pole will not do). Thus, for both Zhou and Zhu, taiji is the yin-yang principle of bipolarity, which is the most fundamental ordering principle, the cosmic first principle. Wuji as non-polar follows from this. [edit]Core concept Taiji is understood to be the highest conceivable principle, that from which existence flows. This is very similar to the Daoist idea reversal is the movement of the Dao. The supreme ultimate creates yang and yin: movement generates yang; when its activity reaches its limit, it becomes tranquil. Through tranquility the supreme ultimate generates yin. When tranquility has reached its limit, there is a return to movement. Movement and tranquility, in alternation, become each the source of the other. The distinction between the yin and yang is determined and the two forms (that is, the yin and yang) stand revealed. By the transformations of the yang and the union of the yin, the 5 elements (Qi) of water, fire, wood, metal and earth are produced. These 5 Qi become diffused, which creates harmony. Once there is harmony the 4 seasons can occur. Yin and yang produced all things, and these in their turn produce and reproduce, this makes these processes never ending. (Wu, 1986) Taiji underlies the practical Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan) A Chinese internal martial art based on the principles of Yin and Yang and Taoist philosophy, and devoted to internal energetic and physical training. Taijiquan is represented by five family styles: Chen, Sun, Yang, Wu(Hao), and Wu (NQA {Meeting}).

The HIV & AIDS Virus :: HIV, AIDS, Health

Citations AIDS.org - news, treatment information, and other resources. www.aids.org/ HIV and AIDS Activities - information from the FDA Office of Special Health Issues. www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/hiv.html Specialized Information Services Home Page - US National Library ... - ... Library of Medicine (NLM) is responsible for information resources and services in toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and specialized ... www.sis.nlm.nih.gov CDC-NCHSTP-Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) Home Page - ... CDC - Divisions of HIV / AIDS Prevention Home Page; logo: HIV / AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention. ... www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm AIDSinfo - federally approved information on AIDS research, clinical trials, and treatment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Created by merging the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service (ACTIS) and the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS). www.hivatis.org/ HIV InSite - comprehensive and reliable information on HIV/AIDS treatment, policy, research, epidemiology, and prevention from the University of California, San Francisco. hivinsite.ucsf.edu/ HIV & AIDS Virus AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections, which are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick. More than 790,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States since 1981, and as many as 900,000 Americans may be infected with HIV. This epidemic is growing more rapidly among minority populations and is a leading killer of African-American males ages 25 to 44. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS affects nearly seven times more African Americans and three times more Hispanics than whites. Transmission of HIV Having unprotected sex with an infected partner most commonly spreads HIV. The virus can enter the body through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, or mouth during sex. HIV also is spread through contact with infected blood. Before donated blood was screened for evidence of HIV infection and before heat-treating techniques to destroy HIV in blood products were introduced. HIV was transmitted through transfusions having the contaminated blood or blood components. Today, because of blood screening and heat treatment, the risk of getting HIV from such transfusions is extremely small.

Food Technology Essay

Let’s remember 1The key stages of the technology process are designing, producing and evaluating. 2A design situation is a scenario, situation or context. It sets the scene for a designer. A design brief is a statement that presents a task or problem to be solved as it relates to the design situation. 3It is important to analyse the design brief to ensure that the designer understands what is required of them and so that they can develop a criteria for success. 4It is essential to know the criteria for success before undertaking a design process so that a designer can refer back to these criteria during the design process and ensure that they are on track and making correct decisions. It is essential to know the constraints before undertaking a design project so that a designer stays within the boundaries of the project, particularly in terms of cost and schedule. 5Some methods of research and investigation that designers use may include: inspiration boards, interviews, the Internet, surveys, experiments, observations, textbooks, encyclopaedias, magazines and TV programs. 6Primary sources of information are original documents. Some examples of primary sources are interview responses, survey responses, observations or original documents. Secondary sources of information are collected from existing documents and might include textbooks, magazines, TV programs and Internet searches. 7Designers sometimes produce simple sketches of their ideas to ensure that they remember all of the details that they generated during the research and exploration stages. Their diagrams might be accompanied by labels that list materials, colours, size and other details. 8Designers will usually come up with more than one option for the design solution to ensure that the most creative and innovative solution possible is found, rather than just the first and most obvious idea. 9The best design option is selected by evaluating each idea against the original brief, the criteria for success and any constraints. 10Evaluation is an important part of the technology process as it helps the designer to make decisions about the design and the development of the solution. Evaluation also helps the designer to judge the success of the final result. 11Food designers may evaluate their food product solutions by performing a sensory evaluation with a panel of taste-testers. 1. 2 Factors influencing design Case study: Red Lantern 1The two factors that Mark Jensen of Red Lantern considers important when judging the success of a restaurant are limiting the restaurant’s impact on the environment and using organic and ethically sound produce. 2Some of the produce chosen for the menu at Red Lantern includes organic vegetables and herbs, line-caught fish, organic and free-range poultry, free-range pork. 3According to Mark, some benefits of using organic and free-range products include that they are free from pesticides and taste better. 4Pesticides used in farming contaminate the soil and the water table and are therefore harmful to the environment. 5Net fishing is a problem for marine ecology because of the amount of bycatch. Bycatch is a term given to the tonnes of marine animals caught in nets and killed every year. The bycatch is then discarded into the ocean because they are perceived to have no economic value. 6Energy use is being reduced at Red Lantern by using sustainable technologies such as energy-efficient equipment and light globes. Water consumption is reduced by replacing common wok stations that rely on a constant flow of water with a new type of wok system which stops water from being lost down the drain. 7Waste is managed at Red Lantern by using specially marked glass, plastic, cardboard and paper recycling bins. Vegetable waste is placed in compost bins. Let’s remember. 1The factors that may influence the development and production of a solution to a brief include: function, aesthetics, human form, scale, ergonomics, ethics, environmental issues, legislation, cost, sociocultural sensitivity, resource availability, physical and material properties and safety. 2Ergonomics relates to the human form. An ergonomic solution must be comfortable and safe to use without causing strain or injury to the user. 3The word sustainable means renewable or maintainable. A sustainable resource can be maintained at a certain level without causing damage to the environment. 4Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. 1. 3 Innovation and emerging technologies Case study: Molecular gastronomy 1Molecular gastronomy is a term used to describe the application of science and technology to cooking. 2Some methods used to change ingredients into new foods are: drying, liquefying, gassing and freezing. 3Chefs of molecular gastronomy are successful in creating new food combinations and textures by first understanding the chemistry of food and flavour. 4Answers will vary. Let’s remember 1Some advantages of having an Internet refrigerator are: keeping track of what is stored in it, recording how long food has been in the fridge, having a built in video camera to leave video memos, being able to watch television or listen to online music while cooking. 2Reasons for putting a computer in a refrigerator may include: the kitchen is the source of action in many homes and is therefore a logical place for a computer; the refrigerator is always plugged in and switched on so it makes sense to include a computer. 3Nanotechnology is a new or emerging technology that refers to substances at the atomic and molecular level (that is, very, very small things). 4Nanotechnology will make the following possible: aIncrease the nutritional claims of particular foods by fortifying foods with hidden nutrients and vitamins. bIncrease the shelf-life of food by creating an invisible, edible, nano-wrapper that will cover foods, preventing gas and moisture exchange. cReduce allergic reactions in individuals by blocking the ingredient that causes the allergy. dReduce diet related diseases by programming smart packaging to release extra nutrients to people with deficiencies. eReduce food spoilage by allowing the development of special ‘smart packaging’ that releases nano-anti-microbes when it detects food spoilage. 1. 4 Design this! Case study: Urban Graze Cooking School 1Tarrah Laidman and Joel Owen started Urban Graze cooking school in August 2006. 2Students experience a range of high-quality food experiences in a fun and relaxed environment during an Urban Graze cooking lesson. Students are taught with a hands-on approach and work towards making dishes for the end-of-class group meal, which is eaten together at the dining table. 3Ingredients are selected for a class by considering what is in season and what is available. Local produce is used where possible and Tarrah and Joel try to include new food trends in their ingredient selection. 4At Urban Graze, each class begins with a brief occupational health and safety talk and an orientation of the equipment and facilities. A description of the class is given with an overview of each recipe. Demonstrations are given to the whole class as well as individual attention. At the completion of the class, food is shared around the dining table. 5Tarrah and Joel try to always use locally sourced ingredients and equipment. They grow some of their own vegetables and herbs. Case study: Veronica Cuskelly – recipe designer 1Veronica Cuskelly had had many roles: home economist, food consultant, recipe developer and cookbook author. 2The team creating a recipe may include a client, recipe developer, nutritionist, food stylist and photographer. 3A team approach refers to working together and sharing ideas. It requires clear and positive communication. It is important so that the recipe developer has a good understanding of the various elements of the brief. 4The essential elements included in a brief to create a new recipe may include: target market, specific produce to be used, maximum or minimum number of ingredients, steps or utensils to be used, preparation time allowed, cooking times, cost per serve, style in which the recipe is to be written and dietary requirements. 5The reason for establishing clear and positive communication between the client and the recipe developer is to ensure that all essential information is given and any difficulties or problems that may arise can be resolved easily. 6At the beginning of a project, the type of pre-work that Veronica undertakes may include research and information gathering, tasting food samples, looking at other similar recipes, speaking with a nutritionist and looking at current dietary guidelines. 7Recipe progress is checked and evaluated in different ways: submitting concepts to the client for approval; developing the approved recipe; testing three times; taste-testing sessions; modification as necessary and writing up the final, approved recipe. 8The essential components of a recipe that need to be tested and recorded are as follows: ingredients, quantities, steps or methods used, temperatures, equipment, timings. Let’s remember 1The three key areas of study in the Technology course are: built environments, products, information and communications. 2Ideas for a design project come from real-life situations. 3The steps for solving a design project are: a. Design (design situation, design brief, analysis, research, ideas) b. Produce c. Evaluate 4The success of a design project is decided by evaluating it against the design brief and the criteria for success. 5Ways of gathering information to help solve a brief may include: conducting surveys, interviewing relevant people, reading books, magazines or articles on the Internet, conducting focus groups or taste-tests.

Physiology

You recorded the data in Chart 1 on page 35. E the data to produce a Graph that will clearly show how the effects Ion the resting membrane potential when the KEF concentration of Is high and when the KEF concentration of An+ is low. Hint: take in consideration that independent variable is not a numeric but a category. (4 points) The following questions will require you to do some Web search. 2. Loading Is a commonly used anesthetic. What is the molecular composition of Loading. (type of macromolecule and formula) (2 points). 3. List three specific usages of loading (1 points each = 3 points) 1. 3. 4.Provide the name of two vendors of loading and four (4) brand names for this anesthetic (1 points each) Vendors Brand Names 1 OFF 5. Explain the precise mechanism behind Loading effect on action potential in nerves. Indicate to what type of integral proteins Loading binds to, the effect on such proteins and what will be the effect on the generation of an action potential and on the transm ission of the action potential. (4 points) 6. Loading is commonly administrated topically to anesthetize the nerve endings in the dermis that are activated by noxious stimulus resulting in the nerve conduction f impulses that are perceived as â€Å"pain†.Draw a figure of the transverse section of the Shinto show the layers of the epidermis and structures of the dermis (do not forget to include the nerve endings). Use the Diagram to indicate all the layers of cells the Loading has to go through to reach the nerve endings. (Figures copied and pasted form the internet will not be accepted, you have to draw your own version of a figure) (5 points). 7. What cell membrane transport do you suspect moves Loading from the surface of the epidermis all the way down the nerve endings. (1 point)

Mayhem and Maiming

Mayhem and Maiming Mayhem and Maiming Mayhem and Maiming By Maeve Maddox A series of insurance ads personifies insurable disaster as a man who causes various kinds of property damage. The ads always end with the character saying, â€Å"be protected from mayhem like me,† spreading the idea that mayhem means, â€Å"damage.† Mayhem shares its origin with the verb maim, which originally meant â€Å"to wound or cause bodily hurt or disfigurement.† In current usage, maim means â€Å"to mutilate† or â€Å"to cripple.† Twin Blasts Kill 3 and Leave Scores Maimed, Wounded Children maimed, tortured in Syria, says damning UN report A new generation of maimed veterans is coming home with critical needs that overwhelm existing care facilities and devastate their families. As a term in criminal law, mayhem retains the meaning of inflicting physical injury on a person. Mayhem is a crime in which tremendous violence is done onto the victim.   [] to prove the defendant guilty of mayhem, the prosecution needs to prove that the defendant had malicious intent to maim or disfigure, cuts or maims an ear, nose, lip or cuts off or disable limb of another person. (site of a Boston attorney) In ordinary speech, mayhem is used to refer to any kind of violent behavior or disorder. A surfers’ event in Huntington Beach, Calif., ended in mayhem late Sunday, as riot police were called to the streets to disperse violent crowds and break up numerous fights. Akm Antivirus 2010 Pro is a virus that is causing mass mayhem around the internet by infecting thousands of PCs. Current mayhem in the financial sector opens up an opportunity for Nigeria to rid itself of the political and economic cancer it has endured for decades. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that Yanukovych must decide between protecting the people that he serves all of the people versus violence and mayhem. The word maim always denotes a crippling injury. Apart from legal use, mayhem may refer either to physical injury or to violent behavior that does not necessarily lead to injury. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs Past5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseCapitalizing Titles of People and Groups

Hyphenating Prefixes

Hyphenating Prefixes Hyphenating Prefixes Hyphenating Prefixes By Maeve Maddox A reader who works with legal transcription has the following question: There seems to be a trend towards having the prefixes and suffixes separate from the modified noun instead of being attached or hyphenated.  What is proper?   Some examples are non negotiable, post surgery, post doctorate, age wise. The examples given present a variety of forms, not all of which represent a prefix+noun combination. The prefix non- is added to nouns of action, condition, or quality with the sense of â€Å"absence, lack of,† or simply â€Å"not.† for example, non-Catholic. Non- is affixed to adjectives to make them negative. Whether to add a hyphen depends upon whether American or British usage is being observed. The OED hyphenates many words that M-W shows written as one word. For example, M-W gives nonnegotiable, but OED has non-negotiable. When it comes to another word in the reader’s list, however, both the OED and M-W agree with postdoctorate, although both prefer postdoctoral. The prefix post- means, â€Å"after† or â€Å"behind.† It is added to adjectives without a hyphen: postcolonial, postsurgical. Post can be used on its own as a preposition meaning, â€Å"after†: â€Å"Your mouth will be extremely dry post surgery.† In this context post is a separate word. Added to a noun to create a descriptor, however, post would require a hyphen: â€Å"Post-surgery care is vitally important.† The suffix -wise means, â€Å"in the manner of† or â€Å"as regards,† as in clockwise, lengthwise, foodwise, etc. This combining form is never separated from the word it’s added to, either by a hyphen or by a space. It can have other meanings, of course. For example, a person is said to be â€Å"penny wise, but pound foolish.† In this context wise is a word that means â€Å"possessing wisdom†; it is not a suffix. Hyphenation is not an exact science. Authorities differ regarding the necessity of a hyphen, but I’m reasonably sure that all agree that suffixes aren’t free agents that can stand apart from the words they belong to. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)How to Punctuate Descriptions of Colors10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing

A Specific Dimension of English Usage by a Subculture Essay

A Specific Dimension of English Usage by a Subculture - Essay Example For example, if someone has developed a code that is questionable, some hackers may call for a ‘sanity check.’ A sanity check is the â€Å"act of checking a piece of code...for completely stupid mistakes.†1 This implies that at the time of writing the code the hacker was not in his or her right mind. As another example shows, when hackers talk about how something is ‘fab,’ they very rarely mean that something is fabulous. Rather, they are saying that something is fabricated. For example, someone who ‘fabs’ a chip is creating a silicon foundry. These are just small examples of how hacker slang is used within the continuum of the community. Of course, there are pages and pages worth of slang that one could use, so hacker slang would have to be learned over time. However, it could be done. These illustrations of hacker slang show just how particular the hacker community can be when describing various elements of their lives as code designers and code breakers. III. Analyzing Hacker Slang There are several reasons why hackers use slang. Every word that is said is intentional, even if hackers use emoticons in their conversations online. If one analyzes hacker slang, one will realize that every little symbol and word can carry double and even triple entendres, with multiple shades of meaning behind every keystroke. This is the fascinating world of hacker slang. People in the hacker community use this slang intentionally so that outsiders cannot understand it. Just like getting into any community or group to be accepted, one has to ease into the culture of a particular group. For example, a homeless man doing a presentation for venture capitalists on Wall Street wouldn’t walk into a boardroom, full of executives wearing rags, with a cardboard sign saying â€Å"Will work for food.† Rather, he’ll find the wherewithal to buy or rent a nice suit, prepare a resume and then go pitch his idea for the presenta tion. In order to ‘fit in,’ one must look and act the part. IV. Explaining the Usefulness of Hacker Slang The usefulness of hacker slang is a rite of passage within the hacker community. People build code together, work on open source software and freeware together; they become a small, close-knit community—but online. â€Å"The special slang vocabulary of hackers helps hold their culture together—it helps hackers recognize each others’ positions within the community and expresses shared values and communities. However, as with most slang cultures, not knowing the slang or using it inappropriately defines one as an outsider.†2 So, not only does hacker slang keep the people who are not in the hacker community at the fringes but it can as well help hackers know who is in the community that they don’t know—much like any other secret language would do. ‘White hat’ hackers — or ethical hackers — are, probab ly, more important for companies and are useful to prevent Distributed Denial of Service attacks on organizations with complicated systems which are in source code. ‘White hat’ hackers, as they are known, is a slang for the fact that these people find vulnerabilities in companies’ codes on purpose in order to save them millions of dollars so that they don’t get hacked by ‘black hat hackers’ (unethical hackers). â€Å"‘