Educating African American Men

  In the last quarter century, the social and economic status of the African American male in the US has been described to be steadily deteriorating (Johnson, Farrell, & Braithwaite, 2001).   Ã‚  There are an estimated 18 million African American men in the US today, but majority of this number encounter problems and challenges unique to the African American community (Independent Lens, 2007).Numerous studies have shown that the rates of school failure, unemployment, homicide, incarceration, and other anti-social behaviors for African American males far exceed those for their Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian male counterparts (Johnson et al., 2001).Statistics from the Bureau of Justice show that African American victimization rates in 2000 alone were higher by 20% as compared to those in the general population, while homicide rate for African Americans have been 5 times higher than that of the general population for several decades.Homicide has been the primary cause of death for A frican American males between the ages of 15 to 34.   And while the percentage of African American men graduating from college has almost quadrupled since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, more and more African American males are earning their high school equivalency diplomas in prison each year instead of graduating from college (Independent Lens, 2007).The Bureau of Justice Statistics further provide that less than half of African American boys graduate from high school four years after entering the ninth grade.   More than half of the US’ 5.6 million African American boys (below 18) live in fatherless households, 40% of which are impoverished.And while the ranks of professional African American men have experienced a huge increase in the last four decades (for instance, as of 2004 there were 78,000 African American male engineers, which was a 33% increase in 10 years), 840,000 African American men remain incarcerated, with the chances of an African American boy serving time increasing nearly threefold in the last three decades (Independent Lens, 2007).Related studies further support the evidence presented by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Ã‚   Edelman and Offner (2006) in their study indicate that in inner cities, more than half of all African American men do not finish high school.   In 2000, 65% of African American male high school dropouts in their 20s were jobless – meaning, they were unable to find work, or were not seeking work, or were incarcerated.   By 2004, the number of jobless African American men increased to 72%, compared to 34% for Caucasian men, and 19% for Hispanic male high school dropouts.   In 2004 as well, half of African American men in their 20s were jobless, and these numbers unfortunately included African American men who had earned their high school diplomas (Edelman & Offner, 2006).Furthermore, the movement of the labor force away from factory-based jobs has left unskilled workers of all races with fewer and fewer job options.   As of 2004, 50% of African American men in their 20s who did not have a college education were jobless, while 72% of African American male high school dropouts remained jobless (Western, 2006).These staggering statistics perhaps sadly reflect the difficult life that many African American men in the US have to face.   The inequality and punishment that lower-income African American men must deal with on a daily basis has been much documented in many studies.These economic and social challenges may be rooted in the African American subculture, and would require an extensive analysis of the cultural patterns and behaviors.The statistics showing the unemployment rate of lower-income African American males have also shown that they do not receive the same kind of opportunity that their Caucasian counterparts may have – however, the statistics also show that this status of being unemployed may be largely attributed to the lack of education o f the African American male.Dropping out of high school, not completing a college education, incarceration – all these are factors which contribute to the social and economic deterioration of the African American male.As a way of addressing this social and economic deterioration of the African American male, this study will attempt to draw up a learning community which will allow for the African American adult male to achieve his fullest potential.  Ã‚   The paper will seek to establish a system of adult education wherein African American males may have the opportunity to elevate and improve their social and economic status in society.Section 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Background  Subsection 1.1.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Definition of a Learning CommunityThe concept of a â€Å"learning community† involves two distinct words which have been used in varying but traditionally separate contexts (â€Å"Learning Community – A Definition,† 1998).   The Encyc lopà ¦dia Britannica defines learning as â€Å"the alteration of behavior as a result of individual experience.   When an organism can perceive and change its behavior, it is said to learn† (â€Å"Learning,† 2007).On the other hand, TheFreeDictionary defines community as â€Å"a group of organisms or populations living and interacting with one another in a particular environment.   The organisms in a community affect each other’s abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation† (â€Å"Community,† 2007).Taking the two definitions together, a learning community can then be understood to be an environment wherein a population lives and interacts with each other in order to perceive and change their behavior.Within the academic setting, more specific definitions of a learning community have been provided for in previous research studies.  Ã‚   The concept has been defined as something located in the context of education for the young â€⠀œ 4 or 5 years old until 17 years old – as composing â€Å"a group of students and at least one educator who, for a while and motivated by common vision and will, are engaged in the pursuit of acquiring knowledge, abilities and attitudes† (â€Å"Learning Community – A Definition,† 1998).Kowch and Schwier (1997) in their study defines a learning community as â€Å"a collection of individuals who are bound together by natural will and a set of shared ideas and ideals† (p. 1) and as composed of â€Å"autonomous, independent individuals engaged by influencing each other with a learning process† (Kowch & Schwier, 1997, p. 1).Cross (1998) provides for a similar definition of learning communities as â€Å"groups of people engaged in intellectual interaction for the purpose of learning† (p.4).In her outline, Kirby (2000) identifies different types of learning community models: · Technological learning community.   This model involves stu dents who are connected through technological communications.   The educational program, which is linked to schools, is offered online to students. ·Community education involvement.   This model involves entire communities participating in the operation of public schools and their educational outcomes. ·Cohort learning community.   This last model identified by Kirby involves students who go through an entire educational program or set of courses as cohorts.   Student cohorts are students â€Å"commencing a course of study in a particular year with a particular higher education provider† (â€Å"Glossary A-Z,† 2007).A cohort learning community may be presented in different ways: 1) college undergraduate students with the same major housed in the same dorm, with special arrangements provided for group study; 2) courses taught as a unit, whether for a semester or a school year, with the same students enrolled in each of the classes in the unity; 3) students be ginning an academic program together, being exposed to the same knowledge base, and eventually graduating together (Kirby, 2000).Each of these three learning community models may be applied in various ways and at various educational levels.   Past studies on learning communities have also identified different learning community models.   For instance, Shapiro and Levine (1999) categorized learning community models as paired/clustered courses, freshman interest groups, team-taught programs, and/or residential learning communities.On the other hand, Lenning and Ebbers (1999) categorized learning community models as curricular, classroom, residential, and student-type.  Ã‚   In their study, Freeman, Field, and Dyrenfurth (2001) integrate these previous models and have come up with four general categories for learning community models: ·Collateral course-based learning community model.   This category is identical to Kirby’s (2000) cohort learning community model.   S tudents may take two or more courses together as a cohort group.   This model may involve only two classes or the students’ entire course program for one or more semesters.   Educational programs may be discipline-based or cross-disciplinary theme-based. ·Residential learning community model.   Again, this is similar to Kirby’s (2000) cohort learning model, in that students live together in the same house or dormitory.   Unlike Kirby’s model however, this model proposed by Freeman, et al. (2001), does not necessarily require that the students take common classes or the same course.According to Shapiro and Levine (1999), the residential learning community model integrates the living and academic environment of the students involved. ·Freshman interest groups.   This learning community involves entering a freshman with a particular subject interest, not necessarily in the same major, and allowing the freshman to take grouped or linked courses around that specific area of interest. ·Student-type learning community model.   This learning model, such as honor students, and students with disabilities.   It may or may not involve common courses or living arrangements (Freeman et al., 2001).For purposes of this paper, it is important to understand the definition of a learning community since the latter basically pertains to a group of learners.   In this case, the particular group of learners are African American male adults.   It thus becomes relevant to provide a background on what a learning community is in order to understand how to set about developing an appropriate learning community for African American male adults.It is noteworthy to point out that application of one learning community model does not necessarily mean the exclusion of another model or models.  Ã‚   According to Freeman et al. (2001), a learning community may be structured by following either one model or a combination of models, or even an entirel y new and different model.There is no required or strict standard which must be followed since the needs of the student population or target audience will necessarily vary per environment.  Ã‚   Rasmussen and Skinner (1997) in their landmark study on learning communities provides for the following insight:â€Å"The best design will depend on [the] institutional environment and the specific disciplines to be integrated as well as the characteristics of the faculty and students who will participate.The goal is to provide a richer range of learning experiences to our students and contribute to a more vibrant and supportive campus environment for students and faculty alike† (Rasmussen & Skinner, 1997, p. 15).Regardless of the learning community model selected however, the essence of a learning community should be producing a collaborative, harmonious environment between the teachers and the students.   It should allow for greater interaction of students with their teachers an d peers.   Correlational evidence shows that students who participate in learning communities display more intellectual growth and get more out of their education than less involved students (Cross, 1998).

Benjamin Franklin the printer

Of the writing of books, there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12. 12b, New International Version) so the holy bible says and this is no more true than in the case of Benjamin Franklin the printer, a printer, politician, scientist and one of the founding fathers of the United states of America. As such, history writers have always depicted him – as with most other historical figures of note – as a larger than life figure.In this account, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin by Gordon S.   Wood, Benjamin is portrayed as a normal human being with flaws like all other persons, one with lots of clashing views on accepted norms of the day and who always sought to improve himself not by striving against the odds but by remodeling himself as appropriate in order to ensure balance and order in his life and this attribute may be considered one that earns him the phrase â€Å"the man with many masks. † In this account, Gordon has tried to bring forth the true Benjamin as he is not depicted by most other writer.Though not very conclusive on his private life and affairs, it still does shed more light on the kind of man Benjamin was especially the principles of life that he held and how if circumstances demanded he would be flexible in his ways to achieve these life goals. Key among them was frugality and hard work which he preached to all who cared to listen and also practiced from an early age as can be seen by his apprenticeship and eventual elopement and setting up of his own printing press.Gordon as such then depicts Benjamin as most historians have; the virtuous man we have always been made to think Benjamin was. In the day and age when a father’s love was mostly to his first born son, Benjamin did not enjoy much attention from his father and this may have led to his character of not revealing much about who he really was and coming from a Puritanism family he also can have acquired the self enlightenment trait which caused him to have and ho ld his own opinion on almost every other norm of that day.In this way, Benjamin would be portrayed as an individual who driven by prior lack tries to right things so as to satisfy an emptiness within himself which is an aspect not seen in other works about him. Reading through the book for anyone not necessarily a fan of Benjamin Franklin or colonial history, this book stirs in one a deeper desire to get to know this man how he lived his life and how this impacted on life and politics of the day and future- our present generation. Not being a critic of Benjamin, Gordon merely pierces the veil on who Benjamin really was and this account written in real life can be considered a worth having book.Simple in plot and easy to follow plot, one is able to visualize Franklin as he was and also answer questions about him that are otherwise obscured in the mythological figure that he has been turned into. Raised in a lowly family of a soap and candle making father, Benjamin’s impoverish ed childhood and adolescence, stirred in him â€Å"an anger† with the wealthy for their seemingly easy life and mannerism, this in itself spurred his ambition to rise from a commoner into a gentleman so as to be able to pursue his other interests; social advocacy and science.The book gives an explanation about how this persona grew and why it grew. Franklin is seen as the man of his age who rose from a nobody, into a self-made â€Å"gentleman†, a leading diplomat and scientist revered by all especially in Europe where he served his diplomatic duties. Through sheer hard work, frugality in spending and cultivation of important friends, he was able to amass enough wealth by age 42 (in 1748) to retire from business and begin pursuing his other desires.It is during this period while pursuing one of his desires – serving the public good- that he was sent to England to represent the American colonies interests to the British that a transformation began to occur. Wood e xposes Benjamin as an ardent supporter of the Royal British Crown, who could not envisage an independent colony free of control from the king and who thought of the king as being wisdom itself and more humane than the parliament of the day.He cherished the thought of a unified â€Å"†¦glorious English empire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but this began to change from 1765 when parliament imposed the stamp act, one which he strongly opposed, on the colonies. At home, Benjamin was seen to be part of it by recommending a friend as stamp distributor for Pennsylvania an action he quickly regretted and made him champion the repeal of the act – this act earned him repute at home but enemies in England – and opened his eyes to the colonies increasing resistance to crown control.It also reinforced his increasing discontent with England and marked the completion of his Americanization. He henceforth became a supporter of the revolution demanding independence from England. Back home in 177 5 after completing his tour in England, Franklin was appointed as ambassador of the American colony to France a country he had in his earlier years fought against during the seven year’s war. His handling of his country’s affairs in France: securing their support in the revolution war against England reveals his diplomatic and charming traits.He was able to make many friends and his reputation as a true American was more upheld by these new friends mostly the French who helped create the mythical figure we today know of Benjamin Franklin. This made Franklin indispensable to the success of the emerging young American nation in Europe. Woods shows that Franklin as an individual who could easily take a situation and use it to achieve his goals. In France, the French believing he was a Quaker, he played the part so well to continually reaffirm this held belief and thus to them he was a symbol of republican simplicity – an ends to a good in Franklins view.His Poor Ri chard’s Almanac was considered to true a moral philosophy by the French that they deemed him as a symbol of true democracy, an image they helped create and propagate and one still held by today’s America. Though wood does not elaborate on it, we may never know for sure if this was Franklin’s intention or just a happenstance that he just rode on to achieve his goals. On the issue of principle, Wood does depict Benjamin as a puritan who strongly upheld and advocated principle.He shows Franklin as an individual who was consistent in thought but also explores instances where due to circumstances around him, Franklin had to change his view even though his fundamental principles remained unchanged. This Wood has expertly brought out in a way that apart from showing Franklin’s strong and flexible character also reveals though just a bit, his ability to switch masks quickly and play the new role with perfection and zeal unimaginable.Finally, towards the end of hi s life, Franklin a former slaveholder despised and strongly fought against owning slaves preferring personal hard work as a source of satisfaction and thus helping change the view of social mobility and dignity of manual labor among the Americans later on after his death. Wood doesn’t claim to be exhaustive about Franklin in this account but does delve a lot into his professional life exposing the man we think we know in new light that most of us do not know but still seeming to revere him as a true American, indeed as â€Å"the first American†.Benjamin Franklin still remains difficult a subject to understand but his life does serve as a valuable teaching tool as well as a reference point for most of the political and day to day life of America, the symbol of true capitalism with its goods but minus its evils. An imperialist turned patriot, scientist, inventor, businessman, politician; Franklin still had a social and private life which is not well explored and explaine d as much in depth as his public life in this account.In conclusion, this account provides the reader with a true insight of who Benjamin Franklin was without all the mythical nature we have always been taught to believe of him. Room still exists for further exposition of Benjamin Franklin but this account can be considered to be among the best in demystifying Benjamin and exposing him as human and wrought with shortcomings which he did not allow to peg him down but used them to move on.He himself acknowledged his shortcomings and did not try to prove to be above or better than others but extolled the adherence to trying to live a principled life above all else. It is an interesting and enlightening read worth anyone interested in learning more about the founding fathers and colonial America. ? References Wood G. S. , (2004). The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York, NY: penguin publishers

Prevalence of Escherichia Coli on Money

PREVALENCE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ON PHILIPPINE PESO BILL WITHIN THE VICINITY OF ILOILO CITY 2012-2013 A Research Paper Presented to The Faculty College of Medical Laboratory Science Department Central Philippine University Iloilo City In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Research 1 JUSTINE GRACE G. JIMENEA ISAAC JAMES T. LEDESMA MAJA HANNAH LOU L. LOJA ROBERTO R. MANALO JR. JIRAH L. PEDROSA MARCH 2013 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study A classic characteristic of human parasitic and bacterial agents is the evolution of routes for transmission pathogens to susceptible hosts.The environment plays a critical role in transmission to humans, with many environmental materials serving as vehicles. Microbial contaminants may be transmitted directly, through hand-to-hand contact, or indirectly, via food or other inanimate objects like fomites. (Rote, et al. , 2010) According to Umeh, et al (2007), Contamination of objects by pathogenic microorganism is much a public hea lth concern as contaminated materials can be sources of transmitting pathogens. Items that pass from hand to hand are likely to be contaminated with disease causing microorganisms especially if handled with unclean hands or kept in dirty surroundings.Ahmed, et al (2010) pointed out that paper currency is widely exchanged for goods and services in most countries worldwide. Paper currencies are widely used and each currency is exchanged many times during the time it circulates. If some of these paper money are contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, there is a potential to spread these microorganism. Pope, et al (2002) mentioned, since bacteria, have been shown to spread from person to person via contact with fomites paper money, therefore, presents a particular risk of public health.Paper currency is commonly and routinely passed among individuals. Thus bacteria could be spread on the surface of paper currency. Paper currency, as asserted by Oyero, et al (2007) can be contaminated by droplets during coughing, sneezing, touching with previously contaminated hands or other materials and placement on dirty surface. Paper currency is commonly handled by various categories of people during transaction. The possibility that paper currency might act as environmental vehicles for the transmission of potential pathogenic microorganisms was suggested in 1970s.Various pathogens related with throat infection, pneumonia, tonsillitis, peptic ulcers, urino-genital tract infection, gastroenteritis and lung abscess had been reported. (Pope, et al. , 2002) The money which may get contaminated during production, storage, after production and during use are always in circulation. Numerous research on currency in several countries indicated bacterial contamination. A study in Bangladesh reported thatEscherichia coli (58%),Klebsiella(50%), Staphylococcus aureus(25%), Salmonella (15%), Bacillus (9%), Pseudomonas (7%) and Vibrio cholera (5%) were recovered from Bangladesh Paper Currenc y Notes (Taka). Ahmed, et al,. 2010) In another study carried out in Nigeria, the bacteria isolated E. coli (80%), Aerobacter (59%), Salmonella (40. 9%), yeast cells (36. 4%), Streptococcus fecalis(31. 8%), Staphylococcus aureus( 27. 3%) and the coagulase negative staphylococci (18. 2%). (Umeh, et al. , 2007) A similar study was also conducted in Nepal and reported thatStaphylococcusaureus, S. Epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella choleraesius, E. coli, Enterobacteraerogenesand cloaceaewere isolated from paper money of Nepal. (Lamichhane, et al. 2009) In another study in India, 100% of the currency notes of Indian upee were contaminated with bacteria. Mainly three species including E. coli, Proteus spp. And Staphylococcus aureuswere isolated. (Bhat, et al. , 2010) In another study in India, currency samples of different denominations from different occupational groups were evaluated for isolation of microbial contaminants and Staphylococcus aureu, E. coli, Bacillus spp. , Klebsiella spp. , Proteus mirablisand fungus like Aspergillusnigerand Fusariumwere isolated from these paper currency notes. (Rote, et al. 2010) Although, a lot of studies on the microbiological status of paper currency have been carried out elsewhere, data on the microbial contamination of the Peso (Philippine currency) is scanty. In order to know the prevalence of Escherichia coli on Philippine Peso bill within the vicinity of Iloilo City in the year 2012-2013, this study is to be conducted. General Objectives What is the prevalence rate of E. coli contamination on the Philippine peso bill of Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ)? Specific Objectives 1. ) What is the prevalence rate of E. coli contamination on the 20 peso bill? . ) What is the prevalence rate of E. coli contamination on the 50 peso bill? 3. ) What is the prevalence rate of E. coli contamination on the 100 peso bill? Research Paradigm Independent variableDependent variable Location:Public Utility Jeepn ey (PUJ)Value:20 PHP50 PHP100 PHP| Prevalence rate of Escherichia coli contamination| Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study Definition of Terms To provide clarity and understanding, the following terms were defined conceptually and operationally. Bacteria- are minute, unicellular organisms that reproduce by binary fission.They are considered prokaryotes due to the absence of nuclear membrane. They possess both DNA and RNA. They sensitive to penicillins, tetracycline and chloramphenicol. (Moraleta, Review of Microbiology) In the study, the bacteria is the E. coli to be identified. Escherichia coli- or E. coli is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and other warm-blooded animals. While most strains are harmless, some can cause severe foodborne disease. E. coli  infection is usually transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food, such as undercooked meat products and raw milk.Symptoms of disease include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, which may b e bloody. Fever and vomiting may also occur. Most patients recover within 10 days, although in a few cases the disease may become life-threatening. (WHO, 2012) As used in this study,E. coli is the subject of the study and it is isolated in the surfaces different peso bill. Contamination-The act or process of  contaminating; pollution; defilement; taint; also, that which contaminates. (http://www. merriam-webster. com/) In this study, contamination refers how high or low E. oli bacteria level is found on the surface of the peso bill. Denomination-a value or size of a series of values or sizes. (http://www. merriam-webster. com/) As used in thisstudy, 20, 50, 100 are used as denomination. Paper bill- (often known as a  bill,  paper money  or simply a  note) is a type ofnegotiable instrument  known as a  promissory note, made by a  bank, payable to the bearer on demand. (http://en. wikipedia. org) In this study, paper bill was tested for the presence or absence of E. co li. Philippine peso- is the currency of the  Philippines.The peso is usually denoted by the symbol â€Å"? â€Å". Other ways of writing the Philippine peso sign are â€Å"PHP†, â€Å"PhP†, â€Å"Php†, and/or â€Å"P†. (http://www. wikipedia. org/) As used in this study, Philippine peso paper bill was tested for the presence of E. coli. Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ)- are the most popular means of  public transportation  in the Philippines. (http://www. wikipedia. org/) In this study, this is the location of the Philippine peso billwhere the E. coli is to be isolated. Significance of the Study The result of the study will benefit the following:Department of Health. May provide information on how to properly handle and care for money to prevent the risk of Escherichia coli contamination from hand-to-hand communication. The Medical Researchers. They may use this study as reference for future studies especially in the prevention of the deadly disease c aused by Escherichia coli on the circulating money. Commercial Banks. They may have an idea that Escherichia coli can inhabit the paper bill and cause such disease. Hence, they will come up bacteria-free money. Jeepney Drivers.May help them in protecting their selves from being the courier of contaminated money from one person to another. The public. The result will provide information and awareness about money contaminated by Escherichia coli circulates, and find ways in preventing disease and reduce mortality. Future researcher. The result of the study may also be used by other future researcher as a reference or basis for future researcher or investigation. Scope and Limitation of the Study This study aims to determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli contamination on Philippine peso bill within the vicinity of Iloilo City.A total of 45 paper currency of denominations, fifteen paper currencies of each: 20 PhP, 50 PhP and 100 PhP in circulation were randomly collected in 15 jeep neys at different times. Coins were excluded from the study. Paper currencies were gathered from Jaro-CPU Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) from CPU to Iloilo City route and vice versa. This study is conducted during the month of March until May in the year 2013. Persons handling the bill were asked to deposit them in sterile polyethylene bags, sealed and taken to the Medical Laboratory Science Research Laboratory of Central Philippine University, for analysis. CHAPTER 2REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter deals with the related literature and studies relevant to the study of Escherichia coli contamination on paper money bills. Money in the form of notes or coins is handled by everyone, and ‘dirty' money (money contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms) is always in circulation. Contamination may occur during production, during storage after production, and during use. Microorganisms on the skin can be transferred from cashiers, salespeople and the general public to the currency notes that they handle. Contamination from the anal region, wounds, nasal secretions and aerosols enerated by sneezing and coughing are potential sources of transfer of microorganisms to currency notes during handling. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa  and  Klebsiellaaerogenes  have been reported to survive well on the skin,and are known to be transferred from fabrics to hand as well as from hand to fabrics. (Tswana, 2000) Items that are passed from hand to hand are likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria particularly if carried with unclear hands, or kept in a dirty environment. Similarly, paper currency is widely exchanged for goods and services in countries worldwide.Currency contamination with pathogenic bacteria is of much public health concern as contaminated materials can be sources of serious pathogens. Paper currency, therefore presents a particular risk to public health, since they go in circulation and contaminate t he hands of others transmitting pathogenic organisms in the process. (Uneke&Ogbu, 2007) Pathogenic bacteria that may survive on the currency banknotes may serve as a potential source of enteropathogens causing food poisoning because food vendors handle and serve food and at the same time handle currency banknotes as they sell. Cardoenet al. , 2009; Lamichhaneet al. , 2009) The incidence of food poisoning is on the increase worldwide, although it is estimated that only 10% of cases are reported – just the tip of the iceberg. Money bill play a major role in transmission of pathogenic bacteria. Some mathematical models have been developed to help understand the movements of currency and how this might contribute to the global spread of disease. One of the main sources of pathogenic or food-poisoning bacteria is people. People commonly carry these bacteria in their nose, mouth, wounds and intestines, and on their skin.There are several reports of the occurrence of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, on cash – banknotes and coins. A study in the US showed that only 6% of banknotes tested were free from microbial contamination. Dirty money Modern banknotes are made from a special blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen with small segments of fibre, so ‘paper’ money is something of a misnomer. The ‘paper’ is referred to as the substrate during the manufacturing process; this is an appropriate name as bacteria require a substrate for growth.The cotton/linen/fibre combinations of banknotes produce a strong bond and do not pull apart, unlike the fibres of ordinary paper. The average life span of a low denomination paper banknote is about 24 months. In the early 1980s, an American Bank developed polyethylene fibres for use as currency and they are still in use in some Central American countries. Non-fibrous, non-porous, polymer banknotes, developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia, were first issued as currency in 1988. The banknotes were made from biaxially oriented polypropylene that made them more durable, with security features that rendered them difficult to counterfeit. Aidoo, 2011) Various routes are known that lead to the contamination of paper bill. Handling of it results in the transfer of bacteria from money onto hands or from hands onto money. Individuals who cough or sneeze into their hands can easily transfer bacteria onto currency when they handle it. Viruses may also be transmitted when infected people touch surfaces, such as banknotes, that are then touched by others. In the hospitality and catering industry, it is unacceptable for staff to use one hand to handle food and the other to handle money.Food, either cooked or uncooked, may contain bacteria which can be transferred either directly or indirectly through a medium such as a work surface onto currency. This may occur particularly with street food, mobile food vendors and in retail outlets at the counter. Obviously, the transfer of pathoge nic bacteria to food that is ready to be eaten and that requires no further heat treatment could have serious consequences. Should money be handled between hand washing and food handling, then it is equally important to repeat the process of hand washing before handling high-risk food.Wallets, purses, cash registers and other ‘closed’ environments are conducive for microbial growth because they create warm and moist conditions. Transfer of micro-organisms from one banknote to another in such closed environments may also be common. (Aidoo, 2011) Money on which pathogenic microorganisms might survive represents an often overlooked reservoir for enteric disease (Michaels, 2002). In most parts of the developed world, there is a popular belief that the simultaneous handling of food and money contributes to the incidence of food-related public health incidents (Food Science Australia [FSA], 2000).It goes without saying that bacteria are everywhere in the environment and most of these microbes are harmless to humans. Should germs on money worry us? Surprisingly, studies of bacteria on money are scarce. In 1972 a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association studied bacteria from 200 coins and bills and found harmful germs like fecal bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on 13 percent of coins and 42 percent of notes. The study concluded: â€Å"Money is truly dirty. † (http://christophreilly. hubpages. com/) Micro-organisms commonly associated with banknotes include Staphylococcus aureus, ? haemolytic Streptococcus, Enterobacter spp. , Acinetobacter spp. , Pseudomonas spp. , Bacillusspp. , Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. , viruses, yeasts and moulds. Some of these bacteria are pathogenic, while others may cause opportunistic infections. The predominant, recurrent pathogenic bacteria found on banknotes are S. aureus, Bacillus spp. and Escherichia spp. Many members of the Enterobacteriaceae are found in the gut of animals and humans, and th eir presence in food or on inanimate objects and surfaces is a good indicator of poor hygiene.Members of the genera Enterobacter, Escherichia and Klebsiella isolated from banknotes may not themselves cause serious illness; however, their isolation from money may indicate the presence of other pathogenic organisms. Escherichia coliis an important member of the faecal coliform group and its presence on banknotes is of public health concern, especially as some strains can of course cause serious illness. Species of the Gram-negative genus Pseudomonas, which can cause serious opportunistic infections, have also been isolated from banknotes.S. aureus is the predominant bacterium present on the surface of banknotes and it is also a common cause of food poisoning. This organism is indicative of poor standards of hygiene particularly during food handling and/or preparation. Many people in the adult population carry S. aureus on their skin, in their nasal cavity, and in septic cuts, boils an d spots. Coagulase-positive S. aureus is readily isolated from banknotes and the toxins it produces may cause toxic shock syndrome. It has also been implicated in pneumonia.Streptococci are part of the normal microflora in the mouth, skin, intestine and upper respiratory tract of humans. Although many streptococcal species are non-pathogenic, some have been implicated in meningitis and pneumonia. Bacillus spp. are spore-formers and can withstand harsh, adverse conditions, such as drying. Some species, for example Bacillus cereus, cause two types of food poisoning: diarrhoeal (heat-labile toxin) and emetic (heat-stable toxin). (Aidoo, 2011) The surface of ‘paper’ banknotes is not smooth, but irregular, and can harbour many different types of microorganisms.The two main factors that determine the occurrence of bacteria on currency are (i) the material that the banknotes are made from and (ii) the age of the banknote. Bacteria have enormous capabilities to allow them to su rvive in adverse conditions. Two of the most important strategies for survival are their ability to adhere to surfaces and the ability to form biofilms (multicellular aggregates). Members of some genera, such as Bacillus, may form spores and can survive attached to banknotes for many years. Formation of a biofilm or a spore is controlled by genetic activity of the bacterium.Bacterial cells on banknotes are measured by the number of colony-forming units (c. f. u. ) per cm2 of banknote. A banknote may contain up to 106c. f. u. cm–2, whilst a coin may have up to 103c. f. u. cm–2. Studies have shown that polymer-based banknotes often have a relatively low bacterial count compared with the cotton-based ‘paper’ banknotes. This may be due to various physicochemical parameters of polymers. For example, a negatively charged and hydrophilic synthetic polymer would adversely affect bacterial attachment. (Vriesekoop et. al. , 2010) Escherichia coli, also known as E. o li is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some types can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for food contamination. (CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, 2012) The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2, and by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine. (Hudault et al. , 2001).Fecal–oral transmission is the major route through which pathogenic strains of the bacterium cause disease. Cells are able to survive outside the body for a limited amount of time, which makes them ideal indicator organisms to test environmental samples for fecal contamination. There is, however, a growing body of research that has examined environmentally persistent E. coli which can survive for extended period s outside of the host. (Ishii &Sadowsky, 2008) Escherichia coli (or E. coli) is the most prevalent infecting organism in the family of gram-negative bacteria known as enterobacteriaceae.E. coli is often referred to as the best or most-studied free-living organism. More than 700 serotypes of E. coli have been identified. The â€Å"O† and â€Å"H† antigens on the bacteria and their flagella distinguish the different serotypes. Indeed, some E. coli are beneficial, while some cause infections other than gastrointestinal infections, such as urinary tract infections. The E. coli that are responsible for the numerous reports of contaminated foods and beverages are those that produce Shiga toxin, so called because the toxin is virtually identical to that produced by Shigelladysenteria type 1. Eisenstein et al, 2000) Strains of E. coli that causes diarrhea in man †¢ Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) – causes diarrhea, but the molecular mechanisms of colonization and a etiology are different. EPEC lack fimbriae, ST and LT toxins, but they use an adhesin known as intimin to bind host intestinal cells. This virotype has an array of virulence factors that are similar to those found in Shigella, and may possess a shiga toxin. Adherence to the intestinal mucosa causes a rearrangement of actin in the host cell, causing significant deformation. EPEC cells are moderately invasive (i. . they enter host cells) and elicit an inflammatory response. A change in intestinal cell ultrastructure due to â€Å"attachment and effacement† is likely the prime cause of diarrhea in those afflicted with EPEC. (University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Bacteriology, 2007) †¢ Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) – Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, or ETEC, is the name given to a group of E. coli that produce special toxins which stimulate the lining of the intestines causing them to secrete excessive fluid, thus producing diarrhea. (cdc. gov, 2004) à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Enteroinvasive E. oli (EIEC) – this infection causes a syndrome that is identical to Shigellosis, with profuse diarrhea and high fever. EIEC are highly invasive, and they utilize adhesin proteins to bind to and enter intestinal cells. They produce no toxins, but severely damage the intestinal wall through mechanical cell destruction. ( Lan et al, 2004). †¢ Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) – is a subgroup of diarrhoeagenic E. coli (DEC) that during the past decade has received increasing attention as a cause of watery diarrhea, which is often persistent. EAEC have been isolated from children and adults worldwide.As well as sporadic cases, outbreaks of EAEC-caused diarrhea have been described. (sgmjournals. org, 2003) †¢ Diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC) – may cause disease in immunologically naive or malnourished children. Discrepancies among epidemiological studies could be explained by age-dependent susceptibility to diarrhea or by the use of a n inappropriate detection method such as DNA probing. The current prospective case-control study was done to determine the role of DAEC strains as a cause of acute diarrhea in northeastern Brazil, where childhood diarrhea is endemic. ( M. M. Levine. 1990) †¢ Shiga toxin-producing E. oli (STEC) – Some strains of E. coli produce a toxin called Shiga toxin that causes diarrhea and can lead to severe illness. These Shiga toxin-producing E. coli are sometimes called STEC (pronounced â€Å"S-TECK). STEC can be spread from cattle and other animals to people through raw or undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk, or through contact with an infected animal. People can also get infected by consuming contaminated water, raw produce or unpasteurized juice or cider. Foods can become contaminated with bacteria from manure in the field or from raw beef or raw beef juices in the kitchen.People with STEC who do not wash hands well after a bowel movement can spread it to others. (kingcounty . gov, 2005) The genera Escherichia and Salmonella diverged around 102 million years ago, which coincides with the divergence of their hosts: the former being found in mammals and the latter in birds and reptiles. This was followed by a split of the escherichian ancestor into five species (E. albertii, E. coli, E. fergusonii, E. hermannii and E. vulneris. ) The last E. coli ancestor split between 20 and 30 million years ago. ( Lecointre et al. 2007) In 1885, a German pediatrician, Theodor Escherich, first discovered this species isolated from the feces of newborns and called it Bacterium coli commune due to the fact it is found in the colon and early classifications of Prokaryotes placed these in a handful of genera based on their shape and motility (at that time Ernst Haeckel's classification of Bacteria in the kingdom Monera was in place). Bacterium coli was the type species of the now invalid genus Bacterium when it was revealed that the former type species (â€Å"Bacterium tril oculare†) was missing.Following a revision of Bacteria it was reclassified as Bacillus coli by Migula in 1895 and later reclassified in the newly created genus Escherichia, named after its original discoverer. ( Castellani and Chalmers, 2009) The genus belongs in a group of bacteria informally known as â€Å"coliforms†, and is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family (â€Å"the enterics†) of the Gammaproteobacteria. (Garrity, 2005) Escherichia coli encompass an enormous population of bacteria that exhibit a very high degree of both genetic and phenotypic diversity. Genome sequencing of a large number of isolates of E. oli and related bacteria shows that a taxonomic reclassification would be desirable. However, this has not been done, largely due to its medical importance and E. coli remains one of the most diverse bacterial species: only 20% of the genome is common to all strains. (Lukjancenko et. al. , 2010) In fact, from the evolutionary point of view, the mem bers of genus Shigella (S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. boydii, S. sonnei) should be classified as E. coli strains, a phenomenon termed taxa in disguise. Similarly, other strains of E. coli (e. g. he K-12 strain commonly used in recombinant DNA work) are sufficiently different that they would merit reclassification. (Lan; Reeves, 2002) A strain is a sub-group within the species that has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other strains. These differences are often detectable only at the molecular level; however, they may result in changes to the physiology or lifecycle of the bacterium. For example, a strain may gain pathogenic capacity, the ability to use a unique carbon source, the ability to take upon a particularecological niche or the ability to resist antimicrobial agents. Different strains of E. oli are often host-specific, making it possible to determine the source of fecal contamination in environmental samples. For example, knowing which E. coli strains are pre sent in a water sample allows researchers to make assumptions about whether the contamination originated from a human, another mammal or a bird. (Feng et. al. , 2002) The bacteria normally adhere to the mucus or the epithelium on the wall of the intestines, and a single strain can last for months or years. E. coli is one of the most studied and best understood organism, but the organism's role and how it colonizes isn't very well understood.Freter's Nutrient-Niche theory best describes E. coli's role: The ecological functions of E. coli depend on the nutrient availability within the intestines of the host organism. Since there are so many different nutrients that can be found within the intestines, it is said that they contain a balanced ecosystem because there are so many different nutrient-defined functions where the E. coli colonize. This is dependent on the preferred nutrient for that particular population occupying the niche. E. coli can also be found outside of the body in fae cally-contaminated environments such as water or mud. (bioweb. wlax. edu, 2008) The optimal growth of E. coli occurs at 37 degrees Celsius but some laboratory strains can multiply at temperatures of up to 49 degrees C. Growth can be driven by aerobic or anaerobic respiration. (answers. ask. com, 2010) As E. coli is part of the common micro? ora in the large intestine, it is accustomed to a pH of 7-8. As glucose is absorbed in the small intestine, the E. coli would be used to low concentrations. However, as glucose is its energy source, if excess glucose were available for consumption, it would be expected that the E. coli would utilise it and grow at a faster rate.Salt (NaCl) is absorbed in the colon, so the amount of salt that the E. coli is exposed to depends on how much salt is consumed by the host organism. However, because of the mechanism of osmosis, extremely high levels as well as complete absence of salt could be lethal to E. coli bacteria. (APUA, 2007 How Antibiotics Work – the Mechanism of Action , Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics,) You get an E. coli infection by coming into contact with the feces of humans or animals. This can happen when you drink water or eat food that has been contaminated by feces. Healthwise, 2011) E. coli infection can cause human illness when E. coli is ingested through various modes of transmission, including through food and water sources, animal-to-human contact, and person-to-person contact. (Clark, 2012) And according to the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) CDC, the transmission of these bacteria to humans may occur in the following manner: †¢Meat, such as beef from cows, may become contaminated when organisms are accidently mixed in with beef, especially when it is ground. Meat contaminated with E. coli does not smell and looks normal.It is important to thoroughly cook the beef. †¢Infection may occur after swimming in or drinking water that has been contaminated with E. coli. â € ¢Person-to-person contact in families and in child-care and other institutional-care centers are also places where the transmission of the bacteria can occur. However, the CDC also indicates the way E. coli is transmitted may change over time. (medicalcenter. osu. edu, 2006) To help avoid food poisoning and prevent infection, handle food safely. Cook meat well, wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them, and avoid unpasteurized milk and juices.You can also get the infection by swallowing water in a swimming pool contaminated with human waste. (nlm. nih. gov, 2012) Pathogenic Escherichia coli, or E. coli, is believed to mostly live in the intestines of cattle. Certain serotypes of E. coli have also been found in the intestines of chickens, sheep, and pigs. (Clark, 2012) E. coli in food E. coli can get into meat during processing. If the infected meat is not cooked to 160 °F (71 °C), the bacteria can survive and infect you when you eat the meat. This is the most common way people become infected with E. coli.Any food that has been in contact with raw meat can also become infected. Other foods that can be infected with E. coli include: Raw milk or dairy products. Bacteria can spread from a cow's udders to its milk. Check the labels on dairy products to make sure they contain the word â€Å"pasteurized. † This means the food has been heated to destroy bacteria. Raw fruits and vegetables, such as lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, or unpasteurized apple cider or other unpasteurized juices that have come in contact with infected animal feces. E. coli in water Human or animal feces infected with E. oli sometimes get into lakes, pools, and water supplies. People can become infected when a contaminated city or town water supply has not been properly treated with chlorine or when people accidentally swallow contaminated water while swimming in a lake, pool, or irrigation canal. E. coli from person-to-person contact The bacteria can also spread from o ne person to another, usually when an infected person does not wash his or her hands well after a bowel movement. E. coli can spread from an infected person's hands to other people or to objects. Person-to-person transmission of E. oli occurs through a fecal-oral route, and is particularly common among infants and young children due to their unrefined hygienic practices. Person-to-person transmission of E. coli has also been known to occur between infected individuals and their caregivers, and between infected handlers of certain objects. (WebMD, 2010) In a study entitled â€Å"Microbial Contamination in 20-Peso Banknotes in Monterrey, Mexico†, the banknotes came from various sources, including banks, toll booths, convenience stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and yogurt stores, among others.Samples were randomly obtained and banknotes were placed in a sterile polyethylene bag. The bag was sealed and the sample was taken to the laboratory. All currency banknotes were in good ph ysical condition. Each banknote was placed in 5-mL sterile saline for 24 hours. A sterile, cotton-tipped swab was briefly introduced in the saline and the swab was seeded with a portion of the saline homogenized in blood agar plates and incubated for 48 hours at 37 °C in aerobic conditions. Plates were then examined for bacterial growth and the colonies underwent Gram stain.Gram-negative colonies were grown on Eosin methylene blue agar plates and identified with the Crystal Identification System (Becton Dickinson). Gram-positive cocci were grown on azide agar plates and identified by conventional biochemical tests. Identification of yeasts was performed with CHROMagar Candida (Becton Dickinson). Of the 70 currency banknotes on which bacteriological analysis was conducted, 48 (69%) were found to be contaminated with several microbial species (Table 1).Sixteen species isolates were obtained from the banknotes: 14 bacterial species (four [23%] Gram positive and 10 [63%] Gram negative ) and two (13%) yeast species. The most prevalent species observed was Candida kruseii (19 banknotes, 27%) followed by Burkholderiacepacia (nine banknotes, 13%). Of the 70 banknotes included, 22 (31%) showed no growth. Four bills (5. 7%) yielded bacteria considered pathogenic to healthy hosts and the other 44 contaminated bills (63%) yielded bacteria considered potentially pathogenic to hospitalized or immunocompromised hosts.Additionally, 11 bills showed more than one microbial species. Pope and co-authors analyzed 68 $1 bills collected from a school and a grocery store and found that five (7%) were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, 59 (87%) were contaminated with opportunistic pathogens, and just four (6%) were free of bacteria (Pope et al. , 2002). Unlike the study by Pope and co-authors, in our study 31% of the banknotes were negative. Our results are similar to a previous publication (Abrams; Waterman, 1972), in which 70% of banknotes were contaminated with bacteria.Of the se banknotes, 60% contained pathogens, including S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. Medical personnel seem to play an important role in contamination of paper currency, since it has been reported that 13% of coins and 42% of currency collected from laboratory personnel were contaminated with S. aureus, E. coli, Klebsiella sp. , and Proteus mirabilis (Abrams; Waterman, 1972). Additionally, the culture of 100 banknotes and 102 coins collected from medical personnel showed that 3% of coins and 11% of banknotes were contaminated with opportunistic pathogens (KhinNwe et al. 1989). In our study, we did not include banknotes collected in any hospital, but banknotes collected near hospital facilities were contaminated with opportunistic pathogens such as B. cepacia and A. baumannii. Uneke and Ogbu assessed the potential of Nigerian currency notes to act as environmental vehicles for the transmission of pathogenic parasites and bacteria. Currency notes obtained from four major cities in Nigeria were evaluated according to standard techniques. Fifty-four (21. 6 percent [95 percent CI: 16. 50-26. 0]) of the first batch of 250 notes, which underwent parasitological analysis, were contaminated with enteric parasites; 133 (53. 2 percent [95 percent CI: 47. 02-59. 39]) of the second batch of 250 notes, which underwent bacteriological analysis, were found to be contaminated with bacteria. Parasites that were isolated from the notes included Ascarislumbricoides (8. 0 percent), Enterobiusvermicularis (6. 8 percent), Trichuristrichiura (2. 8 percent), and Taenia species (4. 0 percent). Bacteria that were isolated were Streptococcus species (21. percent), Staphylococcus species (12. 8 percent), Escherichia coli (13. 2 percent), and Bacillus species (5. 6 percent). Among dirty/mutilated currency notes, parasite contamination and bacterial contamination were both significantly (p ; . 05) more pervasive (30. 6 percent and 73. 8 percent, respectively) than they were among clean a nd mint currency notes. Lower-denomination notes were more likely to be contaminated than were higher-denomination notes, although the difference was not statistically significant (p ; . 05).Parasite contamination and bacteria contamination were both most frequent in notes obtained from butchers and beggars. These results suggest that currency notes may be contaminated, especially with bacteria and enteric parasites, and may serve as sources of infection. The possibility that currency notes might act as environmental vehicles for the transmission of potential pathogenic microorganisms was suggested in the 1970s (Abrams; Waterman, 1972). Paper currency is widely exchanged for goods and services in countries worldwide.It is used for every type of commerce, from buying milk at a local store to trafficking in sex and drugs. All this trade is hard on currency, with lower-denomination notes receiving the most handling because they are exchanged many times (Gadsby, 1998). Although paper cu rrency is made to take abuse (up to 4,000 folds in each direction) in most parts of the world, including in Nigeria (where paper currency is a rugged mix of 75 percent cotton and 25 percentlinen), it lasts less than a few years in circulation (Gadsby, 1998).The average U. S. dollar, for instance-like most currency notes worldwide-lasts a mere 18 months (Gadsby). Paper currency also provides a large surface area as a breeding ground for pathogens (Podhajny, 2004). Oddly, publications regarding the degree to which paper money is contaminated with bacteria are few and far between, as the authors found when they conducted a Medline search in December 2005 (Abrams; Waterman, 1972; El-Dars; Hassan, 2005; Goktas;Oktay, 1992; Jiang ; Doyle, 1999; Khin et al. 1989; Michaels, 2002; Pope et al. , 2002; Singh et al. , 2002; Xu et al. , 2005). Furthermore, the search found no documented study of the parasitological status of currency notes (as of December 2005). Scientific information on the con tamination of money by microbial agents is also lacking in most developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. This dearth of information may have contributed to the absence of public health policies or legislation on currency usage, handling, and circulation in many parts of Africa.Although the studies done in the United States and Australia have had no major impact on policies or legislation on currency handling and circulation in those countries, they have fostered a higher level of public awareness about the potential for currency contamination by microorganisms (Dow Jones News, 1998; FSA, 2000; Michaels; Jiang ; Doyle; Pope et al. ). In the United States, a whole division of the Department of Treasury deals with what is termed â€Å"mutilated currency,† and the department Web site boasts many examples of beleaguered, burned, buried, water-damaged money (Siddique, 2003).Isolation of various bacterial contaminants from the currency notes was performed via s tandard techniques described previously (Gilchrist, 1993; Singh et al. , 2002). Briefly, a sterile, cotton-tipped swab moistened with sterile physiological saline was used to swab both sides of the currency note. The swabs were directly inoculated on blood agar and MacConkey agar. The pairs of inoculated media were incubated aerobically at 35-37 °C for 24 hours and then examined for bacterial growth according to standard protocol described previously (Cheesbrough, 2000).The authors isolated bacteria by assessing colony characteristics and Gram reaction, and by conducting catalase and coagulase tests; hemolysis, sugar fermentation, and other biochemical tests, including tests for indole production, citrate utilization, and urase activity; triple sugar iron (TSI) agar tests (for glucose, sucrose, and lactose fermentation); gas and hydrogen sulfide production tests; and oxidase tests, according to protocols described previously (Cheesbrough). Bacteria were identified but were not qua ntified.Microbial contaminants can be transmitted directly by hand-to-hand contact or indirectly via food or inanimate objects like banknotes and doorknobs or other objects that come into contact with multiple human hands. Banknotes may be contaminated during storage and exchange, with lower-denomination banknotes receiving the most handling and therefore more contamination (Abrams; Waterman, 1972). In general, a greater number of bacteria have been reported on banknotes than on coins. Banknotes are an excellent transport medium for different types of microorganisms because they are commonly passed among individuals.Thus, handling money may be a route for transmission of infections (Xu et al. , 2005). We analyzed a sample of 70 20peso bills to isolate and identify bacteria or yeast that may be present on the surface of these banknotes. A recent study that included 1,280 banknotes from 10 countries, including Mexico, reported that pathogens could only be isolated after enrichment and their mere presence did not appear to be alarming (Vriesekoop et al. , 2010). The authors discussed that the presence of bacteria on banknotes is influenced by the material used for the banknotes (polymer based vs. otton based) and the age of the banknotes. They stated that the average number of bacteria encountered on the polymer banknotes was approximately 25% of that found on cotton-based banknotes (Vriesekoop et al. , 2010). That study showed a lower percentage of contamination in Mexican banknotes in comparison to banknotes from China, the U. S. , the UK, and the Netherlands, among others. We analyzed only polymer-based banknotes in good condition, but the presence of contamination was detected in most banknotes analyzed without any enrichment procedure.In that study, the only contaminations detected in Mexican banknotes were E. coli, S. aureus, and a low percentage of Bacillus cereus, which were interpreted as an indicator of poor hygiene, background microorganism, and the ab ility of spore-forming bacteria to persist on banknotes, respectively. In our study, we detected S. aureus and Bacillus spp. but we did not detect E. coli. It is important to point out that the 10-country study included currencies obtained only from food outlets and for this reason the results from that study and ours cannot strictly be compared. Source: Microbial Contamination in 20-Peso Banknotes in Monterrey, Mexico Rocha-Gamez, Judith; Tejeda-Villarreal, Paula Nelly, QCB; Macias-Cardenas, Patricia; Canizales-Oviedo, Jorge; Garza-Gonzalez, Elvira; et al. Journal of Environmental Health 75. 2 (Sep 2012): 20-3. ) In another study, entitled â€Å"Potential for Parasite and Bacterial Transmission by Paper Currency in Nigeria†, Bacteria that were isolated were Streptococcus species (21. 6 percent), Staphylococcus species (12. 8 percent), Escherichia coli (13. 2 percent), and Bacillus species (5. 6 percent).Among dirty/mutilated currency notes, parasite contamination and bacteri al contamination were both significantly (p ; . 05) more pervasive (30. 6 percent and 73. 8 percent, respectively) than they were among clean and mint currency notes. Lower-denomination notes were more likely to be contaminated than were higher-denomination notes, although the difference was not statistically significant (p ; . 05). Personal hygiene to reduce risk of infection is recommended. Microbial contaminants may be transmitted either directly, through hand-to-hand contact, or indirectly, via food or other inanimate objects.These routes of transmission are of great importance in the health of many populations in developing countries, where the frequency of infection is a general indication of local hygiene and environmental sanitation levels. (Cooper, 1991). Paper currency is widely exchanged for goods and services in countries worldwide. It is used for every type of commerce, from buying milk at a local store to trafficking in sex and drugs. All this trade is hard on currency , with lower-denomination notes receiving the most handling because they are exchanged many times (Gadsby, 1998).Bacteriological analysis indicated that 133 (53. 2 percent, [95 percent CI: 47. 02-57. 39]) of the second batch of 250 notes were contaminated with bacteria: 37 (52. 9 percent) of the 70 clean notes and 96 (73. 8 percent) of the 130 dirty/mutilated notes. Neither parasite ova nor bacteria were found on the mint notes. Contamination was related to denomination of currency. Contamination with bacteria was most prevalent among the N5 notes (62. 2 percent) and least prevalent among the N500 notes (32. 0 percent). Contamination was also related to the physical condition of the currency.The dirty/mutilated notes also had the highest prevalence of bacterial contamination (73. 8 percent). Among the clean notes, 52. 9 percent were contaminated with bacteria. Chi-square analysis indicated a statistically significant association between bacterial contamination and currency condition (? ^sup 2^ = 79. 030, df = 2, p;. 05). In the study reported here, a random approach was adopted for currency sampling; whatever money was provided was collected. The implication is that the majority of the people are exposed to dirty notes.In Nigeria, poor-currency-handling culture is widespread, and there is indiscriminate abuse of currency notes. A great majority of the populace does not carry money in wallets, and squeezing of currency notes is a common occurrence. Women, especially among the unenlightened, often place money underneath their brassieres, while men place theirs in their socks. These activities not only enhance currency contamination but may also increase the risk of infection from contaminated notes. The situation is further compounded by the inability of the Nigerian government to consistently withdraw old, worn-out, and mutilated notes from circulation.The presence of damaged currency notes and the failure to consistently withdraw them from circulation are comm on phenomena in many parts of Africa and Asia (Gadsby, 1998; Podhajny, 2004). The persistence of damaged or terribly mutilated notes in active circulation (some so damaged that they can no longer be stuck together) could elevate their contributory role in transmission of some pathogens, thereby constituting potential public health hazard. ( Source: Uneke, C. and Ogbu, O. Potential for parasite and bacteria transmission by paper currency in Nigeria. J Environ Health, 69 (2007) 54–60. (1)) CHAPTER 3RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of E. coli contamination on Philippine Peso bill on Public Utility jeepney (PUJ), specifically on: twenty (20), fifty (50), one hundred (100) pesos. Subjects of the study The subject of the study is the fifteen (15) Public Utility Jeepney drivers routing Jaro-CPU and City Proper bound. On each driver, three (3) Philippine Peso bill samples with amounts: 20, 50 and 100 are to b e collected. Data Gathering 45 peso bills are to be used as sample and will be collected on the month of March 2013 at around 10:00 – 11:00 in the morning.The samples will be taken randomly from 15 Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) of Jaro – Cpu Route. In each jeepney, three(3) different values: 20, 50, and 100 Php are to be taken and tested, so the total number of samples is 45. The samples collected will be placed in a sealable plastic container, so as to preserve the contaminants on the peso bill. The paper bill will be brought immediately to Central Philippine University, particularly at the Medical Laboratory Science Department Research Lab for confirmatory testing of E. coli. Preparation of Laboratory Materials Needed The following are needed to conduct our study: . ) Sterile cotton swab – will be used in obtaining the possible contaminant on the surface of the paper bill. b. )Eosin Methylene Blue Agar – will be used in the confirmatory test for the pres ence of E. coli The following are the apparatus needed for our study: a. )Petri Dish b. )Alcohol Lamp c. )Oven All of the enumerated materials above will be borrowed from the stockroom of Medical Laboratory Science Department. A letter of permission was given to the stockroom coordinator for authorized use of the materials stated above. Eosin Methylene Blue Agar (EMB) Procedure: 1.Using a sterile cotton swab, swab on the surface of the peso bill then streak it onto an EMB agar. 2. Incubate plates at 35oC for twenty-four(24) hours. 3. After 24 hours, observe the plate as follows: The colonies developing on EMB agar plates may be divides as: Typical – nucleated with or without metallic sheen Atypical – opaque, pink mucoid, non-nucleated Negative – no growth or clear watery, or clear colonies Interpretation of Data Philippine peso paper bill that will give a negative reaction on the EMB agar plate is considered not contaminated with E. coli and is safe for everyday domestic use.There will be no growth or clear watery or clear colonies. On the other hand, water sample that yielded a positive result in E. coli analysis is considered to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria and is not safe. There would be a typical nucleated with or without metallic sheen. Central Philippine University Jaro, Iloilo City College of Arts and Sciences __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ Sir/Madam, We, the 3rd yearBachelor in Medical Laboratory Science students of Central Philippine University who are currently enrolled in the subject Research is conducting a study entitled Prevalence of E. oli in Philippine Peso Bill. This is a requirement for the completion of the subject in Research 1. In line withthis, we are respectfully requesting you to be one of the respondents of our study by exchanging such peso bills: 20, 50 and 100 respectively that has been collected as commuter’s fare. We need this data for the completion of this study. Your positive response to this request is highly appreciated. Thank you and God bless. Respectfully yours, JUSTINE GRACE JIMENEA ISAAC JAMES LEDESMA MAJA HANNAH LOU LOJA ROBERTO MANALO Jr. JIRAH PEDROSA Researchers Noted by: DR. MA. CORAZON PORRAS Research Adviser BibliographyAbel, Andrew;  Bernanke, Ben  (2005). â€Å"7†. Macroeconomics(5th ed. ). Pearson. pp. 266–269. ISBN  0-201-32789-9. Ahmed, S. U. , S. Parveen, T. Nasreen and B. Feroza, 2010. Evaluation of The Microbial Contamination of Bangladesh Paer Currency Notes (Taka) in Circulation. Advances in Biological Res. , 4 (5):266-271. Aidoo, Kofi (2011). Microbiology Today Answers. ask. com/Health/Diseases/how_does_e_coli_grow, 2010 Bernstein, Peter,  A Primer on Money and Banking, and Gold, Wiley, 2008 edition, pp29-39 Bhat, B. , S. Bhat, K. Asawa and A. Agarwal, 2010. An assessment of oral health risk associated with handling of currency notes. Int. J.Dntal Clinics, 2(3): 14-16. Bioweb. uw lax. edu/bio203/s2008/moder_just/habitat. htm, 2008 Boyle, David  (2006). The Little Money Book. 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J. ): Manual of Tropical Medicine, 3rd ed. , Williams Wood and Co. , New York, 2009 Eisenstein, Barry and Zaleznik, Dori, â€Å"Enterobacteriiaceae,† in Mandell, Douglas, & Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, Fifth Edition, Chap. 206, pp. 2294-2310, 2000 Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. 30 June 2011. â€Å"Samen von BockshornkleemithoherWahrscheinlichkeitfur EHEC O104:H4 Ausbruchverantwortlich  in English: Fenugreek seeds with high probability for EHEC O104: H4 responsible outbreak†Ã‚  (in German) (PDF).BundesinstitutfurRisikobewertung (BfR)  in English. Retrieved 17 July 2011.. Feng P, Weagant S, Grant, M (2002-09-01). â€Å"Enumeration of  Escherichia coli  and the Coliform Bacteria†. Bacteriological Analytical Manual (8th ed. ). FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition. Retrieved 2007-01-25. Freeman, David. â€Å"Change For a Hundred. †Ã‚  Popular Mechanics,  January 1996, pp. 72-73. Garrity, George M, ed. (July 26, 2005) [1984(Williams & Wilkins)]. The Gammaproteobacteria. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. 2B  (2nd ed. ). New York: Springer. pp. 1108.ISBN  978-0-387-24144-9. British Library no. GBA561951. Geschickter, J. â€Å"Making Money. †Ã‚  National Geographic World,  November 2005, pp. 30-33. Goetzmann, William N. ; K. Geert Rouwenhorst (1 August 2005). The Origins of Value: The Financial Innovations that Created Modern Capital Markets. Oxford University Press. p. 94. ISBN  978-0-19-517571-4. â€Å"The Mongols adopted the Jin and Song practice of issuing paper money, and the earliest European account of paper money is the detailed description given by Marco Polo, who claimed to have served at the court of the Yuan dynasty rulers. Greco T. H. Money: Understanding and Creating Alternatives to Legal Tender, White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Publishing (2001). ISBN 1-890132-37-3 Headrick , Daniel R. (1 April 2009). Technology: A World History. Oxford University Press. p. 85. ISBN  978-0-19-988759-0. Hudault S, Guignot J, Servin AL (July 2001). â€Å"Escherichia coli  strains colonizing the gastrointestinal tract protect germ-free mice against  Salmonella typhimurium  infection†. Gut  49  (1) :47-55. doi:10. 1136/gut. 49. 1. 47. PMC  1728375. PMID  11413110. Jmm. sgmjournals. org/content/56/1/4. full, 2003 Kingcounty. ov/healthservices/health/communicable/diseases/ecoli. aspx, 2005 Krugman, Paul ; Wells, Robin,  Economics, Worth Publishers, New York (2006) Lamichhane, J. , S. Adhikary, P. Gautam, R. Maharjan and B. Dhakal, 2009. Risk of handling paper currency in circulation chances of potential bacterial transmittance. Nepal J. Sci and Technol. , 10:161-166. Lan R, Reeves PR (September 2002). â€Å"Escherichia coli in disguise: molecular origins of Shigella†. Microbes Infect. 4  (11): 1125–32. doi:10. 1016/S1286-4579(02)01637-4. PMID  12361912. Lecointre G, Rachdi L, Darlu P, Denamur E (December 2007). Escherichia coli molecular phylogeny using the incongruence length difference test†. Mol. Biol. Evol. 15  (12): 1685–95. PMID  9866203. Lukjancenko O, Wassenaar TM, Ussery DW (November 2010). â€Å"Comparison of 61 sequenced Esche richia coli genomes†. Microb. Ecol. 60  (4): 708–20. doi:10. 1007/s00248-010-9717-3. PMC  2974192. PMID  20623278. Mankiw, N. Gregory  (2007). â€Å"2†. Macroeconomics  (6th ed. ). New York: Worth Publishers. pp. 22–32. ISBN  0-7167-6213-7. Medicalcenter. osu. edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/infectious_diseases/ecoli/Pages/index. aspx on January 26, 2013 Michaels, B. (2002).Money and serving ready-to-eat food. Food Service Technology, 2(1), 1-3. Mishkin, Frederic S. (2007). The Economics of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets (Alternate Edition). Boston: Addison Wesley. p. 8. ISBN  0-321-42177-9. Moraleta, Nardito (2007). Review of Microbiology page 91 Nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ecoliinfections. html Oyero, O. G. and B. O Emikpe, 2007. Preliminary Investigation on the Microbial Contamination of Nigerian Currency. Int. J. Trop. Med, 2(2):29-32 Pope, T. W. , P. T Ender, W. K Woelk, M. A. Koroscil and T. M. Koroscil, 2002. Bacterial contami nation of paper currency Southern Med.J. , 95:14061410. Rocha-Gamez, Judith; Tejeda-Villarreal, Paula Nelly, QCB; Macias-Cardenas, Patricia; Canizales-Oviedo, Jorge; Garza-Gonzalez, Elvira; et al. , Microbial Contamination in 20-Peso Banknotes in Monterrey, Mexico Journal of Environmental Health 75. 2 (Sep 2012): 20-3. Rote, R. B. , N. G Deogade and M. Kawale, 2010. Isolation, characterization and antibiotic sensitivity of organism from Indian currency Asiatic J. Biotechnology Resources, 3:255-260 Taylor, George Rogers (2007). The Transportation Revolution, 1815–1860. New York, Toronto: Rinehart &Co.. ISBN  978-0-87332-101-3. Thompson,

The limitations of current therapeutic interventions for Parkinson Essay

The limitations of current therapeutic interventions for Parkinson disease - Essay Example In the neurochemical basis of Parkinson’s disease we learn that the pathological lesion in Parkinsonism lies in the corpus striatum and basal ganglia. In addition, the never cell bodies located in the substantia nigra shows signs of degeneration. The histochemical techniques have brought to notice that corpus striatum and basal ganglia are electively depleted of the monoamine, dopamine. The present time holds two major therapeutic interventions to fight back Parkinson’s disease. The first one involves the development of specific therapies for each of the existent problems in the patient that cannot be answerable otherwise by means of L-dopa and the second is by virtue of embryonic stem cells. It is essential to mention here that L-Dopa is more efficacious and less expensive as compared to other dopamine agonists. The drug therapies for Parkinson’s disease hold their presence of importance by their efficient functioning at two major lines: 1. Administration of anticholinergic drugs to decrease the cholinergic excitatory activity 2. Administration of dopaminergic drugs for enhancing dopaminergic inhibitory activity

Lymphatic and Immune Systems Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lymphatic and Immune Systems - Lab Report Example Seroconversion is an element of the immune system. When individuals develop antibodies to HIV, medical experts say that they have seroconvert to antibody-positive from antibody-negative (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010). In a direct ELISA test, an antigen is adsorbed to a synthetic plate and then proteins, in excess, are added to stop all the other binding sites using bovine, serum or albumin (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010). In an indirect ELISA test, the steps are similar only that there is an additional step. After the antigen is adsorbed, the next antibody to be included is the antibody that identifies the antigen, unlike in a direct ELISA test. The two tests are antibodies detecting procedures (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010). However, the Western Blot test is considered as a confirmatory test because it can detect HIV early enough for a patient to receive the crucial treatment. The ELISA test is considered extremely sensitive when it comes to testing for antibodies and that it why most of its test come back positive (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010). However, the Western Blot test takes its time to establish the status of an antibody, and that is why most of its results are

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Critically analyse the arguments for and against the codification of Scottish criminal law - Essay Example The commission did not articulate its own view on the appeal of using the draft as the foundation for passing a Scottish criminal code by articulated the belief that an extensive public discussion on the issues emerging from the draft code would be essential. Consequently, it provoked comments on December 15, 2003. The draft code was aimed at substituting the common law crimes, in addition to several constitutional offences, in the same sector with those crimes. It did not try to substitute decrees like the Acts on road traffic or drug-related crimes or on health and safety at workplaces, or gaming which are already controlling certain issues in an inclusive manner (Chan et al., 2009). The authors were not opposed to involving such matters ultimately by any means. This is because a better code is one that is highly inclusive. Not only did it appear less essential to involve crimes already in mind-codes, but also numerous issues of this kind are preserved issues under the Scotland Act 1998. Hence, the draft code was incomplete code. Because of this reason, many people argued for and against this code citing many succinct reasons as to why they took their position. While the codification of Scottish criminal law was aimed at improving current laws, it had shortfalls which if not amended, will have adverse effects on the Scottish people. The codification of Scottish criminal law had both advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the codification of Scottish criminal law would avoid the need for recurrence and stop certain kinds of gap in new legislation. Nevertheless, it did not appear to be a lucid case for substituting the current criminal law with a code (MacQueen et al., 2003). Courts will be required by the introduction of a code to stick to the letter of the code even where it create outcomes that are unjust on, not in accordance with sound principle. It might not be sure on how far it would be helpful to refer to institutional authors and preceding decisi ons. The codification of Scottish criminal law could have involved a variety of constitutional crimes encountered frequently in legal practice. According to Reid & Zimmermann (2000), it was difficult for the Sheriffs Principal to reach a view on whether the codification of the criminal law was in principle a project to be pursued by the Scottish Law Commission. They realized that illustrious judges in England had called for codification of the criminal law and called for a fully informed discussion on the matter in the Scotland. Scottish Law Commission is supposed to think to supplement the draft with a debate paper in a conservative style analyzing the misbehavior to be tackled, the section of the current law believed to be substandard and the different alternatives for reform. They were especially anxious to discover what had been the experience of judges and practitioners in other ordinary law authorities where the criminal law had been codified. Smith (1962) asserts that even th ough the codification of Scottish criminal law was approved initially at the abstract, it is now considered that when human rights needs had a helpful impact on the ordinary law; it was not time to codify the Scottish Criminal Law. This is because a code is supposed to codify the entire law including constitutional crimes. In the code, offence-creating conditions should be framed in a exceedingly

Development of Sukuk in the Middle East Research Paper

Development of Sukuk in the Middle East - Research Paper Example ure of Sukuk has been introduced and developed because the structure of payment of bond on the basis of western method is not allowed or permissible in Arabian countries. Sukuk establishes a relationship between the return and the cash flow from financing of the assets. The financing in case of Sukuk is applicable only in case of identifiable assets. The structure of Sukuk is developed in such a way that it provides adequate return to its investors without violating the rules and regulations of the Islamic law. There are varieties and different types of structure of Sukuk that is associated with the underlying asset. The most well known and familiar type of Sukuk is related to the partial ownership of the asset and it also includes the other types of bonds that is related or associated with the partial ownership of debt, business, project or investment. Sukuk can also be defined as the undivided shares that is related or associated with particular projects or special investment. The investor of Sukuk has common share that is related to the investment in the ownership of the asset but it does not represent or deals with the debt that is owed to the issuer of the instrument. During the period of classical reform of Islam the concept of Sukuk has derived from the word cheque which represents or signifies the document which resembles a contract or a right or obligation that is entered by the parties and it has been introduced complying with Shariah. The evidence resembles that Sukuk is used extensively during the Islamic period for transferring the financial obligations or liabilities that has originated from the trade and other commercial activities. The importance and the need or requirement for the use of Sukuk has increased gradually in the perspective of modern Islamic culture and it deals with the concept of monetization of the asset and it is commonly known as securitization of asset which is attained through the process of issuance of Sukuk. The potential

Will Evolving Forms of Journalism Be an Improvement Essay

Will Evolving Forms of Journalism Be an Improvement - Essay Example The growth of the Internet has had far reaching effects on almost all industries. In journalism, the internet has expanded the opportunities for individuals to generate content and disseminate it to potentially millions of users at a low cost. Participatory journalism takes two forms; civic journalism and independent journalism. The former is most suited to improve the field of journalism. In civic journalism, media outlets give their audience an avenue to comment and report on public matters concerning them. Social media provide a gathering place for a broad range of people to participate in a discourse on everyday issues. During the Arab Spring, Social media played a large role in informing the public and gathering support for civil disobedience efforts. While traditional media remained gagged by Arab governments, social media sites of both regional and international media were alive with thousands of user-generated reports. Even when Arab governments shut down internet access, citizens worked to provide alternative internet access. Alex Jones claims that the collapse or diminishing popularity of traditional news media has the potential to impact negatively on democracy (Alexander and Hanson 169). His argument is valid to some extent as the verification of news that traditional media offers ensure that the information provided to the public is free and fair to all parties and devoid of irregularities. However, throwing a blanket condemnation on participatory journalism ignores evidence that do not support Jones’s argument. Jones mistakenly believes that quality journalism is entirely responsible for democracy. In 19th Century America, while most newspapers openly favored particular parties, voter turnout was considerably higher than modern day America where journalism could be considered to be of a higher quality than in the past. The impact of social media on audience levels are seen in two approaches. The first approach is that through

Googles Chaos Management Style Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Googles Chaos Management Style - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that chaos management is not a new terminology in the stream of organizational change management. Right from its first reference in Tom Peter's classical piece of chaos management to the literature till date, most of the organizers and managers have conventionally considered chaos management as essential to performance improvement and cost reduction. Detailed literature analysis on chaos and organizational change management has elucidated three major attributes; namely, chaos is a metapraxis, a complex process that is neither a process or a model but inherent in organizational reality; secondly, the theory of self-interest or self-perpetuation is in tandem with the principles of chaos, especially an ethic of connectivity and thirdly, the specific principles of chaos in the form of ‘connectivity, consciousness, and interdeterminacy’provide practical approaches to â€Å"network multilogue†, a socially interactive corporate environment with amenities of personal growth. An interesting observation in most of the literature on organizational management has been that the factor of chaos is unavoidable and always there to stay in business, especially in this racy times of extreme internet invasion affecting our lives. The organizational culture at Google is simplified, yet interesting. With a smart and determined task force, Google Company encompasses people from all walks of life, who speak a dozen of languages and reflect the global audience that they always serve. The idea is to maintain an open culture wherein everyone can feel comfortable sharing ideas and opinions.

My First Car Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

My First Car - Essay Example It came to the point where I became very exhausted having to ask someone to take me to all the places that I want to go. Luckily, I have a great friend that does not mind doing anything for me. He once told me, â€Å"Emmanuel, just let me know if you need me to do anything for you.† One day, I decided to take my friend up on his offer. I called him at 5:30 pm on a Monday. I said, â€Å"Can I speak to James?† The person on the other line said to me, â€Å"This is James, who is this?† â€Å"This is Emmanuel,† I said. â€Å"Ok, Emmanuel, what can I do for you? I hope it’s not going out because I have to go to work.† I then replied, â€Å"Well, since you’re about to go to work, what time are you going to be available?† He told me that it depended on what I wanted to do. â€Å"I just want to drive around, James.† He said, â€Å"Well, I really don’t have the time to do that right now as I am busy.† I told him this was fine and that perhaps we could make plans for another time to which he agreed. On Tuesday, I was thinking very deeply about what I was going to do about James and the fact that he did not have the time to drive around with me. It was a difficult situation, to say the least. The next morning I called James to ask him for a favor. He sounded wary at first as he asked me what the favor was. I then told him that I wanted to learn how to drive. He sounded surprised by my request since I had previously told him that I was scared to learn. I swallowed the fear in my throat and said, â€Å"If I want to go places, I need to learn how to drive myself. It’s too hard having to ask someone for help all the time.† He paused for a long moment before agreeing to help; however, he did have one stipulation: I had to buy my own car first. Purchasing a new car was an interesting experience for me. I had absolutely no idea how to go about it. I knew that I would need James’ hel p. The next thing I know, I called him and said: â€Å"James, I have something for you.† He asked, â€Å"What is it that you have for me?† I replied, â€Å"I have some gas money for you if you will take me to buy my first car.† Fortunately, James was very happy to do this. We drove to numerous car lots that day, but we could not find a car that was good enough for me to crash and just when we were about to give up, we saw a nice little Honda Accord, 1987, driving by with a â€Å"for sale† tag on it. Instantly, I said to James, â€Å"Look! There’s a car for sale! We need to go after it.† We hurried and made a u-turn. We finally caught up with the Honda Accord and asked the driver to stop. When he stopped, we told him that we were interested in purchasing his car. The name of the owner of the Honda Accord was Broke and we asked him how much he was selling the car for. He said he was selling it for $850.00. I said, â€Å"How about $500.00?â₠¬  He agreed to my price offer. I asked Broke, â€Å"Does this vehicle come with any warranty at all?† Broke looked at me and said, â€Å"No, you buy it as it is.† I replied, â€Å"Well since I am buying it as it is, I need to make you a lower offer.† Broke then asked me how much. I offered $375.00 and Broke said, â€Å"That’s the too low man, you need to go a little higher.† I said okay and offered about $400.00 and Broke again said no, that the price I offered was still too low. So James and I turned around and pretended we were about to leave.  Ã‚  

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Becoming Mexican American Essay Example for Free

Becoming Mexican American Essay Becoming Mexican American: A study into the cultural developments of Mexican immigrants to the United States The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the inviting work of George Sanchez, Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945. While reviewing this work of Sanchez, the essay will make use of an article written by Grace Pena Delgado relating to the immigration issues of the United States in the early twentieth century. Delgado`s article, ‘_At Exclusion’s Southern Gate: Changing Categories of Race and Class among Chinese Froterizos_’ discusses the Chinese immigrants in northern Mexico. To provide the reader with accurate and concise information the original works of the two authors will be used extensively, as the purpose of the essay is to criticize these works. The essay will also make use of a number of internet web-sites for general information on the Mexican and American historiesof the early twentieth century. A detailed list of books and resources used in writing this paper will be provided at the end, in the form of a bibliography. In conclusion, the essay’s purpose is to provide detailed and concise criticism of George Sanchez’s book, Becoming Mexican American, while supporting the criticism with Grace Delgado’s article. Ceren Keskin 207138579 BIBLIOGRAPHY Sanchez, George. Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945. Oxford University Press, 1995. Delgado, Grace Pena. â€Å"At Exclusion’s Southern Gate: Changing Categories of Race and Class among Chinese Froterizos_†__. _In the Continental Crossroads, 183-200. Duke University Press, 2004.

Key Features of Business Process Management

Key Features of Business Process Management Key Features Of Business Process Management Suite: BPMS Vendors And Core Functions Reviewed. Introduction Organisations seek to improve their business process by making them more efficient, real time, automation and agile. The business demand was met with a suite of technologies, ranging from groupware and office automation, to workflow and more currently, BPM technologies (Bandara,Wasana and Indulska ). Finding a vendor and which tool to use that can be very daunting exercises. One the other hand, vendors introduced innovative ways to meet their customers demands. Gartner (Feb 2009) predicts that through 2012, managers and consultants will develop process centric methods and disciplines analogous to those used in territorial and function organization. This paper will review features are included in the BPMS suite. Discuss few vendors that are in the Gartner Major Quadrant, functions of BPMN, BPEL which are languages or execution standards that support a BPMS tool. Description Of Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) A BPMS is an integrated collection of software that enables the control and management discipline of business process (Gartner 2009). BPM enable-technologies have existed for so many years as point products supporting explicit control of particular aspect of a process, such as human workflow, document and image routing, system system interaction patterns (Garter 2009). The appearance of integrated BPM- enable technology is part of disaggregation of application software and is an example of the trend toward building software systems from small â€Å"chunks.† BPM-enabling technologies are available as separate specialty tools, integrated BPMSs, and are being adder to some major application packages (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) For some vendors it is a lucrative profitable business. Gartner research shows that the BPMS market will have a compound annual growth of more than 24 % from 2006 2011 (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) Business Process Management Suite Architecture BPMS has been divided into four layers; Middleware/Application, Engines, Utilities and Knowledge (Paul Harmon). There are no standards set on what should be included in the business process management suite. Some companies look for tools that are workflow centric, application integration or decision centric (Bptrends). BPMS products need to be able to manage the access of other application. Few BPMS products can handle this function; they have to rely on existing middleware and application server products to provide support (Paul Harmon). Rules Engine The heart of the BPMS product consists of the engine that manages the runtime execution of the business process instance (Paul Harmon). Rules Engine execute rules that abstract business policies and decision tables from the underlying applications, and make available more flexi process changes (Gartner 2009). When a decision point is reached, the rule engine will determine which business rule apply and then execute them to determine the appropriate decision (Paul Harmon). If customer applies for a loan, business rule will determine if the loan is granted or not, based on the customers credit history. Business rules are managed by tools called Business Rule Management. Workflow Engine Workflow is one of capabilities delivered with BMPS. Some important parts of the workflow are poorly understood. The BPMS helps reviles better workflows by making their process execution visible and audited (Garter 2009). Workflow management improved things not only by managing the flow of work, but also digitising the information, thereby making the process as automated and paperless as possible (Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee) EAI Engine Enterprise application integration (EAI) tool was developed to interface between systems. Paul Harmon in his book says that, â€Å"EAI engine manages the calling and coordination of the software application required for the execution of a process â€Å"(Bptrends) Modelling tools Popular process modelling tools that are supported by BPMS is UML and BPMN. BPMN defines a Business Process Diagram (BPD), which is based on a flowcharting technique tailored for creating graphical models of business process operation. BPMN was first released in May 2004 by Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org), the graphical, flowchart-based BPMN is a recent BP modelling language that is already gaining wide acceptance (Koskela and Haajanen, 2007). 1. Execution standards Execution standards enable business designs to be deployed in BPMS and their instances executed by the BPMS engine. 1.1 BPEL The Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) is the short name for BPEL4WS (Paul Harmon). BPEL is the currently the most popular and influential execution standard in the market. It is used together with Web Service Definition Language (WSDL) and other related technologies. This means that BPEL is used to define how the business process is built from invocations of existing web services and the kind of interaction of the process with external participants (Ryan K.L. Ko). BPEL is more widely adopted in several prominent software suites (e.g. IBM Websphere, BeA AquaLogic BPM Suite, SAP Netweaver, etc.) (Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee) Strengths of BPEL (Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee) 1. focuses on process that low level programming constraints 2. It subscribes to the web services paradigm 3. Its popular most vendors are using it. Weaknesses 1. Complex syntax and very difficult to implement its XML representation is difficult and readable to the trained eye 2. Does not example human involvement in business process well Workflow management systems have always able to model human participation in business process (Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee) 1.2 BPML The Business Process Modelling language is an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) process definition language that describes the structural representation of a process and the semantics of its execution ( Have,2005). BPML was designed for business processes to be executed in contemporary web service based BPMS (e.g. Intalio BPM) (Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee) Strengths of BPML 1. Zero code programming programmers dont need to dwell on coding but defining business process. 2. Encourages usability and scalability Weaknesses 1. BPML has its limitation ( Shapiro, 2002, Smith, 2004,Koskela and Haajanen, 2007) Garners Magic Quadrant for Business process management Suite (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) Gartner ‘s 2009 Magic Quadrant depicts the relative strength of the top 22 vendors offering multiregional, cross industry business management suits (BPMSs) . Magic Quadrant is one of the several tools that clients can use to evaluate BPMS market. Gartners Magic Quadrant for BPMS has been recognised by vendors that they reference to it in their websites. Leaders offers products and services that best enable all of the use cases and have customer references for each. Niche players focus on a specific area, where they have very good functionality to offer, but they do not have a comprehensive BPMS Suite Visionaries develop new and comprehensive concepts regarding architecture and functionality Challengers- companies in that have undergone major changes in their organisations and products that they offer. For the vendors to qualify to be placed in the leaders section of the quadrant have to meet all the required characteristics of the BPMS. Characteristics of BPMS (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) Following are functions that are delivered in the BPMS. BPMS tools must have all these functionality in order to meet the changing marker and user needs. Gartner suggest that in order for the vendor to be a leader in the marker, all these capabilities must be met. â€Å"Support the modelling and analysis of business processes, including all aspects of workflow: tasks,roles,decisions,approvals,reviews,escalations,collaborations,flows,rules,policies,forms and other documents, events, goals, objectives and scenarios. BPMS is not only an automate tool but support documents and ( check the source ) Support process change in the design and the execution of transactions, with auditing. ( support this statement) Coordinate any type of interaction pattern among users, system task and information resource, regardless the location of these resources. Interaction patterns include human to human, system to system, human to system, human to content and content interdependencies. Enable participants to manipulate and manage structured and unstructured information within the process, not just as referenced attachments to their tasks. Support the definition, manipulation and management of business rules by business and IT users. Support user and group collaboration on work items in the process (in real time and offline). Support the monitoring, reporting, analysis and notification of activities and events affect work, using data about completed and in progress transactions (in the real time and offline). Support process simulation and optimisation of desired business outcomes by using real-time, historical and estimated data. Interoperate with external software assets, especially SOA web services, and include these in the end to end business orchestration. Enable management of all process artefacts (models, process definitions, rule definitions, service definitions. Executables and more) throughout the entire process life cycle Include packaged business content, such as sample process models, rule sets; prebuilt user interfaces (UIs) and composite process frameworks†. BPMS vendors Only selected vendors from the Gartner Magic Quadrant that are reviewed below:- Intalio Enterprise And Community Edition BPMS Intalio community edition is the first that offers an open source reliable BPMS. This packaged is scaled for small companies. Intalio is lacking distribution channel and efficient marketing. (Janelle B. Hill , Nikos Drakos) Strengths In this unstable harsh economic climate, open source is gaining more attention. Intalio has a unique business model that uses open-source content, licensing and community marketing. The intelligence use of using open source business model, combined with adoption of industry standards, has resulted in more that 500, 00 companies downloading Intalio BPMS community Edition (open -source code). Intalio has more that 500 customers in 50 countries; six of these companies are located in South Africa. ( www.intalio.com) Caution Advanced features for business rules engine, BAM (Business Activity Monitoring) and ECM (Enterprise Content Management) are only available in the commercial Enterprise Edition. Companies that start using Intalio Community Edition should be prepared to send their employees on training as Intalio is not offering consulting services. IBM BPMS (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) According to Gartners Magic Quadrant, IBM is a leader in the BPMS. It meets most of the required capabilities to make it a leader. IBM suite contains a comprehensive set of role based capabilities that enable customers to model, simulate, run, rapidly change, monitor and optimise core business processes. IBM BPMS tools reviewed in this paper are: Business Leader widget which is available through IBM BPM Blueworks, WebSphere Business Modeller and Business monitor. Business Leader widgets: WebSphere business publishing server Enable users to share process models and BPM assets through a Web browser. Enable users to publish an array of BPM assets including process models, WebSphere Business Monitor dashboard designs, and user interface forms. WebSphere Business Modeller Business Analyst can document , test and share business process Simulate process runs and identified inefficiency and bottlenecks Define key performance indicators and business metrics for in the WebSphere Business Monitoring WebSphere Business Modeller can generate IT implementation artifacts for WebSphere Process Server and facilitate human centric- process in a server environment. WebSphere Business Monitor WebSphere Business Monitor is an integrated business activity monitoring (BAM) environment that provides end to end visibility of business activity on WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere MQ Workflow, FileNet ® Business Process Manager, and other enterprise application.  · WebSphere Business Monitor development toolkit provides templates and a test environment to further accelerate time to value  · Fully configurable dashboards that shows you what you only need to see  · Deliver alerts to email, pagers or PDAs Strengths IBM has marshalled all its resources including Global services, university, IBM staff and families, outreach industry and its partner ecosystem to accelerate user adoption of BPM as a management discipline. SOA companies has benefited its BPMS by showing how SOA and BPM work better together Has a vision for exposing process artifacts and data more directly to business professionals Caution IBM has multiple of BMPS products, it fulfils its BPM strategy through federated interoperability across two basic offerings augmented by extended offerings. Broader software divisions acquisition strategy will continue to augment IBMs BPMS vision and product road map. Customers are cautioned to monitor the integration of new technologies Individual products in the suite have strong and rich functionality. And in combination, the permutations of configuration possibilities are overwhelming. Customers usually require help from a service provider. WebSphere dynamic Business Process has few references. Lombardi BPMS Lombardis BPMS, called Teamworks , is best known for human centric process that change dynamically based on business factors such as dispute resolution, product returns, tax reconciliation, loan origination, or supply chain management. Lombardi describes Teamworks as focused on â€Å"operational processes,† meaning complex flows spanning organisation and system boundaries. Lombardi has customers in almost all sector; Financial Services, Government, HealthCare, Insurance, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Retail, Telecommunications and companies like Ford Motors. Its evident why Lombardi is on the top leaders in Gartners magic quadrant. Its not surprising why companies like IBM have shown interest in it. (http://www.lombardisoftware.com/bpm-software-customers.php) Lombardi BPMS Tools These are the following tools that Lombardi is offering:- Lombardi Teamworks 7 Enterprise offers a complete Business Process Management Suite supporting modelling and simulation analysis, human workflow, integration, business rules and performance management. Lombardi Blueprint: Is a hosted web- based environment that provides an extremely business friendly front end to BPMN modelling and supports team collaboration. Means that Blueprint is a cloud- based process discovery and documentation platform that can be accessed from any browser. Blueprint models can be exported to Teamworks for implementation. Lombardi Services Included the entire range of BPM enablement services covering core competencies; Process analysis, process implementation, process optimisation, reporting and performance management, architecture and infrastructure and program leadership and governance. ( Bruce Silver Associates) Strengths Lombardi has keen insights into the functions required by each individual user role that is involved in business process life cycle. User friendly modelling tool, making business analysts life easier. Continuous process improvement programs where empowering business users or business analysts is key. Customer references are among the most advanced in BPM maturity. Blueprint which is a cloud based, appeals to business managers and strategic planners who seek for high process diagramming and knowledge capture. (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) Caution Customers with smaller deals will find it challenging to command Lombardis attention. And its case management is not strong as its competitors. (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) Metastorm BPM vs 7.6 (Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006) The Metastorm BPM suite provides an open standards based framework for integration, enabling organization to easily integrate external applications and data with Metastorm BPM processes (Metastorm). Strengths In 2008 customer experience was excellent. Enable Metastorm BPM processes to access SAP functionality and data during the development and execution of business processes Strong heritage in providing BPM software based on Microsoft technologies Product easy to use, even for non technical users. Caution Some users have reported support problems outside the U.S. Metastorm has developed a global presence through regional resellers to sell its BPMS and targeted solutions. Customers should understand the scope of the solutions they buy from a reseller and the path to further licensing options to ensure expectations are met. Some customers report difficulties in negotiating pricing and contracts. It may take longer than anticipated to determine the appropriate licensing configuration Conclusion Its been almost a decade since BPMS tools entered the market. Business Process Management (BPM) is the most talked about subject. Yet I have found that information about the tool that support BPM, which is BPMS is not easy to find. Or there is not much information available. I can only imagine how difficult it is for companies to decide what tool best fits their needs. Companies will have to purchase papers from companies like Gartner and Forester. Evidently BPMS is still new in the market. Their standard has not reached maturity. As much as BPEL and BPML are popular standards, their limitation and drawback have major impact in the BPMS. For companies looking to implement BPMS tools in the companies can be very difficult. Companies go to big vendors that can support globally and have customers references. Word of mouth is a big deal. With the help of Gartners Magic Quadrant, companies can save time to search for suitable products that can meet their needs. For companies who seek to explore the BPMS tools, or student who want to know what is about. Open -source vendors like Intalio and others who can offer their products for free. Its very interesting to see how this marking is growing. Vendors like IBM purchasing smaller vendors, but who are excelling to the BPMS field in order to improve their products. University of Cape Town ICTS department is planning to implement Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Its going to be an interesting observation to see how they will choose the vendor. Will the UCT look within the companies that they have been dealing with like Microsoft SharePoint. Or they will look for a new vendor, how they will base their findings. References (Harmon, www.bptrends.com) ; Janelle B. Hill, Jim Sinur, David Flint, Michael James Melenovsky, 2006. Gartners Position on Business Process Management, 1-26 Bandara, Wasana and Indulska, Marta and Chong, Sandy and Sadiq, Shazia (2007) Major Issues in Business Process Management: An Expert Perspective. In Proceedings ECIS 2007 The 15th European Conference on Information Systems, pages pp. 1240-1251, St Gallen, Switzerland. Ryan K.L. Ko,Stephen S.G. Lee,Eng Wah Lee. Business process management (BPM) standards: a survey, 1-47. Available: www.emeraldinsight.com/1463-7154.htm