Physical Therapy Wounds Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physical Therapy Wounds Case Study - Essay Example Using the wound-tracing technique to measure the surface area of the wound, the wound measured four by one centimeter (length by width). Its regular shape allows wound-tracing using simple equipment and minimum special skills. Use pen and transparent paper in wound tracing; they should be clean and sterile. For the depth of the wound, a cotton tip applicator is appropriate. A ruler takes the dimensions from the paper and applicator for recording. Wound tracing reliability depends on the accuracy of the performer. Care should be taken to avoid a measurement method that could otherwise aggravate the wound. The fresh wound’s peri wound had macerated. Having  removed  the cutting object, the wound looked dirty, and some particles were visible with trails showing that some were inside. The tissue also had swelled, and minimal fluid still exuded from the wound. Remove the devascularised tissue and the foreign materials using autolytic debridement. Debride only the non-viable tissue. During this process, one should be cautious not to infect the wound and cause inflammation. Sussman says debridement is important since the non-viable tissue would inhibit healing of the wound by; encouraging bacterial growth, slowing granulation while at the same time hindering wound contraction (2). Autolytic debridement is appropriate because it facilitates the natural ability of the body to break down non-viable tissue. The procedure is also gentle, painless, and simple to perform at home. To facilitate wound healing and protect the wound from infections, use povidone-iodine lavage solution. As compared to normal saline water, povidone-iodine is ideal in cleaning contaminated wounds as saline water allows increase of bacteria on the wound. Having cleaned the wound satisfactorily, perform a simple island dressing after primarily closing the wound. Simple Island dressing has cellulose pad material at the middle that

Advanced Internet Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advanced Internet Development - Essay Example The next step after acquiring people to the page is a means of converting and keeping them for long time as customers in order to get value from them. After the website has captured their real customers, it should now come up with a means of retaining them in the website by making them come back even with visitors. There should be potential in doing all these to ensure the website is successful (Read, 2001). Web applications and websites in the recent world come to be the most popular tool that businesses and organizations like to connect with their customers, users, and prospects (Welling and Thomson, 2008). Attacks can occur in these web applications due certain security flaws. These attacks can harm the business by exposing sensitive information of the customers and the business, steal customer’s information and finally ruin the business reputation. Recent studies conducted showed that over 70% of all web applications are vulnerable to security flaws. Most of security flaws occur in the PHP coding (Standing, 2000). Attacks that may occur in web applications include Remote code execution, SQL injection, Format string vulnerabilities, Cross Site Scripting, and Username enumeration. These attacks occur due to somewhat poor programming approach. It is therefore important for web developers and designers to have knowledge on these attacks. These attacks results from factors discuss ed below. Remote Code Execution is where any desired information is retrieved from the web application. This is done when the attacker runs system code on the vulnerable server. The attacker access information and may go undiscovered by the web administrators (Weber, 2004). The attacker may also include any arbitrary files on the web application. An example of such attack is carried when an attack executes such an exploit code. SQL Injection is considered an old approach in web application security but it is still popular with the attackers. Here the attacker retrieves crucial and

Salinity Responsiveness in Finger Millet Analysis

Salinity Responsiveness in Finger Millet Analysis Introduction Salinity represents a strong limitation for agricultural production worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid and restricts efficient utilization of available land resources. It is estimated that about 7% of world agricultural land that nearly one half of the total area of irrigated land could be adversely affected by salinization (Kosova 2013). Most of the cereal crops are sensitive to salinity and have limited amount of genetic variation for salinity tolerance in their germplasm. Hence genetic improvement of crops for their tolerance against salinity will be helpful in achieving targeted food production to meet the demands of growing population. Conventional plant breeding approaches have resulted in limited success in developing salt tolerant crop varieties due to multigenic nature of salt tolerance mechanisms and presence of low genetic variation in major crops. Another problem associated with conventional breeding is that if the gene is present in a wild relative of the crop, there is difficulty in transferring it to the domesticated cultivar, due to reproductive barriers and linkage drag. Recently, substantial progress in elucidation of salt tolerance mechanisms, especially salt ion signaling and transport, has been achieved due to utilization of modern genetic approaches and high-throughput methods of functional genomics. Genetic engineering has been demonstrated to be successful in developing salt tolerant crop plants (Zhang et al. 2001; Su and Wu 2004; Zhang et al. 2001). Genetic engineering strategies targeting various metabolic pathways viz., accumulation of osmolytes, antioxidant enzymes and up regulation of genes involved in stress responses like ion transporters, ion channels, transcriptional factors and various signaling pathway components have resulted in production of genetically modified crop plants exhibiting improved level of salinity tolerance (Turan et al. 2012). Identifying novel genes, analyzing their expression patterns in response to salt stress and determination of their potential functions in salt stress adaptation will provide the basis for effective genetic engineering strategies to enhance tolerance against salt stress (Cushman and Bohnert 2000). Responses against salinity stress involve many molecular processes such as ion homeostasis (membrane proteins involved in ionic transport), osmotic adjustment and water regime regulation (osmolytes) and scavenging of toxic compounds (Munns and Tester 2008). During recent years, considerable attention has been given towards elucidating the molecular basis of salt tolerance in crop plants. Several important pathways involved in salinity tolerance have been identified in model plants like Arabidopsis and rice (Zhu 2003; Walia et al. 2005; Cotsaftis et al. 2011). It is hypothesized that exploitation of halophytes or distantly related crops or wild progenitors of cereal food crops exhibiting superior levels of salinity tolerance may lead to identification of novel metabolic pathways/mechanisms/genes involved in modulating salinity stress tolerance in crop plants. Several research groups are working on understanding mechanisms of salinity tolerance in Pennisetum glaucum (Mishra et al. 2007), Avecinnia marina (Mehta et al. 2005), Porteresia coarctata (Garg et al. 2014) with a view to identify novel genes for genetic engineering of salinity tolerance in crop plants. But much more concerted efforts are needed to identify and exploit diverse crop species exhibiting superior level of salinity tolerance which will help in identifying novel genes associated with salinity tolerance. Finger millet (Eleusine coracanaL.) is an important minor cereal crop widely grown in Africa and Asia, known for its high degree of tolerance against drought, salinity and blast disease (Shailaja and Thirumeni 2007; Agarwal et al. 2011). Investigating the mechanisms and pathways involved in salt-tolerance of finger millet could facilitate better understanding of the molecular basis of salt tolerance and therefore enable the effective use of genetic and genomic approaches to improve salt tolerance in major cultivated crops. Although a wide range of significant physiological mechanisms and genetic adaptations to salinity stress has been observed, the underlying mechanisms of salt-tolerance in plants are still poorly understood. The best possible approach to explore tolerance mechanisms is to compare the components involved in stress response in tolerant as compared to sensitive plants. The other alternative to overcome this limitation would be to pick up some selected conserved genes w hich may be used to perform limited transcriptome analysis among the diverse genotypes. With this background, we planned to understand the physiological and molecular basis of salinity responsiveness in finger millet in comparison to the major cereal food crop, rice. Comparative physiological studies were conducted with a view to prove the superiority of finger millet genotypes over rice in terms of salinity tolerance. Two contrasting finger millet genotypes were used for physiological studies and expression analysis of already identified salinity responsive genes was done. This is the first study conducted to compare molecular basis of salinity tolerance in finger millet with rice. Material and Method Genetic Materials Used Seeds of two contrasting genotypes of rice (Oryza sativa) {FL478 (tolerant), White Ponni (Susceptible)} and finger millet (Eleusine coracona) {Trichy 1 (tolerant), CO12 (Susceptible)} in terms of salinity tolerance were evaluated for their responses against salinity stress under greenhouse conditions. Nucleus seeds of rice genotypes were obtained from Paddy Breeding Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India and finger millet genotypes were obtained from Millet Breeding Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. Effect of salinity stress during germination Contrasting genotypes of rice {FL478 (tolerant), White Ponni (Susceptible)} and finger millet {Trichy 1 (tolerant), CO12 (Susceptible)} genotypes were assessed for their ability to germinate under salinity stress. Twenty seeds of both rice and finger millet genotypes were allowed for germination under different concentrations of NaCl solutions (0 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM, 200 mM NaCl solution) in petri-dishes with adequate replications. Germination percentage was calculated based on the number of seeds successfully germinated and vigor index was calculated based on the shoot length and root length on 10th day of germination. Effect of salinity stress during vegetative stage Imposition of salinity stress Contrasting genotypes of rice and finger millet genotypes (three seedlings per pot) were grown in perforated pots of 15 cm diameter and 20 cm height (having 3–5 mm holes on the side walls and bottom) filled with 2 kg of field soil mixed with required amount of fertilizer [1.25 g of (NH4)2SO4, 0.08 g Muriate of potash (KCl), and 0.08 g single superphosphate (SSP)]. Three pots were placed inside a large tray containing irrigation water and grown up to 20 days under greenhouse conditions. Plants were grown during June–August when air temperature ranged from 26 to 34  °C during the day and from 20 to 27  °C during the night and relative humidity ranged from 60 to 80 %. Salinity stress was imposed on 21st day when plant has reached to 5 leaf stage by adding desired concentrations of NaCl viz. 150 mM and 300 mM along with suitable control pots irrigated with normal water. Progression of salinity stress was monitored by periodically measuring the electrical conductivity (E C) of soil (from pot) and water (collected from tray) samples collected from both control and salinity stressed trays. Physiological and biochemical responses of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes under salinity stress Contrasting genotypes of rice viz., FL478 (tolerant) and White Ponni (susceptible) and finger millet viz., CO 12 (susceptible) and Trichy 1 (tolerant) were evaluated for their physiological and biochemical responses viz., osmotic tolerance ability, salt accumulation pattern and sugar accumulation pattern during salinity stress. Measurement of Osmotic tolerance ability For assessing the osmotic tolerance ability of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes, freshly emerged leaf (5-6cm) was marked and increase in leaf length was measured at every 24hrs interval during the initial 6 days of salinity stress along with control plants. Terminal leaf elongation rate per day (24 h) was calculated based on the observations recorded. Salt accumulation pattern Salt (Na+ and K+) uptake, transport and accumulation pattern of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes was assessed by determining the (Na+ and K+) contents in shoots and top 3 leaves collected under normal and salinity stress conditions. Tissue samples collected at 21 DAS (days after stress) were washed with de-ionized water, dried in a hot air oven (70  °C) and then ground into fine powder. Ground samples were digested with triple acid mixture (sulfuric acid, perchloric acid and nitric acid in the ratio 9:2:1 v/v). Na+ and K+) concentrations in the triple acid digested extract were estimated using Flame Photometer (Elico, CL378). Determination of total soluble sugar content Total soluble sugar (TSS) content in the top three leaves of control and salinity stressed plants (21 days after stress) of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes was determined using anthrone reagent method (Yemm and Willis 1954). Fresh leaf sample (100 mg) was ground in liquid nitrogen and pigments were removed using acetone extraction. TSSs were extracted in 80 % ethanol and were estimated by the anthrone reagent method using glucose as the standard. Other physiological responses of contrasting finger millet genotypes to salinity stress Gas exchange parameters were recorded in the third leaf (from top) of control and salinity stressed plants of rice and finger millet genotypes between 1000 hours and 1200 noon at 11 DAS (days after stress) using LI-COR 6400-XT photosynthesis system (LI-COR Biosciences, Nebraska, USA). The instrument was set with the following conditions: photo-synthetically active radiation 1,500  µmol of photon m−2s−1; ambient levels of CO2 and temperature; leaf area 3 cm2 and flow rate of 500  µmol s−1. RNA isolation, Northern blotting and hybridization Expression analysis of already reported salinity responsive candidate genes in response to salinity stress in the leaves of contrasting rice and finger millet genotypes were studied by northern blotting. Top 3 leaves of both rice and finger millet genotypes were collected and frozen immediately in liquid nitrogen from both control and stressed plant (300mM NaCl) when susceptible rice variety viz. White Ponni has shown salinity symptoms i.e., 11 days after salinity stress. Total RNA was isolated from stressed and control leaf samples using One Step RNA Reagent (Biobasic Inc., Canada) as per manufacturer’s protocol. The integrity of RNA was assessed by formaldehyde agarose gel electrophoresis. Total RNA was quantified using Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA). 20ug of RNA mixed with RNA loading dye (1:1) was denatured at 75à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 10mins and separated on denaturing agarose gel as described by Streit et al. (2008). The gel was stained with ethidium bromide and photographed. Gel was processed and RNAs were transferred to positively charged nylon membrane (Pal Corporation) using 20XSSC buffer. After capillary transfer to the membrane, RNAs were fixed by exposing the membrane to UV cross linker (Hoeffer, Piscataway). DNA fragment of candidate genes to be used as probe were isolated from rice cloned in pTZ57R TA cloning vector and confirmed by sequencing. Double-stranded probes were radioactively labelled with (ÃŽ ±-32P) dCTP using DecaLabel DNA Labeling kit (Fermentas) and probes were purified using Sephadex G-50 spin column (GE Healthcare). Radiolabelled probes were denatured on boiling water bath snap cooled on ice and used for hybridization as described by Streit et al. (2008). RNA blots were pre-hybridized in ULTRAhyb ® at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 4–8 h. The blots were hybridized with 32P-labelled denatured probes at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °Cfor 20 h in the same but fresh buffer. The blots were initially w ashed at room temperature with 2XSSC and 0.1% SDS followed by twice wash with 1XSSC and 0.1%SDS at 45à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 20 min each. The blots were initially washed at room temperature with 2XSSC and 0.1% SDS for 30 min and then washed with different stringencies for different probes to decrease background. Hybridized membrane were dried on blotting paper and exposed to Kodak XAE-5 film with cassette having Kodak intensifying screen for 1–6 d. The resulting radiograms were scanned in an LKB 2201 densitometric scanner. Results Effect of salinity stress on rice and finger millet genotypes during germination stage Screening of contrasting genotypes of both rice and finger millet against salinity stress at germination stage revealed the superiority of finger millet over rice in terms of salinity tolerance at germination stage. At lower concentration of salinity stress (i.e 50mM NaCl) the susceptible genotypes of both finger millet (CO12) and rice (White ponni) has shown better germination percentage and vigor index as compared to tolerant genotypes. Tolerant rice genotype FL478 was found to possess better germination percentage (35 ±2.9%) and vigor index (128.2 ±10.6) in comparison to susceptible White Ponni where germination percent and vigor index was found to be 16.7 ±1.7% and 70.9 ±7.1 respectively. Both finger millet genotypes i.e. CO12 and Trichy1 has shown almost similar germination percent and vigor index at 100mM of NaCl stress. Both rice genotypes (viz. FL476 and White Ponni) did not show any germination beyond 100 mM NaCl stress (Table 1); whereas both susceptible (CO12) and tolerant (Trichy 1) finger millet genotypes were able to germinate even at 300 mM NaCl stress (Table 1). At 300 mM NaCl stress Trichy 1 has shown better germination percent (40.0 ±1.6) and vigor index (32.0 ±1.3) as compared to CO 12 germination percent (24.4 ±0.9) and vigor index 24.4 ±0.9.

Temporary Working Essay -- Business, Temporary Employees

Temporary employment is becoming increasingly popular within the UK, allowing organisations to manage when they encounter staff shortages, and external and competitive pressures. Temporary workers are individuals who are employed by organisations to fulfil job roles when they are in demand. Temporary employees may work full-time or part-time, for one week or several, depending on whether or not the organisation requires their labour. Temporary working contributes to the labour problem of low productivity and low performance, this essay will considered this employment form from a number of perspectives and discover solutions to this problem. The articles will be critically evaluated weighing up opinions and arguments made by each author. Firstly a brief introduction of the profiling of the temporary workers, followed by reasons for employing temporary staff, and the benefits and drawbacks to both the employer and employee. Following the evaluation will be an analysis of each management perspective and solutions for the temporary working labour problem. Profiling Temporary Workers Kirk and Belovics (2008) suggest that a large number of individuals comply with the key characteristics of temporary workers. The most common profile of temporary employees is those individuals who are looking for flexible working arrangements or low-skilled work; women, students and immigrants. Conley (2002) agrees with Kirks and Belovics (2008) profiling of temporary workers, as studies have revealed that higher numbers of temporary contracts are held by these individuals. However, in Burgess and Connell (2006) article, Hipple and Stewart (1996) argue that the nature of temporary work has changed and is continuing to chang... ...rary employees may feel disloyal to their work, lack commitment towards the company, and harm their market share, providing reasons for these predicaments. Moreover it is clear that with the adaption of management perspectives’ within an organisation, there are solutions. If Conley (2002) was to adapt the unitarism or the pluralism perspective into the UK public sector they may find that NQTs are more likely to stay within the industry and they would receive lower annual resignation figures. However, by taking these perspectives, managers may find themselves getting too attached to employees who are there to carry out tasks and lose their right to control them. Consequently, with the adaption of the correct management perspectives and techniques to individual employees, organisations should discover effective solutions to their employee relations issues.

Research on the Australian Education Export Industry Essay

Executive Summary The following report provides a detailed analysis of the four sectors in the education industry in Australia, which are: Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and the schools. The report starts interpreting trends from the industry in Australia, analyzing numbers of enrollments and commencements of students in each sector, as well as their nationalities. With these numbers we have an overall idea of the scenario, which shows that Higher Education is the Over Performing sector, followed by ELICOS, VET and schools. A second stage of the research is the PESTEL analyze, which observes the Political, Economical, Social, Technological and Legal conditions of Australia, with the conclusion that Australia has a stable government, strong economy and high currency, great quality of life, invests widely in technology and gives incentives to international students to come to Australia. The data provided by PESTEL helped with the SWOT analyzes of the industry and sectors in Australia. The findings shows opportunities manly in students that progress in more than one course in Australia, which already lead us to consider ELICOS as a good sector to invest. After the secondary data gathered, a qualitative research was created and is here presented showing that all the interviewed international students are having a positive experience in Australia and more than half would enroll in a different course after finishing the current one. As a result of the findings, ELICOS course was pointed as a better option of investment – since higher education has risks of high costs and perceived quality. Private institutions offering ELICOS and VET come up as an even better choice, since almost one quarter of international students progress from ELICOS to VET. New South Wales is recognized as a better location for investment, since the majority of students choose that state as a destination. A few schools offering ELICOS and VET were identified as an option for investment, however a more detailed analyses of their internal data would be necessary to point out with certainty which one would be the best option. 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Students from all around the world choose Australia as a study destination, wishing to gain a top-quality education. Each year, Australia becomes even  more popular, with many new international students enrolling in courses around the country. In 2013, 526,9321 international students enrolled in education programs in Australia, representing a 2.6% increase over 2012. Most of the international students in the country are studying in the Higher Education sector, followed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector and the schools sector. 1.2 Purpose of Report The aim of this report is to research about the education export industry in Australia. The report was commissioned by the Group April with the aim to analyze the trends in the following education sectors: VET, ELICOS, Higher Education and Secondary School courses. The Market Trends will be interpreted in order to identify their impact on the education sector, as well as potential opportunities and threats to the industry. 2. Interpreting Market Trends For the purpose of this research we will analyze the number of international students commencements (number of students starting a new course) and enrollments (enrolling in a course) in the country. According to Australian Education International, the total value of commencements and enrolments students has been growing steadily in the last ten years. We will analyze the data the number of international students from all sectors from 2010 to 2013. The following chart shows the summary of commencements from 2010-2013. Chart 01: International Students Commencements from 2012 to 2013 Source: http://www.austrade.gov.au/Education/Student-Data/2013/ In addition to that data, we also have the table below, comparing the number of commencements and enrolments per year and course: Table 01: Enrolments and Commencements from 2012 to 2013 With the data provided, we can see that in 2013 Higher Education Sector ranked first by volume of commencements and enrolments. VET had the second  largest volume of enrolments but third in commencements. ELICOS ranked second in volume of commencements, but third in enrolments. From 2012 to 2013, the number of commencements in Higher Education increased by 8.1%. The ELICOS commencements also registered 21% growth in the same period. The VET sector commencements have been declining in the last 4 years, but had only a minor decrease from 2012 to 2013 (0.1%). Schools accounted for only 2.9% of commencements, declining steadily in the past years. It is possible to notice that even though Higher Education is the over performing sector, ELICOS is also gaining more relevance over the past years. The Chart 01 shows that VET sector has been declining over the years. When considering number of enrolments for each sector, the top nationalities differ between the categories. The Australian Government also provides the following data: Higher Education enrolments: China (39.9%) and India (7.2%) VET: India (21.5%), China (10.5%), Republic of Korea (7.3%) and Thailand (6.6%) ELICOS: China (25%), Brazil (8.7%) and Thailand (7.9%) Schools: China (46%) and Vietnam (10%) The top five nationalities present in number of enrolments in 2013 contributed to 52.1% of the total, which were: China (28.5%), India (9.3%), Republic of Korea (5.2%), Vietnam (4.9%) and Thailand (4.1%). When looking directly at students visa granted, the last five years have also showed a majority of Chinese, Indians and Koreans students, differing only in the last two countries. The chart below shows the student visa applications granted by the top five countries of origin: Chart 02: STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS GRANTED BY TOP FIVE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Dec+2011 Accessed on 29/10/2014 As per the chart above, China represents the majority of international students, with approximately 50 thousands student visa granted in 2011. China also represented in 2013 the majority numbers for all education sectors. Also, over 90% of Chinese ELICOS students went on to do further study in Australia in 2012.2 The Australian Financial Review points out that  the most likely reasons why Australia became a destination for so many Chinese students can be due to the increase of the middle class of the country and the geographical proximity to Australia. 3 India still represents the second largest group of international students, even after drastically dropping from 2009 and on. The plunge on numbers came specifically after a series of attacks on Indian students in 2009.4 South Korea comes in third in the represented numbers of granted visa, followed by Malaysia and Brazil. There is also a strong relationship between the Australian Dollar rates with the number of students’ commencements per year. The table below shows the number of students’ commencements versus the average rate for AUD/USD Dollars. Year It becomes even more noticeable when represented in a chart how one factor is influencing the other. The lowest the Australian dollar rate is, the higher the number of commencements becomes. On the other hand, as the Australian dollar rate increases the commencements decreases proportionally. The following data can be seen in the next chart: Chart 1.1. – Students Commencements vs Australian Dollar Rates 2.1Over Performing and Under Performing Sectors Analyzing the numbers of commencements of each area in the last 4 years, it is possible to say that the three Over Performing sectors would be: Higher Education, ELICOS and VET. The three Underperforming sectors are schools, VET and ELICOS. Compared to the three other sectors, the Schools sector is small and has been declining over the past years. To proceed with the study of which sector would be more interesting to invest on, a PESTEL (Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) and SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis will be made. 2.2 PESTEL Analysis: The following analysis intend to identify the Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal Australian conditions, in order to provide enough data to clearly present its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats afterwards. Political The Australian Government is a constitutional monarchy, being under a federal system. For that reason, Australia can be considered a stable country. The Government also has innumerous initiatives regarding international students, such as the International Students Strategy of Australia. With those initiatives, Australia’s Government acknowledges the importance of international students for the country and seeks to protect the country’s reputation for high-quality education and for being a safe, welcoming and culturally diverse place to live.7 Economical The Australian economy has experienced continuous growth and also features contained inflation. It is one of the largest capitalist economies in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$998.3 billion (2013 est). The service sector dominates the economy, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of jobs. 8The unemployment rates are considered low (6.1% in September of 2014), however the part-time employment has decreased recently.  Those numbers may affect international students, since they can only work on part-time contracts. The Australian Dollar Currency has been maintained stable over the past few years, valuing 0.88 US dollars in October 2014. A strong currency is a factor of great impact on international students, since the exchange rates may affect their decision. 9 Social Australia population is composed by a majority of white people (92%), followed by Asians (7%) and aboriginal and other (1%). The official language is English, which is one the main reasons for international students to choose it as a destination. It’s considered a welcoming country for people from overseas. Australia is also known per its high quality of life, safeness and great education institutions. Environmental The weather conditions and the natural landscape in Australia are positive aspects of the country when seen by students. Travelling interest has a major impact on students’ decision. Technological Australia is a modern country that invests in constant evolution of its Technology. The Government invests heavily in national science agencies, as well as providing about AU$2.5 billion to Universities10 to support research and research training activities, and this is complemented by research funding from the private sector, non-profit organizations and state governments. That factor might influences in the Higher Education numbers for international students. Analyzing the worldwide situation, we can also point out that the technological changes have been providing advances in several sectors, as well as education. With the improvement in technological resources and Internet speed, a wide variety of courses online are being offered – even by top quality know universities. That factor might also have great influence in students’ decision. Legal There are many requirements for applying to a student VISA in Australia,  which had also been in constant change throughout the last few years. Most of the Government reforms were introduced in response to the Knight Review (2011) of Australia’s student visa system, such as the streamlined visa processing and new arrangements for post-study work visas. At the same time that changes came to facilitate the students’ application, it can give a negative image to international students, since there’s always a risk of changes in the law if there’s an interest to renew their VISA. 2.3 SWOT The following SWOT analyses will provide data about the education industry as well as the sectors in Australia, pointing out its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths High-quality education: Australia is a worldwide destination to many students by its top quality of education. Australia’s English language teaching is mainly highly regarded worldwide. Permission to work and study: The student visa permission to work up to 40 hours fortnightly is a decision factor by many students that have to work while studying. Proximity to Asian countries: Considering that many Asian countries look for English speaking countries to study, Australia stands out for its proximity to the continent. Highest quality of life: Australian has the highest quality of life in the world, according to the OECD Better Life Index organization, analyzing the categories: income, housing, jobs, community, education, environment, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance. Tourist VISA and working Holiday students: Many international students come to Australia through tourist visas or working holyday visas, being allowed to study ELICOS to up to 14 weeks in the first case and 4 months in the second one. That gives an extra advantage for this sector, since they are easier to apply to. Weakness VISA requirements: Australian VISA requirements changed recently in 2012, accepting the recommendations of Knight11. Event though it brought positive changes to facilitate the VISA process, the constant changes in VISA requirements might make long term students consider if any changes will still come up. High price and competitors’ countries quality: Australia was  pointed by a HSBC report as the most expensive destination for higher education for international students. Besides that, when it comes to perceived quality of higher education, it was ranked in 5th by Chinese parents (staying behind USA, UK, Germany and Hong Kong). 12 Opportunities Growth in numbers of higher education international students: a new British Council report has predicted that the number of international students of higher education will reach 3.8 million by 2014.13 Strengthening of the student VISA from Canada and USA: With modifications in student VISA requirements of competitors’ countries, Australia comes up as an option for new students. Major events in the country: Major events are frequently being held by Australia, calling international attention and being an extra reason for students to choose the country as a destination. The Commonwealth games, which will be held in 2018 in the Gold Coast, might have a big influence in student numbers, especially for short-term courses (such as ELICOS). Students’ progression from different sectors: Many students progress from ELICOS to higher education or VET, most likely had been on a package arrangement where the ELICOS study was a precondition for undertaking the next course. 14 Threats Changes in New Zealand student visa: The recent changes in New Zealand student visa now allows more English language students to work part-time, becoming a even bigger competitor to Australia as an destination.15 Crimes against international students: Any crimes and racist acts against international students have an impact in international students numbers. With the murder of four international students in Brisbane since November of 201316, the exposure by national and international media can damage the safeness image of the country. 3.0 Approach for research After our secondary research about the education market in Australia, a qualitative study was made with international students in order to find out the reasons and influences that made them choose to study in the country. An  online questionnaire was made and answered by 18 students. 3.1 Qualitative Analysis The nationalities interviewed were: Brazil, USA, Chile, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic and France, from which 61% were Brazilians, 11% Italians and 28% of each other nationality. Chart 03 – Nationalities Half of the students are enrolled on ELICOS courses, one third on VET and 17% on Higher Education. None of the interviewed is studying on secondary school. The schools of study vary between the following: ILSC Brisbane, Shafston, Queensford, ALS, Queensland Academy of Technology, TAFE, Bond University, University of Western Australia, Australian College Sports and  Fitness, Hetc Harvest, VIVA College and Melbourne University. All the interviewed students declared that their experience in Australia has been positive so far and 67% would enroll for another course in the country and consider living in Australia permanently (from which 22% are current ELICOS students). More than half of the students (56%) considered studying in a different country before choosing Australia, being mentioned the following: New Zealand, Canada, USA, Ireland, South Africa, UK and Germany. An open question also asked the students to describe briefly why their experience in Australia has been positive or negative, and it was mentioned the different cultures/nationalities present in the country, opportunity to meet new people, personal and professional growing, independence, improvement of English, great quality of life, good weather, new challenges and travelling (Refer to appendix 1 for further details). 4.0 Recommended Sector The following section will explain which sector have been identified as the best business opportunity, based on the interpretations of marketing trends and qualitative analysis sections of this project. Based on the report findings, we can see that two sector are in great advantage: Higher Education and ELICOS. While Higher Education has been the sector over performing in the last years, the forecast for that sector may  not be favorable – especially due to the competition of different countries that offer lower costs of studying and are increasing high-quality study reputation. To open a new University or other Higher Education school would be a great risk for investors, considering that it would take time to build their brand awareness and reputation. More than that, the costs for buying an existing private institution would be much greater in that sector. The second over performing sector was considered ELICOS, since the numbers of commencements and enrolments have been increasing constantly. When it comes to ELICOS, it is also an entry door to other courses in Australia – as many students that proceed from ELICOS to VET or Higher Education. ELICOS students may also be on student visas (currently around 60%) or visitor, working holiday or other VISAS (around 40%).17 ELICOS sector is also divided in a wide range of courses, where as the main courses offered in Australia are: General English, English for Academic Purposes, Exam Preparation Course, English for Special Purposes, English for Teaching and Study Tour. These options are closely aligned to the need of the students, attracting all sorts of international students. 4.1Competitor Analysis ELICOS courses are provided in a wide range of institutions and sectors. According to the Knights review (2011), the ELICOS activities occur in almost all parts of the international education sector: â€Å"Unpublished National English Language Training (ELT) Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) research shows that of the 269 active providers in 2010, 100 were stand†alone ELICOS providers, 99 were private VET providers and another 18 were publicly owned VET providers, 32 were universities and the remaining 20 were schools. The numbers of ELICOS students in the different providers also varied significantly. 24 providers had a capacity for 50 or less students. 81 providers had a capacity for between 51 and 150 students. But more than half of all registered providers, 164, had a capacity for more than 150 students at a time.† (KNIGHT, 2011, p. 64)18 Considering that data, it is a better investment to buy an existing institution than opening a new one, since there are a wide number of competitors already. Since the majority of students choose to study in New  South Wales, as we can see per the chart below, the best investment would be in NSW state. Chart 07 – International Student Enrolments & Commencements by State and Territory (2010) Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Dec+2011 – accessed on 30/10/14 The private VET providers that also offer ELICOS as an option can be considered a good investment option, since AEI researches show that 23% of ELICOS students in Australia eventually progressed to VET. 19 New South Wales Government also tells that Private VET colleges and institutions are very popular with international students, with the majority of international students in NSW studying at a private college.20 That data confirms that a private ELICOS institution that also offers VET will be a good choice. The following private schools in Sydney stand out as options that provide ELICOS and VET courses: ILSC Education Group: ELICOS and VET provider Since the number of students and financial reports of each institution are not publicly available, there isn’t enough data to point with certainty which school would be a better option for investment. However, a more detailed analysis can be made as a secondary step of this report. 5.0 Conclusion This report objective has been centred on identifying the over performing  sectors on the industry of education, which we believe have been successfully reached. The data provided will give be used by the Group April to decide which sector is the most promisor. We would recommend Group April to closely look at potential schools with extensive knowledge and good reputation, besides being costly competitive and well located. Finally, throughout the whole project, attention was maintained to remain realistic based on the investor budget and interest in industry. The findings of the interpreting trends section as a whole were summarized in a SWOT analysis table to facilitate its understanding. Considering the overview of the over performing sectors the best choice considered for investment was the ELICOS sector, since is growing at a very good pace. SLIC will remained opened for further discussion of the content of this report, as well as for conducting a second phase of research. Question: Describe briefly why did you found your experience in Australia positive: Student 1. â€Å"I had a substantial improvement in my English level at the same time I could know different cultures (not just Australian) and met many interesting people.† Brazil, Male, 21-25 years old, ELICOS Student Student 2. â€Å"Because there are many differences between Brazil and Australia. Most of the social problems that we have in Brazil are almost nonexistent here. The quality of life is extraordinary.† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 3: â€Å"Positive: Friendly citizens, Weather, Good opportunities of work† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 4: â€Å"To be completely independent, Know about new cultures; Learn new languages† Chile, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 5: â€Å"Due to the people I met† Spain, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 6: â€Å"Because Australia still giving me a lot of opportunities to grow personal and professional.† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, VET student Student 7: â€Å"New experience and challenges, meeting new people, improving my English, travelling† Czech republic, Female, 31-40 years old, ELICOS student Student 8: â€Å"Good people, opportunity to work, grow up by myself.† Brazil, Female, 26-30 years old, VET student

The Hyogo Framework For Action Environmental Sciences Essay

The construct and pattern of cut downing catastrophe hazards through systematic attempts to analyze and pull off the causal factors of catastrophes, including through reduced exposure to jeopardies, lessened exposure of people and belongings, wise direction of land and the environment, and improved readiness for inauspicious events. In short it is a program or action that is in topographic point to decrease the consequence of a catastrophe before or after it strikes.Definition of DRMCatastrophe hazard direction is a planned method of utilizing administrative instructions, organisations, and operational accomplishments to set into pattern schemes, constabularies and â€Å" improved header capacities † in order to cut down the unfavorable force of jeopardies and the opportunity of catastrophe. ( Kesten A. R. , 2005 ) ( United Nations: International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction ( UNISDR ) . , 2004 )Hyogo Framework for ActionThe Hyogo Framework for Action ( UNISDR, 2011 ) provides the undermentioned precedences for action. Priority Action 1 States that develop policy, legislative and institutional models for catastrophe hazard decrease and that can develop and track advancement through specific and mensurable indexs have greater capacity to pull off hazards and to accomplish widespread consensus for, battle in and conformity with catastrophe hazard decrease steps across all the sectors of society. Ensure that catastrophe hazard decrease is a national and a local precedence with a strong institutional footing for execution. Priority Action 2 The starting point for cut downing catastrophe hazard and for advancing a civilization of catastrophe resiliency lies in the cognition of the jeopardies and the physical, societal, economic and environmental exposures to catastrophes that most societies face. Of the ways in which jeopardies and exposures are altering in the short and long term footing. This is followed by action taken on the footing of that cognition. Identify, buttocks and proctor catastrophe hazard and heighten early warning. Priority Action 3 Catastrophes can be well reduced if people are good informed and motivated towards a civilization of catastrophe bar and resiliency, which in bend requires the aggregation, digest and airing of relevant cognition and information on jeopardies, exposures and capacities. In short people need to cognize about the catastrophe they could be faced with and what they need to make to remain alive if one stikes. Use cognition, invention and instruction to construct a civilization of safety and resiliency at all degrees. Priority Action 4 Catastrophe hazards related to altering societal, economic, environmental conditions and land usage, and the impact of jeopardies associated with geological events, conditions, H2O, clime variableness and clime alteration. These topics are addressed in sector development planning and programmes every bit good as in post-disaster state of affairss. Reduce the implicit in hazard factors. Priority Action 5 At times of catastrophe, impacts and losingss can be well reduced if governments, persons and communities in hazard-prone countries are good prepared and ready to move and are equipped with the cognition and capacities for effectual catastrophe direction. Strengthen catastrophe readiness for effectual response.Question 3The current world in South Africa with respects to Disaster Risk ManagementSouth Africa is invariably threatened by several types of catastrophes of different beginning and nature. These jeopardies, which are technological, environmental and natural in beginning, include terrible hydro meteoric events, such as inundations, drouths, terrible storms twisters and veld fires. Hazards of biological beginning, such as epidemic disease incidences, which affect worlds and farm animal, have shown an addition in recent old ages. In the excavation industry and in urban environments, risky stuff and transit accidents continue to present major challenges. Gauteng in the last few hebdomads has experienced a figure of localised implosion therapy incidents including a detrimental hailstorm on 20 October 2012 in the Germiston country ( Kesten, A.R. 2012 ) . Large Numberss of rural people migrate to urban countries in hunt of employment, although governments continue with attempts to cut down the high degrees of poorness and to rush the proviso of substructure and entree to services. They are invariably exposed to a scope of menaces due to the fact that they have to settle in insecure environments and are badly vulnerable to conditions such as inundations, H2O borne diseases and domestic fires. Vulnerability of rural communities in footings of sustainable supports and poorness are impacted on by alterations in societal behaviour in these specific communities. Poverty, due to high degrees of unemployment leaves people, families and communities missing resiliency to the impact of jeopardies. The bequest left by the Apartheid authorities impacted communities, which are now disadvantaged and urgently destitute and as a consequence, capable to high degrees of catastrophe hazard. Smaller local communities are more often prone to catastrophes w here loss of life and belongings, and the fiscal load thereof, are high. Socially disadvantaged groups are more vulnerable to jeopardies, reflecting their societal, cultural, economic and political environment. Catastrophes, in bend, are a beginning of impermanent adversity and hurt and a factor lending to relentless poorness. At the family degree, location of lodging ( e.g. on flood plains ) , primary types of business and entree to resources ( including fiscal ) ; reflect how poorness is the individual most of import factor in finding exposure.Factors lending to exposure in South AfricaThere are many factors lending to exposure in South Africa. They are: dearth ; HIV/AIDS ; uninterrupted struggle and Globalization. Famine – there is non plenty nutrient available, failures of administration and utmost degrees of predominating poorness which has led to alone degrees of adversity for many people in South Africa. HIV/AIDS – HIV/AIDS has eroded the lives and supports of 1000000s of Africans. It has left Africans vulnerable at homeowner and macro-economic degrees. Continuing struggle – struggles have really high costs, destructing past development additions and go forthing of damaged assets and substructures that impedes future additions. Globalization – developing states like South Africa can non utilize their primary merchandises to guarantee economic growing and development, because of this international market. Therefore this ensures that the rich get richer and the hapless are dragged down into poorness. Other factors lending to exposure in South Africa are: Erratic rainfall Climate variableness Break to nutrient handiness Extreme degrees of poorness Paraffin wellness menaces Failures of authorities Crippling foreign debt Collapsing trade good monetary values Limited export net incomes Animal diseases Capacity edifice, public consciousness and research Communication and information Catastrophe alleviation Drought Early warnings Energy Environmental exigencies Floods International facets Mining catastrophes Radiation related catastrophes Refugees Technological accidents Veld and forest fires Weather warningsQuestion 44.1 Emergency and Response ManagementEmergency response direction is familiar to disaster response bureaus and catastrophe victims. It includes emptying processs and shelters, hunt and deliverance squads, needs assessment squads, activation of exigency line of life installations, response centres and shelters for displaced people. Catastrophe response refers to activities that are put into action instantly anterior to catastrophes, when there is equal early warning and instantly following catastrophes. Response includes early warning and emptying of the readiness measures or programs and short-run exigency steps of alleviation every bit good as long-run recovery and Reconstruction activities. The purpose of this response is to salvage lives, to guarantee the endurance of the maximal possible figure of people affected, to restore ego sufficiency and reconstruct indispensable services every bit quickly as possible and to mend or replace damaged substructures and economic installations, place, appraise and implement development aims which cut down exposure. Response covers a scope of activities depending on the nature of the catastrophe. The activities are warning, emptying, migration or response, hunt and needs appraisal and exigency alleviation. The indispensable elements of response and exigency direction are logistic and supply, communicating and information direction, subsister response and get bying mechanisms, security and the demand to protect basic human rights, accent on the most vulnerable group, exigency operations and direction, Reconstruction and execution of rehabilitation steps. Effectiveness of response and exigency direction will be influenced by a figure of factors. They are: First, the type of catastrophe will impact the effectivity of mobilisation and application of response. Second, the badness and extent of the catastrophe. Third, the ability to take pre-action will depend on the type of catastrophe every bit good as the capacity. Fourth, the capableness for sustainable action4.2 Key countries and jobs associating to exigency and response directionResponse activities will usually be carried out under disruptive and sometimes unsafe or traumatic conditions, and therefore it is hard to implement. Heavy demands will be made on personal, equipment, installations and resources. Effective response will therefore depend on the good readiness, capacity put in topographic point as portion of a hazard decrease scheme. Sound planning, organisation and preparation are hence indispensable for accomplishing optimum success. Catastrophe hazard decrease activities should be put in topographic point as long-run steps that increase the capacity and resiliency of vulnerable groups in order to cut down the impact of future catastrophe events. The response period provides an chance for measuring bing catastrophe hazard decrease steps and thought of what needs to be improved and what needs to be put in topographic point. Weak institutional model includes unequal policy way, hapless organisation and coordination, unequal planning, unequal readiness ( out-of-date programs, low criterions of preparedness, deficiency of clear determination devising system, deficiency of clear allotment of functions and duties ) . Therefore weak institutional model may interpret into failing in early warning and public consciousness, deficiency of capacity for impact appraisal, deficiency of anterior hazard appraisal and exposure analysis, hapless information direction system and hapless status and response operations. An extra consideration is the deficiency of standardisation or the deficiency of execution of criterions which have been developed by the South African Bureau of Standards in line with subdivision 7 ( 2 ) of the Disaster Management ActQuestion 5ResilienceThe ability of a system, community or society exposed to jeopardies to defy, absorb, suit to and retrieve from the effects of a jeopardy in a timely and efficient mode, including through the saving and Restoration of its indispensable basic constructions and maps. Resilience means the ability to â€Å" jump back from † a daze. The resiliency of a community in regard to possible jeopardy events is determined by the grade to which the community has the necessary resources and is capable of forming itself both prior to and during times of demand. ( Harmonizing to the most current US/ISDR definition. )VulnerabilityThe features and fortunes of a community, system or plus that make it susceptible to the detrimental effects of a jeopardy. There are many facets of exposure, originating from assorted physical, societal, economic, and environmental factors. Examples may include hapless design and building of edifices, unequal protection of assets, deficiency of public information and consciousness, limited official acknowledgment of hazards and readiness steps, and neglect for wise environmental direction. Vulnerability varies significantly within a community and over clip. This definition identifies exposure as a feature of the component of involvement ( community, system or plus ) which is independent of its exposure. However, in common usage the word is frequently used more loosely to include the component ‘s exposure. ( Harmonizing to the most current US/ISDR definition. )Question 6The national catastrophe direction model says that it is indispensable to fit community leaders with consciousness of good patterns in bar, readyings and be aftering for these catastrophes, which may be built-in in the environment, a nd of the pressing demand to educate members of the communities in catastrophe hazard direction accomplishments. The national catastrophe direction model discusses the constitution of effectual agreements for the development and aboption of incorporate catastrophe hazard direction policy in South Africa it addresses the agreements for the incorporate dirction and execution of catastrophe hazard direction policy, it sets out the agreements required for stakeholders engagement and the battle of proficient advice in catastrophe hazard direction planning and operations and it describes agreements for national, regional and international co-operation for catastrophe hazard direction. Disaster hazard direction introduces the procedure involved in transporting out a catastrophe hazard appraisal, addresses procedures for bring forthing a National Indicative Disaster Risk Profile, describes demands for monitoring, updating and circulating catastrophe hazard information and looks at steps to guarantee quality control in catastrophe hazard appraisal and monitoring. Disaster hazard decrease addresses deman ds for catastrophe hazard direction planning within all parts of authorities. Response and recovery requires an incorporate and coordinated policy that focuses on rapid and effectual response to catastrophes and post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation. The catastrophe hazard direction procedure is the key to the effectual operation of an full squad sourced from many different subjects, involved in the catastrophe direction operation. It consists of several procedures, they are Establish the Context, Identify Risk, Analyse Risk, Evaluate and Priorities Risk, Treat Risk, Monitor and Review, Communicate and Consult. Establish the context so that there is a thorough apprehension of the context in which risk/s is present. Hazard designation is to foremost place all the possible jeopardies, whish could hold an impact on the country being assessed. Analyse hazard is to find the bing control mechanisms for the identified jeopardy and its strengths. Evaluate and precedences risk to a certain standard that is necessary towards the prioritization of the hazard. Risk intervention is necessary after they have been prioritized. Different hazards have different types of interventions and different degrees of interventions. Monitor and reappraisal is a non-stop procedure throw out the hazard direction procedure. This done to do certain the right program was implemented and the right action was taken. Communicate and consult is to pass on with the relevant people so that all the right actions can be taken, so that there is less loss to the country. The extenuation and preparedness stage starts as catastrophe direction betterments are made in expectancy of a catastrophe. Mitigation measures include constructing codifications and zoning, exposure analyses and public instruction. Preparedness is holding a: program of action at a clip of crisis ; preparedness programs ; exigency exercisings and preparation every bit good as warning systems. Preparedness has two chief purposes. These purposes are to assist people to avoid possible catastrophes and to authorise those who may be affected through programs and resources which raise their degrees of resiliency. These purposes are put into topographic point to salvage lives, to minimise the inauspicious effects of a jeopardy through effectual precautional steps and to guarantee seasonably, appropriate and efficient organisation for exigency responses. The nine following classs reflect the chief constituents of catastrophe readiness. These constituents are vulnerability appraisal, planning, institutional model, information systems, resource base, warning systems, exigency and response direction, public instruction and preparation and dry runs. Vulnerability appraisal is an ongoing procedure of people and organisations that assess jeopardies and hazards, map out possible jeopardies and predicts the alleviation demands and available resources. Planing involves many signifiers of extenuation and readiness schemes and eventuality programs for reacting to peculiar jeopardies. Institutional model is well-coordinated catastrophe readiness and response system at all degrees, with committedness from relevant stakeholders where functions and duties are clearly defined ( Twigg, 2004:288 ) . Information systems are systems put in topographic point for assemblage and circulating information between stakeholders. Resource base refers to the reso urces that are at your disposal to alleviate the general public of a catastrophe ( e.g. nutrient, shelter, medical attending, etc ) . Warning systems are ways of conveying warnings efficaciously to people at hazard. Emergency and response direction is the actions that should be taken every bit shortly as a catastrophe has occurred. Public instruction and preparation includes preparation classs, workshops and extension plans for at hazard groups and catastrophe respondents so that the populace will cognize what action to follow when a catastrophe work stoppages. Rehearsals are the chances to practise the drills which need to be implemented as a catastrophe work stoppages. Catastrophe planning is required to do certain that all the mechanisms are in topographic point to cut down the hazards and impacts of a catastrophe when it happens. Disaster planning should take into history the socio economic, environmental and other factors that cause hazard and menaces. Disaster readiness for effectual response is the system put into topographic point so that the response to catastrophes is done right and effectual. Effective information flows are needed for a figure of valid grounds that in general all consequence the extenuation of catastrophes. Preparedness planning as the challenges of the educational system in Africa is non that good due to the growing rate of African states, nevertheless the undermentioned agency of instruction to be in Africa can be used to offer catastrophe consciousness programmes and causes. Preparedness planning and developing harmonizing to Erdih ( 1988 ; 37 ) and effectual instruction and preparation programmes for catastrophe readiness should be peculiar in design, be community specific, based on a rational appraisal of the information needed, be integrated with an bing catastrophe and response system, include information bar, extenuation and recovery, be established as an on-going procedure and included as the most vulnerable sector of the population precedence. Fiscal facets of readiness planning are a large facet of catastrophe extenuation is the direction of fiscal resources. Many beginnings of fiscal aid could be considered during the direction of catastrophe in footings of catastrophe extenuation. It is good pattern to guarantee there is bar, readyings and be aftering for catastrophes and instruction for communities so that they know what action to take before, during and after a catastrophe.

Free Essays on Endangered Species - American Crocodile

Endangered Species Paper The definition of an endangered species according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or most of its range of habitat. The only exception to this definition is in regards to insects that are considered pests and would represent a threat to the well being of humans under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act protects species classified as endangered from being hunted, imported, exported, sold, or threatened by other means. In addition to the protection the FWS also develops recovery plans for the species in which they work to re-establish the species in its natural habitat to a point where protection under the ESA is no longer needed. The American crocodile was first listed as endangered on September 25, 1975. The only place that it can be found in the U.S. is in the wetlands of Florida. American crocodiles live in areas where fresh and salt water mix together, such as coastal wetlands and canals. Crocodiles are large primitive looking reptiles with long bodies covered in jagged, leathery skin. They are closely related to the alligator and can be distinguished by a longer more slender snout, also they are light gray or tan while alligators are dark gray or black. One important adaptation of the crocodile is the ability to survive in waters of high salt concentration. American crocodiles eat a variety of crabs, fish, waterfowl, and small mammals. Their wide selection of prey constitutes them as a generalist in that regard. As babies crocodiles are vulnerable to many predators such as raccoons, birds, fish, and other crocodiles. Most hatchlings are eaten before they reach adult size. As adults crocodiles are at the top of their food chain and are threatened for the most part only by humans. Because of its wide selection of food crocodiles face little competition besides perhaps from the alligators who oft... Free Essays on Endangered Species - American Crocodile Free Essays on Endangered Species - American Crocodile Endangered Species Paper The definition of an endangered species according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or most of its range of habitat. The only exception to this definition is in regards to insects that are considered pests and would represent a threat to the well being of humans under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act protects species classified as endangered from being hunted, imported, exported, sold, or threatened by other means. In addition to the protection the FWS also develops recovery plans for the species in which they work to re-establish the species in its natural habitat to a point where protection under the ESA is no longer needed. The American crocodile was first listed as endangered on September 25, 1975. The only place that it can be found in the U.S. is in the wetlands of Florida. American crocodiles live in areas where fresh and salt water mix together, such as coastal wetlands and canals. Crocodiles are large primitive looking reptiles with long bodies covered in jagged, leathery skin. They are closely related to the alligator and can be distinguished by a longer more slender snout, also they are light gray or tan while alligators are dark gray or black. One important adaptation of the crocodile is the ability to survive in waters of high salt concentration. American crocodiles eat a variety of crabs, fish, waterfowl, and small mammals. Their wide selection of prey constitutes them as a generalist in that regard. As babies crocodiles are vulnerable to many predators such as raccoons, birds, fish, and other crocodiles. Most hatchlings are eaten before they reach adult size. As adults crocodiles are at the top of their food chain and are threatened for the most part only by humans. Because of its wide selection of food crocodiles face little competition besides perhaps from the alligators who oft...

Witchcraft essays

Witchcraft essays Belief in witchcraft seems to be almost universal in human societies. In Europe's early society, many Europeans developed a heightened concern with the phenomenon/occurrence of witchcraft. This belief led to widespread persecutions in which thousands of Europeans, both women and men, were executed as witches. Governments and society organized "hunts" for these alleged witches, torturing, accusing more than 100,000, and executing thousands of people in a period known as the European witch craze, lasting from about 1480 to 1700. Although witches were oppressed throughout most of Europe, the mass of trials and executions were centralized in southwestern Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Poland, and parts of France. During this time such events as the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution occurred, leading to a variety of reasons for the persecution of individuals as witches. Many of the alleged witches were accused as such through superstitions and fear. People creates superstitions as a way of explaining what witches were and the evils deeds they performed. Their fears came from these superstitions, and from being harmed by witches. According to Thomas Ady, one English householder believe that his neighbor had bewitched him, because he had refused relief to an old man or woman who came to his door. He beleived that witches had the power to change the way things act because his child, wife, and animals were all acting in a strange fashion, which could be explained only by the reasoning that his neighbor must be a witch, since there was no other explanation for this occurrence.(Doc. A3) Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran Church, preached that witches worked for the Devil, stole, created storms, rode on goats and broomsticks, maimed people, tortured babies, forced people into immorality and love, and transformed humans into other animals. He fe lt that the Devil could act alon...

Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan

Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan The essay aims to investigate the issue of Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan, with particular emphasis on the meat traceability system adopted by the Japanese regulatory authorities and its implications for the Japanese food markets, its beef industry, and the hospitality industry. Presumably written in late 2005 or early 2006, some three years after BSE reared its head in Japan, the essay attempts to trace the events that led to the BSE scare in Japan and the responses adopted by the state and industry to cope with market and customer apprehensions. Essays, on specialised subjects like these, need to have reader friendly, grammatically correct structures that guide curious lay people through the complexities of unfamiliar issues in sequential logical steps; such efforts should be well researched, evidence clarity about the subject at hand, make good use of language skills and engage reader interest in the main and allied themes. BSE, better known as mad cow disease, emerged first in the UK in 1986, its manifestation in cattle being associated with a number of logical, as well as fanciful theories that included (a) force feeding of cattle, animals that are normally herbivorous, with meat or bone meal from semi-sterilised cadavers, and (b) import of meat meal, contaminated with human meat, from India (Jones, 2001)! Related to the presence of a misfolded protein called Prion in the brain tissues of cattle, BSE is known to make the brain of a cow a bloody mass of spongy tissue, followed by the certain death of the affected animal (Jones, 2001). Worryingly it is also known to infect humans who consume BSE tainted products (Jones, 2001). The disease first showed up in commercially reared livestock in the UK, and has since then been associated with more than 150 human deaths in the UK alone; its occurrence in the United States led to panic in Japan, a major importer of US beef, and thereafter to a number of protective and regulatory steps by the Japanese for ensuring the safety and quality of beef consumed in the country (Nottage, 2004). Whilst such background information would have been particularly relevant for establishing the importance of the topic, especially in light of the levels of global panic generated by the outbreak of BSE in the early 2000s, there is little of it in the essay; the author preferring to commence the study directly with the detection of the first BSE case in Japan in 2001 and the events that followed. With much effort having been given to providing technical details about Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease, (CJD) and its new variant, in the appendices to the essay, some elementary information about Prion, established to be the root cause of BSE, the substantial loss of human life, and the worldwide concern that arose, post the emergence of the disease, would have helped in driving home the need for governments to adopt stern regulatory measures and in putting the Japanese regulatory efforts in their proper p erspective. Ford’s book on the risks posed by BSE to mankind, which has otherwise been included by the author in the references, provides a graphic account of the dangers of BSE and the essay would have been well served by the inclusion of some of the highlighted risks.

Choose and discuss two images of Jesus from the New Testament. What is Essay

Choose and discuss two images of Jesus from the New Testament. What is their relevance today - Essay Example From the dictionary definition a shepherd is someone who looks after the herd of sheep by guarding and tending them. A shepherd is someone tasked to lead the herd of sheep in the safest and abundant place. It is necessary for the herd of sheep to be tended in the green pasture with a fresh source of water flowing in abundance. In this way, the herd of sheep will survive and they are given all the essentials they need. The psalm of David in chapter 23 describes God as shepherd full of righteousness. God is revealed by David as a good Shepherd, and since Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16), it is implied that the Son and the Father have the same characteristics and they are working together for one common good and that is salvation of the humanity from eternal condemnation (Matthew 1: 18-21). In John 10:14, Jesus said he is a good shepherd and part of being such is to know his people and his people to him. He sacrificed his life for the humanity to bring salvation to all. Jesus has great compassion for the people of God. Such compassion can be clearly defined by the great love Jesus is willing to give for the humanity. He gave up his life for the humanity and such is the great manifestation of his universal and unconditional love. The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd depicts the meaning of a good servant and a leader. Being a good servant or a leader therefore requires following Jesus as far as biblical principles are deemed important. In fact, being a Christian means following Jesus whatever the cost may be. A Christian minister can be considered a shepherd because of the responsibility to care for and guide a group of people in the ministry. Jesus as the Good Shepherd is therefore a remarkable model of every Christian minister who is responsible to lead the beloved people of God. The herd of sheep is the people of God who need spiritual leader to give them guidance, protection and

What does it mean to act morally Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What does it mean to act morally - Term Paper Example The proposed model adopts theories of Psychological Egoism and Ethical Egoism but it is largely based on the Buddhist philosophy of enlightenment. Analysis on Existing Theories of Moral Philosophy Sense of â€Å"morality† occurs naturally in human mind. Pursuing private benefits and ignoring the wellbeing of other living beings are also natural human behaviors. Conflicting mortal forces of â€Å"morality† and â€Å"immorality† are responsible for a great amount of literature in the human history. Lord Buddha taught 2600 years ago that correctly comprehending these forces is the path way to the ultimate freedom of humans. Theology play a vital role in moral philosophy. However the divine command theory is inefficient in describing the religion lead morality. It acknowledges the significance of religion in moral philosophy. But it is based on a rather ambiguous presumption i.e. â€Å"there exists a God†. Accordingly God defines what is good and what is bad. Approximately 2500 years ago Plato questioned: â€Å"is something right (or wrong) because the gods command it, or do the gods commands it because it is right?† Religion lead morality had been much easier to widely implement during the pre-industrial revolution. In the history fear and faith towards religious abstracts kept humans from acting upon immoral desires. ... Thus the divine command theory is not an efficient approach for contemporary moral philosophy. Psychology is acknowledged as a vital component in moral philosophy. There are many theories advocated by the psychologists relating to the moral judgment example: Piaget’s â€Å"genetic Epistemology† and Haidt’s â€Å"social-intuitionist† theory (Bucciarelli et. al., 2008). Piaget, 1975, described the cognitive development process of children in terms of their biological makeup and psychological process involving adaptation and organization. When a new situation is presented to a child it becomes assimilated and accommodated in memory. These two processes jointly results in adaptation to the new situation. Creating structures of related and interconnected information is a natural process occurring in human minds (known as organization in Piaget’s theory). Thus when the same situation is presented repeatedly child reacts according to what is already been a ssimilated and accommodated. According to Piaget’s theory logical reasoning is the aftermath of adaptation and organization. Haidt, 1978, described â€Å"immediate intuition† as the judicable basis for identifying what is right and what is wrong. Haidt’s theory postulates that conscious reasoning of humans is not effective for identifying what is right or wrong. Alternatively it is vital for influencing the actions of others. Haidt’s theory defines immediate intuition as â€Å"the sudden appearance in consciousness of a moral judgment, including an affective valence (good-bad, like-dislike), without any conscious awareness of having gone through steps of searching, weighing evidence, or inferring a conclusion† (Haidt, 2001, p. 818). Limitation of Haidt’s above definition is discussed in the

How has globalization (or regionalisation) impacted public policy Essay

How has globalization (or regionalisation) impacted public policy formulation and implementation in Canada - Essay Example The positive side of globalisation is that it has provided opportunities for streamlining of public policies with the international standards. Technology has become an important tool for implementation of public policies as the government has an efficient platform to communicate and roll out their public policies. While Canada has come under spot for failing to face globalisatio head on, there is evidence that many changes have come up due to the new era. Therefore, it is clear that globalisation has had both negative and positive impacts in the development and implementation of public policies. One impact of globalisation is that it came about with social transformation within the country. The era of internationalisation saw many people move from one region to the other in search for a living or for economic reasons. The result was the formation of a diverse population that demanded new public policies to govern. The employment sector in Canada is one of the areas that experienced as people of different races, culture, religion and color filled the labor market raising a number of issues. The gender-wage gap in particular became a serious issue for Canada as result of globalisation. The gender wage gap in Canada has been a controversial issue since early 1980s when this difference was noted. Cornish and Faraday (2008) noted that women salary for equal position in Ontario is 29% below that of women indicating a wide salary gap across the gender boundaries. A close look at the wage gap trends indicates that there has only been slight improvement in the last 25 years despite the numerous efforts to close this gap. In 1987, before the emergence of wage gap activists, the wage gap was approximately 37% in Ontario. These trends indicate that the efforts to bring down the gap have been undermined and the gap remains wide. Cornish (2009) points out the wage gap has affected aboriginal women who have migrated to Ontario in search for a job. This trend in

The comparison of juvenile and young adult sentencing outcomes in Essay

The comparison of juvenile and young adult sentencing outcomes in criminal court - Essay Example a harder time than adults in courts of law, both in terms of influencing additional factors and effecting their eventual outcome, defies conventional theory. Kurlychek, however, fails to present an analysis that enables the study to be applied universally. When demographics are taken into consideration, â€Å"The Juvenile Penalty† presents a study that is far from authoritative. The data for the paper was culled from Pennsylvania’s Commission on Sentencing and focuses on the 33,962 young adults, between ages 18 to 25, and 1,042 juveniles that were processed in Pennsylvania’s adult criminal justice system over a 3 year period from 1997 to 1999. Not only is there the possibility that Pennsylvania might be a unique case in terms of how adults and juveniles offenders are viewed, the article mentions that the majority of juvenile offenders are black and male but fails to take into consideration the role that of racial demographics. Both the sex and race of the offenders and persecutors may play a role in the differing treatment between young adults and juveniles. Additionally, Kurlychek decided to begin investigating cases in 1997, when the treatment of juveniles in Pennsylvania law courts changed significantly. Additi onally, if the short three period, in which the cases occurred, was lengthened, the paper’s argument would be greatly strengthened. Thus, this paper needs to evaluate a larger study group to make its argument an effective one. Nevertheless, â€Å"juvenile† status, while never explicitly dealt with in the court room, appears to play a significant role in determining the outcomes of some offenders. â€Å"The Juvenile Penalty† fails, however, to make a universal argument because it focuses upon a small and specific number of cases. Thus, the paper’s underlying assumptions that juveniles receive harsher treatment than young adults may be accurate but requires additional studies to be proven

Final Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Final - Term Paper Example It even takes place among homosexual partners also. Every year, every corner of the world; many cases of domestic violence come in focus and some of them are suppressed within the four walls of the house. Many reasons are there which compel them to hide the abuse, and one very common reason is that they are feared of spoiling the family status. The major target in domestic violence is most of the time women. The children suffered a lot and they are crushed physically and mentally and consequently it creates a long-lasting trauma in their life. â€Å"Behind closed doors, or hidden beneath a blanket of silence,  domestic violence bruises the lives of an estimated four million people every year – the overwhelming majority of them women– and impacts expanding circles of millions more: children, relatives, friends, employers.†(Rosen Lee) Domestic violence further results to another social problem and it is the broken and shaking marriage institute, which is one of t he pillars of healthy society. Each country has its laws regarding domestic violence. Divorce and domestic violence may or may not be concerned with each other. Divorce is like a legal aid to the person who has been the victim of domestic violence. Yet divorce has many other causes and so it is the separate issue to be discussed. The consequences of domestic violence are very dreadful and everyone involved in this incident has to suffer a lot. The small children in such families are likely to continue the same legacy to the next generation. There are number of books, movies and research articles, which have thrown light on this atrocious act of domestic violence. It is a widely discussed topic for many psychologists and sociologists, who have researched on these two topics. The paper also aims at throwing the light on one of the stigmatic issue, domestic violence. The issue has been discussed with the example of a

How has globalization (or regionalisation) impacted public policy Essay

How has globalization (or regionalisation) impacted public policy formulation and implementation in Canada - Essay Example The positive side of globalisation is that it has provided opportunities for streamlining of public policies with the international standards. Technology has become an important tool for implementation of public policies as the government has an efficient platform to communicate and roll out their public policies. While Canada has come under spot for failing to face globalisatio head on, there is evidence that many changes have come up due to the new era. Therefore, it is clear that globalisation has had both negative and positive impacts in the development and implementation of public policies. One impact of globalisation is that it came about with social transformation within the country. The era of internationalisation saw many people move from one region to the other in search for a living or for economic reasons. The result was the formation of a diverse population that demanded new public policies to govern. The employment sector in Canada is one of the areas that experienced as people of different races, culture, religion and color filled the labor market raising a number of issues. The gender-wage gap in particular became a serious issue for Canada as result of globalisation. The gender wage gap in Canada has been a controversial issue since early 1980s when this difference was noted. Cornish and Faraday (2008) noted that women salary for equal position in Ontario is 29% below that of women indicating a wide salary gap across the gender boundaries. A close look at the wage gap trends indicates that there has only been slight improvement in the last 25 years despite the numerous efforts to close this gap. In 1987, before the emergence of wage gap activists, the wage gap was approximately 37% in Ontario. These trends indicate that the efforts to bring down the gap have been undermined and the gap remains wide. Cornish (2009) points out the wage gap has affected aboriginal women who have migrated to Ontario in search for a job. This trend in

Final Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Final - Term Paper Example It even takes place among homosexual partners also. Every year, every corner of the world; many cases of domestic violence come in focus and some of them are suppressed within the four walls of the house. Many reasons are there which compel them to hide the abuse, and one very common reason is that they are feared of spoiling the family status. The major target in domestic violence is most of the time women. The children suffered a lot and they are crushed physically and mentally and consequently it creates a long-lasting trauma in their life. â€Å"Behind closed doors, or hidden beneath a blanket of silence,  domestic violence bruises the lives of an estimated four million people every year – the overwhelming majority of them women– and impacts expanding circles of millions more: children, relatives, friends, employers.†(Rosen Lee) Domestic violence further results to another social problem and it is the broken and shaking marriage institute, which is one of t he pillars of healthy society. Each country has its laws regarding domestic violence. Divorce and domestic violence may or may not be concerned with each other. Divorce is like a legal aid to the person who has been the victim of domestic violence. Yet divorce has many other causes and so it is the separate issue to be discussed. The consequences of domestic violence are very dreadful and everyone involved in this incident has to suffer a lot. The small children in such families are likely to continue the same legacy to the next generation. There are number of books, movies and research articles, which have thrown light on this atrocious act of domestic violence. It is a widely discussed topic for many psychologists and sociologists, who have researched on these two topics. The paper also aims at throwing the light on one of the stigmatic issue, domestic violence. The issue has been discussed with the example of a

Adele Is My Role Modle Essay Example for Free

Adele Is My Role Modle Essay Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in Tottenham, north London, England, to Penny Adkins, an English teenager, and Mark Evans, a Welshman, on 5 May 1988 Evans walked out when Adele was two, leaving her 20-year-old mother to raise her single-handedly,for which Adele has still not forgiven him. She has a younger half-brother on her fathers side, Cameron Evans. She began singing at age four and asserts that she became obsessed with voices. Adele has cited the Spice Girls as a major influence in regard to her love and passion for music, stating that they made me what I am today. Adele impersonated the Spice Girls at dinner parties as a young girl. To make her look like English RB and urban contemporary singer Gabrielle, her mother made an eye patch with sequins, which Adele later said was embarrassing. See more: Examples of satire in adventures of huckfinn essay At the age of nine, Adele and her mother, a furniture-maker and adult learning activities organiser, relocated to Brighton. Despite this move, she remains an ardent fan of her hometown Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur. Two years later, she and her mother moved back to London; first to Brixton, and then to neighbouring district West Norwood, in south London. West Norwood is the subject for Adeles first record, Hometown Glory, written when she was 16. After moving to south London, she became interested in RB artists such as Aaliyah, Destinys Child and Mary J. Blige. Adele says that one of the most defining moments in her life was when she watched Pink perform at Brixton Academy. It was the Missundaztood record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live [ ] I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me.

Green Roofs in Malaysia

Green Roofs in Malaysia In Malaysia, green roofs are considered as a fairly new concept although the concept offers many benefits. Green roofs promotes amenity and aesthetic benefits, environmental benefits, and economic benefits. The principal aim of this research is to improve the quality of green roof systems in Malaysia by develop design guidelines for green roof systems. This research will identify the performance benefits of green roof, the current phenomenon of green roof as well as their obstacles to adopt green roof systems. Mixed method of qualitative and quantitative approach will be applied in this research. The review of the literature will be conducted to gather information about green roof in order to identify the benefits of green roof systems. Survey will be conducted among three target populations, namely developers, architects and landscape architects who work in the Malaysian construction industry. Individuals for the sample group will be selected because as providers of green roofs, the ir views and actions have a direct influence on green roof development. The categorization of the building professionals will enable easy identification of any disparity in views between them. Besides that, the case studies also one of the vital steps to achieve the objective of this research. The Case Studies will combine different methods to compile an understanding of design guidelines for green roof systems. Case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. This research is attempted to develop design guidelines for green roof systems in Malaysia. The findings from this research will open new avenues and fields for future researchers and academicians to carry out extensive researches on the topics concerned. INTRODUCTION The green roof is a system that used growing medium and vegetation on the top of the building roof (Cresswell, 2007). The vegetation is planted in a layer of soil or growing medium as the top layer of the roof. The water membrane system is positioned between growing medium and roof deck to carry away access water and also have a filter system to make sure that the plants have a sufficient water supply during dryer day (Long et al., 2006, Piper, 2003). Green roofs have been increasingly popular in Germany, United Stated of America and Europe (Koonce, 2010) not just because of the aesthetic value, but also for improving environment (Li et al., 2010). As discussed by (Castleton et al., 2010) the roof of a building can be partially or completely covered with a layer of vegetation. Many expert confirm that green roof can be classified into two types of systems which are intensive and extensive (Long et al., 2006, Molineux et al., 2009, Cresswell, 2007, Castleton et al., 2010). Intensive s ystems is more like a roof garden supporting large tree and shrubs, but require deep substrates and regular maintenance. Therefore, it is generally heavy and requires a specific support from the building (Molineux et al., 2009, Cresswell, 2007). The extensive system is opposite of intensive systems which have a thin substrate layer with low level planting, typically sedum or lawn, and can be very lightweight in structure (Castleton et al., 2010). Instead of lightweight, these roofs require little or no additional structural support from the building, less expensive, low maintenance, and designed for limited human access. Plants selected for extensive system are usually have a shallow root system, good regenerative abilities, resistance to direct solar radiation, harsh winds or heavy rainfall, and ground cover species on slopes up to 30% (Long et al., 2006, Cresswell, 2007). There are many potential benefits of green roofs. These may be considered to fall into three main categories, Amenity and Aesthetic Benefits, Environmental Benefits, and Economic Benefits, although there is a great deal of crossover between categories. Amenity Aesthetic Benefitsinclude leisure and open space, visual aesthetic value, health and therapeutic value, and food production. Environmental Benefits include ecological and wildlife value, water management, air quality, sound absorption, and reducing the urban heat island effect. Economic Benefitsinclude increased roof life, building insulation and energy efficiency, and green building assessment and public relations. These benefits operate at a range of scales. Some will only operate if relatively large numbers of green roofs are implemented in any particular area and their benefits will only be apparent at the larger neighborhood or city scale. Others will operate directly on an individual building (Michael and Thomas, 2003, V ancouver, 2009). Therefore, it is important to adopt green roof as it gives many benefits to reduce the environmental impact. The purpose of this research is to develop design guidelines for green roof system in Malaysia. RESEARCH STATEMENT The phenomenon of global warming or climate change has led to many environmental issues including higher atmospheric temperatures, intensive precipitation, increase greenhouse gaseous emission and of course increase indoor discomfort condition (Asmat Ismail et al., 2010). Some scientists believe that changes are part of natural variability (Radhi, 2009) while others point to human activity (Oh and Chua, 2010, Nordell, 2003) as the cause of increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and the key driver of climate change. As the Carbon dioxide (CO2) in atmosphere increases, the ability of earth surface to reradiate heat to the atmosphere is lessen. Carbon dioxide acts as a blanket over the surface and keeps the earth warmer than it would otherwise be. The warmer climate outside will also affect the indoor temperature of building. When the outdoor air temperature increases, building will experience indoor discomfort. The demand for mechanical ventilation will be cri tical and eventually lead to higher energy consumption in building (Asmat Ismail et al., 2010). The heavy reliance on air conditioning typically increases energy use, increased emission of CO2, increase other GHGs to power the system (Calm, 2002) and also adding to negative impacts of global warming (Wilkinson et al., 2007). Therefore, it is vital important to reduce the energy consumption in building by reducing the usage of air conditioning system where the air conditioning systems release the carbon into the air which has been identified as the element that insulates planet and one of the major contributor in global warming. Buildings are important contributors to the ever-increasing carbon emission and its impact on global warming (Kui, 4 october 2010; The Star, May 2009). Buildings last longer, and over that lifetime they play a part in contributing to the destruction of the environment. Over its life cycle, a building uses many resources and is the source of much pollution emissions (Yoon, 2009). In Malaysia, commercial and residential building use up 48% of the electricity generated (Li, 2009). During the UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made very clear Malaysias commitment to the green cause, pledging to cut up to 40 per cent of Malaysias carbon emission intensity in terms of GDP by the year 2020 from year 2005 levels (Singh and Ping, 2010, Fernandez, 2010). Therefore, one way to reduce the impact of global warming and improve urban environmental quality is by adopting the green roof technologies (Williams et al., 2010). However, the question arise s, why Malaysian construction industry must adopt the green roof technology? It is because most of the heat 75% enters from roof compare to 25% from wall. Besides that, the roof is exposed most for the longest period to solar radiation where heat radiated from the sun is absorbed by the roof surface and the ceiling absorbs the radiated heat (Lu, 2009). Apart from that, the green roof technology is able to reduce the energy consumption and can improve the internal comfort during the spring and summer seasons (Fioretti et al., 2010, Michael and Thomas, 2003, Lawlor et al., 2006). Furthermore, green roof lead to lower energy bills, and provide a carbon sink in urban areas, along with many other diverse ecological advantages (Sihau, 2009). Thus, in order to reduce the amount of heat entering through the roofs, such buildings must be adopted with green roof technology. In Asia, the use of green roofs has arisen in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and China. Although the idea of green roofs in Asia is new, these countries are active in developing, practicing and conducting research on green roofs, particularly in Singapore (Wan et al, 2010). According to Wong (2005) roofs present 21%-26% of urban areas and this can provide a unique opportunity to improve the environment if green roofs are used. In urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, there are a lot of opportunities to implement green roofs in the development because of rapid expansion in these areas. By having a green roof, the areas taken from nature to be developed are made to come alive again. Green roofs in Malaysia are considered as a fairly new though lots of benefits are offered. However, in country that has similar climate with Malaysia such as Singapore have grown remarkable on green roof. Compare to Singapore, Malaysia are far behind in terms of research done, policies, technology and practice in this area (Govindaraju et al., 2005, Chandran et al., 2009). Malaysia still remains many potential obstacles to their more widespread adoption. This obstacles include a lack of standards, high costs when green roof installers are inexperienced, few demonstration examples to inspire and give confidence to developers considering a green roof and a lack of relevant and reliable research to provide confidence in the economic and environmental benefits of green roofs (Williams et al., 2010) (Williams et al, 2010; Sihau 2009; Michael Thomas, 2003). Besides that, Malaysia has a very different climate to the temperature regions of the northern hemisphere where green roofs are more common. Relying on northern hemisphere research, experience and technology is problematic, due to significant differences in rainfall, temperature, available substrates and suitable vegetation (Wilkinson, 2009). This may introduce unacceptable levels of risk and unnecessary expense to development projects consid ering green roofs. Since Singapore is advance in developing green roof system, therefore Malaysia should put Singapore as an example to move towards green roof system. This research examines green roofs in Malaysia, the status of the industry and discusses information gaps requiring research. Therefore, it is important to overcome the obstacles by adopting green roof technology in Malaysia in order to get the benefits offers from the technology. In recent years, green roofs are becoming more and more popular in the world and have also attracted much attention in Malaysia. However, when people consider applying green roof systems, they often find it difficult to understand the technical requirements, design an effective system and evaluate their performance. Unlike other countries that are very advance in green roof technologies such as Germany and Japan, they have their own guidelines for green roof system (Hui, 2010). A brief discussion with Ishamuddin Mazlan from Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA) indicates that there are no design guidelines for green roof systems in Malaysia. In German, the German Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society (FLL) has been working on standards for green roof technology for 25 years. Their ‘Guideline for the Planning, Execution and Upkeep of Green-Roof Sites (FLL-guidelines) reflects the latest developments in German acknowledged state-of-the-art tec hnology (Philippi, 2005). Over 800 green roofs can be found in Germany alone, a leader in building codes and incentives for green roof installation. In Asia, Japan has become a center for green roof technology. Its capital, Tokyo, is the first city to mandate building vegetation must constitute 20 percent of all new construction (Wark, 2003). Their guidelines are very useful to implement green roof but they should not be copied directly without adapting and considering the local conditions of Malaysia. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop local design guidelines for green roof systems in Malaysia. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK There were various research has been conducted in the field of green roof systems and the quantity seems to increase over the years since environmental issues become more concerning worldwide. The research that has been done in the field of green roof can be grouped into seven which are research on storm water management, research on materials, research on opportunities and barrier, research on environment, research on energy and building, research on perceptions, and research on guidelines. The research that has been done in storm water management for instance by Berghage et al (2009) conducted a research on Green Roofs for Stormwater Runoff Control. The findings of the paper indicate that the green roofs are capable of removing 50% of the annual rainfall volume from a roof through retention and evapotranspiration. Rainfall not retained by green roofs is detained, effectively increasing the time to peak, and slowing peak flows for a watershed. Whereas Berndtsson et al (2009) conduct ed a research on Runoff water quality from intensive and extensive vegetated roofs. This study investigated influence on runoff water quality from two full scale vegetated roofs (an intensive from Japan and an extensive from Sweden). Results show that both extensive and intensive vegetated roofs are a sink of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen with similar performance. The intensive vegetated roof is also a sink of total nitrogen in contrast to the extensive roof. While Hardin and Wanielista (2007) has done research on a water quality assesment of a green roof stormwater treatment systems. The results of this work show that the use of green roof stormwater treatment systems for the improvement of stormwater quality is a promising treatment option. The total suspended solids results show that green roofs had a lower concentration and smaller standard deviation than the control chambers. Besides, Emilsson et al (2007) has done a research on Effect of using conventional and control led release fertiliser on nutrient runoff from various vegetated roof systems. The findings of the paper indicate that Conventional fertilisers caused high nutrient concentrations in the runoff water. Concentrations decreased during the duration of the experiment but at the end of the experiment they were still higher than after fertilisation with CRF. Conventional fertiliser also increased the total nutrient runoff. Research on materials for instance has been done by Molineux et al (2009) on Characterising alternative recycled waste materials for use as green roof growing media in the U.K. This study have shown that the alternative substrates perform as well if not better, than the widely used crushed red brick as growing media, in terms of plant growth and material characterisations.. They are also similar in price to the red brick substrate (Shireminerals, pers. comm.) and are already commercially available. While Cresswell (2007) has done a research on Characterisation of Mineral Wastes, Resources and Processing technologies. The findings indicate that Aerated concrete is a material that is suitable for use as a light weight green roof substrate. It has the appropriate density and water absorption. Research that has been conducted on opportunities and barrier for instance by Williams et al (2010) on Green roofs for a wide brown land: Opportunities and barriers for rooftop greening in Australia. This paper examines green roofs in Australia, discusses the challenges to increasing their use and the major information gaps that need to be researched to progress the industry in Australia. While Wilkinson and Reed (2010) compile a unique building database incorporating information about 536 commercial buildings and evaluate the potential suitability of each building to undergo a green roof retrofit. A relatively small proportion of roofs are found to be suitable, partly a result of local climate conditions and rainfall patterns, and the physical property stock. On a purely physical assessment, only a very small proportion of central business district (CBD) stock is found to be suited. These buildings are most likely to be in low secondary locations, ungraded or B grade buildings, priv ately owned, concrete framed and not overshadowed by adjoining properties. Besides, compile a unique building database incorporating information about 536 commercial buildings and evaluate the potential suitability of each building to undergo a green roof retrofit. A relatively small proportion of roofs are found to be suitable, partly a result of local climate conditions and rainfall patterns, and the physical property stock. On a purely physical assessment, only a very small proportion of CBD stock is found to be suited. These buildings are most likely to be in low secondary locations, ungraded or B grade buildings, privately owned, concrete framed and not overshadowed by adjoining properties. Besides, Rowe and Getter (2006) conducted research on The Role of Extensive Green Roofs in Sustainable Development. This paper is a review of current knowledge regarding the benefits of green roofs, plant selection and culture, and barriers to their acceptance in the United States. Because o f building weight restrictions and costs, shallow-substrate extensive roofs are much more common than deeper intensive roofs. Therefore, the focus of this review is primarily on extensive green roofs. Research on environment for instance has been done by Renterghemand Botteldooren (2011) on In-situ measurements of sound propagating over extensive green roofs. In this study, in-situ measurements of sound propagation over flat, extensive green roofs were presented in 5 case studies. These involved situations with either a single diffraction or double diffraction over green roofs. Measurements show that green roofs may lead to consistent and significant sound reduction at locations where only diffracted sound waves arrive. Among the single diffraction cases, acoustic green roof improvements exceeding 10 dB were found, over a wide frequency range. While Li et al (2010) study on Effect of green roof on ambient CO2 concentration. The study systematically investigates the effect of green roofs on the ambient CO2 concentration using field measurements, chamber experiments and numerical simulations. Plants can reduce the CO2 concentration in the environment by absorbing CO2 in the daytime. In a typical sunny day in summer in Hong Kong, the CO2 absorption rate of a plant in the daytime is much greater than the CO2 emission rate at night. The extent of the green roof effect is related to the condition of the plants, the position of the green roof and the ambient airflow condition. In a sunny day, a green roof may lower the CO2 concentration in the nearby region as much as 2%. On the other hand, Carter and Keeler (2008) conducted research on Life-cycle cost-benefit analysis of extensive vegetated roof systems. This study uses data collected from an experimental green roof plot to develop a benefit cost analysis (BCA) for the life cycle of extensive (thin layer) green roof systems in an urban watershed. The results from this analysis are compared with a traditional roofing scenario. The net present value (NPV) of this type of green roof currently ranges from 10% to 14% more expensive than its conventional counterpart. A reduction of 20% in green roof construction cost wo uld make the social NPV of the practice less than traditional roof NPV. Besides, Jones and Alexandri (2008) studied on Temperature decreases in an urban canyon due to green walls and green roofs in diverse climates. From this quantitative research, it has been shown that there is an important potential of lowering urban temperatures when the building envelope is covered with vegetation. Air temperature decreases at roof level can reach up to 26.0 1C maximum and 12.8 1C day-time average (Riyadh), while inside the canyon decreases reach up to 11.3 1C maximum and 9.1 1C daytime average, again for hot and arid Riyadh. It can be concluded that the hotter and drier a climate is, the greater the effect of vegetation on urban temperatures. Research on energy and building that has been done by Chang et al (2011) on Optimal Design for Water Conservation and Energy Savings Using Green Roofs in a Green Building under Mixed Uncertainties. The study identifies the optimal green roof area that keeps within the cost of a conventional home over a specific life time, such as 50 years. Research findings show that as the reliability level associated with the chance constraint was decreased, the upper bound of the green roof area did not vary much for either shingle or metal roofs. The lower bound was found to decrease in the same situation, however, due to the higher minimum cost of the cistern in relation to the greater volume of expected rainfall, forcing the required green roof area to decrease. While Fioretti et al (2010) investigate Green roof energy and water related performance in the Mediterranean climate. The investigation performed within the specific climatic context of the Mediterranean region. Full-scale experimental results are provided from two case studies, located in north-west and central Italy, consisting in two fully monitored green roofs on top of public buildings. The attenuation of solar radiation through the vegetation layer is evaluated as well as the thermal insulation performance of the green roof structure. The daily heat flow through the roof surface is quantified showing that the green roof outperforms the reference roof, therefore reducing the daily energy demand. As for water management, it is confirmed that green roofs significantly mitigate storm water runoff generation even in a Mediterranean climate in terms of runoff volume reduction, peak attenuation and increase of concentration time, although reduced performance could be observed during high precipitation periods. Besides, Castleton et al (2010) conducted a research on Green roofs; building energy savings and the potential for retrofit. This paper reviews the current literature and highlights the situations in which th e greatest building energy savings can be made. Older buildings with poor existing insulation are deemed to benefit most from a green roof as current building regulations require such high levels of insulation that green roofs are seen to hardly affect annual building energy consumption. As over half of the existing UK building stock was built before any roof insulation was required, it is older buildings that will benefit most from green roofs. The case for retrofitting existing buildings is therefore reviewed and it is found there is strong potential for green roof retrofit in the UK. Research on perception has been done by Wan Zuriea et al (2010) on Perception towards green roof in Malaysia. Results from interviews showed that the respondents perceived green roofs benefits are that they provide leisure and operational space, visual amenities value and health and therapeutic value and environment and economic advantages. From the field observation study, it was found that there is a good potential for green roof as it promotes a range of benefits that can solve the problem of ecological steps, limitation of space, greenery balance, global warming, aesthetics and lost of wildlife habitat that occur in many urban areas. While House (2009) conducted research on North Texas Stakeholders: Perceptions of Extensive Green Roofs. The findings of the paper indicate thatstakeholders perceived extensive green roofs as being appropriate for use in North Texas. Concerns were raised regarding plant selection, weight requirements, initial cost, city codes, and aesthetics. Develop ers and city officials indicated their concern for the performance of green roofs in the extremes of the North Texas climate, while architects and landscape architects spoke of the multitude of benefits and appropriateness for this region. Overall, perceptions of extensive green roofs were favorable, but a lack of adequate research and concerns over cost issues were frequently cited as barriers to implementation. However, in this paper, researcher tends to focus on design guidelines of green roof system.ÂÂ   There is no similar thorough research which has been done by any other researcher in Malaysia regarding on design guideline of green roof systems. Malaysia still do not have the design guidelines for green roof system based on the preliminary interview that has been done with Encik Ishamuddin bin Mazlan from the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA). For instance, Hui (2010) has develop technical guidelines for green roof systems in Hong Kong. This paper describes the major findings of a research to develop technical guidelines for green roof systems in Hong Kong. The current knowledge and latest trends of green roof technology in the world have been studied. Useful information and experience were examined for assessing the potential benefits and key design factors. By investigating the system components and practical considerations of typical green roof projects in Hong Kong and other countries, key information is established for preparing the technical guidelines. Based on the review of the previous related to the research, there seems no study that has been done on design guideline for green roof systems in Malaysia and this will be an interesting topic for researcher in this Master research. Therefore, there is a gap that has been left for researcher to fill in and to contribute to the existing body of knowledge. AIM AND OBJECTIVE Generally, this research seeks to have an understanding and knowledge on green roof systems. This study aims to improve the quality of green roof systems in Malaysia by develop design guidelines for green roof systems. In order to achieve the aims above, three (3) correlative objectives are outlined as follows: To identify the operational performance benefits of green roof technology To explore the obstacle to adopt green roof technology To develop design guidelines for green roof systems in Malaysia RESEARCH QUESTIONS Research questions are framed as a guide to fulfil the research objectives. This research is expected to produce design guidelines that make best use of the potential of green roof. Having decided that, the following research questions are addressed and framed: Research question for objective 1 What are the effect of the green roof to the environment How green roof can reduce energy consumption in buildings How importance of using green roof technology in buildings Research question for objective 2 What are the barriers in adopting green roof systems in Malaysia How do this barrier effect the adoption of green roof in Malaysia Research question for objective 3 What are the factor need to be considered in designing the green roof systems RESEARCH METHOD The methodology in conducting is three different stages as follows: a) Literature Search Review Literature search will conducted to gather information about green roof in order to identify the benefits of green roof systems. The sources and information from journals, articles, books and internet are then fully analyzed and studied to gain better understanding on green roof technology. b) Survey Survey will be conducted among three target populations, namely developers, architects and landscape architects who work in the Malaysian construction industry. Set of questionnaires will be distributed to explore the obstacles to adopt green roof technology in Malaysia by comparison of answers to the same set of questions. The analysis of data from the questionnaires responses may provide data from which tables of obstacles can be produced. c) Case Study The Case Studies combine different methods to compile an understanding of modular green roof systems. Case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event: a case. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. RESEARCH SCOPE AND LIMITATION The target group of this research consisting of developers, architects, and landscape architects in the peninsular of Malaysia excluding Sabah and Sarawak who work in the Malaysian construction industry. Individuals for the sample group will be selected because as providers of green roofs, their views and actions have a direct influence on green roof development. The categorization of the building professionals will enable easy identification of any disparity in views between them. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH This research is expected to identify the performance benefits of green roof systems in order for green roof to be utilized in Malaysian buildings. Besides that, this research will identify the obstacles to adopt green roof and develop recommendation to overcome this obstacles. Furthermore, this study will add to the body of knowledge that green roof systems can enhance the environment of the urban area, reduce energy use in buildings, and help to reduce effect of global warming especially in urban area in Malaysia. On top of that, this research hopes to give a better understanding and way to adopt green roof systems in Malaysian buildings. At the end of this research, it will develop new design guidelines for sustainable green roof systems in Malaysia. Aim Research Statement Objectives Research Questions Research Method To improve the quality of green roof systems in Malaysia by develop design guidelines for green roof systems. Global warming or climate change OB1: To identify operational performance benefits of green roof technology RQ1.1: What are the effects of the green roof to the environment RQ1.2: How green roof can reduce energy consumption in buildings RQ1.3: How importance of using green roof technology in buildings Literature review Obstacles in adoption green roof systems OB2: To explore the obstacles to adopt green roof technology RQ2.1: What are the barriers in adopting green roof systems in Malaysia RQ2.2: How do this barrier effect the adoption of green roof technology in Malaysia Questionnaire Survey Design Guidelines OB3: To develop design guidelines for green roof systems in Malaysia RQ3.1: What are the factor need to be considered in designing the green roof systems Case Study