Monsoons in India

It involves clearing a patch of forest land, but retaining useful trees and plant varieties, cultivating it for two to three years and then abandoning it for 10-20 years to allow the natural forest to grow back and the soil to regain its fertility. The cycle of cultivation, leaving it fallow and coming back to it for cultivation, is called the Jhum cycle. Traditionally, a village community owns/controls the forest land and decides on such rotational cultivation pattern. Thus the community cultivates land for its livelihood while practising conservation and taking care of the ecological balance. However, with the population pressure, communities wanting to grow more food have cleared greater chunks of forest lands and returned to the fallow plots much sooner than 10-20 years. The length of the fallow phase between two successive cropping phases has come down to even two to three years in some places. This has resulted in soil degradation, fall in yield, lower returns, and reduction in green cover. It is this change in traditional practice, arising out of changing conditions, that has given jhum agriculture a bad name. Separately, forests are being exploited for timber and hills are being flattened for soil and stones. Often, this denuding of the forest too is blamed upon jhum cultivation. The state government has come out with various schemes to provide the jhumais with alternate means of livelihood and wean them away from jhuming. However the needs of the jhum cultivators have not been assessed rightly and these schemes have met with limited success or have completely failed. It is important to state here that shifting cultivation should not be confused with slash-and-burn. Slash-and-burn is a mere land clearing method used by many people around the globe to open up forest land and use it for permanent agriculture. On the contrary, shifting cultivation is an integrated farming system involving forestry, agriculture and strong social organisation on the part of the communities. Ecologically, the practice of jhum has a deleterious effect on the local environment, while others have often thwarted those arguments and proved that jhum in fact is a sustainable form of agricultural production best suited for the specific ecology of the hill regions. The arguments against jhum have included projecting it as an unsustainable practice that depletes the soil of nutrients, reducing the forest cover, causing landslides, etc. Arguments against jhum have come from state forestry departments, development ministries like DONER (Development Of North East Region) or trade promoting entities like the World Bank who lean towards utilisation of the region's forest resources for the benefit of national and private capital. In addition, private entities wishing to utilise the land for specific profit-making ventures, like extraction industries, utilise these arguments to push the state to wean away local villagers from practicing jhum in order to lease the land. This has happened in the hill regions of Meghalaya and Assam where corrupt or otherwise, village councils leased out land to private and national corporations for extraction industries including coal, limestone, and uranium in the future. In addition, the paper industry has pushed for the growth of bamboo by villagers as a cash crop replacing an egalitarian cultivation system with one that has created a small mercantilist class controlling all bamboo production. However, these arguments have been rebutted by many scientists, including studies by organisations like the Indian Institute of Science, Tata Energy Research Institute and UNESCO who have proved in different ways that jhum is indeed a sustainable form of agriculture best suited to the rainy hill regions of Northeast India, over other forms of agriculture such as valley or terrace cultivation. Studies have further proved that, contrary to arguments of soil infertility, the practice of jhum ensures that fallowness in the soil is not compromised on, and often rapid regeneration of the vegetation takes place once a tract of land is abandoned after cultivation. CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change & its Impact on India India, the seventh largest country in the world and the second largest in Asia, has a total geographical area of 329 Mha, of which only 305 Mha is the reporting area (the area as per the land records of villages and towns). The mainland stretches from 8 4†² N to 37 6†² N and 68 7†² E to 97 25†² E. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of 7,516 km. India, the seventh largest country in the world and the second largest in Asia, has a total geographical area of 329 Mha, of which only 305 Mha is the reporting area (the area as per the land records of villages and towns). The mainland stretches from 8o4†² N to 37o6†² N and 68o7†² E to 97o 25†² E. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of 7,516 km. In developing countries like India, climate change could represent an additional stress on cological and socioeconomic systems that are already facing tremendous pressures due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and economic development. With its huge and growing population, a 7500-km long densely populated and low-lying coastline, and an economy that is closely tied to its natural resource base, India is considerably vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The various studies conducted in the country have shown that the surface air temperatures in India are going up at the rate of 0. 4oC per hundred years, particularly during the post-monsoon and winter season. Using models, they predict that mean winter temperatures will increase by as much as 3. 2oC in the 2050s and 4. 5oC by 2080s, due to Greenhouse gases. Summer temperatures will increase by 2. 2oC in the 2050s and 3. 2oC in the 2080s. Extreme temperatures and heat spells have already become common over Northern India, often causing loss of human life. In 1998 alone, 650 deaths occurred in Orissa due to heat waves. Climate change has had an effect on the monsoons too. India is heavily dependent on the monsoon to meet its agricultural and water needs, and also for protecting and propagating its rich biodiversity. Subtle changes have already been noted in the monsoon rain patterns by scientists at IIT, Delhi. They also warn that India will experience a decline in summer rainfall by the 2050s, summer rainfall accounts for almost 70% of the total annual rainfall over India and is crucial to Indian agriculture. Relatively small climatic changes can cause large water resource problems, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions such as northwest India. This will have an impact on agriculture, drinking water and on generation of hydro-electric power. Apart from monsoon rains, India uses perennial rivers, which originate and depend on glacial melt-water in the Hindukush and Himalayan ranges. Since the melting season coincides with the summer monsoon season, any intensification of the monsoon is likely to contribute to flood disasters in the Himalayan catchment. Rising temperatures will also contribute to the raising of snowline, reducing the capacity of this natural reservoir, and increasing the risk of flash floods during the wet season. Increased temperatures will impact agricultural production. Higher temperatures reduce the total duration of a crop cycle by inducing early flowering, thus shortening the `grain fill’ period. The shorter the crop cycle, the lower the yield per unit area. A trend of sea level rise of 1 cm per decade has been recorded along the Indian coast. Sea level rise due to thermal expansion of sea water in the Indian Ocean is expected to be about 25-040 cm by 2050. This could inundate low lying areas, down coastal marshes and wetlands, erode beaches, exacerbate flooding and increase the salinity of rivers, bays and aquifers. Deltas will be threatened by flooding, erosion and salt intrusion. Loss of coastal mangroves will have an impact on fisheries. The major delta area of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus rivers, which have large populations reliant on riverine resources will be affected by changes in water regimes, salt water intrusions and land loss. Increase in temperatures will result in shifts of lower altitude tropical and subtropical forests to higher altitude temperate forest regions, resulting in the extinction of some temperate vegetation types. Decrease in rainfall and the resultant soil moisture stress could result in drier teak dominated forests replacing sal trees in central India. Increased dry spells could also place dry and moist deciduous forests at increased risk from forest fires. Medical Science suggests that the rise in temperature and change in humidity will adversely affect human health in India. Heat stress could result in heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heal stroke, and damage physiological functions, metabolic processes and immune systems. Increased temperatures can increase the range of vector borne diseases such as malaria, particularly in regions where minimum temperatures currently limited pathogen and vector development. as one of the first in Asia to recognize the effectiveness of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) model in promoting exports, with Asia's first EPZ set up in Kandla in 1965. With a view to overcome the shortcomings experienced on account of the multiplicity of controls and clearances; absence of world-class infrastructure, and an unstable fiscal regime and with a view to attract larger foreign investments in India, the Special Econ omic Zones (SEZs) Policy was announced in April 2000. This policy intended to make SEZs an engine for economic growth supported by quality infrastructure complemented by an attractive fiscal package, both at the Centre and the State level, with the minimum possible regulations. SEZs in India functioned from 1. 11. 2000 to 09. 02. 2006 under the provisions of the Foreign Trade Policy and fiscal incentives were made effective through the provisions of relevant statutes. To instill confidence in investors and signal the Government's commitment to a stable SEZ policy regime and with a view to mpart stability to the SEZ regime thereby generating greater economic activity and employment through the establishment of SEZs, a comprehensive draft SEZ Bill prepared after extensive discussions with the stakeholders. A number of meetings were held in various parts of the country both by the Minister for Commerce and Industry as well as senior officials for this purpose. The Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, was passed by Parliament in May, 2005 whic h received Presidential assent on the 23rd of June, 2005. The draft SEZ Rules were widely discussed and put on the website of the Department of Commerce offering suggestions/comments. Around 800 suggestions were received on the draft rules. After extensive consultations, the SEZ Act, 2005, supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect on 10th February, 2006, providing for drastic simplification of procedures and for single window clearance on matters relating to central as well as state governments. The main objectives of the SEZ Act are: (a)generation of additional economic activity (b)promotion of exports of goods and services; c)promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources; (d)creation of employment opportunities; (e)development of infrastructure facilities; It is expected that this will trigger a large flow of foreign and domestic investment in SEZs, in infrastructure and productive capacity, leading to generation of additional economic activity and creation of employment opportunities. The SEZ Act 2005 envisages key role for th e State Governments in Export Promotion and creation of related infrastructure. A Single Window SEZ approval mechanism has been provided through a 19 member inter-ministerial SEZ Board of Approval (BoA). The applications duly recommended by the respective State Governments/UT Administration are considered by this BoA periodically. All decisions of the Board of approvals are with consensus. The SEZ Rules provide for different minimum land requirement for different class of SEZs. Every SEZ is divided into a processing area where alone the SEZ units would come up and the non-processing area where the supporting infrastructure is to be created. was one of the first in Asia to recognize the effectiveness of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) model in promoting exports, with Asia's first EPZ set p in Kandla in 1965. With a view to overcome the shortcomings experienced on account of the multiplicity of controls and clearances; absence of world-class infrastructure, and an unstable fiscal regime and with a view to attract larger foreign investments in India, the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Policy was announced in April 2000. This policy intended to make SEZs an engine for economic growth sup ported by quality infrastructure complemented by an attractive fiscal package, both at the Centre and the State level, with the minimum possible regulations. SEZs in India functioned from 1. 11. 2000 to 09. 02. 006 under the provisions of the Foreign Trade Policy and fiscal incentives were made effective through the provisions of relevant statutes. To instill confidence in investors and signal the Government's commitment to a stable SEZ policy regime and with a view to impart stability to the SEZ regime thereby generating greater economic activity and employment through the establishment of SEZs, a comprehensive draft SEZ Bill prepared after extensive discussions with the stakeholders. A number of meetings were held in various parts of the country both by the Minister for Commerce and Industry as well as senior officials for this purpose. The Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, was passed by Parliament in May, 2005 which received Presidential assent on the 23rd of June, 2005. The draft SEZ Rules were widely discussed and put on the website of the Department of Commerce offering suggestions/comments. Around 800 suggestions were received on the draft rules. After extensive consultations, the SEZ Act, 2005, supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect on 10th February, 2006, providing for drastic simplification of procedures and for single window clearance on matters relating to central as well as state governments.

Research of Restaraunt for Business Research

Table of Contents Introduction3 Research Objectives3 Research Questions4 Answers to Research Questions5 Answer to Research Question 1. 5 Answer to Question 2. 6 Answer to Question 3. 7 Answer to Question 4. 8 Answer to Question 5. 9 Answer to Question 6. 10 Recommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant11 References14 Introduction The Remington restaurant, located in Tampa Florida, wanted to better understand their customer’s views and opinions of the restaurant by using a survey method.This method would reveal the perception of the customer to see what category the Remington restaurant is in, what performance the customer expects, and how satisfied the customers are when they leave the Remington restaurant. This is the best way for the Remington restaurant to improve their service because it paints a picture of what how the customer views their services. Even though competition is important to any business, the customers are the biggest asset to the company.By research ing the customer’s perception of the restaurant one will see how the customer chooses the restaurant desired, how important performance is to the customer, and what was the overall satisfactory. One can acquire such information by reviewing and discussing the survey, finding out what is most or least important to the customer, seeing what is expected on how the restaurant performs, and discussing the satisfaction of the customer. In order to get this information, different methods will be used such as coefficient of variation, coefficients of determination and other tatistical techniques. There are six main research questions that will be addressed that will help the Remington restaurant see how the customers view the restaurant as a whole, and show the restaurant where and how to improve their business. Research Objectives 1. Discuss the type of survey used by the Remington Restaurant and how effective it is by using a research survey design. Compare effectiveness of the res earch to the other research designs of the subordinate data, experiments or observation in the context of collecting information for this project. . Describe the demographic profile of the average Remington customer. 3. Classify and describe which influence is most important to the customers in selecting a place to eat, and what is the least important factor that influences customers in selecting a restaurant. 4. Examine the Remington Restaurant scores on each of the six perception of portions of food, knowledgeable employees, food quality, swift service, atmosphere, and prices. 5. Justify if the Remington Restaurant is providing the expectations that customers want when choosing a restaurant. 6.Decide if there is a connection between being satisfied with the Remington Restaurant and the service, food portion, smart employees, quality of food and fast service. 7. Review the surveys to see what the Zagat Review Research Questions 1. What kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant us e? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. 2. What is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? . Which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? 4. How does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? 5. Is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? 6. Is there a connection between customer’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service?Answers to Research Questions Answer to Research Question 1. The purpose of this section is to answer the first rese arch question. The first question, which is; what kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant use? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. The type of survey that the Remington Restaurant used was the self-administered Internet survey.This kind of survey is probably the cheapest survey for the person collecting data. It involves minimum personnel and low cost as compared with other methods. Since 73% of American households are actively using the Internet, an Internet survey would be the best idea to cover a large location fact while conserving energy, money, and time (Cooper, Schindler, 2008). Internet survey’s can also give one access to graphs, charts and percentages automatically. Also, the Internet survey will be able to give one an idea of the customer’s attitude and perception of the Remington’s Restaurant.By using secondary information one would be able to see general information such as, what the demographic is of the average family is in the area, what is the general income, and how many times the family eats at restaurant in a week. By shifting the focus off of the Remington’s Restaurant and on to the genre of restaurants the Remington’s Restaurant is associated with would dilute the information the Remington’s Restaurant wanted to know about their customer’s satisfaction with the Remington’s Restaurant. Methods such as observational and experimental research would not be ffective for the Remington’s Restaurant. The observational method would not be effective because it would only tell one the behavior of the people such as body language. The experimental method would require a laboratory setting and would not be practical. The main goal for the research is to find out how the customers perceive the perfo rmance of the restaurant and their satisfaction. Also, the Remington’s Restaurant wants to know how their customers select a restaurant. Answer to Question 2. The purpose for this section is to answer the second question.The second question is; what is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? The main variables are as follows: the children who live at home, viewed advertisements, gender, income, age, and familiar competitors. The questionnaire was simple and easy to understand. The applicant had to answer just one number on each question. On the table below one will see the demographic of people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant most often. In statistics the number (or in this case the persons) that occur most frequently is the mode.The information is from the results from the survey taken by customers. Table 1: Demographic Description of the Remington Restaurant’s customers ——————— —————————- VariableCentral TendencyResultStd. Deviation Age335-491 Gender0Male0 Number of Children11 to None1 Advertisements 0No0 Income235k-50k1 Competitors1Outback1 ————————————————- One can see by looking at the table above that the people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant frequently are males who are between the ages of 35 and 49, and make 35,000 to 50,000 a year.These men also have one child, have not seen advertisements for the Remington Restaurant, Outback, and Longhorn. One can also see that the major competitor is Outback Steakhouse. Answer to Question 3. The purpose for this section is to answer the third question which is; which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? The variable for this question are as follows ; large food portions, smart employees, excellent food quality, fast service, good atmosphere, and good prices. The choices for these questions are fixed.The applicant had a choice to rate each variable from 1 to 7, which 1 was strongly disagree and 7 was strongly agree. The answer below includes the mean and standard deviation. Table 2: Remington’s Patron’s Criteria In Restaurant Selection ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Large Portions5. 86 Quality of Food61. 02 Speed of Service71 Atmosphere5. 95 Reasonable Prices51. 04 From the information from the table above one can see that anything rated over 5 is important to the customer.The variable competent employees were rated under 5 and therefore not important to the majority of customers. Answer to Question 4. The purpose of this section is to answer the fourth question, which is; how does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? One will see what kind of perception the customers have of the variables listed in the question. These questions were asked in the same format as the third section. The questions had fixed answers from 1 to 7 with 1 strongly disagree and 7 strongly agree.The answers in the table include the mean and standard deviation. Table 3: Remington’s Patron’s Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Has Large Portions3. 91 Has Quality of Food6. 9 6 Has Speed of Service31. 21 Has Atmosphere61. 21 Has Reasonable Prices5. 81 Has Competent Employees41. 35 ————————————————- One can see from the table above that large portions and speed of service is below average. Food quality, atmosphere, and reasonable prices are above average.Competent employees are average. Answer to Question 5. The purpose for this section is to answer the fifth question; is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? The variables in this case are similar to the previous question and include large food portions, competent employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere, and reasonable prices. These variables were rated by the customer and given a choice to choose one number for each question. The numbers that represented the answers for the questions were at a range from 1 to 7.The number 1 represented that the customer strongly disagreed and the number 7 was that the customer strongly agreed. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableWhat Customers Expect (Mean)Actual Performance (Mean) Quality of Food66 ————————————————- Fast Service63 One can see here that the Remington’s Restaurant is performing how the customer expects them to perform as a restaurant. This is almost one of the most important factors of the restaurant.The quality of food as expected, but the fast service needs improving. Answer to Question 6. The purpose of this section is to answer the final question, is there a connection between customer ’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service? From the table below one will find the correlation between the variable and the satisfaction of the customers. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————-Variablerr2 Large Portions. 41. 17 ————————————————- Competent Employees. 55. 31 ————————————————- Food Quality. 33. 11 ————————————†”———- Speed of Service. -. 6. 004 ————————————————- Good Atmosphere. 40. 15 ————————————————- Good Prices. 06. 004 One can see here that there is a weak and positive relationship between the large portions and satisfaction. The large portions were 17% of the change in satisfaction.Having competent employees was a modest and positive correlation with satisfaction. If the competence of the employees increases, so does the satisfaction. There was a weak positive relationship with the food quality and satisfaction. Food quality was only 11% of satisfaction. There is also a weak and negative correlation between speed of service and satisfaction. In the end one can see that the competent employees are rated the highest in customer satisfaction. R ecommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant Regarding question one. The Remington’s Restaurant has done a good job in the survey method.The self administered, web based survey is the best way to cover a large geographical area in a short amount of time. The survey method is also a good way to retrieve data fast. One of the most important aspects about the survey method is how one can rate an attitude toward something. Regarding question two. The Remington’s Restaurant main customer was a 35-49 year old male who makes 35,001 to 49,000 dollars a year and has one child. The main customer has never seen an advertisement for the Remington’s Restaurant or any of its competitors.A good recommendation for the Remington’s Restaurant would be to advertise more. Also, the competition has not made an impact in the advertising category and would be in favor of the Remington’s Restaurant to pioneer this field. Regarding question three. The average custo mer held competent employees, atmosphere and quality of food of high importance. Being that the Remington’s Restaurant is in the food business, it should strive to keep the quality of food as a high priority. Having competent employees is an asset to the company but should not be valued over the quality of food.Regarding question four. When one looking at table 3 one can see that the Remington’s Restaurant is doing well with the quality of food, atmosphere and employees, but there are areas that need much improvement. Large portions and the speed of service are below average and must far exceed the customer’s expectations. Any business should not settle for average or below average results. Training the employees on time management and having a smooth flowing system to better serve the customers would be ideal in this situation.Also, if the portions can not expand anymore the restaurant should offer the customers free appetizers that are cheap and filling. Bread and chips would be a good start for this process. Offering the customer cheap food will allow for the portions to stay the same and not lose any money on the main courses. Regarding question five. The food must stay at the top of the priority list. The customers value food the most and should expect the food to always be outstanding. A strict procedure to test the quality of the food must be practiced on a regular schedule to ensure that all customers are receiving the same unique aste of the restaurant. Regarding question six. The employees must know what they are serving. The customer’s rated the employee’s knowledge 31% which is over a third of the satisfaction. It may be just a fraction, but it can also the opening and closing of a sale. When a customer feels like he is being taken care of, the sales will increase and the testimony of the company will prosper. Most people do not eat alone and will bring others with them References Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2008) . Business research methods (10th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Principles of communication in adult social care settings Essay

How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality’ to Hannah? Whilst it is Hannah’s right to make decisions for herself and choose not to want to take the medication, in this case from the information given it could be detrimental to her health and therefore I would explain to Hannah that the information given to me is in confidence. Although Hannah not taking her prescribed medication could put her at risk of harm and therefore I would need to pass the information on to my Manager to ensure her wellbeing is being addressed. It is Hannah’s choice who she shares information with and I would give her my assurance that the information would not be shared with her daughter unless she consented to it. BiiDescribe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others of Hannah’s decision and keeping this information totally confidential. The range of people that would need to share the information would be those directly involved with her care, healthc are professionals including her GP who can work with Hannah to help her understand the benefits of taking her medication. If the information was shared with the daughter this could cause upset and potential breakdown of the relationship. Hannah has the choice to inform her daughter or not. BiiiDescribe ways to maintain confidentially in day to day communication. Ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication are to keep all patient details and any information relating to them should not be in view of anyone and kept safe at all times. You should always not discuss any information with anyone other than legally involved, this sometime includes a family member. When patient are in clinic you should make sure that curtains are closed, doors are locked and making sure there is privacy. You should always make sure you have permission to pass on any information to other colleagues, new carers etc. BivExplain when and how a social care worker should get advice about confidentiality. It is very important as a healthcare worker that you understand when to seek advice about confidentiality. Confidentiality is essential in health care to improve trust and working relationships between the patients and their carer’s. Certain information is however shared amongst teams if it is needed to effectively support service users and others involved in their care. When there is a prospect of risk of danger or harm to the patient, staff or  members of the public. Additionally if abuse is suspected within the home or seen anywhere, or if there is a misconduct of a staff, it is the responsibility of the staff around to pass such information to their managers to take appropriate action. In most cases organisations have whistleblowing policies to protect staff after blowing the whistle and also to guide them on how to break confidentiality .

The Translation of Photographic Images Into Painting Essay

The Translation of Photographic Images Into Painting - Essay Example The essay "The Translation of Photographic Images Into Painting" discusses what actually changed the set views and paradigms of artist of coming centuries was the ability to think out of the box. Such artists have given art a new dimension every time. Artists create art to communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings. They use a variety of methods such as painting, sculpting or illustration and an assortment of materials including oils, watercolours, acrylics, pastels, pencils. Artists, works may be realistic or abstract and may depict objects, people, nature or events. We are swamped by so many images, on the streets, in magazines and on the television. Artists usually create landscape paintings in one of four ways: They paint entirely on location; they rely on memory or imagination; they work from photos; or they use a combination of these source. Working from photos to create art pieces as paintings has always been an act which came under darkness due to overlapping views (and counter views too) about ethics of the profession and such other reasons. Some can say that painting taking initial source as a photograph lacks the freshness of thought and the as-it-is natural conditions. Too much reliance on photographs can result in paintings that lack breadth and are broken apart by tedious detail. But using a photograph as a mere source of reference to an idea is not discouraged at all. Rather it is very much beneficial in cases where there is no possibility of carrying painting equipment. or where there is short time between events that change the condition of the idea which has to be captured. Thus we look into the lives of various artists of mainly the twentieth century who have contributed their paintings with criticisms rolling off their backs and the praises not lowering their further elevation of imaginative journeys. "I remember the first place I went to on this trip where we were active, one of the resettlements that we built. I found that as far as I was concerned, they were impossible to photograph. Neat little rows of houses. This wasn't my idea of something fun to photograph at all. But I had the good luck to ask someone, "Where are you all from Where did they bring you from" And when he told me, I went on to a place called Scott's Run, and there it began. From there I went all through Kentucky, West Virginia, down to Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana-in other words, I covered the mine country and the cotton country. I was terribly excited about it, and did no painting at all in that time. This was it, I thought. I'm sort of a single track guy, anyway. When I'm off on photography, photography is it, and I thought this would be the career for the rest of my life."1 The deep interpretative question in Richter's art concerns less the fact that he worked with photographs than why he selected the photographs he did for Atlas, and what governed his decision to translate certain of them into paintings. There are, for example, photographs of American airplanes-Mustang Squadrons, Bombers and Phantom Interceptor planes in ghostly gray-in-gray formations. Richter was an adolescent in 1945, and lived with his family within earshot of Dresden at the time of the massive fire bombings of that year. The photograph from which Bombers was made had to have been taken as a documentary image by some official Air Force photographer, whether over Dresden or some other city. The cool of that

Ninth world by Jewell Parker Rhodes book question Essay

Ninth world by Jewell Parker Rhodes book question - Essay Example Moreover, despite not related by blood, Mama Ya-Ya had a incredibly strong love with the young Lanesha. However, despite having outstanding similarities, Jewell Parker Rhodes the author of the ninth world has demonstrated considerable level of differences between young Lanesha late mother and Mama Ya-Ya. The essay below will compare and contrasts the relationship between Mama Ya-Ya and the death mother. Similarities Both the death mother and Mama Ya-Ya had a strong affection on Lanesha. The death mother took great care of Lanesha for nine month until her demise in the delivery process. Similar to Mama Ya-Ya, the death mother hoped for a better future to the new born. She had a great plan to ensure the young girl prosper in her life. However, death could not have allowed her to take care of the new born. Lanesha admits that, she could have died at her tender were it not for the good care of Mama Ya-Ya. According to Lanesha, Mama Ya-Ya sliced the bloody membrane that covered her face d uring birth. Moreover, Mama Ya-Ya took good care of the child until her adult age. In some instances, Lanesha asserted that â€Å"I would have died, too, if Mama Ya-Ya had not sliced the bloody membrane from my face† (Rhodes 12). ... Mama Ya-Ya asserted that, the death mother used to narrate to her stories on past phenomena like earthquake and droughts. Just like the death mother, Mama Ya-Ya talked about past occurrences. It is also through Mama Ya-Ya that Lanesha understand the reality that, she was born with skin netting that covered her face. Moreover, Lanesha explains that, in every year’s birthday Mama Ya-Ya told her about the situation that surrounded her birth. According to Mama Ya-Ya â€Å"Lanesha, your eyes were the lightest green, with the tiniest specks of yellow. I knew you would have the sight. † (Rhodes 17) Differences Contrary to the death mother, Mama Ya-Ya was in a position of predicting future incidences. The same spiritual power was as well transferred to Lanesha. Lanesha held the spiritual ability of interacting with the spirits of deaths while Mama Ya-Ya predicted the coming of Hurricane Katrina and its impacts. As stated in the novel, â€Å"Lanesha can see the spirits of the d ead, and Mama Ya-Ya is a midwife, able to predict the future† (Rhodes 67). However, the death mother lacked the spiritual power of predicting future occurrences. The death mother was also not linked to spirits of the deaths. Despite presences all indicators in her delivery, the death mother could not envisage her death. In addition, although Lanesha intended to rely on her mother spirits to predict the future, the spirit of the death mother lacked the ability to forecast the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina. The death mother was composed and had independent minded traits. She lacked direct and strong connection with other people in the society including her relatives and friend. Despite being too friendly and lively to her family, the death mother

Analyze Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Analyze - Essay Example So, let us see the meaning of text interpretation evidenced from the article â€Å"Learning to Read† by Malcolm X. For the beginning it must be said that any author by his work intends to reach a particular purpose using for this different writing techniques. Just so Malcolm X takes advantage of every possible element for the effect on the issue of people’s perception of black-white relationship both by the black man who has to be literate for improvement of his oppressed state and by the white man who needs to realize his tyrant treatment of non-white men. Being led by such a view Malcolm X has chosen a good form of his idea presentation, that is, he has shown on his own example the whole significance of reading ability and serious reading itself for the benefit of non-white people (as a tool for their empowering in the fight against their humiliation), which suffer from white men’s dictatorship for more than four hundred years: this is the argument. Herein the realization of the purpose finds its reflection in a primary non-complex sentence structure easy for understanding by his followers, imagery providing readers with visualization of the sharp question (it is introduced through Malcolm’s descriptions of his own images from life of black population presented in the read books). In addition, author’s extremely expressive narration gives numerous details and emotions from his mastering of reading and writing, as well as his feelings about blacks’ position. As a result, rhetorical mode of pictorial description alongside with conscious tone of the author’s narration makes him to be represented as a willful concerned active defender of non-white peoples’ rights, who spends every minute of his time for resisting the white man. It seems to be that the author’s direct purpose is actualization of non-white treatment by white men and necessity of reading ability for access to

What is the significance of 'The Orphan' with reference to Charles Essay

What is the significance of 'The Orphan' with reference to Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, George Elliot's Daniel Deronda and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - Essay Example Many had lost only one parent, others were abandoned or neglected, perhaps for reasons of penury, and many were illegitimate and marginalized. Victorian times showed no compassion towards children who had no control over their parentage. (Banerjee ibid). Orphans were very often homeless and vulnerable, prey to criminals who used them for their own abusive purposes, turning innocent children into hardened thieves (Sadrin 1994). Those who were the hardiest managed to survive, ‘...hungry, roaming singly or in packs like young wolves, snatching, stealing, stone-throwing, destructive, brutish, and cruel when not merely hopeless and lost.’ (Roe 27) There were thousands, and they came into contact with most inhabitants of large British cities, so it was inevitable that they would enter the literature of the day. Authors such as Dickens, Eliot, and Brontà « were joined by Charles Kingsley, who wrote The Water Babies, Thomas Hughes, who wrote Tom Brown’s Schooldays, Mrs. Gaskell, who wrote John Halifax, Gentleman, and there is of course George Eliot’s other novel, Silas Marner, among many others. So much so, that even modern day works such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince give us hints of Victorian influence in characters such as Lord Voldemort, and Mrs. Cole, who seems to be modeled on Dickens’ Mrs. Thingummy in Oliver Twist, who was also an orphan and lived in an institution. (Washick 2009) Charles Dickens did not only use his own childhood as a background for David Copperfield, but described the whole pervasive atmosphere and environment which was London in his early experience and that of all its inhabitants of the time. Little Davy in the novel endures hardship and penury - not only his own, but that of others around him, because he had no father - and he takes it as a matter of course that he and his mother are treated badly. His whole personality is saturated with the rigors of practical ‘making-do’, which

Second Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Second Life - Research Paper Example On the other hand this application cannot be separated from the lives of individuals because it has proved to play an essential part in people’s lives. Any person who is not aware or is not using the application should reconsider his or her or her priorities in social life. Many companies are using this application to conduct a variety of activities ranging from internal communication, conducting meetings, product testing, corporate communication among others. It presents the companies with an added advantage as they are able to conduct various activities using this application in a cost effective manner. Meetings are easily conducted with people in various regions; products are easily tested before they are released to the mass market to assess the impact they will have on the target consumers. An organization is also able to publicize its activities not only to the people in the region where it exists but also to many other people from different parts of the world. Individua ls using second life live a very different and interesting life as compared to others who are not using it. They learn entrepreneurial skills through the various business activities that are available on second life. Secondly people are able to socialize and get to know each other in the virtual world. Instead of having friends within the same regions individuals can extend their network of friends and enjoy themselves in the various islands that are available on second life. Another important thing about this application is its use is therapy especially treating people with certain disorders or those who have been abused. It is evident from the above points that second life is an important application that has changed the way people and organizations conduct their activities, ranging from communications, product testing, meetings and PR activities to socializing and entrepreneurial activities. This is done without incurring any costs for any of the parties involved. They can use th e application to conduct their activities whenever they are whether for organizational or personal benefit. It can thus be concluded that second life actually plays an integral part in organizations and in peoples’ lives. It is an application that is essential for everyday activities and helps people and organizations in doing a variety of things that would actually not have been possible in the real world. 1. SECOND LIFE Second life as popularly known is the largest 3D online virtual world that was developed by Phillip linden of the Linden Laboratories in San Francisco in the United States of America1. It has tens of millions of Square meters of land considered virtual and more than thirteen million numbers of registered members or users also called residents and a very active economy2. It was launched in 2003 by the Linden Laboratories and has changed many aspects of the virtual world industry. Since it was launched way back in 2003 its developers have continued to improve on many aspects of its functionality adding features such as the VoIP that allows various users to speak to one another in the virtual world3. They have also improved on features such as environmental features that imitate the real environment for example the flowing water, wind and tree movements. Figure 1. Number of user hours from 2009- 2011 on second life Year 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 Months (Quarterly) Oct- Dec Jan- March April-June July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-March User hours In millions 113 116 109 105 105 104 Source: http://www.metaversejournal.com/2011/05/12/first-quarter-2011-results-for-second-life-steady-sailing/

All American Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

All American Poem - Essay Example It uncovers the profundity of Dickmans ethical creative ability and demands his dedication to creating his different voice and topical reach. Mayakovskys Revolver is that uncommon work that lays bear how verse battles both with life and with itself. When all is said in done Dickman is an extraordinary kind of artist, the sort to start in his followers an interest for the creator himself. One may muse on how a discussion with Yeats may go, or wish to send Robert Lowell some lively blessing via mail, yet what might one tribute for an evening of strolling with Whitman, simply listening to him bring up out, or to light both closures of ones flame with Edna St. Vincent Millay? Dickmans ballads appear to handle you by the wrist, or around the waist and aide you to a vantage point where the world looks somewhat more confident. This is particularly valid for his first book, All-American Poem, which overflows over with satisfaction, with quality, and dissatisfaction of all assortment. It is the sort of book you require your companions to peruse. Here is a selection from one of the sonnets of that gathering, "Moderate Dance," which picked up right on time consideration, along these lines numerous solicitations at readings that Dickman once clowned it was in hazard of turning into his "Free Bird": One could continue endlessly like this. What fun there is in Dickman! What inconvenience and hopelessness! There is sufficient sex and amusingness and excellence in these pages to make one swell with the rapture of presence. Yet, however characteristic the appeal of Dickmans work, his ballads are anything other than gullible. His simple style may appear to think again at history with close to a detached look, however this insouciance is won through cautious study: one of Dickmans enchantment traps is pulling off the posture of footloose novice while at the same time participating in an expert dialog with the wonderful convention. In fact, Dickmans engagement with his

Relationships in working with young people Essay

Relationships in working with young people - Essay Example Many organisations have been on the forefront in ensuring this is a prevalent occasion as it cements the functionality of the same organisation. For instance, this project was developed to assist the youth in the working environment (The factory sequence 3: Paul’s perspective, 3’00’’). This was to improve their working environment and ensure they are comfortable with what was offered. In making this a reality, the project manager approached working youth and engaged the youth in lengthy talks. This was initiated to get information on what they needed and how they wanted it. Therefore, it openly states that communication was an ideal aspect in getting to know what the youth need in the working environment. There are many issues youth have to deal with, including employment. This is an issue that is affecting a number of families in the society. To save the situation, youths have to look for other avenues of looking for employment. This includes the informal sector, where youths have to start working to support their families. Aggressive and creative youths have to look for employment in supporting their younger siblings. This includes fending for their food, clothing, and getting enough cash to send them to school. In most cases, youths of age 16 and 17 have to look for employment to get more resources. ... In some instances, youths save enough cash and pursue their higher education later in life. This means that all is not lost, especially when youths have networks and can make strong relationships in the informal sector. Building a relationship with the youth does not cost a lot in terms of money. When building a relationship with the youth, you only need to engage in dialogue, talk about issues and make lasting friendship (The factory sequence 2: Kawsar’s perspective, 00’04’’). This is done on a frequent basis where the youth meet, exchange ideas and make decisions. This does not involve use of resources as it is a social activity. However, the issue of resources chips in when they have to make a project from their ideas. In such a case, the only resource that is spent is time. The youth have to spare enough time to relate, talk, dialogue and exchange ideas with other youth. As much as a project is in the offing, the youth will have a stronger bond and rel ationship. In making a strong relationship with the youth in the streets and factories, the project initiators engaged in frequent talks. These lively talks made a concrete bond between the youth and the project initiators. Since they communicated on a frequent basis, they gathered substantial information that could be used in developing the project. The relationship between the youth and the project initiators was enhanced by an agreement point. This is where the project initiators respected the needs of the youth and had to make better ways of giving the youths what they need. In continuous interaction with the youth, the project initiators discovered that the youth had wider perspectives

PC Case Essay Example for Free

PC Case Essay According to Carter, â€Å"a Pc case is the basis of the computer system within which all the other parts reside. The choice of a case size determines what other components of a machine may fit inside of it. It is the visible portion of a machine system†. Some modern computer cases come with a power supply pre-installed inside them, but most of them do not. It is therefore necessary for one to get a power supply which will work with the rest of the components and which has sufficient power. There are different types of cases which include small towers, tall towers, horizontal desktops, slim desktops, and also the lunch box size and shape made popular by the Shuttle and Mini-ITX case builders. (Carter, 2002:14) Computers Pc cases are available in many form factors or rather different magnitudes. The size and form of a case in a computer is generally dogged by the motherboard’s form factor that is intended to accommodate, since this is the most central and largest component of many computers. As a result, form factors in individual’s computer typically spell out only the inner proportions and case layout. Form factors for blade servers and rack-mounted incorporate defined peripheral dimensions as well bearing in mind that these computer Pc cases must themselves fit in particular inclusions. The conservative viewpoint says that a case carries out several functions. First, it holds on to a range of form factors so as to house the different components that make up a PC. (Ashton B, 2002:33) These factors are PSU, the motherboard, PCI cards, drives and fans. It also provides noise shielding. It allows air to flow through the case in order to cool the components within it. It gives a Pc its attractive appearance. The silent viewpoint is mostly in emphasis. Form factor adherence is implicit for all cases. However, EMI looks and shielding are derivative to the main properties of airflow vents that are exceedingly unobstructed, tortuous paths which facilitate noise escape to the case, airflow paths that are well-directed within the case and low sound transmission, sturdy construction and low resonance. To help personalize Pc cases on the computer market today, majority of the computer Pc case manufacturers present with various accessories. These accessories take account of items which include a case cover that has a window that has been built-in to specialized fans and lights. Bearing in mind that the time for the standard beige box are no longer in use, users now have several factors to consider when picking out their case which include color, design and lights and windows as well. (Cheek, J, 1995:19) Design The material of the Pc and the eminence of the workmanship normally make a big difference in a Pc case. At their base most cases are made with aluminum while others are made with steel. Other materials which incorporate plastics and acrylics as well are also used to complement the design and appearance of the Pc case. These materials not only impact on the ways that heat is held in or circulated out of the system but also impact on heaviness or portability of the Pc case. It is however of great significance that individual checks how the Pc case is put together. Finished edges or rather beveled normally minimize the possibilities of cuts while working inside the Pc case. To prevent doors breakage, hinges should be sturdy enough. Power Supplies In modern days, majority of the computer cases are put on the market independently from the power supply. Nevertheless, a number of these computer cases do come with a power supply already included. In cases where computers comes with power supply already inaugurated in the case, it is importance that users authenticate that the power supply wattage meets the requirements of the mechanism that will be fixed inside. In addition, it is importance for users of the computer to check and ensure that it has the correct connectors and enough cables essential for all of the inner components. Layout The adornment of the computer Pc case and its design can unswervingly impact on its usage. The position of the fans and ports on the computer normally improves access or rather increases the style of the Pc case. For instance, when a case has been placed on the floor, it would be considered better for the extra USB, audio and Fire Wire ports to be positioned on the top of the case than when positioned on the front. On the other hand, it would be better for the ports to be on the front should the case be on the top of a desk or inside a cabinet. Drives in the rear a door panel can lessen noise and this gives the Pc case a look that is more uniform. However, although the drive behind the door panel reduces the noise and gives the computer Pc case a more uniform look, it makes it impossible to access the drives behind the door panel. Conclusion Excess heat has a negative impact on the performance of the internal components in the desktop. Due to this heat effect, cooling is considered a very important factor to bring into attention. An assortment of vents ducts and fans that are built into a Pc case either aids or deters the flow of the heat from the internal to the peripheral parts of the case. A computer Pc case with a large quantity of the flow of air can also lead to a large amount of dust buildup inside of the case. However, the amount of dust in the computer Pc case can be reduced by acquisition of Filters and screens that are designed to help minimize dust in the Pc case. (Hill, P. , 1995:29) In order for one to have silent computing, unrestricted airflow vents should be used. A major approach is the use of quiet fans which work at reduced speed to eliminate the noise produced by fans. Since the volume and the pressure of airflow is significantly lower than that of a standard PC, any hitch at the vents creates a quite a large negative effect in temperatures. Well-directed Airflow Path in the Case is best accomplished by reducing the number of superfluous holes in the Pc case. Randomly placed holes on the sides of cheap cases, for example, tend to disrupt the ideal flow of air, which is generally seen as from front bottom to the back top. (Moir A,1991: 23)

E-Commerce and Intellectual Property Essay Example for Free

E-Commerce and Intellectual Property Essay Introduction E-commerce is defined by the UNCITRAL as   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Transactions in international trade are carried out by means of electronic data interchange and other means of communication commonly referred to as electronic commerce, which involve the use of alternatives to paper-based forms of communication and storage of information†. The rapid expansion of e-commerce is forcing countries to look again at how to regulate trade and intellectual property. The amazing development of telecommunication devices and means, and of computers and related services, has made all these services and products available to a very large number of people in the world. In highly-developed countries, the use of computers has been highly promoted, and it is normal to find people who are fully familiarized with computers and who are used to dealing with computer technologies such as the Internet. Relying On Private Agreements At the present time, the development of e-commerce has several barriers, such as the lack of security for electronic transactions, and the low purchasing power of a large part of the population, most of whom do not have credit cards. Also, people prefer to buy goods from real shops rather than from virtual shops due to the lack of security in electronic transactions and the increased problems relating to the falsification of credit cards, signatures and mail theft among others. First of all, to login to an information network, people use several programs and devices to retrieve information. People use computers, modems, switchboards, communication devices, routers, hubs, etc, and each one of these products may be the subject of a patent or a copyright, and whenever there is an intellectual property right involved, there is the possibility of an infringement. Secondly, a great deal of information is published in the Internet, and all this information is exposed to misuse. Probably, one of the most frequent practices on the Internet is that users take parts of web pages and copy them onto their computers; from then on, they are able to use, reproduce and modify the retrieved information to the extent they wish. This may infringe intellectual property rights such as trade marks, trade names, slogans or copyrights. Protection under the IP law Legislation modifications should be focused on trade laws and even more on international trade laws. The intellectual property laws are reasonably prepared to handle the boom of e-commerce activities in the forthcoming years, with provisions that offer the means to protect all intellectual property rights. Probably, the recent creation of the so-called â€Å"domain name† is the reason why it has not been included yet in most intellectual property laws. But, even in some countries, policies have been created for the registration of domain names and if necessary, procedures for cancellation of registration in cases of infringement of intellectual property rights. More often than not, one of the most valuable assets in e-commerce and the largest potential source of future income is the information database created across time in the joint venture. Unfortunately, some e-commerce proposals do not even mention this. But if the information-gathering activity is not mentioned, the possibility of failure persists, to negotiate the legal rights to that information and the income it generates. Enhancing the upside of e-commerce takes careful contract analysis and planning. E-commerce, in general, and strategic online partnerships in particular, are continuing to emerge and evolve in ways that are increasingly attractive to associations and their members. But at the same time that associations are realizing the benefits of such relationships, certain new legal developments require careful analysis to ensure that the association avoids potential legal and financial risk associated with its online activity. Unfortunately, the legal environment does not yet have much legal precedent on which lawyers and their clients may rely. At the same time, new legal developments are emerging. These realities pose tough challenges with regard to minimizing the associations legal risks while maximizing its economic rewards. Consequently, forging the effective low-risk partnerships desired will be nearly impossible to do solely. Rather, the associations legal counsel will need to pay particular attention to the details of the online partnerships the organization may consideras well as the contracts that define them. New Legal Developments Three of many developments complicating e-commerce legal analysis are the case of United Cancer Council; the Intermediate Sanctions portion of the Internal Revenue Code; and the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, which is currently being introduced in all state legislatures for enactment. United Cancer Council UCC is a spin-off of the American Cancer Society. The IRS retroactively revoked UCCs federal income tax exemption for its long-term contract in a joint venture with a for-profit company. In short, UCC lost in the U.S. Tax Court, won a reversal and new trial on appeal, and recently settled with the IRS before the second tax court trial. Based on my experience as one of the UCC lawyers at the tax court trial and on my observations of the interactions of IRS lawyers at that time, it is firmly believed the IRS will now apply its UCC positions to e-commerce ventures of nonprofit organizations. The IRS positions that emerged from this case should raise a red flag for associations when it comes to the planning and development of their own online joint ventures. In essence, associations must scrutinize arrangements in which †¢ There is too much contractual control of the venture by the for-profit; †¢ Funds belonging to the nonprofit flow to the benefit of the for-profit company; †¢ Too small a portion of joint venture proceeds are obtained by the nonprofit; †¢ Too large a portion of the joint venture proceeds are obtained by the for-profit; †¢ The contract term is too long (e.g., five years); and/or †¢ Insufficient competition exists in the selection of the for-profit company. Intermediate sanctions Intermediate sanctions, part of the Internal Revenue Code, tax individuals, not organizations. While intermediate sanctions most often tax employees and volunteers associated with a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizationor with an affiliate or foundation that has such status even if the organization does notother individuals also may be taxed . Typically, this might include outsiders who have substantial influence over excess benefit and revenue-sharing transactions. For example, suppose an associations chief executive officer or one of its department directors negotiates a contract with a for-profit company for a joint venture through which the company earns $1 million. If the IRS determines that the outside company had substantial influence over the actions of the association in this venture, such that under normal circumstances the companys earnings would have been only $800,000, then the excess benefit to the outside companyin this case $200,000is the amount to which the tax applies. The good news is that in this scenario the association is not taxed. The bad news is that the association CEO or department director may well be. While the outside company may be taxed at 25 percent of the excess benefit, for instance, the association staff members involved in negotiating the contract may be taxed at 10 percent of the excess benefit. Additionally, the tax applies for every year during which the challenged transaction remains uncorrected. In this particular scenario, that could mean that after four years the outside company may be taxed at 100 percent and the association staff members involved may be taxed at 40 percent. How, then, can association staff and volunteers be certain that the organization develops and negotiates joint-venture agreements in ways that wont expose them to intermediate sanctions? Heeding the bulleted points listed within the UCC section earlier in this article is a good start. In addition, individuals may get the benefit of a presumption of reasonableness if disinterested directors approve the transaction, and use comparability data, and document their work. Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act UCITA is the first federal law covering transactions involving computer information, and most often this will include e-commerce transactions. Virginia and Maryland have already passed UCITA, and many other states will do so by the end of 2001. Since UCITA is widely regarded as a vendor-oriented statute, participants in transactions covered by the actsuch as an association contracting for a new Web site or other online ventureswill face a greater need for up-front legal planning. At least part of this initial planning must include determining what changes to make to ensure effective warranty and liability provisions for the association, since guidelines provided by older laws will no longer apply. Careful analysis during early planning of the online venture will be all the more important because UCITA has its own list of mandatory, non-negotiable provisions. Related rulings In addition to UCC, intermediate sanctions, and UCITA, recent court cases have addressed taxation of royalty income from activities such as traditional affinity programs that have migrated online and electronic publishing and database ventures. The good news is that the courts have sided with associations claiming tax-free royalties. The bad news is that achieving that result without careful legal planning and drafting remains as tough as ever. Likewise, the IRS recently reissued its regulations addressing the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) exception for sponsorship income. Commercial companies are increasingly interested in sponsoring the associations activities, including those taking place on the Internet. The regulations limit the situations in which income from sponsorships can be tax-free. And finally, the IRS issued a revenue ruling on hospital joint ventures that also applies to other exempt-organization joint ventures. That ruling emphasizes contractual control provisions in the joint venture. In essence, too much control by the commercial joint venture partner can endanger the tax-exempt status. The ruling suggests a three-part â€Å"safe harbor† test for associations to protect their exempt status. First, the dominant purpose of the joint venture should be one of the tax-exempt purposes of the association. Second, private or for-profit benefit must be merely incidental. And third, the association must have effective control of the venture. Online Income Models One easy way to classify strategic online partnerships is by the nature of the income the association will receive and what can be done to make that income tax-free. It is critical at the outset of evaluating an e-commerce proposal to realize that achieving tax-free income by accident is extremely unlikely. More and more during recent decades the IRS has administered UBIT as a tax that applies to almost all association income unless it is intentionally structured that income to fit within UBIT exclusion. Contrary to traditional thinking, the income is not automatically tax-free simply because the organization is tax-exempt. Here is an overview of the primary online revenue-sharing models. Royalties Online partners may have the permission to use the associations name and logo on its site in exchange for a royalty. Partners may be licensed to use information gathered on the e-commerce site for its own commercial purposes, in exchange for a royalty. Commissions The organization may provide services and get paid a commission. That is generally considered taxable income. In many cases, the same activity would be better structured, legally and tax-wise, as a royalty. From a legal perspective, a royalty arrangement is preferable because the association would be considered as a passive licensor rather than an active participant in the business, thereby avoiding liability for legal claims against that business. A royalty arrangement would also be better tax-wise because the royalty would be tax-free. However, as is evident by their associations contracts, many association executives do not fully understand that a commission cannot be made into a royalty by simply calling it that. First and foremost, the facts of the arrangement have to change. Sponsorships A company may be authorized to sponsor a Web page, a Web-based educational program, or almost anything else in exchange for a sponsorship payment. If the sponsor does not receive a substantial return benefit, the payment can be tax-free. It must be realize, however, that large sponsorship payments often come with strings attached, so sponsorship regulations require careful analysis. For example, the IRS deals somewhat harshly with exclusive sponsorships in which the sponsors competitors are prohibited from providing their goods or services to the members. Charitable Contributions Various agreements are being promoted by commercial companies to get charities involved in their online commercial ventures in exchange for making payments to the charities. These payments are sometimes characterized as charitable contributions. If someone pays money to a commercial company with the understanding and intent that a portion of it will go to a charity as a gift, that gift may be properly characterized by the charity as a contribution to the charity, and therefore be considered tax-free income. However, this isnt always the case. If the charity provides services to the commercial company, for example, the IRS may classify the income as a fee for services. Each charitable partnership proposal requires individual analysis. Business-to-business Internet marketplaces Many associations are considering the online business-to-business model, initiated either on their own or with an outside partner. A vertical B-to-B marketplace automates procurement by bringing buyers and sellers together for transactions, and sometimes providing and/or gathering industry-specific information. A horizontal marketplace provides goods and services generic to many businesses, such as office supplies or business insurance. Internet marketplace relationships in particular give rise to several key issues. †¢ Taxation. Associations that run these Internet activities on their own can obtain several types of income, including fees for each consummated transaction. Absent a compelling argument that the service provided primarily benefits the public, such fees are likely to be taxable income. Associations that license their name and logo to a commercial marketplace operator, however, can collect tax-free royalties. †¢ Control. The do-it-yourself model permits more control than the licensing model. However, licensing agreements may provide quality control standards for the partner actually providing the product or service. †¢ Antitrust concerns. Either type of Internet marketplace raises substantial antitrust concerns (collusion and anticompetitive results) at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. These concerns are best handled while setting up the marketplace, by the way the marketplace is structured, and through specific provisions in underlying legal documents. Migrating To The Internet Some associations are migrating traditional activities to the Web. For example, publications are being moved online, as are affinity programs. What happens to the legal and tax issues surrounding these activities within an online context? The answer may be not much, or a lot. Not much happens if it is considered that a royalty is not changed to taxable income, or vice versa, by converting the member insurance affinity program to a Web-based marketing and application process. But a lot can happen if it is considered that new issues may arise that were less important, or even non-existent, prior to the migration. For example, privacy issues abound on the Internet. Will the members be more reluctant to supply insurance applications or claims data electronically? They well could be if they understand the evolution of privacy and security on the Internet. When asked about his companys Internet privacy policy, Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems, said the policy could be stated in eight simple words: â€Å"There is no Internet privacy. Get over it.† Migrating an affinity program to the Web also raises a variety of legal and tax linking questions that will not be resolved anytime soon. For instance, is the link from an association site to an insurance providers site intellectual property that can be licensed for a royalty? Probably. Can a nonprofit, especially a Section 501(c)(3)or 501(c)(4) organization, give away the linkmeaning permit the link to be used without charge? Probably not, because this could raise exempt-status issues, and for those two types of organizations, intermediate sanctions issues (taxation of individuals) as well. In addition, especially for charities, state attorneys general might object to diversions of charitable assets. E-Commerce Contracts Why do organizations signing up for e-commerce sites so often strike out in the contract department? Strike one. Association leaders sign standard contracts that take away the organizations rights. And these contracts may reflect unintended legal relationshipsfor instance, the contract may describe the relationship as a partnership when it is actually intended to establish a licensor/licensee arrangement. Strike two. Association staff negotiates their own contract changes rather than using a lawyer to negotiate the legal documents. Strike three. The association does its own drafting rather than relying on legal analysis to figure out what laws apply, how to apply them to the contract, and how to integrate all parts of the contract. Out. When problems arise later, do not expect the contract for assistance. In e-commerce, as in baseball, three strikes typically mean that ‘the player’ is out of the game. Failure to consider the complexities of old and new laws as they affect commercial activities on the Internet will reduce the income potential and increase the tax liability and other legal risk. Using legal counsel to help match the e-commerce activities with new legal developmentsand to design and negotiate the customized contracts imperative in the new economywill result in more income with less risk. Reducing e-Commerce Risk Because online ventures are for the most part still a new addition to the family of association strategic partnerships, the potential for legal and financial risk is very real. But associations can reduce their risk by keeping four things in mind: 1. A new person in the market is less likely to do something right the first time through. When the potential to make mistakes is recognized, one may slow down enough to ask more questions and seek more help, rather than trying to move ahead at Internet speed. 2. If the association is breaking new ground in the world of online ventures, recognize that the legal outcomes are less certain and potential dispute costs will be much higher, since no real legal precedence will be available on which to hang the hat. 3. In an online world, the number of potential plaintiffs who may want to sue is infinitely larger than in the pre-online world. 4. While Internet insurance policies are currently in the works, many traditional policies dont explicitly state that they cover the associations e-commerce endeavors. This itself should encourage associations to proceed cautiously in their online ventures. Of course, careful analysis and development of any new venture early on will help reduce both legal and financial risk. To ensure that the associations strategic planning includes strategic thinking about the online initiatives, be sure to answer certain key questions as an early part of a comprehensive e-commerce action plan: †¢ What new e-commerce activities are in the works throughout the association? †¢ What current e-commerce activities need legal review? †¢ What tax analysis has been done with regard to these activities, and what tax alternatives need more analysis? †¢ What budget steps must be taken before outside help is retained? †¢ Who should be on e-commerce planning team (e.g., senior information technology staff or consultant, insurance agent, lawyer, or certified public accountant)? Conclusion In view of the great importance of e-commerce, it is absolutely necessary to have adequate legislation. Such legislation must be adopted worldwide because the ease systems such as the Internet offer to the international trading of products or services, forces such transactions to be made in accordance with the trade law of each of the countries involved. The adequate legislation in each of the countries that perform electronic transactions will help the growth of e-business transactions. In view of the fact that e-commerce is in a very early stage of development in many countries, there is no specific legislation in this respect. As electronic commerce is not mentioned in any Law or Regulation, electronic transactions are not considered as valid for any enforcement purpose at this time. Meanwhile, in many countries, in the absence of any specific legislation, parties may rely on private agreements to govern their e-commerce transactions. However, the agreements will not be enforceable unless they are in written form and signed by both parties. Bibliography Barlow, J.P. WIRED 2.03: The Economy of Ideas. Available HTTP: http://www.ifla.org/documents/infopol/copyright/jpbarlow.htm accessed on April 5, 2007. Digimarc. Digimarc. Available HTTP: http://www.digimarc.com accessed on April 5, 2007. Edwards, L. Wealde, C. Law and the Internet: Regulating Cyberspace, second edition. Oxford: Hart, accessed on April 5, 2007. Free-Market.Net Spotlight on Intellectual Property. Available HTTP: http://www.free-market.net/spotlight/iproperty 03. December 2001, accessed on April 5, 2007. Gallfent, R. Introduction to Basic Notions of Industrial Property, WIPO/TM/KTM/97/1, November 1997 Idris, Kamil, Intellectual Property, A Power Tool for Economic Growth, WIPO Pub. No. 888, January 2003 Lehman, B.A. Support for Economic and Political Freedom. Available HTTP: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/intelprp/support.htm accessed on April 5, 2007. Lerch, D. Issues of Intellectual Property Copyright for Educators. Available HTTP: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/copyright/issues_of_ip.html, accessed on April 5, 2007 Olsson, H. Introduction to Intellectual Property Law, WIPO/CNR/S/93/1, August 1993 The National Academies, The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age. Available HTTP: http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309064996?OpenDocument accessed on April 5, 2007. UK Patent Office. Copyright History. Available HTTP: http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/history/ accessed on April 5, 2007 UNCITRAL, History and Background, Guide to Enactment of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996): III. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF THE MODEL LAW, The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law as retrieved on April 5, 2007 from http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/un.electronic.commerce.model.law.1996/history.background.html Volkman, R. Software Ownership and Natural Rights. Online. Available HTTP: http://www.southernct.edu/organizations/rccs/resources/research/intellectual_property/volkman_nat-rights.html accessed on April 5, 2007

Relation between Serum Apelin Level and CAE

Relation between Serum Apelin Level and CAE Decreased Apelin Levels in Isolated Coronary Artery Ectasia M.Zihni Bilik, M.Ata Akal, Halit Acet, Abdulkadir Yaldaz, Murat Yà ¼ksel, Nihat Polat, Mesut Aydan, Mustafa Oylumlu, Sait Alan ,Faruk Ertaâ„ ¢Ã‚ ¹  ¹Department of Cardiology, Medicine Faculty, Dicle University, Diyarbakr, Turkey  Ã‚   Abstract Introduction: Etiopathogenesis of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is completely unknown. Most of CAE develop with atherosclerosis. Association of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and apelin has been examined in previous studies. In isolated coronary artery ectasia the role of plasma apelin has not been studied yet. Aim: In this study, we investigated the relation between plasma apelin levels and coronary artery ectasia. Material and methods: Study population included totally 54 patients. 26 patients with isolated CAE (53.6 ±8.1 years ); 28 patients as control group with normal coronary arteries (51.6 ± 8.8 years) and with similar risk factors and demographic properties . Apelin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) . Results: Apelin levels in CAE group were significantly lower [apelin= 0.116ng/ml (0.086-0.319) ] than those in control group [0.689ng/ml (0.077-1.067) ] (P =0.033).Glucose, creatinine,total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, HDL-C levels were not significantly different between groups (P >0.05). Conclusions: In this study we showed that patients with isolated CAE have decreased plasma apelin levels. Therefore there may be an association between decreased plasma apelin level and isolated CAE. Key words: apelin, coronary artery ectasia, atherosclerosis Introduction: Apelin is an adipocytokine and endogenous ligand for the angiotensin-like 1 receptor (APJ). The function of apelin is not clear in the cardiovascular system. Apelin may play an opposite role to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system as a compensatory mechanism. It is reduced in patients with heart failure.[1] Increased apelin expression has been found in coronary vessels, cardiomyocytes, large conduit vessels [2] vascular smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells.[3] Some functions of apelin have been described, such as positive inotropism [4] ,endothelium-dependent vasodilation [5],cardiac contractility,[6] and the reduction of vascular wall inflammation. CAE has been defined as abnormal dilatation of a segment of coronary artery that 1.5 times larger than the diameter of adjacent normal segments of artery.[7] The incidence of CAE has been reported to account for 0.3% to 4.9% in patients underwent coronary angiography. [8] Although the exact mechanisms leading to CAE are not clear up to now, atherothrombosis, endothelial dysfunction and vasculit have been suggested as possible responsible factors. CAE has also been reported in association with various conditions such as congenital coronary anomalies, connective tissue diseases, and vasculitis and failed smooth muscle cells. [9,10] Apelin has a role in endothelium-dependent vasodilation. CAE may dependent to endothelium-dependent vasodilation mechanism. [5] So there may be relation between apelin and CAE. In our knowledge there is not any study in the literature about apelin and CAE. Aim: In this study we aimed to examine the relation between serum apelin level and CAE. Material and methods: Study population included totally 54 patients that were admitted to Cardiology Department of Dicle University. Twenty six patients with isolated CAE ( 53.6 ±8.1 years ) as CAE group and 28 patients as control group with normal coronary arteries that proven angiographically (51.6 ± 8.8 years) with similar risk factors and demographic properties to CAE group were included . Cases who had malignancy, heart failure ,acute coronary syndrome, renal disease, collagen tissue diseases, vasculitis,coronary artery disease were excluded from the study. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Study design: All patients underwent detailed physical examination. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight divided by square of height. Clinical laboratory analyses were performed in Dicle University Biochemistry Laboratories (Diyarbakar, Turkey). Biochemical tests were performed by Abbott C16000 (USA) biochemical autoanalyzer with original kits and hematological counts were measured by an automated hematology analyzer (Abbott Cell-Dyn 3700; Abboott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL) in peripheral venous blood samples . Standart methods were used to measure total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL),triglycerides and fasting glucose. Serum obtained by centrifuge was stored at −80 °C until analysis for apelin measurement. These were studied at the Biochemistry Laboratory of Dicle University .Apelin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) (Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., California,USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and expressed as ng/ml. Evaluation of coronary artery ectasia by coronary angiography Coronary angiography was routinely performed using the Allura Xper FD10 (Philips, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) through femoral artery by Judkins technique without use of nitroglycerine. The contrast agent was Iopamiro 370 (Bracco, Milan, Italy) that used in all patients. Each angiogram was evaluated concurrently by two interventional cardiologists who were blinded to the study and to each other. Angiographically CAE was accepted when diameter of dilated segment of coronary artery was 1.5 times larger than adjacent normal segments. Statistical analysis Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 18.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to verify that continuous variables were normally distributed. Continuous variables are listed as mean  ± standard deviation, categorical variables are listed as percentages. The independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for continuous variables and the chi-square test for categorical variables. Statistical significance was defined as p Results: The study was included a total of 54 patients. CAE group included 26 patients with coronary ectasia (mean age 53.6 ±8.1 years) and %73.1 (n=19) of patients were male. Control group included 28 control patients with normal coronary arteries (mean age 51.6 ± 8.8 years) and 64.3% (n =18) of patients were male. There was no difference between two groups regarding basal demographical data (P>0.05). Demographic characteristics of the groups are presented in Table 1. We found apelin levels in CAE group significantly lower [apelin= 0.116ng/ml (0.086-0.319) ] than those in control group [0.689ng/ml (0.077-1.067) ] (P =0.033). Glucose, creatinine,total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, HDL-C levels were not significantly different between groups (P >0.05). Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the study population Ectasia Grup (n=26) Control Grup (n=28) P value Age (years) 53.6 ±8.1 51.6 ± 8.8 0.38 Male n(% ) 19 (%73.1) 18(%64.3) 0.49 Hypertension n(%) 15 (%58) 12(%43) 0.18 Diabetes Mellitus n(%) 4 (%15) 6 (%21) 0.57 BMI (kg/m ²) 28.1 ± 4 26.7  ±4.2 0.24 Smoking n(%) 13 (%50) 12 (%46) 0.79 Glucose mg/dl 106 ±20 124 ±53 0.1 Creatinine mg/dl 0.86 ±0.2 0.82 ±0.1 0.38 Total cholesterol mg/dl 196 ±47 195 ±37 0.98 LDL mg/dl 128 ±42 113 ±33 0.14 HDL mg/dl 41 ±10 40 ±10 0.92 Triglyseride mg/dl 145 ±77 184 ±115 0.15 Apelin ng/ml 0.116 (0.086-0.319)* 0.689 (0.077-1.067)* 0.033 *Median and interquartile range used. BMI:Body mass index ; LDL: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL: High density lipoprotein cholesterol Figure-1: Comparison of the plasma apelin level between CAE and control group. P=0.033 Discussion : CAE has been defined as abnormal dilatation of a segment of coronary artery that 1.5 times larger than the diameter of adjacent normal segments of artery. [7] The etiology of CAE is not fully understood. Various mechanisms are thought to be the reason of CAE. Approximately a half of CAE is due to atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Atheromatous ulcerations in coronary artery or significant stenosis has been described in patients with ectasia.[11,12] Cardiovascular system is the main target of apelin and its receptor APJ . In regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis, apelin may have an important role.[13] Positive inotropism, vasodilation, decreased blood pressure and diuresis are some effects of apelin on cardiovascular system . Therefore apelin may have an antagonistic effect to the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system .It is reduced in patients with heart failure.[1] Relation between apelin and coronary artery disease especially atherosclerosis is known. Kadoglou et al. showed that apelin concentrations are lower in CAD patients and it is negatively correlated with severity of CAD. [14]. Additionally, decreased apelin levels are observed in subjects with stable angina. Plasma apelin may have a role in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques.[15]. Attenuation of the vessel wall has been shown by Rath et al. in nonatherosclerotic forms of CAE .In their study vessel media degeneration and smooth muscle cell replacement by hyalinized collagen with intact vessel intima has been demonstrated.[16] In the pathogenesis of CAE, loss of the musculoelastic components of the vessel media have an important effect. [12,17] Several factors other than atherosclerosis have a role in development of CAE such as endothelial dysfunction, vasculitis, congenital coronary anomalies, connective tissue diseases [9,10], oxidative stres, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, abnormal collagen synthesis and increased inflammatory response. [18] Li L. et al. showed that apelin have a regulatory effect on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell and nitric oxide production.[19] Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator and plays important roles in protecting the cardiac vascular system against myocardial damage. It inhibits leukocyte adhesion ,platelet aggregation and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. [18] In some studies there was a relation between apelin and nitric oxide. It is demonstrated that in the rat model, myocardial damage significantly reduces by oxidative injury reduction and enhancement of nitric oxide production when rats treated with apelin in postinfarct period.[20] Tatemoto K., et al. reported that apelin may be present in the endothelium and reduce blood pressure via nitric oxide dependent mechanism.[21] Additionally polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene has been explored in several studies in patients with CAE. [22] According to this ,impaired nitric oxide dependent vasodilation mechanism may consist to be the reason of ectasia. Malyszko et al. reported that in patients with transplanted kidneys apelin level is correlated with intracellular adhesion molecule, adiponectin and the presence of coronary arery disease in patients with transplanted kidneys. [23] Apelin is a member of adipocytokin like adiponectin. Dagli N. et al. examined a negative correlation between coronary artery ectasia diameter and plasma adiponectin level .[24] Also in our study we obtained similar results that plasma apelin level in isolated CAE patients is significantly lower than in controls. According to recent data adiponectin and apelin have cardioprotective effects . Despite exact mechanism is not clear it seems that, both of them protect vessel from atherosclerosis and ectasia. However, further studies are required to show the role of apelin in development of CAE. Conclusion : In this study we showed that patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia have decreased plasma apelin level compared with normal coronary arteries. According to these data we suggest that apelin may have a role in developing CAE. Limitations of the study Because isolated CAE is rare entity ,the number of cases were limited. our study have a small population. Additionally, it is an important limitation on the part of the study that intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was not conducted in the diagnosis of patients, as IVUS and autopsy can demonstrate atherosclerotic plaques in a wide area of the vessel lumen in patients whose coro-nary angiography is normal Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1.Chandrasekaran B, Dar O, McDonagh T. The role of apelin in cardiovascular function and heart failure. European journal of heart failure 2008;10:725-732 2.Kleinz MJ, Davenport AP. Emerging roles of apelin in biology and medicine. Pharmacology therapeutics 2005;107:198-211 3.Ronkainen VP, Ronkainen JJ, Hanninen SL, et al. Hypoxia inducible factor regulates the cardiac expression and secretion of apelin. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2007;21:1821-1830 4.Hashimoto T, Kihara M, Ishida J, et al. Apelin stimulates myosin light chain phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 2006;26:1267-1272 5.Malyszko J, Malyszko JS, Pawlak K, Mysliwiec M. Visfatin and apelin, new adipocytokines, and their relation to endothelial function in patients with chronic renal failure. Advances in medical sciences 2008;53:32-36 6.Farkasfalvi K, Stagg MA, Coppen SR, et al. Direct effects of apelin on cardiomyocyte contractility and electrophysiology. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2007;357:889-895 7.Hartnell GG, Parnell BM, Pridie RB. Coronary artery ectasia. Its prevalence and clinical significance in 4993 patients. British heart journal 1985;54:392-395 8.Yamanaka O, Hobbs RE. Coronary artery anomalies in 126,595 patients undergoing coronary arteriography. Catheterization and cardiovascular diagnosis 1990;21:28-40 9.Seabra-Gomes R, Somerville J, Ross DN, et al. Congenital coronary artery aneurysms. British heart journal 1974;36:329-335 10.Di Mario C, Zanchetta M, Maiolino P. Coronary aneurysms in a case of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Japanese heart journal 1988;29:491-496 11.Cross SJ, Lee HS, Kenmure AC, Jennings KP. Coronary artery ectasia: is it associated with myocardial ischaemia and infarction? Scottish medical journal 1993;38:28-29 12.Befeler B, Aranda MJ, Embi A, et al. Coronary artery aneurysms: study of the etiology, clinical course and effect on left ventricular function and prognosis. The American journal of medicine 1977;62:597-607 13.Lee DK, Cheng R, Nguyen T, et al. Characterization of apelin, the ligand for the APJ receptor. Journal of neurochemistry 2000;74:34-41 14.Kadoglou NP, Lampropoulos S, Kapelouzou A, et al. Serum levels of apelin and ghrelin in patients with acute coronary syndromes and established coronary artery diseaseKOZANI STUDY. Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 2010;155:238-246 15.Li Z, Bai Y, Hu J. Reduced apelin levels in stable angina. Internal medicine 2008;47:1951-1955 16.Rath S, Har-Zahav Y, Battler A, et al. Fate of nonobstructive aneurysmatic coronary artery disease: angiographic and clinical follow-up report. American heart journal 1985;109:785-791 17.Markis JE, Joffe CD, Cohn PF, et al. Clinical significance of coronary arterial ectasia. The American journal of cardiology 1976;37:217-222 18.Calvert JW. Cardioprotective effects of nitrite during exercise. Cardiovascular research 2011;89:499-506 19.Li L, Li L, Xie F, et al. Jagged-1/Notch3 signaling transduction pathway is involved in apelin-13-induced vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica 2013;45:875-881 20.Azizi Y, Faghihi M, Imani A, Roghani M, Nazari A. Post-infarct treatment with [Pyr1]-apelin-13 reduces myocardial damage through reduction of oxidative injury and nitric oxide enhancement in the rat model of myocardial infarction. Peptides 2013;46:76-82 21.Tatemoto K, Takayama K, Zou MX, et al. The novel peptide apelin lowers blood pressure via a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. Regulatory peptides 2001;99:87-92 22.Arif Yalcin A, Faruk Akturk I, Celik O, et al. Coronary Artery Ectasia Is Associated with the c.894G>T (Glu298Asp) Polymorphism of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene. The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine 2014;232:137-144 23.Malyszko J, Malyszko JS, Pawlak K, Wolczynski S, Mysliwiec M. Apelin, a novel adipocytokine, in relation to endothelial function and inflammation in kidney allograft recipients. Transplantation proceedings 2008;40:3466-3469 24.Dagli N, Ozturk U, Karaca I, et al. Adiponectin levels in coronary artery ectasia. Heart and vessels 2009;24:84-89 Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the study population Grup 1 (n=26) Grup 2 (n=28) P value Age (years) 53.6 ±8.1 51.6 ± 8.8 P>0,05 0,38 Male % 19 (%73,1) 18(%64,3) P>0,05 Hypertension % 15 (%58) 12(%43) P>0,05 Diabetes Mellitus % 4 (%15) 6 (%21) p>0,05 BMI (kg/m ²) 28.1 ± 4 26.7  ±4.2 P>0,05 Smoking % 13 (%50) 12 (%46) P> 0,05 Glucose mg/dl 106 ±20 124 ±53 0.1 Creatinine mg/dl 0,86 ±0,2 0,82 ±0,1 0.38 Total cholesterol mg/dl 196 ±47 195 ±37 0.98 LDL mg/dl 128 ±42 113 ±33 0.14 HDL mg/dl 41 ±10 40 ±10 0.92 Triglyseride mg/dl 145 ±77 184 ±115 0.15