Masculinity and Its Link in the Importance Essay Example for Free

Masculinity and Its Link in the Importance Essay Victorian ideas of masculinity. The concept of Victorian masculinity is a diverse one since it was influenced by numerous aspects and factors such as domesticity, economy, gender roles, imperialism, manners, religion and much more. Some of these aspects seem to be quite naturally related to one another, while others seem none-relational. For the males, this included a vast amount of pride in their work, protectiveness over their wives, and an aptitude for good social behaviour. The Victorians saw manliness as good, a form of control over maleness, which was brutish. Christianity contributed much to the Victorian concept of masculinity. The real Victorian man was to be spiritual and a faithful believer. The husband and father was considered to be the head of the household, but his duty was to rule. Victorian men were not only competing for respect within their own sex, but they needed to impress the women too. If they were not married, it depicted that they were not fully masculine because they did not have a family to support. Supporting a family was a sign of true success within the male sex. In the text so far Oscar Wilde shows Earnest/Jacks eagerness as a sign he could trying to assert his masculinity because that is what Victorian society is so judgemental. Prescribing the notion that women were born to dream of marriage, Cecily and Gwendolyn, from The Importance of Being Earnest, are caught up in the fantasies of the perfect marriage to the perfect earnest husband. Cecily and Gwendolyn are fixated on the name Earnest, almost as if it were an obsession; it is the ideal name for their future husbands. They are determined not to marry a man unless he is called Earnest because they believe a man with this name will automatically live up to the name’s expectations of being serious, honourable, and moral. In Wilde’s play, he comically satirizes the name â€Å"Earnest,† through the portrayal of two deceitful men whom the women fantasize as being ideal men worthy of marriage â€Å"My ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Earnest ’ These two men claim to live up to the Victorian ideals, but then live another life outside of the community to escape the society’s pressures. Henceforth, in the play, the men fall under the pressure of women and Victorian ideals rather than staying true to their identity and personalities. Even when Jack tries to admit his real name, Gwendolyn becomes lost in her ideals of a fantasized husband named Earnest and discourages Jack from confessing his real name. She uses the knowledge that she has learned from the Victorian society to judge whether someone by the name of â€Å"John† or â€Å"Jack† would be a suitable husband for her, and in doing so, she manipulates Jack into hiding his identity out of fear of losing Gwendolyn. He believes the only way Gwendolyn will accept him is to say his name is Earnest.

Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay Question 1 : In the 21st century, information technology has emerged as the fundamental technology of business. Explain how it has helped business and state examples of real time situation which you have read about of experienced. Decision Support, Problem Analysis and Overall Control Business managers often need to make decisions that can affect the business fortunes one way or other. For example, a company with sales outlets or distributors spread over a wide geographic area might want to optimize the logistical operations of delivering merchandise to the outlets. The best solution might be affected by numerous factors such as demand patterns, availability of merchandise, distances involved and the option of using external carriers (who can find two way loads and might prove a lesser cost option over long distances) instead of own vehicles. While it might be possible to use complex mathematical formulas by hand to compute the best solution, computers transform the whole process into a routine task of feeding certain information as input and obtaining suggestions for best solutions as output. The task can typically be done in a few minutes (instead of hours or even days) and it becomes possible to examine several alternatives before deciding upon one that seems most realistic. Identifying problems and analysing the factors that cause them also has been transformed by modern computer information systems. In a typical MIS environment, standard reports are generated in a routine manner comparing actual performance against original estimates. The software that generates the report can be instructed to highlight exceptions, i.e. significant variations between original estimates and actual performance. Managers will thus become aware of problem areas in the daily course of their work simply by looking at the reports they receive, without having to do detailed data collection and computations themselves. Identifying the factors responsible for the problem can also be routinized to some extent by using such tools as variance analysis. Variance analysis is an element of standard costing system that splits deviations from estimates (or standards) into causative factors such as increase in price of materials used, excessive usage of materials, unexpected machine downtimes, etc. With such a detailed report, managers can delve deeper into the problem factor, such as why there was excessive usage of materials. Control is also exercised through variance analysis. Budgets are prepared for all business operations by concerned managers working in a coordinated fashion. For example, estimated sales volumes will determine the levels of production; production levels will determine raw material purchases; and so on. With good information system management, it then becomes possible to generate timely reports comparing actual sales, production, raw material deliveries, etc against estimated levels. The reports will help managers to keep a watch on things and take corrective action quickly. For example, the production manager will become aware of falling sales (or rising sales) of particular products and can prepare to make adjustments in production schedules, and purchasing and inventory managers will become quickly aware of any mounting inventories of unused materials. MIS thus enhances the quality of communication all around and can significantly improve the effectiveness of operations control. Effective MIS Involves Humans and Computers Working together The major aspect to note is that MIS provides only the information; it is the responsibility of concerned managers to act on the information. It is the synergy between efficient, accurate and speedy equipment and humans with common sense, intelligence and judgment that really gives power to MIS. As a chartered accountant with business management qualifications and decades of exposure to business in senior to top level positions, Gopinathan helps small to medium businesses with new business start-up, business performance improvement and marketing. He uses structured business modelling techniques to help with all these, and has launched a business support website to provide the help in a convenient manner irrespective of geographical distances and boundaries. Significance Information technology has grown to permeate the business world, affecting how companies make and market their products, as well as how people communicate and accomplish their jobs in modern organizations. Specialized software shapes best-practices and industry standards, continually changing the face of business in almost every way. Information technology management includes many of the basic functions of management, such as staffing, organizing, budgeting and control, but it also has functions that are unique to IT, such as software development, change management, network planning and tech support. Generally, IT is used by organizations to support and compliment their business operations. The advantages brought about by having a dedicated IT department are too great for most organizations to pass up. Some organizations actually use IT as the centre of their business. Positive Impact on Business: First off, I.T. affects how businesses go about with their usual routine. For instance: the technology allows companies to go paperless, depending only on digital databases to store important data. Many pundits see this as a risk; isn’t digital data flimsy and unreliable, they ask. But the shift offers several benefits as well—including reduction in operational cost, since the business no longer has to buy or rent space or equipment just to store data. Information Technology also affects the accuracy of business operations. When a company uses a computerized accounting system instead of relying on a real live accountant, they eliminate (or, at the very least, significantly reduce) human error. And because such systems allow for faster operations, the company’s workers can concentrate on more pressing tasks. The impact of the Management Information System The impact of MIS on the functions is in its management. With a good MIS support, the management of marketing, finance, production and personnel becomes more efficient, the tracking and monitoring the functional targets becomes easy. The functional managers are informed about the progress, achievements and shortfalls in the activity and the targets. The manager is kept alert by providing certain information indicating the probable trends in the various aspects of business. This helps in forecasting and long-term perspective planning. The manager attention is brought to a situation which is exceptional in nature, inducing him to take an action or a decision in the matter. A disciplined information reporting system creates a structured database and a knowledge base for all the people in the organization. The information is available in such a form that it can be used straight away or by blending and analysis, saving the managers valuable time. The MIS creates another impact in the organization which relates to the understanding of the business itself. The MIS begins with the definition of a data entity and its attributes. It uses a dictionary of data, entity and attributes, respectively, designed for information generation in the organization. Since all the information systems use the dictionary, there is common understanding of terms and terminology in the organization bringing clarity in the communication and a similar understanding of an event in the organization. The MIS calls for a systemization of the business operations for an effective system design. This leads to streamlining of the operations which complicate the system design. It improves the administration of the business by bringing a discipline in its operations everybody is required to follow and use systems and procedures. This process brings a high degree of professionalism in the business operations. Since the goals and objective of the MIS are the products of business goals and objectives, it helps indirectly to pull the entire organization in one direction towards the corporate goals and objectives by providing the relevant information to the people in the organization. A well designed system with a focus on the manager makes an impact on the managerial efficiency. The fund of information motivates an enlightened manager to use a variety of tools of the management. It helps him to resort to such exercises as experimentation and modelling. The use of computers enables him to use the tools and techniques which are impossible to use manually. The ready-made packages make this task simpler. The impact is on the managerial ability to perform. It improv es the decision making ability considerably. Communications Technology Leveraging advances in communications technology is imperative to surviving in the modern business world. Advances in cellular phone technology have revolutionized the way businesspeople communicate with clients, employees, suppliers and strategic partners. The Internet has revolutionized the marketing function in addition to opening up a wide range of communication options. Modern smartphones are changing the game yet again with the introduction of new and innovative applications. A small business owner can now access a web-based customer relationship management service on a smartphone from anywhere in the world, for example, allowing him to obtain vital data about contacts before making calls. Accessibility By making communication more convenient, communication technology has helped to make communication more accessible, especially long-distance communication. Through various computer-mediated communication methodscommunication done through the use of a computer, such as email, instant messages, and social networking websitesyou can easily and instantly communicate with people in other cities, states and countries. This is vastly different from early forms of long-distance communication. Early forms of long-distance communication included the use of homing pigeons and/or runners to carry a message to its destination. How long a message would take before reaching its destination depended on the distance between the person sending the message and the person receiving the message. Mass Communication Organizations, like schools and businesses, use electronic communication to share information with a large number of people. Businesses can send mass emails to employees in order to inform workers about things like rule changes and important meetings. Many academic institutions use mass communication in order to maintain a well-informed campus. In case of an emergency, such as a spreading fire or presence of an armed assailant, mass communication can quickly inform people of the situation, giving enough notice to allow people to take the necessary actions to stay safe. Computer-mediated communication can be socially beneficial. For people who are socially awkward, computer-mediated communication such as online forums and chat rooms can help create a more fulfilling social life. For example, someone who fails at personal relationships because he speaks before thinking about the consequences has more control with Internet communication. He can read back his statements before posting, which will likely reduce the number of awkward moments the person creates. Communication technology offers other benefits, as well. Dating websites, for instance, can relieve some of the frustration involved with dating by allowing you to view the profiles of potential dates so you can determine who is the best match for you. This can save you both time and heartbreak. Considerations While information technology solutions can contribute to the success of your organization, there are a number of unique costs to consider. In addition to the cost of implementing an IT solution, you must employ highly educated and specialized workers to maintain, monitor, expand and repair your IT infrastructure. Question 4 : The role of hospital has changed from medical assistance to health care. What are the important information systems required to be considered while implementing front-end application development for hospital management? HOSPITAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (HIS) A hospital information system (HIS) is essentially a computer system that can manage all the information to allow health care providers to do their jobs effectively. These systems have been around since they were first introduced in the 1960s and have evolved with time and the modernization of healthcare facilities. The computers were not as fast in those days and they were not able to provide information in real time as they do today. The staff used them primarily for managing billing and hospital inventory. All this has changed now, and today hospital information systems include the integration of all clinical, financial and administrative applications. Modern HIS includes many applications addressing the needs of various departments in a hospital. They manage the data related to the clinic, finance department, laboratory, nursing, pharmacy and also the radiology and pathology departments. The hospitals that have switched to HIS have access to quick and reliable information including patients’ records illustrating details about their demographics, gender, age etc. By a simple click of the mouse they receive important data pertaining to hospital finance systems, diet of patients, and even the distribution of medications. With this information they can monitor drug usage in the facility and improve its effectiveness. Many hospitals have as many as 200 disparate systems combined into their HIS. Hospital information systems have become very advanced and new innovations are continuously being introduced. But a HIS is useless if it confuses the hospital employees. The system must be user friendly and should include training by the vendors. A good HIS offers numerous benefits to a hospital including but not limited to the delivery of quality patient care and better financial management. The HIS should also be patient centric, medical staff centric, affordable and scalable. The technology changes quickly and if the system is not flexible it will not be able to accommodate hospital growth. COMPONENTS It can be composed of one or a few software components with specialty-specific extensions as well as of a large variety of sub-systems in medical specialties * Laboratory Information System (LIS) * Radiology Information System (RIS) * Clinical Information System (CIS) * Nursing Information Systems (NIS) * Pharmacy Information System (PIS) SOFTWARE COMPONENT Software Component is a system element offering a predefined service or event, and able to communicate with other components. It should be : * Multiple-use * Non-context-specific * Compostable with other components (inter relationship with other components) * Encapsulated i.e., non-investigable through its interfaces * A unit of independent deployment and versioning Laboratory Information System (LIS) Laboratory Information System (LIS) is a software based laboratory and information management system that offers a set of key features that support a modern laboratorys operations. Those key features include but are not limited to workflow and data tracking support, flexible architecture, and smart data exchange interfaces, which fully support its use in regulated environments. The features and uses of a LIMS have evolved over the years from simple sample tracking to an enterprise resource planning tool that manages multiple aspects of laboratory informatics. Due to the rapid pace at which laboratories and their data management needs shift, the definition of LIMS has become somewhat controversial. As the needs of the modern laboratory vary widely from lab to lab, what is needed from a laboratory information management system also shifts. The end result: the definition of a LIMS will shift based on who you ask and what their vision of the modern lab. Radiology Information System (RIS) A radiology information system (RIS) is a networked software suite for managing medical imagery and associated data. An RIS is especially useful for managing radiological records and associated data in a multiple locations and is often used in conjunction with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) to manage work flow and billing. An RIS has several basic functions: Patient management * An RIS can track a patient’s entire workflow within the radiology department; images and reports can be added to and retrieved from electronic medical records (EMRs) and viewed by authorized radiology staff. Scheduling * Appointments can be made for both in- and out-patients with specific radiology staff. Patient tracking * A patient’s entire radiology history can be tracked from admission to discharge. The history can be coordinated with past, present and future appointments. Results reporting * An RIS can generate statistical reports for a single patient, group of patients or particular procedure. Film tracking * An RIS can track individual films and their associate data. Billing * An RIS facilitates detailed financial record-keeping, electronic payments and automated claims submission. Clinical Information System (CIS) Clinical Information System is a collection of various information technology applications that provides a centralized repository of information related to patient care across distributed locations. This repository represents the patients history of illnesses and interactions with providers by encoding knowledge capable of helping clinicians decide about the patients condition, treatment options, and wellness activities. The repository also encodes the status of decisions, actions underway for those decisions, and relevant information that can help in performing those actions. The database could also hold other information about the patient, including genetic, environmental, and social contexts. Features : * access the medical literature * ask clinical or administrative questions of aggregates of patient data, * receive automatic warnings or suggestions when the patients data satisfy certain logical rules * receive critiques when proposing therapies or ordering diagnostic tests, * access guidelines for standards of care * analyse trade-offs and the likelihood of alternative outcomes (decision analysis) * receive lists of differential diagnoses Nursing Information System (NIS) Nursing information systems is a type of health care management system. It helps nurses use their nursing skills and computer knowledge within a health care environment. A nursing information system has different features and benefits. Features Nurses can self-schedule work hours based on their work shift and departmental needs. Staff nurse managers or nursing administrators can review each nurses schedule and make approvals. Another nursing information system feature includes documenting patient care plans. Benefits One nursing information system benefit includes saving time. For instance, nursing managers can confirm a nurses work availability without contacting each nurse. Nurses can review a patients treatment plan when working outside the office, such as a home care nurse. Pharmacy Information System (PIS) Pharmacy information systems (PIS) are complex computer systems that have been designed to meet the needs of a pharmacy department. Through the use of such systems, pharmacists can supervise and have inputs on how medication is used in a hospital. Some of the activities which Pharmacy Information Systems have been employed in pharmacy departments include: Clinical Screening The Pharmacy Information System can assist in patient care by the monitoring of drug interactions, drug allergies and other possible medication-related complications. When a prescription order is entered, the system can check to see if there are any interactions between two or more drugs taken by the patient simultaneously or with any typical food, any known allergies to the drug, and if the appropriate dosage has been given based on the patient’s age, weight and other physiologic factors. Alerts and flags come up when the system picks up any of these. Prescription Management The Pharmacy Information System can also be used to manage prescription for inpatients and/or outpatients. When prescription orders are received, the orders are matched to available pharmaceutical products and then dispensed accordingly depending on whether the patient is an inpatient or outpatient. It is possible to track all prescriptions passed through the system from who prescribed the drug, when it was prescribed to when it was dispensed. It is also possible to print out prescription labels and instructions on how medication should be taken based on the prescription. Inventory Management Pharmacies require a continuous inventory culture in order to ensure that drugs do not go out of stock. This is made even more difficult when there are multiple dispensing points. When don manually it is very difficult to maintain an accurate inventory. Pharmacy Information Systems aid inventory management by maintaining an internal inventory of all pharmaceutical products, providing alerts when the quantity of an item is below a set quantity and providing an electronic ordering system that recommends the ordering of the affected item and with the appropriate quantity from approved suppliers. Patient Drug Profiles These are patient profiles managed by the Pharmacy Information System and contain details of their current and past medications, known allergies and physiological parameters. These profiles are used for used for clinical screening anytime a prescription is ordered for the patient. Report Generation Most Pharmacy Information Systems can generate reports which range from determining medication usage patterns in the hospital to the cost of drugs purchased and /or dispensed. Interactivity with other systems It is important that Pharmacy Information Systems should be able to interact with other available systems such as the clinical information systems to receive prescription orders and financial information system for billing and charging.

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis The social world that we inhabit comprises of several peoples, groups, communities, relations, etc. Those who are interested in comprehending the social world around them and trying to make sense of the same, make use of reason and logic to clarify, label and develop ideas about who we are. These commonsensical notions about the world around us are different from ideas informed by logic and reason. Logical understanding of society finds expression in the ordering of ideas into concepts and the careful arrangement of concepts into hypotheses to be tested, validated and tested for reliability in order to arrive at universal generalisations of social phenomenon. The central purpose of this essay is to understand two interrelated questions: What is theory? And why do we need theory? We will explore the aforementioned questions by examining two different models of conceptualising society: Naturalistic and humanistic. While examining this point, we would also seek to clarify the need of social theory to exist in a separate domain from commonsensical and lay knowledge. This would be followed by bringing to light the methodological premises on which theory building rests and its implications on the production of sociological knowledge. The argument would attempt to clarify the case for finding a middle ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism in methodological situationalism for production of social theory. But before moving to these arguments, we would begin by understanding the relation of theory and concept, as one the most widely used definitions of theory uses concept. Social Theory and Concept We begin with the proposition that theories can be described as sets of inter-related concepts and ideas that have been scientifically tested and combined to magnify, enlarge, clarify, and expand our understanding of people, their behaviours, and their societies. A theory is a unit of knowledge that comprises facts, assumptions and hypotheses. This unit shows how facts can be subordinated to general principles or laws and how they relate to them. Theories can be verified by experiments or by methodological observation. Usually theories focus on one selected aspect of a phenomenon under consideration. This means that several or even many theories can be constructed dealing with the same phenomenon. Blumer highlights the issues concerned with using concepts in social theory. In terms of both origin and use, social theory, seems in general not to be geared into the empirical world. This is problematic because theoretical formulations rely heavily on concepts as means of capturing the em pirical world. It is quite evident that the concepts in social theory are vague because the objects of study include social values, norms, institutions, etc which cannot be grasped in their entirety, but can only provide a rough identification of attributes that can be included in the study. There is thus, a need to have clear concepts which can be used for social theory. The difference that Blumer points out is that there is a distinction between definitive concept and sensitising concept. A definitive concept refers to what is common to a class of objects, by the aid of fixed benchmarks of empirical science. A sensitising concept on the other hand gives a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching empirical instances. Concepts used in social theory largely belong to the latter category. They lack the precise referent and benchmark which can be used to grasp the concept. The empirical world of our discipline is a social world of every day experience. Every object can be subjected to consideration for social theory. This distinctive character of the empirical world and its settings make our concepts sensitising in nature. This is not to say that these concepts are unscientific in any way. Sensitising concepts can be tested, improved and refined. Their validity can be analysed through careful study of empirical references that they seek to cover. Dealing with questions of Agency through an exploration of the Naturalistic and Humanistic perspective The next section of this essay we will begin with the naturalistic model of social theory. The naturalistic model with its focus on developing a true and valid science of society aimed to align social theory along the lines of empirical science. An empirical science of society analyses the world abstractly as composed of objects and attempts to establish relations among these classes of objects. It is this analytical scheme of empirical science which influences research and also methods of data collection, classification and its implications on formulation of new theories. Social theory finds its fundamental problem, in such a scheme of analysis, as the relation between the empirical referent and the concept used to denote the referent in theory as social theory is largely made of well defined concepts and the relational value attached to them. The concepts that are used in social theory can be vague in nature, in the sense that they may not be able to determine with exactitude the p recise specification of attributes to be studied. (As mentioned before) The domain of sociology has at its centre the analysis of society, and all its related components. The subject matter of sociology becomes problematic because we inhabit the world we seek to analyse. The most critical question that presents before us is to understand how does a member of society become an objective observer of social phenomenon, while being a part of the social model, and thus produce scientific sociological theory. The task therefore is to delineate general phenomenon from sociological phenomenon. This brings us to the difference between common sense knowledge and sociological knowledge. There are different ways of approaching this question. We begin with the proposition that all the knowledge that we possess about the world may not have the element of truth in it. Human agents as concept bearing actors are aware of their actions and attribute certain meanings to them. To be a human agent is to knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what one is engaged in and why. There is a sense in which we cannot be wrong about what are actions are.. Giddens (1987:5). As actors, individuals operate out of their own understanding of what is true knowledge derived from social conventions and is contextual in nature. This knowledge at all times is contested knowledge. While there may be acceptance of different points of view, there could also the possibility of ideas being borne out of false premises or slanted beliefs. Our presumed knowledge about institutions (maybe)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ inclined to error Giddens (1987:4). The point is that knowledge can be false in the sense that it can be contextual, holding validity only for a particular cultural and social setting. Our actions are always oriented in a setting and a significant part of what a sociologist does is to uncover these premises and lay them bare for an outsider to grasp in the same manner as the actor. This non-discursive si de to our activities is of relevance to social theory and forms an important aspect of sociological analysis. This is where the role of social theory then begins to take shape. Social theory has the task of clarifying the generally held beliefs about social institutions and society at large. In fact, as pointed out by Giddens, our understanding of the social world owes a lot to sociological studies and researches. One should not underestimate the contributions which social research and theory can make to identify false or slanted beliefs widely held about social phenomenon. For such beliefs may often take the form of prejudices and hence contribute to intolerance and discrimination or might inhibit social changes that would otherwise be seen as desirable. Thereby to assert the difference between sociologically true and valid concepts from commonsensical notions, social theory makes use of its own conceptual metalanguage in order to grasp aspects of social institutions which are not described in lay terms. The study of the non-discursive aspect of social action reveals to us what we already know about the social world but also re-emphasises the need to know what we do and why we do. This also calls our attention to the category of unintended consequences of our action. Actors may perform certain actions being cognisant of only the intended results, while the unintended consequences may remain obscure. Social theory reveals these unintended consequences to help us understand the course of development of any sociological phenomenon as it takes into account what we know and intend to produce as well as the consequences that we are not aware of since they are not intended. This analysis is critical since, there is interplay between society and agency and that although agency creates social life in individual and personal experience and biographies, and it also reproduces the larger social history which exists independent of an individual actor. In performing duties as a daughter, sister or mother, women in any society reproduce the social institutions of family and kinship which they did not bring into existence. The activities are thus embedded within, and are constitutive of, structured properties of institutions stretching well beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ time and space Giddens (1987:11). While Durkheim argued that the domain of social phenomenon is largely the ways of acting, thinking and feeling, which possess the remarkable property of existing outside the consciousness of the individual Durkheim (1982:51), he did not give enough recognition to individual freedom, volition and autonomy. This reduction of the individual as a mere reproduction of society makes the study of larger social institutions the object of analysis. This would not hold true in micro-sociological analyses, which give due importance to interaction between actors to understand basic features of larger social institutions. Methodologically, the study of sociology can either be informed by the concerns of the naturalist model or can follow a humanistic approach. The 19th century sociologists were advocates of a science of sociology and therefore, adopted a natural science model for the study of society. The natural laws however could not suffice in their explanation of social phenomenon. The humanistic approach, with its focus on, Verstehen as propounded by Weber found its ground as a methodological tool to take into account the meaning of social action. This contrast between explanation and understanding represented by a choice of either model becomes problematic for social theory. The point is that social theory is bound in what Giddens called double hermeneutics. Anthony Giddens (1982) argued that there is an important difference between the natural and social sciences. In the natural sciences, scientists try to understand and theorise about the way the natural world is structured. The understanding is one-way; that is, while we need to understand the actions of minerals or chemicals, chemicals and minerals dont seek to develop an understanding of us. He referred to the above as the single hermeneutic. In contrast, the social sciences are engaged in the double hermeneutic. Sciences like sociology study how people understand their world, and how that understanding shapes their practice. Because people can think, make choices, and use new information to revise their understandings (and hence their practice), they can use the knowledge and insights of social science to change their practice. In outlining his notion of the double hermeneutic, Giddens (1987: 20) explained that while philosophers and social scientists have often considered the way in which lay concepts obstinately intrude into the technical discourse of social science that Few have considered the matter the other way around. He explained that the concepts of the social sciences are not produced about an independently constituted subject-matter, which continues regardless of what these concepts are. Social theory studies human beings who are concept bearing individuals, engaged in social interaction which produce and reproduce larger social structures. The understanding of social actors and theorising about the same, is also appropriated by the same actors who reflexively reflect upon their actions. The findings of the social sciences very often enter constitutively into the world they describe Giddens (1987:20). Social Theory and its Methodological Concerns. The development of social theory cannot be understood completely without taking into account the methodological premises on which the production of social theory were built. We begin by categorising the theories as macro-sociological theories and micro-sociological theories. Macro-sociology can be understood as dealing with social phenomenon and institutions on an aggregate level. Such an approach entails the use of both theoretical concerns on a system level and the use of aggregate data to arrive at generalisations. Micro-sociology deals with smaller groups as the object of analysis focusing on cognitive order and social interaction between actors, significance of meanings, etc. Theories which can be categorised as macro-sociological in approach have at their core, the study of normative order. This proposition can be further explored by looking at Durkheims view of society. Durkheim was one of the chief proponents of a normative-functional integration model of society. For Durkheim, individual actors acted out of social norms which had been internalised by the individual through socialisation and education. These norms informed all the actions and contributed to the overall functioning of the society in perfect equilibrium. The social facts existed independent of the individual, were external and coercive in nature while being collective and general. For Durkheim, the pre-established harmony of society through individual agents was internally controlled and imposed. Micro-sociological approach has brought a remarkable shift in theorising where cognitive order has become the object of analysis. The methodological structure on which micro-sociological theoris ing is based takes into account cognitive processes that represent and interpret the relevance of values and obligations. It begins with the premise that the actor is a knowing, active subject. Micro-sociologists like symbolic interactionists view actors and meanings attributed by actors in social interaction as ways of understanding the larger macro issues of order. Meads conception of the self has the underlying notion of the individual as a composite whole of selves and also the notion of interior audiences where men attribute motives to each other from the perspective of the generalised other which can also be seen as an internalised reference group for giving meaning to action. Such a social theory then recognises the significance of a knowing and acting agent, and the study of related phenomenon not as coerced human action, but as informed human action, to study the manner in then social phenomenon is produced, contested, repaired, organised and displayed in social situations. Social theory then stands to reconcile both macro and micro approaches to the study of social phenomenon. Taking the above example, social order can be redefined by moving away from the traditional normative-functional-integration model to a cognitive model of micro social action which would take into account the actor not as a puppet in the hands of society but as an active agent in society. The distinctive feature of micro sociological approaches is the fact that they accord a privileged status to small scale social situations. These social interactions also have their place in macro sociological theory where they may be considered as building blocks for larger systemic conceptions. The point to be made is that social theory must find its ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism. Methodological individualism demands that all aspects of social theory be analysed in terms of the interests, activities, etc., of individual human beings. Methodological collectivism holds the view that the society is a whole which is more than just a sum of its parts and that society moulds individuals in socialisation so that they must be seen as dependent upon social institutions rather than their active constituents. An alternative to the dominant approaches of methodological individualism and methodological collectivism is methodological situationalism. Methodological situationalism replaces the model of the actor as the ultimate unit of analysis and leads to the production of knowledge that takes into account the practice through which members reproduce and acquire a sense of order while at the same time searching for order of rules and resources which presumably underlie and generate social conduct. We can summarise this section with the following remarks. Macro sociological theories have focused primarily on interrelations of social action. Micro sociological theories on the other hand, look at micro-social situations for theory building and theory formulations. Concluding Remarks The aim of sociological theory is not limited to understanding conceptual ambiguities but to reason systematically and scientifically about some of the major social problems that we face, to illuminate which values are relevant to the context and why, and to give some direction to what we should do. The general goal is to accomplish an understanding of reality. The importance of studying theory can be discerned by understanding the possible functions of theory- descriptive, analytical or explanatory, and to a certain degree predictive as well, and inherently prescriptive. Theory enables the researcher to make sense of the world around him. They guide and give meaning to what we see and observe. Theory helps in orienting the researchers mental framework to an established and accepted base from which the researcher can extract an understanding of the social reality around him, and proceed to develop his own hypothesis. Theories are often used to orient the mind of the reader to the pur pose of the research study. A strong theoretical background helps in introducing and justifying the need for undertaking a certain research study. When a researcher investigates and collects information through observation, the investigator needs a clear idea of what information is important to collect, which could be solved by using a theoretical tool to dictate the research enquiry. Theory and empirical research are intrinsically interrelated in the scheme of sociological enquiry. Following the scientific model of sociological enquiry, theory and research are linked in the both the inductive and deductive analysis of social reality. In the deductive model research is used to empirically test the validity and reliability of theory, while in the inductive model theories are developed on the basis of careful understanding and analysis of research data. If theory answers the question of what, why and how, research helps in indicating the purpose, object and end of what a particular theory is aiming to achieve. The significance of social theory can therefore, never be undermined.

Plasmid Extraction :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chitobiase, from Vibrio harveyi, is a membrane bound lipoprotein involved in the degradation of chitin. Chitobiase is similar to and may share a common ancestry to the a-chain of human b-hexos-aminidase. Chitobiase is encoded by chb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this experiment, a restriction map for restriction enzymes Eco R1, Pst1 and Hind III using Southern hybridization and restriction analysis of pRSG 192. pRSG 192 is a recombinant plasmid derived from the chb gene and pUC 19, a 2.7kb engineered plasmid which encodes for ampicillin resistance, a portion of the lac operon and a multiple cloning region . The chb gene exists as a 3.6 kb insert in the mutiple cloning region of pUC 19.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The major goals of Experiment One will be to isolate pRSG 192 from an overnight culture of E. coli, amplify a region of the chb gene using PCR, and to map restriction sites within the chb gene using restriction analysis and Southern hybridization. Methods Plasmid Isolation Four microfuge tubes containing cell pellets representing 3.0ml of cells(2 x 1.5ml) from an overnight culture of E. coli were prepared. The supernatant fluid was discarded and each pellet was resuspended in 150ul of TE buffer(10mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0; 0.1 EDTA). 300ul of SDS(1% SDS, 0.2 N NaOH) was added to each pellet. The tubes were placed on ice for five minutes, after which, 225ul of ice-cold 3M potassium acetate(pH 4.8) was added. The tubes were again placed on ice for five minutes and subsequently microfuged for five minutes. The supernatants were recovered and transferred to new tubes. One volume of phenol/chloroform was added to each new tube. The tubes were shaken vigorously for two minutes and centrifuged for five minutes. The upper, aqueous phase was recovered and transferred to a new tube. One volume of chloroform was added to each tube. The tubes were vigorously mixed and microfuged for three minutes.

Women in Technology Essay -- Technology Technological Computers Essays

Women in Technology Women have played a major role in computing for centuries as well as men. The purpose of this paper is to gain knowledge on women involved in technology who for some reason do not gain as much recognition as do men. There are numerous women within this field worth talking about, but the ones chosen were Ada Byron, Grace Hopper, Evelyn Granville, and Krisztina Holly. The history of each individual will be discussed as well as what form of influence they had in computers. Introduction The revolution of computers had begun centuries ago. It has been the work of many over the course of years to bring computers where they are today. For quite some time it entailed people with bright imaginations to come up with technological inventions. These inventions were then taken and built upon to improve its functionality. Finally, computers were no longer a revolution but an evolution since the 1950’s. During the course of this time many men as well as women had influenced technology. Unfortunately, women have not received the same form of recognition as the men have in this field of study. After carefully researching women in technology, it was observed on how true this was. It was difficult to find the names of women who were influential in computing let alone their biographies. On the other hand, finding men who were involved in this field were numerous. After spending time finding a list of women who were instrumental in computing, it was then narrowed down to four women of interest. The first woman to be discussed is Ada Byron. Following her will be Grace Hopper, Evelyn Granville, and Krisztina Holly. Ada Byron, Lady Love Lace Ada Byron, also known as Lady Lovelace, was born on December 10, 1815. She was the daughter of the famous poet, Lord Byron. Shortly after Ada was born, her mother asked for a separation from Lord Byron out of fear her daughter would become a poet like her father. Because of this, she was taught to be a mathematician and scientist. Ada at the age of 19 was having dinner at her friends’ house when she first heard of Babbage’s idea to invent a new calculating engine. According to Toole, â€Å"Babbage wanted a calculating engine that could not only foresee but could act on that foresight† (2000). Ada was very intrigued by his ideas and began a friendship with Babbage shortly after. â€Å"Ada predicted that a machine l... ... Each one of these women has had a tremendous role with computer advancement and deserves equal recognition for their accomplishments. It is up to computer science professors and major computer corporations to help get the word out on how women had a part in computer technology and still do. Maybe this will help take away many of the stereotypes and more women would have the desire to follow a career in computer technology. The time has come for major corporations to highlight noteworthy talents and insights of women, which have remained relatively unknown outside the workplace. References Danis, S. (1997). Rear admiral grace murray hopper. Retrieved February 10, 2006, from http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Hopper.Danis.html Granville, E. (2000). My life as a mathematician, by evelyn boyd granville. Retrieved February 10, 2006, from http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/granvill.htm MIT. (2002). Krisztina holly engineer, entrepreneur. Retrieved February 10, 2006, from http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsA-H/holly.html Toole, B. (2000). Ada byron, lady lovelace (1818-1852). Retrieved February 10, 2006, From http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/files/ada-bio.html

Feminism in John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Feminism in John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums  Ã‚   At first glance John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a story about a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection the story has strong notes of feminism in the central character Elisa Allen.   Elisa’s actions and feelings reflect her struggle as a woman trying and failing to emasculate herself in a male dominated society. Elisa is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and becomes weak when placed in feminine positions such as going out to dinner with her husband. Steinbeck carefully narrates this woman’s frequent shifts between femininity and masculinity over a short period of time. In the opening of the story Elisa is emasculated by the description of her clothing. She wears "a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron†¦" (paragraph 5). When Elisa’s husband Henry comes over and compliments her garden and ability to grow things Elisa is smug with him and very proud of her skill with the flowers. Her "green thumb" makes her an equal in her own eyes. When Elisa’s husband asks her if she would like to go to dinner her feminine side comes out. She is excited to go eat at a restaurant and states that she would much rather go to the movies than go see the fights, she "wouldn’t like the fight’s" at all (paragraph 21). Elisa is taken aback with her own submissiveness and quickly becomes preoccupied with her flowers as soon as her husband leaves. When the drifter comes and asks Elisa for work to do she is stern with him and refuses him a job. She acts as a man would to another strange man and becomes irritated. When he persists in asking her she reply’s "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do" (paragraph 46). The drifter mentions Elisa’s chrysanthemums and she immediately loosens up as "the irritation and resistance melt(ed) from her face" (paragraph 51). The drifter feigns great interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemums and asks her many questions about them. He tells her he knows a lady who said to him "if you ever come across some nice chrysanthemums I wish you’d try to get me a few seeds" (paragraph 56). Elisa is overjoyed by any interest in her flowers and gives the man chrysanthemum sprouts to take to his friend.

Review of Literature Related to Composite Materials

008.png"/> Research inquiry Research Questions Q. How can composite stuffs change the usage of normally used stuffs in today’s building industry? Q. How can plan inventions change the belongingss of stuffs or group / combination of stuffs? Q. Can composite stuffs replace the steel concrete building everyplace or is this attack limited to merely few subdivisions of building like low to mid rise edifices? PurposeTo analyze different stuffs being used in Indian building industry.To analyse these stuffs for their utility in the Indian clime.To place different stuffs which are available in market and can be used in Indian buildings.Compare the advantages of composite stuffs over normally used stuffs.To place the usage and handiness of composite stuffs in India.To look into the handiness and usage of composite stuffs outside India and to look into its relevancy in the Indian context.To get down with, the really first thing which needs by us to understand is what stuffs are soon being used in India, how are they used and how are they obtained. Are these stuffs locally available, or imported or unnaturally manufactured in here merely. If so, how are the stuffs used for its fabrication obtained. To get down with this lets us hold a speedy expression at the stuffs being used soon in India.Burnt clay bricks and tiles( GUPTA, 1998 ) Brick is one of the most normally used stuff in the Indian building industry. It is used in every topographic point in India. It had been use by us from around ancient period. But the usage it have decreased today as compared to that clip. The bricks are manufactured in India utilizing the clay nowadays on the top dirt and fire kilns. It is been invariably manufactured by many little graduated table industries in their ain ways. These ways were largely inefficient and resulted in hapless quality of bricks and higher cost of building. The revolution in it came with the debut of different stuffs along with the clay used for the brick building. The most celebrated of it is the fly ash bricks or aac bricks. To call few of its advantages:Saves energy in the kilns as the fly ash already contains hints of unburnt coal which helps it in drying or baking the brick more expeditiously. Besides since the brick is burnt besides from the interior, it takes less clip to bake.It is lighter in weight as compared to the older bricks hence it can be casted in bigger blocks now and can now be used for faster buildings.Its strength is more than the traditional ruddy brick and it more unvarying in form due to the mechanism used for its production.It can be used in about every sort of building due to its light weight and high strength.Rock( GUPTA, 1998 ) Rock was one of the most normally used stuff in the station Mauryan epoch and had been used till now. But its usage and ways of execution had changed. It is present in India in big sum and in assortment of forms and colourss and textures etc. Rocks are used conspicuously in the foundations, facings, paving, floorings, and fencing. The types of rock nowadays in India are Black granite, other granites, limestone, marble, sandstone, and slate and Delhi quartzite to call few. Besides stones like Kota rock and Jodhpur rock are used extensively in the insides and flooring. The rock is obtained by the procedure of quarrying. Quarrying is still done by the traditional mode merely but by utilizing the modern age tools. The rock is largely obtained from an unfastened cavity, and could besides be obtained by utilizing explosives. There are three ways of obtaining rock, i.e. stopper and plume method, explosives, and channeling. In stopper and feather method of quarrying, drills are holed in the rock. The plumes are formed to make full the holes on one side and level on the other. Now these stoppers or plumes are easy driven to lodge away the rock. Explosives are used to blare off a portion of rock to take the ball of bigger stone from the other. But this method gives us really irregular signifier of rock. These rocks ate used in the concrete as the sum. Channeling is done by boring holes 6 thousand deep I the rock and so a engine is used to drive the chisel to achieve coveted deepness. The used of rock and its lastingness are well-established facts and are known for them.Building calcium hydroxideLime has been used since 4000 BC. Lime is used in the building of edifices and roads, in lime howitzer, lime concrete, plasters, stabilized bricks, autoclaved Ca silicate bricks, fly ash sand calcium hydroxide bricks, and cellular concrete. It is produced utilizing the procedure of calcination of limestone of natural calcium hydroxide.GypsumGypsum is an of import edifice stuff. It is used to fabricate Plaster of Paris, gypsum plaster, hempen gypsum board, gypsum blocks, acoustic tiles, etc. The usage of gypsum in India is limited to commercial and institutional edifices merely. It is non used so much in India soon than it can be used.Glass( GUPTA, 1998 ) Glass fabrication in India is immense with both organized and unorganised sectors. The glass industry in India is extremely developed and reasonably cost effectual. The usage of glass in India is besides really high and is used largely in every edifice and with the addition in the commercial edifices like promenades and office edifices, the demand of glass increased manifolds. Glass is manufactured utilizing the silicon oxide. There are many types of glass like fused silicon oxide glass, alkali silicate glass, sodium carbonate calcium hydroxide glass, lead glass, boro silicate glass, particular glass, glass fibres, optical glass, mirrors etc. Glass is besides used in edifice industry in many ways. Transparent and semitransparent glass sheets, clear or tinted, are used as Windowss and fanlights. It is besides used as an infill in the doors and the Windowss. India manufactured every type of glass viz. float, clear float, coated and low emanation, rolled wired and iridescent, laminated, heat treated, tempered, heat strengthened, and spandril. Glass are used in many ways like glass tiles. These are made for the intent of glazing, wall coating, dividers, ceilings etc. They are besides used in the drape walls and swimming pools. They are used intensively in the landscape gardening besides. Mirrors are besides one of the major usage of glass in the edifice industry. They are the standard adjustment of the bathrooms, sleeping rooms, and now they are even used as an component of ornament. Glass fibres are thin and long fibres of glass which are used to fabricate different other types of stuffs. They are used to fabricate assorted complexs in which gypsum plaster, polyester or epoxy rosin or cement is used as a binder. Glass fibres reinforced complexs are besides available in the market and are used to fabricate pipes, armored combat vehicles, panels etc. There are new merchandises besides available in the market by the name of glass ceramics. They are used as panelling, ceilings, thermic insularity and fire immune stuffs. Blast furnace scorias are besides used to fabricate the glass ceramics.CeramicssCeramicss are used to fabricate healthful wares, glazed tiles, stoneware, tableware, furnace linings, bricks for roofing and enamel wares etc.Steel( GUPTA, 1998 ) Steel is a really widely used stuff in today’s universe. And it is used widely in edifice buildings besides. The structural steel is used for edifice buildings and have an progressively of import function in traditional, medium denseness lodging. The usage of hot rolled structural steel merchandises peculiarly, has shown advantages through its built-in strength. The advantages of utilizing steel is the handiness of long column free spans and saves constructing stuffs due to low deepness of steel beams. Nowadays, new lightweight steel beams are besides available and are t he grounds for the new assorted inventions. Uses of steel in edifices:Steel framed skeletal constructions for high rise edifices.Large span level roofs utilizing steel beams.Steel concrete complex framed constructions for higher stableness.Steel trusses.Steel hemorrhoids.RCC.Prestressed steel wires.Steel wires for cement concrete.Doors, Windowss, armored combat vehicles, etc.Staircase, lifts, pipes, poles and stations, Gatess, fences, mesh etc.Steel is a really dependable building stuff and is besides used extensively.Cement and concrete( GUPTA, 1998 ) Cement is one of the most widely used edifice stuff and decidedly one of the most of import 1 besides. There are many assortment of cement nowadays in today’s universe, but the most normally used cement is the Portland cement. Cement industry is a nucleus sector industry and forms the anchor of the substructure development of the state. ( Anon. , n.d. ) Concrete is the most extensively used stuff in the whole universe. Today. Every edifice used concrete for building. It surpasses steel ingestion of the universe. It is made by utilizing the cement along with other things like sand, sum, etc. There are many recent promotions in the concrete industries which have made really attractive options to utilize concrete as the primary building stuff. But we will discourse it subsequently in item.Complexs or composite stuffs( Anon. , n.d. ) Composite stuffs are the stuffs which are made by uniting two different type of stuffs to organize a new compound of the two or more stuffs to accomplish the coveted belongingss. ( RILEM, n.d. ) Complexs are used efficaciously in each sector of building industries. ( Papanicolaou, n.d. ) There are many types of composite stuffs present in the universe like manmade and natural fibres based complexs, wood complexs and complexs form the local stuffs. The complexs from local stuffs can besides be classified as the combination stuffs in which no chemical combination occurs, but assorted stuffs are combined together in specific sets to accomplish desired consequences. The other types of complexs available are bamboo and wood complexs, polymer, plasti cs and surface coatings, metal matrix complexs etc. to call a few. Now the overview of the stuffs used in India or present in India is done. We now need to seek for the stuffs which are non present in India but can work really good for the Indian context.BibliographyAnon. , n.d. www.archdaily.com.[ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.archdaily.com/category/building-technology-and-materials/ [ Accessed 15 July 2014 ] . Anon. , n.d. www.architonic.com.[ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.architonic.com/ntsht/concrete-in-architecture-2-not-really-grey/7000529 [ Accessed 15 July 2014 ] . GUPTA, T. , 1998. Constructing stuffs in India 50 old ages by GUPTA, TN. In: T. Gupta, erectile dysfunction.Constructing stuffs in India 50 old ages.Delhi: Building Material and Technology Promotion Council, p. 536. Papanicolaou, S. P. a. G. ed. , n.d. Engineering Applications of New Composites by S.A. Paipetis and G.C. Papanicolaou. In: s.l. : s.n. RILEM, n.d.Uniting Materials: Design, Production and Properties by RILEM.s.l. : RILEM.