Educational Philosophy Statement :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Educational Philosophy Statement I wrote my first educational philosophy during my first semester in college. Now I have earned 67 hours of college credit, gaining more knowledge in all areas. My determination to earn a teaching degree remains strong, and my self-motivation is ever-present. I also have a large support group of friends and family who encourage me to continue even though my peers are retiring. The high school teacher that sparked my desire to teach continues to encourage my efforts also. My philosophy of education has changed slightly. I still believe that children are eager to please and ready to learn. My experience in a Russian orphanage with 350 orphans has made me more aware of children’s needs, physically and emotionally. Upon returning home from this trip, my eyes were opened to the needs of children in our community and state. I am more aware of the strong need for an education for each and every child. My views on the purpose of education have broadened, and I understand the value of quality education. Not only does an education prepare the student for his/her adult life, but also it boosts an individual’s self esteem to the highest level possible. I have experienced this first-hand and feel more comfortable and self-assured since taking college courses. The knowledge I have gained has given me confidence that only higher learning can give. I want to instill this philosophy into my students to increase their desire to learn. They need to know that an education can help them reach their goals in life. My view about my method of teaching has slightly changed. I will still use learning centers, hands-on activities, and creative play, but I have learned that a student must be challenged. A student who doesn’t feel challenged by his schoolwork soon becomes bored and uninterested. Learning must be exciting and rewarding. My views on curriculum haven’t changed much. I still see reading as the most important subject, along with writing. While taking several English courses, I found a love and appreciation of literature and writing.

Dying With Grace, Living in Peace: Hospice Care in America Essay

The beginning of life is celebrated. Books and resources are shared among friends and family in preparation for becoming a new parent. So, what happens as we approach the end of life? Unfortunately, the same care and sharing rarely occurs in those circumstances and many face the process of dying unprepared. In fact, though most people state they would prefer to die at home, this is often not where death occurs. Many Americans spend their last days attached to medical apparatus that keeps the body alive, but it does not allow for communication with family and often requires heavy sedation. Additionally, this level of treatment comes at a high price. As a society, we must become as comfortable in addressing the end of life process as we are with the beginning of life. One way that this can be done more effectively is through increased knowledge and use of hospice care. Hospice care is a viable option that provides substantial health care cost savings, physical comfort to the p atient, and emotional and spiritual support to the caregivers, however as hospice systems become more commercialized, care must be taken to avoid the pitfalls that are inherent in larger organizations. Hospice care is a relatively young option in the United States. In fact, the first hospice organization was founded in 1971 in the US after gaining acceptance in England in the 1950s (Jensen, 2012). Hospice care is provided to those who are diagnosed with a terminal condition that is expected to culminate in death within six months. Unlike regular health care which focuses on curative procedures, hospice services focus on the comfort of the patient in order to ease the process of dying. These services provide benefits to the patient and the caregive... ...NHPCO facts and figures: Hopice care in America. Alexandria, VA. Perry, J. E., & Stone, R. C. (2011). In the business of dying: Questioning the commercialization of hospice. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(2), 224-234. doi:1111/j.1748-720X.2011.0059.x Robinson, L., & Segal, J. (2012). Quality of life at the end of life: A guide to hospice and palliative care at home or in a hospice facility. Retrieved from Helpguide.org: www.helpguide.org/elder/hospice_care.htm Seeger, P. (2012). Turn, turn, turn lyrics. Retrieved from metrolyrics.com: http://www.metrolyrics.com/turn-turn-turn-to-everything-there-is-a-season-lyrics-the-byrds.html Taylor, D., Ostermann, J., Houtven, C. V., Tulsky, J., & Steinhauser, K. (2007). What length of hospice use maximizes reduction in medical expenditures near death in the US Medicare program? Social Science & Medicine, 1466-1478.

The feasibility and profitability of a wind farm, proposed to supply the island town of Lowton with electricity

The following report investigates the feasibility and profitability of a wind farm, proposed to supply the island town of Lowton with electricity. Using cost-benefit analysis techniques including spreadsheets formulated using Microsoft Excel the validity of the potential construction (15 turbines) was established. The Results (including equations formulated) are available in table format in the ‘Presentation Of Results' section (p 7). Other factors, including the difficulties involved in the environmental decision-making process are discussed, for example the difficulties surrounding applying a monetary value to natural resources, pollution levels and visual intrusion. The strengths and weaknesses of the decision making process are highlighted. Environmental concerns and the importance of developing alternative energy sources are discussed. The report concludes that the construction of the proposed wind farm should go ahead, and that it could be a profitable enterprise. Introduction This report is to investigate and appraise the environmental impact of a potential wind farm for the small island town of Lowton, while assessing the profitability and feasibility of this. The island is inhabited by 1000 residents and currently has power supplied by a conventional power plant on the mainland, which owns a 650 watt electrical power station. The wind farm in question would be small (about 15 turbines) which would be expected to service the town for 20 years each. The immediate cost of constructing and installing the turbines would be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 million per mega watt (MW) and the potential output should be reached by the end of the second year. The cost of the fuel replaced by the wind power creates a saving of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½25 per MW hour. Due to the fact wind is an uncontrollable phenomenon it is not available 100% of the time. The potential availability is estimated at 50% A spreadsheet shall be devised using Microsoft excel in order to determine the financial benefits/losses. The possible environmental impacts shall also be discussed and weighed up, using moral and financial arguments. Aims & Objectives The aims and objectives of this report are to assess the profitability and feasibility of the construction of the proposed wind farm. Economic modelling skills shall be used to create and explain a discounted cash flow model. A brief environmental impact assessment shall be created along with a discussion of environmental valuation techniques. Background To Study The town of Lowton lies on a small island in two miles into the English Channel. It is not densely populated; having only 1000 residents- therefore does not have a high demand for power. The current situation sees the electricity being supplied by a local power company on the mainland via undersea cables. The company in question have a 650 MW conventional power station. The cost of constructing and implementing the 5MW wind farm would be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 million per MW at the start (year 1) and would be subject to later discounts due to the low maintenance costs of the turbines. The cost of the wind power would save à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½25 on coal per hour. Methodology The primary supplied data was entered into a Microsoft excel spreadsheet (capital cost, capacity in MW, wind efficiency levels, capital repayments, discount rate, MW per hour of turbines, compared with the cost per MW hour of turbines and conventional generators. The NPV function, found in ‘f'- financial section- was used and the appropriate formulas were input. (Supplied on spreadsheets) In addition to the above information sheets issued by the Department of Trade & Industry were studies for further information. The spreadsheet was then altered to demonstrate the way in which a variation in wind efficiency may affect the NPV, should the turbines be less effective than anticipated. Presentation Of Results Discussion & Analysis Of Results The results show the potential wind farm to be a profitable project. The discount rate is used in long term projects to reflect the fact things are worth more in the present than in the future so it is the opposite of compounding. 30% was decided to be the efficiency rate in the sensitivity analysis, as it is possible that a wind farm that operates on full speed 50% of the time to have an annual output of 30% efficiency. People are impatient and would rather be instantly rewarded for something than wait to be rewarded in the future, even when this means sacrificing potentially larger gains for smaller immediate ones. This is basically human nature as the future is uncertain. A person may die for example, or shares/projects may collapse before the maximum potential is obtained. The cost of long-term investment also means a persons financial resources are tied up so unavailable for other purposes. Discounting can also be accused of belittling future benefits and the way it asks people to make personal decisions based on their own values about public goods closes off public debate. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) should also be used for determining the worth of a project. It should not merely be a financial decision when hard to value resources/phenomenon's (e.g. habitat) are involved. This raises moral and ethical questions. It is incredibly hard to attempt to put a value on human life. One way in which economists do this is by paying wages at levels which reflect the risk of the job involved e.g. soldiers earn more than teachers due to the extremely high risks associated with being sent into battle. Rather than place a value on the individual it is considered more sensitive to see it in terms of altering the morbidity rate e.g. discovering how much a household will pay to cut pollution levels, which would save lives each year. Studies have shown that by cutting pollution levels by 26.570 GWH may reduce deaths by as many as 80. Many other factors are almost impossible to put a price on, e.g. visual intrusion, noise levels. CBA does offer the opportunity to bring the costs and benefits of potential developments into the decision-making framework (as the name would suggest) and provide a ‘precident'- a way to approach environmental problems from a solid standpoint. It also allows sensitivity analysis to be conducted to establish variations in assumptions. It is a transparent process that allows outsiders the chance to see how a decision has been made. The downsides of CBA, however, include the fact that it has to assign a cash value to a natural/environmental phenomenon. There is a possibility the process may be miss-used to promote a political decision as opposed to promoting a neutral investigative /objective standpoint, as the results of the ‘Pevensey Levels' exercise in Sussex illustrated. Cost & Value Of Wind Energy The cost of wind energy is dependant on the initial cost and productivity of the turbines. In this case it is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½25 per MW hour. Installation costs may be covered relatively quickly in a successful case due to the low maintenance costs and 20-year lifespan of each turbine. The annual output of the turbines, however, is dependant on the position and mean wind speed of their erection site, which directly affects the cost of electricity per unit. Despite the fact the proposed site is expected to reach its full potential 50% of the time (meaning the annual output may be the equivalent of working on full power 25-30% of the time) the supply tends to peak with demand, e.g. in the dark windy winter months when there is more demand for heating and lighting. Although typical wind farms produce 2-3 times less power than conventional plants they are environmentally friendly, sustainable and low maintenance in comparison. The government is currently trying to encourage the switch from conventional power plants to alternatives. It established the NFFO (Non-Fossil Fuel Order) in 1991-1998 that is now being succeeded by NFFO2- the aim of which is to subsidise and popularise the use of sustainable resources until they are in a position to compete with conventional and more traditional ones. The success of this scheme depends largely on the ever-volatile energy market. THE PRICE OF PROGRESSION? Due to the fact many benefits of sustainable power sources are long term it can be hard to interest investors. It is also hard to put a monetary value on factors such as pollution reduction, human life or the loss of wilderness land/habitat. PUBLIC SAFETY: Any man made product has a risk of malfunction but the risk from a wind turbine is considerably less than that of a plane or car engine etc. Coupled with the fact they are usually situated far from housing/roads the chance of receiving physical injury from a turbine is minimal. Despite the fact it is possible for a rotary blade to become detached in high winds nobody has ever been injured by one, and it is unlikely a person would be nearby in such bad weather conditions. Environmental Impacts RISK TO WILDLIFE: There is little risk to wildlife posed by wind farms. They produce little noise, and studies do not show them to disturb wild animals. Farmers can even graze livestock up to the base of the turbines Birds may be slightly at risk of flying into the turbines, but they are no more likely to do this than they are likely to fly into conventional power pylons or be hit by aircraft/road vehicles. Local wildlife is indeed likely to benefit from the construction of a wind farm, through the cuts in pollution levels and subsequent rise in air quality. LOSS OF WILDERNESS LAND: A method known as the ‘Clawson Method' is used to assess the monetary value of a wilderness area. It is also called the ‘Travel-Cost Analysis'. Visitors to a site in question will be interviewed to establish how far they have travelled to reach the area, from five graded zones surrounding the site. Figures are then derived from each 1000 visitors and the travel cost is considered to be the cost of their visit. This method however fails to look at the land as a future resource or take account of habitat/rare species living there. All the above factors need to be addressed along with our need to cut toxic emissions and pollutants from industry, plus preserve fossil fuels. Despite the fact that developing alternative energy sources in the short term is unlikely to be immensely profitable it is another step towards a sustainable national grid. Consumer Objections: A BLOT ON THE LANDSCAPE? Some people consider wind farms to be intrusive, and complain about the sights/sounds emitted. This depends greatly on the location in question-most ‘farms' are built far from urbanised land or other developments, sights of national beauty or very popular recreational ground. There is little that can be done at present to alter the appearance of the turbines. Very little noise is produced, so little even livestock appear unconcerned. Manufacturers are nevertheless working to make them even quieter. PUBLIC BIAS? It is possible that public ignorance and bias is at the root of many complains. A lack of awareness may encourage low tolerance levels, especially amongst those who are unfamiliar with modern technology and pollution problems. NIMBY Syndrome (Not In MY Back Yard) may also contribute to peoples dissatisfaction, especially those who live downwind. Conclusion: The spreadsheet analysis of the potential wind farm indicates it would be a profitable enterprise, due to the high Net Present Value produced. This is however only deducted from a model that is only as good as the person who designed it and the assumptions it is based on. It is therefore subject to any number of unforeseen crises, and should merely be viewed as a hypothesis. The Cost-Benefit Analysis also indicates that switching to environmentally friendly sources of power would be advantageous to both present and future generations. Discounting affects future generations as the higher the discount rate, the quicker the non-sustainable resources are likely to be exhausted. The approach may backfire if the benefits are not obtainable for a prolonged period as investment will be virtually impossible to find. It is therefore hard to protect slow-replenishing resources like tropical hardwoods. Discounting can even help to accrue worse future damage-however devastating the effects-if the future damage will not be felt for several generations. There is no real alternative to CBA despite of its faults, so it should be refined rather than disregarded as a source of decision-making. Environmental decision-making is a sensitive issue. The only possible other way is to use a citizens jury. Where this has been tried however the members failed to fully understand what was expected of them , or how to place prices on abstract phenomenon. Most educated individuals recognise the benefits to society gained from switching to ‘green' (sustainable) energy sources. The development of these sources are still in the early stages and are not going to affect the conventional production of power in the short term, it is still important to develop and popularise such alternatives today. This is the only way in which they will win social and scientific approval and eventually overcome fossil fuel consuming plants as a source of power.

Data Mining in the Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Example

Data Mining in the Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Example Data Mining in the Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Data Mining in the Pharmaceutical Industry Essay A Look at Data Mining in the Pharmaceutical Industry Topics Covered: 1) What is Data Mining and why is it used? 2) How is Data Mining used in the Pharmaceutical Industry? 3) Recent debate in the legality of Data Mining and the Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the growing use of technology in the healthcare arena by using data to enhance their marketing efforts and increase the quality of research and development. The process of data mining allows companies to extract useful information from large sets of individual data. This process provides a knowledge that is vital to a pharmaceutical company’s competitive position and organizational decision-making. â€Å"Data Mining enables firms and organizations to make calculated decisions by assembling, accumulating, analyzing and accessing corporate data. It uses variety of tools like query and reporting tools, analytical processing tools, and Decision Support System (DSS) tools† (Rangan, 2007). 1) What is Data Mining and why is it used? Data mining is the practice of automatically searching large stores of data to discover patterns and trends that go beyond simple analysis. Data mining uses sophisticated mathematical algorithms to segment the data and evaluate the probability of future events. Data mining is also known as Knowledge Discovery in Data (KDD)† (Oracle, 2008). As stated, data mining is used to help find patterns and relationships stored within large sets of data, these patterns and relationships are then used to provide know ledge and value to the end user. The data can help prove and support earlier predictions usually based on statistics or aid in uncovering new information about products and customers. It is usually used by business intelligence organizations, and financial analysts, but is increasingly being used in the sciences to extract information from the enormous data sets generated by modern experimental and observational methods. Data mining is being increasingly used in business to help identify trends that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. There are several different opinions on the exact â€Å"steps† of data mining, but they all agree on these basics: planning, modeling and extracting information. Oracle defines 4 steps in the data mining process: 1) problem definition, 2) data gathering and preparation, 3) model building and evaluation, and 4) knowledge deployment. The first step of data mining is to understand the purpose, scope and requirements of the project . Once the project is specified from a business perspective, it can be formulated as a data mining problem and a preliminary implementation plan can be developed† (Oracle, 2008). The data gathering process takes a look at how well the data serves the purpose of the project. In this step many changes can be made to the attributes of the data so that they better serve the objective and requirements of the project. This process can play a large part in the value of the knowledge and information derived from the data. For example, you might transform a DATE_OF_BIRTH column to AGE; you might insert the average income in cases where the INCOME column is null† (Oracle, 2008). The third step of data mining is to build and evaluate the model. The model should be tested and evaluated to make sure that it will answer the question and stay within the requirements of the business objectives stated in the first phase of the process. The final phase includes knowledge deployment which is where actual information and realization comes from the data. Here is where the relationships and patterns are turned into something meaningful that meets the objective of the project. There are several techniques used for data mining, some of them have been used for decades prior to the information technology boom that has changed the system dramatically. According to (Alex Berson, 2000), these â€Å"classic† techniques include Statistics, Neighborhoods and Clustering while the â€Å"next generation† techniques include Trees, Networks and Rules. In the end the purpose of each of these techniques is to explore data (usually large amounts of data typically business or market related) in search of consistent patterns and/or systematic relationships between variables, and then to validate the findings by applying the detected patterns to new subsets of data† (StatSoft, 2011). As stated above, data mining is often used to solve business decision problems, â€Å"it provides ways to quantitatively measure what business users should already know qualitatively† (Linoff, 2004). A growing number of industries are using data mining to become more competitive in their market by primarily focusing on the customers; increasing their customer relationships and increasing customer acquisition. 2) How is Data Mining Used in the Pharmaceutical Industry? The pharmaceutical industry has copious uses for data mining which include increasing the efficiency of research and development, contributing to drug safety information and to increasing the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Understanding that the benefit of data mining is allowing for the extraction of useful information from large sets of individual data, it is evident that the pharmaceutical industry has a need for this process. The abundance of diseases prevalent in the world, the multitude of drugs available for each disease, and the variety of patients that take the products, produces massive amounts of information available in the industry. Pharmaceutical companies have begun to use this data to benefit patient safety, physician knowledge and their own marketing efforts. Data mining can be used while companies are researching and testing new products. â€Å"Scientists run experiments to determine activity of potential drugs† (Rangan, 2007). They are able to use process that produce results and relationships much faster, they can quickly determine activity on â€Å"relevant genes or to find drug compounds that have desirable characteristics† (Rangan, 2007). â€Å"By relating the chemical structure of different compounds to their pharmacological activity, [data mining] can bringing a degree of predictability to drug screening procedures that, until now, have tended to be a bit hit and miss† (Results, 2009). That should help scientists and pharmaceutical companies identify more effective compounds to treat different diseases, allowing them to find drug leads in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of current methods. † The earlier methods of experimentation was very time consuming and had to be done over and ov er again each time a new drug was being researched, none of the old information was every used to help with speedier development. Data mining allows the past research to be used when picking compounds as opposed to just randomly choosing and testing. As a drug gets further into the development and into the clinical trial stages, data mining can help predict which diseases and patients will benefit from the drug. Based on past information data mining will provide a correlation between the new molecules, disease states and patients. For example, Pfizer is â€Å"turning to sophisticated data mining techniques to help improve the design of new trials, to better understand possible new uses for existing drugs, and to help examine how drugs are being used after they have been approved† (Salamone). During trial phases they are able to â€Å"understand safety and efficacy profiles within the patient population by tackling the question of patient selection within the framework of demonstrating groups that are most responsive. Data mining framework enables specialists to create customized nodes that can be shared throughout the organization† (Rangan, 2007). Additionally, one of the greatest benefits of data mining in the pharmaceutical industry and the healthcare world is the discovery of adverse events and drug toxicity in patients. It could help determine the adverse reactions associated with a specific drug and still go a step further to show if any specific condition aggravates the adverse reaction for eg age, sex, and obesity (Novartis Business Intelligence report, 2004). Data mining is useful in almost every stage of drug discovery and can aid in toxicity detection, side effect profiles and can work to uncover responsiveness in certain patients. â€Å"The patterns that emerge from data mining this information will not only improve our understanding of this disease, but could give practitioners new insights into prevention and treatment. (Rangan, 2007). As addressed above, a limiting factor in past and current pharmaceutical data is the sheer amount of data and lack of information that exists in the industry. Knowledge and information is being slowed at even a physician and patient level, for example the FDA estimates that only 1% of serious adverse events are actually reported to the companies after they h appen because most practicing healthcare providers do not have the time or means to report the adverse events and have no need for the data at a later time. There is a strong need for data mining techniques within the pharmaceutical industry to understand and detect possible adverse events before they happen to patients. Outside of product research, development and safety, pharmaceutical organizations are using data mining techniques to increase their marketing efforts directly to the consumer as well as to the prescribing physician. They are able to see a better return on the investment of resources based on mining the prescription data released by pharmacies. As discussed earlier, many businesses are using data mining to increase their customer relationships nd encourage product growth. They are able to use the data to gather knowledge and information in order to create more effective and efficient sales strategies. â€Å"Data mining can be used to supplement the pharmaceutical companies marketing efforts by market segmentation, measuring return on investment (ROI) and understanding profitable managed care formulary status. â€Å"A p harmaceutical company can analyze its recent sales force activity and their results to improve targeting of high-value physicians and determine which marketing activities will have the greatest impact in the next few months. The data needs to include competitor market activity as well as information about the local health care systems. The results can be distributed to the sales force via a wide-area network that enables the representatives to review the recommendations from the perspective of the key attributes in the decision process. The ongoing, dynamic analysis of the data warehouse allows best practices from throughout the organization to be applied in specific sales situations. † (Alex Berson, 2000) Market segmentation allows for tailored messaging and information to be given to appropriate customers where their need is specifically met. Prescribing information allows the sales representatives to spend appropriate time and resources on customers that have the most need for individual products based on their patient population and historical prescribing trends. â€Å"Supplemented by survey data, patient and physician interviews, information gleaned from epidemiological studies and managed care organizations, questionnaires on web sites, and other market research, a quite detailed picture of a customer base can be identified, with marketing strategies devised accordingly† (Cohen). This is critical at the launch of a product, in order to determine the â€Å"early adopters† that will drive a product use and share their success with professional peers. A successful product launch to the right market segment can allow a product to surpass its competitors in the field. Especially in the era of â€Å"me-too† products with similar efficacy and slightly lower side effects than earlier competitors, the effectiveness of a product launch is vital to the career of the product. Identifying the early adopters and focusing tailored promotional efforts on this segment (as opposed to broadcasting a general message to all physicians) can be crucial to the success of the product† (Cohen). Measuring the ROI of certain programs and resources the organizations use, can help save time and money by making sure the resources are being put in the most favorable places to produce the most amount of business and patient satisfaction. Data mining allows pharmaceutical companies to get an idea of how their field promotions and direct to consumer promotion programs are driving business results. The promotional efforts of these organizations are tremendous and indlude field promotions: representative sales calls, peer-to-peer dinner meetings, exhibits at conventions, promotional samples, and direct to consumer advertising which include: commercials, websites, patient education materials the companies spend billions of dollars on the promotion of a single product. Data mining can help stream line the customers that are targeted for these promotional events and help make more accurate decisions on where to spend their resources so that they make sense for the physician, patient and the organization. The formulary status of a specific drug is very dependent on the location and area in question. The managed care market dynamics are very critical to effective targeting and marketing of pharmaceutical companies. Physicians are generally unaware of specific prescription coverage on certain health care plans, especially if a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) is used in lieu of the actual healthcare benefits to manage prescriptions. For this reason it is important that each organization have the data to support the needs of the various customers and plans to help physicians overcome the obstacles they encounter while prescribing certain drugs to their specific environment. There are many facets of the pharmaceutical industry, including patient care and marketing that can widely benefit from utilizing decision support systems and data mining. The process is revolutionizing early drug discovery and increasing the speed and effectiveness that scientists have in uncovering new molecules to treat various disease states. It has a place in patient safety by providing early detection of drug-on-drug interactions, toxicity and adverse reactions. Finally it is widely used to supplement the marketing efforts in the field and increase the business acumen and accuracy of the promotional side of the industry. 3) Recent debate in the legality of Data Mining and the Pharmaceutical Industry In the past 10 years, the pharmaceutical industry has been scrutinized for various activities that have lawmakers on the watch and uncertain about the agenda these organizations have when promoting their products. With the blatant need for healthcare reform and a slow demise of the American healthcare industry this scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry has steadily increased and the reputation of these organizations has increasingly plummeted. Within this scrutiny, authorities have begun to question the lawfulness of data mining and the use of prescription-drug records used in promotional efforts. Some argue that the data-mining is purely to grow market share for money-hungry companies and has little relation to the care or need of patients and physicians. As recently as 2011 the Supreme Court heard a case assessing the legality of prescription-drug records being used to promote pharmaceutical products. After a patient fills a prescription â€Å"pharmacies can sell the other information in those prescriptions to data-mining companies (they cannot sell patient identification information), who sift through all this information, spot trends and patterns, and then sell that to, as in this case, drug companies, who can then have their sales representatives do targeted marketing of brand-name drugs to doctors† (Coyle, 2011). Drug makers buy prescription records that reveal the prescribing practices of individual doctors from data mining companies and, based on the information, practice a type of marketing called detailing, in which sales representatives, who already know which doctors prescribe certain kinds of medications, pitch information about new drugs they think will be of interest to the doctor† (Lewis, 2011). The discrepancy existed in the State of Vermont where lawmakers made it unlawful to sell this information without the prescribing physicians consent, however this law was ruled unconstitutional in the lower federal appellate court, bringing the decision to the Supreme Court. The following is an excerpt from an interview done after the hearing. Vermonts purpose in enacting the law was to protect the privacy of the doctors information, to encourage prescription of generic drugs, which would help lower health costs in the state, and also to protect the public health, which it felt could be endangered by drug companies sales representatives presenting one-sided information to the doctors. Then, on the other side, you have the drug companies and other businesses concerned that if the court restricts access to this kind of information then, that they wont get the kind of information they say they need to make important business decisions, ot just marketing decisions, research decisions, ot her decisions that they think could be beneficial to consumers† (Coyle, 2011). The Supreme Court ended up over-ruling this decision based on the First Amendment right and gave pharmaceutical industries a big victory in their use of Data Mining. â€Å"The Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 majority decision and ruled that the law interfered with the pharmaceutical industrys First Amendment right to market its products (Lewis, 2011). † Despite the controversy, it is evident that there is a wealth of knowledge and information to be gained by the use of data mining in the pharmaceutical industry. It is a process that allows an organization to streamline the massive amounts of data and make educated research developments and business decisions based on the information. Alex Berson, S. S. (2000). Building Data Application for CRM. McGraw-Hill. Cohen, J. (n. d. ). Data Mining of Market Knowledge in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Data Mining of Market Knowledge in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Coyle, M. (2011, April 26). National Law Journal. (R. Suarez, Interviewer) Lewis, N. (2011, Januray 24). Drug Prescription Data Mining Cleared by the Supreme Court. Retrieved August 09, 2011, from Informtion Week: informationweek. com/news/healthcare/security-privacy/231000397 Linoff, G. (2004). Data Miners. Retrieved July 31, 2011, from Data Miners Inc. : data-miners. com/resources/SUGI29-Survival. pdf Oracle. (2008, May). Data Mining Concepts. Retrieved July 31, 2011, from Oracle: http://download. oracle. com/docs/cd/B28359_01/datamine. 111/b28129/process. htm Rangan, J. (2007). Applications of Data Mining Techniques in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Journal of Theoretical and Implied Information Technology, 7. Results, I. (2009, Feb 3). Data Mining Promises to Dig Up New Drugs. Retrieved August 9, 2011, from Science Daily: sciencedaily. com/releases/2009/02/090202140042. htm Salamone, S. (n. d. ). Pfizer Data Mining Focuses on Clinical Trials. Retrieved August 09, 2011, from Bio. It. Com: bio-itworld. com/newsitems/2006/february/02-23-06-news-pfizer StatSoft. (2011). Statsoft: Data Mining Techniques. Retrieved July 31, 2011, from Statsoft: statsoft. com/textbook/data-mining-techniques/#eda

Tamba Sebba Essays - Federalism, United States Constitution

Tamba Sebba Essays - Federalism, United States Constitution Tamba Sebba Professor Wilkinson U.S. History 1301 09/25/17 The constitution was a document that was written that the newly independent America become unified and aid it to become it is today. But what were some of the motives that led to its creation? The primary source helped support the claims that Holton made within his document it added credibility and help prove Holton's conclusion To First determine whether the primary source contradicts Woody Holton's conclusion you first must understand Holton and be able to fully grasp what Holton was trying to say. The first thing is that Holton credits farmer for being the motive for the convention. Holton explains that the Constitution was a means to limit the inference of ordinary Americans had within the government. In addition, he believed that it was also a means to help bring in the ideas of democracy and as a to help transfer power from the state government to the national government. The primary source may seem like it contradiction Holton's claim with the ideas shown in document 5, which is a debate of how Congress, alone show that many of the men in the convention where in favor of the idea of the people having a hand in the election process and that it would be unjust to them to leave it to the government. But then uses the other source to show how the founding fathers changed the idea to form the syste m of government we have today letting people have a say in their state governments but leaving them out on the national government decision The constitution was made to empower the people due to the mistreatment of the people by England which was a huge cause that would lead to the American revolution. So most of the men present were in favor of a free government where the people had more say in the affairs of the government. The men present wanted to push the idea that of an open free government to help push out the ideals that had been establishing under the rule in England and as they saw it did not work out so the wanted to do the opposite on England government a setup transparency within the government. But the men slowly begin to realize that with this free government not everyone would turn out happy son the begin to form a structure where that could limit the public hand in government affairs but still make it seem like the people still had the control. Another example where the primary source supports Holton's conclusion is that the constitution was also formed so that the American could develop their own currency (paper money). In both document 2 and 3 Curtis talks about the economic motive that would help form the Constitution. Which Holton talk about how there were economic motives within the forming of the Constitution but in truth it was a key factor because with Americas new found independence they would have to restructure their economy from being a colony relying on England to aid them to now an independent country with our own currency and their own way of making money for not only the states but a country as a whole . This would be easier to accomplish if all the states were under one union. And with this, it supports Holton's claim of uniting the states under one union. Lastly, the idea of federalism started to form making it to where the states had their government that the public could put their two cents in but in actuality the big decisions were made by the national government with little to none public interference. Forming a perfect model that would help unify the country In document 8 9, Which are part of collection of paper that pushed the idea of federalism and also pushed the ratification of the constitution, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton want to sway the public opinion of this free government and introduce the people to democracy showing the people that It was different from the way that England had ruled the country and also making it to where the people would believe that they would have a say

Class Actinopterygii Facts and Examples

Class Actinopterygii Facts and Examples The group of ray-finned fishes (Class Actinopterygii) encompasses over 20,000 species of fish that have rays, or spines, in their fins. This separates them from the lobe-finned fishes (Class Sarcopterygii, e.g., the lungfish and coelacanth), which have fleshy fins. Ray-finned fishes make up about half of all known vertebrate species. This group of fish is very diverse, so species come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. The ray-finned fishes include some of the most well-known fish, including tuna, cod, and even seahorses. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: Actinopterygii Feeding Ray-finned fishes have a wide variety of feeding strategies. One interesting technique is that of the anglerfish, which entice their prey toward them using a movable (sometimes light-emitting) spine that is above the fishs eyes. Some fish, such as the bluefin tuna, are excellent predators, speedily capturing their prey as they swim through the water. Habitat and Distribution Ray-finned fishes live in a wide variety of habitats, including the deep sea, tropical reefs, polar regions, lakes, rivers, ponds and desert springs. Reproduction Ray-finned fishes may lay eggs or bear live young, depending on the species. African cichlids actually keep their eggs and protect the young in their mouth. Some, like seahorses, have elaborate courtship rituals. Conservation and Human Uses Ray-finned fishes have long been sought for human consumption, with some species considered overfished. In addition to commercial fishing, many species are recreationally fished. They are also used in aquariums. Threats to ray-finned fishes include overexploitation, habitat destruction, and pollution.

Oka Conflict of Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oka Conflict of Canada - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that political conflicts are the most common form of conflicts occurring among many regions around the world. These disputes are caused by different reasons and despite their nature being political; the fundamental course defines the actual conflict. Environmental conflicts refer to disputes occurring between different interest groups because of existing resources available within the natural environment. These conflicts are defined through the various natural resources available within the environment, which might be lost or gained following the occurrence of the conflict. The nature of the Oka conflict results in the identification of the conflict as being environmental. The disputed land that the conflicting parties were interested in contained numerous resources that the government and the Mohawk community were interested in keeping. The hard-line stands that each party maintained contributed significantly in the development of the conflict, from a simple dispute, to become a full-blown conflict between different parties. The failure to effectively resolve the environmental dispute resulted in the explosion of the dispute to become a conflict. As the paper highlights the environmental dispute involved land, which was utilised by the Mohawk community as their ancestral land although the community did not have sufficient prrof of ownership of the land. Documentation for the land ownership by the community had not been of any significance until the dispute occurred. The community had lived within the confines of the land and developed an attachment to the land, which would be extremely difficult to break. This community has been involved in numerous land claims with the government, which have always been rejected by the government. The local community had continuously sought injunctions to prevent the occupancy of the land by foreigners but the government had always rejected their applications.