Principles of Business Management

Question 1 The lowest level of social responsibility is best describes the Interface Company’s current operations. There are no tradeoff between social responsibility and profit. Just usually it does pay for gain more. Always consider how to get maximal profit. How company to be profitable from the economic activities that always putting on the top issue. And do not care about other organization’s social responsibility. Such as obey laws and regulations by legal, abide by principles of right and wrong at an ethical.In the annual meeting, though not usually at a loss for words, but I was had trouble that answer customers questions about the dangers of the materials and processes used by my company. They doggedly persistent but I was hesitant because I know facts of truth that must do not acceptable as publics. For the Interface Company’s current operations definitely be profitable by economic. As to our carpet product material is petroleum-based material and consu med that bring bad effect which is greenhouse gases emitted.Of course carpet is not recyclable that made by this type of materials. And the old carpet is dumped in a landfill. Here's to see how unethical, using raw materials from the earth that mean to plunder the Earth's limited resources. And company do not for environmental protection contribute towards, but to produce non-recyclable products, even waste of land resources and then to landfill waste. You know the Earth's resources are shared by everyone, also requires common protection.On the other hand, Interface generates of dollars in revenue each year, but, in the manufacturing process, it extracts over 1 billion pounds of raw materials from the earth. That showing usually it does pay for try to gain more. However seem do not reach the aims efficaciously, even easily to be reported potential ethics violations caused by undermine ecological environment in the earth surface layer. During the excavation of raw materials, will des troy the surrounding environment, removing vegetation, water pollution, noise and exhaust gases and so on.Furthermore, production or to explore the same time, if the management of front-line staff lack of supervision, it is easy to occur the matter outside the regulatory approvals, such as pollution and environmental damage assessment is beyond the previously acceptable circumstances; hire illegal workers, employee payroll deductions or benefits employees to work in unsafe conditions and so on. There most overlooked here is the law. Moreover Interface is also a profligate water user, requiring millions of gallons a year for its manufacturing process. That amount of water equivalent to 5. 4 Olympic-size swimming pool.These are just wasting resources activities and only adopting follow old-fashion procedures for economic profitable but also those are not smart strategy on operation at all. Question 2 As explain the Interface Company’s environmental vision to task force. I am go ing to revolutionize the relationship between the business and environment. So I would like to use the Five P’s of marketing to sustainability in long-term development. That is refers to: People, Product, Place, Profits and Process. First, the most important people in my business are the people who work with and for me. Hiring the right people is one of the most important things.They are the face of your product to the world as well as the hands behind the scene that make sure everything gets done correctly and on time. As a CEO of Interface I must work hard to develop my employees and to manage them with dignity so they want to work for me. Second, I will revolutionize my product. An idea is open two product lines that respectively adopt two materials which are wool and PET to supersede the petroleum-based materials. I am seeking some materials are environmentally preferable. Then wool is matching my required because it compares to petroleum-based Nylon or Polypropylene as a material for carpets as non-harmful.Wool has excellent durability, can be dyed easily for colorful. Global wool production is approximately only 1. 3 million metric ton per year. So there are not allows extracts raw materials from the earth again and destroy the environment. For example: greenhouse gases emit during manufacturing process. I am seeking some materials can to recycle, reduce, reuse and renew. So as a carpet fiber, make using PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that is extrudes from recycled plastic bottles, contain 100 percent post-consumer recycled content. PET bottles are sorted, ground into fine chips, and then cleaned.These chips are then melted and extruded into fiber and spun into carpet yarn. Every part of the plastic bottle is recycled, including the cap, the label, and the bottle. The cap and the label are used to make carpet cores around which the carpet is wrapped. These are reused over and over again, unlike cardboard cores that would typically be discarded. The actual bottle is then used to make the PET carpet fiber. So that, using recyclable material way can stop dumping the old carpet in expensive land resources. Third, Place: This refers to two views: the outlets where I sell my products and establish manufacturing factories.To former I will set store centre in Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific whole business district because expensive products should be placed in expensive outlets. The latter, I would like to set up manufacturing factories in Mexico, Hungary and Philippines. For the reasons its’ are near target customers that as soon as deliver goods to all store centre. Moreover is near my offices that I can contact easily and keep monitor. Fourth is the profit. It is refer to product factors are necessary decline cost. It is because adopt wool and PET also can abandon extracts raw materials cost and water cost used for not recyclable carpet.Beside, I will get the good-will through to protect environment. In addition, carpet of diversify of two product lines are benefit for company. Wool natural without harmful hazardous substances appears in air. PET is using waste plastic to recycle as to valuable carpet. Refer to place factor, to formulate pricing strategy such as all stores centre is direct marketing that can avoid the carpet cost raise by agents. And establish manufacturing factories in developing countries for decline cost. Moreover is environmental regulations in these countries generally control on low.So that can avoid oppose if set up in more developed countries. Fifth, process takes into account all of the previous P’s to ensure that each customer has a good experience when they do business with Interface. My process includes everything that I did to get my product to the consumer including all of the planning and paperwork and marketing that it took to do it. Such as strict compliance with local environmental regulations, product quality control, new pricing strategies so on. I must a lso be able to review my procedures to more have to have efficient procedures in place that make my business run as effectively as possible.After revolutionize, there are use easily reenter nature without depositing toxins, also be recyclable into new materials. Net effect on the environment be zero and infinitely recycled during manufacturing process. It take over is use renewable resources and that eliminate all waste steams. According above Five P’s of marketing, Interface can change its processes to be environmentally friendly without compromising the company’s growth. It is absolutely yes developing at environmental vision sustainability. Question3 I would like to create Interface Company's social responsibility management system and relevant policies and procedures.Develop a system to collect and measure social responsibility performance data in line with internationally recognized standards. Then create a communications platform to engage with our stakeholders, aiming to improve social responsibility strategy reporting. Moreover, participate in a broad range of domestic and global corporate social responsibility events, increase our ability to influence the development of social responsibility and build our reputation as a responsible business. Employees are our greatest asset. So that except select and hire ethical employees, train employees to make ethical decisions in ethical climate.I also will provide support and incentives to encourage employee participation. Add more conventional and post-conventional communion by stages of moral development. Interface Company goal of social responsibility is to encourage the company’s actions toward the positive impact of consumer, community and employee responsibility. Companies involved with social responsibility take action to voluntarily eliminate production practices that could cause harm for the public, regardless of whether here are required by law. For example, a plant that uses chem icals could implement a safety inspection checklist to guide taff in best practices when handling potentially dangerous substances and materials. If factories makes excessive noise and vibration could analyze the effects its work has on the environment by surveying local residents. The information received could be used to adjust activities and develop soundproofing to lessen public exposure to noise pollution. I will start to implement our Green Action Plan to reduce energy consumption and manage waste, working with our business partners to build environmentally-friendly practices into our value chain, creating a green industry chain.Through the new carpet of PET, I also helped other industries reduce energy consumption and manage waste, for example recycle industries. Try actively involved in community development. Companies, businesses and corporations concerned with social responsibility align with appropriate institutions to create a better environment to live and work. For exa mple, may set up a foundation to assist in learning or education for the public. This action will be viewed as an asset to all of the communities that it serves, while developing a positive public profile.Interface also needs to involve in philanthropy make monetary contributions that provide aid to local charitable, educational and health-related organizations to assist under-served or impoverished communities. This action can assist people in acquiring marketable skills to reduce poverty, provide education and help the environment. For example, focuses on global initiatives for education, agriculture and health issues, donating computers to schools and those who donated supplies to the disaster. Social development, enterprises can be develop and survive.So that creating shared value for thrive to be profitable and successful businesses. An example of how interact works can be a company-sponsored contest involving a project to improve the management and access of water used by a fa rming community, to foster public health. Interface Companies that engage in socially responsible investing use positioning to exert pressure on businesses to adopt socially responsible behavior themselves. Should be creates an educational dialogue for the public by developing social community awareness.That can use media and Internet distribution to expose the potentially harmful activities of organizations. This kind of collective activism can be affective in reaching social education and awareness goals. Integrating a social awareness strategy into the business model can also aid companies in monitoring active compliance with ethical business standards and applicable laws. I will ensure our business grows in harmony with society. Ensuring our technology is widely accessible and applied in ways that benefit society. I will: To further expand our business coverage and delivers efficiently and extend to remote regions.Develop a diverse set of products and services that satisfy our c ustomer needs. Create a secure and healthy environment for customers. Help those in need by supporting poverty alleviation and education. Contribute to the overall advancement of society and culture. Words: 1860 References Residential Carpet Tile | Simply Green | Environmentally Friendly Flooring: http://www. simplygreencarpet. com/index_files/Page1652. htm everSTRAND: http://www. carpet-inspectors-experts. com/everstrand-smartstrand. htm Carpet – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Carpet#Modern_carpeting_and_installation Wool – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Wool Polyethylene terephthalate – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate#cite_note-16 Carpet. org – Recycled/PET Carpet: http://www. carpet. org/recycled-PET Main Page – Carpet Concept Company Limited: http://www. carpetconcept. com. hk/? main Corporate Social Responsibility Stra tegy and Boards of Director: http://www. exed. hbs. edu/assets/Documents/board-responsibility. pdf

Client-Server Networking Essay Essay

The problem in the given scenario for the user is that the new driver installed to be compatible with the graphics adapter was not downloaded correctly or was incomplete. This is what causes the secondary malfunctions with the screen. When he was seeing the wavy lines it meant that the driver needed to be updated to use the new graphics adapter. He then checked the device manager and saw that it could be updated. He did so and restarted the computer afterwards. As it started he began hearing the noises because the driver was not downloaded correctly. And he then lost the display and could not diagnose the issue properly. In order to resolve this issue you must first restart the computer. As it comes back up from restarting you would put it in safe mode. It should give you the option to do this like it does to start windows normally. Now that you are in safe mode you are able to use a generic graphics driver that it has within it. But you must first uninstall the new driver that was showing the issues and re-install the driver you have before. From here you just wait for the next compatible driver for that graphic adapter to come out for use. Do not attempt to download the new driver again. From there your issue is temporarily resolved.

The House of Mango Tree Sandra Cisneros Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The House of Mango Tree Sandra Cisneros - Essay Example Interpretations by different readers mainly depend on the cultures of different readers and obviously their preformed perception or mentality about particular subjects. This being a literature book,it cogently utilizes several literary features that readers have to comprehend to come up with substantial conclusion based on the book. Cisnero’s book has certain unavoidable appealing features that not only make it an interesting book to read but also a research tool on literature analysis. The author has poetic, keen insights and stream of consciousness that makes the book easily readable and memorable. The chapters are almost self-contained, lyrical and dense like poetry. In essence, the book has a poetic appeal in the way it uses imagery such as the small home. Despite her not liking the place, it remains the only place bringing the members of his family together. Her dream is about something that is common in anyone(Cisneros 23). She wants to own a good home and a better life in future. She dreams of hope as her name means. In one part of the story, the narrator informs the reader how she was reminded of different houses they had lived in. They included gray houses in Alaska, which were in dilapidated condition. She also talks of her current spacious condo in Austin. From a normal reader’s point of view, it is automatic from the several illustrations in the book that where we live in really shapes the kind of life we live later in life.

Make by your self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Make by your self - Essay Example It is the chief common and enveloping form of communal influence. Communal psychology investigates in conformity tends to differentiate linking two varieties: informational conventionality plus normative conformity. In the case of peer pressure, a human being is persuaded to do incredible things, such as illegitimate drugs, which they may not desire to do; however, which they perceive as "essential" to keep an optimistic association with other citizens, such as their associates. Conformity from peer demands usually results from recognition within the cluster members, or from conformity of some associate to conciliate others. Conformity is from time to time in appearance only openly appearing to be conventional or it might be a total conformity that changes an individual both in public and confidentially. Compliance shows a public conventionality to group preponderance or standard while the person continues to confidentially differ or dissent, investing on to their innovative beliefs or an option set of beliefs conflicting from the preponderance. An alternative representation is in verbal communication of a connectionist network representing the communication of two cognitive sentimental processing schemes, representing the two persons that comprise the dyad. Humans are described as social animals for the reason that in every feature of life they live jointly, they form a diversity of groups in addition to improve relations with each other. Communication with others is a usual result of existing in society. In the course of action of interaction, the social order plus its rules has a societal impact on e ach person. If citizens face with any type of social bang such as group force, large part of them show conventionality by altering their behaviors, thoughts, decisions in anticipated way. A being becomes conventional if he or she

Responses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Responses - Assignment Example This makes the essay credible and the information reliable to be used for further research. Furthermore, citing of the sources makes the essay to be reliable. One of the major weaknesses of the essay is that it has generalized the issue. It did not go into details on the problems being discussed. The essay could have been sharper if the student used specific examples of errors that have occurred in the medical setting. The student could have cited books and journals to support the main ideas. A lot of research has been conducted concerning this topic. Therefore, there is an array of credible sources which could have been used to complete the essay. This could have given the author more information on the issue. What I learnt from this paper is that there are a lot of errors that are not being reported because many of the healthcare officials fear losing their jobs. Therefore, more training is required in order to equip the medical personnel with skills to avoid these errors. One of the strength of this essay is the use of statistics and real figures. This makes the essay look more credible and interesting to read. In addition, the ability of the student to compare the inequality in China and US makes the essay to be more credible because it is more expansive. One of the weaknesses of this essay is that it lacks credible sources. Therefore, the information given cannot be verified. In addition, the in-text citation does not follow any accepted standards. As a result, the essay cannot be used as a credible source of information for another research. Use of the first person in the essay is another major weakness in the essay. The student has used â€Å"I think† phrase in different parts of the essay. This is an indication that the student is not sure whether the information being provided is correct or not. In order for the information to be reliable, the student could have

The marketing information system (MIS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The marketing information system (MIS) - Essay Example Above all, marketing is a tool that fulfills the needs of the people via a substituting process and creating enduring partnerships. Marketing Information System is created to provide back up when the need to come up with significant marketing decisions (Kotler, Keller, & Lane, 2006, p. 34). This can be explained as a structure where information regarding marketing is officially examine collected, recorded, examined and sent to administrators in reference with their information requirements regularly. According to Kotler, et al. (2006) marketing information system represents individuals, tools and processes that collect, classify, analyze, examine and dispense required, suitable and right information to the marketing administrators. p.42. This paper narrows down the topic to MIS methods and consumer behavior stimuli. It also outlines the link between MIS methods and consumer behavior stimuli. This paper is systematically structured whereby the main methods to develop marketing informa tion are first introduced. Later on in the paper, these three main methods are linked to consumer behavior stimuli, where appropriate MIS methods to address each buyer behavior stimulus (in B2C and B2B), is established. Finally, the paper discusses each Stimulus in relation to the nature and pros& cons of MIS tool. A large number of firms construct wide internal data bases, electrical compilations of data collected from data resources in the firm. Marketing managers have the ability to retrieve and manage the data and information presented in the data base to establish marketing chances and intricacies (Kotler, 1988, p 102). They can outline action plans and analyze the firms functioning from these internal databases. Above all, the information present in the internal data base can originate from a wide range of resources. For instance, the accounts division can come up with financial accounts and maintains

Discussion board - research design class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion board - research design class - Essay Example 2. Distinguishing between authoritative sources and non-authoritative ones In order to write a good scholarly paper, one has to be aware of how to distinguish between authoritative sources and non-authoritative ones. One of the criteria that is used to distinguish between the two is the credibility of the author. In most authoritative sources, the authors’ credentials are normally given in detail. Other criteria that can be used to check the authoritativeness of source is evaluating the use of evidence and critical analysis of the evidence presented. 3. Examples of authoritative sources: Peer Reviewed journals UN research reports Audit reports for companies The information contained in these sources is normally based on evidence and through research. The authors of these documents are credible and the information contained in their findings is easily verifiable. Examples of non-authoritative sources: Personal blogs Social networks Free online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia Th ese sources normally do not contain substantive information. The information found in these sources in mainly personal opinion which in many instances is not backed by any hard evidence (MW Consulting, 2008). Response on Postings The first posting contains a brief and clear definition of an authoritative source.

Lysistrata by Aristophanes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lysistrata by Aristophanes - Essay Example Lysistrata then decides to summon all women and ask them to turn down any sexual requests from their husbands until the men decide to end the war. The heated conversation between the Commissioner and Lysistrata only highlights Lysistrata's sensibility. The women's power is further emphasized when they manage to scare away the Commissioner's police officers. Attempting to convince the Commissioner that war has cost women dearly and that a city should not be run with abrupt violence, Lysistrata uses an analogy of wool spinning-a common activity for women. The play approaches its reconciliation when the kings of Sparta and Athens both have an erection but are unable to have sex with their wives. The play then ends on a comic note with every man having an erection and desiring Lysistrata's naked maid while Lysistrata lectures them and has them sign the peace treaty. Although women in Lysistrata are able to influence war in Greence, they can only rely on their feminine sexuality and their husband's sexual desire to achieve such a political goal. In other words, on one hand Lysistrata wants women to assert their autonomy; on the other hand she exploits their sexuality. Thus, Lysistrata's only means to challenge men's authority is by using women as sexual objects. Lysistrata may be seen as a feminine figure as she arouses solidarity among women and takes the initiative to challenge the gender status quo in the country. On the surface, Lysistrata defies against the stereotypes of women set by men: domestic, docile, and obedience. However, by asking the women to refuse sex with their husbands to achieve the political goal, Lysistrata is in fact encouraging women to view their sexuality as a mere instrument, or a tool for them to achieve status quo with their husbands. Lysistrata displays her tendency to objectify women, just like their husbands do. For example, she gazes at Lampito and makes her feel like "a heifer come fair time." Lysistrata also scrutinizes Ismenia's vagina and the buttocks of the Korinthian Girl. Ironically, Lysistrata is examining the bodies of women as if she is a man while her goal is to define the gender inequality in Greece. While exploiting other women's sexuality, Lysistrata denies her femininity and she may be the most masculine character in the play. Lysistrata instructs the women to play on male stereotypes, that is, men have boundless sexual desire, while becoming more masculine herself. The only way Lysistrata can gain and retain her power is by rejecting not only the frailty, but also the femininity of women. In other words, Lysistrata can only empower herself as a woman by not acting like one. This complicates the argument that Lysistrata is a feminist play. According to the historical context of Ancient Greece, all characters in the play will be played by male actors in front of male audiences. This will inevitably affect the sexual tension of the play. In this particular context, the play may be viewed as a piece of male-oriented instead of feminist work as it allows the male audience to mock the "empowerment" of women with the overall comical tone of the play. The fact that there are no real women on stage and that Lysistrata is a masculine character suggests that Aristophanes does not intend to make the play an advocacy for female political autonomy. Ultimately, it is the men who have the power to change the

Operating system assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Operating system - Assignment Example is a procedure that a computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) follows to change from one task/process to another while ensuring that the tasks do not conflict. For a computer to provide user-friendly multi-tasking, it needs an effective context switching. In a computer’s CPU, the term context is used to refer to the particular program counter and registers at a specific moment in time. A CPU’s current instruction is held by a register. The program counter Is also referred to as an instruction address register. It is a small amount of quick memory that is used to hold the address of the instruction to be executed immediately after the current one. It is possible to perform a context switch entirely in physical media, which is by use of hardware. This is especially so in older CPUs, for example the x86 series. In the modern world, the CPUs perform context switches by means of programming/software. The modern CPUs are very fast and they are able to perform numerous context switches within seconds. This gives the user an impression of the performance of multiple tasks by the computer. Deadlock prevention is the process of averting deadlocks by restraining how demands for resources can be made in the system and how they are handled, that is system design. Its main objective is to ascertain that at any moment one of the significant conditions for deadlock can certainly not hold. Deadlock avoidance, on the other hand, is where the system vigorously contemplates every request and decides whether it is safe to grant it at that point. The system requires additional apriori information regarding the overall potential use of each resource for each process. Deadlock avoidance allows more concurrence than deadlock prevention. The benefit of a multithreaded programming that is presented by multicore systems is that programmers are able to complete more total operations than with one core alone. This is the concept of multitasking. Instructions in a series are also able

Responsible Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Responsible Business - Essay Example Moreover, the discussion of this report will also evaluate the nature of ethical business and its importance as well as impact on business behaviour in society. In addition, the report intends to focus upon evaluating the role of government as an influencer or enabler in relation to practice business ethics within an organisation. The Aspects Constitutes Responsible Business ’Responsible Business’ can be stated as a perception where an organisation involves accountability in imposing significant impact in its different operational functions. It has been apparently observed that the organisations of different sizes employ as well as implement strategies with the intention of attaining their business objectives efficiently. In this similar context, an effective ethical consideration within the business environment assists the entrepreneurs to develop their business performances along with meeting the overall expectations of their stakeholders by a considerable level. A re sponsible business fundamentally aims to meet expected outcomes that generates from certain major programmes such as escalating awareness regarding any ethical issues, developing decision-making processes and lessening misconducts that prevail while performing different operational functions. Furthermore, a responsible business considerably focuses upon continuously developing the business performances by taking into concern its internal as well as external business environment. The organisations in the present day context are highly focused to conduct different environmental initiatives in order to improve their business performance that ultimately supports them to perform responsible business at large (International Trade Administration, n.d.). Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) In relation to identify the aspects that constitutes responsible business, it can be stated that the approach of ethical business and CSR are frequently implemented interchangeably. In this regard, the concept of ethical business constitutes code of moral standards and values that governs the behaviour of a person or group with regard to identify their different activities. Moreover, the perception of ethical business significantly emphasises upon balancing the business performances and the needs as well as the desires of the society where it performs its operational functions. It comprises certain moral guidelines along with principles that ensure to guide business operations as well as behavioural aspects of the organisational members in an efficient manner (Crane & Matten, 2004). In the context of CSR, it can be identified that the approach i.e. ethical business significantly involves different aspects of responsibility that include legal, economic, ethical as well as voluntary philanthropic activities both for the organisation and its operating societies. Contextually, it can be stated that the legal responsibilities of an ethical business are basically the laws and regulations that are followed while performing operational funct

Making sense of data Essay Example for Free

Making sense of data Essay This is due to the atoms of the metal gaining kinetic energy. As they move faster they collide with passing electrons, inhibiting their passage. This creates not only resistance, but also more heat as electrons try to get rid of their energy. Considering all factors, I think that the results still clearly portray that there is a positive correlation between the length of wire and resistance. The resistivity of the metal can be calculated by using RL=k Where: R is resistance L is length K is the constant of resistivity (The ability of a metal to conduct). To maximise accuracy, I will use the point closest to the line of best fit to calculate this value. RL=k 200. 7=k 14? m=k This figure is a very rough approximation due to the Inaccuracy of the equipment used. Experiment 2: Cross-sectional Area and Resistance The purpose of this experiment is to prove the relationship between cross-sectional area and resistance. As the cross-sectional area increases, the resistance should decrease. This should happen because there will be more room for the electrons to flow through the metal. There will be fewer collisions, thus less resistance. This experiment was conducted by using multiple strands of wire, side by side. In order to calculate the total cross-sectional area, the number of strands multiplied the cross-sectional area of one strand. Note: Where the AreOhms column says E, this refers to Exp or x10^-4 ect. Cross-Sectional Area (m ) Amps (mA) Volts(V) Ohms(? ) Area(m ) Ohms(? ) Inv 0The cross-sectional area of wire used was 3310 cm, and the length was 1m for every trial. Using data from the above table: Yet again the resistivity can be calculated, this time using the equation: R = ? L A Where: R is resistance ?  m A graph to show the relationship between 1/R and Cross-sectional Area The positive correlation illustrates the proportionality between 1/R and the cross sectional area. The straight line is due to 1/R being the inverse of R. Instead of the resistance decreasing as the area increases on the graph, it makes both axes increase. This makes it easier to extract trends and identify errors. Also the regression of plots can be calculated. The regression of this particular line is 9. 919. This implies that the results plotted are almost perfect, that being 1. This exemplifies that there is definitely a relationship between the cross-sectional area of wire and the resistance. I would imagine that the minute errors are systematic. Small miss-calibrations in the equipment could lead to such errors, and using analogue meters would definitely contribute to this Conclusion In conclusion, both experiments have proven the relationships between the dimensional properties and resistance of wire. In each experiment, the resistivity of the wire was calculated. As it is a constant, it should always be the same for that particular wire. However, the resultant values arent incredibly similar. This may be due to the fact that Nichrome is an impure metal. Composed of both Chrome and Nickel, it may be un-uniformly proportioned, thus giving a different resistance. I would consider the second value to be the most accurate due to the fact that the line of regression on the graph is very close to 1 (perfect). It is very evident that there was a much larger error margin for the first set of results which could also be due to` lack of accuracy when measuring lengths of wire. Calculating is a much more reliable method, as illustrated in the cross-sectional area experiment. If I were to improve the experiment, I would use digital meters, which will have a much higher resolution and accuracy. To further the integrity of my results I would ensure that all measurements are made accurate and exact. As Physics Making Sense of Data Coursework 1 Calvin Stewart 22/04/2002 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Classroom Management Plan Essay Example for Free

Classroom Management Plan Essay I will provide the right environment for all students to learn. I will generate energy, ideas and opportunities to foster student achievement. I will motivate learners to high academic achievement. I will care for, love and understand my students. I will center my decision making about curriculum around my students. I will never feel that I cannot better myself as a teacher. My Philosophical Beliefs About Teaching In evaluating my philosophy for my future teaching career, I have been very seriously considering my values and beliefs about discipline, my own management style and the social goals for my students. As organization is one of my top priorities as a student, I will strive to be as organized as possible when I start my career. My goal is to organize the logistics of my classroom so that I can make my classroom student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I value the education process, and young minds and new ideas never cease to intrigue me. I am committed to making my classroom a safe and challenging environment and engaging my students through the curriculum as well as getting to know them and interacting with them one-on-one. I believe that meeting the needs of my students is a very crucial part of my classroom. I want them to be comfortable with the other students, as well as me, so that there can be meaningful discussions and interactions. Talking will be common place in my classroom, along with group work. I want to encourage all students to participate in class so that they can learn from each other as well as me. I want to have a democratic and equitable classroom so that students can learn. I want to be a fair as I can be, so the students trust me. I feel that I have a very patient and calm attitude with my class. I ask students about their life outside of class and feel that they respond in class even more, knowing that someone is paying attention to them. I want them to feel comfortable asking questions of me. I think my attitude towards the students is not overbearing or authoritative. I do not believe in forcing the students to do anything. I want to work with them in all circumstances so that we can achieve together and they do not feel like I am spoon-feeding them information. I want students to be a part of their learning. I want to motivate students to learn and keep their interest by using engaging curriculum. I want to involve students in rules about the classroom as well as what curriculum they would like to study. I believe if students feel they are involved in the workings of the classroom, they will be more motivated to engage in the class and in turn, learn. In order to be as organized as possible, the structure of my classroom will be variable, allowing me to change parts of my plan from year to year. I realize that this management plan is a work in progress and what I value now as important points to address in my first management plan may eventually come easily to me with experience and other issues of management may require more attention than those I have addressed. In order for my classroom management plan to be effective it needs to align with my beliefs and values. Therefore, I have chosen the theories and practices that reflect my personal teaching style. There are numerous beliefs and practices that serve as the foundation on which I am building my classroom management plan. I believe that the teacher and students should work cooperatively together in order to create a safe and inviting classroom. Linda Albert’s Cooperative Discipline theory emphasizes that the teacher and students should work together to make class decisions. Albert recommends informing and involving the students’ parents in class decisions as well. This can be accomplished by implementing what Albert refers to as the Three C’s: connections, contributions, and capabilities. I agree with Albert that the classroom should be safe and free of threat for all students. The classroom should be a place that the students feel welcome. If the students are contributing to the class, they will feel as if they are an asset to the class. Finally, I believe that the teacher and students should work together because it is essential to developing a community of learners. I believe in creating a code of conduct cooperatively as a class. This belief coincides with Linda Albert’s Cooperative Discipline as well. A class code of conduct indicates how students are expected to behave instead of how they should not behave. Albert states that the teachers and students should work together to determine consequences for when a student does not follow the class code of conduct. When the students are involved in the determining the consequences, Albert feels the students are more likely to follow them because they are connected to them. I believe that having a class code of conduct in the classroom allows the students to know how they are expected to behave. The students will be more likely to remember what is expected of them because they were involved in creating the expectations. Therefore, the students feel as if the expectations are reasonable and can be met. I like that the teacher is not telling the students how to behave. I feel that students should play an active role in the classroom, and that students are capable of making good decisions. I will be sure to place the code of conduct in a visible spot in the classroom so the students can refer back to it. I believe in using â€Å"I-messages† to communicate my feelings to the students. This practice is introduced by Thomas Gordon in his theory of Discipline through Inner Self-Control. â€Å"I-messages† allow the teacher to share their personal opinion with the students in a non-threatening way. On the other hand, â€Å"you-messages† blame the students for their behavior which causes the students to become defensive. I believe that the teacher should have open communication with students, but in a positive way that creates a safe environment. This method could be taught to the students as well in order to help them solve conflicts. I believe that teachers should encourage their students. William Glasser refers to teachers who provide encouragement to their students as â€Å"lead teachers†. Glasser states that teachers should not try to force information into their students. This makes common sense to me because who likes to be forced to do something. I agree with Glasser that the students’ motivation to learn resides within themselves. It will be my job as a teacher to spark their interest to learn. Therefore, as a teacher I will need to create engaging activities, and be there to provide support to the students as necessary. I believe in creating a sense of community in my classroom. Alfie Kohn mentions that classrooms should be â€Å"learning communities in Beyond Discipline. A classroom should be a place where the students feel cared about and are encouraged to care about others. Eventually, the students will begin to feel connected to one another and see themselves as part of the whole class. I believe that in order for my classroom to be an effective learning environment the students need to feel comfortable. A sense of community will encourage my students to be active participants in class matters. I believe that the teacher should teach â€Å"life skills† to the students so that they can be successful not only in the classroom, but in life as well. Kagan, Kyle, and Scott’s Win-Win Strategies promote the use of â€Å"life skills† in the classroom. They refer to â€Å"life skills† such as self-control, anger management, good judgment, and empathy. These theorists believe that if the students require these skills they will be able to live more successfully. I believe that teachers are responsible for preparing students for life so this theory matches my belief. After my students leave my classroom, I want to see them succeed in life. I am strong believer that one needs to be the change that one wants to see in the world so I will model these â€Å"life skills† for my students. I believe that a teacher should handle behavior problems privately. If the teacher must get involved, Glasser believes that the teacher should do so in way that does not punish the student. I am going to take this one step farther, and say that the teacher should talk to this student in private about his/her behavior. Hopefully, the student and I will be able to determine a longterm solution for the behavior problem. I believe that students should be taught procedures in order to maximize their learning and show them responsibility. The Wong’s Pragmatic Classroom Management Plan supports this belief. Harry and Rosemary Wong state that most students will act responsibly if taught the procedures to do so. They believe students’ achievement is affected by how well the procedures are laid out and taught to them. I agree with Harry and Rosemary Wong that procedures are an important aspect of a classroom. I believe that procedures provide students with a structure that lets them know what is expected of them. This will help cut down on disruptions if the students are not confused about what they are supposed to be doing. Management Plan Goals Having the right environment for all students to learn. The ability to manage childrens behavior. Students will have a complete understanding of the classroom rules. Keep parents involved and â€Å"in the know† of their child and the classroom. Instructional strategies will be taught to the best of my ability. Physical Environment The importance and variety of a properly designed early childhood classroom cannot be over-emphasized when providing a learning environment for children. I will provide in my classroom safe and orderly spaces, filled with a variety of materials that will make the classroom more satisfying for both the teacher and the children. Furthermore, well-designed areas will decrease the number of conflicts that may arise. Quite naturally, any space must accommodate all the activities it will be required to house. Therefore, when making my classroom environment safe and orderly, I must make accommodations to have certain spaces to be multipurpose. It will be very important to make sure these areas, as well as other areas in the classroom, are filled with a variety of materials organized into appropriate activity areas. Clearly defined interest areas will allow young children to work best in small groups where they can learn to relate to other children, establish friendships, and solve problems together. The use of low furniture in these areas will allow me to see into all areas while at the same time giving children a sense of privacy. Use of low furniture also helps define work spaces that help children concentrate because they will not be distracted by other activities taking place in other areas. These different areas will be defined by what activities will be taking place in them. For example, I will have such areas as: dramatic play, art area, building area, science/sensory area, game area, and quiet area. I will also make sure to provide an area where children can relax and be alone with friends. This space will have large pillows, beanbags, and carpet. This so called â€Å"soft area† is very important for young children because it is important to their mental health and it promotes positive behavior because children who spend long hours in a group environment need time to themselves where they can rest. When it comes to supplies and materials in the room, they should be displayed on low shelves where children can reach what they need. This helps promote independence because the children will be responsible in getting materials out and putting them away. When displaying materials on shelves they must be in the area where they will be used. I will place labels and pictures showing where each object belongs. Logical grouping of materials promotes their appropriate use. Labeling the place for each object helps children maintain a clean and orderly environment. When it comes to the teacher’s supplies and materials, I will keep them up and away from the children so that they cannot access them. When the children walk through the door, they will be hit with all different colors coming from the pictures and posters on the walls. I hope to have a room with big windows that allow for natural lighting. The pictures I will have on the wall will be displayed on the children’s eye level, thus children will take better notice. I will also display the work of the children. Displaying their original artwork shows them respect and value for their hard work and effort. One last important thing to me, when it comes to the physical environment of my classroom, is that I will make sure the classroom materials will reflect the cultural richness of our society, the backgrounds and life experiences of the children, and people with different abilities. Children need materials they can relate to through past experiences, before they are asked to learn new concepts. A respect for diversity is important for identity and self-esteem. Behavior Management Many disputes and conflicts can be prevented by careful planning and with positive adult support. There is always a reason behind children’s behavior. Misbehavior is usually directed at achieving one of four goals: revenge, power, attention, and/or feelings of adequacy. I know I can’t force a child to change his or her way of behaving, I can only change the way I behave with the child. My ultimate goal in behavior management and child guidance is not to manage children’s behavior, but to help children manage their own behavior. I am aware that conflict situations provide important learning opportunities for children. Therefore, when it comes to classroom management, I will not deprive the children these opportunities to learn problem-solving skills. My role as a teacher in children’s conflicts is to de-escalate them when the children can no longer work out their problems by themselves. When I communicate with the children in my classroom I will use â€Å"I† statements instead of â€Å"you† statements. I will use gentle body language and make sure that I listen to both sides of the issue. I will try to focus on the present and future of the child’s behavior instead of past behavior. Also, I will focus on the child’s behavior and not the child. Most importantly I will keep in my mind the needs of each child and their best interest when it comes to fixing their misbehavior, and not focus on my best interest. My classroom rules will consist of four basic principles. Those four basic principles will be caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. I believe any rule thought up by a child can fit into one of these four basic principles. For example, if a child is not keeping their body to themselves, they are not respecting the other child’s space. That is why I will not have a list of rules in my classroom, but rather have these four principles posted in my classroom where every child will see them. Therefore, when a child is not following the rules I will state what they are doing wrong and how it relates to one of the four principles. When it comes to classroom management and discipline, I will not use punishment, but logical consequences. There are two types of logical consequences. They are naturally occurring consequences and imposed consequences. Naturally occurring consequences usually occur when the problem belongs to the individual on whom the consequences fall. For example, Sally leaves her coat out on the playground and when she goes back for it, the coat is gone. I then say to her, I am sorry that it is gone and tell her it is her responsibility to keep track of it. Imposed consequences often occur when a behavior creates a problem for another person who then must impose consequences in order to change the behavior of the individual creating the problem. When I impose logical consequences on the children in my classroom I will try to keep certain things in my mind. Such things as being a consultant in helping the child solve his or her own problem. Keep the burden of the solution on the child and not me while implying that the child is capable of solving his or her own problem. I must also tie the time and/or place of the misbehavior to the consequence. These are just a couple of ways I will try to manage children’s behavior in my classroom. Parent Communication One of the most vital parts of teaching children and managing a classroom is communicating with their families. There is no one right way to communicate with parents, therefore as a teacher, I have to utilize many different methods to communicate with parents to build rapport. One of the first methods I am going to use is a parent board. On the parent board will be pictures of the activities the children have been doing and other information such as the weekly curriculum and things the children have to bring from home to school. I will have the parent board on a table where there will also be a notebook where parents can leave me messages, and where I can leave them messages. I will also have monthly newsletters to the parents that I will set out on the parent table. Another way I will communicate with parents is by having parents come into the classroom and be a classroom helper. I would try to get every parent to come into the classroom at least one time during the school and spend the day with their child or at least a couple hours. This would help me to get to know the parents of the children I teach and this would give me a good chance to build rapport with the parents so that communication will be made easier. Some of the most basic methods I will use to help me communicate with parents are by use of the telephone. I will call parents when need be and make sure that they know they can call me when needed. Finally, the last way I will communicate with parents is by talking to them face to face. Things I know to remember when talking to a parent are to first approach them with a smile or pleasant look and then introduce myself if I have not ever done so in the past. I will always try to start out the conversation with the parent with something positive about their child. If I were communicating with the parent because of a problem their child is having in my class, I would first tell them the issue at hand and then offer some possible solutions. I then would tell them what I want their role to be after I let them talk about what solutions they have. If they need to further talk to me I would offer them other times they can talk to me. I also would give them other possible people to talk to if they feel that they need to. When communicating with a parent I want them to feel that they can ask me questions about their child’s education or other issues they might have. If I can’t answer their questions, I will flat out tell them I don’t know the answer, but I will find out. I also will make sure not to make promises I can’t keep. If need be, I will always make myself available for a teacher-parent conference when scheduled ahead of time Instructional Strategies and Methods When it comes to instructional planning in my classroom I am going to start with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. The reason I am going to start with the standards is because in the classroom the students are working towards a goal, and those goals should be set higher than the standards. If I do not teach my students to at least the level of the Pennsylvania standards, then I have not set the goals high enough for my instructional planning. If I set goals for my instructional planning, that gives me a start in what direction I need to go in my lesson planning. The second step I am going to take in my instructional planning is assessment. I have to measure the progress of achieving my goals by doing assessments of my students. Two kinds of assessment I will be doing are what you would call summative assessment and diagnostic assessment. The summative assessment will be tests, examinations, final projects, or other things depending on grade level of the students. These types of assessments will tell me if the students are learning the objectives and making progress towards meeting the goals. On the other hand I will use diagnostic forms of assessments when it comes to planning on how far I have to go to get my students to reach the goals or in meeting the standards. I will use diagnostic assessment at the beginning of the school year and before I begin each new unit. The third step in my instructional planning is planning for the long-term. My long-term plan will be as simple as planning my year end academic goals and group those goals into some discrete units to make sure that I cover my long-term academic goals. When it comes to the delivery of my lessons, I am going to keep it as simple as possible. Even though there are many different formats of lesson plans I can use, there is one general way I can make all the different types of lesson plans fit me. Using the following format to teach my lessons will help my students obtain the goals and objectives of my lessons. The format I will use is to first introduce the lesson. Then have an opening to the lesson, which is when I will tell the students what they will learn and why it is important. Next, I introduce the new material and teach it to the students. Afterwards, I allow time for guided practice and then independent practice. These two areas are where I make some informal assessments to check to see if the students learned the objectives. Last, but not least comes the closing. This is where I stress the connection of the lesson and check the students understanding by doing some type of assessment, usually a summative form of assessment. Schedules and Routines. When I go to a class, I like to see a schedule of what we are working on for the day. I believe that all students should be given this courtesy of knowing what is going to be happening during the school day by reading a daily schedule of the day’s activities. I will always have the schedule posted at the front of the class, each day updating any changes in the schedule. In addition, I will list the specifics of the day: for instance, what we are working on that day in math. I have seen schedules that list the basic outline of the day: math, language arts, social studies, lunch and science. I would like to take the schedule one step farther and include some details about the day and what will be happening. Not only are daily schedules helpful for students to see what is happening during a given school day, but my daily schedule will allow me to evaluate my the activities in my classroom, assuring that the type and variety of activities are appealing to different types of learning situations. Also, I want to find a good balance between teacher directed instruction, independent work and cooperative group work. Repetitious activities can sometimes impede the school day as it may evoke comments such as â€Å"We’re doing this again? † However, having routines in which students can predict what will happen can ease the transition from the bus, car or the walk to school to the classroom. To be specific, I will have a beginning of the day routine and an end of the day routine, so that I maintain consistency each day and convey the message that in our class, we use all of our time together to learn and we do not like to waste time. For my start of the day routine, I will play music as the students walk in. I will play quiet music that sets the tone for the day: a warm and relaxing learning environment where we are safe and ready to learn. I will have a welcome message posted on the board with a list of housekeeping items to do before we get settled for the day: sharpen pencils, turn in homework, put coats and backpacks away. In addition to this everyday welcome, I will have a list of activities that students can work on from previous days of school, including plenty of options to accommodate those that have finished all of their work. Also, I will greet my students as they enter the classroom, talking to each student as they get settled for their day, ensuring that I get to see each student and have contact with each one first thing in the morning. At the end of the day, I will take the last ten minutes to wrap up the day. I will post an end of the day wrap up list on the overhead for students to use a guide to get ready to go home. I will have mailboxes with the days handouts in them and my students can collect these handouts and place them in their â€Å"take home† folder. Then I will ask groups to get their backpacks and put away all of their materials. I will ask that they clear off their desks and the area on the floor around their desks so that the custodian does not have to clean up after us. As the students line up to go home, I will have my goodbye salutation: a piece of poster paper with four types of goodbyes: a handshake, high five, or smile. The students can pick any combination of these goodbyes when the leave. I want to have this goodbye so that I can be sure to have contact with each of my students before they leave for to go home. In doing this, I want to convey to my students that I care about them and I want to wish them a safe trip home and tell them that I look forward to seeing them tomorrow. By having structured routines for the beginning and end of the day, I will be setting the tone for the school day. For the beginning of the day, I want to imply that we structure our mornings so that we can get off to a good start with our minds and materials ready for the day. At the end of the day, I want to bring the day to a close with daily routine to ensure that my students understand that every part of our school day together is as valuable as any other part. Individualization In order to promote individualization and responsible behavior, I will implement a job chart where students will have jobs throughout the week. I will have paper passers, overhead cleaners, board erasers, recyclers, lunch duty, and line leaders. I will introduce these jobs on the first day of school and assign jobs to random students. Emphasizing the importance of the jobs will enhance the students’ desire to have the job to demonstrate their responsible behavior. I will have a policy stating that any student who cannot demonstrate responsible behavior and reliably complete their job will have to give up their job title and a different student will get their job. I have seen such a job system in another classroom in which I worked and this system was very successful in creating a sense of responsibility among students. Reflection As I complete my management plan, I feel that I am fully prepared to teach tomorrow. However, I know that that is not the case. My management plan will forever be growing and changing. My management plan focuses on the students’ needs in my class. By organizing many structured components of the school, I am attempting to prepare myself for any discipline problems that may occur. I will organize many aspects of my class before the year starts, but I will also sit down with my students during the first weeks of school and have discussions about rules and expectations to determine what they need from me and from each other. While I know that some misbehavior will occur in my classroom, I am instituting this plan to assist me in dealing with these issues as they occur. I believe classroom management is the key that unlocks the ability for children to learn and in creating an environment where children feel safe. I will set high expectations and encourage my students to succeed. Finally, my classroom management will not only be about creating a good rapport with the students, but creating a rich and engaging curriculum. | | | | | | | | | | | | References Albert, Linda, Pete DeSisto, and Linda Albert. (1996) Cooperative Discipline. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service. Web. Guillaume, Andrea M. (2004). K-12 Classroom Teaching: A Primer for New Professionals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall. Print.

Endodontic Surgery (Apicoectomy)

Endodontic Surgery (Apicoectomy) In this modern times patient increasingly wish to preserve their natural dentition and often reluctant to get there teeth extracted . Endodontic surgery (apicoectomy) is the treatment performed on the root apices of an infected tooth, and its resection and removal of pathological tissues around the apices followed by placement of a filling (retrofilling) to seal the root end. Endodontic surgery offers patient a second chance or the final chance to save there tooth. Success of Root end surgery had a poor prognosis and success rate in the past but due to recent advances Endontics due to the surgical operating microscope and new tecniques the rate is much higher than before success Its indications are as follows 1 RCT treated tooth that has severe periapical inflammation despite of a satisfactory RCT 2 Tooth with persistant periapical inflammation and inadequate RCT and has the following problems a Severely curved root canals where access is an issue to reach the apex b Completely calcified root canals C Presence of post and cores in root d Breakage of small instrument or filling material where it is not retrievable and an infection is still present in the apical region. Teeth with periapical inflammation where completion of endodontic therapy due to 1 Foreign body present in the periapical tissues 2 Perforation of the inferior wall of the pulp chamber 3 Perforation of the root 4 Fracture of the apical third of the root 5 Dental anomalies (Dense in Dente ) 6 Access for periradicular curettage A non healing endodontic lesion is recognized by persistent pain and/or swelling, possibly with radiographic changes indicating increasing periapical bone loss. Non healing endodontically treated teeth that do not appear to be healing are not automatic indications for extraction and replacement with an implant. Persistent nonhealing cases can be saved by endodontic microsurgery with a predictably favorable prognosis Nonsurgical endodontic treatment has a high rate of clinical success despite the anatomic and pathologic challenges of the procedure. Success in case of tooth without periapical extension of pathosis is more than 90%. On the other hand, studies show that infected root canals with an extension of pathosis into the periapical space have a reduced healing capacity . previously the conventional endosurgery has very low success rate . it was recorded as low as 37.4 % but now with recent advancement in endodontic surgery the success rate has improved significantly. According to a study conducted by shimon Friedman and Chaim Mor ( success of endodontic therapy -healing and functionality) in patients were endodontic surgery is performed the chances of healing after retreatment is between 74 to 86 %and their chance of being functional overtime is 91 to 97 % .Another study ( modern endodontic surgery concept and practice by syngcuk Kim and Samuel Kratchman)said that the traditonal apical surge rybased on clinical symptoms and radiographic findings ranges from 44% to 90%.it has even higher success rate with the endodontic microsurgery. . According to another study (outcome of surgical endodontic treatment performed by a modern technique A meta anlysis conducted by Igor Tsesis , Surgical endodontic treatment have a success rate of 91 .4 % when followed up in a year time . According toa study named Outcome of endodontic micro re- surgery by Minju song and team à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. When an endodontic surgery fails we need to identify the problem and find the reason for failure. To solve the problem further treatment like retreatment with surgery and, extraction are the viable options. Some studies in the past have documented poor success rate if we have to redo a failed surgery again. But this study said that with the new microscope and microsurgical devices the success rate can be as high as 92.9 %. Most of the reason for failure is poor technique,poor seal at the apical region and not using biocompatible materials like MTA and super PBA in the past. In another recent study it was found that, at least in America, endodontic surgery was the least expensive intervention for failed RCT when compared to endodontic re-treatment and crown, extraction and fixed partial denture, or extraction and implant (Kim Solomon, 2011). When primary `endodontic treatment fails retreatment should be done and when retreated and if there is severe inflammation in the periapical tissues then endo surgery can be an option using advance techniqies and good operationg skill can add to the success of endo surgery. 1 Microscope The microscope will provide good visualization, identification and treatment of infected canals, isthmuses and variant anatomy not reachable with traditional instrumentation techniques. Microscope can reach to more different locations and narrow spaces, by providing a clear field of vision. Good visualization also prevents damage to anatomical structures. Microscopic techniques significantly decrease complications and expand the case applicability for performing this procedure on teeth adjacent to these structures. With increased magnification and illumination, differentiating the root surface from the surrounding bone is also enhanced .A main cause of nonsurgical endodontic failure results from the inability to clean and sterilize the apical canal space, which is a complex anatomical entity. 2 ultrasonic tips That allow accurate preparation along the long axis of the root canal with clear visualization of the preparation . This technique will allow us to do root-end fillings in the proper position to seal the root canal to sufficient filling depth and thickness to effectively seal the canal, dentinal tubules and accessory canals. Ideal ultrasonic tip length is 3mm long. A minimum of 3mm preparation depth is needed to prevent leakage. 3 Surgical advances A smaller osteotomy will reduce bone removal (approximately 3-4mm) in diameter reduced bone and permits quicker uneventful postoperative healing postoperative healing. By removing less bone in the coronal direction, buccal bone can be preserved and subsequent periodontal sequelae that may lead to the loss of the tooth are prevented. Root-tip resection of 3mm is needed to eliminate lateral canals and apical ramification- A study shows that the resection of 3mm of apex eliminates 98 percent of apical ramifications and 93 percent of lateral canals. Root section bevel angle is reduced to 0 -10 degrees Clear examination of the resected root surfaces for fracture and anoatomical variations Root-end fillings with MTA (Mineral Trioxide Aggregate- It has excellent biocompatibility, osteo- and cemento-inductive capabilities, effective antibacterial and sealing properties, and faster radiographic healing in comparison to SuperEBA and IRM. MTA will not cause soft tissue discoloration that can otherwise result from root-end filling materials like amalgam Magnification Eyes or Loupes (1-4x) Microscope (4-24x) Illumination Dental light Bright focused light Armamentarium Macro-instruments Micro-instruments Osteotomy Size Large (7-10mm diameter) Small (3-3mm diameter) Bevel Angle Acute (45-60 degree) Shallow (0-10 degree) Root-end Preparation Non-axial Axial to long axis of tooth Depth of Root-end prep 1mm non-axial 3mm axial Inspection resected root surface None Always Root-end filling material Amalgam MTA Success rate over 1 year Less than 50% Over 90% Summary There are many factors to consider when choosing to perform microsurgery  on a tooth versus performing other treatment options such as  nonsurgical retreatment or tooth extraction. Fortunately for the patient,  the ability to perform endodontic microsurgery is an effective and highly  successful procedure that produces minimal discomfort, alleviates periradicular  pathosis, maintains restorations and provides for function and  aesthetics as shown in Figure 6.33,34

Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

BEOWULF   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A hero is a person is a person distinguished for valor, fortitude, or bold enterprise. A hero is a person that will do anything to protect the innocent. Beowulf fits the description of a hero. Beowulf is a hero to his people and his men. Beowulf is brave and courageous and does what it takes to protect his people from danger. He goes off to other lands to help others; he slays a dragon to keep his people safe. Beowulf is considered almost a god but is actual made of the same things everyone is made up off just that he makes the most of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf first proves that he is a hero when he hears that there is a monster killing and tormenting the men of Denmark and with this news decides he will go and help these men. Beowulf does not hesitate to think if he should go or not but just gathers his men and leaves. Beowulf gets to Denmark and sees this monster and kills him effortlessly proving that he is strong and courageous. Beowulf is the only person that can even stay alive for longer than a few moments while with the monster. Beowulf is so strong that the monster does not even believe it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Beowulf perceived his evil plan, sat up and stayed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grendel’s outstretched arm. Instantly that monster,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  hardened by crime, realized that never had he met any   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   man in the regions of earth, in the whole world, with so   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  strong a grip.† The author says that Beowulf’s strength is greater than that of any other man in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Beowulf defeats the monster, Grendel, he is faced with another monster. Beowulf instead of just leaving decides to stay and destroy the new monster. Beowulf proves that not only is he strong but he is loyal and destroys the other monster. In the following passage the author describes how Beowulf does not hesitate to go after Grendel’s mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Let us lose no time but track down Grendel’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  kinswoman. I promise you that wherever she turns   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to honeycomb caves, to mountain woods, to the bottom   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of the lake she shall find no refuge.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf is very respectful to others. Beowulf, with gold and treasures given to him by the king for killing the monsters, give it to others including his men. When Beowulf arrives home he gives the king some of the treasures and gold to show that he respects him and honors him by doing so.

History of the Apollo Program Essay -- space shuttle program apollo mi

We choose to go to the moon... "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon, and returning him, safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult of expensive to accomplish."(John F. Kennedy - "Special Joint Session of Congress", May 25th, 1961) With just a few words John F. Kennedy launched one of the largest endeavors that America has ever embarked upon. The address given to congress in May of 1961 put America in a race against Russia to see who could make it to the moon first. This was the start of the space program in America. From it came the Mercury Project with the goal to put the first man into space. The Mercury project launched 26, rockets of which only six were manned flights. The Mercury program put the first American into space on February 20, 1962. John H. Glenn, Jr. was the first American into space. He was the first man to orbit the earth. A claim that Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space (April 12, 1961),can't make. The Russians did circle the earth in space but not in orbit. When John Glenn took off in the Mercury-Atlas 6 rocket, named Friendship 7, he made history. It was less then one year after the challenge of John F. Kennedy to place a man on the moon. The flight lasted for only 04 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds. Still in that short time John Glenn went around earth three times, and became an American hero. The Mercury project was finished with the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 9 rocket, named Faith 7, launched May 15,1963. Faith 7 held only one passenger, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.. He spent 34 hours, 19 minutes, ... ...and right now final record. They also gathered 234 pounds (110.4kg) of material form the moon. There was also the performance of the trans-Earth EVA that was done by Ronald Evans it lasted 01 hour, 06 minutes. With the splash down of the Apollo XVII module our days on the moon ended. The last time that a man walked on the moon I was not born. There has not been a flight to the moon for over 30 years. I personally feel that this is a true tragedy. I have seen it written that if the Apollo program had continued to receive funding as it had in the early 70’s we would have a base on the moon. If so we would have unmanned lunar Modules to bring supplies to the moon. These may be dreams but as someone that has grown up in the space age I feel that we could achieve these dreams if we really wanted to. I hope that some day, before I am to old, we return to the moon.

New York City Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing Descriptive NYC

New York City Every time I hear this song it makes me long to leave all of my responsibilities and head off to the city of dreams. A trip to New York has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I have always wanted to visit the place of tall buildings, history, and where culture is intertwined with its people. I have wanted to live the fast pace life of a New Yorker, where I could stand outside and see, smell, and taste all of the experiences that this city has to offer. I have been building and building this ideal image in my mind for so long. If I ever get to New York, will I be disappointed by the city that never sleeps? The city that is a part of almost every movie I watch. Can New York live up to the expectations I have created? In the summer of 2004 my dream of visiting New York came to life. I could hardly contain my excitement to finally live the life of a New Yorker, even if it would only be for a couple of days. The plane ride itself was torture, because of my bubbling anticipation to get to my destination. Once the captain announced the descent into the New York airport my stomach became a bundle of knots. The arrival into the city was everything I had hoped it would be. My husband and I, of course, had trouble finding our way around JFK airport. We couldn't figure out the place that we were supposed to go to get our baggage. My husband and I and everyone from our plane ended up going outside of the airport to gain access to another part of the airport. Eventually things got cleared up and we found our terminal where our luggage was supposed to be. Finally after about a half an hour of being in the airport we figured out how to maneuver ourselves through the airport. As if we had passed our first test we... ...able to see, because of time restraints. The one sight I really wanted to see, but couldn't, was Ground Zero. Heading back to the hotel in the rain was one of my favorite parts of the trip. How awesome to let your guard down long enough for that child inside to take over. My husband and I tried so hard during our walk to keep dry and duck into stores when the rain got worse. My husband and I eventually gave up all hopes of staying dry. Instead we gave caution to the wind and splashed and played in the rain. It was like taking a walk while taking a shower. I know when we both got back to our room that there wasn't any part of our body that was dry. I will forever have this memory in my head for the rest of my life. I will have many wonderful and exciting memories of my trip to New York. I know if I never go back to this city, I will always remember my experiences.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 12-15

CHAPTER 12 Capitol police chief Trent Anderson had overseen security in the U.S. Capitol Complex for over a decade. A burly, square-chested man with a chiseled face and red hair, he kept his hair cropped in a buzz cut, giving him an air of military authority. He wore a visible sidearm as a warning to anyone foolish enough to question the extent of his authority. Anderson spent the majority of his time coordinating his small army of police officers from a high-tech surveillance center in the basement of the Capitol. Here he oversaw a staff of technicians who watched visual monitors, computer readouts, and a telephone switchboard that kept him in contact with the many security personnel he commanded. This evening had been unusually quiet, and Anderson was pleased. He had been hoping to catch a bit of the Redskins game on the flat-panel television in his office. The game had just kicked off when his intercom buzzed. â€Å"Chief?† Anderson groaned and kept his eyes on the television as he pressed the button. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"We've got some kind of disturbance in the Rotunda. I've got officers arriving now, but I think you'll want to have a look.† â€Å"Right.† Anderson walked into the security nerve center–a compact, neomodern facility packed with computer monitors. â€Å"What have you got?† The technician was cueing a digital video clip on his monitor. â€Å"Rotunda east balcony camera. Twenty seconds ago.† He played the clip. Anderson watched over the technician's shoulder. The Rotunda was almost deserted today, dotted with just a few tourists. Anderson's trained eye went immediately to the one person who was alone and moving faster than all the others. Shaved head. Green army-surplus jacket. Injured arm in a sling. Slight limp. Slouched posture. Talking on a cell phone. The bald man's footfalls echoed crisply on the audio feed until, suddenly, arriving at the exact center of the Rotunda, he stopped short, ended his phone call, and then knelt down as if to tie his shoe. But instead of tying a shoe, he pulled something out of his sling and set it on the floor. Then he stood up and limped briskly toward the east exit. Anderson eyed the oddly shaped object the man had left behind. What in the world? It was about eight inches tall and standing vertically. Anderson crouched closer to the screen and squinted. That can't be what it looks like! As the bald man hurried off, disappearing through the east portico, a little boy nearby could be heard saying, â€Å"Mommy, that man dropped something.† The boy drifted toward the object but suddenly stopped short. After a long, motionless beat, he pointed and let out a deafening scream. Instantly, the police chief spun and ran for the door, barking orders as he went. â€Å"Radio all points! Find the bald guy with the sling and detain him! NOW!† Dashing out of the security center, he bounded up the treads of the well-worn staircase three at a time. The security feed had shown the bald man with the sling leave the Rotunda via the east portico. The shortest route out of the building would therefore take him through the east-west corridor, which was just ahead. I can head him off. As he reached the top of the stairs and rounded the corner, Anderson surveyed the quiet hallway before him. An elderly couple strolled at the far end, hand in hand. Nearby, a blond tourist wearing a blue blazer was reading a guidebook and studying the mosaic ceiling outside the House chamber. â€Å"Excuse me, sir!† Anderson barked, running toward him. â€Å"Have you seen a bald man with a sling on his arm?† The man looked up from his book with a confused expression. â€Å"A bald man with a sling!† Anderson repeated more firmly. â€Å"Have you seen him?† The tourist hesitated and glanced nervously toward the far eastern end of the hallway. â€Å"Uh . . . yes,† he said. â€Å"I think he just ran past me . . . to that staircase over there.† He pointed down the hall. Anderson pulled out his radio and yelled into it. â€Å"All points! The suspect is headed for the southeast exit. Converge!† He stowed the radio and yanked his sidearm from its holster, running toward the exit. Thirty seconds later, at a quiet exit on the east side of the Capitol, the powerfully built blond man in the blue blazer stepped into the damp night air. He smiled, savoring the coolness of the evening. Transformation. It had been so easy. Only a minute ago he had limped quickly out of the Rotunda in an army-surplus coat. Stepping into a darkened alcove, he shed his coat, revealing the blue blazer he wore underneath. Before abandoning his surplus jacket, he pulled a blond wig from the pocket and fit it snugly on his head. Then he stood up straight, pulled a slim Washington guidebook from his blazer, and stepped calmly from the niche with an elegant gait. Transformation. This is my gift. As Mal'akh's mortal legs carried him toward his waiting limousine, he arched his back, standing to his full six-foot-three height and throwing back his shoulders. He inhaled deeply, letting the air fill his lungs. He could feel the wings of the tattooed phoenix on his chest opening wide. If they only knew my power, he thought, gazing out at the city. Tonight my transformation will be complete. Mal'akh had played his cards artfully within the Capitol Building, showing obeisance to all the ancient etiquettes. The ancient invitation has been delivered. If Langdon had not yet grasped his role here tonight, soon he would. CHAPTER 13 For Robert Langdon, the Capitol Rotunda–like St. Peter's Basilica–always had a way of taking him by surprise. Intellectually, he knew the room was so large that the Statue of Liberty could stand comfortably inside it, but somehow the Rotunda always felt larger and more hallowed than he anticipated, as if there were spirits in the air. Tonight, however, there was only chaos. Capitol police officers were sealing the Rotunda while attempting to herd distraught tourists away from the hand. The little boy was still crying. A bright light flashed–a tourist taking a photo of the hand–and several guards immediately detained the man, taking his camera and escorting him off. In the confusion, Langdon felt himself moving forward in a trance, slipping through the crowd, inching closer to the hand. Peter Solomon's severed right hand was standing upright, the flat plane of the detached wrist skewered down onto the spike of a small wooden stand. Three of the fingers were closed in a fist, while the thumb and index finger were fully extended, pointing up toward the soaring dome. â€Å"Everyone back!† an officer called. Langdon was close enough now that he could see dried blood, which had run down from the wrist and coagulated on the wooden base. Postmortem wounds don't bleed . . . which means Peter is alive. Langdon didn't know whether to be relieved or nauseated. Peter's hand was removed while he was alive? Bile rose in his throat. He thought of all the times his dear friend had extended this same hand to shake Langdon's or offer a warm embrace. For several seconds, Langdon felt his mind go blank, like an untuned television set broadcasting only static. The first clear image that broke through was utterly unexpected. A crown . . . and a star. Langdon crouched down, eyeing the tips of Peter's thumb and index finger. Tattoos? Incredibly, the monster who had done this appeared to have tattooed tiny symbols on Peter's fingertips. On the thumb–a crown. On the index finger–a star. This can't be. The two symbols registered instantly in Langdon's mind, amplifying this already horrific scene into something almost otherworldly. These symbols had appeared together many times in history, and always in the same place–on the fingertips of a hand. It was one of the ancient world's most coveted and secretive icons. The Hand of the Mysteries. The icon was rarely seen anymore, but throughout history it had symbolized a powerful call to action. Langdon strained to comprehend the grotesque artifact now before him. Someone crafted the Hand of the Mysteries out of Peter's hand? It was unthinkable. Traditionally, the icon was sculpted in stone or wood or rendered as a drawing. Langdon had never heard of the Hand of the Mysteries being fashioned from actual flesh. The concept was abhorrent. â€Å"Sir?† a guard said behind Langdon. â€Å"Please step back.† Langdon barely heard him. There are other tattoos. Although he could not see the fingertips of the three clenched fingers, Langdon knew these fingertips would bear their own unique markings. That was the tradition. Five symbols in total. Through the millennia, the symbols on the fingertips of the Hand of the Mysteries had never changed . . . nor had the hand's iconic purpose. The hand represents . . . an invitation. Langdon felt a sudden chill as he recalled the words of the man who had brought him here. Professor, tonight you are receiving the invitation of your lifetime. In ancient times, the Hand of the Mysteries actually served as the most coveted invitation on earth. To receive this icon was a sacred summons to join an elite group–those who were said to guard the secret wisdom of all the ages. The invitation not only was a great honor, but it signified that a master believed you were worthy to receive this hidden wisdom. The hand of the master extended to the initiate. â€Å"Sir,† the guard said, putting a firm hand on Langdon's shoulder. â€Å"I need you to back up right now.† â€Å"I know what this means,† Langdon managed. â€Å"I can help you.† â€Å"Now!† the guard said. â€Å"My friend is in trouble. We have to–â€Å" Langdon felt powerful arms pulling him up and leading him away from the hand. He simply let it happen . . . feeling too off balance to protest. A formal invitation had just been delivered. Someone was summoning Langdon to unlock a mystical portal that would unveil a world of ancient mysteries and hidden knowledge. But it was all madness. Delusions of a lunatic. CHAPTER 14 Mal'akh's stretch limousine eased away from the U.S. Capitol, moving eastward down Independence Avenue. A young couple on the sidewalk strained to see through the tinted rear windows, hoping to glimpse a VIP. I'm in front, Mal'akh thought, smiling to himself. Mal'akh loved the feeling of power he got from driving this massive car all alone. None of his other five cars offered him what he needed tonight–the guarantee of privacy. Total privacy. Limousines in this city enjoyed a kind of unspoken immunity. Embassies on wheels. Police officers who worked near Capitol Hill were never certain what power broker they might mistakenly pull over in a limousine, and so most simply chose not to take the chance. As Mal'akh crossed the Anacostia River into Maryland, he could feel himself moving closer to Katherine, pulled onward by destiny's gravity. I am being called to a second task tonight . . . one I had not imagined. Last night, when Peter Solomon told the last of his secrets, Mal'akh had learned of the existence of a secret lab in which Katherine Solomon had performed miracles– staggering breakthroughs that Mal'akh realized would change the world if they were ever made known. Her work will unveil the true nature of all things. For centuries the â€Å"brightest minds† on earth had ignored the ancient sciences, mocking them as ignorant superstitions, arming themselves instead with smug skepticism and dazzling new technologies–tools that led them only further from the truth. Every generation's breakthroughs are proven false by the next generation's technology. And so it had gone through the ages. The more man learned, the more he realized he did not know. For millennia, mankind had wandered in the darkness . . . but now, as had been prophesied, there was a change coming. After hurtling blindly through history, mankind had reached a crossroads. This moment had been predicted long ago, prophesied by the ancient texts, by the primeval calendars, and even by the stars themselves. The date was specific, its arrival imminent. It would be preceded by a brilliant explosion of knowledge . . . a flash of clarity to illuminate the darkness and give mankind a final chance to veer away from the abyss and take the path of wisdom. I have come to obscure the light, Mal'akh thought. This is my role. Fate had linked him to Peter and Katherine Solomon. The breakthroughs Katherine Solomon had made within the SMSC would risk opening floodgates of new thinking, starting a new Renaissance. Katherine's revelations, if made public, would become a catalyst that would inspire mankind to rediscover the knowledge he had lost, empowering him beyond all imagination. Katherine's destiny is to light this torch. Mine is to extinguish it. CHAPTER 15 In total darkness, Katherine Solomon groped for the outer door of her lab. Finding it, she heaved open the lead-lined door and hurried into the small entry room. The journey across the void had taken only ninety seconds, and yet her heart was pounding wildly. After three years, you'd think I'd be used to that. Katherine always felt relieved to escape the blackness of Pod 5 and step into this clean, well-lit space. The â€Å"Cube† was a massive windowless box. Every inch of the interior walls and ceiling was covered with a stiff mesh of titanium-coated lead fiber, giving the impression of a giant cage built inside a cement enclosure. Dividers of frosted Plexiglas separated the space into different compartments–a laboratory, a control room, a mechanical room, a bathroom, and a small research library. Katherine strode briskly into the main lab. The bright and sterile work space glistened with advanced quantitative equipment: paired electro encephalographs, a femtosecond comb, a magneto-optical trap, and quantum-indeterminate electronic noise REGs, more simply known as Random Event Generators. Despite Noetic Science's use of cutting-edge technologies, the discoveries themselves were far more mystical than the cold, high-tech machines that were producing them. The stuff of magic and myth was fast becoming reality as the shocking new data poured in, all of it supporting the basic ideology of Noetic Science–the untapped potential of the human mind. The overall thesis was simple: We have barely scratched the surface of our mental and spiritual capabilities. Experiments at facilities like the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) in California and the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (PEAR) had categorically proven that human thought, if properly focused, had the ability to affect and change physical mass. Their experiments were no â€Å"spoon-bending† parlor tricks, but rather highly controlled inquiries that all produced the same extraordinary result: our thoughts actually interacted with the physical world, whether or not we knew it, effecting change all the way down to the subatomic realm. Mind over matter. In 2001, in the hours following the horrifying events of September 11, the field of Noetic Science made a quantum leap forward. Four scientists discovered that as the frightened world came together and focused in shared grief on this single tragedy, the outputs of thirty-seven different Random Event Generators around the world suddenly became significantly less random. Somehow, the oneness of this shared experience, the coalescing of millions of minds, had affected the randomizing function of these machines, organizing their outputs and bringing order from chaos. The shocking discovery, it seemed, paralleled the ancient spiritual belief in a â€Å"cosmic consciousness†Ã¢â‚¬â€œa vast coalescing of human intention that was actually capable of interacting with physical matter. Recently, studies in mass meditation and prayer had produced similar results in Random Event Generators, fueling the claim that human consciousness, as Noetic author Lynne McTaggart described it, was a substance outside the confines of the body . . . a highly ordered energy capable of changing the physical world. Katherine had been fascinated by McTaggart's book The Intention Experiment, and her global, Web-based study– theintentionexperiment.com–aimed at discovering how human intention could affect the world. A handful of other progressive texts had also piqued Katherine's interest. From this foundation, Katherine Solomon's research had vaulted forward, proving that â€Å"focused thought† could affect literally anything–the growth rate of plants, the direction that fish swam in a bowl, the manner in which cells divided in a petri dish, the synchronization of separately automated systems, and the chemical reactions in one's own body. Even the crystalline structure of a newly forming solid was rendered mutable by one's mind; Katherine had created beautifully symmetrical ice crystals by sending loving thoughts to a glass of water as it froze. Incredibly, the converse was also true: when she sent negative, polluting thoughts to the water, the ice crystals froze in chaotic, fractured forms. Human thought can literally transform the physical world. As Katherine's experiments grew bolder, her results became more astounding. Her work in this lab had proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that â€Å"mind over matter† was not just some New Age self-help mantra. The mind had the ability to alter the state of matter itself, and, more important, the mind had the power to encourage the physical world to move in a specific direction. We are the masters of our own universe. At the subatomic level, Katherine had shown that particles themselves came in and out of existence based solely on her intention to observe them. In a sense, her desire to see a particle . . . manifested that particle. Heisenberg had hinted at this reality decades ago, and now it had be come a fundamental principle of Noetic Science. In the words of Lynne McTaggart: â€Å"Living consciousness somehow is the influence that turns the possibility of something into something real. The most essential ingredient in creating our universe is the consciousness that observes it.† The most astonishing aspect of Katherine's work, however, had been the realization that the mind's ability to affect the physical world could be augmented through practice. Intention was a learned skill. Like meditation, harnessing the true power of â€Å"thought† required practice. More important . . . some people were born more skilled at it than others. And throughout history, there had been those few who had become true masters. This is the missing link between modern science and ancient mysticism. Katherine had learned this from her brother, Peter, and now, as her thoughts turned back to him, she felt a deepening concern. She walked to the lab's research library and peered in. Empty. The library was a small reading room–two Morris chairs, a wooden table, two floor lamps, and a wall of mahogany bookshelves that held some five hundred books. Katherine and Peter had pooled their favorite texts here, writings on everything from particle physics to ancient mysticism. Their collection had grown into an eclectic fusion of new and old . . . of cutting-edge and historical. Most of Katherine's books bore titles like Quantum Consciousness, The New Physics, and Principles of Neural Science. Her brother's bore older, more esoteric titles like the Kybalion, the Zohar, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, and a translation of the Sumerian tablets from the British Museum. â€Å"The key to our scientific future,† her brother often said, â€Å"is hidden in our past.† A lifelong scholar of history, science, and mysticism, Peter had been the first to encourage Katherine to boost her university science education with an understanding of early Hermetic philosophy. She had been only nineteen years old when Peter sparked her interest in the link between modern science and ancient mysticism. â€Å"So tell me, Kate,† her brother had asked while she was home on vacation during her sophomore year at Yale. â€Å"What are Elis reading these days in theoretical physics?† Katherine had stood in her family's book-filled library and recited her demanding reading list. â€Å"Impressive,† her brother replied. â€Å"Einstein, Bohr, and Hawking are modern geniuses. But are you reading anything older?† Katherine scratched her head. â€Å"You mean like . . . Newton?† He smiled. â€Å"Keep going.† At twenty-seven, Peter had already made a name for himself in the academic world, and he and Katherine had grown to savor this kind of playful intellectual sparring. Older than Newton? Katherine's head now filled with distant names like Ptolemy, Pythagoras, and Hermes Trismegistus. Nobody reads that stuff anymore. Her brother ran a finger down the long shelf of cracked leather bindings and old dusty tomes. â€Å"The scientific wisdom of the ancients was staggering . . . modern physics is only now beginning to comprehend it all.† â€Å"Peter,† she said, â€Å"you already told me that the Egyptians understood levers and pulleys long before Newton, and that the early alchemists did work on a par with modern chemistry, but so what? Today's physics deals with concepts that would have been unimaginable to the ancients.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Well . . . like entanglement theory, for one!† Subatomic research had now proven categorically that all matter was interconnected . . . entangled in a single unified mesh . . . a kind of universal oneness. â€Å"You're telling me the ancients sat around discussing entanglement theory?† â€Å"Absolutely!† Peter said, pushing his long, dark bangs out of his eyes. â€Å"Entanglement was at the core of primeval beliefs. Its names are as old as history itself . . . Dharmakaya, Tao, Brahman. In fact, man's oldest spiritual quest was to perceive his own entanglement, to sense his own interconnection with all things. He has always wanted to become `one' with the universe . . . to achieve the state of `at-one-ment.' † Her brother raised his eyebrows. â€Å"To this day, Jews and Christians still strive for `atonement' . . . although most of us have forgotten it is actually `at- one-ment' we're seeking.† Katherine sighed, having forgotten how hard it was to argue with a man so well versed in history. â€Å"Okay, but you're talking in generalities. I'm talking specific physics.† â€Å"Then be specific.† His keen eyes challenged her now. â€Å"Okay, how about something as simple as polarity–the positive/negative balance of the subatomic realm. Obviously, the ancients didn't underst–â€Å" â€Å"Hold on!† Her brother pulled down a large dusty text, which he dropped loudly on the library table. â€Å"Modern polarity is nothing but the `dual world' described by Krishna here in the Bhagavad Gita over two thousand years ago. A dozen other books in here, including the Kybalion, talk about binary systems and the opposing forces in nature.† Katherine was skeptical. â€Å"Okay, but if we talk about modern discoveries in subatomics–the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, for example–â€Å" â€Å"Then we must look here,† Peter said, striding down his long bookshelf and pulling out another text. â€Å"The sacred Hindu Vendantic scriptures known as the Upanishads.† He dropped the tome heavily on the first. â€Å"Heisenberg and Schrodinger studied this text and credited it with helping them formulate some of their theories.† The showdown continued for several minutes, and the stack of dusty books on the desk grew taller and taller. Finally Katherine threw up her hands in frustration. â€Å"Okay! You made your point, but I want to study cutting-edge theoretical physics. The future of science! I really doubt Krishna or Vyasa had much to say about superstring theory and multidimensional cosmological models.† â€Å"You're right. They didn't.† Her brother paused, a smile crossing his lips. â€Å"If you're talking superstring theory . . .† He wandered over to the bookshelf yet again. â€Å"Then you're talking this book here.† He heaved out a colossal leather-bound book and dropped it with a crash onto the desk. â€Å"Thirteenth-century translation of the original medieval Aramaic.† â€Å"Superstring theory in the thirteenth century?!† Katherine wasn't buying it. â€Å"Come on!† Superstring theory was a brand-new cosmological model. Based on the most recent scientific observations, it suggested the multidimensional universe was made up not of three . . . but rather of ten dimensions, which all interacted like vibrating strings, similar to resonating violin strings. Katherine waited as her brother heaved open the book, ran through the ornately printed table of contents, and then flipped to a spot near the beginning of the book. â€Å"Read this.† He pointed to a faded page of text and diagrams. Dutifully, Katherine studied the page. The translation was old-fashioned and very hard to read, but to her utter amazement, the text and drawings clearly outlined the exact same universe heralded by modern superstring theory–a ten-dimensional universe of resonating strings. As she continued reading, she suddenly gasped and recoiled. â€Å"My God, it even describes how six of the dimensions are entangled and act as one?!† She took a frightened step backward. â€Å"What is this book?!† Her brother grinned. â€Å"Something I'm hoping you'll read one day.† He flipped back to the title page, where an ornately printed plate bore three words. The Complete Zohar. Although Katherine had never read the Zohar, she knew it was the fundamental text of early Jewish mysticism, once believed so potent that it was reserved only for the most erudite rabbis. Katherine eyed the book. â€Å"You're saying the early mystics knew their universe had ten dimensions?† â€Å"Absolutely.† He motioned to the page's illustration of ten intertwined circles called Sephiroth. â€Å"Obviously, the nomenclature is esoteric, but the physics is very advanced.† Katherine didn't know how to respond. â€Å"But . . . then why don't more people study this?† Her brother smiled. â€Å"They will.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"Katherine, we have been born into wonderful times. A change is coming. Human beings are poised on the threshold of a new age when they will begin turning their eyes back to nature and to the old ways . . . back to the ideas in books like the Zohar and other ancient texts from around the world. Powerful truth has its own gravity and eventually pulls people back to it. There will come a day when modern science begins in earnest to study the wisdom of the ancients . . . that will be the day that mankind begins to find answers to the big questions that still elude him.† That night, Katherine eagerly began reading her brother's ancient texts and quickly came to understand that he was right. The ancients possessed profound scientific wisdom. Today's science was not so much making â€Å"discoveries† as it was making â€Å"rediscoveries.† Mankind, it seemed, had once grasped the true nature of the universe . . . but had let go . . . and forgotten. Modern physics can help us remember! This quest had become Katherine's mission in life–to use advanced science to rediscover the lost wisdom of the ancients. It was more than academic thrill that kept her motivated. Beneath it all was her conviction that the world needed this understanding . . . now more than ever. At the rear of the lab, Katherine saw her brother's white lab coat hanging on its hook along with her own. Reflexively, she pulled out her phone to check for messages. Nothing. A voice echoed again in her memory. That which your brother believes is hidden in D.C. . . . it can be found. Sometimes a legend that endures for centuries . . . endures for a reason. â€Å"No,† Katherine said aloud. â€Å"It can't possibly be real.† Sometimes a legend was just that–a legend.