The Bamboo And Construction With Bamboo Biology Essay

The Bamboo And Construction With Bamboo Biology Essay The world is at the jaws of crisis in many sectors in the near future. One of the most important of them is the availability of timber. World is becoming more and more urbanized. There must be some sort of solution which can give some relief to the hunger towards the need of timber. We need to look for a solution which must have few characteristics such as A product which can substitute wood in the widest range of purposes of uses.. A product which doesnt have negative environmental impact or is eco-friendly.. A product which can be made in a rural environment to assist in reducing the pressure of urbanization in the current world. A product whose production scale must be such that it shouldnt displace the rural people from its reach. A product which is very much meaningful in the activity. Bamboo is definitely one such solution we got for the near future. Bamboo products can substitute wood-based products in a very wide range. The cultivation and maintenance of bamboo is very easy in comparison with wood. Bamboo can be grown as clumps in most soils and is very cheaper which makes it a feasible material for poor people and in rural regions. More and more people can be involved in this process to make them aware of the possibilities with bamboo. Bamboo based industries must be encouraged by maximum villager involvement as it even requires very low capital. Bamboo based industries can therefore provide the time and space for evolutionary development of the rural economy. 1.2 THE PROBLEMS (1) The world produces 3.5 billion tons of wood from roughly 3.5 billion hectares of forest. Approximately half of that is used as firewood. In the developed world, less than one billion people consume an average of approximately 1 ton per capita per year, hardly any of it as firewood. The richer the country, the higher this amount (in the USA it is 2.3 tonnes). Thus, in the poorer parts of the world, people consume far more firewood than industrial wood (by a factor of at least three to one). The overall objective of world development is that standards of living should rise. At the present, Chinas annual per capita wood consumption is only 0.16 m3 much lower than the global average of 0.65 cubic meters (China Daily, 13 April 2000). Will the developing world start to consume wood in a manner similar to the developed world as it becomes richer. The evidence is not clear but South Korea has seen a quadrupling of its per capita consumption between 1950 and 1990. Although Chinas per cap ita lumber consumption remains much lower than the global average, its demand for lumber has increased drastically over the last few years, while its supply has remained steady or decreased slightly (China Daily, 13 April 2000). Will new technology (email and Internet) reduce the amount of paper used? Again the evidence is not clear but there seems to be no strong trend as yet. The consequences for world wood consumption are therefore very serious if rising standards of living lead to an accelerated usage of wood products [10]. If the world population (six billion now trending towards eight billion in 25 years time) moved to consume wood in a pattern similar to the more developed countries (e.g. 1 m3 / capita in Germany [11]) the consumption of industrial wood (excluding firewood) would need to at least quadruple (as it did in South Korea). It is unlikely that the wood currently consumed as firewood could assist much, for well-known technical reasons (it is often dead wood, small si zed and sparsely distributed). (2) The area of forest is being reduced by continuing deforestation. This is compounded by a growing consciousness that forests have values over and above their timber value (for carbon retention mature forests may not actually sequester extra carbon-for biodiversity shelter and for soil, water and air quality values). Thus the supply of timber-producing forest is decreasing, through preservation, in such diverse economies as the USA, Australia, New Zealand, India and China. (3) In the last two centuries, improving standards of living have been preceded by large increases in population and increasing urbanization. It is paradoxical that the population appears to increase rapidly before gains in living standards appear and that steeply rising population can threaten to cancel out those gains. Developing countries are following along the pattern first established in Britain 250 years ago but with some differences. The English population rose from 6 million in 1750 to 40 million in 1900 but would have increased to over 60 million were it not for the huge outward migration to the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Even with that safety valve, small villages like Birmingham increased from populations of only 4000 in 1680 to 400 000 in 1881, as people left the countryside for the towns. They had little choice. There was not enough free land in the countryside for farming. Living conditions for most of the population in these cities were very poor and their working conditions dehumanized. Todays developing countries do not have the possibilities of overseas migration; they face the same pressures towards urbanization but do not wish to reinvent the dark satanic mills of the 18th and 19th century. It would be good if sufficient employment could be found in a rural environment to reduce the pressure towards urbanization. (4) Studies in both the developed economies and the developing economies have come to the conclusion that people work best in small to medium size firms/enterprises where they can see the impact of their own efforts and where they feel that they can have an effect on decision-making. These conclusions find their expression in the general concept of participation. -IAN R.HUNTER, 2002, Bamboo and Rattan, Vol. 1, No.2, pp.101-103, Available at: www.vsppub.com Its not like bamboo can be the only solution for all these issues outlined above but experiences in few places indicate that bamboo can make some meaningful contribution. 2.1Bamboo as a wood substitute The bamboo culm, reduced to its finest parts, is an excellent industrial fiber. As such it has been shown, both in the laboratory and in practice, to be an excellent substitute for wood fiber in such things as paper, medium density fiber board and veneer. There are very few technical difficulties in utilizing normal wood-working machinery to work with bamboo. One difference that does need to be accommodated is the higher silica content of bamboo which can dull cutting edges. With good physical and mechanical properties, low shrinkage and average density of 0.7 g/cm3, bamboo is well suited to replace wood in several applications, especially in panel form. Bamboo mat board and bamboo strip board have been exploited on an industrial scale, and products marketed for various end uses such as flooring, roofing, and other housing components, furniture, packing cases, etc. At present, in China, over 1,000,000 m3 of panels of various types are produced annually in some 200 mills, whereas in India, industrial-scale production of panels is confined to bamboo mat board with about 2000 m3 board by seven mills. The global use of paper is reported to be increased by 5% annually. Today, Asia, and mainly India and China, make the most use of bamboo for pulp and paper. India uses about 3 million tons of bamboo per year in pulp manufacture and China about 1 million tons, and both are set to increase their use of bamboo for paper pulp manufacture (China targets 5 million tons per year). Bamboo pulp is also processed into incense paper in the Philippines for export. Brazil is presently the only American country that uses bamboo for making cellulose and paper. However, bamboo has certain characteristics that are superior. It has a high surface hardness such that laminated bamboo flooring is equal in wear to the hardest American hardwoods. Many of the products made from bamboo can be and are made in small factories with very limited capital requirements; hence these factories can be distributed around the country-side close to their raw material. Bamboo also has a unique role to play in constructing strong light-weight houses. It has been known for a long time that light weight timber frame construction houses offer the greatest safety against earthquakes and also greater safety on earth slips. Lightweight timber framing housing is the norm in New Zealand. In 1987, the small town of Edgecombe in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand was shattered by force 7 earthquakes. The force of the earthquake was sufficient to tip a railway engine on its side. Yet no-one was killed and all of the houses remained standing. There are two technologies utilizing bamboo that can be adapted to provide similar kinds of houses. In one, bamboo poles can be used in a similar way to timber studs to provide a similar space-frame construction. Work needs to be done improving the joins before the result is as strong as a timber frame house. In the other, a bamboo frame or hurdle can be woven out of split bamboo and plastered on either s ide. The bamboo hurdle effectively reinforces the concrete plastering. This second style of building produces a result which is more culturally familiar in many countries and possibly therefore more acceptable. 2.2 Properties of Bamboo: 2.2.1 Tensile strength: The bamboo fibers run axially. outer zone constitute of highly elastic vascular bundles, which have a high tensile strength. The tensile strength of these fibers is higher than that of steel, but to construct connects which can transfer load axially is merely impossible. 2.2.2 Shrinking: Bamboos shrinks a lot more tan wood when it loses whole of its water. Nodes are very vulnerable during this shrinking. Bamboo shrinks in the cross section 10 to 15% 2.2.3 Fire resistance: Due to the presence of the high content of silicate acid it offers a very good resistance towards fire.. Filled up with water, it can stand a temperature of 400 ° C while the water cooks inside. 2.2.4 Elasticity: Bamboos enormous elasticity makes it a very good building material in earthquake prone zones. Its is very light in weight and can be easily worked on. -Bamboo as a building material, 2002, available @ www.bambusnewengreportsbuildingmaterialbuildingmaterial.html 2.3 Bamboo for construction: There is a substantial role of bamboo in the construction field as it grows naturally, it has strength, flexibility and versatility and is very suitable material in every part of a house when treated and is used properly. Not only there are technical advantages with bamboo but it is very economical as it is a local product in many places of the country and is amongst the cheapest materials available. Recently there are hikes in the prices of bamboo but with proper cultivation and increased production these inflations in the fields of bamboo can be handled. Cultivating of bamboo properly gives high yields. Moreover bamboo can replace usage of timber in many areas. It can contribute towards the solution for the deforestation which is a very major concern in the world. 2.3.1 Roofing: Bamboo shingles whose lengths are almost as long as rafters. The bamboo canes are first halved along their diaphragms and are bisected. Then they are threaded as alternative facing units and are tied. They are held in the supports by their own weight. 2.3.2 Trusses Fabrication of roof trusses is about the most promising use of bamboos. Literally, any span of truss is possible, and as indicated in Section 5, a Fink truss of about 8.5m span can be carried by three workmen and installed by about 5 workmen. The property of lightweight with strength and stiffness is manifested here. Also, substantial savings in the non-use of heavy lifting equipment. (ii) Scaffolding (iii) Disaster Mitigation The lightness of bamboo, wide availability and possibility of building shelter from modular units lends it for use for post-disaster shelter. A project is in the offing by the UNHCR where temporary shelters are fabricated from A-shaped bamboo support frames with horizontal members at the apex and at mid-heights of the A-frame. A water-proof sheet is draped over this frame for cover. 2.3.3 Bridges Bridges attempted consist of: (a) Footbridges: Simple cross-braced frames with the walkway formed at the crutch. Culms of 50-75mm diameter are bound by bamboo lashings. They are suited to rivers with muddy or sandy bottoms where the height above bed does not exceed 5m. A typical crossing might be 20m long. (b) Handcart Bridge: The construction is more elaborate with abutments and pilings. The abutments are formed from pairs of culms staked to the ground. A pair of horizontal culms forms the pile cap and diagonal braces stabilize the assembly. To form the roadway, three longitudinal bamboo beams of 100mm Ø are lashed to the caps and tied together at the center of each bay with a cross-member. 22.3.4 Scaffoldings Bamboo can be used for the construction of safe scaffoldings for very tall buildings because of the favorable relationship between the load-bearing capacity and weight. Bamboo has been used for centuries as scaffolding in Asian countries and, despite competition with many metal scaffolding systems, remains one of the most preferred system in both China and Hong Kong (Fu, 1993). Owing to its high adaptability and low construction cost, it can be constructed to any layout to follow various irregular architectural features of a building within a relatively short period of time (Chung, et al., 2003). They are used in construction sites to provide temporary access, working platforms for construction workers and supervisory staff, and to prevent construction debris from falling on passers-by. In Hong Kong, they are used as Single Layered Bamboo Scaffolds (SLBS) for light work and Double Layered Bamboo Scaffords (DLBS) for heavy work (Chung and Sin, 2002). Bamboo scaffolding, like any other, must possess integrity and must be laterally stable. The foregoing is ensured by the provision of bracing. The bracing is by two pieces of bamboo fixed in an X shape and at an angle of 60o-70o over the section of bamboo to be braced. For multi-storey structures it is required to tie the scaffolding to the building often through 6mm dia mild steel bars (putlogs) pre-fixed to concrete at every floor. A prop is also required between the building and the scaffolding to prevent the leaning of the scaffolding towards the building. The canes are not treated even at their connections and only lashed joints are used. The cane extension is carried out by lashing the cane ends together by using several ties. The ties are arranged in such that force acting vertically downwards wedges the nodes in the lashing. By tightening the ropes between the canes the friction can be increased to the maximum. The vertical and horizontal canes used for scaffolding are joined using soft lashing. This technique has a great advantage that the joints can be tensioned to the right degree without difficulty and even released quickly. -Dunkelberg, Klaus: Bamboo as a building material, in: IL31 Bambus, Karl Krà ¤mer Verlag Stuttgart 1992. 3.1 Mechanical and Structural Properties Bamboo, being a circular, hollow structure has certain mechanical and structural advantages and disadvantages as compared to a rectangular solid timber of the same cross-section. These advantages/disadvantages are, in other instances, complemented or accentuated by the cellulose fiber make-up of the bamboo. These comparative analyses are tabulated in Table 1.0. Some rules of thumb for the relationship between the mass per volume of bamboo and some mechanical properties have been derived by INBAR and Janseen (1991). These are given in Table 2.0. Also, various tests for strength and mechanical properties and design rules have been put forward by INBAR (ISO-22156, 22157, ISO/DTR-23157.2). Comparative Mechanical Properties of Bamboo and Rectangular Lumber (Janssen, 2001) Table 1.0: Comparative Mechanical Properties of Bamboo and Rectangular Lumber (Janssen, 2001) Property Bamboo Rectangular Lumber Assumptions 1. Moment of Inertia, I I = 0.40A2 I = 0.16A2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ For most bamboos, d = internal diameter = 0.82D à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ For timber, mostly h = 2 x b 2. Optimum Material Use, EI 4900A2 2240A2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cellulose = 70,000N/mm2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ E fiber = 35,000N/mm2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 50% of cross- section of fiber is cellulose. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Eà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 350x% of fibers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In bamboos, fiber is 60% on outside and 10% on inside, hence E outside = 35060 = 21,000N/mm2 and E inside = 35010 = 3500N/mm2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Edahoma = 14,000N/mm2 Bending à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compression stress during bending may result in transverse strain in fibers of top face of culm. Lignin in fibres is weak in strain. Coherence in cross- section is lost and EI drops dramatically. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If load removed culm returns to original straight form. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Timber will not regain original length when load is removed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Poisson coefficient for bamboo = 0.3. 4. Shear à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Shear in neutral layer = 1.3x shear for timber à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Smaller thickness to resist shear. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Larger forces on bolt fasteners at joints. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Advantage of not having a ray structure is nullified by hollow nature. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Larger thickness to resist shear. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Has rays. Rays are mechanically weak. Hence, timber material is weaker in shear than bamboo material. 5. Torsion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Better torsional resistance due to circular shape. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Poorer torsional resistance because of sharp corners. Table 1.0 (Contd) Property Bamboo Rectangular Lumber Assumptions 6. Wind Resistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Bending stress due to wind is constant over height of culm. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ At top (near skin) vessels decrease and cellulose replaces vessels, leading to increase resistance to bending stress. 7. 8. Compression Density à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Because of hollow nature and thus greater distance of solid mass from center, longitudinal shortening is greater and thus greater the likelihood of lateral strain in lignin. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Friction due to clamping at top and bottom of culm reduces lateral strain. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Amount of lignin deter- mines compressive strength not cellulose. 700 800kg/m3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Solid nature makes for better compression resistance and reduced lateral strain. 850kg/m3 Table 2.0: Rules of Thumb Factors for Mechanical Properties of Bamboo Air-dry bamboo Bending Compression Shear E 0.14 0.094 0.021 24 Green bamboo 0.11 0.075 Ultimate stress (N/mm2) = Factor x mass/volume (in kg/m3) 1 Allowable stress à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€  7 x Ultimate stress JANSSEN, J.J.A., 2000. Designing and Building with Bamboo. INBAR Technical Report No.20, page no. 18-23 3.2 Earthquake Resistance Bamboo, being lightweight and hollow, makes it naturally highly resistant to earthquake (because it has high stiffness in relation to its weight). That, it does not shatter at failure means that when the earthquake is over the building can be left standing with relatively minor damage; providing shelter whiles the damage is being repaired. In a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in April, 1961, in Costa Rica, 20 bamboo houses were left standing near the epicenter (Janssen, 2000). 4.1 Problems related to Bamboo. 4.1.1 Structure The available bamboo tends not to be very straight, have variable diameters, culm thickness and show marked tapering. These attributes have a costly effect on preliminary attempts at construction in bamboo, as will be indicated later. 4.1.2 Insect and Fungi Attack More than anything else, the problem with bamboo is pest and fungi attack. Insect attack is through the relatively softer tissues in the inside wall of the cavity wall and at the budding points in the nodes. Fungi attack is severe when the bamboo is exposed to damp conditions. Various methods exist for prevention of these attacks (Jayanetti and Follet, 1998). They range from the sophisticated modified Boucherie process, through immersion in a boric acid/borax mixture in water, injection and painting with creosote, to hanging in a flowing stream immediately after harvesting for at least a week for the sugary ingredients to be washed out. Traditional preservation methods also exist such as curing, smoking and lime-washing. The real effects of such traditional methods are not known since they have not been documented and quantified. 4.1.3 Fire risk 4.1.4 No standardisation possible: no 2 culms are alike 4.1.5Maintenance 4.1.6Difficulty of making the junctions of the culms 4.1.7 No construction skills with bamboo culms in non-bamboo available countries 4.2 Measures to be taken 4.2.1Treatment of the surface For small parts this information about bleaching and dyeing are determined for kite-constructions. though it can ´t support enough weight. Bleaching and dyeing possibly can change the structure of the bamboo that far, nevertheless these methods should be introduced. 4.2.2 Bleaching: For removing traces of resin or wax bleaching in hydrogen peroxide can be done. The bamboo will get perished if it stays long. 4.2.3 Dyeing: There are different traditional styles of bleaching in different countries. In principle: 1. The color can ´t penetrate into the bamboo if at all the wax is removed. 2. The color will become more regular if it is bleached before dying. 3. Fix the color in a solution of vinegar after dying. 4.2.4 Other methods: In Japan, the surface will be peeled off, hydrochloride acid is put on the bamboo and the canes are put in an oven. The canes get a brown color. treating the canes with copper sulfate will give a green color to the bamboo and protects it from mold. These methods only dye the surface of the bamboo. To get a through and through dyeing, the bamboo can be carbonized. The bamboo is put into a boiler and is incubated with a pressure of 5 kg/cm ³ and a temperature of 150 ° C for 20-30 min. After that, the bamboo will be brown through and through. -K. A. Solomon-Ayeh,USE OF BAMBOO FOR BUILDINGS, Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI), page no 5-7

Human Growth & Development Through the Life Stages Essay

In this assignment I will research on the lifespan of someone in older adulthood 65+ years that I know personally and I’ll conduct an interview with my chosen individual. My chosen individual was my Grandma. She is 95 years old and she has experienced all the life stages expect for one because she has not reached them yet. Here is the information I found out about her physical, intellectual, social and emotional development during each life stage. P1: Task 1 Describe physical, intellectual, emotional and social development for each of the life stages of an individual. Physical Development Physical Development of my Grandma from Life stage 3 my grandma at the age of 3 could go to the toilet on her own. This was due to environment around her. In life stage 4: Childhood the main that happened to her was the start of school because she was so protect an became more aware of herself physical especially when she was age 10. Life stage 5: Adolescence. Is when puberty started and physical my grandma could see that she had inherited a lot of physical features for example her mother and her grandma had large breast and she started developing large breast. Her period start and because my grandma got married young this meant she could have her first child and in Africa this is a big thing because this means that you have become a lady. Life stages 6 Adult hood, in this time my grandma said that in the begin of this stage when she was 21-22 years old that she was at her peak she had three kid and was happy but as the years pasted and she had more children it started become difficult and tried. She said â€Å"at first it felt weird but when I got use to it better this way†. Life stage 7: Older Adulthood My Grandmother is 95 years old so physical she is in good shape she can still walk and move around, but the illness that makes get around because she got arthritis but as for everything else is good. Intellectual Development Intellectual Development of my grandma. Life stage 3: 0-3 years language skills developed because she could understand her native language and French this mad communication with the other around her easier. When she was 4-10  years old Life stage 4: Childhood the start of school was the main thing her it allowed her to learn new things and she enjoy it. Her each improve and by the year of 6 she could write and read in fluent French and her native language. My grandma at 8 years old use to families because with her sibling. By the time she was 10 her parent could not effort to send her to school anymore. Life stage 5: adolescence because my grandmother had to drop out of school she wanted to get married so she did at the age of 14, this allowed her to develop her mind more then the other girls in her age because she learnt about what it was like to be married at a young age. She also became smart street wise because she learnt thing that she never knew before. Life stage 6: Adulthood My grandmother has never had a job in her life because her job was to looking her children and husband. In this life stage my grandmother found out what it is like to have a family and how to take care of them. Life stage 7: My grandma in this stage has become so very wise because she has gone past more then 65 years of her life, the only problem is that she has started to forget thing that are in her short term memory but not the long term part. Social and Emotional Development Life stage 3 my grandmother social and emotional development during this stage my grandmother didn’t get a lot of social practice because it was only her and her parents at that time. By the time she reached 6 years old (life stage 4) is developed even more especially emotional because she was able to understand that things were hard for her parent so there would be time where she would want something but because she knew that they didn’t have she wouldn’t ask, she started feeling bad for her parents. At this age she could I identify her feelings. Her Social Development improved to because as she was going to school it allowed her to socialize and make friends with other children. And building friendships was easy. Life stage 5: At the age of 10 my grandma was pulled out of school because so she know not speak to any of her friend or teacher the only relationships she had was the one that were made with her younger siblings. Emotional she was angry, hurt, crushed and frustrated and she lash out on her parents but after a while she understood. Also during this stage she married at the age of 14 and she fell in love with someone other then a family member. Life stage 6: AT this stage in her life she informed long term friends and a long term partner. She  began thinking about her own family. Life stage 7: My grandma 95 so she is lucky to still be live that long, but she says it’s a blessing and a curse because she watched two husbands die and has out lived 7 of her children. She said it was painful, but she believe that god want her to se all her great grandchildren. M1: Task 2 discusses the nature-nurture debate and relate to the development of your chosen individual. Historically most philosophers and theorist have argued that we are boat o be the way we are. Other theorists have argued that it is the way we are brought up and influenced by our surroundings that makes us the way we are. This historical argument is known as the nature and nature debate Nature-is the genetic and biological influences Nurture- is the economic and environmental influences Biological programming Genes provide the instruction for structuring our bodies shape and size as we’ll as out behavior depending on the interaction of our biology with border environmental factors. A human being is the result of the interaction of genes and the environmental influences they are exposed to. It’s argued that our genes can program the amino acids which influence our body cells. Human developments are not programmed by genes although development may be influenced by genes. The maturation theory  some aspects of development such as the ability to speak a first language are thought to be due to an in built genetic process. Genetic factors  each living cell in the human body have a nucleus with 23 pairs of chromosomes inside it. One chromosome comes from the father, one comes from the mother. Each chromosome carries units of inheritance known as genes and these genes interact to create a new set of instructions for making a new person. This means in these chromosomes there is DNA which holds which controls what a person looks like, how there behave etc. For example when my grandma was in her teens she never grew as much in height as she wanted to  this was because her mother and father were not tall people and no one in her family grew above 5.11ft. she inherited this from her mother and father it is a her genes. Environmental factored Culture, religion and belief Culture can be identified by distinct aspects of language self-presentation religion music art architecture and literature; children learn the custom associated with their families. In the past most children would have learned the culture and religion associated with their local community everyone on a particular estate, street or work and social roles. Values and attitudes your beliefs values and attitudes are influenced by your socialization with family careers and peer groups. Your values and attitudes can also be influenced by your life experiences and the culture that you are exposed to in your neighborhood and that your access. P2: Explain the potential effects of five different life factors on the development of your chosen individual. Genetic When my grandma was in her teens she started to develop big breast, she may have gotten them from her mom this is because when it came to height she wasn’t tall because no one grow above 5.9ft. This is a hereditary trait in our family. From her mum she got her mum she got her facial structure for example her mouth her nose and her eyes. This shows that her mum had the most dominate genes. Biological factors As a teenager my grandma never left school at the age of 10 so she never really did anything expect look after her brothers and sisters while her mother and father worked. Her mother had 12 kids and got married at 13, because my grandmother thought at the time that she wanted to be exactly like her mother when reached age 14 and a half she was married. This meant that my grandmother never got to know what, because she would have needed to look after her children and her husband. This affect her in a big way because she thought that it would be easy but it was difficult. Environmental According to my grandma growing up in West Africa, Sierra Leone and at that time there was no independents and it was hard because of the high crime rate and how people where treated such as killing ECT. Her parents farm got taken away and they to become diamond miners which was one of the worst jobs ever due to this my grandmother sometimes had to slave for food just to survive because her mum didn’t want to do much. She said â€Å"we were poor but we were happy† it was nice at times because she was able to spend time with her family a lot. Where she lived was like the suburbs so she knew all her neighbors and they also helped to bring her up when her mum and dad had to work. Socio Economic My grandma came from a lower class family in Sierra Leone the only people black people who had money ere the croyos they were the tribe who did what the British said and forgot there roots. This affected my grandma in a way that she had to stop going to school because her parents couldn’t afford. Peer wise she was ok because most of her friends were like her so she was fine being what was and it affects her intellectually. Life style My grandma got married at an old age she lived her life by what her husband says, it is just the way it is in Africa, for example she always want to work but her husband said NO because she has to look after the kids. The way she spend her money and time was simple the money her husband give her was to go out and buy the things that she needed to cook and clean the house for that day and that is the way it was everyday. P3: Explain the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of the individual Though out life every person will go many different events in their life. Theses life events will be: During our life we are influenced by a range of life factors and we are influenced by the events which happen to us. Some major changes in life can be predicted and even chosen while others maybe un predicted. If your life suddenly changes there is always the risk that you will feel out of control and stressed. But some life 2events can be predicted to a point where they were planned. A Predictable life event for my chosen individual was Marriage because my grandmother knew that she would have to get married, especially due to the time in which she was born in marriage was a must. This event was positive because she loved the man she married someone that she could trust and get comfort from whenever she needed it. The negative influences may be the change of lifestyle. Parenthood- My grandmother new that she had to have kids she even planned it with her husband because she Could continue her husband and her bloodline, but she was not expecting to have as many as she did. This was a negative because it changed her lifestyle in a huge way. Unpredicted life events Bereavement: †¢After the loss of my grandfather, my grandmother was left pregnant with her first born so she had to deal with bereavement during pregnancy with their 4 which wasn’t good for the baby. The positive effect was that she was able to remain strong for her child and begin a new lifestyle, got married and had more children. †¢Another lost that had a huge impact is the 7 of children especially the 4 recent deaths, this had a negative effect on physically and mentally because she would think that god was punishing her. Said if it was not for her grand-children or family members she would have gone crazy. P4: Explain two theories of ageing. Activity theory states that the elderly person who ages in a positive and healthy way, are the one who stays active and continue to interact with the world around resist the withdrawal of the social world. The individual who is able to maintain the activities of the middle years for as long as possible will be well adjusted and satisfied with life in the later years. Disengagement theory looks at aging as a process in with an older person withdraws themselves from their community, as expected by society. The theory states that the withdrawal of the older person benefits both individuals and society. This theory is one of the earliest and controversial theories of aging because of the way that they view aging as a process of gradual withdrawal between society and the older adult. Is called disengagement because it is when a person get to a point of their lives way  they decide to stop interacting with society and it known to be a natural, acceptable, and universal process that comes with growing old. M2: Discuss two major theories of ageing in relation to the development of your chosen individual Activity theory states that the elderly person who ages in a positive and healthy way, are the one who stays active and continue to interact with the world around resist the withdrawal of the social world. An individual who is able to maintain the activities of the middle years for as long as possible will be well adjusted and satisfied with life in the later years. This theory effect my chosen person in a positive way because not being able to meet as many people friends family because of not being able to get around easily did not affect my individual because she always had her family around her so her social interaction with others did not change, she also did not withdrawn from interacted her community she would attended community get to gathers. Say it is due to the support her family gives her if not would have disengaged with the outside world. Biological changes – changes in the body muscles and cells deterioration of eye sight, hearing, movements, muscles illnesses and diseases, but there theories are all based around how this works. One theory of biological changes is Genetic Cellular theory. This theory states that you will live according to the age that the elderly members of their families did. â€Å"Humans with long lived parents and grandparents live an average of 6 years longer than those whose parents die before the age of 50.† This theory also affected my chosen individual because she is 95 years old and she believes it is due to the fact that the woman in her family live longer. For example her grandmothers die in august 2007at the age of 109 years old and so on. The negative is they tend to outlive husband and children, especially my grandmother she has outlived 7 of her children and 2 husbands. P5: Explain the physical and psychological changes which may be associated with ageing. Psychological changes – losing mental functions can lead to loss of self –esteem and withdrawal from others. Women tend to live longer they experience more losses from family and friends, this factor can  influence our wellbeing. A Psychological theory called the Disengagement theory looks at aging as a process in with an older person withdraws themselves from their community, as expected by society. The theory states that the withdrawal of the older person benefits both individuals and society. This theory is one of the earliest and controversial theories of aging because of the way 8that they view aging as a process of gradual withdrawal between society and the older adult. Is called disengagement because it is when a person gets to a point of their lives where they decide to stop interacting with society and it is known to be a natural, acceptable, and universal process that com es with growing old. Biological changes – changes in the body muscles and cells deterioration of eye sight, hearing, movements, muscles illnesses and diseases, but there theories all around as to how this works. One theory of biological changes is Genetic Cellular theory. This theory states that you will live according to the age that the elderly members of their families did. This theory says that â€Å"Humans with long lived parents and grandparents live an average of 6 years longer than those whose parents die before the age of 50.† Sociological changes – not being able to meet as many people friends family because of not being able to get around easily may move to other areas not knowing people have network of support. The social world may withdraw from older people, making it more difficult for them to fulfill these needs. A Sociological theory called the Activity theory states that the elderly person who ages in a positive and healthy way, are the one who stays active and continue to interact with the world around resist the withdrawal of the social world. The individual who is able to maintain the activities of the middle years for as long as possible will be well adjusted and satisfied with life in the later years. M3: Discuss the effects on self-esteem and self-confidence of the physical changes associated with ageing. During ageing wrinkles start to develop, your vision may start to deteriorate, many older people have good-to-adequate vision, and your hearing may also deteriorate. Hearing loss affects the older person’s ability to talk easily with others. Older persons may be frustrated or embarrassed about not being able to understand what is  being said. They may have to ask people to repeat themselves, or endure shouting when a speaker tries to be heard. They even refrain from making conversation out of fair of making unrelated comments or they may just be embarrassed. You may even lose some taste; the loss is minor and does not seem to occur in most people until well after 70. Addition, joints stiffen and connecting ligaments between bones lose their elasticity. Hand and foot pain may occur. Some will have poor circulation; the older heart slows down and is less able to pump blood through the body than the younger heart. A decrease in circulation also contributes to cold sensitivity, particularly in the hands and feet. This will have an effect on older person self-esteem; they will begin to feel like they have no more purpose in life and some may feel like they are a bourdon on people because they can’t really help themselves much. If an older person starts felling like this, it will allow the disengagement theory to be put in play because when a person like they have one purpose in the world then they will not engage with yours because they feel alone and will most likely become anti-social and will isolate themselves form others. This will also effect there self-confidence because they might not want to show there face because of the way there look.

Merck & Company, Inc: The Recall of Vioxx Essay

Introduction Geroge W. Merck stated once stated, â€Å"We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow. Initially, Vioxx was the blockbuster drug that Merck needed due to the upcoming Zocor patent cliff in 2006. With an estimated 27,785 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths that could have been avoided if Celebrex had been used instead of Vioxx, Merck faces the possibility of not only having to pay enormous civil and criminal penalties, but also losing the trust of patients. Many parties are partially culpable, but Merck faces the severe uphill battle of regaining a reputation that once served as a market differentiator; in the 1980’s, Merck was voted the â€Å"Most Admired Company in American Business† for seven consecutive years. A critical issue in this case is to analyze the events listed in the case and propose an alternate course of action that may help prevent future deaths from other pharmaceutical drugs while not prohibitively restricting innovative research that could potentially save lives if tested properly. Critical Points and Issues Merck was relying on the success of Vioxx due to Zocor’s expiring patent and the direct competition Vioxx was engaged in with Celebrex, which had a first mover advantage. While Celebrex was also a Cox-2 inhibitor, Vioxx was the only Cox-2 inhibitor proven to be beneficial for ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding. Once studies came out suggesting that Vioxx contributed to a greater number of cardiovascular problems than naproxen, Merck seemed to opportunistically interpret these results. Furthermore, Merck did not institute any studies that might have found negative cardiovascular results, and management failed to perform a study that focused specifically on the cardiovascular risks of Vioxx. Instead, Merck spent a record amount on advertising the gastrointestinal benefit of the drug in a period of uncertainty. The advertising in the time of uncertainty is really unparalleled, and opens the door to questioning (Appendix). Stakeholder Impacts Merck Merck wanted to discover a drug in the Cox-2 inhibitor class that would compete with another class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Cox-2 inhibitors were developed to eliminate the most common side effects of other NSAIDs, ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, as an estimated 15,000 people die from GI bleeding annually; Vioxx was designed to treat those high-risk candidates. Vioxx was the only Cox-2 inhibitor proven to have a benefit for ulcers and GI bleeding. Thus, the blockbuster status was created: a stronger drug with a proven benefit for ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding. As the events unfold in the case, the crucial errors occur prior to the decision to recall the drug on September 30, 2004. After Merck learned that patients had double the risk of heart attack or stroke than if they took placebo and two new competing Cox-2 inhibitors were introduced, Merck decided to pull the drug, but it was already far too late. Dr. Eric Topol, a highly regarded cardiologist conducting research at the Cleveland Clinic, was the first researcher to raise questions about Vioxx. While he concluded that Vioxx produces a risk of heart attack five times greater than naproxen sodium, some believed that Merck’s scientists interpreted the data opportunistically; by saying the difference was due to the protective effect of naproxen, this downplayed the important possibility that Vioxx was contributing to cardiovascular problems. Some scientists say that the protective effect of naproxen argument is implausible, and noted that naproxen would have to be three times as effective as aspirin to account for the difference. While the FDA didn’t buy this argument and issued a warning on all Vioxx labels, many began to wonder if this was the first sign of an unethical deception, cover-up, and manipulation by Merck. Additionally, as the label was added, Merck would later ironically cite the VIGOR study in defense o f Vioxx: it increased the risk only in those patients believe to be a high risk. However, Dr. Gregory D. Curfman, editor of the prominent New England Journal of Medicine noted that it had â€Å"solid evidence that important data on cardiac events was deleted or withheld.† Dr. Curfman argued that the three deleted heart attacks occurred in people who were otherwise at low risk for heart problems, which would ultimately discredit Merck’s claim that is only increased the risk for high-risk patients. The FDA’s mild warning hardly curbed the widespread use of the drug, yet Merck continued to advertise its big benefit to consumers more than any other company in 2000 (Appendx): it causes fewer cases of stomach bleeding. However, this is only a problem for a very small percentage of patients. Thus, there was evidence that hundreds of thousands of people were using the drug that didn’t really benefit from its one advantage. Merck seemed to engage in deceptive marketing practices highlighting this benefit and not the immense risks to compensate for its declining financial situation, nor the fact that the drug was designed specifically for consumers that were in the high-risk gastrointestinal category. In March 2000, management first learned the results from a study of 8,100 rheumatoid arthritis patients that began to take the medication in January. The results from the Vigor study should have alerted management to the potential dangers and risks of using Vioxx. However, since the FDA repeatedly approved the drug, this psychologically this seemed to create the illusion that the drug was safe. While evidence was mounting against the potential risks, in 2000 alone, Merck spent $160 million in direct-to-consumer advertising, the highest that year for all drugs. FDA The FDA has commonly been criticized for requiring superfluous testing. However, others argue that drugs are rushed through testing due to enormous pressure from the drug companies. Even after a drug has been approved, many of the risks are still unknown. The mild warning given by the FDA seemed entirely inappropriate, an action that ultimately prolonged the use of Vioxx for consumers that were not high-risk candidates. In Merck’s defense, it was promoting a product that did in fact reduce pain and gastrointestinal problems; however, it omitted the crucial detail that it increased the risk of cardiovascular problems. The FDA responded by giving Merck a warning, but ultimately, the FDA failed in its ultimate duty to protect the American consumer. Doctors The doctors prescribing the medications failed to sufficiently research the medication and seemed to rely too heavily on the influence of Merck salespeople and/or the general public. If physicians were cognizant that only a small percentage of the population would actually benefit from the fewer gastrointestinal problems, but would expose themselves to a potentially higher risk of developing heart problems, the doctors should have at least informed the patients that NSAIDS might be a safer alternative. The risk-benefit for many patients simply was not justified. The mild warning given by the FDA did not prompt most doctors to research the warning, as essentially all drugs have notable risks. Doctors and patients are also usually affected by the psychological affect of new drugs-these drugs are perceived to be better than existing drugs on the market. Knowing this psychological affect on consumers, the doctors may have felt pressured to prescribe the drug if consumers were asking for it after seeing the advertisements. However, Vioxx was first approved for people with a high risk of GI problems. It is estimated that only about 10% of the prescriptions for Vioxx were most likely for patients that had a high risk of GI problems; the drug was widely overprescribed and was not the optimal treatment for many patients. Patients and Advertising As Merck spent over $500 million advertising Vioxx, many critics try to blame Merck for promoting a product that many believed had a risk that severely outweighed the benefit, especially for patients without a prior history of gastrointestinal problems. An underlying problem in the case is that medicines in America are overused. Many health problems can be avoided by a lifestyle change. Patients need to know that all medications are potentially dangerous and should be used sparingly. However, in the Vioxx case, many consumers were ultimately oblivious about the risk-benefit tradeoff, as it was not mentioned in the advertisements or consultations with physicians. Options and Solution Implementation Considering that Merck adheres to the philosophy of its founder, George Merck, â€Å"medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits,† the course of action taken by modern-day Merck executives followed a path seemingly motivated by financial pressures. The executives seemed to believe that the success of the company was heavily reliant upon Vioxx, and wanted to mitigate any negative associations the drug had with cardiovascular problems. When evidence began to come in showing a potential link between Vioxx and cardiovascular problems, Merck did not run any studies that attempting to reveal the cause of the negative cardiovascular results. Management should have listened to Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who proposed a study of Vioxx in patients with severe chest pain to Merck management. Dr. Bhatt commented at the time â€Å"they {Merck} should have done a trial like this. If they {Merck} internally thought this drug was safe in patients with heart disease, there was no reason not to do it.† Management never ordered a test that would directly explain the results of the clinical trial in 2000. The FDA sent Merck a warning letter for minimizing the serious cardiovascular findings. However, a better option would have been for the FDA to put a black-box warning on Vioxx’s label, or stop the direct-to-consumer advertising until the issue was sorted out. Considering Merck operates under the aforementioned motto, Vioxx was not the optimal treatment for the majority of the patients that took the medication. The patients were not aware of this, and Merck’s aggressive marketing campaign reinforced the belief that this was the proper medication for all patients. Many patients were unnecessarily exposed to a risk due to aggressive marketing tactics when other NSIDS would have been the optimal medication for many patients, not to mention at a lower cost. The government should pay for tests that compare new drugs to older drugs. Many older drugs are simply ignored in favor of newer, heavily advertised drugs. Ultimately, it may take several years following approval for side effects to be exposed-a phenomena that could be avoided altogether if this analysis is done. In addition, the patent life of drugs should be extended. Obviously after this tragedy, drug makers should be required to conduct more studies, but the patent life should be extended to mitigate the pressure to rush drugs to market. Another year of testing means another lost year in terms of patent coverage, and many companies feel pressured to rush drugs to market due to the declining exclusivity period. Bringing a drug to market takes roughly 14 years at a cost of $1.3 billion. If companies are forced to go through additional testing, patent lives should be extended to ensure the incentive for future innovation. Additionally, this could help alleviate the pressure placed upon the FDA to rush drugs to market if companies have longer exclusivity periods, allowing the FDA to conduct additional testing that could potentially prevent future problems. Communication Analysis Vioxx was a medication that was designed to alleviate the gastrointestinal problems for high-risk patients. Vioxx was effective for these high-risk patients that did not have weak hearts. The drug should have never been prescribed to 90% of the patients that received the medication. In the end, some people who shouldn’t have been taking the medication died, and the people who could actually benefit from the medication couldn’t use it because it was pulled from the market. Once preliminary evidence began to mount that there was evidence of this potential link, the aggressive advertising should have stopped immediately. Management should have communicated more clearly to the physicians that this medication was primarily for high-risk patients and articulated the cost/benefit more clearly. In addition, ignoring negative evidence seemed to prove management’s confirmation bias. Management’s deceptive promotion of the drug to increase sales has marred the reputation of a company that may never sufficiently recover. The rigidity of management, unethical, and criminal behavior has tarnished a once respected name.

Essay on Overview of the Enron Scandal - 1217 Words

Enron Corporation was an energy company founded in Omaha, Nebraska. The corporation chose Houston, Texas to home its headquarters and staffed about 20,000 people. It was one of the largest natural gas and electricity providers in the United States, and even the world. In the 1990’s, Enron was widely considered a highly innovative, financially booming company, with shares trading at about $90 at their highest points. Little did the public know, the success of the company was a gigantic lie, and possibly the largest example of white-collar crime in the history of business. The roots of the lies start with former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay. This man helped bring together a number of smaller energy companies, namely InterNorth International and†¦show more content†¦All these factors lead to figures that were less than what Ken Lay promised, and even started posting losses by the second quarter of 1997. These less than stellar numbers did not discourage company executives, and Enron continued to spend foolishly on advertisement and lobbying for deregulation. All of the prior represents the business side of the downfall of Enron. That being said, businesses fail all of the time. The reason why Enron Corporation and its executives will always live in infamy is not because the company failed, but how and why the company failed. How, exactly, does a company worth about $70 million collapse in less than a month? It became clear that the company not only had financial problems, but ethical problems that started from the top of the company and trickled down. A key player in these problems was Jeffrey Skilling. He was a man brought to the company by Ken Lay himself. Skilling brought his own accounting concept to the company. It was called mark-to-market accounting. This concept allowed Enron to record potential profits the day a deal was signed. This meant that the company could report whatever they â€Å"thought† profits from the deal were going to be an d count the number towards actual profits, even if no money actually came in. Mark-to-market accounting granted Enron the power to report major profits to the public, even if they were little or even negative. It became a major wayShow MoreRelatedEnron Scandal Of Enron Corporation Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Enron scandal which aroused in 2001 was one of the most famous events in the area of fraud audit. As the auditor company of Enron, Arthur Andersen failed to prepare true and fair auditing reports. They both suffered lethal loss at that time. 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