How do we get out of this mess Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How do we get out of this mess - Term Paper Example Tom Keene and title â€Å"How to Fix the Economy: An Expert Panel.† The relatively short discussion for the loaded topic covered areas that are to be a benchmark on what should be done to put an end to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Bill Gross probably starts it best by saying that we have first got to ask how we got into this mess (2010). The discussion covered areas that are most pressing in the current climate. The group tackled problems regarding housing, leadership, jobs and education. It is palpable that these areas of concern are in very much interconnected with each other. Majority of the group hold pessimistic views on the future of the economy as it is a long-term problem that may not see its end in years or even decades to come. The housing problem sets to be a quicksand which was a determinative factor in the state the economy is in right now. The importance of being homeowners among many Americans signifies the value and worth that he has on the society and even to himself. It is a representation and the tangible demonstration of one’s wealth. This is currently affected by unemployment which prevents homeowners to pay off their mortgage, acquire a home or may lead them to give up their home to make ends meet. This has created what Robert Shiller referred to as a bubble-and-burst cycle which is lead ing to continued lack of confidence (2010). The program of the government to provide for Home Buyer Tax Credit to stimulate the market into buying real property seems to alleviate this problem. Specifically, new homeowners with comparatively lower incomes may be able to avail of tax credits for their purchase. There is the palpable opposing argument on the need to restart private mortgage as aversion toward businesses such as Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FRE) is still fresh in the memory of people. But it is also important to re-analyze the housing sector and to implement innovations to d away with the effects of the

Political Science Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Science - Research Proposal Example In the abstract, the text will mention the main findings of the research that have been obtained from consulting various sources related to the topic of study. This will be summarized in about one page in the beginning of the paper after the project title. In this section of the paper, the historic development of human rights laws will be discussed in reference to each of these two countries to what is in application to date. The specific policies and other human rights interventions will be discussed in identifying the pros and cons of these two nations in enforcing equity in law among its people. The information that would have been gathered about the human rights positions of these two nations will then be examined in this analysis section. The merits and demerits that would have been established in enforcing human rights will be compared so that a recommendation can be justified from the information.

Business Messages Essay Example for Free

Business Messages Essay In a traditional workplace, memos are the usual form of business messages that are sent from officers to employees. With the advent of technology, the issuance of memorandums is often limited to topics of general interest, like organizational meetings or policy changes. If I were a lead engineer in Cards4U, Id maximize the use of faster and more efficient tools to aid me in communicating with other members of the team, as well as company executives and potential customers.    That means e-mails will be the primary source of communication among the team members, since sending and receiving messages take only a few seconds to a few minutes.   E-mail communications are convenient, does not need to be too formal, and can be accessed anytime, anywhere.   The memos will be utilized to inform the CEO or customers regarding product presentations and updates. Since Im a lead engineer in a creative design group, presentations using PowerPoint or Flash would be very useful in showcasing latest designs and innovations.   Reports are also necessary to document the progress, activities, and changes in the production department.   Face to face meetings with customers are important to establish rapport and get them to buy your designs, or get their feedback. If face-to-face meeting is not possible, conference calls can also be used.   Meeting the CEO for updates and developments would also require face-to-face encounters.   However, if the chief executive initiated conversation using e-mails, then, I should take his lead and reply using the same medium.   But if the message were sent through the more formal memorandum, then the reply would also be of that kind. More importantly, in any type of business communication that I would send, the messages should be concise, direct to the point, and professional. References Business/Professional Writing.(1995-2004). OWL at Purdue University.   Retrieved December 4, 2007, from:   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html#business Ramsey, L. (2005). Business E-mail Messages Professionalism.   Retrieved December 4, 2007, from, http://website101.com/email_e-mail/e-mail_business-etiquette.html Kotelnikov, V. Effective Business Communication. Retrieved December 4, 2007, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/biz_communication_main.html

Report on rituximab as a biologic

Report on rituximab as a biologic Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that has been one of the most prevalent biologics on the market, and has made some very significant sales over the last few years. It was originally designed in 1986 by IDEC pharmaceuticals. The drug is now being marketed under the brand names Rituxin and MabThera, dependant on the region. The antibody is chimeric in nature and is comprised of murine and human regions. It contains heavy and light variable regions of a murine origin and constant heavy and light regions of human origins meaning the Fc domain is of human origins, and so can invoke Fc receptor binding (see figure 1). The antibody is produced artificially and the gene construct of the murine and human domains are engineered and inserted into vectors, and then expressed in mammalian cells line. The mammalian cell line of choice for this specific drug is the Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO cells); these provided the corrected folded drug in sufficient quantities. The use of the mammalian cell line ensured that firstly the antibodies had the correct codon usage, glycosylation, amino acids and folding, as these are mammalian cells so are able to carry out these tasks to closer specification as human cells. http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v22/n47/images/1206939f1.jpg Figure 1: representation of the rituximab antibody. Taken from http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v22/n47/fig_tab/1206939f1.html The filtrate from the suspension had to be purified to obtain the rituximab that will be used for clinical applications. There are two methods used to perform this task. First of all Ion-exchange chromatography, this method allows the removal to toxic products, cell mass, some viruses and unimportant protein products. The second step of purification that is used is affinity chromatography; affinity chromatography is then used to remove the specific antibody with high resolution and specificity. As a mammalian cell line was used for the expression there is a slight chance that possible viruses can pass through the purification process and be found in the final product, so a few processes were introduced to remove these possible contaminants. The media was autoclaved and human transferrin was removed, the ion exchange chromatography also helps remove some retroviruses. The drug reaches a purity of around 99%, and has a shelf stability of 2 years. The FDA originally approved Rituximab in 1997 for use against B-Cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that had become resistant to all other forms of treatment (chemotherapy). Since its approval for use against lymphoma, it has been approved and is used off label for use against other diseases. It is seen to have an efficacy against autoimmune (AI) diseases, transplant rejection treatment and severe ulcerative colitis. Rituximab is known as an anti-CD20 antibody, meaning that it acts on and binds to the CD20 molecule. CD20 molecules are found in large amount on the surface of activated B-cells. The reason for targeting these cells is that the activated B-cells are generally the ones that are causing the problems in the disease discussed earlier. However, CD20 is also expressed, in smaller amounts, on most other B-cells so there is a certain amount of collateral damage to the immune system, which in some cases has led to an increase risk of catching serious infections. CD20 is a very weird antigen, it has no known natural ligand and its function is still very much unknown, opinions are that it helps maintain calcium concentrations across the membrane. After being binding to the CD20 at amino acid positions 170-13 and 183-183, it is seen to halt the cell cycle and induce apoptosis. There are two methods that carry out this apoptotic response, the first being the indirect killing of the cell. This involves a mechanism called anti-body dependant cell cytoxicity (ADCC). ADCC is mechanism where one the FAB part of the antibody has bound to the receptor on the surface the Fc domain changes formation and can now bind to an FC receptor. Fc receptors are found on other cells within the immune system, such as NK cells, the binding of the FC domain to one of these cells induces a killing response from the activated immune cell recruited. The Fc domain also has the ability to activate complement, so the biding of specific blood proteases, induces lysis of the cell. There is also a less well-understood mechanism that rituximab uses to kill activated B cells. This is by directly inducing apoptosis upon binding, why this occurs is not fully unde rstood, from studies it can be seen that the binding of rituximab to the CD20 causes a down regulation of MHC, a down regulation of the B-cell receptor and flux down pathways that induce apoptosis. In a recent study it can be seen that 50% increase of 30%. So that is a huge increase in the amount of patients who were currently unresponsive to available treatments. As can be seen from these results the introduction of rituximab was a real breakthrough in the field, and provided a method of treatment for those people who had no other option. As motioned earlier the drug is frequently used off label by clinicians. Rituximab has been seen to have very promising result when used to treat MS and some other AI diseases. There have also been recent developments into the treatment of severe ulcerative colitis, and rituximab is currently in phase III trials for use against ulcerative colitis where existing treatments are currently not effective. Rituximab was and is still a huge commercial success; grossing $5.68 billion in 2009 (a 9% increase on the previous year) it was one of the best selling biologics. With all the possible applications of this drug it does mean that there is still a commercial future for the drug. Rituximab is currently being marketed by Roche, Biogen and other companies have exclusivity for marketing in Japan, China and India This can be seen with how often clinicians use the drug off label to treat diseases that the FDA didnt originally approve it for. The shear wide-ranging applications of the drug are one of the main reasons for its commercial success. The drug was also a huge boost to the clinicians tools to fight against diseases which had become resistant or unresponsive to the existing gold standards, such as in B cell lymphoma and RA as discussed above. There is also still future prospects for this drug with phase III trials currently underway for the use of the drug against severe ulcerative c olitis and possible uses in replaced rejection treatment plans, so it seems that this drug is likely to be a block buster for some time to come.

The Etiology of Autism Essay -- Psychology Neurology Disorders autisti

The Etiology of Autism Autism is a syndrome that is characterized by the impairment of social interaction skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a decreased interest in participating in a variety of activities. In 1943, Kanner, the man who is attributed with the identification of this disease, hypothesized that autism might be a biological disorder as opposed to a psychological one. Numerous studies have been conducted supporting Kanner’s hypothesis. These studies have ranged from examining the effects of rubella to investigating certain purine metabolic disorders as possible etiological agents. Recently, the areas of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have played a crucial role in developing a clearer picture into the etiology of this disease. Upon exploring the biological aspects of autism, the fields of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have offered new insights concerning their association with the onset of this disease. Neuroanatomy is one of the latest fields involved in uncovering the possible causes of autism. Many past studies conducted in this area found that autistic patients had enlarged lateral ventricles, however, this abnormality didn’t reveal any damage to a specific anatomical site. The most recent studies conducted on the cerebella of autistic patients showed much more dramatic results. In one specific experiment conducted by Dr. Courchesne, the cerebellar lobules of eighteen autistic patients were compared with the lobules of twelve subjects within a normal control group. The eighteen autistic patients were chosen on the basis that their autistic state was "... not complicated by severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, genetic abnormality, other neurologic dise... ... R. S. and B. H. Herman. A Novel Biochemical Model Linking Dysfunctions in Brain Melatonin, Proopiomelanocortin Peptides, and Serotonin in Autism. Biological Psychiatry, 28:773-793, 1991. Courchesne, E. et. al. Hypoplasia of Cerebellar Vermal Lobules VI and VII in Autism. New England Journal of Medicine, 318:1349-1354, May 26, 1988. Gillberg, C. et. al. Monozygotic Female Twins With Autism and the Fragile X Syndrome (AFRAX). J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 29(4); 447-451, 1988. Herman, B. H. and Panksepp, J. Effects of Morphine and Naloxone on Social Attachment in Infant Guinea Pigs. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behaviour, 9;213-220, 1978. Lowenstein, P. R. et. al. Effects of Naloxone on the Nocturnal Rise of Rat Pineal Melatonin Content. Eur. J. Pharmacol., 98;26 Reiss, A. L. et. al. Autism and Genetic Disorders. Schizophrenic Bulletin.12(4); 724-38, 1986.

Fundamentals of Computer

entExamination Paper: Fundamentals of Computer IIBM Institute of Business Management Semester-I Examination Paper MM. 100 Fundamentals of Computer Section A: Objective Type (20 marks) ********************************************************** Multiple Choices: 1. b. 2 types 2. b. 1 or more input signals to produce output 3. d. Both (a) & (c) 4. b. Non-volatile 5. c. Direct-access storage device 6. c. Multiple object program files of any software 7. a. Are geographically distributed 8. b. Way in which the network’s nodes are linked together 9. a. World wide web 10. . General purpose electronic equipment for homes Fill in the Blanks: 1. Multimedia applications are multimedia presentation, foreign language learning, multimedia Kiosk and †¦multimedia books, e books, digital library, video games, animation films & virtual shops†¦ 2. Computer audio deals with synthesizing, recording and †¦Palying audio†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ with a computer. 3. Collating sequence is ordering o f symbols in an †¦encoding†¦. standard. 4. Binary coded decimal is a †¦6-Bit†¦ Code. 5. The logic gates are interconnected to form gating or logic networks known as †¦combinational†¦.. ogic circuits. 6. †¦CPU†¦. is the brain of a computer system. 7. The term †¦software†¦. refers to a collection of programs. 8. Program errors are known as †¦bugs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9. Documentation†¦. is the process of collecting, organizing storing and maintaining a complete historical record of programs. 10. File organization†¦ deals with physical organization of records of a file for convenience of their storage and retrieval. Section B: Short Questions (20 marks) 1. What is data processing? Data processing is a series of actions on input that converts the input into useful output.In data processing, input is data and output is the useful information. In consists of three sub activities: Capturing input data, manipulating it and pro ducing output information. People, procedure and devices are required to produce the output from the input data. 2. What is a file management system? File management system is a set of programs which help the users to organize, create, delete, update and manipulate their files. Its common features are as described below. a. Transaction file: It stores the input data until the application uses it during next processing cycle. b.Master file: It contains all current data relevant to an application. c. Output file: some applications use multiple programs. One program takes the output of another program as input; hence the former program stores the output as an output file. d. Report file: It is a copy of report, generated by application in computer accessible form. e. Backup file: It is a copy of file crated by user or system to avoid loss of data due to corruption or deletion of original file. 3. What is a computer network? Computer network is a group of computers which are linked to e ach other via internet.The computers on network can communicate with each other and can share information. Four basic service provided by internet to its users are electronic mail, file transfer protocol, telnet and use net news. The common network types are personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area network (MANs), campus area networks (CANs) and wide area network (WANs). 4. What is a secondary storage? The additional memory needed in all computers to overcome the limitations of primary storage (Limited capacity and Volatile) is called secondary storage. t is nonvolatile and has lower cost per bit stored. It operates generally at slower speed than primary storage. Computer system uses it primarily to store large volume of data on permanent basis. Commonly used storage devices are hard disk, CD ROM, DVD, memory card and Pen drive. Section C: Long Questions (20 marks) 1. Explain the printing mechanism of laser printer. Mechanism of Laser Printers: Tr ansfer of Data The very first step in laser printing is the transfer of data from a computer to the memory of the image processor of a printer. Writing DataNow, once the data is transferred to the printer's memory, it is written to the printer's drum with the help of a laser. The drum will keep rotating and the moment it rotates past the laser, it sweeps off the printer's surface neutralizing some spots to about -100v. These spots are the areas where the toner remains stuck to the drum and further gets transferred to the paper. Inserting the Paper and Pickup Process of the Toner Once the writing process is over, you need to add papers to the printer. Keep the papers into the printer's paper tray.The feed rollers inside the printer pull the paper inside and the registration rollers hold it till its release. As the drum keeps on rotating, the toner settles down in an area which is at a charge of about -100v and remains attached to the drum till the paper comes in. Transfer of the Tone r to the Paper Now, the complete toned image is created on the drum. The moment you apply the paper to the printer, the toner transfer process starts. The transfer corona applies a charge of about +600v to the paper and when the paper passes through the drum, the toner which is at a charge of about -100v gets transferred to the paper.Further, the paper passes through a static charge eliminator that decreases the positive charge in the paper, with the help of its negative charge. Fusing The process of fusion takes place in order to secure the printout by melting the minute plastic fragments present on the toner's surface, so as to fix them to the paper fibers. Laser printers are handy when it comes to fast, bulk and quality printing. But high prices and some health risks such as respiratory disorders due to the release of some harmful sub-micrometer particles are some of the disadvantages associated with laser printing.However, this kind of printer still remains the first choice for most of the organizations when it comes to printing. 2. Explain the importance of system software for a computer system. System Software is a set of programs that manage the resources of a compute system. System Software is a collection of system programs that perform a variety of functions. * File Editing * Resource Accounting * I/O Management * Storage, Memory Management access management. System Software can be broadly classified into three types as: System control programs: It Controls the execution of programs, anage the storage & processing resources of the computer & perform other management & monitoring function. The most important of these programs is the operating system. Other examples are database management systems (DBMS) & communication monitors. System support programs: It provide routine service functions to the other computer programs & computer users: E. g. Utilities, libraries, performance monitors & job accounting. System development programs assists in the creat ion of application programs. E. g. , language translators such as BASIC interpreter & application generators.Application Software: It performs specific tasks for the computer user. Application software is a program which program written for, or, by, a user to perform a particular job. Languages already available for microcomputers include Clout, Q & A and Savvy ret rival. The use of natural language touches on expert systems, computerized collections of the knowledge of many human experts in a given field, and artificial intelligence, independently smart computer systems – two topics that are receiving much attention and development and will continue to do so in the future. 1.Operating System Software Storage Manager Process Manager File – System Manager I/O Control System Communication Manager 2. Standard System Software Language Processor Loaders Software Tools 3. Application Software Sort/Merge Package Payroll/Accounting Package DBMS General-purpose application soft ware such as electronic spreadsheet has a wide variety of applications. Specific – purpose application s/w such as payroll & sales analysis is used for the application for which it is designed. Section D: Applied Theory (40 marks) 1. What is a computer virus? How does a typical virus works?When a computer system suffers from virus infection, how it is cured? Defenition: Computer virus is a small software programs that are designed by human to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with normal computer operations. Work of Typical virus: The A computer virus is most often defined as â€Å"a malicious code of computer programming†. What this means is that a computer virus is just another software, written with not so very noble intentions. A computer virus is designed to install, propagate and cause damage to computer files and data without the knowledge and/or express permission of the user.A computer virus can only survive, attack and propagate in computer memory. Computer memory is usually the RAM (and all different variations of it) and disk storage (hard, floppy and everything in between). Besides this you will not find computer viruses in your monitor, keyboard and certainly not in your own blood stream! The first step in any virus attack is always the invasion. This is when the virus actually enters the computer system from an outside source. Much of the effort in preventing a virus attack lies in understanding what these virus entry points are and how best to monitor and block out any possible intrusion.All viruses enter the computer system through two main entry points: the disk network adapter card is most likely your computer network and/or modem card connected to the local Intranet and/or the Internet. Virus enters through the network card most likely disguised in the form of attachments in e-mails. These attachments are often program files and office documents containing macros. Besides this, certain webpages that we visit on the Internet may also contain harmful programming codes that might transfer virus or virus-like codes into our system.To guard our systems against virus intrusion from these sources, many good anti-virus programs allows users to completely scan all files read form disk drives or downloaded from the Intranet/Internet. How do virus infections occur? The act of infection often begins with a harmless looking action such as opening a file (like a video game or a Word document) that one often gets in e-mail attachments or while accessing any disk in a disk drive. These actions inadvertently activate the virus lurking in these files and disks. The virus then installs itself into the computer’s memory. Computer system suffering from virus infection:After entering the computer memory, a virus often immediately sets out to multiply and spread duplicate copies of itself across the main data storage device (most often the hard disk drive). It does this by copying itself into as many files it can find on the disk drive. Later when users transfers or copies these files to their friends and colleagues, the virus gain entry into ever increasing number of systems. If the virus has found its way to this level of the user’s computer, the user runs a high risk of permanent damage to data and hardware. But such a level of infection only happens to two types of users.The first are those who do not employ any kind of anti-virus measures (or if they do, it obviously isn’t doing a good job). The second are those who do have good anti-virus programs installed and running but did not bother updating their software with the latest virus data files. As a result newer viruses can actually use the anti-virus programs to infect an even greater number of files. So we can see here that having good anti-virus software isn’t enough. One must constantly keep it updated (preferably on a monthly basis). If a virus were to just spread itself, users might not have much to worry about.But the worst is yet to come. Many viruses contain what is called a payload. This is the destructive sequence that is activated on a certain trigger. The trigger may be the arrival of a particular date or an action done by the user. The effect of the payload can be anything as benign as some harmless message appearing on screen to as frightening as the destruction of the disk drive’s boot record – making it completely unusable and in most cases completely irreparable. Indeed it is the later that causes permanent lose of data and hardware and which is responsible for the virus’ notorious reputation.If a virus is capable of unleashing its payload on the user’s system, this indicates a serious breach of security on part of the user. It’s time for the user to learn from the experience and never let computer virus have a second chance. How do I know if my computer has been infected? After you open and run an infected program or attachmen t on your computer, you might not realize that you've introduced a virus until you notice something isn't quite right. Here are a few indicators that your computer  might  be infected: * Your computer runs more slowly than normal * Your computer stops responding or freezes often Your computer crashes and restarts every few minutes * Your computer restarts on its own and then fails to run normally * Applications on your computer don't work correctly * Disks or disk drives are inaccessible * You can't print correctly * You see unusual error messages * You see distorted menus and dialog boxes How to Cure: Remove a virus manually: Sometimes a virus must be removed manually. This can become a technical process that you should only undertake if you have experience with the  Windows  registry and know how to view and delete system and program files in  Windows.First, identify the virus by name by running your antivirus program. If you don't have an antivirus program or if your pr ogram doesn't detect the virus, you might still be able to identify it by looking for clues about how it behaves. Write down the words in any messages it displays or, if you received the virus in email, write down the subject line or name of the file attached to the message. Then search an antivirus vendor's website for references to what you wrote down to try to find the name of the virus and instructions for how to remove it. Recovery and prevention:After the virus is removed, you might need to reinstall some software or restore lost information. Doing regular backups on your files can help you avoid data loss if your computer becomes infected again. If you haven't kept backups in the past, we recommend that you start now. 3. Write short notes on: (a) The OSI model (b) Internetworking tools (c) Distributed computing systems (a) The OSI model The Open System Interconnection, model defines a networking framework to implement protocols in seven layers. This article explains the 7 Lay ers of the OSI Model.The  OSI, or  Open  System  Interconnection, model defines a networking framework to implement protocols in seven layers. Control is passed from one layer to the next, starting at the application layer in one station, and proceeding to the bottom layer, over the channel to the next station and back up the hierarchy. a. Application Layer This layer supports  application  and end-user processes. Communication partners are identified, quality of service is identified, user authentication and privacy are considered, and any constraints on data  syntax  are identified.Everything at this layer is application-specific. This layer provides application services for  file transfers,  e-mail, and other  network  software  services. Telnet  and  FTP  are applications that exist entirely in the application level. Tiered application architectures are part of this layer. b. Presentation Layer This layer provides independence from differences in data representation (e. g. ,  encryption) by translating from application to network format, and vice versa. The presentation layer works to transform data into the form that the application layer can accept.This layer formats and encrypts data to be sent across a  network, providing freedom from compatibility problems. It is sometimes called the syntax layer. c. Session Layer This layer establishes, manages and terminates connections between  applications. The session layer sets up, coordinates, and terminates conversations, exchanges, and dialogues between the applications at each end. It deals with session and connection coordination. d. Transport Layer This layer provides transparent transfer of data between end systems, or  hosts, and is responsible for end-to-end error recovery and  flow control.It ensures complete data transfer. e. Network Layer This layer provides  switching  and  routing  technologies, creating logical paths, known as  virtual circuits, for transmitting data from  node  to node. Routing and forwarding are functions of this layer, as well as  addressing,  internetworking, error handling, congestion  control and packet sequencing. f. Data Link Layer At this layer, data packets are  encoded  and decoded into bits. It furnishes  transmission protocol  knowledge and management and handles errors in the physical layer, flow control and frame synchronization.The data link layer is divided into two sub layers: The Media Access Control (MAC) layer and the  Logical Link Control  (LLC) layer. The MAC sub layer controls how a computer on the network gains access to the data and permission to transmit it. The LLC layer controls frame synchronization, flow control and error checking. g. Physical Layer 1 This layer conveys the bit stream – electrical impulse, light or radio signal through the  network  at the electrical and mechanical level. It provides the  hardware  means of sending and rece iving data on a carrier, including defining cables, cards and physical aspects. b) Internetworking tools The art and science of connecting individual  local-area networks (LANs)  to create  wide-area networks (WANs), and connecting WANs to form even larger WANs. Internetworking can be extremely complex because it generally involves connecting networks that use different  protocols. Internetworking is accomplished ith  routers,  bridges, and  gateways. Routers: It is a  device  that forwards data  packets  along  networks. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two  LANs  or  WANs  or a LAN and its  ISP  network. Routers are located at  gateways, the places where two or more networks connect.Routers use  headers  and forwarding tables to determine the best path for forwarding the packets, and they use  protocols  such as  ICMP  to communicate with each other and configure the best route between any two hosts. Bridges : It is a  device  that connects two  local-area networks (LANs), or two segments of the same LAN that use the same  protocol, such as  Ethernet  or  Token-Ring. Gateways: It is a  node  on a  network  that serves as an entrance to another network. In enterprises, the gateway is the computer that  routes  the traffic from a workstation  to the outside network that is serving the Web pages.In homes, the gateway is the  ISP  that connects the user to the internet. In enterprises, the gateway node often acts as a  proxy server  and a  firewall. The gateway is also associated with both a  router, which use  headers  and forwarding tables to determine where  packets  are sent, and a  switch, which provides the actual path for the packet in and out of the gateway. A computer system located on earth that switches data signals and voice signals between satellites and  terrestrial  networks. An earlier term for  router, though now obsol ete in this sense as  router  is commonly used. c) Distributed computing systems A distributed computer system consists of multiple software components that are on multiple computers, but run as a single system. The computers that are in a distributed system can be physically close together and connected by a local network, or they can be geographically distant and connected by a wide area network. A distributed system can consist of any number of possible configurations, such as mainframes, personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, and so on. The goal of distributed computing is to make such a network work as a single computer.Distributed systems offer many benefits over centralized systems, including the following: Scalability The system can easily be expanded by adding more machines as needed. Redundancy Several machines can provide the same services, so if one is unavailable, work does not stop. Additionally, because many smaller machines can be used, this redundancy does not need to be prohibitively expensive. Distributed computing systems can run on hardware that is provided by many vendors, and can use a variety of standards-based software components. Such systems are independent of the underlying software.They can run on various operating systems, and can use various communications protocols. Some hardware might use UNIX(R)  as the operating system, while other hardware might use Windows operating systems. For inter machine communications, this hardware can use SNA or TCP/IP on Ethernet or Token Ring. This system contains two local area networks (LANs) that are connected to each other. One LAN consists of UNIX workstations from several different manufacturers; the other LAN consists primarily of PCs that are running several different PC operating systems.One of the LANs is also connected to a mainframe by way of an SNA connection. The client/server model A common way of organizing software to run on distributed systems is to separate funct ions into two parts: clients and servers. A  client  is a program that uses services that other programs provide. The programs that provide the services are called  servers. The client makes a request for a service, and a server performs that service. Server functions often require some resource management, in which a server synchronizes and manages access to the resource, and responds to client requests with either data or status information.Client programs typically handle user interactions and often request data or initiate some data modification on behalf of a user. For example, a client can provide a form onto which a user (a person working at a data entry terminal, for example) can enter orders for a product. The client sends this order information to the server, which checks the product database and performs tasks that are needed for billing and shipping. Typically, multiple clients use a single server. For example, dozens or hundreds of clients can interact with a few servers that control database access.The client is isolated from the need to know anything about the actual resource manager. If you change the database that you are using, the server possibly needs to be modified, but the client does not need to be modified. Because usually fewer copies exist of the server than of the client, and because the servers are often in locations that are easier to update (for example, on central machines instead of on PCs that are running on users' desks), the update procedure is also simplified. Also, this approach provides additional security. Only the servers, not the clients, need access to the data that the resource manager controls.Clients can also access several different servers, and the servers themselves can act as clients to other servers. Exactly how the functions are distributed across servers is an application design decision. For example, a single server could provide all the services that a client needs, or the client could access multiple servers to perform different requests. The application designer must consider items such as scalability, location, and security. For example, are the clients and servers local or is the application distributed over a wide geographic area? Do the servers need to be on machines that are physically secure?Such design decisions are outside the scope of this introduction. Some servers are part of an application and are referred to as  application servers. Other servers are not part of a specific application. Instead, any application can use them. For example, the CICS Structured File Server (SFS) provides record-oriented file access for applications. Three-tiered client/server architecture A common design of client/server systems uses three tiers: 1. A client that interacts with the user 2. An application server that contains the business logic of the application 3. A resource manager that stores data.

How Useful Is Postmodernism in Understanding Contemporary British Fiction

How useful is postmodernism in understanding contemporary British fiction To examine the question of how useful postmodernism is in understanding contemporary British fiction, I will be using the example of ‘Sexing The Cherry’ written by Jeanette Winterson. The works that can be closely linked with this novel first published in 1989 are those of theorist and historian Michel Foucault. His ideas on sexuality mirror the ideas of sexuality used in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J 1989, 47-60). Postmodernism affects the way that we read a text, but why is that more important than reading a text for its own individual merit.Postmodernism as a movement is only the current movement in literature, and if we look into the past we can see that all the movements can be used to characterise some of the texts of the era in which they were written, but also there are other factors that go into analysing a text, such as historical and social context. During those times texts were analys ed by using the movement of the time, however there is nothing to say that previous movements can’ be used to analyse contemporary texts, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the current movement.For example Romanticism or Modernism could still be used as a valid theory to analyse texts that are currently being published; because some of the ideas used to create the basis of these movements are still valid in today’s society, as Postmodernism is still just the progression of Modernism. It is all dependant on what the author has intended to convey with his or her story, as in any case the ideas and theories that have influenced postmodernism are those of the previous movements and societies.Foucault’s ideas of sexuality and the taboo of sexuality can be seen in the retelling of the 12 dancing princesses in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J. 1989, 47-60). In the story told by Winterson the twelve dancing princesses all become married to twelve princes but all bu t one of them part with their princes for one reason or another, most of them kill their husbands due to their inadequacies or in one case because he asks her to. Foucault argues that the relationship between sex and power is defined by repression.Sexual repression is something that can be seen in some if not all of the stories Winterson tells, if not especially with the tale of the princess who married another woman and lives are happy and peaceful life until their persecutors come to kill them. In this Foucault’s ideas of sexual repression which he talks about in his book The History Of Sexuality (Foucault, M, 1976) in society come to be useful in the analysis of this, however this could also be done using the current social context concerning sexuality.The postmodernism critique of this is detracting from the individual and placing into a much larger concept and can take away all the emotional power of this story. Postmodernism is not concerned with the individual as previ ous movements had been but instead pushes all of us into groups or theories that characterise all people in a similar way, which I believe takes something away from the text by making the text merely a commentary on the social aspects of our society as opposed to being the thoughts on paper of one person who wishes to express his or her feelings.Postmodernism removes itself from reality by showing the nature of the society in which we have created for ourselves as fake â€Å"Postmodern theorists adopt the poststructuralist strategy of severing the connection between signs and their referents, thus abandoning modern theorists' efforts to represent the â€Å"real. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Robert J. Antonio and Douglas Kellner, New York: Guilford Press, 1994: 127-152. Sexing The Cherry does this with the playful way in which it deals with history, by placing the protagonist of the story in a time that is so different from now the author is able to play with and subvert our already existing id eas of that time and apply social stigma of our society onto a time that had different ideas to those which we have now. Postmodernism as a critical tool, I feel takes away from the text its individuality, and therefore the power from the words on the page, which the author has tried to put down on paper.Literature should be classed individually as it has been created by individuals, and the postmodernist way of critique dismisses the idea that the author had anything to do with it. Word Count: 745 Bibliography * Sexing The Cherry – Winterson J. 1989, Vintage ISBN 0-09-974720-0 * Beginning Theory an introduction to literary and cultural theory – Barry P. 995, 2002, 2009 Manchester University Press ISBN 978-0-7190-7927-6 * The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction – Foucault M. 1976 Vintage ISBN-13: 978-0679724698 * The A-Z Guide to Modern Literary and Cultural Theorists Sim S. 1995 Prentice Hall/ Harvester Wheatsheaf ISBN 0-13-355553-4 * MODERNITY AND SO CIAL THEORY: THE LIMITS OF THE POSTMODERN CRITIQUE Antonio R. J. and Kellner D. 1994 New York: Guilford Press