Sunday, June 9, 2019
Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 61
Philosophy - Essay ExampleAs for Robin Penslar and Aaron Ridley, utilitarianism is teleological moral possible action which asserts that the correct work on is a function of its consequences (the greatest good for the greatest number) which can be predicted. The consequences of the good must be distributed as widely as contingent the person making moral choice should look not only for personal good or for whom they care about, but also for welfare. The choice make is provided by the rationale and logical argument and a person can use it on an individual basis. According to this ethical theory, the correctness of behavior is opinionated by its final use. The supporters of the theory say the utilitarian principle is the only moral criterion of human acts, and this principle is to ensure that we should always seek to maximize the predominance of good over evil. The ethics of utilitarianism defines natural process in a person coming into antagonism with itself in consciousness.Accord ing to the utilitarism morality is establish upon the common good (happiness for most people) which Bentham called the common benefit, of course, distinguishing it from self-interest, or personal benefit. Under the principle of common benefit he understood the principle of action filling and evaluation of acts, which focuses on the greatest possible benefit. If the act concerns the interests of the community, we are talking about the benefits (happiness) of community, if it is about the interests of the individual, so, the benefits of the individual is a predominant thing. Utilitarism is also a theory directed against selfishness. The admissibility of pleasure or profit made in each case is determined by whether they contribute to a higher purpose. The definition (assessment) of phenomena and events every good or bad is also based on that principle. And according to the theory a person should (bearing in mind the supreme moral principle) extend to provide at
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Into the World Essay Example for Free
Into the World EssayInto the world shows changes in an individuals spirit by means of their personal experiences. One individual will go through many barriers and obstacles to achieve the change. The prescribed text, Educating Rita by Willy Russell and the related text, The Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke explores different and similar pathways to how the characters in those texts change through their bracing experiences.In the prescribed text Educating Rita by Willy Russell is about a 26 years old woman, hairdresser Rita who starts seeks motivation in education to motivate her and rifle into a higher educated class leaving her working class behind. Russell subprograms extended metaphors and imageries throughout the play window this symbolises as the physical barrier for the kind between Rita and Frank and into the world.The colloquial language is a barrier for Rita at the start of the play when she enters Franks room Im comin in, arent I? which shows Ritas education leve l isnt that high. Also, Ritas misunderstanding interpreted when Franks makes references to literature texts Howards end Ritas do that it sounds filthy. Rita comes back from summer break to the city of London she becomes more mature as she meets her new flatmate Trish who gave her motivation to reach her goal to have a brighter future. In the related text The Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke is about a family after a brutal car accident their lifes was like chaos and many things in the family fell apart.Tom Brennan adopts a new way of looking at life through the use of first person narrative and visual imagery everything I thought I knew about who I was and who the Brennans were changed forever implies Toms honour to alter his feeling of grief towards his recklessness brother Daniel because of the trouble Daniel make in the town. His family decided to move into a different town, Coghill implies a change in community dynamics through the use of colloquial language.
Friday, June 7, 2019
From reading the selected pre-1914 Essay Example for Free
From reading the selected pre-1914 EssayThe Return of the Native (pg 414 447) near end of novel From reading the above, what do you learn of inflexibles use of glorious description, dramatic incident and reference to Nineteenth coke customs and traditions? Which of the troika pieces was your favourite and why? From reading the two extracts and the paper, I can see that the main(prenominal) difference in the book is how life is in the book compared to our modern 21st century. People in the 19th century depended truly heavily on agriculture and farming especially in Wessex, where nearly all of insolents novels were set. Wages for agricultural labourers were the lowest in the country in Dorset, averaging out at the diversenessred of 37p a week in 1840. Magic and superstition was rife in the 19th century, and many people believedin dark powers. Every village in Wessex was so-called to have their own witch. Magic play a big role in two of the stories which I am studying, The Withered Arm, and The Return of the Native. People who committed crimes in the 19th century were severely punished.Poachers were transported to Australia to do hard labour, night burglary was punishable by death. Hangings were still very popular in the 19th century and any hanging was an excuse for a holiday. Class systems in the 19th century were very rigid not many people succeeded in base up to a higher class, but Thomas Hardy was one of the few people who managed to do this. Thomas Hardy uses vivid description in all of his novels and short stories, including the novels which I am studying, in partiallyicular The Mayor of Casterbridge.At the beginning of the chapter, we have an close to cinematic view, as if a photographic camera is zooming in on the three travellers, describing them from afar at first, consequently in more detail as we begin to see them from closer up. We can almost feel the tension between the two adults, when Hardy says What was really peculiar was the perfect silence they preserved. In The Withered Arm, Hardy uses vivid description very hard-hittingly when description Rhoda Brooks vision. He uses words such as Peered cruelly and shockingy distorted to imply that Gertrude is taunting her for being cast aside and then Gertrude taking her place as Farmer Lodges married woman. This vivid description is also linked to dramatic incident as it is a key chapter in the fiction, and Hardy uses adjectives to trace Rhodas intake, it makes us feel as though we are actually there, watching this distorted version of Gertrude attacking Rhoda, so Hardys descriptions are very effective in this chapter of the book.Also, at the beginning of the story, we learn a lot from the dairy workers in the farm, who gossip. They gossip about Farmer Lodges new wife and they try to recall how old Farmer Lodge is, all the while ignoring Rhoda Brook, Farmer Lodges ex-wife. In The Return of the Native, when the superstitious Susan creates a voodoo doll resembling Eustacia, Hardys use of vivid description is effective when Susan thrusts pins in the doll, and then puts it in the firem murmuring the Lords Prayer backwards which was a proceed which called for help against an enemy.Magic played a key part in this story Susan believed that Eustacia was making her son ill, because at the exact moment that he said he was tincture unwell, Eustacias dark shadow crossed the twinkle from her house, but this was just a coincidence. Also, in The Return of the Native, when Eustacia falls into the pool of water near weir, Hardy uses sad fallacy, which is when thus farts in the natural world mirror what is going on in the human world.In this case, Eustacia is very depressed and unhappy, so the weather is atrochiously stormy, raining and windy. Because, it has rained so much, the pool has created a whirlpool, and Eustacia falls in. To describe the scene more effectively, Hardy uses metaphors such as Boiling cauldron, referring to the whirpool , the electric current, and emphasising the amount of water in the pool. Hardys use of dramatic incident in all three of his stories manage to shape the whole story, especially in The Mayor of Casterbridge.In turn over amin the dramatic incident in the extract is when Michael Henchard sells his wife at vendue when he becomes drunk. The day after, Michael realises how stupid he has been and vows never to touch another drop of alcohol for however many years as his age. I think this is very effective because the day after Michael sells his wife and baby, he realises that alcohol changed him into something he doesnt want to be. In The Mayor of Casterbridge, when Hardy uses dramatic incident, we learn that Hardy builds up suspension before the dramatic climax.When Michael Henchard is trying to sell his wife and baby at auction, nobody will bid the price that he is tone for, then just as Michael is going to withdraw Yes. said a voice from the doorway. The man in the doorway was in fa ct, a sailor. He bought Michaels wife for five guineas, and she left, leaving us with the impression that she is glad that she has got away from her husband at last. Hardy uses lots of dialect to show exactly how Michael Henchard feels about his current state of affairs The woman is no good to me. Who will have her? When Michael is trying to sell his wife, Hardy describes Michaels distaste for her effectively, and when he finally does sell her, hitherto the rough country people in the tent are surprised that he let his wife and child go without a second glance. In The Withered Arm, I think there are two main dramatic incidents Rhoda Brooks dream, and Gertrudes turning of her blood, when she sees that the young man who has been hanged is, in fact, Rhodas son. When Rhoda has a dream that Gertrude visits her to mock her, Gertrude looks ugly and old.Hardy used use of vivid description works effectively in making us understand that Gertrude has come to mock her because Rhoda has been re placed by her in Farmer Lodges affections. Hardys use of verbs work well in this incident, using words such as thrust, swung, and peered cruelly to create a feeling of hate between Rhoda and the figure come to visit her at night. The other dramatic incident in The Withered Arm is when Gertrude travels to get her arm corned by holding her arm against a newly hanged mans neck, who is in fact Rhodas son.Hardys use of dialect again gives and extra depth to the story, when Rhoda walks in when Gertrudes blood is in the process of being turned This is the meaning of what Satan showed me in the vision Rhoda shouts. Hardys use of the word Satan, emphasizes the hatred Rhoda has for Gertrude and perhaps jealousy, for stealing her husband although Gertrudes character is kind and gentle. In The Return of the Native, the main dramatic incident is when Eustacia falls into the whirlpool and Clym Yeobright and Wildeve try to save her, but fail.Three bodies are pulled out, and only one, Clym, surv ives. Referring again to pathetic fallacy, the weather is awful when Eustacia falls into the boiling cauldron. The slow realisation that Wildeve was actually holding on to Clym when Diggory Venn was seemingly just pulling Clym out creates images of horror. My favourite story is The Withered Arm, because I like Hardys use of magic in Rhodas vision, how Gertrudes arm became deformed because of this. Gertrude obviously has no idea how this happened.Hardys use of vivid description in the book is very effective throughout, but especially in Rhodas vision. Rhoda is obsessed with the idea of Farmer Lodge being with another woman, and sends her son to look at Gertrude and report back to her. When he says that Gertrude is shorter that Rhoda, she seems pleased and smug about herself. I like the way how Hardy has interlinked everything, e. g. Rhodas sons father is Farmer Lodge, the young man who was hanged was Rhodas son.I think it is a very clever story, and at the end, Gertrude dies at the f right of seeing Rhodas son dead, lying limp in the coffin. I think that the story shows that Rhoda is perhaps so obsessed about Farmer Lodge and Gertrude it is almost unhealthy, and because of this, maybe this is why she had the vision in the first place. I learn that Gertrude is forgiving, even though when she went to see Conjuror Trendle and he created the concoction of egg white and water, Rhodas image formed. Gertrude was surprised, but she doesnt question it because she had no idea that Rhoda had anything to do with her arm.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Same-sex marriage debate Essay Example for Free
Same-sex nuptials debate EssayThe world is constantly changing and evolving. It isnt possible to throw overboard this from happening, only if it is possible to stand up for what is morally right and for what isnt. And now, we are faced with what many people feel is the inevitable evolution of marriage legalizing homosexual marriages. non allowing homosexual marriages to be recognized by the government and to be legal would prevent changing a fundamental institution, would prohibit breaching the direct of Rights and Freedoms, and would prevent inconceivable consequences. Marriage has been around for as long as anyone can remember. And after all this time, it has changed very little in the eyes of the law. Every major holiness and culture has embraced marriage as a unique relationship between a man and a woman. One of the only times marriage was altered, was when no-fault decouple was legalised. No-fault divorce was introduced, and it has proven to be a complete disaster fo r children and often for the adults involved. Statistics now show that 53% of marriages end in divorce. And now, we specify ourselves gambling but again with an institution that is foundational to the well-being of our children and a healthy society.The same argument once made in support of no-fault divorce, This will not affect goodish marriages and healthy families, is now being made in support of gay marriage. Yet we have no credible evidence to prove that altering our marriage laws again will be any less problematic for children and society than was no-fault divorce. The painful lessons we have learned as a result of no-fault divorce should stop this process cold in its tracks.To fundamentally change an institution whose worth has been proved over thousands of years and in hundreds of cultures risks unintended and unexpected consequences. It is with infinite wariness that any man ought to venture upon pulling down an edifice which has answered in any tolerable degree for age s the common purposes of society.Secondly, it has been argued that prohibiting homosexuals to marry would breach the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter was modified in 1981 with the following heading Whereas Canada is founded upon the principlesthat recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law. With such an acknowledgement, how could the acceptance of same-sex marriages even be considered? Time and again, the Bible all the way states and demonstrates Gods position on quirkSodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of homosexuality (Gen 1820-21 195-7, 13)Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 69-10)Those who practice homosexuality are called perverted men (Jdg 1922)The penalty under the Old Testament for homosexuality was death (Lev 2013)It is abominable, whether committed by men or women (Ro 126-27)Three Ontario judges stated that prohibiting gay couples from marrying violates the Charter The Charter, acknowledging the supremacy (ie. dominion, preemin ence) of God strikes down any notion that same-sex marriages can be accepted in Canada.Thirdly, the Marriage Act of Ontario, when speaking of a marriage mentions a man and wife. How does a same-sex couple fit this definition? The same document outlines a harken of people whom a man cannot marry (grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter). Likewise, a list of people whom a woman cannot marry is provided (grandfather, father, son, brother, grandson). If the Marriage Act permitted homosexual marriages, why is a man not restricted from marrying his grandfather, father, son, brother, grandson? And likewise, why is a woman not restricted from marrying her grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter? It is for the simple reason that same-sex marriages do not fall within the role model of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Marriage Act of Ontario, or most importantly, Gods holy word.To change the definition of marriage would be to change the temperament of marriage to commend that, the full impact of the change must be understood. And that impact must be considered not just at the individual level, but most importantly at the societal level, and not just for the present, but also the future.Definition (and language in general) create human reality. We dont just change words, we change the nature of an entity when we redefine it. Definitions are frames that we place on events, concepts or circumstances, in order to give them essence we frame reality with language in order to find meaning in that reality. Those in the gay community who want same-sex marriage are right to seek meaning in their relationships and to want to have that meaning publicly recognized. They are wrong, however, to try to do it by co-opting the institution of marriage. The institution of marriage cannot function in that way without being deformed and destroyed.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
3-Methylglutaconic Aciduria Research
3-Methylglutaconic Aciduria ResearchA distinct type of 3-methylglutaconic erosiveuria due to a innovation in the Translocase of Inner Mitochondrial Membrane 50 (TIMM50) geneAbstractBACKGROUND 3-methylglutaconic tarturia biochemic wholey characterized by join ond urinary excretion of 3-methylglutaconic acid get out from defective leucine metabolism and overthrows affecting mitochondrial function though in many cases the cause remains recondite. late mutations in mitochondrial TIMM50 gene has been calculateed in four-spot patients from two unrelated families. We report additional mutations in TIMM50 gene in 6 individuals from two unrelated cognate families with a distinctive type of 3-methylglutaconic aciduria.METHODSWe report on three patients of South Asian ancestry with intractable epilepsy, microcephaly, developmental delay, visual deficit spastic quadriplegia and three Caucasian patients of eastern European melody with intellectual disability with or without seizure. Metabolic testing revealed crackers lactic acidosis and excretion of large amount of 3-methylglutaconic acid in urine in altogether patients. Full exome sequencing was performed using genomic DNA isolated from one surviving patient, two healthy siblings and both parents of South Asian family. Exome sequencing was withal performed for Caucasian patients of eastern European origin.RESULTSExome sequencing place two homozygous mutation Gly372Ser and Iso392Thr mutations in the gene TIMM50. There were no other candidate limitings in exome that could explain the phe nonype in the proband. The mutations are set in the conserved C- terminal figureinal domain of the Tim50 protein that interacts with the N-terminal domain of the Tim23 protein in the inter membrane quadrangle and regulates mitochondrial protein import of presequence-containing polypeptides Both parents are heterozygous.CONCLUSION Given the phenotypic similarilty of the patients from two unrelated families and an prefer ably report of mutations in additional family, we conclude that TIMM50 gene mutation results in a novel mitochondrial disorder with 3-methyl glutaconic aciduria.INTRODUCTION3-methylglutaconic aciduria (MGCA), an increase in urinary 3-methylglutaconic acid or 3-methylglutaric acid, can be a nonspecific finding in mitochondrial disorders, organic aciduria, urea cycles disease, neuromuscular disorders. but is a consistent abnormality of 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA hydratase deficiency and patients with mutations in TAZ, SERAC1, OPA3, DNAJC19 and TMEM70 gene1. These genes all encode mitochondrial membrane or membrane related proteins. In 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA hydratase deficiency due to mutation in AUH gene , 3-methylglutaconic acid derives from 3-methylglutaconyl CoA (3MG CoA), an arbitrate in leucine catabolism1. It has been proposed that in other disorders, 3-methylglutaconic acid derives from aberrant isoprenoid shunting from cytosol to mitochondria via mevalonate pathway or redirecti on of mitochondrial acetyl CoA toward production of 3MGA due to an increase in the intra-mitochondrial NADH/NAD+ ratio resulting from mutation induced impairment in electron transport chain or Kreb cycle function 2.Examples of mitochondrial include Barth syndrome, a cardioskeletal myopathy with neutropenia, abnormal mitochondria and MGCA. Barth syndrome is caused by X-linked recessive mutations in the TAZ gene which encodes the mitochondrial membrane localized transacylase involved in the maturation of cardiolipin.Autosomal recessive mutations in the OPA3 gene (OMIM 606580), the mouse ortholog of which encodes a mitochondrial inner membrane protein of un cognise function, cause MGCA3 (OMIM 258501), a neuroopthalmologic syndrome characterized by early-onset symmetric visual atrophy and later-onset spasticity, extrapyramidal dysfunction and cognitive deficit.MGCA5 (OMIM 610198) is yet another form of MGCA caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the DNAJC19 gene (OMIM 608977) and in addition to increased urinary excretion of 3-methylglutaconic acid, patients benefaction with infancy or childhood onset dilated cardiomyopathy, microcytic anemia, mild muscle weakness and ataxia. umteen patients die of cardiac failure. The DNAJC19 gene encodes the human homolog of the yeast Tim14 which is a part of the Tim23 mitochondrial protein import machinery and hasbeen shown to interact with the mtHsp70 in an ATP-dependent manner to regulate Tim23 function (Davey, 2006).WE report a distinct type of 3-methylglutaconic aciduria resulting from a mutation in mitochondrial TIMM50 gene in 3 sibs from a consanguineous family. We initially reported these xases in abstract form. Recently two different mutations in mitochondrial TIMM50 gene have been reported in four patients with 3 methylglutaconic aciduria, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability and lactic acidosis.SubjectsFamily 1Family 1 has three affected sibs of South Asian ancestry with intractable epilepsy, microcephaly , developmental delay, visual deficit spastic quadriplegia. Two affected sibs died unexpectedly when they were visiting families in a remote area of a South Asian country. Metabolic testing had revealed large amount of 3-methylglutaconic acid in urine in all three affected sibs. The patients have a healthy brother and a healthy sister. Mother and father are first cousins. Detailed clinical history, imaging, electroencephalogram and metabolic testing were obtained for all affected persons. Full exome sequencing was performed using genomic DNA isolated from one surviving patient, two healthy siblings and both parents. enduring IV-1. Patient IV-1 was the first born child of the parents and was born at 36 weeks gestation after a normal pregnancy and delivery. Her tilt at birth was 1.99 kg. Her weight, cover and head electric circuit were always below 5th centile. She also had asthma and frequent episodes of pneumonia presumably due to aspiration, but the family refused G-tube placem ent. She was severely delayed. She never sat, stand or spoke. She has short(p) head control, truncal hypotonia but very brisk tendon jerks and sustained clonus. Funduscopy revealed bilateral optic atrophy. She developed seizures at 1 year of age. electroencephalogram revealed multifocal spikes arising from both hemispheres. She was treated with phenobarbital and Zonegran but family was noncompliant with medications. She continued to have daily myoclonic jerks. magnetic resonance imaging at 2.5 and 5 years of age showed increased T2 houseize in basal ganglia and periventricular white matter, brain atrophy, prominent ventricle, increased extraxial fluid. Normal liver enzymes and agate line count, normal blood and CSF glucose and a serum ammonia of 21. some(prenominal) serum lactate levels were mildly elevated. Lactate 2.8, 4.5 (Pyruvate 0.23), 5.4 (normal 0.7 to 2.1) Lactate to pyruvate ratio 201. Urine organic acid analysis revealed very high lactic acid, 3-methylglutaconic aci d, and 3-methylglutaric acid. musclebuilder biopsy revealed nevertheless scattered atrophic muscle fibers on electron microscopy. Respiratory chain enzyme activities were within normal limits. She died at 7.5 years of age apparently due to complications from an infection while she was visiting families in a remote area of a South Asian country.Patient IV-4 was twin A born at 36 weeks gestation after an uncomplicated twin pregnancy. Her weight, height and head circumference were always below 5th centile. She was severely delayed. She never sat, stand or spoke. She has poor head control, truncal hypotonia but very increased reflexes and spasticity in the limbs. At nine-month-of age, she started to experience several episodes of eye fluttering and body jerking. Her EEG reved loosen up background, poor sleep architecture and frequent multifocal spike and sharp thrill activities coming from both the left and right hemispheres. Her seizures were treated with Zonegran and was poorly co ntrolled but parents refused more(prenominal) aggressive treatment of seizures. Metabolic testing revealed mild elevation of lactate and moderate increase of 3 methylglutaconic, 3 methylglutaric acids in urine. A brain MRI at 11-month-of age revealed diffuse volume loss supratentorially with prominent sulci and extraaxial fluid spaces, mild enlargement of the ventricles and patchy signal abnormalities in the basal ganglia bilaterally, especially involving the caudal nuclei and putamen. On spectroscopy with voxel placed in the right basal ganglia with short and big TE, there was a lactate peak which inverted on long TE spectrum. Also, the NAA peak was low with NAA to creatinine being 1.15 on short echo and 1.29 on long echo spectrum. Also, the choline was elevated with choline/creatine ratio being 1.00 on short echo and 1.41 on long echo images. She died at 1.5 years of age apparently due to complications of an infection while she was visiting families in a remote area of a South Asian country.Patient IV-5 is a 13 year old female of South Asian ancestry, with 3-methylglutaconic aciduria intractable epilepsy, microcephaly, developmental delay, visual deficit and spastic quadriplegia. She was born at 36 weeks gestation after an uncomplicated twin pregnancy. She was twin B and stayed in NICU for 18 days for feeding issues. Her weight was 1.4 kg and she was not intubated. Patient first presented with seizures at 3 months of age with eyelid fluter and jerking of extremities. Her initial EEG revealed multifoal spikes. sign biochemical evaluation revealed normal serum and CSF glucose, normal ammonia and liver enzymes. serum lactate and CSF lactate 4.24 mmol were mildly elevated . Lactate was 2.7. Ammonia 25. Serum amino increased alanine 43.6 micromol/dl (9.9-34.5). Csf lactate 4.24 mmol. CSF alanine 7 micromol/dl (0.6 -4.7). There were also mild elevations of serum and CSF valine, leucine, isoleucine and alanine and lysine. Urine organic analysis revealed moderat e increase of 3 methylglutaconic, 3 methylglutaric, glutaric, adipic, suberic, and sebacic acids. MRI of brain at 11 months of age revealed severe atrophic changes involving gray and white matter, predominantly of the cerebrum. Grossly abnormal signal is seen in the basal ganglia, particularly the caudate nucleus and the putamen with relative sparing of the globus pallidus and thalamus. A recent MRI (at age 13 years) reveals severe but constant atrophic changes of the gray and white matter of the supra and infratentorial brain, stable white matter changes of the putamen, caudate nucleus and periventricular white matter, Scattered diffusion restriction in the retrotrigonal white matter, compatible with active demyelination and atrophic changes of the optic nerves. Her seizures were treated with with Keppra, Lamictal, Zonegran and Onfi. She also receives carnitine. She continues to have brief episodes of whole body stiffening each week, but the family was also not very compliant with medications. Her current EEG shows slow background for age, poorly formed sleep spindles indicatvie of diffuse neuronal dysfunction, frequent multifocal interictal spike and wave suggests increased risk of seizures arising from multiple foci and hypsarrhythmia in sleep . She has failure to thrive despite G-tube feeding. At 12 years of age, G-tube was placed due to history of aspirations. Height, weight and head circumference below 5th centile. She is severely delayed. She is nonverbal and never learned to sit independently, stand or walk. She recognizes family members, responds to their voice and looks and smiles at them. Her fundoscopy shows mild optic atrophy. She has bilateral esotropia and dysconjugate gaze. She has poor head control and truncal hypotonia, but her limbs are spastic and her tendon reflexes are very brisk.Family 2Patient V1 was the first son of Caucasian consanguineous parents (IV4 and IV5) of Eastern European origin. Within the context of an organic acid and ami no acid hit the books in young and adult subjects with non-syndromic developmental delay and intellectual disability, he was investigated at the age of 17 years and presented with a developmental language disorder (involving semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic components of the linguistic system), emotional and communicative problems (fearful, aggressive, and loner), and hyperactivity. On neuropsychological testing he showed a short attention span. The child was born at term after an uneventful pregnancy and his birth weight was 2.9 kg. At 4 months of age he was affected by myoclonic jerks that were controlled by administration of valproic acid and lamotrigine. developmental delay was observed starting from the middle of the first year of life, accompanied by decreased muscle tone. He could walk without support only at 6 years. At last medical exam, the patient showed a reduced muscle mass (height 148 cm, Z-score 3.43 weight 38 kg, Z-score 4.21 BMI 17.1 kg/m2, Z-score 2.02) and a he ad circumference of 51 cm (Z-score 2.76). Due to refusal of parents, no brain imaging studies could be performed. Fundoscopic examination was normal. Laboratory tests, including creatine phosphokinase (CPK), liver enzymes and plasma amino acids, were normal. The profile of urinary organic acids showed a large peak of 3-methylglutaconic acid (113 mmol/mol creatine) and a slightly increased level of 3-methylglutaric acid (17 mmol/mol creatinine).Patient V3 was the younger brother of V1, the third child of IV4 and IV5. He was investigated at the age of 11 years and presented with a clinical phenotype (developmental delay and intellectual and behavioral disorder) similar to that of his brother. The pregnancy and early postnatal course was unremarkable and birth weight was 3.1 kg. At 3 months he reliable valproic acid and lamotrigine to control tonic seizures with sudden stiffening movements of arms and legs. The boy walked independently at 4 years. When he was 9 years, his growing para meters were height 119 cm (Z-score 2.47), weight 22 kg (Z-score 1.91), BMI 15.5 kg/m2 (Z-score 0.38), and head circumference 48 cm (Z-score 3.52). Neuropsychological exam revealed mental retardation and impaired communicative skills, including poor language abilities (few repetitive words with no sentences). Occasionally, the patient is aggressive. Ophthalmologic examination revealed left esotropia. High levels of 3-methylglutaconic acid (155 mmol/mol creatine) were identified in urine, together with smaller amounts of 3-methylglutaric acid (22 mmol/mol creatinine).Patient V5 was the second son of consanguineous parents (IV9 and IV10) related to those of patients V1 and V3. The girl was delivered by cesarean section because of harvest-festival arrest at 37 week. The neonate showed no external malformations. Birth weight was 2.1 kg. In the following years, the clinical phenotype was characterized by delayed developmental milestones, nocturnal enuresis, severe cognitive impairment, s peech retardation, and lack of communicative skills. Results of the electroencephalogram were normal. No brain imaging data are available. On a few occasions, levels of ammonia and lactic acid were found to be slightly elevated, but these results could not be confirmed by repeated blood analyses. Plasma levels of amino acids are within normal range. Fundoscopic examination was normal up to 7 years, but since then there is evidence of mild bilateral optic atrophy. Urine levels of of 3-methylglutaconic acid and 3-methylglutaric acid were 176 mmol/mol creatine and 29 mmol/mol creatinine, respectively.DISCUSSIONDeleterious Nature of the TIMM50 gene alterationTIMM50 NM_001001563 c.1114GA p.G372SThe p.G372S variant (also known as c.1114GA), located in coding exon 9 of the TIMM50 gene, results from a G to A substitution at nucleotide position 1114. The glycine at codon 372 is replaced by serine, an amino acid with somewhat similar properties. The alteration is not observed in healthy cohor ts Based on data from the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project (ESP), the TIMM50 c.1114GA alteration was not observed among 6,503 individuals tested. Allele frequency data for this nucleotide position are not currently available from the 1000 Genomes Project and the alteration is not currently listed in the Database of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (dbSNP). Though some variants may appear to be rare due to database-specific ethnic underre demo, rare missense alleles commonly portray a deleterious effect on protein function (Kryukov, 2007 Tennessen, 2012). The altered amino acid is conserved throughout evolution The G372 amino acid position is completely conserved in eukaryotes all the way from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to humans (Mokranjac, 2003). The alteration is predicted deleterious by in silico models The p.G372S alteration is predicted to be probably alter and deleterious by PolyPhen and SIFT in silico analyses, respectively. The amino acid is located in a functionally important protein domain The p.G372S alteration is located in the conserved C-terminal domain of the Tim50 protein that interacts with the N-terminal domain of the Tim23 protein in the inter membrane space and regulates mitochondrial protein import of presequence-containing polypeptides (Geissler, 2002 Yamamoto, 2002 Guo, 2004). The alteration cosegregated with disease in the family herein Co-segregation analysis revealed that this alteration is present in a heterozygous form in the mother, father and brother, and absent in the sister.Based on the available evidence, the TIMM50 c.1114GA (p.G372S) alteration is classified as a likely pathogenic mutation.The TIMM50 gene is not currently known to underlie Mendelian disease (aka clinically novel). The TIMM50 gene function is consistent with the probands clinical presentationThe Translocase of Inner Mitochondrial Membrane 50 (TIMM50) gene (OMIM 607381) is located on human chromosome 19q13.2 and consists of 11 exons. It encodes the Tim50 protein, a 353 amino acid 40 kDA homolog of the yeast Tim50 protein that functions as an intact part of the mitochondrial Tim23 protein import machinery by linking protein translocation across the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes. This interaction was confirmed by the coprecipitation of Tim50 with an antibody against Tim23 (Geissler, 2002 Yamamoto, 2002 Guo, 2004). The authors further confirmed that the C-terminal domain of Tim50 is located in the inter-membrane space (IMS) where it stably binds to the segment of Tim23 that spans the IMS and regulates its function.Nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in the cytosol and subsequently imported into the mitochondria through the function of translocators, the TOM complex of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), and the Tim23 and Tim22 complexes of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) (Jensen, 2002). While the Tim22 complex is involved in the transport and insertion of proteins lacking the presequence into the inner membrane, the Tim23 complex is required to process and insert presequence-containing precursor proteins. The IMM generates a proton actor force that is critical for cellular energy synthesis (Stock, 2000) and the permeability barrier of the IMM needs to be maintained during the transport of proteins through the pore-forming Tim23 protein associated with other IMM proteins such as Tim14 (human DNAJC19), Tim17, Tim21, Tim44 and Tim50. Using various yeast IMM protein mutants, Meinecke et al. (2006) demonstrated that tim17 and tim21 mutant mitochondria displayed membrane potential values that were comparable to wild type mitochondria, whereas tim50 mutant mitochondria showed a drastic simplification of the membrane potential. Further functional studies revealed that the Tim23 channel is tightly regulated by Tim50 in its inactive state to maintain the IMM permeability barrier and is opened only when presequence-containing polypeptide chains need to be translocated into the mitoc hondrial matrix or the inter membrane space (IMS). Loss of Tim50 function in yeast led to cellular growth arrest and reduced cell viability (Mokranjac, 2003). Knockdown to Tim50 expression in cultured human cells using RNA mediated interference resulted in an increase in the release of cytochrome c and apoptosis in response to cell death stimuli (Guo, 2004).A 50 kDa isoform of the human mitochondrial TIM50, TIM50a, consisting of 456 amino acids has been found to localize in nuclear speckles, specifically in the Cajal bodies, and interact with small nuclear ribonuclear proteins (snRNPs), the coilin protein and the Survival of Motor Neurons (SMN) protein (Xu, 2005) which has been implicated in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The protein sequences of the mitochondrial TIM50 and the nuclear TIM50a are undistinguishable with the exception of additional 103 amino acids at the N-terminal of TIM50a that are the result of an alternative translational start sequence. This additional N-terminal sequence in TIM50a is thought to contain a putative nuclear localization sequence that allows the Tim50a isoform to display a nucleus specific localization. Based on their results, Xu et al. hypothesized that Tim50a might be involved in the law of snRNP biogenesis and possibly the function of the nuclear SMN protein encoded by the SMN1 gene. One of our patients had mulsle biopsy. Although there were atrophic changes, no neuropthic pattern was seen.Reference List(1) Wortmann SB, Kluijtmans LA, Rodenburg RJ et al. 3-Methylglutaconic acidurialessons from 50 genes and 977 patients. J acquire Metab Dis 201336913-921.(2) Ikon N, Ryan RO. On the origin of 3-methylglutaconic acid in disorders of mitochondrial energy metabolism. J Inherit Metab Dis 201639749-756.LegendsLegend to Figure 1Five-generations pedigree of the family with mild 3-methylglutaconic aciduria in which the TIMM50 p.(Ile293Thr) was identified. Subjects V1, V3, and V5 (filled symbols) are patients suffering from intellec tual disability and increased urinary excretion of 3-methylglutaconic acid. They are born to consanguineous parents and homozygous for the TIMM50 c.1011TC mutation predicting the replacement of isoleucine 293 with threonine in the encoded protein. The mutation was inherited by a common ancestor (either I1 or I2) and has been identified in the heterozygous state in the clinically and biochemically unaffected subjects III3, III4, III9, IV2, IV4 IV5 IV9, IV10, and V2.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essay
What Are The Defining Elements Of Democracy Politics Essaythither is no universally accepted rendering of majority rule, and Arblaster says, Democracy is a concept before it is a fact, and because it is a concept it has no single precise and concur cerebrateing. (ARBLASTER, 2002 3) Essentially state has three main ideals Popular Sovereignty, the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the will or consent of its hatful, who argon the source of every(prenominal) governmental power Political Equality and Individual Autonomy. Abraham Lincoln summed up res publica well in saying it is a gradement of the good deal, by the people, and for the people, and so, in the case of liberal western democracies it is brass by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. For Aristotle the underlying principle of commonwealth is freedom, since only in a democracy the citize ns gouge score a sh ar in freedom. In essence, he argues that this is what every democracy should steel its aim. There are two main aspects of freedom being ruled and notion in turn, since every unitary is equal according to number, not merit, and to be able to live as one pleases. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, alone it overly consists of a set of practices and procedures that have taken a very long time to develop. In short, democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom. For this reason, it is come-at-able to identify the fundamentals of underlying administration that any society must possess to be properly called egalitarian human rights, and equating before the law. Therefore two principles that any definition of democracy incorporates are, namely that all citizens in a state are equal before the law, and they have equal access to power. A third public principle is that all citizens are promised certain legitimised freedoms and li berties, which are generally protected by a constitution or set of legally prescribed republican practices. This essay will explore these defining elements of a pop society as well as considering some of the problems faced by democratic institutions in trying to realise and sustain them.One of the most essential elements in defining democracy is self-rule. The word democracy authenticly came from the Greek demos and kratos, meaning that the people (demos) rule. The only possible object of rule is the people who form the state or political system being considered, hence, the rulers in a democracy, the people, are similarly the ruled. (HARRISON, 1993) Therefore democracy can be described as people ruling themselves. If one takes the meaning of democracy literally it is essentially the rule of the many. In its original context in the city state of ancient Greece, this rule was exercised directly by the citizens, also called direct democracy. The size and scale of modern states mean this method of rule is often considered impractical. In order to reach an appropriate balance between adequate fight and adequate efficiency and practicability, peoples rule is exercised indirectly through elected political leaders that represent peoples interests (representative democracy). However, the idea that democratic institutions could accurately represent the people has been debated thoroughly. Some political thinkers, such as Rousseau and Mill, have suggested that some degree of socio-economic equality is needed to guarantee a reasonable level of political equality and therefore indispensable for a stable democracy. Held argued that it is peak material poverty amongst the masses that renders genuine democracy impractical. On the other hand, Dahl noted that not just absolute poverty but also relative poverty poses a stumbling block for the realisation of political equality and therefore democracy. (SORENSEN, 1993) Rousseau believed that no one could be truly free who did not govern themselves. In his Du Contrat Social, he made fun of the English form of government by claiming that the English people, is free only during the alternative of Members of Parliament as concisely as the Members are elected, the people is enslaved. (ARBLASTER, 2002 59), and for him sovereignty belonged inalienably to the people, the problem was to decide how they could retain it and exercise it. (ARBLASTER, 2002 60) On the other hand, the English philosopher John Locke defends representative democracy as be believes that men in civil society should enter a contract with their government and that citizens are bound to obey the law, while the government has the right to make laws and to defend the commonwealth from foreign injury all for the public good. (Holden Online)This leads to another defining element of democracy the fundamental concept which secures the rights of people is the consent of the governed. In a democracy the people are sovereign and are therefore the hi ghest form of political authority. This means the decisions made by the government ultimately have to be accepted by the people. For example, during elections, all the candidates have to campaign freely in order to educate people on their policies and include them to scrutinise each candidates ideas. Lewis believes Consent is an essential element of democratic theory, but not a distinguishing element. The important test is not whether a major piece of land of the adult population accepts or approves a government or its policies, but the manner in which this consent is secured (LEWIS, 1940) Hence it is important that elected representatives at a national and local level should listen to the people and respond to their needs and suggestions. However, Hobbes mentions in his book Leviathan that in exchange for security, individuals give away their rights to an all mesomorphic ruler (Hobbes, 1651). In the modern day, it is hard for governments to be truly democratic as, due to scale, it is unlikely that all the citizens will agree with all decisions made by the government.The active troth of people as citizens in political and civil life is also important when defining democracy. Active participation of the people is one of the basic requirements for a state to be democratic, and thus it is essential in defining democracy. The main role for citizens in a democracy is for them to participate in public life, hence the right to vote increases participation amongst citizens. Schumpter puts forward a minimalist interpretation of participation in arguing that democracy should only be a mechanism for choosing political leaders. Therefore participation would be limited to voting (SORENSEN, 1993). On the other hand the concept of democratic autonomy can be regarded as an important means of participation which calls for peoples direct involvement at a local level through community institutions. (HELD, 1996) In this sense, participation would incorporate the ability of ci tizens to directly influence decisions that affect their lives. Therefore, citizens should essentially attempt to gain an understanding of relevant public issues, and be willing to listen to these issues and the views of the government. raising is vital in democracy because, in order for people to fully participate, they have to be informed on the relevant topical issues of their state. It can be argued that democracy relies heavily on collective participation as democracy is stronger as a whole when people actively participate. Rousseau analysed the concept of collective participation when he spoke about the idea of the general will, the result when citizens make political decisions considering the good of society as a whole rather than the crabby interests of individuals and groups. (Rousseau, 1762) The active participation of citizens in political and civil spheres of society is a vital element of democracy as, Individuals must be allowed a share in political control because to command obedience without free participation in control is to deny the right of all to self-development through responsibility for their own acts is to surmount men to the degrading irresponsibility of slaves or mules. (LEWIS, 1940) However, somebodyal autonomy must be taken into account when defining democracy. This is because for a society to be democratic people should have the freedom to choose whether to participate in the political process or hand over the decision making to a person or group more qualified to make well informed political decisions, like an elected government.Furthermore, one of the most important defining elements of democracy is that the underlying right of the people is to have rights and more specifically the right of choice. The freedoms to take pleasure in ones own culture, without such minorities being scrutinized the freedom to gestate opinions and decide what to do. The European Union believes that democracy and human rights are universal values t hat should be vigorously promoted around the world. They are integral to effective form on poverty alleviation and conflict prevention and resolution. (http//ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/human-rights/index_en.htm) Demonstrations against government policies and decisions are also fine in true democracy, as long as the rights of others are taken into account, hence protests should be non-violent. There is now a general acceptance among the international community about the centrality of human rights and their importance to democracy, and Ghandi gave a profitable definition of democracy when he said, My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest. The greatest protection of human rights emanates from a democratic framework grounded in the rule of law. The principle that all power ultimately rests with the people and must be exercised with their consent lies at the heart of democracy. Democracy is premised on the recognition and pr otection of peoples right to have a say in all decision making processes which is itself based on the central principle of equality of all human beings. The exercise of this fundamental political right requires a guarantee of crucial freedoms to express ones thoughts and opinion without fear, to seek and receive information, to form associations and to effectuate in a peaceful manner to discuss public affairs amongst others. Accommodation of the views of minorities is essential to prevent democracy from degenerating into despotism by the majority. The purpose of democracy like that of human rights protection is to uphold the dignity of every individual and to ensure that the voices of the weakest are also heard. Its core values freedom, equality, fraternity, accommodation of diversity and the assurance of justice underpin the norms of human rights as well.This leads on to another key element of democracy is majority rule and it is often described as a characteristic feature of dem ocracy. The web definition of majority rule is, a decision rule that selects one of two alternatives, based on which has more than half(prenominal) the votes. (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majority_rule) An essential process in representative democracies is competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests. The election process of modern liberal democracies sees the party with the majority of votes leading(a) the government and representing the people on a national scale. This is crucial when exploring democracy because, even though only a proportion of the population are in agreement with the government, it is the largest so the greatest number possible will be satisfied. However, without responsible government or constituent(a) protections of individual liberties from democratic p ower it is possible for dissenting individuals to be oppressed by the tyranny of the majority. So, therefore, a key element of any democracy is to ensure that minorities have the right to promote their representatives for election to government against the majority view.In conclusion, Winston Churchill once said, It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. Democracy is by no means a perfect system of government but many of its defining elements explored in this essay are vital. Indeed, as Arblaster tells us, democracy is still an undressed business on the agenda of modern politics. (ARBLASTER, 2002 10) and there much ground to be covered before we develop a fully democratic system. The original direct system of democracy from ancient Athens was possible down to the fact that the scale, in comparison to the present day, was far smaller. Therefore, it seems that presently, the closest we can sire to proper democracy is a representative system with elected representatives making decisions and carrying out policies for the people. The nature of democracy has changed over time but the essential elements that make up its definition remain the same. To summarise, the three main elements of democracy are essentially participation, competition and liberties and perhaps what is most important to note is that the ideas behind democracy are based on, the hypothesis that power and the right to exercise power belongs to the people (Goodwin, 2007, p.288). The pillars of any modern day western liberal democracies are as follows sovereignty of the people, government based upon consent of the governed, majority rule, minority rights, guarantee of basic human rights, free and fair elections, equality before the law and constitutional limits on government. A democratic society must incorporate these values as democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functio ns. In a democracy, government is only one element coexisting in a social fabric of many and varied institutions, political parties, organisations, and associations.
Monday, June 3, 2019
A Budget Airline In Hong Kong
A cipher Airline In Hong Kong compute respiratory tracts have become a trend in aviation industry all over a few decades all over the world, however, as a Asian cosmopolitan city- Hong Kong hasnt have genius yet, in that respectfore a research need to be set up to look on its feasibility. This project proposal aims to assist to accomplish a research by growing a plan earlierhand. Firstly, the cathode-ray oscilloscope of work out flight paths and problem statement would be stated proscribed, then a literature review would be carried out in order to find out its research value, after(prenominal) that, the researchaim and objectives could be set up as a research goal, last but not least, research rule and project plan could be discussed on how, where and when to carry out this research.2. Background/ problem statementBefore DeregulationIn the United State before 1978, all charge passage passenger services were regulated and controlled by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) . Only 10 trunk air ducts were authorized to issue a grandfather certificate by CAB at that time. Underneath this certificate, all major scheduled air passages route structures and f ars were controlled and ruled. For an airlines route structure, stops and intermediate stops were contract and passengers carrying between stops were limit, a new promoted route demand to go through and through a lengthy procedure and hearings, even a stoppage of a route service was still needed the CABs approval. For an airlines f be, all provender wrongs were strictly controlled by the CAB. (John Clinton, 1984)After DeregulationAfter passing the Airline Deregulation accomplishment of 1978, CAB no longer had an absolute authority on an airlines entry, exit, routes and fares. Airlines were pull inn freedom on setting up their own fares within a gigantic range, route applicant would be submitted and passed easily without whatever restriction when it performed air transportation properly. (Joh n Clinton, 1984)First advantageful calculate airlineIn 1967, the first thriving work out airline was born and started its business in Texas in America, it named itself as Southwest Airlines (SWA). The comp whatsoever began when the US foodstuff was deregulated. Its successful model had been influencing a mount of other fol small-scaleing budget airlines. It provides low-cost, high rate of short pinch flying and this made itself maintain a most profitable airline through years. (Peter, David, Gillen, Otto and Hans, 2005)What is Budget Airline?A low-cost postman or low-cost airline (also known as a no-frills, discount or budget mail carrier or airline) is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may maintenance for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, and baggage etc.Todays budget airlineNowadays, the value for money is a great emphasis placed by travelers. They are ent rusting to buy cheaper tickets to trade off some other aspect such as leg room during flying. However, to determine whether a budget airline can survive and drive down the cost, it mainly depends on government and major airports will to open up the skies. Therefore, opposite areas are in different sideslips, but every consumer loves a low price ticket and somehow the developments are very similar in nature and continue in vary ways.As in US, budget airlines have dominated the market as travelers are price driven in Europe, much local airports are needed to be opened up to let more budget airlines to fly in in Asia, on that point are more opportunities to gallop the unanimous market but the path is not easy, since the market is still dominated by the national flag carriers. Besides, they are also supported by the cargo business. (Scott Lee, 2004)Problems arguingAs we can see, budget airlines business not besides become a trend over the globe, but also bring out more travel ers and so to extend the economy of our own country or region, however, there is no budget airline at all currently in Hong Kong, what are the reasons? Few years ago there was once a low cost carrier- Hong Kong Oasis airway which offered long haul low fare was bankrupted after 18 months of operation, why would that happen? An Malaysian budget airline- Air Asia already developed its third home base in Thailand, meanwhile, there still arent any budget airlines setting up in Hong Kong as a home base, why? What are the success factors for a budget airline to develop? Is there feasibility for a budget airline to set up and form a home base in Hong Kong?3. Literature Review3.1. seam strategy of Budget AirlineMarkus (2005) once said The business strategy of these low cost airlines to save costs is to offerno frills, have fast turn-rounds, use solo a single-type fleet of planes, and to fly mainly to cheap secondary airports..They also save a huge amount of administration costs by only acce pting credit card payments and thus reducing the paperwork to a minimum (Markus, p.269, 2005)In other word, they minimize their cost in management, aircraft maintenance, crew training, landing fee, position fee, administration work, etc. Any additional cost, they will stay in the air ticket and let the passenger pay for it. This would rise out a question, would the passengers in Hong Kong be willing to pay for a low cost just to get to a destination or a high price to buy a good quality of service?Budget airline is a trend?Start from the next two years as announcing in late May, the Singapore airline would establish a subsidiary-a no frill, low cost airline, using wide body aircrafts to serve medium to long haul routes. According to the company after years of markets of extensive review and analysis, they have to admit that there is a large growing demand for low fare travel. The low fare airlines assist to stimulate the growing demand of travel. The company pauperisms to launch this service to push its single-digit growth to a double-digit growth as this low fare market is growing hugely. (Govindasamy, 2011)This has showed us which the low fare air travel marketis growing and even an Asian state-owned conventional airline want to join in to gain share, therefore there is lots of room for more new budget airlines to be set up and serve the demand.Budget airline comparing with conventional airline over the globeGraham Dunn (2011) state in the airline magazine, Data from four years of the Airline Business low-cost carrier and world airline ranking surveys shows that while the 10 largest network carriers were highly profitable in 2006 and 2007, seven lost money in 2008 and eight were in the red in 2009 at an run level. Contrast this with the top 10 lost-cost carriers- only two lost money in 2009, trio in 2008 and one apieve in 2007 and 2006. In this case as we know, during the economic crisis between 2008 and 2009, we can see that the low cost carrier is on a steady growth and earn money, but the conventional airlines are greatly affected.In fact, the magazine also shows that the budget airlines are growing at a double-digit development round the USA and Europe, and there are still more room for them to rise. In South East Asia, the larger low-cost carriers already expand beneath their home market and set up more home base in other country around the region as there has been a great demand for cheap air travel, such as Airasia has also set up a home base in Indonesia and Thailand beyond Malaysia. (Graham Dunn,2011)Therefore, even Hong Kong set up a budget airline, there are still lots of other competitors around the region, and can it survive?The Background and Success of Air Asia and the Asia regionApparently in the 21st century, if the more preferable demography and economic trend persist, Asia would be well focused by the exclusively world, in other words, more people would be willing to travel in and out of Asia by plane for busi ness and leisure. (Joseph, 2011)Air Asia now is one of the largest low cost carriers in South East Asia. It used to be built up by the Malaysia government from 1993 and started its own operation as a flag conventional airline in 1996, however, within those five years, it was a cracked airline which only have two Boeing 747, 250 staffs, four destination and a debt of $11 million. But in 2001, it was bought by Tune air and turned it and re-launched as a low cost carrier, then it start to become a profitable business. In 2007, Air Asia X was set and launched as a low cost long haul carrier which flies to Europe and Australia. Currently, the whole Air Asia Group has owned 102 aircrafts, flies 150 routes and 68 destinations, it has been still continuing to expand its fleet and market share. In the past two year, it has already accomplished a Double-digit capacity growth. Certainly, there are some advantages that it already fully take, such aslow-price labor, a helpful economical hub at K uala Lumpur. (Joseph, 2011)In this case, are there any success factors we can learn from and use in Hong Kong?The Background and failure of Oasis Hong Kong airwayOasis Hong Kong airline claimed to be the first long haul low cost airline based in Hong Kong, Reverend Raymond Lee led a starting capital of $ coke million with several Hong Kong investors. It began its operation and launch to serve passengers from October 2006, but after 18 months of operation, it halted all operation and collapsed as financial liquidation. It used to own 4 Boeing 747 and flew two routes, and three destinations Hong Kong, Vancouver and London. During the operation period of time, the price of jet fuel has jumped from $600 a tonne when Oasis started flying to a current level of around $1,137 a tonne. Besides, the company did not run as an short haul, no service model but provide a full service such as inflight meal and entertainment. (Robin, 2008)In this case, a rise of jet fuel price can push a company to fall, are there any other critical threats which exist? Or the whole Hong Kong aviation environment is not suitable for an budget airline to exist?Disadvantages and advantages of budget airlinesFor traveling with budget airline, there are also some disadvantages that you may want to take account for, such as youmay only have a limited meal with probably peanuts at all for the whole flight, you may not choose your own seat, they have less flexibility which you cant cancel your flight or get a refund, any extra checked bags will be charged, they often land on remote airports with no bus confederacy and they are usually booked through internet. (Shewanda, 2011)However, there are also some advantages you may want to consider, such as the fare with budget airline is relatively small which you can save the money for other things, they often fly to more locations and smaller cities that you may interest, and as money are saved, thus more travels will be encouraged and more people can aff ord it.(Jennifer, 2011)Therefore, when the Hong Kong customers compare the advantages and disadvantages of budget airlines, will they still choose budget airline? What is the low fare travel market like in Hong Kong?Challenges and Background of the local dominant airline in Hong KongThe company began in 1946. It was found by two world-war 2 pilots. They first flew to carry passenger to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai. However in 1948, some of the shares was bought by a UK company, Butterfield Swire (today known as the Swire Group) which took a 45% share. Therefore John Kidston Swire took the leadership work Butterfield Swire became wholly responsible for the managementof the airline. And then it has been expanding through time. In 1998, the Cathay City was built, and in 2006, the dragon air was bought to be involved in Cathay Pacific Group. Right now it owns 128 aircrafts and has ordered more than 100 aircrafts. Its route has covered more than 150 destinations in 41 countr ies. It ranks as the worlds 2nd most profitable airline by net profit and the 7th largest airline in the world by operating profit. Its staffs number is 19,850 worldwide. (From Cathay Pacifics Website)In this case, its customers do not only include leisure and business travelers but also the regional people. If a budget airline was being set up, this airline would be the biggest local competitor.Potential low cost carrier that will be set in Hong KongThere will be two potential budget airlines setting up in Hong Kong- the Hong Kong express and the Jetstar subsidiary. The Hong Kong Express will transform to a low cost carrier in Jul-2012 or Aug-2012, operating under its new low-cost model to cities in mainland China, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. As a Foreign budget airline- Jetstar is also looking forward to establishing a subsidiary in Hong Kong, it may try to co-operate with Hong Kong Airline. (CAPA, 2011)This case has showed us that many companies are interested in devel oping a low cost carrier in Hong Kong, therefore in other words, there isfeasibility for Hong Kong to set up an low cost carrier.4. betokenThrough analyzing all the haveive information collected to determine whether it is possible to set up an budget airline in Hong Kong or not.5. ObjectivesTo explore the background training and business model of budget airlineTo explore the operation, cost structure, strategy of low cost carrier in AsiaTo carry out a case study the success story of Airasia and the failure story of OasisTo set up a survey to ask about Hong Kong frequent flyers expectations on budget airlines servicesTo calculate all operating cost and expense to run this businessTo compare the price of flying with an existing conventional airline with a hypothetical budget airline to find out the feasibility6. Research methodFor this research, I will use the inductive method near, because my aim is explore the feasibility to set up an successful budget airline which could last f or a long time in Hong Kong through observing variety of data such as budget airline business model, cost structure, government policy and so to analyze and find out the answers for it. And I will select the survey strategy for gaining Hong Kong peoples opinion of service they wish to add in without any additional cost for a budget airline service in order to calculate the operating cost of an hypothetical budget airline and so to set up thebest price of a fare to pair the cost. Then I will pick the memo-method as my unique data collection method, and carry out the cross-sectional study as the data would give me the result. For data collection, I will use questionnaire and the interview.6.1 QuestionnaireFor the Questionnaire, I plan to interview 50 people, they are mostly business travelers and leisure travelers, I will approach them through my friends who are frequent flyers.6.2 InterviewFor individual interview, I hope that I can make an appointment with some of the staffs who wo rk as an airline accountant and inside the airport authority, and gain financial information of running an airline company.7. Project PlanI would like to spend half a year to complete my project. Here is my work breakdown structure
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