Chemistry Vocabulary - Definitions of Chemistry Terms

Chemistry Vocabulary - Definitions of Chemistry Terms This is a list of important chemistry vocabulary terms and their definitions. A more comprehensive list of chemistry terms can be found in my alphabetical chemistry glossary. You can use this vocabulary list to look up terms or you can make flashcards from the definitions to help learn them. absolute zero - Absolute zero is 0K. It is the lowest possible temperature. Theoretically, at absolute zero, atoms stop moving. accuracy - Accuracy is a measure of how close a measured value is to its true value. For example, if an object is exactly a meter long and you measure it as 1.1 meters long, that is more accurate than if you measured it at 1.5 meters long. acid - There are several ways to define an acid, but they include any chemical that gives off protons or H in water. Acids have a pH less than 7. They turn the pH indicator phenolphthalein colorless and turn litmus paper red. acid anhydride - An acid anhydride is an oxide that forms an acid when it is reacted with water. For example, when SO3- is added to water, it becomes sulfuric acid, H2SO4. actual yield - The actual yield is the amount of product you actually obtain from a chemical reaction, as in the amount you can measure or weigh as opposed to a calculated value. addition reaction - An addition reaction is a chemical reaction in which atoms add to a carbon-carbon multiple bond. alcohol - An alcohol is any organic molecule that has an -OH group. aldehyde - An aldehyde is any organic molecule that has a -COH group. alkali metal s of alkali metals include lithium, sodium, and potassium. alkaline earth metal s of alkaline earth metals are magnesium and calcium. alkane - An alkane is an organic molecule that only contains single carbon-carbon bonds. alkene - An alkene is an organic molecule that contains at least one CC or carbon-carbon double bond. alkyne - An alkyne is an organic molecule that contains at least one carbon-carbon triple bond. allotrope - Allotropes are different forms of a phase of an element. For example, diamond and graphite are allotropes of carbon. alpha particle - An alpha particle is another name for a helium nucleus, which contains two protons and two neutrons. Its called an alpha particle in reference to radioactive (alpha) decay. amine - An amine is an organic molecule in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms in ammonia have been replaced by an organic group. An example of an amine is methylamine. base - A base is a compound that produces OH- ions or electrons in water or that accepts protons. An example of a common base is sodium hydroxide, NaOH. beta particle - A beta particle is an electron, although the term is used when the electron is emitted in radioactive decay. binary compound - A binary compound is one made up of two elements. binding energy - Binding energy is the energy that holds protons and neutrons together in the atomic nucleus. bond energy - Bond energy is the amount of energy required to break one mole of chemical bonds. bond length - Bond length is the average distance between the nuclei of two atoms that share a bond. buffer - A liquid that resists change in pH when an acid or base is added. A buffer consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base. An example of a buffer is acetic acid and sodium acetate. calorimetry - Calorimetry is the study of heat flow. Calorimetry may be used to find the heat of reaction of two compounds or the heat of combustion of a compound, for example. carboxylic acid - A carboxylic acid is an organic molecule containing a -COOH group. An example of a carboxylic acid is acetic acid. catalyst - A catalyst is a substance that lowers the activation energy of a reaction or speeds it up without being consumed by the reaction. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts for biochemical reactions. cathode - A cathode is the electrode which gains electrons or is reduced. In other words, it is where reduction occurs in an electrochemical cell. chemical equation - A chemical equation is a description of a chemical reaction, including what reacts, what is produced, and which direction(s) the reaction proceeds. chemical property - A chemical property is a property that can only be observed when a chemical change occurs. Flammability is an example of a chemical property, since you cant measure how flammable a substance is without igniting it (making/breaking chemical bonds). covalent bond - A covalent bond is a chemical bond formed when two atoms share two electrons. critical mass - Critical mass is the minimum quantity of radioactive material needed to cause a nuclear chain reaction. critical point - The critical point is the endpoint of the liquid-vapor line in a phase diagram, past which a supercritical liquid forms. At the critical point, the liquid and vapor phases become indistinguishable from one another. crystal - A crystal is an ordered, repeating three-dimensional pattern of ions, atoms, or molecules. Most crystals are ionic solids, although other forms of crystals exist. delocalization - Delocalization is when electrons become free to move all over a molecule, such as when double bonds occur on adjacent atoms in a molecule. denature - There are two common meanings for this in chemistry. First, it can refer to any process used to make ethanol unfit for consumption (denatured alcohol). Second, denaturing can mean breaking down the three-dimensional structure of a molecule, such as a protein is denatured when exposed to heat. diffusion - Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration. dilution - Dilution is when a  solvent is added to a solution, making it less concentrated. dissociation - Dissociation is when a chemical reaction breaks a compound into two or more parts. For example, NaCl dissociates into Na and Cl- in water. double displacement reaction - A double displacement or double replacement reaction is when cations of two compounds switch places. effusion - Effusion is when a gas moves through an opening into a low-pressure container (e.g., is drawn by a vacuum). Effusion occurs more quickly than diffusion because additional molecules arent in the way. electrolysis - Electrolysis is using electricity to break the bonds in a compound to break it apart. electrolyte - An electrolyte is an ionic compound that dissolves in water to produce ions, which can conduct electricity. Strong electrolytes completely dissociate in water, while weak electrolytes only partially dissociate or break apart in water. enantiomers - Enantiomers are molecules that are non superimposable mirror images of each other. endothermic - Endothermic describes a process that absorbs heat. Endothermic reactions feel cold. endpoint - The endpoint is when a titration is stopped, typically because an indicator has changed color. The endpoint need not be the same as the equivalence point of a titration. energy level - An energy level is a possible value of energy that an electron can have in an atom. enthalpy - Enthalpy is a measure of the amount of energy in a system. entropy - Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system. enzyme - An enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst in a biochemical reaction. equilibrium - Equilibrium occurs in reversible reactions when the forward rate of the reaction is the same as the reverse rate of the reaction. equivalence point - The equivalence point is when the solution in a titration is completely neutralized. It is not the same as the endpoint of a titration because the indicator may not change colors precisely when the solution is neutral. ester - An ester is an organic molecule with a R-CO-OR function group. excess reagent - Excess reagent is what you get when there is leftover reagent in a chemical reaction. excited state - An excited state is a higher energy state for an electron of an atom, ion, or molecule, compared with the energy of its ground state. exothermic - Exothermic describes a process that gives off heat. family - A family is a group of elements sharing similar properties. It is not necessarily the same thing as an element group. For example, the chalcogens or oxygen family consists of some different elements from the nonmetal group. Kelvin - Kelvin is a unit of temperature. A Kelvin is equal in size to a degree Celsius, although Kelvin starts from absolute zero. Add 273.15 to a Celsius temperature to get the Kelvin value. Kelvin is not reported with a  ° symbol. For example, you would simply write 300K not 300 °K. ketone - A ketone is a molecule that contains a R-CO-R functional group. An example of a common ketone is acetone (dimethyl ketone). kinetic energy - Kinetic energy is energy of motion. The more an object moves, the more kinetic energy it has. lanthanide contraction - The lanthanide contraction refers to the trend in which lanthanide atoms become smaller as you move left to right across the periodic table, even though they increase in atomic number. lattice energy - Lattice energy is the amount of energy released when one mole of a crystal forms from its gaseous ions. law of conservation of energy - The law of conservation of energy states the energy of the universe may change form, but its amount remains unchanged. ligand s of common ligands include water, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. mass - Mass is the amount of matter in a substance. It is commonly reported in units of grams. mole - Avogadros number (6.02 x 1023) of anything. node - A node is a location in an orbital with no probability of containing an electron. nucleon - A nucleon is a particle in the nucleus of an atom (proton or neutron). oxidation number The oxidation number is the apparent charge on an atom. For example, the oxidation number of an oxygen atom is -2. period - A period is a row (left to right) of the periodic table. precision - Precision is how repeatable a measurement is. More precise measurements are reported with more significant figures. pressure - Pressure is force per area. product - A product is something made as a result of a chemical reaction. quantum theory - Quantum theory is the description of energy levels and the predictions about the behavior of atoms at specific energy levels. radioactivity - Radioactivity occurs when the atomic nucleus is unstable and breaks apart, releasing energy or radiation. Raoults Law - Raoults Law states that the vapor pressure of a solution is directly proportional to the mole fraction of solvent. rate determining step - The rate determining step is the slowest step in any chemical reaction. rate law - A rate law is a mathematical expression relating the speed of a chemical reaction as a function of concentration. redox reaction - A redox reaction is a chemical reaction that involves oxidation and reduction. resonance structure - Resonance structures are the set of Lewis structures that can be drawn for a molecule when it has delocalized electrons. reversible reaction - A reversible reaction is a chemical reaction which can go both ways: reactants make products and products make reactants. RMS velocity - The RMS or root mean square velocity is the square root of the average of the squares of individual velocities of gas particles, which is a way of describing the average speed of gas particles. salt - An ionic compound formed from reacting an acid and a base. solute - The solute is the substance that gets dissolved in a solvent. Usually, it refers to a solid that is dissolved in a liquid. If you are mixing two liquids, the solute is the one that is present in a smaller amount. solvent - This is the liquid that dissolves a solute in solution. Technically, you can dissolve gases into liquids or into other gases, too. When making a solution where both substances are in the same phase (e.g., liquid-liquid), the solvent is the largest component of the solution. STP - STP means standard temperature and pressure, which is 273K and 1 atmosphere. strong acid - A strong acid is an acid that completely dissociates in water. An example of a strong acid is hydrochloric acid, HCl, which dissociates into H and Cl- in water. strong nuclear force - The strong nuclear force is the force that holds the protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus together. sublimation - Sublimation is when a solid changes directly into a gas. At atmospheric pressure, dry ice or solid carbon dioxide goes directly into carbon dioxide vapor, never becoming liquid carbon dioxide. synthesis - Synthesis is making a larger molecule from two or more atoms or smaller molecules. system - A system includes everything you are evaluating in a situation. temperature - Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles. theoretical yield - Theoretical yield is the amount of product which would result if a chemical reaction proceeded perfectly, to completion, with no loss. thermodynamics - Thermodynamics is the study of energy. titration - Titration is a procedure in which the concentration of an acid or base is determined by measuring how much base or acid is required to neutralize it. triple point - The triple point is the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid, and vapor phases of a substance exist in equilibrium. unit cell - A unit cell is the simplest repeating structure of a crystal. unsaturated - There are two common meanings for unsaturated in chemistry. The first refers to a chemical solution that does not contain all of the solute that can be dissolved in it. Unsaturated also refers to an organic compound which contains one or more double or triple carbon-carbon bonds. unshared electron pair - An unshared electron pair or lone pair refers to two electrons that arent participating in chemical bonding. valence electron - The valence electrons are the atoms outermost electrons. volatile - Volatile refers to a substance that has a high vapor pressure. VSEPR - VSEPR stands for Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion. This is a theory used that predicts molecular shapes based on the assumption that electrons stay as far as possible from each other. Quiz Yourself Ionic Compound Names QuizElement Symbol Quiz

Free sample - Celiac Disease. translation missing

Celiac Disease. Celiac DiseaseCeliac disease affects the small intestines. When one has a celiac disease there is allergic reaction in the small intestines towards gluten that is commonly found in wheat, barley and oats. This immunological reaction results in an inflammation that destroys the inner lining of the small intestines (Fasano Troncone, 2008). This eventually reduces the absorption of important nutrients into the body leading to symptoms of mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Celiac disease is also referred to as non-tropical sprue or gluten enteropathy Celiac disease is mostly common in European countries such as Sweden, Italy and Ireland. United States has also indicated a high prevalence rate in Celiac disease though the symptoms of this disease are only visible in the late stages of life. Causes The allergic reaction towards gluten in the small intestines causes inflammation that completely destroys the small intestines. Evidence has shown that this reaction is partially inherited and genetic. This implies that around 11% of first degree relatives of persons with celiac disease have high chances of getting the disease (Fasano Troncone, 2008).   Similarly, around 35% of fraternal twins, and 65% of identical twins have high chances of both the twins having the disease. There are also some specific genes that are only available with individuals with celiac disease Gluten is a type of protein that is present in wheat and comprises of some proteins called gliadin that dissolves in alcohol. The immunological reaction common in celiac disease is caused by the gliadin. Upon the reaction, gliadin becomes toxic and destroys the inner lining of the small intestines. Proteins such as gliadin are formed by long chains of amino acids that are attached to each other. The digestive enzymes present in the small intestines break proteins into smaller chains of amino acids for facilitation of easier absorption (Thompson, 2006).   The allergic reaction in the small intestines could be because gliadin is not completely broken down by the intestinal enzymes causing some long chains of amino acids to remain unbroken. These chains penetrate the cells at the inner intestines and hence causing the damage to the intestinal cells. One of the longer chains of the amino acids attaches to the tissue transglutaminase. In persons with celiac disease, this combination causes an immune reaction that destroys the intestinal cells. Foods that contain gliadin-like proteins such as barley and rye end up causing celiac disease in persons who are genetically predisposed (Thompson, 2006). Oats contain gliadin that cause weak inflammation and only attacks few individuals who are predisposed to get celiac disease. Corn and rice do not cause celiac disease because they lack gliadin-like proteins. Effects in the Small Intestine The inner lining of small intestines has finger-like projections known as villi. They increase the surface area for absorption of nutrients into the blood stream (Blummer, 2010).  Ã‚   The presence of celiac disease destroys the villi through inflammation making the inner lining of the small intestine to be flattened. When the villi are destroyed, it leads to mal-absorption of nutrients that eventually leads to nutrients’ deficiencies, a condition called malnutrition.   The extent of the damage at the small intestines varies from patient to patient and determines the magnitude of the signs and symptoms of the celiac disease. If all the small are affected by the inflammation, then the patient is bound to have rigorous symptoms of mal-absorption. Signs and Symptoms The symptoms for celiac disease range from mild to more advanced signs (Fasano Troncone, 2008). There generally two sets of signs and symptoms namely; symptoms due to mal-absorption and symptoms due to mal-nutrition of vitamins and minerals. Signs and Symptoms of Mal-absorption Celiac disease reduces the absorption of crucial nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Absorption of fat is affected more than the other nutrients and hence most of the gastrointestinal symptoms of celiac disease are caused by the inadequate absorption of fat or fat mal-absorption. Some of these symptoms include diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal bloating and high amounts of aft in the stool (steatorrhea) (Blummer, 2010).   Diarrhea occurs when the unabsorbed fats are broken down into fatty acids by the intestinal bacteria. The fatty acids enhance the secretion of water into the intestine and hence resulting into diarrhea. The fatty stools are voluminous and have foul smell, are greasy and light grey in color and have tendencies of floating in the toilet bowl. Sometimes oil droplets from undigested fats may be spotted floating on water. Mal-absorption of carbohydrates and especially sugar lactose that is common in milk is experienced by patients suffering from celiac disease. Lactose consists of glucose and galactose and has to split into these sugars for it to be absorbed in the body (Thompson, 2006).  Ã‚   Lactase, which is the enzyme responsible for splitting glucose and galactose, is situated on the surface of the small intestinal villi. The damage of the intestinal wall due to inflammation causes mal-absorption of lactose in patients suffering from celiac disease. Symptoms of lactose mal-absorption include diarrhea, flatulence (passing of gas), pain in the abdomen and bloating. These symptoms are as a result of the unabsorped lactose passing into the colon where it is split into galactose and glucose by the bacteria present in the colon. Gases released by the bacteria are hydrogen and methane and are responsible for the flatulence. Increased gas in the stool also cause the floating of the stool in the toilet bowl. Signs and Symptoms of Mal-nutrition Some of the symptoms for nutrient deficiency include; loss of weight, fluid retention, anemia, bruising easily, peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage, osteoporosis, infertility and general muscle weakness. Weight loss is caused by the mal-absorption of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Celiac disease causes increased appetite in the patients and therefore weight loss does not always occur. Protein is responsible of preventing fluid from leaking out of blood vessels and hence the reduction in protein levels causes fluid to leak into many tissues (edema) such as ankles and feet causing swelling of the same (Thompson, 2006).  Ã‚   Easy bruising is caused by mal-absorption of vitamin K leading to lack of blood clotting. Nerve damage is caused is caused by the deficiency of thiamine and vitamins B12, and may lead to poor balance, muscle weakness and numbness. Infertility normally occurs in women when the celiac disease is untreated. Muscle weakness is caused by low levels of magnesium a nd potassium. How Celiac Disease is diagnosed Symptoms associate with celiac disease may also be experienced in patients with other diseases such as Crohn’s disease and pancreatic problems (Blummer, 2010).   It is therefore important to carry out necessary testing to confirm celiac disease. Some of the recommended tests include small intestinal biopsy and specific antibody tests. Blood tests may also be performed to check vitamin deficiencies. Treatment of Celiac Disease There is no known cure for celiac disease and therefore gluten free diet is used as a form of treatment (Thompson, 2006).   Foods made from rye, barley and wheat should be avoided completely. Some tablets that might contain gluten should also be avoided by persons with celiac disease. Drugs for Celiac Disease Treatment Drugs used for the treatment of celiac disease are mostly food supplements for replacing nutrients that are lacking in the body (Fasano Troncone, 2008). Some of the drugs include; Dapsone, Effexor, Levaquin, Nexium, Prozac, Probiotics, Synthroid, Protonix and many more. References Blummer, I. (2010). Celiac Disease for Dummies. Chicago: For Dummies. Fasano, A., Troncone, R. ( 2008). Frontiers in Celiac Disease. London: Karger Publishers. Thompson, D. (2006). Ciliac disease nutrition guide. New York: American Diatetic Association.

Sand and gravel operators in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Essay

Sand and gravel operators in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - Essay Example The availability of sand and gravel facilitated trade for the operators since this era. In this case, the operators’ trade took a unique course within the locality. There was a vivid observation that the operators would sell most of the products within Sault Ste. Marie vicinity. This trend has prevailed for a long duration since the onset of the sand and gravel trade within the locality. Definitely it was attributable to specific facts that involved city policies and regulations. Ontario had been subject to a rugged terrain since history. The city authorities had the zeal to reform the land and propagate agriculture (Mackintosh, 16). In this case, agriculture required a fine terrain with ideal edaphic factors. Agriculture was to become a complement of the pit business and mining in this region. The interests of the authorities were to enhance both sectors in Ontario. In this plan, southern Ontario was engaged in agricultural activities as the northern part was to retain aggreg ate resources (Mackintosh, 16). This led to the production of a policy that credited Sault Ste. Marie to retain the aggregate resources. This was an ideal decision from the authorities. However, it surfaced intricate issues and hardships amongst inhabitants who practiced the different economic initiatives. Conflict arose in places where the agrarian and aggregate land would coincide. After the implementation of the dual economy, agriculture took a rampant growth. This is evident in the production of fruits like cherries, grapes as well as peaches (Mackintosh, 16). As denoted previously, Sault Ste. Marie was dominant in aggregate resources. During its aggregate activities, Sault Ste. Marie was responsible of the blockage and deposits in Root River. It was also responsible for depositing materials in Cannon Creek. These were paramount resources towards the enhancement of agriculture. Therefore, the aggregate deposits were significantly detrimental to the thriving of agriculture. Conse quently, the authorities charged Sault Ste. Marie due to the blockages it had brought. According to the policy, any individual that would make deposits in rivers or at the banks would be charged. A five or ten thousand dollars fine would be imposed to the offender (Laskin, 10). The crime could also lead to both a fine and one year imprisonment. This policy has been existent from the 1970s to date. This is a key reason towards the dismal trade to Ontario for the aggregate resources. Any form of deposit that would deprive the quality of water in this municipality would attribute to legal charges. Evidently, this policy was a key factor towards the decreased trade of aggregate materials to Ontario. The traders of aggregate materials would prefer not to incur a risk in the transportation process. In this case, they preferred to trade with the local buyers of aggregate materials. Their preference of trade remained intact inspire of the low profit margins in Sault Ste. Marie. Therefore, t he Ontario policy was a key factor towards the local preference by aggregate traders in Sault Ste. Marie. Southern Ontario is entirely vulnerable to aggregate pollution (Laskin, 9). Poverty has been a sensitive issue in the confines of Sault Ste. Marie. There has been a major concern to eradicate poverty in this locality (Coulter, 9). Poverty eradication would bring a new phase in diverse sectors of this vicinity. For example, it would enhance education attainment, healthcare amongst others. The eradication would also bring a positive economic impact on the vicinity. In this locality, poverty is in a rampant state to a large populace. Due to this fact, majority of the individuals do not hold professional qualifications for ideal careers. This is a trend in the sand

Introduction of research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction of - Research Paper Example The paper is going to examine and discuss the function of aniline substituents by looking into the intensities of SERS of different anilines in gold and silver colloids by utilizing a Raman spectrometer which has a 785 nm excitation wavelength. The Chemical Enhancement factors of the Surface Enhanced Raman and detection limits for aniline and its mono- and di-substituted meta derivatives are established and comparisons made. The inductive impacts of withdrawal of electrons as a result of substituents and the steric needs of chemical adsorption influence the strength of signals of different vibrational modes of the aromatic ring and amino group. By utilizing the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the level of improvement is also linked to the ways of setting up the silver and gold colloids, which are characterized by exploring the structural morphology of the nanoparticle and its level of aggregation. Introduction: What is Raman Effect? Raman scattering or Raman Effect is the ine lastic scattering of photons from an atom or a molecule (Sur, 2010). It was discovered by a well known Indian physicist C V Raman in the year 1928. Generally, most photons are elastically scattered from an atom or a molecule, with the scattered photons having the same energy and wavelength as the incident photons (Sur, 2010). This phenomenon is known as ‘Rayleigh scattering’ and it accounts for the blue color of the sky (Sur, 2010). There is however a difference in frequency between the scattered photons and the incident photons. This physicist discovered the Raman Effect as he was working on the molecular diffraction of light and observed this effect in liquid. The Other Russian scientists Gregory Landsberg and Leonid Mandelstam first observed this effect in crystals (Sur, 2010). Raman won the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his work on inelastic scattering of photons. The history of SERS SERS was discovered accidentally in 1974 as people attempted to perform Raman on the elec trode with an original idea of generating a high surface area on that extremely roughened metal. With time, people realized that the surface area was not the fundamental point on this arena. Periodical searches were made in the dark, which led to progress in 1977 when different groups found out that the rough silver electrode can produce a Raman spectrum that is a million fold more intense than what was expected (Ferraro, 1994). The huge signal confirmed surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). SERS have recently overcome the disadvantage of the small cross section of Raman spectroscopy completely, and therefore can be utilized to study the single molecule spectroscopy (Ferraro, 1994). Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has experienced renaissance recently in its development as a result of the remarkable discovery of single molecule SERS (SMSERS). This has also led to the explosion of interest in nanophotonics and plasmonics (Dieringer, 2005). Since excitation of the locali zed surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) of a nanostructured surface or nanoparticle Is centered at the heart of SERS, it is vital to have in control all of the factors influencing the LSPR with an aim to maximize signal strength and ensure reproducibility (Dieringer, 2005)

PriceLine Essay Example for Free

PriceLine Essay The number of Internet users has multiplied manifolds in the past few years that have influenced business strategies across the globe. The travel industry too has undergone significant changes with companies utilizing online platform to reach out to millions of customers at a given point of time. E-commerce has emerged as the new marketplace where travel package sellers provide prompt service to customers looking for holiday packages, flight ticket bookings, hotel reservations and sight seeing trips. The online travel industry has equipped the customers with access to vast information related to travel plans, cost of tickets, options and alternatives available to minimize costs and make more effective travel plans. This proves not only convenient to the customers allowing them to make better decisions but also saves a lot of time in commuting to the local travel agent or making reservations on phone. The flexibility offered by this mode of transaction has induced most people to venture online to book flights and make travel plans. The industry has witnessed widespread growth due to increasing consumer demand for online services. Many firms have entered the industry owing to the low cost of setting up virtual operations and increased market accessibility. PriceLine. com was one of the pioneers in this field owing to its unique business model â€Å"Name Your Own Price† that set the cash registers ringing for the company. Eventually many companies followed to adopt the demand collection business model to achieve increased sales and growth. Company overview Priceline. com was founded in the year 1997 and is an online travel service provider with its headquarters in Connecticut, United States. Priceline. om currently provides online travel services to over 60 countries in Europe, America, Asia, Middle East and Africa. It operates under the banners booking. com – an online hotel reservation service serving European markets, priceline. com – an online travel booking service operating in United States, and agoda. com – an online hotel reservation service in Asia. Additionally the company operates other travel websites that include travelweb. com, lowestfare. com, rentalcars. com and breezenet. com. The company also provides personal finance services that offer home mortgages, refinancing and home equity loans. Priceline. com offers its customers various alternatives to plan their vacations in a cost effective manner. The various services provided by the company allow the customers to save on their airline tickets, hotel reservation charges, renting cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to discounted prices and cost effective travel packages the company provides its customers with Name Your Own Price service that enables the customers to bid for tickets and reservations, car rentals and cruises at their own specified price that is accepted or refused by the company based on booking availability. The company generates revenue on the margin between the customer paid price and the price paid by the company to the airlines, car rental agencies or hotels for bookings. Priceline. com soon expanded to other areas of servicing including car rentals, hotel reservations, car sales, vacations packages, and cruises. The sales of the company increased from only US$ 35 million in 1998 to US$ 480 million in 1999. In the year 2007 the company reported a gross sale of US$ 4. 8 billion that was almost 45. 5 percent increase over the previous year sales (Priceline. om). Priceline The Business Model Advancing technology and rapidly changing business application scenario has made a deep impact on the way organizations are adopting innovative ways to reach the customers and increase profit margins. E-commerce is the latest business strategy that has provided greater competitive edge to industries across the globe. The online travel business is one of the most rewarding aspects of rising e-commerce applications. Consumers now do not need to visit the ticketing or booking office to make their travel plans. All they need to do is log on to the Internet and access websites that offer online flight ticket bookings, hotel reservations, car rentals and host of other travel related services such as arranging local sightseeing trips and avail special tour packages. Priceline. com is one of the pioneers in providing its customers with cost effective travel services introducing a novel approach to online travel sales. The business model â€Å"Name Your Own Price† became a huge hit with the customers and Priceline made headlines in the forthcoming years. Priceline. om was the brainchild of Jay Walker, an entrepreneur, who developed a new business model where the customers could bid their price for a specific product. The seller would then decide if he is ready to sell at that price or not. This model enabled the sellers to offload their old and excess stock at a discounted price. In 1996 this model was applied by Jay Walker to an airline industry where unsold extra seats were sold off to customers at a discounted price. This formed the origin of an Internet-based software â€Å"name your own price† ticketing service for airlines. Customers placed bid on tickets for specific destinations of their choice. Priceline would match the available airlines bookings for the specified destinations and decide on accepting price bids placed by customers. The company discarded requests for unreasonably low prices quoted by customers. Moreover, the customers had the limitation of choosing airlines, exact time of travel and if needed, take a connecting flight. This business model was not readily accepted by major airlines since they had plans of launching their own website services. Walker had entered into agreement with only two partners – TWA and America West. Priceline. com was launched in April 1998. Initially the company faced losses and but in August 1998 the company signed agreement with one of the major airlines – Delta, and this turned the fortunes of the company. Other airlines followed suit and the company’s business model gained rapid acceptance among the consumers. There are three steps to PriceLine sales strategy online using the â€Å"Name Your Own Price† model. The website collects consumer demand for a specific product or service at a desired price level. The company then communicates this demand to the available sellers’ database and decides on a specific dealer who is willing to sell at that particular consumer-mentioned price. Once the seller agrees to sell at that price, the company communicates this offer to the consumer who finalizes the sales process. In case the consumer does not respond to the offer within a specified time period the offer is declared null and void. Company Growth Strategy The company’s management has ambitious growth plans for the future and is focused on growing and expanding to new emerging markets in Asia and other corners of the globe. The company is experiencing extraordinary growth rate and this is evident in its positioning in the Top 50 hot growth company list on the Business Week magazine. Jeffrey H. Boyd, president and Chief Executive Officer of Priceline claims â€Å"Internationally, we believe that our wide geographic reach, new market initiatives and extensive inventory are providing sustained impetus for growth. We believe that in the United States, our value positioning and brand promotion through offline and online channels is driving above-category growth rates in an uncertain economic environment. † The â€Å"Name Your Own Price† business model launched by PriceLine became the stepping stone to success. The company adopted this model effectively in the travel bookings industry and then re-applied this theory to other segment of customer service that included financial mortgages and car sales. PriceLine has evolved as a reputable brand in the past few years in the area of online travel bookings. The company utilized this brand name to promote franchisees across various geographic regions. The market expansion strategy through appointing licensed operators to offer similar kinds of services to customers using their business model was very effective. Richard S. Braddock, the CEO and chairman of PriceLine had stated â€Å"We believe that priceline. com has the two most important ingredients in place to make our travel growth strategy a success. One is our industry leading travel brand and the other is our customer franchise, which provides a steady average stream of 4 million visitors who come to priceline. com each month looking to make travel purchases. † Prompt query processing and customer service is another area of marketing and sales strategy that is emphasized by the company management. The effectiveness of travel booking companies is measured by their capacity to provide host of cost effective travel packages and prompt customer servicing. Ron Rose, the Chief Information Officer at PriceLine observes in priceline. om â€Å"Our goal is to lead the industry as a world class customer-centric company, with an infrastructure that delivers the best, personalized customer service experience is absolutely fundamental to our company’s long term success on the Internet. † PriceLine started its initial operations with airlines ticket booking services and the wide popularity and acceptance that their business model experienced during the first few years prompted them to move to new areas of operations related to travel market. The online booking of airlines services was extended to hotel reservations, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises. The number of sellers associating with PriceLine. com also increased owing to their rapid market expansion and growth strategy. Major airlines, hotels, car renting agencies and cruise companies entered into agreement with PriceLine to meet the growing consumer demands. PriceLine has adopted aggressive outdoor advertising and online advertising campaigns to generate interest among potential consumers on a global scale. It has set up physical locations at strategic market locations to increase accessibility and provide a more effective customer service. This step was taken to attract customers who are not Internet savvy and prefer to transact offline. Technology The launch of the Internet applications and e-commerce in the 1990s made a deep impact on the business world. E-commerce business models revolutionized the way businesses are conducted today leading to increased opportunities that challenged traditional business outfits to accept new challenges. Low cost operations business models made an entry equipped with technology that had extensive global reach and the potential to generate higher profits. The appropriate use of this technology in the online travel sales business provided Priceline with an edge over its competitors. It became a leading service provider in the industry owing to the ways it enabled its customers to save on their airline tickets, hotel reservations, rental car bookings, vacation packages and cruises. The company applied an advanced search technology, TripFilter that allowed the travelers to narrow their searches and create their own travel packages that were most cost effective using the lowest price booking services offer. Application of e-commerce technologies and applications have made significant impact on the sales of the company. The company website has been ranked as one of the most available e-commerce site in the past four years according to Keynote systems (www. keynotesystems. com). Technology has been a great enabler of changes in modes of business practice and models adopted by the entrepreneurs to maximize gains. The company realizes that it needs to maintain a strong database and advanced technology features in terms of data storage capacity to accommodate its growing customer base online. The management implemented a system that took care of its growing backend processing needs without compromising on the speed of customer request processing. PriceLine utilized the technology platform to provide a base for new means of marketing, revenue earning model, and communicating with existing and potential clients. The online market penetration strategy adopted by PriceLine offered huge economic benefits in terms of extensive market penetration, easy access to consumers and wide scale accessibility of products and services. Market Expansion Strategies The globalization of the market owing to the extensive reach of the Internet, information, and product details accessible to consumers across physical borders translates to increased sales and revenue figures for the sellers online. They can now reach any corner of the globe to display and sell their products ensuring wider scale of operations and greater market share. This owes to the millions of people globally who now have access to the Internet and with telecommunication service providers facilitating the broadband services; the quality of access has improved considerably. The online travel market demand is increasing in emerging Asian economies and most reputed travel brands are establishing their presence in these countries to tap the enormous market potential. The United States market has the maximum number of users online to meet their travel demands. Online ticket bookings and travel related purchases are one of the primary contributors to e-commerce revenue. The markets of United States and Europe are more matured compared to the emerging Asian markets that hold a lot of promise for the industry in the future years.

Slave Life Essay -- essays research papers

As slavery continued and grew, complicated systems of social status developed on plantations. The lowest ranking slaves, the backbone of the plantation economy, were the field slaves. The field slaves were divided into ‘gangs’ according to their physical strength and ability, with the strongest and fittest males and females in the first gang. The highest ranking slaves were the domestic servants who worked in the owner’s house. The difference in status between field and domestic slaves caused a division between the slaves on most plantations. Field work on the sugar plantations was intense and exhausting, particularly the digging of holes for planting and the cutting of canes when it was time to reap them. The incentive used to encourage hard work, was lashes of the cart whip, which were freely administered by the drivers, who were ‘privileged’ slaves under the overseer's supervision. During crop time, work in the factories was equally intense and the hours were long. The cruel pace at which slaves were driven effectively shortened their lives, and this continued to be the case despite legislation, which claimed to restrict how severely enslaved Africans were treated. Plantations throughout the Caribbean were organised in much the same way, though there were differences amongst the islands. In Puerto Rico for example, the Spanish established slave codes that gave enslaved Africans more rights than in many other colonies. These codes allowed some enslaved Africans to own pr...

The Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg (local i/ t? sb? r? /, with an /s/ sound),[6] was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War[7] and is often described as the war's turning point. [8] Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North.After his success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his army through the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North—the Gettysburg Campaign. With his army in high spirits, Lee intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged northern Virginia and hoped to influence Northern politicians to give up their prosecution of the war by penetrating as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or even Philadelphia. Prodded by President Abraham Lincoln, Maj.Gen. Joseph Hooker moved his army in pursuit, but was relieved just three days before the battle and replaced by Meade. Elements of the two armies initially collided at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there, his objective being to engage the Union army and destroy it. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division under Brig. Gen. John Buford, and soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry.However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south. On the second day of battle, most of both armies had assembled. The Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. In the late afternoon of July 2, Lee launched a heavy assault on the Union left flank, and fierce fighting raged at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, and the Peach Orchard .On the Union right, demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. All across the battlefield, despite significant losses, the Union defenders held their lines. On the third day of battle, July 3, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south, but the main event was a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, known as Pickett's Charge.The charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle. That November, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address. The Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg (local i/ t? sb? r? /, with an /s/ sound),[6] was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War[7] and is often described as the war's turning point. [8] Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North.After his success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his army through the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North—the Gettysburg Campaign. With his army in high spirits, Lee intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged northern Virginia and hoped to influence Northern politicians to give up their prosecution of the war by penetrating as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or even Philadelphia. Prodded by President Abraham Lincoln, Maj.Gen. Joseph Hooker moved his army in pursuit, but was relieved just three days before the battle and replaced by Meade. Elements of the two armies initially collided at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there, his objective being to engage the Union army and destroy it. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division under Brig. Gen. John Buford, and soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry.However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south. On the second day of battle, most of both armies had assembled. The Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. In the late afternoon of July 2, Lee launched a heavy assault on the Union left flank, and fierce fighting raged at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, and the Peach Orchard .On the Union right, demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. All across the battlefield, despite significant losses, the Union defenders held their lines. On the third day of battle, July 3, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south, but the main event was a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, known as Pickett's Charge.The charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle. That November, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.

Religion, Poverty and Wealth

All Christians believe that the world and everything in it have been created by God. They believe that the world is holy, special, divine, worthy of respect and honour. ‘The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. ‘ Psalm 24:1-2 Because ‘the earth is the Lord's', Christians believe they are stewards or caretakers. They should be committed to the proper management of the world and its resources.Since the earth has been delegated to people by God they have to manage it esponsibly and productively for the sake of both their own and subsequent generations. The following bible quotes tell us that everything belongs to God. God made the mountains, the sea, dry land and the skies. They also show that God's creation reveals his greatness: ‘For the Lord is the great God ¤Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬: In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. T he sea is his, for he made it, and his hands form the dry land' Psalm 95:3-6 Christianity teaches us that God is the God of nature, as well as of religion.God made the physical universe, sustains it, and still pronounces it good. God is interested in, nd looks after his creation. ‘God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. ‘ Genesis 1 Christians believe that God made human beings to be like himself. ‘So God created man in his own image ¤Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬: male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Genesis 1:27-28 Human beings are godlike beings made in Gods likeness and possessing capacities which distinguish them from the animal creation. Since God is interested in the arth, so should the Christian want to care for all that God has made. God tells man to look after the earth and Christians believe they have a responsible task in God's plan for creation. God tells man they should care for the world and Christians believe that they should look atter it because ne nas given it to them. Theretore they should respect it and protect it.As well as caring for the earth, Jesus taught his followers to love God with all their heart, and to love their neighbours as themselves. In Matthew 19:16-21 Jesus told a rich, young man that if he wanted eternal life he should love his neighbour as imself, which included selling his processions and giving to the poor. Love of God cannot be separated from love for humanity. Christians try to live their lives by this rule. Christians believe they should take what they say and sing in church, in to their everyday lives, so that it affects all of their life, at home, work, school etc. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. ‘ Jame s 1:27 Christians should truly love their neighbours and should be concerned for their total welfare: the well being of their soul, their body, and their community. Christians look to Jesus for an example for their lives. Jesus humbled himself and became weak and vulnerable to serve people. He healed the sick, feed the hungry and was a friend to the dropouts. He said he did not come to be served but to serve.Therefore if the Christian models his or her life on Jesus, it will involve entering into other people's worlds. Jesus was moved with compassion by the sight of needy human beings and Christians follow this example. Faith and love go together for Christians: ‘Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action is dead ¤Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬:l will show you my faith by what I do. ‘ James 2:17-18 This implies that the Christian should show their faith by loving and serving others. ‘If anyone has material possessions and seize his brother in need but has no pity on him, ho w can the love of God be in him. 1 John 3:17 These verses give an example of how Christians should lay down their lives for others – to help those in need. When Jesus was asked to define what he meant by ‘neighbour', he told the well known parable of the good Samaritan which is found in Luke chapter 10. Jesus paints the scene of a man lying mugged by the side of a road. Two kind of religious leaders, a priest and a Levite pass him without stopping. The audience expect a third person to come by and help the victim who will be an ordinary layman, a fellow Jew. But Jesus surprises them. The third man is a Samaritan, an enemy.Jesus shows that loving your neighbour means acting when you meet a person in need, even it it is an enemy or an inconvenience to you. Jesus tells the people not to sit about debating who counts as your neighbour but to go out and be a good neighbour as the need arises. Christians believe that their neighbour is not Just the person who looks like them, but people of all races throughout the world who are all bound together in the human family. Jesus bases this love for enemies on the example of God. As the creator God, involved with every detail of the universe, he does not discriminate between deserving and undeserving human beings.

goals of psychological research essays

goals of psychological research essays III. The four goals of psychological research are to describe, explain, predict, and control the issue. The first goal of psychological research is the method to describe each behavior and the circumstances it brings about. The goal following describe is the goal to explain. The need to know why the behavior occurs is essential. Another psychological research is to predict. Comprehending a behavior is to know when it will happen or what are the results. The final goal of psychological research is the goal to control behavior (Heiman, 1999). IIIB. Heiman (1999) discussed that scientific evidence is obtained through empirical, objective, systematic, and control research. Empirical is types of evidence that can be obtained by observation. Observing of events will bring upon knowledge of this evidence. Everyone will partake is having the same beliefs regarding these observations. Objectivity is type of scientific evidence is obtained through the observation of the same event but still have different impression. Observations must be free from bias. Systematic is the ideas that research observation are obtained in a methodical, step-by-step fashion. The use of systematic determines the role of each factor and combination of factors as they apply to a behavior. Controlled research is another way to simplify the situation by eliminating any extraneous factors that might influence the observed behaviors, which in turn, creates confusion. Create a clearly defined situation in which to observe only the specific behavior and the relevant factors that interest them are the main importance (Heiman. 1999). VI. Scientific hypothesis must be testable, falsifiable, precise, rational, and parsimonious. Testable, which means that the test can show that the hypothesis is false. Precise is the requirements that a scientific hypothesis should hold terms that are distinctly defined. Rational is the necessity that a scientific hypothesis should rea ...

5 Disadvantages of Bad Time Management

5 Disadvantages of Bad Time Management Poor planning and bad time management are often part of the learning experience for many new students in college. For others, however, poor planning becomes a habit. The consequences of putting that paper off, not turning in your work on time, and missing key deadlines, however, can be much more of a problem than you might initially think. Things May Get Expensive If you miss housing deadlines, incur late registration fees, or apply too late to get priority when your school is allocating financial aid, things can quickly become even more expensive than normal. Having good time management skills can help you avoid costly mistakes later. Things Can Become Harder Logistically If you think studying for your Spanish final is a pain in the brain, wait until you see what happens if you dont pass it/sleep through it/generally dont plan for it. You May Miss out on Opportunities Because You're Too Late That amazing study abroad program, Spring Break trip, and summer internship all have deadlines for a reason. If you apply too late or dont have everything you need ready in time, youll miss out on what could have been the experience of a lifetime. You May Miss out on Opportunities Because People Notice Your Pattern of Lateness and Disorganization People who you think dont notice your frequent lack of planning and lateness may, in fact, notice more than you realize. When your favorite professor is trying to think of students for an awesome summer research gig, you might get passed over because she knows you wont have your stuff together when needed. Keeping your schedule balanced and your time managed may open doors you dont even realize are there. You Will Always Feel Behind Not sure if you have poor planning skills? Ask yourself to remember the last time you felt ahead of the game. If it wasnt recently, chances are youre constantly feeling behind- because you are. Bad time management skills mean you are always playing catch-up and experiencing stress. And with all thats going on in your college life, why add more stress to the mix?

Controversies on School Uniform Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Controversies on School Uniform - Article Example The costs of the fashionable clothes and the associated conflicts, made most schools and parents to agitate for school uniforms. But this issue has continued to raise controversies where some students and their parents claim that it is a form of infringement   pertaining to the first amended rights. They claim that, the wearing of uniforms stifled their sense of individuality. Students that were normally used   to having a broad choice of outfits were now narrowed to   keeping their attire simple. I tend to believe that, children have got various ways in which they can easily express their feelings. This can be done by using the personal traits (Catalanello).  Ã‚  In most schools, the decision to introduce uniforms rose due to the emerging concern based on gang colors where young girls started wearing clothes that were considered extremely sexy for the seven or eight graders. The introduction of uniforms therefore, has gone far in eliminating   the social concerns and the v arious distractions that affects children in their academics. Even though the introduction of uniforms resulted to much controversy to both parents and children, reduction in gang activities, sexual attacks and violent action among children have been witnessed (Angelfire).  Ã‚  After the introduction of uniforms in school, there are no more morning confusions. This was reported by the parents whose children attend schools with unform rules. Other than some few complains that are aired on the debates concerning school uniforms, which regard to costs.