IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND Research Paper

IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS - Research Paper Example This will also involve a discussion on the major challenges facing disaster management and how the social media can be used to defray these challenges. The paper will concentrate on information sharing, disaster preparation and decision-making as well as information collection. These four social media functions will then be mapped on to three crisis management phases of awareness, reaction, and recovery to outline how a variety of social media tools may be utilized to improve crisis communications. The paper will also share several cases of global organizations and governments that use social media for crisis management. The research paper proposes a model to improve government utilization of social media for crisis management that includes the necessity for a mandate, distinct guidelines and several key capabilities that need to be developed. The proposed tools will help governments and organizations in emergency management and disaster preparedness. According to Sturges (2004) crisis management is an important organizational function that deals with planning and dynamic occurrence reaction to situations as they take place, usually in unpredictable ways. The flowing effects of a happening crisis can thrash a country’s or an organization’s capability to function effectively and may bring about serious harm to its citizens, institutions, assets, and repute. The emergence of an array of social media tools has transformed the landscape of crisis management significantly over the last few years with promises for social action now becoming certainties. With the availability of various software tools such as online discussion forums and news aggregators, organizations are now able to distribute, attain, and scrutinize information in a more efficient manner and expansively. While social media has the capability to bar a crisis from getting out of control,

Introductory Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introductory Ethics - Essay Example Kant cites another example of refusing to help others in pursuit of their projects. This maxim according to Kant easily passes the contradiction in conception test but fails to pass the final test of contradiction in will. According to this maxim it is our duty to help people sometimes but only to a certain extent, not in each and every given situation. Kant further cites the example of a perfect duty in keeping the promises you have made to others but actually have little intention of actually keeping the promise. There is a self-contradiction maxim in this intention of making a promise to achieve some kind of desired purpose, but with no intention of keeping it. The contradiction is in the fact that this maxim cannot become a Universal law, because it would then imply that one has to lie every time, in order to achieve the desired result. A.2. In the "murderer at the door" maxim Kant imagines a number of coincidences that may occur when you reply honestly to the murderer's questions. He states that when the person at the door is answering the questions of the murderer, whether the victim is at home, it is likely that the victim may have secretly left the house and thus will not get in the way of the murderer and as a result the murder might not take place at all.

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Managment - Essay Example Managers also need to draft a comprehensive time schedule over which the project implementation process will strictly follow. This will ensure that activities are all executed within the specified periods. This will also ensure that the project is completed within the set time schedule. Proper allocation of resources is also required, in planning, to ensure that workers are not pushed around departments in search for resources (Pinto 57). Proper allocation of resources, in a different department, will also ensure that different departments exist independently, but co-exist with other departments for mutual benefits. In addition, constant rewarding of workers is a necessity in improving their efficiency and performance. A functional organization, planning to transform into a supportive and interactive culture from adversarial culture, needs to consider a number of factors. In the first place, the organization should begin by setting up a corporate wide vision, which aims at motivating and uniting workers (Pinto 58). Secondly, they have to establish a punishment or reward system that is in accordance with their vision. Lastly, such firms need to formulate unambiguous policies that are in line with communication and authority (Pinto 59). This is significant in making fast and efficient

High school Essay Example for Free

High school Essay CHAPTER ONE 1. 0 INTRODUCTION In an effort to improve universal access to education, the ministry of education made a decision to introduce the re-entry policy. The policy is meant to accord girls who drop out of school owing to early pregnancy an opportunity to be re-admitted six months to one after delivery. This initiative has since scored a number of successes as some girls have gone back to school and successfully completed their secondary education , though some, order the age initially would have done so, Fifth National Development Plan(2006-2010). Before October 13 1997, it was considered an expellable offence for girls who fell pregnant while at school. But the re-introduction of the re-entry policy on that date was a measure and recognition of the importance of addressing gender inequalities in national development and the need to narrow down the gender gap in the education, Ministry of Education (1996). Child pregnancy has been persistent factors in household and hence, the re-entry policy has enabled government and families to recoup the investment made in educating such girls and that the nation has been accorded the much needed educated human resource for national development. 1. 2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There has been a marked increase in the Forum for women educationist of Zambia has endeavored to play in the support and sensitization of the re-entry policy in enhancing girl child education in Zambia. However, despite this increase not all have been able to go back to schools. This is a serious omission particularly when a good number of girls can utilize the given opportunity and when concerted effort has been made to enhance girl child education. In addition, all efforts and resources pumped in will go to waste. 1. 3 THE PURPOSE OF STUDY The purpose of this study is to find out the role FAWEZA is playing in promoting the reentry policy in enhancing girl child education and to find out the response of the policy by the girl child. 1. 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ To find out the role of FAWEZA in promoting the re-entry policy. To find out whether school managers do comply with the policy. To find out the response of the re-entry policy by pupils. To find out whether the re-entry policy is a success or failure. To find out whether teachers and parents support the policy. To find out measures in improving the re-entry policy. 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What is the role of FAWEZA in supporting the re-entry policy? Do school managers comply with the policy? What is the response of the re-entry policy by pupils? Is the re-entry policy a success or failure? Do teachers and parents support the re-entry policy? What measures can improve the re-entry policy? 1. 6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study’s findings and recommendations may assist the Forum for Educationist of Zambia FAWEZA and the Ministry of Education in promoting and supporting the re-entry policy in enhancing girl child education in Zambia. 1. 7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Because it was an introduction to research at degree, this research only covered a small part of Lusaka urban district. Secondly, money was a problem to access at the right time hence it delayed the process of collecting data. However, the researcher tried by all means to use the available resources, time to make sure that this is a success. @siamef Page 2 1. 8 DEFINITION OF TERMS ENHANCE; To improves or adds to strength. RE-ENTRY; An act or instance of somebody going back to enter. POLICY; A set of principles on which they are based @siamef Page 3 CHAPTER 2 2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1 Policy Formulation In contrast to the policy of exclusion that preceded it, the re-entry policy advocates that girls who drop out of school due to pregnancy should be readmitted after giving birth. The aim of this policy is to find more innovative measures to help prevent the exclusion of young mothers from education. In the event of a girl being forced out of school due to pregnancy, the Ministry of Education in Zambia has provided policy guidelines to assist schools and other stakeholders such as FAWEZA etc. †When the women’s movement in Zambia grew in strength, one of the issues they decided to fight for was injustice for girls who were thrown out of school after getting pregnant. In June 1995, the Zambia Association for University Women organized a conference on the situation of the girl-child in Zambia. The conference, which was held in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, proposed to government that girls who became pregnant should be re-admitted into school once care for the child was assured† (FAWEZA, 2008, Ministry of Education, 2009). The policy is grounded in the outcomes of the Beijing Conference of 1995, a conference at which the Women’s Movement drew up its own priorities and action plan. The conference demanded that girls who dropped out of school because of pregnancy should be readmitted. In addition to this, Zambia is a signatory to most of the international instruments that promote the rights of children and women. The country recognizes education of all children as a basic human right as enshrined in Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It further recognizes education as a right that is also guaranteed by the policy of Education for All (EFA), the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the United Nations Platform for Action, and the Millennium Development Goals. In addition to the international instruments, major national policy developments within the education sector were initiated, culminating in the development of the third Ministry of Education (Moe) policy on education in the document â€Å"Educating Our Future† (1996). In 2000, the government adopted a National Gender Policy. The policy states that it will facilitate the readmission of girls who become pregnant back into school as a way of readdressing imbalances and inadequacies in the provision of education. The 2001 FAWEZA @siamef Page 4 workshop made a number of recommendations to improve the implementation of the re-entry policy. The recommendations were sent to the Ministry of Education for approval. Though there was no official acceptance, some of the recommendations were adopted, and that has made the policy work well, (FAWEZA, 2010) 2. 2 Response of the Policy In Zambia, some girls, especially in rural and peri-urban areas, fail to continue with their education as a result of teenage pregnancies. Although the Ministry of Education has a policy of allowing teenage mothers to go back to school after delivery, few are doing so. They find it difficult to leave their babies and stay in school for eight hours and are often ridiculed by others. The men responsible for their pregnancies often abandon them without any form of support. Unlike boys, a girl-child seems to have so much on her shoulders. This is due to cultural inequalities that continue to define societys way of life. Maybe this should be the focus of most of the gender discussion going on. Some girls in rural areas who fall pregnant are normally kept at home to help with domestic chores, or care for terminally ill parents. Others are forced into early marriages and thus denied the opportunity to further their education. Government, through the programme, has been seeking to bring teenage mothers back to school. Educating a girl-child has been a high priority for the Zambian Government, (Zambia Online). In realizing the re-entry policy, FAWEZA (2009) reports that† Interviews with girls also revealed a high level of appreciation for the policy among schoolgirl mothers who had reentered after giving birth. They reported that they were grateful that the policy had given them a second chanceâ€Å" Achievements highlighted by the head teachers and teachers were with regard to the increased number of girls who were readmitted after giving birth each year and the level of awareness of the policy by the parents who sent back their daughters after giving birth. These positive stories are set however against the background of the high number of girls who fall pregnant before finishing school each year. 2. 3 Successes and Failures of the Re-entry Policy Despite the policy being put in place in Zambia, an increasing number of girls do not return to school after giving birth. Social economic and cultural factors have been commonly cited as reasons for this failure. The annual statistics from the Zambia Ministry of Education @siamef Statistical Bulletin shows increased number of pregnancies. In addition, data from the Zambia Page 5 Demographic Health Survey (CSO, 2007) reveals that each year approximately 30% of the girls who drop out from school, do so because of pregnancy. The main reason stated for dropouts is the lack of financial support. The survey reveals that generally girls from disproportionately poor backgrounds drop out of school due to pregnancy compared to those from better off households. The survey shows a link between poverty and early adolescent pregnancy, which consequently leads them to be temporarily excluded from school. Zambia has seen a tremendous increase in access to education with pupil’s enrolments growing Over 9% since 2000. Further, the illiteracy rate in Zambia has been halved over the past three Decades from 90% to 45%. In addition, in the past two decades, Zambia has vigorously embarked on formulating interventions to eliminate gender based discrimination against girls and women as a strategy towards creating more equal societies, FAWEZA ANNUAL WORK PLAN (2012). Despite this achievement, many challenges remain in education delivery in Zambia. There is a huge gap in reaching the millennium development goals (MDG) and Education for All (EFA) goals by 2015. This particularly is a challenge given the country’s significant population growth and deep poverty. In addition, gender inequality is a long way from being realized. Despite the significant rise in female enrollment at primary school, fewer, female compared to male, enroll in high schools (particularly in rural areas) as many tend to drop out before completing secondary school. According to the FAWE ANNUAL WORK PLAN (2005-2009), â€Å"Despite the challenges in the re-entry policy, the government-civil society interaction and the consultative process in Zambia represent one of the best-practice cases in sub-Saharan Africa. The policy is appreciated by a broad spectrum of people. Internationally, Zambia has been cited as a best example for implementing the policy. Representatives from a number of countries in the region, including Malawi, Botswana and South Africa have come to Zambia to learn about policy implementation. † Interviews with the ministry of education DEBs, the national coordinator from a civil society organization (FAWEZA), head teachers, teachers and pupils indicated a high level of optimism for the ultimate success of the policy. Schools confirmed that the â€Å"re-entry policy is a good policy and indeed a historical watershed to the government of Zambia†. FAWEZA has provided 4,750 scholarships at basic, high school and tertiary levels in ratio of 7:3 girls and boys respectively. With the aim of improving the performance, retention and contribute to progression and pass rates of boys and girls on the scholarship @siamef Page 6. programme, FAWEZA has created and continued supporting 390 Study Groups at upper basic school level and high school levels. FAWEZA will also facilitate the showcasing of the repackaged SMT Tele quiz DVDs in 25 schools aimed at inspiring girls to take up SMT subjects. The activity is intended to help FAWEZA track the impacts of using the media to sensitize communities, girls and women that girls are capable of performing well in SMT subjects as the boys. 2. 4 Compliance of the Policy by School Managers. According to the Strategic Plan close out Report (2005-2009:20) â€Å"The creation of gender responsive school environments is cardinal in fostering access, retention and completion of girls in their education. In consideration of this, FAWEZA conducted training for 40 High School Managers in guidelines for gender responsive school environments and gender analysis and mainstreaming, while 58 female school managers took part in training in public image projection, which included role modeling, public speaking force field analysis and gender budgeting. Further, using the MOE/UNICEF Girl-Friendly school module, provincial executive members and CWA members were oriented for them to orient school managers; Out of 63 school managers invited to the gender mainstreaming training, 54 attended; Various PECs and DECs met the newly appointed PEOs and DEBS to solicit support. † Hence if such interventions are being carried out, various doors will be open to allow the success of the policy. @siamef Page 7 CHAPTER THREE 3. 0 Research Methodology The purpose of this chapter is to show how this study was conducted. It looks at the instruments used. The methodology gives in depth principles used to analyze and collect data in the research. This is a qualitative case study research that makes extensive use of primary and secondary data. 3. 1 Research Design The research design which was used in this study was the descriptive survey. This study was aimed at collecting information from respondents on the role of FAWEZA and the re-entry policy in enhancing girl child education in Zambia. The researcher used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through interviews with the FAWEZA representative, DEBs and administering questionnaires to Head teachers, teachers, Parents and Pupils while secondary was found from the internet, policy documents, statistical bulletins, books and magazines. 3. 2 Description of the sample. The proposed study targeted a sample of fifty (50) respondents. The sample included representatives of FAWEZA, DEBs, Ten (10) parents, five(5) teachers, five(5) guidance and counseling teachers, twenty(23) pupils and five(5)school managers. The sample was drawn from five schools namely Matero Girls High school, Kamwala High school, Olympia Park High school, Kabuionga Girls High school and Libala High school within Lusaka urban District. In this study, purposive sampling was used in which both male and female were used in data collection. 3. 3 Sampling Procedure The study was purposively sampled on the basis of public secondary schools that had girls. The sampling of the schools was also purposive; this was done with the help of head teachers who reported that their schools had student-mothers enrolled or pregnant girls that dropped out of school. Of the several schools in Lusaka urban District; 5 schools were chosen. However, due to the fact that schools closed, the pupils were drawn from those that used to go for studies during holidays. While the head teachers of the five schools confirmed having had schoolgirl pregnancy cases in their respective schools. @siamef Page 8 3. 4 Description of Research instruments In the process of data collection, in depth interviews and questionnaires were administered. The use of both instruments formed a complementary approach towards collecting data using qualitative type of research 3. 5 Data Collection In this study, in depth interviews were carried out to the representative of FAWEZA and the DEBs because detailed information was needed. Questionnaires were administered to school managers, parents, teachers and pupils 3. 6 Data Analysis Data analysis commenced after the process of data collection exercise. This included systematic arrangement of data from the field. This study is more qualitative to the perspective of the objectives and hence making qualitative research more reliable. 3. 7 Questionnaires In this instrument,  data was covered over the required sample. The content of the Questionnaires included: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Respondent’s role on the re-entry Policy in enhancing girl child education. Respondent’s compliance on the re-entry policy. Respondent’s support of the re-entry policy Respondent’s view on the measures to improve the re-entry policy. Respondent’s knowledge of the re-entry policy. 3. 8 Interview Guide Semi-structured interview were used as the main research technique in this study. The interviews covered various questions such as; †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The role of FWEZA in the re-entry policy. Measures to improve the re-entry policy. Successes and challenges of the policy. Compliance of the policy by school administrators. Page 9 @siamef CHAPTER 4 4. 0 Findings and Discussions of the study. This section presents research findings based on the data collected from the DEBs; FAWEZA; head teachers; teachers ,parents and students from Matero Girls High School; Olympia Park High School; Kamwala High School; Libala High School; Kabulonga Girls High school in Lusaka urban district of Zambia. The findings are given under full heading derived from the objectives of the study. 4. 1 The role of FAWEZA in the re-entry policy The FAWE representative was interviewed on the role that FAWEZA plays in the re-entry policy by enhancing girl child education in Zambia. The representative confirmed of the major role that FAWEZA has undertaken in the support and implementation of the re-entry policy. In realizing the re-entry policy guidelines, the organization has realized various initiatives to bridge the persistent gender gaps in education. To mitigate the problem, the organization conducts various initiatives. Some of the actions that are being undertaken include: †¢ Advocacy to ensure pregnant girls go back to school after giving birth and they mix freely with other pupils. †¢ Guidance and Counseling services are being offered to girls who fall pregnant in all the schools. †¢ Bursaries are offered to girls, orphans and vulnerable children. FAWEZA has been able to take over the financial responsibility for some of the most vulnerable girls. The support does not cover only the school requirements. A little extra money is given for the girls’ toiletries. Some of the girls who have had children fall into this category and benefit from the support, too. Girls who may have stayed away from school for financial reasons have been able to continue their education. Affirmative action for girls which lowers entry points into higher grades and tertiary have been implemented †¢ Workshops and discussion forums are being held to discuss challenges encountered by implementing the policy and how these can be addressed in order to reduce gender imbalance in the education sector. @siamef Page 10 †¢ Stiffer Rules have been instituted in schools that protect girl children from Gender Based Violence and other abuses. Schools have come up with strategies to help girls avoid pregnancies. One of them was Kabulonga Girls in Need Association. A teacher who saw the need for girls to talk about the problems they faced started the club. He adopted tactics that helped the girls gain selfconfidence. When FAWEZA visited the school, it was impressed by what had been achieved. The school was asked to transform the club into SAFE, an American concept that stands for the Student Alliance for Female Education. SAFE clubs, which are student networks for the promotion of female education, operate under the auspices of FAWEZA. SAFE aims to use peers or mentors to improve the wellbeing of the girl-child. The mentors come from institutions of higher learning such as the University of Zambia and the Evelyn Hone College. Girls who volunteer to become mentors are trained in adolescent reproductive health and counseling. They counsel victims of abuse, STI/HIV/AIDS and other related cases. The mentors help the club members to: ? Take responsibility and make informed choices ? Resist negative pressures ? Build their self -esteem ? Discuss issues affecting them openly and freely ? Avoid risky behavior The Kabulonga SAFE club has become a national model. SAFE clubs have been opened throughout the country. They now admit boys as supporters. This will help the boys and girls to work together and grow to respect each other. The clubs are helping remove the stigma against re-entry girls. Another intervention introduced by FAWEZA is the Communication Box. A locked box stands outside the school. Girls drop suggestions or complaints into the box. Only teachers trained by FAWEZA are allowed to open the boxes. If there are allegations against the school for further action. This has reduced cases of verbal and other abuse by teachers and students alike, FAWEZA REPORT (2004). @siamef Page 11 4. 2 Evaluation whether school managers comply with the policy In response as to whether school managers comply with the policy, respondents who responded to the Questionnaires and interviewed agreed that the Head teachers in their schools complied with the policy. Of the (5) school managers interviewed in the five (5) different schools,(100%) reported that they actually comply with the policy and follow the reentry policy guidelines. This can be attributed in the high increase in the enrollments rates. The Head teachers comply with the policy through the following processes. 4. 2. 1 Readmission of girls who dropped out. The head teachers reported that they have massively been recruiting the young mothers who had actually dropped out of school due to early pregnancies. They said they have been doing so in order to support and comply with the policy guidelines because they were involved in the formulation of the policy at its initial level, Hence they needed to add a hand in the support of the policy. The head teachers added that they do not hesitate to readmit the girls who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy or finance but the girls are supposed to produce the documents granting maternity leave and the medical report confirming pregnancy. 4. 2. 2 Moral support, encouragement and equal treatment. The head teachers reported that they have been offering moral support, encouragement and equal and fair treatment to the teen mothers with the rest of the students through the Guidance and counseling teachers in the schools. From the findings obtained, it was confirmed by the key informants that the head teachers comply with the policy. However, it can be stated that the policy faced much resentment by several figures of the public. According to FAWEZA Report (2009; 14) â€Å"In the first year or two, there were newspaper reports of head teachers who would allow girls back only after intervention by the Ministry of Education. † It can be said that at the early stages of the introduction of the policy, there was much needed sensitization on the benefits of the re-entry policy in enhancing girl child education in Zambia. In one case, during the collection and sampling stage of this research with the District Education Office (DEBs), when asked if he had any cases of pregnant girls or studentmothers in the schools, he stated that he had some â€Å"unofficial cases‘ as they are yet to be @siamef Page 12 reported to his office by the girls‘ parents. Upon further probing on the issue of officialising‘pregnancy cases and why he would not take the initiative to confront such cases, he pointed out that this is due to fear of parents‘reaction to news of their daughter‘s pregnancy. Depending on the prevailing religious and socio-cultural beliefs, parents are more likely to react negatively to news of their daughters‘pregnancy. This view was shared by two other teachers from the schools that took part in this research. 4. 3 Response of the Policy by the pupils Views of the girls who responded to the Questionnaires converged with those of the head teachers, teachers, and the parents. Both categories of girls interviewed stated that the policy was good and it was well responded to although it did not address most of their concerns. When asked what their concerns were, adolescent schoolgirl mothers reported that the policy should have spelt out the need for providing counseling sessions to those who returned. They reported that while at school, they felt stigmatized by their friends and teachers through derogatory remarks such as addressing them by their children’s names: â€Å"Bana Mary (Mother of Mary), aunt Lucy etc† which made them feel out of place. It was the view of the pupils that the Ministry of Education was doing very little to enforce the implementation of the policy and ensure that girls who  returned to school were protected from verbal abuse by the teachers. At least 63% of the girls reported that they faced challenges with regard to combining the two roles of being a mother and a schoolgirl particularly when their children fell sick or needed to be taken to Under 5 clinics. They reported that they absented themselves from school and missed classes whenever they had to take their children to hospital. They further reported that the policy should have put in place mechanisms for following up those who for some reason decided not to return. At the household level, three key factors prominently influence the likely-hood of young mothers returning to formal schooling. These factors are; fathers support over the decision to return to school, the structure of the house-hold, and finally the availability of financial support from either the young mother‘s children partners or the extended family. Evidently, household characteristics and behavior have a strong effect on the re-entry policy; more so parental and community willingness to support school re-entry for the young mothers, most of whom are jurally minors. At another level, how the households interact with other institutions and the external socio-cultural environment that mediates these interactions @siamef Page 13 may affect the chances of schools re-entry. These factors have to be identified and understood by policy makers and programme managers if education for all including student-mothers is to be realized. 4. 4 The re-entry policy a success or failure FAWEZA has been successful in implementing programmes to achieve its objectives. Among them are the programs designed to improve performance, progression and completion rates such as theScholarship program that has seen 2,426 girls and 1287 boys completing the 12 year cycle. Further,a total of 27 students completed tertiary education. Further, the SMT programmes have stimulated the interest of girls in participating in the activities and are performing well. In the quizzes held in SP2005-2009 there were more girls scoping prizes than boys. In program area two, FAWEZAcontinued to sensitize communities on the policies that protect girls’ education. At school level the informants were asked if the policy guidelines were clear enough to provide them guidance for implementation, more than half (60%) of the informants, a majority of whom were teachers and headteachers (4), reported that because the policy was new, they needed to be oriented to it, before being asked to implement it. 4. 5 Do teachers and Parents support the re-entry Policy? In response to the support of the policy, (8) 80% of the parents who responded to the questionnaires were in favor of the policy. Though, (2) 20% of the parents were not fully sure of the re-entry policy guidelines. Of the teachers who were against the policy, (3) 30% were men and (7) 70% were female who reported that they fully in support of the policy. Therefore, only male teachers have remained constant in opposition to the policy. Commenting on this, one girl said the male teachers and the boys who were still against the policy were afraid of facing the mothers of their children every day. A female teacher said men like to dominate. When they see an intelligent girl, they want to curtail her education. They will do all in their power to frustrate her, including making her pregnant. Parents reported that the policy has made both boys and girls reckless. There was a feeling that the re-entry girls were in a vulnerable position because male teachers and schoolboys perceive them as having low morals. They come back with the sole purpose to study and pass their examinations. Therefore, they become better students. There is fear among some groups e. g. the parents and the teachers that the policy has led to increased cases of pregnancy @siamef Page 14  among the school girls. The policy has been looked at as a lee way to immorality because the girls definitely know that they be returned to school. 4. 6 Support of the re-entry policy When informants were asked to state the kind of support they received from the ministry to implement the policy, the DEBs and the school level implementers reported that they had received funds neither to photo-copy the circular for the parents and/or the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) nor to conduct local sensitization meetings on the policy. At the same time, the DEBs stated that the ministry was committed to ensuring that the policy gets fully implemented in all schools. Funds were planned to be set aside to conduct â€Å"massive sensitization meetings† and workshops targeted at school level and members of the public. FAWEZA organization on the other hand reported that they were planning to advocate and lobby members of parliament and some permanent secretaries to ensure that the re-entry policy be included in the Education Bill which was to be tabled in parliament in July 2010. It is evident from this finding that the policy was introduced in schools before it was discussed and enacted in parliament. The finding echoes that of Hoppers (2007) in Uganda in which he described the decision by some policy actors to implement a draft version of the policy before it is submitted to parliament. Similarly, the re-entry policy in Zambia was first declared as a policy by the then minister of education before it was discussed in parliament. 4. 7 What measures can improve the re-entry policy Respondents were asked to give measures to improve the re-entry policy. Their views were critically assessed and analyzed. In order to ensure that re-entry programmes are successful; the following measures were outlined by the respondents in implementing the policy: 4. 7. 1Political Will: The Zambian government did not capitulate, even when there appeared to be more voices against the policy, than those which support it. It maintained that expelling pregnant girls would make gender equality in the education system impossible. Hence, there is need to follow the political will of the nation @siamef Page 15 4. 7. 2 Guidelines: Availability of proper guidelines on how re-entry policy will be conducted is very essential. The guideline development should involve all stakeholders including the teen-mothers. The policy should be geared upon providing an opportunity for these girls to obtain another chance into the education programme and not to perpetuate immoral behavior. 4. 7. 3 Acceptance of Change: There is a need for community to change and accept that this program is for the benefit of the girls and the community at large. In Zambia after seeing the benefits of the program many families have accepted and supported their children. 4. 7. 4 Financial Support Not only to take over the financial responsibility for some of the most vulnerable girls. A little extra money to be given to the girls’ for other needs such as sanitary pads is essential. Some of the girls who have had children fall into this category and can benefit from the support, too. Girls who may have stayed away from school for financial reasons can continue with education. There is great awareness that there is a fear among people that re-entry of young mothers to school might influence others to immoral behavior knowing that they will also be readmitted if they get pregnancies. But studies in the area have shown that there is no concrete evidence which reveal constructive societal returns from expelling pregnant schoolgirls and young mothers from education. However, parents, community and the government at large should provide life skills education for girls and boys to make them aware of effects of pregnancy and should be encouraged to be more responsible for building their future through education achievement 4. 7. 5 Strengthen rules regarding the policy. Regarding the strengthening of the rules, 45 (90%) of the informants reported that there was need to strengthen the rules. In Zambia, the policy guidelines states that once the girl has been given maternity leave, the father should also be suspended from school until the girl returns to school. If the teacher is the one responsible for the pregnancy, it states that the teacher should be disciplined.

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance There are many Insurers with well-defined IoT based solutions in their core business product space, such as Usage-Based Insurance in auto insurance, discounted smart sensor device offers etc.   Large Property and Casualty (PC) insurers have been watching the IoT technology space mature over a period of last couple of years, and thus have capitalized well on their learnings and analysis.   Expectations from IoT continues to grow in the field of insurance. IoT is not just about the connected devices, but any IoT solution is incomplete without capturing the real-time and relevant data.   This captured data should be available in cloud, to have the ability to run advanced analytics to provide appropriate customer and other stakeholder dashboards.   It is key for the insurers to leverage their existing high volume of data, and develop the ability to drive improved outcomes for customers, brokers partners. In this article, we review the journey of IoT in the insurance industry, and we discuss what to expect from IoT in future.   Other aspects of this article includes the impact of other technology trends with IoT, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language processing etc. Influence in PC (Property Casualty) and (Life Annuities) LA industries IoT has been able to mark its impact in PC market, but LA market still needs exploring opportunities.   PC insurers have deployed more IoT projects than LA players have. Connected ecosystem is one of the core IoT trends in the insurance space.   Approximately 34 percent of customers have indicated that they would be inclined to smart homes and real estates.   Close to follow in terms of trends are the wearables with 30 percent customer interest. In terms of numbers, LA has only 5% projects deployed, whereas in PC percentage is 12%. The trends clearly indicate that growth of IoT based solutions in both the domains is obvious. As IoT grows in adoption, leading insurers will find ways to leverage the data available from these technologies to improve operations and better engage customers. BI Intelligence recently projected that by 2020, there will be over 34 billion connected IoT devices, and over $6 trillion spent on IoT solutions in the next 5 years. With this expected growth in IoT and wearables, insurers need to plan for their use by consumers and the impact of these devices on consumer behavior and expectations. Below are a couple of success stories in the PC world where IoT has played a significant role in improving their business: Progressive Snapshot ® Progressive insurance groups Snapshot ® product is a flagship initiative that primary deals with IoT and high volume of data with analytics to provide Usage-based insurance to its customers.   Its primary intent is to reward good driving, and thereby encourage insureds to save in their insurance costs.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Snapshot ® is an OBD II based simple device that pluggable into most modern cars.   This device keeps a track on the driving habits such as usage of brakes, average speed etc., along with other relevant data such as time of driving etc. Liberty Mutual Google Nest Liberty Mutual has collaborated with Google Nest to provide its customers an ability to prevent perils.   Customers are offered the Nest protect device along with their insurance at no extra cost.   This IoT device helps customers identify and alert on critical parameters such as smoke, CO emission levels, temperature variations etc. It rewards the insureds for staying safe. Challenges and Barriers for IoT in insurance Some of the apparent challenges that comes along with IoT based solutions in the insurance industry are: Security Risk IoT is susceptible to cyberattacks as it involves multiple devices and multiple protocols.   IoT based solutions are effective with very large volumes of data flow between entities, over networks and many a times over public networks.   Such solutions make the Insurance Company vulnerable to interceptions. Large investments are required to secure IoT generated data, to avoid intrusions as well as misuses of such data for fraudulent activities.   IoT solutions should include a clear focus on identifying and addressing the possible security risks and threats as an important aspect.   Insurers and the insureds should understand the security dimension of such solutions to ensure appropriate measures are in place. Data Volume management Strength of IoT solution is to provide and capture data (real-time in most cases), which is added to the Insurers big data repositories.   Such large datasets are the assets for the insurance companies and the whole solution relies on how stakeholders utilize these large volumes for the benefit of all.   With large data volumes, comes the volume management challenges that requires significant planning and appropriate enterprise strategy.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   It is also very important to plan the inclusion of the IoT real-time data with the historic data such as Policy, Client, and Claims data etc. Data ownership is also a challenge with IoT data management strategies.   It is always a challenge to understand if the data belongs to the insured or the insurer.   There are other data challenges such as privacy, data tampering etc., which need absolute attention from the Insurers while defining and establishing a long-term solution. Standardization and Regulation With an increasing trend of growing numbers of IoT devices, interoperability is already a challenge.   Plenty of startups as well as large players are trying to capitalize on the IoT market by deploying and integrating devices.   With lack of regulations and agreements in place, the IoT solutions are bound to fail.   There have been quite a few initiatives by many players on this front, but the process maturity will take some time. Disruption to existing large business models Insurance industrys business relies on the right balance between the volume of risk managed, and the claims associated with the covered risks.   To understand this better, insurers always seek to contain the volume of claims by preventive measures to have a good handle on the loss ratio.   This leads to have a direct impact on their written premium to losses ratio and thus improves their margins.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   IoT solutions give a great advantage in avoidance of claims by providing relevant indications and alerts for most of the critical major perils. There is always a threshold to such business theory because if the claims keep going down then it will have a direct effect on bringing down the premiums as well.   Insurers need to ensure the IoT based solutions provide the right balance and manage the alignment between solutions and core business models. IoT with other technologies Insurance industry has recognized the importance of IoT in its business, and we have seen a clear growth trend for the last couple of years. We believe that the trend will continue in the same direction, with an increase in the implementations of IoT based solutions.   IoT solutions involve multiple technologies to maximize benefits for stakeholders.   For example, IoT solutions are inclusive of Analytics, Cloud, protocol management etc. Some of the other trends where we see an immediate impact in the insurance industry are: Natural Language Processing Talking to devices is not something new for the human beings.   We have had our smartphone based digital assistants in existence for quite long now.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Amazon echo has already pioneered in the home digital assistant space.   Imagine a situation where an IoT device like Amazon echo, captures the conversations by a senior citizen living alone.   IoT devices can be extremely beneficial in emergencies for senior homes, and NLP capabilities to such sensors can help prevent any medical situation by understanding, processing and alerting appropriate agencies for help. NLP and Text processing is predicted to have a positive disruption in the insurance industry by providing abilities such as information retrieval from unstructured data, sentimental analysis to streamline the flow of information to customers thereby improving customer relationships, kiosk based Chabot etc. Blockchain Blockchain looks very promising when it comes to providing some of the challenges that IoT solutions possess.   Roadblocks such as inorganic scaling of IoT devices (without identity, or interoperability), information and privacy concerns etc. can leverage the fundamental principles of Blockchain technology for an appropriate resolution.   We foresee Blockchain considered as a heavyweight partner technology for IoT based initiatives. Insurance companies and their technology arms will need to understand and implement the appropriate solutions involving Blockchain.   Blockchain comes with its own baggage of challenges hence we recommend a thorough study of the problem scenario. Artificial Intelligence IoT generates high volumes of data, and such significant and relevant data is of no use if we do not have machine-learning capabilities introduced in our IoT based solutions.   As the devices are increasing, so will the data volume as well.   This significant and invaluable data will help our systems to understand what is working vs what is not working. This data volume goes beyond human capabilities for analytics; hence, a machine learning will be inevitable to maximize the return from IoT based solutions. Future Impact of IoT in Insurance Industry IoT based solutions have done tremendous development in all horizons of human life and the impact has been on positive as well as negative side. On the positive side, IoT provides real time data, which provides useful information ahead of time to both Insurers and Insureds that helps them in taking preventive action and reduces/eliminates losses. On the negative side, IoT brings risks, both physical and financial; with the connected devices over Internet. Some of the significant areas of IoT impact listed below: Need of Cyber Insurance policies will grow With the growth of IoT, the risk of data loss and resulting liabilities will increase. Cyber insurance policies provide coverage against data liability losses and the costs involved due to data breaches, hence there will be improved focus on cyber insurance products, which increase the sale of such policies. List of excluded risks will increase in cyber policies With IoT penetrating more and more in human life the risk of cyber-attacks on IoT devices will also increase. Providing coverage against all these risks will be loss for Insurance carriers hence insurers will provide specific exclusion for cyber perils. Minimize the insurance need IoT based solutions will continue to alter the risk associated with customers and their perils, which will make both Insurance carriers Insureds aware of the risks before time. This will have an impact on the global insurance market, as the chances of error will reduce which results in shrinking the insurance market thereby minimizing the need for insurance. Artificial Intelligence and containers will distribute IoT: The year 2017 would see Internet of Things software distributed across cloud services, edge devices, and gateways. Further, machine-learning cloud services and Artificial Intelligence will be used to mine data from IoT devices. Role of Insurance carriers in IoT security will increase More and more inclination of consumers towards IoT enabled devices lead to more security risk for them. Since IoT technology is changing so fast, it has become a big challenge for the insurance regulators to cope up with that and design the new products accordingly. Insurers are taking on the financial risk associated with the increase use of IoT; hence, they will address the IoT security via proper underwriting. IoT will affect the mobile industry in both directions Many upcoming solutions will create enhanced mobility solution requirements and at the same time, we will see some IoT solutions making mobile apps redundant.   With increased connected devices, mobility solutions will enhance the user experience using digital assistants, smart watches etc. IoT certification will suppress Industry specific certification In order to get into the nerves of IoT, the vendors will be motivated to get IoT certified inspite of having Industry specific certified. Investments will be focused on minimal cost based trainings and certifications along with maintaining high standards of these certifications. Along with it, all major industrial vendors will come together to jointly certify their IoT-enabled products with enterprise vendors. *Forrester ICRMC Report NIIT technologies IoT We have been participating in the growth of IoT based solutions across industries.   NIIT Technologies Ltd has already worked with a large US based insurer to come up with a complete connected solution suite.   This solution involves end-to-end IoT based package for the Personal lines insurers, especially dealing home and dwelling insurance based. NIIT Technologies also has in-depth experience with IoT based devices including, but not limited to, Bosch XDK, Google Nest, Amazon Echo, VR devices, Pressure and Temperature measuring devices as well as expertise in learning and research devices such as Raspberry pi, Arduino etc.   Our dedicated IoT lab and its experienced resources work closely with our Data Analytics experts to design comprehensive solutions for the insurance industry. NIIT Technologies is also working on other relevant initiatives i.e.   IoT solutions integrated with NLP, machine learning and Non Natural disaster artificial intelligence solutions etc. Recommendations for Insurers Research and understand customer needs and identify how IoT based solutions can improve your business model.   Understand your capabilities and whether you have the right solutions in place with the existing landscape for data management IoT in isolation is not beneficial for long term; invest on solutions that are beneficial for all stakeholders. Invest on partner technologies, as per relevance with your business Start looking beyond business as usual.   Disruption in business has already become a norm, hence business, technology and product research should be an ongoing process.   Focus on impact by IoT innovations on insurance products, for example, insuring driverless cars, drones etc. Enhance your business model and focus on how to help customers adopt the IoT based solutions.   Without customer buy-in, IoT solutions will have no value, and the benefits to the insurance companies is quite high hence, it is worth the focus. For many insurance products, IoT has minimized the need of large historic data and maturity.   This has happened because IoT has the ability to provide real-time, more relevant and custom user specific data to improve and customize underwriting.   This has allowed smaller players to jump in to participate in this levelled field.   Large insurers need to be flexible to customization of products and need to bring in more agility in product designing as well. Insurers should invest on appropriate Proof of Value and Proof of Concept initiatives for IoT solutions with their trusted partners before initiating any industry scale implementation or solution. Abbreviations and Acronyms IoT Internet of Things PC Property and Casualty insurance LA Life and Annuities insurance NLP Natural Language Processing

Cyrano the Bergerac Love in Cyrano de Bergerac :: Cyrano Bergerac

Cyrano the Bergerac     Love      When we think about the force that holds the world together and what makes humans different from animals, one answer comes to our minds - that humans can love.   Love is a state of mind that cannot be defined easily but can be experienced by everyone. Love is very complicated.   In fact it is so complicated that a person in love may be misunderstood to be acting in an extremely foolish manner by other people.   The complexity of love is displayed in Rostand’s masterpiece drama Cyrano de Bergerac.   This is accomplished by two characters that love the same woman and in the course neither one achieves love in utter perfection.        First of all the question rises what is love.   Love is having a sense of security in someone.   When we love someone we usually mean that we can turn to that person comfortably if all other doors of the world are shut to us.   This is the one person that we trust and like to be in company with.   In the novel Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano loves Roxane more than anyone else but he is shy to tell her so.   When he finds out of her feelings towards another character Christian, who she likes because of his looks, Cyrano finds a way to express his love to Roxane.   He decides that he would write to her in the name of Christian who comparatively is a poor writer and "wishes to make Christian his interpreter"(II,85).        Both Christian and Cyrano love Roxane but Roxane loves only the person that has been writing to her.   It was actually Cyrano, who was writing to her but she thinks it was Christian.   Cyrano had said, "..And we two make one hero of romance." (II,85)   Since Cyrano was suffering with an inferiority complex, as he had a gigantic nose, he was shy to ask Roxane whether she wanted him or not.   He had assumed that she would not like him because of his deformity.   He one said , "..I adore Beatrice Have I / The look of Dante?" (I,42)   What he had not considered was that Roxane loved him for what he was from the inside, not outside.   Once she had told Christian that , "If you were less charming - ugly even - I should love you still.

Osmosis in Potato Tissue

Biology Aim: My objective is to plan and conduct an  experiment from which I should be able to draw a firm conclusion that  will either prove or disprove any predictions I make. This essay aims to assess and investigate the effect of various solution concentrations on the activity of osmosis in plant tissue. Background scientific theory: Plants exchange gases (CO2 and O2) in maintaining vital respiratory processes and in carrying out photosynthesis; they absorb certain minerals and sugars so to use as a source of energy and eradicate wastes in order to maintain specific requirements for survival.Large amounts of water are absorbed by root hairs and are then distributed across the cells of plants by the process of osmosis; water being essential to life, assists cells in executing crucial chemical processes. Molecules travel by two means; active transport or passive transport. Active transport is the movement of a substance from a low to high concentration against the norm concentr ation gradient. Hence, the process requires expenditure of energy, and the support of a carrier protein. Passive transport, however, does not require energy but occurs spontaneously instead.It is a form of transport by which molecules move along a concentration gradient, from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Passive transport includes osmosis and facilitates diffusion. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion; it describes the passage of a solvent from a weaker solution, where there is higher water potential, to that of a more concentrated solution that has a lower water potential through a partially permeable membrane in order to achieve the state of equilibrium. A partially permeable membrane acts as a barrier to some substances but allows others to penetrate through freely.Within any plant cell the cytoplasm and cell sap within the vacuoles are of a variety of substances such as salt, sugars and proteins. In theory, water will diffuse into the cell by osmosis if the solution surrounding the cell is weaker but when enclosed by a stronger more concentrated solution than its contents than water is drawn from it by the same process. As a result it becomes flaccid; the turgor pressure falls, the vacuole collapses and the cytoplasm shrink away from the cell wall. This may result in its wilting or death. Plant cells have a cell wall as well as a plasma membrane.The cell wall is a strong and rigid structure that is used by the cell to create osmotic pressure within the cell. This pressure can build because of the rigidity of the cell wall. The cells within a plant that contain high water pressure act as the plant supportive structure, helping to give it its shape. When gaining, the vacuole will expand and press outwards on the cytoplasm and cell wall but since this cannot be over stretched there is a resistance on the inflow of water by the un-stretchable cell wall. This resistance results in turgor pressure exerted by the vacuole on the cell walls.When the vast majority of the cells within the leaves and stem of plant are turgid, its stem will be firm and upright and the leaves straight therefore providing mechanical strength. Similarly a flaccid celled leaf will be limp and the stem will droop; such plants are thought to be wilting. Factors that affect the rate of osmosis (potential variables) The rate of osmosis is much dependent upon a number of factors; the temperature, the nature of the solute, the difference in concentration of solute on either side of the membrane, and any external pressure applied against the direction of flow.Concentration: – The  concentration  of a chemical  solution  refers to the amount of solute  that is dissolved in a  solvent. The concentration of any solution or plan tissue is directly linked to its water potential; the higher the concentration the lower it water potential. Water potential is a measure of the potential of water to enter or leave. Within a di lute solution there is a higher proportion of free water molecules hence water will flow from the dilute to concentrated solution; it is said to have a higher water potential.The maximum water potential is nil; an example of which is within pure water hence water molecules will flow from it to any other aqueous solution regardless of how dilute it may be. There are three possible concentrations of solution. The first, a hypertonic solution, has a higher solute concentration than that of the cell and as a result the water will leave the cell resulting in collapsed vacuoles in plant cells. A hypotonic solution, however, has a lower solute concentration than the solute concentration inside the cell and hence the net movement of water inside the cell is at its maximum.Whilst an isotonic solution is when the concentration of solutes is the same inside the cell as it is outside of the cell; in such as case the cell would not lose nor gain any water. This state is otherwise recognized as d ynamic Equilibrium where the molecules are randomly distributed despite there still being a rapid net movement of water across the cell membrane in both directions; water movement in opposing directions occur at the same rate and thereby ‘cancel’ each other out.Larger differences between the concentrations or water potential of the solutions results in a steeper concentration gradient, meaning a faster rate of osmosis. In effect the concentration outside of any cell is proportional to osmosis rates and therefore the higher the concentration of the solution the higher the net movement of water. Concentration is the factor which is to be assessed in the following experiment; it can be altered by diluting the solution with distilled water whilst keeping the volume constant, (i. e. a 0. 8 molar sucrose solution would consist of 2cm? f distilled water with 8cm? of sucrose solution equivalent to 10cm? of a mixture. ) Temperature: – The rate of Osmosis is also reliant u pon the kinetic energy of the particles being diffused. Since energy is directly related to heat, temperature governs the amount of kinetic energy the particles have. The general temperature of the room in which the experiment takes place will influence measurements of mass of the potato; hence it is important that we ensure that it remains ambient throughout our experiment in order to increase the reliability of our measurements.Ultimately as temperature increases or decreases, the rate of osmosis should also increase or decrease in relative, causing the potato chips to lose/gain mass at a faster/ slower rate. Temperature is therefore directly proportional to the rate of osmosis. Surface area to volume ratio- Additionally the surface area of the plant tissue or in this case the potato will also influence osmosis; the larger the surface area, the more cells are directly exposed to the liquid solution; therefore more water can transfer through the membranes of the cells at any one ti me resulting in a more massive net movement of water by osmosis.Size of Potato;- A large sized potato is likely to contain more  substances. Therefore it is likely to contain more water, which can  affect osmosis as there will be an increasing concentration of water,  which, as the potato's size increases affecting the overall movement  of water depending on the concentration of solution that the potato is  kept in. All potato chips shall be approximately at the same mass initially (1. 6g ± 0. 2g) Plant Tissue:-Where the potato was sourced from will also greatly affect the osmosis rates that are observed by its change in mass also whilst some may be old others may be fresh. In theory osmosis rates will be considerably more efficient in newer than older potato strips for the reason that in older ones its cells may be more damaged or be on the verge of decay. Hence the permeability of the potato can too be determined by its age; its age and permeability to the larger exten t are in inverse proportion therefore.Type of solution:- Different solution types ( i. e. sucrose, glucose, potassium chloride and sodium chloride) will differ from one another in that the size of the molecules of the solute may be larger in one that the other. this will affect osmosis rates within the plant tissue in that smaller molecules will be able to penetrate through the partially permeable membrane with far more ease than larger ones ; hence the smaller the molecules of the solute the faster the rate of osmosis. Time; –The time given in which the plant tissue was immersed within the solution would also affect the experiment, as we would expect that with a longer duration, there would be more time for osmosis to occur. Pressure; – The pressure on one side of the membrane can increase or decrease the rate of osmosis by pushing the solution against the membrane. Selecting a factor â€Å"An independent variable is that which is presumed to affect or determine a de pendent variable[1]†. It can be changed as required, and its values do not represent a problem requiring explanation in an analysis, but are taken simply as given.More generally, the independent variable is what someone actively changes; while the dependent variable is what changes as a result. The constant variable or otherwise known as controlled variable, however, is never changed during an experiment as it remains ‘constant’. During my experiment I shall be measuring the change in mass of the potato chips as the dependant variable in order to investigate the effect of different concentration of sucrose solution (independent variable) on osmosis.Other factors such as the room temperature, type and volume of solution, form and size of plant tissue shall remain ambient through out my investigation as controlled variables or otherwise ‘constants’. Qualitative, Quantitative and Testable Hypothesis Osmosis is defined as being the net movement of water f rom a region of high concentration to that of a low concentration. This  movement must take place across a partially permeable membrane such as  a cell wall, which allows only explicit molecules to penetrate through but obstructs the pathway of others.Diffusion will continue until the area in which the molecules are found  reaches a state of equilibrium where molecules are  randomly distributed throughout solution. By my scientific background knowledge I can make a number of predications; I hypothesize that the rate of osmosis will differ in all test tubes depending on the concentration of solution, resulting in some either gaining mass in becoming turgid, others remaining the same whilst the rest lose mass and being flaccid after being immersed in solution subsequent to a fixed period of time.I hypothesize that plant tissue immersed in solution of higher concentration than that within the cell itself (hypertonic solution) will loose mass because there will be a net movement of water through the partially permeable membrane outside the cell where there is a considerably lower water potential. The plant cell becomes flaccid and as a result of the ell membrane shrinking and pulling away from its cells walls, it said to have been plasmolysed. Likewise, I predict that if the plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution where the concentration of solution is lower than that of the cell than water is absorbed by osmosis.The plant cell swells and shall become turgid to the extent that the pressure within the cell matches the internal or turgor pressure. The turgor pressure shall prevent further uptake of Water preventing it from rupturing. More generally the concentration of the sucrose solution in the flasks is inversely proportional with the plant tissues change in mass; as you increase the concentration of the solution, both the mass and the length of the potato chip will decrease.This I shall prove by measuring the mass of the plant tissue before it being and subsequent to being submerged in solution. Data collected shall be handled and substituted into the following equation . . . . Final mass (g) – initial mass (g) X 100 = Percentage Change Initial mass (g) A negative percentage change will signify that water has been lost by its net movement through the partially permeable membrane whilst a positive one will suggest that there has been a gain. I predict that my findings when transferred onto a graph will have a similar trend as in the one shown below.Preliminary The main objective of carrying out four preliminary experiments was to inform me as to which instruments would be most efficient in its use, gain first hand practice and recognize suitable methods in order to conclude specified measures which I will be using in ensuring that my final investigation is of highest standards in its reliability. |Concentration (Mole)|Mass(g) |Percentage change of | | | |mass (% to 1 d. ) | | |Before |After |Change | | |1. 000 |2. 32 |1. 97 |0. 35 |15. 0 | |0. 500 |2. 30 |2. 24 |0. 06 |2. 60 | |0. 250 |2. 28 |2. 23 |0. 05 |2. 20 | |0. 125 |2. 32 |2. 59 |-0. 27 |-11. 60 | Preliminary experiment 1 – Equipment: ? cork bores (5mm) potato ? glucose solution ? ruler ? tissue ? distilled water ? scalpel ? pipette ? test tubes x4 ? measuring cylinder ? scales Key: outlier Experiment 1 varied the concentration of the glucose solution; from the readings observed a clear correlation can be identified as a result of measurements being wide ranging- as the concentration of the glucose solution reduced by half each time the mass of the potatoes reduced too and hence there is a proportional correlation between the independent and dependant variable.Such readings are scientifically explanatory and correspond with my initial prediction produced in the previously discussed section of the hypothesis. One major setback of this investigation was that I used too few solutions with varying concentrations and hence the readings ava ilable in giving evidence of any judgments on my findings or when proving/disproving my initial predictions are limited.Hence, if I were to further develop this investigation as my final one I intend on using 5 different concentrated solutions that range from 0. 2 to 1 molar with increments of 0. 2moles. In this investigation we failed to use distilled water but instead opted for tap water because we had forgotten; this is much likely to have reduced the reliability of my results because any dissolved substances within the water will have affected the rate of osmosis by changing the solutions proposed concentration.In the final experiment we shall therefore use distilled water. However, I believe that my readings from the first preliminary experiment are reasonably fair and reliable because no outliers which contradict the key identified trend can be found and the mass of the potatoes previous to and subsequent to the experiment was accurate to 0. 01 of a decimal place. The potato w ith which we worked with was . . . . . . Preliminary Experiment 2 Equipment: cork bores (5mm) ? Swede ? sucrose solution ? ruler |Temperature (C °) |Length (mm) |Percentage change in | | | |length (% to 1d. p ) | | |Before |After |change | | |45 |3. 5 |3. 3 |0. 2 |5. 7 | |0 |3. 5 |3. |-0. 2 |-5. 7 | |25 |3. 5 |3. 5 |0. 0 |0. 0 | ? tissue ? distilled water ? scalpel ? pipette ? test tubes x3 ? measuring cylinder Key: outlier The second of my preliminary experiments was to see the effect of change in temperature on the rate of osmosis; the cell membrane remained at constant as Swede which was immersed in a 10ml sucrose solution at 1 mole.It is different from other preliminary experiments by the fact the Swede cylinders were 40 mm in length; however as suggested by the data there is no significant change in my measurements. The measurements that were collected were few; by 45, 0 and 25 degrees acting thereby as a disadvantage because we are restricted in the amount of data available in proving the trend. It is suggested that the higher the temperature the higher the osmosis rates; our observations are fully explainable, expected and scientifically conventional.It is known that temperature has a direct relationship to the movement of particles across a membrane; therefore as temperature increases, the rate at which particles move across the membrane should increase too as its molecules will be more excited in having more kinetic energy. Nonetheless if the temperature were to rise too high the selective permeability of the membrane can be damaged due to becoming denatured hence permanently collapsing the process of osmosis; this could be investigated by experimenting with temperature at or over 60 degrees.If I were to further develop this investigation with temperature being the independent variable I would take 4 measurements with increments of 20 degrees with minimum values of -20 to 60 degrees. My results here are less accurate by my use of only an average the rmometer as it is corrected to the nearest centigrade measured; consequently if I were to develop this experiment I would prefer to use a data logger which will give me values that have been rounded to the nearest decimal place with a considerably smaller error tolerance.In all of our preliminary investigation there was a reaction time of 30 minutes given; this however in my opinion is unreasonably low because the process of osmosis may have not yet reached its maximum capacity or equilibrium; hence in the final experiment there will be 45 minutes given for each set of vegetable cylinders. We did not use a stop watch or any other means of measuring and setting the reaction time other than the classroom clock and our best estimates; this may have hindered the reliability of our measurements so I shall use an stop watch in the final experiment which is accurate to