Multiple Questions On Issues Of Sustainability Environmental Sciences Essay

Suppose you are taking a class in Strategic Sustainable Development. One of your co-workers, who works for a company as a Director of Sustainable Development, calls you up and inquire what you are larning about. Please list five ( 5 ) broad/overarching constructs that you could utilize to depict the nucleus of Strategic Sustainable Development. ( 5 points ) Note: it is non necessary to depict them, merely list them. The FSSD is a generic model for planning and decision-making for accomplishing success in a system of socio-ecological sustainability. Based on scientifically-based rules ( discussed below ) and systems believing, the FSSD supports decision-making in conditions of high complexness, acknowledging the mutuality of the natural universe and society. It can function as compass to steer society towards a sustainable hereafter ; a scheme for sustainability can be developed which links scientific cognition to decision-making. The FSSD has five distinct, non-overlapping degrees: system, success, strategic guidelines, actions and tools. By utilizing the FSSD together with a principles-based definition of sustainability, it becomes possible to judge how actions can be strategically planned and prioritized to travel an organisation and society towards sustainability. Based on a common linguistic communication and apprehension in order to ease cooperation, toA communicate efficaciously, construct consensus and finally travel toward a vision, the FSSD provides a shared mental theoretical account of sustainability. Because it uses an upstream attack, the FSSD anticipates and avoids jobs before they occur, instead than responding to their downstream effects. B – Scientific foundations of FSSD The FSSD is a scientifiA ­cally strict Framework ; scientific foundations ( e.g. Torahs of thermodynamics, energy, information, photosynthesis, biogeochemical rhythms, mutuality of species, system kineticss, cyclic rule and biogeochemical rhythms ) are used to deduce the basic rules of ecological and societal sustainability. C – Metaphor of the Cylinder and the Funnel In its whole-systems position, the FSSD uses the metaphor of the Cylinder and the Funnel to exemplify the blemished readings and tendencies about current world, jobs with our current industrial system and the challenges of sustainability. The funnel helps to visualise the economic, societal and environmental force per unit areas that impinge on society as natural resources and ecosystem services are depleted and diminution while planetary population grows in figure and there is an of all time increasing ingestion of those resources and heightened demand for those services. D – Four Sustainability Principles ( SP ) and the Model of Nine Universal Human Needs The four, first-order Sustainability Principles ( SP ) of the FSSD clearly spell out what ecological and societal conditions must be in order for a society and hence, for development, to be sustainable now and in the hereafter. Understood within SP 4 is a theoretical account of the nine cosmopolitan human needs as defined by the Chilean economic expert Manfred Max-Neef, every bit good as the interrelatednesss between human demands, wants, satisfiers, and pathologies/poverties. E – Backcasting and the ABCD Methodology Backcasting from sustainability rules ( be aftering from success ) is a tool used in the FSSD. First a vision of success is defined and so a spread analysis, utilizing the lens of sustainability is performed, which so helps specify schemes and prioritized actions that work toward shuting the spread. In the ABCD Methodology – First measure ( A ) understanding how to use Backcasting from Principles to the system for analyses of measure ( B ) current patterns and measure ( C ) solutions/visions and ( D ) prioritized actions to make a scheme to accomplish success. In measure ( D ) , actions are prioritized to guarantee that all selected actions areA ( 1 ) moving in the right way ( towards sustainability ) , ( 2 ) A flexible platforms that avoid dead-end investings, and ( 3 ) good concern determinations ( i.e. offer anA equal return on investing ) . InA Chapter 1 ofA Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability, the writer makes frequent reference usage of the words systematic and consistently to depict difference between the cylinder paradigm and the funnel paradigm.A For illustration:AIn the cylinder paradigm: it is believed that socio / ecological impacts come and go. In the funnel paradigm: in world society is on a downhill class – the very conditions of societal / ecological public assistance are being consistently undermined. In the cylinder paradigm: it is believed that societal / ecological impacts are stray events. In the funnel paradigm: in world societal / ecological impacts are interconnected through systematic mistakes of social design.AWhy are the words consistently and systematic of import to do the differentiation between the two paradigms? ( 4 points ) The job of unsustainability ( as represented by the funnel metaphor ) is that the negative impacts we see from our unsustainable manner of life are due to an underlying â€Å" systemic mistake of social design † that will go on to decline. In the current theoretical account of industrial organisation and neoclassical economic sciences, society at big is organized in such a manner that the environmental impacts – pollution, loss of biodiversity, nursery gas emanations etc. – will go on to increase every bit long as society continues on the same paradigm of development. Equally long as the systemic mistakes continue, the conditions for ecological and societal endurance and prosperity will go on to worsen consistently. The funnel metaphor represents a systems theory manner of thought, which understands the rule operation of the ecological and societal systems, acknowledging the mutuality of the natural universe and society. Why were the System Conditions developed harmonizing to the standards of ( I ) necessary, ( two ) sufficient, ( three ) distinct, ( four ) general, ( V ) concrete and ( six ) science-based? ( 2 points ) In order to be successful and widely accepted as legitimate and valid, the system conditions must be necessary ( required in order to accomplish the planning aim, i.e. , sustainability ) and sufficient ( to cover all facets of the aim ) , distinguishable ( to enable comprehension and facilitate development of indexs for monitoring and appraisal ) general ( to construction all social activities relevant to sustainability and do sense for all stakeholders ) , concrete ( to steer job resolution and actions, serve as a usher in job analysis and solutions ) , and science-based. ( proven, scientifically robust theoretical account, based on systems believing and scientific foundations ( e.g. Torahs of thermodynamics, energy, information, photosynthesis, biogeochemical rhythms, mutuality of species, system kineticss, cyclic rule and biogeochemical rhythms ) from which are derived the basic rules of ecological and societal sustainability ) . What does it intend to be â€Å" strategic † ? ( 1 point ) Part of a decision-making procedure in which picks are made, a scheme is a program of prioritising actions in order to accomplish a peculiar end. Once an organisation has established its purpose/mission/vision of an idealised hereafter, it can choose policies and actions within that scheme to travel an organisation towards accomplishing that end. If we have a clearly principled position of a hereafter sustainable society, so we have a position on which we can strategize – base our determinations on strategic guidelines which direct us on the best manner to continue in order to accomplish success in the system, i.e. sustainability. In the FSSD, together with a principles-based definition of sustainability, it becomes possible to judge how actions can be strategically planned and prioritized to travel an organisation and society towards sustainability. If each of the actions below were done in an on-going mode, which Sustainability Principle would be affected? Please fill in the space with the primary Sustainability Principle that the action contributes to, i.e. 1, 2, 3, or 4 ( Write one SP merely for each reply ) . ( 0.5 point each, 5 points entire ) ___3___ overharvesting of fish ___3___ development of fertile land into urban substructure ___2___ release of antibiotics into rivers ___1___ leaching of mined Cd from batteries ___2___ release of methane from cattles ( if one considers that a concentration of methane occurs because of a human activity – herding cowss to back up a meat based diet in surplus of the natural ecosystem ‘s capacity to absorb the inordinate waste this produces ) ___2___ fertiliser run-off that leads to the overrun of algae in nearby lakes ___4 __ deficiency of development of a health care system ___1___ leaking of U from mining operations ___3___ extraction of groundwater at rates that exceed natural refilling ___4___ insecure on the job conditions The Brundtland definition of sustainable development is â€Å" to run into the demands of today without compromising the ability of future coevalss to run into their demands † ( Brundtland, 1987 ) . Explain how this includes the construct of ecological sustainability. ( 2 points ) Though it is non explicitly stated, ecological sustainability is a cardinal constituent of the Brundtland definition ; all facets of human being and survival – the ability to run into human demands – are integrated with the sustainability of feasible ecological systems. In a systems theoretical account of thought, what happens in one portion of a system affects every other portion. The Brundtland definition is equal in some ways, but does non give counsel as to the design of such a society or how to accomplish this sustainability. It is non specific plenty nor does it hold the simpleness of the FSSD with the four, first-order Sustainability Principles ( SP ) which clearly spell out what ecological and societal conditions must be in order for a society and hence, for development, to be sustainable now and in the hereafter. In the sustainable society, nature is non capable to consistently increasing: concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth ‘s crust ( such as fossil fuels or metals ) , concentrations of substances produced by society ( such as chemical compounds, CFC ‘s, insect powders, and endocrine disrupters ) , debasement by physical agencies ( such as clear-cutting of woods and over-fishing ) Furthermore, in such a ( sustainable ) society, people are non capable to conditions that consistently: 4. undermine their capacity to run into their demands ( such as from the maltreatment of political and economic power ) . The FSSD asks – upstream at the first estimate in the concatenation of cause-and-effect, what are the primary mechanisms of human activities which set off unsustainable impacts downstream? The FSSD recognizes that downstream impacts are rooted in upstream mistakes of social design and operation. All ecological and societal sustainability jobs which society faces today can be attributed to misdemeanors of one or more of these four mechanisms, expressed by the 4 SP. If the society seeks to run into its demands now and in the hereafter, it must conform to the ecological restraints of the first three Sustainability rules, and conform to the social restraints of the 4th Sustainability Principle, so the resources must be adequate to win, in run intoing those demands. Please describe the constructs of a ‘tool ‘ and a ‘framework ‘ , what they are utile for and the difference between them ( 3 points ) A tool is a device that is necessary to, or expedites, a undertaking ; it can besides be a process or procedure used for a specific intent. A model is a basic conceptual construction, a shared mental theoretical account, for traveling an organisation towards accomplishing a end that it has established. A model should inform the choice and usage of tools to back up the model ; tools should be selected and used as needed at each phase. Within the construction established by a model, tools are frequently used to ease actions, gain necessary information, proctor actions and step advancement. The intent is to guarantee that actions are chosen strategically, so that the end ( success ) in the system is achieved. In the FSSD, â€Å" tools † is the 5th degree of the model. When â€Å" backcasting from rules of success † , a tool of the FSSD, is combined with another FSD tool, â€Å" the ABCD methodological analysis † , together they can be used as facilitation tool for analysis, brainstorming Sessionss, larning, vision development, plan design, leading and alteration. In be aftering for sustainable development, illustrations of other utile tools include indexs, direction systems, and life rhythm appraisals. If your co-worker asks you whether this Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development ( FSSD ) is better than other tools or constructs in sustainable development, how would you react? ( 2 points ) With a science-based definition of socio-ecological sustainability, based on systems believing – with four basic first-order Sustainability Principles – the FSSD is a really effectual planning methodological analysis ; it can be used for measuring current conditions, visioning an ideal hereafter, and developing effectual schemes and prioritized actions to accomplish that vision. FSSD is possibly a alone model in that it is, about by definition, a simple ( apprehensible ) yet comprehensive attack that encourages duologue, consensus-building and systems-thinking, all of which create the conditions which can ease profound alteration. The FSSD provides a procedure of continual acquisition that incorporates other methods, tools, and constructs into a shared, structured overview. By its upstream attack – understanding the broader system within which jobs occur every bit good as define the rules which govern success in that system – it becomes an priceless mental theoretical account. It can turn to those jobs at the beginning and turn those jobs into chances for invention, organisational alteration and success. When a practician understands the 5 degree FSSD, the 4 Sustainability Principles, Back-casting and the ABCD methodological analysis, and knows how to use them, that practician has a really powerful usher to voyage the many complexnesss of life sustainably in a complex system. a ) Please discuss the difference between a cardinal human demand, and satisfiers for those demands. Give 2 illustrations of each. ( 4 points ) The Chilean economic expert Manfred Max-Neef presents a different model for New Human Development. He stresses that it is of import that human demands are understood as a system – i.e. they are interrelated and synergistic. Max-Neef considers that human demands are â€Å" finite, few and distinctive † ( as distinct from the conventional impression that â€Å" wants † are infinite and insatiate ) . He defines these cardinal homo demands: subsistence, protection, fondness, apprehension, engagement, diversion ( in the sense of leisure, clip to reflect, or idling ) , creative activity, individuality and freedom. Max-Neef considers that these demands are changeless through all human civilizations and across historical clip periods, but what does alter over clip and between civilizations are the â€Å" satisfiers † – the manner these demands are satisfied. In this theoretical account, any unmet human demand generates â€Å" pathology † – poo rness. In his position, society today is sing corporate pathologies because of the graduated table and dimension of unsated, unmet human demands. Need: Satisfier: Subsistence Healthy balanced diet versus one of high fat, high Calorie, no foods which negatively impacts ecosystems Leisure Time to reflect/dream versus watching violent telecasting passively for long hours B ) Explain how this construct is helpful for sustainable development. ( 2 points ) Max-Neef ‘s definition of what human existences need, and what motivates them, is basically different from the presently held impression. If decision-makers operated harmonizing to his premises instead than those of most economic experts, so the picks they would do would be radically different. Alternatively of utilizing GNP which merely quantifies the economic growing of things and an ever-growing demand for finite natural resources, development must be about people and run intoing their cardinal human demands, non about material objects or money. For the intent of sustainable development, this presents a radically different manner of thought: a new index which quantifies the betterment in people ‘s lives is required and the best development procedure is the 1 that will guarantee the maximal addition in this index of betterment of people ‘s lives. With the Max-Neef theoretical account, sustainable development becomes to the full human-centric. In the yesteryear, the 4th system status for sustainability was worded: In a sustainable society, resources are used reasonably and expeditiously in order to run into basic human demands worldwide. Presently, it reads: In a sustainable society, people are non capable to conditions that consistently undermine their ability to run into their demands. What is the significance of the alteration in diction and what does this mean for be aftering? ( 2 points ) The 2nd diction is less equivocal and focuses more on the â€Å" human † versus â€Å" resource † constituent of the rule. As antecedently stated in the first diction, it is non clear how one quantifies what is a â€Å" just † and efficient † A useA of resources every bit good as what precisely are the basic demands worldwide. Who decides? How is this defined? Besides, the phrase is inactive, it is non clear – who meets the demands of worlds world-wide? In contrast, in the 2nd diction, people themselves decide what they need in order to run into their demands. In this 2nd diction, conditions are ensured so that each individual meets the demands that he/she defines. Another cardinal point is the inclusion of the word â€Å" consistently † which emphasizes the larger, holistic position – a systems believing theory of the status of sustainability, and how conditions are created or are undermined. Since the focal point is now on how worlds define and run into their ain demands, planning must concentrate on the users, non the resources, every bit good asA use a systems approachA to analysing, making and keeping sustainable conditions. See the following 2 sentences: Organization XYZ contributes to the misdemeanor of System Condition One byaˆÂ ¦ . Organization XYZ violates System Condition One byaˆÂ ¦ . Which give voicing would you utilize in a sustainability analysis of an organisation? Why? ( 2 points ) The diction of a ) is more appropriate to be used in an organisation ‘s sustainability analysis since it is understood that â€Å" lending † implies that other organisations are besides capable of â€Å" lending † , and that the behaviour of any one organisations is portion of a larger system of behaviour which can hold an impact on the 4SP. Give voicing a ) recognizes that Organization XYZ is non a exclusive histrion in go againsting the SP, there are others who besides â€Å" contribute † . Wording B ) is excessively across-the-board – no individual organisation can go against the 4SP by itself. The first measure an organisation must do in order to execute a sustainability analysis of itself is to interpret the sustainability principles into their ain organisational context. With an apprehension that the 4SP are minimum demands for sustainability, it is necessary to measure how it is already go againsting these 4SP and move first to be renewing, and so move to follow with the 4SP. If an organisation does non desire to do more jobs into the system, so a logical and ethically relevant recasting of the 4SP would be to add â€Å" non lend † in to the phrasing of the 4SP, which so gives counsel on how to continue towards accomplishing sustainability in conformity with the 4SP. Faculty 2: Applications of Strategic Sustainable Development 35 points Organizational Learning and Change a ) Please describe the construct of ‘Creative Tension ‘ and how it can be utile within Organizational Learning and Change towards sustainability. ( 2points ) Harmonizing to Peter Senge, originative tenseness is the cardinal rule of personal command and a cardinal constituent in personal every bit good as organisational acquisition and alteration. Creative tenseness comes from a â€Å" spread analysis † instead like the one in â€Å" backcasting from rules of success † , but on personal ( or can be, on an organisational ) graduated table. Creative tenseness comes from our clearly holding a vision of where we want to be in contrast to an accurate appraisal of our current world which does non make that vision. Awareness of that â€Å" spread † between the vision and the bing world causes that originative tenseness, which is the beginning of all originative energy. In a state of affairs of Organizational Learning and Change towards sustainability, leading to accomplish success in the system starts with a vision of ecological and societal sustainability in contrast to current unsustainable world ; this spread causes the originative tenseness, which can actuate personal and organisational alteration in order to change that unacceptable world. B ) Briefly describe the ‘personal-organizational moral force ‘ and give two grounds why it is of import to see when you are be aftering to travel strategically towards sustainability. ( 3 points ) There are two ways to decide originative tenseness, either by raising current world toward the vision, which requires alteration, or by take downing the vision toward current world. Persons, groups, and organisations that learn how to work with originative tenseness are better able to utilize this energy to travel world more faithfully toward their visions. Leading through originative tenseness is different than work outing jobs. In job resolution, the energy for alteration comes from trying to acquire away from an facet of current world that is unwanted ; the motive for alteration is extrinsic. With originative tenseness, the energy for alteration comes from the vision, from what we want to make, juxtaposed with current world. With originative tenseness, the motive is intrinsic and hence, more powerful and transformative. degree Celsius ) What are some of the organisational and perceptual challenges that organisations need to get the better of when transitioning towards sustainability? ( 4 points ) Some of the organisational and perceptual challenges that organisations would necessitate to get the better of when transitioning towards sustainability include: A failure to hold on the cardinal paradigm displacement that sustainable development requires. By keeping long-held mental theoretical accounts, organisations fail to basically change the ways in which they produce goods and services. Such organisations believe that sustainability merely involves better controls, fringy betterments, or other â€Å" efficiencies † within their existing, additive concern theoretical account, purely following authorities authorizations. Such patriarchal believing leads to a false sense of security and personal duty for sustainable behaviour is reduced. Many persons have the sense that the challenge of sustainability is non something that they can decide – that person else is taking attention of it ( or non ) . Unfortunately, it can be a belief that holding a particular Green commission or a peculiar individual who is indicated as being responsible for recycling, publicizing â€Å" Earth Day â€Å" events, etc. absolves each person from a ctively prosecuting in turn toing sustainability.A A Therefore there is missing both aA sense ofA personal concern and duty every bit good as a deficiency of comprehending that we each have the ability to do a difference, to convey about these necessary alterations Organizations do non integrate sustainability in their nucleus policies and processs. When an organisation maintains a â€Å" Silo † attack to turn toing issues related to environmental and societal concerns, sustainability is non integrated into all facets of the organisation ‘s activities. Lack of a clear vision about sustainability which is limited to merely following with required governmental authorizations, perpetuating the position quo, i.e. , â€Å" concern as usual † . Missing a systems theory apprehension of what causes unsustainability ; there is a focal point on symptoms and non the root causes of the jobs. Lack of sufficient information that is clear and can easy be understood which explains the negative facets of the current additive production paradigm and the neoclassical economic theoretical account which have brought us to the current unsustainable conditions. Lack of equal mechanisms for the personal/organizational acquisition and alteration which are necessary in order to change current held, engrained impressions. 13. Urban Planning and Land Use a ) Suppose you had the chance to speak to a member of the American Institution of Architects. She knows you are taking the SL1401 distance class and would wish to cognize your overarching sentiment on the 10 rules of Populating Communities that the Institution has developed. What would you state to her? ( 3 points ) Architecture, landscape architecture and urban design surely can act upon and better the quality of life in our state ‘s communities, and while the AIA ‘s 10 Principles of Populating Communities ( AIA 10 Pr. ) are applaudable, they are non every bit inclusive as the FSSD and the four Sustainability Principles. Although the AIA 10 Pr. can cut down a community ‘s part to the misdemeanor of the four SP to a certain grade, it does non supply a consistent, organized construction for the accomplishment of social and ecological sustainability, in contrast to the FSSD which does. As a tool, the AIA 10 Pr. chiefly focuses on cut downing parts to misdemeanors of the first three SP through the use of alternate energy, reuse and recycling of stuffs, execution of energy and H2O efficiency plans, etc. AIA 10 Pr. partly tackles the SP4, but it does non explicitly address economic or societal issues, nor does it turn to human cardinal demands ( such as protection, engagement, apprehension, etc. ) . In the FSSD, the AIA 10 Pr. can be used as one of several tools which can be used to complement each other. When such complementary tools are used together, they are more comprehensive and powerful, leting an organisation to continuously better towards accomplishing a principled definition of sustainability. B ) Explain how the facets of Urban Planning and Land Use covered in Module 2 can be used to assist society travel towards sustainability. ( 4 points ) Based on the analysis we derive from the FSSD, 4 SP and systems believing, supported by the work of ecological economic experts, we now understand that decision-making for Urban Planning and Land Use – how we plan our physical business of infinite by worlds – must concentrate on the integrating of worlds within the ecosphere, an incorporate urban planning scheme. As Bill Reed articulately describe in his theoretical account of the â€Å" Living Systems Approach to Design † , the design procedure must foremost get down by understanding the life processes in each alone topographic point in which we are constructing and so we must plan that battle in order to prolong and reconstruct the wellness and wealth of the topographic point. In this new manner of operating, the aim toward which the metropolis ‘s authorities and establishments work must be to better the life of citizens and renew the wellness of the natural infinite which is occupied. The metropolis program, developed within a procedure of duologue and with the full participation/representation of the stakeholders, must clearly joint these nucleus values. Integrated urban planning actions, based on valuing the single – seting people first – within the ecosphere, conserving and reconstructing natural resources, will ensue in an ecological, people-centered metropolis. Commitment to values such as handiness, transparence, societal justness and poorness decrease and efficient resource direction will ensue sustainable urban development. This overarching scheme would inform all facets of urban planning, including societal, economic and environmental plans. This ecological city-strategy, with strong, consistent governing/design values and a focal point on incorporate systems, combined with strong, informed leading, can be used successfully to aline the actions of be aftering sections to run into these strategic aims, ensuing in successful, long-run execution of scheme. Integrated transit and land-use should be a cardinal constituent in the metropolis ‘s development, commanding growing, cutting pollution and heightening the life of occupants. The environmental quality and economic efficiency of a metropolis are extremely dependent on transit systems ; it is of import that these are well-integrated with urban signifier in order to avoid weak transit systems and unsustainable dependences on private autos. A close relationship between public transit and land-use statute law can be established as a counsel and development tool. Integrated planning procedures structured to guarantee that contrivers in all countries know the scheme and are working with a shared vision and are developing their programs together, would avoid the many jobs of unlinked development ( e.g. , non adequate proviso for green infinite ) . The integrating of different elements of urban development would besides avoid jobs associated with piecemeal development such as pollution, traffic congestion and unsustainable fuel ingestion rates. The creative activity of an independent Institute of Planning can be an effectual mechanism for guaranting planning continuity and success regardless of political, economic and societal challenges ; this forum can function as a research lab for happening originative, incorporate solutions to urban planning jobs, a focal point for larning and ever-evolving organisational growing and alteration. Developing new theoretical accounts that provide cheap, originative urban solutions and reflect local values are an alternate to standard, often-higher-cost attacks. This Institute could besides be the channel through which contrivers and stakeholders could larn about best patterns in sustainable urban design which is being implemented successfully in other locations and states. 14. Economicss a ) Environmental economic experts and ecological economic experts have different worldviews explicating the relationship between the economic system and the ecosphere. Describe the environmental and ecological economic experts ‘ worldviews ( 4 points ) . In the twentieth century, environmental economic sciences was developed with the purpose of internalising the external effects of our current manner of economic production, such as pollution, societal jobs, loss of biodiversity, etc. , into the economic system. Environmental economic sciences modified the neoclassical economic system by utilizing revenue enhancements and subsidies to raise monetary values on scarce resources while advancing the usage of abundant 1s. In the theoretical account of environmental economic sciences, it is recognized that society and the economic system are dependent upon the ecosphere. Their purpose is to work out the job by seting a monetary value on natural resource supply, emanations and other outwardnesss and conveying them into the economic analyses, by pricing mechanism which include: 1.Willingness to pay, 2. Cost to reconstruct, and 3.New cosmopolitan currencies. Through revenue enhancements, resources become more expensive, reflecting the societal and environmental costs of utilizing them and thereby trying to indirectly cut down their usage to sustainable degrees. In their theoretical account, market participants will act in the conformity to the â€Å" enlightened unseeable manus † of the neo-classists, which will ensue in a society which meets human demands, with acceptable degrees of pollution and sustainable usage of resources. Ecological economic sciences is an interdisciplinary field of survey that addresses relationships between ecosystems and economic systems in order to develop a deep apprehension of society and nature as a footing for effectual policies schemes for sustainability. Ecological economic sciences utilizes a holistic, systems approach which views that socioeconomic systems are portion of the overall ecosphere ; it emphasizes the demand to esteem the transporting capacity of the natural ecosystems and the development of just systems of belongings rights and wealth distribution. Ecological economic experts seek to maintain economic sciences separate from societal and ecological systems, keeping that macroeconomics should be used a agency by which to accomplish sustainability and that the entire physical size of the material exchange between the economic system and the ecosphere should be maintained at sustainable degrees for the long term. They recommend the debut of complements to the curre nt economic model which include different methodological analysiss, economic inducements and deterrences, normative Torahs and ordinances every bit good as tools and constructs of economic monitoring. B ) What are some of the challenges that our society demand to get the better of sing the current worldview on economic sciences when transitioning towards sustainability? ( 4 points ) Our current economic system is basically additive in nature, and it measures success by utilizing GDP growing as an index. The focal point is on bring forthing merchandises and presenting them to the client in the fastest and cheapest manner possible, irrespective of the impacts this may do on natural systems. Presently, society infusions resources from the Earth ‘s surface, turns them into goods, and so the by-products of these procedures are discharged back into nature as monolithic sums of frequently extremely toxic waste ( which we call air, H2O, and dirt pollution ) or as solid, industrial, and risky waste. The underlying job with this theoretical account is that the Earth ‘s air, woods, oceans, dirts, workss, and animate beings do non hold the capacity to infinitely provide increasing sums of resources, nor can nature absorb all of society ‘s pollution and waste, particularly given unprecedented population rise and demand for resources. GDP growing is non a satisfactory index for mensurating success in footings of fulfilment of human cardinal demands and social well-being. Continuously increasing degrees of GDP growing is straight linked with the continued development of natural resources which are non renewable and are consuming. As GDP growing is increased, so is the ingestion of natural resources, which is tantamount to society acquiring deeper and deeper into the â€Å" funnel † of unsustainability. In order to travel towards sustainability, policy and determination shapers must understand the pressing demand to alter the current paradigm, create conditions of trust, efficaciously communicate the demand for sustainability and how to accomplish it within the context of planetary justness and an just distribution of wealth, instead than the current impression of increasing GDP growing by of all time increasing ingestion of natural resources and production of waste. 15. Public Policy a ) Please explicate the construct of the â€Å" calamity of the parks † and its relation to public policy and the administration of our parks. ( 3 points ) The â€Å" calamity of the parks † described by Garrett Hardin is a utile construct for understanding how society has brought approximately legion environmental calamities. The â€Å" calamity of the parks † describes a state of affairs in which multiple persons, moving independently, who are concerned merely with their ain opportunism, will finally consume a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is non in anyone ‘s long-run involvement for this to go on. The metaphor illustrates the statement that when persons and groups – who are motivated to maximise their addition without consideration of the demands of others – have free and unrestricted entree to a limited resource, the shared resource is finally reduced through over-exploitation, either temporarily or for good. The cost of this development to the point of depletion is borne by all those to whom the resource is available, which may be an even wider group of persons than those who are working it. Everyone pays the monetary value. B ) Explain how the constructs discussed sing public policy and administration can be used to assist society travel towards sustainability. ( 4 points ) In the context of avoiding over-exploitation of common resources, the â€Å" calamity of the parks † can be applied to a great many modern environmental jobs ( e.g. , overgrazing on federal lands, acerb precipitation, ocean dumping, atmospheric C dioxide discharges, firewood crises in less developed states, overfishing ) . Simply stated, society faces a serious quandary – when an person ‘s rational behaviour ( i.e. , moving without restraint to maximise personal short-run addition ) can do irrational, long-run harm to the environment, others and finally oneself. This is the calamity – each person is caught in a system that compels him/her to increase his demand without limit – in a universe that is limited. To counter this, public policy and administration should move to clearly show the foolishness of irreversibly consuming shared resources, and develop a public policy substructure that respects the restraints of ecological and societal sustainability as defined by the FSSD and the 4SP. In this scenario, policy and determination shapers attempt to act upon human behaviour through sharing of cognition and information, puting up economic inducements and deterrences for those elements which are non addressed by information entirely and presenting normative Torahs and ordinances merely when necessary. 16. How could leading in sustainable development be applied in your field of survey? ( 4 points ) I am a LEED AP, landscape designer and international sustainability adviser. I am portion of a squad of seven designers and contrivers from the Architecture and Urbanism Committee of the Illinois-Sao Paulo Partners of the Americas, an international not-for-profit organisation, on whose Board of Directors I participate as an elective manager. We have been working for old ages on the development of a sustainable maestro program for the historic railway town of Paranapiacaba, in the province of Sao Paulo, Brazil, built in the 1860s by the British in virgin Atlantic rain forest. Paranapiacaba has been declared a registered historic territory by the authorities of Brazil and the World Monuments Fund has placed Paranapiacaba on the Watch list in 2000 and 2002 to raise consciousness of the authorities ‘s attempts and the demand for saving. Our squad convened a Paranapiacaba Technical Assistance Workshop on site in April 2010 in order to make a synergism of cognition and resources which could supply be aftering expertness and thoughtful recommendations on sustainability, land usage, reasonable growing and economic development. Our analysis took into history the legion challenges confronting the hereafter of Paranapiacaba and our recommendations high spot schemes for the sustainable development of the unique, historic Vila of Paranapiacaba and its encompassing part. As a squad of voluntary professionals, without a political docket and free of prepossessions, we work in partnership with local governmental representatives and community members to develop nonsubjective and impartial recommendations. Our construct proposal and vision for the hereafter of Paranapiacaba was developed independently, with the input of all stakeholders, concentrating on the sustainable historic Restoration, saving, societal and economic development of the Vila. In order to guarantee that the cardinal human demands of the community are besides addressed ( ( SP4 ) , we actively develop schemes for inclusive educational, occupation accomplishments developing, wellness and societal plans. When we presented our concluding study with recommendations at a public forum in the City Hall of Santo Andre ( which has legal power over the historic town ) , our program was strongly supported by the authorities and stakeholders. We are presently traveling to implement this sustainable m asterplan. With the cognition I have acquired from BTH ( which I am presently sharing with my teammates, promoting them to besides take the Strategic Sustainable development category at BTH ) , I understand how the FSSD can be adapted to the instance of sustainable planning for Paranapiacaba. Based on scientifically-based, first order rules and systems believing, the FSSD can foster back up our decision-making in these conditions of really high complexness, assisting us to acknowledge the mutuality of the natural universe and society. As a shared theoretical account for planning, to guarantee people understand each other and the ends of their coaction, the FSSD can function as a compass for us to steer Paranapiacaba towards a truly sustainable hereafter in conformity with the 4SP.

Bahrain Bay Qs &as

Q1: What are Bahrain Bay’s four foundational philosophies and how might they be used as marketing tools? A1: Bahrain Bay’s four foundational philosophies are: Scale and Aesthetics, Social Equity, Community Fabric and Tomorrow’s Environment, these foundations help realizing the high standards the venture is aiming for by creating this whole new totally customized environment, which adds a unique value to the project and opens a entire new market and fulfill more customers through diversification. Q2: What would you see as being Bahrain Bay’s mission?A2: â€Å"Building Customer Relations for the Future. † The way I see it, this mission statement best describes the ventures. Because through out the development of the project we can see that it’s becoming bigger and bigger with every â€Å"new customer† or best described as a new member of this business environment. Q3: What is the MIPIM, and why was it important for Bahrain Bay to target its potential customers, investors, developers and retailers? A3: MIPIM is a trade show that its organizers describe as a â€Å"market for international property trade†. It takes place annually in  Cannes,  France.It was really important for the venture to make some sort of appearance there to get the attention of nearly 26,000 property and investment professionals from around the world, which included investors that were looking to contribute in such project. Q4: Why might the Kingdom of Bahrain be an attractive location for overseas investors? A4: Simply because of its stable rather booming economic status as a major financial and commercial center, as well as many rising projects like Bahrain Investment Wharf, Bahrain Financial Harbour, Bahrain City Center and many othersQ5: What are Bahrain’s closest competitors for inward foreign investment? A5: I think of Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and of course U. A. E. majorly Dubai Q6: What part of the marketing mix is re lated to the football sponsorship, and what functions does it perform? A6: sponsoring a football team is purely promotion. It basically spread the message to a wider audience and gives it a touch of originality by relating to something that’s already a part of the national community.

Explain Why Treasure Island Is So Highly Regarded Essay

Treasure Island is written using a first person narrative, which has its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages consist of being able to experience how the character narrating feels, in this case we get to learn a lot about Jim Hawkins and how he feels throughout the novel just because he is the narrator of the novel. However, when Jim decides stow away in one of the boats heading for the shore R.L. Stevenson is faced with a problem in that he cannot let the reader know what is happening on board the Hispaniola. Stevenson finds a way around this problem by swapping the narrator to Doctor Livesey. This seems to sort out the problem for a while but if the reader was reading the novel at a fast pace then he might not read the chapter headings and know that the narrator has changed and therefore get confused with what’s happening in the story and where the characters are. I think that R.L. Stevenson knew that this problem would occur somewhere in the novel and anticipated it, he may have even planned it. But he still chose to use the first person narrative, although it is not always the easiest narrative to follow as â€Å"I† and â€Å"we† are used which often makes it hard to distinguish who â€Å"I† and â€Å"we† are, and who the speech is being directed at. However, I believe Stevenson chose this narrative as it makes it easier to let the reader know and understand the feelings of the character that is narrating the novel at any time in the novel. R.L. Stevenson describes the island very well throughout the novel by using all of the senses of a human being: Sight – â€Å"The appearance of the island when I came on deck next morning was altogether changed.† Sound – â€Å"and the whole ship creaking and groaning,† Taste – â€Å"like someone tasting a bad egg.† Smell – â€Å"a smell of sodden leaves and rotting tree trunks.† Touch – â€Å"The Hispaniola was rolling scuppers under in the ocean swell.† The quotation I chose for sight was one of the many I could have used as part three of Treasure Island has many references to sight and how things look. Although there is not nearly as many R.L. Stevenson still makes a point of describing the sounds that are a part of the island and boat, like the creaking of the boat, and the sounds that the birds make. Chapter thirteen contains only one reference to taste and that is in the form of a simile. The effect this has is that most people know or can at least guess what a bad egg tastes like which gives the reader a good idea of how bad the island smelt. The chapter also has only one reference to smell which can also give the reader a good idea of how he island smelt, giving them quite a clear image of the island in their mind’s eye. Explaining how movement and how something feels is a difficult task to achieve when writing a novel, however I feel that R.L. Stevenson manages to accomplish this quite well. Describing how the boat was rolling gently in the water, how the temperature was very hot and describing how Jim had to hold on because he felt as though everything was spinning around him. Part of the tension of Treasure Island is built up at the end of part one when Dr. Livesey tells Squire Trelawney that he is afraid that the Squire will tell someone what the voyage is about and that there is treasure involved, â€Å"‘There’s only one man I’m afraid of.’ `And who’s that?’ cried the squire. `Name the dog, sir!’ `You,’ replied the doctor; `for you cannot hold your tongue.'† The feeling this gives to the reader is one of untrustworthiness and a lack of faithfulness between friends which may cause the reader to become somewhat tense as there is a part of them that knows what is going to happen but they are not completely sure what or when it is going to happen. And when Jim and the doctor receive a letter from the squire it brings the doctor’s fears to light as the letter he receives from the squire says that the squire told every man, woman and child that he met, and that he had hired a man with one leg. At this news, the reader may again feel tension in them, as they do not know what the people the squire told will do or if the man with one leg is the same person that Billy Bones was so scared of. Personally, I think that there are five reasons that this novel is so widely known and read; Firstly the book appeals to people of all ages, it has something that appeals to everyone that can read. Secondly, R.L. Stevenson’s choice of narrative, it lets the reader know exactly how the character narrating feels, making you feel like apart of the novel. Thirdly, The way in which R.L. Stevenson chose to describe the island and everything surrounding it, almost making the Island a character. Fourthly, the amount of tension that is built up throughout the novel is huge; some readers might find the book hard to put down because of the tension as they feel they need to know what will happen next. Lastly, R.L. Stevenson thought up ideas about the setting, story, and narrative issues for Treasure Island himself, instead of doing what a lot of writers might do which is to take ideas from other people, modify them a bit, and then pass them off as their own. Due to this Treasure Island is unpredictable and lively, yet it is as easy to follow as a nursery book. I found Treasure Island to be quite an enjoyable book even though I do not usually read adventure novels.

House of Wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

House of Wisdom - Essay Example It is  impossible  to  envision  Western civilization without fruits of Arab science. Al- khwarizmi’s art of Algebra, the well researched and explained medical teachings and  philosophy  of Avicenna, the new geography and cartography introduced by al-idrisi or the  thorough  rationalism of Averroes (Jonathan, 2009). It is  evident  how uneducated the westerners were. Their leader was an  implacable  cleric who had appeared from nowhere to massive  popular  acclaim; he exhorted his charges to holy war against the infidels with promises of a home in paradise. Diseases and malnutrition were  rife. Medical care often involved exorcism or the amputation of the injured limb. Torture and other ordeals settled criminal cases. Few had any  learning  at all.  The little  education  that they had consisted of memorizing out dated texts under the watchful eyes of  hidebound  doctors of religion.  They did not understand basic technology, scien ce or mathematics. They could not  date  their most significant holy days nor could they  chart  the  regular  movement of the sun, moon and planets. Natural phenomena such as  eclipse  of the moon or a sudden change in  weather  terrified them; they thought it was black magic. Pope Uban II appealed to the princes in the French town of Clermont to end their  ceaseless  warring to  turn  their murderous energies on the unbelievers of the East. The  fighting  and denouncing of the Muslims by the European Christians and the Westerners began to  obscure  any  recognition  of the Muslim way of life and their contribution to science. This message consisted of four themes, some of which still resonate today. One was that Islam distorts the word of God, and the other was that Islam  was  solely  spread  by  violence. The third one was that Islam promoted pervertedsexuality  of humans by encouraging the  practice  of polygamy, for examp le, the way the sultans behaved in their Kingdoms, and through their excessively  modest  way  they carried themselves out. Finally, they also believed that the Antichrist was a muslim(Jonathan, 2009). These were just prejudices because some of the European philosophers, who had earlier denounced the Muslim way of life, later appreciated and acknowledged their contribution to  education  (Jonathan, 2009). As most Westerners denounced the Muslims, an Englishman named Aderlard of Bath one of the early pioneers of the Arab teachings who brought about the wonder of astronomy geometry astrology and other fields to the medieval West, looked at the Muslims differently, he left his home in search for education. In addition, he believed that the Muslims had the best education. He had no interest in the debaucheries of his fellow Europeans. Unlike the holy warriors unleashed by Pope Uban II, he had the  determination  to learn from the Muslims rather than killing them under the sign of the cross. While the crusaders saw only evil in the Muslim infidel, Aderlard sought the  light

Personal Statement for Transferring to UC Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

For Transferring to UC - Personal Statement Example Economics doesn’t only teach to make distinction between better choice rotating around only investments and interest rates, it gives ideas about how a person can perk up his/her living standard. I appreciate that if we understand knowledge of economics it better gives idea of where to invest and what good a person can do with his/her money (Wessels). Moreover, Economics not just deals with monopoly, economy growth, and pollution etc., it is also related to personal problems such as wages, the cost of living, taxes, and employment. It deals with current vital problems of the society. The content of Economics is complementary to many other fields. Students enrolled in Economics major are not just restricted to Economics; they can choose other subjects as a minor along with Economics. Students have successfully combine Economics with other diverse fields such as Psychology, Journalism, Political Science, and many more. An economic option opens future options to students. I may gain expertise for my career in Educational Administration, Finance and Banking or Politics. My interest in Economics also developed due to my father’s occupation. He is an admirable man who works for the China Council for the promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) at the position of Vice Inspector. My father’s way of working and dealing with different issues prudently shows his uniqueness and good logic sense. Through his unique visions I learned a lot from him. He always shared his vast knowledge of Economics with me, which developed my curiosity and concern to know more about Economics. Fortunately in 2010, I acquire chance to work at China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as an internee during my semester break. During my internship, I got to learn much more new aspects about Economics and how it is related to the promotion of international trade. I learned how to work practically and

Change Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Change Project - Essay Example Change is always good and all people pursue change but only a few succeed. What is needed to enable one succeed is to first trust and belief that it is possible to transform one’s ways. It is common to her people claim that people do not change. Such claims are made by people who do not belief that change is possible and therefore are categorized in the group of individuals who find it difficult to alter their ways. It is important to note that it is not enough to belief in change alone. It is also crucial that one beliefs in self and his or her abilities which will facilitate the actions which favor change. Change occurs through various processes or mechanisms. Emotions are the major drivers of change. These are the feelings within an individual and they are caused by thoughts, experiences or influence from other people or even situations. The emotions of a person stem from the mind through reactions to various stimuli within our environment. Good emotions drive a person to change so that the good feelings are retained. Negative emotions also lead to change as a way of avoiding what leads to that change. For example emotions which arise from a person’s experience of an accident results to a positive change of behavior in pursuit of avoidance of such a situating in the future Psychological Perspectives on Four Types of Change (Whitbourne 49). Behavior is another mechanism involved in the change process. The behavior of a person includes the normal actions and reactions of a person during various situations and desires. People commonly relate change to change of behavior. This demonstrates the central role of behavior in the change process. Therefore change in behavior is partial or complete alteration of one’s way of doing things as a result of either internal or external motivation. Changing behavior may be very difficult because it requires a powerful will of the mind for it to be possible. Without

The ethical issues associated with conservatism Essay

The ethical issues associated with conservatism - Essay Example A person may not automatically hate the past and may wish for the technical progress for the people’s good. However, he normally tends to have a discrimination against the conservative attitude. The reason behind this may be the fact that he tends to get impacted by the acquisitive thesis which states that conserving is detrimental to the changing life and this may lead to immobility. It can be stated that the conservatives are supposed to consider preserving their social privilege, no matter how small it is. Further, in an attempt of preserving the question to be addressed if the object to be preserved is worthy of preserving then it goes by default (Burckhardt, â€Å"What is Conservatism†). More precisely the term ‘conservatism’ can be explained as the political philosophy favoring the traditions in the light of exterior factor of change. It can be useful in situation when deep-seated social change is triggered. It is a well known fact that distinct cultures have distinct values and as a result the different goals are pursued by the conservatives of different cultures. The components of numerous ideologies and philosophies are integrated by different forms of the conservatism, and thus the conservatism has an impact upon them. There are numerous types of conservatism approaches. They are cultural conservatism, social conservatism, religious conservatism, paleo-conservatism, fiscal conservatism, neo-conservatism and bio-conservatism. Among them social conservatism is taken for the purpose of the study (Philosophy basics, â€Å"Introduction†). ... Ethical Issues Related to Social Conservatism After having understood the meaning of the conservatism, it would be prudent to comprehend the term social conservatism and the ethical issues surrounding it. With the assistance of the laws and regulations the social conservative tries to preserve the traditional morality as well as the social ethnicity. It is believed by the social conservatives that the intervention of the government is not the problem, however liberal use of the government may assist in maintaining order and thus increasing morality in the society. This can be considered as one of the pros of the social conservatives. However, the social conservatives may also tend to be the weakest when they are considered along the gamut of the economic conservatism since it tends to counter the free trade, immigration and others. There are various other social issues. When the business houses tend to focus only on profit making without paying due attention towards the society then it can be considered as one of the ethical issues related to social conservatism. This may lead to gain of one group while loss for the other (Azari, R., â€Å"Current security management & ethical issues of information technology†). It is worth while to be mentioned that the social conservatives’ intention may tend to be good and pure as that of the liberals who have their own collectivism and social programs. However, the fact is that the social conservatives don’t inject their own ideas rather try to introduce various bills and legislations that tend to achieve the opposite of what the social conservatives had intended to achieve. The government, instead of acting as a symbol of hope tries to inject a dose of immorality into the society. This tends to change with the

Contribution of High Performance Working towards Greater Skills Essay

Contribution of High Performance Working towards Greater Skills Utilisation in UK Organisations - Essay Example The organisations are not able to fully utilised the potential and skills of the employees. Also, most of the employees are working in the position which are not compatible with their skills. All these factors have negative impact not only employees but also on organisation and in turn on whole economy. In this report an attempt has been made to analyse the extent to which high performance working in organisations can contribute towards greater skills utilisations with reference to the organisations in United Kingdom. The topic under discussion requires an organisation to develop a stimulating environment that harnesses its employee’s true working potential. By creating an environment that empowers an employee to use his skills to their maximum capacity would not only benefit the organisation (in terms of growth) but also the economy as a whole. When developing a workforce with variety of skill sets, it is of utmost importance to look at the broader picture (Dessler and Varkke y, 2009). In this broader picture the participants of the work force and the participating organisations are not the central figures. It is the economy of the country that is the central figure. Whenever, there is a demand for highly skilled workforce in the economy there arises a need to provide constant replenishment of workforce with new package of skills. When this happens the economy starts to move towards growth and prosperity. Therefore, in order to help the economy to grow and more importantly for its own growth an organisation should make endeavour that allows it to utilise its employees’ true working potential. An organisation can achieve this objective by crafting a High- Performance Work System. High-Performance Work System: A High- Performance Work System is an integrated set of human resource management policies and practices that together produces superior employee performance. Although there are no definite parameters or features of this kind of systems, but e xperts do believe that this kind of a system should comprise of the certain practices like: Employees Security, which entails job security and safety from workplace hazards and unjust employer treatment, selective hiring which involves the process of hiring individuals who fit with the work description, personality traits and organisational mission, extensive training which entails administering job specific training along with skill enhancing drills, self managed teams and decentralized decision making which in turn supports the delegation of work and authority, reduced status difference between managers and workers, information sharing i.e. Passing on the information that will help the person performing the task, contingent rewards (pay for performance) this enables the organisation to link reward with a performance goal, inspirational motivation through transformational leaders i.e. mentoring and supervision, measurement of management practices i.e. develop a departmental level S corecard to assess performance, and emphasis on high-quality work (Wood and Wall, 2007). With the help of high performance work system an organisation can achieve is several benefits and advantages. The organisation will be able to get more qualified applicants per position, there will be more employees selected based on validated selection tests, there will be more hours of training for new employees, employees will receive regular

Structure in the human resource management Essay

Structure in the human resource management - Essay Example The features of the Human resource management thus include: demonstrating expertise at organizing the management, competence in the administration of personnel, specialization in the management of manpower and competence in industrial management. The human resource management docket is usually headed by a human resource manager. This paper examines human resource management with reference to the roles, the various careers inherent and further examines interviewing as an aspect of employment and recruitment. With the above features, it is evident that a number of people have made assumptions over the aspect of management and development of human resource. This explains why some organisations will have the entire human resource management as a subsidiary of human resource development (Gary, 1996). This perspective further explains that Human resource development is far much broader than the former and encompasses the development of careers, development of the entire organisation and training. There are a number of careers that are common to any form of human resource management. These careers include human resource assistance which is a generalised job field in human resource (Cynthia et al 1995). Other major careers include employment alongside placement and recruitment that are basically upheld through interviews headed by interviewers. Human resource management also calls for the need to have specialists in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) that are also referred to as college recrui ters (Gary, 1996). For training, there is need to have specialists in both training and orientation. For the purpose of remuneration, there is need to have specialists preferably analysts that can handle issues to do with the compensation , payment of salaries which may call for the need to have salary administrators alongside administrators that can handle benefit claims. The roles of Human Resource Management. The roles of the human resource management as depicted in the above careers thus include: making vital decisions on matters concerning the type of staffing to be adopted in the organization. Decisions on this aspect are usually made with regard to hiring people to assume the implicated positions or using contractors that work independently (Gary, 1996). Other functions include the recruitment and training of the best people for a number of positions within the organization. With regard to the former, it is upon the human resource management to ensure that the people recruited are excellent at performing their duties. This implies that the human resource management also deals with the evaluation of the performance of the recruited employees (Raymond, 2000). The human resource management docket is also held with the responsibility of ensuring that the type of manpower hired meets the expected standards with reference to the regulations within the firm (Raymond, 2000). Other responsibilities that are to be upheld by the human resource management include; managing and coordinating the approach to the benefits of employees alongside the compensation and the management of employee's records and man power related polices. Some of these roles will differ with regard to the scale at which an organisation operates where small scale operators may opt to perform these duties by themselves while some large scale

The Fiscal and Monetary Policy and Economic Fluctuations Essay

The Fiscal and Monetary Policy and Economic Fluctuations - Essay Example It is estimated to be a fifth of the universal total. The country also has a mixed economy and has sustained a steady Gross Domestic Product rate of growth, high levels of research and capital investment, and moderate rate of unemployment. The current economic situation in America is evidently different from the economic situation five years ago. The present Federal Reserve interest rate is between 0 and 0.25% and the Federal Reserve aims to maintain it until 2015. The Federal Reserve decreased the interest rate by half point in December, 2008. Also, the rate of inflation in the United States as of October 2012 was 2.16%. The current rate of inflation is 2.1% in comparison to the 3.8% rate of inflation recorded in 2008. The American inflation estimate constitutes transportation, apparel, recreation, education and communication, medical care, energy, housing, and food and beverages. Finally, the rate of unemployment as of March 2013 was 7.6%. This is equivalent to 11.7 million individ uals. On the other hand, the administration’s larger U-6 rate of unemployment, which incorporates those who are unemployed, was 13.9%. In contrast, the unemployment rate in America five years ago was 4.6% (Wallison, 2013). Question 2 The changes in interest rates, rates of inflation, and rates of unemployment can be attributed to several reasons. The changes in interest rates have been largely influenced by the activities of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reverse has had an impact on the interest rates through altering the rate at which it loans out fund to financial institutions, altering reserve requirements of financial institutions, and by influencing the supply of funds through open market activities. Also, the Federal Reverse’s Board of Governors have largely contributed to the changes in interest rates by making decisions on changes in discount rates after receiving recommendations from one or more regional Federal Reverse Banks. The changes in rates of inflat ion have been facilitated by the activities of policymakers. The rate of inflation has changed because the law makers have assessed a wide range of fundamental inflation measures to assist in recognizing inflation tendencies. The most conventional forms of inflation measures leaves out commodities that tend to fluctuate in worth often or dramatically, for example, energy and food items. The rate of inflation has decreased because law makers have attempted to steady general consumer costs (LeRoy, 2011). Finally, the rate of unemployment has also changed due to a number of factors, one of them being employment by educational attainment. University educated individuals with a degree or higher educational qualification make up the most significant employment rate with approximately 44,648,000 of them having full time employment. In addition, this group makes up the least rate of unemployment of 4.6%. The highest numbers of unemployment are made up of people who do not have high school d iplomas. These people are followed by high school graduates who do not possess college degrees. Also, people with less than a diploma constitute the least number of people who are employed, at more than 10 million. Question 3 The strategies include encouraging entrepreneurship and small businesses and lowering taxes. Small businesses in America are the base of the United States economy providing employment to a large number of people. Encouraging business startups will encourage

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Art History - Essay Example Plate with Peony Design and Dish with String of Camellias were both plates. These two pieces of ceramic came from the Arita region Saga Prefecture, Japan. Plate with Peony Design is dated to approximately 1650-1700 A.D. The Dish with String of Camellias is dated around fifty years later at approximately 1700-1750 A.D. The Plate with Peony Design caught my eye, because of the bold colors. The background is of mustard yellow, with slightly darker yellow swirls. On this background green leaves are accentuated with dark maroon peony flowers. There is no white, only a vivid amount of darker colors, devoid of any hint of pastel. Generally a pattern or representation of flowers is delicate, but this plate was strong and bold. One could definitely see the Japanese influence. In contrast, the Dish with String of Camellias has a white background. Camellias encircle the outside of this plate, but do not touch by making a full circle. A blue chord connecting the flowers covers a little more than half of the plate. The flowers are detailed, especially the orange and white striped blooms. The camellias are also solid orange, a drab yellow, white, and blue. Once again you can see the Japanese influence by a strong depiction of the flowers. The contrast between the two plates is dramatic. While Plate with Peony Design is covered with strong background color, Dish with String of Camellias’ background is white. Whereas the Plate with Peony Design has a crowded, almost blurry design, Dish with String of Camellias has detailed flowers in order. The reason for these drastically different appearances is the plates are of different wares. Plate with Peony Design is a Kokutani ware. These wares were known for there over glazed enamels. Kokutani wares were made during the period this piece was made, so can be defined as such. Kokutani wares were made with dark reds, greens, and yellows. These are the same colors making up this plate. In

Production of a Database of Styles and Guidelines for the Mountain Collegian Essay Example for Free

Production of a Database of Styles and Guidelines for the Mountain Collegian Essay This study was conducted primarily to produce a database of styles and guidelines for Mountain Collegian (MC) that would aid the publication in making its own stylebook. In the realization of this study, first, a survey questionnaire was floated to identify the areas needed by the publication. Based on the data gathered through the said survey questionnaire, the 10 areas identified by the respondents, the current members of the publication, were capitalization, abbreviation, acronyms, bylines and credits, names and titles, italicization, numerals, dimensions, punctuation, and reported speech. After the ten areas of style needed by the publication were identified, issues of MC from 2000 to 2010 were analyzed for the determination of consistent and inconsistent styles practiced by the publication. Two issues for each editor-in-chief were used. Thus, a total of 20 issues and 340 articles were used for the analysis. The analysis showed that many consistent styles are practiced by MC in areas of capitalization, abbreviation, acronyms, and punctuation. The consistent styles identified were automatically included in the database as these are manifestations of the practice and journalism culture that MC has. However, despite the many identified consistencies in styles, many inconsistent styles were also noted. With these inconsistencies, a survey questionnaire was created to determine the preference of MC on styles that are inconsistent. It is recommended that the other areas of journalism styles of Mountain Collegian be looked into and analyzed for consistency. The Mountain Collegian (MC), the official student publication of Benguet State University, believes in the virtues of clear and effective communication. Thus, it constantly strives to uphold accuracy, precision and consistency in writing for it believes that these are stamps of professionalism in the practice of campus journalism. Existing under this principle and guided by the importance of sharpening the meaning of facts and news stories, MC relentlessly reminds its student journalists not to be casual about language usage, English for that matter, and to exercise precision of language. However, there are strong oppositions regarding this matter. Writers and even some academicians themselves claim that the constant stress on proper English is merely a form of snobbery and has no place in the fast-paced world of journalism. Also, adhering to rules of a constantly evolving language in the practice of journalism is deemed irrelevant as many writers- particularly the young blood of journalists- think of these rules and styles as suppressive forces obstructing their creativity. However, Stovall (2002) said that style is not a rigid set of rules established to restrict the creative forces in the writer. Style imposes a discipline in writing that should run through all the activities of a communicator. It implies then that the communicator is precise not only with writing but also with facts and with thought. Paying attention to the details of writing – and getting those right – means that a writer is likely to be paying attentions to facts, context, and meaning. Style, as pointed by the United Press International Stylebook, is the intangible ingredient that distinguishes outstanding writing from mediocrity. In addition, Stovall said that adherence to a constant style is vital to the society. He quoted Thomas W. Lippman in the preface of The Washington Post Deskbook on Style saying, â€Å"A newspaper is part of a society’s record of itself. Each edition lives on in libraries and electronic archives to be consulted again and again by the scholars and journalists of the future. The newspaper is thus the repository of the language, and we have a responsibility to treat the language with respect. The rules of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and usage set down here are our way of trying to meet that responsibility. Thus, clear story-telling and language is at the heart of good journalism. Theodore M. Bernstein said that writing should be treated like a precision instrument; it should be sharpened and it should not be used carelessly. Since consistency and precise word usage are also utterly important in communication, perceived misuse of English, which is the language of international journalism, and inconsistencies in style then shall not cause readers to veer away and be distracted from what is more important – the creative and focused aspects of the message. Furthermore, according to the BBC News Styleguide (2010), the best journalists appreciate that writing well is not a tiresome duty but a necessity. Consistency. Precision. Accuracy. These therefore are the fundamental reasons why it is vital for a publication, for MC for that matter, to have a set of rules, styles, and guidelines. Since its establishment in 1965, MC has not produced its official style book yet although attempts were made to do so. The style book, though, just what it is – is merely a guide. It is not a collection of rules and regulations. It is not a dictionary and it is not a list of what is acceptable and what is not. In a world that’s awash with poor usage, a stylebook sensitizes the writer to the use of language toward achieving the nobility of the practice of journalism. For The Mountain Collegian, a stylebook will serve not only as the brick and lumber of its house but also most importantly as an archive of decades of not only responsible but also language sensitive practice of journalism. This shall serve as a record of MC’s editorial practice handed down by generations of student journalists that have shaped MC to what it is today.

Automatic Quantification of the Myocardial Extracellular

Automatic Quantification of the Myocardial Extracellular Automatic Quantification of the Myocardial Extracellular Volume by  Cardiac Computed Tomography: Synthetic ECV by CCT Thomas A Treibel, MBBS1,2, Marianna Fontana, PhD,1,2, Jennifer A Steeden PhD2,3, Arthur Nasis, MD1, Jason Yeung, MBBS4, Steven K White, BSc, MBChB1,2, Sri Sivarajan4, Shonit Punwani, PhD4, Francesca Pugliese, PhD1, Stuart A Taylor, MD4, James C Moon, MD1,2, Steve Bandula, PhD4 1Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomews Hospital, London, UK. 2Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK. 3UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics, London, UK. 4Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London, UK. Manuscript Type: Original Manuscript Manuscript: 3924 words (all including) No conflict of interest declared. Funding: TAT and SB are supported by Doctoral Research Fellowships from the NIHR, UK (NIHR ­DRF ­ 2013-06-102 / NIHR ­DRF ­ 2011 ­04 ­008). MF and SKW are supported by Clinical Research Training Fellowships from the British Heart Foundation (grants FS/12/ 56/29723 and FS/10/72/28568). JCM is directly and indirectly supported by the University College London Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Biomedical Research Unit at Barts Hospital, respectively. FP: this work form part of the translational portfolio of the Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit at Barts, which is supported and funded by the NIHR. SAT is an NIHR senior investigator. This work was undertaken at University College London Hospital, which received a proportion of funding from the UK Department of Health National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme. ABSTRACT [TT1] Background: The quantification of myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECV) by Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) can identify changes in the extracellular space due to fibrosis or infiltration. Current methodologies require laboratory blood hematocrit (Hct) measurement which complicates the technique.   The attenuation of blood (HUblood) is known to change with anemia. We hypothesized that the relationship between Hct and HUblood could be calibrated to rapidly generate a synthetic ECV without the need to formally measure Hct. Methods: This retrospective study received institutional review board approval. The association between Hct and HUblood was derived from forty non-contrast thoracic CT scans using regression analysis. Synthetic Hct was then used to calculate synthetic ECV, and in turn compared with ECV using blood Hct in a validation cohort with mild interstitial expansion due to fibrosis (aortic stenosis, n=28, ECVCT = 28 ±4%) and severe interstitial expansion due to amyloidosis (n=27; ECVCT = 54 ±11%, psynthetic ECV was correlated with collagen volume fraction (CVF) in a separate cohort with aortic stenosis (n=18). All CT scans were performed at 120kV and 160 mAs. Results: HUblood was a good predictor of Hct (R2=0.47; p), with the regression model (Hct = [0.51 * HUblood] + 17.4) describing the association. Synthetic ECV correlated well with conventional ECV (R2=0.96; p with minimal bias and 2SD difference of 5.7%. Synthetic ECV correlated as well as conventional ECV with histological CVF (both R2=0.50, p). Finally, we implemented an automatic ECV plug-in for offline analysis. Conclusion: Synthetic ECV by CCT provides instantaneous quantification of the myocardial extracellular space without the need for blood sampling. KEYWORDS: Computed tomography; Myocardial tissue characterization; Extracellular matrix; Myocardial extracellular volume fraction; Myocardial fibrosis; cardiac amyloidosis. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AL amyloidosis = Immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis AS = Aortic stenosis CCT = Cardiac computed tomography CMR = Cardiovascular magnetic resonance CVF = Collagen volume fraction ECV = Extracellular volume fraction HU = Hounsfield units INTRODUCTION Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) quantification by cardiac computed tomography (CCT) 1-5 and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) 6, 7 is a promising new imaging biomarker for interstitial expansion due to myocardial fibrosis and cardiac amyloid deposition. Emerging data suggests ECV predicts outcome as well as left ventricular ejection fraction 8, 9 and there is increasing interest in targeting the interstitium during the development of heart failure therapy.10 Current methodologies for ECV quantification require blood hematocrit (Hct) measurement, which adds a layer of complexity and is potentially a barrier to easy clinical implementation. Alternatively, for CMR, Treibel et al. recently proposed a synthetic ECV technique, removing the need for Hct measurement by utilizing the relationship between relaxivity of blood and lab measured Hct.11 It is unknown if a similar approach can be used for CCT, although a relationship between anemia and unenhanced blood attenuation has been observed.12-17 For example the aortic ring sign and dense intra-ventricular septum on unenhanced thoracic CTs suggest underlying anemia.17-19 We hypothesized that the relationship between Hct and unenhanced blood attenuation (HUblood) could be used to estimate a synthetic Hct, permitting immediate synthetic ECV calculation without blood sampling. We used existing patient cohorts1, 4 to investigate how synthetic ECV (a) compares to conventional ECV, and (b) correlates with the reference standard collagen volume fraction. We also tested implementation of an automated synthetic ECV measurement plug-in within the open-source DICOM viewer OsiriX.20 MATERIAL AND METHODS This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively acquired data, received local ethical approval and conformed to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study received no industry support.   All participants provided informed and written consent. Exclusion criteria were uncontrolled arrhythmia or impaired renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate ECV CCT Protocols. The CCT protocol consisted of three steps: first, a low dose non-contrast scan to obtain baseline attenuations; second, contrast administration with a contrast-enhanced 1-minute acquisition and a 5 minute delay to allow blood to myocardial contrast equilibration; third, a repeat scan to re-measure blood and myocardial attenuations. CCT examinations were performed on a 64-detector row CT scanner (Somatom Sensation 64; Siemens Medical Solutions, Germany).1, 4 A topogram was used to plan CT volumes from the level of the aortic valve to the inferior aspect of the heart, typically a 10 cm slab. Cardiac scans (tube voltage, 120 kV; tube current-time product, 160 mAs; section collimation, 64 detector rows, 1.2-mm section thickness; gantry rotation time, 330 msec) were acquired with prospective gating (65%-75% of R-R interval), and reconstructed into 3-mm-thick axial sections with a B20f kernel. All pre- and post contrast acquisitions were performed and reconstructed with the same parameters and matched the level of the pre-contrast scan. The iodinated contrast material used was iohexol (Omnipaque 300; Nycomed Amersham, Oslo, Norway; 300 mg of iodine per milliliter) at a standard dose of 1mL/kg and injection rate of 3ml/sec without a saline chaser. Image Analysis. CCT image analysis was performed using a free and open-source Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine viewer (OsiriX v4.1.2; Pixmeo, Bernex, Switzerland) independently by two experienced readers blinded to all other study data. For Hct estimation, regions of interest (ROIs) were placed in in a single axial slice in the center of the right atrium. The mean area of these ROIs were 4.8 ±1.2cm2. ROIs were drawn in the myocardial left ventricular septum and blood pool in the contrast-enhanced 1-minute acquisition in axial sections and propagated to the pre-contrast and post contrast acquisitions. Myocardial and blood attenuation values (pre-and post contrast only) were used to calculate the ECV fraction from the ratio of the change in blood and myocardial attenuation (ΆHU) corrected by the blood volume of distribution (1 Hematocrit): ECV   =   (1 Hematocrit) x (ΆHUtissue / ΆHUblood) Synthetic Hematocrit and ECV Methodology 1. Derivation of synthetic Hematocrit To derive a regression model predicting hematocrit from pre-contrast HUblood, clinical unenhanced CT scans of the thorax were retrospectively analyzed (120 kV; reconstructed at 5mm slice thickness and B70F soft tissue kernel). These were consecutive clinical CT scans of the thorax for investigation of malignancy, fibrosis or infection. Datasets were included if the patients had a contemporaneous paired laboratory measured Hct (within 20 days, median 8 days). HUblood was analyzed in a single axial slice through the center of the right atrium. This was chosen to minimize beam-hardening artifact from the spine (compared to aortic blood pool) and partial voluming of papillary muscles in the left or right ventricular blood pool. Synthetic Hct was obtained from the equation describing the linear regression line between laboratory HUblood and Hct. 2. Creation of a synthetic ECV Equation Blood hematocrit was substituted by the derived synthetic Hct to derive a synthetic ECV: Synthetic ECV   =   (1 synthetic Hct) x (ΆHUtissue / ΆHUblood) 3. Validation of synthetic ECV For validation, we used existing patient cohorts to investigate how synthetic ECV (a) compares to conventional ECV with laboratory blood hematocrit,4 and (b) correlates with the reference standard collagen volume fraction.1 3a. Clinical Validation Cohort In order to test synthetic ECV across a range of ECV values, the cohort used by our group to validate ECV by CT in amyloidosis was chosen; this comprised of two sub-groups with differing degrees of extracellular volume expansion: I. patients with cardiac amyloidosis (typically high ECV), comprising of 26 patients with systemic amyloidosis (21 males, age 55 ±10 years; 18 with transthyretin amyloidosis; 8 with systemic AL amyloidosis) with varying degrees of cardiac involvement; II. A comparator group of 27 age- and sex-matched patients with severe aortic stenosis (19 male, age 68 ±8 years) who typically exhibit only mild ECV elevation. Scans were performed between January and December 2013. In the clinical cohort, contrast administration was performed using a bolus only approach with a 1 mL/kg bolus of iohexol and post-contrast imaging at 1 minute (for segmentation) and 5 minutes (for post contrast analysis), as validated by our group previously.4 3b. Histological Validation Cohort For histological validation, the performance of synthetic ECV against a histological measure of fibrosis, the collagen volume fraction (CVF), was tested in a second smaller cohort of patients with severe AS, who underwent intra-operative biopsy (no overlap with clinical cohort). This cohort had been used by our group to validate ECV by CT again histology:1 Consenting severe AS patients (n = 17, median age 71 ±10 years, 76% male) underwent CCT between July 2010 and February 2012. Biopsies were obtained and stained with picrosirius red for histological measurement of collagen volume fraction (CVF) as previously described.21 In the histology cohort, contrast administration followed primed iodinated contrast material infusion (bolus plus maintenance infusion) with a 1 mL/kg bolus of iohexol followed by a maintenance infusion of at a rate of 1.88 mL/kg per hour for 25 minutes, when the post contrast imaging was performed.1 4. OsiriX Plugin To facilitate offline analysis and to exemplify future inline automation by scanner manufacturers, an automatic synthetic ECV plug-in was developed for OsiriX. Statistical analysis Analyses were performed using SPSS (Chicago, IL, USA, version 22). All data are presented as mean  ± SD. Normal distribution was assessed by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Differences were assessed using unpaired, two-sided student t-tests (significance level p). Agreement between conventional and synthetic ECV was analyzed using the Bland-Altman method. The significance of the difference between two correlation coefficients was tested using the Fisher r-to-z transformation. RESULTS[TT2] Step 1. Derivation cohort 40 thoracic CT scans with contemporaneous Hct samples within 20 days (mean 8 ±7 days) of the scan were included (n=40, 53% male, age 60 ±20 years) with a broad range of Hct (mean 38.2 ±6.0%; range 24.7-50.7%) and HUblood (mean 40 ±8; range 20-55). The linear regression equation was:   (sHct = [0.51 * HUblood] + 17.4) with R2=0.47 p (Figure 1). Step 2. Creation of the synthetic ECV Equation Blood hematocrit was substituted by the derived synthetic Hct to derive a synthetic ECV: Synthetic ECV   =   (1 ([0.51 * HUblood] + 17.4)x (ΆHUtissue / ΆHUblood) Step 3. Validation Step 3a. Clinical cohort Baseline characteristics of twenty-six systemic amyloidosis and twenty-seven AS patients are shown in Table 1.In this cohort, Hct were mean 41.4 ±3.8% (range 29.3-47.4%) and HUblood mean 40.2 ±3.9 (range 29.3-50.1). Synthetic ECV, calculated using the regression model to derive HCT,and conventional ECV were highly correlated (R2=0.96; p) with a 5.7% SD of differences and minimal bias (2.4%) on Bland-Altman analysis (Figure 2). ECVCT was significantly higher in amyloid patients with definitive cardiac involvement than aortic stenosis (54 ±11% versus 28 ±4%, p Step 3b. Histology cohort Baseline characteristics of the histology cohort are described in Table 2.The mean histological CVF of the 17 biopsies was 18  ± 8% (range 5% to 40%), Hct were 40.2 ±4.6% (range 29.4-46.4%) and HUblood 37.7 ±4.2 (range 29.5-45.1). Synthetic and conventional ECV both correlated well with collagen volume fraction (R2 = 0.50, p vs. R2 = 0.50, p ; Figure 3) and did not differ statistically on Fisher r-to-z transformation (p = 0.8). Step 4. Automatic synthetic ECV plug-in in OsiriX Example output of the OsiriX plugin are shown in Figure 4, and the code is provided in the supplementary data. This plugin involves three simple steps: I. Manual segmentation of the blood pool in the pre- and post-contrast images; II. The plug-in automatically estimates blood hematocrit using the attenuation relationship defined above; III. The plug-in produces a three-dimensional myocardial ECV volume, where each image voxel represents an ECV value. Reproducibility Inter- and intra-observer agreement was excellent for myocardial (ICC = 0.92 and ICC = 0.94, respectively) and blood pool (ICC = 0.96 and ICC = 0.99, respectively) attenuation measurements. Similarly for ECV, excellent agreement was found (ICC = 0.95 and ICC = 0.98, respectively). Repeat sampling variability was tested in 44 patients who underwent two samples a median of 4 hours apart. Test:retest variability of laboratory hematocrit was higher than expected (n=44, variability 10% with hct:hct R2=0.86.11 DISCUSSION Identifying interstitial heart disease is important for diagnosis and prognosis,10 and myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECV) can be measured non-invasively by CCT.1-4 However, its measurement is complicated by the necessity for venous blood sampling, image analysis and then offline ECV calculation. This process is cumbersome and a major obstacle for implementing this technique into routine clinical practice. In this manuscript, we simplify the technique by calculating ECV without blood hematocrit. This development arose out of a need to simplify ECV measurement to make it more clinically applicable. We utilize the relationship between hematocrit and blood attenuation (the attenuation of blood decreases with anemia)12-14, 17-19 to derive a synthetic hematocrit for immediate synthetic ECV calculation without blood sampling. We show that synthetic ECV was highly correlated to conventional ECV, and had a similar association to the histologic reference standard of CVF. The implementation of an offline automated processing tool provides a significant aid to workflow, allowing for ECV measurement in routine clinical practice.   Automated synthetic ECV can be implemented inline on CT scanners with test performances approaching that of conventional ECV measurement. ECV quantification by CT, despite it lower signal to noise ratio, has key advantage over CMR: The CT approach is cheaper and widely available, can be completed in 5 minutes, and the scanner design can accommodate patients with obesity and claustrophobia (CMR is not suitable in around 10% of patients due to claustrophobia or many cardiac pacemakers).22 Furthermore, ECV by CCT can provide high-resolution 3D ECV volumes with whole heart acquisition and limited cardiac motion. Finally, the concentration of iodine has a linear relationship with th e CT attenuation value, which is not affected by fast exchange mechanism like CMR T1 mapping (depending on cell size and contrast dose, fast transcytolemmal water-exchange may reach its limits), which do not apply to CT.23, 24 ECV (by CMR or CT) allows quantification of a key pathophysiological pathway in heart failure: interstitial expansion due to diffuse myocardial fibrosis (or in rare cases by deposition of amyloid fibrils).1-4 As the CMR field is showing, ECV is diagnostic in certain diseases, tracks myocardial remodelling and predicts outcome.25, 26 Interstitial expansion can be global (hypertension, aortic stenosis) or focal (hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy), therefore high spatial resolution and whole heart coverage is important. Due to the aforementioned advantages of CT over CMR, ECV by CT will undoubtedly receive greater attention as part of comprehensive assessment of the heart by CT coronary angiography, perfusion and myocardial tissue characterization. Limitations[TT3] The study has limitations. In the derivation cohort, the mean interval between Hct samples and CT 8 days. Normal within-subject variation in Hct between 1 day and 1-2 months in a healthy adult is actually very low (3%), but together with an analytical variation (3%) this may explain a relative change of >10% between two successive Hct values.27 The control cohort used in this study comprised of patients with AS rather then healthy volunteers, but, given the exposure to ionizing radiation and contrast, patients with AS were deemed as adequate control cohort, avoiding exposure of healthy volunteers. For the same reasons, variability of repeat synthetic ECV was not tested. Development and validation were performed using a single scanner platform, therefore this regression model is only valid for 120 kV and an X-ray tube used in a specific CT vendor. Spectrum of the X-rays emitted by a CT X-ray tube substantially varies among CT vendors. In addition, low KV scans are increasingly used to reduce radiation exposure to the patients. Consequently, multiple regression models for different KV settings as well as for different CT vendors should be carefully prepared for synthetic ECV by CCT. Other factors that may affect the attenuation of blood such as temperature28 and other blood constituents such as macromolecules, fat and iron require further investigation. The 64-slice-CT-system employed here reflects commonly available systems, but did not offer iterative reconstruction algorithms, dual energy acquisition and larger detector arrays that allow acquisition of whole heart, isotropic volumes of in one heart beat and at low radiation dose. In single-source 64 detector rows CT, myocardial CT attenuation is not homogenous due to artifacts, especially in the inferior wall and lateral wall. In the current study, we only included data from ROIs in the left ventricular septum. The accuracy of synthetic ECV should be validated in other segments in LV myocardium, if synthetic ECV by CT is more widely available and used in patients. Furthermore, 3D image registration and processing, reduces the errors of whole heart ECV maps.29 CONCLUSION Synthetic hematocrit derived from the relationship between blood hematocrit and blood attenuation allows quantification of the myocardial extracellular volume fraction by cardiac computed tomography without the need for blood sampling. ECV shows great potential, allowing myocardial tissue characterization with negligible effect on workflow and radiation dose. However wider adoption requires simplification and automation of the established technique synthetic ECV offers this. 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Haematocrit: within-subject and seasonal variation. Sports Med. 2003;33:231-243. 28.Bydder GM, Kreel L. The temperature dependence of computed tomography attenuation values. Journal of computer assisted tomography. 1979;3:506-510. 29.Nacif MS, Liu Y, Yao J, et al. 3D left ventricular extracellular volume fraction by low-radiation dose cardiac CT: assessment of interstitial myocardial fibrosis. J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2013;7:51-57. FIGURES Figure 1: Derivation of synthetic hematocrit from the attenuation of blood Thoracic CT scans (n=40, 53% male, age 60 ±20 years) with contemporaneous hematocrit samples (mean interval 8.8 ±7.3 days) of the scan were used to create a regression line between hematocrit (Hct; 38.2 ±6.0%; range 24.7-50.7%) and blood attenuation (HUblood; 40.7 ±8.0; range 19.5-55.2). The regression line between Hct and HUblood was linear (R2=0.47 p) with a regression equation for synthetic Hct = [0.51 * HUblood] + 17.4). Figure 2: Validation of synthetic ECV vs conventional ECV in AS and Amyloid Synthetic ECV, calculated using the regression model,and conventional ECV were highly correlated (R2=0.96; p) with a 5.7% SD of differences and minimal bias (2.4%) on Bland-Altman analysis (right image). Figure 3: Histological Validation of Synthetic ECV Synthetic and conventional ECV both correlated well with collagen volume fraction (R2 = 0.50, p vs. R2 = 0.50, p ) and did not differ statistically. Figure 4: OsiriX Plugin workflow To facilitate offline analysis and allow future inline automation, an automatic synthetic ECV plug-in was developed for Osirix. Following manual segmentation of the blood pool in the pre- and post-contrast images, the plug-in automatically estimates blood hematocrit using the attenuation relationship defined above, and produces a three-dimensional myocardial ECV volume from pre- and post-contrast CCT data.