Graphene Oxide (GO) as Antimicrobial Property

Graphene Oxide (GO) as Antimicrobial PropertyOver the past several(prenominal) years scientists have study graphene substantives (graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide) for its antimicrobial properties and its future application in the biomedical field. To date, the exact weapon for why graphene and its derivatives have antibacterial properties has not been fully understood out-of-pocket to experimental design varicapables. Scientists have agreed that oxidative filter, phospholipid inception, and nanoknives all play an fundamental role in the antibacterial properties of graphene existents. There atomic number 18 several techniques much(prenominal) as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron spectrographic analysis, and down spectroscopy that have been used to monitor change in morphology and cadre end after exposure to graphene and its derivatives. Through these techniques scientist have been able to confirm that graphene materials argon able t o promote cellular death in some(prenominal) gram-positive and negative bacteria, tip to its promising future also in pharmaceuticals. Graphene is a two-dimensional hexagonal structure, consisting of a basal plane (along the get up) and askance edges, that are made up of sp2 hybridized carbons which pass water a conjugated system. This -conjugated system makes graphene very hydrophobic and able to interact with the hydrophobic cell tissue layers of bacteria. Graphene oxide (GO) is most commonly prepared using the Hummers method, which consists of a multi-step synthesis. First the graphite material is oxidized to pains graphite oxide and then this is exfoliated via sonication to form a individual(a) layer of material called GO. Through the oxidation wait on oxygenated functional groups are introduced into the basal surfaces and lateral edges of GO. On the basal surface of GO, the functional groups of epoxides and hydroxyl groups are present, whereas, the larger groups such (prenominal) as carboxyl and carbonylic groups form along the lateral edges. It is important to note that with the doorway of the oxygenated functional groups, the basal plane and lateral edges leave behind need to adopt sp3 hybridized carbons, which results in the constitution of defect regions where the -conjugated system is broken. The presence of these defects pass on be explored in more detail below as these areas are critical in the antibacterial properties of GO.In the literature, GO and other graphene materials have demonstrated through both physical and chemical mechanisms they have the ability to reduce bacterial cell count of both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria1. Several pivotal studies have been conducted in order to determine the key mechanism behind the antibacterial properties of GO. Nada et.al studied the antibacterial mechanisms using Raman spectroscopy2, Zhang et.al studied the antibacterial activity using mass spectroscopy3, and Yusong et.al examined the proceedings of declension of phospholipids from E-coli by graphene nanosheets4.These studies have led to the instruction of several mechanisms including the cutting of the tissue layer wall by the sharp edges of the defect sites (nanoknives), phospholipid extraction and oxidative stress. The various experiments to date regardless of experimental design demonstrated that it is not a single mechanism that is responsible for the antibacterial properties of GO but rather a combination of several mechanisms that can contribute to the overall antibacterial properties. Ultimately, it is the break deal in the cell membrane that causes intracellular leakage of vital proteins, nucleic acids, and cytoplasmic material that results in the loss of reproduction and cell death.The cutting mechanism also referred to in the literature as nanoknives is one of the most important mechanisms that trail to the antibacterial properties of GO. The sharp lateral edges of GO are able to penetrate into the cell membranes versed and outer layer. This leads to the loss of cell membrane justness and leakage of intracellular materials such as the cytoplasm, nucleic acids, proteins and amino acids.Nada et al used a diverseness of techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe the cellular changes (deformation or loss of cell membrane fair play) of bacteria, such as E Coli when candid to varying concentrations of GO material. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine how E.coli reacts to an increasing concentration of GO. From the research done by Nada and team the bands with the greatest change were those of antiophthalmic factor (a nucleic acid) (729cm-1), the S-S stretching vibrations (490cm-1) of the disulphide bonds ( gear up on the surface of the cell) and the amide group (found in proteins) bending vibration at 610cm-1.2 The intensity of each of these bands increased with the increase in GO concentration. This positively confirms that GO had penetrated into the cell membrane, causing the loss integrity and allowing the intracellular material such as adenine and other proteins to leak from the cell. Once this material was leaked from the cell, its vibrational absorption increase the signal in the Raman spectrum intensified. The examined the effects of GO on E. coli using SEM was used to observe the morphological changes in cells after exposure to GO. soma 1 below, press outs the morphological effects on E. coli with increasing GO concentration2. Image A represents the control of E. coli cells. In image B, E. coli was treated with low concentration of GO causing morphological changes seen by the distortion (flattening or squishing) of the rod shape. As the concentration of the GO treatment increases the sharp edges of the GO material are able to penetrate into the cell membrane (as seen in the red arrow in image c) and lead to a loss of cell membrane integrity resulting in the leakage of the intracellular m aterial. 2 This effect was not isolated to only gram-negative bacteria but also gram-positive bacteria as well, in which the thickness of the cell membrane is different however similar results were observed. Therefore, the thickness of the cell membrane does not play a critical role in the nano-knife cutting mechanism as GO was able to penetrate both the inner and outer cell membrane walls.The size of it of the GO also plays a key role in the cutting ability of GO due to the changes in the basal plane and lateral edges. A study lead by Perreault examined how altering the size of GO changed the cell viability of E. coli. GO sheets were altered by varying the sonication time and power in order to obtain GO sizes ranging from 0.65 m2 down to 0.01 m2.5 Using live/dead fluorescence staining it was determined that there was no change in cell viability (%living) when the bacteria was not in contact with GO as shown in the control of course 2.5 The green dots represents the number of colo ny forming units (CFU) alive and the red dots are dead CFUs. The smaller sheet size of 0.01 m2 has significantly lower cell viability (30%) when compared to the 0.65 m2 sheet (73%).5 This phenomenon is explained by the fact that as the size of the GO material is decreased the amount of defects in the sp2 hybridized carbons of the basal plane and edges increases. The defects are caused by either the addition of oxygen groups or shrinkage in size that destroys a portion of the basal plane. This effect creates additional sharp edges in both the lateral edges and basal plane conduct to more nanoknives that are capable of cutting through the cell membrane. This allows for increase areas of interaction with the bacterial. This was also support using SEM where larger sheet sizes (0.65m2) showed very little deformation and almost normal cell structure whereas smaller sheets (0.01 m2) appeared to be flattened and deformed starring(p) to a compromised cell structure5. It is interesting to note that the amount of surface defects also plays a critical role in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that willing create oxidative stress to the cell membrane and additional loss of membrane integrity. Therefore, it is impossible to determine if only the physiochemical mechanism of cutting is the single mechanism that impacts cell viability or multiple mechanisms do. In reality, with smaller GO size the loss of cell membrane integrity and intracellular leakage can be attributed to both the nano-knife effect and oxidative stress due to the increase in defects. This mechanism also has been shown to work in combination with other mechanisms such phospholipid extraction in which after cutting into the cell membrane the phospholipids are better able to be extracted by GO. This effect is due to hydrophobic attraction betwixt the phospholipid tailcoat and the -conjugated sp2 carbons of the basal plane. This will be discussed in further details in the later slits.GO is h ighly hydrophobic due to the -conjugation of the basal surface which allows it to interact with the phospholipid layer of the bacterial cell membrane. The oxygenated groups on GO provides a hydrophilic portion of the compound that is able to interact with the polar heads of the phospholipids. Yusong et al performed a detailed experiment on this and showed that extraction of the phospholipid molecules via hydrophobic interactions causes cell membrane deformation and collapse.5There are two main mechanisms for the extraction of the phospholipids depending on the size of the GO material. With larger GO materials, the nanosheet will lie along the cell membrane causing a disruption of the phospholipid membrane allow the GO material to embed itself into the lipophilic portions of the membrane1. For smaller GO materials, the sheet will lie perpendicular to the membrane and penetrate through the cell membrane (either partially or completely) via the nano-knife mechanism. This further suppor ts the theory that it is not a single mechanism that allows for the antibacterial properties but a combination of several.The extraction of phospholipids occurs in several steps (see consider 3). The first step involves a slight shifting of phospholipids due to the docking of the GO nanosheet as described by Yuesong (Image a).4 Next the phospholipid head will initiate to break through the cell membrane and climb up the GO sheet (image b). This climbing effect is observed as result of the strong fetching forces amongst the hydrophobic regions of the basal plane and the hydrophobic tails of the phospholipids. This extraction process will continue until the GO material is covered completely with phospholipids with several layers of phospholipids climbing at the same time (image d). The phospholipids will evenly spread over the surface in such a way that the hydrophobic tails will align with the hydrophobic regions of the basal surface and the polar heads will align with the oxygena ted functional groups of GO (images e and f).4 The loss of the phospholipids from the cell membrane causes a loss in membrane density which weakens the cell membrane. Due to the loss of density and the penetration of the GO into the cell, cell membrane integrity is lost resulting in the leakage intracellular fluids. This effect can be seen with the aid of TEM as morphological changes are easily identified using this method of analysis (see figure 4)4. Image A represents the initial state in which no morphological changes have occurred when E-coli was treated with GO.4 Over time as the phospholipid extraction occurs, the cell membrane density will decrease as shown in images b and c seen by the Type B arrows. The last step in the process is when cell integrity is lost and the intracellular material begins to leak. This effect is also observed in the images d-f where the cells are transparent due to loss of the cytoplasm4. This confirms that the phospholipid extraction occurs with the aid of the nanoknives leading to loss in cell viability.Another group of scientist lead by Zhangs used mass spectroscopy to map the metabolites of E-coli before and after exposure to GO.3 A typical mass spectrum of E-coli without GO treatment is shown Figure 5a. The most important peaks are at m/z 306 which corresponds to glutathione (GHS), which is an antioxidant commonly found in E. coli, and the membrane phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), at approximately m/z 600-8003. As the concentration of GO increased the overall intensities of the GSH, PE and PG all decreased (see fig 5b). This aligns with the previous studies of Yusong in which the extraction of the phospholipids leads to a decrease in cell membrane density. This was clearly observed by the decrease in signal intensities of both PE and PG.In the mass spec results obtain by Zhangs team there was also a decrease in GSH intensity. GSH is a critical antioxidant found in E. coli and will act as a scavenger for any free oxygen radicals that may be present in the bacterias environment. GSH prevents the oxidative breakdown of the phospholipid membrane that can also lead to a loss of cell membrane integrity and intracellular leakage. This finding confirms the previous hypothesis that there are more mechanisms running in jibe that ultimately attribute to the overall antibacterial properties of GO. In this very example, the nano-knives are able to cut into the phospholipid membrane and start the chain reaction of phospholipid extraction. This extraction causes a decrease in phospholipid density which in parallel with the cutting of the membrane by the nanoknives and oxidative stress leads to a loss in cell membrane integrity. This loss in cell membrane integrity leads to a loss of intracellular material such cytoplasmic material, nucleic acids and proteins..As demonstrated by the mass spectrum results obtained by Zhang et al, oxidative stress occurs when there is a decr ease in antioxidant concentration (such as GSH)3. The consumption of GSH occurs in the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are typically composed of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2*), hydroxyl radical (OH*) or singlet molecular oxygen species(1O2)1. When the antioxidants (such as GSH) are depleted the ROS compounds will then cause oxidation of key lipids in the cell membrane, proteins or even nucleic acids. The formation of the ROS compounds occurs due to the very nature of GO. When graphite is oxidized to form graphite oxide, the basal plane obtains additional defects as the result of the loss of -conjugation. This loss of -conjugation occurs due to the introduction of the oxygenated functional groups such as epoxides and hydroxyl groups which creates sp3 hybridized carbons. The introduction of the sp3 carbons alters the planer geometry of the basal plane by introducing tetrahedral carbons, creating defects in the lateral edges and basal plane. Additiona l defects can also be introduced as mentioned in the previous section when the size of the GO material is decreased. As the size of the sheets decreases the ability of the GO to stay as a perfect hexagonal structure also diminishes as the structure gets distorted to accommodate the smaller size.The process of oxidative stress begins with the formation of ROS compounds. Oxygen is absorbed to the surface of the basal plane or lateral edges at the defects sites to form surface oxides. These surface oxides release ROS species in the presence of antioxidants as a result of a redox reaction. In the presence of GSH (an antioxidant found in E. coli), the surface oxides found on GO are reduced by an electron transfer from GSH. Another GSH molecule will then donate a proton to the ROS species, causing its reduction and subsequent release of a water molecule.5 The deprotonated GSH molecule will then react with another GSH molecule to form glutathione disulphide. If GSH is not available, the RO S species will then oxidize the lipids in the cell membrane to form as a lipid peroxide radical causing oxidative stress to the cell membrane. This oxidative stress will continue down the cell membrane until the lipid peroxide radical encounters an antioxidant bound to the cell membrane such as Vitamin E. It is important to keep in mind that with an increased amount of free oxygen radicals the extent of oxidative stress increases and the overall cell integrity decreases.As mentioned earlier, the size and shape of the GO plays a key role in determine the extent of the oxidative stress. As the size of the GO material decreases from 0.065 to 0.01m2 the amount of surface defects increases. Again this is due to the loss of the conjugation and destruction of the basal plane. With the smaller GO material the presence of additional defects allows for the formation of many more surface oxides that can later be reduced to form ROS compounds. These ROS compounds then will continue to deplete t he antioxidants and lead to further lipid peroxidation. This effect will continue until enough oxidative stress exists to cause the membrane to collapse and bacterial death to occur.Perreault and team demonstrated this effect when they examined through Raman spectroscopy and cell viability testing that the size of the GO material plays a critical role in the ability of the material to induce oxidative stress. Figure 6 shows that as the size of the sheet decreases, the amount of disorder due to the defects (D band) increases. Therefore there is a direct correlation to number of defects and the ability of GO to form ROS species that interact with GSH. This is further confirmed with the graph in figure 6a which shows the %loss of GSH decreases with the increase in GO size. Therefore it not only the nanoknives that that are influenced by the size of GO but also oxidative stress due to the adsorbed oxygen and ROS formation.As demonstrated through the various studies conducted by Nada et al, Zhang et.al, and Yusong et al the key antibacterial mechanisms of GO are cutting via nanoknives, phospholipid extraction and oxidative stress that contribute to the overall antibacterial properties of GO. The research to date indicates it is not a single mechanism that creates the antibacterial properties of GO but a combination of all factors. How much antibacterial is dependent on the physical size of GO plays and the number of defects in the basal surface and lateral edges. As the size of GO decreases a larger degree of surface defects forms. These defects play two important roles in the antimicrobial properties of GO. First, an increase in surface defects creates an increase in the number of sharp edges that causes a loss of cellular membrane integrity. Directly, the cell membrane is compromised by the penetration of the nano-knives resulting in intracellular leakage of the cytoplasm, amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids, Indirectly, once the nano-knives cut into the cell membrane it becomes embedded through attractive force between the hydrophobic tails of the cell membranes phospholipids and basal plane promotes phospholipid extraction. This extraction causes a decrease in cell membrane density which further breaks down the membrane causing additional intracellular leakage of key nucleic acids, cytoplasm and proteins. Lastly, the increase in surface defects of the basal plane increases the presence of reactive oxygen species. These species will react with any antioxidant present in the bacterial cell depleting their levels. Once depleted or reduced, the ROS will cause oxidation of the cell membrane lipids leading to a chain reaction of oxidative stress through the cell membrane. This also will lead to a loss of cell membrane integrity and intracellular leakage of key proteins and nucleic acids responsible for cell growth and replication. Without this material the bacteria cell will die leading to the antibacterial properties observed in GO.With th e development of drug resistant bacteria, new and inventive ways to treat bacterial infections need to be explored. GO with its unique chemical and physical properties show much promise as the next antibacterial treatment. Additional studies need to be conducted to determine the cytotoxicity of GO in animals and humans in order to development new treatment therapies.Zou,X. Zhang, L. Wang, Z., Luo, Y. Mechanisms of the Antimicrobial Activities of Graphene Materials. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 2064-2077Nada, S.S Yi, D.K Kim, K. Study of antibacterial mechanisms of graphene oxide using Raman spectroscopy. Sci. Rep. 2016, 6, 28443 inside 10.103,srep28443Zhang, N. Hou, j. Chen, S. Xiong, C. Liu, H. Jin, Y. Wang, J. He, Q. Zhao, R. Nie, Z.. Rapidly probing antibacterial activity of Graphene oxide by Mass Spectrometry-based metabolite fingerprinting Sci. Rep. 2016, 6, 28045 doi 10.1038,srep28085Yusong, T. Lv, M. Xiu Huynh, T. Zhang, M. Castelli, M. Liu, Z. Huang, Q. Fan, C. Fang, H. Zh ou, R. Destructive extraction of phospholipids from Escherichia coli membranes by graphene nanosheets. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2013, 8, 594-601, doi10.1038/nnano.2013.125Perreault, F. Fonseca de Faria, A. Nejati, S. Elimelech, M. Antimicrobial Properties of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Why Size Matters. ACS Nano. 2015, 7, 7226-7236

Sustaining Competitive Advantage Of Nestle Marketing Essay

Sustaining Competitive Advantage Of hold close Marketing EssaySustainability stinker occur in two ways pixilateds may differ with respect to resources and capabilities and the differences persist and isolating chemical mechanisms analogous to barriers to entry may work to protect the rivalrous good of firms.6.1 Resources and CapabilitiesA firms resource identifies its capabilities. Resources are the productive assets owned by the firm. Capabilities on the other hand refer to a companys ability to make using up of its resources in a highly productive manner. Individual resources do not confer competitive vantage, they must work to permither to create organizational efficacy. It is capability that is the essence of superior performance.6.1.1 ResourcesTangible ResourcesBasically, there are three types of a firms resources tangible, intangible and human resources. Tangible resources are the easiest to identify and evaluate financial resources and material assets are identified a nd valued in the firms financial statements. According to hold close Annual Report 2011, Nestle Group reported sales of CHF 83.6 billion and 7.5 pct organic growth on top of good growth in recent years. The net profit on a continuing basis was CHF 9.5 billion, up 8.1 percent. At December 2011, Nestles property, plant and equipment were valued at CHF 9041 jillion.Intangible ResourcesResources may also be intangible, such as reputation or a burgeon forth of patents and copyrights. Brand name is the most important resource among the intangible resources. Brand name and other trademarks are form of reputational assets their value is in the confidence they bang up in nodes. The brand valuations involve estimating the operating profits for each brand, estimating the proportion of net operating income attribut qualified to the brand, and then capitalizing these returns. The value of companys brands mess be change magnitude by extending the product/ market scope over which the compan y markets those brands. Nestle has eight productlines or categories overall. The strategy used by Nestle is thefamily brandor mergedbranding in which word Nestle is attached to allthe brandsin all categories. In 2001, Nestles brand value was more than 13000 million US dollars and it has became the largest producer of consumer packaged potables and foods in the world, which has claimed the 23rd position in the Interbrands list of 100 most valuable brands in the world (Nestle Brand Strategy, 2012). clement ResourcesThe human resources of the firm are the expertise and effort offered by its employees. For example, the combination of Nestles knowledge of biotechnology in hot chocolate with the expertise, Nestle has on the ground in Mexico which will help to achieve sustainable Robusta coffee production in the region (The Nestle People Development Review). In addition, Nestle has a great research and development team. James Gallagher and Andrea Pfeifer were the masterminds behind th e research on the La-1 cultures in the LC-1 yogurt. They were also the two that decided on selling LC-1 as a utilitarian food. This enabled Nestle to position the product in a way that differentiated it among the other products in the market (Nestle LC1, 2005).6.1.2 CapabilitiesCapabilities are what a firm can do. organizational capability requires the expertise of various individuals to be integrated with capital equipment, technology, and other resources. For instance, in Asia, Nestles strategy has been to acquire local companies in order to form a group of independent regional managers who know more about the culture of the local markets than Americans or Europeans. The strong cash flow of the company enabled it to engage in wide- denture foreign direct investments and sufficient flexibility for takeovers of local firms able to provide the company with a stronghold in the market. Apart from that, Nestle has employed a wide-area strategy that involves producing different product s in each country to cater the region with a given product from one country. For example, Nestle in Indonesia specializes in soya milk products because of the cheaper and easy access to soymilk in the country with soymilk products for distribution in other Asian markets (Nestle LC1, 2005).Furthermore, Nestle provides an example of a company that has a strong configural advantage in the marketing, distribution and manufacture of food products. Nestle has developed an explicit international brand architecture that consists of 10 worldwide corporate brands, 45 worldwide strategic product brands, 25 regional corporate brands, 100 regional product brands, 700 local strategic brands and approximately 7000 local brands. On the production side, it has 522 factories in 81 different countries providing manufacturing capabilities in key markets. The broad geographic coverage allows Nestle to realize sales from industrialized countries as swell as the increasingly important emerging market c ountries and to transfer information and experience from one market or region to another (Craig and Douglas, 1999). In addition, Nestle has become the first major confectioner to remove artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its entire range. The company, which is behind leading brands including KitKat, Smarties and Quality Street, has changed the recipe of 79 products to remove suspect chemicals. In total, more than 80 ingredients have been replaced with alternatives, mostly from natural sources such as carrot, hibiscus, radish, safflower and lemon (Poulter, 2012).6.2 Isolating MechanismIsolating mechanisms limit the rivals from eroding a firms competitive advantage. There are two different types of isolating mechanism which are (1) impediments to imitation and (2) early mover advantage.6.2.1 Impediments to imitationImpediments to imitation are the mechanism that impedes the existing firms and potential entrants from duplicating the resources and capabilities of the incu mbent firm. There are four important types of impediments exist which are legal restrictions, superior access to inputs/customers, market size and scale economies and intangible barriers.Legal RestrictionsWe are going to look at the legal restrictions and superior access to inputs/customers of Nestle. Firstly, the legal restrictions such as patents, copyrights and trademarks, as well as governmental control over entry into markets through licensing, control rights and certification can impede imitation. Nestle has files over 250 patent applications per year and manages a worldwide patent portfolio of about 20,000 patents. Nestle has now entered the top 100s cosmos Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) list and is the top patent applicant for the food and beverage industry. Leading edge technologies and highly differentiated products, solutions and benefits are key to Nestles four growth drivers and its global brands such as Nespresso, Nan, Nescafe, Nido and Purina. Protecting these technologies, products, solutions and benefits significantly contributes to sustaining the competitive advantage coming from Nestles unmatchedRDcapability and product and brand portfolio. For example, on 22 February 2006, Nestle had applied for a patent on genetically modified coffee plants with a blocked enzyme, designed to improve the solubility of the coffee powder. The patent covers the technical process, genetically modified plants as well as the use of coffee beans for the manufacture of soluble coffee. With this patent, coffee growers will become even more dependent on Nestle (Greenpeace, 2006).Superior Access to Inputs/CustomersSecondly, superior access to inputs/customers promoter that the firms can obtain high quality or high productivity inputs, such as raw materials or information than its competitors will be able to sustain cost and quality advantages that competitors cannot imitate. With every bite or sip of a Nestle product, Nestle has to assure the highest pos sible standards all along the supply chain from raw materials via manufacturing, packaging and distribution, to the point of consumption. Every Nestle factory has a laboratory that systematically analyses raw materials and ingredients. Nestle products are checked on the production line and in their finished state to ensure that they meet the company strict standards, as well as national and international regulations (The World of Nestle, 2006).6.2.2 Early Mover AdvantageEarly mover advantage is the benefit produce by being the first to enter a market with a peeled product or service. Early mover advantages include becoming a market leader in a new establishing a new leading brand being able to charge a premium until competitor products appear enhanced reputation, design, and copyright protection and possibly setting an industry standard to which other competitors may have to aspire. There are four different isolating mechanisms fall under the category of early mover advantage whic h is learning curve, reputation and vendee uncertainty, buyer switching costs and network effects.Reputation and Buyer UncertaintyWe are going to discuss the reputation and buyer uncertainty and network effect on Nestle. For experience goods, a firms reputation for quality provides a significant early mover advantage. Once the firms reputation has been created, the firm will have advantage competing for new customers, increasing the number of customers and further strengthening its reputation. The motto of Nestle is Good Food, Good Life, so delivering the soft products to the customer is their main objective. Nestle Pure Life (NPL) was first offered in Pakistan by Nestle Pakistan Limited in 1998. People felt need of Pure, safe and white-hot water because of impurities in water especially in the industrialized cities like Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad etc. Nestle identified this opportunity and launched NPL that satisfied the customer needs and Nestle become market leader in the wat er industry. The customers of NPL showed interest on NPL because of trust on Quality of Nestle, at the heart of which there are qualitative products and its long term commitment to deliver better products to consumers. Being the market leader, the market share of NPL is 78 percent that is much higher than its competitors (Ahmad, 2011).Network entrapThe network effect is the result of word-of-mouth testimonials where the customer values the product depending on how many others are using the product. There is many ways for the customers to get the information about a companys product. Actual networks are where the consumers are physically linked. Nestle, the 144-year-old Switzerland-based food company created a Fan Page on the social media site, Facebook, where its millions of customers can get information and discuss the company and its products. While a simple and seemingly begin move, the company demonstrated foresight in opening a new channel to better communicate with their cust omers (A Business Lesson, n.d.).

Alphagan P Essays -- Drugs, Treating Glaucoma

There has been a new step in science leading towards evolution. Alphagan P has been know as the next leading pharmaceutical in treating Glaucoma. It is gentle to the ocular surface, unlike other medications which can harm it. Alphagan P provides IOP lowering which is comparable to important blocker, but is without the adverse imprints that most other medications cause. It is an alpha-2 agonist, which is a class of drugs that bind to and stimulate alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, causing responses comparable to those of adrenaline and noradrenaline.Alphagan was first introduced in 1996. The a la mode(p) generation of adrenergic agonist is thrity times more selective for alpha 2 receptors than apraclonidine. Because of its selectivity, it does non include the alpha 1 side effects that affect the heart and crosscurrent pressure. The most significant side effects are drowsiness, a dry mouth, and fatigue. There is also surface irritation, with about 7 to 15 percent of patients experienc ing allergic conjunctivitis. Alphagan has stayed popular since it first came out despite its side effects. What should you know about Alphagan P before using it? Make sure to not use brimonidine ophthalmic (Alphagan P) if you have utilise an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 2 weeks. Inform your refer if you have kidney or liver disease, heart disease, circulation problems such as Raynauds or Buergers disease, high blood pressure, have a history of fainting or low blood pressure. Make sure to not use the medication if you use contact lenses because the medication contains a preservative that can be absorbed by kookie contact lenses. If ... ...wing through with their education. Studies are now being done to further investigate this occurrence. Although Alphagan P has a list of adverse reactions reported, it is still the most used medication used to t reat patients with Glaucoma. Many clinical studies have been done on the drug since it came out in 1996, and further enhancements have been made since. kit and caboodle CitedOsborne, S., Montgomery, D., Morris, D., & McKay, I. (2005). Alphagan allergy may increase the propensity for multiple eye-drop allergy. Eye, 19(2), 129-137. doi10.1038/sj.eye.6701441Bowman, R. C., Cope, J. J., & Nischal, K. K. (2004). Ocular and systemic side effects of brimonidine 0.2% eye drops (Alphagan) in children. Eye, 18(1), 24-26. doi10.1038/sj.eye.6700520ALPHAGAN P THE NEXT STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF GLAUCOMA THERAPY. (2003). Review of Ophthalmology, 10(9), 8.

electric cars speech -- essays research papers

Just about everyone wants a car but no one Wants to contribute for gas well now thanks to technology we dont have to yes thanks to the discovery of the electronic car people crapper motive power solely on the power of electricity but most people say that Unless some new type of battery is invented these electronic Car argon nothing more than a dream but these are far more than a dream and very much so a subtract of reality But what does the future hold for these cars Well electricity is already a large part of our lives so to start using electricity supply cars would not be so much of a change from our normal routine as people may seem to think And theyre already many people using these electrical cars one man mentioned That he uses The Corbin Sparrow (a single person electric fomite) As his primary commute vehicle he has a 50mi. Total commute To and from work mostly freeway so not that much stop and go traffic but erst he gets to work his batteries drained about 50 percent b ut because the car does not require a special charging stations he can plug it into any standard three prong outlet So he pluges his car and at work and returns home on a 100 percent charge Saving gas and money every day allowing his car to pay for itself but Basically, heres what the Sparrow offers Seats 1 person, and ample space for laptop, document and small grocery run. 13 lead acid batteries, different in detail from conventional automotive batteries, but not fundamentally so. The batteries provide for a very low center of gravity. Fiberglass body for keeping the weight down while increasing the energy efficiency considerably. Im averaging .16KwH/mile or thereabouts for my typical commute. 110v charging that takes about 8 hours. However, in my typical usage, I get to 80+% in less than 2 hours, and recharging stations are nearly *everyplace* however an extension cord can be helpful and a top speed of about 80mphnow this may be good for the total number one wood or maybe-trips back and forth to and from work but what would you do for a long drive with no time in between to recharge this car This car would definitely not be the car for the job of but thats where our next car, comes in 25 February 2000 -- DaimlerChryslers engineers might have mis... ...he same period. I found the RAV4-EV a thoroughly enjoyable driving experience the brief time I was behind the wheel. It handles well, accelerating as briskly as a 4 cylinder IC-engine version. Its quiet inside, though the low rolling-resistance tires are a bit noisy. It certainly brakes well as I learned when an inattentive driver tried to pull out in front us during our test drive around Disney World. The RAV4-EV will make an ideal intra-city commuter for many motorists. Since the modal(a) American workplace commute is under 50 miles round trip, the RAV4-EV can get you there and back again with style and comfort. Toyotas Armstock made an interesting chit-chat near the end of our test drive. When asked w hen we can expect to see the RAV4-EV go on sale to consumers, he remarked that the technology is advancing so rapidly that he expects the current model to be as obsolete in thee years as a pesonal computer with an Intel 286 micro-processor is today. Thats an exciting prospect, considering how well integrated the RAV4-EV is even now. disregarding of the pace of technological change, this is one nicely done SUV, one that makes a lot of sense right now, especially now. END STORY

Women as a Minority Group Essay -- essays research papers

Women as a Minority Group Women exhaust been discriminated against since the beginning of time, as primaeval as the first people, Adam and Eve. Eve was called the evil one, who ate fruit from the tree of knowledge. Once she had the knowledge to know right from wrong, she chose to do wrong and practice the fruit to Adam. Examples like these can be shown all over history books, in stories, tales and legends across the entire world. Women have been subordinate to men in near all societies throughout history.The ideology that one trip out is superior to the other is called sexism. The presumption of male sexism led to patterns of prejudice and discrimination against women. These prejudices and discriminations have led to some(prenominal) beliefs or ideas of why women are inferior to men. They range from brain size to sexual differences, including soulalities based on genitalia. Cross-cultural studies demonstrate how the kindlyization process and societal expectations of men and women produce variances in sex-role norms and behavior. As the realization of women as an exploited group increases, the similarity of their position to that of racial and ethnic groups becomes more apparent. Women are innate(p) into their sexual identity and are easily distinguished by physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, women now identify that they are all sufferers of an ideology (sexism) that tries to unblock their inferior treatment.In all societies around the world, women are treated as if they are a minority group, just like any racial or ethnic group that is out of the norm. The justification for considering women as a minority group and the existence of sexism becomes clear through the examination of social indicators, including education, employment, and income. Education was sex segregated for hundreds of years. Men and women went to different schools or were physically and academically separated into coeducational schools. Males and females had separate classrooms, separate entrances, separate academic subjects, and separate expectations. Women were only taught the social graces and morals, and teaching women academic subjects was considered a waste of time. Even after these prejudices were overcome, the education system still maintained sexism in both obvious and subtle ways. Books rein... ...nses for maternal quality and family medical leaves. If a muliebrity chooses motherhood, then she must lower her occupational goals and expectations. A woman with nestlingren will fall behind a childless woman in earnings, as the childless woman goes up the corporate ladder faster. Women will then risk career advancement by having children. Also, a on the job(p) mother must not only juggle a family and a career, but she must find child-care as well. Child care costs are the major reason why most women end up just quitting their jobs. The majority of a working mothers salary goes directly to the child care provider. If women were paid equ al to men, more families may be able to pay for child care expenses and working mothers could continue to work and get ahead.Women have been treated unequally since the beginning of time. Just recently have things began to change for the better for women and the future of our society. The increase in womens equality rights will paying back time, but some day women and men will be treated equally. This cannot happen until each of us is able to look at a somebody and just see another individual, not a male or a female, white or black, rich or poor a person as just a person.

The Economic Systems Essay -- Economics Economy Essays

The Economic SystemsWithin the overall umbrella of the word parsimoniousness, cardinal speaks today of the market economy, the formal economy, the informal economy, the underground economy, the productive economy and perhaps even the reproductive economy, the post-industrial or post-modern economy and the global economy.Thus piece of music the concept of an economy is not fixed but arbitrary, and may have strayed rather far from the management of household resources, it is n matchlesstheless spoken of in ordained circles as if there were genuine agreement (sometimes almost as if it were tangible, as we must get the economy back on track). The official economic paradigm operative in Canada is that of the market economy -- or the formal economy. This is what is being measured, analysed and reported on. An economy is said to work within a material reflecting the values of the society in which it is embedded. Traditionally, three models of an economy have been used the traditional or feudal, the command economy (where the state determines resource decisions) and the market economy which is the model in use in USA and in most industrialized Western countries. Indeed, even within the market economy, there are unalike models for example, the Scandinavian model of social democracy, the Asian corporatist mode, and the capitalist model of North America. Each model has been seen and judged both from inside and outside its parameters. Individual freedom is one of the hallmarks of the market economy -- each person is free to choose how they wish to put their income to use. Adam Smith, hailed as the founder of classical economics, suggested that the sum of individuals self-interest would take a leak results that corresponded to the overall good of society. The Economic systemsThere are three types of economies traditional (also known as subsistence), command (also known as planned) and market (commercial). Traditional savingIn a traditional economy, goods and servic es are produced by a family for their personal consumption. There is little surplus and little exchange of goods. There is exactly a limited need for markets (places to buy and sell goods and services). This is the type of economy found in less developed nations of the world, usually in rural areas. around less developed nations today are a mix of traditional and either market or command economies. Command Econ... ...ts worship of competition it is amoral. On the other hand, the Soviet experience clearly demonstrated that state socialism and a centralized economy can be mishandled. Perhaps it is human nature, not political organization that lies at the root of inequality in both North America and easterly Europe.BibliographyAghion, Philippe and Olivier Blanchard and Robin Burgess, The Behavior of State Firms in Eastern Europe, Pre-Privatization European Economic Review 38 1994, pp1327-1349.Belozertsev, Alexander and Jerry W Markham, Commodity Exchanges and the Privatization of th e Agricultural Sector in the Commonwealth of Independent States Needed Steps in Creating a Market Economy Law and Contemporary Problems 55 (4), Aut 1992, pp119-155Cunningham, Frank Understanding Marxism Progress Books Toronto 1977.Dyker, David Restructuring the Soviet Economy Routledge New York 1992Nove, Alec An Economic History of the USSR, 1917-1991 tertiary Ed Penguin Books, London 1992Lane, David Soviet Society under Perestroike Routledge London 1992Yarolavsky, E Landmarks in the Life of Stalin Lawrence & Wishart Ltd London 1942