Wi-Fi Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wi-Fi - Research Paper Example It is the name given to a type of network connection that does no need any cords or physical connections to connect. Technically, it represents a type of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) that adheres to the 802.11network standard of the IEEE. The term Wi-Fi is often mistakenly thought of as an acronym for Wireless Fidelity. What is its History? The AT&T Company’s wireless uses spread spectrum radio technology and multi carrier OFDM radio technology. This spread spectrum technology used in Wi-Fi was first introduced in the year 1985 by the US Federal communications Commission. Vic Hayes chaired IEEE for ten consecutive years. He was involved in designing standards 802.11a and 802.11b upon which Wi-Fi works. He is thus named as the â€Å"father of Wi-Fi†. The actual predecessor to Wi – Fi was invented in 1990 by the NCR Corporation/AT&T in the Netherlands. WaveLan was the name given to the first wireless products that were bought into the market. They incorporate d the speeds of 1Mbit/s to 2Mbit/s. Finally, the CSIRO, an Australian research body filed the original patents behind the Wi-Fi technology in the year 1986. How it works? Wi-Fi uses radio waves to transmit the information across a Wireless Local Area Network. It transmits information to and from the internet. Any data transfer from a website is done when the website sends information to the modem. This information is then passed on to a wireless router. This device routes data (converts information to radio waves and beams it) to your computer. This information is then interpreted by the computer with the help of wireless networking specific hardware/software. Exactly the same process occurs but only in the opposite direction when the computer wants to send information over the internet. Very often, a wireless connection operates faster than a wired broadband internet connection. Who invented? An Australian research body CSIRO was the first formal inventors of Wi-Fi in the year 1996 . How safe is it? Majority of the scientists who have assessed the safety of Wi-Fi networks advocate the fact that there is no particular evidence to the Wi – Fi connections being hazardous to health. The technology however is not very old. Thus any health hazards that may be slow would only be evident after a certain number of years. Till then it cannot certainly be judged whether a Wi Fi is safe or not. The radio waves that are used by a wireless device or network are relatively low in frequency. The 2.4GHz of radio waves used in the case of Wi-Fi are the non-ionizing type of radiation. This radiation, also used in microwaves and mobile phone communications etc., is not known to have destructive effects on human cells. There is however, one school of thought among scientists that advocates that such a frequency of radiation is harmful to chromosomes. Also, this school of thought thinks that the radiation does not merely heat up the human atoms but does much more than that. There however is no scientific evidence to prove the above facts. Another school of thought emphasizes that exposure to microwaves and cell phones using low level radiation may scientifically be harmless as yet but the exposures to these waves in the above mentioned devices are relatively for a very short period of time as compared to the exposure to a Wi-Fi router that may be located in your office or home. The spectrum that these low radiation emitting devices cover is very large and is constant. The Wi-Fi routers in the vicinity of a human being are turned on twenty four hours a day and seven days a week throughout the year. Though no scientific evidence may yet be present but Wi-Fi devices are suspected to me more of a risk than any other devices using the same low level frequency of radio waves. The WHO (World

Strategy Innovation Essay Example for Free

Strategy Innovation Essay â€Å"Strategy innovation is the capacity to re-conceive the existing industry model in ways that create new value for customers, wrong-foot competitors, and produce new wealth for all stakeholders. † (Hamel, 1998) This quote is used by Schoenberg to highlight the importance he places on strategy innovation, and the main two drivers of strategic innovation he cites: industry factors and firm factors. However, although there is wide ranging agreement with this view, there are also several dissenting voices amongst the academic community, who often view other factors, and drivers, as being more important to the success of a firm. One key area where factors outside the firm and industry have a great impact is in the social and environmental pressures facing business, which many companies have become increasingly aware of over the past decade. Many management scholars and consultants have argued that these new demands offer terrific opportunities for progressive organizations, and innovation is one of the primary means by which companies can achieve sustainable growth. (Johnson et al, 2005) This argument is backed up by the view that companies that ignore these pressures do so at their own peril, but the reality is that managers have had considerable difficulty dealing with sustainable development pressures. In particular, their innovation strategies are often inadequate to accommodate the highly complex and uncertain nature of these new demands across the economy and social spectrum as a whole, partly due to an excessive focus on the firm or industry (Hall and Vredenburg, 2003) Indeed, a strategy that integrates the goals of innovation and sustainable development is needed to ensure sustainable competitive advantage, rather than conventional, market-driven innovations approaches. Sustainable development innovation (SDI) (Hall and Vredenburg, 2003) is in fact driven by science that has yet to be accepted fully by the scientific, political and managerial communities, and the industry sector Amid such uncertainty, sustainable development innovation is often difficult and risky, however when faced with increasing pressure to consider sustainable development, many organizations have revised their business models and innovation strategies, and these changes are often highlighted in corporate sustainability reports and Web pages. Hall and Vredenburg, 2003) Hart el al (2003) looked at the most fundamental part of the strategy innovation process: new product development (NPD). They looked at criteria such product uniqueness, market potential, market chance, technical feasibility, and intuition, and found that these decreased as the NPD process unfolded. Overall they found that the success rate of NPD usage could be modelled by a model which held true across firms of different sizes, holding different market share positions, with different NPD drivers, following different innovation strategies, and developing different types of new products. Hart et al, 2003) This is yet another indication that there must be other factors at work besides the basic industry and firm drivers. Another viewpoint on the subject of innovation is that the very essence of a company is its values and priorities: what it considers important, and where its investments are made? Thus, a host of values and priorities, and combinations thereof, underlie business strategies. (Grant, 2005) Some firms have a cost-driven culture that supports a value position in the market place, whilst othe rs place priority on delivering a prestige customer experience. Aaker (2004) claims that innovation, quality, and customer concern are the three values and priorities worth highlighting because they are so frequently seen as drivers of corporate brands, however, the question must always be: has the firm provided customer benefits by being innovative? A reputation for innovation enhances credibility, however, it is not easy achieving an innovative reputation, and firms are often better advised to focus on providing quality and value. Aaker, 2004) Schoenberg’s arguments are also heavily based on the concepts of strategic positioning (Porter, 1980) and the resource based view (Barney, 1996), although he does not make overt references to these theories. However, the influence of previous strategy writers is clear throughout his piece: â€Å"value gap analysis is equally relevant to the Who question of strategy and to market positionings based on differentiation. (Schoenberg, 2003) helps to place his work in context with that of Porter’s (1980) Also, â€Å"The implication for those that seek innovative strategies is: does the proposed form of strategy innovation fit with your core competences? † shows that he is developing Barney’s resource based core competencies, within the context of innovation strategies, in order to ensure that his concepts remain relevant to organisations. Indeed, Schoenberg clearly states in his conclusion that he believes strategy innovation does not â€Å"represent a radical departure from onventional approaches to strategy formulation† (Schoenberg, 2003) and that it is merely a method for combining the two main strategy theories, which have often previously been viewed as being contradictory. Indeed, Johnston Jr. and Bate (2003) outline five phases to help firms innovate: staging, aligning, exploring, creating, mapping, however they warn that it is important to make sure that managers build into their organizations the capability to continuously innovate so that they become more resilient, and better prepared for future changes. Finally, to be truly considered strategy innovations, new products and initiatives that alter a firms business model must first turn a consistent profit, a fundamental necessity of both Porter’s (1980) and Barney’s (1996) models. Strategy innovation has always been about solving problems for customers in ways that they, not the sponsoring company, perceive to be superior or unique from their present way of addressing those problems. Strategy innovation can be incremental, involving minor changes to the firms business model, resources and capabilities. Or it can be a radical departure, as when a firm decides to make a positioning shift, and market its existing products and services to new customer groups. (Johnson et al, 2005) In conclusion, strategy innovations can occur in any part of an organisation: customer service, marketing, advertising, selling, production or distribution. However, whatever their source, successful strategy innovations have one thing in common: They result from discovering new ways to create value for customers, as measured by bottom-line results to the sponsoring company. Tucker, 2001) New innovations present themselves when companies and their leaders imagine opportunities to do more with their products and services than they have in the past, whether through acquiring or reallocating resources, or altering competitive positioning. Strategy innovation may be spurred by a desire to grow, but this desire should never be allowed to overshadow what the proposed new way of doing business will do for the customers, either existing or future, and the firm as a whole.

Lion King vs Hamlet Essay -- essays papers

Lion King vs Hamlet The movie, The Lion King, and the book, Hamlet, both have a similar story line. In both stories, the king is killed and revenge is sought by the king’s son. The murderers in the stories are the king’s brothers who want the power of the throne. After the death of the Kings, both of the villains successfully took over the kingdoms. While these villains ruled, the kingdoms slowly deteriorated. Neither of the sons liked the villains, but they did not know at first that they had anything to do with their father’s death. It took an outside force to convince them that they must vow revenge for their father’s death. Both sons had the wit to approach revenge strategically. They wanted the villains to know that they knew about how their fathers were murdered. The leading roles in each of the stories had a corresponding role in the other. The corresponding characters shared a number of similarities, but it was the ways in which they were different that determined their fate and that of the kingdom. In Hamlet, the prince is Hamlet. He is in deep grieving of his father’s death. He is angry because he believes that everyone has already forgotten how great of a king his father was. Hamlet does not know for sure who is responsible for his father’s death, but he suspects Claudius who is his uncle and the new king. Hamlet decides that if he can convince everyone that he is insane, then maybe he will be able to get someone to tell him more about his father’s murder. In The Lion King, Simba is the prince. Simba’s father, Mufasa, is killed after he falls from a cliff into a herd of hyenas. Simba falls into a deep depression after his uncle Scar twists things around and convinces Simba that he is the one responsible for th e Mufasa’s death. Simba can not deal with what has happened and he runs away from the kingdom. In Hamlet, The new king Claudius is able to gain respect from the kingdom. He even steals the love of Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. The old king’s councilor, Polonius, becomes Claudius’s councilor and his best friend. He helps Claudius keep an eye on Hamlet and tries to keep him from finding out anything about his father’s death. Polonius believes that if he helps Claudius that he can make life better for himself and for his daughter and son. But in the end, his actions get him slayed, drive his daughter to insanity, and eventually set... ...f her son. She starts to feel the poison and she warns Hamlet of it before she dies. It is too late though, the poisonous sword had cut Hamlet. In anger, Hamlet steals the poisoned sword and runs it into Laertes. He then charges Claudius and runs it into him. He also takes the wine and forces Claudius to drink from it. Both Claudius and Laertes die before Hamlet. Hamlet regains his throne for a few seconds, until the poison sets in and takes his life. The Lion King has a happy ending. Simba returns to his kingdom and he finds Scar. He tells Scar that he knows about his father’s death. Scar lies to Simba by telling him that the Hyenas were the ones who killed Mufasa. This upsets the Hyenas. They leave Scar to fight Simba by himself. Simba wins the fight and throws Scar off a cliff, into the herd of the Hyenas. The hyenas show no remorse for Scar and they trample over him, killing him. Once Simba takes back the throne, the whole kingdom becomes beautiful again and everyone i s happy. The two stories had similar plots and characters. But in the end, the small differences in how the characters acted separated the tragedy of Hamlet from the happy ending of Disney’s The Lion King. Lion King vs Hamlet Essay -- essays papers Lion King vs Hamlet The movie, The Lion King, and the book, Hamlet, both have a similar story line. In both stories, the king is killed and revenge is sought by the king’s son. The murderers in the stories are the king’s brothers who want the power of the throne. After the death of the Kings, both of the villains successfully took over the kingdoms. While these villains ruled, the kingdoms slowly deteriorated. Neither of the sons liked the villains, but they did not know at first that they had anything to do with their father’s death. It took an outside force to convince them that they must vow revenge for their father’s death. Both sons had the wit to approach revenge strategically. They wanted the villains to know that they knew about how their fathers were murdered. The leading roles in each of the stories had a corresponding role in the other. The corresponding characters shared a number of similarities, but it was the ways in which they were different that determined their fate and that of the kingdom. In Hamlet, the prince is Hamlet. He is in deep grieving of his father’s death. He is angry because he believes that everyone has already forgotten how great of a king his father was. Hamlet does not know for sure who is responsible for his father’s death, but he suspects Claudius who is his uncle and the new king. Hamlet decides that if he can convince everyone that he is insane, then maybe he will be able to get someone to tell him more about his father’s murder. In The Lion King, Simba is the prince. Simba’s father, Mufasa, is killed after he falls from a cliff into a herd of hyenas. Simba falls into a deep depression after his uncle Scar twists things around and convinces Simba that he is the one responsible for th e Mufasa’s death. Simba can not deal with what has happened and he runs away from the kingdom. In Hamlet, The new king Claudius is able to gain respect from the kingdom. He even steals the love of Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. The old king’s councilor, Polonius, becomes Claudius’s councilor and his best friend. He helps Claudius keep an eye on Hamlet and tries to keep him from finding out anything about his father’s death. Polonius believes that if he helps Claudius that he can make life better for himself and for his daughter and son. But in the end, his actions get him slayed, drive his daughter to insanity, and eventually set... ...f her son. She starts to feel the poison and she warns Hamlet of it before she dies. It is too late though, the poisonous sword had cut Hamlet. In anger, Hamlet steals the poisoned sword and runs it into Laertes. He then charges Claudius and runs it into him. He also takes the wine and forces Claudius to drink from it. Both Claudius and Laertes die before Hamlet. Hamlet regains his throne for a few seconds, until the poison sets in and takes his life. The Lion King has a happy ending. Simba returns to his kingdom and he finds Scar. He tells Scar that he knows about his father’s death. Scar lies to Simba by telling him that the Hyenas were the ones who killed Mufasa. This upsets the Hyenas. They leave Scar to fight Simba by himself. Simba wins the fight and throws Scar off a cliff, into the herd of the Hyenas. The hyenas show no remorse for Scar and they trample over him, killing him. Once Simba takes back the throne, the whole kingdom becomes beautiful again and everyone i s happy. The two stories had similar plots and characters. But in the end, the small differences in how the characters acted separated the tragedy of Hamlet from the happy ending of Disney’s The Lion King.

COLD MOUNTAIN Essay -- essays research papers

COLD MOUNTAIN The story of "Cold Mountain" is a best selling novel and it is the first book written by Charles Frazier. It took years of research before he could write this novel. The plot of Cold Mountain is really and old idea, in fact it is an ancient one. The plot is the same as the one in an ancient book by Homer. The story I am referring to is "The Odyssey". The Odyssey is a book about a wounded soldier trying to find his way back home and his sweetheart, Penelope that is waiting for his return. Cold Mountain is the story of a wounded Confederate soldier that was wounded, deserts, and begins a journey back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Cold Mountain. The plot of the book has two parallel stories. The first part of the plot is about a man named Inman. Inman is a Confederate soldier that is wounded in Virginia and spends several months in a hospital. After sneaking out of the hospital, he starts on his journey back home to his sweetheart, Ada. His odyssey is his long journey back to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. What makes is journey so interesting is the many people he comes in contact with along the way. Some of the people Inman comes in contact with are kind to him. They give him a place to stay and sometimes even a hot meal. Some of the other characters aren't so kind to him. The Civil War is still raging...

Spheres and Stages of Discipleship

In addition will also discuss what is called the e Four Spheres of discipleship. 2 Spiritually Dead The Apostle Paul described in Ephesians 2: 15 those who were dead in their is ins and transgressions. These are people who have not accepted Christ as Savior, insist dead reject His sacrifice on the Cross. They sometimes claim to seek a God or Higher Power b UT there is no evidence of any relationship with God whatsoever. These people are what the authors call Spiritually Dead. 3 In fact the author compares these people to dead men in a casket just waiting to decompose.When speaking to the â€Å"walking dead† the authors teach how to id entity the common â€Å"phrase from the stage†4 in order to assess where a person is in their walk with God. These typical phrases are usually: ; I don't believe in God. ; The bible is just a myth. Putnam, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert Emerson Coleman. Discipleship: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples . (Grand Rapids, MI: Sanderson, 2013). 60. Ibid. , 77. 3 Ibid. , 61 . 4 Ibid. , 62. ; Religion is a crutch for the weak. ; Christians are intolerant and homophobic. ; There are many paths to God.Opera Winfred Olsten)5 ; don't believe in hell. Or hell is on Earth. ; My good deeds will save me from hell. ; There is no right or wrong, ‘do what thou will' 6 Once a person is identified as spiritually dead, this should determine how to a approach them with a spirit Of understanding without a judgmental or condemning ATT etude. Spiritual Infant The second stage is called to describe believers who are like newborn babes craving milk instead of the meat of the Word. This comes from the scrim future: â€Å"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow†¦ (1 peter 2:23 KAVA).Christians at this stage are alive yet they refuse to grow. This can include new converts a s well as long time Christians who are stagnant in their growth process with God. 7 Spiritua l infant TTS were described in the Book of Hebrews as those living on the milk of the Word who should be teaching: † For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you†¦ † (Web. 5:1214 KAVA). 5 â€Å"Pastor Joel Olsten Discusses Sin And The Path To God,† Opera's Next Chapter, accessed February 1, 201 5, http://WV. Opera. Com/own-operas-next- heaper/Pastor-Joke-Steen-Discusses-Sin-and-the-Path-to-God 6 Crowley, Leister.The Book of the Law:(technically Called Libber AY Vela Legs Sub Figure COX as D levered by XIII . Red Wheel/wiser, 1938. 7 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 63. Spiritual Child The next stage is described as the Stage which characterizes Christians who are growing in their walk with God and growing in their relationships wit h other fellow believers-8 The Apostle John referred to early followers as his children. (1 John 2:12 KAVA) Also in 1 Thessalonians 2:101 2 the apostle Paul refers to himself as a â€Å"spiritual faith † who had to encourage, comfort, and urge the Church of Thessalonians to live holy lives.These spiritual children have learned the church â€Å"lingo† or language and are a able to function in a growing church body as believers, but they are selflessness with much of their spiritual life involving around themselves. 9 These individuals can be new con arts as well as old converts who have attended church for decades. They can be identified by the Eire â€Å"phrase from the stage† which are: ; I don't know if this church meets my needs. ; The church is getting too big. ; Why do we have to learn new songs? NO One speaks to me at church. 10 The length of time a person has attended church has nothing to do with their level of growth .They need to surround themselves around mature Christians in order to go from dependency to self sufficient. 1 1 8 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 65. Ibid. , 65. 10 Ibid. , 66. 11 Ibid. , 66 9 Spiritual Young Adult 1 John 2:1314 d escribes Spiritual Young Adults as Christians who have overcome the Evil One and the Word of God abides in them. 12 These individuals are striving to become more concerned about others rather than themselves. They are more students of t e Word of God and the Great Commission. They are givers instead of takers. 13 You can identify a Spiritual Young Adult by these phrases from the stage: ; In my devotion†¦ I will like to go to Uganda for a mission†¦ ; I love being a worship leader because†¦ ; I have three friends that I witness to†¦ These young adults need mentoring and a place to utilize their spiritual gifts. Spiritual Parent Spiritual Parents are considered spiritually mature people who make disciples and have grown strong in the Lord. These are reliable disciples who are qualified to tea chi others. 14 2 Timothy 2:12 describes them as those who have grown strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus. They can also determine where a person is in their walk with the L ord and oft en can mentor these young adults.God is a Spiritual Parent who nurtures and fights for His s virtual children as His own. 15 12 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 67. Ibid. , 67. 14 Ibid. , 68. 15 Adams, Vincent. Imitating the Fatherhood of God: A Single Dad's Guide to Spiritual Parenting . S. L. : Solaris, 2012. 17 13 6 The Four Spheres of Discipleship The four spheres of discipleship describe how a disciple grows in four stages: The sphere with God and disciple, the church sphere, the sphere of family an d the world The spheres help the disciple understand the head, heart and hands of God, family y, church and the world. 6 The sphere is designed help a disciple balance family life and minister y life. It also shows them how to integrate the four spheres within the five stages of discipleship. Below will detail each sphere. Sphere One: The Centrality of Christ In the book Discipleship, by Dietrich Bondholder, the author conveys that through simple obedience does one reall y understand the meaning of being a disciple. 17 Who en referring to the dead or God's authority, true submission are evident. When dealing with the heart of the relationship between God and the disciple, there are visible changes in the pee arson's life called transformation.With the hands, the disciple ventures outside the walls of the church through evangelism. 18 Sphere Two: Relationship With The Family of God (Church) The second sphere of relationship is where we grow as Christians within the b odd of Christ. Scripture points out that we are in the family of God with brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 9 As a church family, the church works to nourish relationships among believer sometimes converted from broken families. Some Of the broken families were from the d splices' choice to follow Christ. 20 16 Ibid. , 77 Bondholder, Dietrich. Dietrich Bondholder Works . Volume 4: Discipleship. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. ) 77. 18 Putnam, Harrington, and Coleman, 86. 19 Ibid. 20 S phere Three: Relationship At Home A third sphere is addressed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 & 6 involves the home. Paul discusses how the husband should lead the household and love h is wife. Also how the wife should love her husband. The responsibility of the fathers and mothers in easing children and responsibility of children to respect their parents. 21 Sphere Four: Relationship With The World Finally the Apostle Paul moves toward chapter 6 of Ephesians, where he addresses a final sphere of relationships with the world.

Technlogy in Society essays

Technlogy in Society essays Accelerating technological change has stretched human adaptability to the limit. In order to understand the way technology may be changing our views of the world, people must first understand the ways in which modern technology itself processes information. Every technical step towards intelligent robots and machines has a rough evolutionary counterpart, and each is likely to benefit its creators, manufacturers and users. Companys like Microsoft who create some of these counter parts for robots/machines and most of the technology that exists today, are not only monopolizing the business but are also forcing everyone to use their software because there are no leading competitors. Today people are so dependent on Microsoft and its computer technology that we cannot live without it. Everyday in society people are making improvements, however, these improvements also have equal drawbacks. Today we are using cutting edge technology to improve every aspect of our daily lives. For instance in today's society the fields of Communication and Medicine are constantly advancing yet they both create significant losses. Technology has helped increase the speed of communication and decrease its cost. However, at the same time it has caused people to become more impersonal with each other. In earlier times the major form of communication was for people to visit each other and go to public meeting places. But now all this can be done through e-mail, telephone, or just standard mail. These advances both improve our lives and hurt them. They improve them by decreasing time and money, but hurt by our frustration and anger tords them if they do not obay orders or not work. Society has experienced, change in time spent at work to the efficiency in producing goods due to the changing technologies. ...

Chemical and biological agents Essay Example

Chemical and biological agents Essay Example Chemical and biological agents Paper Chemical and biological agents Paper Chemical weapons known as Nerve Agents were discovered accidentally by German Scientist Gerhard Schrader in 1936. Shcrader was working on developing a chemical to fight insects (insecticides), on his success he sprayed a dilute solution of what is now known as the Tabun Nerve Agent on a group of insects. However, a short time later he developed side effects related to vision and breathing that lasted three weeks. And so the discovery, although Chemical Agents such as chlorine and phosgene gas were first used during the First World War in trench warfare their lethality did not compare to that of nerve agents. Nerve Agents work by unbalancing the Nervous system and thus paralyzing the subjects muscles and arresting the respiratory (Breathing) system causing death. Chemical weapons use the toxic properties of chemical substances rather than their explosive properties to produce physical or physiological effects on an enemy. Chemical weapons are illegal, immoral and handy. Right? Got a gas mask? Lets sniff out the grisly story of chemical weaponry. The first big user of chemical weapons was Germany, which released chlorine gas at Ypres, Belgium in 1915. Chlorine killed or maimed its victims by burning the lungs; it also caused panic among soldiers who were totally unprepared for gas war. Before the so-called Great War ended in 1918, France and Great Britain had retaliated, and the industrial powers were also using phosgene gas and mustard gas: Mustard gas (actually a liquid) was introduced by the Germans in 1917. It burns and destroys the skin, eyes and lungs. Biological Weapons are a lot more difficult to trace in history. During the ancient siege of a city a disease infected carcas would be thrown into the city to cause the infection to spread throughout the population. Due to the cold war research into BWs was intensified leading to the further development of toxins generated by bacteria (such as the botulin toxin). Biological Agents work by several ways, either by infecting the human body with disease or unbalancing the bodys system as with toxins. A biological agent is an infectious disease, or toxin that can be used in bioterrorism or biological warfare. There are more than 1200 different kinds of biological agents. Biological agents include prions, microorganisms (viruses, bacteria and fungi) and some unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes (for example parasites) and their associated toxins. They have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from allergic reactions that are usually relatively mild, to serious medical conditions, even death. These organisms are ubiquitous in the natural environment; they are found in water, soil, plants, and animals. Because many biological agents reproduce rapidly and require minimal resources for preservation, they are a potential danger in a wide variety of occupational settings. Examples of biological agents are anthrax, avian influenza, botulism, foodborne illness, hantavirus, Legionnaires disease, molds and fungi, pneumonic plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs). Ways to protect against these agents Chemical weapons can gain entry to the body through contact, inhalation or ingestion. Similarly Biological Weapons designed for effective dispersion. To protect against such weaponry the body will have to be totally isolated from the substance and a filter established for breathing. This is what an NBC suit does (Nuclear Biological Chemical). These suits can be reused repeatedly or come in the disposable form. In addition there is always the chance of exposure even with a suit so protective medication is required; For CW an injection of Atropine along with an inhibitor related to the nervous system is required (such as Contrathion), in combination these two chemicals work against the loss of balance in the nervous system caused by the CW. BWs are more complicated as a vaccine is required to protect against the effect of the BW disease or the use of a powerful antibiotic to help fight the infection (such as DoxyCycline). Coupled together the NBC suits, medication and early warning devices help protect against the threat of CW and BW. Examples of CWs : Sarin Sarin, chemical name Isopropyl Methyl Phosphonoflouridate can be synthesized in a good chemical laboratory, it is a thin oily liquid clear to amber in color and odourless. The fatal inhalation dosage is 10 milligrams. Death can occur to the target in 1 to 10 minutes with indications of dim vision, runny nose, tightness in the chest, nausea, diarrhea, coma and respiratory failure. Sarin used to be the standard nerve agent used by the United States. It was invented by Gerhard Schrader during World War 2. The main trouble with using Sarin is that it is very volatile so tends to evaporate from the target area before its full effect can take place. Examples of CWs : VX Gas. VX, chemical name S-(2-DiisopropylAminoEthyl)-0-EthylMethylphonothiolate can be synthesized in a good chemical laboratory, it is a heavy oily liquid like motor oil clear in color and odourless. The fatal inhalation dosage is 10 milligrams, Death occurs to the target in 10 minutes with indications of dim vision, runny nose, tightness of chest, sweating, muscular twitching, nausea, vomiting, weakness and coma. VX was discovered out of insecticide research done in Britain. VX has a high vapor pressure in contrast with Sarin therefore it is very persistent on the target (it will not evaporate easily). This factor gives VX a very lethal skin contact dosage of 2 milligrams as compared to Sarins 10 milligrams. Examples of BWs : Anthrax Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis) was discovered in the mid 19th century. It is thought to be behind the death of many people in medieval europe and ancient Egypt. The Japanese first looked into the use of anthrax as a military weapon in 1930. It is considered as the perfect biological weapon because of the fact that it is extremely persistent. It will contaminate the area of a natural target for years before it can be cleaned up. Once exposed it is fatal to 100% of all exposures and will lead to death in 3 to 7 days. Although it is not contageous several different types exist; Anthrax can be lethal when inhaled but other types exist that are activated on contact with the skin. Anthrax has received a lot of coverage in the news recently due to the Anthrax Letters which were posted to the U. S. after the September 11 incident. Examples of BWs : Botulin Toxin Botulin is an exception to the rule of Biological Weapons. The Bacteria Clostridia Botulinum produces the Botulin Toxin as a by product. The fatal dose of the Botulin Toxin is 1 microgram, thats one millionth of a gram in weight. Theoretically speaking, 1 gram of this toxin is enough to kill 1 million people making it the second best poison in the world. A lot of coverage of this weapon has been attributed to food poisoning, therefore it is not expected to be used as a weapon. Small quantities of Botulin Toxin can be created rather easily with basic Biological principles Careful advance planning is essential if a Member State or other country is adequately to manage the threat or the consequences of deliberate releases of biological or chemical agents. A central consideration in such preparedness planning is that it is neither possible nor necessary to prepare specifically for attack by all possible biological and chemical agents. If a country is seeking to increase its preparedness to counter the effects of biological and chemical attacks, the targeting of its preparation and training on a limited but well chosen group of agents will provide the necessary capability to deal with a far wider range of possibilities. Knowledge of the general properties of this representative group of agents will enable certain measures to be taken against virtually any other agent. In addition to being impractical from a preparedness perspective, long and exhaustive lists of agents also give a misleading impression of the extent of possible threats. The representative group of agents Biological and chemical weapons have been described as the â€Å"poor man’s atom bomb†, but this conveys a misleading impression of their ease of production and their utility. It is not enough for biological and chemical agents to be highly infective or highly toxic. In order to be selected for weaponization, a candidate agent should have characteristics that is capable of countervailing the technical limitations that would otherwise render the weapon carrying the agent unattractive to users, such as the technical limitations. So the agent will need to be stable enough to resist degradation during handling and storage, and during the energy-transfer processes that will, in most scenarios, be involved in disseminating it on its target. Once disseminated, the agent must be capable of establishing field dosages that are infective or toxic over a predictable area. It must also be relatively easy to produce from readily available precursor compounds or from naturally occurring or genetically modified microorganisms. Once produced and, depending on the agent, further processed and formulated, it must be filled into munitions or dissemination devices, or held ready for such filling, and be storable without undue risk to its possessor. If an agent is insufficiently stable in storage, certain expedients are available, such as, in the case of some chemicals, the use of â€Å"binary† munitions that are uploaded, not with toxic agent, but with separate containers of precursors, these being adapted to mix and generate the agent either just before or during weapon launch. For biological agents, a â€Å"warm† production base rather than a large stockpile has been relied upon in past offensive military programmed. While many thousands of toxic chemicals and hundreds of pathogenic microorganisms have been investigated for their potential utility as military weapons, relatively few have been found capable of meeting military requirements of the kind just specified, and fewer still have found their way into weapons and actually been used. The task facing public health authorities of identifying a representative group of agents against which to prepare might therefore be thought relatively straightforward. However, the deliberate agent releases against which public health authorities would need to prepare might include attacks by non-state entities whose agent-selection principles could differ from the military ones. For example, accessibility, not overall aggressiveness and stability in storage, might be the dominant criterion in their choice of agent. Also, the types of impact sought could differ from those that direct military operations. In other words, the rank order in which public health authorities assess the different agent threats, e. g. reference (1), may not be the same as that of military authorities. In the present study, the representative group has been compiled by applying a progressively sharper focus to possible agents of concern: firstly, the broad treaty definitions of biological and chemical weapons; secondly, the lists of agents that have been negotiated to facilitate treaty implementation, or, in the case of the BWC, proposed therefore; thirdly, such authoritative information as is publicly available about which agents have been weaponized or stockpiled in recent times; fourthly, agents known to have been used as weapons; and finally, considerations regarding non-state entities. Effects of Biological and Chemical weapons to an individual Remote though the possibility of a terrorist-authored chemical or biological incident in an American community may be, we must prepare for one. The agents are too easy to acquire or manufacture and too easy to disperse for us to ignore that possibility. Even the relatively more likely hoax or attack with an agent of low concentration that is ineffectively delivered will still generate mass casualties that will threaten civil order and inundate community medical facilities. The creation of this chaos is as much within the grasp of a lone, skilled, and determined person with his or her own warped agenda as it is of state-sponsored terrorists. Many, perhaps most, persons involved in such an incident will exhibit fear, anxiety, or more serious disorders of mood, behavior, or cognition, especially if the perceived threat is a biological weapon that can spread silently from person to person. Local psychiatrists have a multifaceted role in their communities disaster response plans. That role includes immediate treatment of individual patients and groups of patients who are experiencing the psychological impact of a mass disaster, organizing and managing the delivery of mental health care by others to the community, and assisting local medical facilities and community leaders in the control of widespread anxiety, fear, and perhaps even panic. Should the weapon agent produce mental status changes that overlap those of psychiatric disorders, the psychiatrists carefully done mental status examination may be crucial to triage and the prompt delivery of medical treatment to those who need it. Beyond the immediate crisis, any chemical or biological incident will likely produce delayed and chronic psychiatric disorders, as psychological effects of the disaster or as sequelae of the pharmacology of the agent itself. In the absence of experience, confidence in handling this crisis will come from training and solid planning. World Medical Association Declaration on Chemical and Biological Weapons The World Medical Association draws the attention of the medical profession throughout the world to the dangers presented by chemical and biological weapons. Among other, more obvious, dangers, it should be noted: a. The use of such weapons would have a devastating effect on civilian populations in addition to military personnel, and not only in the target area but also in distant places, perhaps beyond the national boundaries of the combatants. b. The effects of exposure to chemical and biological weapons present a continuing threat to the health of human beings on a long term basis, possibly causing illness, injury, disease and defects in the population over a long period of time. c. The effects of exposure to chemical and biological weapons may also result in permanent, complex and unpredictable changes in the natural environment, including animals, plant life and water supply, thus destroying the food source of human beings and resulting in extensive morbidity. d. Existing health care services, technology and manpower may be helpless to relieve the suffering caused by exposure to chemical and biological weapons. The World Medical Association Declaration of Geneva asks physicians to consecrate their lives to the service of humanity, to pledge that the health of the patient will be the physicians first consideration, and that the physician will not used medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki states that it is the mission of the physician to safeguard the health of the people. The physicians knowledge and conscience are dedicated to the fulfillment of this mission. The World Medical Association Declaration of Tokyo begins with the following statement: It is the privilege of the medical doctor to practice medicine in the service of humanity, to preserve and restore bodily and mental health without distinction as to persons, to comfort and ease the suffering of his or her patients. The utmost respect for human life is to be maintained even under threat, and no use made of any medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. Therefore, the World Medical Association considers that it would be unethical for the physician, whose mission is to provide health care, to participate in the research and development of chemical and biological weapons, and to use his or her personal and scientific knowledge in the conception and manufacture of such weapons. Furthermore, the World Medical Association: 1. Condemns the development and use of chemical and biological weapons. 2. Asks all governments to refrain from the development and use of chemical and biological weapons. 3. Asks all National Medical Associations to join WMA in actively supporting this Declaration. REFERENCES: wma. net/e/policy/b2. htm www. who. int/csr/delibepidemics/en/chapter3. pdf http://whyfiles. org/025chem_weap/index. html http://ajp. psychiatryonline. org/cgi/content/full/156/10/1500#SEC6