When One Can Equal Two Analyzing an Informative Speech

Pronouncing OE in French

Pronouncing OE in French Whether its an OE or a Å’, learning to pronounce this combination of French vowels is a little tricky. Thats because the sound can change from one word to the next, though there is a common pronunciation. This French lesson will help you navigate the complexities of OE in French words. How to Pronounce OE in French The letters OE  are usually combined into a single symbol in French: Å’ or Å“. When a pair of characters is used in such a way, it is called a digraph. The Å’ is pronounced more or less according to the same rules as EU. In general, if its in an open syllable, it sounds like the U in full: listen.  In a closed syllable, it is pronounced with the mouth just a little more open:  listen. There are quite a few exceptions to this, however. It is important to use a dictionary when trying to determine the pronunciation of any word with OE. You will also find Å’ in words that would otherwise begin with the combination EUI. It will look like this Å’IL and sounds like the OO in good followed by a Y sound. French Words With OE To practice your pronunciation of Å’, give these simple words a try. Click on the word to hear the correct pronunciation and try to repeat it. Å“uf  (egg)Å“ufs  (eggs)sÅ“ur  (sister) How to Type the Å’ When youre typing out French words, how do you type the digraph? There are a few ways to go about it and which you choose will depend on how often you use special characters on your computer. Your options include an international keyboard, which can be as simple as a setting in your operating system. If you use these characters on a very limited basis, your better option may be to  learn the ALT codes. To type Å“ or Å’, on a standard US-English keyboard, you will need the keyboard shortcut. For Windows, this is ALT 0156 for the lowercase and ALT 0140 for the uppercase.For Mac, it is typically ALT q and the shift key transforms it into upper case (OS Sierra may be slightly different).

Report of Marketing Campaign review-Vodafone New Zealand PXT service Essay

Report of Marketing Campaign review-Vodafone New Zealand PXT service - Essay Example Vodafone Group was established in the United Kingdom back in 1983. The company acquired its New Zealand business – previously known as BellSouth New Zealand in November 1998. At the time Vodafone Group made the purchase, BellSouth had a total of 138,000 customers. As of June 2006, Vodafone New Zealand had a customer base of 2.1 million customers that is composed of 55% share of the New Zealand mobile market.1 The competition in the New Zealand mobile market is very tight. For this reason, the company needs to constantly upgrade its system such as PXT messaging. In 2001, Vodafone New Zealand signed up a commercial agreement with Telecom New Zealand today in order to enable their customers to send sound enables photo and video messages between the two mobile networks.2, 3 Vodafone New Zealand introduces its free weekend use of PXT messaging as a marketing campaign between the periods of December 2003 until September 2004.4, 5 Vodafone PXT â„ ¢ uses this strategy with the attempt to boost the demand for multimedia messaging. Since January 2004, the PXT messaging across the Vodafone network has increased at a rate between 35 – 50% month-on-month despite the price of 75 cents per message.5 In line with the increase in the use of PXT messaging, the sales of more featured phones were also increasing. Vodafone used the GO-Race (Loo-Racer) as a unique way of launching the new PXT capable phones. This event was featured on 30 second TV commercial throughout New Zealand and Australia together with some print ads campaign. This campaign was successful in reaching for Vodafone’s target market. There is only one competitor in the New Zealand mobile industry – The Telecom NZ because of the high cost of infrastructure requirements. This also becomes a barrier to exit. Due to globalisation, it is still possible for International Telecommunications Company to penetrate the industry

Exploring The Paranormal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploring The Paranormal - Essay Example Such occurrences have long been an aspect of academic discourse. Milbourne, a scholarly author, notes that in the early 20th century a scientific experiment was established with three psychic mediums and a price of $2,500 if they could prove the existence of such powers (Brown 67). The study revealed that none of the participants were able to prove, under scientific circumstances, existence of paranormal spirits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another frequent area of exploration for Ghost Adventures is the proof of ghosts through discovery of ‘evidence’. For example, in one episode they claim to locate hard evidence of a ghost through infrared capture. They indicate that the heat on display is clear evidence of a ghost. Scientific research, however, has indicated that, â€Å"Once again there is no scientific evidence to suggest that ghosts will emit or interfere with electromagnetic fields† â€Å"Paranormal Investigation in New Zealand†. This evidence is in direct contrast to claims made in the television program that the images they have located on their device truly indicated that paranormal activity is occurring. Another prominent occurrence in the television program is the implementation of traces on an electromagnetic spectrum. In the television program they utilize this to indicate that a ghost truly exists. However, researchers have noted that, â€Å"A range of sources would need to be eliminated before you could then conclude that there was a field from an unknown origin – but then it would just be that – a field of an unknown origin. You could not then conclude it was a ghost† (Radin 67). The director of the movie speculated that there might have been a ghost in the areas they were checking therefore, they had no evidence to prove this. This is evidenced by the dark settings in the movie. The general cinematography of the Ghosts Adventures is breathtaking. The dark and dull background brings the black scary color that is usually

Critically analyse the midwives role in relation to the administration Essay - 1

Critically analyse the midwives role in relation to the administration of epidural anaesthesia - Essay Example (2004), the concentration of the anaesthetic that is used to prevent or block the propagation of the stimuli from the uterus and birth canal vary from one case to the other.Higher doses are used when the mobility of the stimuli is to be fully blocked. Despite the advantages of this technique that has been commonly used during labour, it is also associated with some problems. Some of the known problems include shivering, fever, cardiovascular depression as well as retention of urine in the patients’ bladder. The anaesthetic can be administered through a bolus, continuous infusion or through PCP.PCP refers to the use of a patent controlled pump. According to Benfield (2002), the last ten years, about 24 % of women have used epidural analgesia during labour in the United Kingdom. In addition to this, about 60 % of those women who underwent assistive delivery also used this technique. Midwives do play an important role during the administration of epidural analgesia. Most of the roles are focused on monitoring the women to ensure their overall well being. The NICE guidelines lay out the duties and responsibilities of the midwives during the administration of epidural analgesia. The midwives work in collaboration with obstetricians and anaesthetist in the maternity clinics. All these three professionals have their specific duties that are concisely and clearly laid down in the NNC guidelines (Nursing & Midwifery Council 2014). The midwife, just like the other professionals always follows these guidelines when caring for the pregnant women in labour who are being given epidural analgesia as a way of relieving the pain that resu lt from the contraction of the birth canal and the uterus. The midwife, working with the obstetrician and anaesthetist may consider epidural analgesia for the expectant women for several reasons. Some of the reasons why this can be done include maternal request, prolonged and painful labour, multiple pregnancy and anticipated instrumental

Website Evaluation †Apple Store

Website Evaluation – Apple Store In the recent years, electronic business becomes more widespread, and rapidly growing in the whole world. Because of the cost efficiency and coverage, many companies build a website to sell their products on the Internet. One of the most famous worldwide consumer electronic company, Apple Inc. also established an online store which called Apple Store (http://store.apple.com) to sell different products on the Internet from 1997 (Technical Update, 1997). The website is widely use in buying the products of Apple Inc. by the customers in worldwide. Therefore, the quality of the website has to be good enough for to numbers of customers. This essay is going to evaluate, discuss and conclude about the Apple Store and its e-commerce operation by using different methods of evaluation. Website Purpose Outline Company Background Apple Inc. is one of the biggest consumer electronic and computer company in the world. It provides many famous hardware products including the iPhone, the iPod series, the iPad and the Mac hardware products to different types of customers (Apple Inc. Annual Report, 2010). The company sells its products in more than 300 retail stores in various countries from 2010 (Spence, 2010). Other than the website and the retail store, Apple Inc. sells its products by wholesalers, retailers from other company, direct sales force, third-party cellular network carriers, and value added resellers at the same time (Apple Inc. Annual Report, 2010). Website Functions Apple Store is a website provides various services to customers, which are products description, software download, products selling and after sales services. Product Description Finding and filtering information for the customers is important to a successful electronic system since the customers would like to find the products and services in the easiest way (Ng, Yan and Lim, 2000). Therefore, a good e-business website must have a good production description. Apple Store describes the information of different products in detail for the customers understanding the functions and usefulness of the products. Diverse products like the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, the Mac hardware products, software and accessories are being introduced by words, videos and pictures in different languages in the website. For the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apples computers, those features, outlook and technical specifications is being showed in the site. The website even uses video to explain how to use the products in detail to attract the consumers. At the same time, in every description page we can see a Buy Now button which is a link to the product selling part to make the purchasing process easier (Apple Store, 2010). Software Download Apple Store provides many types of software for different products. There are both free and paid software for the customers to better use their hardware products. Like many software production companies, customers can choose to buy the software in the normal stores or on the online store. And the software update can be found on the website for providing new features and fixing the bugs on the products. Also, the software can be downloaded in various languages in the world. Product Selling The online Apple Store is a channel of product selling to various customers in the world. Customers can buy anything which can be bought in the Apple retail store including hardware, Apple software, third party software and selected third party accessories on the website. They even can buy the certified refurbished products and the old type products which cannot be bought in the normal store on the online store in a cheaper than normal price (Apple Store, 2010). For the customers who buy the goods on the Apple online store, they can buy the goods on installments without interest. After Sales Services The Apple Inc. provides many after sales services to the customers if they bought the products on the Apple Store. They can check the delivery status on the website in order to know the process of delivery. When the customers take the product to repair in the repair department of Apple, they can check the repair status on the site. And they can get support if they have any problem of using the product. The website provides many product using problem solutions to the users (Apple Store, 2010). Therefore, the customers can get help easily from the Apple store website if they have any problem. Website Analyses Web Accessibility Users with disabilities have to use the website. Therefore, a good website should be able to let them to utilize it easily. Web Accessibility is a standard for checking that whether the users with disabilities can perceive, follow, control, communicate with and contribute to the website (W3C, 2005). For a website, if it is sufficiently flexible to be used by all of assistive technologies, it can be called as an accessible website (Slatin Rush, 2003). For the Apple Store, web accessibility will be evaluated by whether the website has the essential components if it is accessible to people with disabilities (W3C, 2005). In content, the basic text and images introduce the product and the purchasing instruction. For the people who have blurry vision, they cannot read unless the text is very large (Thatcher, 2005, P. 3). By the way, the text size and color cannot be change in each page in the Apple Store website. The minor visual disability people cannot change the text size to what they need when they want to see that page. However, for the product introduction, the Apple Store uses some videos to introduce the major functions and special features of the products, the visual disability people, even the blindness who is completely sightless (Paciello, 2000, P.8), can know more about the product by listening the voice in the videos. But for the auditory people, there is no subtitle in the videos for them to understand what is about on the video. At the same time, for the visual disability people who want to make transaction in the website, there is no instruction video or audio about the process of transaction for those people who need it. And even in the transaction page, no access for the visual disability people to make a transaction. Therefore, Apple Store does not provide enough access to disability people. Webqual 2.0 Research Design Finding the domain which can reflect the situation in reality is better than doing artificial laboratory-based experiment (Barnes Vidgen, 2001). By the way, only analyze one data about the domain is not enough for the website evaluation. Therefore, compare the domain with the major competitors is the best way to evaluate the quality of the website. In the market, there are many competitors of Apple having an online store to sell consumer electronic products (Apple Inc. Annual Report, 2010). The major competitors which are chosen to be evaluated with Apple Store are the Sony Style online store (http://www.sonystyle.com), and the HP online store (http://www.shopping.hp.com). The reasons why those websites are being chosen to be compared are because both of them are selling consumer electronic and computer products. At the same time, both three of them are recommended by the UK consumers (Satmetrix, 2010). Sony is the biggest multinational conglomerate corporation in Japanese. It is one of the leading company of selling consumer electronic and computer products. Playstation, Sony music products and Sony laptops are some example of the famous electronic product of Sony (Sony Style, 2010). Sony Style online store is a channel of distribution on the Internet. HP (Hewlett-Packard) is another major competitor of consumer electronic and computer products of Apple Inc. It is a multinational information technology corporation in USA which is famous by its computer products. HP is famed for selling different types of hardware product. Methodology 40 questionnaires have been done from the user of Internet in the worldwide. Questions in the questionnaires are distributed to different countries, different age and different gender people by Internet. The questionnaire is mainly divided into 2 parts to measure those three websites quality and their view of the importance of the criteria. First part is about their basic information, which is about their age group, gender, and most importantly, whether they have visited those three websites. The data of the interviewees who have not visited those websites are not going to be count in the analysis. The second part is different descriptions of the websites. Each of them uses the scale 1 to 5 to elaborate the interviewees agreeability of the descriptions (Barnes Vidgen, 2001). And the description importance for evaluation is also asked in the questionnaire, in order to know how they feel about the importance of those descriptions. Data Analysis In the 40 interviewees, 28 of them have visited those Apple Store, Sony Style online store and HP online store. Therefore, only this 28 interviewees questionnaire results are being counted in the analysis. All data which are collected are summarized in Table 1 in the appendix page. The marks counted are the average marks of the 28 interviewees in each question. All marks are round up to 2 decimal places for evaluation conveniently. According to Barnes, the Webqual can be divided into different categories in SERVQUAL which are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Barnes Vidgen, 2001). They are going to be the criteria to see how the quality of those three websites is. Importance of specific question for user At the beginning, the importance of each description is going to be analyzed first. From the table, we can see the average marks of importance in different descriptions are quite high. Therefore, most of the descriptions of Webqual are important for the interviewees. In aesthetics, the interviewees think having a good outlook is quite important to them (Description 1). It can attract them to stay in the website for a longer time. However, having an appropriate design and audio-visual effect (Descriptions 2, 3) are not as important as other criteria, since they are not the critical element for them to stay in the website. Then, reliable (Descriptions 4-6), responsiveness (Descriptions 7-8), competence (Descriptions 9-10), credibility (Descriptions 14-15), and security (Descriptions 16-17) are quite important for the website users. It is because both of the criteria are about the safety of the transaction on that website. The users of website most concern the trust and dependability of it (Jones, Wllikens, Morris and Masera, 2000). However, for navigation (Descriptions 11-13), whether the websites are easy to find and to return to and find your way around are not important for the interviewees. Only the website has things where they expect to find them is important for the interviewees. Whether the website is easy to give feedback (Description 18) is quite important for the interviewees. For the empathy of the website, websites are quite good in communication (Descriptions 19-21) and their understanding the individual (Descriptions 22-24) are not as important as others. Descriptions Comparison between Three Websites Referring to Table 1, the evaluation of interviewees can show the differences between those three websites. In terms of aesthetics, the users think that the Apple Store looks much better than the Sony Style online store and HP online store. As we can see in those websites, Apple Store provides more pictures and a better looking homepage between those three websites. At the same time, both of them have an appropriate style of design for site type. By the way, only Apple Store creates and audio-visual experience to the users. In the Apple Store website, there are some videos to introduce the major functions and special features of the products. So the Apple Store has a higher overall score of aesthetics. For the navigation, which is the description that the users thinks it is not that important, we can see Apple Store and Sony Style online store have a higher marks of whether it is easy to find and to return to and Apple Store gets a higher marks in it is easy to find your way around. It shows that the Apple Store is easier for the user to find and use. At the same time, the interviewees claim that the three websites have things what they expected to find them. For the reliability, the marks between three websites are quite similar. It is because both three website are run by big company, which are Apple, Sony and HP. They have to make their websites free from error in order to maintain their credibility. Only about the description about providing up-to-date information, Apple Store get a higher average marks between three websites. It is because after the press conference of the new products, the new products features will be updated immediately on the website next day while the other two websites do not do this kind of update. For the competence, interviewees think that those websites can provide them with professional and competent image and believe they can process transactions competently, again, because both three website are run by the big company. Professional and process transactions competently are important for the credibility for them. For responsiveness, HP online store gives a more clear time for delivery for products or services. It shows what the exact day is for the customers receive the product, while the Apple and Sony website only show the estimate day of delivery which is not enough for the customers. At the same time, the access of three websites is good for the interviewees, both of them are easy to give feedback or contact the company. By the way, for the credibility and security, Apple Store has a higher mark compare with other two websites. It is because the Apple website is more famous in dealing with online trading and many of the interviewees have done the transaction through Apple website. Therefore, it has a higher mark in compare with the two other websites. For the empathy, both websites does not have a good mark since the website does not convey this culture to the website users. In conclusion, Apple Store gets the highest marks between three websites in the evaluation. Therefore we can see Apple website is the best in the group of consumer products websites. E-commerce Operation Evaluation Value Creation model Value Creation is important for a company. According to Mathur and Kenyon, it is about the design of future competitive offerings for the financial success of a company (Mathur and Kenyon, 2001) and the company have to beat the competitor by the value creation (Phillips, 2003). Novelty Apple.com provides a feature that the customers can order the products in multiple configurations. They can customize what they buy on the website. For example, when a customer orders a Macbook Pro, he can choose the processor, memory, graphics card, hard drive he like. This feature is a novelty in the online store market when it was first revealed. It creates value by eliminating inefficiencies in buying process for the customers. Because the customers can chose the product configurations according to their personal needs. So it is easier for them to purchase on the Internet. Customers can buy certified refurbished products on the Apple online store. The certified refurbished products are the products which undergo a rigorous refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale in a price which is cheaper than the normal price. It creates value by creating entirely new markets which is the market of the customers who like buying cheaper product. At the same time, it can help the company to sell the refurbished products. And because it is selling on the official website, it is more reliable for the consumers. The Apple Store let the customers engraving their iPod if they make an order on the website. They can make some personalized words on their iPod by the laser engraving. The text will be engraved near the top, on the back of the iPod. Any different types of iPod can use this service if the customers buy the iPod on the apple website. It creates values by capturing latent consumer need which is personalized design of their iPod. Efficiency The Apple online store provides the consumers with efficiency in different aspects. First of all, the information asymmetries between the Apple online store and the buyer have be reduced since the website provides all information which the buyer need in deciding whether purchasing, including the price of all different product, all possible discount, the price of adding different customize part in the products. Unlike in the normal store, the buyers have enough information in making the decision on buying a product or not. Therefore, we can say the information asymmetries between each group have been reduced. At the same time, the searching and bargaining cost of the buyer has been reduced by using the Apple online store. They do not have to search in different store since the price of the Apple Store is unified in the market. Therefore, their decision making pace will be faster than in the normal store since they have enough information to making the purchasing decision. Complementarities Apple Store provides with vertical complementarities to the customers which are after sales services. On the website, when you login your purchasing account, many individual information about your purchasing can be shown on the webpage. Delivery status, repair status can be checked on the site. Then the buyers can easily organize the usage of their products after the purchase. If they have any problem of using the product, many supporting service are available on the website for the buyers. They can browse the instructions about the using problem on the website. And also read the guideline from the website. For the horizontal complementarities, in some promotion, the buyers can buy the computer with the printer of the partner firms. This cooperation between the company helps to create value that the customers can have the bundle of products and get the value create from the cooperation. Lock-In In the Apple online store, it provides many services that create value for the customers. For the customers who have purchased in the Apple online store, they will receive the email about the latest news about the store, which is about the latest products, latest software download or some news about the company. When the customers can see the email regularly, they will be locked in with the company. And the email have the link for the customers to know more further information about the new, which make some potential purchasing for the company. Also, personalization for the customers appears in the Apple online store. After the first transaction between the customer and Apple store, the customer can turn the one click ordering function in the website with entering the credit card and personal information in the website. The customer is then allowed to purchase anything on the Apple Store with single click on the website (Apple Store, 2010). This personalization service for the customers let them to purchase in the website easier and increase the sales of the Apple Store. Conclusion In conclusion, Apple Store is one of the best electronic business website. In the evaluation, we can see the website quality of Apple Store is on the top in between the competition. At the same time, it provides with values in different aspects. By the way, the web accessibility is not good enough for the use of disability. The company has to put more effort in this aspect. (3243 words) References Article in a Journal Ng, W.W., Yan, G. and Lim, E.P. (2000), Heterogeneous Product Description in Electronic Commerce. ACM SIGecom Exchanges, 1(1) Barnes, S., and Vidgen, R. (2001), An evaluation of cyber-bookshops: the WebQual method. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6(1), 11-30 Amit, R. and Zott C. (2001), Value creation in E-Business. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6-7), 493-520 Jones, C., Wllikens, M., Morris, P., and Masera, M. (2000), Trust requirements in e-business. Magazine Communications of the ACM, 12(43), 81-87 Mathur, S.S and A. Kenyon (2001), Creating Value: Successful Business Strategies, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford Book Thatcher, J. (2006). Understanding Web Accessibility, Web accessibility: web standards and regulatory compliance, FriendsofED, 3 Paciello, Michael G. (2000). Introducing Web Accessibility, Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities, CMP Books, 8 Slatin, J. and Rush, S. (2003). Maximum accessibility, Addison-Wesley, New York. Phillips, P. (2003). E-business strategy: text and cases, London: McGraw-Hill. Website Apple Annual Report (2010), phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9Njc1MzN8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=t=1, Accessed December 2010 Nick Spence (2010), Grand opening of Apples 300th retail store brings Covent Garden to a standstill, www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?olo=rssNewsID=3234571, Accessed December 2010 Technical Update (1997), Apple Online Store Orders Top 12 Million Dollars in First Month, www.uc.edu/ucitnow/winter_98/apple.html, Accessed December 2010 W3C (2005), Introduction to Web Accessibility, www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php, Accessed December 2010 W3C (2005), Essential Components of Web Accessibility, www.w3.org/WAI/intro/components.php, Accessed December 2010 Satmetrix (2010), First Direct, Sony, Saga, O2 and Apple, Among the Most Recommended Brands According to 8,000 UK Consumers, www.satmetrix.com/company/press-and-news/pr-archive/pr20100618/, Accessed December 2010 Apple Store (2010), What is 1-Click?, store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/oneclickfaq.html, Accessed December 2010

Rossetts Model Essay -- Instructional Design Rossett Essays

Rossett's Model Overview Organizations are constantly faced with finding solutions to their problems. Often times they demand training to act as a quick fix to their problems; thus, trainers need to make needs assessment an essential part of their instructional design process. Otherwise, according to Zemke (1998), trainers "could very well end up doing a marvelous job of solving the wrong problems". Therefore, the trainer's challenge is to find the problem and to understand it sufficiently so that it can be solved (Rossett, 1987). "Analysis or needs assessment is the basis for wise recommendation about instruction and supporting organizational strategies" (Rossett 1992). The terms used may vary. Some may refer it to front-end analysis; others may site a need to gather information, while some are planning, studying or scoping (Rossett 1990). No matter what it is called, Rossett (1987) believes trainers must make professional and convincing cases for analysis prior to particular solutions. This paper will focus on Rossett's Model and look at how each component of the model helps identify an organization's needs in order to provide possible solutions. Purpose of Needs Assessment According to Rossett (1995), needs assessment is the "initial pursuit of information about a situation" (pg. 183) in order to provide trainers insight into "what is needed to improve performance" (pg. 184). Conducted at the beginning of any training or development process, needs assessments are intended to identify gaps between what should be happening and what is actually happening (Rossett, 1987). In her needs assessment model, Rossett states five purposes of the needs assessment process (Rossett, 1987). This process is i... ...rocess. It is at this stage that all of the future actions of any project are planned. The bottom line is that a thorough needs assessment will save time and money in the development process by targeting the cause(s) of the problem in order to prescribe the correct interventions. References: Rossett, A. (1995). Needs assessment. In G.J. Anglin (Ed.), Instructional technology: Past, present, future (2nd ed.). (pp. 183-196). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Rossett, A. (1992). Performance technology for instructional technologist: Comparisons and possibilities. Performance and Instruction, 31(10), 6-10. Rossett, A. (1987). Training Needs Assessment, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Zemke, R. (1998). How to do a needs assessment when you think you don't have time. Training, 35(3), 38-44

Shadow Kiss Chapter 12

TWELVE IF YOU'D ASKED ME six months ago, I would have said there was no way I'd be happy to run into Mia Rinaldi at the Royal Court. She was a year younger than me and had held a grudge against Lissa since freshman year – a grudge so big that Mia had gone to great extremes to make life miserable for us. She'd done a good job. Jesse and Ralf's rumors about me had been a result of her efforts. But then Mia had gone with us to Spokane and been captured by the Strigoi. And, just like for Christian and Eddie, that had changed everything. She'd seen the same horrors the rest of us had. In fact, she was the only one of my friends who had witnessed Mason's death and me killing Strigoi. She had even saved my life then by using her water magic to temporarily drown one of the Strigoi. In the great Moroi argument about whether or not they should learn to fight with the guardians, she was firmly on the fighting side. I hadn't seen Mia in almost a month, ever since Mason's funeral. In studying her, I felt like it'd been a year. I had always thought Mia looked like a doll. She was short compared to most Moroi and had young, round-cheeked features. The fact that she'd always curled her hair in perfect ringlets had sort of reinforced that image. But today, she hadn't gone to nearly that much trouble. Her golden blond hair was pulled into a ponytail, its only curl coming from a slight, natural waviness. She wore no makeup, and her face showed signs of having been outdoors a lot. Her skin looked chapped from the wind, and she had a very, very faint tan – almost unheard of for Moroi, with their aversion to sunlight. For the first time ever, she actually looked her age. She laughed at my shock. â€Å"Come on, it hasn't been that long. You look like you don't even recognize me.† â€Å"I almost don't.† We hugged, and again, it was hard to believe that she'd once plotted ways to ruin my life. Or that I'd broken her nose. â€Å"What are you doing here?† She beckoned us out the door. â€Å"We were just about to leave. I'll explain everything.† We went to a neighboring building. It wasn't like a mall or anything, but it did have a few businesses that the Moroi who worked and visited here needed – a handful of restaurants, some small stores, and offices that offered all sorts of services. There was also a coffee shop, and that was where Mia led us. A coffee shop seems like an ordinary thing, but I rarely got to go to them. Sitting in a public place (or semi-public) with friends, not worrying about school†¦ it was great. It reminded me of when Lissa and I had been on our own, when our entire lives hadn't been contained within a school and its rules. â€Å"My dad works here now,† she told us. â€Å"And so now I live here.† Moroi children rarely lived with their parents. They were sent off to places like St. Vladimir's, where they could grow up safely. â€Å"What about school?† I asked. â€Å"There aren't many kids here, but there are some. Most of them are rich and have personal tutors. My dad pulled some strings and set it up so that I can go to them for different subjects. So I'm still studying the same things, just in a different way. It's actually pretty cool. Less teacher time – but more homework.† â€Å"You've been doing more than that,† said Eddie. â€Å"Unless your classes are outside.† He'd noticed the same things I had, and in looking at her hands as they held her latte, I could now see calluses. She wiggled her fingers. â€Å"I made friends with some of the guardians here. They've been showing me a few things.† â€Å"That's risky,† said Christian, though he sounded like he approved. â€Å"Since there's still a debate about Moroi fighting.† â€Å"You mean about Moroi fighting with magic,† she corrected. â€Å"That's what's controversial. No one's really talking about Moroi fighting hand-to-hand.† â€Å"Well, they are,† I said. â€Å"It's just been overshadowed by the magic controversy.† â€Å"It's not illegal,† she said primly. â€Å"And until it is, I'm going to keep doing it. You think with all the events and meetings that go on around here that anyone even notices what someone like me does?† Mia's family, in addition to being non-royal, was also pretty lower class – not that there was anything wrong with that, but she had to feel the effects of that around here. Still, I found her whole situation cheering. Mia seemed happier and more open than she had during the entire time I'd known her. She seemed †¦ free. Christian spoke my thoughts before I could. â€Å"You've changed,† he said. â€Å"We've all changed,† she corrected. â€Å"Especially you, Rose. I can't quite explain it.† â€Å"I don't think there's any way the five of us couldn't have changed,† Christian pointed out. A moment later he corrected himself. â€Å"Four of us.† We all fell silent, thoughts of Mason weighing us down. Being with Christian, Eddie, and Mia stirred up that grief I always tried to hide, and I could see from their faces that they continually fought the same battle. Conversation eventually turned toward all of us catching up on what had happened here and at the Academy. Yet I kept thinking about how Mia had said that I had changed more than the others. All I could think about was how out of control I'd felt lately, how half the time my actions and feelings didn't seem like my own. Sitting there, it almost seemed like Mia was controlled by all of her positive traits now – and I was controlled by my negative ones. Conversations with Adrian replayed through my head, reminding me about how I supposedly had such a dark, dark aura. Maybe thinking about him summoned him, but he and Lissa eventually joined us. Their bar was probably in the same building, I realized. I'd been blocking her out and not paying much attention. Adrian hadn't completely gotten her drunk, thankfully, but she'd agreed to two drinks. I could feel a slight buzz through the bond and had to carefully shield it out. She was as surprised as we'd been to see Mia but gave her a warm welcome and wanted to catch up. I'd heard most of this already, so I just listened and drank my chai. No coffee for me. Most guardians drank it the way Moroi drank blood, but I wouldn't touch the stuff. â€Å"How'd your thing with the queen go?† Christian asked Lissa at one point. â€Å"Not so bad,† she said. â€Å"I mean, not great either. But she didn't yell at me or humiliate me, so that's a start.† â€Å"Stop being modest,† said Adrian, putting his arm around her. â€Å"Princess Dragomir totally stood her ground. You should have seen it.† Lissa laughed. â€Å"I don't suppose she mentioned why she decided to let us come to the trial?† Christian asked stiffly. He didn't look very happy about the bonding that was taking place here – or about Adrian's arm. Lissa's laughter faded, but she was still smiling. â€Å"Adrian did it.† â€Å"What?† Christian and I asked together. Adrian, looking very pleased with himself, stayed quiet for a change and let Lissa do the talking. â€Å"He convinced her that we needed to be here. He apparently harassed her until she gave in.† â€Å"It's called ‘persuasion,' not ‘harassment,'† Adrian said. Lissa laughed again. My own words about the queen came back to haunt me. Who's she? Just another Ivashkov. There are a ton of them. There were indeed. I eyed Adrian. â€Å"How closely are you guys related?† The answer popped into my head from Lissa's. â€Å"She's your aunt.† â€Å"Great-aunt. And I'm her favorite great nephew. Well, I'm her only great nephew, but that's not important. I'd still be her favorite,† he said. â€Å"Unbelievable,† said Christian. â€Å"I'll second that,† I said. â€Å"None of you appreciate me. Why is it so hard to believe that I could make a real contribution in these dark times?† Adrian stood up. He was trying to sound outraged, but the smirk on his face indicated that he still found all of this pretty funny. â€Å"My cigarettes and I are going outside. At least they show me respect.† As soon as he left, Christian asked Lissa, â€Å"Were you getting drunk with him?† â€Å"I'm not drunk. I only had two drinks,† she said. â€Å"Since when did you get all conservative?† â€Å"Since Adrian became a bad influence.† â€Å"Come on! He helped us get here. No one else was able to do it. He didn't have to, but he did. And you and Rose are sitting there, still acting like he's the most evil person on the planet.† That wasn't exactly true. I was mostly sitting there like I had been hit in the head, still too dumbstruck to react. â€Å"Yeah, and I'm sure he did it out of the kindness of his heart,† muttered Christian. â€Å"Why else would he do it?† â€Å"Oh, gee, I wonder.† Lissa's eyes widened. â€Å"You think he did it for me? You think there's something going on with us?† â€Å"You guys drink together, practice magic together, and go to elitist events together. What would you think?† Mia and Eddie looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. I was starting to share the feeling. Anger burned through Lissa, hitting me like a wave of heat. She was utterly outraged. Her fury didn't even have that much to do with Adrian, really. She was more upset at the thought of Christian not trusting her. And as for him, I needed no psychic powers to understand how he was feeling. He wasn't jealous simply because she was hanging out with Adrian. Christian was still jealous that Adrian had the kind of influence to pull this off for her. It was just like what Jesse and Ralf had described, about how the right connections could open the right doors – connections that Christian didn't have. I kneed Christian's leg, hoping he'd get the hint that he really should stop talking before things got worse. Lissa's anger was intensifying, muddled with embarrassment as she began to doubt herself and wonder if she had been getting too close to Adrian. The whole thing was ridiculous. â€Å"Christian, for the love of God. If Adrian did this for anyone, it was because of me and his crazy obsession. He bragged awhile ago that he could do it, and I didn't believe it.† I turned to Lissa. I needed to get her calm and diffuse those dark feelings that could cause so much trouble for her when they ran out of control. â€Å"Liss, you might not be wasted exactly, but you need to chill out for an hour before having this conversation. You're going to say something as stupid as Christian, and I'll be the one who has to deal with the mess – like always.† I'd gotten worked up and expected someone to tell me how bitchy I sounded. Instead, Lissa relaxed and offered Christian a smile. â€Å"Yeah, we should definitely talk about this later. A lot's kind of happened today.† He hesitated, then nodded. â€Å"Yeah. Sorry I jumped all over you.† He returned her smile, fight patched up. â€Å"So,† Lissa asked Mia, â€Å"who have you met here?† I stared at them in amazement, but no one seemed to notice. I'd fixed their fight, and there'd been no acknowledgment. No Thank you, Rose, for pointing out how idiotic we're being. It was bad enough I had to endure their romance day after day, with no consideration for how I felt. Now I was salvaging their relationship, and they didn't even realize it. â€Å"I'll be right back,† I said, interrupting Mia's description of some of the other teenagers here. I was afraid if I sat there, I was going to say something I'd regret or maybe break a chair. Where had this rage come from? I went outside, hoping a gulp of cold air would calm me down. Instead, I got a face full of clove smoke. â€Å"Don't start in about the smoking,† warned Adrian. He was leaning against the building's brick wall. â€Å"You didn't have to come outside. You knew I was here.† â€Å"That's actually why I'm here. Well, that, and I felt like I was going to go crazy if I stayed inside another minute.† He tilted his head to look at my face. His eyebrows shot up. â€Å"You aren't kidding, are you? What happened? You were fine a few minutes ago.† I paced across the ground in front of him. â€Å"I don't know. I was fine. Then Christian and Lissa started having this stupid argument over you. It was weird. They were the ones who were mad – and then I ended up madder than both of them.† â€Å"Wait. They were arguing over me?† â€Å"Yes. I just said that. Weren't you paying attention?† â€Å"Hey, don't snap at me. I haven't done anything to you.† I crossed my arms over my chest. â€Å"Christian's jealous because you hang around Lissa so much.† â€Å"We're studying spirit,† said Adrian. â€Å"He's welcome to join in.† â€Å"Yeah, well, no one ever said love was reasonable. Seeing you come back together kind of set him off. And then he got upset because you pulled rank with the queen for Lissa.† â€Å"I didn't do it for her. I did it for all of you – but, well, you especially.† I came to a halt in front of him. â€Å"I didn't believe you. That you could do it.† He grinned. â€Å"Guess you should have listened to my family history in that dream after all.† â€Å"I guess. I just thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. I'd thought Dimitri would be the one who came through for me, the one who – despite what he said – could make almost anything happen. But he hadn't. â€Å"Thought what?† Adrian prompted. â€Å"Nothing.† With much effort, I managed to utter the next words. â€Å"Thank you for helping us.† â€Å"Oh my God,† he said. â€Å"A kind word from Rose Hathaway. I can die a happy man.† â€Å"What are you saying? That I'm normally an ungrateful bitch?† He just looked at me. â€Å"Hey! Not cool.† â€Å"Maybe you could redeem yourself with a hug.† I glared. â€Å"A small one?† he begged. With a sigh, I walked over and put one arm around Adrian, leaning my head lightly against his arm. â€Å"Thanks, Adrian.† We stood like that for a heartbeat. I felt none of the crazy electricity or connection I did with Dimitri, but I had to admit that Lissa had been right about something. Adrian was annoying and arrogant at times, but he really wasn't the bastard I often made him out to be. The doors opened, and Lissa and the others stepped outside. They understandably looked surprised, but I didn't care just then. Besides, they probably all thought I was pregnant with Adrian's love child, so what did it matter? I backed away. â€Å"Heading out?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah, Mia's got more important things to do than hang out with us,† joked Christian. â€Å"Hey, I just told my dad I'd meet him. I'll see you guys before I leave.† She started to walk away, then abruptly turned around. â€Å"God, I'm so out of it.† She reached into her coat pocket and handed me a folded piece of paper. â€Å"This is half the reason I found you guys. One of the court clerks wanted me to give this to you.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, puzzled. She headed off to see her dad while the rest of us strolled back to our accommodations. I slowed my pace as I opened the note, wondering who in the world here would want to contact me. Rose, I was so happy to hear about your arrival. I'm sure it'll make tomorrow's proceedings that much more entertaining. I've been curious for quite some time about how Vasilisa is doing, and your romantic escapades are always an amusing diversion. I can't wait to share them in the courtroom tomorrow. Best, V.D. â€Å"Who's it from?† asked Eddie, coming up beside me. I hastily folded it up and shoved it into my pocket. â€Å"No one,† I replied. No one indeed. V. D. Victor Dashkov.

What Is an AP Test Perfect Score Do You Need One

What Is an AP Test Perfect Score Do You Need One SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you read your local newspaper, you may have seen an article about someone from your area getting a â€Å"perfect score† on an AP exam. But what is an AP test perfect score, and how is it different from a 5? Keep reading to find out what an AP exam perfect score is, what it means, how many students get one, and if it’s a goal you should be aiming for. What Is a Perfect AP Score and What Does It Signify? If you receive a perfect score on an AP exam, that means that you received every point possible on the exam.So you answered every multiple-choice question correctly and scored the maximum amount of points on every free response question. Pretty impressive! How does this relate to the score you get from 1-5? Well, if you get a perfect score you will definitely get a 5 on the exam. But your 5 won’t be worth more than anyone else’s 5. Additionally, you don’t need to get anything close to a perfect score to get a 5 on the exam. In other words, the fact that you got a perfect score doesn’t really increase the value of your standard score on the 5-point scale. In fact, your perfect score is not even reported on your score report- just the 5. When a student achievesa perfect score, the College Board usually informs the school directly in the fall. The school then informs the student. This often seems to lead to a level of minor local celebrity, with perfect scorers frequently being interviewed by local newspapers and having articles written up about them on school websites. As mentioned above, the perfect score doesn’t appear on your score report, but it’s certainly something worth reporting to colleges if it does happen because it is impressive and unusual. A perfect score would make you the slightly different yellow locker in this row of orange lockers. How Many Students Geta Perfect Score on an AP Exam? Just how unusual is it to get a perfect score on an AP exam? It depends on the exam, but no matter the test, it’s a rare feat. The College Board released a document of 2013 AP test perfect score stats, but it doesn’t appear they’ve created a similar document for 2014 or 2015. However, a series of tweets by the College Board’s head of AP, Trevor Packer, reveals all the info about how many students got perfect scores in 2015. I’ve assembled the info into a chart that shows how many perfect scores there were by number and by percentage of test-takers in 2015, as well asthe percentage of test takers who received a 5 in each exam. 2015 Perfect Scores as Compared to Fives Exam # Perfect Scores # Test-Takers % Perfect Scores % 5s Calculus AB 3 302,532 .00099% 24.6% Calculus BC 1 118,707 .00084% 48.4% AP Chemistry 3 152,745 .00196% 10.1% Computer Science A 66 48,994 .1347% 21.3% French Language 1 22,084 .0045% 18.4% US Gov and Politics 3 282,571 .00106% 11.9% Latin 1 6,571 .0152% 13.2% Macroeconomics 18 126,267 .01426% 16.1% Microeconomics 49 78,408 .0625% 15.9% Physics C: EM 1 22,789 .0044% 33.5% Physics C: Mechanics 6 52,678 .0114% 32.4% Psychology 4 276,971 .0014% 18.7% Spanish Language 7 144,561 .0048% 24.6% Statistics 2 195,526 .001% 14.3% As you can see, while at least ten percent of test takers scored a 5 on each exam,the perfect scoresare teeny, teeny, teeny percentages. Microeconomics and Computer Science A had the highest percentage of perfect scorers by a fairly large margin, but even those have minusculecounts of .0625% and .1347%, respectively. There were a small number of perfect scores for the AP Art portfolios, but since those aren’t graded via an exam, I left them off the chart. Otherwise, if a test isn’t in this chart, there were no perfect scores. AP Exams with no perfects in 2015 were: Art History, Biology, Chinese, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, European History, German, Comparative Government and Politics, Human Geography, Italian, Japanese, Physics 1, Physics 2, Spanish Literature, US History, World History. In sum: perfect scores on AP exams are a super-rare occurrence. Super-rare like emerald jewels. Is Getting a Perfect Score a Realistic Goal? Given how few students get them, it’s not a very attainable or realistic goal to actively try for a perfect score on an AP exam, even for a test where perfect scores are marginally more common like Microeconomics or Computer Science A. Even if you have total mastery of a subject, just one tiny mistake on test day will prevent you from getting a perfect score. Additionally,you will never know how close you were if you don’t get a perfect score- raw point totals aren’t reported to students.You could get 179/180 points and never know anything except that you got a 5. That makes a perfect score a frustrating goal in addition to a difficult one! The marginal benefit is also not that high- a small level of brief local celebrity and an impressive factoid for your college applications. If you really want to stand out to colleges, there arebetter ways to develop your applicationthat are more within your control and where your work will pay off more directly. In terms of test scores, it makes much more sense to work on getting top marks on your standardized college entrance exams like the SAT, the ACT, and SAT Subject Tests.Any solid preparation work you put in there will pay off in your reported scores, unlike on an AP exam, where you either get a perfect or you never find out your raw score. The truth is, based on local news profiles, most AP test perfect scorers are surprised to have gotten a perfect score and weren’t specifically aiming for one. So, while it’s not impossible to get a perfect score on an AP exam, particularly in a subject you are very gifted in, it’s not really worth your time to specifically aim for a perfect. Aim for a 5, do your best, and it could happen, but don’t stress overit. Reach for the stars! And by stars, I mean a 5. Key Takeaways While it won’t give you any more college credit or show up on your score report, a perfect score on an AP exam- full credit for all exam portions- is an impressive accomplishment. Only a small number of students get perfect scores each year. However, I don’t recommend making a perfect score your goal, simply because the benefits as opposed to getting a 5 are only marginal. You’d be much better served working for perfect marks on the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject tests. What's Next? Studying for your AP exams? Learn when you need to start preparing for your AP tests to get that coveted 5. If you're taking a variety of tests, figure out whether AP exams or Subject Tests are more important for you. Wondering what the revised SAT format means for you?Or maybe you're taking the ACT and looking for all of our ACT study guide resources! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Microplastics and Their Environmental Effects

Microplastics and Their Environmental Effects Microplastics are small fragments of plastic material, generally defined as smaller than what can be seen by the naked eye.  Our increased reliance on plastics for countless applications has negative consequences to the environment. For example, the plastic manufacturing process is associated with air pollution, and volatile organic compounds released over the life of the plastic have deleterious health effects for humans. Plastic waste takes up significant space in landfills. However, microplastics in the aquatic environment  has been a newly emerging concern in the public consciousness. As the name implies, microplastics are very small, generally too small to see although some scientists include pieces up to 5mm in diameter (about a fifth of an inch). They are of various types, including polyethylene (e.g., plastic bags, bottles), polystyrene (e.g., food containers), nylon, or PVC. These plastic items become degraded by heat, UV light, oxidation, mechanical action, and biodegradation by living organisms like bacteria. These processes yield increasingly small particles that eventually can be classified as microplastics. Microplastics On the Beach   It appears that the beach environment, with its abundant sunlight and very high temperatures at ground level, is where the degradation processes operate fastest. On the hot sand surface, plastic trash fades, becomes brittle, then cracks and breaks down. High tides and wind pick up the tiny plastic particles and eventually add them to the growing great garbage patches found in the oceans. Since beach pollution is a major contributor of microplastic pollution, beach cleanup efforts turn out to be much more than esthetic exercises.   Environmental Effects of Microplastics Many persistent organic pollutants (for example, pesticides, PCBs, DDT, and dioxins) float around the oceans at low concentrations, but their hydrophobic nature concentrates them on the surface of plastic particles. Marine animals mistakenly feed on the microplastics, and at the same time ingest the toxic pollutants. The chemicals accumulate in the animal tissues and then increase in concentration as the pollutants are transferred up the food chain.As the plastics degrade and become brittle, they leach out monomers like BPA which can then be absorbed by marine life, with relatively little known consequences.Besides the associated chemical loads, ingested plastic materials can be damaging for marine organisms, as they can lead to digestive blockage or internal damage from abrasion. There is still much research needed to properly evaluate this issue.Being so numerous, microplastics provide abundant surfaces for small organisms to attach. This dramatic increase in colonization opportuni ties can have population-level consequences. In addition, these plastics are essentially rafts for organisms to travel further than they usually would, making them vectors for spreading invasive marine species. Microbeads A more recent source of trash in the oceans is the tiny polyethylene spheres, or microbeads, increasingly found in many consumer products. These microplastics do not come from the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic but instead are engineered additives to cosmetics and personal care products. They are most often used in skin care products and toothpaste and wash down drains, pass through water treatment plants, and end up in freshwater and marine environments. There is increased pressure for countries and states to regulate microbead use, and many large personal care product companies have pledged to find other alternatives. Sources Andrady, A. 2011. Microplastics in the Marine Environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin.Wright et al. 2013. The Physical Impacts of Microplastics on Marine Organisms: A Review. Environmental Pollution.

Accounting Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting Concepts - Essay Example Under the money measurement concept, these items can be recorded as a land worth $100,000, a building (containing 10 rooms and conference hall) worth $500,000, 250 chairs at $50 each, and so on The money measurement concept assumes that money is a stable unit of measurement and therefore the value of money does not change with time. Going concern concept The going concern concept implies that accounting transactions are recorded keeping the view that the business will exist for a long period of time. More precisely, a business enterprise is considered to be a going concern but not a liquidated one. As per the going concern concept, asset valuation is done at historical cost or replacement cost. The going concern concept is a fundamental principle to the preparation of financial statements (Rajasekaran 2011, p.18). In case of short term business projects like building construction, the business comes to an end once the construction of the particular building is completed. In contrast, some business entities that operate in the automobile or consumable goods industry exist for a long period and they will continue their business activities in the foreseeable future. According to this concept, business enterprises treat prepaid expenses as assets in their balance sheets even though they are not saleable practically. Dual aspect concept Dual aspect concept is one of the fundamental accounting concepts and assumes that every transaction has a two-fold aspect – giving certain benefits and receiving certain benefits. The underlying principle of the double entry system is that every debit has an equal and corresponding amount of credit (Johnston & Johnston 2006, p.54). From the accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities+Capital), it is... The object evidence concept says that all accounting activities must be objective evidence based. In other words, there should be adequate verifiable documents to support the reliability of every transaction recorded in the books of accounts. This is the very essential for auditors to verify the reliability of accounts prepared. It is to be noted that the verifiable evidences must be objective but not subjective. For instance, a business entity has to keep receipts for the building rent paid. From the above discussion, it is clear that all the ten accounting concepts explained are greatly beneficial for accountants to prepare universally comparable, understandable, reliable, and relevant set of accounts. These accounting concepts give a standard structure to books of accounts prepared globally. â€Å"The accrual concept is an accounting system which recognises revenues and expenses as they are earned or incurred, respectively, without regard to the date of receipt or payment†. In simpler words, revenue is recorded in the books of accounts on its realisation but not its actual receipt. In the same way, expenses have to be recognised when they are incurred but not when the payment is made actually. To illustrate, a business unit paid $5,000 in rent for the building and machinery a year whereas it had owed only $4,500 in rent. That means the company prepaid $500 in rent. At the end of the accounting period, the prepaid rent is recorded on the asset side of the balance sheet.

Chronic Kidney Disease Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chronic Kidney Disease - Term Paper Example For these reasons, chronic kidney disease is considered a disease because it affects the health of an individual. Chronic kidney disease is a chief health concern problem because the prevalence of the disease grows at a yearly rate of 8%, and expends 2% of the worldwide health spending (Là ³pez-Novoa, Martà ­nez-Salgado, Rodrà ­guez-Peà ±a, & Là ³pez-Hernà ¡ndez, 2010). In the United States, about 13% of the populace suffers from this condition. As the prevalence of chronic renal disease rises, health care providers are tasked with the management of the multifaceted medical complications that patients with CKD face. This paper takes a detailed look at the pathophysiology, causes, symptoms and management of chronic kidney disease. The central role of the kidney is to sift nitrogenous wastes from ingested food and metabolic activities, as well as surplus fluids from the blood. The kidneys, therefore, play an important role in fluid and electrolyte balance. The nephron is the elementary working component of the kidney. A normal kidney has about one million nephrons. Each nephron possesses a clump of glomerular capillaries called the glomerulus where the filtration of blood takes place. The nephron also has a lengthy tubule where the filtered fluid is transformed into urine as it is transported into the pelvis (Guyton & Hall, 2006). The renal arteries branch into interlobar arteries and two other arteries and finally into afferent arterioles that supply the glomerulus in the nephron through the glomerular arterioles, which join together to form the efferent arterioles that exit the glomerulus. Urine, which carries the waste products filtered by the kidney is produced in three main phases namely ultrafiltration, reabsorption and secretion. The kidneys also excrete strange chemicals, drug substances and metabolites produced from hormones. Such substances include urea from the metabolism of amino acids and creatinine