The Arboreal and Cursorial Hypotheses of the Flight Origin Research Paper - 1

The Arboreal and Cursorial Hypotheses of the Flight Origin - Research Paper Example The arboreal hypothesis (also known as the ‘tree down’ hypothesis) refers to the idea that dinosaurs first gained flight by jumping from trees and acquiring flight as an evolutionary mechanism to avoid fatal accidents from this method. This hypothesis seems ‘intuitive’ because ‘flight evolving from an arboreal gliding stage would seem to be relatively easy’ (Padian & Chiappe, 1998, p15) and because the force of gravity ‘helps rather than hinders’ (Lewin, 1983, p38). Some studies, such as that of Feduccia (1993) suggest that the shape of the manus (the ‘hand’ portion of the forelimb) and the pes (the ‘foot’ portion of the hindlimb) of the Archaeopteryx exhibit evidence of perching, tree-dwelling and trunk-climbing due to the curvature of these anatomical elements. However, since this paper was published, another specimen of Archaeopteryx has been discovered (known as the Thermopolis specimen) which has almos t complete pes, and thus there is now mounting evidence that the hallux (first digit of the pes) did not display curvature necessary for perching (Mayr et al., 2007). If we consider the Archaeopteryx as arboreal, it is important to understand how and why a flight would have developed in this way. The original theory as stated by Othniel C. Marsh in the late 19th century was that Archaeopteryx would use wings as a balancing mechanism during leaps between trees, utilizing a gliding model to conserve energy. A common refutation to this point is that Archaeopteryx would utilize energy to climb trees (Mayr et al., 2007) but the terrestrial running would have taken more and as such gliding would be an evolutionary advantage (Feduccia, 1993). This, if taken as proof of the ‘intermediate gliding stage’ (Lewin, 1983, p38) that is so necessary for supporting the arboreal hypothesis, would help solve this challenge to evolutionary biology. A major problem with using Archaeopteryx as proof of the arboreal hypothesis is that it possessed very long, sharp claws or talons.

Obligations of Nurses Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obligations of Nurses - Coursework Example Nurses are bestowed with the diverse needs of taking care of patients and handle their needs of physical support in a professional way so that the health needs of the same could be met. Based on the level of their education nurses are able to deliver better healthcare services to the patients. In the healthcare organization the responsibilities of doctors and nurses are different based on their own professional needs both are able to meet with their roles in a more effective manner (National Association for Healthcare Quality, 2011). The ranges of the diverse complexes that are evident within the system are identified to be having a certain amount of implication within the domain of having conflicts of ideas. These conflicts could lead to develop the effectiveness of the system so that the chances of complications could be reduced. Additionally, this has also been noted that as there are a number of nurses who are providing services there can be a conflict of ideas that may lead to chances and issues associated with the standard of services that are being provided.

Dixons Retail Group e-commerce Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Dixons Retail Group e-commerce - Assignment Example III. Market Profitability This is largely determined by the five forces identified by Porter (2008) as: power of buyers, power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes and competitor rivalry. These are looked at in detail in the micro-environment section below. However, market profitability is low here because of intense competitor rivalry, strong buyers, high threat of substitutes and moderate threat of entry. IV. Industry Cost Structure According to Goldmanis et al. (2009) the introduction of e-commerce into an industry results in the shrinking and sometimes exit of high-cost firms and a shift in market share to low-cost firms, and with some additional assumptions about the firm type and consumer search cost distributions, a drop in the number of producers as well. Of the ten cost drivers related to value chain activities identified by (Porter, 1998) Primark derives its cost advantage largely from four: its vertical integration, economies of scale from the Gr oup, capacity utilisation and learning. V. Distribution Channel Dixons.co.uk leverages the centralised supply chain and distribution network of the Group’s physical stores. At Newark the company operates one of Europe’s largest distribution centres. Another Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) is located at Bristol to supply goods to all South/South west UK branches of Dixons Retail Group (Dixons Retail, 2011). Using the Group’s warehouse makes dixons.co.uk cost to serve relatively low (Chiles & Dau, 2005). VI. Market Trends Online retail industry is still largely in a state of flux due a range of factors. Firstly, the technology platform on which online retailing is based is still undergoing rapid change such as 3D virtual... According to the research findings as an e-commerce website, dixons.co.uk inherently faces three types of risks: security of customer data, consistency in order-fulfilment and accuracy in inventory management. Security risk arises because the company will have to store various forms of customer data such as contacts, purchasing habits and credit card records. The company will therefore have to invest in staff security awareness training and security technologies. With regards to order fulfilment, dixons.co.uk must ensure that it has the right processes in place that guarantees the customer receives what she ordered for in the right state, at the right location and at the right time. An effective and efficient order fulfilment process will save the company time and resources spent in handling returns and complaints. Finally, inventory management is important because it supports distribution and order fulfilment. However, the risk to be highlighted here is the synchronisation between t he items advertised on the website and the actual items available in the company’s warehouses. Consumer confidence can easily be lost in instances where customers order for a product that is no longer available at the company’s warehouse yet it is displayed on the website.A critical look at the above risks informs us that security of customer data, consistency in order-fulfilment and accuracy in inventory management are market qualifying factors in e-commerce. Hill’s methodology on marketing strategy define qualifying factors as those factors that a business must fulfil in order to be considered for business by customers.

Turkey and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Turkey and the European Union - Essay Example As a prerequisite for joining the union, a country should satisfy a basic condition of being able to prove that it is democratically stable and able to address the issues of humanitarian and international concerns. However, the public and media circles have been full of accusations labeled against turkey mostly because it is a predominantly Muslim nation. Most of the European Union nations have argued that the country is of an incompatible value system having been through a different timeline in its historical and religious history. As a result, the arguments against the nation’s membership to the EU have been based on a religious cum cultural compatibility with other states in the union. In other words, by being a country that has faced a lot of historical influence through Islamic dominance in its political and social structure, the opposing voices for the country’s inclusion in the EU state that this has worked against the country. The attachment of Islamic faith wit h terrorism has also been a factor in the determination of the country’s EU status at least according to some public observers. The fear of Islam among other faiths in the region has been high in the aftermath of terror attacks in major European cities; all connected to individuals or groups of Islamic background. It then follows that most people have wanted to associate the integration of the country into the union to increased terrorism in the region. Apart from the country’s religious heritage, its size has been a factor with many arguing that the country population which nears that of Germany; may be a hindrance to the region’s economic development. Other issues raised have attachment to the country’s poverty index, largely rural population and conflict prone boarders. Turkey has myriad of problems just like other European Union countries. Some of the problems are a result of the coup attempt in Cyprus. Muftuler and Guney (282) indicate some of the re asons why this conflict has a bearing on the determination of Turkey as a member of the EU. The origin of this conflict starts with the long followed conflict in Cyprus, which stems from the Greek and Turkish Cypriots living in the country. The country has been in the middle of the conflict due to its push to defend their counterparts who are settled in Cyprus. One factor that complicates this matter is that Greece is already a member of the EU yet it has been conflicting with the country concerning Cyprus. Turkey’s involvement in the conflict was as a result of the marginalization of the Turkish Cypriots even after the United Kingdom, Greece and the country signed a treaty of guarantee to Cyprus. This issue also highlights the problem of immigration. Migration has historically been attached to the enhancement of multiculturalism in regions such as Europe. However, Huysmans (752) highlights that a social realignment of this issue has resulted in ‘securitization of migra tion.’ Simply put, migration has been attached mostly to security issues rather than on the potential of interactions of the immigrants that can result into economic and social development. Most western nations have always majored on security and used this as a reason for restricting movement against the foundations of freedoms of association and movement.

Poverty in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poverty in England - Essay Example The class-bound society did not permit infiltration and this social structure was largely responsible for an impoverished condition of the working classes. One could not work one’s way to the top and things began to stagnate for the working class. This led to workers unions and other activities that recognized the poverty that existed in the lower strata of the British society. It also led to an increase in violence in the society. â€Å"The ‘cultural grammar’ of any society provides numerous opportunities to breach social rules† (Violence and Crime in the  Nineteenth Century England: The Shadow of our Refinement, J. Carter Wood, Routledge; 1 edition (June 17, 2004) The distribution of resources was largely unequal and the inequality of income made the situation all the worse. While countries like Germany and the United States possessed fast-paced developing industries and an abundance of natural resources yet to be exploited, Britain had none of these an d had to look overseas for these resources. This worsened the situation. The threat of an upcoming war that engulfed numerous countries of the world, meant that Britain had to get her war-strategies and preparation right. This, in turn, meant a huge amount of expenditure, which is another reason that led to the neglect of a portion of the society, that remain impoverished.It is later that the Government recognized these facts and in order to appease the dissatisfied working class, introduced welfare reforms and wage hikes.

Organizational Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Organizational Analysis - Essay Example The main focus of Amazon.com is on selection, expediency and price to customers who are served through numerous websites. Conversely, sellers are provided with the programs that enable them to sell their commodities online through the company’s websites and the sellers’ own websites as well. Kindle Direct publishing online platform allows independent authors and publishers to present their books in the Kindle store and users have to subscribe to view the books online while Amazon.com manufactures and sells Kindle e-reader devices (Finance.yahoo.com, 2013). For musicians, filmmakers, authors and applications developers among others, Amazon.com offers numerous programs through which they can make known and sell their content. For customers interested in credit cards, Amazon Inc. provides co-branded credit card agreements. The company also offers fulfillment and advertising services to its customers (Finance.yahoo.com, 2013). 1.2. What Amazon.com, Inc. Does? Amazon.com Inc . was established as an online bookstore. However, time have seen Amazon diversify to incorporate services of CDs, video games, electronics, furniture, DVDs, jewelry, apparel, software, MP3 downloads, food and toys selling among others. Reuters (2013) points out that Amazon.com Inc. also manufactures and vends consumer devices which are: the Kindle Fire Tablet PC and Kindle e-book reader. The fire tablet device is one of the well-known suppliers of services in cloud computing. According to Reuters (2013), Amazon.com Inc. focused on improving its operating efficiencies such that it offers continued low cost for its customers. In addition, each encounter with Amazon.com Inc customers is made such that it is fast, timely and reliably fulfilling (Reuters, 2013). 1.3. The customers served by Amazon.com Inc Amazon is well known by its customers for proffering the lowest prices there are for both its products and shipping offers each day (Reuters, 2013). Lowest prices are also available th rough membership to Amazon prime. Amazon.com Inc. customers of small, medium and large scale developers and enterprises obtain technology infrastructure access through Amazon Web Service or AWS for nearly all forms of businesses while authors and book publishers receive Amazon Kindle direct publishing (Reuters, 2013). Customer services are offered through websites that are separate for each region like Canada, United States, Spain, Brazil, China and Japan among others. For countries where Amazon.com has no website, Amazon products are shipped internationally (Finance.yahoo.com, 2013). 1.4. Size of Amazon.com Inc Amazon.com remains the leading online retailer e-commerce multinational with centers for development of software situated at North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. For effective service delivery, Amazon operates under North America segment and the international segment (Reuters, 2013). The North American segment is accountable for Amazon services in North America and Canada while the International segment is responsible for retails sales made from internationally-oriented websites through consumer products’ sales and subscriptions. Finance.yahoo.com (2013) reveals that Amazon Inc offers its services through 88,400 permanent employees working under numerous departments and locations worldwide. Amazon

Law Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law Questions - Assignment Example Law Questions On realization that Fred had a criminal record, the police officers should obtain a search warrant to search Fred’s room and before Fred is charged with possession of cocaine. The rule of law demands that plausible cause exists if the circumstances and facts of the case would cause a person to believe and consider that a felony had been committed or was going to be committed. Yes, the drugs are admissible in Court against Mike because the report evaluation of the controlled substances such as Marijuana that was found in Mike house is admissible in the court because it acts as a prima facie evidence of the quantity, nature, and identity of the issue evaluated. In this case, the police officers do not require the utilization of laboratory tests or reports because Mike and Larry were found in possession of the drugs. Admissibility will also apply to Larry because he was found in possession of Marijuana in his trunk. The police officers had the right to search Mike’s house since they had a valid search warrant. Police officers were investigating a car crime had particular details regarding the car that had committed the crime. When the details matched with the defendant’s behaviors, police discovered the car had similar characteristics as the one they had. The police had the right to use the information they had and match it with what they saw. The police officers need to use the totality of circumstances method to get a credible or probable cause.