The Chemicals That Color of Urine and Feces

Have you ever wondered what chemical makes urine yellow? Its because urine contains a pigment called urochrome or urobilin. Depending on your hydration level, urochrome can make urine appear straw-colored, yellow, or amber. Pigments in Blood to Urine and Feces You have a lot of red blood cells, but each cell has a relatively short lifespan of about 120 days. When red blood cells die, they are filtered out of the blood by the spleen and liver and the iron-containing heme molecule is degraded into biliverdin and then bilirubin. Bilirubin is excreted as bile, which makes its way into the large intestine, where microbes change it into the molecule urobilinogen. This molecule, in turn, is converted by other microbes into stercobilin. Stercobilin is excreted through feces and is what gives them their characteristic brown color. Some of the stercobilin molecules are reabsorbed into the bloodstream, where they are oxidized to become urochrome (urobilin). Your kidneys filter out this molecule and it exits your body in urine. In addition to having a characteristic color, urine glows under a black light, but this is due to high levels of phosphorus.

Perfect Competition - 2278 Words

Pure Competition ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS 21-1 Briefly state the basic characteristics of pure competition, pure monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly. Under which of these market classifications does each of the following most accurately fit? (a) a supermarket in your hometown; (b) the steel industry; (c) a Kansas wheat farm; (d) the commercial bank in which you or your family has an account; (e) the automobile industry. In each case justify your classification. Pure competition: very large number of firms; standardized products; no control over price: price takers; no obstacles to entry; no nonprice competition. Pure monopoly: one firm; unique product: with no close substitutes; much control over price: price†¦show more content†¦What can you conclude about the structure of the industry in which this firm is operating? Explain. b. Graph the demand, total-revenue, and marginal-revenue curves for this firm. c. Why do the demand and marginal-revenue curves coincide? d. â€Å"Marginal revenue is the chang e in total revenue associated with additional units of output.† Explain verbally and graphically, using the data in the table. Total revenue, top to bottom: 0; $2; $4; $6; $8; $10. Marginal revenue, top to bottom: $2, throughout. (a) The industry is purely competitive—this firm is a â€Å"price taker.† The firm is so small relative to the size of the market that it can change its level of output without affecting the market price. (b) See graph. (c) The firm’s demand curve is perfectly elastic; MR is constant and equal to P. (d) True. Table: When output (quantity demanded) increases by 1 unit, total revenue increases by $2. This $2 increase is the marginal revenue. Figure: The change in TR is measured by the slope of the TR line, 2 (= $2/1 unit). 320 Pure Competition 21-4 (Key Question) Assume the following cost data are for a purely competitive producer: Average fixed cost $60.00 30.00 20.00 15.00 12.00 10.00 8.57 7.50 6.67 6.00 Average variable cost $45.00 42.50 40.00 37.50 37.00 37.50 38.57 40.63 43.33 46.50 Average total cost $105.00 72.50 60.00Show MoreRelatedPerfect Competition and Monopoly1722 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 3 Perfect Competition and Monopoly (a) I. Explain perfect competition and monopoly market structures, and identify the key factors that distinguish them. Perfect Competition Market In economic theory, the perfect competition is a market form in which no producer or consumer has the power to influence prices in the market. According to the website wordIQ.com, in order to classify the market is a perfect competition market, the market must match below criteria: 1. 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At the other end is monopoly, where there is just a single firm in the industry, and for this reason no competition from inside the industry. Perfect competition e.g. Marks Spencer, they have many competitors such as, Asda, Next

Competitive Strategy AAA Strategies

Question: Discuss about the competitive Strategy for AAA Strategies. Answer: Introduction The paper focuses on generating an empirical discussion of the AAA strategies that are undertaken by business institutions for enhancing their level of competitive advantage in the related industry. The paper subsequently aims at applying the AAA strategies relating to 4 firms belonging to two different industries for understanding the effectiveness of the AAA Model. The AAA Strategies The AAA Strategies stand an acronym for three different types of strategies like adaptation, aggregation and finally arbitrage that are undertaken by business institutions in a combined and synergistic fashion for developing and sustaining competitive advantage both along the short and long term periods. Adaption strategies undertaken by firms are essentially linked to the different strategies employed by it for developing an effective presence along a specific region (Zhang Dong, 2015). Aggregation strategies are identified and characterised to be such that contribute in helping the firm form potential agreements with other firms operating in the like sector such that the same contributes in developing the presence of the company in the international markets. Finally, the employment of the arbitrage strategy gains justification based on the restructuring of the existing organisational structure for generation of needed competitive advantage (Ghemawat P. , 2011). Adaptation Strategy The adaptation strategy undertaken by the business institutions effectively contribute in generating customised product offerings and solutions to the prospective customers. The generation of customised products that contribute in meeting the consumer demands and expectations potentially help in enhancing and sustaining revenue growth for the organisation in the long run while also helping in maximising the existing market shares of the company in the related industry. Different types of adaptation strategies are exercised by the business institutions like differentiation, externalisation, focused strategy and also the generation of new product and service designs that in turn help in enhancing the leadership and growth potential of the company in the specific industry (Motohashi, 2015). Aggregation Strategy Aggregation strategies are undertaken by the business institutions along two main categories like economies of scale and economies of scope. The business institutions continually focus on enhancing the economies of scale through maximising the level of product generation and development which in turn tends to reduce the level of production cost related to such. Similarly, the enhancement of the value generation and propositions by the company based on incorporating effective distribution, supplier and sales and marketing networks further contributes in enhancing the scope of the company in developing its market leadership in the related industry (Lee, Jeon, Kim, 2011). Arbitrage Strategy In terms of the arbitrage strategy the firms continually focus on reducing the operational, manpower and business costs such that the reduction in the mentioned costs contribute in generation of effective savings for the business institution and thereby also help in enhancing the level of firms performance and productivity in the long run. Similarly, different types of performance enhancement strategies are also undertaken by the business institutions in that the same helps in enhancing the firms operational efficiency and productivity (Jha, Dhanaraj, Krishnan, 2015). Application of the AAA Strategies Food/Beverage Industry (McDonalds, Starbucks) Pharmaceutical Industry (GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis) Adaptation McDonalds Variation as an adaptation strategy is prominent in the case of McDonalds such that the food retail chain focuses on generation of customized food offerings for its diverse customer force spanning across geographical boundaries. The generation of the Glocal strategy by McDonalds has enabled the company for generation of different recipes that would meet regional needs and expectations(Sinclair, 2012). McDonalds continually focuses on the generation of needed innovation in terms of generation of burger that would be made of fresh patties. Apart from innovation rendered in product offerings, McDonalds also aims at digitalizing marketing and promotional campaigns through the use of Smartphones and tablets(Forbes, 2016). Starbucks Starbucks is widely recognized for the employment of a broader differentiation strategy. The beverage retail chain focuses on the generation of coffee drinks in a highly customized fashion for effectively suiting the needs of different coffee drinkers located both along the regional and international markets. The coffee retail chain adequately aims in meeting the detailed needs of its coffee drinkers visiting its restaurants in diverse markets(Laasch Conaway, 2014). In a significant move during 2012, Starbucks is observed to have formed a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages for developing an effective presence in the Indian subcontinent. The joint venture between Starbucks and Tata is taken to gain effective success owing to the sharing of commitments and responsibilities for serving fresh and quality coffee drinks to its customer groups(Tata Global Beverages, 2012). Starbucks is also widely known for its innovative brewing activities and other in-store innovative conducts that contribute in attracting potential customers to its diverse retail outlets both along United States and other international regions. Different types of innovative brewing ideas are implemented in the retail outlets of Starbucks that serves in generating a competitive advantage for the company(Lorenzetti, 2014). GSK GlaxoSmithKline largely focuses on the generation of innovative offerings related to healthcare and also value-added drugs for meeting the diversified and emergent needs of patients. The pharmaceutical company potentially aims at generation of variegated and diversified product offerings associated with categories like Wellness, Nutrition, Skin and Oral Health Care. GSK is observed to generate significant investments contributing in the promotion of its research and development wing that help in the generation of innovative products. Incorporation of innovation strategies in a continual and sustained fashion ideally contributes in generating increased competitive advantage for GSK (GSK, 2016). Novartis Novartis like GSK also focuses on the generation of potential investments for contributing in the development of the innovating potential such that the same helps in the generation of innovative ophthalmic solutions (Novartis , 2015). Similarly, Novartis also operates in the generation of effective drugs and healthcare solutions for addressing the needs of its oncology division. Novartis also works based on a focused differentiation strategy such that it aims at generation of potential products for catering to the needs of a growing global aging population (Lorenzetti, 2014). It also focuses on participating with the physicians to understand the needs and expectations of the patient groups and thereby in generating effective healthcare solutions (Laasch Conaway, 2014). Aggregation McDonalds McDonalds tends to gain the benefit of economies of scale from the conducting of production and business operations. The food retail chain based on the generation of large scale product offerings tends to gain the advantage of reduction in production costs. Similarly, the endeavor of the company management of McDonalds to continually communicate and govern the activities and decision making of the supplier group potentially contributes in managing and aptly reducing the sourcing cost of different types of raw materials. The above activity in turn tends to enhance the profit margins for the company(Gurufocus, 2012). Starbucks Starbucks tends to gain on economies of scale based on the production of brewed coffee drinks in large amounts that help in reducing the prices for the coffee products and other raw materials. The company is known for its aggressive hedging policies associated with reducing the cost of its coffee products, dairy and fuel materials(Stock, 2013). Starbucks also gain on economies of scope based on the generation and offering of different food products along with the serving of hot coffee drinks. Starbucks acquiring of La Boulange bakery during 2012 has further helped Starbucks gain on needed economies of scope based on gaining access to potential equipments, infrastructures and storage facilities(Chen, 2014). GSK GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into a strategic alliance with Novartis such that the same enhances the potential of GSK through helping it gain an effective access to potential distribution networks, access to large number of product patents and also in terms of gaining effective access to different product divisions and formats of Novartis (Conover, 2013). Again the Joint Venture entered into by GSK with Novartis also helps the former gain needed potential for developing its leadership potential in the Over the Counter or OTC category. The companies thus potentially focus on the generation of different healthcare brands that would contribute in developing and sustaining a leadership potential in the OTC market. The joint venture of GSK with Novartis potentially contributes in generation of effective synergies that help the pharmaceutical companies to develop their strategic potential in developing and sustaining market leadership in the global pharmaceutical market. Economies of Scale gained by GSK owing to its joint venture with Novartis ideally contribute in helping the pharmaceutical company compete with consumer product companies like Unilever and Procter and Gamble (Staton, 2014). Novartis The formation of a joint venture agreement between Novartis and GSK is evaluated to help Novartis continually develop its potential in generating and sustaining increased revenues and profits in the long run (Chen, 2014). The above fact would thereby help the management of Novartis in generating effective returns to the shareholders of the company. The joint venture formed between Novartis and GSK also contributes in helping Novartis develop on its innovative portfolio of vaccines for addressing the emergent needs of the consumers (Stock, 2013).. Arbitrage McDonalds McDonalds focuses on cost reduction initiatives through promotion and growth of franchisees. The development and growth of a number of franchisees and also the restructuring of the international operations is taken to help McDonalds generate savings of around $300 million relating to the annual cost expended by the company. The food retail chain aims to franchisee around 90 percent of its restaurant business by the close of 2018 which is taken to help in the savings of potential business costs and enhancement of revenue(Gasparro, 2015). Starbucks The arbitrage strategy undertaken by Starbucks reflect that corresponding to a reduction in the prices of coffee beans in the commodity market, the beverage retailer has focused on enhancing the price of its coffee offerings in diverse markets. The reduction in the level of commodity prices for coffee beans has contributed in lowering the operating costs of Starbucks. The company in turn tends to enhance the prices of the product offerings for help in the generation of increased revenues, market share and potential dividends to its shareholders(SOMMER, 2015). GSK The management of GlaxoSmithKline focused on reducing its manpower cost through the development of a simpler and small organizational structure. The restructuring program enabled by the company potentially helped GSK in gaining potential savings of around GBP 0.4 billion currently during 2016 (Hirschler, 2014). Similarly, the restructuring of the organisation also contributed in enhancing revenue margins relating to the pharmaceutical, health care and also for its vaccine departments (Stephens, 2016). Novartis The joint venture formed with GSK has also motivated the management of Novartis in restructuring the organisation for contributing in reducing its business and operational costs (SOMMER, 2015). Similarly, the joint venture formed with GSK also helps in increasing the innovating potential of Novartis (Ward, 2015). Conclusions The analysis carried out in the paper ideally reflects the employment of the AAA strategies by two companies each like McDonalds and Starbucks and GSK and Novartis belonging to the fast food/beverage and pharmaceutical industry in a respective fashion. The use of the AAA strategies ideally reflects the manner the different strategies are used by the four different firms in cultivating and enhancing on the dimensions of competitive advantage along their related industries. References BBC News, 2014. Hewlett-Packard to split into two companies. [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-29501235 [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Burke, S., 2015. HP Eyes $2 Billion In Cost Cutting In Troubled Enterprise Services Business. [Online] Available at: https://www.crn.com/news/data-center/300076904/hp-eyes-2-billion-in-cost-cutting-in-troubled-enterprise-services-business.htm [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Chen, X.Y., 2014. Why food will become more important to Starbucks future growth. [Online] Available at: https://marketrealist.com/2014/02/food-to-become-more-important-part-of-starbucks-future-growth/ [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Computer Weekly, 2016. Budget for innovation: Case study - standardising Dell. [Online] Available at: https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Budget-for-innovation-Case-study-standardising-Dell [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Conover, D., 2013. GlaxoSmithKline Retains its Competitive Advantage. [Online] Available at: https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/111053/glaxosmithkline-retains-its-competitive-advantage.aspx [Accessed 11 September 2016]. Devine, M. Syrett, M., 2012. The Economist: Managing Uncertainty: Strategies for surviving and thriving in turbulent times. United States : Profile Books. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/06/03/mcdonalds-continues-its-innovation-can-fresh-patties-be-the-next-winner/#4157a20911a4 [accessed 6 September 2016]. Enderle, R., 2013. Why Dell Has a Subtle, Secret Strategic Advantage. [Online] Available at: 6 [Accessed September 2016 2013]. Fiorina, C., 2012. Fiorina: My Observations on Hewlett-Packard's Reorganization. [Online] Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/id/46821894 [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Gasparro, A., 2015. McDonalds to Speed Refranchising, Cut Costs. [Online] Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mcdonalds-to-speed-refranchising-cut-costs-1430744590 [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Ghemawat, P., 2007. Managing Differences. United States : Harvard Business Review. Ghemawat, P., 2011. Cosmopolitan Corporation. Harvard Business Review , pp.1-10. Glassman, A.M., Zell, D. Duron, S., 2014. Thinking Strategically in Turbulent Times: An Inside View of Strategy Making. New York : Routledge. GSK, 2016. Consumer healthcare research. [Online] Available at: https://nerdyturtlez.com/tutor/order.php?id=187087 [Accessed 11 September 2016]. Gurufocus, 2012. McDonald's: Still Strong, Despite Headwinds. [Online] Available at: https://www.gurufocus.com/news/167949/mcdonalds-still-strong-despite-headwinds [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Hirschler, B., 2014. GSK to axe U.S. jobs as part of $1.6 billion cost cuts: sources. [Online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gsk-usa-cuts-idUSKCN0JE0BL20141130 [Accessed 11 September 2016]. HP, 2014. HP and Foxconn Announce Joint Venture Agreement Delivering New Class of Servers for Fast-growing Service Provider Market. [Online] Available at: https://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=1641527#.V87XJvSE3YQ [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Jha, S., Dhanaraj, C. Krishnan, R., 2015. HOW DOES MULTINATIONAL RD EVOLVE IN EMERGING MARKETS? International Institute for Management Development. Kostova, M., 2015. EMC Joins Dell: The Pros and Cons of the World's Largest Tech Merger. [Online] Available at: https://idc-cema.com/eng/trendspotter/63039-emc-joins-dell-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-world-s-largest-tech-merger [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Laasch, O. Conaway, R.N., 2014. Principles of Responsible Management: Global Sustainability, Responsibility, and Ethics. United States : Cengage Learning. Lee, S.-H., Jeon, R.-K. Kim, J.-H., 2011. Strategies for Developing Countries to Expand Their Shares in the Global Construction Market: Phase-Based SWOT and AAA Analyses of Korea. JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, pp.460-70. Lehmann, C., 2014. Dell Boomi queues up performance and troubleshooting enhancements, reports 13x growth. [Online] Available at: https://www.boomi.com/files/Dell_Boomi_performance_and_troubleshooting_enhancements.pdf [Accessed 6 September 2016]. Lorenzetti, L., 2014. Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies: Starbucks, where innovation is always brewing. [Online] Available at: https://fortune.com/2014/10/30/starbucks-innovation-cafe-to-classroom/ [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Motohashi, K., 2015. Management Strategies for Global Businesses. Global Business Strategy , pp.21-40. Novartis , 2015. Novartis highlights strong innovation momentum at its second Meet Novartis Management investor day. [Online] Available at: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-highlights-strong-innovation-momentum-its-second-meet-novartis [Accessed 11 September 2016]. SOMMER, J., 2015. Why Starbucks Prices Went Up as Coffee Beans Got Cheaper. [Online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/your-money/why-starbucks-prices-went-up-as-coffee-beans-got-cheaper.html?_r=0 [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Staton, T., 2014. Novartis, GSK team up in consumer JV to save big money, gain big scale. [Online] Available at: https://www.fiercepharma.com/m-a/novartis-gsk-team-up-consumer-jv-to-save-big-money-gain-big-scale [Accessed 11 September 2016]. Stephens, P., 2016. Strong sales growth and reduced costs boost GlaxoSmithKline plcs results. [Online] Available at: https://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2016/04/27/strong-sales-growth-and-reduced-costs-boost-glaxosmithkline-plcs-results/ [Accessed 11 September 2016]. Stock, K., 2013. The Game Theory Behind Starbucks' Big Coffee Price Cut. [Online] Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-12/the-game-theory-behind-starbucks-big-coffee-price-cut [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Tata Global Beverages, 2012. Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks form Joint Venture to open Starbucks Cafes across India. [Online] Available at: https://www.tataglobalbeverages.com/media/news/detailed-news/2015/02/25/tata-global-beverages-and-starbucks-form-joint-venture-to-open-starbucks-cafes-across-india [Accessed 7 September 2016]. Ward, A., 2015. Novartis leads way for big pharma cost-cuts. [Online] Available at: https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8dafdef0-c574-11e4-bd6b-00144feab7de.html#axzz4JweX3mjU [Accessed 11 September 2016]. Zhang, Y. Dong, F., 2015. General equilibrium pricing with information asymmetry. Frontiers in Applied Mathematics.

Parasitic Essays - Parasitology, Helminthiases,

Parasitic Flatworms Imagine going to the doctor for a simple check up. Sure you've had some minor problems- indigestion, lack of energy, weight loss, and a bit of gas- but that's not out of the ordinary....or is it? In most cases you would be correct...but today is your unlucky day. The doctor has just informed you that you have a tapeworm parasite. PARASITIC CHARACTERISTICS By definition, a parasite is an organism that lives either in or on another organism. Infected organisms that are carrying a parasite are called host organisms- or hosts. This parasitic relationship can vary from benign to harmful- and sometimes even fatal. There are two main types of parasites: endoparasites and exoparasites, however endoparasites will be the focus of this paper, and flatworms in particular. Endoparasites are parasites that live inside the host organism. Endoparasites that inhabit vertebrates or invertebrates live off the nutrients in the food host organisms eat as well as the tissue of the host. These parasites not only live in the cavities of hollow organs but can also live within the tissue. Endoparasites can range from microscopic in size to 25 feet or more in length. Many worms are antiparasitic. Some live in the host's digestive tract feeding off the host's blood. Others, such as trichinosis, enter the host through the digestive tract and then migrate throughout the body tissue. Most microscopic worms secrete toxins into the hosts blood stream which then circulates and often causes damage to surrounding systems and tissue. The life cycle of endoparasites is as varied as the parasites themselves. Some parasites are permanent fixtures in a host's body, while others only live within the host for a limited amount of time. For example, parasitic worms can live within a host for up to 30 years! The host not even being aware of this fact because there are little or no symptoms of the invasion. Not only are life cycles varied for parasites but the number of hosts they live in are as well. Sometimes parasites live in only one host for their entire life- known as autecious - while others change hosts- known as heteroecious. In relation to the life cycle of parasitic worms, there are also different reproductive methods. Many parasites do not reproduce within their host, or reproduce to a limited degree. They are more likely to reproduce eggs that enter another host before they develop in the final host. These parasites just use their fist host as an intermediatory step in completing their life cycle. The species schistosoma ( Refer to Figure 1 ) from the class trematoda is an example of such a parasite. These parasites go through a life cycle in which they use an invertebrate, usually a snail as an intermediatory host. ( Refer to Figure 1a ) FLATWORM CHARACTERISTICS Flatworms from the phylum Platyhelminthes, are parasites that live within the intermediatory host but usually complete their sexual maturity within a vertebrate. They are broken into three major classes: Turbellaria, the most primitive, free-living class that resides either in or on a host, they generally live in a marine environment. Trematoda which is the small parasitic flatworm ( most of which are called flukes) has disk like suckers which attach to the outside or internal organs of their host, and the class Cestoda which consist of the parasitic flatworm known as the tapeworm. ( Refer to Figure 2 ) Tapeworms have no true digestive tract, therefore they live inside the digestive tract of vertebrates and some invertebrates, absorbing food through their body wall. They latch onto the walls of their host's digestive tract with suckers and hooks, located at their head, which is called a scolex. The phylum platyhelminthes are one of interest when discussing parasitic flatworms that infect vertebrates and invertebrates. INFECTION Humans and animals are in continuous contact with microorganisms, because of this relationship there are numerous ways in which infection of flatworms can occur. Organisms that transmit parasites are known as vectors. Some vectors transmit parasites when they are eaten by the hosts. An example of this would be a flea eaten by a dog or cat. When the animal eats the flea, the immature form of the tapeworm emerges from the fleas body and later develops into a mature tapeworm. Another way animals can become infected is by eating feces of infected animals which carry the eggs of the parasites. Pigs and cattle are known for this type of infection. Humans can become infected by larva penetrating the skin, when walking barefoot on infected soil. An example of this would