Will HIV and AIDS as the Black Death of the Twenty-First Century :: Papers

Will HIV and AIDS as the Black Death of the Twenty-First Century According to an article on BBC World Service, published on 25th October, 2001, the Black Death claimed 25 million lives in Europe and Asia between the 13th and 17th century. Now nearly 400 years later the British Medical Journal reports an estimated 65 million deaths from AIDS by the end of the decade. Obviously these figures are rough estimates, however they illustrate the severity of the Bubonic Plague and the impending severity of an AIDS epidemic. These figures themselves lead me to believe that in fact AIDS is already the modern day Black Death and whether anyone will be here in another 400 years to compare AIDS to the Black Death is yet to be seen. The Bubonic Plague or 'Black Death' as it is more commonly known swept through Europe and Asia mainly in the 14th century. The Bubonic Plague is caused by the bacterium Yerina Pestis and is transmitted to humans by infected fleas on rats. In most common cases victims suffer from fevers, chills, fatigue and painfully swollen lymph nodes. Another symptom were haemorrhages, which turned black, this is why it became known as the Black Death. Even though in the time of the Black Death there was no medical shield to protect against the plague, with today's medical advances there is. This is where the Black Death and AIDS differ. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a clinical syndrome, resulting from damage to the immune system caused by infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In HIV individuals, there is a gradual loss of immune cells and immune function. It generally takes six to ten years from the point of infection to develop AIDS. Even though large drug companies have developed drugs that slow down the progression from HIV to AIDS, none have yet to market any kind of vaccine or cure. There may be more success in finding a cure, so that AIDS will not be looked back upon in years to come as the Black Death of its time if,

An analysis of eHarmony, including the five forces according to Porter Essay

1.1 The threat of new entrants The biggest threat to eHarmony and other paid dating sites was the free dating sites that were the newest entrants into the market. These sites did not have major restrictions to joining and did not necessarily do the match-making for the members. According to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith, very many people subscribed to such sites as witnessed by the rise of â€Å"Plenty of Fish† in 2007 to become the most frequently visited in Canada and the U.K, and fourth in the United States(8). 1.2 Bargaining power of suppliers A study by eHarmony showed that couples who met through eHarmony had happier and more successful relationships than those from other online sites (Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith 6). Accordingly, eHarmony charged twice as much prescription fees as other sites but the company revenue continued growing mostly because the customers were satisfied with the product. 1.3 Rivalry among existing competitors eHarmony’s biggest competitor, Match, had also come up with â€Å"Chemistry† a new dating site that had the same match-making idea as eHarmony. However, Match priced its site at 10% less than what eHarmony was charging. However, despite such competition eHarmony was able to distinguish itself by offering more personalized services that allowed for guided communication between would-be partners by use of personality profiles. 1.4 The threat posed by substitute products Apart from Match, according to Piskorski, Halaburda, & Smith other free sites were coming up all over the internet that made it difficult for paid online sites to retain members (1). People were opting for the more personalized yet free online sites instead of having to pay for similar services on paid sites. However, these users were more of the casual daters; but those seeking serious relationships continued their subscription to eHarmony. 1.5 Bargaining power of buyers Being a paid online site means that the company charged premiums for people  to communicate with the people they had been matched with. However, even non-paying members could be matched with potential partners only that the former could not send messages. This caused paying members to complain that sometimes they sent messages to non-paying members and never got any response, meaning it was a loss in investment. This made the company consider showing paying members which messages had been read and which ones had not. 2. eHarmony’s value proposition At eHarmony, the customer gets the chance to communicate with a potential partner after having paid for the communication process. The value provided in eHarmony’s business model concerns giving the paying member guided communication with a potential partner. The company ensures that they consider the preferences of the applicants before starting on the match-making process. According to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith, the company considers the similarities among applicants in order to start the match-making process (6). In line with this, the company considers a person’s characteristics, interests, and values and looks for a person whose profile is similar. In fact, the company has gone against the traditional idea that opposites attract and opted for the similar traits while match-making. This assures the customer of the value of the investment they make when subscribing for the site as it offers more personalized and workable options than other sites. 3. eHarmony’s business level strategy eHarmony’s success is based on the business level strategy employed by the company through which, the company is able to identify its customer base, the services needed, and how to satisfy those needs. When eHarmony started in 2001, the customer base was, mainly composed of people seeking serious relationships especially among faith-based communities. Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith write that eHarmony received over 100,000 subscriptions within the first few weeks after launching (4). However, with time, the company was able to expand its customer base to cover a broader customer base especially as a result of massive advertising. By 2004, the company had managed 3 million subscriptions. eHarmony understood that the customers were in search of potential lifetime partners, thus making the company’s match-making process very specific. The customer’s personal interests were  analyzed through a matching algorithm that often guarantees personal satisfaction. According to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith, results from a study conducted in 2005 showed that on average in the United States, members belonging to the eHarmony site married everyday, and by 2007on average, 236 eHarmony members were getting married daily (8). The company continued to strategize in a bid to invent products that would attract more members and retain the current ones. For instance, according to Piskorski, Halaburda & Smith, the company was considering easing some of the restrictions to joining the site, allowing more casual daters, and expanding geographically (13-14).In addition, the company looks to focus more customers’ life events such as weddings, births, parenting, and care for the elderly. Work Cited Piskorski, Mikolaj., Halaburda, Hanna. &Smith, Troy. eHarmony. Harvard: Harvard Business School, 2008. Print.

Diabetic Microvascular Leading Cause Blindness - 762 Words

Diabetic microvascular complications are the leading cause of blindness, end-stage renal diseases, and other neuropathies due to hypoxia and ischemia in the retina, the kidney, and nerves. Thickening of the capillary basement membrane result in decreased tissue perfusion. Many people with type 2 diabetes present with microvascular complications because of the long duration of asymptomatic hyperglycemia that usually precedes diagnosis (Mccaine and Huther). Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness globally and in the U.S. adults younger than age 60. It is more common in individual with type 2 diabetes compared to those with type 1 due to long-standing hyperglycemia before diagnosis. Most people with diabetes eventually develops some degree of retinopathy and they are more likely to develop cataracts and glaucoma. The prevalence and severity of retinopathy are strongly related to individual’s age, the duration of diabetes, and the extent of glycemic control. Three stages of the retinopathy leads to vision loss; stage I – non-proliferative is characterized by thickening of the retinal capillary basement membrane and increased retinal capillary permeability, vein dilation, micro-aneurysm formation, and hemorrhages. Stage II – pre-proliferative there is progression of retinal ischemia with areas of inadequate perfusion that result in infarcts. Stage III – proliferative involves neovascularization (a ngiogenesis) and fibrous tissue formation withinShow MoreRelatedDiabetes Mellitus And The Long Term Complications1385 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween type I type II diabetes, the people who are in jeopardy of developing diabetic renal diseases and hypertension due to the complications identifying the general pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus the long term complications that may transpire. 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