The Kushan Empire

The Kushan Empire began in the early 1st century as a branch of the Yuezhi, a confederation of ethnically Indo-Europeans nomads who lived in eastern Central Asia. Some scholars connect the Kushans with the Tocharians of the Tarim Basin in China, Caucasian people whose blonde or red-haired mummies have long puzzled observers. Throughout its reign, the Kushan Empire spread control over much of Southern Asia all the way to modern-day Afghanistan and throughout the Indian subcontinent—with it, Zoroastrian, Buhhdism and Hellenistic beliefs also spread as far as China to the east and Persia to the west. Rise of an Empire Around the years A.D. 20 or 30, the Kushans were driven westward by the Xiongnu, a fierce people who likely were the ancestors of the Huns. The Kushans fled to the borderlands of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, where they established an independent empire in the region known as Bactria. In Bactria, they conquered the Scythians and the local Indo-Greek kingdoms, the last remnants of Alexander the Greats invasion force that had failed to take India. From this central location, the Kushan Empire became a wealthy trading hub between the peoples of Han China, Sassanid Persia and the Roman Empire. Roman gold and Chinese silk changed hands in the Kushan Empire, turning a nice profit for the Kushan middle-men. Given all their contacts with the great empires of the day, it is hardly surprising that the Kushan people developed a culture with significant elements borrowed from many sources. Predominantly Zoroastrian, the Kushans also incorporated Buddhist and Hellenistic beliefs into their own syncretic religious practices. Kushan coins depict deities including Helios and Heracles, Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha, and Ahura Mazda, Mithra and the Zoroastrian fire god  Atar. They also used the Greek alphabet that they altered to suit spoken Kushan. Height of the Empire By the rule of the fifth emperor, Kanishka the Great from 127 to 140 the Kushan Empire had pushed into all of northern India and expanded east again as far as the Tarim Basin—the original homeland of the Kushans. Kanishka ruled from Peshawar (currently Pakistan), but his empire also included the major Silk Road cities of Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khotan in what is now Xinjiang or East Turkestan. Kanishka was a devout Buddhist and has been compared to the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great in that regard. However, evidence suggests that he also worshiped the Persian deity Mithra, who was both a judge and a god of plenty. During his reign, Kanishka built a stupa that Chinese travelers reported as about 600 feet high and covered with jewels. Historians believed that these reports were fabricated until the base of this amazing structure was discovered in Peshawar in 1908. The emperor built this fabulous stupa to house three of the Buddhas bones. References to the stupa have since been discovered among the Buddhist scrolls at Dunhuang, China, as well. In fact, some scholars believe that Kanishkas forays into the Tarim were Chinas first experiences with Buddhism. Decline and Fall After 225 CE, the Kushan Empire crumbled into a western half, which was almost immediately conquered by the Sassanid Empire of Persia, and an eastern half with its capital in Punjab. The eastern Kushan Empire fell at an unknown date, likely between 335 and 350 CE, to the Gupta king, Samudragupta.   Still, the influence of the Kushan Empire helped spread Buddhism across much of Southern and Eastern Asia. Unfortunately, many of the practices, beliefs, art, and texts of the Kushans were destroyed when the empire collapsed and if not for the historical texts of Chinese empires, this history may have been lost forever.

Suppression and Subversion through Walls in Bartleby the...

Suppression and Subversion through Walls in â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† In â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† an elderly lawyer recounts the tenure of a scrivener, Bartleby, from his office. The progression of this employer/employee relationship depicts disengagement between opposing social classes and its consequences. The presence of the subtitle of â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street† has been given much consideration. The subtitle carries the baggage of the emerging capitalistic culture, but it also alludes to the confinement that walls enable. Melville strategically uses architecture in his short story, â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† to demonstrate the disengagement between social classes that capitalism produces. In the story, the†¦show more content†¦As Karl Marx writes in The Communist Manifesto, â€Å"the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles† (13). Melville’s short story, â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† explores the walls between social classes that capitalism encourages and their effective erasure of the individual member of the working class. There are two windows present in the lawyer’s office; one window depicts a light, white wall, while the other a grimy, dark, brick wall, representing the potential for each opposing end of the social class system. The lawyer confines Bartleby to a space in the office that faces a wall near the dark brick wall window, reminiscent of the dead ends that the working class faces in terms of social mobility. Barnett writes of Bartleby’s office placement, â€Å"Conveniently placed to answer his employer’s summons with alacrity, he must inhabit a circumscribed and isolated cell whose lack of outlook mirrors the lack of prospects of his menial occupation† (380). Melvilles depiction of a uniform brick wall facing Bartleby highlights the lack of individuality that Bartlebys presence in the working class faces. Just like each identical brick in the wall, the lawyer sees Bartleby as an uniform member of the proletariat class. Bartlebys presence in the story is strictly to fulfill the lawyers need for copying. The lawyer would be satisfied to never even notice Bartleby, as long as he is producing copies. In fact, the

Use Of Alfuzosin And Trial Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

Patients and Methods: A sum of 63 patients showing with a first episode of self-generated AUR related to BPH underwent exigency catheterisation and were so indiscriminately and blindly assigned to have 10 milligrams alfuzosin one time day-to-day or placebo at a ratio of 2:1 for 3 yearss. The efficaciousness standard of this survey was the rate of successful TWOC within 24 hours after catheter remotion. The influence of factors such as age, urine keeping volume, fluid ingestion, irregularity and urinary piece of land infection ( UTI ) on TWOC result was besides assessed. We will write a custom essay sample on Use Of Alfuzosin And Trial Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Acute urinary keeping ( AUR ) represents one of most important and painful events in the natural history of benign prostate hyperplasia ( BPH ) . Up to a 3rd of patients undergoing surgical intervention for BPH present with acute urinary keeping ( AUR ) . [ 1 ] Acute urinary keeping is associated with important anxiousness, uncomfortableness and patient incommodiousness. The impact on patients ‘ health-related quality of life is comparable to an onslaught of nephritic gripes. [ 2 ] The most common cause of urinary keeping is benign prostate hyperplasia. [ 3 ] Acute urinary keeping was one time considered an absolute indicant for prostatectomy but the patients ‘ desire to avoid surgery and development of successful medical direction has led to a more conservative attack normally being adopted. The attack and direction of AUR has undergone a profound alteration over the last decennary. We herein discourse the hazard factors and recent tendencies in the direction of AUR seco ndary to BPH. Between Jan. 2010 and October 2010, 63 patients with a minimal age of 51 old ages with a first episode of self-generated AUR related to BPH and a urine keeping volume of between 500 and 1,500 milliliter at catheterisation were enrolled in a randomised prospective placebo controlled survey done at Medical metropolis, Baghdad. All causes of precipitated AUR were considered as exclusion standards except irregularity and a high fluid consumption to find the specific influence of these two parametric quantities. Work force included in this survey were those older than 50 old ages presented with AUR and have residuary piss greater than 500 milliliters. Patients were excluded when they have neurogenic vesica disfunction, ague or chronic prostatitis, history of prostate and urethral surgery, known vesica rocks, urethral stenosis, coagulum keeping secondary to haematurias of any cause, residuary volume inferior to 500 milliliter or superior to 1,500ml, AUR non related to BPH, and those with o ther diseases including Parkinson ‘s disease, insulin dependant diabetes, multiple induration, stroke or myocardial infarction within the old 6 months, hepatic abnormalcies, neutropenia, nephritic inadequacy, unstable or terrible bosom failure, postural hypotension or faint, known hypersensitivity to ?-blockers, and suspected or diagnosed evolutive neoplastic disease. Patients having sympathomimetics, 5?-reductase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, anticholinergics, or first coevals antihistamines were besides excluded. At admittance and after the diagnosing of AUR associated with BPH was established, urethral vesica catheterisation was performed. Patients were randomized to have 10 milligrams alfuzosin one time day-to-day or placebo with a ratio of 2 on alfuzosin to 1 on placebo harmonizing to a centrally established randomisation list. The catheter was removed after a lower limit of 2 doses of study drug and each patient received 1 extra tablet the twenty-four hours afte r catheter remotion. Catheterization clip and drained volume at catheterisation every bit good as patient demographic informations, BPH history, and general medical and surgical history were recorded. Clinical scrutiny and standard research lab trials were performed. TWOC was considered successful if the patient returned to satisfactory elimination within the first 24 hours following remotion of the urethral catheter without re-catheterization. No value of post-void residuary piss was specified. Sixty three patients enduring from first episode of AUR due to BPH were prospectively randomized into 2 groups of 42 for alfuzosin and 21 for placebo.The terminal point of the survey was the per centum of successful TWOCs. The influence on TWOC success rate by age, drained volume at catheterisation, active UTI at registration, irregularity before AUR, and unstable consumption within 24 hours before AUR was tested utilizing logistic arrested development method. The per centums of successful T WOC were compared between the groups utilizing chi -square trials. The per centum of patients who experienced at least 1 inauspicious event was lower in the alfuzosin group ( 3 of 40 or 8.4 % ) than in the placebo group ( 3 of 20 or 13.1 % ) . The most often reported event potentially related to ?-blockade in the alfuzosin group was orthostatic hypotension ( 1 of 40 patients or 2.5 % ) . Discussion Pressing prostate surgery performed for AUR consequences in greater morbidity and mortality than the same surgery performed on an elected footing. Surgical intercession in the presence of a urinary catheter can besides take to an increased hazard of sepsis. [ 4-6 ] , potentially lending to the ascertained addition in operative morbidity in this aged group. [ 7,8 ] For illustration, in the survey of Pickard et al 1,242 work forces who presented in AUR and underwent prostatectomy were at increased hazard for perioperative complications and at extra hazard for decease compared to work forces who underwent elected prostatectomy for symptoms entirely. Thus, intervention steps that can avoid pressing surgery or let surgical intercession on an elected footing without the presence of a urinary catheter can be considered of import in the direction of AUR. This survey demonstrates that 10 milligrams alfuzosin one time day-to-day facilitates the return to normal elimination in patients undergoi ng TWOC for a first episode of self-generated AUR and it is good tolerated. It besides confirms that patient age 65 old ages or older and drained volume 1,000 milliliter or greater are risk factors for TWOC failure. Nevertheless, after leting for these 2 factors alfuzosin improved the successful TWOC. Some methodological facets of the survey may foremost be considered. The Study was designed to reflect existent life criterion medical attention in footings of the intervention of work forces in AUR. Thus, the context of the survey was peculiarly hard because it involved patients seen for exigency attention, whereas most clinical surveies in the BPH field are done in the more controlled scene of an outpatient clinic. The usage of a suprapubic catheter for AUR alleviation was considered but the overpowering bulk of published articles on AUR refer chiefly to a urethral catheter for initial direction, reflecting the common usage of this device in clinical pattern. [ 9 ] Therefore, a trans urethral catheter was chosen. While a suprapubic catheter confers advantages in long-run usage, the demand for increased experience, clip and disbursal for this process are non offset by such advantages in the short Term [ 10 ] Catheterization continuance may besides be discussed. In the survey the catheter was removed after 2 doses of study drug that is after 2 or 3 yearss of catheterisation. Sing the high response rate observed in the placebo group ( 35 % ) and the fact that the success rate of TWOC clearly increases with continuance of catheterisation. [ 11 ] it is possible that shorter catheterisation or even in and out catheterisation would hold been an appropriate option. However, there is presently no consensus on this point.The consequences of the current survey are consistent with those antecedently reported with other ?1-blockers [ 12-15 ] and with 5mg alfuzosin twice daily [ 16 ] in little groups of patients in AUR. In the latter double-blind, randomized survey invalidati ng after catheter remotion was successful in 22 of 40 patients ( 55 % ) having alfuzosin vs 12 of 41 ( 29 % ) receiving placebo. This lower placebo response ( 29 % ) may be explained by the shorter continuance of catheterisation ( less than 2 yearss ) , as discussed. Age has been shown to be an of import factor that significantly influences TWOC result. In the old survey done with 5 milligrams alfuzosin twice daily the average age of patients with successful TWOC regardless of intervention was a average 4.5 old ages younger than that in those who failed to invalidate ( p 0.015 ) . [ 16 ] In the current survey, in which no upper age bound was set in the inclusion standards, enabling aged work forces to be included and reflecting the prevalence of AUR, the inauspicious influence of age on TWOC result was once more clearly demonstrated. However, even in aged patients ( age 65 old ages or older ) at high hazard for TWOC failure alfuzosin increased the opportunities of successful elimina tion compared with placebo. The current survey besides confirmed the reported inauspicious influence of big drained volume on TWOC result. [ 17 ] Nevertheless, in patients with a drained volume of 1,000 milliliter or greater who were, therefore, more likely to hold impaired detrusor map a higher per centum of successful TWOCs was observed in the alfuzosin group compared with the placebo group. Other factors normally associated with AUR, viz. irregularity, acute urinary infection and/or high fluid intake were found to hold no important influence on TWOC result. [ 18,9,10 ] The consequences of the current survey are consistent with those reported by Madhu et Al. [ 19 ] Alfuzosin was good tolerated in this population of aged and frail patients with a average age of 69 old ages who were treated in an exigency state of affairs, including 32 % and 15 % with a history of high blood pressure and ischaemic bosom disease, severally. The incidence of inauspicious events or serious inauspicious events was comparable to that of placebo. It must be recognized that, sing the earnestness of the possible mortality/morbidity associated with exigency surgery for AUR and morbidity related to long-run catheterisation, the somewhat higher incidence of postural hypotension ( 2.5 % ) reported with alfuzosin in this acute state of affairs compared with placebo is to be considered negligible. Decision This survey clearly demonstrates that 10 milligrams alfuzosin one time day-to-day is effectual for bettering the opportunity of successful TWOC after a first episode of self-generated BPH related AUR even in aged patients and in patients with a big drained volume who are at increased hazard for TWOC failure. There is no increased hazard of an inauspicious event. The obvious benefit is that work forces can hold the catheter removed quickly and return place without the uncomfortableness and possible morbidity associated with an in situ catheter. Furthermore, in patients necessitating BPH surgery this should lend to diminish the morbidity and mortality normally associated with an acute process. How to cite Use Of Alfuzosin And Trial Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Customers Believe on Company Advertising or Online Reviews

Question: What Do Customers Believe More- Company Advertising or Online Reviews? Answer: Introduction The decision to purchase by a consumer is at the mercy of many factors and belief ranks high up there with them. Be it through company adverting or online reviews, the creation of brand awareness, and attraction of new customers is more or less at the center of any business's daily schedule and this makes more companies look for ways of enhancing consumer beliefs. As a matter of fact, more and more companies are looking to establish with absolute certainty what aspect of the above mentioned is more believable to customers. As such the following question begs: which is more believable to customers? Company advertising or online reviews? There are different facts in this regard, and this paper will outline some of the views that have been put across in association with the above-mentioned forms of marketing in a bid to establish where the customers stand. To answer this question adequately, the following needs to answered: To what extent do consumers depend on either advertising or onl ine reviews when making decisions about their products? Company advertising utilizes many avenues- from traditional to digital to mobile to social media- taking advantage of the marketing communication means of audio or visual in promotion or sale of a product by a business. Company advertising takes various forms currently: advertisements on TV, brand sponsorships, ads in newspapers and magazines, billboards, radios, TV program product placement among others. Worryingly, a few analysts have expressed that when it comes to advertising, people will always look at it with a jaded eye despite the various mediums available. According to a study conducted by a research firm named Lab 42, 76% of the interview population expressed that company advertising is generally "very exaggerated" or "somewhat exaggerated." Further, in a rather particular industry, 87%of the respondents were in agreement that more than half of cleaning advertisements are photoshopped. Besides, in an area that continues to be a part of advertising in the media concerning food products, 96% of respondents expressed that over 50% of weight-related advertisements are photoshopped. These figures are emphasized by the study conducted by the BBB in 2013 outlining the perceptions of customers as per the claims made in ads. Only 3 percent attested to ads being accurate, 19% agreed that ads are very exaggerated, with 21% and 57% expressing that ads were somewhat correct and exaggerated respectively. Online reviews, hugely constituted by the opinions of consumers posted online, has been on the rise over the years with some studies putting forth that more and more customers are relying on the earlier mentioned before making purchase decisions. This has been further contributed to by the recent shift to online shopping by customers. According to a Nielsen online survey carried out in 2013, 68% of the respondents in the inquiry suggested that they trusted consumer opinions posted online (Nielsen.com, 2017). Again, millions have been lured into areas that offer reviews to products for the promise of honesty, trustworthy opinions that is promoted by the online platforms. A report of a survey conducted by power reviews bearing the title The Power of Reviews outlined that approximately 94% percent of shoppers seek reviews despite having come across company advertising in their purchase journey with 86% believing that online reviews are a fundamental aspect of the process of decision-mak ing. Regardless, the danger of manipulations by businesses in an attempt to look good looms (Nielsen.com, 2017). Belief in whatever form of marketing is highly influenced by the amount of information on offer by the kind of marketing in question. In comparison, online reviews offer more information to customers as compared to company advertisements that mainly dwell on the catch from phrase to entice customers in the event the name of the brand is not too huge. An approval of a stranger who seemingly has very little to gain apart from the use of the product is more believable than the word of a company who is not only after promoting the product or brand but also looking to making a profit for the entity. A significant shift from the traditional platform of shopping to the online platform has contributed hugely to this change where it can be safely said that customers believe the online reviews than the company advertising. Online searches are more than ever integrated into our daily lives and this is evidenced by the over trillion searches processed by Google in 2014. This demonstrated the level of reliance people have on online review. There has been a prevalence of review sites on search results for brands and products, and an understanding of this points to how these reviews impact consumers in decision making. The major question asked in the Google review was "when making a major purchase such as an appliance, a smartphone, or even a car, how important are online reviews in your decision making?" There are various reasons attributed to this shift in customer belief in the marketing scene. First, certain commodities have time and time again warranted the second opinion, and therefore customers will not readily fall for what the company advertises. The most affected are the following areas: home services, restaurants, hotels and high priced items. Google. Inc (2017) posits that on overall, 54% of shoppers will not willingly withdraw their wallets without consulting with the reviews posted in different platforms online. In fact, 70% of customers accounted that they were more likely to buy a product if the online review platform they were using provided access to product reviews. This indicates that initial advertising by a company plays a little part in determining whether or not a customer will resort to purchasing a product. Second, it is conceivable to say that consumers believe online reviews because there are significant believable Consumer reviews (nearly 12 times more) than descriptions that come from manufacturers hugely taking the form of advertisements, according to a study of US internet users carried out by online video review site EXPO. Third, online reviews have an advantage over company advertising about the availability of both negative and positive reviews (Greenslade, 2017). This implies that consumer trust will be improved considerably by the negative opinions they read as it acts on credibility. By highlighting the flaws to a product credibility is optimized. Fourth, the manner in which larger public firms control public opinion significantly the flaws of a product through the online reviews lowers the amount of belief that is derived from the customers from the advertisings owing to the amount of money that is spent on such. Some consumers take unfairness and negative view in company a dvertising due to this as they purport dishonesty. Fifth, it is hard to overlook the fact that company advertisements are also doing a lot that enhances the beliefs of the customer in the information they offer towards making a purchase decision. These include the provision of evidence of materials that have been used in coming up with certain products, the performance evidence encompassing the achievements related to the use of the product and test evidence. Other aspects of the customer belief system that is normally worked up by company advertising thus making the numbers that will take the word of the advisors are, to start with, the use emotional ideas. Some user's customers find this more appealing as it touches on the perceived ways that the product will improve a person's life as opposed to an explanation of its features by the online reviews. Unlike company advertising, online reviews provide consumers with a sense of engagement- referred to as customer engagement- between them and the products. This is more pronounced in the latter than in the former. The availability of online review demonstrates the intensity of an individual's participation in and connection with an organization's offerings and organizational activities, which either the customer or the organization initiate. This leaves it more believable than company advertising. Lastly, by advertising companies leave customers with a single option of comparing products based on the wordings of the advertisements, some resorting for the prices range under the notion that you get what you pay for' (King, Racherla Bush, 2014). Online reviews have turned the tables by giving users a myriad of information sources most notably the peer-to-peer information and the unprecedented availability of expert point of view. Power is exerted by existing customers onto future custom ers. Come to think of it, what is more, believable between a catch-phrase and an opinion of a real user (Google. Inc 2017)? Conclusion Despite the facts as mentioned earlier, the question of what is believed more by customers between company advertising and online reviews remains a hard one considering that the question of what is real and what is fake engulfs both platforms of marketing (King, Racherla Bush, 2014). There have been instances where regulating bodies have accused online review sites of misleading the masses. A case example is when the Advertising Standard Authority in Britain alleged that TripAdvisor was misleading its consumers into believing that a majority if not all of its reviews were genuine i.e. were posted by real travelers. To this effect, there's a certain fraction of the populace that expresses differing sentiments towards online reviews. At the same time as they express the reliance on reviews, only 13 percent of consumers believe reviews are "very reliable." In particular, they're wary of business owners. Some 89 percent are privy to the notion that businesses write demeaning, reviews of competitors and 91 percent think business owners post fake, positive reviews of their businesses (Olenski, 2017). Regardless, it is evident that with the craze around online shopping a lot more customers will be utterly reliant on online reviews and constantly believe in it owing to the range of information it provides to the consumer. References Ye, Q., Law, R. and Gu, B., 2009. The impact of online user reviews on hotel room sales. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(1), pp.180-182. Sparks, B.A. and Browning, V., 2011. The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust. Tourism Management, 32(6), pp.1310-1323. Greenslade, R. (2017). Advertising undermined by online reviews. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/jun/25/advertising-digital-media [Accessed 20 May 2017]. King, R.A., Racherla, P. and Bush, V.D., 2014. What we know and don't know about online word-of-mouth: A review and synthesis of the literature. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(3), pp.167-183. Google Inc. (2017). New Study: Data Reveals 67% of Consumers are Influenced by Online Reviews. [online] Moz. Available at: https://moz.com/blog/new-data-reveals-67-of-consumers-are-influenced-by-online-reviews [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Nielsen.com (2017). Under the Influence: Consumer Trust In Advertising. [online] Nielsen.com. Available at: https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-advertising.html [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Olenski, S. (2017). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2017/01/31/how-and-why-brands-need-to-differentiate-between-real-vs-fake-news/#7ac9f50d53e9 [Accessed 20 May 2017]. Tuttle, B. (2012). 9 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Trust Online Reviews | TIME.com. [online] TIME.com. Available at: https://business.time.com/2012/02/03/9-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-trust-online-reviews/ [Accessed 20 May 2017].