Peer Review Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Peer Review Survey - Essay Example The grammar, style and mechanics of this assignment can be improved by polishing the pieces of work through proof reading and double-checking. This enables fixing of all annoying typos and grammar mistakes (Tennent, 12). Citing resources used in the study can further improve the paper. This will considerably reduce the level of plagiarism. More over, it will enhance the originality of the paper and professionalism (Tennent, 15). Further more, inclusion of a writing style such as MLA or APA is imperative in making this assignment more professional and academic. Comparison of the past way of living with the current lifestyle gives the paper direction and aptness in meeting the intended objective (Tennent, 13). It is imperative to note that, the paper is specific in outlining the differences between the two contexts. The assignment would have been directly answered if a specific goal is identified and represented as the thesis of this paper. It enhances flow and helps in meeting the objective. More over, an abstract and summary of the paper prerequisite are imperative in meeting the assignment requirements (Tnnenet, 12). Citing resources used in the study can further improve the paper. This will considerably reduce the level of plagiarism (Tennent, 11). More over, it will enhance the originality of the paper and professionalism. Further more, inclusion of a writing style such as MLA or APA is imperative in making this assignment more professional and

The World is Being Globalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The World is Being Globalized - Essay Example d with liberalization of trade among different states as well as culture exchange given that various countries have immensely benefited from other cultures as a result of globalization. As such, I believe that the world is not being Americanized but it is being globalized given that different countries are presented with the opportunity to contribute towards the global development. Thus, according to Anthony Giddens, â€Å"The level of world trade today is much higher than it ever was before, and involves a much wider range of goods and services (16).† It can be seen that the Americans have come to realize the existence of different cultures in the world than the people from other countries passively adopting American cultural values. Therefore, Americanization is nothing but an overstated expression used by other people to show how America has influenced the political processes in other countries through revolutions which should not be confused with globalization. Some countries have not adopted America’s world views with regards to their political processes. However, the influence of American culture on the other nations as a result of globalization forces cannot be ignored. Richard Pells, in his article entitled â€Å"Does the world still care about American culture† posits to the effect that â€Å"the most striking about attitudes toward the United States in other countries is not the anti-Americanism they reflect or the disdain for former President George W. Bush, or the opposition to American foreign policies.† Of notable concern is the fact that globalization does not entail Americanization of the globe since the culture of this country is not readily adopted by different countries. People from different parts of the globe are increasingly indifferent to Americas culture given that they have not been directly influenced or manipulated by it. Whilst the power of America cannot be disputed, it however does not control the political processes of all the

Summary of Hbr Article Enemies of Trust Essay Example for Free

Summary of Hbr Article Enemies of Trust Essay Stressed situations in organizations such as merger, reorganization, or layoff are situations where people look for something that can provide partial answer to the question: â€Å"What does this mean for me?† * Snatches of remembered conversations. * Innocent statements can be assigned deep sinister meaning. – misinterpreted * Emails can be analyzed word by word Don’t speculate about the future. Treat employees like grown-ups (so:) * In case of layoff, share the performance data that makes reductions necessary. * Be extremely careful about making unequivocal statements such as * I have no hidden agenda * There won’t be any more layoffs * The time we’ve got it fixed * We will be stronger as a result * I have total faith in the senior management team * This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do It will come back to haunt you. All kinds of crisis like an episode of violence, accidents, and serious product flaws can have a profound impact on trust in the organization. Often the damage of the trust occurs not because of the incident itself but because of how it’s handled internally. Company leaders or crisis team members become so distracted by external pressures that they don’t address the crisis internally with attention. (dangerous, because employees feel unsafe during a crisis). * During crises it’s important to recover revenue, and moving the company out of the media spotlight. * But the employees can’t wait until the storm is over. The damage (of trust inside the company) may be beyond repair when you get to it. * Leadership is important (emloyees are under as much stress as the managers and need calm, visible leadership. When everyone worries, trust evaporates). * First lesson is to get yourself some help, a quick check in with an objective third party. (Or if you are directly affected by the crisis maybe you are not thinking clearly). * Lesson two is to not withdraw. Let it be known that you are aware of the situation and that you will keep everyone informed as events unfold and decisions are made. Set an update schedule and keep to it even if the update is that there will be no news until next week. Be accessible to people around you (physically and emotionally). You set the example and people will look to you to see that it is okay to have feelings at work. Taking the time to think it through, what happened, and then they will follow suit. Starting over: It will happen: trust will be badly damaged. This is what the article writers recommend: 1. Figure out what happened * How quickly or slowly did trust break down? (no rapid fix) * When did the violation of trust become known to you and to the larger organization? (if you knew about it for a long time and didn’t do anything about it, your employees will feel it like a betrayal). * Was there a single cause? (easier to address a one-time event, than a pattern of events) * Was the loss of trust reciprocal? (it might be deep seated if both you and the others feel that their trust was violated. No one will behave fairly. A formal process of conflict resolution might be in order). 2. When you have a reasonably good handle on what happened, ascertain the depth and breadth of the loss of trust. (Is it a severe impact or are only some of the regions/branches touched by the breach of trust?) 3. Own up to the loss quickly instead of ignoring or downplaying it. (acknowledge the situation, you don’t need all the answers, just let people know that you are aware of the issue and the impact on them and that you are commited to setting things right). 4. Identitfy as precisely as possible what you must accomplish in order to rebuild trust. (need to change a relationship between people in different departments). 5. Then list the changes you’ll make in organizational structure, systems, people and culture to achiee those outcomes. (which shifts in how decisions are made, how information flows and how it is measured, etc. Should some reporting relationships be changed? Competing areas rivalries dissolve, when they come under the control of a single person. ) 6. Keep an eye on practical issues: How will these valuable changes and initiatives happen? (what work will you do yourself, what will you delegate, what is a reasonable time frame to handle this problem). Working at: The Center for Leading Organizations (CLO) offers highly-tailored educational services, valuable advice, and the delivery and facilitation of offsites at the senior level of organizations. Robert Galford is a managing partner of the Center for Leading Organizations. He divides his time across teaching on Executive Education programs and working with senior executives at the worlds leading firms on the leadership issues that lie at the intersection of strategy and organization. They wrote the book the trusted leader Anne Seibold Drapeau is a managing partner of the Center for Leading Organizations. Her client work focuses on consulting with a wide range of clients on leadership development and frameworks and processes for strategic alignment. She is a leading voice on the leadership requirements of support functions within organizations, and how they are best organized, structured and managed. She also has particular interest in the leadership challenges of early stage businesses and in fostering leadership in women. Patrick Lencioni is the author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a popular business fable that explores work team dynamics and offers solutions to help teams perform better.[1] In addition to the bestselling Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he has written eight other business books

Binding of QNB and Atropine to Muscarinic Acetylcholine

Binding of QNB and Atropine to Muscarinic Acetylcholine Cholinergic relates to the responses in various systems to the neuro-transmitter molecule Acetycholine (ACh). They are the protein that are permanently attached to the biological membrane or the integral membrane protein (IMP). If the set of response is seen where Ach is a normal transmitter it is seen that they are grouped based on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) that respond to nicotine, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) that bind muscarine. These Nicotine and muscarine are extrinsic molecules that get the same response but with different sensitivity. Drugs that bind to muscarinic receptors are classified based on Agonists (which activate the neuronal receptor and produce a response) Antagonists (which do not activate the receptor and block the agonist binding site) Antagonists are now used to study the drug-receptor binding as they bind with a higher affinity (i.e lower dissociation constant kd) when compared with agonists Pharmacology studies have shown that antagonists have higher affinity but no efficacy to their cognate receptors. They intervene their effect by going and binding to the active site or to allosteric sites on the receptor. They can also go and bind to unique binding sites that do not participate in biological regulation of any receptor activity. The activity that antagonist causes may be reversible or irreversible, depending on the long life of the antagonist-receptor complex. Studies have shown that 3-Quinuclinidyl benzilate (QNB) is a potent muscarinic antagonist in CNS (central nervous system) and peripheral tissues. QNB shows specific binding to the receptor of interest it binds. It can also bind to other sites of the membrane and these can cause changes. We can measure specific binding by filtering radioactive 3H-QNB and then measuring the amount of QNB. To measure non-specific binding, Atropine is used to displace QNB from the specific sites, while the non-specifically bound QNB remains and can be quantified by measuring radioactivity. (Source: Yamamura et al. May 1974) Overview of the experiment QNB is carried out in a radioactive binding assay where the concentration of QNB that is specific bound without atropine and QNB that is non-specifically bound with atropine is measured over successive interval of time. It is allowed to incubate so as for binding site to reach saturation is allowed where the equilibrium is reached. After this any further increase incubation time does not cause the amount of QNB bound to change. This QNB bound to the membrane is measured. By calculating the incubation time, IC50 of atropine is measured by measuring the atropine at which 50% of bound QNB is displaced. Amount of free QNB when 50% of bound QNB is displaced is used to measure the dissociation constant (Kd). Materials and Methods Determination of QNB specific and non-specific binding Two bulk assays was carried out To measure QNB binding (in the presence of water) To measure non specific binding (with the presence of atropine) There were two conical flask taken A and B. Tube A was added with 30 ml of 1.3 nM 3H-QNB and 6ml water. And to the flask B flask B, 30 ml 3H-QNB and 6ml atropine was added. S filter tower is then set with 6 GF/C filters and 4.0 ml of rat membrane was added to each flask and the flask were swirled to mix well. 2ml aliquots from A flask (A1, A2, A3) and (B1, B2, B3) from the B flask were produced and were run through fresh GF/C filters. Each of the filters was then washed to remove mini-vials, and then 5 ml scintillant was added and was left for at least an hour. After a hour the radioactivity was counted in the scintilliant counter. This protocol was repeated for a couple of more time to produce triplicates at the time interval of 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 min. Determination of IC50 for atropine Five glass test tubes having 1200 ÃŽÂ ¼l of distilled water in each was taken. To the test tube 1, 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l of 10 10 ÃŽÂ ¼M atropine was added and was mixed well. 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l of the solution was added to tube 2 and mixed well. The same method is carried out for a series of dilutions to be done in tube 3 to 5. Atropine concentration in each tube is calculated. Seven triplicate tubes (A1, A2, A3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦G1, G2, G3) are made each containing 1500 ÃŽÂ ¼l of 1.3nM QNB assay and the tubes are mixed well. 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l of 10 ÃŽÂ ¼M atropine was added to the three tubes of A and three B tubes were added with 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l of solution from tube 1. The dilution process was carried out for tubes C, D, E, F from tube 2, tube 3, tube 4 and tube 5 respectively. To tubes G, 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l of distilled water was added instead. 200 ÃŽÂ ¼l membrane was then added quickly to all the tubes. The 21 tubes were then left for incubation for 45 min and the radioactivity was then measured. Determination of concentration of protein using Lowry Assay Test tubes were prepared that contained 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ÃŽÂ ¼g BSA (Bovine serum albumin) made up to 1 ml with water. A 6th tube was taken that had 50 ÃŽÂ ¼l of membrane that was made up to 1ml with water. 1.5ml of reagent 1 that contains 0.5 ml copper tartrate + 50ml alkaline carbonate was added and mixed well and let to stand for 10 min at room temperature. Then 0.3 ml of reagent 2 that contains Commercial Folin-Ciocalteau reagent was added to the tubes and mixed well. The tubes were then left for incubation for 30 min. Absorbance or optical density was read at 660nm. Determination of kd for QNB Eight test tube was taken, four containing low QNB concentration (1.3nM QNB mix) and four tubes containing high QNB concentration (6.5nM QNB mix). Tubes 1 to 4 were added with 7.50 ml, 2.50 ml, 5 ml and 3.2 ml of 6.5 nM QNB mix respectively. Lower concentration of QNB is made by diluting the standard QNB assay mix with NaKP solution. These tubes are labelled 1-8. The solution of tube 1-8, of about 1500 ÃŽÂ ¼l each was added to the triplicate tubes (A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, H3) respectively. Solution of tube 1 is added to tubes A, Tube 2 to B tubes till tube 8 to tubes H. 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l water + 200 ÃŽÂ ¼l membrane was then added to all tubes. For tubes A4-H4, 300 ÃŽÂ ¼l Atropine plus (Tube 1-8) respectively plus 200 ÃŽÂ ¼l membranes was added. Radioactivity was measured in all tube. A lowry assay was also carried out. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Here in the graph the values are plotted for QNB bound with atropine (with as show in the graph), QNB bound without atropine (Without as shown in the graph) and Corrected vales are obtained by subtracting QNB bound with atropine from the QNB bound without atropine (corrected as shown in the graph ) against time. Here QNB bound without atropine is total amount of QNB bound to the receptor; QNB bound with atropine is the Non-specific binding of QNB to the receptor and corrected is the specific binding of QNB to the receptor. After a particular time of incubation receptors reach equilibrium, where no more binding of QNB takes place to the binding sites. At this point when no more binding of QNB takes place the plateau is formed in the graph showing saturation. This incubation time is approximately 45 min as shown by the graph reaching the plateau. The graph shows us that with and corrected points of the graph forms a plateau after reaching incubation time of approximately 45 min. If an addition incubation time was taken after 60 min we would have got a plateau for without graph also showing us a plateau. The graph shows that the cmp value increase over time after which when reaching a particular time no more binding occurs thus forming a plateau showing the saturation or equilibrium has reached. Small decline in the graph can be seen at time 30 to 45 min, this could have been due to experimental errors. The errors could have been caused during pipetting, in proper vacuum, formation of bubbles, adding samples properly between time intervals etc. This can be avoided by more careful handling of the instrument and doing a initial check up for errors so as to not cause changes in the experiments result. Taking the above data into consideration we have chosen 45 min as incubation time for determining IC50 of atropine. This is because, saturation of binding sites is achieved and no further unbinding of QNB also occurs, as the off-rate or reaction constant of QNB unbinding is very low. So there is no further change in the amount of bound QNB and hence this incubation time is considered appropriate. By serial dilution different concentration of atropine was prepared. The graph shows us that the amount to QNB bound to the receptor of the membrane reduces with increase in concentration. This happens because atropine is a competitive binder and binds competitively with specific sites to the receptor. The amount of QNB specifically bound will be inversely proportional with atropine concentration. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50)  is a measure of how effective a compound is in inhibiting biological or biochemical function. This is a quantitative measure that let us know how much concentration of the drug or biological substance (inhibitor) is required to inhibit a given biological process by half. So we are calculating the IC50 of atropine to determine its potency. It is calculated by taking atropine concentration at which 50% QNB is displaced. The IC 50 value was found to be 0.0008912 ÃŽÂ ¼M. This shows that atropine is a drug with good potency. Ic 50 does not directly discuss the binding constant so we cannot compare the binding affinity of QNB and receptor. Lowarys assay Lowrys assay was carried out for determining the concentration of membrane protein. First different concentration of BSA was used and we generated a graph for it, taking concentration and OD. The membrane protein was then checked for absorbance and was found to be 0.322. Using the linear regression equation and the absorbance, concentration of the membrane protein was found to be 0.803 mg/ml. This test was done for another membrane protein sample. The absorbance of the membrane was 0.27. Again using the regression equation and the absorbance, concentration of the membrane protein was found to be 0.293529412 mg/ml. Determination of Kd: Kd is -1/m and was the equation was used is y = -8499.6x 1.3669. the kd is used to define the affinity between the drug and the protein . the value of Bmax was 0.001161 nm.

The Selfishness Of Man in Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays

The Selfishness of Man Cultural and economical pressures often lead people to behave corruptly. In John Steinbeck?s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, set in the dustbowl era, people act out of greed rather than out of consideration or kindness. Tom Joad and his family have been run off their land by inconsiderate, money hungry businessmen who do not care about the impact homelessness will have on the evictees. The story revolves around the Joad Family?s trip (joined by former preacher Casey) from Oklahoma to California, along route 66, where they expect to find work. Though Casey and the Joads are goodhearted and honest people, they are the victims of dishonesty and dupery when they realize that the jobs they have come so far to acquire pay them much less than they were originally promised. The book focuses on the family?s struggle to survive, while exhibiting the evil and manipulative power which the tenant owners and businessmen of the era possessed. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck demonstrates the impacts and consequences of man's selfishness and inhumanity by exemplifying the wicked and egotistical actions of the tenant owners and businessmen. In the beginning of the novel, before Casey and the Joads set out on their journey, the selfishness and inhumanity of the businessmen and tenant owners becomes apparent. In one of the ?plotless? chapters, the reader is exposed to the hardships which the farmers are forced to face while being evicted from their land. Businessmen, sent from the bank, would come to the farmers land in cars and explain to the farmers that they need to get off their land. They would tell the farmers that unfortunately, with the technological advances being made, a tractor can do the work of twelve families- h... ... rendering the much needed food useless. The inconsiderate actions displayed by the businessmen and orchard owners show their selfishness and inhumanity, and exemplify their carelessness and indifference towards suffering humans. Steinbeck portrays the wealthy men of the era as heartless and egotistical people who only care for themselves. His message through the portrayal of these wicked men is one of simplicity, egotism, greed, selfishness, and heartlessness are all traits which a man shouldn?t possess. The themes which run throughout the novel are as valuable today as they were in the mid 1900?s, and Steinbeck urges his reader to recognize that. His depiction of the selfishness of man serves to teach about human nature, and by acknowledging the harmfulness of the greedy and corrupt businessmen, one can learn how to act morally and ethnically responsible.

Essay --

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross once said, â€Å"Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.† This quote truly captures Dimmesdale’s death and journey to death, it is guilt that drives him to the grave and it accompanies him throughout all five grieving stages. Dimmesdale is one of many characters in The Scarlet Letter that is faced with problems both personally and spiritually. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a romantic novel about a young woman, Hester Prynne, who is permanently marked with her sin by a scarlet A she must bare on her chest and also by her daughter Pearl. Hester committed adultery with the young minister of Boston, Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester, and her beloved child Pearl, learn to over come the A and change the meaning of it from adulterer to able, while they are changing the way society views them, Dimmesdale is withering away under the â€Å"care† of Rodger Chillingworth, Hester’s past husband. Chillingworth knows about the s in and seeks revenge on Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is helpless and in a downward spiral. He let the sin become who he is, even though the towns people don’t know of his adultery until his dying breath. The Scarlet Letter is a story about overcoming the darkness that hangs above you and stepping out of the sin or gloom that controls you. For characters like Hester this is a fairly easy thing to handle, but on the flip side characters like Dimmesdale struggle and can not seem to escape their heinous acts and don’t find peace of mind until they die. The Scarlet Letter mainly focuses on the process of overcoming these troubling times and how each individual character handles the pressure, stress, and guilt that come along with it differently. Arthur Dimmesdale is a lost soul after his sin, he expe... ...d in acts to try and please God or whom ever they wish to gain forgiveness from. Most people naturally tie depression to death; people in this stage will experience sadness, regret, and fear of what is to come. The final stage is acceptance, this stage is very straightforward, it is in this stage that the individual realizes their fate and are okay with it and what they have done. (Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross -Five Stages of Grief, Business Balls). Dimmesdale is a very, very troubled man to say the least. Throughout The Scarlet Letter Dimmesdale is shown going through the five stages of grief, he lets his sin rule and control his life and lets it ultimately lead to his demise. â€Å"Denial is a conscious or unconscious refusal to accept facts, information, reality, etc., relating to the situation concerned† (Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross -Five Stages of Grief, Business Balls). Denial

North Korea as a Nuclear power

It is now known that North Korea, continuing on the path of defying the international community, became a nuclear nation, or is close to becoming one within a short period of time, depending on a variety of factors.The latest declaration of the North Korean government regarding conducting a nuclear test is bringing the chapter of this country in what concerns its relations with the rest of the world to its final phases.According to Abramowitz and Lynch (2006), the White House wants the various members of the United Nations, especially those with permanent seats in the Security Council, to agree on immediate measures that can be considered as punitive actions against the government in Pyongyang. The two authors state that there are still doubts and questions concerning the â€Å"the strength and success of the reported North Korean explosion, but there was little doubt among White House officials, lawmakers and outside experts that the action added a volatile new ingredient to an alr eady dangerous world environment†.The doubts concerning the test are caused by two factors: First, that the United States and other countries do not trust what the regime of North Korea says, and the second is what was stated by Naughton and Knight (2006) when they reported that the test was done through the detenation of bomb underground, and that the explosion caused an earthquake measuring about 3.6 on the Richter scale. This gives us an idea that the explosive device was of some size around 500 tonnes, which makes its power reach the equivalent of one-thirtieth of the power of the bomb deployed against the city of Hiroshima at the end of the World War II.Even though there is total agreement between the permanent members of the Security Council to condemn this action, there are still certain doubts about the next steps to be taken. As it is widely known, North Korea is practically suffering from a regime of sanctions imposed on it by many countries (including the United Sta tes), but there are other elements to take into consideration. As Nichols (2006) reports, â€Å"despite the hard-edged rhetoric, foreign policy analysts and nuclear experts pointed out the obvious: World powers have tried to bully, threaten, cajole, entice, sanction and sweet talk North Korea into the community of nations for 50 years, without success.†This is a difficult reality to deal with, especially when we know that countries like China (and maybe Russia) are always reluctant whenever the discussions reach the point of severe sanctions. According to Jim Walsh, a North Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the United States and Japan do not really have many options if China refuses to pass a strong resolution against North Korea (Nichols, 2006)The image that we have about North Korea, according to Harrison (2006), is not a correct one. The country is politically stable and is growing economically. â€Å"North Korea is stable and there is more econom ic activity in Pyongyang than I have ever seen—more cars and bicycles, better-dressed people, more restaurants, more small mom and pop stores, and above all more interest in making money.†From this angle, we can understand why sanctions did not work in the past, and why it is possible that it would not work in the future; in addition to the fact that North Korean officials have already declared that â€Å"sanctions imposed by the US were a declaration of war, and had forced it [the government of North Korea] to go ahead with plans for testing.† The worrying factor here is the impact that is expected on the countries in the region: â€Å"There are fears that a North Korean nuclear test could trigger a regional arms race. Japan could seek its own nuclear deterrent in a move that could aggravate historical tensions between Japan on one hand and China and South Korea on the other† (The Guardian).The government in North Korea is a dictatorship that has a terrib le record in what concerns human rights and the persecution of political opposition and with subjects related to public freedoms. When a regime like that is allowed (or not completely opposed) to possessing nuclear weapons, this would create a grave threat to the world and it should be taken seriously.The duty of the international community is to responsibly deal with this responsibly, and to go through all the options that should stop the threat of a nuclear North Korea.REFERENCESAbramowitz, M. &   Lynch, C. (2006, October 10). U.S. Urges Sanctions on North Korea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2006Naughton, P., & Knight, S. (2006, october 9). World searches for response to North Korea nuclear   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘test’. Times Online. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2395600,00.htmlNichols, B. (2006, October 19). Condemnation swift, but options are limited. USA Today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 11, 2006, from:http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-10-09-nuke-test-reaction_x.htmHarrison, S. (2005, September 19). North Korea: A Nuclear Threat. Newsweek International.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 10, 2006Pyongyang defiant over nuclear test. (2006, October 4). The Guardian. Retrieved October 10, 2006, from:   http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1887353,00.html North Korea as a nuclear power It is now known that North Korea, continuing on the path of defying the international community, became a nuclear nation, or is close to becoming one within a short period of time, depending on a variety of factors.The latest declaration of the North Korean government regarding conducting a nuclear test is bringing the chapter of this country in what concerns its relations with the rest of the world to its final phases.According to Abramowitz and Lynch (2006), the White House wants the various members of the United Nations, especially those with permanent seats in the Security Council, to agree on immediate measures that can be considered as punitive actions against the government in Pyongyang. The two authors state that there are still doubts and questions concerning the â€Å"the strength and success of the reported North Korean explosion, but there was little doubt among White House officials, lawmakers and outside experts that the action added a volatile new ingredient to an alr eady dangerous world environment†.The doubts concerning the test are caused by two factors: First, that the United States and other countries do not trust what the regime of North Korea says, and the second is what was stated by Naughton and Knight (2006) when they reported that the test was done through the detenation of bomb underground, and that the explosion caused an earthquake measuring about 3.6 on the Richter scale. This gives us an idea that the explosive device was of some size around 500 tonnes, which makes its power reach the equivalent of one-thirtieth of the power of the bomb deployed against the city of Hiroshima at the end of the World War II.Even though there is total agreement between the permanent members of the Security Council to condemn this action, there are still certain doubts about the next steps to be taken. As it is widely known, North Korea is practically suffering from a regime of sanctions imposed on it by many countries (including the United Sta tes), but there are other elements to take into consideration. As Nichols (2006) reports, â€Å"despite the hard-edged rhetoric, foreign policy analysts and nuclear experts pointed out the obvious: World powers have tried to bully, threaten, cajole, entice, sanction and sweet talk North Korea into the community of nations for 50 years, without success.†This is a difficult reality to deal with, especially when we know that countries like China (and maybe Russia) are always reluctant whenever the discussions reach the point of severe sanctions. According to Jim Walsh, a North Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the United States and Japan do not really have many options if China refuses to pass a strong resolution against North Korea (Nichols, 2006)The image that we have about North Korea, according to Harrison (2006), is not a correct one. The country is politically stable and is growing economically. â€Å"North Korea is stable and there is more econom ic activity in Pyongyang than I have ever seen—more cars and bicycles, better-dressed people, more restaurants, more small mom and pop stores, and above all more interest in making money.†From this angle, we can understand why sanctions did not work in the past, and why it is possible that it would not work in the future; in addition to the fact that North Korean officials have already declared that â€Å"sanctions imposed by the US were a declaration of war, and had forced it [the government of North Korea] to go ahead with plans for testing.† The worrying factor here is the impact that is expected on the countries in the region: â€Å"There are fears that a North Korean nuclear test could trigger a regional arms race. Japan could seek its own nuclear deterrent in a move that could aggravate historical tensions between Japan on one hand and China and South Korea on the other† (The Guardian).The government in North Korea is a dictatorship that has a terrib le record in what concerns human rights and the persecution of political opposition and with subjects related to public freedoms. When a regime like that is allowed (or not completely opposed) to possessing nuclear weapons, this would create a grave threat to the world and it should be taken seriously.The duty of the international community is to responsibly deal with this responsibly, and to go through all the options that should stop the threat of a nuclear North Korea.REFERENCESAbramowitz, M. &   Lynch, C. (2006, October 10). U.S. Urges Sanctions on North Korea.    Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2006,  from:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-  Ã‚   dyn/content/article/2006/10/09/AR2006100900419_pf.htmlNaughton, P., & Knight, S. (2006, october 9). World searches for response to North Korea nuclear   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘test’. Times Online. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2395600,00.htm lNichols, B. (2006, October 19). Condemnation swift, but options are limited. USA Today.   Ã‚   Retrieved October 11, 2006, from:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-10-09-nuke-test-reaction_x.htmHarrison, S. (2005, September 19). North Korea: A Nuclear Threat. Newsweek International.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 10, 2006, from:   http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15175633/site/newsweek/Pyongyang defiant over nuclear test. (2006, October 4). The Guardian. Retrieved October 10,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2006, from:   http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1887353,00.html