Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Are Gallnippers Giant Mosquitoes

Sensational news headlines suggest that giant bugs called gallnippers are invading Florida. These huge mosquitoes  attack people, and their bites really hurt. If you live or vacation in Florida, should you be worried? What are gallnippers, and what can you do to protect yourself from them? Yes, Gallnippers Are Mosquitoes Anyone who has lived in Florida for any length of time has undoubtedly heard of the dreaded gallnippers, a nickname given Psorophora ciliata long ago. Some call them shaggy-legged gallnippers, as the adults bear feathery scales on their hind legs. The Entomological Society of America has not approved these as official common names, but these nicknames persist in folk legends and songs. First, the facts about gallnippers. Yes, the mosquito in question – Psorophora ciliata – is an unusually large species (you can see photos of gallnippers on Bugguide). They measure a good half-inch long as adults. Psorophora ciliata does, indeed, have a reputation for being an aggressive biter with a preference for human blood (or that of larger mammals, at least). Male mosquitoes are perfectly harmless, preferring flowers to flesh when it comes time to feed. Females require a blood meal to develop their eggs, and Psorophora ciliata females inflict a surprisingly painful bite. Gallnippers Are Native to Florida These giant mosquitoes are not invading Florida; Psorophora ciliata is a native species that inhabits much of the eastern U.S. Theyve been in Florida (and many other states) all along. But Psorophora ciliata is what is known as a floodwater mosquito. Psorophora ciliata eggs can survive desiccation, and remain dormant for years. Standing water left by heavy rains can, in effect, reanimate Psorophora ciliata eggs in the soil, unleashing a new generation of mosquitoes, including females thirsty for blood. In 2012, Tropical Storm Debby (no relation) flooded Florida, enabling Psorophora ciliata to hatch in unusually high numbers.   Like other mosquitoes, gallnipper larvae develop in water. But while most mosquito larvae scavenge on decaying plants and other floating organic matter, the gallnipper larvae actively hunt other organisms, including the larvae of other mosquito species. Some people have suggested we use the hungry, predaceous gallnipper larvae to control the other mosquitoes. Bad idea! Those well-fed gallnipper larvae will soon become gallnipper adults, looking for blood. We would essentially convert our mosquito biomass from smaller, less aggressive mosquitoes into larger, more persistent mosquitoes. Gallnippers Dont Transmit Diseases to Humans The good news is Psorophora ciliata isnt known to transmit any diseases of concern to people. Though specimens have tested positive for a number of viruses, including several that can infect horses, no definitive evidence has linked the bite of a gallnipper to the presence of these viral diseases in people or horses thus far. How to Protect Yourself From Gallnippers Gallnippers (Psorophora ciliata) are just big mosquitoes. They might require a little more DEET, or that you wear thicker clothing, but otherwise, just follow the usual tips to avoid mosquito bites. If you live in Florida, or in any other state where gallnippers live, be sure to also follow guidelines for eliminating mosquito habitat in your yard. Too late? You were already bitten? Yes, indeed, gallnipper bites can and will itch just the same as other mosquito bites.   Sources: Huge, aggressive mosquito may be abundant in Florida this summer, UF/IFAS expert warns, University of Florida media release. Accessed online March 11, 2013.EENY-540/IN967: A mosquito Psorophora ciliata (Fabricius) (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae), University of Florida Extension Service. Accessed online March 11, 2013.Species Psorophora ciliata - Gallinipper, Bugguide.net. Accessed March 11, 2013.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The French Horn Section - 1318 Words

During Senior year’s marching season, I was given two leadership positions. Section leader of the french horn section as well as Hornline Captain for the whole entire wind ensemble. I had many responsibilities and obligations to fill with both positions. With time,patience, and much failure I was able to rise to the challenge. At first I could barely project my voice for the entire hornline to hear, I was always self conscious and afraid of messing up. My public speaking skills were questionable at best and my fear of messing up in front of everyone made them even worse. Dealing with my eight person section(including myself) wasn’t as taxing but relaying instructions effectively was my biggest problem. Teaching new material as well as†¦show more content†¦Trying to find balance between those two, maintaining my ability to perform and lead others, and effectively getting things done was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in life. Having the pressure put on myself daily gave me insight into the future. Through the small productive task the band was taking daily I could see problem spots or potential unproductive actions quickly and maintain progress. At home, when practice was over, I would research, study, and read all about leadership skills as well as personal relations. I learned from many of peers that a leader even with great skill will accomplish nothing if they don’t learn to respect, inspire, and influence those around them. Having the built reference experiences and seeing many different approaches of leadership I cherished every single principal I was able to learn. In the end, I did not become the perfect leader or the leader with the most talent, but I was able to empower my peers to push through the pain of the season and influence them to stick to the repetition need to build a great skill. The band finished third place overall becoming bronze medalist in Class 5A but won first place in the music category . This is the best the band has ever been and the highest place the band has finished in. My hopes and dreams for the members in band after this year is to continue to grow and perform to the best of their ability. I valued everything I was able to takeShow MoreRelatedBrahms Musical Selection Is What I Would Call An Energetic A Confident Piece940 Words   |  4 Pagesand saw were the piano, flute, strings, bassoon, and French horns. I did not have a thought for this piece. The image that came up to me was an older person in their book room sipping on tea and reading the newspaper while relaxing in front of a small fire. The feeling that came up to me was happiness and relaxation. I was actually bobbing my head allowing the music to take me to the place I was picturing in my mind. His andante musical section tempo was andante and moderato. The dynamics are mezzoRead MoreAnalysis of Tchaikovskys quot;Romeo and Julietquot; Essay617 Words   |  3 Pagesexposition section of the sonata form structure therefore begins with the music being very loud and very fast. The strings and woodwind play the syncopated, rhythmic fight theme. Again, the strings and woodwind play in antiphony, and also imitation. The cymbals crash, representing the clashing of the swords, and the strings play ascending and descending scales. The theme is then repeated by the full orchestra with cymbals and timpani, climaxing with a perfect cadence. The woodwind section then playsRead MoreClaude Debussy: Life and Works Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesClaude Debussy, who is one of the most important French composers that represent the early twentieth century, he composed the prelude to â€Å"The Afternoon of a Faun†. He wrote this Prelude based on an inspiration of a poem that was writte n by Stephane Mallarme, who was a prominent French writer. There are some historical contexts and stylistic contexts that can be seen and discussed from this. And, these factors made this piece the best-known orchestral work of Debussy. Debussy was born in 1862 inRead MoreMozart Symphony No. 40840 Words   |  4 Pagesnoticed the clarinets, bassoons, cello, viola, and the French horn. The instruments that seemed like they were the most important in this piece were the violins, because they started the piece and through-out the rest of the piece they were always there being the main part of this piece. The melody in the first movement opens with the violins and they are then accompany by the violas and the cello. As you keep listening you notice that French horn, clarinets, flutes, and oboes contribute to the harmonyRead More Jazz Report Essay881 Words   |  4 Pagesoboe, French horn, and trumpet. The strings played included the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Finally, the percussion instrument used for this piece was the timpani. This movement is broken down into four sections by tempo: Adagio, Allegro, Lentement, and Allegro. The Adagio section begins with a slow introduction at a mezzoforte dynamic. This section is in a major key and set in quadruple meter. It has a wide range and an ascending melody. There are brief cadences and the section growsRead More A Concert Performance to Remember Essay1093 Words   |  5 Pagesfeaturing an enormous string and brass section as well as a percussion section complete with glockenspiel and triangle. After a brief intermission, Michael Boriskin appeared on stage with the orchestra for a splendid performance of Brahms’s Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, opus 83. Since both pieces were quite long, this discussion will be devoted to the work by Brahms. The first movement, Allegro non troppo, opened with a lone French horn stating the theme, which was thenRead MoreUse of Instrumentation, Rhythm and Dynamics in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique1017 Words   |  5 Pageshe is led to the scaffold and executed. Right at the beginning of this movement, Berlioz uses the low sounds of the French horns to create the impression that something grave has occurred. The string section then plays a similar solemn melody creating a scene in which it seems the artist has been apprehended and there is no escape. Later on he uses the loud majestic sounds of the horns to paint a picture of a huge crowd, rejoicing as this criminal has been caught. Right before the execution, a loneRead MoreComparative Analysis : The Great Miles Davis1549 Words   |  7 Pagesof jazz in their arrangements*. As a result Davis introduces new musical instruments to his arrangements, such bass clarinet, flutes, bass trombones, tuba, and muted trumpet; also one orchestral instrument, a French horn. Third stream is alike with cool jazz, since Davis uses a French horn and a tuba in both periods of jazz. The first three periods of Davis’ career are very similar because he uses an unaggressive sounds, and deliberate rhythmic patterns; however in the fourth period, the electricRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Richard Georg Strausss An Alpine Symphony1146 Words   |  5 Pageswas a fragment of the string section known as the second violins. The string section completely joined in but became over taken by a fragment of the brass section which was the trombones. The trombones played a long note, this theme reminds me of a funeral because of how silent the musicians are playing their instruments. They are playing the instruments slowly so that the audience genuinely receives a feel for what is currently occurring. Fragments of the string section return to backup the trombonesRead MoreThe History of Chamber Music895 Words   |  4 Pagesfound in the arrangements of sixteenth-century chansons (songs of French origin composed usually for four voices on a variety of secular texts), some for voices and lute, and others for lute alone. A generic convention of a chanson was that they used to use contrasting metres and also contrasts in musical texture; the effect of the whole was that of a short composition in several even shorter sections. That sectional form retained in the arrangements later became a striking

Puddnhead Wilson Essay - 736 Words

A Character Analysis of Tom Driscoll nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, the story of two boys, who were switched at early childhood, is told. One of these boys, Tom Driscoll, displays many characteristics in the novel. Tom shows how he is rude and a liar, but he also exhibits his ability to change his ways. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;From his childhood to his later years, it was evident that Tom Driscoll was a rude character. For example, during his childhood, Tom and Chambers (the boy with whom Tom was switched with and who was also Tom’s slave) always went an â€Å"played† together. On such instance was when they went swimming with Tom’s friends and were diving off of canoes. Chambers was an excellent†¦show more content†¦Regardless of the obvious company, Tom kept his rude manor and made fun of Wilson’s law career. Although it was true that Pudd’nhead Wilson’s law career was all but successful, Tom had no right to embarrass him so, especially in front of guests. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Not only was Tom Driscoll rude in the way he carried himself, but he was also a liar. This characteristic manifested itself when Tom tried to get people on â€Å"his side.† Such an instance was when there was news of multiple thefts happening in Dawson’s Landing, specifically, a knife that belonged to the twins from out-of-town. The real thief was Driscoll, but he convinced the town constable Jim Blake that the knife did not exist, and even if it did exist, the twins were hiding it in order to receive attention. In gaining Blake on his side, Driscoll was also able to make Pudd’nhead Wilson question his trust in the twins. Furthermore, Tom Driscoll lied to his uncle in order to win his praise. He told his uncle that one of the twins, Count Luigi, was a â€Å"confessed assassin† (97). By doing so, Tom was now a good man in hi uncle’s eyes (for Tom had been considered a coward for not dueling with Luigi), however, this put Luig i’s life in jeopardy. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Although Tom Driscoll had many evil traits, he was able to change his views and actions. However, this was limited only to the stimuli that he deemed important or that touched him deeply. A major event that changedShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Mark Twain s Works Made A Huge Impact On Readers And Literary Critics1288 Words   |  6 Pageswas marked by duality and contradiction, â€Å"In Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture, Shelley Fisher Fishkin has noted that the man who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and The Tragedy of Pudd nhead Wilson (1894) was not a racist.†(Azoreans 17). The Innocents Abroad is that â€Å"the Portuguese Twain comments on are not living in an American setting, but rather in their native land.†(Azoreans 17). In this sense, Twain is not only providing a valuableRead MoreModern F. Robert Frost1547 Words   |  7 PagesPrint. Mounce, Robert H. â€Å"Simplicity, the Ultimate Sophistication.† So They Say. Eugene: Resource Publications, 2014. 2. Print. Thompson, Carol. Frost and Nature Frost Friends. Frost Friends, 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. . Twain, Mark. Pudd nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins. Ed. Sidney E. Berger. Norton Critical Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. 125. Print. Untermeyer, Louis. â€Å"Robert Frost: An Appreciation† and â€Å"The Poets Invitation.† The Road Not Taken: A Selection of FrostRead MoreHistorical And Literary Representations Of The Black Cat By Edgar Allan Poe2413 Words   |  10 PagesAmericans faced during the Reconstruction period. Mark Twain’s literary work, Pudd’nhead Wilson, maintains that even after the Civil War and the strides black Americans made, race was still a pressing issue in America and its central problems were still lingering. Twain re-defined race, as not by the color of ones skin, but by society’s beliefs and past practices. This definition is brought about in Pudd’nhead Wilson and the intertwined story of Roxy, her white master, and their two sons. Roxana was oneRead MoreHuckleberry Finn2439 Words   |  10 Pagesdiscrimination and hatred to finally achieve their equality. As phrased in the article â€Å"The King Solomon episode reveals Twain s perception that two decades after the Civil War, liberty and justice for all were still—to borrow a phrase from Pudd nhead Wilso n—a fiction of law and custom (9). In December 1885, Twain wrote to the president of Yale University, We have ground the manhood out of them [ the other color ], and the shame is ours, not theirs, and we should pay for it (Letter). Apologists

She’s a Dreamer †Creative Writing Free Essays

I glanced over my shoulder and felt a presence lurking, looming behind me. I sniffed and for that one moment my worries flew away. Candy floss. We will write a custom essay sample on She’s a Dreamer – Creative Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now It smelt of a sweet, soft, sugary treat that my sisters and I only received on special occasions. I heard a swear word and turned around to find a group of ‘tough’ boys behind me, they were speaking in low, deep, gruff voices. I listened in, making sure I wasn’t being too obvious. They were chatting about the new roller coaster here at the theme park. The terrifying ride was called The Evaporator; it lasted only seconds but it went up, down, upside down and all around. I glanced up noticing the bloody red sign hovering above a crowd of innocent children and teenagers with a few adults among them. Should I risk going on a roller coaster for the first time in my life, without my mother by my side or should the public around me, mostly consisting of my high school peers, witness me going on the babyish rides with my sisters? I shook my head at the thoughts trekking through my mind and through the corner of my right eye saw my little sister, Lucy almost reading my mind and shaking her head and telling me â€Å"No, No. † But something was telling me the opposite â€Å"Yes, Yes. I nodded my head without any hesitation and I saw the upset on her face. She stomped her feet in protest and I dropped her clutching hand from mine. She glanced at me, her older sister not doing as the little one says, and teardrops dribbled down her cheeks falling of the end of her chin. I had to make this accomplishment, for me. If I had got to the age of 50 and still not boarded a roller coaster carriage then I would be so disappointed and angry with myself. My older sister smiled, a smile aimed in my direction and wiped little Lucy’s eye with a rough, green paper towel she had in her rucksack. I smiled back but it soon disappeared. I stepped under the sign and took a deep breath as I joined the queue. As we were herded forward like cattle I thought about my life and what point in life I was at. I glanced over my shoulder again and it seemed my life was passing by. I was the rollercoaster. I was going up, down and all around. I saw the birth of my sister, Lucy, then the birth of my youngest sibling, Emily, the divorce of my parents and finally, most recently my father starting his sentence in prison. I blinked my delicate, beautiful blue eyes and I came out of my†¦ daydream. A bloke directly behind me croaked â€Å"What are you staring at? † I turned back around, ignoring the man’s remark. As we were travelling toward the track, I clenched my fist and squeezed my eyes shut, for reasons unknown. I took a deep breath and was spinning, spinning, spinning in circles. I heard crashes, which startled me enough for me to come out of my trance. The crashes had happened both in my spell and in reality. The ‘tough’ boys I was eavesdropping on earlier were denting the sign advertising the rollercoaster. My focus was drawn to the word evaporator, the word that had remained undented. It was to do with the word evaporate, I knew that, but I was puzzled at the unusualness of the name. There was just a large group of seven in front of me, and then it was my turn I pondered, as I shuffled forward, nearly suffocating the male in front. They were all being loaded on, three per aisle, as I noticed one girl, roughly three years younger than me, gesture for me to come and sit on a spare seat on her aisle. I shook my head, delaying my turn on The Evaporator. But as I did so, I instantly changed my mind, thinking it was better to get it over and done with. But my reaction was too late. A member of staff was already ushering for any two’s. I had staggered my turn for just a few more minutes. The carriage noisily started, sped up and disappeared round the corner. I heard screams of happiness and then they were gone. It was finally my turn as a carriage juttered to a halt and a mixed crowd departed, smiled and laughed to each other as they were shown to the photo pick up point. I was piled on with everybody else but when we all had boarded there were still two empty seats in my aisle. â€Å"Any two’s, any two’s† was starting to get annoying. A large man and his girlfriend I assume squeezed past the threes, fours, fives and sixes. They were looking very smug and ecstatic about skipping part of the queue. The large man who I christened ‘the elephant’ instantly plumped himself down next to me, nudging me as he struggled to fit. â€Å"Are you excited girl, are you, girl, girl, are you, are you? † It took a lot of effort but I managed to pull a fake smile and blocked out the distant memory of dad shouting â€Å"Girls! † at my sisters and I. The elephant gave a huge grin and I wasn’t too happy at the smell of his breath hitting my face every time the wind blowed. We jerked slowly forward and I grabbed the harness in fear, he noticed my anxiety and squeezed my leg in a flirty way. I screamed inside at the thought of this maybe 30-year old man squeezing a 13-year-olds leg. His girlfriend was even there. He apologised though I knew he didn’t mean it. After we had sped up and were experiencing the ups, downs, upside downs and all arounds I turned to my right to look at him hoping the wind wasn’t in my direction or his mouth was near me. But he had miraculously disappeared. I blinked thinking my mind was playing tricks on me. But †¦ no. He must have†¦ Thoughts rushed through my head and the only logical one was he’d FALLEN out. But thinking hard enough about it even that wasn’t logical. How would he have fallen out? And wouldn’t I have heard something? Was he dead? Or was I dead? Spooky thoughts were taking over my mind. I turned to my right, past the empty seat and the elephant’s girlfriend looked at me. She didn’t see the emptiness of our aisle to start with but then the empty seat caught her eye. I will never forget the look on that lady’s face. It was horrific. Horror and fear must have been rushing through her at 1000 miles per hour at least. The things in the background were completely blanked out as I felt one hundred different emotions for this lady. I’d never felt that way, not even when my father had left me. I tried focusing on a different thought, a happy thought, so I turned round trying to see the three behind us. I strained my neck and was in agony when I finally saw the one, not three bodies in the aisle behind. I blinked. My eyes needed a check up; they were seeing weird, freaky, abnormal things. But however many times I blinked there was still the sight of a young innocent girl crying. Tears pouring, rushing down her face. I knew that there was someone at least one more person on that aisle. It was a man, maybe her dad, I thought as the ride progressed. I shut my eyes and wished that that ride would end immediately. The roller coaster drew to an end and I had done it, without my mother by my side. This was a wonderful accomplishment and how my sister would be proud. Little Lucy would be so joyful and pleased her favourite sister was back. Mel, oh how Mel would be so proud for many reasons. She would be tearful and amazed. Emily, Emily would see no difference in the world, just that everyone was happy. When a toddler’s family is happy they are happy. Is that right? I think I read it in a book once. As the carriage was getting slower and slower a couple of questions came to my attention. I’d never missed dad, why hadn’t I? Mel and little Lucy had, but why not me? I suppose there was an answer to one of the questions. Melanie, being the oldest at 15 would have the clearest and most happy memories of dad. She’d never thought bad thoughts or if she had then she’d never shown them. She was good at covering her emotions and at the right time and the right place; she was good at showing her emotions. But little Lucy she had only been 4 at the time, but I suppose at four you do remember. Those four years of little Lucy’s life had probably been the worst. Full of negative memories of dad, times without a good father figure and long distances between them. It’s not good that what Lucy remembers is mostly bad or little about dad – she will immediately hate dad or not recognise him if she ever sees him again. That would be awful. I am pleased I have at least some positive memories. I stepped out the carriage and grabbed my bag not noticing how freakily quiet the area was. I ran to the burger bar where Mel had told me they’d be. I looked around squinting and scanning the area. The vision of them not being there will be forever with me. No one was about. I walked up to the kiosk planning to ask a member of staff if they’d seen my sisters. But there was no member of staff. I was scared; where was everyone, there was no one about and I was upset; why would my sisters leave me with no explanation? I looked and looked for maybe three hours not seeing one person anywhere. I hadn’t been brave enough to go and look outside the park so I’d completely and purposely not walked past the gates. As I was walking I felt a sharp, ear piercing screaming coming from not a person but from inside me. I’d never felt a similar sensation before. The screaming was of fear and there was a voice; a high toned voice that was saying â€Å"There’s something freaky, something real freaky going on here. † As I tried to block out the piercing sound I had a terrifying, terrific, torturing thought that stunned me. Why would I think of such a thing? But that thought went away – thank goodness! – And I thought happier and more realistic thoughts from that point on. Maybe, I’d just been queuing for hours and the park had shut, my sisters would be waiting just outside the gates for me. I wandered the short distance towards the park gates and was surprised to see the gates wide open. I shrugged to myself and nervously walked through the gates not taking into account the sign that said ‘Saturdays Open 24 hours’. The screaming of fear inside me had started yet again. As I turned my head, on the look out, my eyes swivelled trying to see through the darkness of that winter Saturday afternoon and the darkness and gloominess of the situation. I spotted an empty bench, which I persuaded myself to sit on. After I had sat down I had a sudden rush of tiredness and as it got the better of me my head hit the cold, hard, wet, brown surface. I had one clear and one more vivid dream. One I understood yet the other was very irregular. Firstly it was my dad; he was in his favourite outfit holding hands with Lucy and Melanie. Emily was tiredly bumping on his back as he walked towards me. Every one of them had a finger or hand outstretched, stretched in my direction. Each and every one of them was saying my name, over and over. The girls were wearing pyjamas and they were all the age they were when dad went. I was walking towards them but they were getting further away. It wasn’t right. It was upsetting, distressing and brought back memories. Bad memories. No one was smiling anymore. As I came out of that horrible dream, another started almost immediately. I was on the same bench but I was sitting bolt upright and I was kind of like a robot. A bus came and it was full. Some of the people on the bus I recognised from the theme park like the â€Å"elephant† from earlier and the young girls dad who was on the carriage behind me. Finally I saw my sisters, Emily, little Lucy and Mel. I suddenly opened my eyes, bringing the dream to an end. But it hadn’t. The bus was still there, in front of my very eyes looking beautiful and shiny and not bus-like at all. I could still see some of the people I recognised from the theme park, the â€Å"elephant† from earlier was the young girls dad was Mel, little Lucy and Emily all smiling and gesturing for me to board the bus. I felt a sensation, almost an urge to get on that bus and I started moving quite quickly towards the bus. Just before I was ushered up the steps of the bus I caught a glimpse at where the bus was going and I was shocked to see it was going to â€Å"Heaven! † I’m now an angel in heaven along with my sisters. I still don’t really know what happened that day, I came to the conclusion that we must have just collapsed and the entire roller coaster journey was my imagination. It’s just a guess though. My mother is still alive and she’s starting another family, but I know she misses us. She goes to our graves every other day and puts fresh flowers each time. My father is still in prison. He has another two years to go. My mother visited him for the first time with the bad news that we have passed away, three sisters died in one day. I couldn’t bear look at his reactions, I could have easily. Angel’s can float, can fly, can go anywhere they want and can see anyone they want, it’s an easy life for an angel. My dad’s reaction could have even been a happy one, who knows. Only mum. If I could have done two things differently before I died I would have said my goodbyes, even though I’m here in heaven with my sisters it’s my other relatives and friends that I wish that I could have said goodbye too. I would have also died more peacefully and I a way that I knew what was happening. Like dying in your sleep. Like Nana did. Emily is 3 now, little Lucy whose not so little anymore, is 9 and finally Mel is 21. I’m 16 and boy, times flied! I’m having a wonderful time with my sisters. I’ve really got to know them again. Emily and little Lucy always tell me their dreams. That’s the funny thing about heaven, you never forget, anything. Not even your dreams. How to cite She’s a Dreamer – Creative Writing, Papers

Concept of Business Intelligence

Question: Discuss about the Business Intelligence. Answer: Introduction This report is based on concept of business intelligence. BI is considered as a term that talk about variety of software applications that are required to use evaluation of organizational raw data. There are several related activities that build business intelligence such as data mining, reporting, online analytical processing and querying. Now in this report, we will emphasize on different topics related to business intelligence. These topics will help to understand important and usage of business intelligence. Discussion In this segment of report we will analyze three different articles related to business intelligence. Article-1: Synergy hones agile delivery with BI According to provided information in this article, Synergy is a Western Australian energy provider and it is using business intelligence and digital projects to improve capabilities of agile delivery. It will be done under CIO of Synergy. According to CIO, they are implementing two main programs to benefit from the agile drive. The first program is related to business intelligence stream of work to add value to the implementation of SAP HANA and another program is regarding digital stream to improve the way of interaction of customers with Synergy online. According to CIO of Synergy, agile methodology is a real journey for them and they are focusing on driving projects, products and services via the web by using agile methodology (Technet.microsoft.com, 2017). From analysis of business intelligence, we found four major capabilities of it that have potential to make BI effort work together. In next segment we will discuss that how these capabilities are helpful to make effort of BI together. The four synergistic capabilities of business intelligence are listed as below (Crozier and Crozier, 2017): Organizational Memory Information Integration Insight Creation Presentation Capability Organizational Memory This capability of business intelligence is related to the information storage and knowledge in easier to access form. Historical information and explicit knowledge accumulated over time in case of organizational memory. There are some factors that are necessary for organizational memory capability and those factors are technological progress, extensiveness of computers for creating and improving documents, presentations, to enhance use of emails, social media, and improvements in knowledge management technologies. This Business Intelligence capability is useful to make the BI effort work together in a way that it is associated with the ability of searching large enterprise content across multiple different databases. Other three capabilities depend on this BI capability directly and indirectly, because these capabilities can use knowledge over time, real-time content for decision making and for creating insights (Google Books, 2017). Information Integration This business intelligence capability is used to link past structured and unstructured data from different sources of information. As we know that, first capability of BI i.e. Organizational Memory is connected with past information. Therefore, Information Integration capability depends on Organizational Memory. In this linking process of data, some essential factors are included by information integration capability such as knowledge and structured information from ERP, systems related to transactions and knowledge sources, external knowledge and information from web mining and environmental scanning and unstructured knowledge and information from text mining and digital content management systems (SelectHub, 2017). This business intelligence capability is highly preferred to produce content from different sources that can be used further to produce insights which is next capability of BI. In this way, Information Integration capability also shows its togetherness with other BI capa bilities and from this it is cleared that BI effort work together. Insight Creation Insight creation is facilitated by Information Integration capability and Organizational Memory to create insight creations by providing integrated data, information and knowledge that establish the raw materials required for long-term and short term decision making and insight. Insight Creation Capability provides three kinds of outputs that is description of what happened, an understanding of what happened and a prediction regarding future behavior. For Example, the creation of insights can be used for BI efforts by an organization to identify the answers for questions like What supplementary products could be vending to our customers? and Which customers company is most likely to lose?. The input of insight creation capability is further used in next BI capability that is presentation capability. Presentation Capability This BI capability is used for appropriate reporting and balanced scoreboard tools, so that Business Intelligence can become more valuable to its users. Presentation capability is actually point of contact between BI solution and its user. This BI capability is focused on convenient features of the BI solution that include presentation of results in a customized and user-friendly form. For example: An airlines company has made excellent use of presentation capability of BI by using an effective Flight Management Dashboard. This interactive graphical user interface, together enable the operational staff to detect issues in network of flights and also manage flights accordingly to enhance customer satisfaction. It is a best use of BI efforts by Airline Company. On the behalf of above discussion, we can say that BI capabilities work together in above ways to make BI effort work together. Article-2: Netflix Purposely Designed House of Cards to be a Major HitHeres How They Did It On the behalf of above article, we will discuss that how Netflix was able to get it right but not Amazon for a TV show? There is no doubt that behind our TV shows, efforts of creative geniuses contribute a lot. But is it possible to attribute some of their popularities to data analysis as well? According to Munich based data scientist Wernicke said that optimum results are not always produce by data analysis. To prove this, Netflix and Amazon are served as examples here. Here are two shows which were made strategically with data analysis methods. One show worked on Netflixs House of Card and went on to score of 9.1 on rating curve. Another show worked on Amazons Alpha House and fell short and went on score of 7.5 on the rating curve. It was considered an average show. Both companies are competitive data-savvy companies and connecting millions of data points. But one company did well and another did not (Mazenko, 2017). Why it happened? Eventually, when Amazon set out for making data driven show then it held a competition. By Amazon, a number of ideas of shows were analyzed and eight of them were selected (OLAP.com, 2017). After doing all these things, an experimental episode created for each and also made available online free of cost. The episode was watched by millions of people and data regarding total number of viewers of this episode, how long this episode watched by them and which parts skipped by viewers, used by Amazon to create a show (SearchDataManagement, 2017). On another side, at same time Netflix was preparing something similar. But the difference here is instead of using a competition, Netflix viewed other platforms such as ratings, viewing history etc. This data was further used to discover small bits that what is actually liked by users. This was the main reason that show was successful on Netflixs House of Cards, not on Amazons Alpha House. On this, Mr. Wernicke gave explanation that Amazons show was not successful because they used data all the way. But Netflix concentrated on point that what users like the most and used that insight to think about a concept. That is why Netflixs show was a big hit. Here Insight Creation capability of Business Intelligence helps a lot of Netflix (Fda.gov, 2017). Article 3: Six Ways big Data is Driving Personalized Medicine Revolution In this segment we will emphasize on an essential question that how Business Intelligence can integrate safe clinical and personalized medicine to all stakeholders. As we know in field of medicine, drugs are expensive, difficult to research and hard to get approved. According to a report, it is found that most of drugs do not work on large parts of the population. In these case, pharmaceutical companies have pressure to research drugs that can be effective for people and must have highest probability of turning profit. But this can be done by IT and Big Data. Both technologies are putting major impacts on the way of researching drugs by creating more effective trails (InformationWeek, 2017). In the journal Nature represents that 10-highest best prescribing drugs in U.S work on only one patient among four. Multiple reasons are provided by Nature Journal, but the main reason is that, different genetic makeups, proteins in our body and body flora effect on working of drugs. After knowin g about these issues, drug companies are trying to address these criticism and try to make more accurate drugs. In this case business intelligence can also help in following ways (SearchBusinessAnalytics, 2017): Through BI, analytical modeling of biological processes is possible and through this drugs can become more sophisticated and widespread. Analytical modeling can help to identify new potential candidate fragments that has highest probability to being successful in development of drugs (Lazzaro, 2017). To identify safety or operational signals that are required to neglect important issues of unnecessary delays and argumentative events, the trials of medicine can be monitored in real time. (McKinsey Company, 2017). With the help of Big Data as BI application, the way of trails of designing and administrating treatments are changing. By using Big Data, correct and modified medicines are introduced to drug trails and research that reduces cost and improve outcomes.In this way BI can be used to integrate safe clinical medicines. References Crozier, R. and Crozier, R. (2017). Synergy hones agile delivery with BI, digital projects. [online] iTnews. Available at: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/synergy-hones-agile-delivery-with-bi-digital-projects-421297 [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Technet.microsoft.com. (2017). Business Intelligence: Planning Your First Microsoft BI Solution | TechNet Magazine. [online] Available at: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg413261.aspx [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Mazenko, E. (2017). Tableau Software Review. [online] Better Buys. Available at: https://www.betterbuys.com/bi/reviews/tableau-business-intelligence/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. SearchBusinessAnalytics. (2017). Collaborative business intelligence brings users together on BI. [online] Available at: https://searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/feature/Collaborative-business-intelligence-brings-users-together-on-BI [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Google Books. (2017). Business Intelligence. [online] Available at: https://books.google.co.in/books?id=T-JvPdEcm0oCpg=PA46lpg=PA46dq=how+four+bi+capabilities+work+together+to+make+BI+effort+work+togethersource=blots=Z3zzZt2SUVsig=TtvETNhoBwm_Q1Pma2epobT4fYwhl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjVsf6htp7TAhUFpo8KHWiuDDgQ6AEIHzAB#v=onepageq=BI%20effort%20work%20togtherf=false [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. SelectHub. (2017). BI Capabilities List | Business Intelligence Capabilities. [online] Available at: https://selecthub.com/business-intelligence/list-bi-capabilities/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. SearchDataManagement. (2017). What is business intelligence (BI)? - Definition from WhatIs.com. [online] Available at: https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/business-intelligence [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. OLAP.com. (2017). What is Business Intelligence? BI Definition. [online] Available at: https://olap.com/learn-bi-olap/olap-bi-definitions/business-intelligence/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Lazzaro, S. (2017). Netflix Purposely Designed House of Cards to Be a Major HitHeres How They Did It. [online] Observer. Available at: https://observer.com/2016/01/can-we-use-big-data-to-create-hit-tv-shows-as-addictive-as-breaking-bad/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. McKinsey Company. (2017). How big data can revolutionize pharmaceutical RD. [online] Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/pharmaceuticals-and-medical-products/our-insights/how-big-data-can-revolutionize-pharmaceutical-r-and-d [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Fda.gov. (2017). Drug Safety Priorities 2016: Initiatives and Innovation. 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