A Literature Review Regarding Virus Protection

A Literature Review Regarding Virus Protection Although most of the people think that there is nothing to do a research in the area of computer virus protection, there are more and more things to research as everyday more than 200 computer malware are created by the virus creators. In the modern world most of the people are using computers in their day-to-day activities. So it is more important to have knowledge of computer viruses and protecting the computers from those viruses. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Identifying what the computer viruses are, their types, the threat to the computer from computer viruses, the present situation of computer viruses and prevention mechanisms from the computer viruses are the objectives of this literature review. end{abstract} section{Introduction} As the usage of the computers and creation of computer viruses are increasing all over the world, every computer user began to search about the computer viruses. But there are other various kinds of software like worms and Trojans that can do some harm to the activities of the computer other than the viruses. Although they are different from computer viruses, the computer users are used to call those other types of malicious software viruses. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Though there is no any real definition for the computer viruses, they can be considered as special kind of software programs that have the ability of self replicating over executable files reside in the computer and do some interruption to the activities of the computer. As the computer viruses are spreading only when the executable files are executing, the viruses can effect only for the executable files in the infected computer. So most of the time the files with .EXE , .COM , .BAT , .SYS extensions are infected. A computer virus can be written with a few lines of programming codes in any programming language. Any person who has a personal computer can write a computer virus and send it to another computer or system far away from the computer which produced the virus through a network or any disk. These viruses can destroy any massive computer system or network easily within few seconds. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Computer viruses which do less harm to the computers are only spreading over the computers and computer networks. They do not do any dangerous harm to the computers other than just replicating them in the system. The most dangerous type of viruses effect to the computers by changing the content of the files, partially of completely deleting the files reside in the computer. The data stored in the computer can be lost by infecting these kinds of computer viruses. These types of computer viruses cannot be catch by examining the files in the computer. But only the destruction they have done to the computer will remain. So capturing these viruses is the more difficult thing. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Preventing or protecting from computer viruses not only mean installing an anti virus program and scan the files by getting use of the anti virus program but also awareness of the computer viruses or malicious software and practicing best practices when using a computer. But most of the time most of the computer users trust various anti virus programs to protect their systems against computer viruses. Various anti virus programs use various methods or procedures to capture viruses and other types of malicious software. But with any of the computer protection method, they cannot fully protect the computer from computer viruses or malicious software. The next session of this review is considered about what are the types of Malware and how they infected to computer system. cite{1} newpage section{Types of malware} There is no standard method to categorize viruses into various types. But when we consider current situation of computer viruses in the world we can basically declare types of malware as follows, begin{itemize} item Trojan item Worms item Viruses end{itemize} subsection{Trojan} Trojan viruses do not reproduce in the computer but after a Trojan virus enters into the computer they just allow the outside persons to read the files reside in the computer. Usually Trojans steal passwords and send e-mails to hackers. Then the hacker will get the control of the users account. cite{2} subsection{Worms} Worms are kind of computer viruses copy and spread over the computer networks. It does not need a host to spread. Once they multiplied in a computer, the copied viruses scan the network for further multiplying and spreading via the network.cite{2} subsection{Viruses} Computer viruses are a program, a block of executable code which attaches itself to. It overwrites or replaces some code of computer program without knowing of computer user. A virus always needs a host program to reside. The virus is in its idle state till the host program it resides executes. When the host program executes the bock of code of the virus also executes and searches for another location which it can infect. The computer viruses can be categorized into number of categories like Resident Viruses, Direct Action Viruses, Overwrite Viruses, Boot Viruses, Macro Viruses, Directory Viruses, Polymorphic Viruses, File Infectors, Companion Viruses, FAT Viruses. cite{2} begin{itemize} item Resident Viruses Permanent viruses reside in the RAM item Direct Action Viruses This type of virus spreads and does its work when it is executing. item Overwrite Viruses These viruses delete the content of the files reside in the computer. item Boot Viruses This kind of virus infects to a boot sector of the hard drive or floppy. A boot virus can be infected to the boot sector of the computer by booting the computer from an infected floppy disk. item Directory Viruses These viruses change the path of a file. item Polymorphic Viruses These are encrypting their own code with different algorithms every time they enter into a system. item File Infectors Infect programs or executable files. They infect to a file when the program attached to it executes. item Companion Viruses These are working like resident viruses or direct action viruses. item FAT Viruses These infect to the file allocation table. item Macro Viruses This kind of virus infects to the files that have created using programs that contain macros. Currently most of the times they are affecting to Word 6, WordBasic and Excel as macros are created by WordBasic. In the present situation of the computer viruses, 15 percent of the viruses are macro viruses. On daily basis macro viruses are created by the computer users in their machines. New macro viruses are creating due to corruption, mating and conversion. Macro viruses are the most destructive kind of a virus. Most of the traditional anti virus programs are unable to detect those new macro viruses. cite{2} end{itemize} newpage section{How Viruses affect and infect to the system} begin{figure}[h] par includegraphics[bb =0 0 100 325 ]{virus.png} caption{Malware Detected by Year} cite{10} par end{figure} If the virus generation speed is greater than its death rate, a virus can easily spread within a short period of time. Figure1 shows how Malware spread with time. All the computer viruses do not activate at the time they enter into the computer. But sometimes they activate after some period of entering it into the personal computer or computer system. Some of them will never activate and some will activate and do harm to the files in the system or change the content of the files, format the hard disk, show a picture in the background. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} There are lots of ways which a virus can enter into a computer. Most of the time, they spread and enter into a new computer through a computer network. With a removable media, it is possible to spread a virus. By downloading some games or software through a web site, a virus can enter into a new system. In the past there was a guarantee that the web sites do not contain viruses. But in the present situation, there is no guarantee that the web sites do not contain viruses. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Trapdoor is another common way of entering a virus into a system. Trapdoors are sometimes created by the programmers who developed the software to avoid going through the security procedure or avoid entering passwords during the period of time the system or software is developed. As a trapdoor is a way to enter into a system without entering a password, a virus can easily enter into a system through a trapdoor. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} If have the attention to the new computer viruses, the code of some newly created computer viruses are encrypted so that the anti virus software cannot catch them. cite{3} section{Protection from computer viruses} To spread a virus from one computer to another, it should have the permission or ability to execute its code and do some modifications or completely delete the files other than the file the virus currently residing. According to those facts, protection from computer viruses means prevent the computer virus from copying it self to another location, the computer virus does not contain or avoid modifying or deleting the other files the computer virus does not reside. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} If the content of a file has modified or edited without knowledge of the user, the user can suspect that a virus has been infected to the computer. Other than that when a virus has attacked a system, sometimes the performance of the computer can be reduced, various error messages are displayed or use some storage space from disk drives unexpectedly. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Worms normally find addresses to spread and they capture the addresses in three ways. Worms begin{itemize} item Randomly generate addresses item Find addresses in system tables item Find addresses in a program end{itemize} Protection against worms can include, begin{itemize} item Put passwords that cannot easily guess. item Remove some processes which reveal the secured data in the system. item Apply some solutions to the bugs. end{itemize} As worms are rapidly spread over networks and they are trying to overload the networks, protecting from worms include monitoring network activities and do isolation and deactivation of some parts of the network. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} When it comes to protecting computers from viruses, the simplest things the user can do is always backup the data reside in the computer. But it is not a proper solution to deal with the computer viruses. As most of the computer users are now aware of the computer viruses they control write privilege to computer programs. After infecting a virus to a program since it changes the content of the file, there are some kind of software that can be used to check the content for irregular changes in its content. cite{4,12} section{Anti virus software programs} When protecting a computer from computer viruses with the help of an anti virus program, the service providers of those anti virus programs are providing their service to its clients in number of different ways. Some of the vendors or anti virus software are waiting for a request from a user for their product. After the client or the user requests, the service provider provides their service to the user. Another kind of anti virus vendor automatically downloads and installs their product into clients machine without the knowledge of the user. Some of the vendors are sending emails to the computer users mentioning the availability of their product. However some of those above mentioned ways have some ethically not relevant procedures. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Though thousands of anti virus programs, designed by programmers are there to detect computer viruses, they cannot play a perfect role in detecting computer viruses. More viruses are written for a new platform is the reason for that. To detect those new viruses, new detection technologies should be invented. There are number of computer virus detection methods. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Over some years ago, only the known viruses could be detected by anti virus programs. What those anti virus programs did were, selecting a string from known viruses and when a scan for viruses is started, anti virus program searches for files include that string and detect that file as an infected file. This method of detecting computer viruses looked only for static characteristics of known computer viruses. But as thousands of computer viruses are creating within a year, the industry people started to create anti virus programs that are detecting unknown computer viruses too. These methods are called heuristic method. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} As computer virus infection has become a huge threats to who owns a computer and who uses computers. Most of the computer users are today getting the service of an anti virus program to detect malicious software or computer viruses. Getting use of an anti virus software is the most secured and popular way to protect the computers from malicious software. Anti virus programs identify the malicious software in two main approaches. begin{itemize} item They use a string matching approach to identify previously known viruses or malicious software. item The second method the anti virus programs use is capturing abnormal behaviors of any computer program running on the computer. end{itemize} begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} In string matching approach, the anti virus programs are getting use of a virus dictionary which contains the codes of previously known viruses. When an anti virus program starts to scan a file it refers to the virus dictionary and when it finds a block of code in the scanned file which also included in the virus dictionary, it quickly takes an action against the suspicious file. cite{5} begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} If an anti virus program uses capturing abnormal or suspicious behaviors, it monitors the behavior of the file which is scanning and if the file behaves abnormally the anti virus program detect the file as infected file an take an action against that. By using this method, the new viruses can also be detected. cite{5} subsection{The problem in virus dictionary method} As virus creators are now aware of virus detection methods, they are now writing the viruses so that the codes of the virus as encrypted codes when it is in a program. Otherwise they write the virus programs so that the code of itself doesnt look same as the real code of it. Because of those two reasons, the anti virus program cannot detect the infected file by matching the strings using the virus dictionary. The other problem of this method is it cannot detect a new virus which doesnt contain in the virus dictionary. subsection{The problems of detecting a virus by its behavior} As this method is searching for a suspicious behavior of the file that is being scanning, a files that shows abnormal behavior which has not been attacked by a virus or malicious software can also be detected as an infected file by the anti virus program. If the user gets an action against that file sometimes that non infected file can also be deleted. So modern anti virus programs do not use this approach to detect a virus. There are some fake anti virus software which do not clean or protect the computers. These fake anti virus software come with names which are similar to other real anti virus software. When a user sees such a fake anti virus software the user feels that this ant virus software is a real one and then he install than fake anti virus software into the computer. After installing that fake one in the computer, it displays fake messages saying there are some viruses in the computer and to remove it from the computer pay some amount of money. As these kinds of fake anti virus software are there with only the aim of earning money, the computer users must aware of that kind of fake anti virus software too. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Although there are so many anti virus software to detect computer viruses, the latest computer viruses cannot easily be caught by even the latest anti virus software programs as the code of virus is encrypted. What the virus creators do to hide the source code of the virus is encrypting the code of the virus and sends it to the computers. So the anti virus software cannot easily understand the code and they cannot catch that file as a suspicious file. Some virus creators encrypt the code and keep the key to decrypt in another file to make it more difficult for the anti virus software to find the virus. But good anti virus software, which have used good algorithms, should be able to detect those computer viruses too. cite{6,7} subsection{Most trusted anti virus software} cite{11} begin{itemize} item BitDefender Antivirus 2010 BitDefender is using advanced heuristic detection method and provides protection against online viruses, spyware,phishing scams and more. This provides protection by scanning web, IM and emails and this is capable of encrypting the IM s too. One of the new features BitDefender looking for is Active Virus Control which monitor the behavior of a file continuously. cite{13} item Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 Provides protection from viruses, Trojans, bots, worms and spyware. The interfaces and tools used are advanced but this provides agreat protection against most of the real threats. cite{14} item Webroot AntiVirus with SpySweeper 2010 This is a desktop anti virus package and protect the computer from viruses,trojans,worms and other number of malware. This catches the malware before the malware does any harm to the computer. cite{15} item Norton AntiVirus 2010 Uses signature based protection. However provides a new features like the proactive reputation scanning. But uninstalling the software might cause some problems as its partial uninstallation. cite{16} item ESET Nod32 Antivirus 4 Kind of desktop anti virus software. But this doesnt provide a complete security and misses some protection. This is not in the competition with other anti virus software. cite{17} item AVG Anti-Virus 9 Includes antivirus and antispyware protection. provides complette protection from harmful downloads and web cites. cite{18} item F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 Great desktop anti virus. Has one of the most effective scan procedure and test results are shown to prove that. When installing this anti virus software, it has been automatically configured to remove the other anti virus software installed to the computer. cite{19} item G DATA AntiVirus 2011 Uses two distinct antivirus scanning engines, behavioral/heuristic protection, and even self-learning fingerprinting.This provides protection against malware spreading via emails and IM. The types of malware which are detected by this anti virus software are,phishing scams, dialers, adware, malicious scripts, Trojans, rootkits and worms. cite{20} end{itemize} section{Getting use of a firewall} The firewall is a kind of a program design to protect the computer from harmful things that are coming from the internet. Firewalls are divided into two categories as hardware firewall and software firewall. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Hardware firewalls are some kind of small hardware which can control the data coming from multiple computer systems. Software firewalls are kind of software that have the ability to block suspicious data coming to the computer from the internet. So to protect the computer from viruses and other kind of malicious software a software firewall and hardware firewall can be use. cite{5} section{Best practices to protect the computer from computer viruses} Though there are thousands of anti virus software are there, the computer users are also having the responsibility of protecting the computer when using the computer. They have to follow some best practices when they use a computer. begin{itemize} item Although the computer user is the owner of the computer he should not always log into the computer with the administrator privileges. If they log into the computer as a normal user, some kinds of viruses will not be able to enter into the computer. item A computer user should avoid from installing some anti virus software or some other software in some other persons computer. item As some viruses are coming with email attachments, when opening emails it is good to not to open emails from unknown addresses. item When downloading and installing anti virus software, download a recommended anti virus software. end{itemize} newpage section{Conclusion} According to the researchers, each and everyday over 200 computer viruses which can destroy a whole computer system within a few seconds are released by the computer virus creators. The worst thing that result an inflection is loosing data the reside in the computer. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} Most of the time, these kind of destructions happen because of the lack of awareness of the computer users about the computer viruses. To mitigate the risk of infecting a computer virus to a users computer, the main thing we can do is make the computer users aware about the computer viruses, risks of infecting a computer virus and avoiding from computer viruses. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} The people who have an idea about computer viruses most of the time trust anti virus programs. But just installing an anti virus software is not enough to protect the computer from computer viruses. The computer users also have the responsibility to protect the computer from computer viruses. As most of the time the computer viruses can come with the e-mail attachments, the e-mails from unknown addresses should not be opened. When downloading something from a web site the users should use only the trusted web sites and recommended software. But now there are nothing called trusted web sites. Even the software downloaded from Microsofts web site may contain viruses. Some viruses cannot enter into the computer if the user is logging into the computer with user privilege. So it is good to normally log into the computer with the user privilege. As viruses attack only the executable files, the write permission to those files can be restricted. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} After installing an anti virus software program in a computer,to get the best protection from that anti virus, keeping it up to date is more important. But though there is an anti virus program installed in the computer, when plugging external removable devices into the computer, it should be scanned. begin{sloppypar} end{sloppypar} But the final conclusion which can come through this review is that though there are many protection methods,that are available in the world, a computer user cannot be completely safe from the computer viruses. That means any of the computer protection methods is not perfect in protecting computers from computer malware. newpage begin{thebibliography}{widest entry} bibitem{1} Markus Hanhisalo,emph{computer Viruses},Available at:http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Tik-110.501/1997/viruses.html# 1.Introduction% 20to% 20Computer% 20Viruses bibitem{2} Top Bits,2010, {http://www.topbits.com/types-of-computer-viruses.html} bibitem{3} McAfee,emph{An Introduction to Computer Viruses and other Destructive Programs},Available at: http://www.mcafee.com/common/media/vil/pdf/av_white.pdf bibitem{4} Stanley A. Kurzban, emph{Defending against viruses and worms},Available at:http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=68697 bibitem{5} emph{How AntiVirus Works},Available at:http://www.antivirusware.com/articles/how-anti-virus-works.htm bibitem{6} emph{How does anti-virus software work?},Available at:http://www.antivirusworld.com/articles/antivirus.php bibitem{7} emph{How Antivirus Software Detect Computer Viruses},Available at:http://security-antivirus-software.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-antivirus-software-dete bibitem{8} emph{What Is A Computer Virus? An Introduction To Computer Viruses},Available at:http://www.computertipsfree.com/computer-tips/security-tips/what-is-a-computer-virus-an-introduction-to-computer-viruses/ bibitem{9} http://www.washington.edu/itconnect/security/tools/ bibitem{10} Tech Bitz, http://tech-bitz.com/2008/04/05/virus-and-spyware-threat-is-larger-than-ever-before-anti-virus-companies-struggle-to-keep-up-with-flood-of-spyware/ bibitem{11} emph{AntiVirus Software Review },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ bibitem{12} Charles P. Pfleeger,Shari Lawrence Pfleeger emph{Security in Computing (4th Edition) } bibitem{13} emph{BitDefender AntiVirus Review },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/bitdefender-review.html bibitem{14} emph{Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/kaspersky-review.html bibitem{15} emph{Webroot AntiVirus with SpySweeper Review },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/webroot-antivirus-review.html bibitem{16} emph{Norton AntiVirus 2010 },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/norton-review.html bibitem{17} emph{Trend Micro AntiVirus + AntiSpyware },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/pc-cillin-review.html bibitem{18} emph{AVG Anti-Virus 9 },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/avg-review.html bibitem{19} emph{F-Secure Anti-Virus Review },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/f-secure-review.html bibitem{20} emph{G DATA AntiVirus 2011 },http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/antiviruskit-review.html end{thebibliography} end{document}

Gated DIBH for Left Sided Breast Cancer Patients

Gated DIBH for Left Sided Breast Cancer Patients Chapter III: Methodology 3.1 Research Objectives The research project examines left-sided breast cancer patients receiving therapy with gated DIBH technique using the commercially available RPM system. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate whether left-sided breast cancer patients will benefit from gated DIBH. The interest in performing this research arises from having many left-sided breast cancer patients that have large volume of heart in the treatment field, and hence are at risk for cardiac toxicities in the future. The secondary objectives of this research is to look at patient’s comfort and understanding, and radiation therapist’s workload. This chapter will discuss the sample selection, ethical issues, instrumentation, data collection procedures, data analysis, limitations, expected results, budget and timeline. 3.2 Sample selection and description The expected sample size was calculated using the formula (Chan, 2003) for paired samples as seen below, Total sample size = where c is 10.5 for 90% power, ÃŽ ´ is the standardised effect size, given by the formula (Chan, 2003): where ÃŽ ¼1 and ÃŽ ¼2 are the means of the two treatment groups, and ÏÆ' is the common standard deviation. The 90% power represents the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false (Chan, 2003). It is postulated that a good treatment difference () between the 2 groups is 0.2 units with an SD (ÏÆ') of 0.5 units (Chan, 2003). With these values, the expected sample size is 68. Sixty-eight left-sided breast cancer patients will be selected for this research using a simple random sampling method. The patient population will be chosen at random to create a diverse group of patients with variable breast and heart volumes. The criteria for this sample would be female patients with left-sided breast cancer below the age of 70. In addition, the patients must be able to hold their breath. These patients will be recruited after being screened by the oncologists. The oncologists will do a simple breath-hold test with patients to determine if they are able to hold their breath for at least 20 seconds. This is because patients will be required to hold their breath during the CT scan for a duration of 18 seconds. This research will require 2 sets of computed-tomography (CT) scans from each patient of which one is at free breathing and the other at DIBH. Both sets will have identical patient setup. Patients will be lying supine with both arms above head on a posirest, having the visual goggles on (see Appendix M, image A) with a 6-reflective markers block on patient’s anterior abdominal surface (see Appendix H). With the goggles, they are able to view the screen, as seen in image B in Appendix M, in order to see their breathing patterns. For each patient, 2 treatment plans will be generated: one using the CT images at free breathing with photon electron match technique and the other using the CT images at DIBH with gated DIBH technique using RPM with 3-mm intervals. 3.3 Ethical Issues and Informed consent Any research involving human subjects conducted in the hospital would require adherence to ethical standards. The procedure requires the collation of a list of investigators in the department that intends to conduct clinical trials (see Appendix N), and to apply and attend the Singapore Guideline for Good Clinical Practice (SGGCP) course. This Course ensures that the conduct of clinical trials follows internationally acceptable ethical and scientific standards (see Appendix O). The ethics review will be carried out by the National Healthcare Group domain specific review board which is an independent committee constituted of medical, scientific and non-scientific members, whose responsibility is to ensure the protection of the rights, safety and well-being of human subjects involved in a research study by reviewing, approving and providing continuing review of research studies, and of the methods and materials to be used in obtaining and documenting informed consent of the research su bjects (National University Health System, 2010). When a principal investigator submits an application via the research online administration and management system, it is automatically routed to the department representative for endorsement, and subsequently the institution representative for endorsement, before it is delivered to the domain specific review board secretariat (National University Health System, 2010). All research studies submitted will be classified under one of the following review categories: exempt review, expedited review, full Board review (see Appendix P) (National University Health System, 2010). Based on the definitions in Appendix P, this study is classified as an expedited review. Ethics approval for research is required for several reasons. Firstly, ethical norms promote the aims of research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error (Resnik, 2011). Secondly, ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness (Resnik, 2011). For example, guidelines for authorship, copyright and patenting policies, data sharing policies, and confidentiality rules in peer review, are designed to protect intellectual property interests while encouraging collaboration (Poortmans, 2013). Ethical norms in research also help to build public support for research as people are more likely to fund research project if they can trust the quality and integrity of research (Resnik, 2011). Finally, many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights, compliance with the law, and health and safety. This also protect the rights and welfare of participants and minimise the risk of physical and mental discomfort and harm from research procedures (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2006). Ethical lapses in research can significantly harm human subjects especially if the researcher fails to abide by the regulations and guidelines relating to radiation or biological safety (Resnik, 2011). Informed consent is the process by which the patient voluntarily confirms her willingness to participate in this research, after being informed of all the aspects of the research that are relevant to her decision-making (National Healthcare Group, 2013). The informed consent is documented by means of written signatures, date informed consent form and the language used during the explanation to the patient by the oncologist. In the consent, there should be 3 signatures: the patient’s, the doctor’s and the witness’ signature. For patients who cannot read and speak English, a qualified translator will be around during the signing of the consent. 3.4 Research design and instrumentation This research is a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods (see Appendix Q). Quantitative research corresponds to a deductive scientific method of research which uses data in the form of numbers and statistics to test hypotheses, using a large and randomly selected sample that is a representative of the population (Pearce, et al. 2013; Johnson Christensen 2010). This is in contrast to the qualitative approach which corresponds to an inductive method of research which uses words, pictures or objects to examine a phenomenon, requiring only a small and non-randomly selected sample (Pearce, et al. 2013; Johnson Christensen 2010). Patients will be scanned using Toshiba Aquilion Large Bore CT-simulator (Toshiba, 2014). The treatment plans will be generated using Varian Medical Eclipseâ„ ¢ Treatment Planning System and patients will be treated with DIBH technique using RPM from Varian Trilogy linear accelerator (Varian Medical System, 1999-2014). 3.5 Data collection procedures The same radiation oncologist will perform all the delineation of the clinical target volume, the heart and LADCA for consistency purposes (see Appendix R). The delineation will be done according to radiation therapy oncology group (RTOG) breast contouring recommendations (Goksel, et al., 2013). Patient’s CT images at breath hold will be used to plan for DIBH technique while the one at free breathing will be planned for photon electron match technique. The treatments will be planned such that the clinical target volume’s coverage of the dose distribution is kept between 90% and 110% of the prescribed dose. For each plan, heart and LADCA volumes were calculated in cm3. Dose volumes to the heart and LADCA will be normalized by dividing with the total organ volume. Heart and LADCA volumes receiving 5Gy to 50Gy (V5-V50) will be generated for comparison of treatment techniques. Dose distributions can be presented as DVHs and representing the statistical dose distribution in a volume of interest. These statistical data will be recorded and presented in tables. Patient education is a very important component in DIBH technique using RPM to reduce anxiety and increase their confidence about receiving radiation therapy (Halkett Kristjanson, 2007). Patient education tools can be in many forms such as video or pamphlet (Halkett Kristjanson, 2007). For this research, a pamphlet have been created to educate patients on DIBH technique using RPM (see Appendix S). A qualitative research method such as face-to-face interview is chosen to assess patient’s comfort and understanding at the middle of the treatment and on the last day of treatment as this only require the patients to speak the same language in which the questions are asked, and to have basic verbal and listening skills (Bowling, 2009). The primary objective of this standardised and open-ended interview (Valenzuela Shrivastava, n.d.) is to determine the degree of understanding as well as patient’s comfort. The questions (see Appendix T) will be asked by the oncologist durin g the middle of the treatment and on the last day of treatment. The advantages of face-to-face interviews are that reading and writing skills are not required, interviewers are able to probe fully for responses and clarify any ambiguities, they can ask more complicated and detailed questions, and patients are able to clarify if they do not understand the questions (Bowling, 2009). This would be a better technique than self-administered questionnaires because pre-coded response choices may not be sufficiently comprehensive and patients may be ‘forced’ to choose inappropriate pre-coded answers that might not fully represent their views (Bowling, 2009). This causes the data to be bias as the patient’s replies are influenced by the design of the pre-coded response choices. Self-administered questionnaires also assumed that the questions are worded in a way that is understood by the patients (Bowling, 2009). Patients may misinterpret the questions and reply based on their own interpretation and questionnaires may be a problem for p atients who are unable to read or write (Bowling, 2009). Most importantly, one-to-one interviews with standardised questions appeared to have the highest reliability (University of Leicester, n.d.). The radiation therapist’s workload will be measured in terms of training hours, and the comparison of treatment duration and manpower required for gated DIBH using RPM and photon electron match technique (see Appendix U) will be recorded and presented in charts. 3.6 Data analysis Paired samples t-test will be used to determine whether there is a significant difference between the average dose to the heart and LADCA values made under photon electron match plan and gated DIBH using RPM plan (Norman Streiner, 2008). This is used because the data are measured at the scale level and the data are related (Hawkins, 2009). The amount of radiation received by the heart can be recorded by comparing the DVHs of the photon electron match with gated DIBH using RPM. The statistical figures can be analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (Yavas, et al., 2012). Paired samples t-test will be used to determine whether there is a significant difference between the average dose to the heart and LADCA values made under photon electron match plan and gated DIBH using RPM plan (Easton McColl, 2014). A p-value of Patient’s understanding and comfort The questions (see Appendix T) from the standardised and open-ended interview were developed by a team of 2 radiation oncologists, a nurse and 2 radiation therapists. The areas of discussion were based on the group’s clinical experience with left-sided breast cancer patients and their extensive knowledge on DIBH using RPM. The interview aims to determine the patient’s level of comfort and understanding of the gated DIBH using RPM. The design of the questionnaire will determine the reliability and validity of the opened-ended interview to measure patient’s level of comfort and understanding. Reliability is defined as the extent to which questionnaire will produce the same results on repeated trials (Miller, n.d.), and is measured by its equivalence and stability. Equivalence reliability assesses the consistency of the judgement of the patient’s answer by the interview (Miller, n.d.). It is improved by pre-empting a range of responses that might be given by the patients and give a pre-determined rating to each response so that the interviewers will have the same level of ‘judgement’ (Miller, n.d.). For example, _____________- Stability reliability is correlated to the repeatability of the patient’s response under the same conditions after a period of time (Miller, n.d.). For this interview, the patients will be interviewed twice, once during mid-treatment and the other on the last day of their treatment. Their responses from both sessions will be compared to determine if there are any deviance. This assumes that the characteristics that is measured doesn’t change with time, and that the time period is long enough that the memories from the 1st interview will not influence the responses of the 2nd interview (Miller, n.d.). The validity of the interview is the extent to which the interview questions measures what it purport to measure, and it generally takes the form of content validity (Miller, n.d.). Content validity is the degree to which the questions fully assess or measure the intention of the interview (Miller, n.d.). This was determined by letting the team review the individual questions for readability, clarity and comprehensiveness and come to some level of agreement as to which items should be included in the final interview questions. The interview questions (see Appendix T) were reviewed and accepted by the team prior to the conduct of the interview. The treatment duration will be recorded as seen in Appendix U and a paired samples t-test similar to appendix V will be used to determine whether there is a significant difference, where the null hypothesis (H0) is there is no difference between the treatment time with photon electron match technique and DIBH using RPM technique. The radiation therapist workload will be analysed based on the minimum number of manpower required for gated DIBH using RPM as compared to photon electron match technique and in terms of training hours. This will be discussed among the radiation therapists and presented in charts. 3.7 Limitation This research can only sample from a small size due to constraint of resources where there is only 1 treatment unit that has the RPM equipment required for DIBH technique. The expected sample size calculated is only an estimate as the treatment difference and standard deviation are never known in advance (Norman Streiner, 2008). As such, the actual sample size may be slightly smaller than 68. 3.8 Expected Results The results from this research are expected to show optimal radiation exposure volumes and doses for the heart and LADCA when treated with gated DIBH using RPM compared to photon electron match technique at free breathing. These results are expected to be compatible with findings from previous studies (Pedersen, et al., 2004; Korreman, et al., 2005; Shim, et al., 2012; Mast, et al., 2013). As such, showing that patients with left sided breast cancer will benefit from gated DIBH using RPM. Treatment time duration for gated DIBH using RPM is expected to have a significant difference and be faster than photon electron match technique. As gated DIBH using RPM is new to the radiation therapists, the workload is expected to be heavier in the beginning. 3.9 Budget There will be no additional cost for this research as the RPM equipment is already available together with the linear accelerator from Varian (Varian Medical System, 1999-2014). There will be no cost for training on the usage for RPM by Varian as it was included in the package when the linear accelerators were bought in 2013. Patients recruited for this research will be charged the same cost as photon electron match treatment technique. 3.10 Expected Timeline This research aims to commence from January 2015 till December 2015. The work plan for both the principal investigator and research assistants can be seen in Appendix W. Chapter IV: Conclusion This research aims to review gated DIBH using RPM as a treatment technique for left-sided breast cancer patients as compared to photon electron match in terms of the radiation dose received by the heart and LADCA. Paired t-test is chosen to measure the significant difference between the dose received by the heart in photon electron match technique and DIBH using RPM technique. Based on literatures that were review, the results are expected to be in favour of gated DIBH using RPM. Interviews will be conducted to assess patient’s comfort and understanding about gated DIBH using RPM. And data collection will be done gauge the workload of the radiation therapist. The results from interview and data collection will allow us to gauge further if it is really practical to implement gated DIBH using RPM in our department. If the results are clinically significant and positive, gated DIBH using RPM will be implemented into our department. 4.1 Recommendation For future recommendation to try contrast-enhanced CT scan in left-sided breast patients so that the LADCA can be seen clearly in the scan and able to be delineated by the doctor effectively (Yu, et al., 2013). This is to increase the accuracy of the delineation of LADCA as well as the accurate amount of radiation dose received by it. After this research, another study can be done in the future on the reproducibility of patient’s breath holding level for every fraction using a cine acquisition mode (CAM) of a linear accelerator during treatment (Goksel, et al., 2013).

Presence of Desire in Three Short Stories Essay -- Literary Analysis

Human beings behave the way they do due to inherent urges that give them the impetus and the drive to do so. A person without these urges which have been commonly referred to as ambitions, goals and aspiration in life is in most cases considered to be a social liability lacking in both direction and purpose in life. This is a life that is worthless and insignificant. It is the direction in life, the burning aspirations, dreams and desires that push individuals to pursue their goals oblivious of the dangers, challenges and setbacks that swarm in pursuit of their desires. Some will even stop at nothing in order to satisfy this burning desire. This could possibly lead people to become violent, contemptuous, and be involved in activities that they would otherwise not participate in. This paper seeks to discuss the notion of desire through the lenses of three short stories: â€Å"The Swimmer† (desire of youth), â€Å"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Desire for Beauty) and â€Å"W here Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† (Desire for Lust and Looks). Desire is something that you cannot control, and the nature of desire can lead to one's ultimate fate. In "The Swimmer, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" we see character's desires lead to a costly price. Desire Desire is the motivation that catapults every mental script into action. It is the energy and the power that makes movement possible. It fires in men and women alike, the need to make incredible efforts in order to achieve their ultimate goal. It is a force that has shackled many a people in slavery due to its immense power and allure. Most people find it hard to reign in their desires which continue to rule over their minds, action and lives. Desi... ...s lust hunger urges satisfied. Desire also knows no class or status in the society, and can even lead the â€Å"high and mighty† folk to do things that do not benefit their status. This is observed by the actions of the queen in the story â€Å"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs†. It is imperative to note that desire matures into an obsession that blinds the individual from the reality of life into doing things that one would consider immoral and unethical. Work Cited Cheever, John. The Swimmer. The Art of the Short Story.1976. 123-131. Grim, Jacob, and Grim, Wilhelm. "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs." Web. 5 June 2012. . Oats, Joyce. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? The Art of the Short Story. 664- 675. William, Irvine. On Desire:Why We Want What We Want. New York : Oxford University Press, 2006. 11-55.

Sodium :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life could not exist without compounds of sodium. These compounds hold water in body tissues, and a severe deficiency of sodium can cause death. Blood contains sodium compounds in solution. Sodium compounds are used in industry in the manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, in metallurgy, in sodium vapor lamps, and in the production of hundreds of every day products. One of the most common sodium compounds is table salt, or sodium chloride. In its pure form sodium is a silver-white, soft and waxy metallic element. It is the sixth most abundant element on Earth and occurs in more that trace amounts in the stars and sun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The secret that led to low-cost production was learned in 1789, when the French chemist Nicolas Leblanc discovered how to make soda out of common salt. The compound called soda is sodium carbonate. Crude sodium carbonate is called soda ash. The carbonate also combines with water in crystals known as washing soda, or sal soda. Soda is used in manufacturing soap, glass, dyestuffs, and explosives and as the basis for making other sodium compounds. Other sodium compounds, with some of their uses, are: baking soda(sodium bicarbonate), an ingredient of baking powder; borax (sodium borate), a food preservative; and caustic soda, or lye (sodium hydroxide), used in soapmaking. Some properties of sodium are: Symbol Na, Atomic Number 11, Atomic Weight 22.9898, Boiling Point 1,621.2 F, and Melting Point 208.06 F.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sodium belongs to the group of elements known as alkali metals. It is never found uncombined in nature and was first isolated by the English scientist Sir Humphry Davy in 1807. Lighter than water, pure sodium can be cut with a knife at room temperature and is brittle at low temperatures. It conducts heat and electricity easily and exhibits a photoelectric effect, that is, it emits electrons when exposed to light. In its pure form, sodium oxidizes

Teaching Computer Ethics in the Classroom :: essays research papers

Teaching Computer Ethics in the Classroom The computer is considered one of the most technological advances of the twentieth century. As the general public becomes increasingly ‘computer literate,' the gap between technology and peoples' intellect notably shrinks. The readily available computers, software, and assorted output devices have enlightened many but, in turn, have increased the using of computers for unethical activities, privacy invasion and illegal purposes. Legal sanctions against abusive use of computers are a reactive approach. A proactive approach is to teach students about computer ethics in classrooms. An effective teaching method are the presentation of ethical scenarios. It is anticipated that through this method, students will personalize the need for developing ethical standards of behavior. The ultimate goal is for students, if necessary, to change their set of personal beliefs to include ethics. INTRODUCTION The computer is considered one of the most important technological advances of the twentieth century. Security and privacy issues have been in existence long before the computer became a vital component of organizations' operations. Nevertheless, the operating features of a computer make it a double-edged sword. Computer technologies with reliable error detection and recording capabilities, permit the invasion of a supposedly secure environment to occur on a grand scale and go undetected. Furthermore, computer and communications technology permit the invasion of a persons' privacy and likewise go undetected. Two forces threaten privacy: one, the growth of information technology with its enhanced capacity for surveillance, communication, computation, storage and retrieval and two, the more insidious threat, the increased value of information in decision making. Information has become more vital in the competitive environment, thus, decision makers covet it even if it viol! ates another's privacy. Violation of ones personal privacy, via computers, may in part be due to the incomplete understanding of responsibility on the part of those involved. Is it a management or a technical concern? Ethical standards that evolved over the history of Western civilization deal with interpersonal relationships. What is right or wrong? What one should do and not do when dealing with other people. Ethical behavior in a business environment has not been as clearly defined. When businesses were small and the property of a few individuals, traditional ethical standards were applied to meet different situations. However, as businesses became larger, the interpersonal ethical relations did not provide any clear behavioral guidelines. Likewise, the principles of ethical relationships were even less pertinent to the corporate environments. Teaching Computer Ethics in the Classroom :: essays research papers Teaching Computer Ethics in the Classroom The computer is considered one of the most technological advances of the twentieth century. As the general public becomes increasingly ‘computer literate,' the gap between technology and peoples' intellect notably shrinks. The readily available computers, software, and assorted output devices have enlightened many but, in turn, have increased the using of computers for unethical activities, privacy invasion and illegal purposes. Legal sanctions against abusive use of computers are a reactive approach. A proactive approach is to teach students about computer ethics in classrooms. An effective teaching method are the presentation of ethical scenarios. It is anticipated that through this method, students will personalize the need for developing ethical standards of behavior. The ultimate goal is for students, if necessary, to change their set of personal beliefs to include ethics. INTRODUCTION The computer is considered one of the most important technological advances of the twentieth century. Security and privacy issues have been in existence long before the computer became a vital component of organizations' operations. Nevertheless, the operating features of a computer make it a double-edged sword. Computer technologies with reliable error detection and recording capabilities, permit the invasion of a supposedly secure environment to occur on a grand scale and go undetected. Furthermore, computer and communications technology permit the invasion of a persons' privacy and likewise go undetected. Two forces threaten privacy: one, the growth of information technology with its enhanced capacity for surveillance, communication, computation, storage and retrieval and two, the more insidious threat, the increased value of information in decision making. Information has become more vital in the competitive environment, thus, decision makers covet it even if it viol! ates another's privacy. Violation of ones personal privacy, via computers, may in part be due to the incomplete understanding of responsibility on the part of those involved. Is it a management or a technical concern? Ethical standards that evolved over the history of Western civilization deal with interpersonal relationships. What is right or wrong? What one should do and not do when dealing with other people. Ethical behavior in a business environment has not been as clearly defined. When businesses were small and the property of a few individuals, traditional ethical standards were applied to meet different situations. However, as businesses became larger, the interpersonal ethical relations did not provide any clear behavioral guidelines. Likewise, the principles of ethical relationships were even less pertinent to the corporate environments.

Nano Chemistry Essay

1.1 Definition Nanochemistry is concerned with generating and altering chemical systems, which develop special and often new effects as a result of the laws of the nanoworld. The bases for these are chemically active nanometric units such as supramolecules or nanocrystals. Nanochemistry looks set to make a great deal of progress for a large number of industry sectors. Nanotechnology exists in the realm where many scientific disciplines meet. Achievements in physics are getting progressively smaller – from valves to electronics, down to microelectronics and quantum computing. It mirrors the downsizing in focus in the biological sciences, from cells to genomics. Conversely, achievements in chemistry have been converging into the nanometre range from below – from atoms and molecules to supramolecular chemistry. Nanochemisty focuses on the unique properties of materials in the 1–100 nm scale. The physical, chemical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of these materialsare all significantly different from both the properties of the individual building blocks (individual atoms or molecules), and also from the bulk materials.Nanochemistry is a truly multidisciplinary field, forming a bridge between nanotechnology and biotechnology, spanning the physical and life sciences. The Nanochemistry Research Institute (NRI) at Curtin carries out world-class research to provide innovative solutions to – energy and resources – materials and manufacturing – electronics – agricultural – environmental management, and – health and medical industries Nanochemistry applications in the materials, resources and energy sectors range from the design of crystalline catalysts and the control of crystal size, morphology, phase and purity, to the design and use of additives to control crystallization and inhibit scale formation. In the biological field, control of chemistry at the supramolecular level can lead to the development of a wide variety of new and improved biomaterials, such as artificial bones and tissues, as well as new pharmaceuticals and improved methods of drug delivery.1 ENGINEERING, SCIENCE ‘‘We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they.’’ Bernard of Chartres, 12th century with nanoscience being the discipline concerned with making, manipulating and imaging materials having at least one spatial dimension in the size range 1–1000 nm and nanotechnology being a device or machine, product or process, based upon individual or multiple integrated nanoscale components, then what is nanochemistry? In its broadest terms, the de.ning feature of nanochemistry is the utilization of synthetic chemistry to make nanoscale building blocks of different size and shape, composition and surface structure, charge and functionality. These building blocks may be useful in their own right. Or in a self-assembly construction process, spontaneous, directed by templates or guided by chemically or lithographically de.ned surface patterns, they may form architectures that perform an intelligent function and portend a particular use.2 1.2 Objective of nanochemistry – Creating nanoparticles – Allowing properties of nanosystems to evolve, manipulating and controlling them – Encapsulating and transporting materials (e.g. deodorant with nanodroplets)4 1.3 Nanochemistry used in: – – Cosmetics, e.g. sunscreen, toothpaste, skincare products – Sanitary ware – Built-in ovens and baking trays – Gas-tight packaging – Screens, photographic films – Separating technology for waste water treatment and food production – Catalysers for chemical reactions – Exhaust purification5 It is also used in formation of :- – Commercialization of nanochemicals – Nanooxides of precious, ferromagnetic, rare metals (Ti, Zr etc.) Nanopolymers and membranes – Nanomaterials (cement, fertilizers) – Nanopowders in chemical applications – Nanogreen chemistry – Nano energy applications – Environmental applications of nanotechnology When thinking about self-assembly of a targeted structure from the spontaneous organization of building blocks with dimensions that are beyond the sub-nanometer scale of most molecules or macromolecules, there are five prominent principles that need to be taken into consideration. These are: (i) building blocks, scale, shape, surface structure, (ii) attractive and repulsive interactions between building blocks, equilibrium separation, (iii) reversible association–dissociation and/or adaptable motion of building blocks in assembly, lowest energy structure, (iv) building block interactions with solvents, interfaces, templates, (v) building-blocks dynamics, mass transport and agitation. A challenge for perfecting structures made by this kind of self-assembly chemistry is to .nd ways of synthesizing (bottom-up) or fabricating (top-down) building blocks not only with the right composition but also having the same size and shape. No matter which way building blocks are made they are never truly monodisperse, nless they happen to be single atoms or molecules. There always exists a degree of polydispersity in their size and shape, which is manifest in the achievable degree of structural perfection of the assembly and the nature and population of defects in the assembled system. Equally demanding is to make building blocks with a particular surface structure, charge and functionality. Surface properties will control the interactions between building blocks as well as with their environment, which ultimately determines the geometry and distances at which building blocks come to equilibrium in a self-assembled system. Relative motion between building blocks facilitates collisions between them, whilst energetically allowed aggregation deaggregation processes and corrective movements of the self-assembled structure will allow it to attain the most stable form. 6 Providing the building blocks are not too strongly bound in the assembly it will be able to adjust to an orderly structure. If on the other hand the building blocks in the assembly are too strongly interacting, they will be unable to adjust their relative positions within the assembly and a less 1 ordered structure will result. Dynamic effects involving building blocks and assemblies can occur in the liquid phase, at an air/liquid or liquid/liquid interface, on the surface of a substrate or within a template co-assembly. As this text describes, building blocks can be made out of most known organic, inorganic, polymeric, and hybrid materials. Creative ways of making spheres and cubes, sheets and discs, wires and tubes, rings and spirals, with nm to cm dimensions, abound in the materials self-assembly literature. They provide the basic construction modules for materials self-assembly over all scales, a new way of synthesizing electronic, optical, photonic, magnetic materials with hierarchical structures and complex form, which is the central theme running throughout this chapter. A .owchart describing these main ideas is shown in igure 1. Nano-, a pre.x denoting a factor, its origin in the Greek nanos, meaning dwarf. The term is often associated with the time interval of a nanosecond, a billionth of a second, and the length scale of a nanometer, a billionth of a meter or 10 A  ° . In its broadest terms, nanoscience and nanotechnology congers up visions of making, imaging, manipulating and utilizing things really small. Feynman’s prescient nano world ‘‘on the head of a pin’’ inspires scientists and technologists to venture into this uncharted nano-terrain to do something big with something small.7 1.4 Large and Small Nanomaterials It was not so long ago in the world of molecules and materials that 1 nm (1 nm  ¼ 10 A  ° ) was considered large in chemistry while 1 m m (1 m m  ¼ 1000 nm  ¼ 10,000 A  ° ) was considered small in engineering physics. Matter residing in the ‘‘fuzzy interface’’ between these large and small extremes of length scales emerged as the science of nanoscale materials and has grown into one of the most exciting and vibrant fields of endeavor, showing all the signs of having a revolutionary impact on materials as we know them today. In our time, ‘‘nano’’ has left the science reservation and entered the industrial technology consciousness and public and political perception. Indeed, bulk materials can be remodeled through bottom-up synthetic chemistry and top-down engineering physics strategies as nanomaterials in two main ways, the first by reducing one or more of their physical dimensions to the nanoscale and the second by providing them with nanoscale porosity. When talking about finely divided and porous forms of nanostructured matter, it is found that ‘‘nanomaterials characteristically exhibits physical and chemical properties different from the bulk as a consequence of having at least one spatial dimension in the size range of 1–1000 nm’’.

Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees”

mANAGEMENT 350: hUMAN RESOURCE mANAGEMENT| â€Å"Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees†| | By: Chakana Moore, Patricia Davis, Eric Luken, Michelle Dailey, Jeffrey Webb| | 11/21/2011 Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance Human Resource Management Research Project November 21, 2011 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees Introduction Workplace monitoring has been a point of discussion within businesses as Human Resource Management feels that there is a need to watch their employees and how they conduct themselves at all times during the work day. Unless a government employee, employees are subject to any monitoring the employer deems necessary. Monitoring of e-mail and voicemail, as well as personal searches is within the rights of employers. Conducting video surveillance and tracking internet use are also rights of employers. There are legal as well as ethical aspects of employee monitoring which will be discussed in this paper. Specifically, we’ll expound on two specific organization examples that illustrate the growth of workplace monitoring. Next, issues and challenges of employee monitoring will be discussed. Lastly, sound recommendations based on our research will be given because it affects the people within the organization. It’s vital for workers to understand why monitoring is important and managers to respect and understand that employees have rights as well. Company/Organizational Examples Many companies utilize monitoring and surveillance. They have to learn to balance employer and employee rights. Businesses have the right to ensure that the employees are performing their jobs properly in a secure environment. On the other side, employees feel they should be protected at work and away from work. Since technology allows for employees to take large sums of valuable company secrets or data with them, workplace monitoring has increased. Common workplace monitoring includes e-mail and voice mail, internet use, and surveillance at work. Workplace monitoring has grown because of several forces. First force was the expansion in available technology, ranging from the internet to global tracking devices, which enhanced video capabilities and improved information systems software. Another force mentioned in our textbook is the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to the passing of USA Patriot Act. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson 502) This Act allowed government investigators to engage in broader monitoring of individuals, including workplace, in order to protect national security. One concern raised in the workplace is the privacy rights of employees. Employees can feel they are being threatened because of the monitoring. â€Å"Right to privacy† is an individualà ¢â‚¬â„¢s freedom from unauthorized and unreasonable intrusion into personal affairs. However, constitutional rights to privacy are generally inferred through the U. S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s rights which usually apply only to state actions. (Kopp) In an employment context, state actions are fairly narrowed to protecting federal, state, and municipal employees; private-sector employees must look elsewhere for protection. A possible source for such protection from employer snooping includes federal legislation and state common law tort actions such as invasion of privacy. The primary piece of federal legislation suggesting employee privacy interest is Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). McCubbins) There are three exceptions under the ECPA. The first one is the â€Å"provider exception† which says if the employer is providing the telephone, e-mail, or internet services to the employee being monitored, there is little doubt that the employer is protected from employee privacy claims. A second exception is the â€Å"ordinary course of business. † Under this exception, the employee can monitor employee com munications to ensure legitimate business objectives as assuring quality control, preventing sexual harassment, and preventing use of excessive telephone or email usage. Last exception is the â€Å"consent†. â€Å"Consent† exception applies to even when the sender of the intercepted communication has been assured that all email communications would remain confidential and privileged. In Smyth v The Pillsbury Company, Smyth sent emails to his supervisor that contained unprofessional comments from his home computer. Because his supervisor gave consent to the company to intercept the emails and the emails were later retrieved by the courts, Smyth was terminated and was not able to be protected under the consent exception. A second commonplace monitoring method used by employers is internet tracking. Internet tracking can be used to visit non-work websites like Facebook and Yahoo accounts. Statistics show over 90% of employees admits to visiting other websites doing work hours. About 76% of firms monitor internet use. This can help companies prevent employees from going to inappropriate sites which could possibly create legal issues. For instance, a New Jersey case contained a log that showed one employee accessing porn websites. This activity caused an employee to be arrested due to repeatedly logging on that site when told by his supervisor to stop. Also, this type of activity draws attention to companies and causes law enforcement to get involved and companies can be charged with aiding and abetting legal behavior if found with evidence. A third form of employee monitoring is the use of video surveillance at work. Video surveillance can create a lot of issues in the workplace. Businesses use them on retail floors and in production areas, parts and inventory rooms, and lobbies. According to the annual survey, Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance Survey 2001 conducted by the American Management Association, more than three-quarters of all major U. S. firms are recording and/or reviewing the e-mail messages and telephone calls. Also, surveillance can be used to monitor software in the workplace. One surveillance capability of software monitoring can include workplace software that runs on monitored computers is hidden and difficult for an employee to find or the software could be present and monitoring their every keystrokes. Monitoring software cannot be terminated without the network administrator’s permission. Major issues/challenges Video surveillance is a great way for managers to ensure that their employees are behaving ethically. All managers want to make sure that their company’s time and money are being spent in the right way. Video surveillance will show what is going on within the company, but with the installation of video cameras some problems are likely to arise. Some of the top problems we found will be discussed over the next three paragraphs. The first problem that may arise is deception. This occurs when the company installs video camera for the first time and they don’t inform the employees. If the employer lies about the locations of the camera, this can be considered a form of deception and can open up the possibility for a lawsuit to take place. The employer must be completely honest with their workers in order for the camera to be of good use. With the evolution of technology there are different ways to ensure the company’s time is being used the right way and with doing that, employers must tell the employees that they will be videotaped while at work. There have been lawsuits surrounding uninformed employees and the courts have ruled in favor of the employee. Violation of confidentiality occurs when the company distributes information of an employee. This can happen in different ways such as the company giving out information to someone who doesn’t have the right to have it; for example, distributing video tapes of employees in a theft apprehend interview or job interview. With the installation of video surveillance there will be varying reactions. Only authorized management staff should watch the tapes and not distribute the tapes to unauthorized users. The biggest problem that companies can face from installation of video surveillance is invasion of privacy. This can happen when businesses install video surveillance in employee bathrooms or any other inappropriate place an employee will dwell. It’s reasonable that companies want to do what they can to prevent employees from stealing from the company whether that is merchandise or time. It’s also reasonable that companies want to prevent any conflict that can arise during work. Through the installation of video surveillance, problems can be prevented due to the video surveillance serving as evidence of any unethical behavior. Recommendation/Implementation Based on our research, it is highly recommended that organizations have a structured surveillance and electronic monitoring system within the workplace. Having an accurate system in place will most likely have a positive impact on the people that work within the organization. Also, it will protect the company from unmerited/unwanted lawsuits. Surveillance systems within the workplace show that employers are taking the initiative to make their employees feel safe. Employers utilize surveillance systems to ensure employee security by placing them externally within the outside parameter of the business including parking lots, street corners, garages, and poorly lit areas. Internal cameras can help decrease workplace violence and theft within the company. If employees know they are being watched, they are less likely to cause confrontations or to steal because of the threat of being caught on tape. One negative impact that internal cameras can have on employees is it may affect employee morale because it can make employees feel like they are not trusted and that they are always being watched. However, organizations have to be careful not to violate employee privacy laws by placing video surveillance within restrooms, changing rooms, or private areas. From a legal standpoint, advances in electronic technology and telecommunication have created additional problems for human resource managers through the use of emails, internet, voice mail, and instant messaging. Monitoring all employees’ electronic usage is critical in order for the company to protect itself from lawsuits and from potentially damaging the company’s image. Having a structured system in place will significantly help a company be proactive instead of reactive in their disciplinary steps to correct or eliminate the abuse of their internal electronic systems. The employer should have scanners that are equipped with scanners that will screen for inappropriate pictures or wording and a firewall that will block inappropriate internet websites that the company does not approve of. If an employee is flagged by this scanning system, hey should be disciplined immediately according to company policy and human resource professionals should thoroughly document the incident to prevent lawsuits or in the event a lawsuit is filed they are well prepared to prove that the company was justified in their disciplinary actions they took. The correct strategic approach to electronic mo nitoring and surveillance is to have an in depth employee handbook which is an essential tool for communicating information regarding the workplace policies and disciplinary actions. The handbook should be a downward communication that flows from the top management to the rest of the organization. However, the organization should create a company culture were employees also feel comfortable with upward communication that enable managers to learn about employee concerns because several of the employee handbook violations are reported by lower level employees. Within the employee handbook, employers should have a video surveillance policy informing employees about their surveillance system, informing them that the surveillance system is only performed for legitimate business purposes, and that they strictly limit those who view the surveillance videos. Also, there should be an electronic communications policy that employees are required to sign a permission form that states, they will comply with the policy. This policy should clearly outline that electronic use is provided by the employer for business use only; the use of media for personal use is restricted and is subject to employer review; all passwords must be available to the employer; and the employer reserves the right to monitor or search any media without notice. Organizations must ensure that they are balancing employer and employee rights by using electronic monitor and surveillance systems for business purposes only. Conclusion Surveillance of employees in the work place comes down to investments and the right to be involved in almost all aspects of that investment. Involvement in one’s interest is a good thing but if used excessively, any good things can be harmful. 90 percent of works admit to the use of their computer for non-work related issues, this is an impressive stat that any intelligent business owner would not ignore. Ignoring this stat turns your back on the quality and quantity of work you are paying your employees for, not including legal issues that can be devastating to your company. Internet surveillance seems to be a much need necessity for large companies were as video surveillance is needed for almost every company. Video surveillance is only the epitome of technology and ethical monitoring. Now business has the means of protecting tangible, non-tangible, and human investments at all times. This act starts by insuring employees that they are protected and procedures are in place to keep them working along an ethical passage. This is why it is important to inform those in the work of surveillance, it discourages unwanted behavior, this does not only protean to employees but to outsiders as well. How many times have you see signs of surveillance? Some says â€Å"Smile, you are being watched,† this very smart thing to do in this day in age. Everyone would love to watch every moment of their child’s development but no one has the time and resources to do so. What if you could? What if this was your job? Sure you would try to do so with the best of your abilities, but at the same time, you would have to give them private time. So, there is a clear line between protection and Violation of Confidentiality and Invasion of Privacy Working for any company is a privilege not a right, but it is a right for privileged peopled to be protected ethically. Works Cited Kopp, k. Electronic Communications in the Workplace: E-mail Monitoring and the Right of Privacy, 8 Seaton Hall Const. L. J. 861. 1998. McCubbins, G. Daryl and Jeretta Nord/Tipton F. â€Å"E-Monitoring in the Wokplace: Prviacy, legislation, and surveillance software. † COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. Vols. 49, No 8. August 2006. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson. Human Resource Managemnet, Twelfth Edtion. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2008, 2006.