Wind Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Wind Energy - Essay Example This paper stresses that wind energy is extracted from wind. Extraction of this form of energy involves the use of turbines to generate electric power for both domestic uses. The history of this form of energy dates back to over 2000 years ago when wind-powered machines were used to pump water. Prof James Blyth was the brainchild of this new development. He built a ten-meter high wind turbine that he used to charge accumulators that provided power for lighting system in the cottage. In this respect, the cottage made history as the first house that utilized energy to provide electricity. This report makes a conclsuion that wind energy plays a pivotal role in sustainable development. It poses minimal threat environmental sustainability since it provides a clean source of energy. It has reduced unemployment levels by creating thousands of opportunities for farmers, ranchers and providing high-paying jobs in various fields. These fields include the turbine manufacturing plants, maintenance and operation of turbines, construction of turbines as well as their installation, transportations and logistics, legal services and maintenance. The wind energy system generates huge amount of money in the economy of a nation. For example, it generated $10billion in the economy of the United States. Due to inexhaustible nature, this energy source is plenty and reliable for use in homes and industries. Due to its benefits, many people have embraced it. It offers a suitable alternative that can be harnessed to replace exhaustible sources such as oil and coal.

Basic Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Basic Critical Thinking - Essay Example The European debt crisis is one of the most critical financial huddles encountered by the global economy, but the problem is also perhaps the hardest to appreciate. The global economy has undergone slow growth since the financial crisis of 2008, which revealed the unsound fiscal policies of European countries and other countries across the globe (Rushe, 2012). Greece, which engaged in vigorous spending for years, was unable to institute financial reforms; thus was one of the initial countries to suffer the consequences of weak growth. This problem is relevant to the modern financial world since it reveals how slow growth causes slow tax incomes, resulting in exceedingly high and unsustainable budget deficits. The magnitude of the problem became evident as Greece announced that the country’s debts exceeded the entire size of its economy. In order to curtail the European debt crisis, the European Union established a series of bailouts for the troubled economies, beginning with the 2010 110 billion Euro bailout for Greece, and subsequent bailouts for Ireland and Portugal in 2010 and 2011, respectively (Lynn, 2010). The EU and IMF establishe d a debt restructuring strategy for the countries experiencing debt issues. However, the action plan moved quite slowly because the EU requires consent from all union members before dispatching bailouts to troubled countries. It is hence critical that the EU develops effective and timely strategies to assist its member countries recover from the debt crisis. The problem essentially concerns European countries’ inability to pay off their debts, owing to their dwindling economic capabilities. The boundaries of the problem situation are essentially the bounds of the European Union, and some of the most viable alternatives include seeking financial assistance from the international community so as to bail out all countries affected by the debt crisis. The greatest advantage

Strategies of Job Analysis

Strategies of Job Analysis The most basic building block of HR management, job analysis, is a systematic way to gather and analyze information about the content and human requirement of jobs, and the context in which jobs are performed. Job analysis usually involves collecting information on the characteristics of a job that differentiate it from other jobs. Information that can be helpful in making the distinction includes the following: Work activities and behaviors Machines and equipment used Interactions with others Working conditions Performance standards Supervision given and received Financial and budgeting impact Knowledge, skills, and abilities needed What Is a Job? Although the terms job and position are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference in emphasis. A job is a grouping of common tasks, duties, and responsibilities. A position is a job performed by one person. Thus, if there are two persons operating word processing equipment, there are two positions (one for each person) but just one job (word processing operator). Differentiating between Job Analysis and Job Design It is useful to clarify the differences between job design and job analysis. Job design is broader in nature and has as its primary thrust meshing the productivity Job analysis A systematic way to gather and analyze information about the content and the human requirements of jobs, and the context in which jobs are performed. Job A grouping of similar positions having common tasks, duties, and responsibilities. Position A job performed by one person. needs of the organization with the needs of the individuals performing the various jobs. Increasingly, a key aim for job design is to provide individuals meaningful work that fits effectively into the flow of the organization. It is concerned with changing, simplifying, enlarging, enriching, or otherwise making jobs such that the efforts of each worker fit together better with other jobs. Job analysis has a much narrower focus in that it is a formal system for gathering data about what people are doing in their jobs. The information generated by job analysis may be useful in redesigning jobs, but its primary purpose is to get a clear understanding of what is done on a job and what capabilities are needed to do a job as it has been designed. Documents that capture the elements identified during a job analysis are job descriptions and job specifications. Job Analysis and the Changing Nature of Jobs Increasingly, commentators and writers are discussing the idea that the nature of jobs and work is changing so much that the concept of a -job  may be obsolete for many people. For instance, in some high-technology industries employees work in cross-functional project teams and shift from project to project. The focus in these industries is less on performing specific tasks and duties and more on fulfilling responsibilities and attaining results. For example, a project team of eight employees developing software to allow various credit cards to be used with ATMs worldwide will work on many different tasks, some individually and some with other team members. When that project is finished those employees will move to other projects, possibly with other employers. Such shifts may happen several times per year. Therefore, the basis for recruiting, selecting, and compensating these individuals is their competence and skills, not what they do.2 Even the job of managers changes in s uch situations, for they must serve their project teams as facilitators, gatherers of resources, and removers of roadblocks. However, in many industries that use lower-skilled workers, traditional jobs continue to exist. Studying these jobs and their work consequences is relatively easy because of the repetitiveness of the work and the limited number of tasks each worker performs. Clearly, studying the two different types of jobs- the lower-skilled ones and highly technical ones- requires different approaches. Many of the typical processes associated with identifying job descriptions are still relevant with the lower-skilled, task-based jobs. However, for fast-moving organizations in hightechnology industries, a job description is becoming an obsolete concept. Employees in these -virtual jobs  must be able to function without job descriptions and without the traditional parameters that are still useful with less changeable jobs.3 Work Analysis Work analysis studies the workflow, activities, context, and output of a job. This analysis can be conducted on a department, business process, or individual level. At one level, the industrial engineering approach of time and motion studies is useful in work analysis. At another level the linkage of what is done in one department may be looked at in relation to work activities performed Chapter 7 Analyzing and Identifying Jobs 215 Work analysis Studying the workflow,activities, context, and output of a job. in another area. For instance, in an electric utility if a customer calls with a service outage problem, it is typical for a customer service representative to take the information and enter it into a database. Then in the operations department, a dispatcher may access the database to schedule a line technician to repair the problem. The customer would be called back and notified about the timing of the repair. The line technician also must receive instructions from a supervisor, who gets the information on workload and locations from the dispatcher. A work analysis identified that there were too many steps involving too many different jobs in this process. Therefore, the utility implemented a new customer information system and combined the dispatching function with customer service. The redesign permitted the customer service representatives to access workload information and schedule the line technicians as part of the initial consumer phone calls, except in unusual situations. The redesign of jobs required redefining the jobs, tasks, duties, and responsibilities of several jobs. To implement the new jobs required training the customer service representatives in dispatching and moving dispatchers into the customer service department and training them in all facets of customer service. The result was a more responsive workflow, more efficient cheduling of line technicians, and broadening of the jobs of the customer service representatives. This example illustrates that analyzing work activities and processes may require looking at what capabilities individuals need as well as what they do. That certainly would be true as office support jobs, such as the secretarial job, are examined. Increasingly, it is being recognized that jobs can be analyzed on the basisof both tasks and competencies. Task-Based Job Analysis Analyzing jobs based upon what is done on the job focuses on the tasks, duties, and responsibilities performed in a job. A task is a distinct, identifiable work activity composed of motions, whereas a duty is a larger work segment composed of several tasks that are performed by an individual. Because both tasks and duties describe activities, it is not always easy or necessary to distinguish between the two. For example, if one of the employment supervisor„ ¢s duties is to interview applicants, one task associated with that duty would be asking questions. Job responsibilities are obligations to perform certain tasks and duties. For jobs that remain task-based, many standard phases of the job analysis process can continue. As indicated in the phases of traditional job analysis that are outlined later in the chapter, extensive effort is made to clarify what specifically is done on a job. Development of job descriptions identifies what is done and lists job functions. Competency Approach to Job Analysis There is a growing interest in focusing on the competencies that individuals need in order to perform jobs, rather than on the tasks, duties, and responsibilities composing a job. This shift emphasizes that it is the capabilities that people have that truly influence organizational performance. As E.E. Lawler suggests, instead of thinking of individuals having jobs that are relatively stable and can be written up into typical job descriptions, it may be more relevant to focus on the competen-216 Section 2 Staffing the Organization Task A distinct, identifiable work activity composed of motions. Duty A larger work segment composed of several tasks that are performed by an individual. Job responsibilities Obligations to perform certain tasks and duties. cies used.4 Competencies are basic characteristics that can be linked to enhanced performance by individuals or teams of individuals. The groupings of competencies, as Figure 7- 1 indicates, may include knowledge, skills, and abilities. VISIBLE AND HIDDEN COMPETENCIES hidden and visible competencies. Knowledge, being more visible, is recognized by many employers in matching individuals to jobs. With skills, although some are evident such as skill in constructing financial spreadsheets, others such as negotiating skills, may be less identifiable. But it is the -hidden  competencies of abilities, which may be more valuable, that can enhance performance. For example, the abilities to conceptualize strategic relationships and to resolve interpersonal conflicts are more difficult to identify and assess. A growing number of organizations are using some facets of competency analysis. A survey of over 200 organizations sponsored by the American Compensation Association (ACA) asked about the major reasons that firms have used the competency approach. The three primary reasons given were (1) communicating valued behaviors throughout the organization; (2) raising the competency levels of the organization; and (3) emphasizing the capabilities of people to enhance organizational competitive advantage.5 Many earlier efforts to use competencies have been job-based, meaning that competencies are identified in the context of specific jobs. In this way the competency approach is a logical extension of traditional job analysis activities. However, some organizations are taking the competency approach to another level by focusing on role-based competencies. This shift has been accentuated by the growing use of work teams, whereby individuals move among tasks and jobs. Some of the roles might be leader, supporter, tactician, technical expert, administrator, or others. Through competency analysis, the competencies needed for individuals playing different roles in work teams can be identified. Then selection criteria, development activities, and other HR efforts must be revised to focus on the different sets of competencies needed for the various roles. COMPETENCY ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY Unlike the traditional approach to analyzing jobs, which identifies the tasks, duties, knowledge, and skills associated with a job, the competency approach considers how the knowledge and skills are used. The competency approach also attempts to identify the hidden factors that are often critical to superior performance. For instance, many supervisors talk Chapter 7 Analyzing and Identifying Jobs 217 Competencies Basic characteristics that can be linked to enhanced performance by individuals or teams. Knowledge Scale: Visible Hidden Abilities Skills Conceptual Model of Competencies about employees„ ¢ attitudes, but they have difficulty identifying what they mean by attitude. The competency approach uses some methodologies to help supervisors identify examples of what they mean by attitude and how those factors affect performance. Several methodologies are available and being used to determine competencies, with behavioral event interviews being commonly found. This process involves the following steps:6 1. A team of senior managers identifies future performance results areas critical to the business and strategic plans of the organization. These concepts may be broader than those used in the past. 2. Panel groups are assembled, composed of individuals knowledgeable about the jobs in the company. This group can include both high- and low-performing employees, supervisors, managers, trainers, and others. 3. A facilitator from HR or an outside consultant interviews the panel members to get specific examples of job behaviors and actual occurrences on the jobs. During the interview the individuals are also asked about their thoughts and feelings during each of the described events. 4. Using the behavioral events, the facilitator develops detailed descriptions of each of the competencies. This descriptive phase provides clarity and specifics so that employees, supervisors, managers, and others in the organization have a clearer understanding of the competencies associated with jobs. 5. The competencies are rated and levels needed to meet them are identified. Then the competencies are specified for each of the jobs. 6. Finally, standards of performance are identified and tied to the jobs. Appropriate selection screening, training, and compensation processes focusing on competencies must be developed and implemented. Examples of the competencies used in organizations vary widely. In one survey of 10 companies, the following were most common. Customer focus Leadership Team orientation Innovation Technical expertise Adaptability Results orientation

A Comparison of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Dead Poets Society

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vs. Dead Poets Society      Ã‚   "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost) In today's world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society. Society is civilized, and to be civilized there must be rules, regulations and policies that prevent. Individuality leads to a mess of chaos. To prevent disorder, institutions in society keep these rules strongly enforced. Man creates these institutions in order to provide convenience and stability in everyday life. Then instead of man running these institutions, the institutions begin to reverse the role of power and the institutions are running man. He is rendered helpless to what he has created. With the institution in power it has become smarter and stronger than man, working to destroy individuality with the invisible machine running smoothly. Positions of power and authority are given to some. The power chang es those who it into an unfeeling, ruthless, cold machine. Also they become part of the institution, forgetting the real purpose of their jobs. Institutions force individuals to bend and mold the standard and give up freedom and individuality. Some individuals are unable to conform when their will to remain creative and self-reliant is too strong; they fight against the current that society and its institutions create. Beating the system is another thing; those who attempt to beat the system are often referred to as romantics because they do not focus on the reality of situations. The system cannot be beat. If one official of an intuition is taken down there will be a many more waiting i... ...de. Those who face their weaknesses and accept themselves are successful in the manner that they obtain complete control of their lives instead of letting society influence their decisions. Rebelliousness of this force results in complications and dissatisfaction of those who uphold its values. A choice must be made whether to walk in that straight line of society or branch out to the new world.    Work Cited 1.Chapman, Jeff and John D. Jorgenson, eds. "Kesey, Ken." Contemporary   Authors Vol.54. Detroit: Gale, 1997.    2.Frost, Robert. Selected Poems by Robert Frost, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2001    3.Graham, Judith, ed. Current Biography Yearbook Vol. 1962, New York: The H.W Wilson Company, 1993    4.Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, New York: Penguin Group, 1962    5.Weir, Peter. Dead Poets Society, 1989 A Comparison of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Dead Poets Society One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vs. Dead Poets Society      Ã‚   "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost) In today's world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society. Society is civilized, and to be civilized there must be rules, regulations and policies that prevent. Individuality leads to a mess of chaos. To prevent disorder, institutions in society keep these rules strongly enforced. Man creates these institutions in order to provide convenience and stability in everyday life. Then instead of man running these institutions, the institutions begin to reverse the role of power and the institutions are running man. He is rendered helpless to what he has created. With the institution in power it has become smarter and stronger than man, working to destroy individuality with the invisible machine running smoothly. Positions of power and authority are given to some. The power chang es those who it into an unfeeling, ruthless, cold machine. Also they become part of the institution, forgetting the real purpose of their jobs. Institutions force individuals to bend and mold the standard and give up freedom and individuality. Some individuals are unable to conform when their will to remain creative and self-reliant is too strong; they fight against the current that society and its institutions create. Beating the system is another thing; those who attempt to beat the system are often referred to as romantics because they do not focus on the reality of situations. The system cannot be beat. If one official of an intuition is taken down there will be a many more waiting i... ...de. Those who face their weaknesses and accept themselves are successful in the manner that they obtain complete control of their lives instead of letting society influence their decisions. Rebelliousness of this force results in complications and dissatisfaction of those who uphold its values. A choice must be made whether to walk in that straight line of society or branch out to the new world.    Work Cited 1.Chapman, Jeff and John D. Jorgenson, eds. "Kesey, Ken." Contemporary   Authors Vol.54. Detroit: Gale, 1997.    2.Frost, Robert. Selected Poems by Robert Frost, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2001    3.Graham, Judith, ed. Current Biography Yearbook Vol. 1962, New York: The H.W Wilson Company, 1993    4.Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, New York: Penguin Group, 1962    5.Weir, Peter. Dead Poets Society, 1989

Symbol Essay on King Lear

Often in literature, symbolism is used to represent ideas or meanings in a metaphorical sense. However, in Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, the symbolism of blindness is used both in a metaphorical and literal way. This symbolism can first be seen in the metaphorical blindness of Lear, and then Gloucester, which then leads to the literal blindness of Gloucester later on in the play. These examples of blindness are an important part of King Lear because they help the reader to better understand the themes that Shakespeare wanted to convey through his work.The symbol of blindness can be found in the very first scene of the play, when Lear is demanding praise from his daughters to decide who will receive the better part of the land when he gives up his throne. He is metaphorically blinded by his pride and arrogance when his eldest daughter, Cordelia, replies by saying nothing. Lear is enraged, â€Å"Nothing will come of nothing†¦Here I disclaim all my paternal care†¦And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this forever† (I. i. 89-114), and he foolishly banishes the only daughter who truly loves him.He cannot see that through Cordelia’s silence, she is actually saying much more than her sisters, who were deceiving their father in order to receive power. Through the example of Lear’s actions, the theme that pride and arrogance can blind you is presented to the reader and continues on to evolve into a major theme of the play. Another theme that is introduced through the symbol of blindness is that people are easily deceived by others. This theme is apparent when Gloucester is deceived by his bastard son, Edmund. His plan is to deceive his father in order to â€Å"if not by birth, have lands by wit.† (I. ii. 164).He is so desperate for power that he goes to the extreme of putting his brother in danger due the fake letter he gave to Gloucester, making him believe Edgar had turned against him. Gloucester is blinded b y Edmund’s trickery and lies to the point where he orders for Edgar to be killed. Through his example of metaphorical blindness, Gloucester becomes an example of the theme that blindness leads to people being easily deceived by others. Gloucester is also an example of the literal symbolism of blindness that Shakespeare uses in King Lear.In the third act, comes the bloodiest part of the tragedy; Gloucester is literally blinded by Cornwall for helping Lear escape to Dover. After having both of his eyes plucked out, Gloucester asks to see his son Edmund, whom he believes is there to protect him. Regan reveals the truth to him, â€Å"Thou call’st on him that hates thee. It was he That made the overture of thy treason to us, Who is too good to pity thee,† (III. vii. 88-90), and Gloucester then realizes he has been deceived by Edmund and wronged his son Edgar. By not seeing Edmund’s treachery until he was blind, Gloucester presents another theme, blindness can lead to truth.By saying, â€Å"I stumbled when I saw,† (IV. i. 19) Gloucester helps the reader to understand that seeing can blind us from the truth. Through the symbol of blindness, whether metaphorical or literal, the meaning of the play is greatly enhanced by the themes the symbol presents. The reader can better understand the meanings and ideas that Shakespeare intended to portray through his characters. Lear and Gloucester, through their metaphorical and literal examples, allow the symbol to be used as an important part of the play. Symbol Essay on King Lear Often in literature, symbolism is used to represent ideas or meanings in a metaphorical sense. However, in Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, the symbolism of blindness is used both in a metaphorical and literal way. This symbolism can first be seen in the metaphorical blindness of Lear, and then Gloucester, which then leads to the literal blindness of Gloucester later on in the play. These examples of blindness are an important part of King Lear because they help the reader to better understand the themes that Shakespeare wanted to convey through his work.The symbol of blindness can be found in the very first scene of the play, when Lear is demanding praise from his daughters to decide who will receive the better part of the land when he gives up his throne. He is metaphorically blinded by his pride and arrogance when his eldest daughter, Cordelia, replies by saying nothing. Lear is enraged, â€Å"Nothing will come of nothing†¦Here I disclaim all my paternal care†¦And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this forever† (I. i. 89-114), and he foolishly banishes the only daughter who truly loves him. He cannot see that through Cordelia’s silence, she is actually saying much more than her sisters, who were deceiving their father in order to receive power. Through the example of Lear’s actions, the theme that pride and arrogance can blind you is presented to the reader and continues on to evolve into a major theme of the play.Another theme that is introduced through the symbol of blindness is that people are easily deceived by others. This theme is apparent when Gloucester is deceived by his bastard son, Edmund. His plan is to deceive his father in order to â€Å"if not by birth, have lands by wit.† (I. ii. 164). He is so desperate for power that he goes to the extreme of putting his brother in danger due the fake letter he gave to Gloucester, making him believe Edgar had turned against him. Gloucester is blinded by Edmund’s trickery and lies to the point where he orders for Edgar to be killed. Through his example of metaphorical blindness, Gloucester becomes an example of the theme that blindness leads to people being easily deceived by others.Gloucester is also an example of the literal symbolism of blindness that Shakespeare uses in King Lear. In the third act, comes the bloodiest part of the tragedy; Gloucester is literally blinded by Cornwall for helping Lear escape to Dover. After having both of his eyes plucked out, Gloucester asks to see his son Edmund, whom he believes is there to protect him.Regan reveals the truth to him, â€Å"Thou call’st on him that hates thee. It was he That made the overture of thy treason to us, Who is too good to pity thee,† (III. vii. 88-90), and Gloucester then realizes he has been deceived by Edmund and wronged his son Edgar. By not seeing Edmund’s treachery until he was blind, Gloucester presents another theme, blindness can lead to truth. By saying, â€Å"I stumbled when I saw,† (IV. i. 19) Gloucester helps the reader to understand that seeing can blind us from the truth.Through the symbol of blindness, whether metaphorical or literal, the meaning of the play is greatly enhanced by the themes the symbol presents. The reader can better understand the meanings and ideas that Shakespeare intended to portray through his characters. Lear and Gloucester, through their metaphorical and literal examples, allow the symbol to be used as an important part of the play.

Pervasis Case Study

Pervasis Receives Orphan Drug Designation in Europe for Vascugel ® to Prevent Arteriovenous Access Failure in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis Cell-Based Therapy Aims to Regulate the Body’s Healing Response, Promoting Vascular Repair, Reducing the Need for Repeat Surgical Procedures and Improving Patient Outcomes Cambridge, Mass. , March 1, 2011 — Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for Vascugel ® for the prevention of hemodialysis vascular access failure in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).The designation follows a positive opinion from The Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) within the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier this year. Vascugel is a novel endothelial cell-based therapy that aims to regulate the body’s healing response following surgical interventions to create vascular access which are necessary for ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis.By p romoting and enhancing vascular repair, Vascugel reduces the need for repeat surgical interventions and improves overall patient outcomes. ESRD is an advanced and irreversible condition treated mainly by hemodialysis or kidney transplantation. It is estimated that more than 250,000 ESRD patients in the EU receive hemodialysis, a blood purification therapy designed to replace critical kidney functions – such as filtering waste.Orphan Drug Designation by the EC provides regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union (EU). In addition to a 10year period of marketing exclusivity in the EU after product approval, Orphan Drug Designation provides companies with scientific advice and regulatory assistance from the EMA during the product development phase, direct access to centralized marketing authorization, as wel l as reductions in certain fees. We are committed to bringing Vascugel to patients with end stage renal disease who currently must endure serious complications and repeat surgical procedures so they can continue to receive life-saving hemodialysis treatment,† Frederic Chereau, president and chief executive officer of Pervasis. â€Å"Receiving Orphan Drug Designation in the EU is an important step, as it will help to advance the development process, and enhance our ability to deliver our novel cellbased therapeutic approach to address this significant unmet medical need. Vascugel has demonstrated proof of concept in two Phase 2 clinical trials involving patients with ESRD who require a permanent arteriovenous (AV) access in order to undergo hemodialysis. In these trials, Vascugel exhibited an excellent safety profile, and encouraging efficacy trends were observed, including improved duration of patency (or unimpeded blood flow) and a delay in time to first intervention as comp ared to placebo. In 2009, Pervasis received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Vascugel in patients with ESRD. Pervasis announced last month that the FDA had granted Fast Track review status for Vascugel. Last year, Pervasis reached an agreement with the FDA for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Vascugel under the Agency’s Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) procedure, whereby FDA formalized its agreement that the design of the Phase 3 trial was acceptable to support a regulatory submission seeking new drug approval.Failure of Hemodialysis Access Points Leads to Poor Outcomes During hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body, filtered through a dialyzer, or artificial kidney, and then returned to the body. Patients must undergo a surgical intervention to create a vascular access that enables blood to flow from the body to the dialyzer and back to the body. AV fistulae (created by directly joining an artery and vein) and AV grafts (created u sing a synthetic tube to join an artery and vein) are the two primary types of hemodialysis access.Due to an inflammatory cascade triggered by surgical intervention, the vascular access often has difficulty healing, and quickly become unusable or clot rapidly, prompting the need for additional, recurring surgeries to create a new access which can lead to multiple complications. Up to 60 percent of all arteriovenous (AV) grafts require re-intervention after one year. 1, 2 AV access failure is the most common reason for hospitalization among hemodialysis patients and can lead to anemia, infection, weight loss, jaundice, prolonged bleeding, and other serious complications. Vascugel ® – Combating Inflammation and Promoting Healing Pervasis’ novel approach to cell therapy uses adult-differentiated allogeneic endothelial cells (donor endothelial cells with a highly targeted biologic function) embedded in a polymer matrix to enhance the body’s natural healing respons e. The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels in the body. Endothelial cells are critical to tissue repair and health, and have a well-understood role in regulating many of the body’s healing processes, including those associated with vascular repair.Vascugel, which utilizes Pervasis’ patented endothelial cell-based platform, is placed on the outside of the blood vessel at the AV access site during the surgical intervention to create the access. The endothelial formulation in Vascugel secrete several factors that combat inflammation and promote proper vascular healing, reducing thrombosis (or clotting) and the formation of intimal hyperplasia, or a thickening of the blood vessel wall in response to injury. After approximately four to eight weeks, Vascugel is safely resorbed by the body.Pervasis’ other areas of clinical investigation include improving outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) follow ing surgical procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTAs) with stenting, the failures of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. Earlier this year, Pervasis announced it has also embarked on an oncology development program using its proprietary endothelial cellbased platform to prevent solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease. About Pervasis Dixon et al.DAC Study Group. Effect of dipyridamole plus aspirin on hemodialysis graft patency. N Engl J Med. 2009; 360: 2191-2201. 2 Hayashi et al. Vascular access for hemodialysis. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol 2006; 2: 504-513 3 Castner D. Recommendations for tracking arteriovenous access complications using a charting-by-exception model. Anna Journal, 1998; 25(4): 393-396. 1 Pervasis Inc. is a clinical stage company that is developing groundbreaking endothelial cellbased therapies designed to regulate the body’s natural healing and repair processes in various critical therapeutic areas.The company has initially focused on developing therapies to improve the outcomes of common vascular interventions, such as arteriovenous access, angioplasties, stent placements, and peripheral and coronary bypass grafts – the failure of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. The company’s lead program, Vascugel ®, has demonstrated proof of concept and safety in two Phase 2 clinical trials.Pervasis is also applying its endothelial cell-based platform technology to develop an oncology therapy focused on preventing solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease, as well as products for inflammatory disease and orthopedic injury. Pervasis is a privately held company with funding from Flagship Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and the Richter Family Fund. For more information, please visit www. pervasistx. com. This news release contains certain forward-looki ng statements that involve risks and uncertainties.Such statements are only predictions and the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the timing of clinical trials, the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in clinical trials and the risk that the company will not obtain approval to market its products. Company Contact: Margaret O’Toole Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. 617-871-1201 [email  protected] com Media Contact: Liz Falcone Feinstein Kean Healthcare 617-256-6622 liz. [email  protected] com