Lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Lab report - Essay Example In this case, a stationary body can obtain kinetic energy from a moving. On the contrary, potential energy is totally not transferable to other body, but it can be converted to kinetic energy. Potential energy is directly connected with forces. If the work done on a body by a force that moves from point A to B is independent of the path between the two points, then the work done by this force is assigns a scalar value on each point in space and referred to as a scalar potential field. This means that the integral equation drawn from the line representing the change of force between these two points can be defined as the negative of the vector gradient and it gives the potential field. This potential field is the equivalent of the change in potential energy between the two points. This explains why the spring’s potential energy is given as a negative value. The negative sign denotes the convection that work done by a force field increase the PE while work applied against the force field reduces the potential energy It is important to note that work is required to either reduce or increase the potential energy of a body. In this case, a change in potential energy principally reflects the work done on the object. Therefore, the integral derivative of a PE function will give the amount of work done. Again the value is given as a negative figure to denote that the work done has reduced the PE possession of the body. 1. A normal pendulum with a few modifications can be used to achieve similar objectives. In this case, a zero position for the pendulum is identified. Since many labs are done on tabletops, the table top is assigned to be the zero height (mean) position. If the tabletop is designated the zero position, then the PE of an object is dependent on its relative height from the tabletop. Therefore, by obtaining the mass of the pendulum and its relative height from the table top, the gravitational

Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Mahatma Gandhi Essay Mahatma Gandhi was a believer of sorting out conflicts through peaceful means. Ahimsa wishes no harm to any living being, whether human or not. It included not only a lack of physical harm to one’s opponents, but also a lack of hatred or towards them. Ahimsa originated from ancient India, evidenced by scriptures, and is practiced in the religions Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Living in the period of time when India was being colonized and unjustly treated by the British, Gandhi used ahimsa as a weapon to free India from British rule. He believed that the best way to resist tyranny is through civil disobedience, which is founded upon Ahimsa. Even if this was an event of the past, it says so much about the present. Nowadays, most conflicts cannot be solved without shedding blood. It is sad to think that violence is the solution of the people to problems when in fact, it just makes things worse. There are many things we can learn from this, which is why it is so important for us to study history in the first place. Like Mahatma Gandhi, we should be advocators of peace and respect. Every living being has value, which most people need to understand. There are so many people who are abused, raped, killed, or unjustly treated through other means every single day while the rest of the world remain unconcerned and go about their busy yet meaningless life. I really admire and look up to Mahatma Gandhi for the fact that he remained righteous up to his death despite being arrested and faced with many challenges. He united much of India through his efforts. The people will always remember him for his struggle and sacrifice to free India from slavery, poverty and end untouchability. The title Mahatma or â€Å"Great Soul† given to Gandhi is really befitting to him. Our world needs more people like Mahatma Gandhi in order for it to be in peace, order, and harmony. There is just too much chaos going on, more than we are aware of. Ahimsa or non-violence would make our world a better place to live in. We just have to believe and practice it. Ahimsa is not only significant to the present but also to the future. We can have a â€Å"peaceful† future if we start following Ahimsa. The continous use of violence could bring serious consequences for the future. This is why we have to stop and think of what is best for this world Practicing ahimsa is definitely not easy, it’s probably very difficult but it doesn’t mean that we can use it as an excuse. We have to strive hard by struggling in the beginning until it becomes a habit or norm. Gandhi also believed in Satyagraha, â€Å"soul force† or â€Å"truth force†, a particular philosophy and practice within nonviolent resistance. The term was conceived and developed by him. One who practices satyagraha is called a satyagrahi. The theory of satyagraha sees means and ends as inseparable. Gandhi believed that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment. He insisted on the harmony and unity of thought, word, and deed. To Gandhi, the Hindu creed was: Search after Truth through nonviolent means. Satyagraha, Gandhis approach to conflict, was to hold firmly to the Truth. He also believed that violence shuts off channels of communication. The Satyagraha theory has influenced many other movements around the world on civil resistance. Gandhi had become a role model to other great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. If Mahatma Gandhi can influence great minds, he should be able to influence the common people. He has left with us great teachings which would be able to help us solve many problems. If only we are open to them, we will be gaining access to peace and harmony. Even today, he is looked up to and well-respected. In India, Mahatma Gandhi’s face is on every rupee note. Moreover, there are Gandhi Ashrams and shops which continue to support his ideas of rural education and cottage industries. The Sarvodaya movement keeps alive the Gandhian approach. Indians consider him as the father of their nation. Many Jains regard Gandhi as possessing and spreading the highest Jain principles. Millions around the world have been inspired by Gandhi and he is thought of today as an international saint. Not much people have left such large footprints in this world. One has to be truly great in order to be etched in our minds and hearts. Mahatma Gandhi is an example of a great individual. He deserves the recognition he has received, and the honor that is present upto today.

Five-Antiretroviral Drug Class Resistant HIV-1

Five-Antiretroviral Drug Class Resistant HIV-1 Five-Antiretroviral Drug Class Resistant HIV-1 In A Treatment Naà ¯ve Patient Suppressed With Optimized Antiretroviral Selection Joseph M Volpe, Douglas J Ward, Laura Napolitano, Pham Phung, Jonathan Toma, Owen Solberg, Christos J Petropoulos, Charles M Walworth Abstract Transmission of HIV-1 exhibiting reduced susceptibility to protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors is well-documented, but is evolving for integrase inhibitors and is limited for the fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide. We describe here a case of transmitted 5-drug class resistance involving protease, reverse transcriptase (nucleoside and non-nucleoside), integrase, and fusion inhibitors in an antiretroviral naà ¯ve patient that subsequently was successfully treated based on the optimized selection of an active antiretroviral drug regimen. Keywords: Transmitted Drug Resistance; TDR; Integrase Inhibitor Resistance; Tropism; Introduction Drug susceptibility can be a key determinant in choosing an initial antiretroviral (ARV)regimen for patients who are naà ¯ve to ARV therapy.The selection of aregimen in which individual components have less than full susceptibility can result in virologic failure.Transmission of HIV-1 exhibiting resistance to protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors is well-documented[1-3] andbecause of this,DHHS guidelines recommend baseline genotypic resistance testing to guide drug selection in patients who are ARVnaà ¯ve[4]. However, given the relative newness of the integrase (IN)inhibitor class and the limited use of enfuvirtide (ENF), transmitted resistance for these drug classes is less well-defined[5-7]. To date, two cases of raltegravir resistant HIV-1 transmission have been reported in the literature[5-6]. Although transmission of virus resistant to more than one ARV class occurs less frequently than a single class[2-3], when it occurs, the selection of a baseline regimen can bemore challenging. Such was the case in 2005 when a New York City man acquired a dual tropic, multidrug-resistant HIV-1 strain[8], during a time when fewer therapeutic options were available. Here, we describe the first documented multidrug-resistant HIV-1 strain containing variants that exhibit resistance to five ARV classes. This reportnot only demonstrates one of the earliest cases of transmitted resistance to the integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) class, but also exemplifies the need to develop a detailed resistance profile prior to initiating therapy. Case History A man in his forties was hospitalized in 2010 with severe flu-like illness. HIV-1 antibody testing during hospitalization was negative. HIV-1 RNA testing by PCR was not performed. Six months later, follow-up HIV-1 antibody testing was positiveand infection was confirmed by Western blot. Initial CD4+ count and viral load were 376 cells/mm3 and 211,540 copies/mL, respectively. Baseline genotypic resistance testing demonstrated extensive resistance to nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI, NNRTI) as well as protease inhibitors (PI) [Figure 1]. Confirmatory testing was performedto verify the initial genotypic resistance profile. Additional genotypic testing for INSTI resistanceand phenotypic testing for PI, NRTI, NNRTI and INSTIsusceptibility was conducted. Phenotypic co-receptor tropism testing was also performed to evaluate additional ARV treatment options. Due to the complexity of the baseline resistance profile, ENF susceptibility was also assessed. Methods Resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) to inhibitors of HIV-1 PR, RT, and IN were identified by conventional DNA sequencing(GenoSure ® MG, GenoSure ®Integrase, Monogram Biosciences and LabCorp).Phenotypic susceptibility to PR, RT,and INinhibitors, ENF, and co-receptor tropism were also assessed using well-established pseudo-virus infectivity assays (PhenoSense ®, PhenoSense GT ®, PhenoSense ®Integrase , PhenoSense ® Entry, and Trofile ®, respectively; Monogram Biosciences). Molecular clones of full-length envelope sequences were generated and evaluated for ENF susceptibility and co-receptor tropism (PhenoSense ® Entry, Trofile ®). The gp41 sequences of envelope clones were generated by conventional DNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted on clonal gp41 sequences to rule out co-infection. PR and RT regions were also interrogated by massively parallel (â€Å"deep†) sequencing. A sequence library was generated using the IlluminaNextera XT library preparationkitand an IlluminaMiSeq2x250bp paired-end run resulted in 1,017,032 reads with an average read depth of >15,000X (after alignment). Reads were trimmed using cutadapt and fastx toolkits and aligned to the NL4-3 reference genome (accession number AX032749.1) using bowtie2[9]. Results Genotypic resistance analysis of the baseline virus identified mutations associated with resistance to PI (L10Y, K20I, E35D, M36I, K43T, I62I/V, V82K), NRTI (M41L, D67N, L74V, L118I), and NNRTI (K101E, Y181C, V189I, G190S) [Figure 1]. Repeat genotypic resistance analysis from a second draw confirmed the initial findings, as well as mutations associated with INSTIresistance (G140S, Q148H). Reductions in susceptibility to PI, NRTI, NNRTI, and INSTI were confirmed by phenotypic testing, which demonstrated large reductions in susceptibility to efavirenz, nevirapine, and raltegravir. Notably, the NRTI resistance mutation M184V was not identified bygenotypicassessment although a phenotypicassessment revealedmodest reductions in susceptibility to emtricitabine and lamivudine (IC50fold change (FC) 7.16 and 5.25 respectively)that exceeded the biological cutoff (FC 3.5).Further analysis of the sample using deep sequencing failed touncover minor variants harboring an M184V substitution. Neither deep sequencingnor the phylogenetic analysis of envelope clone sequences yielded evidence for dual infection. Initial phenotypic analysis for ENFsusceptibility (FC 6.31)fell within 0.2 log10of the biological cutoff(FC 6.48). This cutoff is based on a reference population of ENF-naà ¯ve baseline isolates from the TORO clinical trials [10]. Given the proximity of the measuredENF susceptibility of the patient sample to the biological cutoff and considering both the broad distribution of the susceptibility of the reference population and the inherent variability of the phenotypic assay ( ±3-fold), further analysis was warranted. Consequently, envelope gp41 sequencing was performed on 44 molecular clones generated from the virus population. Phenotypic analysis to determine ENF susceptibility was performed on 20 of the 44 clones that had unique gp41 sequences relative to the consensus sequence of the virus population. Two clones, (#10 and #25), exhibitedreducedENF susceptibility(FC 46 and >MAX, respectively), well above the biological cutoff. The gp41 sequence of these two clonesrevealed novel substitutions (Q40R, N43S) at amino acid positions previously associated with ENFresistance [11]. Co-receptor tropism testing indicated that 19 of the 20 selected clones exhibited R5 tropism, consistent with the R5 tropism determination for the overall virus population. Based on resistance and co-receptor tropism testing, the patient was placed on a regimen of ritonavir-boosted darunavir, tenofovir/emtricitabine, and maraviroc, which successfully suppressed viral replication to 3 at diagnosis to 614 cells/mm3 at one year of treatment. At three years post-initiation of treatment, the patient’s virus remains suppressed with a CD4 count of 865 cells/mm3 (Table 1). Discussion To our knowledge, this case representsthe first confirmed report of the transmission of HIV-1 containing variants exhibiting resistance to five antiretroviral drug classes,as well as the third confirmed report of transmitted INSTI resistant HIV-1.The selection of tenofovir/emtricitabinein the treatment regimen was based upon an assumption that anM184V variant might have been present below the limit of detection for population sequencing. Often, lamivudine or emtricitabineis incorporated intoARV treatment regimens toexploit the impaired replication of M184Vvariants, despitelimited evidence to support this approach. Detectable reductions in phenotypic susceptibility due to M184V variantsrequire a viral subpopulation approximating 40% of the total viral population[12]. Here, the absence of an M184V-containing subpopulation below the limit of detection of genotypic assays was confirmed by deep sequencing.Thus, the observed reduction in phenotypic susceptibility to emtricitabine and lamiv udine waslikely due to the combination of L74V and V118I substitutions along with the thymidine analog substitutions M41L and D67N. This case further demonstrates the clinical utility of co-receptor tropism testing to guide maraviroc prescription.ARV treatment experienced patients have a lower prevalence of R5 tropic virus compared with ARV treatment naà ¯ve patients. Laboratory studies demonstrate preferential transmission of R5 virus[13] and data from clinical cohorts demonstrate that over 70% of ARV naà ¯ve patients harbor R5 tropic virus[14]. In ARV treatment naà ¯ve patients, there is no genetic linkage data to suggest that ARV resistant profiles in pol influence envelope co-receptor tropism. Despite the extensive ARV resistance profile identified within the pol gene, the case patient was treatment naà ¯ve and thus more likely to harbor R5 tropic virus. Envelope substitutions associated with ENFresistance include Q40H and the N43D.Clonal analysis of this case virus led to the identification of two novel substitutions Q40Rand N43S that were demonstrated to confer high level phenotypic resistance to ENF. The value of baseline resistance testing to determine an optimal ARV treatment regimen is highlighted in this case report. Current DHHS guidelines recommend supplemental genotypic INSTI resistance testing when transmitted INSTI resistance may be a concern[4]. There is evidence that transmitted INSTI resistance is followingthe same temporal coursepreviously observed for NRTI, NNRTI and PI[15]. With the recent approval of a third INSTI, more widespread INSTI use, overlapping INSTI cross resistance profilesand documentation of this third case of transmitted INSTI resistance, baseline testing for INSTI resistance may become prudent. Figure 1: Results of both the genotypic and phenotypic drug resistance analyses are listed here. The net assessment column considers both the genotype and phenotype test results and provides a final resistance call based on the cumulative data. †  Single values represent biological cutoffs, and ranges indicate lower and upper clinical cutoffs. †¡ Fold change is defined as the ratio of the measured IC50 for the patient-derived virus to that of the NL4-3reference virus. Table 1: Patient Clinical Parameters Viral loads, CD4 and CD8 counts, and CD4/CD8 ratiosfor this patient are listed over the treatment period. The initial viral load measurements were obtained using the Roche COBAS ® TaqMan ® 2.0until 7/12. Subsequent values were obtained using the Siemens Versant ® HIV-1 Branched DNA assay.

The Patriarchal Roots of Evil: Mass Rape and its Implications :: Free Essays Online

The Patriarchal Roots of Evil: Mass Rape and its Implications Imagine this scene. A woman is being brought through the forest. Someone had, very tactically, tied her to a cross in a vertical manner, and by the painful look on her face, the worst is yet to come. The woman is being carried by what is soon to become her audience. It consists mostly of other women by looks very similar to their friend on the cross: malnourished, zombie-like, bodies painted with blood of the bruises that never were given a chance to heal. Most of their clothes are ripped, and this is but one indication of the things that happen in a repeated motion night, after night, after night. When they arrive at the clearing area, the audience is ordered to sit down and watch, by very well armed, male guards who were following them the entire way. Only now do we see that the woman on the cross is pregnant. In any other case it would possibly be less noticeable, but that woman, at that exact moment, was cut open with a knife. In her belly, a baby could be seen moving. The audien ce does not move, nor protest. They know better. The only difference between them, and the woman on the cross, is that they, if stayed quiet, still have a chance of survival. The guards react differently. In trance-like excitement they clap, screaming, "Die, Muslim Whore! Die before you pollute the world with your bastard! If you gave birth to a Chetnik you?d be let go." Fifteen minutes later, both, the baby and its mother were dead. The above example is an interpretation of a roughly similar scene told to Catherine MacKinnon by one of the survivors in the audience. This event specifically occurred in the aggression over Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the 1992 to 1995 war, but it is not very different from the crimes inflicted onto women during other political conflicts, out of which mass rape used as a weapon of war is the most often occurring scenario. Since the beginning of recorded history, when the conflict arises women are raped, and some are then killed, regardless if conflict be on a local, national or an international level. (In this essay, war will be the example of conflict.) While Bosnia offers an example most known to today's generations this type of violence is not a new phenomena: a slight change of a year and tragedies of women of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Kenya, Peru, Rwanda, Somalia (and many, many more) do not seem as foreign.

Black English

â€Å"Pink is No Longer the New Black† Jonathan Swift said, â€Å"Proper words in proper places make the true definition of style† What is the true definition of style? When one is asked, one may say it is what you wear. In other circumstances, style may be referred to music, or film and television. Style is also literature and linguistics. Throughout the generations, style has been altered; Cut trimmed and filed down until the original style is far away in the crevices of your mind. Fashion has erupted from something that was once soft and elegant, to now being loud, flashy, and revealing.Language has become something different entirely. In today’s language, â€Å"Black English† is present in our everyday lives. There are various reasons why we speak a certain way. In today’s world, we are always searching for easier ways to do things, we are constantly trying to fit in and do what everyone else is doing, and no matter what, we always do what we ar e surrounded with. The world is forever changing. We are always searching for ways to make everyday tasks easier. People used to walk everywhere, so the bike was invented.Riding a bike everywhere was difficult, so the car was invented. Technology is also forever changing to make things easier. From typewriters, to laptops and ipads, phones so you don’t even need a computer anymore. It is forever changing, but as the language changes with it, it does not mean that it is a good thing. â€Å"Black English† seems lazy in a way. The way people used to talk was thick and luscious. Now, â€Å"black English† has made words short and choppy. Instead of saying, â€Å"I am not going to do anything† many people say â€Å"I ain’t gonna do nothin. It is easier to say, but it does not necessarily mean that it sounds intelligent. Society makes us feel like in order to fit in, we have to look and act like everyone else. If an actor starts to dress a certain way, t hen everyone else wants to look like that actor too. The same goes with language. If a music artist starts to talk and say words a certain way in a song, it starts to catch on. Then a chain starts to form. If one person begins to talk and hang around a group of people who are speaking â€Å"Black English† then that person will begin to speak like them as well.In a world where society is in charge, fitting in is the only way. Psychologists say that we do what our parents do. Technically we â€Å"become† our parents as we grow up. If our parents are racist, then we too will be racist. If you grow up in the South and your parents have a western accent, then you will have that accent as well. As a child, if your parents use â€Å"Black English† then you will too because it is all you have ever known. â€Å"Black English† is in our everyday lives, and if you surround yourself with the language then you will start speaking that way too.Although â€Å"Black Eng lish† is present everywhere we go, it does not necessarily mean it is a good thing. In most cases it can make you sound uneducated and there are specific times when you should, and should not use it. In your home, or with friends is one thing, but in writing an essay for example, you should avoid it at all costs. The world is forever changing, language especially. The language style changes all the time. People are constantly making up new words and adding new meanings to the words that are not as commonly used. In the literary world, â€Å"Black English† has become the â€Å"new black. †

Consumer Behaviour in E

Consumer Behaviour in E Introduction Retailers are increasing focusing on e-commerce as a tool that they can use in order to gain competitive advantage. However, it is notable that in order for e-commerce to be a truly successful medium, the retailers have to identify the consumer behaviours portrayed towards the same in order to encourage spending. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Consumer Behaviour in E-commerce: Research proposal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Specifically, the retailers have to learn how consumers behave towards online product display, online payment methods, return services, warranties provided by the online retailers, different methods of product delivery and credit facilities offered by the retailers among others. The typical online purchasing decisions are made in a process comprising of the following stages: 1) need awareness; 2) searching for relevant product information; 3) evaluating available alterna tives; 4) implementing the purchase decision; and 5) Post-purchase decision-making. Hadjiphanis Christou notes that understanding consumer behaviour in e-commerce involves gaining insight on how the people search for product information in an online environment (1). Once understood, the retailer can then customize their websites to meet the specific information needs that consumers need in order to make the purchase decision. Since the online environment gives consumer a wider choice of products and product platforms from where to make their purchases, this study seeks to establish the exact consumer behaviour portrayed in an e-commerce environment and the specific factors that influence such behaviour. The study also seeks to highlight aspects of e-commerce consumer behaviours that the researcher considers important towards helping retailers meet the diverse consumer behaviours presented in an online environment. This study acknowledges that consumer behaviour; just like in the tr aditional marketplace is influenced by personal, lifestyle and psychological factors. As such, the paper will seek how each of the factors affects consumer behaviour and how online retailers can meet the consumers needs highlighted in such behaviours. Lowe defines e-commerce as the act of purchasing an online product (363). This involves ordering the product and making the payment for the same.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Literature Review In a research of e-commerce in Canada, Lowe (363-374) notes that though this new way of purchasing products and services gives consumers a wider choice and is more convenient, it is yet to be embraced by a large percentage of consumers as was predicted when the concept began. Most notably, Canada’s e-commerce by individuals in 2001 was estimated to be worth $2 billion only and represented 0.4 percentage of th e total household spending (Lowe 363). Some of the factors affecting e-commerce by individuals include their access to internet, their willingness to use the internet to purchase products and services, and the products available for purchase on an online setup (Lowe 364). Hadjiphanis Christou argue that in order to understand consumer behaviour in e-commerce, one has to look at the consumer as an information processor; they processes information presented to them by marketers, become aware of the different products presented to them, and finally make a purchase decision (2). Typically, the e-consumers will visit a retail store with the intention of either purchasing an item or simply enjoying the shopping experience. Just like in behaviour portrayed by consumers in traditional purchases, Hadjiphanis Christou states that e-commerce consumers make their decisions based on operational, temporal and spatial considerations (3). Operational dimension: This search strategy is observed i n brand conscious consumers. Such use the search engines to purchase brand items that they already know and possibly use. They value reliability, consistency, quality, affection, trust reputation and loyalty. Brand conscious consumers also have specific expectations when thinking, purchasing or using a specific product. The operational dimension is most noted in early adopters (Hadjiphanis Christou 2). When such is the case, the shoppers go directly to a specific site for purchase instead of using search engines. Spatial dimension: This search strategy is used by consumers who mix their consumption history with new information obtained from internet sources. This means that the consumer’s behaviours are influenced by a mixture of internal habits and external information. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Consumer Behaviour in E-commerce: Research proposal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In an onlin e environment, consumers are able to use the search tools to support information such on both internal preferences and new information on product and services. Shoppers in this category search for items on sites that rate products. They also use compare items on different shopping sites. Temporal dimension: Hadjiphanis Christou defines the temporal dimension as the time that a consumer takes between his/her first thought about purchasing a product or service and the actual purchase. The online platform is used by shoppers who use the internet as both a transactional medium as well as a search tool. A different group of shoppers engage in recreational shopping where they seek as much information as possible about a product before making the actual purchase. Hadjiphanis Christou notes that the consumer’s behaviour towards a product is affected by any prior knowledge they may possess towards the product, level of interest that they have towards the product, and the ease or c omplexity of information access regarding the product (3). Shoppers in this category use search engines, but can also navigate directly to a shopping site. Consumer value is also identified by Hadjiphanis Christou as a major influence to consumer behaviour in e-commerce (4). Just as is the case in consumer behaviour towards products and services sold in the traditional retail outlets, factors such as perceived benefits and the cost of a product affect consumer behaviour in e-commerce. Approach This study will use a literature review approach whereby, credible published work will be analysed for purposes of giving the researcher a clear perspective of the various factors that affect consumer behaviour in e-commerce. This approach was chosen because consumer behaviour especially in the wake of increased online shopping has been discussed widely by researchers. As such, this study opted to avoid doubling the efforts of other researchers who have carried quantitative surveys in differ ent markets. Instead, this study seeks to use findings published by different scholars in order to establish the real factors that influence consumer behaviour in e-commerce.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through the review of literature, this study will also seek to establish if different consumer behaviour is portrayed by people in different groups in the society. Such include the wealth versus the middle income earners, the middle-aged as compared to the seniors, and the illiterate versus the more educated. The study will also seek to establish whether the proximity of online shoppers to physical retail shops affect their attitude towards e-commerce. This study will also seek to establish how psychological, social and cultural factors among other demographic variables affect consumer behaviour. The study also establishes that intervening variables such as brands, marketing communication by marketers and firm capabilities affect consumer behaviour. Conclusion Consumer behaviour in e-commerce is a reflection of different factors that integrate to influence the consumer’s decision making. In addition to culture, social norms, psychological factors and demographic factors, othe r factors such as product characteristics, consumer skills, firm capabilities, marketing communications, brand, and website features all work together to influence consumer’s purchasing attitudes. Notably, the consumer’s desire to purchase products that offer him/her quality service, or meets some of his/her other needs also affect purchasing behaviour. This then raises the need for detailed information regarding the product or service. Usually, it is the prerogative of the online retailer to provide the information about the specific product to online shoppers. If the shopper feels that not enough information has been provided by the retailer, then he or she is most likely to navigate to other e-commerce sites where more satisfactory information is offered. Other considerations that the retailers need to make in order to impact positively on consumer behaviour include ease of information access and transactions. The retailers also need to guarantee payment security and publish well articulated product purchase policies. Some of other factors that affect consumer behaviour in e-commerce include the status of the online shopper and their esteem towards specific products. Ethics is also increasingly affecting consumer behaviour especially at a time when being environment friendly is being touted as the only way to save earth from self-destruction. The amount of fun associated with a product is however a key consideration to consumer behaviour, just as is the case with aesthetics. This means that the product may not be high quality, but its desirable package may make more consumers attracted to it. Hadjiphanis, Lycourgos Christou, Loizos. â€Å"The Role of E-Commerce on Consumer Behaviour†. The Journal of Business Administration 5.1 (2006): 1-7. Lowe, Robin. â€Å"E-Commerce and Consumer Behaviour†. Statistics Canada (2003):363-374.