Breaching the Security of an Internet Patient Portal free essay sample

In August 2000, a break happened when an Operations specialist applied patches to servers on the side of another KP Online drug store top off application. Therefore, the cordial email capacity of KP Online fizzled and made a dead letter document of outbound messages with answers to persistent requests that contained exclusively recognizable patient data (Collmann Cooper, 2007). In attempting to clear the email record, a defective PC content was made that connected more than 800 individual email messages, which contained individual recognizable. In any event nineteen of the messages arrived at their expected goal (Collmann Cooper, 2007). Two individuals who got the email messages revealed the episode to KP. Kaiser considered the penetrate was a huge episode because of the quantity of messages sent. Thus, the organization made an emergency group to discover the reason for the break. The Kaiser emergency group told its individuals and gave an official statement three days after the penetrate. We will compose a custom paper test on Breaking the Security of an Internet Patient Portal or on the other hand any comparative theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Significant Issues This contextual analysis ensured touchy patient data was involved during the email security break. The Kaiser Permanente initiative responded rapidly to moderate the harm of the break in light of the fact that the organization was resistant with acceptable data security practice and guidelines, for example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) which built up norms for the secrecy and security of medicinal services data. The advances in innovation including electronic clinical information can possibly be penetrated in regards to patients security and privacy wellbeing data. The ANA bolsters the accompanying standards as for tolerant protection and secrecy. Patients right to protection of wellbeing data. The utilization or arrival of wellbeing data is restricted without tolerant assent, just as, utilizing shields for revelation and capacity of individual wellbeing data. It is the duty of clients to follow the rules in their work environment set out to ensure the patient and data. This announcement offers backing to patients’ protection, which may transform into laws that the ANA would speak to and push in congress. Additionally, it underpins the laws and guidelines set out by the HIPAA guidelines of 1996 in that it secures and embraced the national principles for electronic social insurance. It advances utilizing shields for all exposures and exchanges in wellbeing data. Emergency Team Member As an emergency colleague, it is critical to discover the reason for the penetrate. Two key proposals that ought to be executed in the Kaiser IT gathering. †¢ More communication with each other during the arranging, usage, and assessment process †¢ Before the execution procedure of a program or a change the IT gatherings should test the relocation site and capacities in a test lab. As noted for the situation study, the three gatherings the advancement gathering, tasks gathering, and email bunch worked autonomously from one another to meet their individual division objectives. The accompanying Diagram noticed the IT office that deals with their planned component:[pic]Source: Collmann, J. , Cooper, T. (2007). Breaking The Security Of The Kaiser Permanente Internet Patient Portal: The Organizational Foundations Of Information Security. Diary of the American Medical Informatics Association, 14(2), 239-243. As an emergency colleague I would build up an arrangement to have every one of the three gatherings connect with one another on work works, each gathering ought to have a part speak to their planned gathering during improvement/usage gatherings. The part would have the chance to give important knowledge to how their gathering capacities will be affected during the usage stage. Future Security Breaches Data security is the duty of the data framework group. Three obligations of this group are ensuring the information is precise, shielding the information from unapproved clients, and amending the information in the event that it is harmed. This incorporates ensuring the framework by firewalls, gouging phishing, and shielding information from an equipment or programming misfortune. On the off chance that Kaiser Permanente didn't make moves to rapidly resolve the issues inside the gathering and association they may confront a HIPAA infringement. HIPAA Violators can be condemned for as long as 10 years in jail and fined up to $250,000 in criminal punishments for inability to go along. Furthermore, considerate punishments can be forced that incorporate $100 per infringement and up to $25,000 per individual, every year for every infringement (DMA. organization, 2002). Strategy The Course of Action that the organization should take to guarantee that KP Online is secure, is extemporizing prudent steps that are set up for the wellbeing data innovation; which make up the HIT trust structure. This beginnings with an evaluation of hazard and is deliberately applied through the framework. Hazard the board, illuminates the association regarding potential dangers, for example, cataclysmic events and noxious programming programs. Data security is generally seen as the assurance of private data which is like protection, this incorporates HIPAA guidelines. These insurances join to secure data inside the HIT. The accompanying safeguards influences the human services framework in general; in the event that one or the entirety of the precautionary measures are not followed information and data might be in danger. End In an age where patients’ data is capacity, recovered, and utilized, it is fundamental for all clients to follow deterrent measures, rules, approaches, and systems set out by their boss and HIPAA to ensure the patients’ right to protection and classification. As innovation progresses, changes of IT projects should be executed, shockingly breaks in medicinal services may happen during the usage. It is significant for the association and overseers to know about the dangers and if a penetrate happens, act quickly to address the issue. References American Nurses Association. (2012). ANA Ethics Position Statement Privacy and Confidentiality. Silver Springs, MD: Author. Recovered May 18, 2013 from ANA site. Collmann, J. , Cooper, T. (2007). Penetrating The Security Of The Kaiser Permanente Internet Patient Portal: The Organizational Foundations Of Information Security. Diary of the American Medical Informatics Association, 14(2), 239-243. Harrison J. , Booth N. (2003). Applying new deduction from the connected and rising fields of advanced personality and protection to data administration in wellbeing informatics. Informatics in Primary Care Journal, 11(4), 223-8. Recovered from CINAHL database. HIPAA FAQs. (2002, August 1). Corporate Responsibility Resources For Businesses And Marketers. Recovered May 18, 2013, from http://www. dmaresponsibility. organization/HIPPA/. Rossel, C. L. (2003). HIPAA: An informatics framework point of view, Chart, 100(1). Recovered May 18, 2013 from CINANL database. Saba, V. , McCormick, K. A. (fifth Ed. ). (2011). Basics of Nursing Informatics. Dependable Systems for Safe and Private Healthcare (pp. 271-277). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Bet, K. A. , Lee, F. W. , Glaser, J. (2009). Human services data frameworks: a pragmatic methodology for social insurance the executives (second ed. ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Romantic Love is a Poor Basis for Marriage Essay

Sentimental Love is a Poor Basis for Marriage - Essay Example At some point, an adoration hit couple wed with all the supplements for one another then the following day they are reviling each other before an appointed authority. With the developing impacts of media and the uncontrolled updates on the exercises of big names which will in general become the models for more youthful ages these days, â€Å"love† is quite celebrated and magnified in picking an accomplice and choosing marriage. Nonetheless, it is intriguing to take note of that â€Å"love† is currently seen more on the emotions an individual feels towards another instead of its fundamental fixings which are persistence, consideration, quietude, dedication and others. People the same, presently think they are increasingly smart, progressively educated and permit themselves to see whether they have the â€Å"chemistry† to make a marriage work. They test this by remaining together under one rooftop without getting hitched and in the event that their sexual wants are agreeably met, at that point they choose to wed one another. Nonetheless, over the long haul, they discover that they committed an error and accordingly end up in a separation. One of the investigations on this point was that of Tennov’s â€Å"limerence† which is the condition of â€Å"being in love†, seeing all the beneficial things in an individual and dismissing the terrible, essentially liking everything that is going on in the relationship. The pitiful thing about this state is that, it just goes on for around two years (Owens). With the previously mentioned investigation, one might say that making sentimental love the establishment of a relationship is silly, not except if one intends to change accomplices at regular intervals. An ever increasing number of studies are being held nowadays about adoration and marriage, with the longing to dive into what makes relationships work. at the point when one glances around, just a bunch appear to have everything ne cessary for a union with be cheerful and enduring simultaneously while such a significant number of appear to be lost without a manual. Researchers around the globe search the distinctions of relationships, ones that work out and those that don't. In this all-inclusive inquiry, there have been such a significant number of ends made, recommendations given to couples, courses held and most likely more will be never really individuals and make their connections work. One thing is without a doubt, sentimental love isn't sufficient to be the reason for marriage. There is an adage that says, â€Å"Love leaves the window, along with the plates and spoons when there is no food on the table†. At times, this is truly evident. Couples who consolidated themselves in marriage can just lose their temper when they are ripped at by neediness and different difficulties. This has been one of the core values of most antiquated a later eastern relationships. As indicated by the investigations of Lawrence Stone with respect to English families until the eighteenth century, relationships were made based on requirement for money related security and heredity (Macfarlane). In spite of this situation, numerous relationships functioned admirably if the reason for such remark would be the lesser separation rates when contrasted with present day insights. Individuals at that point lived by the standards and societies of their age and space so they had the option to stifle their need to pick the individual they might want to wed based on sentimental love. Mulling over the investigation on â€Å"

Roman And Greek Mythology Essays - Mythological Kings, Deities

Roman And Greek Mythology Greek and Roman folklore have numerous similitudes between them. Each type has there own arrangement of Gods and Goddesses, in spite of the fact that they were revered for comparative reasons. The accompanying will clarify every God or Goddess and clarify how they contrast with one another. The King of Gods in Greek Mythology is known as Zeus. Zeus was the leader of the sky, and had the ability to make rainstorms and lightning just as tremors. He was the offspring of Cronus and Rhea. As the story goes he was their 6th youngster, and the dad to shield him from being toppled had eaten the five past kids. Zeus was taken to a city called Crete and escaped his dad. As Zeus became more seasoned and realized of what happened he found a mixture to cause his dad to disgorge different youngsters. When this happened they all collaborated and slaughtered their dad. Zeus at that point became the leader of Mount Olympus, and leader of the new line of Gods. Jupiter was the dominating force holder of Roman Gods. He was leader of the sky, the sunshine, all the climate, and even the thunder and helping. Jupiter helped drive back the Sabines. His sanctuary was worked in the Capitol, and recently chose directs offered their first supplications to him. Hera was the spouse and sister of Zeus, and the High Goddess of the Greeks. She was amazingly desirous of the undertakings that her significant other was having and regularly tormented or hurt the escorts he was messing around with. Despite the fact that, when she went excessively far, or attempted to cause passing, Zeus would intercede and stop her. Hera attempted to deliver unleash Heracles on his come back from Troy, and with that Zeus had her hung by the wrists from top of the mountain with a blacksmith's iron attached to every lower leg. The two had four kids together. Juno, Hera's partner, was the spouse of Jupiter. Juno was the defender of ladies, particularly the individuals who are hitched. Ladies regularly offered contributions to Juno to help with their labor. The God of the Underworld, Hades, was the sibling of Zeus. He picked up Hell, as his offer in overcoming their dad. He is generally known for capturing his significant other, Persephone, while she was picking blossoms in a field. Supposedly, Hades had her eat a bit of food in the Underworld, in this manner she was unable to live on the Earth once more. Her dad, Zeus, made courses of action for her to be permitted on Earth for 66% of the year and in the Underworld as Hade's significant other for the remainder of the time. This is utilized as the reason for spring and winter. At the point when she comes back to the surface she brings spring with her and when she comes back to the Underworld she abandons winter her. Pluto, the Roman God of the Underworld, who's name likewise implies rich. It mirrors the rich mineral assets underneath the ground and the rich assets over the earth. In workmanship he is appeared with the Horn of Plenty. This horn is most likely why we partner the Devil, or Satan, as having a horn on his head. His name was thought of to be misfortune, and accordingly was scarcely referenced in fantasies. Ares was the offspring of Zeus and Hera. He was the God of War. At whatever point he was seen or depicted he would be completely equipped and prepared for the fight to come. Any reason to battle or do battle would bring him making the rounds. He was the foiled admirer of Aphrodite. Practically the entirety of his kids by mortal ladies were of a rough nature. Mars, The Roman God of War and Agriculture, was the second most significant god after Jupiter. The month March was named after Mars, and was too the principal month of the Roman schedule. Walk was the month when horticulture was renewed and when a great many people occupied with war. Mars was given his own cleric and special stepped area in Rome. The wolf and woodpecker were the consecrated creatures of Mars. A celebration in October was held in his respect and all ranchers and troopers would lay aside their weapons and had a festival. The Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty was Aphrodite. She was hitched to the Smith God, Hephaestus, yet left him for the God of War. She supported the Trojans during the Trojan War. She was known to have irate emotional episodes and all the divine beings and humans paid the consequences for it. Aphrodite and Venus were partners

The disvantage and advantage of globalization Free Essays

Globalization portrays the procedure by which local economies, social orders, and societies have gotten incorporated through a worldwide system of correspondence, transportation, and exchange. † (Globalization, 2010). These days, private company needs to contend with worldwide organizations up close and personal as globalization turns into an irreversible force. We will compose a custom article test on The disvantage and favorable position of globalization or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now For some situation, private venture have no compelling reason to against the huge organizations since they center around various scale until the little organizations grow up. Be that as it may, I concur that independent company in IT enterprises can't go up against global organizations when little organizations become dangers to the ale ones. In this article, I will clarify why independent company despite everything exist today and contrast their points of interest with global organizations in the part of money related qualities and profitability favorable circumstances. Independent company despite everything exists now since they have one of a kind highlights, particularly they center around the lower showcase. It is no requirement for them to go up against the global organizations Sometimes. Hello cut off the particular networks. For example, they are eager to maintain their independent venture in some little unlawful and remote zone where worldwide firms don't focus on. Enclave, K. (2002) contended that independent company need to conquer these standards: â€Å"†¦ Information innovation (IT) feeble group out item advancement Initiatives†¦ â €  It Is unmistakably that beating these business unique is troublesome yet not feasible. Private venture has its own points of interest since it can utilize advantageous and simple answers for basic business issues. Be that as it may, low cost is the most well known system for private company to make benefits and pull in customers’ consideration. Independent venture spends less none on cutting edge Invention. Looking at Dell Company referenced by Enclave (2002) that in the event that they need to expand their notoriety they have prepackaged answers for meet novel buyer’s need. They set up explicit framework to take care of these issues to stay in contact with their clients. Thus, they need to Invest more cash to the stuff. So as to keep up their cost, they need to raise the selling cost. That Is the significant motivation behind why private venture can exist at present. However, after little organizations changes into huge ones, worldwide firms think about those organizations as a risk, so as to hold their business sectors share, which will obtain or thump down independent company before they development. Worldwide organizations have money related quality help them to expand their piece of the pie. Accordingly, it is moderately simple for them to meet the customers’ need and upgrade their notoriety. Enormous organizations are happy to burn through cash on perceptions about what individuals truly need and need to purchase. They put measure of cash In publicizing their items. For instance, IBM PC business was obtained by Chinese acclaimed PC brand Leno, and hen, spend just about one million employed Chinese well known famous actor Jingle Xx as their representatives. Not just this, Leno organization put away huge arrangement of cash to support numerous exercises on TV and radio to upgrade its fame. Concerning independent venture, they will be requested accomplish their customers’ require and have huge reserve to widen sorts of items guaranteed by Enclave (2002). Preston (2010) refered to Bob Evans 1 OFF than what you have. † It appears to be difficult for private venture to follow global organizations. Private venture have strict financial plan and less mainstream than huge firms, asking over huge organizations advertise stocks is hard for it. Little organizations can at present exist in view of the scale they were picked. Sheldon little firms are held in CAB, they decided to serve the restricted individuals as opposed to getting less cash since substantially more huge organizations in there. Independent venture keep away from go up against enormous firms legitimately. Multinationals organizations have high profitability profit by their trend setting innovation. High innovation enables those organizations to make high benefits and furthermore help themselves a ton. The profitability preferred position of remote possessed firms is normally en as reflecting multinationals’ innovative favorable position visaâ€visa local firms. † (Marksmen, 2002 refered to by Grammar Gâ ¶erg, 2007). In any case, trend setting innovation assumes indispensable job in preparing high effic iency. Shoppers are all the more ready to pay more to purchase those top notch creations, they accept this products delivered by huge organizations have quality affirmation. Another guide to help this contention is by Preston (2010) whose review looks at the key IT organizations on the planet. He shows that IBM as an innovation supplier, snatching buyer showcase by its development item named Smarter Planet. Some product organizations in little scope offer some less expensive merchandise to make benefit, however these items can't run well in the long haul. Subsequently, individuals consistently spend a ton to fix them. At that point, less individuals will buy their items in view of lacking of assurance. It drives themselves face the huge issue that insolvency or gained by huge firms. Syntax (2007) cites Balk (2001) who expressed that various jobs in various types of economies assume different jobs for efficiency development. To close, Multinational reparations have monetary quality help them to extend their piece of the overall industry. For example, improving prevalence through ad and getting high efficiency due to their cutting edge innovation. Sometimes, private venture has no compelling reason to battle against worldwide organizations as they are center around various market. At the point when independent venture growing up, they would be think about by enormous organizations in light of the fact that those organizations will lessen their piece of the pie. Regardless of whether independent venture ought to contend with global ones or not rely upon what advertise they center around. Step by step instructions to refer to The disvantage and preferred position of globalization, Papers

The Craziest Excuses to Skip Out on Your Writing Assignment

The Craziest Excuses to Skip Out on Your Writing Assignment Sooner or later, a moment comes in the lives of everyone when we have to come up with a credible excuse for not finishing an assignment. There are a number of possible approaches to this. You can try giving one of the same tired old excuses that every professor has heard a million times: the flu, family problems, your dog. Or you can come up with something outrageous and simply hope that your creativity earns you some brownie points. Once you’ve determined that an excuse is the best route, here are some to choose from. 1. “What assignment?” Depending on the instructor or the situation, playing dumb can actually work sometimes. You legitimately have no memory of being given an assignment; or maybe you do, but you thought it was due next week. Didn’t your teacher say it was due next week? You could have sworn he did. 2. “My computer crashed.” Anyone can relate to the experience of being derailed by technological problems. Your computer has a virus. Your flash drive broke. The Internet was down. It’s impossible to dispute that such things actually happen. Be wary of using this excuse with veteran teachers, though; they’ll just say you should have started the assignment sooner. 3. “I’ve had too much to do with my job.” Most instructors will take pity on students who have to work an extra job in addition to school, as long as you don’t use this excuse too often. Remember, your teachers will expect their classes to be your top priority. 4. “My essay was stolen.” Those gosh darn homework thieves are at it again! You KNOW that assignment was in your backpack, but someone must have taken it. Heck, maybe they even stole the entire backpack with your homework in it. 5. “I’ve been too sick to do it.” You’ve just barely been able to summon the energy to drag yourself out of bed and come to class. Your teacher should feel flattered that you made the effort to show up. You’ve certainly been in no condition to finish your writing assignment. 6. “I need your help to figure out how to do it.” This plays on your teacher’s natural desire to help you learn. She will be more than willing to give you a little extra time so that she can explain it to you better. Never mind that you could have emailed her or gone to her office hours before the assignment was actually due. 7. “My essay flew out the car window.” You can hand in a dirty, rumpled, illegible paper to make your story more convincing. 8. “I was abducted by aliens.” Hey, it happens. But once again, this wouldn’t be a problem if you hadn’t left it to the last minute. 9. The truth. Sometimes the truth is really your best bet. It’s likely you have a good reason that your professor will understand. As long as the truth isn’t that you chose to stay up all night partying with friends instead of doing your work. With this repertoire, you should have no problem finding a great excuse to give your teacher. Feel free to embellish if you want! A little creativity keeps things more interesting.

Marketing Research and Segmentation - 275 Words

Marketing Research and Segmentation (Research Paper Sample) Content: Johns Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre, Maryland Name Institution Johns Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre, Maryland Market Segmentation and Marketing Strategies Description of the facility or organization Johns Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre is a pediatric hospital located in Maryland. It is a reputable healthcare facility that integrates multidisciplinary collaborative practices. Johns Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre was established in 1912, and it is one of the largest childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hospitals with over 92,000 annual hospital visits and 9,000 admissions. 85% of its patients are from Maryland. The essay explores potential market segmentation strategies that the center can use to increase its competitive and revenue Research method Effective market segmentation and marketing strategies depend on an extensive market analysis that seeks to define the target population regarding demographic, social, political, and consumption behaviors. A comprehensive research was conducted using a review of existing market insights from consultant companies such as Deloitte, county health profile reports, consumer satisfaction reports, service design research, customer consumption trends and brief survey of customers. The aim of conducting a review of secondary data was to gain insights, not only of healthcare services and products consumption in the area but also the competition level and the activities of the competitors and future trends. Data from these sources was mined and categorized into themes Databases and findings The leading databases involved in the study include the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S National Library of Medicine, BCC Research, Frost Sullivan and PharmaMedTech Business intelligence. CDC database provides insightful reports on the healthcare system in the USA including regional health profile reports. The U.S. National Library of Medicine also provides nation-wide and regional data such as data charts and series. It also contains useful information on various trends in healthcare. BCC Research offers comprehensive b2b market research reports with detailed statistical and analytical information on the structure of the healthcare industry, major players, market dynamics and industry forecasts. Frost Sullivan provides market research reports on healthcare and other industries. The research also integrated information from the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The psychographic information provided by most of the sources is accurate . Although there are minor variations from governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s produced statistics, the psychographic data is meaningful for the purpose of developing a segmentation strategy. Some of the important findings relate to county insurance coverage rate, poverty level, infant mortality, lifestyle behaviors, leading causes of deaths, prevalence of various health conditions, and healthcare services and products consumption behaviors. Understanding the disease burden in the region is critical in designing and marketing various services. According to (2015), the leading cause of deaths in the area includes diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus and nephrosis. The infant mortality rate is 6.5% with blacks and Hispanics having the highest mortality rates of 10.6 and 4.4%, respectively (Maryland-2015 State Health Profile). According to Maryland 2020 objectives, the state seeks to improve the health status of the children and their well-being by addressing the burden of non-communicable diseases. Insurance coverage in the area is relatively high compared to other states with approximately 78% of the population having insurance coverage. Disparity is observed in that Black community and Hispanics have the lowest insurance coverage with 57% and 62% coverage respectively (Maryland-2015 State Health Profile). Regarding business competition, Johns Hopkins differentiates itself as the only children hospital in the region that uses collaborative care approach. Additionally, the hospital differentiates itself through a strong brand management compared to its competitors. It acts a referral center for a large number of primary care centers and other private facilities. However, a comparative cost analysis with its competitors in the Baltimore area and the wider Maryland indicates that Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre is expensive. Segmentation strategies Currently, Hopkins in Maryland is using demographics segmentation by focusing on the upper-class, according to its price strategy. Although the hospital offers premium services and products at relatively high prices, it can use geographic segmentation and strategic segmentation. Strategic segmentation plays a vital role in discovering, innovating and developing medical services and products. Hopkins Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Centre can explore the driving and constraining factors that may enhance or act against its strategic segmentation. The majority of these forces are associated with limited resources and considering that Hopkins Children Centre has a strong revenue, strategic segmentation is likely to be successful. A strategic segmentation strategy will improve its resources allocation and create a customer-focused organization with improved bottom-line performance. Maryland has a total of 60 hospitals with 15 of these being located in Baltimore City and 18 systems with Fede rally Qualified Health Centres (Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2014). Rural areas are faced with limited access to care centers and safety net providers. Using geographic and gerontographic segmentation techniques, Hopkinsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s center can exploit these uncovered rural areas. A gerontographic segmentation technique can combine demographic characteristics of the population and geographic distribution of the region to identify areas with the greatest potential based on health care needs, health burden, insurance coverage and health care services consumption trends. Market profile and organization brand Maryland ...

10 Silicon Facts (Element Number 14 or Si)

Silicon is element number 14 on the periodic table, with the element symbol Si. Here is a collection of facts about this interesting and useful element: Silicon Fact Sheet Credit for discovering silicon is given to  Swedish chemist Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius, who reacted potassium fluorosilicate with potassium to produce amorphous silicon, which he named silicium, a name first proposed by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808. The name derives from the Latin words silex or silicis, which mean flint. Its probable English scientist Humphry Davy may have isolated impure silicon in 1808 and  French chemists Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thà ©nard may have produced impure amorphous silicon in 1811. Berzelius is credited for the elements discovery because his sample was purified by repeatedly washing it, while earlier samples were impure.Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson named the element silicon in 1831, keeping part of the name Berzelius had given, but changing the ending of the name to -on because the element showed more similarities to boron and carbon than to the metals that had -ium names.Silicon is a metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and nonmetals. Like other metalloids, silicon has different forms or allotropes. Amorphous silicon is usually seen as a gray powder, while crystalline silicon is a gray solid with a shiny, metallic appearance. Silicon conducts electricity better than nonmetals, yet not as well as metals. In other words, its a semiconductor. Silicon has a high thermal conductivity and conducts heat well.  Unlike metals, its brittle, and not malleable or ductile. Like carbon, it usually has a valence of 4 (tetravalent), but unlike carbon, silicon can also form five or six bonds.  Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth by mass, making up over 27% of the crust. Its commonly encountered in silicate minerals, such as quartz and sand, but only rarely occurs as a free element. Its the 8th most abundant element in the universe, found at levels of about 650 parts per million. Its the principal element in a type of meteorite called aerolites.Silicon is needed for plant and animal life. Some aquatic organisms, such as diatoms, use the element to construct their skeletons. Humans need silicon for healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones, and to synthesize the proteins collagen and elastin. Dietary supplementation with silicon may increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.Most silicon is used to produce the alloy ferrosilicon. Its used to produce steel. The element is purified to make semiconductors and other electronics. The compound silicon carbide is an important abrasive. Silicon dioxide is used to make glass. Because silicate minerals are common, silicon oxides form rocks and are used to make glass and ceramics.Like water (and unlike most chemicals), silicon has a higher density as a liquid than as a solid.Natural silicon consists of three stable isotopes: silicon-28, silicon-29, and silicon-30. Silicon-28 is the most abundant, accounting for 92.23% of the natural element. At least twenty radioisotopes are also known, with the most stable being silicon-32 , which has a half-life of 170 years.Miners, stone cutters, and people who live in sandy regions may inhale large quantities of silicon compounds and develop a lung disease called silicosis. Exposure to silicon may occur by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and eye contact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the legal limit for workplace exposure to silicon to  15  mg/m3  total exposure and 5  mg/m3  respiratory exposure for an 8-hour workday.Silicon is available at extremely high purity. Molten salt electrolysis of silica (silicon dioxide) or other silicon compounds can be used to obtain the element at 99.9% purity for use in semiconductors. The Siemens process is another method used to produce high purity silicon. This is a form of chemical vapor deposition where gaseous trichlorosilane is blown across a pure silicon rod to grow polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) with a purity of 99.9999%.   Silicon Atomic Data Element Name: Silicon Element Symbol: Si Atomic Number: 14 Classification: metalloid (semimetal) Appearance: Hard gray  solid with a silver metallic luster. Atomic Weight: 28.0855 Melting Point:  1414  oC, 1687 K Boiling Point:  3265  oC, 3538 K Electron Configuration:  1s2  2s2  2p6  3s2  3p2 Density: 2.33  g/cm3 (as a solid near room temperature); 2.57 g/cm3 (as a liquid at the melting point) Oxidation States: 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -3, -4 Electronegativity: 1.90 on the Pauling scale Atomic Radius: 111 pm Crystal Structure: face-centered diamond cubic Heat of Fusion: 50.21 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 383 kJ/mol Reference Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.