Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Primary Source on Female Workers of Lowell (1836) Essay

Primary Source on Female Workers of Lowell (1836) - Essay Example However, women had some independence since they had the opportunity to work while the men stayed home and practiced farming. They were able to earn their own income through the jobs they did at the factory, and lived on their own, which gave them a feeling of liberation. This article was written with a purpose of exploring the life of the women who worked at the mills. Examine their living conditions at the boarding houses, where they slept six in a room, which were poorly ventilated (NWHM 1). The author has taken the point of view of bringing out the strong woman despite the challenges they faced. The author talks about the challenges the women went through, and add to it the brave steps they took towards liberating themselves and finally succeeded. The author has made an assumption that if the women of Lowell had not taken that step of fighting for their liberty, then they would have remained in the poor conditions that they were in before (NWHM 1). This argument is true since, before the women of Lowell decided to take the step of fighting for their liberation, their life was like that of a slave. They lived in poor condition, worked for long hours, and were paid little wages. Even, though, they worked, they did not get a fair return for their hard work. Instead of the job, they were doing giving them a feeling of liberation; it made them felt more enslaved (NWHM

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Computational Chemistry for Drug Discovery

Computational Chemistry for Drug Discovery Computer Chemistry Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses computers to assist in solving chemical problems. It uses the results of theoretical chemistry, incorporated into efficient programs, to calculate the structures of molecules and solids. In theoritcal chemistry, chemists, physicist and mathematics develop algorithms and computer programs to predict atomic and molecular properties and reaction paths for chemical reactions. Computational chemists, in contrast, may simply apply existing computer programs and methodologies to specify chemical question. There are two different aspects to computational chemistry. Computational studies can be carried out in order to find a starting point for a laboratory synthesis, or to assist in understanding experimental data, such as the position and source of spectroscopic peaks. Computational studies can be used to predict the possibility of so far entirely unknown molecules or to explore reaction mechanisms that are not readily studied by experimental means. Computer-aided drug discovery/design methods have played a major role in the development of therapeutically important small molecules for over 2-3 decades [133]. Over the past couple of decades, many powerful standalone tools for computer-aided drug discovery have been developed [134]. In silico metabolism After adopting combinatorial chemistry and high throughput biological screening in the past couple of decades, the pharmaceutical industry generated a large collection of potent and selective compounds for numerous targets. However, to become an optimal drug, in addition to potency and selectivity, a compound must have appropriate ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excreation), safety and developability characteristics. Relaying solely on potency in the early stage of drug discovery can result in disproportionate attrition after clinical candidate selection contributing to the exorbitant costs of discovering and developing drugs. Only about one in ten of those diligently chosen, highly potent and selective candidates that enter development reach the market often due to inadequate ADME properties. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider the ADME characteristics of compounds earlier in the discovery process to wager bets on compounds that have a greater potential t o survive the development and clinical trail stage of drug development. Increasing the odds of success to one in five (instead of ten) would reduce the total cost of bringing a new therapeutic to the market by 33%. Experimental determination of ADME and pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics is both expensive and time consuming, and is not practical for large numbers of compounds, especially when the pharmaceutical industry is under severe pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency. The Price tag to support various ongoing discovery projects in pharmaceutical company for synthesis and high throughput measurement of permeability, solubility, metabolic stability and acute toxicity can run into millions of dollars. Therefore, much attention is being focused on the application of in silico screens to reliability predict ADME attributes solely from molecular structure. In silico prediction of ADME properties will not only reduce cost and development cycle times by wisely directing resources to essential experimental testing, but also bring forward their consideration earlier at the lead generation stage when compounds are being synthesized and tested almost exclusively to meet pharmacological target potency levels. At the cost of experimental results indicated above, a mere 10-20 % reduction in high throughput experimental measurement of permeability, solubility, metabolic stability, acute toxicity through the use of in silico screens can lead to significant savings. Further, application of in silico screens offers an ideal ‘fail-early-fail-cheaply’ strategy for drug discovery because their application requires nothing more than inputting the basic structural information of a compoun d into a validation model. Metabolic Stability Measurement in Drug Discovery At most major pharmaceutical companies, metabolic stability assays are conducted at the first investigation into the metabolism of a compound. These in vitro assays generally utilize liver microsomes and/or hepatocytes to furnish important information about the rate and/or metabolism. In vitro metabolic studies are important in optimizing pharmacokinetic properties such as in vivo half life, maximum concentration and systemic exposure, because rapid metabolism is often a key factor contributing to poor exposure. The metabolic stability data is helpful for ranking molecules with respect to their ability to resist metabolism. Though high-throughput automated metabolic stability assay systems have been developed by the major pharmaceutical companies, screening a large number of compounds is still intensive. Thus, in silico prediction of metabolic stability can be used to rationalize experimental testing and have significant resources. Further, these models allow for prediction of metabolic stability for virtual libraries, thus bringing forwarded their consideration earlier to hit-to-lead stage. In silico Models for Metabolism Studies There are several types of in silico tools available for investigations into metabolism. These include knowledge based systems (metabolism databases) rules based or expert systems and quantity structure properties relationship (QSPR) and enzyme structure modeling systems. At its simplest, the partition coefficients, Log P (or its computed equivalent), of a drug in the n-octanol-water system has been shown to loosely correlate with the metabolic stability of a compound. As in silico calculations of Log P values have become readily available, they are being implemented in many of the current metabolism prediction packages. The earliest in silico metabolism tools were the metabolic reaction databases. In principle, these are databases with the published metabolic reactions and structure of parent compounds and their metabolites. Some of these allow creation of corporate metabolic databases as well. In most cases, these databases can be searched for specific biotransformation (by structure and substructure), biotransformation keywords, and by other user-defined fileds. The key advantage of this knowledge based in silico systems is that they include detailed metabolism findings and original references. Prediction of Metabolites The above mentioned knowledge based systems provided the groundwork for the development of rules based in silico predictors of metabolites, also called expert systems. Commercial rules based programs such as METEOR, META and MetabolExpert iteratively interrogate the chemical bonds of a molecule and apply programmed biotransformation rules in a predetermined hierarchy. As one can imagine, without means of terminating the metabolism tree a very large numbers of metabolites will be generated of predicted. Several of these programs allow the user to specify the number of levels of biotransformation or may use a LogP calculation to terminate the biotransformation process. Prediction of Sites of Metabolism The mechanism of oxidation by CYPs is though to be constant across all CUPS. One of the most important steps in the oxidation of drugs (by CYPs) is the ability of the perferyl oxy species (FeO+) to carry out a one-electron oxidation through the abstraction of hydrogen atoms. In silico packages such as Admensa, COMPACT and Metasite calculate the likehood of abstracting a hydrogen atom from all sites on a molecule, and then quantify which sites are most likely to be oxidized. The greatest advantage of these types of predictions is the ability to quantify the most likely major â€Å"hot spots† on the molecule. Prediction of Substrate Binding The ability of a molecule to properly dock on the active site of enzyme plays a major role in accurately determining the site(s) of metabolism on a molecule. Therefore, modeling of the P450 active sites has long been a goal for metabolism prediction. Some of the first attempts to model the active site of metabolizing enzymes used pharmacophore, site directed mutagenesis, and protein homology. Using homology models built from bacterial and mammalian P450s, in silico studies of docking potential substrates into the active site have been performed with mixed success. Now that the crystal structure for human CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP2C8 and CYP2A6 are available docking experiment with these models should more reliably predict the sites of metabolism on a molecule that the predictions form the homology models. Prediction of Metabolic Inhibition One of the causes of drug-drug interactions is the inhibition of metabolic pathways. Enzyme inhibition by a drug leads to a decrease in metabolism and intrinsic clearances, and an alteration in pharmacokinetics of a co-administered drug. Any knowledge around the potential of drug-drug interactions is useful for a quantitative assessment of the ability a new molecular entity to inhibit the metabolism of another drug. In silico methods to predict drug-drug interactions are mostly limited to competitive inhibitors because they rely primarily on the binding models in the used as templates with alignment and orientation of core structure in an active site. However, the quality of prediction depends on the structural similarity to the molecules that were used to build the model. Inhibitors of CYP2D6 and CYP2C9 have been predicted using the CoMFA method. For inhibitors of CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and CYP2D6, methods such as CATALYST and GRIND have been used to reduce the bias in the alignment of inhibitors. Prediction of Enzyme Induction The induction of drug metabolizing enzymes is an additional way in which co-administered drugs can affect the clearance and pharmacokinetics of a given drug. Induction or increased expression of the drug metabolizing enzymes leads to an increase in the rate of metabolism and ultimately, to increase intrinsic clearance. Therefore, enzyme induction leads to decreased drug exposure which may results in therapeutic failure. Most often, the induction of enzymes occurs through the activation of nuclear receptors such as the Arylhydrocarbon receptor (Ahr), the Pregnane X receptor (PXR) and the constitutive Androstane Receptor (ACR). The activation of nuclear receptors PXR and CAR are responsible for the induction of several drug metabolizing enzymes including CYP3A, UGT1A1, SULT1A and CYP2C9. On the other hand, induction of CYP1A, SULT1A1 and UGT1A1 has been associated with activation of AhR. Prediction of Metabolic Stability As mentioned above, metabolic stability influences both oral bioavailability and half life of a drug. There is good correlation between in vitro metabolic stability and in vivo clearance. Therefore, the assessment of metabolic stability of compounds is being demanded and earlier in discovery projects. To meet these needs, in silico models are commonly employed. As described above, many different in silico tools focused on studying different aspects of metabolism have been developed. In our experience, the choice of the in silico tool by a user should primarily be guided by the type of information and level of accuracy that is desired. It is imperative that the developers of these in silico tools continually refine and validate them to reliably predict and quantify the metabolic fate of drug in humans. On the other hand, the chemists, biologists and ADME scientist on project teams to evaluate and use the existing in silico tools and to challenge their developers to demand tools that will rationally and efficiently move the discovery projects forward. Metabol Expert Metabol Expert is an ideal program for a quick prediction of the metabolic fate of compound in the drug discovery process during the dispositional research phase. Metabol Expert is a unique tool for initial estimation of the structural formula of metabolites. Metabol Expert is a rule based system with open architecture, in other words, the chemists, metabolism researchers, drug disposition experts and environmental managers can understand, expand, modify or optimize the data on which the metabolic structural estimation relies. Commercialized by Compudrug in 1987, Metabol Expert is composed of a database, a knowledge base and several prediction tools. The basic biotransformation database contains 179 biotransformations, 112 of which are derived from Testa and Jenner, the others are based on frequently occurring metabolic pathways. The transformation knowledge-base is composed of if-then type rules. Each is composed of our components, the structure changed during the transformation, the new substructure formed, a list of substructure at least one of which must be present in the molecule for the biotransformation form occurring. These rules have been derived from the literature by experts and are input into the system by means of graphical tools. The system is open so that new rules can be added or existing ones modified or deleted. There are two types of predictions in Metabol Expert. In the first type, the system tries to match basic transformations automatically. There is a filter so that biotransformation sequences can be arrested after generation of a specified number of metabolites. Basic transformations are classified as phase I or phase II. In the event of a phase II metabolite being generated, the sequences are arrested and the metabolite is not included in the next level. If a transformation results in the generation of two metabolites, then both are passed into the next level. The second type of analysis is an extended prediction model in which metabolites generated from basic transformations is compared to a list of transformations in a learned tree for a given species and the analogues are then listed in order of similarity. The program then attempts to quantify predictions based in the information in the learned tree. MexAlert MexAlert was developed to be an ideal assistant for high-throughput screening. It is advantageous to consider metabolism still before synthesis of the compounds, in order to exclude unwanted metabolic pathways, leading, for example, to first pass effect or to formation of toxic intermediates. MexAlert predicts first pass metabolic pathways by quickly identifying sites on the molecule where Phase II metabolic transformations (in other words, conjugation) may occur. It is rule based system; the rules are selected from among the Phase II transformations in the animal knowledge base, and modified according to in vivo experimental example of first-pass effect pathways. In silico toxicity prediction Attrition during the drug development process is a serious economic problem for the pharmaceutical industry and it is often due to inappropriate ADME/Tox characteristics. IT has been estimated that 20-40% of the drug failure in investigational drug development phases are due to safety issues, not continuing multiple incidents of adverse effects of existing drugs. The early drug discovery process needs to address in parallel not only potency but also pharmacokinetics and toxicological properties. Van de Waterbeemd and his colleagues at Pfizer have called this approach ‘property-based design’, emphasizing the importance of the critical combinations of physical and structural properties that contribute to ‘druglikeness’. Ideally this process should begin early in discovery, using computational models to screen both virtual libraries and available compound collections to identify compounds with the desired properties (good potency, ADME and low toxicity). Often molecular size and lipophilicity have an important effect on all three properties. High biological activity is frequently associated with high LogP, but this may also raise the probability of high toxicity. In the 1990s, drug companies invested heavily in combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening (HTS) as a source of leads for new targets. Most screen actives turned out to be large and/or hydrophobic, clearly contraindicating to the principles of minimal hydrophobicity. The most visible outcome was not even that they were toxic (because most compounds did not advance that far in development), but that they were either insoluble or non-absorbable. This overshadowed any toxicological consideration in the early stages of drug discovery, bringing forward compounds solubility and permeability as the most urgent problems to address. In the late 1990s the concepts of drug-likeness and lead likeness emerged and simple rules were formulated e.g. â€Å"rule of 5† to warn chemists when compounds were well outside the property space normal for orally active drugs. These rules are now widely used in Virtual Screening to remove undesirable compounds from consideration prior to their synthesis or acquisition. In addition to simple property filters toxicological issues should also be considered because otherwise any specific hazardous sub structural effects are ignored. Some of the harshest reactivity effects are identified and removed using predefined alert substructures (e.g., acid halides) (sometimes called â€Å"garbage filters†). The problem is the most of such alert substructures are â€Å"chameleonic† in nature, i.e., they may not necessarily cause toxic effects depending on other functional groups and overall molecular structures (e.g., acid halides). To fix this, all chameleonic† substructures (from â€Å"garbage† filters and beyond) must be supplemented with class specific QSAR’s for different health effects, yielding toxicological expert systems. Such systems can be used in virtual screening along with â€Å"drug –likeness† filters to subdivide compounds into â€Å"safe†, â€Å"hazardous† and â€Å"Questionable†. Promising compounds need further toxicological evaluation, but this cannot be done by predicative methods alone due to multiple knowledge gaps in their training sets and limited numbers of considered toxicological end points. Sometimes further evaluation is done during lead optimization, when chemical structures are covalently modified and tested. At this stage various toxicological predictions are used to prioritize both compounds that are to be tested and in vitro methods can reliably predict drug’s effect on a whole animal system, yet Animal Tests are not usually done until drug development candidates are identified. By this time drug development cost can reach substantial levels, economic risks become considerable. Thus any predictive tools that help to identify adverse effects in animals prior to conducting such testes are highly desirable. If a known toxic pharmacophore is identified and closely related to the pharmacophore required for activity at the therapeutic target then series specific SAR is needed to aid design of molecules with an adequate separation between the therapeutic dose and the dose threshold for the toxic effect. Since it is essential to have an in vitro surrogate that can model the desired in vivo effect on a significant number of compounds. Some of the more important end points for which in vitro surrogates that can model the desired in vivo effect on a significant numbers of compounds. Some of the more important end points for which in vitro surrogates have been used are: QT prolongation in heart due to blockade of the hERG potassium channel, hepatotoxicity due to compounds that produce phospholipidosis and hepatotoxicity due to induction of CYP450 enzymes. To summarize, in drug design toxicity predictions can be useful for three purpose – virtual screeing, prioritization of compounds and in vitro tests, and prediction of health effects in whole animal systems. Although many toxicologists are understandably leave us with no choice but to make the attempt using available animal toxicity database.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Comparing Abortion in Morrisons Beloved and in America Today :: comparison compare contrast essays

Abortion in Morrison's Beloved and in America Today      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, the main character, Sethe, commits a crime unthinkable and incomprehensible to most people today.   She murders her own child, her own flesh and blood.   The institution of slavery drove Sethe to make this drastic decision.   Comparing the situations of slavery to today's society is impossible.   Yet, we still see mothers killing babies (or fetuses).   The issue of abortion has been a constant in our society for years.   Is the emotional struggle to kill a baby made out of love or selfishness?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cruelties of slavery from which Sethe plans to save her children are manifold in Beloved.   Sethe was living in a time completely different from our own.   She and other slaves experienced things that none of us could ever imagine; having breast milk stolen from her own body, being whipped by a chokecherry tree to the point of leaving permanent scars.   Other cruelties for Sethe are to know that her friends were hurt.   Sixo was roasted alive and Paul A hung.   Paul D is locked onto a chain for eighty-three days in a prison camp in Georgia.   These pains for her friends can be just as painful for Sethe.   All in all the life of a slave is dehumanizing.   Constant hiding and being on the run plays tricks on the mind of slaves.   Shown by Paul D in his most discouraging conflict comes in contact with a rooster, Mister.   Humiliated by the fact that an animal was walking around with more power, he doesn't understand how an animal can have a better life, and place judgement on a human.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the time of slavery the love between a mother and her children dims.   Through scars mothers and children were to have secret relationships.   In Sethe's only memory of her mother she was introduced to a scar underneath her breast which could always identify her mother.   After her mother was hung, Sethe did examine her corpse, but was unable to locate the symbol on the decaying flesh.   Imagining how these images design a psyche for a child, this memory would bruise them for eternity.   These morbid rememories for Sethe are reminders for her that she is living in an

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Analyze Hawthornes Rhetorical Strategies

The Scarlet Letter Essay In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts major themes of the book through usage of various symbols. By utilizing symbolism, Hawthorne portrays humanity’s disposition towards those rejected by society and the effects of being an outcast, along with other various meanings conveyed in Hawthorne’s novel. The most obvious symbol, and the most important, is the scarlet letter that Hester is burdened to wear due to her conviction of adultery. Such symbols convey an intriguing message of hypocrisy that lies beyond the naked eye. Through his use of symbolism, a hidden message portraying hypocrisy is revealed line after line. Early in the novel, as the crowd awaits Hester to emerge, Hawthorne vividly describes a prison in which the puritan disciplinary system is symbolized. Hawthorne writes that â€Å"†¦ whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness†(Hawthorne 45) the founders hoped to achieve, but â€Å"Hawthorne deflates the tradition of American dreams of Utopia and new social orders†(Pearl) by pointing out that both a cemetery and a prison were among the first structures to be built. However, Puritan society is based on religious enlightenment, yet despite their morals, the first structure to be built in Boston was a prison, a place of punishment, darkness, and sin. Puritan morals expect tranquility within the society and to surely repress sin, but by building a prison, they almost antagonize sin to be committed as the prison proves to be â€Å"†¦ borne the black flower of civilized society†¦ † (Hawthorne 46). The prison symbolizes corrupt society plagued by hypocrisy within the religious system as it defies puritan beliefs of a sin-free environment by bringing darkness upon social life in Boston. Hawthorne brings light upon the darkness by contrasting the prison with a rose bush that â€Å"†¦. had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally over-shadowed it ,- or whether, as there is fair authority for believing.. † (46). The rose bush signified â€Å"Sweet moral blossom† (46) that emerged from the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Hawthorne makes several reference to the rose bush throughout the novel as in chapter 8 when pearl claims she was â€Å"plucked by her mother off the bush of wild red roses that grew by the prison door†(102). Salvation for the prisoners is depicted by the rose bush, this symbolizes that Pearl is the key to salvation for both Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl was born through an act of sin, as she lives in a world of sin she must be sanctified along with serving as salvation to all the characters as she represents light among darkness. To truly understand the nature of Hawthorne’s symbolism used to depict hypocrisy, one must understand the meaning of the infamous Scarlet Letter â€Å"A†. Throughout the novel, the scarlet letter â€Å"takes on several different meanings† (Pearl) for each of the characters. For the public, the letter is â€Å"taking Hester out of the ordinary relations with humanity and inclosing her in a sphere by herself†(51). Due to Hawthorne’s unique usage of symbolism â€Å"†¦ we are invited to enter a separate sphere, where both imagination and moral growth can occur†(Pearl). As Hester becomes accustomed to wearing the lettter, the meaning of the â€Å"A† gradually transcends from meaning â€Å"adulterer† to symbolizing â€Å"able† or â€Å"angel†. Apart from symbolizing the obvious, the letter also depicts a major theme of the book, hypocrisy. Puritans believe that people should not be punished for sin, however the Puritan leaders made Hester face a lifetime of embarrassment by making her wear the letter. Keep in mind these leaders are also the leaders who preach the word of God while condemning Hester revealing their nature of hypocrisy. Hawthorne’s symbolism usage leads the reader to reflect on why followers of a religion that stood for forgiveness would merciless condemn its own for the most rational actions. Symbols portrayed in The Scarlet Letter range from representing the hypocrisy and corruptness of Puritan society, to showing how salvation can exist in a world full of sin.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Impact of gamma rays on the germination

To find out LD50 dose for the seed and urther investigate the influence on germination and seedling parameters. The experimental results revealed that the percentage of germination had decreased after irradiation and the effect become stronger with increase of gamma dose. Parameters such as germination percentage, speed ot germination, mean daily germination, peak value and germination value had significantly decreased with increased irradiation doses. Similarly seedling parameters viz. , Root length, Shoot length, Vigour index and Root/Shoot length ratio expressed higher reduction at higher doses as compared to non irradiated control.The study clearly indicated ncrease in the deleterious effects of gamma irradiation at regular intervals, with attainment of LD50 at a dose of 1. 50 kGy. Keywords: Gamma irradiation, Groundnut, Seed germination, Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L. ) is popularly known as peanut. It is one of the world ‘s most popular oil seed crops, cultivated in more than 100 countries of six continents. It is the single largest source of edible oils in India and constitutes roughly about 50 percent of the total oilseeds production.Among the major Groundnut growing states there has been consistent increase in area under cultivation in Andhra Pradesh. The groundnut seed mainly comprised of protein, fat, carbohydrate which make it sensitive to radiation induced stress. Among the environmental stresses, the radiation is the most important factor, which limits production of groundnut. This would result in drastic reduction in crop yield and magnitude of reduction would depend on groundnut varieties. Not only the yield of Groundnut but also the quality of products decreases under radiation stress.The seed stage is a convenient phase in the plant's life cycle for use in radiological studies to determine relative radio sensitivity of species and the effects of various actors on radio sensitivity. Earlier experiments in this field have indicated that io nizing radiation could cause permanent genetical effects, lethal or beneficial mutations, morphological modifications and other effects in plants. Several factors may be involved in the inhibition of germination and the growth of the plants from seeds following their exposure to high irradiation doses.A number of radiobiological parameters are commonly used in early assessment of effectiveness of radiation. Methods based on physiological changes such as inhibition of seed germination and hoot and root elongation have been reported for detection of irradiated legumes. Therefore, in present study the response of groundnut seed (cv. Narayan') to gamma radiation stress on germination and seedling parameters of groundnut was investigated compared to non irradiated seed. ASIAN J. EXP. BIOL. SCI. VOL 4 (1) 2013 61 Impact of Gama Rays on the Seed Germination and Seedling Parameters of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ M. Aparna et al. MATERIALS AND METHODS T he material for the present study comprised of seed of groundnut variety Narayan'. 100 seeds were taken in 0. 1 mm thick polythene bags of 1 5 X 22cm dimension and ealed. The bags were exposed to gamma irradiation wit n doses ot O 1. 30, 1. 50, 1. 70, 1. 90, 2. 10 and 2. 30 kGy. Samples were irradiated in continuous gamma sterilization plant (GC 5000, designed by Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology, Mumbai) with 444 TBq (12000Ci) and Cobalt60 source with a specific activity of 3. 01 kGy/hour at Quality Control Laboratory, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad- 500 030 and were compared with the observations made on untreated control. The material for irradiation was placed in an irradiation chamber located in vertical drawer inside the Lead flask. Radiation field was provided by a set of stationary Cobalt60 source placed in a cylindrical cage. The source was doubly encapsulated in corrosion resistant stainless steel pencils and was tested in acco rdance with international standards. Two access holes of 8 mm diameter were provided of service sleeves for gasses, thermocouple etc. Mechanism for rotating/stirring samples during irradiation is also incorporated. The quantity of absorbed dose (kGy) can be defined as the amount of energy absorbed per unit mass of the matter at the point of interest. The experiment was carried out as per Completely Randomized Design CRD). The irradiated seed along with nonirradiated control were sown in petridishes in the laboratory. Data on germination and seedling parameters were recorded seven days after sowing under ambient condition. Germination percentage was calculated using the formula as per ISTA [10].Speed of germination of the given sample was calculated according to the formula given by Maguire [16]. Similarly, other germination parameters viz. , Mean daily germination, Peak value (Edwards [9]) and Germination value (Czebator [7]) were calculated. Seedling parameters like Shoot and root length were measured using ten seedlings ollected at random from each sample on 7th day from the seeds subjected to germination test. The shoot and root length were measured in centimeters (cm) using a scale and root/shoot length ratio was calculated using the estimates of seedling length.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

second amendment loop hole essays

second amendment loop hole essays .When I was born my grandfathers gift to me was a lifetime NRA membership and on my twelfth birthday I received my fathers .22 caliber rifle, which he had gotten from my grandfather as a young boy. The topic of discussion at most family gatherings normally involves whatever species of animal is in season or gun control. Growing up in this environment has given me an interesting outlook on certain issues, mostly those having to do with gun control and the Second Amendment. It is my belief that the original intent and purpose of the Second Amendment was to preserve and guarantee, not grant the pre-existing right of individuals, to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Although there is an emphasizes on the need for a militia, membership in any militia let alone a well regulated one, is not required. to prove this you only need to look at The first nine amendments of the United States Constitution which were clearly meant to preserve individual rights. The use of the word people in the Second Amendment indicates an individual right. While the Tenth Amendment which reads: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. With this wording the writers of the constitution have clearly, distinguished between the rights states and the people. Are we to assume the Founding Fathers were so careless in constructing a legal document like the Constitution that they would use the word "people" when The Second Amendment was meant to accomplish two distinct goals, each perceived as crucial to the maintenance of liberty: First, it was meant to guarantee the individual's right to ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Slavery in the Southern States essays

Slavery in the Southern States essays In early America, the southern states quickly realized that crops such as tobacco and cotton were very much in demand. The land and climate were excellent for the growth of these crops and slave labor was perfectly suited for the jobs. Most importantly to the growers, slave labor was very cheap. The planters invested in slaves rather than machinery to increase production. Slavery originated from a concept known as indentured servitude. One half to two-thirds of all immigrants to Colonial America arrived as indentured servants. At times, as many as 75% of the population of some colonies were under terms of the indenture. Even on the frontier, according to the 1790 U.S. Census, 6% of the Kentucky population was indentured. The historic basis for indenture grew out of English agricultural servitude and began because of labor shortages in England and the colonies. It developed at a time when England had a great number of people being displaced from farming. This led to the early growth of the indentured labor system. The importation of white servants under contracts known as indentures proved more profitable as a short-term labor source than enslaving Indians or using free labor. Eventually, the final attempt to ease labor shortages was enslavement of Africans. A labor-intensive cash crop such as tobacco required a large workforce. The earliest indentured servants were brought to Virginia as farm laborers. In practice, the servant would sell himself to an agent or ship captain before leaving the British Isles. In turn, the contract would be sold to a buyer in the colonies to recover the cost of the passage. In theory, the person is only selling his or her labor. In practice, however, indentured servants were slaves, and the courts enforced the laws that made it so. The treatment of the servant was harsh and often brutal. Colonial laws punished runaway indentured servants with severity. The government initially soug...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

General Sir William Howe in the American Revolution

General Sir William Howe in the American Revolution General Sir William Howe was a central figure during the early years of the American Revolution (1775-1783) when he served as commander of British forces in North America. A distinguished veteran of the French and Indian War, he took part in many of the conflicts campaigns in Canada. In the years after the war, Howe and his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, were sympathetic to the concerns of the colonists. Despite this, he accepted a post to fight the Americans in 1775. Assuming command in North America the following year, Howe conducted successful campaigns that saw him capture both New York City and Philadelphia. Though victorious on the battlefield, he consistently failed to destroy General George Washingtons army and departed for Britain in 1778. Early Life William Howe was born August 10, 1729, and was the third son of Emanuel Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe and his wife Charlotte. His grandmother had been the mistress of King George I and as a result Howe and his three brothers were the illegitimate uncles of King George III. Influential in the halls of power, Emanuel Howe served as Governor of Barbados while his wife regularly attended the courts of King George II and King George III. Attending Eton, the younger Howe followed his two elder brothers into the military on September 18, 1746 when he purchased a commission as a coronet in Cumberlands Light Dragoons. A quick study, he was promoted to lieutenant the following year and saw service in Flanders during the War of the Austrian Succession.  Elevated to captain on January 2, 1750, Howe transferred to the 20th Regiment of Foot. While with the unit, he befriended Major James Wolfe under whom he would serve in North America during the French and Indian War. Fighting in North America On January 4, 1756, Howe was appointed major of the newly formed 60th Regiment (re-designated 58th in 1757) and traveled with the unit to North America for operations against the French.  Promoted to lieutenant colonel in December 1757, he served in Major General Jeffery Amhersts army during its campaign to capture Cape Breton Island. In this role he took part in Amhersts successful siege of Louisbourg that summer where he commanded the regiment. During the campaign, Howe earned a commendation for making a daring amphibious landing while under fire. With the death of his brother, Brigadier General George Howe at the Battle of Carillon that July, William attained a seat in Parliament representing Nottingham.  This was aided by his mother who campaigned on his behalf while he was overseas as she believed that a seat in Parliament would aid in advancing her sons military career. Battle of Quebec Remaining in North America, Howe served in Wolfes campaign against Quebec in 1759. This began with a failed effort at Beauport on July 31 that saw the British suffer a bloody defeat. Unwilling to press the attack at Beauport, Wolfe decided cross the St. Lawrence River and land at  Anse-au-Foulon to the southwest. This plan was executed and on September 13, Howe led the initial light infantry assault which secured the road up to the Plains of Abraham. Appearing outside of the city, the British opened the the Battle of Quebec later that day and won a decisive victory. Remaining in the region, he helped defend Quebec through the winter, including participation in the Battle of Sainte-Foy, before aiding in Amhersts capture of Montreal the following year. Colonial Tensions Returning to Europe, Howe took part in the siege of Belle ÃŽle in 1762 and was offered the military governorship of the island.  Preferring to remain in active military service, he declined this post and instead served as the adjutant general of the force that assaulted Havana, Cuba in 1763.  With the end of the conflict, Howe returned to England. Appointed colonel of the 46th Regiment of Foot in Ireland in 1764, he was elevated to governor of the Isle of Wight four years later. Recognized as a gifted commander, Howe was promoted to major general in 1772, and a short time later took over training of the armys light infantry units. Representing a largely Whig constituency in Parliament, Howe opposed the Intolerable Acts and preached reconciliation with the American colonists as tensions grew in 1774 and early 1775. His feelings were shared by his brother, Admiral Richard Howe. Though publicly stating that he would resist service against the Americans, he accepted the position as second-in-command of British forces in America. American Revolution Begins Stating that he was ordered, and could not refuse, Howe sailed for Boston with Major Generals Henry Clinton and John Burgoyne. Arriving May 15, Howe brought reinforcements for General Thomas Gage. Under siege in the city following the American victories at Lexington and Concord, the British were forced to take action on June 17 when American forces fortified Breeds Hill on the Charlestown Peninsula overlooking the city. Lacking a sense of urgency, the British commanders spent much of the morning discussing plans and making preparations while the Americans worked to strengthen their position. While Clinton favored an amphibious attack to cut off the American line of retreat, Howe advocated a more conventional frontal attack. Taking the conservative route, Gage ordered Howe to move forward with a direct assault. Bunker Hill In the resulting Battle of Bunker Hill, Howes men succeeded in driving off the Americans but sustained over 1,000 casualties in capturing their works. Though a victory, the battle deeply influenced Howe and crushed his initial belief that the rebels represented only a small part of the American people. A dashing, daring commander earlier in his career, the high losses at Bunker Hill made Howe more conservative and less inclined to attack strong enemy positions. Battle of Bunker Hill. Photograph Source: Public Domain Knighted that year, Howe was temporarily appointed commander-in-chief on October 10 (it was made permanent in April 1776) when Gage returned to England. Assessing the strategic situation, Howe and his superiors in London planned to establish bases in New York and Rhode Island in 1776 with the goal of isolating the rebellion and containing it in New England. Forced out of Boston on March 17, 1776, after General George Washington emplaced guns on Dorchester Heights, Howe withdrew with the army to Halifax, Nova Scotia. New York There, a new campaign was planned with the goal of taking New York. Landing on Staten Island on July 2, Howes army soon swelled to over 30,000 men. Crossing to Gravesend Bay, Howe exploited the light American defenses at Jamaica Pass and succeeded in flanking Washingtons army.  The resulting Battle of Long Island on August 26/27 saw the Americans beaten and forced to retreat. Falling back to fortifications at Brooklyn Heights, the Americans awaited a British assault. Based on his earlier experiences, Howe was reluctant to attack and began siege operations. Battle of Long Island by Alonzo Chappel. Public Domain This hesitation allowed Washingtons army to escape to Manhattan. Howe was soon joined by his brother who had orders to act as a peace commissioner. On September 11, 1776, the Howes met with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge on Staten Island. While the American representatives demanded recognition of independence, the Howes were only permitted to extend pardons to those rebels who submitted to British authority. Their offer refused, they began active operations against New York City. Landing on Manhattan on September 15, Howe suffered a setback at Harlem Heights the next day but ultimately forced Washington from the island and later drove him from a defensive position at the Battle of White Plains. Rather than pursue Washingtons beaten army, Howe returned to New York to secure Forts Washington and Lee. New Jersey Again showing an unwillingness to eliminate Washingtons army, Howe soon moved into winter quarters around New York and only dispatched a small force under Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis to create a safe zone in northern New Jersey. He also dispatched Clinton to occupy Newport, RI. Recovering in Pennsylvania, Washington was able to win victories at Trenton, Assunpink Creek, Princeton in December and January. As a result, Howe pulled back many of his outposts. While Washington continued small-scale operations during the winter, Howe was content to remain in New York enjoying a full social calendar. Two Plans In the spring of 1777, Burgoyne proposed a plan for defeating the Americans which called for him to lead an army south through Lake Champlain to Albany while a second column advanced east from Lake Ontario. These advances were to be supported by an advance north from New York by Howe. While this plan was approved by Colonial Secretary Lord George Germain, Howes role was never clearly defined nor was he issued orders from London to aid Burgoyne. As a result, though Burgoyne moved forward, Howe launched his own campaign to capture the American capital at Philadelphia. Left on his own, Burgoyne was defeated in the critical Battle of Saratoga. Philadelphia Captured Sailing south from New York, Howe moved up the Chesapeake Bay and landed at Head of Elk on August 25, 1777. Moving north into Delaware, his men skirmished with the Americans at Coochs Bridge on September 3. Pressing on, Howe defeated Washington at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11. Outmaneuvering the Americans, he captured Philadelphia without a fight eleven days later. Concerned about Washingtons army, Howe left a small garrison in the city and moved northwest. Fighting around Cliveden during the Battle of Germantown. Photograph Source: Public Domain On October 4, he won a near-run victory at the Battle of Germantown. In the wake of the defeat, Washington retreated into winter quarters at Valley Forge. Having taken the city, Howe also worked to open the Delaware River to British shipping.  This saw his men defeated at Red Bank but victorious in the Siege of Fort  Mifflin. Under severe criticism in England for failing to crush the Americans and feeling he had lost the kings confidence, Howe requested to be relieved on October 22. After attempting to lure Washington into battle late that fall, Howe and the army entered winter quarters in Philadelphia. Again enjoying a lively social scene, Howe received word that his resignation had been accepted on April 14, 1778. Later Life Arriving in England, Howe entered into the debate over the conduct of the war and published a defense of his actions. Made a privy counselor and Lieutenant General of the Ordnance in 1782, Howe remained in active service. With the outbreak of the French Revolution he served in a variety of senior commands in England. Made a full general in 1793, he died on July 12, 1814, after a prolonged illness, while serving as governor of Plymouth. An adept battlefield commander, Howe was beloved by his men but received little credit for his victories in America. Slow and indolent by nature, his greatest failure was an inability to follow up on his successes.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Griselda Blanco de Trujillo The Godmother of Drug Trafficking Essay

Griselda Blanco de Trujillo The Godmother of Drug Trafficking - Essay Example Griselda Blanco is one such personality who emerged and established her in the underworld so strongly that she was given the title of Godmother. It throws light on the fact that women are becoming increasingly involved in criminal activities, most importantly drug trafficking. This paper summarizes the rise and fall of Griselda Blanco. In the spring of 1975 Griselda Blanco’s Learjet arrived at the Bogota airport from Miami. As soon as the jet touched down, the runway was flocked by a cavalcade of black Limousines carrying fully armed enforcers. Blanco, the five feet tall, oval faced 32-year-old who weighed 165 pounds, was instantly escorted by her crew towards a famous night club in the Columbian capital. She was visiting her husband, Alberto Bravo, who was her confidante and her partner in crime. Together, they formed a cartel that â€Å"moved hundreds of kilos of cocaine in the US, and employed nearly 1,500 dealers â€Å"(Brown 95). That fateful day Griselda was a woman on a mission, which was to confront her husband for his wrong doings and corruption involving millions. Safely tucked inside her boot was a loaded pistol which left little doubt about her intentions. Bravo was eagerly waiting for her to assume nothing about her sudden visit to the drug-trafficking hub of America, i.e., Colombia. As they came in person, her rage alarmed him and the six guards who surrounded him. Nothing could stop this woman from the vengeance she nestled in her heart for her husband, who was the king of cocaine smuggling in Colombia. Bullets were fired from both the groups killing several guards. Bravo was killed on the spot by Griselda, who targeted his head and fired without thinking twice that this was her husband whom she wanted to eliminate. With just one careful shot, Griselda became the legendary godmother of the drug mafia in America. Griselda Blanco, the woman with a cleft chin, was hardly passable as a drug dealer, let alone the drug lord. However, this was indeed a fact that she became the undisputed queen of underworld mafia, and was the most feared one due to her ruthless tactics and aggressive approach. The surprising factor is that she was also a mysterious figure to the law enforcement agencies, and her complete criminal records were only revealed through her own kept diaries. Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen wrote that â€Å"in 1977 DEA agents in Medellin discovered the bookkeeping records of Griselda Blanco and began to learn of the ties between the traffickers they pursued† (Gugliotta and Leen 28). Blanco was born in a poor family on February 15, 1943 in the slums of Cartagena Columbia (Brown 96). She had a childhood and spent most of her early years in the barrio (Riano-Alcala 42). She became a prostitute at the young age of eleven to get rid of her turbulent life and abusive mother. As she belonged to the land of crime †Columbia," she was involved in various criminal acts like pocket picking, abducting children from wealthy families, robbing and shooting people for money since the age of eleven (Brown 96). Bob Polombo, US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent said that â€Å"I just think it was inherent to Griselda Blanco. This goes back to her life, the way she was brought up. She was just a violent person† (Brown 96).   The period from 1960 to 1980 was a bountiful time for drug dealing all over

Friday, October 18, 2019

Writing about oaranormal such as ghost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing about oaranormal such as ghost - Essay Example have had a paranormal experiences, 56% believe that those ghosts are the spirits of the dead, ad over 60% believe that Ouija boards are â€Å"bad news† (Live Science Staff, 2011). As a believer in ghosts I think that there are many instances and locations that have a great deal of activity that can be and has been captured by, both, freelance and professional television ghost seekers. Again, however, for example if a particular show went to a location and could not get a single interesting, suspicious, or peculiar thing to happen, then one has to ask would they fake when necessary in order to improve the show and provide some sort of evidence by the end of the episode? Granted there are many instances, especially in older homes, where the sounds that people are hearing can be debunked as the natural sounds of aging wood, a settling foundation, and air in the pipes. However, when all practical explanations have been considered and accounted for that leaves the unexplainable. Ultimately, when watching these shows one must decide for themselves which seem the most sincere and believable and which seems staged and set up for the benefit of the cameras. I have seen many shows where the evidence was astonishingly strong and others terribly planned and scripted. In others words, television is filled with all kinds, those based on the legitimate research and seekers of scientific proof of the afterlife and those that take advantage of people who are believers. Live Science Staff. (2011, October 11). americans beliefs in paranormal phenomena (infographic). Live Science, 1. Retrieved from

Summary of a book chapter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Summary of a book chapter - Assignment Example A strong economic and military power are critical to the formation of such a liberal global market economy. According to the hegemonic theory, the absence of a dominant economic and military power can make it difficult to enforce liberal rules. Thus, the international markets cannot operate without the existence of a liberal dominant power. Chances of a global market economy falling are high when there is no integration of such a hegemon. In addition, the risk of deteriorating economic relations into self-interested, nationalistic and protectionist competition can be profound. The debate presents that the dominant power manipulates a global market in attempts to foster a world economy grounded in a free trade. The free trade benefits all the nations that participate in such a global market. For instance, the US military in Western Europe helped in neutralizing Soviet threat. Marxism initiated a debate regarding the development and underdevelopment in nations that are still developing. The Marxists reacted to the economic liberal concept. Thus, this debate begins from a liberal perspective of problems related to development. It is apparent from this debate that asking of pertinent questions regarding development was never possible before 1950s. In some cases, individuals could ask questions that concerned the colonial development since a number of developing nations had European states controlling them. Development of colonies was not strictly a global concern, but an imperial issue. The beginning of decolonization by 1950s marked the introduction of agendum on researching about development on a global scale. Such developments led to new states including Africa and Asia becoming part of the UN and was able to raise their concerns regarding development. Mainstream perspective appears to be a dominant discourse that defines all, which appertains to develop ment. Economic liberals raised several debates on varied issues. In this

Dissatisfaction of employees in organization Assignment

Dissatisfaction of employees in organization - Assignment Example However, every employee has certain expectations from the company for, which they deliver their services. An employee craves for variable returns for his/her services being rendered to the organisation. A dis-satisfied employee may face variable amount of problems, which may result in decline of the productivity of the employees that will drastically affect the overall performance of an organisation (Anderson, 2011). Effective leadership quality and application of advanced procedures will ensure in directing the employees to the attainment of business objectives. In this context, dis-satisfaction among the employees arises due to ineffective management systems prevailing within the organisations. The paper intends to discuss about the problem prevailing within the organisation mentioned in the case study. The study also lays a dis-satisfaction amidst the employees and its adverse effects on productivity. In this respect, the current issues that are creating various factors of indiffe rences of a chosen organisational situation will be analysed upon. And based on the analysis, effective measures for curbing out the issues to improve the organisational situation will be determined thereon. ... An in depth analysis provides a clearer picture of that presented the aspects of inequalities within the organisation. This aspect seemed to take a negative turn within the entire organisation. It was learned that all the employees who were working within the organisation were not treated in an equal manner. It has been affirmed form the case scenario that the employees who dedicatedly invested their time and effort in meeting up the business requirements were not given equal treatments, benefits and perks as compared to other employees. This created a dis-satisfaction among the employees, which affected the productivity of the organisation. According to the brief scenario, broader benefits comprised of different opportunities pertaining to learning of multiple languages. The other benefits included proper motivation, opportunities pertaining to receiving scholarships, different forms of training among other beneficial factors. On the other hand, the scenario was totally different. T he other bunch of employees who seem to work very hard for the sake of the organisation did not received any returns from the organisation’s end. It seemed that all of efforts were simply getting wasted as there was no one to recognise their hard work. And these aspects ultimately lead to dissatisfaction among the employees as they were not receiving any kind of benefits or motivational support. The medical hospital mainly dealt with patients who suffered serious issues pertaining to addiction. In the addiction section of the particular organisation/ mental hospital, there were three types of staffs that mainly consisted of doctors, psychologists and nurses. It was around 100 employees who served in that particular section of the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Racism in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racism in Britain - Essay Example The British national self and race is constructed in relation to the other nations. Cultural differences are irreducible, and they revealed the ambivalence and hybrid nature of racism. Critics state that "The positing of ethnic origin raises the issue of the targets of racism being diverse and not restricted to groups defined in racial terms" (Anthias, Lloyd, 2002. p. 8). According to the nature of racism in Britain the great influx of immigrants had eroded homogeneous national identities, or rather the traditional, received instructive images and narratives of national homogeneity, and had thereby revealed the poor image of non-white race. Racism is akin to culture and religion rather than ideology in their depth and extent. The British nation is best seen as an imagined political community, at once sovereign and spatially finite-imagined. But once created, this imagined communion of the nation represents a powerful sociological reality as a community imagined to move in linear fashion through 'empty, homogeneous time. Critics and historians single out the following causes of racism in Britain. In Britain, racism can be explained as: "not just presence of physical differences between groups that creates races, but "the social recognition of such differences as socially significant or relevant" (Van the Berghe, 1967 cited Yassine, n.d.). The assumption that the root causes of these wars lay in antagonisms not only had its political and diplomatic uses therefore, but it also diverted attention from what really needed to be explained: how was it that these political elites were able to arouse people who had been living for generations in multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious communities to such extremes of racism. Researchers suppose that "frustration-aggression" and "authoritarian personality" theories help to explain racism in Britain. A part of the explanation lies in the particular techniques and strategies which are deliberately employed by political leaders to turn these materials into a powerful resource for advancing nationalist claims. [They] "explain racism as a type of relief from "frustration", where a "scapegoat" may become the object of aggressive behaviour" (Yassine, n.d.). The failure, or refusal, of British public institutions to recognize the impact of political and economic change on the development of ethnic and national sentiment has made it easier for these British nation to ignore, or fail to give serious causal weight to, the role of racism in using ethnicity and religion to mobilize, polarize and radicalize larger target groups. Immigration is seen as another cause of racial ideas and prejudices existed in British society. "Immigrants from the 'New Commonwealth were not welcomed, or effectively woven into the fabric of a polyethnic, multicultural society" (Yassine, n.d.). For this reason, many British citizens do not respect other nations who come to their country looking for better life. In general, even if British society can be shown to have common values, they might be morally unacceptable. Inequality is a shared value in slave-owning, racist and caste-based societies, but historians would not wish to argue that it should therefore be cherished let alone enforced on their egalitarian minorities. Besides, the core values of any society

The marketing communications plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The marketing communications plan - Essay Example The second stage of the plan spells out the strategies that will be used in the segmentation, targeting, and positioning processes. According to Malone (2007), the technology industry is busting with innovations in an un-choreographed time schedule, which means that failure to innovate timely product is likely a recipe for failure by the technological companies. The competition is high such that manufacturers in the industry have to continually research and create new products that are more suited to customers’ needs and expectations. Hewlett-Packard Company is a perfect example of a successful company in the global technological industry. The company specializes in the providing technologies, products, software services and solutions for consumers, small and medium term enterprises, and large enterprises. The major products lines that the company deals in include a wide range of printers and their associated by-products, personal computers, networking products, industry and enterprise servers, storage devices, and software products. In the past year, the company was ranked as the world’s largest PC vendor in terms of units that were sold; this is according to Fetterman (2012). ULTIME HP TV is a digital media receiver that has network appliances, which are designed to play digital content from varying sources such as Movie-TV programs, video calling , social networking apps. Twitter, Skype, face book, Video , YouTube , bbc I player movie streaming , 3D , free view , Hd , Memory Hard- 7506b, Multimedia , audio playback. Input devices Wireless WIFI , Bluetooth 40Hs , Ports 3 HDMI 2Usb , SCART Input, HP Wireless audio system , Â   From a wider perspective, it can be stated that the marketing communication plan is mainly intended to competitively position Hewlett-Packard Company within the in-home entertainment systems sector. The plan aims to ensure that the new ULTiME HP TV generates high sales revenues and is a favorite among the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Racism in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racism in Britain - Essay Example The British national self and race is constructed in relation to the other nations. Cultural differences are irreducible, and they revealed the ambivalence and hybrid nature of racism. Critics state that "The positing of ethnic origin raises the issue of the targets of racism being diverse and not restricted to groups defined in racial terms" (Anthias, Lloyd, 2002. p. 8). According to the nature of racism in Britain the great influx of immigrants had eroded homogeneous national identities, or rather the traditional, received instructive images and narratives of national homogeneity, and had thereby revealed the poor image of non-white race. Racism is akin to culture and religion rather than ideology in their depth and extent. The British nation is best seen as an imagined political community, at once sovereign and spatially finite-imagined. But once created, this imagined communion of the nation represents a powerful sociological reality as a community imagined to move in linear fashion through 'empty, homogeneous time. Critics and historians single out the following causes of racism in Britain. In Britain, racism can be explained as: "not just presence of physical differences between groups that creates races, but "the social recognition of such differences as socially significant or relevant" (Van the Berghe, 1967 cited Yassine, n.d.). The assumption that the root causes of these wars lay in antagonisms not only had its political and diplomatic uses therefore, but it also diverted attention from what really needed to be explained: how was it that these political elites were able to arouse people who had been living for generations in multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious communities to such extremes of racism. Researchers suppose that "frustration-aggression" and "authoritarian personality" theories help to explain racism in Britain. A part of the explanation lies in the particular techniques and strategies which are deliberately employed by political leaders to turn these materials into a powerful resource for advancing nationalist claims. [They] "explain racism as a type of relief from "frustration", where a "scapegoat" may become the object of aggressive behaviour" (Yassine, n.d.). The failure, or refusal, of British public institutions to recognize the impact of political and economic change on the development of ethnic and national sentiment has made it easier for these British nation to ignore, or fail to give serious causal weight to, the role of racism in using ethnicity and religion to mobilize, polarize and radicalize larger target groups. Immigration is seen as another cause of racial ideas and prejudices existed in British society. "Immigrants from the 'New Commonwealth were not welcomed, or effectively woven into the fabric of a polyethnic, multicultural society" (Yassine, n.d.). For this reason, many British citizens do not respect other nations who come to their country looking for better life. In general, even if British society can be shown to have common values, they might be morally unacceptable. Inequality is a shared value in slave-owning, racist and caste-based societies, but historians would not wish to argue that it should therefore be cherished let alone enforced on their egalitarian minorities. Besides, the core values of any society

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The News Director of a Local Television Station Term Paper

The News Director of a Local Television Station - Term Paper Example In this regard, effect on viewers and story ratings are essential concerns to consider in deciding on the lead story (Harcup, 2009). In the scenario presented, there are two cases of a possible lead story. The first one relates to the city park and the council’s decision to close it three days a week. The second one relates to the death of the celebrity. While the park is associated with greater viewer effect, the celebrity’s death comes with bigger ratings. Even though both are important, the celebrity’s death makes a fundamental lead story. This is because death is an eventual occurrence while closure of the park is not. There must have been follow-up events on the news in relation to arriving at the decision of closing the part for the said three days. On the other hand, celebrities are crucial social icons that are great regard to different people. Also, the ratings would not be realized in the absence of creating significant viewer effect. In the making of l ead stories, the viewer effect or the rating achieved are fundamental but not primarily the only concern for journalists and their media houses. There are other after-story concerns that emerge every time a lead story is done. Just like any other business, media houses have financial objectives and goals to achieve. They have to generate revenues in every aspect of their business aspects. To do so, they have to relate all variables that affect the leads story ad further account for the impacts thereafter. The main concern is to create a name for the media house in every aspect that touches on the society as a whole. The city park may is likely to be of much significance to the residents of the city. The death of a celebrity is of national and international concern, making it the most favorable leads story between the two. On the same note, the media houses are likely to have the celebrity’s death as their main story during that time, following up the unfolding events therein. Disregarding this aspect relative to the likely regard that the celebrity may hold in both national and international contexts would not be addressing viewer concerns. Over and above this, the success of a lead story and the media house at large in realizing viewer effect is as much as significant as a bigger rating. It is important to account for all-round media variables when deciding on the lead story, other than just being oriental to the greater effect on viewers (Harcup, 2009). Part Two Television and movies are essential components of social design and development. Regard for television and movies vary across individuals, with one thing being commonly evident; interest for television and movies. In the television and movies context, culture is a diverse and dynamic concept. Variables that define culture vary, but aspects of culture are always evident. Culture is reflected in television and movies in unaccountable ways. However, the most common ways through which culture is r eflected in this regard can be condensed to constitute a few significant and notable ways. Themes of televising and movie making serves as a medium through which television and movies reflect culture (Miller, 2003). Movies must account for some theme, and so do the television. Themes are essentially the central variable focused on in television and

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Misuse of Benzodiazepine

The Misuse of Benzodiazepine Introduction Benzodiazepine (BZD) misuse is a serious public health problem because it puts patients at higher risk of life-threatening drug overdoses for a long time.(Kevin W Chen,2011).In any case,the combination of effectiveness and risks of long-term use is the reason why BZD and other Tranquilizer drugs are too dangerous to deal with in clinical practice.Despite the fact that scientists have tried very hard to find an explanation for this issue, there is no recent study to assess how serious the problem is.However, BZD has killed a lot of people who use it for wrong purpose. The number of people taking prescribed BZD worldwide is considerable and over 1 million people in the UK are on long-term. (Dr Chris Ford,2014). For instance, Whitney Houston is the famous person who died because of BZD abuse. She died at the age of 48, which alarms the whole world . Whiney Houston’s cause of death (Xanax is one kind of Benzodiazepine) BZD do not indicate for a long-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia like some people who have misunderstanded. Long-term use can cause withdrawal symptoms in many people. Withdrawal symptoms can be considered as including three main groups: anxiety symptoms, distorted perceptions and major incidents.Treatment can be divided into three options: talking therapies, cognitive behavioural therapies and self-help. Self-help is the most important in this three options so the result depends much on patients endeavour. Situation Benzodiazepines are a type ofmedicationknown as tranquilizers. Familiar names include Valium and Xanax. They are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. When people withoutprescriptionsobtain and take these drugs for their sedating effects, use turns into abuse.Scientific name of this symptom is Benzodiazepines misuse or Benzodiazepines drug abuse (Joseph Goldberg,2014). BZD is used by two main populations: low-dose prescribed benzodiazepine users and high-dose, non-prescribed benzodiazepine abusers. In the first population, two kinds of patients who misuse the BZD are pointed out by Professor Heather Ashton in his scientific research about drug abuse.First, there are many patients who are prescribed BZD for short term but then using as long-term drugs by the instruction of doctors. As Professor Ashton mentioned in his book, this kind of patients estimated at 4 million people in the U.S. and it is likely that half of them are dependent.Four million people is quite a significant number that is enough to raise our attention on this issue. Morever, there are lots of patients who are prescribed BZD but then increase the dose on their own. â€Å"The more the better† is frequently a fundamental thinking of patients who misuse the dose of BZD. Benzodiazepine abuse is a growing problem and carries serious risks to health and society. Professor C Heather Ashton In the second population, Non-prescribed benzodiazepine abusers (NBA) is the term used to describe patients who are use BZD for arbitrary purposes. Without the instruction of doctor, NBA use BZD frequently for recreational purpose that lead them to be addicted. Table 1. Some benzodiazepines used recreationally (UK, Europe and USA) Generic name Brand name (UK) Potency (approximate dose equivalent to 10mg diazepam) Alprazolam Xanax 0.5 Bromazepam Lexotan 5 Chlordiazepoxide Librium 25 Diazepam Valium 10 Flunitrazepam Rohypnol 1 Flurazepam Dalmane 15-30 Ketazolam1 Anxon 15-30 Lorazepam Ativan 1 Medazepam1 Nobrium 10 Nitrazepam Mogadon 10 Oxazepam Serenid 20 Prazepam1 Centrax 15 Temazepam Normison, Euhypnos 20 Triazolam1 Halcion 0.5 (Zopiclone)2 Zimovane) (15) (Zolpidem)2 (Stilnoct) (20) Notes No longer in British National Formulary. Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics with similar actions to benzodiazepines; may have abuse liability. In the US, flunitrazepam have become popular because of diversion of supplies across the Mexican border .Potent benzodiazepines such as triazolam (no longer available in the UK), alprazolam (widely prescribed in the US) and lorazepam have a good position in NBA’c choice. These drugs are popular among sedatives such as valium (diazepam a particular pharmaceutical, like seduxen) and xanax (alprazolam scientific name, is a very powerful sedative often used in cases of severe insomnia ) has been misused and cause many adverse consequences. The use of sedatives such as drugs and marijuana to stimulate the brain has led to many scandals in the world of celebrity publicity curious about the effects of this class of drugs.Furthermore, some people not just use Benzodiazepine singly. According to the research of DAWN in 2002, there are 78% of user who have used more than one tranquiziler . Using several drugs at the same time as benzodiadepine, tranquilizers, narcotic, antidepressants, can cause drowsiness, falls and some other negative effect on your health that you would not know briefly. Problems BZD rarely used as recreational drugs which make user feel â€Å"high† .In the recent research, BZD is described to be valued on the same level as Cocaine or Alcohol. There is no doubt that it is difficult to estimate the extent of their ability to induce euphoria with psychic dependence and active drug-seeking behavior.(Doctor Cole JO,1990) The different types of BZD will have different effects on the body and on the extent of the time . Patients who use BZD simultaneously with heroin, alcohol or other addictive substances. The combined use of drugs is too dangerous because it is easy to lead to fatal cases for users. Impact of BZD to users depends on the following factors: The dose used (how many pills) Height, weight of the user Health status of users Experience using drugs before Have they used BZD with other addictive substances ? How to use (oral or injection) Using BZD individually or sharing with others Using BZD at home or at party Another study published in the BMJ paper in 2012 warned the wide use of benzodiazepine. The study concluded that the frequent use of drugs containing benzodiazepines are related to the risk of dementia.These studies have confirmed the use of benzodiazepines for long periods can adversely affect human perception and cause cognitive decline leading to dementia. The present study has shown the related connection between Benzodiazepines with the onset of dementia and Alzheimers disease. Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia syndromeandits disease is a condition that affects the brain, thinking and human behavior. A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has considered the relationship between the risk of Alzheimers disease and those who use benzodiazepines frequently. 1796 people,who were followed for a period of 5 years before they are tested, are diagnosed Alzheimer. Benzodiazepines is addictive and can cause severe withdrawal symptoms. It activates neurotransmitters in the same way as opium and marijuana. When users stop taking antidepressant drugs, they become extremely anxious. Withdrawal is possible in most patients who are dependent on benzodiazepines once problems related to prolonged use of benzodiazepines and other drugs are explained and discussed. Consideration needs to be given as to when and how to detoxify and extra help and services may be needed. Many people depend on BZD drugs find out that decreasing the dose of Benzodiazepine is very difficult due to the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome when the expression of discomfort occurs due to abrupt discontinuation. The manifestation of withdrawal syndrome include : Seizures Difficulty sleeping Worry, anxiety, stress Confusion and depression Feeling anxious, think others want to harm you Panic and feel extremely anxious Alienated, do not want to be close to others. Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous. Besides affecting physical health, it also has a negative impact on the mental health of patients with symptoms caused prolonged and dangerous symptom for them.Since using BZD for a long period of time to satisfy the addiction, many patients died suddenly while using the drug. FIGURE 1. Percentage of opioid pain reliever and benzodiazepine drug abuse–related emergency department visits in the United States and drug-related deaths in 13 states that involved alcohol, by age group — Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2010 The numbers in the chart FIGURE 1 are also the statistics of cancer patients who took an overdose of Benzodiazepine. In 2010, the percentage of ED visits that involved OPRs and alcohol was highest among persons aged 30–44 years (20.6%) and 45–54 years (20.0%).For the percentage of benzodiazepine ED visits was highest among persons aged 45–54 years (31.1%). Among OPR deaths, persons aged 40–49 years (25.2%) and 50–59 years (25.3%) had the highest percentage of alcohol involvement. For benzodiazepine-related deaths, the highest percentage (27.7%) was among persons aged ≠¥60 years.From the chart, it can be concluded that aged 45-54 are much needed medical care due to abuse Benzodiazepine.Anxiety is one of the reasons for people of this age often have to use Benzodiazepines regularly. Due to the nature of work and the burden of earning money that they constantly faced with the stress of work and life that makes them easy to fall into a state of str ess, anxiety and insomnia also. Therefore, Benzodiazepines are frequently used as a drug to help them overcome such bad condition. Obviously, the use is so spontaneous, rarely comes from the prescription of doctors so it often causes serious problems affecting the health of workers. Long-term use easily become a habit and start adversely affect their health.It also lead to the problem that the chart showed above.Aged Upper 60 has the highest rate which means that Drug ,such as Benzodiazepine, is a major cause of their death. That is the consequence of using too much Benzodiazepine or some other Opioid Pain Relievers among the aged 30-44 and 45-54. Generally , besides the beneficial effects to the treatment, there are many problems that Benzodiazepines cause to the users . Solution When prescribed for severe insomnia or disabling anxiety, the guidance is clear that benzodiazepines should only be given for short-term relief (2–4 weeks), which may occur alone or in association with short-term psychosomatic, organic, or psychiatric illness. They should be used in the lowest dose and for the shortest time. Benzodiazepines and other similar drugs are not indicated for the long-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia, unless in rare cases where the patient has been proven to have treatment-resistant anxiety or insomnia, i.e. resistant to psychological therapies and nonaddictive medications. The decision to prescribe in these circumstances is usually made by a specialist. The use of benzodiazepines is inappropriate to treat short-term mild anxiety. As mentioned in the Introduction part, talking therapies is one of useful cures for who suffer from withdrawal symptom. Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings. They can help anyone who is experiencing distress. You do not have to be told by a doctor that you have a mental health problem to be offered or benefit from a talking therapy. The therapy helps the patients facing their feelings and thoughts that lead them to feel insecure, afraid and the effect they have on their behaviour and mood. Describing what’s going on in your head can help you notice any patterns which it may be helpful to change.It can help you work out where your negative feelings and ideas come from and why they are there. Understanding all this can help people make positive changes by thinking or acting differently. Talking therapies can help people to take greater control of their lives and improve their confidence so that people do not need any medicines like Benzodiazepine help themselves.(Mental Health Foundation) For the second option , Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment performed either individually or in small groups, and has been found in some cases not only to be as effective as short-term prescription medication but may last beyond the withdrawal fromactive treatment. Cognitive behavior therapy has become increasingly popular in recent years with both mental health consumers and treatment professionals. Because CBT is usually a short-term treatment option, it is often more affordable than some othertypes of therapy. CBT is also empirically supported and has been shown to effectively help patients overcome a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors. The last treatmenat can be pointed out is self-help . Any illness will be cured very quickly if the patient attempts to overcome it. By increasing your self-awareness capabilities, self-help efforts can help you learn to recognize potential problems before they occur (or at least early on in their progression) so that you can head them off before they become substantial .This solution is really essential in treatment procedure . There is a quote : â€Å"If you try hard you can succeed in reaching your goal† . It is the truth that no one can disagree. For more information, there are some basic solutions that people should know to have a good first aid for who suffer from overdose use of Benzodiazepine in emergency. Overdose is a condition occurs when the dose exceeds the tolerance of the body. If only use pure benzo drugs, but if used in combination with other drugs such as alcohol, heroin, or methadone, is likely a drug overdose and death. When someone with a drug overdose, besides the need to be alert and perform the following actions: Call 115 victims immediately or take patient to the nearest medical facility. Always on the side of the victim Try to calm , do not panic Find ways to keep victims province, helped victims go around, talk to the victim. If the patient is unconscious, check if the victim is breathing or not. It is important to make clear the airway for the victim. If the patient has stopped breathing, blow into the victims mouth (CPR). Let the patient lying on lean posture , then wait for an ambulance . Evaluation The use of sedative drugs (ATGN) often remarkably effective, to quickly get deep sleep. However, overuse or prolonged use of this class of drugs often cause unwanted consequences, affect the health of users. There are some solutions that I pointed out above which is really helpful for patients who misues Benzodiazepine . In my point of view, Talking therapies and self help are two main treatment that people can easily prefer , like what I mentioned in Introduction, self help has significant role in the process of treatment because no one can help you better than yourself . Self help often has some benefits : Self help is free of cost. Patients do not have to pay for treatment since it is individual treatment. Self help help patients intensify their brain’s work , steering themselves away from bad decision. Such as overusing Benzodiazepines. Lance Armstrong is a practical example. In 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer with a tumor has spread to the brain and lungs, and the initial prognosis is bad. The process of his cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery, chemotherapy prolonged. Though suffering from the deadly disease but he overcame it in spectacular way to return to the race .In 1999, he won Tour de France for the first time and keep this position 7 times in a row, was recorded in the history of cycling. In conclusion, Lance overcame the cancer mainly because of his endeavour. He tried his best to maitain his spirit, his mind during the treatment and he was successful. On the other hand, talking therapy is also a good choice for patients who suffer from using Benzodiazepine overdose that lead to withdrawal symptom. Talking about your thoughts and feelings can help you deal with times when you feel troubled about something. If you turn a worry over and over in your mind, the worry can grow.But talking about it can help you work out what is really bothering you and explore what you could do about it.Talking is an important part of our relationships. It can strengthen your ties with other people and help you stay in good mental health that is needed for the physical treatment . Conclusion Benzodiazepine misuse is an international issue which alarms people all over the world. The number of dead people because of overusing Benzodiazepines ,which is stated in Figure 1 Chart, is really considerable. Patients and prescribers alike commonly understand benzodiazepines poorly. Generally, patients find them helpful and would like doctors to prescribe them but patients need to be made fully aware of the problems they cause, particularly long-term use. Just because benzodiazepines are effective and reduce suffering quickly, does not mean that they are the best treatment to give.As what I introduced, there is not just one problem by using Benzodiazepine overdose. Dementia, cancer and withdrawal symptoms are three problems that I mentioned in Part 4. People may take benzodiazepines to try to relax, reduce withdrawal symptoms involved with other drugs, or enhance the effects of another drug or substance. Young people may self-medicate for internal pain and distress. They may see th eir parents taking medication and think this ist he way to solve their own problems and become dependent on BZD. Self help and talking therapy is two good option of treatment that steer patient far away from drugs like Benzodiazepines. In conclusion, using risky drug ,like Benzodiazepine, frequently is not a good habit . Everything has 2 sides .Thus, how to use Benzodiazepine effetively is still be a difficult question for people.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Researching Titles for the Enumerative Bibliography Essay -- Personal

Researching Titles for the Enumerative Bibliography Fantasy literature was always something that I had read outside of class, almost guiltily, as if it didn’t constitute â€Å"real literature.† Faced with an opportunity, however, in which I could research anything I chose, the prospect of critically engaging a work I had enjoyed since I was in junior high proved too tempting to resist. I chose a topic, then, based on a favorite series of books, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. I knew that critics spoke of the series as an allegorical reference to biblical events, but to limit the theology to just Christianity seemed too narrow to me. For the enumerative bibliography, therefore, I researched the idea that, while understanding the Christian undertones to The Lord of the Rings is one key to illuminating the text, other, more pagan ideas are also apparent in Tolkien’s writing. To begin my research, I went first to the note cards that I had prepared for many of the reference work in the library. After a significant amount of winnowing down, I picked five of the cards and began to search for criticism that would help me understand and build my argument. Unfortunately, I was forced to eliminate two of the cards rather quickly, as they provided no information useful to locating what I needed. Robert Reginald’s Science Fiction and Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975-1991: A Bibliography of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Fiction Books and Nonfiction Monographs was simply a list of primary works and awards, with no critical works included. And while The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature did include scholarship and criticism relevant to the works it covered, there was no available volume that cover... ...ersonal Inquiry. Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1964. Reynolds, Patricia. â€Å"Funeral Customs in Tolkien’s Fiction.† Mythlore 72 (1993): 45-53. Roche, Norma. â€Å"Sailing West: Tolkien, the Saint Brendan Story, and the Idea of Paradise in the West.† Mythlore. 66 (1991): 16-20. Rosebury, Brian. Tolkien: A Critical Assessment. New York: St. Martin’s, 1992. Sanford, Len. â€Å"The Fall from Grace – Decline and Fall in Middle Earth: Metaphors for Nordic and Christian Theology in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.† Mallorn 32 (1995): 5-14. Stanton, Michael N. Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. New York: St. Martin’s, 2001. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. London: HarperCollins, 1997. Tree and Leaf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Researching Titles for the Enumerative Bibliography Essay -- Personal Researching Titles for the Enumerative Bibliography Fantasy literature was always something that I had read outside of class, almost guiltily, as if it didn’t constitute â€Å"real literature.† Faced with an opportunity, however, in which I could research anything I chose, the prospect of critically engaging a work I had enjoyed since I was in junior high proved too tempting to resist. I chose a topic, then, based on a favorite series of books, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. I knew that critics spoke of the series as an allegorical reference to biblical events, but to limit the theology to just Christianity seemed too narrow to me. For the enumerative bibliography, therefore, I researched the idea that, while understanding the Christian undertones to The Lord of the Rings is one key to illuminating the text, other, more pagan ideas are also apparent in Tolkien’s writing. To begin my research, I went first to the note cards that I had prepared for many of the reference work in the library. After a significant amount of winnowing down, I picked five of the cards and began to search for criticism that would help me understand and build my argument. Unfortunately, I was forced to eliminate two of the cards rather quickly, as they provided no information useful to locating what I needed. Robert Reginald’s Science Fiction and Fiction and Fantasy Literature 1975-1991: A Bibliography of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Fiction Books and Nonfiction Monographs was simply a list of primary works and awards, with no critical works included. And while The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature did include scholarship and criticism relevant to the works it covered, there was no available volume that cover... ...ersonal Inquiry. Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1964. Reynolds, Patricia. â€Å"Funeral Customs in Tolkien’s Fiction.† Mythlore 72 (1993): 45-53. Roche, Norma. â€Å"Sailing West: Tolkien, the Saint Brendan Story, and the Idea of Paradise in the West.† Mythlore. 66 (1991): 16-20. Rosebury, Brian. Tolkien: A Critical Assessment. New York: St. Martin’s, 1992. Sanford, Len. â€Å"The Fall from Grace – Decline and Fall in Middle Earth: Metaphors for Nordic and Christian Theology in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.† Mallorn 32 (1995): 5-14. Stanton, Michael N. Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. New York: St. Martin’s, 2001. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. London: HarperCollins, 1997. Tree and Leaf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

It Is Contagious :: essays papers

It Is Contagious "Traces of the Stealth_c Virus have been found in memory. Reboot to a clean system disk before continuing with this installation." This was the message staring back at me from one of the computer monitors at my office. Questions raced through my mind. "Stealth_c?" "What's a system disk?" "How am I supposed to install anti-virus software if the computer system already has a virus?" As a discouraging feeling of helplessness came over me, I thought of all the people who had loaded something from disk on this box or who had used this box to access the Internet. Because there was no virus protection in the first place, it was going to be very difficult to determine how many floppy disks and hard drives had been infected. I wished I had learned about computer viruses a long time ago. What is a computer virus, anyway? Is it a computer with a cold? A computer "virus" is called a virus because of three distinct similarities to a biological virus. They are: ? They must have the ability to make copies of, or replicate, itself. ? They must have a need for a "host," or functional program to which it can attach. ? The virus must do some kind of harm to the computer system or at least cause some kind of unexpected or unwanted behavior. Sometimes computer viruses just eat up memory or display annoying messages, but the more dangerous ones can destroy data, give false information, or completely freeze up a computer. The Stealth_c virus is a boot sector virus, meaning that it resides in the boot sectors of a computer disk and loads into memory with the normal boot-up programs. The "stealth" in the name comes from the capability of this virus to possibly hide from anti-virus software. Virtually any media that can carry computer data can carry a virus. Computer viruses are usually spread by data diskettes, but can be downloaded from the Internet, private bulletin boards, or over a local area network. This makes it extremely easy for a virus to spread once it has infected a system. The aforementioned Stealth_c virus was transported by the least likely avenue; it was packaged with commercial software. This is an extremely rare occurrence, as most software companies go to great lengths to provide "clean" software. There is a huge commercial interest in keeping computers virus-free. Companies stand to lose literally thousands of dollars if they lose computer data to a virus. An immense amount of time can be lost from more productive endeavors if someone has to check or clean each computer

Friday, October 11, 2019

Representation of Athletes in the Media

There has been an abundance literature on the subject of the representation of female athletes in the media, from television coverage and newspapers to magazines and websites. From ancient Greece where it was not allowed for women to partake in or even watch the Olympic Games and the power and independence of the Amazonian tribal warrior woman, to present day and the struggles with underrepresentation and misrepresentation of female athletes in sport media (George, Hartley, Paris, 2001; Creedon, 1994; Bernstein, 2002).The mass media is a sociocultural machine that churns out influential images and articles about (sporting) issues that reflect ideologies, values and beliefs that shape societies attitudes towards that issue, such as the underrepresentation of female athletes and women’s sport causing society to believe that women’s sporting achievement and participation in sport is inferior or of little value or less exciting then male athletes and male sport (George, Har tly, Paris, 2001; Bernsein, 2002; Duncan, 1990; Sagas et al, 2000; Economos, C. D. , Brownson, R. C. , DeAngelis, M. A. , Foerster, S. B. , Foreman, C. T. , Gregson, J. Kumanyika, S. K. and Pate, R. R. , 2001). Harris (1999) puts it that the ‘attitudes towards the institution of sport generate and support sexist ideologies and beliefs about gender’ (; 98). The literature focusses its research analysis on two main underlying issues, these being the amount of coverage and secondly, the type of representation created in the mass media of female athletes and women’s sport. These issues can be broken down further into ‘sub-issues’ which focus on the representation of women in visual media – photos, verbal descriptors – commentary, contextual – articles (Alexander, 1994; Bernstein, 2002).The amount of coverage in all mass media forms in certain time frames are usually consisting of the analysis of media revolving around the largest spo rting event in history – The Olympics. It has been proven that aside from the two weeks every four years for the Olympics and arguably the two weeks for the Commonwealth Games, sport media coverage of female sports is almost forgotten, non-existent or even ignored (Jones, 2006), for example; less than 10 per cent of coverage increases to an average of 26 per cent during major sporting events such as the Olympics (Bruce, 2008).The media’s coverage of female athletes does not carry a fair portrayal of women in sport but serves to reinforce ideologies that women are inferior and are ‘socially constructed as an alternative to their male counterparts, who play the version of the sport that â€Å"really counts†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Jones and Jackson, 1999. p 99). Many of the ways in which media has been found to represent women can be deconstructed in the photographs used in the media.Lee (1992) found, in his analysis of the Globe and Mail and the New York Times coverage of the 1984 and the 1988 Olympic Games, that male athletes received 60. 4% of the photographic coverage in parallel with the female athletes who had only 26%. So we can already begin to understand how the media is responsible for this under and miss representations of female athletes.Vincent, Imwold, Masemann and Johnson (2002) suggests 4 ways in which one can break down the denotations of imagery; 1 – Competitive: where the athlete is actively pictured partaking in his/her sport, 2 – Non-competitive: this is when an athlete is not actively participating in the sport but is in a setting whereby the sport is apparent, 3 – Active: the athlete is physically doing something other than the sport, for example spectating, 3 – Posed: when the athlete is depicted in a non-sport setting and is posed for the camera.Duncan (1990) suggests women represent ‘otherness’ in photographs when there is a focus on A) women’s physical appearance (the ‘b est looking’, ‘best kept’ athletes are captured more, B) poses with sexual connotations (images revealing body prats to resemble soft-core pornography), C) displays of emotion (tearful athletes, in victory or defeat) and D) sexual differences (women being passive and men as active).So, female athletes being pictured in a way that suggests passiveness, sexually difference and non-competitiveness, for example, will only function to perpetuate ‘otherness’ and inferiority in the sport, therefore cause to devalue and marginalise the accomplishments of female athletes (Jones, 2006). When female athletes do get high percentages of photographic coverage in the media, the photographs depict the female athletes in a passive or non-athletic role.Boutlilier and SanGoivannis’ (1983) study of the 25 year special edition of Sports Illustrated found 60 per cent of the photos of women showed them in this way and those photos depicting men in the same way was o nly 44 per cent. It can be argued this is because, in western culture, women that show traits of active physicality, toughness and aggressiveness are seen in the eyes of society as lesbian, due to these classically masculine sporting characteristics (Kane and Lenskyj, 1989).Homosexuality is only just being appreciated as a socio-acceptable sexuality, France is set to legalize same-sex marriages in 2013. But at the moment it would seem that sporting ideologies are behind the times as far as progression in social changes are concerned. In sport it can be seen as a threat to the male dominance that surrounds sport. A lesbian presence in sport is a threat because it disrupts and challenges the male hegemony by ‘upsetting existing power structures based on gender and sexuality’ (Kane and Lenskyj, 1989, p. 89), this leads to the media and the sporting industry to underrepresent female athletes and/or fix the female athletes with a heterosexual role, like wife or mother, or em phasize their heterosexuality with ‘heterosexy images’ (Griffin, 1992, p 225; Kane and Lenskyj, 1989). Heterosexy images can best be explained like this, ‘for women, being an athlete contradicts the conventional female roles, and thus the media coverage emphazises other aspects of their â€Å"femaleness†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (such as their attractiveness) (Knight and Giuliano, 2002, p 219).Martina Narvatiolva, a professional tennis player who won 18 Grand slam titles through the 80s, has always been open about her homosexuality and due to this fact received less endorsements and sponsorships throughout her career than her predecessor Chris Evert (Creedon, 1998). These two female tennis players both won the same amount of Grand slam singles titles, so it seems like a blatant strike against those who challenge dominant beliefs about male hegemony in sport.Others have learned from this, Nelson (1991) remarks on the LPGA (Ladies Pro Golf Association) and how the ‘[s]p onsors, LPGA staff, and players attempt to†¦ play up marriages and mothers, employ an image consultant to serve as hairstylist and make-up artists and maintain†¦a â€Å"silence so loud it screams†. Sponsors are only interested in sport which gains the most coverage, women’s sport and female athletes do not feature enough in the media for the sponsors to be interested, therefore when females are ‘glammed’ up and conforming to heterosexy images like mother or wife, they are more appropriate for mass media coverage (Berstein, 2002).What has happened and is happening in women’s sport is that women find themselves emphasizing their femininity so that they do not get pigeonholed as socially different, Del Ray (1978) and Felshin (1981) call this the apologetic approach theory. Women such as Jessica Ennis are encouraged to feel like they have to be overtly feminine, for example pose for fashion magazines and take part in interviews which constantl y undermine the achievements of female athletes. Female athletes are conforming to a very old patriarchal ideology of women that is increasingly forgotten in society but is very much the way in sport.This again is proof to what has previously been stated, that sporting ideologies are behind the times in regards to social change. The modern Olympic Games were reborn and were reserved for men only; in the first modern Olympics in 1896 there were not female participants. In the 1900 Games onward the number of women competing gradually grew until one millennia later more athletes competed that ever in 188 events including women’s weightlifting (Berstein, 2002) and now in 2012 is the first ever Olympics to allow female boxing.Women who compete in, what are considered male ‘appropriate’ sports are said to be challenging traditional gender role expectations and so are going against the grain of conventional ideologies in sport and society (Creedon, 1994). Boxing is abso lutely seen as a male dominated sport and so are many others such as rugby, football, basketball and weightlifting, these are considered as ‘male appropriate’ sports.The idea of male and female appropriate sports further increases the social differences between men and women in sport and by imbedding this social dichotomy sexual (physical) difference becomes gender (social) difference (Lenskyj, 1987; Kane and Greendorfer, 1994). This suggests that men and women in sport are equal to partake in any sport but the sport and media industry, by means of this segregation, are prescribing to male dominance through gender appropriating sports.For example, Tuggle and Owen’s (1999) study of the 1996 Olympic Games discovered female athletes were more likely to receive media attention if they competed in female appropriate sports. They found that 61 per cent of media coverage of women was concentrated on swimming, diving and gymnastics. These sports, along with the likes of ice skating and tennis, are ranked more sex appropriate for women because they comprise of graceful, smooth and fluid body movements that require no heavy bodily contact or contests of strength and aggression (Colley, Nash, O’Donnell and Restorick, 1987; Metheny, 1967).If men’s sport and therein masculinity is defined and associated with aggression and violence, then female athletes who take part in these sports are seen to cross the gap and are socially viewed as men and as lesbian and also vice-versa, male athletes who’s sports consists of diving and ice skating are seen and women and therefore ‘soft’ and homosexual (Eisler, 1987). With such a divide in sport, towards male and female, and the medias bias of representation and coverage towards male sport and male athletes then it can only lead the public opinion to assume that female athletes are the ‘social other’ and less important than male athletes.Sabo and Curry Jansen (1992. 176) put that†¦ the skills and strengths of women athletes are often devalued in comparison to cultural standards linked to dominant standards of male athletic excellence, which emphasize the cultural equivalences of hegemonic power, self-control, success, agency and aggression. The dichotomy can be argued as a good thing to inspire young women to play sport, according to one Australian female athlete who posed for a sexy calendar.She said it was ‘nice to feel like a women because you just feel like a dog after training with your hair all wet’ (â€Å"Stars back glamour for promotion†, 1994). She went on to say how young girls today are turned off by sport because ‘they don’t want to look muscle bound and sweaty and ‘grimy’ and that ‘glamorous’ sportswomen in the calendar would encourage girls to participate’’ (Wells, 1994). It would seem that due to the underrepresentation of women’s sport in the media, young girls only see men in sport so automatically will assume they will become muscle bound and hairy.The company that produced the calendar said that ‘the public image of female athletes is â€Å"masculine with hairy armpits† and the calendar presented women who appeared â€Å"feminine, soft and sexy†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Games girls’ fund-raising, 1994). However, one can argue that this type of encouragement into sport will have negative influences on young women such as the hyper-feminine athlete competing for recognition through her attractiveness instead of her achievements, leading away from social change and backing the patriarchal beliefs in sport. Anna Kournikova is a good example case study of this theory.Anna was dubbed tennis’s pin-up girl and in the year 2000 Kournikova was ranked 8th in the world. Usually an 8th seed or and 8th ranked would very rarely get a mention in the media but as one web-based writer put it ‘the Anna Kournikova pheno menon proves you don’t need to win tournaments to get your name- and photo- in the media’ (see Thomas, 2001). Kournikova ‘herself and the people surrounding her orchestrate the type of media coverage and hype she generates†¦As a result she has made millions from endorsements and was ranked No. 4 on this year’s Forbes â€Å"celebrity 100† – higher than any other sportswomen’ (Thomas, 2001). Is the underlying message to young women you have to be attractive to succeed in sport or is it to succeed in sport, like anything else, you need to have the drive, motivation and skills. Mackay (1999) says there is a definitely a positive from athletes such as Kournikova in that girls are encouraged by her to run around and get sweaty and that twenty years ago this was not considered feminine.Perhaps encouraging young women into sports this way and increasing the numbers of women in sport will force the media to change the way they represent wo men in the future. Gender marked sports/ appropriate sports. Leads to Language and stereotypes Journalists and reporters mainly male, women don’t want to cover females, it doesn’t pay aswell. With the passing of Title IX, which sates ‘[n]o person†¦shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in,†¦any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,’(Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972), so many young women now actively take part in sports.For example, in the United States 2 million young women compared to just 300 000 now take part in school sports (Becker, 1988; National Federation of State High School Associations, 1991). So, all this new interest and up-and-coming talent and increased investments there has been post Title IX, $4 million in 1974 to $16 million (Sullivan, 1985), it begs the question of; why is the media not making any attempts to break out of the patriarchal belief system and encourage socia l change through the images in puts out? Also, who’s interests is it to portray and promote the modern female athletes as role models (Kane and Greendorfer, 1994).