People, Organisation and Management

| |Case Study: | |The Comparative analysis of LawrieTech. com and Coca-Cola | |Company | | Contents Introduction 3 Question 4 Teamwork and Teamworking 5 Organisational Design and Structure 9 Organisational Culture 14 Conclusion 17 Reference 18 Introduction LawrieTech. com is one of the software engineering companies in Scotland, which is developing and supplying software system for controlling electricity supply. LawrieTech. om has 240 employees who service clients in 13 countries, which are include US, France and India. Coca-cola Company is the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world. Finished beverage products bearing their trademarks, sold in the US since 1886, are now sold in more than 200 countries. Question Read the two organizational case studies and provide a comparative analysis of them in written essay format. In particular the areas of comparison should cover the main topics as below: 1. Teamwork and Teamworking 2. Organizational Design and Structure 3. Organizational Culture 1. Teamwork and Teamworking Team is a combination of people within an organisation with skills, who are working together to achieve desired goal. Teamwork is the activity of working well together as a team with a collective of individual skills, talents and effects. There are four types of teams have been identified in LawrieTech. com and Coca-Cola Company. One of the team that had been identified is self-managed team, which also known as autonomous team. Team is empowered to make decision about planning and scheduling of work, allocating tasks, controlling quality of work and evaluating performance which is essential to manage them on daily basis. Both LawrieTech. com and Coca-Cola Company exist in self-managed team. Staffs of LawrieTech. com are â€Å"expected to liaise directly with clients and have a mandate to do what it takes to find solutions to their clients’ problems†. LawrieTech. com has to ensure members of teams are in theâ€Å"†¦right mix of skills and capabilities in order to meet the very exacting demands of clients†. According to McClelland’s acquired needs of power theory, members will have a mandate to control other persons, to influence their behaviour, and to be responsible for other people to fulfill their needs and self-satisfaction. Hence, â€Å"staff turnover is minimal and every year LawrieTech. com is inundated with the CVs of eager young graduates†. Coca-Cola Company is a large company which has â€Å"†¦axed 6,000 employees†. Coca-Cola will be an autonomous team because they are given authority to re-design structure and make decisions that adapt to the country’s culture and needs. Coca-Cola produces over 300 brands worldwide† and â€Å"the bottling and distribution system is also adapted to local needs†. Besides, â€Å"they have restructured with a management team coordinates a new, nimble, and entrepreneurial network†. In addition, Coca-Cola â€Å"†¦. has positioned itself for growth by moving key decision making closer to lo cal market†. Virtual team is one of the team which had identified from both companies, where teams are using computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. They can share information and ideas, make decisions, and complete tasks by using communication links. They can include members from the same company or link an organization’s members with the employees from other organization like suppliers and joint partners. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) LawrieTech. com has â€Å"set up a ‘Knowledge Transfer’ on the intranet to share and discuss ideas†. â€Å"Staffs are encouraged to communicate with other teams members†. Fully used of this network connection to let staffs to exchange information and ideas to each other to improve the resources of problem solving. Coca-Cola Company has existed on virtual team as it is â€Å"†¦fostering deeper connections to consumers† with their organization website. Through the network connection Coca-Cola â€Å"†¦ has been very sensitive to local market conditions†, and also â€Å"†¦recognizing the importance of international sales†. They are using the network connection to control and communicate with the other teams who are located in other countries around the world. Besides, Cross-functional team is the members come from different functional units and other part of organization with expectation of sharing information and ideas to solve organization’s problem. This team often functions as self-directed teams responding to broad, but no specific directives. Decision-making within a team may depend on consensus, but often is led by a manager or team leader. LawrieTech. com exists on cross-functional teams; however, Coca-Cola Company does not exist. LawrieTech. com’s employees are â€Å"†¦organized into flexible teams†. â€Å"Each team has the right mix of skills and apabilities† to fulfill clients’ needs to achieve their intention. Members are â€Å"†¦expected to liaise directly with clients and have a mandate to do what it takes to find solutions to their clients’ problems† and â€Å"†¦meet the very exacting the demand of clients†. Both LawrieTech. com and Coca-Cola have existe d on employee involvement team, where groups of employees who meet outside their regular assignment to uncover, apply expertise to improve workplace matter. This team often formed a quality circle where they will meet about once a week to discuss their work, identify problems, and present possible solutions to management. Michael P. Dumler & Steven J. Skinner 2008) LawrieTech. com has organized â€Å"regular staff social events and outings which all enjoy†. Also, â€Å"although they have job titles, no member of staff has a specific job description suggesting that anything is possible†. They will discuss and share ideas together to improve their problem solving skill capabilities to fulfill their clients’ needs. Coca-Cola Company has existed on this team as well. â€Å"The larger the company is, the harder it is to continue to grow at a steady pace†. Therefore, â€Å"products are developed to meet the varied taste preferences of consumers†, and â€Å"Coca-Cola produces over 300 brands worldwide in addition to its flagship brands†. 2. Organizational Design and Structure Organizational Design It can be defined as the creation of roles, processes and formal reporting relationship in an organization. One can distinguish between two phases in an organization design process, which are organic design and mechanistic design. Organic organization operates with minimum bureaucratic features and with a culture that encourages workers empowerment and participation. However, mechanistic organization is an ideal organization form, and operated with bureaucratic features, like clear cut labour divisions, strict hierarchy and authority, formal rules and promotion based on competency. Organic organization has a flat structure with maximum two levels of management, which called decentralized authority. Supervisors tend to have a more personal relationship with employees. However, mechanistic organization is a centralized authority with narrow span of control, more specialist positions, and homogeneous, functional departments. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) The Gibson, Ivancevich, and Donnelly (1995) stated, â€Å"While the mechanistic model seeks to maximize efficiency and product, the organic model seeks to maximize satisfaction, flexibility and development† (p. 542). LawrieTech. com exists on organic design as it is a decentralized authority and there is only two levels management, which is section and team. Meanwhile, the company encourages the empowerment and participation of staffs for problems solving. It is more to be informal or personal type organization as they only have few rules in the organization. Ties are banned from the office†. Also, â€Å"†¦staffs work in flexi time† and they can â€Å"†¦approach their employer, Iain, for a chat† except in the meeting hour. There is â€Å"†¦informal and relaxed atmosphere in the office†. There are wide span of control, which only has two levels of management. LawrieTech. com is also an organization with full of intellectual capital, where there are collective brainpowers of workforce that can be used to create value. Therefore, all tasks are shared, â€Å"Although they have job titles, no member of staff has a specific job description suggesting that anything is possible†. Staffs are organized into flexible teams†. Thus, LawrieTech. com has many task forces and is considered as a small enterprise, because it only has â€Å"†¦employed 240 workers†. However, Coca-Cola is a mechanistic organization since it processes as a centralized authority, where there are â€Å"twenty-four division and operations presidents†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and it has more structured. Coca-Cola is a large company, where â€Å"†¦CEO, Douglas Daft axed 6,000 employees†. In addition, it has many rules and regulations as â€Å"twenty-four divisions and operations presidents report to the chief operating officers†. Coca-Cola Company has few task forces, because their shibboleth is one company, one group. Employees are organized into departments and tasks are specialised within their organizational structure, as they have â€Å"†¦ group of individuals, along with Coca-Cola employees and partners worldwide, are responsible for implementing the six strategic priorities† and they are â€Å"†¦ very sensitive to local market conditions†. The span of control is narrow, as â€Å"twenty-four divisions and operations presidents report to the chief operating officers†. Organizational Structure It is a hierarchical concept of subordination of entities that collaborate and contribute to serve one common aim. The structure of an organization is usually set up in one of the variety of styles, dependant on their objectives and ambience. It will determine the modes in which it shall operate and will perform. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) There are six types of structure have been identified in both company. First of all, LawrieTech. com exists on team structure, but Coca-Cola is less exists on this structure. Team structure is defined as it greatly use permanent and temporally teams to solve problems, complete special projects, and accomplish daily tasks. It often uses cross-functional teams. For examples, LawrieTech. com’s staffs are â€Å"†¦organized into flexible teams†. â€Å"Each team has the right mix of skills and capabilities in order to meet the very exacting demands of clients†. â€Å"†¦ regular team meeting† is held where members can exchange ideas and communicate with other team members. It helps them to mix easily. Secondly, network structure has been performing within both companies. It is a central core that is linked through networks of relationships with outside contractors and suppliers of essential services. Furthermore, the company own only core components and use strategic alliances or outsourcing to provide other components. LawrieTech. com is a network organization, where it hasâ€Å"†¦set up an intranet, ‘Knowledge Transfer’, to let staffs share and discuss ideas†. â€Å"Staffs are organized into flexible teams† to complete their tasks with perfect mix of skill capabilities. Coca-Cola Company also exists on network structure as well, because employees are organized into departments with using network connection to link to each other and â€Å"†¦recognizing the importance of international sales†. Besides, divisional structures delineate team who works on the same product or process, serve similar customers, and located in the same area or geographical region. It is more common in complex organization and in avoids problems associated with functional structure. LawrieTech. com and Coca-Cola have existed on it at the same time, but LawrieTech. com only base on customer structure. For examples, LawrieTech. com’s â€Å"†¦. business strategy involves the development of high specification customer-driven programmes with intense levels of after-sales services†. Its intention, that all of a worker has skills and capabilities to fulfill their clients’ needs. Coca-Cola Company also exists on this structure, which based on customer and geographical. As an example for customer structure, â€Å"products are developed to meet the varied taste preferences of consumers†. Coca-Cola tries to adapt to local needs, where â€Å"†¦all bottlers are local companies either independently owned or only partially owned by the Coca-Cola†. There would be the functional structure in Coca-Cola, yet LawrieTech. com does not exist. Functional structure lies in putting like specialists together, which minimizes the number necessary while allowing the pooling and sharing of specialized resources across products. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) Coca-Cola is trying to â€Å"†¦achieve profitability through economies of scale and by capitalizing on its existing distribution†. Boundary-less organization is the eliminating of internal boundaries among subsystems and external boundaries with the external environment. It is also a combination of team and network structures with the addition of â€Å"temporariness†. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) Due to the identification on the above, LawrieTech. com is a boundary-less organization. As it has been exist on team structure as well as network structure. Teams are â€Å"†¦organized into flexible teams† to achieve the perfect match of skill and capabilities. They are exchanging ideas with each other through the ‘Knowledge Transfer’. Coca-Cola Company is not a boundary-less organization since team structure is less performed in it. Finally, matrix structure is a combination of functional and divisional structure for increasing the advantages and minimized the disadvantages of each used in manufacturing, service industries, professional fields, non-profit sectors and Multinational Corporation. Coca-Cola is a matrix organization as it has simultaneously existed both functional and divisional structures, but LawrieTech. com is not a matrix structure. For examples, Coca-Cola attempts to â€Å"†¦achieve profitability through economies of scale† and also develop product to â€Å"†¦meet the varied taste preferences of consumers†. Besides, they aim to â€Å"†¦adapt to local needs† by â€Å"the bottling and distribution systems†. 3. Organizational Culture Organization culture can be defined as a system of shared meaning by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) At first, LawrieTech. com has been present in people orientation. People orientation is the degree of value and respect for people. â€Å"LawrieTech. om seeks to employ the best graduates available who can bring the skills and attitudes that are consistent with the company’s business philosophy and, indeed, their philosophy on life. † LawrieTech. com concern to the staffs’ working performance in their daily tasks with joyful. Through the identification, Coca-Cola does not have people orientation. Team orientation is one of the organizational cultures in the case studies. It is the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individual. (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) In LawrieTech. com, â€Å"staffs are organized into flexible teams†. Each team has the right mix of skills and capabilities in order to meet the very exacting demands of clients†. Members are â€Å"†¦liaising directly with clients† and to fulfill the clients’ needs with taking decision themselves. â€Å"†¦Regular team meeting† set up to improve the relationship between each member of other teams. Coca-Cola has also less team orientation, as it is less performed as team structure. According to case studies, innovation and risk taking is performed in both companies. It is the degree of the company willing to experiment, take risks, and encourage innovation. In LawrieTech. com â€Å"†¦staffs are able to express themselves† and be creative in their work. Also, they have a mandate to do what it takes to get problems solving to serve to their aim. Coca-Cola Company is a manufacturer company, it needs to have more innovation and risk taking to achieve its desired goal. â€Å"Products are developed to meet the varied taste preferences of consumers† and they have produced â€Å"†¦over 300 brands worldwide in addition to its flagship brands†. Coca-Cola Company introduces aggressiveness in its company. Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge (2005) stated aggressiveness is â€Å"the degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather than easygoing† (p. 512) Coca-Cola â€Å"growth in sales has been fueled both internally and through acquisitions and licensing agreements†. Also, it has developed products â€Å"†¦to meet the varied taste preferences of consumers†. Nevertheless, LawrieTech. com is not an aggressiveness company. Coca-Cola has introduced outcome orientation, but LawrieTech. com does not exist. Outcome orientation is the degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes. Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge 2005) Coca-Cola is an organization which achieving their aim without focusing on undertaking the ways. It is more focus on their image and profit, so its top management â€Å"†¦axed 6,000 employees† to restructure their organization and also reduce their unnecessary cost f or maintaining its financial. Likewise, Coca-Cola is â€Å"†¦recognizing the importance of international sales, has been very sensitive to local market conditions† for their profit and gain. Conclusion Coca-Cola Company and LawrieTech. om are not being able to compare with each other, because both are not in the same line organization. Coca-Cola Company is a manufacture line company, but LawrieTech. com is a customer line organization. Employees of LawrieTech. com are working together as a team and fulfilled with needs of power for self-satisfaction and confidence. However, employees of Coca-Cola Company should be more disciplined as there are full of rules and regulations, and they need to follow instructions from top management to complete their daily tasks. Reference Books 1. Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge (2005) Organizational Behaviour. 12th Edition. United States of America: Person Prentice Hall. P. 300-303, P. 478-485, P. 490-494. 2. Gibson, J. L. , Ivancevich, J. M. , & Donnelly, J. H. , Jr. (1995) Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes. 8th Edition. Boston, MA: Irwin. P. 542. 3. Michael P. Dumler and Steven J. Skinner (2008) A Primer for Management. 2nd Edition. United States of America: Thomson South-Western. P. 168.

Part Five Chapter VIII

XIII Sukhvinder had been walking around Pagford longer than Samantha. She had left the Old Vicarage shortly after her mother had told her she must go to work, and since then had been wandering the streets, observing invisible exclusion zones around Church Row, Hope Street and the Square. She had nearly fifty pounds in her pocket, which represented her wages from the cafe and the party, and the razor blade. She had wanted to take her building society pass book, which resided in a little filing cabinet in her father's study, but Vikram had been at his desk. She had waited for a while at the bus stop where you could catch a bus into Yarvil, but then she had spotted Shirley and Lexie Mollison coming down the road, and dived out of sight. Gaia's betrayal had been brutal and unexpected. Pulling Fats Wall †¦ he would drop Krystal now that he had Gaia. Any boy would drop any girl for Gaia, she knew that. But she could not bear to go to work and hear her one ally trying to tell her that Fats was all right, really. Her mobile buzzed. Gaia had already texted her twice. How pissed was I last nite? R u going 2 work? Nothing about Fats Wall. Nothing about snogging Sukhvinder's torturer. The new message said, R u OK? Sukhvinder put the mobile back into her pocket. She might walk towards Yarvil and catch a bus outside town, where nobody would see her. Her parents would not miss her until five thirty, when they expected her home from the cafe. A desperate plan formed as she walked, hot and tired: if she could find a place to stay that cost less than fifty pounds †¦ all she wanted was to be alone and ply her razor blade. She was on the river road with the Orr flowing beside her. If she crossed the bridge, she would be able to take a back street all the way round to the start of the bypass. ‘Robbie! Robbie! Where are you?' It was Krystal Weedon, running up and down the river bank. Fats Wall was smoking, with one hand in his pocket, watching Krystal run. Sukhvinder took a sharp right onto the bridge, terrified that one of them might notice her. Krystal's yells were echoing off the rushing water. Sukhvinder caught sight of something in the river below. Her hands were already on the hot stone ledge before she had thought about what she was doing, and then she had hoisted herself onto the edge of the bridge; she yelled, ‘He's in the river, Krys!' and dropped, feet first, into the water. Her leg was sliced open by a broken computer monitor as she was pulled under by the current. Part Five Chapter VIII VIII Samantha was driven from the spare room at last by her urgent need to pee. She drank cold water from the tap in the bathroom until she felt sick, gulped down two paracetamol from the cabinet over the sink, then took a shower. She dressed without looking at herself in the mirror. Through everything she did, she was alert for some noise that would indicate the whereabouts of Miles, but the house seemed to be silent. Perhaps, she thought, he had taken Lexie out somewhere, away from her drunken, lecherous, cradle-snatching mother †¦ (‘He was in Lexie's class at school!' Miles had spat at her, once they were alone in their bedroom. She had waited for him to move away from the door, then wrenched it back open and run to the spare room.) Nausea and mortification came over her in waves. She wished she could forget, that she had blacked out, but she could still see the boy's face as she launched herself at him †¦ she could remember the feel of his body pressed against her, so skinny, so young †¦ If it had been Vikram Jawanda, there might have been some dignity in it †¦ She had to get coffee. She could not stay in the bathroom for ever. But as she turned to open the door, she saw herself in the mirror, and her courage almost failed. Her face was puffy, her eyes hooded, the lines in her face etched more deeply by pressure and dehydration. Oh God, what must he have thought of me †¦ Miles was sitting in the kitchen when she entered. She did not look at him, but crossed straight to the cupboard where the coffee was. Before she had touched the handle, he said, ‘I've got some here.' ‘Thanks,' she muttered, and poured herself out a mug, avoiding eye contact. ‘I've sent Lexie over to Mum and Dad's,' said Miles. ‘We need to talk.' Samantha sat down at the kitchen table. ‘Go on, then,' she said. ‘Go on – is that all you can say?' ‘You're the one who wants to talk.' ‘Last night,' said Miles, ‘at my father's birthday party, I came to look for you, and I found you snogging a sixteen-year – ‘ ‘Sixteen-year-old, yes,' said Samantha. ‘Legal. One good thing.' He stared at her, appalled. ‘You think this is funny? If you'd found me so drunk that I didn't even realize – ‘ ‘I did realize,' said Samantha. She refused to be Shirley, to cover everything up with a frilly little tablecloth of polite fiction. She wanted to be honest, and she wanted to penetrate that thick coating of complacency through which she no longer recognized a young man she had loved. ‘You did realize – what?' said Miles. He had so plainly expected embarrassment and contrition that she almost laughed. ‘I did realize that I was kissing him,' she said. He stared at her, and her courage seeped away, because she knew what he was going to say next. ‘And if Lexie had walked in?' Samantha had no answer to that. The thought of Lexie knowing what had happened made her want to run away and not come back – and what if the boy told her? They had been at school together. She had forgotten what Pagford was like †¦ ‘What the hell's going on with you?' asked Miles. ‘I'm †¦ unhappy,' said Samantha. ‘Why?' asked Miles, but then he added quickly, ‘Is it the shop? Is it that?' ‘A bit,' said Samantha. ‘But I hate living in Pagford. I hate living on top of your parents. And sometimes,' she said slowly, ‘I hate waking up next to you.' She thought he might get angry, but instead he asked, quite calmly, ‘Are you saying you don't love me any more?' ‘I don't know,' said Samantha. ‘Maybe he'll be the first of many!' yelled Samantha, getting up from the table and slamming her mug down in the sink; the handle came off in her hand. ‘Don't you get it, Miles? I've had enough! I hate our fucking life and I hate your fucking parents – ‘ ‘ – you don't mind them paying for the girls' education – ‘ ‘ – I hate you turning into your father in front of me – ‘ ‘ – absolute bollocks, you just don't like me being happy when you're not – ‘ ‘ – whereas my darling husband doesn't give a shit how I feel – ‘ ‘ – plenty for you to do round here, but you'd rather sit at home and sulk – ‘ ‘ – I don't intend to sit at home any more, Miles – ‘ ‘ – not going to apologize for getting involved with the community – ‘ ‘ – well, I meant what I said – you're not fit to fill his shoes!' ‘What?' he said, and his chair fell over as he jumped to his feet, while Samantha strode to the kitchen door. ‘You heard me,' she shouted. ‘Like my letter said, Miles, you're not fit to fill Barry Fairbrother's shoes. He was sincere.' ‘Your letter?' he said. ‘Yep,' she said breathlessly, with her hand on the doorknob. ‘I sent that letter. Too much to drink one evening, while you were on the phone to your mother. And,' she pulled the door open, ‘I didn't vote for you either.' The look on his face unnerved her. Out in the hall, she slipped on clogs, the first pair of shoes she could find, and was through the front door before he could catch up.

Medication Errors Essay

Approximately, 1.5 million people are injured in the United States due to medication related errors. Errors involving prescription medications kill up to 7,000 Americans per year, according to the Institute of Medicine, and that the financial costs of drug-related morbidity and mortality may run nearly $77 billion a year. FDA also reviews about 1,400 reports of medication errors per month. Before administering a medication, it is the responsibility of the nurse to ensure that the right patient is receiving the right medication, for the right reason/s, the right dosage and route, at the right time. Whoever administers the medication is ultimately responsible for any error that may occur. Therefore it is the nurse’s duty to report a medication error is accordance with facility protocol. The nurse is supposed to notify the physician and monitor the patient for any adverse reactions related to the error. An incident report is also done and is used by the hospital for reeducation t o avoid future occurrences. Failure to report or take appropriate action when a medication error occurs may lead to loss of employment, action by the state board of nurses, civil or criminal changes. It is the nurse’s responsibility to document appropriately, in a timely manner, and failure to do so is also considered a medication error. Students` Legal Role and Responsibility: Student nurses have the responsibility to acquire theoretical and clinical skills necessary to deliver the best of care to the public. It is a student’s responsibility to communicate with the assigned staff nurse constantly and their clinical instructors as well. Most errors occur with medications that a give during the non standard hours, including early morning. Students and staff nurses should use the same MAR and bring the patient’s MAR to the bedside and document drug administration immediately after the patient has taken the medications. Hence clear communication between student and staff nurse, as well as the instructor is of utmost importance in decreasing the risk of making medication omission errors. Anxiety makes a student prone to medication errors as well. Breathing  exercises have proven effective in relieving anxiety. Medication errors lead may lead to dismissal from a nursing program. Depending on the severity and frequency of medication errors by stud ents, the school may lose its privilege to practice in some facilities. Therefore it is important that student avoid making any medication errors. Medication errors and years of experience Administration errors reflect knowledge deficits, with errors declining in the first few years of clinical experience (C. G. Bailey, et al.). Each year of experience, up to 6 years, reduced the risk of error by 10.9% and serious error by 18.5% (J. Westbrook et al. 2013) These findings suggests that inexperienced nurses constantly require training and supervision with a focus on correct medication administration. Knowledge gained from this study I learnt that the nurse are the doctor’s eyes and ears; and they rely on them to identify errors, changes of condition, abnormal lab values etceteras so that they may prescribe the right medication appropriately. It is important to always have your reference material available such as, drug reference book, patho-physiology reference book etceteras; because medication administration goes beyond just following the doctor’s written order and giving the patient the medication. If a nurse does not know why the medication is being given, they are not be able to identify an error before administering, or know when to hold the medication and notifying a physician. Good clinical practice begins while a nurse is in school; therefore it is crucial to always comply with facility protocol. Hence knowledge deficit compromises the patient’s safety. Reference C. G. Bailey, B.S. Engel, J.N. Luescher, M.L.Taylor: (date unknown) Medication Errors In Relation To Education & Medication Errors In Relation To Years of Nursing J., Treiber L. When the 5 rights go wrong: medication errors from the nursing perspective. Journal of Nursing Care Qual 2010;25:240–7 Experience: retrieved July 31 2013 from http://www.lagrange.edu/resources/pdf/citations/nursing/Medication%20Errors.pdf J. I. Westbrook, A. Woods, Rob MI, et al. (2010) Association of

Hysteria of Salem witch trial in comparison to the 1980s day care case Term Paper

Hysteria of Salem witch trial in comparison to the 1980s day care case hysteria, - Term Paper Example Peasants used witchcraft to invoke charms for agriculture and farming, which gradually transformed from white magic into dark magic with a growing association with evil spirits and demons. With an increasing association of superstitions with the devil, incidents of witchcraft persecutions also increased rapidly, causing panic that led to aggressive witch hunts (Adams 69). On the other hand, the daycare sex abuse hysteria of the 1980s was in the form of panic that featured claims of child abuse, specifically sexual abuse, and satanic ritual abuse against providers of daycare (Malloy, Lyon & Quas 164). As more mothers ventured into employment and had to be away from home, a large number of daycare centers opened up to care for their children. However, an outstanding case in California’s Kern County started a wave of panic, lasting for nearly a decade. Characterized by incredible accusations of children being sexually molested, the panic spread out of the United States to New Zea land, Canada and some countries in Europe (Malloy, Lyon & Quas 164). The most prominent cases in the United States were Kern County child abuse cases; McMartin preschool trial; Fells Acre Day Care Center; Wee Care Nursery School; Cleveland child abuse scandal; and Little Rascals Day Care Center (Malloy, Lyon & Quas 165). ... The two sets of trials originated from the behaviors of children and the statements they issued. Driven by hysteria, parents and doctors interpreted the statements and behaviors in extremely portentous and threatening ways, rather than innocent and rational interpretations. It is the panic that led the people to believe the remotely conceivable accusations placed by children, ignoring all the inconsistencies as narrated by either scared, confused or preconditioned children. In both sets, literature analyses show that the prosecutors were asking leading questions. Repetitive questioning led to multiplication of the accusations and with the heightened spread of the hysteria, there were new targets of the accusations. Most of them were those that defended the accused or showed cynicism about the charges. The hysteria and bias against the accused in both sets of trials led the prosecutors and investigators to find meaning in very unlikely places. For example, in the Salem trials, the inv estigators concluded that a mole on an accused person’s body was an entry or sucking point for evil spirits and demons. On the other hand, it was concluded that drawing hands by children on stick figures was evidence of them having been molested in the daycare cases. Another unlikely conclusion in the daycare cases drawn was that the hatred of tuna fish by a child was caused by exposure to vaginal odor (Malloy, Lyon & Quas 162). The insistence and use of leading questions by the investigators rendered the investigations themselves as the roots of multiple problems. Effectively, the accused were faced with the burden of proving their own innocence in both sets of trials. For example, in the Salem trials, the

Minimal Environmental Degradation Towards Achieving the Laid Goals of Essay

Minimal Environmental Degradation Towards Achieving the Laid Goals of the Firm - Essay Example Environmental impact assessment is a way of ensuring that the projects are analyzed in terms of the impact they have on the environment during the planning stage before they are implemented. This ensures that the negative short term and long term effects are controlled for the sustainability of the environment. It involves analyzing the existing environmental impacts of the situation, this mainly involves checking the positive and negative impacts, then analyze how significant these impacts are and then corrective action is taken to either reduce, avoid or mitigate these impacts. An organization should seek advice from the relevant authorities on the requirements by the environmental assessment impacts formally before undertaking any development project. The Kenya Airways privatized corporation offering air transport in Kenya and the world at large, besides providing air transport for its clients it also provides transport for its workers to and from work. The firm has been in operat ion for several decades that is since 1979. Several environmental impacts resulted from the activities of the business. There are direct impacts and indirect impacts. These impacts have led had positive and negative impacts on the environment. The direct impacts are; There was displacement of the wildlife on the area airport was constructed, more so some wild animals which were relocated have become extinct due to change of their natural habitat. Some people. The plants and vegetation which was cleared to create space for the runways have increased the rate of desertification.

Is the EU reaching the limits of enlargement Essay

Is the EU reaching the limits of enlargement - Essay Example These problems such as the ever increasing size of the subsidy programs and additional payments to keep countries in line with the overall EU policy have imposed some limits on the current enlargement process. Despite an ever increasing degree of interest shown by these East European countries in joining the EU the organization has almost come to a stretching point where there is little or no room for further expansion. This dilemma is basically attributed to the very structural constraints experienced by the former communist economies in Eastern Europe (Jacobsen, 1997). For instance when countries like Poland, Hungary and Rumania joined the EU during the initial stage following the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe there was much greater hope about the future of the EU as an economic union. Subsequently with further enlargement and monetary union the organization began to develop first the structural constraints and next trade related problems on the allocation of subsidy funds. The future of the EU now is more or less determined by how best the organization would be able to absorb those new entrants and how best the structural problems arising from its subsidy programs would be handled. Various writers have pointed out that the EU is basically a behemoth that is much less likely to absorb the remaining East European countries in to the fold with any degree of success. The rapid transformation of th... However what the EU could do as a customs union and then as an economic union is no more possible under the present dispensation. Primarily the EU has been evolving on unbridled largesse in the form of farm and agricultural subsidies. When all these subsidy programs culminated in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the organization did little realize what was ahead. In fact it is the CAP that caused the current impasse between the US government and the EU on international trade.The World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international trade forums have almost failed to reconcile the two sides to the conflict. Similarly Japan and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have objected to the presence of CAP in the EU. Despite these disputes the EU has been compelled by an ever increasing necessity to maintain a minimum level of subsidies to the new member countries. The net result of this commitment is the further aggravation of trade relations with the US in particular an d other countries in general. The EU has come a long way in giving farm and agricultural subsidies to its powerful community of farm producers who demand the continuation of the programs irrespective of the global pressure to wind them up. These trade related outcomes have compelled the EU to adopt some new programs and to redesign the existing programs in keeping with the adjustments required by its member countries' commitments to the WTO.This paper would particularly focus attention on the current phase of EU enlargement arising from the post-communism developments in Eastern Europe while the theoretical considerations of enlargement related structural constraints would be discussed with reference to the empirical evidence on the EU's inability to absorb new

Economics for Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics for Business - Research Paper Example With this in mind, the company has been in the forefront of creating subnotebook computer named ultra Personal Computer (UPC) which the Guiness World Records describes as "the smallest full-powered, full featured personal computer" (Oqo 2007). Unlike most of the products in the global business arena, the UPC which is offered by Oqo has not been driven by the demand of customers in the market. In fact, the creation of the product is through the company's effort of determining the evolving computing needs of the high-end clientle (Oqo 2007). Thus, the UPC is a product where the supply is generated first before demand. The demand curve for the UPC can be drawn as a downward sloping demand curve. Though the UPC is generally targeted to individuals who posses higher purchasing power through their level of disposable income, the product also appeals to the mid-level consumers who also wants mobile computing (About Us 2007). However, it should be noted that the high pricing strategy employed by Oqo is generally done to enhance the attractiveness of UPC. Thus, at a much lower price level, demand can be offset. It is also worth mentioning that UPC is a normal good because demand for it generally rises with increases in disposable income. Currently, Oqo is dealing with the rapid increase in demand for its products. The company's press release states that the company braces for demand as corporate clients has been more than eager to test the UPC (Press Releases 2007). Supply Being the pioneer in this technological innovation, Oqo has become the major supplier of UPC in the market. Thus, Oqo can be said to have a monopoly of the entire UPC market. The implication for this is the ability of the company to choose its own level of price and quantity supplied. However, it should also be noted that Oqo cannot fully exploit its power as a monopolist because of the presence of various substitutable goods like personal computers, laptops, and palm tops which are also used for the same function. Price As mentioned above, the innovativeness, quality, and image of Oqo's product commands a very high price in the market. As with any business organization in the market which invests huge capital for research and development, Oqo prices its products to compensate for these costs. The company's pricing strategy is generally putting a large premium over and above production costs. Oqo does not charge a single price for UPCs and practice price discrimination. It should be noted that the company charges different prices to each customer according to how much they are willing to pay. For example, the base price of the company's Model 2.0 has a base price of $1,499 but this can vary according to the product features and specification that the client wants to integrate in the product that he/she is going to purchase (Press Releases 2007). Production The production of UPCs are solely undertaken by Oqo which includes the assembly of components from its various suppliers. The company has a manufacturing plant where production takes place. Being a small company which is only comprised of 105 employees, it maximizes production capacity in order to cope with the burgeoning demand in the

Englishness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Englishness - Essay Example Lamming continues that Englishness is often defined in its colonizing and expanding terms, as an instrument to demonstrate superiority and class division. Laclau (1985) sees the social differentiation also as geographical one - England and the colonized territories -West Indies, Africa, Australia. The geographical places also create ambiguity in the religious sphere, because if you are different on the bases on religious beliefs, historical background, social class, than one can not be included in the "Englishness" shared by the natives. . Lamming (1984) remarks that there is a linguistic barrier too - well-spoken English versus the broken English. Englishness appeared as an ideology as early as 18th, transforming itself into a modern phenomenon separating colonized people from the industrialized society and well-taught Christians from elite class. The distinguished English attitude establishes boundaries between the white race and the others described as savages and primitive (James 1984). Consequently, the very skin color empowers the people to incorporate certain English attitudes towards the different ones, adding more features into the differentiation. In this way the white people disempower the colonized subject, disparaging both his culture and his human status. Lamming (1984) gives an example of the English writer embodying the Englishness and the West Indian writer which can not be grasped as intelligent and thoughtful as the English one. In this sense otherness is seen "part of his historic contract, the English critic accepts-for what else can he do-the privilege so natural and so free of being the child and product and voice of a colonizing civilization (Lamming 30)." The Englishness doctrine leads to hegemony and postcolonial supremacy (James 1984). Englishness lay paternity claims over the different cultures and renders invisibility so as to minimize their influential contribution to the variety of cultures that Englishness must include. Eagleton (1976) in his chapter 'Ideology and literary form" includes a definition of "ideology" and how the literary form of it has brought it to disarray. "In English literary culture of the past century, the ideological basis of organic form is peculiarly visible, as a progressively impoverished bourgeois liberalism attempts to integrate more ambitious and affective ideological modes (Eagleton 161)."Macherey (2006) in his most pivotal literary theory focuses his attention both on the reader and on the writer. Macherey's (2006) statement is that the very act of reading produces numerous interpretations and meanings in the different readers, which are beyond the control of the writer. Generating a new branch of post-structuralist theory Macherey (2006) argues that contemporary literature announces the death of the author, because it evokes all kinds of interpretations into its reader. Macherey (2006) compares the critical viewpoint of the reader with psychological analyses which aim to discover the hidden meaning behind the text. The text plays on the unconscious of the readers. In his short story "A Sahib's War" Kipling uses the device of the "imperfectly-informed narrator". The story is set during the Second Boer War and is told through Sikh soldier's point of view. Although he reports everything that is happening around

Health Care Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care Framework - Essay Example As a result, the healthcare system needs to deal with issues such as developing an advance care plan and coming up with ways to manage the comorbid conditions associated with chronic illnesses. At present, most inpatients with complications of chronic illness still lack access to proper care that emphasizes effective management of their condition. This leads to poor disease control and complicates matters for patients compared to an environment where there is emphasis on appropriate care or effective management. In the United States, most patients suffering from complications of chronic illness tend to receive treatment from primary care clinicians (Wensing et al., 2014). In an effort to improve the care of patients with complications of chronic illness, health care providers need to consider the fact that most patients seek treatment from primary care providers, this trend is also likely to continue in the foreseeable future. Most patients tend to place value on a physician or a group of health care providers who have knowledge of the patient’s condition. However, since such care involves an integrative function, most patients report diminishing satisfaction or value over time. In addition, patients who require comprehensive treatment can benefit from a specialized care rather than primary care (Trehearne, Fishman, & Lin, 2014). Other than seeking specialized care for complex conditions, general training and experience among the primary caregivers is also crucial in managing the complications of chronic illness. The caregivers also need to understand behavioural change and self-management support to realize success in the care of patients with complications of chronic illness. Conversely, while seeking specialty care is seen to be more adaptable to new development with regard to the effective management of chronic illness, a shift from primary care elicits concerns

Capital Punishment and Tortures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capital Punishment and Tortures - Essay Example Taking the deterrence argument first, as the course module suggests, "those who believe that deterrence justifies the execution of certain offenders bear the burden of proving that the death penalty actually is a deterrent." Yet numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment, and indeed, those countries such as the United States who widely use the death penalty actually have the highest murder rates in the industrialized world (Bowers and Pierce, 1980). The brutalizing effect of the death penalty, particularly through well-publicized, infamous executions may actually bring about more murders as there is a general atmosphere of acceptable violence within a society (Zimring, 2003). There is thus no concrete proof that the death penalty actually deters violence, and indeed, the opposite may be true. As the module suggests, "those states in the US that do not employ the death penalty generally have lower murder rates than the states that do". Thi This argument against the deterrence effect is further bolstered by the fact that many murders are spur of the moment, emotional outbursts, often within a domestic situation, in which the consequences are not truly considered. These murders are committed by normally rational people while in a temporary state of irrationality in which judgment as to consequences is impossible (deathpenalty, 2007). It is these domestic murders that are most often solved. The 'professional' type of murder such as that which exists within organized crime or within the more haphazard gang killings are similarly undeterred because far fewer of these cases are actually solved (Zimring, 2003). The other, much smaller category of murderers, serial and spree killers, are also unlikely to be undeterred. The first because capital punishment holds little fear for them because of their often objectified view of human worth, including their own (Lahey, 2002). The spree killer will not be deterred because he normally takes his own life at the end of the spree anyway. Capital punishment holds no fears for a dead person. The second major argument for the death penalty si based upon the idea of "justice" and "morality". This claims that it is ethical to have a death penalty because it is a just punishment for the taking of another life. This theory is based upon the "eye for an eye" type of mentality. But as the module suggests, "the concept of retribution is simply another way of describing revenge." In fact, "a mature and civilized society , , , should respect all life, even that of a murderer". So the moral argument against the death penalty is based upon the same set of ethics which makes murder the most serious crime within a society in the first place. The most valuable thing is a human life, according to this type of morality, and so all human life should be preserved, whatever the person has done. This argument

Teaching Styles & Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Teaching Styles & Technology - Essay Example Because teaching and learning are at best semi-structured activities, neither is conducive to automation. Yet certain aspects of instruction, particularly the delivery of information characteristics or teaching styles are prone to automation. Information classroom technologies facilitate student access to information to improve the availability or reality of learning materials. In contrast to automated classrooms that improve the efficiency of information delivery, the goal here is to make new, qualitatively better information available that would otherwise not be. Learning networks, hypermedia, simulations, and virtual reality are information classroom technologies. While IT infrastructure developments represent attempts to provide technology tools to improve the teaching and/or learning processes, they are often undertaken without a thorough assessment of the learning gains desired or even possible. For instance, high expectations without clear objectives and realistic goals may lead to the development of state-of-the-art facilities, at once impressive yet intimidating, replete with potential yet lacking clear guidelines on how to use the technology to achieve learning improvements. Learning models are often classifie... The primary competing cognitive model is constructivism. The objectivist model of learning is based on Skinner's stimulus-response theory: learning is a change in the behavioral disposition of an organism (Jonassen, 1993) that can be shaped by selective reinforcement. The tenet of the model is that there is an objective reality and that the goal of learning is to understand this reality and modify behavior accordingly (Jonassen, 1993). The goal of teaching is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from the expert to the learner. Errors in understanding are the result of imperfect or incomplete knowledge transfer. The model makes several pedagogical assumptions regarding learning and instruction. In terms of learning, the first assumption is that there exists a reality that is agreed upon by individuals. Second, this reality can be represented and transferred to a learner. Third, the purpose of the mind is to act as a mirror of reality rather than as an interpreter of reality (Jonassen, 1993). Fourth, all: learners use essentially the same processes for representing and understanding the world. In terms of instruction, the objectivist model assumes that the goal of teaching is to efficiently transmit knowledge from the expert to the learner. Instructors structure reality into abstract or generalized representations that can be transferred and then recalled by students (Yarusso, 1992). The objectivist model may be the most appropriate model in some contexts--for example, in factual or procedural-based learning. However, models challenging objectivism have emerged. The most widely accepted alternate model is

The School of Athens by Raphael Essay Example for Free

The School of Athens by Raphael Essay The School of Athens by Raphael is a complex painting with a fascinating composition. The subjects, building, composition and his use of color make it a compelling piece. This painting is extremely decorative and complex. With various tools, Raphael was able to emphasize different aspects and pull the viewer into the work. Because of the colors used in the painting, and the setting, this painting seems to be of religious or educated figures. This painting has many subjects, most of which appear to be male. Knowing that most renaissance paintings have both genders, one would conclude that there are a few females. All of the subjects are wearing colorful, flowing robes. The fact that they have colorful clothing on symbolizes a high rank. This rank is either of the church or of land. The highly crafted building the subjects are in leads the viewer to think that the rank is from the church or education. In the middle, the subjects are surrounding two men. Everyone seems to be listening to the men. The men in the bottom left are reading or writing, what could be the primary mens words. The ones in the bottom right are surrounding a board on the floor and could be discussing the words of the men. With all of the conversing going on, and the layout of the people, one would assume that this is a lecture setting. This story is going on in a large, ornate, arched-ceiling building. This building is painted from top to bottom. The main arch in the front has a very geometric pattern on it but the column connecting it to the ground is flowery. There is gold on the ceiling, on the decorative pieces between each painting. The top-left corner has a large rock painted on a background of gold. There is a person standing behind it but the edge of the painting cuts it off at the waist. Under the large rock painting, there is a smaller gold tree on a blue background. These two colors are the epitome or wealth because they are the most costly to buy. In the top right corner, again cut off by the border of the painting, there is a group or what appear to be women. They are focused around some type of animal in the middle. Below this is the same tree as the opposite side. The filling between the two large paintings and the smaller trees is all triangular. It has an ornate pattern in blue and gold, just like the trees. In the bottom left-hand corner, there is a framed square, which looks like it is a mirror. The way there is wood  in it but no other bare wood anywhere in the picture makes it seem to be a reflection. Behind the large arch in the front, there is a hallway type of structure. It has a statue on each side with smaller carved scenes under them. The hallway, which opens up to a ceiling-less patio has statues, similar to the ones on the wall. The archways have geometric carved patterns covering the ceilings. Unlike the foreground arch, the background ones are white stone; there is no paint or gold on them. As the arches become smaller and the sky becomes larger, the pure blue sky with fluffy white clouds begins to show. This painting is very realistic, because of the detail of ornamental pieces and because of the accuracy of the structure. The perspective is precise; larger things are in the foreground and smaller things are in the background. Unlike earlier paintings, the building looks like you could walk through it. The scale of the subjects is also very accurate. Some earlier works had the most important characters larger and in the middle. The values, which differ in the arches, show depth. The arches are darker on the underside and on the right walls, to show a direction of light from the right. The people on the sides are not exact copies but the fact that they are on both sides makes the painting approximately symmetrical. The evenness of the arches also emphasizes the symmetrical characteristic. The composition of the image is made interesting by the complexity of the people. The empty building without the individuals in it would be an architectural study. The colors in this painting pull the viewer in. The use of gold in modesty, compared to many other paintings, makes the whole painting brighten. The colors on the robes are impressive. The subjects closer to the two in the middle have more primary and secondary colored gowns while the perimeter has primarily tertiary colored clothing. This may have to do with class or emphasis. As concluded earlier, the middle subjects are significant so to make them stand out, the robes are more vibrant. The archway in the front is much more decorative and frames the subjects underneath. With the arches in the back being less showy, the foreground with the people stands out more. In conclusion, this painting has many facets and details, which could go unnoticed. Raphael stressed certain parts by using color and framing. The context leads one to believe that the subjects are knowledgeable. With the color, composition and subjects combined, this painting is a significant piece. The School of Athens is an elaborate painting with a multifaceted story.

Naked Eye Single Tube Osmotic Fragility Test

Naked Eye Single Tube Osmotic Fragility Test The effectiveness of one tube osmotic fragility screening in detecting BTT was first introduced by Kattamis C. in 1981.(56) NESTROFT is the rapid simple and cost effective screening test. 2.15.1 Principle The principle of NESTROFT is based on the limit of hypotonicity that the red cell can withstand. There is a pronounced decrease in osmotic fragility of red cells in ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia(57) Cells with a decreased surface/volume ratio, have a limited capacity to expand in low osmolarity solutions and lyse (rupture) at a higher concentration of sodium chloride than do normal biconcave red cells. Therefore, thalassaemic cells that are hypochromic and fLatter have a greater capacity to expand and thus have decreased osmotic fragility. (58) 2.15.2 Clinical Implications The different saline concentration is used in NESTROFT test to detect spherocytosis and BTT. Positive test is due to reduced osmotic fragility of red cells at 0.36% buffered saline. Manglani M et al in 1997 studied 165 cases (with MCV Recent published data has shown that the NSTROFT can be a very useful screening tool for ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia Trait. (5, 63-66) Different studies show that NESTROFT with 0.36% saline could detect 96-100% of heterozygotes with ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia. Study published in Indian J Pathol Microbiol, 2002 concludes NSTROFT to be 92.5% sensitive and 95.2% specific for screening of red cell microcytosis.(67) The test proves to be simple, cheap, easy to perform and adaptable for mass screening coming close to an ideal screening test. According to a recent study conducted at PNS Shifa Hospital Karachi, NESTROFT has a Positive Predictive Value of 85.38% and Negative Predictive Value of 97.66%, this correlates to international published data. The diagnostic accuracy was 94.6 % (63) NESTROFT done with 0.36 % buffered saline solution provides more accurate results compared to the other concentrations tested.(5) Routine use of haematological data from automated cell counters may complement the result s of the NSTROFT.(64) 2.16 Supravital Stains Supravital stains are a group of special stains for demonstration of intracellular inclusions in the living tissues. Common supravital stains used are methylene blue, new methylene blue, brilliant cresyl blue (BCB), methyl violet, crystal violet and azure B. Supravital stains in thalassemia are done for the demonstration of reticulocytes and Hb H inclusions as and when indicated. In thalassaemia carrier screening reticulocyte count does not have a diagnostic value. However in the detection of ÃŽÂ ±-thalassaemia, especially Hb H disease, the brilliant cresyl blue stain will detect the characteristic Hb H inclusion bodies. Supravital stains (brilliant cresyl blue or new-methylene blue) are able to stain residual mRNA in immature red blood cells. There are now several automated electronic cell counters able to perform a reticulocyte count using specific RNA staining.(68) Reticulocyte numbers and maturation levels have been studied in different haemoglobinopathies and the results have been correlated with the degree of ineffective erythropoiesis. Laura C. et al in 2003 studied 219 samples from patients with Sickle Beta-thalassemia (n=7), HbSC disease (n=11), BTT (n=33) and IDA (n=47) and non-anaemic individuals(n=60). They found patients with HbS trait (0.83%), IDA (1.18%) and BTT (1.53%) showed Reticulocyte parameters similar to non-anaemic group (1.18%). A non-responsive bone marrow does not release reticulocytes in sufficient numbers to compensate for the degree anaemia. The authors concluded that the absolute number and immaturity fraction were higher in BTT than normal individuals, but without statistical significance.(69) 2.17 Haemoglobin Electrophoresis Hemoglobin electrophoresis (also called Hgb electrophoresis), is a test that measures the different types of hemoglobin in the blood. The method used is called electrophoresis, a process that causes movement of particles in an electric field, resulting in formation of bands that separate toward one end or the other in the field. 2.17.1 Types of Electrophoresis 2.17.1.1 SDS-PAGE SDS-PAGE (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis) is a common type of electrophoresis used for analyzing proteins, which separates proteins according to their size. The SDS is a protein denaturing detergent that causes unfolding of protein molecule. The detergent binds to the polypeptide in a 1:1 ratio with each segment of the protein to give it a charge. The movement of protein polypeptides through the gel occurs at different rates depending on size. 2.17.1.2 Agarose Gels Agarose gels electrophoresis is used for separation of RNA and DNA molecules. Like SDS-PAGE, this separates the molecules based on charge and size. DNA molecules are negatively charged, so they move through the gel quickly depending on size. Smaller DNA fragments move more quickly than larger ones due to friction resistance. 2.17.1.3 Electrofocusing Electrofocusing analyze the charge and pH values of proteins. A container is filled with a gel solution that has an increasing pH gradient. The amino acids that form polypeptides have different acidic or basic charges. The protein travels through the gel, obtaining or losing protons depending on its charge. As the protein particle moves through the gel, it eventually becomes neutral and gets stuck in an isoelectric position. 2.17.1.4 Capillary Capillary electrophoresis is a method similar to SDS-PAGE. It separates molecules based on their charge and mass. Molecules are placed in rows called capillaries filled with conductive, electrolyte fLuid. The analytes move in a speed relative to their charge and mass. This method is an older technique introduced in the 1960s. SDS-PAGE is usually preferred in labs. 2.17.1.5 Native Gels Native gels are similar to SDS-PAGE, except the detergent (SDS) is not used to denature proteins. Native gels are only able to separate proteins up to 2,000 kDa in size. Because the proteins are left folded, the dyes used are also different than SDS-PAGE. Hemoglobin electrophoresis is the method for identification and quantification of variant Hbs. Electrophoretic methods have been developed that allow for separation at alkaline pH 8.4 on cellulose acetate and at acidic pH 6.2 on agarose gels. These provide a clear background, allowing for quantification of the Hb present by densitometric scanning.(47) Cellulose acetate electrophoresis may be used for qualitative identification of variants, but also with elution for quantitation of the haemoglobins, A2, A, S, D, Lepore, ÃŽÂ ±-chain variants, Hb H and Hb Barts. Agarose gel electrophoresis is not a satisfactory screening technique because it cannot distinguish many abnormal haemoglobins from Hb A. However it can separate the C group into three fractions: HbC, O-Arab, and Hb E plus HbA2. The method can also distinguish Hb S from Hb D, Hb F from Hb A, Hbs Little Rock, Rainier and Bethesda from Hb A, and Hb H from Hb I. (68) The diagnosis of BTT relies on an accurate estimation of HbA2 levels.(69) Raised HbA2 level (>3.5%) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of BTT. Subjects found to be positive in preliminary screening tests by Red cell indices, DFs and NESTROFT are confirmed for thalassemic carrier status by various methods such as cellulose acetate electrophoresis, microcolumn chromatography, capillary isoelectrofocussing and HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). Subjects with HbA2 levels of 3.5% and above are considered to have BTT. However precautions have to be taken when HbA2 levels fall between 3.3 and 3.7%. In such cases it is recommended to repeat the assay to rule out technical error or treat the patient for IDA before the analysis is repeated.(60) According to the Thalassemia working party of BCSH General haematology Task force both electrophoresis and elution from cellulose acetate or microcolumn chromatography are recommended. They suggested that precision and accuracy of automated scanning densitometry was inadequate for HbA2 estimation. (70) 2.18 Isoelectric focusing (IEF) IEF is another popular method used by laboratories that have a large number of specimens or very small sample volumes that perform newborn screening. This electrophoretic method utilizes carrier ampholytes, small proteins that are able to carry both current and pH (Zwitterions). When the current is applied to the support medium, the ampholytes will gradually establish a pH gradient throughout the gel (for example, a pH range of 6 to 8 for Hb analysis). IEF gives better separation of Hb variants that show similar mobilities on alkaline electrophoresis, which are much sharper. Hb variants such as Hb-Malmo, show separation from HbA which is not seen on alkaline electrophoresis. Minor bands such as HbH, Hb-Barts and Delta chain variants are easily seen.(71) Figure 2.6 Examples of many hemoglobin variants and their migration patterns on Isoelectric focusing. 2.19 Capillary isoelectric focusing (CIF) CIF is a useful analytical technique for characterization of protein mixtures and determination of protein isoelectric points. It is particularly useful in separation of protein glycoforms, characterizing protein microheterogeneity, and resolution of charge variants. The capillary focusing process is analogous to conventional isoelectric focusing in gels, while the requirement for zone mobilization is unique to the capillary format with on-tube detection. A variety of mobilization methods have been described, and the selection of the mobilization method for a particular application depends on the capillary type, the instrument configuration, and the type of proteins to be analyzed. Capillary IEF is generally successful for proteins with a molecular weight up to about 150,000 that exhibit good solubility in aqueous buffers, but may be unsatisfactory for large or hydrophobic proteins.(72) 2.20 Globin chain electrophoresis It is an ancillary procedure in which haemoglobin lysate with mercaptoethanol and 8mol/L Urea to dissociate the globin chain is used. It is run both at alkaline and acid pH. It gives additional information on haemoglobin variants that have similar mobilities by other methods.(71) Globin chain electrophoresis is run at both alkaline and acid pH because some hemoglobin variants show slight differences in mobility at the two pHs. This method often gives additional information on hemoglobin variants that have similar mobilities by other methods. In confusing cases, this method may be useful to document the presence of both an ÃŽÂ ± and a ÃŽÂ ² chain variant Examples of different hemoglobin variants on globin chain electrophoresis are shown in Figure 2.6. (www.cap.org/apps/docs/cap_press/hemoglobinatlas_intro.pdf) Figure 2.7.Examples of hemoglobin variants on both acid (pH 6.2) and alkaline (pH 8.9) globin chain electrophoresis. Source: Adopted from hemoglobin atlas. (www.cap.org/apps/docs/cap_press/hemoglobinatlas_intro.pdf) 2.21 High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) HPLC is a method that has been available for many years. Cation-exchange HPLC is emerging as the method of choice for the initial screening of Hb variants.(56) Run lengths have been shortened from more than 20mins to 6 to 7mins. These instruments are approved by U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the measurements of HbS, A2 and F. These instruments generally utilize a weak cation exchange column. Gradually increasing the ionic strength of the eluting solution causes the Hb protein to come off the column at a particular retention time. This method has a advantage that HbC does not coelute with HbA2, however HbE and HbO-Arab still coelute with HbA2 with this method.(71) 2.22 DNA Analysis The DNA analysis is gold standard for detection of carrier state of ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia. The prenatal diagnosis of affected couple should be carried out to prevent the birth of thalassemic child by selective abortion of affected foetuses. It is essential to characterize the DNA mutations of the parents for prenatal diagnosis of affected couple. The methods available to study DNA mutations are allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) screening, (73) reverse dot blot, and restriction endonuclease allele recognition.(74) The ASO method is for detection point mutations, nucleotide insertion or deletion in genomic DNA. In this method ASO probes of 18-20 per sequence are used. DNA is denatured and dot blotted on to a nylon membrane and then hybridized to different probes. In reverse dot blot probes are attached to the membrane and DNA hybridizes with dot corresponding to the mutation. A recent method is amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) technique in which specific primers against normal and mutant sequences are used.(60) More than 150 mutations causing beta-thalassemia have been reported from different parts of the world.(74) Studies conducted in Pakistan show the five most common mutations are IVS1-5 (G-C), IVS1-1 (G-T), Fr 41-42 (-TTCT) Fr 8-9 (+G) and deletion 619 bp.(75) Ahmed et al found that there are important ethnic and regional differences in the prevalence of mutations. The five most common mutations, IVSI-5 (G-C) (37.3%), Fr 8-9 (+G) (25.9%), del 619 (7.0%), Fr 41-42 (-TTCT) (6.7%) and IVSI-1 (G-T) (5.4%), constitute 82.3% of the total. Fr 8-9 (+G) is the most common mutation in Northern Pakistan (41.3%), whereas IVSI-5 (G-C) is the most frequent mutation in Southern Pakistan (52.2%). (76) 2.23 Prenatal Diagnosis The availability of prenatal diagnosis added a new option to couples at risk for major haemoglobinopathy, leading to a significant change in the effectiveness of screening and counseling in hemoglobinopathy prevention. Prenatal diagnosis of both ÃŽÂ ±- and ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia was carried out for the first time in the 1970s using globin chains synthesis analysis in fetal blood, obtained by fetoscopy or placental aspiration around the nineteenth week of gestation. The advent of DNA analysis and the introduction of chorionic villi sampling resulted in a notable improvement in prenatal diagnosis because it could be performed generally at 10 to 12 weeks of gestation. Fetal DNA can be obtained also from aminocytes at 15 to 17 weeks of pregnancy. The reported risk of fetal loss with this procedure ranges from 0.5 to 4.5%. After sampling, fetal DNA analysis is performed by the PCR-based methods mentioned for carrier detection procedures. In general, the mutation to be detected in the fet us is first identified in the parents. The results of DNA analysis are very accurate, but misdiagnosis may occur for several reasons (failure to amplify the target DNA fragment, mispaternity, maternal contamination, and sample exchange). However, the risk of misdiagnosis can be significantly reduced using a number of precautionary measures, such as fetal DNA analysis for selected polymorphic markers.(35) Fetal cells, known to be present in the maternal circulation, represent an attractive, noninvasive approach to prenatal diagnosis. Fetal cells, immunological isolated for their low purity, can only be used for prenatal diagnosis of ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia in women whose partners carry a different mutation. Recently, this problem has been overcome by development of a technique able to isolate single fetal erythroblasts from maternal blood by microscopic micromanipulation, making possible the analysis of both fetal genes in a single cell. However, this procedure is associated with several technical and biological problems and it is not widely applicable.(35) The discovery of free fetal DNA in maternal plasma provided the basis for developing another method for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. However, because free maternal DNA is also present, the application to prenatal diagnosis of thalassemias would be possible only to exclude paternally derived pathologic alleles different from the mot hers mutation.(35) The advent of DNA amplification has made it possible to define the geneotype of a single cell biopsied from cleaving embryos (preimplantation diagnosis) and to analyze the polar body obtained during the maturation of the oocyte (preconceptional diagnosis). These procedures avoid the need to terminate affected pregnancies and permit the transfer of only healthy embryos established from in vitro fertilization. Successful experiences in many couples with this approach have been reported in hemoglobinopathies. However, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is a technically challenging, intensive procedure, which requires the close collaboration of a team of specialists. (35) To date, programmes for ÃŽÂ ²-thalassemia prevention based on carrier screening, genetic counseling, and prenatal diagnosis are on-going in several areas at risk in Mediterranean countries, with a marked decline in the incidence of thalassemia major. Effective preventive programs have also been established in countries such as United Kingdom, where thalassemia is a rare disorder that affects diverse minority ethnic groups. Special attention should be given in these programmes to the different religious and social issues and to the different attitude towards prenatal diagnosis of the various ethnic minorities. In case the mutations are not identified linkage studies using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) or globin chain synthesis by cord blood sampling are the other options used for prenatal diagnosis. (60) In 1999, Maheshwari M and colleagues suggested fLow chart for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia. (Figure 2.7) In 1994 the thalassemia working party of British Society of Hematology suggested guidelines for investigation of the ÃŽÂ ± and /ÃŽÂ ² thalassaemia traits. (Figure 2.8) Figure 2.8. FLow chart for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia. Source: Adopted from Maheshwari M, Arora S, Kabra M, Menon PSN. Carrier screening and prenatal Diagnosis of Beta-thalassemia. Indian Pediatr 1999; 36: 1119-1125. Figure 2.9. FLow chart for thalassemia carrier detection suspected on red cell indices Source: adopted from Guidelines for investigation of the ÃŽÂ ± and /ÃŽÂ ² thalassaemia traits, The Thalassaemia Working Party of the BCSH General Haematology Task Force J Clin Pathol 1994;47:289-295 Prevention is better than cure. It is important to develop prevention programmes for thalassemia prevention where there is high frequency, to avoid fatalities from untreated thalassaemia cases, the expense and difficulty of providing optimum treatment for patients which creates a burden on patients, families and national health services. Thalassaemia patients may be left untreated (indeed, they often die without a diagnosis) or grossly under-treated. At the same time, quality of treatment is firmly linked to both survival rates and quality of life. (Thalassemia International Federation, 2003). The countries where prevention programmes are effective resulting in increased survival of thalassemia major patients in comparison to countries where preventive strategies do not exist. (Figure 2.6) Graph A Graph B Figure 2.10. Graph A: Age distribution of thalassemics in a country without prevention Patients are mostly infants (non-prevention) and children (early deaths) Graph B: Age distribution of thalassemics in a country with full prevention treatment. There is gap in early years with patients mostly in their mid-twenties. Source: Adopted from Prevention of thalassemia other hemoglobinopathies, Thalassaemia International Federation, 2003.

The Sorites Paradox And The Epistemic Philosophy Essay

The Sorites Paradox And The Epistemic Philosophy Essay Soritic thinking that is based on reasoning, which is entailed in the sorites paradox plays an important role in some forms of weakness of will. Such reasoning based on soritic thinking leads to failures of behavior, however, these behaviors cannot be revealed to be irrational by ordinary means. Logical paradoxes are not expected to be important to the psychology of everyday life. However, the sorites paradox unlike other paradoxes actually leads to defeat and confusion, and plays an important role in some forms of weakness of will. I will illustrate a representative version of the sorites paradox, and in the conclusion obtained in this example, I will argue that the epistemic response runs into numerous difficulties, and as a result, does not successfully diagnose the problem with the paradox. Discussion The sorites paradox is a term given to several paradoxical arguments that arise because of the indeterminacy surrounding restrictions of the application of the predicates entailed. The following is a representative version of the sorites paradox. If we are to judge the height of four basketball players, observing them from a distance, which makes a difference in height invisible as long as it amounts to less than one inch. Tim Duncan is 7 feet tall. Shaquille is 71. He is also tall. Amare is 610. He is tall. Kevin is 611. He is tall. Rudy is 69. He is also tall. LeBron is 68 and he is tall. Using this sequence of reasoning, specifically, that if I deduct an inch off any persons height, it would not make much difference since somebody will only be one inch shorter than a tall individual would, supposedly, be tall himself. Thus, as I use this sequence of reasoning, I can keep creating more premises, namely that Jordan is 66, Kobe is 67 and so on till I reach somebody like Nate who is 5 9. Many individuals would hesitate to call Nate tall, because when compared to the other people like LeBron and Kobe, he is short. I can also reason to conclude that Bogues whose height is 53 and Boykins 55 are tall. However, most reasonable people would not classify these players as tall. The reasoning in the above case is a good example of the sorites paradox that results from common vague predicates such as tall. The sorites paradox can also be constructed using other predicates such as 100, 000 grains of sand is a heap of sand, thus 99, 999 grains is still a heap of sand, as is 99, 998 and so forth, till I am forced to conclude that one grain of sand is still a heap of sand. It is possible to also reconstruct the tall version of the sorites paradox to work the conflicting way. For instance, if I reason that Bogues whose height is 53, is short, then an individual who is just one inch taller would also be considered short, and I would also use this reasoning to work my way up LeBron, who at 68, would be deemed short. Thus, the paradox in argument form is: Premise 1: LeBron is 68, he is tall. Premise 2: If LeBron is tall, then someone else who is one inch shorter than LeBron is tall. Premise 3: if somebody one inch shorter than LeBron is tall, then someone one inch shorter than LeBron is tall. The conclusion is that Bogues whose height is 53 is tall. Such a conclusion is paradoxical if we are to consider our common notions about expressions like short and tall to be correct. In addition to this, if we have a common agreement that Bogues who is 53, is short, then the conclusion that stems from the sorites argument, to be precise, that Bogues must be tall, leads to a contradiction, since Bogues cannot have the properties tall and short at the same time. Therefore, there are three alternatives if we are to steer clear of this paradox of vague predicates: we can refute the primary premise that LeBron is tall; we can refute one of the other premises in the argument that anyone who is a certain height is tall if an individual an inch taller is tall, or refute the notion that the conclusion follows from the argument. I will discuss one approach to solving the paradox; the epistemic solution. I will also discuss difficulty in accepting the epistemic solution. The epistemic solution entails refuting one of the other premises. For instance, given the argument: (1) LeBron is tall for a person, (2) if LeBron is tall for a person, then someone who is 69 is tall for a person, and (3) if someone who is 69 is tall for a person, then someone who is 68 is tall for a person. Conclusion: Bogues who is 53 is tall for a person. We can refute one of the premises that will grant us a way out of the paradox. For instance, we can refute the premise that will ultimately result from the above argument that if Nash whose height is 63 is tall, then Ellis whose height is 62 is also tall. Or we can reject the premise that if Chris who is 60 tall, then Damon who is 511 is tall. The epistemic solution entails forming a hard line division, dividing people into two groups (not tall and tall). There would look as if there would be a cutoff point, if somebody who is nn is tall, and it would not follow that someone who is nn-1 is tall. So, if this dissimilarity was to be in place, it would provide an obstacle that the reasoning that led me in the first place to conclude that Bogues was tall. And if this dissimilarity was in place, then the group of tall individuals would have stopped before we got to Bogues. I think that this solution runs into a lot of difficulty. First and foremost, the dissimilarity would seem to be wholly illogical and dependent on a certain individuals idea of tall. For instance, I may want to specify that all individuals who are 60 and above, are tall. My younger brother who is 56 may want to stipulate that all individuals 57 and above are tall. In the same way, Kobe may want to stipulate that all individuals 68 and above are tall. All of these illogical lines are wholly logical, relative to each individual. I do not think that the epistemic solution successfully diagnoses the problem with the paradox as shown in the example of height. One can argue against arbitrariness by specifying that people should consider those above the average height for people as tall and those below this average height as shorts, and therefore, a fixed point would solve the problem. But this provision also runs into hypothetical issues. First of all, the average height for human beings is always changing. Today, human beings may be taller than people were 20, 000 years ago. Therefore, it would seem, a person would have been tall 20, 000 years ago would be short now. However, if can correctly guess, no one wants to accept that a person who is tall can become short without shrinking. Secondly, if are to refute one of the premises, then we should do reject it with good reason. We should give a reason why, for instance, it is better to refute the premise that if Amare who is 610 tall, then Kobe who is 67 is tall, instead of the premise that if Shaquille who is 71 is tall, then Duncan who is 70 is tall. Is there a logical reason why we should refute the former premise instead of the latter? Assume, for the sake of science fiction, the case of a shrinking person. Suppose the shrinking man was Shaquille, who shrank one inch each month, from a starting height of 71. If are to refute one of the premises, then we should also acknowledge that there is an exact spatiotemporal location where Shaquille changes from someone who is tall to someone who is not tall. Where is the point? 63? 64? 55? 511? Is there a good reason to dispense one of these heights over another height? If the answer is yes, then we should give an account for which particular moment in time, this change occurs, and why it is logical to opt for this moment instead of another one. It appears that nobody can practically choose of these moments over another one, and so, it appears, the epistemic solution runs into a barrier. The response that would probably successfully diagnose the problem would be the degree of truth solution that takes a modern approach towards the notions of falsity and truth, and seeks to annul the sorites argument. With the degree of truth solution, a person can make the claim that Nash is 63 tall. I can state the degree of truth for the claim that Nash is 63 tall is about .70 because he appears to be closer to the model for human tallness than the paradigm for shortness. The sorites paradox started by hypothesizing that if Shaquille is tall, and we reason that Bogues is also tall, we are stating that these two men have equivalent property of tallness and the truth of such statements are true to the similar degree. Thus, this theory appears to have the strength of removing all contradictions entailing vague predicates unlike, the epistemic approach, and thus would be more appropriate in explaining the sorites paradox example of who is tall and who is short. Conclusion The epistemic solution does not seem to be the closest solution to the example about height discussed. One can argue against unpredictability by specifying that people should consider those above the average height for people as tall and those below this average height as shorts, and therefore, a fixed point would solve the problem. It is clear that the epistemic solution is counter intuitive in nature, and this becomes a purported problem. From the example discussed, it is evident that there all kind of things that people do not know, however, ignorance in the case of indistinctness appears to be necessary ignorance. It is not that we do not know if someone is tall and another is short, we simply know it. But, for the person seeking the epistemic solution, the problem is harder, for there is something to know and it is simply that we cannot know it. Thus, the epistemic solution does not successfully diagnose the problem.

Purple Rose of Cairo Movie Response :: essays papers

Purple Rose of Cairo Movie Response Overall I felt this was a very enjoyable movie, which came as a surprise to me. I am not a huge fan of Woody Allen, but I must say that I thought this was the best work that I have seen from him. The opening scene with Cecilia at work in the diner draws an immediate parallel to the Valentino pieces we read. She is discussing with her co-worker the intimate details of the life of one of a movie star, almost as if she were one of his family members. This is very closely related to how America felt when Valentino died. People who had never met the actor wept and went to pay their respects to the dead actor because they felt a closeness with him. I really like the whole "human" aspect that Woody Allen used in portraying Ceclia's life. He basically defined the theatre as a way for her to leave a life, which for the most part was bad, for a few hours. She had an abusive, disinterested husband and was having a tough time at work. All this coupled with the fact that it was the Depression era in American history make Cecilia's life extremely difficult. All of these problems, however, disappeared once Cecilia entered the movie theatre. I liked this because this is how many people feel. When you are bored, lonely, etc. you can pop in a movie and almost get away from the real world. I thought the whole idea of the Tom Baxter character walking off the screen was not only funny but brilliant. We have seen movies where people go into the screen, as in last week's Sherlock, Jr., but rarely do we see an actor leave the screen. I thought Jeff Daniels did an excellent job in portraying both Baxter and the "real" actor in the film, Gil Shepherd. In discussing this aspect of the film, I also thought that Allen's use of explaining fact and fiction was great. Through the Tom Baxter character Cecilia began to understand that the movies, although a great escape, were not real and that life is difficult weather you are an actor or a poor working class woman like herself. In the end, it was almost like a test in school when Cecilia had to choose between the two and she realized that Gil was a "real" person while Tom Baxter was just a character in a movie.

The Role of Women in The Canterbery Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

The Role of Women in The Canterbery Tales Chaucer, in his female pilgrimage thought of women as having an evil-like quality that they always tempt and take from men. They were depicted as untrustworthy, selfish and vain and often like caricatures not like real people at all. Through the faults of both men and women, Chaucer showed what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look of women in the form that in his writings he seems to crate them as caricatures and show how they cause the downfall of men by sometimes appealing to their desires and other times their fears. Chaucer obviously had very opinionated views of the manners and behaviours of women and expressed it strongly in The Canterbury Tales. In his collection of tales, he portrayed two extremes in his prospect of women. The Wife of Bath represented the extravagant and lusty woman where as the Prioress represented the admirable and devoted followers of church. Chaucer delineated the two characters contrastingl y in their appearances, general manners, education and most evidently in their behaviour towards men. Yet, in the midst of disparities, both tales left its readers with an unsolved enigma. The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. Unlike most women being anonymous during the Middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks extremely highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes whenever the opportunity arises. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly, almost to the point of "not-presentable. This to me shows how Chaucer depicts what men don't want. The Prioress, on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as "tender-hearted" who cannot bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She will cry at the thought of a dog dying. It could represent that she has a frail soul with low tolerance for pain and suffering. The latter description carries over into the modern stereotypes about wome n as skittish and afraid members of society who need to be cared for. The Role of Women in The Canterbery Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays The Role of Women in The Canterbery Tales Chaucer, in his female pilgrimage thought of women as having an evil-like quality that they always tempt and take from men. They were depicted as untrustworthy, selfish and vain and often like caricatures not like real people at all. Through the faults of both men and women, Chaucer showed what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look of women in the form that in his writings he seems to crate them as caricatures and show how they cause the downfall of men by sometimes appealing to their desires and other times their fears. Chaucer obviously had very opinionated views of the manners and behaviours of women and expressed it strongly in The Canterbury Tales. In his collection of tales, he portrayed two extremes in his prospect of women. The Wife of Bath represented the extravagant and lusty woman where as the Prioress represented the admirable and devoted followers of church. Chaucer delineated the two characters contrastingl y in their appearances, general manners, education and most evidently in their behaviour towards men. Yet, in the midst of disparities, both tales left its readers with an unsolved enigma. The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. Unlike most women being anonymous during the Middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks extremely highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes whenever the opportunity arises. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly, almost to the point of "not-presentable. This to me shows how Chaucer depicts what men don't want. The Prioress, on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as "tender-hearted" who cannot bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She will cry at the thought of a dog dying. It could represent that she has a frail soul with low tolerance for pain and suffering. The latter description carries over into the modern stereotypes about wome n as skittish and afraid members of society who need to be cared for.

Critique on Kirstie laird :: essays papers

Critique on Kirstie laird Orange Girl I chose to critique and analyze the works of Kirstie Laird. I liked the variety of her works, and the bright, brilliant colors in most of them. I think the one that fascinated me most, however, was â€Å"Marionette† because it didn’t have any of the orange colors or motifs prominent in her other works. This puzzled me, since the title of her showing was â€Å"Orange Girl† and every other picture in the showing fit the title well. I found Laird’s works quite similar to those of Judy Dater. Their finished products aren’t too similar for the most part, but their reasons for the pictures they take are nearly identical. Laird’s series â€Å"investigates the ways in which we define ourselves through social roles, dress and physical markers, both natural and applied.† This sounds very much like what Dater wishes to convey in her self-portrait sequence â€Å"in which she dressed and posed herself as stereotypes of certain kinds of women.† Both women take special pains to use themselves as models (not an easy feat, I know from experience!). Not only that, they change costumes and props in every picture to convey the character they are becoming. In a sense, they are actresses, and each picture is a separate role for them. How well they fit the roles? That is a matter of opinion. I found each role they wished to convey was portrayed quite well. As different as each ladies sty le is, I still found some pictures I thought were quite similar in many respects. Laird’s â€Å"Kitchen† and Dater’s â€Å"Ms. Clingfree† were two pictures I thought were similar. If you laid the two side by side, you would see nothing in them that was remotely similar. One is of a young attractive housewife sitting on the kitchen counter, cheerily showing off the fruit bowl. The other is of an older housewife, perhaps one who has been married many years and is starting to feel the stress taking its toll on her. In that sense, the pictures are of the same person (a housewife) as she goes through the years. Laird shows her when she is happily married and everything is sunny and bright. Dater shows the woman after the years have taken their toll and she is tired of it all.

A Refutation of the Descent of Man from Apes Essay

Perhaps even before the time of Darwin, man had already started asking himself where he had come from, and somehow the Theory of Divine Creation – that man was rather created as himself and has not descended from any other animal – proved to be rather insufficient as a means to explain his roots. Scientific studies later on proved that there are several homologies shared by man and apes and the question remains as to whether man has indeed descended from this group of primates called apes. However, despite the obvious similarities between the two species, the results of this investigation say otherwise. The Proofs against the Supposed Descent of Man from the Apes The Common Ancestor. It is claimed that â€Å"[humans] didn’t evolve from apes†¦[but that] humans share a common ancestor with modern African apes, like gorillas and chimpanzees† (â€Å"Where We Came From,† 2001). The reason therefore for the similarities and the homologous morphological and anatomical characteristics between humans and apes may not be exactly due to the fact that the first descended from the second but that they could just be of the same ancestor. In a similar way, when you see similarities between two people of different ages, you cannot immediately conclude that the older one has begotten the other but that they could be both siblings. In logic, one can say that just because A looks similar to B, it does not necessarily mean that A has descended or originated from B, although we cannot deny that indeed there is some connection. In short, the claim that humans descended from apes may just have been one speculation or assumption based on morphological evidence, which may prove to be weak. This common ancestor is believed to have â€Å"existed 5 to 8 million years ago [and] shortly thereafter, the species diverged into two separate lineages† (â€Å"Where We Came From,† 2001). There have been claims that â€Å"the [ape or] gorilla lineage branched off 1. 6 to 2. 2 million years earlier than did the human-chimpanzee divergence† (Chen & Li, 2001), making humans even closer to chimpanzees than apes. The term evolutionists have given to this so-called common ancestor of humans and apes is known as â€Å"‘Australopithecus,’ which means ‘South African ape’† (Hasnain, 2009). The theory of the common ancestor has been backed by several studies which stated that either â€Å"mitochondrial DNA† (Ferris, Wilson & Brown, 1983) or the â€Å"extremely close immunological resemblance between the serum albumins of apes and man. † (Sarich & Wilson, 1967) The problem, however, is that it could be that this theory is not that plausible after it was found that â€Å"the beings called Australopithecus in this imaginary scenario fabricated by evolutionists really are apes that became extinct† (Hasnain, 2009). If the Australopithecus had actually not existed, then it could be that man has really descended from apes owing to the homology in their physical structures. Convergent Evolution. The homology in the morphology of humans and apes is, however, not a strong guarantee that the first have descended from the second. It is said that â€Å"the resemblance in the skeleton structure of apes and humans has [always served as] strong evidence for common ancestry† (â€Å"Evolution of Man,† 2010). It is however a poor assumption that similarity means relatedness, which means that â€Å"two species can have homologous anatomy even though they are not related in any way† (â€Å"Evolution of Man,† 2010). This is known as â€Å"convergent evolution. † Convergent evolution teaches one that two species which are distinctly unrelated from each other could have just have developed separately and at times coincidentally produced similarities in morphology. In a similar way, based on pure simple logic, it does not necessarily mean that two people are related just simply because they look similar, even very similar. Menton (2002) states that these similarities may have just been due to â€Å"an incredible run of countless lucky mutational coincidences. † This simply means that it could have been that it is a mere coincidence that humans and apes look alike. Deductive Logic. Robinson (2005) argues that â€Å"If humans evolved from apes, then one would expect that there would be no apes left on earth; all would have evolved into humans. † This statement simply means that since evolution propels a species to change, and if it is true that apes have evolved into humans, then there simply seems no logical explanation as to why several apes nowadays have not evolved into humans. Nevertheless, this claim could be refuted by the theory that certain species of animals may not have evolved because of their ecological niche. This means that certain apes in the jungle may not have evolved into humans due to the fact that the former are arboreal. Conclusion Man has not descended from apes. This is proven by scientifically-based claims that have established the existence of a common ancestor. Another proof is that the evolution of both humans and apes was merely convergent. Lastly, deductive logic disproves it. At this point in time, scientific researches on the evolution of man and apes have not been able to completely shed light on the possibility or impossibility of man’s descent from their primate brothers. Further research is therefore highly recommended. References Chen, F. C. & Li, W. H. (Nov 1985). â€Å"Subliminal messages: Between the devil and the media. † The American Journal of Human Genetics, 6, 444-456. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from the Cell database: http://www. cell. com/AJHG/retrieve/pii/S0002929707640968 â€Å"Evolution of Man – What is it?. † Science. (2010). Retrieved May 18, 2010 from the AllAboutScience. org website: http://www. allaboutscience. org/evolution-of-man. htm Ferris, S. D. , Wilson, A. C. , & Brown, W. M. (Apr 1981). â€Å"Evolutionary Tree for Apes and Humans based on Cleavage Maps of Mitochondrial DNA. † Evolution, 78, 2432-2436. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America database: http://www. pnas. org/content/78/4/2432. full. pdf+html? sid=768efdca-ce15-463a-959d-dd9fbbf7e9d1 Hasnain. â€Å"Did Men and Apes Come from a Common Ancestor?. † Food for Thought: Thought Provoking Articles. (26 Jan 2009). Retrieved May 18, 2010 from the Hasnain’s Life website: http://hasnain. wordpress. com/2009/01/26/did-men-and-apes-come-from-a-common-ancestor/ Menton, D. N. , Ph. D. â€Å"If We Resemble Apes, Does That Mean We Evolved from Apes?. † Origin of Man. (2002). Retrieved May 18, 2010 from the Missouri Association for Creation website: http://www. gennet. org/facts/metro05. html