The Power of Knowledge

The Power of Knowledge Our present day cabinet of curiosities (the â€Å"Cabinet†) is akin to early modern representations, which contained a vast range of objects representing the power of divine creation, in that the Cabinet represents, through its display of five objects, the power of human knowledge. Each of these objects helps mankind acquire and/or use knowledge.The order of objects displayed has been designed to reflect the evolution and utilisation of knowledge: an illustration of the DNA spiral helix (the building blocks of life); seed samples (the growth and development of organisms); the electron icroscope (allowing detailed examination of objects); the tablet-style computer (the dissemination and democratisation of knowledge); and the moon rock (exploration of space). DNA Spiral Helix The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) helix is the only object in the Cabinet which is a representation.Whilst DNA exists in every cell it would need the Electron Microscope to render DNA v isible. Two strands are shown twisted into a helix with rods between the strands. How does this represent DNA? Phillip Cohen (2006) describes the helix thus: Each strand spells out the genetic code as a chain of four chemical letters alled bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). A,C,G and T sit on the rods between the two strands which are made from a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule (Genetics Home Reference, 2013).The discovery of DNA and the evolving knowledge of it, has proved immensely powerful because of what it enables us to do, for example: to detect a criminal's guilt from a single hair beyond reasonable doubt; detect family connections by comparing DNA from two or more people, dead or alive; (hence the certainty that it was Richard Ill's remains found in Leicester); and to give the power to cure or eliminate previously incurable diseases, through the mapping of the human genome.Seed Samples Seed samples appear on the shelves at the seed bank of The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, labelled in see-through closed plastic containers. The first seed bank was established by N. Vavilov in 1926 outside St. Petersburg, for scientific research and cross-breeding purposes (BBC, 2013). Since then the world has changed dramatically, resulting in an increased consumption of natural resources. Seed banks around the world have assumed a new and very important ole in the preservation of rare and dying species of all kinds of plant forms.Today the Millennium Seed Bank in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is working on the ‘Noah's ark project and has acquired ten percent of the world's plant species threatened by climate change and the expansion of human habitats (Kew, nd). Seed samples preserved by seed banks provide not Just the opportunity for detailed study but also the power, opportunity and possibility for future generations to preserve most of the plant forms in the world (as we know it now) and to regenerate species to help feed the growing world population. An Electron Microscope This electron microscope is linked to three computer screens, showing typhoid bacteria in pink.Invented in 1 by German natural philosophers Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska, the electron microscope, though cumbersome and expensive is â€Å"capable of high magnification and greater resolving power than a light microscope† Oohn Innes Centre, 2013). Its capability to magnify finer details by two million times, revolutionised the studies of the behaviour and treatment of light resistant bacteria (such as typhoid bacteria) and viruses and enables detailed forensic analysis to take place. This object symbolises man's quest not only to understand his natural environment, but his ambition to control and manage it.The micrographs are artefacts in their own right; they can be displayed on their own as scientific evidence. The electron microscope can be displayed alone in a science museum, as a demonstration model for public use or in the Cabinet with the other four items chosen, to show the prominence and ever-increasing possibilities of technology and science and to illustrate man's evolving knowledge. A Tablet Computer Tablet-style computers combine several electronic components, such as a computer, amera and hand-held gaming device, into one convenient portable package (Martin, 2013) which is affordable for many consumers.The invention of the personal computer allowed individuals to access academic libraries and newspapers/ magazines via the internet (Slaughter, 2010) and (eventually) to communicate with other users, subject to a web connection. A tablet computer allows access to a wealth of information. A search engine acts as a filter to any subject; this enables appropriate content to be accessed. The rising popularity of internet-enabled phones, results in thousands more opportunities to access and create data being pened up. This technology enables knowledge to be shared and democratised – no longer resting with a narrow elite (Slaughter, 2010).The tablet computer incorporates a camera to allow for the quick transfer of photographs and videos around the world. The camera can challenge and record human behaviours: this ability to provide a contemporaneous record of human behaviour has resulted in the power of Governments to dictate the historical record of events being publicly challenged. Early computers also helped plot the course to the moon of the Apollo 11 flights in 1969. (Taylor, 2013). A Piece of Rock from the Moon Moon rocks are of various shapes and sizes and â€Å"range in age from about 3. billion years up to about 4. 5 billion years old† (Museumwales, 2009). A wealth of previously unknown knowledge has been gained from studying these rocks, they have â€Å"been of great value in advancing our understanding of the Moon and the history of our solar system† (Astro. washington, 2009). Scientists believe that earth rocks and moon rocks were once e ither part of the same body or were originally combined before they were formed (Natural history museum, nd). On religious grounds, this could challenge raditional views on God's formation of the earth.Moon rocks can be exhibited on their own as artworks – as natural art that reflect the universe in a microcosmic form in accordance with the Chinese tradition of the Philosopher Stones (BBC News, 2012). Moon rocks are priceless due to their scarcity, given the high cost of returning to the Moon to obtain more. In conclusion, the Cabinet symbolises the startling possibilities of human potential and the evolution of knowledge. The discovery of DNA and the creation of the Electron Microscope enabled, in their turn, turtner discoveries and developments to ake place. Conversely, the collection of seed samples allows for the preservation of what currently exists. 0 The tablet computer encapsulates the democratisation of knowledge, through ever-increasing access to data. 0 The moon ro cks represent the ambition to move beyond the world and the infinite possibilities of exploring and understanding our universe. 0The Cabinet is designed to inspire awe in the observer through the display of symbols of the technological and scientific progress that has led to a better understanding of our world and beyond.

1000 Teachers Program Project Brief

1000 TEACHERS PROGRAM This is a scholarship campaign that seeks to attract the best and the brightest into the teaching profession. It will be backed by a multimedia campaign to promote the scholarship and uplift the profession. OBJECTIVES 1. To encourage, through a scholarship supported with a stipend, the best and brightest graduating high school seniors to take degrees in education, specifically majoring in English, Math, and Science. 2. To uplift the image of the teaching profession in the eyes of the public in order to make education a strong career option for our youth and their parents. 3.To help improve the quality of teachers in the Department of Education by producing 1000 quality teachers who will join the public school system four years hence. PROJECT DETAILS Scholarships Students who pass the requirements and the selection process will receive a four (4) year scholarship, tuition and fees. They must major in English, Science, or Math. In addition to the scholarship, they will receive a Php 2,000 monthly allowance for ten (10) months for each school year and a book stipend of Php 2,000 per semester. Teacher education institutions (TEIs) with good track records of producing high quality education graduates based on the board passing) will give the scholarships. The corporate sector will provide the allowances. Multimedia Campaign The scholarship campaign will be backed with a tri-media campaign announcing the program in order to generate awareness and interest. Furthermore, the campaign intends to convince good students to choose education as a career and encourage parental, peer, and community support for that decision. General Policies and Guidelines Students 1. The selection of the scholars will be based on a competitive examination that will be given in the partner TEIs. The Center for Educational Measurement (CEM) hall administer a standard test. 2. The final selection will also be based on other requirements (e. g. , leadership qualities, high school grades, recommendations, etc. ) These will be enumerated in the application forms. 3. Scholars must indicate their majors upon application. Shifting of courses or majors is not permitted. 4. If a scholar chooses to drop out of the program or change course or major, he or she must immediately reimburse the school for the scholarship and PBEd for the any and all allowances already paid. 5. Scholars will be required to maintain a GPA/GWA equivalent of B and have no failing grade.Teacher Cadet Essay6.Upon passing the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), scholars will be required to join the DepEd division in their province of origin. 7. Moreover, they will be required to stay in the country and serve in the public school system for five years (5) after passing theLET (i. e. , two years for every scholarship year). 8. Students who choose to leave the country will be required to refund the program. Teaching Education Institutions (TEIs) 1. TEIs interested in joining the progra m may contact the PBEd secretariat. 2. Priority will be given to TEIs with a proven track record of producing high quality education graduates (based on the oard passing rates). The primary benefit to the TEI is the potential enrollment of good high school graduates in their institutions. 3. The TEI must be willing to provide at least 5, but no more than 20, four (4) year scholarships (tuition and fees) in education. 4. The TEI will assist in the recruitment and selection of scholars – identifying and recruiting valedictorians/salutatorians of national high schools, conducting examinations, collecting and submitting all application requirements, etc. 5. The TEI will assist in the monitoring of the scholars – monitoring of grades, reporting of any changes in status of he scholars, etc. 6. Geographic distribution of partner institutions will be considered in the final selection of partners. 7. The TEI will be recognized as a partner institution whenever possible in all p rogram marketing collaterals. Corporate Partners 1. Since one of the intentions of the program is to focus the resources of business on key quality levers, corporations may enroll existing scholarship programs in the 1000 Teacher Program. However, they must adapt their programs to the 1000 TP guidelines. 2. Scholarships must be for education and the contributions to the program must be Php 25,000 per scholar per year or four years. 3. Php 1,000 of the contribution will be used for administrative support for the program. 4. Companies (or individuals) may signify their interest to either enroll their existing scholarship program or join by contacting the 1000TP Secretariat. 5. Annual donations must be given April of every program year (beginning April 2008). PROCESS Enrollment of Existing Programs ? ? ? ? ? Corporate Partners can signify their intention to enroll existing programs by contacting the PBEd Secretariat or filling up the partnership forms. They can either work with their e xisting partner nstitution or the Secretariat will provide the school. If working with an existing partner, the corporate partner must apply the standards set by the 1000 Teachers Program. However, the corporate partner may make the final selection of scholars. The corporate partner and its partner institution are responsible for providing to PBEd their list of scholars and for monitoring their performance. If the corporate partner does not have an existing partner, they can course their contributions through the PBEd Secretariat. Student Recruitment ? ? ? ? The media campaign and all program collaterals will rovide a number for inquiries Interested students can call and they will be directed to the nearest partner TEI They can then proceed to the partner TEI to inquire or apply directly. There shall be a CEM administered standard test in March. Some TEIs may also require its own test. All the necessary information and application forms will also be available on a website OUR PARTNE R SCHOOLS Our Partner Schools Teacher’s Program ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? for the 1000 ARAULLO UNIVERSITY ATENEO DE NAGA UNIVERSITY CAGAYAN DE ORO COLLEGE CARLOS C. HILADO MEMORIAL STATE COLLEGE-TALISAY CENTRO ESCOLAR UNIVERSITYDON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITYAGOO FIRST ASIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIE S (FAITH) HOLY CROSS OF DAVAO COLLEGE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION COLLEGE-LA SALLE LEYTE NORMAL UNIVERSITY MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY-LAOAGCOLLEGE OF EDUCATION PNU – AGUSAN CAMPUS PNU – CADIZ CAMPUS PNU – ISABELA CAMPUS PNU – MAIN PNU – QUEZON SORSOGON STATE COLLEGE-SORSOGON UNIVERSITY OF ST. LA SALLE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY XAVIER UNIVERSITY For more details please contact the PBEd Secretariat thru Phone (02) 896 9537 loc 505 and e-mail at [email  protected] ph look for Ms. Renei Tan, or log on http://www. pbed. ph

Analysis Study Of Colonial Discourse In Literature

Analysis Study Of Colonial Discourse In Literature Colonial discourse has been defined by many writers such as Diniz (1996:126) who points out hat â€Å"Colonial discourse usually refers to the writing which runs from five hundred years, through the days of European mercantile expansion, to our own time (1996:126). This definition suggests that the era of Colonialism in literature began in the 17th C. with the publication of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611-12). In this paper, however, the term is used to refer to the literature written in English, but confined to the century of British Colonialism and the decades of anti- or post colonial activity which followed. Said’s Orientalism (1978) uses the concept of colonial discourse to re-order the study of colonialism. So it can be said to inaugurate a new kind of study of colonialism. Said’s Orientalism examines how the East, including the Middle East, is represented in the history and the literature written by the West. The West always looks at the East as inferio r people without religion or morals. Said’s projecttries to show how knowledge about the non-Europeans was part of the process of maintaining power over them. In short, Orientalism is primarily concerned with how the Orient was constructed by Western Literature and not with how such construction was received by colonial subjects. It examines the Western attitudes toward the East. Said concludes that the Western writers depict the Orient as â€Å"irrational,† â€Å"week† and â€Å"feminised other†. This depiction can be contrasted with the depiction of the West as â€Å"rational†, â€Å"strong† and â€Å"masculine†. Said’s Culture and Imperialism (1994) Colonial discourse is a concept popularized by Edward Said. In this paper, it refers also to the knowledge of Africa constructed by the West (colonial writers: as Defoe and Conrad) to bolster its colonizing interests, and the reaction of the East (colonized writers as: Achebe). C olonial discourse has not been the product of a certain age and it has attracted the attention of several writers and critics. Those celebrated authors as Conrad and Defoe created remarkable works out of the subject of Colonialism. Nowadays, Colonial discourse is one of the most current issues in literary criticism. 1.2. Life and Works of Defoe, Conrad and Achebe 1.2.1. Life and Works of Defoe: Danial Defoe was born about 1660 in London. His father, James Foe, was poor but hard working butcher. Defoe was not able to attend traditional institutions like Oxford and Cambridge because of his father’s opposition. Defoe is often considered the father of English novel. He is a master of simple prose and powerful narrative with a love of realistic detail. He is a great imaginative writer who creates one of the most familiar resonant myths of modern literature. He is influenced by the writings of Addison, Steel and Swift. Defoe’s important works are: Robinson Crusoe (1719), Mol l Flanders (1722), Capitan Singleton (1720) and The History of Peter the Great and Colonel Jack (1722). Defoe died in London on April 24, 1731. 1.2.2. Life and Works of Conrad Joseph Conrad was born in December 3, 1857. His childhood was affected by his homeland’s struggle for independence. He is a Polish novelist and short story writer. Conrad is one of the English language’s greatest stylists. He becomes one of the greatest writers in the world. His major works include Heart of Darkness (1902), Lord Jim (1900), The Secret Agent (1907), Under the Western Eyes (1911) and Nostrome (1904). He died of heart failure on August 3, 1924.

Health and Wellbeing {physical fitness in adult from ages 28-40 years} Research Paper

Health and Wellbeing {physical fitness in adult from ages 28-40 years} - Research Paper Example Fortunately, not one wants or dreams to be sick in one-way or another, it is therefore everyone’s responsibility to create physical fitness schedules with qualified coaches or on their own. The ability to manage small and easy jogging sessions goes a long way in helping him adapt and increase his health and well being levels, and later do exercises that are more complex. This paper explores the importance of physical fitness in maintaining health and well being standards among the youth and elder people of between 28-40 years. It explains some of the practical fitness exercises that one can engage in to maintain his positive health status and well-being. Well being is an important state of the body that should be maintained by everybody irrespective of their age and other factors. Well being cannot merely be taken as the absence of disease or illness, as many people perceive it to be; instead, it is described as a complex combination of a person’s physical, mental, emotional as well as social health factors. Well being cannot be described as how a person feels about himself or herself, but how he takes considerable steps in ensuring that he is at peace with himself in his environment. For this reason, it is important that a person understands the particular requirements and factors to consider in maintaining his well-being. Health on the other hand refers to the state of absolute physical, mental as well as social well-being; in this case, it is not necessarily the absence of disease or infirmity in one’s body system. A person’s health status is largely determined by a multitude of various social, economic as well as cultural factors, in this case, people who live in a similar community or environment or those of a certain age bracket can have vastly different chances of good health. Sometimes, a person

International Business Law (ARTICLE WILL BE GIVEN ) Essay

International Business Law (ARTICLE WILL BE GIVEN ) - Essay Example In this regard McDodgy has various defenses as stipulated by the law. McDodgy established his business as SpuEx which is different from FedEx. The two companies deal with totally different issues. FedEx being an international deal with freight issues while SpudEx was to provide delicious hot French fries. Therefore there is likely to be no confusion caused to both customers as they deal with different business. This is evident from Victoria case where the court held, " The record in this case establishes that an army officer who saw the advertisement of the opening of a store named "Victor's Secret" did make the mental association with "Victoria's Secret," but it also shows that he did not therefore form any different impression of the store that his wife and daughter had patronized. There is a complete absence of evidence of any lessening of the capacity of the Victoria's Secret mark to identify and distinguish goods or services sold in Victoria's Secret stores or advertised in its catalogs. The officer was offended by the ad, but it did not change his conception of Victoria's Secret. His offense was directed entirely at petitioners, not at respondents. Moreover, the expert retained by respondents had nothing to say about the impact of petitioners' name on the strength of respondents' mark. (Wardman 2002) Section 1055 of the Lanham Act clearly specifies that "where a registered mark or a mark sought to be registered is or may be used legitimately by related companies, such use shall there to the benefit of the registrant or applicant for registration and such use shall not affect the validity of such mark or its registration, provided such mark is not used in such manner as to deceive the public. If for first use of a mark by a person is controlled by the registrant or applicant for registration of the mark will respect to the nature and quality of the goods or services, such first use shall inure to the benefit of the registrant or applicant, as the case may be" (www.bitlaw .com) McDodgy can rely on the fact that the trademark in contention is not famous and that the clients of FedEx will not be deceived by the use of such trademark by him. Given the nature of goods and services provided by McDodgy's business and that of FedEx then clients of FedEx are unlikely to be confused. The point however, is McDodgy's use of trademark is not an

Do We Need Better Gun Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Do We Need Better Gun Control - Essay Example Because violence can be attributed to many unsavory and unavoidable causes, therefore common people prefer to put the blame on guns and drugs, objects that seemingly take people away from their miseries. Therefore, guns are a â€Å"consequence of the violent strain in culture, as well as a contributory cause† (Jacobs, 2002, p.214). Need of better gun control: the pros On moral grounds violence can never be advocated under any situations. Even in cases of racial unrest or mugging, the morally acceptable way of protests is non-violent resistance. Although defense for self is necessary it is however not wise to use guns. When a criminal is armed with a gun while attacking a person, it is dangerous for that person to pull out a gun as this may result in â€Å"greatly increasing the chance that one or more parties will be injured or killed†. Since it is the responsibility of the police to protect the private citizens, therefore it is their right to be armed so that they are able to fight with armed criminals (Sather, 1999, pp.264-265). There is also the issue of concerned risks among the older population who has ownership of guns. In countries like America and Canada ownership of guns is increasingly becoming popular among the older adults, many of whom acquired their licence to use guns at their young age. Since this section of population is aging, cases of dementia is not uncommon which rises the risk of holding and using guns or any kind of firearms. Unlike other activities like driving a car, there are fewer regulations to guide the proper use of guns among the older people. The matter is of grave concern particular for those older adults who have declining faculties but are yet not declared incompetent by a court of law. Although there are certain classes of people who are considered ineligible to hold ownership of guns, there is no restrictions on upper age limit (Greene et al., 2007, pp.406-407). Of late, many people who are crazy and homicidal possess guns and the result is that there are numerous killings of innocent people. In such cases, it is inevitable that there should be stringent gun control measures. (Stein, 2012) After conducting a survey in America, the data was analysed to determine the level of risks associated with keeping guns at home. People who keep guns at home are likely to die from homicide or commit suicide than those people who do not have possession of guns. This is because â€Å"guns are highly lethal, require little preparation, and may be chosen over less lethal methods to commit suicide, particularly when the suicide is impulsive† (Dahlberg et al., 2004, p.935). There have been many occurrences of tragic massacres in countries like England, America and Scotland which are indirect results of legal ownership of handguns. In 1998 there was one shooting incident in a school in Jonesboro, where one of the young boys involved was trained to use handguns by his family from a very early age. If o wnership of handguns is outlawed then such incidents will almost certainly decline even if they are not altogether eliminated. With lesser circulation of guns, the young boys will have fewer opportunities to use guns (Sather, 1999, p.265). Need of better gun control: the cons In this modern world the number of criminals is on the rise and this makes the regular law-abiding citizens more vulnerable. Gun-related crimes are increasing at an alarming rate especially in the United States and

Report on security (read attachmment) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report on security (read attachmment) - Essay Example Physiological and /or behavioural characteristics are two basis of biometric recognition system. Human characteristics used for biometric recognition system are based on parametres like: universality, uniqueness, permanence, collectability, performance, acceptability, and circumvention, Ofcom(2009). Furthermore, verification and identification are two modes in system operation. Few technical considerations in selecting a system are false accept rate or false match rate (FAR or FMR), false reject rate or false non-match rate (FRR or FNMR), receiver/relative operating characteristics (ROC), equal error rate or crossover error rate (EER or CER), failure to enroll rate (FTE or FER), failure to capture rate (FTC), and template capacity. Dynamic Air Parts plc is currently using swipe card sytem .Swipe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card. The swipe card system is read by ph ysical contact and swiping past a magnetic reading head. An individually encoded pass card looks a like a credit card. The stripe on the back of the security pass card is a magnetic stripe, often called a magstripe. Typically, the data on an encoded security swipecard includes: 1. Name 2. ID # (social security number or other unique number) 3. Access level (where you're allowed to go) Next generation of magnetic cards - Smartcards. Smart Cards or Smartcards is the term referred to cards, made from plastic, with similarities in size, thickness and other physical appearance as plastic credit cards. It can describe chip card or integrated circuit card. Smart cards in addition have an Integrated Circuit (IC) Chip embedded in it. Smart cards are also known as IC cards and ICC cards. The amount of information can be stored in smart cards is much greater compared to magnetic stripe cards. Some of them can also be reprogrammed to add, delete or rearrange data. Compared to magnetic cards, sm art cards offer more advantages, such as: 1. They can be readily reconfigured. 2. They are reusable. 3. They give more security, thus reducing the risk of transaction fraud . 4. They are much more durable and reliable. 5. They allow multiple applications to be stored in one card. 6. It provides reduction in costs. 7. It has technical specification standards. 8. It gives security of information. 9. It has more organized information. 10. It has emergency information. 11. The process doesn't require paper. 12. One card can access multiple transactions. 13. It reduces fraud. 14. It has high memory capabilities. 15. It has the ability for on-site approval. 16. End-user only accessibility. Besides advantages, smart cards also have some disadvantages, such as: 1. It gives liability issues if stolen or lost. 2. The accuracy of information is small. 3. Lack of technology to support users . 4. It is potential hazard to data security since too much data is stored on one card if lost or stolen. 5. It is a potential area for computer hackers and computer viruses. Fingerprint Recognition Systems. A fingerprint contain a number of unique physical characteristics called minutiae, which includes cert ain visible aspects of fingerprints such as ridges, ridge endings and bifurcations (forks in ridges). Minutiae are generally found in the core points of

Flexible working patterns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Flexible working patterns - Essay Example One of the most popularly advocated structural technique for increasing an employee’s motivational potential is Job Enrichment. While there are several options to enrich the job being done by an employee, a common method is to allow the worker to assume some of the tasks executed by his or her supervisor. Enrichment requires that workers do increased planning and controlling of their work, usually with less supervision and more self-evaluation. From the stand point of increasing the internal motivation from doing a job, it has been proposed that job enrichment offers great potential (Cunningham & Eberle, 1990). However, job enrichment is successful only when it increases responsibility while increasing the employee’s freedom and independence. The methodology for the research collected in this paper is library and online research which gives interesting insights into what experts suggest is the correct way for enriching jobs with flexible working schedules. The research done on the topic sought out both positive and negative opinions on the subject to come to a conclusion about the benefits or disadvantages of having flexible working hours. In cases where personal biases were likely to affect the presentation of the research material, evidence was used to show the source of the material used for creating this document. The overall literature on the topic suggests that job enrichment through the use of flexible working patterns is a positive move for most employment situations. This is done by organizing tasks so as to allow individuals to do a complete activity and provides feedback to allow individuals to correct their performance with time (Alster, 1989). One of the measures involved in providing job enrichment increasing the employee’s freedom and by way of permitting flexible working patterns. The reported results have been mixed because in some situations, job enrichment has increased productivity; in

Digital Forensic Incident Response Research Paper

Digital Forensic Incident Response - Research Paper Example eader with a more detailed understanding the way in which an IT firm could seek to abide by the instructions and determinants of the job at hand; all the while protecting themselves from further legal entanglement and seeking to provide a high quality output so that the case in question can be determined based upon its own merits and not biased by any degree of overlooked or misinformed information gathering. Essentially, the approach that will be utilized as a means of gaining the affected information will be twofold. The first will be contingent upon engaging with mobile phone providers and email providers as a function of retaining the information in question, within the date range in question, and between the people in question. The second will be contingent upon a more high tech approach in which individual laptops, company computers, and mobile phones will be subpoenaed by the court for further analysis by the IT firm. In this way a level of double certainty can be provided tha t any and all communication between interested individuals can be represented. In tandem with the low-tech approach that has been stipulated, the majority of data analysis and retrieval will not be conducted by the IT firm itself; instead, this information will be provided to the IT firm by mobile phone providers and email providers related to the case in question. Essentially, once a verifiable war it has been presented to the stakeholders, the information will need to be categorized and represented based upon the timeframe that the case is specifically interested in. Although this is a fairly simple aspect of the process that is being defined within this analysis, it is absolutely essential to ensure that further litigation against the IT firm does not take place. This is due to the fact that the court has only appointed a specific range and time for these email and text message conversations to be analyzed. Specifically, the court has indicated that text messages and emails

Philosophy paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Philosophy paper - Essay Example On a comparative approach a major theme that can be retrieved from these books is the aspect of Buddhism as a religion as well as the incorporation of what Kitaro Nishida term as â€Å"Pure Existence†. Introduction This paper will seek to make a comparative study approach to compare and contrast in detail the following physiological texts. These include; â€Å"What the Buddha Taught† by Walpola Rahula and â€Å"An Inquiry Into The Good† by Kitaro Nishida and translated by Masao Abe and Christopher Ives. The notion behind the book, â€Å"What the Buddha Taught† was first to introduce the concept of Buddhism as a religion. Walpola Rahula sought to bring the understanding of the teachings of Buddha and Buddhism as a religion among people. He sought to bring out Buddha as a person who was very simplistic in his nature. Walpola Rahula also introduced the Buddhist attitude on mind that states, â€Å"Man is supreme-one is one’s refuge-responsibility-Doubt -Freedom of Thought-Tolerance†. This indicated that man was a supreme being and he was responsibility, doubt, freedom and tolerance. In other words, man was the only being that was known to exist beyond the super natural. In this light, Walpola Rahula sought to bring about the Four Noble Truths relates to Buddhism. ... Walpola Rahula sought to explain that if the root causes of problems were eliminated from our world, then we would ensure that freedom was existent and he termed this freedom as Nirvana. However he also added that Nirvana was impossible to attain as the root could not be solely eliminated. The fourth noble truth was â€Å"Magga† that is â€Å"The Path†. This was termed as the path that was to lead to Nirvana. As stated Nirvana was freedom that was hard to accomplish because the root causes could also not be completely eliminated. Moreover, the noble path consisted of the following; Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and finally Right Concentration. The Middle Path was a planned path that led to development and progress and an individual who ought to follow the noble path would be guided and protected by the existing law that was referred to as Dhamma. It also added that this path led to a fut ure that was free from misery and unhappiness (â€Å"The Noble Eight-Fold Path†). The Noble Eight-Fold Path was grouped into four categories that include: Wisdom, Morality and Mental Development. According to De Silva (1990) wisdom incorporated Right Understanding and Right Thoughts. Right Understanding was related to having knowledge about the four noble truth and what they are. This also included understanding what karma was and being knowledgeable how it comes around and ways to avoid Karma by making the right decisions. As a result of Right Understanding came Right Thoughts that could lead to thinking in a positive and morally upright manner. Morality incorporated Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Right Speech involved saying what is true and

Summarise the main development of a child from the age range 0-2 years, 3-5 years and 5-8 years Essay Example for Free

Summarise the main development of a child from the age range 0-2 years, 3-5 years and 5-8 years Essay The first physical stages in a baby happen after they are born. They will start by learning how to hold their head up. Babies have a grasping reflex which enables them to automatically tighten their fingers when an object is placed in the palm of their hands. Around 6 months a baby will be able to roll forward and maybe start to crawl and shuffle their bodies around. Mobility is hugely increased in babies between 9 and 12 months. They will usually be able to sit upright unaided and even show signs of wanting to stand and walk. By the time a child reaches 2 years of age, they should have mastered the art of sitting, standing, crawling and walking. Some children by this age can begin to run, kick a ball and walk up and down stairs (assisted by an adult). 3-5 years By this age children should be able to stand on tiptoes and jump from very low heights. Climbing should make them feel confident and many will be able to ride a tricycle. A child’s mobility progresses to an advanced level meaning they can move about freely without any help or hesitation. Moves such as catching, kicking, throwing and bouncing a ball will have developed and will encourage children to participate in simple ball games. Between the ages of 4-5 years children will be able to use certain playing equipment such as skipping ropes, hoops and even skittles. Children of this age will understand much better the right of personal space and are also able to move around safely. 5-8 years Children by the age of 5 will be more agile. Some will be able to stand on one foot for 10 seconds. A lot of children in this age bracket can touch their toes without bending their knees. Many will be able to ride a bike without any stabilisers. They may also enjoy games such as sliding, climbing frames and swinging. Their stamina should have increased which means activities such as gymnastics, swimming and athletics are a good choice. Other sports such as football, basketball, will allow them to run around without colliding into someone or something. Intellectual Development 0-2 years Babies are born with primitive reflexes which can include a rooting reflex this is when a baby turns his or her head to suckle as a result of stroking his or her cheek. They will be able to recognise certain sounds and voices. Imitation of facial expressions are enjoyable to them and making eye contact with them is comforting. Bright lights can be exciting for babies of this age and they will also enjoy looking at themselves in a mirror. Between 6 and 9 months babies will enjoy playing with toys and imitating simple tasks such as clapping hands or waving goodbye. Babies will enjoy banging objects together, throwing, dropping and shaking toys/objects around. Memory skills will start to develop. By the age of 2 children will have learnt how to use a spoon and drink from a cup. By this age they will typically have a vocabulary of around 50 words. 3-5 years Children of this age will participate in pretend play. They will be able to use crayons and pencils and maybe even the ability to handle round ended scissors appropriately. Motor skills will be developing by now enabling them to put tiny beads into a string. Their memory is getting stronger they should be able to remember past events and look forward to future ones. Between 3-5 years of age learning is becoming more interesting. They will begin to name colours and understand simple counting. Drawings will be more accurate and easier to recognise. 5-8 years At the age of 5, children will be ready to start school and should be able to string simple sentences together. Drawings may contain simple details such as a face with eyes, ears mouth and nose. Some children may also be able to write their own names. Writing and reading is becoming more interesting. Those children who are read to aloud and are encouraged to read aloud tend to develop more quickly intellectually Time phrases such as morning, afternoon, night, yesterday and tomorrow will be more understandable to them. Numeracy level reaches the ability of adding and subtracting by the age of 6-8 years. Language 0-2 years Babies will cry and gurgle or coo. Crying can differ depending on whether a baby is hungry, hurt or wants a cuddle. Babies between 3 and 6 months can begin to chuckle and laugh and can imitate certain sounds. Babbling becomes more constant and by 9 months a baby ought to be able to copy words such as ‘mama’ and ‘dada’. By the age of 2 a child’s vocabulary has increased from coo-ing and making various noises to having a vocabulary of approximately 50 words. 3-5 years By the age of 3 communication is greatly improved resulting in talking all the time and many questions asked. The most common words used are why, who, where, how, when. Their skills by now should include using sentences which use tenses and possibly even plurals. A child in this age bracket may become frustrated with their inability to tell as much as they think or understand. Around the age of 5 years old a child will be able to talk about past, present and future events. They will also be able to learn songs and rhymes. 5-8 years A child’s vocabulary is widening by this age and they will be learning new words. They will be able to describe things such as toys and games and also give opposite meanings. Emotional Development 0-2 years A baby’s primary means of communication is crying. Babies will start smiling especially at familiar faces. They would have built up a bond with their primary carer. They will realise that they have only one mother and that not all females are their mum/carer. Around 6 to 9 months babies can develop feelings of insecurity resulting in tears or distress when mum leaves the room or is out of sight. At around 20 months children will be able to show preferences and are becoming more aware of those people around them they can be affected by another person’s mood. Self-confidence begins to build and they start to believe in themselves. 3-5 years By this age, a child should be able to communicate how they are feeling and discovering the differences between males and females. They will start to get independent enough to carry out little tasks such as dressing themselves, and going to the bathroom by themselves. Children of this age can start to feel anxious, especially as they are unsure of their imagination and inner feelings. This can also lead to overwhelming emotions and fears regarding the unknown. They often do not know the difference between fantasy and reality. By the age of 5 curiosity is at its most advanced and a child will want to try new things which to them are alien. Usually children of this age are able to form successful relationships that may last for a long time. 5-8 years By now children should be able to express their likes and dislikes. As time passes by they are able to have more control over their emotions and their instincts may be greatly developed, for instance if someone appears to be in distress or sad. Children of this age are better at sharing and engage in co-operative play. Arguments now make more sense compared to those of small toddlers. Peer pressure may begin to affect them. Social 0-2 years Babies will enjoy close physical contact especially with their primary carer. They will enjoy being cuddled, feeding and bathing. Babies will enjoy socialising with other babies of their own age. Between 6 and 9 months babies will start to imitate others and hearing laughter will make them laugh even though they will not really be aware of what they are actually laughing at. Around 9 months they can entertain themselves with toys and games and will have learnt to occupy themselves. Some babies by this age will be able to feed themselves with finger foods and drinking from a cup. 3-5 years Children around the age of 3 will enjoy making friends. Learning to take turns in play and sharing can bring on tantrums as they will all want their own way. Children around this age will also learn to dress themselves and will learn to carry out simple requests. By the age of 5 children will be more understanding of social backgrounds, difference skin colour, religion and even cultures. Children of this age will make new friends and form a close relationship with one â€Å"best friend†. 5-8 years Children will be able to carry out more complex tasks such as tidying up their toys, They should be able to dress themselves without the help of a grown up. They will understand the difference between right and wrong and will know how to value a true friend. Some may become stubborn or even bossy.

Women’s Experiences in the Military Essay Example for Free

Women’s Experiences in the Military Essay Women suffered a lot during the wars. Many were reported to have been physically tortured, for instance, they were hit with mortar rounds; making the whole building to shake. They spent nights out in the cold and the sleeping conditions were horrible. Some became paralyzed and lay on the ground for hours before receiving help. They fought for their lives on without protection since men were also in the fields. If women were discovered to be in possession of valuable positions such as diamond, it was taken away from them. (Taylor, p367) There were incidents when women came out of their homes to provide assistance if they saw their dwellings being set on fire. The women did not care about their personal safety and neither did they worry that their lives could end any time. They put their lives on line to save their people and families. For instance, they died from serious injuries and smoke from burning houses, falling debris and flames. (Chen, p389) There were women who provided assistance in saving or rescuing other children and adults who were caught up in burning structures. They did this without protective clothing and shoes. They kept on entering and re-entering the buildings in order to vacate their children to safety. Women continuously assisted the residents in Vietnam to relocate their personal properties as well as livestock. By this time there were no fire fighting equipment and personnel assistance. This reflected courage commitment and self-sacrifice on Vietnamese women. (Insun, p366) Their experiences made them emerge as heroes and they were awarded medals. However, their naivety did not make them realize that they deserved the medals. Coupled with that they were very young and hence had not received enough exposure. They could not make sense out of the problems they were having. (Insun, p254) During those times of war, despite women’s involvement in the military, they were still nursing young children at homes. They had to strike a balance between the time spent at the military and the time spent with their families. Their children were affected by diseases, while growing up. Women said that things appeared perfectly normal at birth of their children but as soon as they become toddlers something always went wrong. Mothers gave birth to children with cancer, especially of the kidney and other types of tumor, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder), teeth and bone deformities as well as fainting spells. Other children displayed symptoms of Grand Mal Epilepsy. Most of the conditions which affected these children were made worse by the negative effects of war. The health of the children was seriously affected. At night, women experienced mass attack which affected the entire corner within Long Binh. They had mortar attack which landed on their homes and killed some of them. At his time, all they had were prayers. (Taylor, p567) They prayed a lot when all failed. At around 1968, the military intelligence received a document which stated they were giving away approximately twenty five thousand dollars for every female who was a white American. The government gave women life insurance. The insurance was worth only ten thousand dollars. This was too little and they actually laughed at it because they were definitely worth much more. (Woodside, p56) The women most of the time ignored the problems that they had with men because they did not want those problems to take toll on their lives. Some other challenges that women faced were lack of audience. They had grievances amongst themselves and despite their efforts to air them, nobody could listen to them. The communications department was not effective and there was no order of the events taking place. In addition, the communication channels were not properly defined. They were random and did not consider the urgency of the information. (Insun, p89) The policies of children adopting were changed, and this affected parenting and especially women who were not able to give quality life to their children. The situation affected them psychologically and some women became hostile to the new policies. The children suffered emotional and psychological torture due to lack of parental love. The bonds that tied a child and his mother were no longer there. (Insun, p67)

Regulation of Human Skin Pigmentation

Regulation of Human Skin Pigmentation Introduction In the human body, the skin is the largest organ, with it being a complicated epithelial and mesenchymal tissue. It consists of an epidermis which is multilayered as well as structures such as sebaceous and sweat glands, hair follicles, a dermis consisting of elastic and collagen fibres. There is also a layer of subcutaneous fat. There has been a discovery of over 1000 disease entities involved with the skin such as eczema, psoriasis, melanoma and urticaria. Around 15% of a human adults total body weight is accounted for by the skin with a surface area of approximately 2m2. The skin consists of three layers; the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis. The outer layer of the skin is known as the epidermis, which is a stratified squamous epithelium , where 95% of its cells are keratinocytes. The remaining cells in the epidermis are the melanocytes, merkel and langerhans cells. The role of the epidermis is to provide a defence barrier against environments of an inhospitable nature. The epidermis can be divided into four layers, in order from outer layer to deepest layer; stratum corneum (the cornified layer), stratum lucidum (the clear/translucent layer), stratum granulosum (the granular layer), stratum spinosum (the spinous layer) and the stratum basale (the basal layer) . There is a single layer of keratinocytes in the basal layer, where daughter cells can be produced by them to terminal differentiation via proliferation, resulting in the forming of the cornified layer , which can take around 40 days, however this can be shorter in various diseases, such psoriasis. About ten layers of corneocytes that are flattened make up the cornified layer . From the neural crest, dendritic cells can be derived which are known as melanocytes, which are also found in the basal layer. Melanosomes, which are subcellular organelles, transport melanin, which are synthesised by melanocytes, to the neighbouring basal keratinocytes. In order to prevent harm to the nuclei of the basal keratinocytes from ultraviolet radiation, a melanin cap is formed by the melanosomes. Melanosome size and number, as well as melanins nature determine skin colour or pigmentation. Langerhans cells are derived from the bone marrow and are antigen presenting dendritic cells founds in the epidermis. Sensory information is transmitted from the skin to the sensory nerves by merkel cells found in the epidermis . The dermis is the layer beneath the epidermis, and its thickness depends on the area of the body. For example, on the eyelid, the dermis is thin, whilst the dermis is thick on a persons back. The dermis consists of two layers; the papillary dermis and the reticular dermis. The papillary dermis is in contact with the basement membrane zone, which provides adhesion between the epidermis and dermis, where skin blistering can occur due to defects. Blood vessels as well as sensory nerve endings are richly supplied to the papillary dermis. The reticular dermis is in contact with the hypodermis and is the main component of the dermis. Interstitial components, such as elastic and collagen fibres, and cellular components, such as fibroblasts and plasma and mast cells, are what make up the composition of the dermis. Collagen accounts for around 70% of the dermis dry weight , where types I and III are predominant. The predominant cell type, however, is fibroblasts in the dermis, which are derived from the mesenchyme. The hypodermis is the deepest layer of the skin consisting of lipocytes. The function of the hypodermis is to connect the skin to the bone and muscle, thus supplying the bone with nerves and blood vessels. The arrangement of these is in fat lobules, where the fibrous septae separates one from another. The connection between the dermis and the hypodermis is strengthened by fibre bundles originally from the dermis. Around 80% of the entire body fat is found within the hypodermis in those individuals who are not obese . As very briefly mentioned previously, melanocytes function is dependent upon for pigmentation. These cells from melanoblasts during embryological development. Each basal melanocyte is connected functionally to the dermal fibroblasts as well as to the basal keratinocytes. These three cell types interact and communicate with each other in order to regulate the skins phenotype and function through the secreted factors and receptors in addition to cell to cell contact . Stem cell keratinocytes and basal melanocytes has a slow proliferation rate in normal circumstances, however the upper basal keratinocytes have a much rapid proliferation rate, which carries them towards the skins surface alongside the ingested melanin thus forming a barrier. Therefore the skins colour is not personified by only the melanin found in melanocytes, but also in a conjunction with pigment found in the superficial layers of the skin . Currently, pigmentation is known to be regulated in a direct or indirect fashion by over 125 different genes, with this number potentially rising 150-200 in less than another 100 years. Out of them genes, the ones whose function is understood, a lot of them affect processes that are involved in development which are critical for melanoblasts. Some genes regulate melanocytes differentiation and survival whilst others control processes affecting pigmentation. Melanosomes functions or biogenesis is affected by more than 25 of the genes. Some critical enzymes involved in the control of pigmentation include tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1) and DCT (DOPAchrometautomerase). If these enzymes are mutated, melanins which are synthesis could be affected in terms of their quantity and quality. Some critical structural proteins required for the melanosomes to mature structurally include Pmel17 and MART1. Mutations in proteins that are involved in the sorting of melanosome proteins can result inherited disorders of hypopigmentary nature . This critical appraisal will look at in further detail the different types of pigmentation, constitutive and facultative, and how they are regulated, including the roles of MC-1R, cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway Agouti Signalling Protein, MITF and ultraviolet radiation. Also covered in this piece of work is CRHs and ÃŽÂ ²-endorphins roles in regulation of human skin pigmentation. Melanin Within the melanosomes, melanins are synthesises via the previously mentioned enzymes. The reaction which limits the melanogenesis rate becomes catalysed by tyrosinase, as is tyrosinases hydroxylation resulting in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), along with DOPA oxidising into DOPAquinone. The oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) take place in mice due to TRP-1, however this same activity doesnt take place in humans. DOPAchrome is isomerised into DHICA by DCT. In human, there is productions of two types of melanin, eumelanin which is black or brown and pheomelanin which is yellow or red. Tyrosinase is essential for the synthesis of both types of melanin, whilst TRP1 and DCT more for the synthesis of eumelanin . With regards to skin pigmentation, there are two types; Constitutive pigmentation and Facultative pigmentation. Regulation of Constitutive Pigmentation Depending upon the racial and ethnic background of the person, the colour of human skin varies from extremely light to extremely dark. Several major chaperones, melanin, oxyhaemoglobin and deoxyhaemoglobin and carotenoids determine the colour of human skin. In 1954, the first observation was made with regards to the pigmentary system of the skin by Szabo when an immunohistochemical technique was used to test tyrosinases enzymatic activity via staining of tissues , where Caucasian skin was examined at first followed by other colours of skin. Along with various other studies as well as Szabos it was shown that in different human skin types had similar melanocytes densities as well as distribution in similar body areas. They also found that there is less melanin content in lighter skin, with melanosomes which are pigmented poorly being clustered above the nuclei within keratinocytes. There is more melanin present in darker skin, with the distribution of melanosomes that are pigmented heavily being individual in keratinocytes rather than clustered, which increases light absorption. The density of melanocytes is different in distinct parts of the body. For example, the skin on an individuals palms or soles is lighter in comparison to others parts of the body. Environmental factors can affect the density of constitutive melanocytes in the skin, including ultraviolet radiation (UVR), where the density can be increase by 3 or 4 times of the norm. Another environmental factor that can increase the density are toxic compounds, for example hydroquinone, resulting in the destruction of melanocytes. In increase of decreased melanocyte densities, pigmentary disorders which are inherited can result, for example freckles or vitiligo respectively . Due to Bcl2s high expression, epidermal keratinocytes are resistant to apoptosis as they have a slow proliferation rate in normal circumstances. It has been shown that the palms and soles dermis have a high level of Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) secretion which causes the Wnt/ÃŽÂ ²-catenin signalling pathway to become inhibited via the suppression of the growth function of melanocytes, thus inhibiting the melanogenic pathway. This can have effects on some transcriptional regulators, for example microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF), to some downstream melanogenic proteins. Epidermal Keratinocytes also become affected by DKK1 as melanin uptake is diminished, resulting in a skin phenotype which is a lot thicker with less pigmentation . Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC-1R), which is domain receptor of seven transmembranes which binds to pro-opiomelanocortin peptides due to it being coupled with ÃŽÂ ±s G-protein , is a major skin pigment phenotype determinant. It regulated the quality and quantity of melanin production. Two agonists regulate MC-1R function, which are ÃŽÂ ± melanocyte stimulating hormone (ÃŽÂ ±-MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). An antagonist called Agouti signalling protein (ASP) also regulates MC-1R function. When ÃŽÂ ±-MSH or ACTH activate MC-1R, melanogenic cascade expression is stimulated, resulting in stimulation of eumelanin synthesis. This can be reversed by ASP, resulting in stimulation of pheomelanin production. MC-1R gene expression can be upregulated by ÃŽÂ ±-MSH and ACTH, which act in a positive feedback loop . Melanogenesis Melanogenesis can be defined as the biosynthetic pathway of melanin in living cells, which is a complex process with multiple steps which involves substrates, specific enzymes already mentioned and various cofactors commencing with phenylalanine and/or tyrosinase resulting in melanin deposition on the melanosomes protein matrix. The understanding of melanogenesis was greatly increased in the 1950s onwards by Fitzpatrick et al . During the cycle of hair growth in Agouti mice, melanogensis regulation occurs quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Pheomelanins are produced instead of eumelanins in the anagen phase, a switch incurred by the melanocytes in the hair follicles, causing a yellow band on top of a brown background. The regulation of this switch involves extension and agouti loci products that encode MC-1R and ASP respectively. When a ligand binds to MC-1R it activates, resulting in activation of adenylyl cyclase by the ÃŽÂ ±s G-protein, causing an increase in the intracellular cAMP significantly. If the extension locus incurs any mutations, the MC-1R reception will become non functional, therefore adenylate cyclase will remain inactive in ÃŽÂ ±-MSH presence, meaning mice will have a yellow coat colour. The MC-1R receptor is bound by ASP, which results in the ÃŽÂ ±-MSH effects being antagonised, which includes the adenylate cyclase activation caused by the ÃŽÂ ±-MSH . There is lots of evidence which shows that ÃŽÂ ±-MSH, ACTH and cAMP have key roles in skin pigmentation regulation in humans. For example, ÃŽÂ ±-MSH hypersecretrion has been reported to cause skin hyperpigmentation. Patients with severe obesity and hair pigmentation which is red have been shown to have pro opiomelanocortin gene mutations . In human melanocytes that have been cultured, dendricity and melanogenesis are upregulated by the pro opiomelanocortin peptides. Pharmalogical cAMP can also mimic these effects. All of this clearly suggests that ÃŽÂ ±-MSH, ACTH and cAMP have a vital role in melanogenesis regulation. Role of cAMP It is suggested that cAMP has a pivotal role in melanogenic enzymes activity / expression regulation. This is because the enzyme activity of melanogenesis is diminished much more than TRP-1 and DCT. The melanogenic effects of the pro opiomelanocortin peptides seem to be mediated via the cAMP pathway upregulation through the activation of MC-1R as well as adenylate cyclase. Within the cell, cAMP binds to protein kinase A (PKA), enabling activation of the catalytic subunit. PKA phosphorylates its substrates, then translocating to the nucleus, phosphorylating cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) transcription factors family. Specific genes have their expression activated by this family of proteins, which contains consensus cAMP responsive element (CRE) sequences within their promoters. CREB-binding protein is also phosphorylated by PKA, where PKA dependent gene expression is required in order for the interaction with the family of CREB proteins . MITF, which is a helix loop helix transcription factor has been shown to be encoded by the mi locus. This is due to mice which have the mi mutation have a coat colour which is diluted, have white spots, or entire pigmentation loss. They can also have a microphthalmic phenotype caused by ocular development defects. Within melanocytes, mast cells, pigment cells in the retina and osteoclasts, MITF has been found to be expressed. Also, the lack of melanocytes seems to be the cause of the defective pigmentation in mi mice. It has been established that in the development and survival of melanocytes, MITF plays a key role, which is confirmed by the cloning of the MITF homologue within humans. Patients who have type II Waardenburg syndrome have been known to have mutations in MITF present, where there is defective pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, as well as hearing alterations . It was shown by Bertolotto et al that there is some sort of connection between the cAMP pathway with MITF. In normal melanocytes and B16 melanoma cells, MITF expression was shown to be increased by cAMP. Tyrosinase expression stimulation that is induced by cAMP requires MITF as shown by a MITF missing the transactivation domain by a dominant negative mutation . PKA becomes activated by cAMP. PKA then goes on to phosphorylate and activate CREB. CREB binds to CRE after it is activated. The CRE is in the microphthalmia promoter, which upregulates its transcription. Microphthalmia expression is therefore increased, which leads to amplified binding of microphthalmia to the M box motif found in the tyrosinase promoter. Tyrosinase expression is increased, as is the upregulation of the synthesis of melanin. Agouti Signalling Protein In cultured human melanocytes, eumelanin synthesis and the activity of tyrosinase is inhibited by ASP. TRP-1 and the expression of tyrosinase is also reduced by ASP. Because of tyrosinases slightest inhibition of activity as well as to the near loss of the expression of TRP-1 and DCT, ASP decreases eumelanin synthesis. It has been found that genes were downregulated by ASP founds in tyrosinase and DCT, as well as upregulated genes which have some association with a basic helix loop helix transcription factor (ITF2). This shows that ITF2 may have a role in melanogenesis regulation, particularly in the previously mentioned switch of eumelanin to pheomelanin. Regulation of Facultative Pigmentation Physiological regulation that causes an increase in skin colour can be defined as facultative skin pigmentation. There are lots of factors that regulated facultative skin colour, including ultraviolet (UV) which is also known as the tanning reaction which occurs in fish as well as humans. The skins response to UV radiation is kinetically complex causing tanning of the skin over a period of several weeks . The effects of UVR can be divided into acute and chronic effects. The acute effects include erythema (sunburn), tanning and immunosuppression. The skins visible pigmentation is added to by UV causing erythema of the skin itself. There are three different stages of tanning, two of which occur rapidly, immediate and persistent tanning, and one that takes time in order for it to develop, delayed tanning. Immunosuppression can result in a decreased number and function of antigen presenting langerhans cells, as well morphological changes. The chronic effects of UVR include photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. In photoaging, wrinkles and freckles start to appear on the skin, where there is a leather type appearance. Photocarcinogenesis can be caused due to the indirect damage of DNA by reactive oxygen species generation. There are three types of UVR: UVA which is 320 400nm long. Its the longest wave from all the types of UVR and can penetrate deeply into the dermis. UBV is 280 320nm long. It can penetrate the epidermis and is 100 fold more energetic and mutagenic. UVC is 200 280nm long but does not reach the surface of Earth. Immediate Persistent Tanning The reaction of immediate tanning can occur almost instantaneously, within a few minutes after being exposed to UV, where it still persists several hours later. Persistent tanning is a separate second stage of the tanning reaction whereupon it occurs within a few hours after being exposed to UV, with it still being persistent several days later. Melanin and/or melanogenic precursors oxidation and polymerisation is thought to be behind both immediate and persistent tanning. The responses of both these types of tanning are greater to UVA than to UVB. Immediate tanning has a colour of gray to black whilst persistent tanning appears brown.It has been shown that one week after being exposed to UV, there is very little production of more melanin . Reported in 1986 was that immediate tanning can be educed by UVA in epidermal sheets. Honigsmanns results suggested that existing melanin or melanin precursors chemical oxidation is reflected upon by immediate tanning rather than pigment granules physiological movement. Reactive oxygen species are able to cause the oxidation of tyrosine as well as DOPA to melanin which occurs in immediate tanning. Also, pigmentations UVA induction is dependent upon melanin which is soluble and there are two different types of melanin absorption which are involved in UVA photoxidation. Delayed Tanning The reaction of delayed tanning has a developmental time of more than several days. Skin tanning appears to peak one week after being exposed to UV, after which tanning appears to diminish for the next ten weeks, but doesnt return to the constitutive level after that time. Within the same time frame, Asian skin pigmentation increase is relatively small. Therefore there is a higher level of hyperplasia in skin that contains smaller levels of constitutive pigment, playing somewhat of a protective role in the response to UV than did the increased pigmentation the skin types that are lighter. Skin pigmentation increase over a long term caused by UV are due to lots of physiological facts being regulated by UV, affecting the growth and / or differentiation of melanocytes. Pigmentation is also stimulated by DNA damage caused by UV exposure . The levels of eumelanin and pheomelanin slowly increase together after being exposed to UV on human skin. This shows that by UV, they are not regulated separately. In various ethnic origins skin pigmentation, there are around two fold differences in melanins chemical content and the melanosomes distribution and size of the particle are important to the visible colour of skin. In comparison with skin which is protected to skin which is constantly radiated with UV, there is only less than a two-fold increase again. All of this shows that aside from the quantity of melanin, other factors are necessary for skin pigmentation. An increase in their expression of ÃŽÂ ±-MSH and ACTH is a response by epidermal keratinocytes and melanocytes to UV exposure. This MC-1Rs function and expression to become upregulated, increasing the response of melanocytes to melanocortins. The weakly functioning MC-1R variants can be located in people with fair skin with red hair who have more pheomelanin with an inability to get a tan. The expression of Endothelin-1 by keratinocytes is enhanced by UV, thus enhancing MC-1Rs expression also, but endothelin-1 works via its own receptor on the melanocytes. The secretion of interleukin-1 by keratinocytes is also caused by UV, stimulating endothelin-1, ÃŽÂ ±-MSH and ACTH secretion by keratinocytes. In keratinocytes, p53s stimulation by the exposure to UV causes increased POMC gene expression resulting in an increase in ÃŽÂ ±-MSH secretion as well as MC-1R function stimulation in the neighbouring melanocytes . ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin/ÂÂ µ-opiate receptor It was reported for the first time by Kauser et al that ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin and the ÂÂ µ-opiate receptor system is expressed in epidermal melanocytes, theyre associated closely with melanosomes, and that in melanocyte biology regulation, this system is active due to its pigmentation, dendricity and proliferation upregulating ability. In the epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes, the presence of both aforementioned ligand and receptor gives a platform for both autocrine and paracrine mechanisms for the regulation of melanocyte behaviour. ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin and ÃŽÂ ²-lipotropic levels are raised being exposed to UVR , further suggesting that ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin has a role in epidermal melanocytes. Kauser et al also showed that ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin that has been supplied exogenously can cause an increase in melanogenesis and proliferation in epidermal melanocyte cultures. ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin also has an association with melanosomes suggesting that melanogenesis might be regulated l ocally in the secretory granule. Corticotropin Releasing Hormone It has been established that Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH) does have some sort of role in pigmentation. MC-1R action as well as the ÂÂ µ-opiate receptor moderates melanocytes behaviour in hair follicles where there is complete expression of the pro opiomelanocortin system within the pigmentary unit. The expression of CRH is low is different melanogenic zones, whilst there is differentiated distribution of melanocytes in the same area. CRH Receptor 1 seems to be more important in follicular melanocytes for the stimulation of melanogenesis, proliferation and dendricity. However, the role of CRH is in skin pigmentation is not 100% full established, and is an area that definitely required further research in order to gain some clarification. Aging As people get older, pigmentation continues to increase until adolescence or adulthood. Once theyve reached this point, pigmented lesions often begin to appear, and the hair starts to turn gray. It was found in 1979 that the quantity of melanocytes was decreased by about 10% with each decade the age went up by. This was confirmed by two other researches , where one was carried out on darker skin also. Another study compared very fair skin with Caucasian skin, finding that melanocyte density was greatly enhanced following continuous exposure to sunlight in the darker skin, however langerhans cell densities were decreased in the same time frame in both skin types after being exposed to UV.. It was proposed by Stierner et al that being exposed to UV might have some role in the development of melanoma in both exposed and protected skin, as well as being exposed to aberrant UV profoundly can be a lot more harmful than normal exposure , which has since been confirmed by various other studi es . Disruption of Regulation From time to time, different types of pigmentary disorders can occur due to disturbance of the normal regulation of skin pigmentation. Tyrosine function regulation lays importance on intracellular pH as catalytic functions are affected by the intramelanosomal pH as well as melanosomal protein delivery requiring the sorting pathway to have the right pH gradient. It is also considered that pigment production is regulating in some part by intracellular pH in different types of skin depending upon the racial or ethnic origin . Every single form of albinism is caused by tyrosine dysfunction or other types of melanogenic proteins, which can cause skin pigmentation to be blemished. Another pigmentary disorder is Hermansky Pudlak syndrome. This disorder have pleiotropic clinical effects . Pigmentary disorders which are caused by the acquiring of melanin involve the skin becoming lighter or darker. Skin colour which reduced is normally caused from epidermal melanin content declining. The skin may become darker due to an extremely large number of melanin being produced due to there being a an enhanced quantity of melanocytes, however it can also be due to melanin distribution becoming abnormal. Conclusion To summarise, in different skin colours and racial backgrounds, the density of melanocytes is near identical. The quantity and distribution of melanin is largely dependent upon for constitutive skin pigmentation. Less DNA damage occurs to melanocytes present in darker skin than those present in lighter skin. The activity of melanogenesis increases in darker skin in a more efficient manner than in lighter skin. The determination of constitutive skin pigmentation is achieved by: Melanoblasts migration during development Melanoblasts differentiation and survival to melanocytes Melanocyte density Melanosomal enzymes and their structural components expression and function Eumelanin and pheomelanin synthesis Melanosome transport to the dendrites Melanosomes being transferred into keratinocytes Melanin distribution in the skins suprabasal layers. MITF seems to respond to UV pretty quickly, with a response after 1 to 2 days. Some melanosomal proteins respond slower, such as tyrosinase, TRP-1 and DCT, with a response being elicited after about 1 week, where 3 weeks later an increase in the synthesis in melanin can be observed, whereas melanocyte density is increased around 4 to 5 weeks. Cyclic AMP causes the complex induction of intracellular processes which seem to be interconnected. The sub-pathway where PKA is activated, MITF is upregulated as is some of the enzymes involved in melanogenesis, causes melanogenesis stimulation. A cAMP activated pathway, through ERK activation inducing the degradation and phosphorylation of MITF, regulated melanogenesis negatively, where PKA is independent upon. The skins melanin distribution plays a key role in pigmentation that is visible. After around 1 week, the existing pigments migration towards the epidermal surface is increased, after which newly synthesis melanin restores the balance in the distribution of pigment around 4 to 5 weeks later. It is also apparent that when the distribution in the content of melanin undergoes minor changes, it can result in major changes in visible pigmentation, affecting constitutive pigmentation as well as facultative pigmentation or the responses to being exposed to UV. After reading through the literature to carry out this critical appraisal, it is evident that lots of studies have opposing and conflicting results as well as conclusions which may be incoherent, where the same group of authors may diverge from something which they have previously stated. This is most probably due to lots of variants when conducting these types of in vivo and in situ physiological studies. These variants most definitely include: UV source types How much dose amount and frequency that has been applied The sites which have been exposed and their locations The point in time which is assessed after being exposed to UV The history of the subjects, and whether they have been exposed to the same / higher levels of UV conducted in the experiments previously The capacity of an individual DNA repairing Very importantly, the racial and / or ethnic origin of the subjects. There are many areas which require clarification in field, which are definite area of potential future research. For example; Is melanocyte function affected eumelanin against pheomelanin production? As facultative pigmentation is increased, is there further protection against damage caused by UV? Does DNA repair have a role in reducing the skins long term damage? Also, photocarcinogenesis understanding needs to be enhanced, some of the parameters that are critical to it, and some strategies on how to reduce its risks. Research into which pathways participate in melanogenesis induced by UV and MSH still seems to be under way. Any advances could help in discovery of new potential ways of treating certain pigmentary disorders. The regulating mechanisms in the synthesis on melanin arent understood as clearly as required, where its been speculate that research into this may lead to topical melanogens discovery that can cause the production of melanin when UV irradiation is absent, which causes photo aging as well as some skin cancers. Further studies are necessary regarding the pigmentary role of ÃŽÂ ²-endorphin, which seems to be the forgotten melanocortin with regards to pigmentation. Similarly, the role of CRH in pigmentation also needs to be enhanced further. It is also shown that some hormones play a role in regulation of pigmentation including some oestrogens and androgens, which are areas that could used for further research to increase our understanding.

Casinos :: essays research papers

Casinos   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Are casinos good for Ontario? To every situation there are positive and negative points. In the situation of casinos, the positive side has a very strong case that outweighs the negative side. One of the main reasons that they are good is that numerous jobs are created by and for the government. Another positive aspect is that the government and local charities will get some of the revenue created at these gambling locations. Along with these reasons, a lot of the people that will come to visit the casinos, from Canada or the United States and encourage the tourism industry. Casinos are a good solution for many problems including tourism and government funding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important reasons why casinos are a good thing is the fact that a number of jobs are created. In the past three years casinos have created nearly 43,0001 jobs directly and indirectly. With today's job market, these jobs are greatly needed to help keep the unemployment rate down. There is really no negative side to creating jobs for the people of Ontario.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From past years it can be noted that Ontario casinos are taking in great amounts of money annually. Casino Rama in Orillia took in 366.1 million2 last year and Casino Niagara had revenues of approximately 650.0 million3. Of those amounts the government will take two to four percent4 for funding programs. This funding goes towards such areas as agriculture, environment, fisheries, and aquaculture. If the funding was not from these casinos where would it come from, and would these mean the each of these areas would also get funding cuts like other sectors? Since the money is coming from casinos, it is saving the average tax-payer money also. In the event that the funding from casinos was stopped then taxes would have to be raised to keep money in the listed areas or the areas would receive subsidy cuts. Some people of course will say that the money is just being moved from one area to another within the government, but where would it be moving from?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further money will also go to charities within the community, such as the Lion's.5 In Ontario alone it's expected that 160 million dollars6 is given to charities. With this additional funding the charities will be able to help so many more people that they would otherwise without this funding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One more of the bonuses of having casinos in Ontario is the fact that they bring tourists in from other areas of the province or other countries. Both the casinos in Niagra and Windsor attract large quantities of people from

Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects Essay -- Radioactive Technology

Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects As we achieve burgeons of new technologies, we must also face the irreprehensible sacrifices. The old scientific adage reminds us that no trial can go without error. Many of the present day technologies may prove beneficial but the processes of development and discovery often come at high prices. Countless experiments have been conducted in the names of science and the advancement of mankind. Regardless of their outcomes, these experiments require some form of a test subject. Any life sustaining test subject has been the root of many ethical issues, with human test subjects being one of the most controversial. Granted the advantageous products of labor, the definition for what we, as moral humans, are willing to sacrifice still lays a little rough. One of many ethical dilemmas arises when we question as where to draw the line for human test subjects. Test subjects are not always guaranteed the safety of their outcomes and this generates a lot of debate to what extent we are prepared to tolerate for the sake of advancing technology. The past century has unveiled many new revels in science and technology. Nuclear technology is one of the more recent brinks of discovery. Over the past 60 years or so, scientists have been on a gold rush for the nuclear power. New elements were being discovered and the potentials of their peculiar characteristics drew in more and more people. Highly radioactive substances were being tested for their potencies at the subatomic level. The gain in this scurry for answers was partially politically charged, if not totally for educational purposes. The United States was amid the throng of countries entering the World War II. If one of the most ... ...ficiencies. This does not necessarily mean that the human resource can be misused. By maintaining a code of ethics in human experimentation, we can all advance forward. People should be willing to accept the risks involved in human experimentation, including death. Certain demographics or distinctions in people should not set them apart from a testing pool. With nuclear power and radioactivity as still relatively new ideas, the course of discovery has yet to be traveled. It is only up to us to be vigilant and consciously aware of our actions. References: 1.http://tis-nt.eh.doe.gov/ohre/roadmap/achre/chap7_5.html 2.http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/assignments/experiment/fernald.html 3.http://the-tech.mit.edu/V114/N28/fernald.28n.html 4.http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/radiation/dir/mstreet/backgnd/exper/radhum.txt

The Language of Slavery in Jane Eyre Essays -- Jane Eyre Bronte Papers

While Bronte’s novel is a story of one woman’s rise from dependant, patriarchal oppression to financial stability and emotional liberation, the narration of that story is often turns to the figurative representation of slavery. Bronte applies the metaphor of slavery to the domestic trials facing British women at the time. Time and again her narrative language turns to this device in order to draw parallels between slavery and other vehicles of oppression, namely gender and class. Just as the majority of issues in the novel are two-sided, the implications of these parallels are two-sided as well. Carl Plasa, Lecturer in English at the University of Wales College of Cardiff, clearly explains the dichotomy in his essay "Silent Revolt": The deployment of a metaphorics of slavery as a way of representing forms of domestic oppression is, from one perspective, both rhetorically powerful and a politically radical maneuver. Yet from another perspective--that precisely of those who are or have been enslaved, experienced the metaphor, as it were--such a strategy can only be viewed as deeply problematic. (67-8) If Bronte had turned to these metaphors solely "as a way of representing forms of domestic oppression" the effect would have been positive. Her references to slavery would have come across as "rhetorically powerful" and "politically radical". Unfortunately, Bronte goes too far. She creates a narrator, Jane, who exploits images of slavery, using them to obtain personal gain and dismissing them when convenient. It is obvious that Bronte makes use of the experiences of the British colonies throughout the text of Jane Eyre. In an effort to make her readers more comfortable Bronte chooses not to address the issue of British dom... ...hough her troping of the language of slavery is problematic, she creates through her novel, as Meyers says in her essay, "a fascinating example of the associations-- and dissociations-- between a resistance to the ideology of male domination and a resistance to the ideology of colonial domination" (162). Â   Â   Works Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 1848. Ed. Beth Newman. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1996. Burns, Sir Alan. History of the British West Indies. London: Allen & Unwin, 1965. Meyer, Susan. "From ‘Colonialism and the Figurative Strategy of Jane Eyre.’" Post-Colonial Theory and English Literature: A Reader. Ed. Peter Childs. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1999. 149-163. Plasa, Carl. "Silent Revolt: Slavery and the Politics of Metaphor in Jane Eyre." The Discourse of Slavery. Ed. Carl Plasa and Betty J. Ring. London: Routledge, 1994. 64-93.

My Business

My Fitness Academy will be set up at Copiague, in New York 11726 Great Neck Road in the polish center. It will be called Martas Academy aiming at making people fit by integrating dance and exercises The business is based on two simple facts: Healthy people are more productive than those that are chronically ill. It costs less to prevent injuries or illnesses than to treat them after they occur. At this Fitness Academy, we believe that traditional approaches to the current health care crisis are misdirected. These traditional efforts are what we call reactive, that is, they wait until after a person has been stricken with illness or injury, and then pay for the necessary treatments. Our approach, will emphasize on prevention and good health promotion, is much more proactive. 2.0 The Academy Fitness management is based on the belief that healthy people are more productive and efficient. For this reason, it will provide wellness strategies/programs to club members. This will combine dance and exercise-related activities designed to facilitate positive lifestyle changes in members. 2.1 Academy Ownership and Start up Capital The Academy will be a privately held business with one founder and owner. Start-up capital will require approximately $60,000 which will all be provided by the founder. Approximately $30,000 will be allocated to leasehold improvements and $15,000 to equipment. 3.0 Services In my business, classes will be offered in both English and Polish languages. This will mean that those who do not understand English can attend the lessons offered in Polish. I also intend to offer superior customer services in a clean and enjoyable environment. I will also make the lessons affordable to people by charging a membership fee of $50 since my target group will have a house income of $50,000-$60,000 per year. So a membership of $50 will be quite reasonable and affordable. The level of education will not matter as long as one understands either English or polish. The Academy will offer a number of lessons. They include yoga lessons, Pilates, choreographed dances for children between ages 3- 6 and other kind of dances. For instance, I will be having school children interested in the choreographed dance, couples who want to learn how to dance and keep fit as well and yoga will be ideal for a number of people and especially pregnant women. The lessons will also be spread throughout the day in order to have a good timetable for everyone. This will ensure that the lessons are easily accessible and that no one is left out because of time. The Academy will have a flexible timetable whereby one can have a variety of lessons to choose from in terms of time. One can either attend morning, noon, and evening or late night classes. 4.0 Promotion Strategy Initial promotional activity will be through advertisements. This will be in form of printed posters placed at strategic positions like at the neighboring businesses where many people/ customers visit. I will also place advertisements on the church and school bulletins. Promotional activity will also be utilized through other media outlets like the news papers and Radio, but minimally. Word-of-mouth will also attract potential clients. 5.0 Management Summary The Academy will be a small business headed by one individual. He will be aided by a number of experienced trainers but as the business grows, more staff will be employed to cater for the business’s growing needs. References Rhonda, Abrams. (2003). The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies. London: The planning Shop   

Case Analysis on Hilton

The Hilton family started its first hotel in the year 1919 by the name of Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas under Conrad Hilton. The firm launched its IPO under the name Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1946 to make its presence felt in the hospitality business. With time the firm expanded to compete and serve at the global level. In the highly competitive Global Lodging Business the challenges mainly faced by the firms included difficulty in achieving a standardized service of operation all throughout.With economies of scale and to focus on consistency as well as superior service delivery across the Hilton brand of Hotels, the importance of CRM was realized and the firm came up with the strategy of Customers Really Matter (CRM) in 2002. To build customer equity it is important to embrace technology and Hilton implemented this using its infrastructure called OnQ which acted as an enabling agent helping employees to deliver great customized customer experiences. Hilton introduced the Customers Really Matter with the objective to provide outstanding services to the customer.CRM enabled Hilton Corporation to focus more on building and managing its relationships with its customers. With CRM it was possible to acknowledge customers and provide personalized attention to each of them. It helped to store personal records of a person to access information for knowing the customer better. It helped maintaining people’s preferences, which directly reduced time spent on websites assistance or call center’s phone call costs and it also helped providing offers suited according to an individual and even helped promoting cross-selling and improving conversion rates.With CRM, the hotels front desk could have a comprehensive report each day of the guest list in an easy to scan format. The pre-assigning of rooms, the classification/segmentation of membership and exclusive benefits for privileged customers could all be done using CRM. However, there were few problems involved with pre-assigning of rooms and changing priorities of the customer. By adopting CRM and adapting with the technology it all became easier for Hilton, the guest profile managing, online profile maintenance, building more relationship, andhave more information (emails, phone no. ) of the customers and record complaints and feedbacks. All of these could be integrated by Hilton to bring more consistency as well as standardization to its services across its diversified business. The existence of the SALT (Satisfaction And Loyalty Training) survey, which helped significantly to improve the services by monitoring customer experiences and better measure the important factors that could help the business, added great value to the CRM initiative.On the other hand, OnQ also assisted property level operations and could enable the corporation to open more hotels for the customers and expand the brand image. Although CRM had its own benefits, the success boiled down to execution. OnQ incorporat ed huge costs and maintenance expenses. Apart from them, the CRM technology also required many other organizational factors to be addressed. The focus required on measurement, executive championship, training of the employees to use the technology, the feedback incorporation, etc. all had to be taken in account which couldn’t be overlooked.Taking in consideration the presence across 78 countries, the technology helped maintaining central database accessible from all the service points. Having variety of products across different price points throughout the organization, CRM also assisted segmentation of customers into modules such as Diamond, Gold, 4+ for improving services. A difficult task was to deduce the Return on Investment for the CRM. To conclude, CRM did help Hilton in its goal to enhance its competitive advantage, and to become the one of the premier choices of the world’s traveler in the global hospitality business.

Cross-cultural Interactions Essay

Communication differs in various cultures. A multinational or a global company employs a great number of people with different cultural traits. Some may possess traits that are good for business when sent to countries away from home and some may not take up this responsibility well. People with different values respond in various ways to leadership especially from leaders from a different background or culture. Cultural diversity is very wide and this would cause to some extent difficulties for a foreigner in a strange land. This is mainly because the foreigner has ittle or no knowledge of the land’s culture. For instance being a German and working in a subsidiary of the German mother company in China, I have come to realize the big difference that there is in various cultures. The team that I work with is a cross- cultural team. National culture does not fit with the organizational culture from my experience in this cross-cultural team. National culture is the values that an individual learns early in life and continues to grow or change slowly with generations. It is highly held in individuals hence difficult to influence . Organizational culture on the other hand means the wide guidelines that are created by an organization and is rooted on the Job tasks and practices.. It is a programmed way of thinking and reacting. It is used to differentiate a certain category of people from the other. Due to the deeply held national culture by people, it is difficult to change the organizational culture especially in a cross-cultural team. This is because for some, the organizational culture goes against the national culture therefore the practices of the organization will be taken for granted and undermined e. . a eadership trait which falls under an organizational culture can be easily shunned by a particular employee from a different culture if the trait is against his/her national trait. I encounter various tensions at my workplace. A group of a certain culture will follow or conform to a certain set of values and beliefs, and the other would differ from them. A large group with a set of similar values would f all in the same culture. The minority and the majority therefore have conflict when it comes to certain situations within the team. For instance, Germans are always on schedule and very unctual. This is their national culture. In the cross-cultural team there are people who have different perception when it comes to keeping time. When it comes to attending meetings for instance, there will be a set of people who will be punctual and those who will be late. This is a cause for tension within the cross-cultural team. Tension is a known cause for a decrease in a company’s productivity. Action should therefore be taken to resolve tension or conflict in these teams. Conflict is a challenge that is always faced by a team that is cross-cultural because it arises from time to time. The success and failure of a team depends on its response in time of conflict. To initiate organizational changes, I have done research and have come up with a plan of giving lessons to my team members. These lessons don’t give a direct solution to the conflicts but guidance on how to prevent, respond to and manage tension. The tips in my lesson plan include: Knowledge ot one selt and culture- when one becomes aware ot his culture, i. e. here he/she comes from and who he/she really is, it becomes easier to understand other people’s background hence become open to different ideas. This can be chieved by establishing friendship within the team Being inquisitive- ask other members with a different background from yours about your new environment and how best things are run and more importantly know how to deal with situations to avoid conflict Listen to people from a different culture effectively to have a better understanding of one another’s ways. This should only be done in situations where it doesn’t cause discomfort. Learn the expectations of others by having conversations about conflicts and the way forward when it arises. Management culture that suits every single person from a different culture should be ut in place. Management culture is one of the most critical leadership tools. In my opinion, a type of management that respects the differences and similarities of all employees should be adopted. Excellent organizational culture is the main goal of a company or an organization in regards toa cross-cultural team. To achieve this goal, management culture must be put in place . First of all, understanding the uniqueness and the differences of each individual is very important. This is largely referred to as work place diversity. Diversity entails religious beliefs, gender, race, age, political beliefs, sexual orientation and ethnicity. To deal effectively with this, the HR should check on issues such as communication, coping with differences and change. Management culture is important because it creates a comfortable and positive working environment hence higher productivity from the employees. The following management strategies should be adopted: Acquiring knowledge about different cultures and their ways of conducting business The leaders should nurture the communication, creative and cultural skills of various employees and utilize these skills to improve the policies, customer service and their products Being open minded. This involves leaders and their employees coming out of their comfort zone and accepting ways that they are not familiar with in terms of management. People from different backgrounds can factor in better and fresh ideas which could result in better services and performance Formulation of programs that will recognize the diversity of each individual. This will result in more interest in their roles Posting employees to areas where they can advance culturally Language training Taking care of employees’ complaints and issues Testing the organization’s practices to make sure that no discrimination against any ulture is practiced. At times, conflict becomes inevitable between members in the subsidiary. It always happens when there are people with a variety of different expectations. In a situation like this, I would resolve to a different way of handling conflict. The first step would be to make the employees aware of the difference in culture among them. Apart from making them aware, I would formulate a program where all employees will be taught about the existence ot diversity and to learn ways ot respecting these different values and practices. Encouraging the team to take up tasks overseas henever an opportunity arises is another positive way to handle inevitable conflicts. This will improve the interaction of employees with different backgrounds and cultures. The more knowledgeable they get about a variety of cultures, the more understanding of each other they also get. To avoid recurring tensions, another important strategy to follow through is to offer counselling to employees and their families that are moving to a new country. This can be done before and after the international assignment . When positive relationships are built between diverse individuals, a deeper understanding of each other is formed.