Sylvia Plath’s “Mirror” How a Woman Matures Essay

Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"Mirror† is about a women maturing with time and her mirror is witness to her aging and her journey to finding herself. The mirror serves as a vivid portrayal of women’s life and stride through a very reliable persona, the mirror. Along her required journey she is faced with obstacles, such as herself and time ticking. All through life’s inconsistencies the mirror is the only one that does not hide her truth but reveals it to her even though she may not want to face reality. This poem is a representation of the idea that beauty lies in the hands of the beholder. The mirror only reflects the image to the woman, but it is the woman herself who is judging. The form of this poem is divided into two stanzas, one when the†¦show more content†¦A women bends over me† (9). She is mature and no longer is sheltered in her parents’ home; she is out in the real world. She is out in the world looking at her reflection searching for who she really is. She may be confused from all her past influences that have in some respect molded her. She may not be content with herself and is longing of an answer in her reflection; â€Å"Searching my reaches for what she really is† (10). When this woman now sees her reflection in the lake; a metaphor for adulthood, she is not happy with it. Why? Because the mirror â€Å"sees and swallows her reflection immediately† (2); leaving no room for â€Å"preconception† (1). The mirror is â€Å"not cruel only truthful† (4). Since she is not happy with the truth, she turns to candles or the moon, which Plath refers to as liars. The moon and the candles a have a correlating relationship because they are fickle and they are never constant. The moon has its different phases each month, and the candle’s wax always melts and eventually disappears. Unlike the mirror and it’s reflection which is always constant and never fickle. As the author reassures the reader in line (12) â€Å"I see her back, and it reflect it faithfully. â€Å"The author is implying that no matter what the women does the only thing the mirror does, is reflect the image to the woman, but it is the woman who is judging herself and unfortunately unhappy with who, and how she is. The poem â€Å"mirrors† is filled with word and imagesShow MoreRelatedThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath1211 Words   |  5 PagesSylvia Plath Research Paper Title The Bell Jar place[s] [the] turbulent months[of an adolescent’s life] in[to] mature perspective (Hall, 30). In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath uses parallelism, stream of consciousness, the motif of renewal and rebirth, symbolism of the boundary-driven entrapped mentally ill, and auto-biographical details to epitomize the mental downfall of protagonist, Esther Greenwood. Plath also explores the idea of how grave these timeless and poignant issues can affect a fragileRead MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath And Girl, Interrupted By Susanna Kaysen3528 Words   |  15 PagesA comparative literary study of the effect of mental illness on the central characters is the semi-autobiographical novels The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. Comparing two women trying to deal with mental illness and are trying to cope with the mental pressures they put on themselves and by other people. Although the differences between these two novels are The Bell Jar shows Esther ’s life before she descends into mental illness whereas Susanna’s story is about

The Makropulos Case Analysis - 1765 Words

Bernard Williams’ The Makropulos Case, focuses on the topic of immortality, and the issues that would arise from being immortal. Williams’ uses the concept of the Makropulos play to refute the idea of immortality, because the protagonist kills themselves out of unbearable boredom from exhausting their categorical desires. Whereas John Martin Fischer rejects Williams’ view of immortality, due to the limiting constraints of his argument. Fischer asserts the immortal life would be livable, because it reflects a mortal life. In effect, I will further Fischer’s argument, in proposing the concept of categorical desires evolving, and then the significance of external factors occurring in society. Therefore, this essay will explain the significant†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Williams’ asserts the immortal life would be undesirable, or unlivable since we will inevitably exhaust our categorical desires (100). Whereas, Fischer denies Williams’ dilemma, because his argument is too narrow in thinking, because Williams asserts the agent would possess only one categorical desire. However, Fischer denies Williams’ assertion, because the immortal agent would not be pursuing only one interest. Fischer questions Williams’ mode of reasoning on why the agent must pursue only one interest; Fischer proposes that the individual would possess a package of categorical desires, which would enable the agent to move in to their immortal future without succumbing to eternal boredom. â€Å"Certainly, an immortal life could consist in a certain mix of activities, possibly including friendship, love, family, intellectual, artistic and athletic activity, sensual delights, and so forth† (216). Rather relentlessly pursuing one good, the packages of categorical desires enable the agent to move between pleasures and keep themselves busy. Furthermore, Fischer rejects Williams’ asse rtion that the immortal agent cannot undergo any form of boredom, and that they must constantly be absorbed in their environment. Fischer asserts all mortal lives consists of temporary moments of boredom/pains, which enable the agent to proceed to mentally stimulating environment/goods (261). Furthermore, the possible issue that the agentShow MoreRelatedThe Makropulos Case Analysis1760 Words   |  8 PagesBernard William’s The Makropulos Case focuses on the topic of immortality, and the issues that would arise from being immortal. William’s uses the concept of the Makropulos play to refute the idea of immortality, because the protagonist kills themselves out of unbearable boredom from exhausting their categorical desires. Whereas John Martin Fischer rejects William’s view of immortality, due to the limiting constraints of his argument. Fischer asserts the immortal life would be livable, because it

Skewed Moralities Free Essays

â€Å"Money for Morality,† she presumes to state her thesis which details that in today’s society we have lost the need to be self-motivated and otherwise rely on other people to bargain with us with tokens of success thus sullying our dignified good deeds. This is expressed best in Mary Regardless’ first example of a boy whom goes out of his way to return a large sum of cash to its rightful owner whilst not intending upon receiving a reward and yet however is pursued by another group of adults wishing to reimburse him for his troubles and finding that the reward is deserved of a large sum of money. Mary Regardless’ goes on to explain that through actions like these, not only are our efforts being diminished but also we are being trained to expect rewards for deeds that supersede the plane of what is Just. We will write a custom essay sample on Skewed Moralities or any similar topic only for you Order Now To give her argument strength she includes personal ties to her own relationship with her son and his personal account of his friends and their parents. In this story they describe the teacher’s and parent’s effort to set up a bargaining system with their youthful counterparts thus giving the students a bribe of sorts to achieve to a higher standard. To which of course Mary Regardless states, â€Å"Doing well is its own reward. The A Just confirms that. † To conclude Mary Regardless sums up with a knowledgeable remark about being a good example; that parents, or rather Just people in general, should make it their objective to provide good means of raising their kids through the power of suggestion. Rather than making their way to the couch or wasting time and money at some mall, spent that time instead to read a book, do some basic chores. At a developing age it only provides positive reinforcement to a child that will carry them through the rest of life In order to achieve. How to cite Skewed Moralities, Papers

Roman Coliseums Essay Example For Students

Roman Coliseums Essay Architecture of the ancient Roman Empire is considered one of the most impressive of all time. The city of Rome once was home to more than one million residents in the early centuries AD1. The Romans had a fine selection of building monuments in the city of Rome including the forums for civic services, temples of worship, and amphitheaters for recreation and play. The Romans made great use and pioneered great architecture mechanisms including arches, columns, and even mechanical elements in pulleys and early elevators. However, when one tends to think of great buildings, one building stands out in Rome. This building is the Flavian Amphitheatre, or better known as the Colosseum. When discussing such a great monument such as the Colosseum, it is very important to realize the time, place, and culture in wish it stood to fully understand both its form and function. In the beginnings, Rome was both influenced by the Etruscans of the North and Greeks of Italy and South but had its basic roots from a long time of Samnite domination2. The Etruscans were that of an interesting type as described by Peter Quennell: The Etruscans combined a passionate devotion to the ordinary pleasures of life with a haunting fear of death. They were cruel, too, and deeply superstitious their victims were ordered to fight among themselves until the last had fallen. The Etruscans would have a strong impression in Roman lifestyles and philosophies. For example, the purple robe worn by leaders would be later adopted by the Romans. They also were the influence which brought gladiatorial battles of sacrifice into the Roman culture. This was a time of blood thirsty humans who loved the site of battle. Even an early christian named Alypius proclaimed that he took away with him a mad passion which prodded him not only to return to gladatior events with those by whom he had first been forced in, but even ahead of them and dragging in others. 3 This was a time of paganism, which meant sacrifice and death. Early christians were persecuted for their beliefs in the first few centuries. Clearly in Rome, the focus was not only on religion or the emporer, but we have a focus on leisure and activities. It is said that of a three-hundred and sixty-five day year that one-hundred and fifty days were celebrated as regular holidays, with over ninety days given up to games4. This type of lifestyle would dominate the cities and architecture of the Romans for some time to come. The people of Rome enjoyed theatres, battles, races, baths, comical events, and of course the game of death. There were many forums, temples, and many amphitheaters in the history of Rome, however only a few stand out even today. The Colosseum is the greatest standing building of Rome, and one of the most recognized worldwide architectural achievements to this day. The amphitheater is a type of architecture that was without Greek precedents. This makes sense since its primary purpose was to hold gladitiator fights and brutal shows which were banned in Athens at the time. Such events held in Roman amphitheaters were horseracing, gymnastics, mock cavalry battles, footraces, prizefighting, wrestling, fights between animals, between men, animals and men, and even naumachiae, or mock sea battles5. One of the first amphitheaters was the Pompeian amphitheater of Pompeii of 30 BC. Like the Colosseum, it was oval in plan. It was supported on great masses of solid earth pierced by a broad corridor at each end. Stone seats were added at one time but most spectators sat on the earth or wooden chairs. Although this amphitheater was a great innovation, it would be eclipsed by the Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum. The great building although fitting and plain in design to its surroundings of Rome still stood out due to its sheer monstrosity and oval shape. Although the site viewed today is still a marvel, back in the days of its prime it was a spectacular site that would be difficult to apprehend with only words. The city which held the great structure was full of great examples of the use of arches, columns from every order, and of course sheer size. When traveling the city to the Colosseum the whole area had been paved and railed off. The approach was taken by cobbled slabs of lava, and then one entered an area paved with travertine more than five thousand feet wide and surrounded by huge boundary stones6. To a spectator at the time the Colosseum from the outside is described by the romantic poet Johann Wolggang von Goethe: When one looks at it all else seems little; the edifice is so vast, that one cannot hold the image of it in onequot;s soul- in memory we think it smaller, and then return to it again to find it every time greater than before. As one looked at it from the city, there were many sights to behold, but the Colosseum stood out 19 centuries ago, and still does to this date. At the end of the Emperor Nero and the triumph of the Flavians every effort was made to forget the times of the Julio-Claudians of which Julius Caesarquot;s family and move to newer times. The focus of arhictecture and buildings shifted from the emperorquot;s creations to the publicquot;s buildings. The next prominent emperor was Vespasian. His first contribution to the public was an enormous forum with a temple of Peace in it. 7 His greatest feat was the beginning of the construction of the Colosseum for games purposes around 72 AD. Titus succeeded the ever-joking Vespasian and completed his fathers dream around 79-80 AD. The dedication of the Colesseum was a lavish gladiator show that lasted for exactly one-hundred days in which over nine thousand animals were killed. 8 A typical day at the Colesseum show usually started with a bloodless comic relief battle, often times with dwarfs, women, or cripples battling with wooden objects. A tuba would sound and the main events would begin. The gladiator fights were the most popular and prominent fights. These featured two highly trained men battling for courage, strength, and dignity. Augustine And Love EssaySome of the technology employed at the time of this building is very similar to todayquot;s buildings of similar uses for games. For instance there were 76 entrance gates of the 80 piers. The latter four were used for emperors and gladiators one of which was used to drag the bodies to an unmarked grave. The entrance gates were numbered and corresponded to numbers stamped on the fanquot;s tickets much like todays sporting events. With 80 gates one could easily maneuver to their correct gate. In the ground floor contained an intricate labyrinth of cells which housed the gladiators, animals, and workers. There were splendid uses of machinery in which to lift the gladiator or animal to the surface of the battle arena. But the most amazing construction at the Colosseum had nothing to do with the show. It was designed purely for the benefit of the audience, to keep them calm and content as the violent spectacle unfolded below. It was a roof. The roof of the Colleseum was one that was retractable and much like a sailor. So much in fact, sailors who lived in a nearby town managed the velarium, or colored awning. This was a remarkable feat considering that most stadiums now days are still not fully enclosed such as the Cowboyquot;s stadium. The use of the corbels on the uppermost deck and the use of a pulley system brought about this feat of ingenious. Some archeologists thought that the roof was non-existent or was a web of ropes, but it is now believed to be made from masts and pulleys. The masts would hold horizontal masts on which to pull the awning over. It is believed that it did not cover the whole structure, but at least the most important seatings of the emperor for the whole day. 4 Hebrew prisoners and slaves of the time employed the building of the Colesseum. All the details of the actual construction are unknown, but it is based upon a barrel-vaulted scheme that circles around. The builders used tavertine blocks to construct a framework of piers, arches, and linked walls and vaults. The cement posts go deep into the ground to support the great weight. The lower level vaults were c onstructed of tufa or pumice. On the upper floors the walls were built with brick and concrete utilizing volcanic sand to dry. Travertine was used to surround the outside and was held in place by iron clamps. 15 The experience of being outside the Colosseum was plain except for the added statues. The outside of the building was paved with boundaries and roads. One could make out the hundreds of semicircles and arches. The arches increased upwards from Truscan, Doric, and Corinthian columns to the Corinthian Pillars and wall of the fourth deck. The outside was a brilliant travertine that must have been a spectacular sight. Next to the building one would feel he is nothing but a little gnat compared to the great building. To get inside one must enter their gate, and proceed up the stairway to the designated level much like a modern stadium. Since there were 80 entrances, many people could occupy the great Amphitheater. Inside the Coloseum the arena floor was wooden and covered with sand to soak the blood. There was a great podium made of marble on the sidelines housed the dignitaries. Above that were marble seats for distinguished private citizens. The second held the middle class, the third held slaves and foreigners, and the fourth levels were for women and the poor who sat on wooden seats. 6 The great velarium was multicolored and must have been a specticle on the inside of the Colosseum when raised. This would also shadow and protect the fans from nature. The arches allowed for great ventilation, stability, and passageways to keep the crowd comfortable all day. On a whole the Colosseum is symbolized by its size which represents the greatness of Rome. The name may be attributed to its size, or some believe to the colossal statue of Nero nicknamed the crowned colossus that was nearby. With all of the circular motifs used by the arches, and of the building itself, some believe it symbolizes the sun. This also makes sense considering part of the Colosseum was built from the Golden House of Nero, also known as the solar statue, or sun statue. Many symbols used in the Colosseum were of Pagan descendent. This included the sacrifices, purple robes, battle-axes, and hammers of the Etruscan Pagans. The cross was erected to commemorate the early Christians who are believed to have died here although there is no evidence to support this belief. The great arch beside the Coliseum was erected in the third century in honor of Constantine, although much of its decoration was pilfered from monuments to other emperors. Since one of the symbols was of the sun, the arches created natural and splendid light and shadows as shown in the picture. Much poetry has been written of the light, shadows, and even smoke from the arches of the Colosseum. When it was not noon the light would create long shadows and yet have bright instances which accentuate the arches and columns in the bright light. It shows an alternating natural pattern of shadows. One of the first natural changes of the Colosseum came in 320 when lightning struck and damaged the building. In 422 it was damaged by an earthquake. However Theodosius II and Valentitian III repaired it only to be again damaged by an earthquake in 508. After the sixth century the city of Rome and the Coleseum went downhill because of some devastating disasters. Towards the end of the sixth century grass was starting to grow rampant at the Colosseum.

Photography And Art Essays - Journalism, Visual Arts,

Photography And Art For many years photography has been used to document the most significant of events, whether they affect an entire society, like a war, or a specific persons' life, such as a wedding. The reason that photography is used for such occasions instead of painting, drawing or sculpting is quite simple. It is because photography is the most remarkable of the fine arts. Other forms of art, are aesthetically pleasing and important in their own rite, but photography is so monumental because of the power that only it possesses. This is the power to depict fact. One aspect that makes photography so creditable is that it can show feeling and emotion so much more vividly and doubtlessly than a drawing can. For instance, during the Great Depression "the harsh realities were recorded thanks to the initiative of the Farm Security Administration (Daval, 186)." At this time, Dorothea Lange "documented the bitter poverty of migrant workers and their families (20th Century Photography, 1). These images, such as Migrant Mother and Cotton Picker near Firebrough, show, so clearly and almost effortlessly, the pain and despair that was occurring too frequently at this time. There is a loss of hope that is so clear and evident in these photographs from the longing in the eyes of the images shown. Such raw emotion is hard to come by in any other art form. Another reason photography is more trustworthy than other forms of art, is because the image that appears in a photograph, whether it is of a person or an event, has at one point existed or happened. This statement does not always hold true for paintings, sculptures, and drawings. It is simple and usual for an artist to conjure up an image of a person that has never existed and turn them into a work of art. For example, there has been a great deal of speculation about whether or not Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is a portrait of a real person. Before the relatively recent technological advances, it was not possible to have a picture of a person or an incident that was fictitious. A further example that photography is perceived as more realistic than other methods of art, is that it is possible for an artist to elaborate, emphasize, erase, or even completely change an image that they are trying to capture. Once again, preceding modern advances, this was not possible for a photographer to do. Based on this, and the preceding statement, throughout history viewers have been able to trust that the images they were seeing were genuine, and therefore were able to trust the realism of photographs. Over the years, photography came to be depended on for its ability to show factual images for the reasons stated earlier. Proof of this statement, is the great demand for photographs in magazines and newspapers. "The newspaper and newsmagazine depended on his (a professional photo-reporter's) pictures, even more than on the written word. They were an international language of communication, the one language needing no translation (Daval, 190)." The rise of photojournalism made the public even more believing of photography and "the status of the photograph: from a document before, it now became evidence, irrefutable proof (Daval, 173)." Bibliography Daval, Jean-Luc. Photography: History of an Art . New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc. , 1982. 20th Century Photography: http://www.masters-of- photography. com/L/lange/lange_articles1.html Dorothea Lange Photographs. http://www.masters-of-photography. com/L/lange/lange_migrant_mother_full.html

Get Ready to Live Abroad with These Tips

Get Ready to Live Abroad with These Tips How to Pack for Your Year Abroad? Everyone would somehow or other like to travel outside their country to visit interesting places, get a job, immerse themselves in a new culture, or see how people from other countries live. When you travel abroad first, you may not know the exact things you need to pack, what will be useful and what not, and how to pack all your things on time. Students and employees are especially interested in this issue. Well, at first glance, this activity seems complicated, exhausted and boring. We all might want to throw all the things into a suitcase, close it instantly, take a phone and a passport, and jerk off to the airport. However, often we have to deal with heavy travel bags, packages, and other trifles. For students who wish to study abroad and avoid mistakes while packing belongings, we released this article with useful tips. Well, let's get started. Check These Useful Tips for Packing Abroad! 1. Don’t pack much. This is probably the most important and difficult task for all the travelers. People need plenty of things for work, studying, or leisure time, so they want to shove as many things into their suitcase as possible. Perhaps, it happens by chance, even if that wasn’t a person’s real will. This kind of panic before traveling is typical, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Try to accept that you take just one suitcase. That's all. Pack your most necessary belongings, select priority things, and get rid of unnecessary items. 2. Make a list. You might think we are crazy that offer you such a boring idea of making a list of things. But believe us, such lists are really helpful tools for those planning to travel abroad. Just have a try: write a list of things with subheadings, which will represent the names of the rooms. Then, go to each of the rooms of your apartment, write down what you will need to take, and leave some space for checkmarks. When it's time to pack, come to your rooms again, take and place those things in the suitcase, and put a checkmark next to each item. Besides, those traveling lists will help you pack once you need to return so that you can’t forget anything. 3. Pack for all seasons. The more you plan to live abroad, the more clothes you need to take with. Different seasons mean different garments, and this, in turn, is a minus for those who want to take the very minimum of clothing. Well, find out about the prevailing weather in another country, look through your wardrobe and take a few things for each season, and do not neglect the warm clothes. In case there is nothing suitable, you can always buy on the spot. 4. Take some nostalgic items. Leaving home is always a tough issue for anyone, especially for those who leave it for a long time. The ideal solution here is to take a piece of your home - something that strongly reminds of your loved ones, friends and family. Pack (not many, of course) pictures, photographs, letters, or gifts from your close ones. Such a piece of nostalgia will not take much place in a suitcase and will bring good mood at any moment. 5. What to put into a hand luggage? Hand luggage is just of the same importance as your main suitcase: you don’t need to put much in it. No matter what you travel on - a plane, a car, or boat, take the most necessary things, namely, hygiene means, medicines, nightwear, cosmetics (for women), chargers, travel adapters, and of course your phone and ID. 6. Start as soon as you can. As you may have noticed, travel packing is not as simple as it looks. So starting in advance is the best thing you can do, this will save your time for something more important. If you get it done soon, you will have an opportunity to hang out with friends or spend time with family members before you leave. Or, you may use it for your own purpose, for example, you may sleep well for a few days and gain strength for traveling.

Consumer behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer behavior - Assignment Example Thus a study and understanding of this topic can be realized to be of most value to the marketers who need to understand the behavior of the consumers in order to target their minds accordingly (Blythe, 2008, pp.3-8). The need for understanding the behavior of the consumers is mostly needed by marketers since it helps to identify the psychology of the consumers for particular products available in the market. Also the influence of the products and their brands on the consumers can be determined. This enables the marketers to identify and target their customers accordingly realizing their choices and preferences, their lifestyles, their income and ways of expenditure, and mentalities towards particular products or services (Role of Consumer Behaviour in Marketing, 2012). An important feature of marketing is the marketing mix that refers to the plans and ideas combined and represented by marketing representative intending to promote a specific product or a brand. The different elements of marketing mix include, in association with the product, the product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence (Marketing Mix- Meaning and Its Elements, 2012). The present study focuses on an understanding of the marketing stimuli that influences consumer behavior, the marketing mix stimuli that are formed in order to influence the behavior and responses of the consumers, their obvious behaviors, their emotions and feelings in association with products available in the markets. In other words, the cognitive response, affective response and behavioral responses of the consumers would be studies. Marketing Mix and Cognitive Response of Consumers: Cognitive response of a human being refers to the behavior that emerges from persuasive communication with another party (Cognitive Response Theory, 2000). Thus in regard to marketing and the use of marketing mix, the cognitive response of the consumer can b realized to be the one that is obtained as a result of the persuasion that the marketing mix is capable of presenting in front of the consumers. There are different theoretical approaches to understand the behavior of consumers. One of these is the cognitive approach. This approach attributes behavior or the action that may be observed to intrapersonal cognition. In this regard, an individual is considered as a processor of information. It is observed and discussed that the environment as well as the social knowledge that an individual experiences are influential on the behavior of the consumer. In other words, the environmental and social stimuli are received by the consumers as inputs for different products depending on which their purchasing decisions may vary (Bray, n.d., p.6). A response model may be illustrated as provided in the following figure: Figure 1: Stilumus-Organism- Response Model of Decision Making (Bray, n.d., p.7). According to the above figure, there lies a linear relationship between the stages of stimuli, organism and response where the external stimuli that act upon the individuals include the environment and society. Studies by modern theorists â€Å"acknowledge that information processing is conducted by an active organism whose past experience will influence not only the processing of such information but even what information is sought and received† (Bray, n.d., p.7).

Supplemental Vitamins Vs. Natural Vitamins Research Paper

Supplemental Vitamins Vs. Natural Vitamins - Research Paper Example Scientists and nutritionists around the world have failed to form a consensus on the efficacy and usefulness of supplements. While some studies show that supplements do in fact help prevent diseases and assist in meeting nutritional requirements, latest studies reveal that the side effects of such man-made drugs are harmful. A study conducted in 2007 of 77,721 men and women smokers to identify whether or not the intake of supplemental multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate helped reduce lung cancer is one such interesting find (Christopher G. Slatore). Over a ten year period, it was found that 521 cases of lung cancer were reported among the sample and it was found that these supplements did not present a reduction in the probability of lung cancer in the sample. Furthermore, it was found that vitamin E was actually linked to a slight increase in the risk of the lung cancer instead. On the other hand, there are studies that point to the advantages of supplements as a means of meeting nutritional needs. One such study, conducted on breastfeeding infants, suggests that dark-skinned infants who are fed only on breast milk should be given a vitamin D supplementation of 400IU daily. The study suggests that these infants would not receive the daily Vitamin D requirement based solely on their diet and would be at high risk of developing rickets (Kreiter SR).

Morning after pills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Morning after pills - Essay Example e Morning - after pills just like a regular birth control pill although it is much stronger and it functions by preventing ovulation thus avoiding contraception or implantation if ovulation occurs (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Morning-after pills are common and they play a significant role in preventing an unplanned pregnancy in various situations but the drug is highly abused apart from having some adverse side-effects on its users. Morning-after pills contain hormones similar to the content of regular birth control pills and they prevent pregnancy primarily by preventing ovaries from releasing eggs. Moreover, the pills usually make cervical mucus thick hence prohibiting sperms from mixing with egg and causing fertilization. The functionally of the pills largely depend on the stage of the menstrual cycle in women. Watkins (2012) believes that depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, the contraception may delay or stop the release of the egg, change the lining of the uterus, and finally alter the movement of the egg and sperm by limiting their speed (1463-1470). However, the morning-after pills are never effective for pregnancies implanted in the uterus. It should be noted that morning-after pills are not worth relied on and should only be considered as last chance contraception (Ferri, 2012, pp. 285-287). Effectiveness of the morning-after pills is within a certain period including immediately after unpro tected intercourse up to 5 days or 120 hours. However, they always work best when taken immediately after unprotected sex instead of waiting for the fifth day because the longer an individual waits for the pills, the lesser their chance of working. Ferri (2012) illustrates that there are two hormonal types of morning-after pills whose effectiveness, prices and side effects differ slightly (2855-287). The first type of morning-after pills is known as plan B that contains progestin hormone and is taken as 2 pills. Plan B pills can either be taken immediately

The impact of the life course in health and social care

The impact of the life course in health and social care Drawing on the concepts you have studied in Block1, critically reflect on the ways in which your own life course has affected how you work in, or use, health and social care. In this essay I will look at the life course perspective, and how it has provided me with an essential tool to offer a more personalised service. I will describe how my own life course and ‘Biographical Disruption (Bury 1982) has changed the person I am beyond the expectations I had of my presumed journey, and how it has impacted on my practice. Where it has proved to be a strength or a weakness, and how it has made me more sensitive to people’s needs and behaviour. I will look at how my personal values have been shaped and influenced by my life course, and discuss possible ethical conflicts. I will start off explaining the concept of life course using the five principles discussed by Bengtson et al. (2005). Recognising the course that people’s lives take is relatively new to study and research. Until relatively recently the understanding of human development was based on the life cycle approach, one of the oldest accounts of how life’s and families are organised over time (Bengtson, et al 2005, p.9). The approach is based on the idea that people’s lives go through a series of relatively predictable and chronological stages and transitions from birth to death, providing insight in peoples changing roles and identities in relation to landmark occasions such as coming of age, marriage, childbirth and old age. From the 1960’s onwards the life cycle approach began to incorporate psychological elements, which considered the relationship between an individual’s inner world, and the social context in which they live. This idea of considering the whole of a person’s life as offering opportunities for development and change (Crawford and Walker p.2) is re ferred to in literature as life –span development (Sugarman, L. 1986, p.3) or the life-span perspective (Baltes, P. 1987, p.3). At the same time these approaches began to merge with the idea that age and ageing is not only related to a chronological stage in human development, but also to subjective experiences between the individuals own construction of their life course, and social constructions such as schools, labour markets and normative pathways. Ageing is a lifelong process, in general common to all of us, but throughout our journey from birth to death, events can be imposed upon us from which we may have to make decisions and choices that change the path of our life course. Timing is often unexpected and change may not happen at a time we would have chosen it to; this not only impacts upon our own life and future but on those we are linked with. understanding my own life course also supports me professionally working in social care, Crawford and Walker (2003, p.2) point out that social work practice involves interactions between people, which are influenced by each person’s life course, their e xperiences and perceptions about their own life, emphasising the quality of these personal relationships between service users, their families, carers and professionals. In order to understand the impact human development and life events have on individuals I need to have a critical, reflective understanding of how my own life course has shaped me, my behaviour and influenced my beliefs and values. This will enable me to engage with people better, respond more sensitively to people’s experiences and needs and explain why people don’t always act in ways that appear to be in their best interests (K319, Learning Guide 3, 2013). My self-perception and my values and beliefs are very much shaped by my own life courses’ significant events, experiences and transitions, such as growing up in a very large family in the seventies, being a divorced woman with young children and being a main carer for my terminally ill mum. Bengtson et al (2005) identifies five principles that are essential to the life course perspective. First there is the principle of linked lives, which emphasizes on the fact that people’s life courses are interdependent with others, especially relevant in the context of families. Having grown up in a very large family my life has been linked to my siblings and parents, so when my dad fell seriously ill, and never recovered enough to ever return to work, and he needed almost constant supervision and support. The impact on all the family was life changing, my siblings that still lived at home had to find jobs to help the household finances, and they all feel this event ended their childhood. I was 10 years old I was taken to live with my eldest brother and his family. This felt very strange and I remember feeling afraid I would not see my parents again. It was thought that I was too young to understand what was happening so I was never told how ill my dad was, I was never allowed to visit him in hospital, and he was there for a full year. I was just told to be good and not ma ke a fuss. I then stayed for short periods of time with my grown up siblings and extended family, this went on for many months , living a very transient existents and not staying in one place long enough to develop friendships with children my own age. Looking back from my adult self, I can now relate to my difficulties in developing long term relationships and poor self-esteem. On the positive side I was able to develop a lifelong close relationship with a maiden aunt which looking back I don’t feel would have happened if I had stayed in the family home over that period. Secondly there is the principle of historical time and place, â€Å"emphasising the importance of social and historical context in shaping individual lives† (Bengston et al, 2005 p11). This is discussed as how events such as wars, trauma, depression or a period of prosperity affects our lives, Impacting on the life courses of all generations living in that particular time and place. My dad’s illness in the seventies meant he could no longer work and provide for his family, so from being a provider he became cared for, which changed the whole dynamic of the family structure. He also had to rely on sickness benefit, which in the seventies welfare system was very difficult to get and the financial support was very low. This impacted on all the family. We were poor prior to his illness but this plunged us further into poverty. This had a negative effect on us all, but for me at a time when I was just about to start secondary school I felt the stigma of being subjectively po or. I spent many difficult days in school feeling marginalised and bullied by my peers, because I didn’t have nice clothes and had to have free school dinners, at that time children on free dinners had to queue in different lines, this compounded the feelings of inferiority. My mum did her best, and managed to get some part time work alongside her being the main carer for dad, and mother to her children. Looking back, I realise my mum must have been a very strong person to cope with the situation she found herself in, she instilled a strong work ethic into her children, believing hard work would bring rewards. She influenced me with her single minded determination, like Enid with her mother (k319, Learning Guide 3 Audio 3.1). With hindsight this period of my life forced me to become more independent as I had to fend for myself a lot, it also provide me with a valuable lesson in managing on very little money. This benefitted me when I was a single parent following a divorce I was able to budget with a small income. The next principle considers â€Å"the timing of significant life transitions and whether they fit well with cultural expectations of when things should happen† (K319, Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.1). I came into my career as a result of two biographical disruptions in my life. First I was divorced in my mid-twenties and needed to get work to support my children. Then my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I became her carer. I was able to get part time paid work as a home care assistant through social care, I found I could transfer the skills I had used as a carer and the training I received helped me to support my mum better. I discovered I had very good people skills and enjoyed supporting older people to stay independent. Even later in my life I commenced my social work degree studies in contradiction to society’s view of what is ‘normal’. As with Mike, the case study in Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.5, I had concerns that studying as a mature stu dent would lead to ‘sub-normative’ feelings of being different but on reflection my life skills and experiences have enriched my learning experience. The fourth principle considers the control most people have over their own lives and â€Å"they make choice about what to do and have plans for the future† (K319, Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.1). Although I did not have any influence on my upbringing and not a large amount over my divorce. My experiences have provided me with the power and choice over my future which included a career in social care. I feel my life experience has made me aware of understanding everyone has past life events that impact on their current life. So when I am working with service users and planning for social work interventions, having an understanding of the potential of disruptions such as illness, and other life changes can be major turning point in their lives, and can help people see how they can become an opportunity for them to make changes (agency) in their lives. As in the story of Doireann and Iskender (K319 Learning Guide 3, Audio 3.7), where Iskender’s heart attack became a turnin g point in both his and Doireann’s life. Finally the fifth principle that affirms that ageing is relevant to both the young and old, and development is not exclusive to younger people and children. Our lives are fluid as we travel our life course and we continue to change and develop whatever age we are. My life is still developing and changing as I age, in the sense that I am developing my academic skills, and my experience of caring for my mum throughout her terminal illness and the impact this had on my life. The life cycle assumed that people would have a ‘normative life course’ (K319 Learning guide 3, Activity 3.5).That is to say people will have a life that is expected to be desirable and virtuous by society that is free from problems. Whereas a person with a â€Å"non-normative life course† is often considered to be judged and having to justify and explain their lifestyle. As a divorced woman in my mid-twenties, with two young children, which was not the normal status in the social groups I mixed in, this resulted in me feeling ‘different’ and stigmatised. I felt I had to explain my single status and felt I was seen as a threat to my married friends. I felt I had failed both myself and my children and was worried my children would feel as I did as a child, being bullied for not having a normal childhood. These feelings gave me insight into the lives of others with ‘non-normative’ life courses, whether due to their sexuality or life style c hoices.it has also made me question as a social care provider, does that service user feel as I did, and feel I am judging them therefore they have to explain themselves?. My own experiences of feeling ‘different’ has made me sensitive to the feelings and needs of those who society judges as non-normative, in comparison to people who follow the expected ‘norms’ and pathways we are expected to take. My own life course was in my early childhood a non- normative course, due to the biographical disruption of my dad falling ill and resulted in me having an unconventional childhood. As I grew into adulthood my life course was comparable to the life cycle in that it had proceeded in a socially accepted pattern within a presumed time span which Giele and Elder (1998) described as â€Å"a sequence of socially defined events and roles that the individual enacts over time.† My early adult life followed a life that was considered ‘normative’, I was following the cycle of â€Å"completing formal education, working, forming relationships, marrying and having children†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (K319 Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.3).I did not predict that in my mid-twenties my life would suffer more biographical disruption that would have a huge impact on me, my family and lead into a future I would not have predicted. Bury (2012) describes biographical disruption to be a negative experience but I would disagree with that in relation to my own experience so far as a career in social care is concerned. If I had stayed married and my mum had not got ill, I am sure I would not have followed this path and likely I would have had a very different life now. However I had not consciously thought about entering into the social work profession, I presumed my entry into social care was the result of events that has steered me in the direction of this profession and opportunities that have presented themselves to me i.e. I was in the right place at the right time. Having read ‘Life experience: A neglected form of knowledge in social work education and practice, by Christie et al 1998,I am inclined to agree that my career choice has not been a coincidence but a choice I have made based on the knowledge I have acquired as a result of my life experiences. I am able to draw on my experiences as a knowledge base for my practice alongside the ever developing knowledge I am gaining from my studies. However, I do not â€Å"persist in viewing social work as the profession effective in bringing about social change† (Christie et al 1998). I feel my role is to support others in bringing about their own change, as I have been able to do. How ever I am mindful that the experiences I draw on in my practice are my personal experiences and are owned by me, and others experiences are exclusive to them. I am aware that my knowledge within in my work is limited to my own personal experiences and my personal feelings could influence my approach to service users and the decisions I make in my assessments of them. In conclusion the article from Christie and Weeks has in fact made me question my theory that I did not choose social work as a profession purposefully; perhaps my life experiences have directed rather than influenced my choice to be a social worker, †my own working class background, marriage difficulties, poverty, powerlessness, has influenced me strongly† (Christie el at 1998).This assignment has shown that our life course is an unpredictable path that we follow; it is constantly being reshaped from what we have imagined our life path to follow, by the events that take place around us. But although it presents us with many situations that are out of our control that impact upon us. The understanding of our life course gives us the strength to move forward in our lives, it also presents us with choice and power and positivity to look forward to the future. And as Winston Churchill says â€Å"the farther backwards you can look, the farther forward you are likely to seeâ €  (Churchill circa 1941) Word count 2601 References Baltes, P. (1987) in Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. Bengtson, V. L., et al. (2005) ‘The lifecourse perspective on ageing: linked lives, timing and history’ in Katz, J., Peace, S. and Spurr, S. (ed) Adult Lives; A life course perspective, Bristol, Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Bury, M. (1982) ‘Chronic illness as biographical disruption’ in Katz, J. Peace, S. and Spurr’ S(eds)Adult Lives: A life course perspective, Bristol, Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Christie, A Weeks J (1998): Life experience: A neglected form of knowledge in social work education and practice: Social work in Action. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09503159808411477 (accessed 25 November 2013) Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. Hareven, T. K. (1982) in Hutchinson, E. (2011) Dimensions of Human Behaviour ; The Changing Life Course, London, Sage Publications. Hutchinson, E. (2011) Dimensions of Human Behaviour; The Changing Life Course, London, Sage Publications. National Churchill Museum: Miscellaneous Wit and Wisdom http://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/wit-wisdom-quotes.html (assessed 25 November 2013) Phillips, D. (2006) ‘Quality of Life’ in in Katz, J., Peace, S. and Spurr, S. (ed) Adult Lives; A life course perspective, Bristol Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Sugarman, L. (1986) in Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. The Open University, (2013), ‘Learning Guide 3.1 The life course perspective’, K319 Block 1 Approaches to adulthood and ageing, [online] available at http://www.learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (Accessed 23 November 2013) The Open University, (2013), ‘Learning Guide 3.5 ‘unusual life course’, K319 Block 1 Approaches to adulthood and ageing, [online] available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (Accessed 23 November 2013) The Open University (2013) ‘Learning Guide 3: Introduction’, K319 Block 1 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (accessed 23 November 2013). The Open University (2013) ‘I Think I’m still working through it’ [Audio], ‘Learning Guide 3.3: Biographical Disruption’, K319 Block1 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389section=3 (accessed 26 November 2013). Page 1 of 8

Essay on Art as a Reflection of Life in Death in Venice -- Death in Ve

Art as a Reflection of Life in Death in Venice      Ã‚  Death in Venice explores the relationship between an artist, namely Gustave von Aschenbach, and the world in which he lives. Aschenbach, destined to be an artist from a young age, represents art, while his surroundings represent life. As the story unfolds, Aschenbach endeavors on a journey in an attempt to relinquish his position in society as an artist. Aschenbach wants to experience life, as opposed to merely reflecting upon it, as he has done for so many years. This attempted change of lifestyle can also be interpreted as a transition from the ways of Apollo to those of Dionysus, an archetype dating back to Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy. Aschenbach's journey throughout Death in Venice can be seen as an artist's attempt to live life free from artistic interpretations. In the end, however, Aschenbach fails and his death shows that art is transient. Because of Aschenbach's failure to step down from his position as an artist and to become a part of life, it can be concluded that art is purely a reflection of life. Aschenbach's journey commences upon his encountering a stranger on a portico. "He was obviously not Bavarian." (Mann, 4) Aschenbach, never having ventured far from home, is intrigued by this foreigner who fails to give him the respect and reverence that he is used to as a renowned artist. For the first time in his life, Aschenbach is challenged. "So now, perhaps, feeling, thus tyrannized, avenged itself by leaving him, refusing from now on to carry and wing his art and taking away with it all the ecstasy he had known in form and expression." (Mann, 7) Aschenbach, acknowledging the challenge, resolves to travel. The new territory upon which he is to embark, t... ...be an artist is shown throughout his life, including in his last moments on the beach when he fears Tadzio's death. The irony of Ashenbach's demise emphasizes that art, as a reflection of life, is transient. "And before nightfall a shocked and respectful world received the news of his decease." (Mann, 73) Aschenbach has earned his place in history as an artist. But like all artists, he is replaced by his successors. Aschenbach's transition from an Apollonian way of life to a Dionysian one shows that art reflects life. In his case, art is nothing more than a reflection, and although beautiful and appreciated, it is not an essential element of life itself.    Works Cited "Mann, Thomas." Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997. Mann, Thomas. Death In Venice. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. http://philos.wright.edu/Dept/CLS/wk/204/DV.html

Baldwin Cycle Case

Baldwin Cycle Case 1. Relevant Cost: Direct Material$39. 8 Direct Labor$19. 6 Variable Overhead(@40% of $24. 5)$9. 8 Total Relevant Costs$69. 2 2. 2-months Raw material for 25,000 bikes @ $38. 9$165,833 WIP Inventory(1000 @ $69. 2)$69,200 Finished Goods(500 @ $69. 2)$34,600 A/R (30 days) @(25,000/12*92. 29)$192,270 Total Inventory Costs$461,904 Relevant Asset Cost (@5. 5 %) $25,405 Total Relevant Asset Cost$487,309 Interest @ 18%$87,716 Net Relevant Cost$399,593 Price Per Bicycle$15. 98 3. Cannibalization or erosion will arguably lead to reduction in Baldwin’s revenue.The lost sales amount to $1. 3 Million. However, if the challenger bikes are not introduced fearing impacts of cannibalization or erosion, Baldwin’s competitor can step in and claim the benefits. Hi-Valu can turn to Baldwin’s competitor and that can have a larger and long-term effect on an already declining bicycle market share for Baldwin. 4. It is difficult to predict return as implementation of t his deal opens up uncertainty in retaining existing customers. 5. The current inventory turnover rate is 125 days for Baldwin and 46 days for account receivable turnover.However, Hi-Valu will pay Baldwin in 30 days resulting in early cash realization. The deal also positively impacts inventory turnover by limiting it to 120 days. Thus the deal has a favorable impact on Baldwin Cash flows. 6. Baldwin’s financial situation is as follows: a. High debt to equity ratio from high amount of short-term debt b. High debt can lead to problems in raising additional financing c. From the current ratio(1. 28), it seems that Baldwin can pay of its liabilities d. With an 8. 2% ROE, Baldwin has a lower ROE than the industry average 7.Baldwin isn’t well poised at end of 1982 for the following reasons: a. Bicycle boom has flattened out resulting the plant operating capacity to be underutilized at 75% b. Challenger deal provides added capacity for a guaranteed 3 years with additional sco pe on a yearly contact basis c. Baldwin could lose sales of 3000 units and loss of current dealers due to the deal Based on long-term prospect of losing 3000 units of sales and current dealers, Baldwin should reject the deal unless some revisions to the deal are presented.

Punctuality Punctuality is a very important part o Essays

Punctuality Punctuality is a very important part o Essays Punctuality Punctuality is a very important part of military life for several reasons. one reason is that if someone is late for a patrol or convoy that patrol or convoy might have to leave without that person. Another reason is because it will make whoever your relieving have to stay at work for longer than they are supposed to, tired and sluggish because of that fact, giving a high chance that whatever work that person does would be sub par and not up to standards because of lack of sleep. Punctuality also shows your chain of command that you are serious about your job and are ready and motivated to do said job to the best of your ability. Being late to a convoy could lead to dire consequences. not to you but to your battle buddies you let down by not showing up. while they are on patrol, or convoying to another area, something could happen that could either need your expertise and training or they could just need another soldier to keep watch of their area. The patrol you were s upposed to be on could be ambushed and your weapon, your eyes and your training could be what makes the difference between your patrol losing soldiers or not. if you had been there your patrol could have seen the ambush with the extra set of eyes watching, or taken out the enemy with the extra soldier carrying a weapon he/she was trained to use. being late could be what makes you lose battle buddies that could have survived if you were there to help. On a convoy it could have been your eyes that notices the strange object in the road or the slight discoloration, or disturbed earth of the road ahead of you that could have prevented your convoy from running into an IED. Being late could also hinder your battle buddies at work. you being late makes your battle buddy who you are supposed to relieve stay later than he/she is supposed to, meaning that said person loses sleep time. If this keeps occurring and they keep losing sleep time then they will start to show up to work still tired a nd worn out. Being tired could lead your battle buddy to making mistakes that normally he/she wouldn't make. Said soldiers professionalism and work ethic would start to slip due to lack of sleep because you couldnt keep to a schedule that was set by your NCO's. It would be your fault that your battle can't perform his duties to the best of his ability. Your battle buddies credability could also start to slip in the eyes of your chain of command because of lack of motivation or professionalism at work. Being Punctual shows your chain of command that you are dependable. they can count on you to follow orders and be where you are supposed to be at the right place at the right time. Doing this lead to them trusting you with a little more responsibility as time goes on. being late however shows them that you can not be relied on to do anything if you cant even be somewhere on time. being on time is the easiest thing to do in the military andif you cant even do that how is your chain of c ommand supposed to trust you with anything else? Being punctual also shows your chain of command that you have the discipline to be somewhere when you are supposed to. Having the discipline to follow orders shows them as you spend more time in the military that just maybe your ready for that next promotion or to be put in to go to the board so you can become an NCO yourself. On the other hand not being punctual shows them that you have no discipline, which makes them have to limit the things you are allowed to do even when your off duty for the day because if they cant trust you to be disciplined around them, how can they trust you to be disciplined when your not around them. They have to resort to confining you to your room, giving you extra duty and or taking away any

10 Fascinating Facts About Aphids

10 Fascinating Facts About Aphids As the joke goes, aphids suck. And while this is both literally and figuratively true, in some respects, any entomologist will tell you that aphids are interesting and sophisticated insects. Aphids Poop Sugar Aphids feed by piercing the phloem tissue of the host plant and sucking up the sap. Unfortunately, sap is mostly sugar, so an aphid must consume a lot of sap to meet its nutritional requirement for protein.  Much of what the aphid consumes goes to waste. The excess sugar is eliminated in the form of a sugary droplet called honeydew. An aphid-infested plant quickly becomes coated in the sticky excretions. Sugar-Loving Ants Tend to Some Aphids Anyone who has battled sugar ants in their kitchen can tell you that ants have a sweet tooth. Ants are therefore very fond of bugs that can poop large quantities of sugar. Aphid-herding ants will care for their adopted aphids, carrying them from plant to plant and milking them for honeydew. In exchange for the sweet treats they get from the aphids in their care, they provide the aphids with protection from predators and parasites. Some ants even take the aphids home to their nest during the winter months, keeping them safe until spring. Aphids Have a Lot of Enemies Im not just talking about gardeners, either. Aphids are slow, theyre plump, and theyre sweet to eat (presumably). A single plant can host hundreds or even thousands of aphids, offering predators a real smorgasbord of snacks. Aphid eaters include lady beetles, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, hoverfly larvae, big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, and certain stinging wasps, among others. Entomologists even have a term for the many insects that feed on aphids – aphidophagous. Aphids Have Tailpipes Most aphids have a pair of tubular structures on their hind ends, which entomologists describe as looking like tiny tailpipes. These structures, called cornicles or sometimes siphunculi, seem to serve a defensive purpose. When threatened, an aphid releases a waxy fluid from the cornicles. The sticky substance gums up the mouth of the predator in pursuit and is thought to trap parasitoids before they can infect the aphid. Aphids Sound an Alarm When Theyre in Trouble Like many insects, some aphids use alarm pheromones to broadcast a threat to other aphids in the area. The aphid under attack releases these chemical signals from its cornicles, sending nearby aphids running for cover. Unfortunately for the aphids, some lady beetles have learned the aphid language, too. The lady beetles follow the alarm pheromones to locate an easy meal. Aphids Fight Back Aphids may look defenseless, but they dont go down without a fight. Aphids are expert kickboxers and will pummel their pursuers with their hind feet. Some aphids bear spines that make them challenging to chew on, and others are merely thick-skinned. Aphids are also known to go on the offensive, stabbing the eggs of predatory insects to kill their enemies in vitro. If all else fails, aphids stop, drop, and roll off their host plant to escape predation. Some Aphids Employ Soldiers for Protection Although not common, certain gall-making aphids produce special soldier nymphs to protect the group. These female guards never molt into adulthood, and their sole purpose is to protect and serve. Aphid soldiers are fiercely committed to their job and will sacrifice themselves if needed. Soldier aphids often have burly legs with which they can detain or squeeze intruders. Aphids Lack Wings (Until They Need Them) Aphids are generally apterous (wingless), and unable to fly. As you might imagine, this can put them at a considerable disadvantage if environmental conditions deteriorate, since they arent very mobile. When the host plant becomes a little too crowded with hungry aphids, or if its sucked dry and theres a lack of sap, the aphids may need to disperse and find new host plants. Thats when wings come in handy. Aphids will periodically produce a generation of alates – winged adults capable of flight. Flying aphids dont set any aviation records, but they can ride a wind gust with some skill to relocate. Female Aphids Can Reproduce Without Mating Because aphids have so many predators, their survival depends on their numbers. A quick and easy way to boost the population is to dispense with the nonsense of mating. Female aphids are parthenogenetic, or capable of virgin births, no males required. Like Russian nesting dolls, a female aphid may carry developing young, which are themselves already carrying developing young. This significantly shortens the development cycle and increases population numbers rapidly. Aphids Give Birth to Live Young You might expect a bug that seems so primitive to lay eggs like more other insects do, but aphids are pretty sophisticated when it comes to reproduction. There isnt time to wait for eggs to develop and hatch. So aphids practice viviparity, giving birth to live young. The aphids eggs begin to develop as soon as ovulation occurs, without any fertilization. Sources: Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallEncyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. CapineraAphid Ecology: An Optimization Approach, by Anthony Frederick George Dixon

Its very clear from the writings of the Spaniards in New Spain that Essay

Its very clear from the writings of the Spaniards in New Spain that the conversion of the Azetecs Christianity didn't completely - Essay Example They made statues representing their gods. Some of the gods were made from seeds and vegetables joined by blood from human hearts. Cortes reported this in his letter citing â€Å"after they are made they offer them more hearts and anointed their faces with blood† (Andrea and Overfield 463). The sacrifices involved anointing these idols with sacrificial blood. The market place formed an important part of their culture. Cortes, who led the Spanish forces that conquered the Aztecs, reported, â€Å"This city has many squares where trading is done, and markets are held continuously† (Andrea and Overfield 462) Cortes continued to expound on the expanse of the market and the range of merchandise. He indicated that he could not report all of them saying â€Å"but they are so many and so varied† (Andrea and Overfield 463). The Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in 1521, after which they introduced Christianity to the inhabitants of the fallen empire. However, despite the intr oduction of Christianity, their transformation was not complete as they continued with some of their cultural practices. Andrea and Overfield presented an excerpt from the writings of Duran. Duran served as a priest from 1556 until his death in 1588. One of the ways that the priest noted remained unchanged was attendance to the market places. The markets, as previously indicated, formed a chief part of the Aztec culture. The markets were operational throughout, and people were compelled by law to attend the market fairs. Duran observed that the custom of attending markets after a number of days continued among the people. He wrote, â€Å"The markets were so inviting, pleasurable, appealing, and gratifying to these people that great crowds attended, and still attend†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Andrea and Overfield 405). He further noted that when the market days were on Sundays, no one attended the mass. He noted, â€Å"Occasionally, this falls on Sunday, and no one hears the mass in the area o f the town where the market is held† (Andrea and Overfield 405). This attachment to the market place was so strong that it was placed first before Christianity. Duran presented this in what he thought was the most probable reply from a woman choosing between heaven and the market. He perceived the woman would say, â€Å"Allow me to go to the market first, and then I will go to heaven† (Andrea and Overfield 405). Duran identified three ways through which a person could receive honor in Aztec. These included soldiery, religion and trade. Soldiery was the first and the main way, while trade was the least admired. Nevertheless, it presented a credible way of attaining honor. Traders who traded in expensive wares and acquired wealth received recognition like brave soldiers. Duran reported that â€Å"and so they were considered among the magnates of the land, just as the valorous soldier† (Andrea and Overfield 404). Thus, the market presented one way that was accessibl e to most of the people. Duran noted that this attachment to the market as a way to acquire status did not end with the introduction of Christianity by the Spaniards. He noted of how merchants saved up to twenty years and prepared expensive parties, which consumed all their savings. Duran added, â€Å"This could not be wrong except that for their celebration they await the day on which the god was honored† (Andrea and Overfield 405). This indicated the unchanged connection between trade and honor in the people’s life. Additionally, attending markets presented a form of

Explain the importance of strategic alliances in international Assignment

Explain the importance of strategic alliances in international business and the reasons why companies choose this growth strateg - Assignment Example This action of entering into foreign markets opens up the firm to benefits of economies of scale and increased opportunities for marketing and distribution. However, the cost linked with entering into foreign markets may far out-span the capabilities of a single firm (BLEEKE & ERNST 1993, 27). This then dictates the need to enter into a strategic alliance with another international firm. This has the effect of expediting the rate of entry into the foreign market albeit maintaining relative low costs (SHENKAR & REUER 2006, 71). Several logistical tussles are still to be encountered with entry into foreign markets. These tussles range from entrenched competition, unfriendly government regulation and irrelevant beauracracies (GIBBS & HUMPHRIES 2009, 45). There is a higher prospect of overcoming these obstacles when strategic alliances are employed, as contrasted to when the firm decides to venture into foreign markets on a solitary basis. There exist three core categories via which stra tegic alliance can be regarded. The first one of these is joint ventures. Joint ventures are formed when the respective companies combine to form an independent company. The respective companies decide to share the profit and loss of the new entity that will be created. One of the most notable cases where joint venture was created is that of Sony Ericson. Sony and Ericson decided to form a new entity known as Sony Ericson Mobile Communications. However, this new entity has just recently been fully owned by the Sony Corporation who renamed it Sony Mobile Communications. The next category of strategic alliances is equity strategic alliances. This entails the new partners having different percentages of equity in the new venture. Depending on the motive or goal of the strategic alliance, the partners can either opt to share equity in each other’s business on in one business. The determining factor is the reason for the strategic alliance. An example of such an alliance is that b etween Star-Bucks and Kraft. The last category of strategic alliance is non-equity strategic alliances. This is when a strategic alliance is carried out on the terms of a contract agreement rather than on the ownership basis. The relationship of this kind is usually referred to as a contractual relationship. A good example of a non-equity strategic alliance is the one between Vodafone and Telecom Malaysia. The deal was signed in 2006 whereby Vodafone was the leading partner. Strategic alliance requires a well though-out procedure to ensure the alliance is successful and realizes its intended goal(s). Prior to embarking on an alliance, firms should choose partners whose strategic goals and objectives are compatible to their own. The firm should take into consideration the extent to which synergy will be availed. Additionally, firms should endeavour to participate in strategic alliances that complement the firm. This translates to mean that, firms ought to engage in alliances that wil l complement their skills, their products and services in addition to its market share. Akin to all business agreements, rules and regulations must be incorporated into strategic alliances. These factors are divided into scope of operation and length of cooperation. The scope of operation entails partners agreeing on how to handle potentially competitively sensitive information. Secondly, it expounds on what will be shared and what will

Financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Financial management - Essay Example The analysis is conducting implying accounting theories and principles. Caterpillar Inc is a leading American heavy equipment and machinery manufacturer and distributor. The company is a subsidiary of Caterpillar (CAT). The company is recognized as the leading manufacturer of construction machinery, equipment, engines and turbines. According to the Fortune 500 listing the company ranks number one among 44 industries across the globe and is currently headquartered in Peroria, Illinois (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The Company was initially established in 1925 under the name of Caterpillar Tractor Company that was then re-organized under the name of Caterpillar Inc in 1986 (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The primary operations of the company compresses manufacturing and distribution, having manufacturing plant located in more than 110 facilities across the globe among that 51 plants are located in United States and others are located in the different countries worldwide. In addition, the company also provides financial services to its customers in order to provide financial alternatives for the customers to acquire Caterpillar Products. The company acquires assets of net worth, more than US$89 billion with an average revenue turnover of US$55.6 billion (Annual Report: Caterpillar Inc., 2014). The growth and expansion of the company are subjected to its effective financial management practice and performance. The outlook of the financial practices and policies of the company are analyzed to evaluate financial management practices of the company. Caterpillar has constantly expanded with the passage and sustained its financial performance in different economic conditions. The company has ensured its financial practices and policies anticipating its financial positioning in the global market. The section of the report

In-Licensing in Pharma Essay Example for Free

In-Licensing in Pharma Essay INTRODUCTION The process of bringing a new drug to market is an extremely expensive one, often costing above $200 million. This enormous cost can be explained by the fact that a very small fraction of molecules in research and development ultimately become pharmaceutical products. However, the rewards of a successful new product can be tremendous generating, depending on the therapeutic areas in which the product will be used and the disease it will directed to, from millions to billions of dollars of sales annually worldwide. Many pharmaceutical companies are facing a pipeline gap because of the increasing economic burden and uncertainty associated with internal research and development programs designed to develop new pharmaceutical products. The need for large pharmaceutical companies to constantly replenish the supply of potential blockbusters requires a consistent and dedicated approach to drug RD. However no longer is inhouse research expertise sufficient. To fill this pipeline gap, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly relying on in-licensing opportunities. Business development and licensing department identifies new pharmaceuticals that satisfy unmet needs and are a good strategic fit for the company, completes valuation models and forecasts, evaluates the ability of the company to develop and launch products, and pursues in-licensing agreements for pharmaceuticals that cannot be developed internally on a timely basis. The in-licensing process provides a source of new drugs to a given company to supplement internal laboratory research, to reach the company’s goal in term of present and future portfolio. As competition in the pharmaceutical market continues to grow, effective business development strategies become critical to maintain momentum and improve global market share for the leading pharma companies. An increasing proportion of revenues are expected to be generated from licensed products and as a result licensing will become an ever more important component of the overall business development mix (source: Wood Mackenzie’s Licensing insight Multi-Client study, April 2003) The in-licensing process might imply enormous effort by the company. It can be compared to the proverbial search for a needle in the haystack. First, the haystacks are large and require a massive amount of searching. Second, no one knows how many needs are in the haystack. There might be none, or multiple. Third, the search is conducted in public and multiple companies compete for innovative therapies, and resource allocation and financial aspect play a role in such competition. The key to pursing in-licensing opportunities is rapidly to identify individuals and companies with the intellectual property sought by the company. New business development teams maintain a business development customer relationship management information system. The information stored in this system has been gathered from personal networking contacts, industry available organization directories, membership directories, commercially PubMed, and online databases. The system contains the contact information, therapeutic interest areas, development stage information for products in development, and other relevant information needed to identify potential in-licensing partners, such as key clinical researchers, biotechnology companies, and small specialty pharmaceutical companies. A search of this system provides a list of potential inlicensing partners. To supplement this list, the new business development team begins a systematic marketing campaign in select industry trade publications and Web sites to promote the company’s desire for an in-licensing partner. The campaign highlights the company’s strengths in clinical development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing. Information regarding the type of product desired (therapeutic class, clinical development stage, and so forth) and the type of licensing agreement being sought is specified. From the list of potential in-licensing partners, the new business development team selects the most appropriate candidates and begins to evaluate the feasibility of in-licensing each potential partner’s product. Despite there is no standard formal process in in-licensing of pharmaceutical products, it is quite standard to utilize a stepwise approach, composed of go/no go gates, that can be summarised in the following stages: 1. evaluation of potential in-licensing opportunities 2. first pass review 3. product evaluation 4. due diligence 5. in-licensing contractual negotiation and deal closing. This stages are ordered following a timeline perspective, so to have a subsequent flow of actions. The approach includes examining opportunities from other pharmaceutical companies and from academic centers involved in research. Once the opportunity has been identified, the first pass review consist generally in the evaluation of information provided by the potential licenser, the medical and scientific literature, and specialised consultant if there is a in-house gap in specific knowledge. This initial step has often been based on a ‘’gut feeling’’ and the company overall strategy in term of therapeutic area focus. For those opportunities not rejected in the first pass review, a more detailed evaluation of the scientific, commercial and financial issues, are undertaken. Additional people with various area of expertise participate in this secondary evaluation. Only if the entire evaluation is positive the opportunity is taken to senior management, that finally approves the in-licensing after due diligence and a full negotiation on terms of the agreement. One aspect that is often underestimated in in-licensing opportunity is the in depth commercial assessment of the putative candidate, leaving the go/no-go decision mainly at strategic fit in terms of therapeutic area focus or financial aspect taken from capital budgeting calculations. In this regards, sales forecast plays a critical role in assessing the net present value of the in-licensing opportunity, but they need to be supported by a complete, although preliminary, full product evaluation. This evaluation has to include external analysis in the context of the future scenario, internal analysis of the given putative candidate, and a preliminary but clear product strategy. The scope of the development of a qualitative model for a full product evaluation in the context of an putative in-licensing opportunity is to define the key relevant steps within the full product evaluation related to commercial aspect that are critical for the precise and coherent definition of the sales potential of the product, that will used in the Capital Budgeting (e.g. Net Present Value) models to assess the financial aspect of the opportunity and set the basis for the full negotiation. Common financial analysis measures for valuation of an in-licensing opportunity Pay Back Period (PBP) Length of time required to recover the cost of an investment Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analyzes future free cash flow projections and discounts them using the after tax weighted average cost of capital to arrive at a present value (value in local currency at the time of analysis); DCF analysis estimates the money a company would receive from an investment and adjusts for the time value of money.

History of Genetic Engineering

History of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering is a deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. This chapter describes how work carried out between 1970s and 1980s produced technologies that researchers now use to manipulate the genetic material of organisms. Key concepts covered: Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which genetic material from one organism is introduced into another organism and then replicated and expressed by that other organism. Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. Recombinant-DNA technology has been used to make insulin and other human proteins for medicine. Recombinant DNA The prospect of recombinant DNA emerged from two advances in biochemistry: (1) Discoveries of restriction enzymes that act as scissors to cut molecules of DNA at specific nucleotide sequences; and (2) Discoveries of DNA ligases enzymes that forge molecular bonds. Creation of First Recombinant DNA (1972) In 1972, Paul Berg (1926- ), a biochemistry professor at Stanford University, created the first recombinant DNA molecule. He first isolated the DNA molecules from two different organisms, the SV40 monkey virus and a bacterial virus known as Lamdba bacteriophage (or phage ÃŽÂ »).   Using a cut-and-splice method, he created sticky ends in the DNA of both viruses. Then he joined them together with DNA ligase. Invention of Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology (1973) Recombinant-DNA technology is a technology in which a rDNA plasamid is introduced into bacteria and then replicated and expressed by that bacteria. It was invented through the work of Herbert W. Boyer (1936- ), Stanley N. Cohen (1935- ), Paul Berg, and Janet Mertz (1949- ). After Berg created the first recombinant DNA molecules in 1972, Boyer and Cohen took Bergs work a step further by introducing the rDNA plasmid to E. coli bacterial cells. A plasmid is DNA, found in bacteria, that is separate from and can replicate independently of the bacteriums chromosomal DNA. The phenomenon of transformation permits the rDNA plasmid to be introduced into and expressed by E. coli cells. The bacteria containing the rDNA plasmid grow on petri dishes to form tiny colonies. But in a typical procedure, only 1 in about 10,000 bacteria cells takes up the rDNA plasmid. The rDNA plasmid must contain a selectable gene so that they can be efficiently picked up   from the culture. This can be done by using a drug-resistance gene to make the rDNA plasmid resistant to antibiotics such as tetracycline.   Adding tetracycline to the culture will ensure that only the bacteria with the rDNA plasmids survive. In 1974, at the urge of Standford Universitys patent office, Boyer and Cohen filed a patent for recombinant DNA technology. Asilomar Conferences Potential dangers of recombinant genetic engineering emerged even before Berg published his landmark 1972 paper. Although the SV40 virus was thought to be harmless for human, Borg was concerned about the prospect of an altered form of the virus spreading through a common bacteria. So he deferred part of his research program, and did not insert the recombinant virus into bacterial cells as he originally planned. In 1973, Berg organized a small conference at Asilomar, California to address the growing concerns about gene-manipulation technology. In 1974 Berg published a widely discussed letter on the potential dangers of recombinant DNA research. Subsequently, a moratorium on research in 1975 (Asilomar II) provided time for regulations to be devised and put into effect in 1976. Gene Sequencing, Gene Splicing, and Reverse Transcription Gene Sequencing Gene sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It includes any method that is used to determine the order of the four bases A, G, C, and T in a strand of DNA. Frederick Sanger (1918-2013), a biochemist in England, is a pioneer of sequencing. He has received two Nobel prizes: one for the sequencing of proteins (in 1958), the other for the sequencing of DNA (in 1980). In the early 1950s, Sanger had solved the sequencing of a protein using a sequence of degradation reactions. A protein is made up of a sequence of amino acids strung into a chain. To identify the sequence of a protein, Sanger would snap off one amino acid from the end of the chain, dissolve it in solvents, and identify it chemically. He would repeat the degradation and identification process until he reached the end of the protein. In the mid-1960s, Sanger switched his focus from protein to DNA. But his methods that had worked so well for proteins didnt work for DNA. Proteins are chemically structured such that amino acids can be serially snapped off the chain but with DNA, no such tools existed. In 1971, Sanger devised a gene-sequencing technique using the copying reaction of DNA polymerase. At first, the method was inefficient and error-prone because the copying reaction was too fast. In 1975, He made an ingenious modification. He doctored the copying reaction with a series of chemicals variants of A, C, G, and T -that were still recognized by DNA polymerase, but slowed down its copying ability. On February 24, 1977, Sanger used this technique to reveal the full sequence of   phi X 174 (or ÃŽÂ ¦X174) bacteriophage. Gene Splicing In 1977, scientists discovered that most animal (and animal virus) proteins were not encoded in long, continuous stretches of DNA. They were split into modules, interrupted by regions called introns that do not hold protein-encoding information. By splitting the genes into modules, a cell could generate more combination of messages out of a single gene. When a DNA with introns is used to build RNA the introns have to be removed from the RNA message. This phrase for the process is called gene splicing or RNA splicing. Reverse Transcription In 1970, David Baltimore (1938- ) and Howard Temin (1934-94), two virologists, discovered an enzyme that could build DNA from an RNA template. They called the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Using this enzyme, every RNA in a cell could be used as a template to build its corresponding DNA. The production of proteins from recombinant DNA represented a crucial transition in the history of medical technology. To understand the impact of this transition from genes to medicine we need to understand the nature of drugs. Nearly every drug works by binding to its target and enabling or disabling it turning molecular switches on or off. To be useful, a drug must bind to its switches but to only a selected set of switches. Most molecules can barely achieve this level of specificity but proteins have been designed explicitly for this purpose. Proteins are the enabler and disablers, the regulators, the gatekeepers, the operators, of cellular reactions. They are the switches that most drugs seek to turn on or off. Proteins are thus poised to be some of the most potent and most discriminating medicines in the pharmacological world. But to make a protein, one needs its gene and here recombinant DNA technology provided the crucial link. The cloning of human gens allowed scientists to manufacture proteins and the synthesis of proteins opened the possibility of targeting the millions of biochemical reactions in the human body. Proteins made it possible for chemists to intervene on previously impenetrable aspects of our physiology. The use of recombinant DNA to produce proteins thus marked a transition not just between one gene and one medicine, but between genes and anovel universe of drugs. Founding of Genetech (1975) In 1975, Robert Swanson (1947-99), a venture capitalist, approached Herb Boyer with a proposal to starting a company that would use gene-cloning techniques to make medicines. Boyer was fascinated. His own son had been diagnosed with a potential growth disorder, and Boyer had been gripped by the possibility of producing human growth hormone, a protein to treat such growth defects. Three hours after they met, Swanson and Boyer had reached a tentative agreement to start such a company with seed moneys from venture firms. Boyer called this company Genentech a condensation of Genetic Engineering Technology. Synthesis of Insulin (1978) Purified animal-sourced insulin was the only type of insulin available to diabetics until genetic advances occurred later with medical research. The amino acid structure of insulin was characterized in 1953 by Frederick Sanger. The protein was made up of two chains (A and B) one larger and one smaller, cross-linked by chemical bonds. Boyers plan for the synthesis of insulin was simple. He did not have the gene for human insulin at hand no one did but he would build it from scratch using DNA chemistry, nucleotide by nucleotide, triplet upon triplet. He would make one gene for the A chain, and another gene for the B chain. He would insert both the genes in bacteria and trick them to synthesizing the human proteins.. He would purify the two protein chains and then stitch them chemically to obtain the U-shaped molecule. But Boyer was cautious. He wanted an easier test case before lunging straight for insulin.   He focused on another protein somatostatin also a hormone, but with little commercial potential. To synthesize the somatostatin gene from scratch, Boyer recruited Keiichi Itakura and Art Riggs from the City of Hope in Los Angeles. Swanson was opposed to the whole plan. He wanted Boyer to move to insulin directly. Genentech was living in borrowed space on borrowed money. Still Boyer convinced Swanson to give somatostatin a chance. In the meantime, two teams of of geneticist had also entered the race to make insulin. One at Harvard and the other one at UCSF. By the fall of 1977, they succeeded in synthesizing somatostatin, and started focusing on insulin. At this time, the competition was fierce. The Harvard team had apparently cloned the native human gene out of human cells and were ready to make the protein. The UCSF team has synthesized a few micrograms of protein and were planning to inject the human hormone into patients. It was Asilomar that came to their rescue. Like most University laboratories with federal funding, the UCSF team was bounded by the Asilomar restrictions on recombinant DNA. In contrast, Boyers team had decided to use a chemically synthesized version of the insulin gene. A synthetic gene DNA created as a naked chemical fell into the gray zone of Asilomars language and was relatively exempt. Genentech, as a privately funded company, was also relatively exempt from the federal guidelines. In the summer of 1978, Boyer learned that the Harvard team was about to announce successful isolation of the human hormone gene. To his relief, the gene that the Harvard team had cloned was not human but rate insulin. Cloning had made it easy to cross the barriers between species. By May 1978, Genentech had synthesized the two chains of insulin in bacteria. By July, the scientists had purified the proteins out of the bacteria debris. In early August, they snipped of the the attached bacterial proteins and isolated the two individual chains.   On August 21, 1978, they joined the protein chains together in a test tube to create the first molecules of recombinant insulin. In September 1979, Genentech applied for a patient for insulin. The Genetech patent would soon become one of the most lucrative petents in the history of technology. Synthesis of factor VIII (1983) Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesnt clot normally. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury. You also may bleed inside your body (internally), especially in your knees, ankles, and elbows. This bleeding can damage your organs and tissues and may be life threatening. Hemophilia is caused by a single mutation in the gene for a crucial clotting factor in blood, called factor VIII, and, until the mid-1980s, was treated with injections of concentrated factor VIII. During 1982 and early 1983, an emergence of mysterious immunological collapse among patients with multiple blood transfusions pinpointed the cause of the illness to blood-born factor that had contaminated the supply of factor VIII -a virus called AIDS. Nearly all the HIV-infacted hemophiliacs from the initial cohort had died of the complications of AIDS. In the spring of 1983, Dave Goeddel (1951- ) at Genentech began to focus on cloning the factor VIII gene. Meanwhile, a team of researchers from Harvard, lead by Tom Maniatis (1943- ) and Mark Ptashne (1940- ), formed a company called Genetics Institute (GI) also joined the race. As with insulin, the logic behind the cloning effort was evident: rather than purifying the missing clotting factor out of liters of human blood, why not create the protein artificially, using gene cloning? If factor VIII could be produced through gene-cloning methods, it would be virtually free of any human contaminants, i=thereby rendering it inherently safer than any blood-derived protein. Genetech knew that the factor VIII project would challenge the outer limits of gene-cloning technology. Somatostatin had 14 amino acids; insulin had 51. Factor VIII had 2,350. To succeed, the gene cloners would need to use new cloning technologies   Both the somatstatin and insulin genes had been created from scratch by stitching together bases of DNA. But factor VIII gene was far too large to be created using DNA chemistry. To isolate the factor VIII gene, Genetech would need to tpull the native gene out of human cells. Tom Maniatis of GI, found a solution: he had pioneered the technology to build genes out of RNA   templateds using reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that could build DNA from RNA. Reverse transcriptase made it possible to clone a gene after the intervening stuffer sequences had been snipped off by the cells splicing apparatus. In April, 1983, both Genentech and GI announced that they had purified recombinant factor VIII in test tubes a blood-clotting factor untainted by human blood. The production of factor VIII from its gene broke an important conceptual ground. The fears of Asilomar had been perfectly inverted. And gene cloning had emerged as potentially the safest way to produce a medical product for human use.  

Overcoming Marital Conflict :: essays research papers fc

Overcoming Marital Conflict Marriages are made, not in heaven, but by wonderfully fallible human beings who hope for the best, but who often do precious little to make this most challenging and complicated relationship work. From the very first couple and their differing view point over the apple to modern times, men and women have always disagreed. Both sexes are born with inherently different personality traits. Although mankind knows they will never see eye to eye with the opposite; they still are attracted to them, perhaps for that very reason. Unfortunately it also means there will be unavoidable conflict in the union of a woman and man. Woman's inherent sexuality and the widely dissimilar sexuality of her mate is one of the primary conflicts in marriage. They will also find diversity in their views on sex, communication, emotional expression, nearly every aspect in their lives. Sex has made marriages and broken them. Great relationships do not always translate into wonderful sex! Many couples love each other deeply, but still don't have a fulfilling sexual relationship. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) wrote in The New Spirit, "The omnipresent process of sex, as it is woven into the whole texture of our man's or woman's body, is the pattern of all the process of life". This leads me to believe our sexuality is the core to ourselves. Unfortunately there are so many variants between men and women emotionally that unavoidable conflicts will surface in the bedroom. Adam and Eve are the only union who ever had the freedom of entering marriage and lovemaking with no preconceived ideas no hang-ups, and no inhibitions. Men and women each possess different outlooks toward the act of sex. Most women need an emotional connection prior to experiencing a truly satisfying sexual encounter. Whereas men tend to avoid deeply emotional bonding. Men can be happy with superficial love, not that all men stop there. Women also feel affection is the essential cement of her relationship with a man. She marries a man that cares about her, and she wants him to express his care often. Without it she usually feels alienated from him. With it she will become emotionally bonded to him. Learning the sexual outlook of each other's partner will increase the ability to deal with the sexual conflicts that materialize. Fear of failure and rejection and the belief that something is wrong infiltrates many sexual experiences. Case studies show that most couples who complain of sexual problems in their marriages are really experiencing a deeper problem. Letting go of assumptions, most of which come from books, movies, and fantasies, and sharing desires and fears with their mate, their individual