Monday, September 30, 2019

Juliet’s speech in Act 4, Scene 3 Essay

Juliet’s speech in Act 4, Scene 3, filled with much classic Shakesperean imagery, is a turning point in the play for Juliet in which she wrestles with the conflicts in her life and then ultimately comes to a decision. It encompasses all the major themes in the play and many ideas all come together for the first time in this passage. First of all, this soliloquy deals with fear, of what will happen if she takes the potion and of what will happen if she doesn’t. Secondly, it concerns time, specifically the recurring night and darkness motif. Thirdly, it discusses love and death, the two major contrasting themes. Lastly, it introduces or reintroduces other opposites, such as reality versus appearance, which was the major metaphor in Juliet’s earlier speech. If one had to summarize this speech in just a few words, one would say it was an inner monologue about fear, in which Juliet worries about all the possible problems that could befall her. When she says â€Å"I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins, that almost freezes up the heat of life†, she is saying that she has a bad feeling something unfortunate is going to happen that may result in death. She even says, â€Å"God knows when we shall meet again† which shows that she isn’t sure what terrible consequences there may be from drinking the potion. Initially she worries â€Å"What if it do not work at all?† and that she’ll have to â€Å"be married then to-morrow morning† with Paris. Then, she becomes afraid that it’s a poison, which the friar â€Å"subtly hath minister’d to have me dead† so that he should not be punished for marrying her to Romeo. Next, she fears that she should awaken before Romeo arrives. Here, she imagines herself â€Å"stifled in the vault†, in other words that she dies suffocated because there is no â€Å"healthsome air†, or scared to death because of â€Å"the terror of the place†, and being â€Å"packed† amidst â€Å"the bones of all my buried ancestors†, including Tybalt. After that, she envisions the spirits she has heard stories about coming out to haunt her at the graveyard. Lastly, she worries she’s going to go crazy and, in her madness, kill herself. This is obviously foreshadowing, particularly in the lines â€Å"if I wake, shall I not be distraught†, since when she does wake, she finds Romeo’s dead body, and in the lines â€Å"dash out my desperate brains†, which represents that she is going to commit suicide. Clearly, fear is present throughout the entire speech until she gets carried away enough  to dare to drink the potion. Another recurring theme in this speech, which comes up again and again in the play, is night. The line â€Å"the horrible conceit of death and night† is very important as it ties together for the first time the two principal antitheses in the play, life and death and day and night. Here she is saying that if it is completely dark, she will be scared to death and therefore to lie there in the darkness of the vault is to be as good as dead. Before, darkness meant Romeo could be hidden by the night so he could go see Juliet and was therefore ironically associated with good things while light and the day brought them separation and troubles and was therefore associated with bad things. However, now the night represents for Juliet what it usually does for us, which is darkness, misery and death. Later, Shakespeare returns to the ironic implications of night as brighter times as it is during the night that Juliet is safe and things go according to plan, whereas the minute dawn breaks, confusion reigns again and the lovers take their lives. The night-related imagery is used here to paint a dark and gloomy picture of the tomb to make Juliet seem even more courageous and thus for the audience to sympathize with her. Love and death are two of the major themes throughout the play, which in a way contrast one another and in a way are dependent on one another. The entire speech is about Juliet questioning her love for Romeo and whether she is willing to sacrifice her life to remain true to her love. She contrasts what will happen if she doesn’t drink the potion and has to marry Paris, with the prospect of death if she does drink it. After listing all the possible disasters that could befall her as a result of drinking the liquor, she ends with â€Å"Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, here’s drink! I drink to thee!†. This tells us that to Juliet, marrying Paris is a fate worse than death and that she is willing to risk her life for Romeo. So, her love toward him is both a savior as that is what motivated her to drink the potion and escape her doom but it is also her ruin as their adoration for each other is what kills them both in the end. Another way to say this is that risking death will bring her love but death itself will take him away. Throughout this entire passage, there is this ominous threat of death, foreshadowing the outcome of  the play. Specifically, the phrases â€Å"God knows when we shall meet again†, â€Å"freezes up the heat of life†, â€Å"if I wake, shall I not be distraught† and â€Å"dash out my desperate brains† all hint at what will happen and tell us that Juliet had made up her mind and is willing to die for Romeo. This speech incorporates many opposites or antitheses that Shakespeare employs constantly in this drama. Some of these are in the concrete language such as the contrast at the beginning of this speech between hot and cold. The simile â€Å"I have a faint cold fear†¦that almost freezes up the heat of life† is very poetic and clever because life represents the warmth and passion between the two lovers, their â€Å"heat† and her fear is of death, which turns a body cold. Another example of opposites is when Juliet questions whether the potion is a poison or an antidote to her troubles. There are also metaphorical opposites, below the surface of the text, such as reality versus appearance. The main subject of this extract is the false death, which makes her seem dead but she is really alive. Later, the word â€Å"act† on line 19 also ties in to this symbol as it relates to theatricality and pretending to be someone or something that you are not. Clearly, opposites are very important in this passage because during the entire speech, Juliet is weighing her possibilities and asking herself what will happen if she does drink it and what will happen if she doesn’t. Inside, she is comparing what her life will be like with Paris and what her life will be like with Romeo. This speech is, I believe, an extremely important one in the play. It is truly the moment where what has happened and what will happen come together in Juliet’s decision that she would sacrifice herself out of love for Romeo. Parallel to that coming together in the plot is an assemblage of many images that have been used previously. It is also important because it is in my opinion the moment that Juliet enters into adulthood. In the lines â€Å"I needs must act alone†, Juliet is finally ready to leave the comfort of being a child and make her own choices in life. Her fears are natural; everyone fears change, the unfamiliar, and so, part of Juliet’s worries in this speech are those of having to move on and make her own way for herself in a world full of hardships and obstacles. In the end, she takes comfort in  Romeo, whom she expects to be there when she awakens, and drinks to him. Throughout the speech, beautiful imagery is used and the five senses are incorpo rated to make the scene come to life in order for the audience to sympathize with the lovers before their tragic deaths.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Examine Sociological Theories Essay

Examine sociological theories that explain the ethnic dimension to crime and deviance (21 marks) Recent statistics show that black people are five times more likely to be in prison than whites. Ethnic groups are heavily over represented in prisons. Waddington et al investigated whether ethnic groups were targeted by the police and whether they were treated unfairly. Waddington et al concluded that these ethnic minorities were stopped and searched more because they were out on the street at the time. His research could be criticised because he only interviewed the police, he didn’t interview the groups that were treated by the police. This would result in the police possibly lieing and saying that they treat the black people just as equally as they treat white people. Phillips and Bowling would disagree with Waddington et al as they believe that the over policing of ethnic neighbourhoods creates resentment. After the death of Stephen Lawrence the McPherson report stated that poor black areas were over policed but under protected. This would again back up Phillips and Bowling and their theory of over policing in poor black areas. This angers the people in these poor areas because of the fact that the police are only targeting them for certain crimes such as drugs. The report states that they will randomly pick on a working class black male rather than someone else for a stop and search as they believe these people are more likely to be holding drugs. This leaves the rest of the people under protected because the police aren’t concentrating on other crimes such as robbery or assault. Skolnick believes that most police stereotype the young black male as being a typical offender. He says that these stereotypical beliefs come from the ‘canteen culture’ and it is this belief that backs up Phillips and Bowling, as they would say that this belief would lead to the over policing in the poor black areas. Drabble investigated whether black people were treated unfairly in the courts. He found that blacks were more likely to be charged with more serious forms of offence than whites, whites were more likely to be cautioned whereas blacks were more likely to be prosecuted. This is evidence of institutional racism mentioned in the McPherson report. Hood found that black people were more like to receive custodial sentences even though other punishments such as fines and community service were available alternatives. Fitzgerald researched ethnic minority street crime in London. He interviewed young ethnic minority offenders and their mothers and found that the higher the levels of deprivation in an area, the higher the levels of crime. It is a statistic that Afro Caribbean households are more likely to be headed by lone parent families, which then results in higher crime in the family. This links in with Charles Murray who said that lone parent families would result in higher chances of failure at score and therefore higher chances of them turning to crime. It also links in with left realism and Jock Young and John Lea’s theory of relative deprivation. They say that people commit crime when they feel deprived, the media stresses the importance of economic goods and some will turn to crime to get these goods. They also say marginalisation is a reason for the increase in crime because of young black men are made to feel on the edge of society with nobody to stand up for them, this causes frustration and resentment which leads to crime being committed. These reasons then cause an increase in subcultures or gangs and therefore an increase in crime. All of these researchers could be criticised as they reinforce stereotypes of the young black male as well as not looking at white, middle class crime. This would then link in with Marxism and the fact that the upper class are being treated more fairly with crime they commit than the lower class.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Theories: Criminology and Capable Guardians

Individual Theories Maria Silva CJS/240 Farrell Binder 02/16/2013 There are several theories that influence adolescents are motivated to commit crimes, while other adolescents in similar situations are not. The theories that consist of adolescents committing crimes are based on the routine activities theory, general deterrence theory, specific deterrence theory, biochemical theory, neurological theory, genetic theory, psychodynamic theory, behavioral theory, and cognitive theory.I will talk about the routine activities theory and the general deterrence theory and focus on the bad issues in which adolescents choose to commit a crime. The routine activities theory consist of three variables; â€Å"the availability of suitable targets, the absence of capable guardians, and the presence of motivated offenders. † (Juvenile Delinquency: The Core, 2005) First, the suitable targets; homes that seem very wealthy are more easily to be the crime target. Wealthy homes can contain valuable things such as, jewelry, safe box with cash, cameras, DVD’s, and anything worth value for the offender to make quick money.It is stated that many delinquents do not like to travel to commit their crimes they look around their surroundings, and speak to other children about what they have inside their homes. This is fairly easy for delinquents to commit crimes, and engage other to join in on the crime. They look for unlock homes, expensive cars and valuables worth stealing. Second, the lack of capable parents, in which adolescents feels that if they commit a crime they will unlikely to get caught. Since they believe that their crime will not be caught by a police officer, neighbors, parents, relatives, and homeowners, they will continue to commit crimes.Adolescents or delinquents look for specific safe places to commit their crimes and go undetected from certain types of guardians. Adolescents look around and see where there’s no movement around neighborhoods, where ho mes are left unattended and these become the easy targets for the offenders. In certain neighborhoods, where society is highly, there is more monitoring from guardians such as patrolling of officers, friends, family, and neighbors are less likely to be the target of their homes, and be burglarized, and broken into. Other types of capable guardians are video cameras, and alarm systems and help capture these offenders.Third, variable for routine activities theory would be motivated offender, in which adolescents are more highly motivated to commit a crime. They consist of mostly teenage boys, and unemployment. Motivated offenders select their targets based upon on the value, visibility and accessibility. Motivated offenders may choose not to break-in an unoccupied home, because the presence of a suitable target, because he feels that a guardian, such as a neighbor may spot him, captures him, or phone an officer. Another theory that is motivated in adolescents for them to commit a crim e would be general deterrence theory.General deterrence; â€Å"concept holds that the choice to commit delinquent’s acts can be controlled by the threat of punishment. † (Juvenile Delinquency: The Core, 2005). Offenders will fear of committing crimes, if they know how severe the punishment may be, if they commit the crimes. General deterrence focusses on the prevention of crime and does not focus on the offender, but the offender receives punishment in the public eye or media in order to deter other citizens to commit crimes. As well, that general deterrence theory tries to reduce the probability of committing crimes in the general population. General deterrence results from the perception of the public that laws are enforced and that there is a risk of detection and punishment when laws are violated. † (www. sociologyindex. com) All these theories have a huge effect, routine activities theory and general deterrence theory is more important for adolescents to be aware of. For instance, general deterrence theory is effective for the public, because it shows the punishment of an offender may be and at times it can be severe, helping others not to commit the same crime or any other form of crimes.Routine activities theory are helpful, but needs more of it, for example, more patrolling officers, neighborhood watch committees, more camera surveillance, and more activates or programs for adolescents. Having these types of surveillance, might help reduce crime, because offenders would see that they are watched constantly, and might be afraid to be caught. References: Juvenile Delinquency: The Core, 2005 www. sociologyindex. com

Friday, September 27, 2019

Political Conflicts in the Middle East Makes the Regional Water Essay

Political Conflicts in the Middle East Makes the Regional Water Managment Problems More Acute (Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan) - Essay Example The Middle East is known for world’s largest oil reserves which serve as one of the most important sources of revenue generation to these countries. In the meanwhile, these countries are facing an extensive shortage of underground water1 which has resulted in extensive water crisis as a result of political conflicts in the Middle East and has produced more acute water management problems. If we look into the entire world’s water distribution, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are the scarcest regions in this regard. According to NASA’s newly generated report, twin gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) satellite have released new images regarding water shortages in the areas of Middle East. It has been reported that two of the most important rivers, named Tigris and Euphrates, which are extensively responsible to cultivate Middle East region, are undergoing frightening water shortages. GRACE works on the calculation of gravitational pull based on water density present in the given region. The data received shows that Tigris and Euphrates have the second fastest rate of decrease in water storage level in the world. Reasons for extensive water loss in this region are given below: Therefore, countries like Syria extensively depend upon desalinization of sea water to meet the water crisis but it has a number of negative impacts on the environment with an increase in boron and bromine compounds in the region, which are hazardous.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Management principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management principles - Essay Example Our company will strive hard to develop itself as a foremost local fast food brand in the market. We plan to offer the most enchanting services to our customers when they visit our outlet or surf through our website. What we endeavor to deliver, is satisfaction and quality, so that we can establish mutual trust with our customers. Paramount Fast Food Services will sell quality products such as fries, hamburgers, pizzas, hot dogs, sandwiches, ice creams and soft drinks. At our restaurant, customers will enjoy the proactive support of our people. The restaurant will be designed in a manner to deliver the most relaxed atmosphere to customers. Paramount Fast Food Services restaurant will range from 80 – 100 meter square and will seat from  35-40 guests. The restaurant will remain open all through the week from 8 in the morning to midnight. We will set up the most comfortable furniture in the restaurant along with the installation of air conditioners and heaters. We will also ensure that our brochures and posters are well distributed in all the parts of the city in order to reach out to our customers. Our restaurant will be adorned with the posters and photographs that highlight our products. In addition to that, we will also be installing a television at the restaurant so that customers can enjoy the foo d while watching their favourite soccer or cricket match. We will be making special arrangements for the children by allocating a separate play area for them where they can enjoy a variety of games. Thus, the atmosphere will be such that gratifies all our customers. Moreover, take away system is also an essential part of our restaurant and it will be one of our priorities to ensure smooth progress of it. Our restaurant will be located in the heart of London near the Oval Cricket Stadium. This location is quite popular in London as people of all ages often come to watch matches during the cricket season. This area is also populated with

Asian American Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Asian American Culture - Research Paper Example In the current age of globalization, Asian traditionalists complain that the essence and their distinctly Asian culture have been Americanized and not given as much importance by the younger generations of Asian-Americans. Those who favor the current trends in the globalization of culture declare that the current trends in cultural exchange are inevitable. Based on these premises, this paper shall now seek to analyze the different aspects of one or more cultures of sub-cultures outside the Anglo-American traditions of American society. It shall describe the Asian and the American culture, compare them, and articulate the influence of the former on the latter. One of the distinctly Asian cultural qualities is their strong sense of family and family relations. Asians consider the family to be the center of their lives and the foundation of their communities (Chan, 2007). They believe that by living in harmony with their family, they can experience a full existence; and achieving a successful academic performance is the greatest joy they can bestow on their parents (Chan, 2007). The Asian has a strong bond with his family and his family also gives him the opportunities for growth which he can later use when he reaches adulthood. An Asian’s strong family values and bonds can often be seen in the business world where family run businesses are often seen in Asian communities (Asian American Influence, 2008). We see these Asian families working together in restaurants and other businesses; and with each member playing a role and contributing to the profitability of their business. Asian families also expect their children to do well in s chool and would do everything in their capacity to ensure that their children get the best education (Asian American Culture, 2008). They carry these expectations beyond the borders of their native country as migrants to the United States or to other Western nations. Asian

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Assignment 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 9 - Essay Example Firstly, with regards to the RIAA, it comes as this prize that this group fundamentally reject any form of copyright infringement and/work piracy. The most obvious reason and rationale behind this is with regards fact that the that the RIAA represents a massive number of entities that derive their profitability the fact that individuals legally acquire the products and services that they offer. However, instead of directly discussing the level of financial harm that this does to the RIAA and its bottom line, the website promotes an understanding of the fact that the individual who engages in copyright infringement and/work piracy is directly hurting the individual artist at the very lowest levels of their organization. This commons as somewhat of a surprise due to the fact that the major record companies generally cell a new CD for approximately $15-$16. Of this $15-$16, the individual artist is only receiving approximately $1.60 per records sold. As can be seen, this 10% is negligib le in terms of damages effected upon the artist himself/herself. This is of course not say that copyright infringement work high receipt has little to no effect upon the artist; however, it does help to underscore a level of understanding with regards to why the RIAA is so flagrantly and aggressively advocating the loss of profits that such a process entails. Comparatively, groups such as Piratbyran seek to promote a world in which a free flow of information is both possible and realized. Within groups such as Piraybyran, individuals believe that an alternative method of economics can readily exist that would help to connect the potential user directly to the artist thereby maximizing profitability for the one should be most rewarded and gutting the middleman out of the process entirely. Moreover, the rationale and logic of the particular position that such a group supports is with respect to an understanding that that in and of itself represents a situation in which a good is taken ceases to exist within the possession of the original holder. However, with regards to software piracy and copyright infringement, merely a copy is passed on to another individual with the primary good still being within control of the original holder; thereby signifying that no such that has taken place top Although both of these viewpoints represent reasonable approaches to the issue of copyright infringement in the way in which the world will continue to develop, it is the belief of this author that a middle ground necessarily exists. Seizing upon this middle ground, firms such as Apple and a litany of others have begun offering services such as iTunes which allow individual consumers to directly download content to their personal devices without being charged exorbitant fees they might be charged within a traditional brick and mortar store. In such a way, not only is the individual able to have access to electronic content with a mere click of the mouse, the artist is also able to derive a higher degree of profitability from their output as compared to traditional record releases that it defined so much of the past several decades. Finally, it must be understood that the moral high ground that the RIAA is seeking to take is something much less noble than it claims to

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Report of Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Report of Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Its system of administration is monarchy based and this continues to be so since its establishment and foundation. The Kingdom generates most of its wealth through oil exploration in the Eastern provinces of the state. So large are the oil reserves that it has been categorized as having the second largest oil reserves in the world. Its government, therefore, relies mostly on revenue generated from oil exports to fund development activities in the Kingdom. Such massive income from oil exports have enabled its government to transform the desert city into a modern economy flooded with modern architecture and infrastructure, using the latest technology available. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has an estimated population of approximately 28 million. Out of this figure, approximately 17 million are citizens of the Kingdom, while 9 million are registered expatriates. The remaining 2 million are illegal immigrants living in the kingdom (The World Fact Book, 2013). The age structure of a given population plays an important role in determining the most important socioeconomic aspects in development. For instance, a nation that constitutes majority of young population needs to consider investing in education facilities such as schools and colleges. Another importance for age structure is to help predict the political situation in the future. For example, high population of youthful citizen without employment may result to civil unrest in the country. The age structure of Saudi Arabia, therefore, is diversified in nature. The population between the ages of 0 to 14 years constitutes 28.8% of the total population with 3,913,775 being males and 3,727,767 being females. 19.8% of the population is between the ages of 15 to 24 years with 2,811,407 being males and 2,439,978 being females. Ages between 25 to 54 years command the majority population gathering

Monday, September 23, 2019

Tackling Fraud in NHS of Scotland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tackling Fraud in NHS of Scotland - Essay Example Fraud in NHS Scotland costs an astonishing 100 million a year (Kelbie, 2008). However, NHSScotland Counter Fraud Services (CFS), which was set up as a deterrent safeguard against the further illegal activity, is empowered to discover, examine and trial cases of potential NHS fraud. "It is estimated that 14 million in NHS fraud savings have been made since the agency was established in July 2000." The Crown proudly announced that the NHS savings recouped from the potentially fraudulent activity is equal to the staffing costs of nearly 750 additional nurses or 120 extra consultants. In the alternative, it would fund enough resources for upwards of 2000 hip operation replacements or nearly 100,000 MRI scans, or nearly 200,000 emergency facility attendances (Crown, 2008). In the area of greatest savings, it was determined from two investigations that the greatest annualised cost recoupments were in gold dental inlay fraud reduction and ophthalmic service containment. These two spearheaded and particularized strategic investigations returned more than 2.2m on an annualised basis. The enormity of the savings in just two areas of concern highlights just how pervasive and ubiquitous the problem is (NHS, 2005/2006). The fraudulent activity most rampantly perpetuated involves patients who claim exemption from NHS charges for "dental treatment, optical vouchers and prescription charges; using false identities or fake prescriptions, and using the NHS for treatments free of charge." (Kelbie, 2008).

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Grading System Essay Example for Free

Grading System Essay This system is a complex topic that involves philosophical, pedagogical, and pragmatic issues for all students. We all have our own ideas of how grades should be assigned, and what they should tell us about the students performance. This grading system rests on the assumption that the level of student performance will not vary much from class to class. In this system the instructor usually determines the percentage of students assigned each grade, although it may be determined (or at least influenced) by departmental policy. All information supplied to the National Statistics Office is treated as strictly confidential. This information is used solely in the compilation of statistical reports. No information on individual returns can be given to any external public or private entity. The National Statistics Office (NSO) is the major statistical agency responsible in collecting, compiling, classifying, producing, publishing, and disseminating general-purpose statistics in the Philippines. It coverings of areas from leyte specially tacloban,capoocan , abuyog ,etc. The main objective of this paper is to propose an effective and friendly used grading system in DATAMEX. It shows the final grades of a student and the computation of the grade both midterm and finals. This proposal helps the student to be aware to their grade if he/she is failed or pass the specific subject The National Statistics Office (NSO) was first called the Bureau of the Census and Statistics (BCS) under Commonwealth Act. No. 591 approved on August 19, 1940. The BCS was created to consolidate statistical activities of the government under the executive direction of the President of the Philippines. Transferred to the BCS were the powers, functions and duties of the Statistics Division of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce; Civil Registry Division of the National Library; and Statistics Division of the Bureau of Customs. Also transferred to the BCS were the personnel, equipment, unexpended appropriations, records, documents, supplies and other property upon or prior to the completion of the census taken in accordance with the provision of C. A. 170, the act creating the Commission of Census. On January 1, 1941, the BCS was transferred (under Executive Order No. 392) to the then Department of Trade. Presidential Decree No 418 issued on March 20, 1974 reconstituted the BCS into a new agency known as the National Census and Statistics Office (NCSO) under the administrative supervision of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In 1987, by virtue of Executive Order No. 121 entitled â€Å"Reorganizing and Strengthening the Philippine Statistical System and for Other Purposes†, the NCSO was renamed National Statistics Office (NSO) under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President. Executive Order No. 149 dated December 28, 1993 was issued by the Office of the President entitled â€Å"Streamlining of the Office of the President†. By virtue of this order, the NSO was placed again under the administrative supervision of the NEDA for effective policy and program coordination and integration. Executive Order No. 5, approved on October 23, 1999 is the most recent development. It mandated the â€Å"Strengthening of the National Statistics Office†. The order strengthens NSO through decentralization of statistics generation activities, transformation of Central Office Units into more developmental planning and evaluation units, and increased application of information technology in its operations to efficiently and effectively perform its mandated functions. 1. Is there any significance between the manual grading systems to the computerized grading system? 2. Is Manual grading system gives more accurate, efficiency and easy to use than the computerized grading system? 3. Is manual grading system makes the task easier and less consuming of time than the computerized grading system? Hypotheses 1. The computerized grading system is more significance than the manual as follows: a. No using of paper and pencil. b. Rush hour submission of grades. c. A slow process of retrieving and releasing of records. 2. All the results from the gathered by teacher from the students grades has capable to enter efficiency and has a friendly used. The study limited itself to the workers employed in both unionized and non-unionized establishments employing 20 more workers that operate in the National Statistic Office. The main justification for this choice was to make a comparison of the unionization tendencies of workers coming from two types of economies – one urban and the other rural; one which has a high union density as against another with a relatively low union density; one which is principally an industrial economy and another which is basically agricultural. In this sense, respondents from the Metro Manila stood for those workers coming from the urbanized, industrialized, and highly unionized parts of the Philippines, while Ilocos Sur respondents represented workers coming from the rural, agricultural and low union density regions. It was also a means to explain the non-union phenomenon in light of the socio-cultural differences of the respondents, one set of workers being composed of mixed ethnic groups, and the other predominantly Ilocanos. It was also a means to test whether rural workers, or in the case of this study, Ilocanos, are less interested in unionism and union-joining as they are observed to be thinly unionized. Moreover, the study focused on an examination of the factors influencing the propensity to unionize from the standpoint of the worker (meaning, an individual level analysis) and hence, excluded the study of management preferences or union preferences. One other limitation of the study was its coverage that made it prone to sampling biases. The limitation of the sample to employees working in companies employing 20 or more workers left out workers from smaller companies that are potentially organizable; other cultural groups (Visayans, Muslims, Cordillerans, Bicolanos, etc. were left out in view of the fact that the scope of the study included only rRegion 8; and the focus of the study on the individual level missed some explanations of the determinants of union-joining behavior that might come from other factors, such as those coming from managers and employers with their perceived anti-union ideologies, the apathy of trade unions and labor federations toward organizing the unorganized workers, in addition to some other explanations that may come from other possible sources, like government industrial or labor relations legislation. It focuses on how the proposed system will be able to contribute a lot for the students in terms of showing their grades. And to develop an electronic and advanced system that will allow the students of DATAMEX to show their grades and how computing it.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Looking At The Ethical Issues Raised In Research Social Work Essay

Looking At The Ethical Issues Raised In Research Social Work Essay Political and ethical values have great impact on Social Sciences. While conducting research, the researcher should always be aware of those issues that may arise during time of the research process. Ethics in social research means linking individual responsibility to broader moral principles and to professional codes of conduct. Research ethics helps: to maintain the profession integrity, maintain the standards that have been set already; protects the reputation of good research; acknowledges research context; seeks funding and approval for ethical research (Z, Oleary, 2004 p42). Thus, power, politics and ethics should be analysed thoroughly by the researchers during the research process. Harm to participants: social researchers should try to minimize disturbances to both subjects and subjects relationship with their environment. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality of the participants are vital things in the research process. Researchers should be fully aware of data protection act 1998 and be recorded accordingly. Informed consent: individuals should be powered to make free decisions and be given all the information needed to make good decisions. Researchers should explain about the research including who is undertaking and financing, and why it is being undertaken and how it is to be promoted. Invasion of privacy: the anonymity and privacy of those who participates in the research process should be respected. Deception: The involvement of research participants must be entirely voluntary. If the participants do not understand fully or remember, they might not do what is expected or withdraw due to misunderstandings. Thus, participants should be empowered by full information along with the nature of the research. Indeed, it protects participants as well as researchers.(Bryman, A, 2008, p118-129) Similarly, professional practice and ethical standards should be maintained during the process of research by choosing relevant research methodology. Likewise, reporting should be accurate, fabrication and falsification of data are considered as misconduct and interpretation of the data should be according to the general methodological standards. Furthermore, the researcher- researcher relationship should be maintained by not misusing the authority or role given and researchers should not list authors in their report without their permission. The research in fact should be guided by the accepted ethical standards(S, Sarantakos, 1998, p20-25). Meanwhile, the political dimensions of the research should also be maintained during the research process in order to avoid biasness. Likewise, the political consideration of research includes the issues of outsider pressures, researchers own political position, the applicability of research findings and use of them by those who are in power, choice of research topic and research procedures, sponsors influence, funding bodies and governmental policy towards social science research (Bryman A, 2008, p131), as well as credibility of findings all should be considered throughout the research process.(S, Sarantakos,1998, p27-29) Two empirical research studies have been selected and analysed from political and ethical point of view .Those studies are : (1) Factors That Predicts How women Label Their Own Childhood Sexual Abuse, and (2)Family Environment in Hispanic College Females with a history of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Both journals are derived from the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, vol 15(2) 2006 and; vol 16 (3) 2007 respectively. In both studies, all participants are females. Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a private crime, enshrouded in the Syndrome of secrecy (Furnish, 1991, p22). Ones personal appraisal of sexual abuse may depend on societal definitions that recognize extreme behaviours as abusive, but leave other behaviours. Although centuries of novels and autobiographies have dealt with the subject of child abuse in all its forms, society has been slow in term of recognizing the frequency with this committed assault. Since the last 20 years, research has understood the importance of CSA as a public health problem, yet the actual extent of CSA remains unknown. It is because of the efforts of a small number of researchers. The issues involved have been ignored, and there is correspondingly little mention of them in historical and anthropological studies (The political Consequences of Child Abuse, Alice Miller, The journal of psychiatry 26 (2) Fall 1998). For example, in May 2008 the world woke to the shocking news that a 71 years old Austrian man had imprisoned his own daughter in a small soundproofed windowless cellar of his family home for 24 years. During this time he raped her repeatedly and fathered seven children with her. Although around 100 people live on and off that house, none reported their c oncern to the authorities, preferring to turn a blind eye to what was going on. Moreover, most of the available information about CSAs distribution and determinants has not been based on methodologically valid and reliable measures. The lack of accurate estimates inhibits the development of effective preventive and treatment interventions. Similarly, S, Sarantakos (1998) illustrates further that data and materials already collected can only become available to researchers if the government allows it. The political bias may arises when government and funding bodies set priorities on issues they wish to be studied, promoting only what they consider as important and suppressing research in areas which they do not wish to see explored. Priorities are often biased, and certain minority groups and problems are neglected and certainly disadvantaged. The government appoints assessors of research grant applications to select the proposals that deserved support. But who are the assessors and who determined the parameter of choice? (S, Sarantakos, 1998). For example, Child abuse, that is actually neglected. Empirical sociological research studies based on data collected from children themselves are relatively few (Amit-Talai and Wuff, 1995; Mayball 1994a). The method used in the first journal How Women Label their Own CSA was cross-sectional followed by structured interviews. The study was supported by a grant from the Texas Academy of Family Physician foundation. The main objectives of the studies were: to compare victims of CSA who labelled their experiences as abusive with victims who did not, examining differences in abusive experiences, victim characteristics, perpetrator characteristics, and family relationships. Interestingly, it illustrates that despite the psychological impact of sexual abuse, many victims do not acknowledge that their experience were abuse. Abuse whether acknowledge or unacknowledged, is associated with more psychological and sociological adjustment problems (Varia et al, 1996). Layman et .al (1996) found that acknowledged victims of rape reported more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than unacknowledged victims, who had more symptoms than non-victims. Although CSA is widely prevalent in the United Sta tes, an estimated 16% of males and 27% of females report some experiences with unwanted sexual experiences during childhood (Finkelhor, 1994). Likewise, Stander, Olson, and Merrill (2002) discovered that self-identification as a victim of CSA was associated with threats-force, incest and younger age of onset. In addition to the characteristics of the abuse, other factors may affect how an individual defines the experience: victim characteristics (for example, gender, cultural background and education) and family environment. The study is a secondary analysis of the Childhood Experience and Adult Stress (CEAS) database conducted in the Family Health Centre of the University Health Centre-Downtown in San Antonio, Texas. In the study, 100 women were assessed for major depressive episode(MDE), panic disorder, agoraphobia, substance abuse, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder(BPD), bulimia and suicidal where only 68 women met criteria for at least one ad ult disorder; several had multiple co-morbidities. Re-using the qualitative data has several ethical and legal concerns. These include the use of whether and, if so, when researchers should seek consent to re-use data in secondary studies (Alderson, 1998). This could be done at the time when data are collected. However, information on exactly how data will be reused, by whom and for what purpose, is likely to be scant at this time. Alternatively, consent could be sought retrospectively, when particular secondary studies are planned. But this requires that participants identity and contact details are known and can be used for this purpose. Re-contacting participants also presents researchers with logistical and ethical difficulties where people might have changed address or may have died; being re-contacted may also be unwelcome to some former participants. In addition, whether or not researchers decide to seek fresh consent for a secondary study may depend on the data collection and the type of planned qualitative secondary analysis (Sage, social research methods, 2008). Moreover, in the study, researchers didnt do any attempt to re-contacting and taking fresh consent for the studies; which are relatively difficult task. Doing research under such situation brings conflict for future policy and practice. Likewise, the original study sought to identify predictors of mental health and mental disorders in women with a history of CSA whereas the second analytic research on the same data was to identify factors that predict how women label their own experience of CSA. Such research findings might not be reliable and replicable. Similarly, it has been observed that several women in the sample had not labelled their childhood sexual experiences as abuse. Therefore, this analysis was conducted by using dependent variable acknowledgement of abuse, in an attempt to understand how women subjected to sexual abuse as children come to define their experiences as abuse. A variable is a concept that can take two or more values where dependent variable is affected or explained by another variable (S, Sarantakos, social research methods, 1998, p73). Measurement relates to variables. In the study, several variables were associated with labelling in the bivriate comparisons, but did not reach significance in the logistic regression: (1) racial/ethnic background, (2) use of force/threats, and (3) duration of abuse. Hispanic was less likely than non-Hispanic whites to acknowledge the sexual activities as abuse. In the sample, only English speaking females aged 18-40 were approached where 65% of the women were from Hispanic family. Thus, these responses may have uniquely reflected local culture and values in a young adult cohort. The population of Sant Antonio has majority of Hispanic ethnicity and other dominant groups include non-Hispanic and African Americans. Those groups represented in the clinic population and in the sample were low income, which reflected the entire community. It is not appropriate to generalize whole population on the basis of findings of such limited study criteria. Furthermore, the sample included only those who were willing to tell and describe the childhood experiences of abusive activity in a face-to-face interview. One third of those who met the criteria were not willing to disclose and participate in the research. This is the fact that they may not have differed in the nature of their experiences because they did not differ demographically from the 100 partici pants. The CSA screening consisted of three main questions about their childhood sexual patterns. Women saying yes to any of the question were asked to complete a structured interview concerning the sexual abuse experience and their childhood environment and taken informed consent as well. The family-of-origin questionnaire describes the household environment throughout childhood. The 25-item parental bonding instrument assessed the quality of the parent-child relationship during the subjects childhood. The demographic questionnaire collected information on subjects gender, age, marital status, household size, educational attainment, occupation, income, and racial /ethnic background. The study has several limitations. Firstly, the outcome variable, acknowledgement of abuse had a single question and therefore may lack reliability. Secondly, the use of multiple comparisons may have inflation alpha level. Thirdly, the sample was small and unique, limiting statistical power and generalizability . In fact, the sample differed from other studies demographically. Finally, researching about traumatic childhood experiences biased politically because of the unattainable objectives. Furthermore, interviewing adult can result in data biased by poor recollection, re-interpretation of events, and failure to disclose. The study was funded by the private sponsor of the same study, so the applicability of the findings are surely related to political factors and it will totally depend on the sponsor to apply findings. The second journal family Environment in Hispanic College Females with a History of CSA sought to examine the family environments of a sample of Hispanic college women who reported childhood sexual abuse. The qualitative method with individual interview was used in the study. The main objective was to explore the relation of child maltreatment in ethnic diversity associated with cultural factors and prevalence through the study of Hispanic female college students .In the study, eighteen women, ranging from 20 to 49 years , were taken from a larger college sample. Those women were individually interviewed and administered the Family Environment Scale (FES, Moos and Moos, 1994). The qualitative methodology was employed to the study. The larger the sample size, the grater the precision (Bryman, A, 2008, p180). The sample size in the study were relatively small, in such circumstances, the scope of the findings of qualitative investigation is restrictive. On the other hand, the findings c an not be generalized to other settings because of its subjective nature and small sample size. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to conduct a true replication. The study illustrates that ethnic diversity and cultural factors which may affect the prevalence of such abuse, so, the victims emotional and behavioural response, as well as the disclosure of the sexual abuse should be ignored (Kenny and McEachern, 2000). Existing research that has examined Hispanic victims compared with victims from other ethnic group have found that Hispanic victims were more likely to have been abused by extended family members (Arroyo et al.1997) because of the given cultural value to the family with strict rules. However, good relationship among family members, caring each other, sense of obligation, loyalty and duty; because of those values placed in the family, they would not like to reveal the CSA, which would be marked as shame and guilt in the society. Furthermore, the participants were evenly distributed across all socioeconomic levels. However, it was impossible to analyze the data separately by Hispanic group because of small sample size. The project received approval from the University Research review Board and committee for human Subjects. Since the beginning of the research project, frequent announcement were made in a number of educational classes during the year. Potential participants were instructed to call the author and take an appointment for the participation. The participants who were participated in the research process were granted extra credit to their academic career. It implicated that they are just attracting and motivating the participants to participate and their motive was just to finish the research. In such circumstances, the research findings will be politically biased due to motives of the research funding. It does not actually seem to produce knowledge and generate theory. Such research would definitely have negative influence to future researchers. (May, T, 1997) Furthermore, the following questions can be asked in any piece of research: who funded it? How was it conducted and by whom? What were the problems associated with the design and execution and how were the results interpreted and used? This enables to understand the context in which research takes place and the influences upon it as well as countering the tendency to see the production and design of the research as a technical issue uncontaminated by political and ethical questions (May, T, 1997 p45-46) .For example, in the study, even after several announcement and with incentives (credit) there were only eighteen participants. During the process, informed consent was taken assuring confidentiality prior to the interview. Individual interviews were chosen owing to the sensitive nature of the material .The interview consisted of open-ended and closed questions about the demographic information including the participants potential history of sexual abuse. Following the use of a closed question, such as what age were you when the abuse began? further questions were elicited for more information during the interview. Furthermore, after interview, Family Environment scale (FES) was provided to the participants and allowed as much time as they like to complete. It is unstructured and often reliant upon the researchers ingenuity where conducting a true replication is almost impossible. Furthermore, there are hardly any standard procedures to be followed (Bryman, A, 2008 p391). Not only that, the researcher him or herself is the main instrument of data collection, so that what is observed and heard and also what re searcher decides to concentrate upon is very much a product of his or her predictions. For example, some researchers are likely to empathize with other issues; while others choose to focus upon what strikes them as significant. Similarly, the responses of participants to such a qualitative research are likely to be affected by the characteristics of the researcher (personality, age, gender, and so on). Because of the unstructured nature of qualitative data, interpretation will be influenced by the subjective leaning of a researcher (A, Bryman, 2008, p391). Because of those factors, it is difficult, not to say impossible-to replicate such qualitative findings. The goal of the study was to learn more about the family experiences of the women who reported CSA to generate future directions for future research and contribute to the understanding of Hispanic womens experiences with CSA. The FES measure consisting of 9-item subscale was used to measure the respondents perceptions of the topic. The results highlighted some important areas for future inquiry. Some of the hypothesis was confirmed. The first hypothesis, that this sample would report elevated scores on the EFS of family conflict and decreased scores on Organization, was not supported. They did not demonstrated elevated scores on the conflict subscale of EFS because of focus on general conflict among family members. The second hypothesis, the organization of these families found some support, but the study showed a rather hierarchical structure with the father or parents at the top in most families; for example; male authority 50% and 39% of mothers made decisions. The third hypothesi s was regarding the issue of sexuality; these women would report repressed sexual attitudes in their homes seems to have been confirmed for example, majority of them reported that their parents did not discuss issue related to sexuality. In the study, all women were from a voluntary college population that is not representative of the greater Hispanic population; hence, making generalization to other groups is difficult. Similarly, the study used non-contact sexual experiences, so, careful examination of definitions of sexual abuse used in other studies should be made before comparisons are conducted. Future studies should focus on disclosure process including family reactions and level of parental support following disclosure. Likewise, comparing the responses of these participants to those who are not college students would be helpful for future comparisons. In conclusion, both studies used relatively small sample that contained especially Hispanic female individuals from varying subgroups. Making generalization to others is difficult. Both studies are retrospective in nature, which required women to recall past incidents of child abuse as well as other dimensions of their families, poses limitation. Re-evaluation of past experiences and error in recall may affect responding in unknown ways (Clemmons et al, 2003; Rafaelli and Ontai, 2004); some claims that retrospective studies probably underreport abuse (Bolen, 1998). Furthermore, interviewing adult about past experiences of childhood sexual abuse can result in data bias. In addition, it is difficult to measure validity and reliability of the research. To a large extent, both studies lack transparency from research process to findings. The power that exercised in the research and sponsors influences over procedures are highly remarkable in both studies.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Quorum Sensing And Its Importance To Biotechnology

Quorum Sensing And Its Importance To Biotechnology Quorum sensing offers potential to create engineered bacteria capable of invading cancer cells. It is possible to envision the creation of novel anti-cancer therapeutics by the addition of cancer-destructing modules to these microbial biosensors. Another application of QS and quorum quenching lies in the creation of transgenic plants that are able to defend themselves against common bacterial pathogens. It plays a main role in controlling a diversity of microbial cell activities, such as biofilm formation and virulence that considerably impact human health, agriculture, and commercial production and transport systems. Quorum sensing is cell-to-cell communication in bacteria have ability to control development, sporulation, and antibiotic synthesis also virulence factor induction, cell differentiation, moreover nutrient flux along with extra physiological events in pathogenic bacterial infections. Scientists now a days creating more possible benefits from quorum sensing and off course there is lots of potential development for advancement in 2011ranging from marine to human disorders. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Several unicellular microorganisms use smallsignaling molecules to find out their local concentration. The processes involved in the production and recognitionof these signals are generally known as quorum sensing (QS). Unicellular microorganisms to manage their activities use this kind of cell-to-cell communication, which allows them to work as multi-cellular systems. Newly, several groups have confirmed artificial intraspeciesand inter-species communication through synthetic circuits, which incorporate components of bacterial QSsystems. Engineered QS-based circuits have a broad range of applications such as production of biochemicals, tissueengineering, also mixed-species fermentations. They are also extremely useful in designing microbial biosensors toidentify bacterial species present in the environment andinside living organisms. In this articlethe different ways inwhich researchers have designed QS-based circuits andtheir applications in biotechnology are explained. A decade ago, the secretion and perception of minorsignalling molecules that in turn are transduced tocoordinate behavior of a smallest unit of microorganisms was named quorum sensing by EP Greenberg with colleagues. Ever since then, an exponential growth in understanding and occurrence of quorum-sensing systemshas developed, with sightings ranging from virulence inhuman along with plant pathogens to degradative capacity ofactivated sludge. Not amazingly, regulatory mechanisms span traditional inducer/repressor motifs homologous to thelac operon to the newly discovered interfering RNAs.Advance characterization of signalling circuits, coupled with creative position applications, propose a wealth of prospects for advancing commercial biotechnology(reviewed by John C March and William E Bentley 2004). Researchers in biotechnology continuously seek new platforms from which to address problems: manifesto that, in a broad sense, improve efficacy, while maintaining or intensifying specificity. Most freshly, microbial quorum sensing has emerged as such a technology. Because microbial communities absorb a small space, concentrations of extracellular signalling molecules build up, providing motivation for unique and various cellular responses along with protection from rival microbial communities. Referred to as quorum sensing for its regularly reported and concurrent dependence on high population density (Joyce EA et al 2004), extracellular signalinggives a novel basis for control over molecular also cellular processes along with population behaviour, possibly in a manner more reliable with that of native physiology. Quorum sensing might be the base upon which the more complicated intracellular communication found in advanced level organisms has evolved. Defining quorum sensing Quorum Sensing considered a signalling molecule, a compound has to result a reaction in a population of cells that is different from the approach in which the cells would perform independently. There are two types of quorum sensing: species- specific and interspecies. Species-specific quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria is intercede by acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) with numerous moieties distinguishing signals between species (Fuqua C, Parsek MR, Greenberg EP 2001). In Gram- positive bacteria, species-specific quorum sensing is generallyassist through small peptides Figure1.Structure of bacterial Quurom sensing signals. Gram-negative bacteria like V.Fischeri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa use acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signals. The structure of mature AIP-I (from Staphylococcus aureus) is shown as a representative of the translationally derived auto-inducing peptides (AIPs) used by Gram-positive bacteria as signals for QS.Source- Functions of quorum sensing Quorum sensing is supposed to control ability development, sporulation, and antibiotic synthesis also virulence factor induction, cell differentiation, and nutrient flux along with extra physiological events in pathogenic bacterial infections (Cvitkovitch DGGreenberg EP,Yarwood JM,2003).More lately, quorum sensing was connected through proteomic analysis to increased pathogenic ability in tubercular strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Arevalo-Ferro C, et all 2004) Webb and co-workers (Webb JS, et al 2003), reviewed work on programmed cell death plusmicro colony differentiation in biofilms. As biofilms age, cellular differentiation and death improve nutrient sequestration and allow for bio- film sustenance when nutrients become limited. Though the functions of cell differentiation and programmed cell death are actually at odds, they can be described as an evolutionary progressionthat allows biofilms of prokaryotes to perform and adapt as multiceewllular organisms, a behavior that emerges to be matched through quorum sensing (Webb JS, et al 2003). CHAPTER 2 Applications of Quorum sensing in biotechnology Components of bacterial QS systems form an important part of many artificial genetic circuits that control phenomena such as bistable behavior, pulse response, spatio-temporal control of gene expression, and population control (Purnick and Weiss 2009). In this section, the applications of engineered QS systems for the production of biochemicals, tissue engineering, and mixed- species fermentations are highlighted (Fig. 2). Detailed explanation ofcurrent progress in building QS-based microbial biosensors and QS-based biocontrol are given. Lastly, discussion of QS inhibition as a viable strategy for the decline of biofouling is given. Also different applications of QS in biotechnology are given. Engineered Quorum Sensing systems The promisingfield of synthetic biology seeks to generatenovel biological systems by applying the fundamental engineering principles of standardization and hierarchical abstraction to GE engineering (Purnick and Weiss 2009). This method allows designers to build and optimize compound genetic circuits that perform new functions, such as DNA-damage-induced biofilm formation and preservation of synthetic ecosystems (Balagadde et al. 2008; Kobayashi et al. 2004). Various genetic modules can be included into complex gene networks also called genetic systems or devicesusing a plug-and-play strategy (Kobayashi et al. 2004). These gene networks are then commenced into a well-characterized, steady host cell known as a chassis, which supplies the essential raw materials and support machinery. Operation of the artificial genetic device imparts new functionalities to the host and makes a microbial cell factory that is capable of performing preferred tasks. Autoinducers are very useful as input signals as they are little, diffuse freely in aqueous media, and are simply taken up through cells. As the engineered cells synthesize QS signals by themselves, they are able to watch their own cell density with modulate their activities appropriately, thereby falling the need for outerprotection(Brenner et al. 2007). Scientists have devised QS-inducible mammalian genetic circuits by mixing bacterial QS receptors with either a eukaryotic transactivation domain or with a eukaryotic transcription repressor domain (reviwed from Neddermann et al. 2003; Weber and Fussenegger 2009; Weber et al. 2005; Weber et al. 2003; Williams et al. 2004).These synthetic gene regulation systems will have functions in drug discovery, tissue engineering, and also industrial production of biochemicalsduring mammalian cell culture. Consumption of a bistable switch module gives a pointed(ON or OFF) or binary profile of aim gene expression depending on the store concentration. Engineered QS systems including bistable switches are probable to be extremely useful in industrial production of toxic gene products and in designing environmental biosensors. Scientistshave used components of the V. fischeri Quorum Sensing system to engineer spatio-temporally keeping up cell to cell communication in E. coli (Basu et al. 2004). Depending on the comparative distribution of Sender and Receiver cells in a 2-D matrix, different reporter formats such as bullseye, ellipse, oval, heart, and clover were formed. Moreexpansion of this research into programming spatial patterning in 3-D will have applications in biosensing, tissue engineering, plus fabrication of biomaterials. Quorum Sensing like cell-to-cell communication systems have also been developed by using metabolites, antibiotics, hormonesor volatile compounds to give signals to extract a cell-density dependent population-wide reactions (Bulter et al. 2004; Chen and Weiss 2005; Weber et al. 2007). The capacity to develop QS type communication systems using non-Quorum Sensing signals considerablygrows the design possibilities for genetic engineering systems. Through inserting the producing signal components in one species, and the receptor in another, scientists have engineered inter and intra-kingdom communications among bacteria, yeast, plants, and mammalian cells (Balagadde et al. 2008; Brenner et al. 2007; Weber et al. 2007). Depending on the planned synthetic communication device, relationships like predator-prey, commensalism, mutualism, amensalismand parasitism were producedamong the communicating species. Different from engineering inter-species communication, Quorum Sensing based genetic devices can control diverse features of mixed-species fermentations. Forcase, basedon QS population control circuits can be used to manage the cell densities of the contributing species (You et al. 2004). Based on QS gene-expression circuits can also be used to initiate expression of mark genes when the cell densities of contributing species reach a definite threshold (Brenner et al. 2007). At present, the majority of the engineered QS devices are built on Gram-negative AHL systems, which, as stated previously, are absolutely unreliable. Various applications of Quorum Sensing: Biosensors An interesting application of Quorum Sensing is in the engineering of whole cell microbial biosensors to distinguish pathogenic microbes present in the environment with diseased host organisms. Quorum Sensing have also been used to produce engineered bacteria capable of attacking cancer cells. It is probable to visualize the creation of new anti-cancer therapeutics by the addition of cancer-destructing elements to these microbial biosensors. Another function of QS and quorum quenching lies in the designing of transgenic plants that are able to protect themselves against general bacterial pathogens. Pathogen diagnostics and therapeutics The majority of the whole cell QS biosensors that have been explained so far recognize Gram-negative AHLs (Kumari et al. 2008; Steindler and Venturi 2007). A standard AHL biosensor contains an AHL responsive transcriptional regulator also a cognate promoter, which directs the transcription of a reporter gene. It has been recommended that QS signals only can be used as markers for the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria in clinical and environmentalsamples. Thus, QS signals should not be engaged as the only inputs for microbial biosensors. However, Quorum sensing based amplification circuits can still be used to engineer biosensing circuits to find the occurrence of pathogenic microbes in contaminated groundwater products, dairy, and meat products. Upcoming design directions willinclude the formation of ingestible whole cell biosensors by launching QS-based bio- sensing devices into GRAS organisms such as lactic acid bacteria(Konings et al. 2000). Such diagnostic biosensors would be muc h useful in identifying the existence of pathogens in the gut micro flora. So collecting these resultsbring up the exciting possibility that future QS-based microbial biosensors may possibly not only detect pathogens, but also increase a concerted reaction against them. Cancer detection The P. aeruginosa Quorum Sensing signal 3-oxo-C12- HSL reduces proliferation alsoinduceapoptosis breast cancer cell lines in human(Li et al. 2004). Biocontrol The rhizosphere is a limited region of soil that surroundings a plants roots and is affected by secretions from the root also soil microbes in the vicinity. Quorum sensing bacteria form amain component of the rhizosphere community. Scientists have also engaged quorum-quenching enzymes to decrease bacterial virulence against plants. This researchproposes that engineering the production also secretion of quorum- quenching enzymes into plants and plant-associated microbes can also serve as a crop protection plan. Though, QS systems also controlnecessary functions in useful rhizosphere bacteria, as well as biofilm formation, antibiotic production, and nitrogen fixation (Muller et al. 2009; Sanchez-Contreras et al. 2007). More research is therefore essential to understand the promising effects of quorum quenching on plant biochemical pathways. In brief, while quorum quenching is an attractive approach for biocontrol, more research isessential to demonstrate its safety and efficacy. Prevention of biofouling Biofouling is the increase of bacteria, algae;also animals like protozoans and crustaceans on surfaces that prolonged contact with water. Biofouling can happen on surfaces as assorted as pipes, tanks, ship hull, membrane bioreactors, medical or dental implants, and catheters. This unwantedgrowth of living organisms and their secretions lead to contamination, colonization, also corrosion of machine parts expose to water and reduce machine efficiency. Incorporation of Quorum Sensing inhibitors on the device surface is a possible strategy for declining P. aeruginosa biofouling of surgical implants. QS inhibition may be used to givedefense against many pathogens that rely on QS to start biofilm development. Recombinant gene expression Possibly one of the exciting areas for research in quorum sensing is the synthesis of recombinant gene products withmetabolic engineering. Quorum sensing has been used to control gene expression and cellular growth. Brief reviews by Toniatti et al. (Toniatti C, et al 2004) discusssome of the progress in control of gene expression through the perceptions of possible gene therapy applications. Pathogen/pest management Pathogen and pest (i.e. some organism whose existence in a specific environment is undesirable) management include most of the present applications of quorum-sensing technology. Inhibition of quorum signalling is theevident and, in practice, most appreciated application of quorum-sensing knowledge. CHAPTER 3 New technologies in Quorum Sensing The discovery of antibiotics early in the past century marked the beginning of active control and prevention of infectious microbial diseases. However, extensive use of antibiotics has also unavoidably resulted in the emergence of superbugs that resist conventional antibiotics. The finding that many pathogens rely on cell-to-cell communication mechanisms, known as quorum sensing, to synchronize microbial activities essential for infection and survival in the host suggests a promising disease control strategy, i.e. quenching microbial quorum sensing or in short, quorum quenching. Work over the past few years has demonstrated that quorum-quenching mechanisms are widely conserved in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. These naturally occurring quorum-quenching mechanisms appear to play important roles in microbe-microbe and pathogen-host interactions and have been used, or served as lead compounds, in developing and formulating a new generation of antimicrobials. An advance study of bacterial quorum sensing process can facilitate development of novel technologies intended at interfering with bacterial communication and virulence. The term quorum sensing explains the capability of a microorganism to recognize and response to diffusible signal molecules. Bacterial cells sense their inhabitants density by a complicated cell-to-cell communication system also triggers expression of exact genes. Quorum sensing in Seaweeds Explaining this title, the quorum sensing is wider spread among bacterial population then was previously thought, in Gram positive, Gram-negative bacterial communication. Followed by this numerous researchers have concluded that in Gram negative bacteria acyl-homoserine lactone is dependable for the cell to cell communication system. In gram-positive bacteria peptide and derivative peptide based signaling molecules appear to be the main mode of communication. Throughout high cell density the marine bacteria can produce enzymes, surfactants, toxins, antibiotics by the chemical signal communication. Marine epibiotic bacteria are also identified to produce compounds active beside drug resistant hospital pathogen by the cross species induction process. Austin described in building on assays (Billaud and Austin 1990) a screening method has been developed in which marine bacteria are confront by exposing them to terrestrial bacteria prior to assay of antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, in currentstudies it is proposed to search the abilities of seaweed epibiotic bacterial organisms to createantibacterial compounds by quorum sensing. Theseconclusions have important consequences for the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds from marine bacteria and might allow the growth of novelprocess for screening new compounds eff ective against multidrug resistant bacteria. CHAPTER 4 Conclusion Quorum Sensing plays a main role in controlling a diversity of microbial cell activities, like biofilm formation and virulence, that considerably impact human health, agriculture, marine, commercial manufacture and transport systems. As mentioned in above applications of QS there are many areas that are fully touched by QS method. Therefore, significant research efforts are needed to understanding Quorum Sensing and the growth of strategies to disrupt and influence Quorum Sensing. Our understanding of quorum-sensing mechanisms currently restricts applications for quorum sensing. Though there has been progress made in the use of quorum sensing, more understanding of quorum functionality is necessary before the control of this tool can be completely raised. However, the full-scale management of the bacterial quorum circuit in a biotechnological application yet to be an unconvinced goal. More studyand deep research is needed to uncover andthe details of QS in a diversity of microbial species, with Gram- positive bacterias and fungis. The task of QS in microbial populations, with Quorum Sensing crosstalk and signal specificity, is another significant area of research and study that will influence strategies to prevent biofilm formation and for biocontrol. Quorum sensing seems to be a distinctive example of how the exploitation of bacteria cell-to-cell communication in biotechnology can be used to significantly drive the growth and development of medicine, diagnosis tics, therapies and gene control. For sure, it will influence every part of biology, with novel research and technologies in science world.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essays -- Science Genetics Papers embryo

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Embryonic stem cell research is a controversial topic nationwide, because of its clash of ethical and moral values. Many people, including those suffering from diseases that this research is seeking to cure, do not believe in killing a living embryo in order to advance research and science. â€Å"Even though having Parkinson’s Disease is something I’d rather not go through, I cannot find it in me to support embryonic stem cell research at this time in my life, simply because my improvement or being cured shouldn’t depend on the killing of an innocent life,† said Wilbanice Ayala, 22, of Hudson, New Hampshire. President George W. Bush is one who also does not believe in the â€Å"killing of an innocent life† for research that could potentially lead to the cure of many diseases. In 2001, Bush announced that federal funds would only be distributed for research on the 60 stem cell lines already in existence. This address brought an outcry from those afflicted with diseases that could possibly be cured by stem cells and by those who strongly support the research for the betterment of the society. With so many different groups of researchers wanting to explore this topic, 60 stem cell lines simply cannot be stretched for everyone’s use. In addition to that, the lines have been used so much that many of them are starting to show chromosomal abnormalities. There are, however, alternatives to embryonic stem cell research. For those not familiar with the study of embryonic stem cells, it is derived from the cells that make up the inner cell mass of the embryo, blastocyst. What is unique about these cells is that they are capable of generating any and all cells in the body. Some alternatives to this study incl... ... the day Proposition 71 was passed was an important day for all patients, researchers, and people who depend on medical research for treatment and cures. Harvard will no longer be alone in the search for cures using stem cell research. California’s passing of Proposal 71 offers a lot of promise to the field of science and its advancements. Is this just another example of â€Å"lazy research,† or is this the only option left that can provide treatments to many people suffering from different diseases? The bottom line is that this new wave is rapidly growing in popularity and alternatives to embryonic stem cell research are fading, to some seeming virtually non-existent. â€Å"At some point there was excitement that adult stem cells could be changed into cells from another tissue, but this has now been unequivocally been put aside as experimental artifacts,† said Kadereit.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Gone With the Wind Essay -- essays papers

Gone With the Wind This is a film about contrast. In the film clip, lagre amount of contrast can be found between characters, lighting, the way of how colour is presented, the way of how camera being placed, and the way of how shots being taken. Misc-en-Scene From the film clip (and the whole film), the colour image is strong on contrast, not only the colour of the settings, the furnitures, and the costumes, also the colour contrast of indoor and outdoor. In the film clip, the major colour is grayish, the tones contain grayish olive green, grayish blue ( Melanie’s costume), and grayish brown. It gave the audience an impression of desolated space, like a castle. With a large amount of gloomly shadows of furnitures and stairs, it empasis the dismal of the indoor surroundings strongly. The dull tone of indoor settings is different when compare with the outdoor setting. When Melanie announced to the people who were out in the field through the window, the colourful image of the field outside is a strong contrast to the dull and gloomy image inside the house. This created a feeling of a hidden incident is happened or happening inside the house but the public outside is never known. As the colour concept of people (i.e. audiences) always treated colourful as joyful, happiness and innocent, and dark, dull, gloomy are always connected with evil, crime and secrets. The costumes are designed to signifly the difference in the personalities of Melanie and Scarlet. The costume of Melanie is a grayish-blue lingerie, an additonal over coat, and the a long plait with an untidy hair, that makes her looks compelety as a peasanty woman. Her pale face and the pair of sunken eyes also suggests she is weak, sick, and need protection. Scarlet is wearing a bright colour one piece dress with patterns, her hair hair looks tidy with a white hair net, her light make up, looks elegant and sexy when compared with Melanie. And also created an impression that she doesn’t belongs to the dismal, gloomy house, she doesn’t belong to the working peasant lifestyle. However, she is wearing a pair of old leather shoes which covered by dirt, dry mud and dust, that hide under her pretty dress. It means even thought she is not belong to there, or she think she is not belong to there, but her birth place, her root is Tara, the place with mud, dust, and p... ... and affecting each other...In the film clip, Scarlet shoot the deserter with no mercy, and then discuss with Melanie how to manage the corpse in a very reality tone, it is just like discussing how to hide a furniture, an object. A conflict with Melanie, she hasn’t got any idea of how to solve and hide for this kind of serious crime. But Melanie lie for Scarlet, even thought it is something out of her personality. At that moment they are standing at the same line. Therefore, this is the way of opening up the possibilities of more complexity of the narrative – Melanie and Scarlet is not totally against each other, they still the help from each other, like Scarlet work for Melanie, Melanie lie for Scarlet, they are situated in a very subtle relationship, this is the formation of the the story. Finally, the director described the Northerns are robbers, intruders to the Southerns. This film clip is standing in the point of view of a Southerns. As Southerns are the oppose of liberation the black slave, we can noticed that this film still having the shadow of the white supremeism Bibliography: Gone with the wind and the sunset(1992) Dr Karen Chen, Meiah Publisher

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Essay

Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Love is a feeling known to many people. Sometimes, it becomes a goal for different individuals to find their love through different ways. Moreover, love is a feeling which helps individuals to be compassionate to other people. Hence, love is not a mysterious thing yet no one has really attempted to study such topic for its very vague concept. However, there is a study which presented varying aspects regarding love. The article Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. Furthermore this article provides a very significant understanding towards the subject of love. Therefore, as stated by the author is categorized into six different types of love. The types of love which were mentioned are Eros, Ludus and Storge which are categorized as the primary styles of love. The secondary styles are Pragma, Mania and Agape. These are all composed of different categories which mostly provide the concept of love in the current society. Eros is known to be the romantic and passionate type of love. Ludus is known to be the game playing love. Storge is a love which is based on friendship. Pragma is meant to name the practical kind of love. Mania is the possessive or dependent kind of love while Agape is the unselfish kind of love. Thus, all of these kinds of love is dynamic that could interchange or develop through time (Neto, 2007). Hence, the author was able to create a study which does not focus on the concept of romantic love but also the varying kinds of love in the society. Hence, in order to understand the concept of love, the author view various culture such as the British, Portuguese and the Indians in order for to attain the accurate results of the data. In the conclusion, the author realized that the need to view love must go through a gender, cultural and psychological aspects for there are great differences in the ethnicity of varying individuals. The research question in the author’s mind is definitely leaning on the concept of love through utilizing the concept of Lee on various students from India, Britain and Portugal. Hence, this is the main basis utilized by Neto in order to derive to such study. In order to get the accurate data, the author used various students of different nationalities such as Indians, British and Portuguese that shall provide different view points of the study. The study was composed of 562 individuals who are not equally divided between male and female. The results stated that different cultures of people are important in predicting the kind of styles of love which they make. Furthermore, the cultural perspective mainly predicts what kind of love the participants wanted to experience. Moreover, the gender of the students who participated is significant in the study. Therefore, there are studies which show that Eros is important to both genders. Hence, in the study Indians is much leaning into three secondary type of love such as Pragma, Mania and Agape (Neto, 2007). Thus, the Portuguese and British participants are much active in the Ludus kind of love. In the whole study, I view that all the information provided is very interesting. The kind of love that is being practiced by different individuals from varying countries is truly affected by the culture and environment they have experienced. Furthermore, I find it very interesting that Indians tend to have a Mania style of love. Although I have learned their culture, I do not believe that Indians’ love style could lead into a very deep and possessive state. I have learned that although love is needed by everyone, the types of love could be different. Love is not only defined through an Eros relationship but also through different kinds of love such as Storge or Agape. Most people see love as a serious relationship that could end up in marriage. Friendly relationships and companionships are also love but with limitations. References Neto, F. (2007). â€Å"Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. † Journal of Comparative Family Studies. Retrieved on May 13, 2010 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_hb3248/is_200704/ai_n32226385/? tag=content;col1

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Issue of Territorial Exspansion Sparked Considerable Debate in the Period 1800-1855.

Gregory Ortega Big bang Scientist around the world studies the stars and planets to learn more about the past or to learn how that and our planets are alike. But then there are other scientist who got even deeper and learn what created the planets and stars these scientist are called astronomers and we have learned so much from the science and research they do every day. One major theory from the scientist is that the universe was created by the mixture or gases and matter. And the gases and matter collided into each other until a huge explosion occurred that form suns and giant rocks that later formed into stars and planets. According to the big bang theory a great explosion occurred over 13. 5 billion years ago because of the mixture of dark matter and gases. The fusion occurred when the universe was a small as a period at the end of a sentence. This spark created the planets, stars, and galaxies we know and learn about now. We also know this because of random glows from all around the universe left from the big bang these glows are known as cosmic background information. The planets were first asteroid like blocks that collided with one another to create planets this happened over many years and formed planets all around the universe. The Doppler effect is a part in showing us more about the universe and waves it produces the Doppler effect is A change in the observed frequency of a wave, as of sound or light, occurring when the source and observer are in motion relative to each other, with the frequency increasing when the source and observer approach each other and decreasing when they move apart. The motion of the source causes a real shift in frequency of the wave, while the motion of the observer produces only an apparent shift in frequency. Also a another thing that’s shows us waves from space is when u turn on a TVs and static would show or when u used a radio and static would come up between the stations the waves that shows are called electromagnetic spectrum. When u looks up into space you see many doted stars that cover the sky these dots are stars that are much father from our usual sun. he father the star is the redder it will be the closer the bluer these color differences are called the red and blue shift. Our solar system holds all 7 planets and sun including our earth our solar system is very special because it keeps our earth at a perfect temperature and the force form our sun isn’t to major to the point that we get burnt alive just by rotating around it, the sun does a major part because it uses its gravity to keep us in place rotation around it and the sunlight produces energy we use for appliances. all these things are in our galaxy.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Arts and the Creative Process

The main forms of expression in the arts are painting, music, theater and dance. Art disciplines have been in existence from the beginning of time. Man has an instinctive need to express himself.Thus, this was manifested in wall paintings in Egypt, silk paintings in the Asian communities, Greek sculptures in European cities among other artifacts.DanceThe first dance is salsa. The primary element in this dance is weight change. The dancer shifts his or her weight without affecting the upper body. Only the lower body moves to the music. This is normally a partner dance. It is often performed by a man and a woman.The pace of the dance varies with the drummer’s beats. It can be very fast or moderately slow. The movements in this style are fluid since it was originally borrowed from several other influences (Cooper, 2001).The second is the Waltz. This dance was conceptualized in the 18th century in Eastern Europe. It is a ballroom dance, where the dancer glides gracefully across th e room with a partner. The basic steps are relatively easy to learn. The partners hold each other close while dancing. There is a leader, the man, who shows the follower, the woman, the next step. The third is tap dance.Here, the performer wears specially made shoes that produce a clear tapping sound when they hit the floor. The tap sounds must vary to create a different resonance with each step (Dolfsma, 2004). The performer must balance his or her weight on the balls of their feet. The feet are used to produce rhythmic sounds.The final dance is the break dance. This was primarily a street dance. The style integrates suppleness and style. The breaker’s upper body must be very sturdy. The head and hands are most utilized in this dance.MusicThe first genre of music is pop. This is the popular music at any one time. The performers can vary in number. The songs have a melodic chorus that is easy to remember.   However, the songs are arranged in the traditional structure. The s econd is Rock and Roll. Guitars are the main instruments played here. The music has gained massive popular appeal over the years (Dolfsma, 2004). It is truly motivated by Blues music. There are two types, soft and hard rock.The third type is Gospel music. It is sung to express faith in Christianity. It is a substitute to conventional music in the secular realm. It is expressed in all other genres. The main theme is giving praise to God. The final genre is neo-soul. It is a fairly recent form of harmony. This music is very poetic. The themes of the songs are usually socially conscious. This music is a combination of jazz and hip-hop.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Egyptian Architecture

Egypt: Art and Architecture Architecture The great architectural achievements of the past are built of stone. Stone quarries supplied the large blocks of granite, limestone, and sandstone that were used for building temples and tombs. Architects planned carefully as building was done without mortar, so the stones had to fit precisely together. Only pillars were used to sustain short stone supports. At the temple of Kara, a ramp of adobe brick can be seen leading to the top of the temple wall.Such ramps were used to allow workmen to carry stones to the top of structure and allow artists to decorate the tops of walls and pillars. Pillars were built in the same way. As height was added, the ground was raised. When the top of the pillar was completed, the artists would decorate from the top down, removing ramp sand as they went along. As soon as a pharaoh was named, construction on his tomb was begun. Tomb building continued throughout his life and stopped only on the day on which he die d.As a result, some tombs are very large and finely decorated, while other tombs, like that of King Tutankhamen, are small because he ruled as a pharaoh for such a short time. The architecture was based upon perpendicular structures and inclined planes since there was no tutorial assistance except the strength and balance of the structure itself. For this reason, the square and the plumb-line were very important tools. One of the most notable and lasting achievements of the Ancient Egyptians are their pyramids. The size, design, and structure of the pyramids reveal the skill of these ancient builders.The pyramids were great monuments and tombs for the kings. The Egyptians believed that a king's soul continued to guide affairs of the kingdom even after his death. To ensure that they would continue to enjoy the blessings of the gods, they preserved the pharaohs body through the mummification process. They built the pyramids to protect the pharaohs body, the pyramid was a symbol of hop e, because it would ensure the pharaohs union with the gods. The largest pyramid in existence is the Great Pyramid built by King Cheeps (Chuff) at Gaza.The Great Pyramid measures 481 feet high, by 775 feet long at each of its four bases. Other notable pyramids include the Step Pyramid built for King Sore, and the pyramid built for King Hunt, that was a transition between the step pyramid and the smooth sided pyramid we know today. The art of the Egyptians reflects every aspect of their lives. Depicted in tomb and temple drawings are scenes of everyday living, models of people and animals, glass figures and containers, and Jewelry made from gold and semi-precious stones.The wall and pillar drawings are perhaps the best known. In these drawings, it can be seen that people are going about the everyday business of baking, fishing, boating, marketing, and meeting together in family groups. Such drawings were also used to help the deceased to live forever by giving them all of the instruc tions they would need as they met the gods on their way to eternal life. The good deeds were recorded ND the art that surrounded their mummified body was to help their spiritual self in solving the problems related to life after death.Pictures of food, clothing, servants, and slaves could be used by the deceased Just as the real things were used by the person when living. A variety of perspectives is often combined in Egyptian art; however, the side view is the most often seen. The artists used bright colors of blue and red, orange and white to develop pictures that tell of the life of the deceased individual. The artist would first sketch a design on a piece of pottery, and if the sign was satisfactory, it would be sketched on the wall with charcoal. Colors could then be used to fill in the completed picture.Paints were made from naturally occurring minerals and artificially prepared mineral substances. Paint brushes were sticks with fibrous wood with frayed ends. Walls were covere d with mud plaster, then with lime plaster. By the time of Rammers II, artists were able to shade colors to achieve a layered effect. Wall paintings were then protected by a thin layer of varnish (the composition of which is still not known). Sculptors were important artists in Egypt. Statues were made of kings, queens, scribes, animals, and gods and goddesses.Frequently, human and godlike attributes and symbols were combined. The work of the artist was seen in other media as well. Alabaster, a white and translucent stone, was often used for making vessels and containers. Pottery was made of ceramics and clay. Pottery glazed with minerals was used to make beads, amulets, pendants, and other Jewelry. A vivid blue glaze was very popular during the reign of Rammers II. Craftsmen made glass for inlayer designs and for some containers. Workers were able to make articles out of lead, gold, silver, and copper.Such metals were used to make pins, tweezers, razors, axes, knives, spears, sculp tures, and Jewelry. The stability of the government during the reign of Rammers II allowed the skills of the artist and architect to flourish. Religion was often the subject of Egyptian literature. Prayers and hymns were written in praise of the gods. The most important book was â€Å"The Book of the Dead. † This book contained over 200 prayers and magic formulas that taught the Egyptians how to reach a happy afterlife. The Egyptians also wrote adventure stories, fairy tales, myths, love stories, poems, proverbs and quotes. Egyptian architecture Ancient Egyptian Architecture The Egyptians have survived for thousands of years, and are considered to be the hallmark of human civilization. They are the first known culture to have a stable society for such a long period of time. The reason their society was so stable is because they all believed in the same thing, which was that the gods were the first priority and that their pharaoh was a man who ascended to the level of a god. Another reason that the Egyptians survived for so long was because their architectural prowess was unmatched for thousands of year by any other civilization.Not only do buildings and statues show us how great the Egyptian kingdom was, but it also gives us and enormous amount of insight into their culture and what they valued; and what they valued above all, and what drove them to build such monumental feats of architectural achievement was the afterlife. The afterlife was the sole reason many of Egypt greatest building were made, such as the early Masters , the Pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and much more.In Egyptian culture the gods were closely tied in with the afterlife as they decided whether or not you could pass through to the other side, so fittingly the Egyptians also build huge temples to honor their gods. All Egyptians architecture was created with a purpose, whether it be to please the gods or their kings. The Egyptians were also very avid sculptors they sculpted life size representations of their nobility and kings in their prime. Studying these sculptures and their architectural achievement can give the modern world amazing amounts of insight into their culture.The Egyptians were so obsessed with the afterlife that they built special tombs to insure that the dead kings or nobleman's body would not be tampered with. The early Masters were Just a functional way of burying their kings and nobility in safe place that would insure their safe passage into the afterlife. They were built on the west side of the Nile River, w hich to them was a symbol of death; it was the place where the sun fell into the underworld. (COM) They were not meant to be very grandiose as they were only a rectangular building with sloping sides.They meant to be functional. Inside the burial chamber of the Master was the preserved body of the death along with tangible items from their lives such as pets, food, and furniture. They even went as far as to bury the nobleman's or kings slaves along with the body so they have someone to serve them in the afterlife. To make the afterlife seem even more like real life the architects even had artists paint the walls of the burial chamber with real life events.All these factors such as the slaves, food, and material good make it clear that the Egyptians not only respected the afterlife but it almost seems like they looked forward to it. The masters were very functional but they were not fit for a god, which was the status that the pharaohs and kings of Egypt had achieved, so the Egyptian s replaced he masters with the pyramids. These were the functional equivalent of the masters, but they were grand enough to hold the body of a god. The most well know pyramid is The Great Pyramid of Cheeps (Chuff).This is the largest of the three pyramids of Gaza and home to Chuff. His tombs is massive, but he is the only one in the entire tomb. This further reinforces the idea that the pyramids were built for gods, they were so grand that no one else was worthy enough to be laid to rest in it. Even Chuff's wives were not allowed to be buried in his pyramid. They were buried in masters near his tombs. This along with the idea that Chuff was considered to be a god could also show that women were not as highly regarded as men were in ancient Egypt.The pyramids where not only a place worthy to bury a god, but they were also a place that is worthy of praise by any architect, mathematician, engineer, or astronomer of the modern era. Chuff's pyramid was the tallest standing structure in t he world for thousands of year, not only that, but it is also the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world that is still standing. Along with those accolades the Pyramids of Gaza are also perfectly aligned with the stars. All these things give a lot of insight to into what the Egyptians valued other than Just the gods and afterlife.Without math and science the Egyptians would not have survived for as long as they did or been capable of building such amazing structures. It is easy to conclude that they thought very highly of math, particularly geometry to put so much effort into the subject; so much effort in fact that their knowledge of the subject would be unmatched for thousands of years. Along with geometry the Ancient Egyptians valued astronomy, if they did not they would not have bothered to align the structures they build with the stars.This interest astronomy could be because they associated their god with the heavens and paid tribute to them by building their struc tures in accordance with the sky, but there could also be a much simpler answer; they could have built the pyramids that way simply because they could and to show any other civilization that they were superior. Whatever the answer may be the pyramids not only showed the modern world where the Egyptians buried their kings, but it also taught them a great deal about what they cared about in terms of education.The Egyptians were not only great architects but they were great sculptors. The best example would be The Great Sphinx at Gaza. This along with an amazing feat of Architecture is an equally amazing piece of art. The Great Sphinx of Gaza is an anthropoids, which meaner that it has the body of a lion and the head of a human, in this case the head of a pharaoh. Like most buildings made by the Egyptians the Sphinx is a tribute to the pharaoh as well as the gods, but this building had a specific purpose.It was built behind a temple and was intended to guard the temple. This gives us a clue into how the Egyptians perceived their gods. The Egyptians didn't hint of their gods as distant deities that ruled over them, but they thought that the resided in the world with them, and by building the Sphinx of Gaza they thought that a god would reside in the Sphinx itself and protect the temple. The sphinx doesn't only appear in sculptures but it also appears in many paintings as well.In most painting, like the one shown below, the sphinx is shown as a fearsome creature that is fighting and destroying its opponents. Many archeologist think that the sphinx was representative of the pharaoh and if this is true it can further explain why the Egyptians people were so loyal to their king. Another thing we can infer from this picture and the countless other paintings and sculptures of the human and animal hybrids is what the Egyptian culture thought about animals. They Egyptians regarded animals very highly and associated them with power and strength.This is evident when you beg in to pay attention to how the Egyptians depicted their gods, for example Anabas who was the god that watched over the dead and the mummification process was depicted with the body of a man and the head of a Jackal. Another example is Amman Ra the sun god who watched over all the other gods supposedly had the body a man and the head of a falcon. The Egyptians greatly respected the power of animals and that maybe the reason that their gods and pharaohs where often associated with animals.Egypt is known for their colossal architecture, but that is not the only place that we can learn about their society from. Their minor sculptures can also tell us a great deal about how they their society functions and society was structured. For example the amount of information that can be gathered from this subculture is staggering. To begin with there were hundreds of sculptures exactly like this found in the Egyptian ruins, and the age of hose sculptures varied by hundreds of year.This meaner th at whatever these sculptures are trying to say is very meaning to the Egyptian people. The first thing you notice when you begin to examine the statue is the man's stance. He has one leg in front of the other indicating that he is moving forward. This shows that the men were the leaders of society in Egypt. With further examination you notice that the woman's shoulder is behind the man's, almost as if she is hiding behind him for protection, which indicates that it was a man's duty of protect any woman in his life whether it be his wife or sister.You can also infer what the men and woman looked for in spouses and what the ancient Egyptian society valued. For the men they had to be physically strong and fit as represented in the sculptures. The women had to be fit and slim as well, which is different from most ancient cultures, who wanted their women to be bigger to ensure that she could birth healthy babies. Studying the sculptures left behind by the Egyptians is a great was of lear ning about their society. The Ancient Egyptian society is the greatest society that has ever existed.The debility in their culture was because they all believed in the same thing and hey all acted according to their beliefs. They also built their architecture according their beliefs, the pyramids being the best example. It shows how they treated their kings who was also considered a god. It is also a great metaphor for their society. The base of the pyramid represents the slave and tip represents the pharaoh, and the middle represented the nobility and working class. It is information and representation like this that allows us to envision what their society and culture was like.