Morality is timeless Essay

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird highlights examples of heroism and courage in a small Alabama town plagued with racism and poverty. The novel focuses on the experiences of the Finch family which consists of Atticus, Jem, and Scout. Scout serves as the narrator of the book; her story is based on her recollections of the events leading up to, during, and after her father’s defense of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayell Ewell, a white woman. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only a critique of racism, but teaches valuable life lessons about moral courage and standing up for what is right. The protagonist, Atticus, displays both moral and physical courage throughout the novel. He is committed to instilling in his children the importance of living an ethical lifestyle regardless of the circumstances. For example, he explains to Scout that he accepted the Tom Robinson case because it is a moral obligation for equal representation. Specifically, he clarifies to Scout that the primary reason is † if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again† (Lee 83). Atticus believes that it is only fair to judge one in terms of that individual’s moral caliber not by the color of their skin. Furthermore, he does not condone retaliation. Even though Mrs. Dubose, a morphine addict, is prejudice and unkind, Atticus reprimands Jem for behaving heartlessly towards her. Atticus never loses his composure even when Bob Ewell maliciously spits in his face. He rationally explains, â€Å"He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand? † (Lee 218). Harper Lee’s lesson is that a person’s morals should not be affected by other’s behaviors or beliefs. Honor Above All 1 Steiner 2 Harper Lee creates the narrator, Scout, to demonstrate that morality is not necessarily instinctive but can be taught. As the novel progresses, Scout realizes that moral courage is more difficult to carry out than physical courage. No one in the community wants to associate with Boo Radley; however, Scout comes to recognize his compassion and returns it with civility. Although initially fearful, Scout welcomes Boo’s gifts and embraces his differences. Again, Scout demonstrates that morality can be learned when a potentially violent situation arises at playground with another classmate; she refrains from using force. Her calmer nature proves effective at the courthouse. She harmlessly inquires about Mr. Cunningham’s family, â€Å"Hey Mr. Cunningham. I know your son, Walter he is a nice kid. We go to school together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lee 81). Her kindness results in the scattering of the angry townspeople. Scout witnesses that kindness is effective tool to avert violence. The minor characters of Calpurnia, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are symbols of decency and respect regardless of their backgrounds. Calpurnia chastises Scout for mocking Walter’s unsophisticated eating habits. â€Å"Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty†¦! † (Lee 33). Calpurnia is a maternal figure for the Finch children as she too, similarly to Atticus, helps them to differentiate right from wrong. Tom Robinson exhibits courage when he volunteers to help Mayella Ewell with household chores even though he is aware of his inferior social standing. His decision to speak only the truth in court by stating, â€Å"I felt right sorry for her; she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em. ,†(Lee 197) further demonstrates his caring demeanor and commitment to behave courteously. Lee includes the character of Boo to Honor Above All 2 Steiner 3 depict another type of prejudice: social discrimination. Despite his social alienation, Boo courageously abandons the safety of his home to help ‘his kids. ’ Boo is guided by his sense of what is right and puts aside society’s rejection. Calpurnia, Tom Robinson, and Boo are guided by morality. Courage can be defined as the ability to face fear, pain, uncertainty, and the unknown. Harper Lee effectively uses her characters to demonstrate moral and immoral choices and consequences. Atticus and Scout respond to the town’s racism with a resolute sense of purpose. Through her father’s and Calpurnia’s guidance she becomes more refined and tolerant. She averts physical confrontations at school and understands that morality should not change with each situation. The character of Tom Robinson symbolizes what it truly means to be a caring human being. Regardless of the racism that he endures, he is honest and compassionate. While racism plays a significant role in Lee’s novel; the importance of moral courage cannot be understated. As Atticus profoundly advises, â€Å"You’ll never know really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view†¦ † (Lee 65). Harper Lee conveys that since justice is blind to race, gender, and differences a moral code is the only hope for equality. Unfortunately, as exhibited in the novel, adhering to one’s moral code does not always guarantee the desired or just outcome. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. London: Vintage Classics, 2007. Print. Honor Above All 3.

Concerts Across Time

Music Is the heart of culture and has affected people In more ways than the average person can have on someone. It can take you on a journey or help bring closure to a(n) ending journey. Music has always done this through the changes in time and the persona behind the music. Music will always grasp the changing culture's heart based on the time period. Baroque music is different from what today's culture would call popular music. The role of music concerts is also something to be studied further in the paper as well.People who attended Baroque concerts may very well differ from the people who attend today's rock concerts. Then we cannot forget the impact that technology has had on music of the past and the present. Baroque music can be classified as a dramatic style of music per Webster Dictionary. The concert I chose to listen to was Monteverdi Amour Sacra, Amour Profane. This piece was very beautiful and touching. I enjoyed It much more than I thought I would have considering I Eve never really listened to his music, though I have listened to various other classical composers of the Baroque period.The reason that I enjoyed this concert was because of the ensemble for one. The vocals were very beautiful and relaxing and made me feel at peace with the world around me. Parts of the music made me want to dance in a ballroom wearing a big fancy gown. Other parts of the concert made me think of life as it were back then and wonder what it would've been like to be there in person and watch the actual performance. On another note popular music deals with music that Is popular to today's society. For this concert, I chose a concert performed by Evanescence which was posted on Youth.This concert was definitely not a favorite. Though I am familiar with some of their earlier works, this concert was not exactly something to put the mind at ease, It was more of pumping up the crowd and a little dark. The vocals could not be heard as clearly as the previous concert and the tone was definitely a bit darker. So overall I did not enjoy this concert as much as I did the performers of the Baroque music. There are various similarities and differences amongst the two genres of music. The role of concerts from both the Baroque period and now are similar in that they re for entertainment.Back in the Baroque time period music was performed at churches or for the King and Queens or for anyone who could afford such an event. Almost like concerts today that are held for anyone that will be willing to pay versus just the rich and noble. The people that attend today's rock concerts however are generally classified as memo, Goth, skaters, snowboarders, rock and roll fans and the list could go on. If we look at popular music as a whole however, everyone who Is anyone will attend a concert. The basis for this Is that It depends on what type of USIA a person likes.Someone who attends a rock concert might not attend a Jazz concert, it all just depends whereas in the Baro que period concerts were held to a The instruments from both of these concerts were complete opposite of each other much like the difference between Baroque music and popular music. Though they have many parts that are necessary to the sound of the music, they are very different in the instruments selected. In the Baroque period instruments such as the cello, harpsichord, violin and many others were a major part of the ensemble.In today's music instruments can vary from one essential piece such as the keyboard to a whole band such as in the Baroque period. It very well depends on the style but in the essence of rock music there are only four major players needed such as the bass guitar, electric guitar, the drums and a vocalist. The people that attend these concerts also create a different setting and mood in itself. Other differences include the sound of the music. Baroque music overall offers a sense of peace or excitement. In some cases it makes one want to dance with a partner i n a ballroom setting.Popular music on the other hand can make one want to dance alone or with someone. It can be at home or at a club. The feelings created can range from anger to peacefulness. It cannot be categorized into one overall concept or idea. In general both Baroque and popular music speak to the crowd attending the concert. They can both draw in a crowd and be performed on stage. The locations however may vary. One may be performed in a church setting where another will be performed live at a theater or other venue. Overall one could say that people attend concerts to feel good, to see their favorite artist or to Just go with the in crowd.People attend concerts for many different reasons and each person has a personal reason for attending a concert. With the advance in technology music will always be constantly changing. People today can make music from their homes on their computers and then post it to the web and become an instant hit or a slow moving one. The change in technology has allowed us as a society to count the next big artist from home, to create new sounds with the touch of a button. It has created the ability to download software and share USIA with our friends and family.Technology allows us to be at concerts and share videos of the concerts with anyone we know. Technology will continually have an impact on music because more people are tuning in. More people want music on demand and at the touch of a few buttons can watch concerts live from the consorts of their home. Technology is changing everything and everyone is trying to keep up as music making applications are brought to our mobile phones. Technology has made it possible for music to be everywhere at one time with each person enjoying hat they value most about music.

Influence of Cartoon on Children Essay

Cartoons are the most frequent and easily accessible source of entertainment which we provide to children. With the vastness of media and extension of channels, it has become easier for children to watch their favourite cartoons on a single click and at the same time it has become more convenient for parents to provide children with this all-time favourite activity of theirs. Time which was previously spent by children in outdoor activities is now replaced, as now they can be found glued to the TV sets for long hours, peering at all sorts of cartoons, mostly without the supervision of elders who are completely unaware that this might have certain effects on their psychological development later on displayed in their behaviour patterns. There is a wide range of cartoons from fairy tales like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to action-based cartoons like ‘Ben Ten’ and ‘Pokemon’. Children between the ages of 6-8 have different preferences; girls are usually into fairy tales and animated ‘Barbie’ series whereas boys and some girls even usually have their favourite super hero cartoons like ‘Spiderman’ or ‘Batman’ or action flicks like ‘Bay Blade’ or ‘Dragon Ball-z’. Children are at a stage when their minds are developing and forms impressions easily so parents need to be careful what they expose them with. Children have become much more interested in cartoons over many years and it has become a primary action to some lives. Typically, children begin watching cartoons on television at an early age of six months, and by the age two or three children become enthusiastic viewers. This has become a problem because too many children are watching too much television and the shows that they are watching (even if they are cartoons) have become violent and addictive. The marketing of cartoons has become overpowering in the United States and so has the subliminal messaging. The marketing is targeted toward the children to cause them to want to view the cartoons on a regular basis, but the subliminal messaging is for the adults’ to target them into enjoying the â€Å"cartoons†. This is unfortunate because children watch the cartoons on the television and they see material that is not appropriate for their age group. The Children who watch too much cartoons on television are more likely to have mental and emotional problems, along with brain and eye injuries and unexpectedly the risk of a physical problem increases. Television’s Effect on the Brain and Eyes In December 1997, an episode of the Japanese cartoon â€Å"Pocket Monster† (later renamed â€Å"Pokemon† for international distribution) drew worldwide attention after multiple cases of children suffering seizures after watching the episode were reported (Warner, 2004). Parents began to wonder how the cartoons their children watched affected their mental development. While no former study specifically relating to cartoons has taken place, multiple studies over the years have charted the impact of television on the minds and eyes of developing children. Most eye specialists agree that watching television is not a danger to the eyes, as long as children watch in the right conditions. The room should not be pitch black, and children should not sit closer than five feet away from the screen. Sitting in a dark room or closer than five feet will not damage the eyes, but will result in eye fatigue. (Adams, 1992). As for the brain, there is scientific evidence that too much television can be detrimental to children. The April 2004 issue of the medical journal Pediatrics published a study done by Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle, Washington. The study revealed that children who watched three to four hours of television daily had a 30 to 40 percent greater risk of developing attention deficit disorder than children who did not watch television. While no specific program is directly responsible, Dr. Dimitri Christakis, leader of the study, speculates that the speed of the images displayed could affect children’s brains (Today’s Chiropractic, 2004). But does watching television give young children seizures? Yes, and no. A study released by The New England Journal of Medicine in July 2004 found that most children who suffered seizures from that December 1997 episode of â€Å"Pocket Monsters† had epilepsy, or some other underlying condition that would have caused development of seizures, regardless of whether or not they saw that program (Warner, 2004). TV’s Effect on Children’s Behavior Television has long been criticized for influencing our children. People complain that certain TV shows are having negative effects on their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) both feel that TV does influence the behavior of children as young as one year old. From their studies, the AACAP states, â€Å"Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. This speaks to the impressionable mindsets of young children, who are still learning control of their minds and bodies, and are likely to mimic what they see, as it seems quite normal to them. The AACAP also stresses the need for parents to keep a close eye on what their children watch. They must be there, the AACAP says, to explain that the cartoon character or actor that was shot has not been harmed, but would actually be seriously injured, or die in real life. They should also work to tell their children that violent behavior is not the best course of action to resolve a conflict. The AAP states â€Å"Neuroscientists have shown that environmental experiences significantly shape the developing brain. † This again adds to the idea that young children are very impressionable. They paid more attention to the effect of TV on children in their daily lives. â€Å"Higher levels† the AAP states, â€Å"of television viewing correlate with lowered academic performance, especially reading scores. This may be because television substitutes for reading practice, partially because the compellingly visual nature of the stimulus blocks development of left-hemisphere language circuitry. A young brain manipulated by jazzy visual effects cannot divide attention to listen carefully to language. † TV is a very quick medium. Messages are shot at the viewer as if by an automatic rifle. Their minds must be equally as quick to interpret the messages, and with such a â€Å"two-minute mind†, many messages are misinterpreted, or confused. When the child becomes used to receiving information at so fast a rate, they lose interest in information that is more detailed and methodical, such as the information received in day-to-day schooling. Television certainly does affect the children, who find themselves mesmerized by the bright flashing objects, and rapid assault of messages. It is good to know that the leaders of our medical professions feel that parents and supervisors of children are able to help slow the information down, and explain what the messages really mean, so as to have a more positive effect on our children. Auditory Subliminal Messaging in Children’s Cartoons The lessons that the media conveys to those parts of the mind without conscious perception through the cartoons that people watch, are referred to as subliminal messages. If that’s the Democraitc way, I am voting Republican. † This was said by Meowth in an episode of â€Å"Pokemon† that aired on Monday, October 11th, 2004 at 4:00 p. m. When children watch cartoons, they always pay attention to what is being said. In a child’s subconscious mind, he or she is exposed to auditory subliminal messages that they may never discover, but they will eventually become a part of their lives. Not all auditory subliminal messaging is negative. However, most of these messages have a negative effect on children. The interesting thing about the situation is that these messages are most common in popular cartoons. SpongeBob Squarepants has been on the air since 1999 on Nickelodeon. Today, it still remains popular and new episodes are still being created. It is now 2004 and people are speaking out against the messages that they found hidden in a number of episodes. The main allegation against SpongeBob Squarepants is its use of metaphors in place of profanity. When he is disappointed, SpongeBob will often yell out â€Å"Tartar Sauce†. To an adult ear, that phrase may sound like it is intended to represent a curse word. Also belonging to the Nickelodeon station is â€Å"Rugrats†. It has been on the air since 1991. The show is often seen as prurient or â€Å"sex driven†. The last name of the main characters is â€Å"Pickles† which is a euphemism for the male genitalia. Lou Pickles usually calls his grandson, Tommy Pickles by the name â€Å"sprout†. It has been argued that this nickname is also a euphemism for the male genitalia as well. Angelica Pickles represents the S&M of â€Å"Rugrats† because constantly physically and verbally abuses the babies. Lesbianism is also portrayed in this cartoon. Phil and Lil’s mom, Betty Deville is what we would call a â€Å"Bull Dyke† because she wears a bandana, hangs out with feminine women, yells a lot, and loves sports. When parents choose what cartoons to let their children watch, they want to make sure that these cartoons are appropriate for general audiences. If a parent was to find profane or sexual language in the content of a cartoon, they wouldn’t allow their children to watch that cartoon anymore. People who create popular cartoons are careful to not allow any vulgar content to be incorporated into their cartoons. However, every cartoon can’t be made perfectly safe for viewing by children and some of the verbal content may be mistaken for auditory subliminal messages.

Work Skills. Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Work Skills. Business - Research Paper Example People that have bachelor’s degrees can become proactive by seeking a professional degree or a master’s degree. The globalization movement has shifted a lot of jobs from the developed countries to the emerging economies. Workers in many professional fields are facing competition for jobs from foreign candidates as the United States has become more proactive in giving work visas to foreigners with specialized skills. To build a success team in the workplace the first step is to find a good leader. Teammates that are not able to communicate well or connect with each other diminish the chances of synergy ever being achieved by the group. The use of technology in the workplace has allowed employees to become more productive. Technology has helped improve the working conditions of disabled people which increased the job opportunities for this special group of people (Cohn, 2000). Introduction Employers look for employees that are assertive because assertiveness can help work ers make better decisions. Aggressiveness is not a desirable trait recruiters seek in their employees. A person that takes a proactive career approach has a better chance of succeeding than people that are inactive and passive. The globalization movement has changed the workplace forever as diversity increased and international labor competition threatens the jobs of many blue collar American workers. Synergy is a characteristic present in many successful teams. Technological advancements increased the efficiency and productivity of employees around the world, but it also increased the pressures of workers due to higher managerial expectations. 1. Being Assertive instead of Being Aggressive at Work Being assertive is a great attribute to have in the workplace. Assertive people are characterized by making bold and confident statements (Merriam-webster, 2011). They can help other coworkers by inspiring them to improve their performance at work. Managers and leaders in the workplace te nd to be assertive people. The majority of successful entrepreneurs are for the most part assertive people (Adams, 2001). Employees that are assertive tend to be more motivated and their actions improve the corporate culture of a firm. Companies should target assertiveness as a desirable characteristic in the employee recruitment process. Assertive employees can outperform passive employees because they are more active and motivated. Contrary to the virtues of being assertive aggressiveness at work most of the times lead to bad results. Aggressiveness often leads to miscommunication among the workers. The perception that someone is being aggressive can create tensions in the workplace. Aggressive managers are not able to connect well with their employees. Normally an employee feels threaten by a manager that displays aggressive behavior. Yelling in the workplace is an example of an aggressive undesirable behavior in the workplace. People do not speak back when aggressive co-workers interact with them for fear of retaliation (Lloyd). Sometimes aggressiveness can work in a person’s favor. During a negotiation process is better to take an aggressive stance in order to gain a psychological advantage over the other party. Overall I would rather have an employee that is assertive than an aggressive worker. When aggressiveness is not controlled by a person it can implode and lead to disasters. Physical violence can occur when an aggressive person loses control of his emotions. Managers should incorporate anger management training in order to

Construction Broker Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Construction Broker Inc - Essay Example The tax rate is 25.42 percent for the first and third year and 25.00 percent for the second year. In the initial year the company is going to project conservatively in order to have enough cash in hand. Advertising costs will be reduced in the initial years because the company had already launched a manual or book and decided to distribute them through the agents to various construction companies. Now, let us come to the projected cash flow statement and the balance sheet. If we look at the projected cash flow, we come to know that the cash can be received by the company from various sources such as by borrowing money, sales of the current assets or new investment opportunities received. The expenditures may include the payment of tax, purchase of assets, payment of shareholders dividends if any or repaying loans to creditors. If we look at the balance sheet, we come to know that there will be a sufficient growth of net worth in consecutive years, which is a healthy sign for the company. Now, let us come to the conclusion. Construction Broker Inc. would be a consulting firm which will act as a bridge between the construction company and the customers, looking for repair or maintenance services. The company would receive commission from the Construction Company and service charges from the customers. A proper financial plan for the company has been developed in which the steps such as order procurement, forecasting the budget plan, receiving the order from the client and delivering the project is included. I believe that if the management of the company plans its actions properly, the company is going to reach the heights of success within a very short span of

Specialized academy to teach writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Specialized academy to teach writing - Essay Example Moreover, others have gone to an extent of seeking these services from various research bureaus. It is as a result of this challenge that I came up with an idea of this specialized academy. This academy will teach and help students acquire basic writing skills. This will assist students in carrying out their research, organizing and presenting their papers that are free from grammatical errors. This will in turn help students save that money they have been spending in seeking services of research bureau. The academy is set to be operating twice a week; that is, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Students will not only learn writing skills but also will be at a position to carry out research independently and report on their findings. The academy will also establish a website though which students can interact and assist each other especially when not attending lectures at the academy. The project is a way of giving back to the community by producing knowledgeable students who can carry out various researches for the society. I request for funds from this committee to help me put this project to reality and together we shall reap benefits. Proper accountability shall be done to ensure that these funds are utilized properly. Specialized academy proposes to teach students on various writing skills. The academy seeks to support students and other parties willing to join the academy develop, improve and nurture their writing skills. Proposed services to be provided by the academy include writing skills, grammar, and spelling in research writing and presentation. The academy will operate on a weekly base where students are required to attend classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Classes will run from 9 am in the morning till 5 pm in the evening. The academy is society based and is set to benefit the FDU society at large. Moreover, there are future plans of expansion on its success. The specialized academy is a training

Habituation in Spirostomum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habituation in Spirostomum - Essay Example The unicellular organisms, Spirostomum also undergo changes on habituation. Spirostomum are ciliated protozoa and habituation helps in studying behavioral changes in these parallel to habituation. But it is viewed as a process to filter out iterative stimuli with no significant changes. And the easiest way to judge the changes is that as habituation is a homeostatic process it optimizes the Spirostomum's likelihood of judging the importance of the stimulus in a new iterative series or a change in it. The method to detect the low or high responsiveness to the stimuli is that if we take the initial responsiveness as organism's threshold prior to stimulus occurrence then if it has high initial response it is said to have lower threshold and if low initial response visa versa. In Spirostomum the time course of contraction is very rapid with 4 to 5 mS as the cells contract at a rate in excess of 100 cell lengths sec-1. And as the stimulus strength duration judges the threshold response, Spirostomum is said to have full or no contraction at all. The changes in resting membrane potential do not cause initial contractions while microinjection of calcium buffers induce contractions. The Spirostomum are habituated to a mechanical shock and cause brief contractions. And as the stimulation is repeated the number of contractions decreases. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein have also been found to increase during habituation as per the foundations of Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan. As the RNA and protein increases occur after a few consecutive stimulations RNA and protein inhibitors can also be used in combination. Though large amounts of RNA and proteins are not needed for habituation in protozoan Spirostomum. For the process of habituation firstly place the individuals on the slide. Tap the slide with mechanical stimulus every four seconds. You'll notice a change in Spirostomum behavior after 12 to 20 stimuli. The calculation of the percentage of the protozoa contracting can be done by counting from photographs taken during the process. Various studies have shown that Spirostomum can remember for ten minutes maximum. The term behavior is used to extend the original meaning to the concept of primary internal processes and changes occurred due to habituation in single cellular organisms. It includes their iterative external stimulation, their initial threshold to the initial stimulus and the behavioral changes in them. The shorter life span of habituation in Spirostomum also suggests that synthesis of macromolecules may not be necessary. Therefore, the adaptive significance of habituation in Spirostomum as viewed across the science of phylogeny. Sources / References: 1) Smith. James, Eisenstein. E.M., Eisenstein. D. Research & Development. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, CA. The Evolutionary Significance of Habituation and Sensitization Across Phylogeny: A Behavioral Homeostasis Model. 2) The Department of Zoology. University of Hul. Hawkins. R.B. 3) http://www.nature.com. Journal. 4) Applewhite and Gardner (1968). Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan(1969) 5) http://www.springerlink.com/content 6) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal 7) Protein and RNA Inhibitors and Protozoan Habituation. Gardener. Frank.T, Applewhite.

Management and the Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management and the Global Economy - Essay Example Such companies are Ericsson, Honda and Chiquita among others. This paper looks into the above companies and offers light in respect to their strategies that have seen them conquer their respective lines of operation. Significance of Technology/ Ethics/ Culture in International Business Management Facebook is a widely used social site which attracts people who are mostly between 18-30 years. Its strengths include the wide fan base that currently stands at slightly over 600 million. It is partly owned by Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft which bought minority shares worth $240 million in 2007. The company has reformed over time by upgrading its site to suit the changing customer needs as well as to outwit competitors. Fans are able to post and share videos and photos with their friends, send messages, chat online among other unique and new features. It has however been criticized for not regularly updating the fan page. According to Latham (2011) Facebook should take advantage of the onlin e advertisement boom to increase on revenue base and popularity. The company has also faced many legal battles and political interference for example the recent case where classmates of the founder wanted to be cashing more from the company claiming to have co-founded the company. Football or soccer has a peculiar popularity which is part of culture in Europe and United Kingdom to be precise. Manchester United is one club that has a wide following not only in UK but in the whole world. The club has a fan base that comprises of five percent of the global population. Manchester United Plc. has taken advantage of this by expanding its revenues sources to Asia, Africa and Latin America through sales of club’s merchandise like jerseys and magazines as stated by ESPN. The club is currently owned by the Grazer family from United States which controls seventy percent stake. The club’s financial status has not been appealing due to high expenses and less-than-matching revenues. The company takes advantage of their website to sell merchandise. Its Grazer takeover wrangles have attracted attention for a long time coupled with poor financial performance and massive debt. The strong brand name and its multinational approach are its important strengths. Although competition is intense from arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester has many opportunities to capture a wider market and fan base. Operating within ethical standards by companies draws mixed reactions as this is more of a subjective issue. That which one party may regard as ethical is totally the opposite for another. This is well illustrated by Chiquita Brands Int. where at some point it has been involved in both ethical and unethical practices. Examples of ethical practices include building schools and health facilities for its workers and their families. It also returned land to Central Americans and later funded relief efforts after the 1972 earthquake. Unethical ones include being involved in c orruption with the Costa Rica’s government, assisting CIA to topple Guatemala government, helped in the attack of Cuba in early 1960s and many others as stated in Chiquita Brands Int. Case Study. The company has had a huge influence on the political landscape in South America which has ultimately affected its image negatively acting as its weakness. It has also been good in breaking laws

China Economy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

China Economy - Coursework Example The share of China of total accumulated FDI stock in Asia almost tripled within 20 years i.e. from 6% in 1990 – 15% in 2010. Currency strengthening against the US dollar- the Chinese RMB has continuously appreciated against US dollar from8.27 in 2005 to 6.41 in 2011. The country still continues to run trade surplus as well as accumulating foreign reserves. Its pressure to appreciate the currency still remains strong (Tong & Wong, 2012). The reason as to why there was no industrial revolution in China is that the brokers as well as tax collectors created a market only for luxurious consumer goods instead of investing in new technologies. â€Å"They could use their surplus capital to extend credit at high interest rates or to run pawnshops, but they failed to invest in new technologies that would spur industrial revolution† (133). When Europe built modern infrastructure within Chinese treaty ports, it did not spark industrial revolution since industries were few (Tong & Wong, 2012). Cultural Revolution was a major drawback since it did cost China economic problems. â€Å"Though it resulted to long term economic damage to government administration and factory management as well as the country’s education system† (Tong & Wong, 2012). 4. China adopted an open-ended approach towards its economic reform process because it did not have any books to help them learn the way of un-planning, hence they needed something with no blueprint or detailed plans. China chose to begin with Agriculture reform step taken by china to start economic reform, which they did through instituting household responsibility system. The reason they chose agriculture was that despite the trial and error reform strategy having work well during the first phases, critical microeconomic measures of reforms failed to lend themselves effectively to the gradualist method through experimentation. Some of these reform measures included taxation,

Answer for exam question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer for exam question - Essay Example African culture characteristics Edoho (2001) asserts that the African culture is almost opposite to that of America. In his comparison between the two cultures, Edoho found that the Africa culture exhibits the following characteristics; High power distance, Collectivism, Moderately feminine and Moderate to low uncertainty avoidance. According to Edoho, America has an individualism culture, low power distance, masculine and low uncertainty avoidance. Individualism refers to a cultural state of affairs where individuals’ ties between individuals are loose. Although the extent of collectivism varies within countries, Africa countries are generally collectivist in nature. With regards to masculinity v femininity, African countries are moderately feminine. Uncertainty avoidance is the degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain circumstances. African culture is generally low on uncertainty avoidance. African culture is characterized by high power distance. The high power distance also gives rise to high social inequality, where subordinates highly depend on managers (French, 2010). A person’s standing in the society depends on the age and social status. In addition, hierarchies, formality and titles are highly regarded in African culture. Africans place value on personal connections, trust, friendship and personal relationships. In addition to valuing relationships, Africans value groups such as clans and ethnic group rather than an individual. This results in the prominence of working for the benefit of the whole instead of an individual. Tradition and honor are highly regarded and the culture endeavors to safeguard the loss of honor. In terms of male domination, African societies are male dominated, although most Africans tend to be modest. While dealing with uncertainty, the African culture stresses on harmony rather than conflict. Africans resort to harmony as they do not feel threatened by unknown circumstances. Africans have a more flexible and relaxed attitude towards time. This flexibility of time in the African culture is unofficially referred to as the â€Å"African time†. Finally, the African culture is characterized by high content where decisions depend on the external environment, circumstances and non-verbal signs. Conclusion In conclusion, the African nature exhibits most of the attributes put forward by Hofstede. Among the most prominent features in the African culture are high power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, collectivism and moderate femininity. High distance in African countries considers inequality as essential and that everyone has a place. Organizational values in African countries hold that most people should be dependent on the leader. People holding social positions are perceived as privileged and people work towards protecting their titles and prestige. As such, only related relationships are accepted in organization as subordinates consider themselves as different from their bosses. Q 1 B: how understanding cultural theories can help international managers to decide on the most suitable management style. Introduction The management of human resources is collective with regard to policies, processes and strategies. Managing and developing human resources in an international setting is increasingly acknowledged as a central challenge, especially for

Feminism and Politics Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Feminism and Politics Today - Essay Example Feminists from England, France, and the US have had a significant success in involving women in organizations entrusted with decision-making. However, there has been an increased female participation in politics in many parts of Europe. These participations have given rise to a reduction in domestic violence, promotion of divorce rights, and child custody rights over the last four decades. In Ugandan, women had a different technique of growing their political participation. At the time guerrilla war between 1981-5, women used a major contribution (Finley & Stringer 2010). These women put in place policies that favored them too and, as a result, it made them at par with men in decision-making positions. The problem of marriages in India has for a long time become a question of concern for most Indian women. Marriage related deaths have been on the rise, and this made the Indian feminists fight for equal marriage rights. Initially, men had a lot of favors in matters of marriage. They e njoyed marriage rights that deprived women of their rights too. Apart from marriage rights, For example, Indian feminists fought for property, marriage, and divorce rights that favored men for a long time. As a result, in 1934, a bill was passed that protects the rights of women, and this was achieved to change the order that had existed for a long time. In Mexico, women joined organizations that inculcated in them public confidence. The confidence they gained helped them to argue courageously out their rights (Glenn 2010).

A Spatial Median Filter for Noise Removal in Digital Images Essay Example for Free

A Spatial Median Filter for Noise Removal in Digital Images Essay With each snap of a digital photograph, a signal is transmitted from photon sensor to a memory chip embedded inside a camera. Transmission technology is prone to a degree of error, and noise is added to each photograph. Signi? cant work has been done in both hardware and software to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in digital photography. In software, a smoothing ? lter is used to remove noise from an image. Each pixel is represented by three scalar values representing the red, green, and blue chromatic intensities. At each pixel studied, a smoothing ? lter takes into account the surrounding pixels to derive a more accurate version of this pixel. By taking neighboring pixels into consideration, extreme â€Å"noisy† pixels can be replaced. However, outlier pixels may represent uncorrupted ? ne details, which may be lost due to the smoothing process. This paper examines four common smoothing algorithms and introduces a new smoothing algorithm. These algorithms can be applied to one-dimensional as well as two-dimensional signals. Figure 1. Examples of common ? ltering approaches. (a) Original Image (b) Mean Filtering (c) Median Filtering (d) Root Signal of Median Filtering (e) Component wise Median Filtering (f) Vector Median Filtering. The simplest of these algorithms is the Mean Filter as de? ned in (1). The Mean Filter is a linear ? lter which uses a mask over each pixel in the signal. Each of the components of the pixels which fall under the mask are averaged together to form a single pixel. This new pixel is then used to replace the pixel in the signal studied. The Mean Filter is poor at maintaining edges within the image. 1 N ? xi N i=1 MEANFILT ER(x1 , , xN ) = (1) The use of the median in signal processing was ? rst introduced by J. W. Tukey [1]. When ? ltering using the Simple Median Filter, an original pixel and the resulting ? ltered pixel of the sample studied are sometimes the same pixel. A pixel that does not change due to ? ltering is known as the root of the mask. It can be shown that after suf? cient iterations of median ? ltering, every signal converges to a root signal [2]. The Component Median Filter, de? ned in (3), also relies on the statistical median concept. In the Simple Median Filter, each point in the signal is converted to a single magnitude. In the Component Median Filter each scalar component is treated independently. A ? lter mask is placed over a point in the signal. For each component of each point under the mask, a single median component is determined. These components are then combined to form a new point, which is then used to represent the point in the signal studied. When working with color images, however, this ? lter regularly outperforms the Simple Median Filter. When noise affects a point in a grayscale image, the result is called â€Å"salt and pepper† noise. In color images, this property of â€Å"salt and pepper† noise is typical of noise models where only one scalar value of a point is affected.

Diplomacy in International Relations

Diplomacy in International Relations Each century believes that its time is exclusive and uncommon, an ideal change from past actions and how international relations was regulated. Diplomacy is an art and process of handling and managing negotiations, usually between states and/or states’ representatives, it involves mediation and intervention of trained diplomats regarding matters of trade, culture, human rights, peace and reconciliation, economy, security, wars and the environment. Diplomacy is usually operated under the institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) which serves and acts as the principal contact for diplomatic and strategic missions, it also works with established institutions through which its diplomatic services are realised (Embassies and Consulates). The Embassy serves as a representative building that houses diplomats (envoys, ministers, and ambassadors, consulates). It served as a point where citizens and tourists can go to, to seek for help in the circumstances of any trouble. Dip lomats often work within the MFA in the capacity of representation, advocacy, negotiation, policy advice and representation and policy coordination. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its contemporary model has evolved as a major system and school of the Westphalia order that is it can be seen as a combination of procedures, rules, standards and patters that controls and coordinates formal communication and interaction among nations. Diplomacy operates differently from one state to the other based on practices and conducts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has increasingly evolved over many years of interstate communications. This system is entrenched within the MFA through which messages and information is passed across to and from domestic governments and foreign governments; advice on policies of international matters, conducting foreign affairs. In present times, as a result of revolution, the institutionalised methods of interaction between states is under pressure. The a im of this essay is to examine to what extent the MFA is an evolving institution. The evolution of the MFA is examined within the context of traditional diplomacy as posited by Young (1921), this will be contrasted with text Jorge (2006) which explores the MFA as a continuum through the rise of multilateral diplomacy which is a shift away from bilateral diplomacy. Traditional diplomacy also referred to as old diplomacy. In earlier times to mid nineteenth century, the MFA, which is a body through which the foreign affairs of a country is managed, practised traditional diplomacy solely (Young 1921) Traditional diplomacy can be examined in three scopes; the structure which is based on state approach where the state is the principal actor in international affairs, the process which has been a private affair for a very long time due to its bilateral nature, it depended on a limited frame work instead of other diplomatic approaches and lastly, the agenda of traditional diplomacy which is basically on security matters (Anderson 1993). Traditional diplomacy as practised under the MFA rested on the premise of the charismatic nature of the society, it relied on a form of limited social contact which had elements of stereotype ideas of gentle and noble diplomats. Aristocrats were the major players in the time when traditional diplomacy was strictly pract ised by foreign affairs institutions as a result of the priority placed on ownership of property, the distinctiveness of the appointment procedures of diplomats and also the idea that only certain class and members of the society has the essential character to be outstanding diplomats (Young 1921). Calculated efforts were made to manage and carry out diplomatic activities secretly the foreign office (MFA) usually responded with consternation whenever those outside the aristocratic class get wind of diplomatic business or try to gain knowledge of foreign office activities (Kennan 1984). The activities of the MFA was in most cases shielded from public scrutiny and perusal, this is because the appointments of diplomats within the foreign office is tightly controlled and managed by the executive arm of the government and in some cases, they were under the direct ruling of the monarch, this was encouraged due to the nineteenth century limited size of the diplomatic society (Kissinger 201 2). During the most part of the 19th century, embassies were few, hence, there was limited room to get into the top level in the diplomatic community and service. In the late 1860s, Britain had only 7 embassies around the world due to its practice of old diplomacy and the limitations this practice to expansion of the MFA roles and functions (Watson 1984). The MFA’s function is to coordinate and manage bilateral and multilateral relations between nations and its state, it also managed administration, protocol and consular activities. Although traditional diplomacy has been the bedrock of contemporary diplomacy under the MFA, it is considerably and extensively supplemented by new features which shows the evolving institution of the MFA as posited by Young (1921). Jorge (2006) asserts that the conception of multilateral diplomacy accounts for the evolving institution of MFAs around the world. Multilateral diplomacy has to totally taken the place of bilateral diplomacy rather, beach has individual roles to play and are both means by which countries seek after their goals and objectives, this indicates that bilateral and multilateral diplomacy are both embedded in the international structure the practice of multilateral diplomacy has increased over the years which involves a dramatic shift in how international actors operates and also foreign policy at the end of the cold war (Langhorne 2005: 332). There are two major determinants that accounts for the evolution of the MFA; the emergence of new communication and information techniques and its influence on the diplomatic process, the rise of various diplomatic actors, (non-state actors in particular) which has become a primary part of international affairs and relations, therefore, state actors a re no longer sole participants in the diplomatic process, a few scholars have termed this to be the end of state actors’ involvement (Winston 1992)diplomacy under the MFA is now experiencing major transformations in reaction to the developments in information technology, which does not only have enormous effects on the diplomatic process but which has also brought about other models of diplomacy; public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, transformational diplomacy, diaspora diplomacy and virtual diplomacy (Jorge 2006). Multilateral diplomacy fully emerged in the twentieth century after the establishment of the League of Nations created after the First World War and also the creation of the United Nations after the Second World War due to the increase in globalisation and inter dependency between nation states. The MFA has evolved and embraced multilateral diplomacy more than ever before. As the world becomes more accessible with the aid of advancement in technology, it is becomin g more interdependent which furthers the MFA’s evolution, with the conception and establishment of such international organisations like; Arab League, United Nations, European Union, African Union, and others (Kelly 2010:290). The need for cooperation in a world that is becoming more globalised has led to the evolution of the MFA from its past feature of involving only state actors to the inclusion of non-state actors 9Jorge 2006) Further to thus, the September 9, 2011 attack signified the age of globalization and the knowledge that evil and terrorism has become borderless, the aggressors that perpetuated this act used the elements of globalization; internet, mass media and mass travel, to achieve the terrorist actions. International menace and perils is now, more challenging to individual states because these threats have no respect for borders and boundaries. Famine, migration, climate change, diseases, terrorism, cyber-attacks and transnational crime are increasing in the international arena(Jorge 2006). Multilateral diplomacy involves various actors and also encourages collective responsibility. Individual and organisation involvement in diplomacy is increasing and has made the MFA more polygonal because the menace challenging the world today does not only affects individual nation states, it affects the safety and preservation of humanity in general. The MFA is an evolving institution due to the rising mu ltipolar nature of the world, visa application that required one’s physical presence to fill forms can now be done directly through the internet. Gathering of information is also an aspect where MFA has evolved, access to information has been the major responsibility of diplomats, the monopoly of information by the MFA has drastically reduced because the activities of foreign offices has become increasingly open after the second world war and also the involvement of public participation in conflicts that resulted and is resulting to warfare (Saddiki 2001:95). The diplomatic mission need not be directed by the MFA to manually search for documents which would be sent by post or through diplomatic travels which is time consuming and exhausting other these documents can now be found quacking through the internet and online archives, these can now be sent to representatives of other states with immediate effects. Thus, the MFA as an institution has evolved from basically pen and p aper, bogus use of intermediaries to fast paced internet access and disintermediation where the exclusive use of diplomats as intermediaries has been cut down. Diplomats are increasingly relinquishing their former role of gathering and transmission of data and are now more concerned with new high level diplomatic activities. Classical administrative processes carried out by MFAs in the past has been simplified through the use of the internet which has helped to save time, cost and also makes it possible for more parties to be involved in the negotiation process (Akasha 2012). The MFA as an evolving institution has evolved from its practice of exclusive old diplomacy to imbibing the elements of public diplomacy. Public diplomacy operates beyond governmental activities, it spreads to the private sector activities and further to the society at large and the conventions of a people. Leonard (2002) claims that public diplomacy is for the common good when looking at how effective and useful it is has become. It is basically to promote the interests of a nation through comprehending, communicating knowledge and moulding/shaping targeted country’s opinions, it is about relationship building, understanding other nations’ culture, people and needs, passing across ideas, mending false perception, gaining positive grounds and working towards a common goal. it goes beyond the MFAs old practise of traditional diplomacy, it is hinged on the basis that a nation’s image, prominence and notoriety should not be private but public which can either create a facilitating or debilitating environment for exchange (trade, educational, cultural and otherwise). It improves people’s knowledge and awareness of one’s country and its relationship with foreign states, strengthens relations and cooperation through a multi-dimensional process. This approach to diplomacy by MFAs seeks to grasp the rising trends in international relations where we see a number of private individuals, NGOs and private organisations acting as frontiers of their nation’s policy to exchange and partake with other countries. Globalisation has extremely made it possible for the MFA to be evolving and has also incorporating non-state actors to be empowered and also promotes their relevance in the international level (American Security Project 2013). Public diplomacy is a transparent method through which countries relate with other countries and its people for the purpose of enlightening and shaping their views solely for the aim of furthering the int erests and also making sure its foreign policy aims are promoted, it is a conception that has evolved over the years. The major feature of public diplomacy is direct communication with the people of foreign nations, influencing foreign governments through its citizens and also putting forth the image of one’s country in a positive light. It deals with factual discourse and clarification of a country’s foreign policy and culture to foreign audiences, boosting understanding, listening and engaging in dialogue (Leonard 2010). The British Broadcast Commission is an example of the use of public diplomacy, although partly funded by the British government, it is independent of its influence, this media corporation aims is to promote the British image positively through programs that show cases its culture, traditions and people thereby attracting foreign relations (Leonard 2010). The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme is also an organisation through which public diplomacy is practised, where university and college graduates are invited to be participants of cultural and educational exchange, they are given the opportunity to hold position within Japan and experience first-hand, the way of life of the people of Japan, this programme has been able to extend the goodwill and also promote foreign relations (Melissen 2005). Greenpeace is a very good example of the involvement of non-state actors in diplomatic processes, its main goal is to ensure global environmental stability by directing its energy towards issues like; deforestation, nuclear weapons production, climate change, overfishing and the likes, using such tools like; campaigns (lobbying), direct actions and investigation (research) (Jennifer 2011). Even as a non-state actor. It has been a participatory member of the London Convention since 1983.it played an enormous role in the campaign against waste dumping into oceans and it is recognised as one of the major popular and enduring campaigns against environmental decline, the use of celebrities to champion causes and act as informal representatives of states. A further example is the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions’ (CHRE) significant contribution to Kosovo’s Protection of Land and Property Rights by developing the Housing and Property Directorate (which is now Kosovo†™s Property Agency within the scheme of the United Nations interim administration mission in Kosovo(Kelly 2010: 290). Jorge (2006) examines the challenges faced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an evolving institution. Globalization is a major problem to nations, the problem is mostly obvious in the financial contingency that has befallen many nations like Indonesia, Brazil. This challenge does not only tow the line of economy. Within the political arena, the number of forces which has given rise to the continuous evolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (diplomacy); inter-state dependency, low cost of communication, which has resulted to an increase in the number of non-state actors, churches, private individuals, has led to complex decision making by the government and legislative arm, where all these external actors have to be engaged and involved in diplomatic processes which, many at times, leads to diverse opinions and agreements that could further cause a divide(Jennifer 2011). In conclusion, the diplomatic agenda of MFAs has evolved since the onset of globalization of international relations and the end of the cold war, the end to strict and stiff alliances, the departure of the Soviet menace and threat, and the rise of democracy which is being practised in more nations than before is a major impact on the evolution of MFA which has led to more activities on regional and international levels due to the interconnectedness of states. It’s a crucial instrument for providing solutions to global threats and challenges such ass labour and human rights, humanitarian aids, trade and others, Kerr and Wiseman (2012). The conception and increase of the involvement of non-state actors and non-governmental organisations after the cold war also depicts the evolving institution of MFA especially issues relating to the society; the involvement of International Campaign to Ban Landmines (which is a non-governmental organisation) is seen as a major factor that influe nced many countries into signing the Ottawa treaty to ban the use of landmines in 1997. As most things in life, the MFA has evolved over the centuries and is still evolving, these changes has been defined by two major periods which are identified in terms of the practice of old (traditional) diplomacy and new (multilateral) diplomacy, Hamilton and Langhorne(2011). Nijhoff (2009) attributes the evolution of the MFA to the critical shift in the basis of old diplomacy procedures and the world wide integration of international relations including the evolution of communication methods. Thus, international agenda now has new concerns and issues. Further changes and evolution of MFA is anticipated as the years go by and as world politics changes. References Akasha, M. O. (2012). ‘Evolution of Diplomacy’. Social Science Research Network [online]. Available from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2220467> [29 December 2014] American Security Project (2013) Propaganda: A Tool of Strategic Influence [online] available from http://www.Americasecurityproject.org/fact-sheet-propaganda-a-tool-of-strategic-influence/> [20 December 2014] Anderson, M. S. (1993). The rise of modern diplomacy, 1450-1919. London: Longman. Berridge, G. R. (1995). Diplomacy: theory and practice (p. 33). London: Prentice Hall. Constantinou, C. M., Der Derian, J. (2010). Sustaining global hope: sovereignty, power and the transformation of diplomacy Hamilton, K., Langhorne, R. (2011). The practice of diplomacy: its evolution, theory, and administration. New York: Routledge Jennifer, M (2011) Culture of Diplomacy : Britain in Europe, C. 1750-1830. Manchester: Manchester University Press Jorge, H. (2006) ‘On the Manner of Practising New Diplomacy’. The Centre for International Governance Innovation Kelley, J. R. (2010). The new diplomacy: Evolution of a revolution. Diplomacy Statecraft, 21(2), 286-305. Kennan, G. F. (1984). American diplomacy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Kerr, P., Wiseman, G. (2012). Diplomacy in a Globalizing World. London: Oxford University Press Kissinger, H. (2012). Diplomacy. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks Leonard, M. (2002) Public Diplomacy. London; The Foreign Policy Centre Langhorne, R. (2005).’ The diplomacy of non-state actors’. Diplomacy and Statecraft, 16(2), 331-339. Melissen, J. (2005). The new public diplomacy. New York: Palmgrave Macmillan Melissen, J. (2005). Wielding Soft Power: The New Public Diplomacy. Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. Nye, J. S. (2008). Understanding international conflicts. New York: Longman. Nye, J. S. (2008). Public diplomacy and soft power. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 94-109. Roberts, W. R. (2006). The evolution of diplomacy. Mediterranean Quarterly, 17(3), 55-64. Saddiki, S. (2006). ‘Diplomacy in a Changing World’. Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, 5(4), 93-105. Watson A (1984) Diplomacy: the Dialogue Between States. Britain: Eyre Methuen ltd. Young, G. (1921). Diplomacy Old and New. Swarthmore Press

Tag-derived Simple Sequence Repeat Markers of Olive

Tag-derived Simple Sequence Repeat Markers of Olive Identification and functional annotation of expressed sequence Tag-Derived Simple Sequence Repeat Markers of olive (Olea europaea) Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most important oil producing crops in world, the genetic identification of several genotypes by using molecular markers is the first step in breeding programs. A large number of Olea europaea expressed sequence tags (ESTs) 11,215 were done from the NCBI database and used to search for microsatellites. Our result Explained that 8295 SSRs were present and its percentage of occurrence which about 77.6%,11.84%,8.62%,0.84%,0.77% and 0.29% for Mononucleotide, trinucleotide, dinucleotide, hexanucleotide, pentanucleotide and tetranucleotide respectively. The appearance of the AAG/CTT repeat was highly percentage in trinucleotide and percentage of AG/CT was highly in dinucleotide repeats. By using flanking region of SSRs repeat we designed 1,801 EST-SSR primer pairs. The result obtained from Functional annotation of olive EST sequences containing SSRs indicated that 81% of these sequence having homology with known proteins, while 1.55% was homologou s to hypothetical or unknown proteins and the 17.37% sequences did not possess homology with any known proteins. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation revealed that EST containing SSRs were implicated in diverse biological process include cellular and metabolic process, while in molecular function includes catalytic activity, binding and enzyme regulator activity. A total of 93 different pathways were significant matches in the KEGG database, which divided onto Carbohydrate metabolism such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway and the Energy metabolism such as Carbon fixation in photosynthetic organism pathway, also this included 11 different pathways from Lipid metabolism such as Fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. We isolate a genomic DNA from 9 olive cultivars and tested with 25 random selected primer pairs for amplification and polymorphism detection. All tested primers, exhibited successfully amplified and detected polymorphism. Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most superannuated and important long lived fruit species in Mediterranean [1], its diploid species (2n = 2x = 46), and the genome size range between 2.90 pg/2C and 3.07 pg/2C, with 1C = 1,400 1,500 Mbp [2]. Olea europaea is one of the first domesticated crops from Oleaceae family, and it cultivated for table olives and edible oil [3], a long history of olive cultivation in the Middle East was descriptions by archaeology and botanists [4]. The olive cultivars are high of number that more than 1200 cultivars [5], also the accessions are available in a large numbers in olive producing countries, that occurrence a problems for germplasm preservation and it management [6]. The genetic identification and characterizing of several genotypes by using molecular markers is the first step in breeding programs [7], and by increased rate of mutation in microsatellites repeats that show a highly level of length polymorphism [8]. With the improvement and increasing of DNA sequencing technology, sequencing of expressed gene are used to obtain a large collection of EST which are isolated from a specific tissue and stage on organism [3]. Recent EST-SSR studies have reported that the EST is uses a source of SSRs and that reveal highly polymorphism [9]. EST sequences Available in public database and by using bioinformatics tools can determine and development of SSR markers in that EST sequences [10]. In olive that can be allow to development of new functional marker and use it in molecular breeding [11]. Also it can use as useful tools for gene and marker discovery, gene mapping and functional comparative studies. EST-SSRs recently reported in several plant species, such as Musa [12], Finger Millet [13], Jatropha Curcas [14], Pineapple [15], Celery [16], Lettuce [17], Barley [18], Radish [19], Citrus [20], Watermelon [21], Sugarcane [22], grapes [23], Cereal species [24] and bread wheat [25]. A large number of EST sequences in olive are available on database it can be a useful resource to develop gene based markers. The aim of this study was to use bioinformatics tools to develop and identify a new genic marker EST-SSR in Olive, to compare the frequency and distribution of different repeat types in genic sequences. Also determine the localization of these primers in different pathways in plant, to use it as tools to differences between the olive cultivars. The Source of Sequence, screening and primer designing of microsatellites. EST database used a source of olive EST sequences from NCBI (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). A total of 11,215 ESTs sequences of Olea europaea are available and used in this study. Identification of SSRs by using the perl script MISA (MIcroSAtellite identification tool; http://pgrc.ipk-gatersleben.de/misa/).The criteria used to determine SSR repeat were: mononucleotide ≠¥ 10, dinucleotide ≠¥ 6, trinucleotide, tetranucleotide, pentanucleotide, and hexanucleotide ≠¥ 5, and the maximal number of bases interrupting two SSRs in a compound microsatellite are 100 bp. The flanking region of SSR motifs used to design SSR primers by using primer3_core [26]. The parameters used were: optimum length of primer 20 nucleotides, optimum annealing temperature (Tm) of 58 °C, expected amplified products size of 100-500 bp and optimum G/C content 50 %. Validation of designed primer For primer validation, we designed 25 EST-SSR primers and test these primers on 9 olive cultivars. Total genomic DNA was extracted from olive leaves using Plant Genomic DNA Kit (QiGen). PCR amplification was conducted in 25  µ l reactions containing 50 ng of template DNA, 2.5 mM MgCl2, 5  µ l 5X PCR buffer, 0.5 mM each primer, 0.5 U Taq DNA polymerase, and 2.5 mM dNTPs. The PCR cycling profile was 94 °C for 5 min, 35 cycles at 94 °C for 45 s, the optimum annealing temperature for each primer pair shown on (Table S1) for 50 s, 72 °C for 45 s, and a final extension at 72 °C for 10 min. The quality of the PCR product was checked by mixing it with an equal volume of loading buffer and then visualizing the band on a 1.5% agarose gel in TBE buffer at 100 W for 120 min. Identification of EST-SSRs Putative Function annotation The putative function annotation of EST sequences contains SSR performed by used Blast2go program [27] to BLAST against a reference database. Also blast2go program are containing many features such as Gene Ontology (GO), Enzyme Commission (EC), and KEGG annotation. Distribution of various repeat type in olive Our result referred to 4,088 EST sequences about 36.45% from 11,215 of Olea europaea EST sequences as containing 8,295 various motif SSRs that Due to the EST sequences maybe contain more than one SSR motif (Table 1), and this number based on the criteria we used it to identify SSR motifs in the EST sequence. The investigation of different types of SSR repeats in our result showed that the highest percentage of appearance mononucleotide repeats were 77.64%, followed by trinucleotide 11.84%, dinucleotide 8.62%, hexanucleotide 0.84%, pentanucleotide 0.77% and tetranucleotide 0.29% (Fig. 1). The higher abundant of trinucleotide in coding regions were consistent with the previous studies in eukaryotic genomes [28, 31]. In mononucleotide A/T repeats 88.8% were higher than the G/C 11.2% motifs, and these results were proportionate with SSRs analysis of chloroplast SSRs on Olea species [29] and with SSRs analysis of major cereal organelle genome [28]. GA motifs were representing 55% from dinucleotide motifs in olive EST sequences. According to previously studies from foxtail millet [31], barley, maize, rice, sorghum and wheat [30], GA motifs were the most abundant motifs in these crops. AG/CT and GA/TC motifs were the most frequent respectively and CG motifs the lowest frequencies were found in olive, this case reported in the distribution of microsatellites on three different plant families that Brassicaceae, Solanaceae and Poaceae [32]. Dinucleotide motif can represent to multiple codons that depending on the reading frame and can translate into different amino acids such as, AG/CT motif can represent AGA, GAG, CUC and UCU codons in mRNA and translate into the amino acids Glu, Arg, Leu and Ala respe ctively, Ala and Leu were present in protein at higher frequencies, hence the higher incidence of GA, CT motifs in the EST sequences [33]. This could be one of the reasons why GA, CT motifs are present at such highly appearance in EST collections [34], dinucleotide repeats that located on coding regions are more sensitive to any change such as any addition or deletion because that causes a frame shifts and will give different amino acids [35]. As for trinucleotide TCT, TTC were the most common repeat motif in olive EST (Table 2), While AAG/CTT motifs were the most common in chloroplast of Olea species SSRs [29], however, in other crops such as barley, maize, rice, sorghum and wheat CCG or AAC were the most common trinucleotide repeat [30]. Our results revealed that tetranucleotide motifs AATC, CTTT are the most common; however the most common in Olea species SSRs chloroplast were AAAG, CTTT [29]. Pentanucleotide and hexanucleotide AAAAT and GAAAAA respectively are the most common repeat motif in our results while [29] found AATCC was the most common on pentanucleotide in Olea species SSRs chloroplast and hexanucleotide was not found. Design and validate of EST-SSR In this study, we designed 1,801 PCR primer pairs from the 8295 SSR motifs of Olea europaea EST, The designed primers were referred as Oe-ESSR_xxxx, where Oe-ESSR referred to Olea europaea EST SSR, xxxx was referred the number of EST-SSR from 1-1801 and that different of the previously SSR primers designed from chloroplast sequences of Olea species [29]. This primers were listed in the (Table S1), and provide with all information related it such as Primer name, GenInfo Identifier gi number of EST sequence, Repeat type, Repeat Sequence, Length of Repeat, Repeat start on sequence, Repeat end on sequence, Forward and Reveres Primer, Tm ( °C), Length of Primer (bp), product Length (bp), sequence of EST, Sequence Description, gene ontology, Enzyme code and Enzyme Name. We use a sample of 25 primers randomly from these 1,801 EST-SSR primers to validate it by using a genomic DNA isolated from 9 olive cultivars. All tested primers, exhibited successfully amplified and detected polymorphism (Fig. 2). Putative Function annotation of EST-SSRs The putative function annotation of the EST sequences containing SSR performed by used Blast2go program [27]. According to the Blast2go result, 81% from EST sequence as homology with known proteins, while hypothetical or unknown proteins were 1.55%, and 17.37% of this EST sequences did not homology with any known proteins. The gene ontology of olive EST sequences containing SSRs using Blast2GO revealed that in the biological processes, the highly appearance of SSR were involved in cellular processes, metabolic, response to stimulus, biological regulation and developmental process, while Signaling, rhythmic processes and growth had the lowest SSR contents among these EST. The molecular function category includes catalytic activity and binding, while cell membrane and organelle were assigned in the cellular component category (Fig. 3). The Similar results were found on functional annotation of the citrus and date palm EST sequences containing SSRs [20, 36]. Our results agreement with t he similar results obtained in [20] which suggested that genes were involved in protein metabolism and biosynthesis were well conserved in plants. Functional classification by KEGG pathway analyses The KEGG Pathway analysis is useful tool to understand the molecular interaction and biological functions [37]. Our study exhibited a total of 93 different pathways include 253 enzymes target by 381 EST-SSR primers were significant matches in the KEGG database (Table S2), this data can Visualization by using circos software [38] (fig. 4). The higher occurrence of SSR on pathways indicated a good potential for using these molecular markers to targeting the enzyme related to the trait subjected in our study. This EST sequences contain SSR were categorized into metabolism, as well as its subcategories, including lipid metabolism (Table 3), carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. In details, the mapping result can further investigated against the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis (Fig. 5), Oxidative phosphorylation (Fig. 6) and Fatty acid degradation (Fig. 7) pathways as an example of Carbohydrate metabolism, Energy metabolism and Lipid metabolism respectively. Conclusion SSR markers are very important because it is co-dominant, highly polymorphic and can generate from functional regions of the genome. EST-SSR technique have the potential to generate phenotypically linked functional markers and a useful tool can use on genetic diversity, marker assisted selection and genome mapping in olive. This study exhibited the functional categorization of olive EST sequences containing SSR revealed that these ESTs representing in genes with cellular component, biological process and molecular function. This EST-SSR primers also providing with useful information to understand the biological functions and genes interactions according to the localization of this primers in different pathways related to possible phenotypic differences between the olive cultivars. References Gaby E, Mbanjo N, Tchoumbougnang F, Mouelle AS, Oben JE, Nyine M, et al. Development of expressed sequence tags-simple sequence repeats ( EST-SSRs ) for Musa and their applicability in authentication of a Musa breeding population. Afr J Biotechnol. 2012;11(71):13546–59. Naga BLRI, Mangamoori LN, Subramanyam S. Identification and characterization of EST-SSRs in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.). J Crop Sci Biotechnol. 2012;15(10):9–16. Wen M, Wang H, Xia Z, Zou M, Lu C, Wang W. Development of EST-SSR and genomic-SSR markers to assess genetic diversity in Jatropha Curcas L. BMC Res Notes. 2010;3:42. Wo T. In silico mining for simple sequence repeat loci in a pineapple expressed sequence tag database and cross-species amplification of EST-SSR markers across Bromeliaceae. Theor Appl Genet. 2011;123:635–47. Fu N, Wang PY, Liu XD, Shen HL. Use of EST-SSR markers for evaluating genetic diversity and fingerprinting celery (apium graveolens l cultivars. Molecules. 2014;19:1939–55. Simko I. Development of EST-SSR markers for the study of population structure in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). J Hered. 2009;100(2):256–62. Zhang M, Mao W, Zhang G, Wu F. Development and characterization of polymorphic ESTSSR and genomic SSR markers for tibetan annual wild barley. PLoS One. 2014;9(4):1–10. Nakatsuji R, Hashida T, Matsumoto N, Tsuro M, Kubo N. Development of genomic and EST-SSR markers in radish ( Raphanus sativus L .). Breed Sci. 2011;61:413–9. Liu S, Li W, Long D, Hu C, Zhang J. Development and Characterization of Genomic and Expressed SSRs in Citrus by Genome-Wide Analysis. PLoS One. 2013;8(10):1–10. Campus P. Development of EST-SSRs in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) and their transferability to Cucumis spp. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol. 2008;83(6):732–6. Pinto LR, Oliveira KM, Ulian EC, Garcia AAF, de Souza AP. Survey in the sugarcane expressed sequence tag database (SUCEST) for simple sequence repeats. Genome. 2004;47:795–804. Scott KD, Eggler P, Seaton G, Rossetto M, Ablett EM, Lee LS, et al. Analysis of SSRs derived from grape ESTs. TAG Theor Appl Genet. 2000;100:723–6. Varshney RK, Thiel T, Stein N, Langridge P, Graner A. In silico analysis on frequency and distribution of microsatellites in ESTs of some cereal species. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2002;7:537–46. Gupta PK, Rustgi S, Sharma S, Singh R, Kumar N, Balyan HS. Transferable EST-SSR markers for the study of polymorphism and genetic diversity in bread wheat. Mol Genet Genomics. 2003;270:315–23. Untergasser A, Cutcutache I, Koressaar T, Ye J, Faircloth BC, Remm M, et al. Primer3-new capabilities and interfaces. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012;40(15):1–12. Conesa A, Gà ¶tz S, Garcà ­a-Gà ³mez JM, Terol J, Talà ³n M, Robles M. Blast2GO: A universal tool for annotation, visualization and analysis in functional genomics research. Bioinformatics. 2005;21(18):3674–6. Rajendrakumar P, Biswal AK, Balachandran SM, Sundaram RM. In silico analysis of microsatellites in organellar genomes of major cereals for understanding their phylogenetic relationships. In Silico Biol. 2008;8:87–104. Filiz E, Koc I. In Silico chloroplast SSRs mining of Olea species. BIODIVERSITAS. 2012;13(3):114–7. Kantety R V., La Rota M, Matthews DE, Sorrells ME. Data mining for simple sequence repeats in expressed sequence tags from barley, maize, rice, sorghum and wheat. Plant Mol Biol. 2002;48:501–10. Jia XP, Shi YS, Song YC, Wang GY, Wang TY, Li Y. Development of EST-SSR in foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Genet Resour Crop Evol. 2007;54:233–6. Da Maia LC, De Souza VQ, Kopp MM, De Carvalho FIF, De Oliveira AC. Tandem repeat distribution of gene transcripts in three plant families. Genet Mol Biol. 2009;32:822–33. Lewin B, Dover G. Genes v. Oxford University Press Oxford; 1994. Cho YG, Ishii T, Temnykh S, Chen X, Lipovich L, McCouch SR, et al. Diversity of microsatellites derived from genomic libraries and GenBank sequences in rice ( Oryza sativa L.). TAG Theor Appl Genet. 2000;100:713–22. Metzgar D, Bytof J, Wills C. Selection against frameshift mutations limits microsatellite expansion in coding DNA. Genome Res. 2000;10:72–80. Zhao Y, Williams R, Prakash CS, He G. Identification and characterization of gene-based SSR markers in date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L .). BMC Plant Biology; 2012;12:237 Li D, Deng Z, Qin B, Liu X, Men Z. De novo assembly and characterization of bark transcriptome using Illumina sequencing and development of EST-SSR markers in rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis Muell . Arg .). BMC Genomics. 2012;13:192. Krzywinski M, Schein J, Birol I, Connors J, Krzywinski M, Schein J, et al. Circosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: An information aesthetic for comparative genomics Circosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: An information aesthetic for comparative genomics. Genome Res. 2009;19:1639–45.

Essay --

The Declaration of Independence stated that, "All men are created equal" but this statement did not have any meaning for white men between 1876- 1965 due to the institution of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was passed in 1865and put an end to slavery. The Fourteenth Amendment granted equal protection under law, and the Fifteenth Amendment gave black people the right to vote. Despite these Amendments, African Americans were still treated differently than whites. According to the law, blacks and whites could not use the same public facilities, ride the same buses, attend the same schools, etc. These laws came to be known as Jim Crow laws. The documentary focused on Charles Hamilton Houston, also known as â€Å"the man who killed Jim Crow.† He was a prominent African American lawyer, Dean of Howard University Law School, and the director of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He began his fight against segregation between whites and blacks alone but gradually started to encourage other young lawyers to join him in his fight. These young lawyers continu...

The Internet In Classrooms :: Teaching Education

The Internet In Classrooms How Advanced Technology Is Changing the Face of Education for Students and Teachers The first thing a college student typically does when he or she goes back to their dorm room or apartment is sit down at their computer and go online. They proceed to either, read their e-mail, check their online courses for new assignments, or go on one of the many communication websites or programs that are available currently to this generation. None of this would be possible without the readily available Internet access that we often take for granted. The Internet has proven not only useful for entertainment purposes, but has also dramatically changed the educational approach, for both students and educators, and the way knowledge is being obtained. Internet access in schools has experienced an extreme increase within the last decade. By the fall of the year 2000, 98% of the public schools throughout the United States reported to be connected to the Internet (NCES, 2000). This is a reported 63% increase since the year 1994. Also in 2000, the ratio of computers to students was one to six, an increase from the 1994 ratio of one computer for every eleven students (Mendels, 1999). Aside from having Internet access in school libraries and computer labs, the abundance in individual classrooms has dramatically increased. This allows for Internet learning to be more readily available to students on a daily basis. Statistically over 70% of schools have this access in at least one of their classrooms (Mendels, 1999). Many schools have made the decision to go high-tech and create their own web pages via the World Wide Web. This allows them to advertise themselves to the virtual community. There has, also, been a change in how the Internet is being accessed by the various school systems. Dial-up Internet access has often been replaced by the high speed or cable Internet. A large portion of the increased Internet use, accessibility, and popularity as an educational instrument in the classrooms has been aided by the â€Å"Education Rate Program†, also known as the E-Rate Program (NCES, 2000). As of 2001, $5.8 billion has been committed to the growth of Internet access through this single program alone. It was established in 1996, with the goal of making Internet access, service, and connections more readily available to schools at discounted rates, in both urban and rural settings.

Improving Writing Needs Essay

Similarly, there had been many studies that seek to show on how to improve the overall capabilities of individual writing particularly among international students. One example is the contribution of Petersen wherein she addressed the needs of international students as far as writing is concerned. She made emphasis on the idea of reaching out and helping international students cope with the challenges of writing. â€Å"If all of us give common messages to international students, making our expectations explicit, we may be able to help them reach higher levels of proficiency in American academic English sooner. † (Petersen, 2008) One of the challenges presented by Petersen as far as student writing is concerned involves international students’ difficulty in coping with timed writing assignments and essays. â€Å"As the complexity of the thinking involved in the task increases and the processing time decreases, grammatical and syntactical forms the student can normally control tend to break down. † (Petersen, 2008) Due to this, the teacher must create effective strategies to enhance writing but at the same time maintaining the challenge of time constraints in the activity. This is just one of the problems elaborated by Petersen in her article. By being constantly aware of these challenges and anticipating the occurrence of the problem, teachers and educators can have an active and firm stand in increasing the competency of international students in the realm of writing. Enhancing Reading Skills Another important facet in the facilitation of education is reading. For students to fully acquire and develop the skills that are given to them in the classroom, effective reading must be made. However, this may seem to be a problem of international students as the pace and degree of learning is halted or slowed due to several constraints. Due to this, teachers must create active scenarios that will enhance student reading capabilities particularly among international students. The study of Brassell and Furtado examines the way vocabulary can serve as a hindrance in the development of better reading for non-English students. These barriers can serve as an impediment for learning and enhancement of information. â€Å"Many barriers prevent English as Second Language learner from grasping new vocabulary, but one of the biggest challenge is the minimal time teachers devote to vocabulary instruction. † (Brassell and Furtado, 2008, p. 110) Several facets of the English language remain to be difficult for international students to understand. By actually helping international students become aware of these and minimizing such occurrence inside the classroom, they can be able to adopt, enhance and develop their reading skills which are necessary in their education. â€Å"Beyond providing students with lots of interesting books, teachers should facilitate a variety of vocabulary activities for their students. † (Brassell and Furtado, 2008, p. 115) Conclusion With these, personal involvement may be a good approach in further enhancing the realm of developing reading and writing skills. International students deserve extra care and attention for they are still adjusting to the current trends of the educational environment. â€Å"Student perceived issues do not always match educator-perceived issues; nevertheless, eliciting information from the students allows them to become part of the solution. † (Lee, 1997, p. 100) It is therefore necessary for every teacher and educational institution to create efficient and effective scenarios that will cater to the needs of international students. By doing these things, the welfare of international students are taken into consideration. Different methods and schemes may have been in place, the action now goes back to educational institutions and teachers to actively take part in the process of developing skills needed by students to actively combat the challenges brought about by society. References Arkoudis, S.(2006) Teaching International Students: Strategies to Enhance Learning in Centre for the Study of Higher Education. [online] Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. cshe. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/international. pdf Brassell, D. and Furtado, L. (2008) Enhancing English as a Second Language Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge in The Reading Matrix. 8 no. 1 [online] Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. readingmatrix. com/articles/brassell_furtado/article. pdf Koffolt, K. and Holt, S. L. (1997) Using the â€Å"Writing Process† with Non-Native Users of English in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70 Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 53-61 Lee, D. S. (1997) What Teachers Can Do to Relieve Problems Identified by International Students in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70. Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 93-102. Nelson, G. L. (1997) How Cultural Differences Affect Written and Oral Communication: The Case of Peer Response Groups in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70. Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 77-85 Petersen, L. (2008) Writing Needs of International Students. Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. cgu. edu/pages/949. asp

Evidence-Based Practice & Applied Nursing Research Essay

Type of Sources / Appropriateness of Sources / Classification of Sources American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians article regarding acute otitis media is a filtered resource. It is an appropriate source for nursing practice because; it establishes clinical guidelines to diagnose and manage AOM. It also establishes guidelines when to treat the signs and symptoms of AOM, watchful waiting, or to treat with an antibiotic. This article is classified as an evidence based guideline because, it reviews multiple research literatures in a systemic manner and provides recommendations of practice. Block’s Causative Pathogens article is an unfiltered resource. It is an appropriate source for nursing practice because it provides the clinician with the most recent and up to date research on the topic. The article is primary research evidence because; its researchers acquired the data first hand. Kelly’s article regarding Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment is a general information resource. This article is not appropriate for clinician use because it only provides basic general background. It does not guide the clinician in diagnosing and treatment. McCracken’s article in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal is an unfiltered resource. It is an appropriate for nursing practice because it supports established guidelines and shows what will happen with continued antibiotic use. This is an evidence summary article because it lists all of the important information and the evidence supporting it. The last source of evidence is interviews with parents. This type of source is considered a general information resource. It is appropriate because, the interviews give firsthand experience of onset and signs and symptoms of AOM. This source of classifications is none of the listed. â€Å"Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common infection for which antibacterial agents are prescribed for children in the United States. As such, the diagnosis and management of AOM has a significant impact on the health of children, cost of providing care, and overall use of antibacterial agents (AAFP, 2004).  Watchful waiting can have many benefits for the children and the provider if used properly. Diagnosing AOM can be tricky. The signs and symptoms can also be related to other illnesses such as an upper respiratory virus. Throwing antibiotics at any illness use to be the course of action. However, now that there is evidence that bacteria have become resistant to some antibiotics, clinicians are testing out other means of treating illnesses. If the child presenting with symptoms of AOM has no underlying conditions and has means to follow up with the doctor if the symptoms progress, watchful waiting is an appropriate app roach for treating the child. According to the research, placebo controlled trials have shown that children have responded well without antibacterial intervention. Giving the opportunity for the illness to resolve without antibacterial intervention not only benefits the child but, the caregivers and the clinician. It benefits the child by not being exposed to antibiotics that are not needed, therefore creating a potential resistance to that antibiotic. It benefits the caregiver by not spending money on a medication their child does not need. Last, it benefits the clinician by preventing resistance to an antibiotic that may be useful in the near future. Watchful waiting is only appropriate if the patient meets the guidelines of uncomplicated AOM, assurance of a follow up if necessary, and access to antibiotics if symptoms progress or worsen. The findings in the AAFP article can be applied in many ways to improve nursing practice in a healthcare setting. The article provides evidence based guidelines on how to properly diagnose AOM and the typical signs and symptoms. It establishes the three criteria the patient must exhibit for a certain diagnosis of AOM. If the patient does not meet the certain criteria, it guides the clinician to continue to assess the patient for another illness, such as an upper respiratory virus. Proper diagnosis will improve clinician treatment and care of the patient. The article also includes a descriptive chart on how to assess and manage pain associated with AOM. It lists for the clinician the recommended medications, remedies, and agents for the clinician to utilize to manage pain. It also lists the effectiveness and the side effects. This will help improve nursing care by implementing the proper medication and or remedies to the patient with the highest effectiveness and the least amount of side effects. The article also very clearly identifies when watchful waiting is  not appropriate and what antibiotics should be prescribed and the usual dosage. This information is helpful to nursing practice by helping the clinician distinguish what patient is suitable for watchful waiting or antibiotic therapy. Another way the article improves nursing practice is, that the article provides information on how to prevent AOM and reoccurrence. This information can be used to help educate patient’s caregivers on ways to prevent AOM and reoccurrence. Ethical issues always arise when it comes to healthcare, especially when it comes to children. When conducting an evidence based research, there is a high likelihood of exposing the child to potential danger, illness, and adverse reactions. The first ethical issue is; is it even right to subject a child to research if there is a high likelihood of helping other children. That is something for the children’s parents to decide. However, it is the responsibility of the researchers to fully explain the process, potential side effects, potential danger, and any other concerns to the parents. It also the responsibility of researchers to determine if the parents have the capability to comprehend the information and the risk of the research. Not doing so would be unethical and could tarnish the results of the research. Another major ethical dilemma that comes with involving children in research is that the children do not have the capability of making that decision themselves. Research should be a voluntary thing and not left up to someone else to decide. However, when it comes to children that is not an option. The ethical problem is should the child be subjected to potential harm because of the parents’ willingness to allow it. The needs to be guidelines established prior to the start of the research that regulate the risks that the child might be subjected to. The risk should be very minimal with a very high benefit. Involving children in any type of evidence based research can be very tricky and has the potential of bringing up multiple ethical issues. It is the researcher’s responsibility to ensure the child is protected, not exposed to unneeded harm, and the caregivers are knowledgeable of the risk factors and are competent enough to make an informed decision. Besides ethical issues, there are other issues that need to be taken into consideration when research involves children. Vulnerable populations, such as low income families, families with different cultural backgrounds, and families with insufficient education can be at risk when it  comes to research involving children. For an example, low income families may not have the opportunity to participate in evidence based research because they might not fit certain criteria. In the AAFP research, in order for the child to be a candidate of the watchful waiting, they had to have means of a follow up appointment. For low income families, coming to the doctor multiple time may not be option. Financially they may not be able to afford, parents may not be able to get time off from work, or have means of transportation for a follow up appointment. These circumstances may subject the child to unneeded antibiotic treatment simply because the patient is unable to follow up with the doctor. Also, families with a cultural difference may not fully understand the benefits or risks of allowing their child to participate in this research. Without informed consent, the results of the research are tarnished and run the risk of jeopardizing the study. Informed consent when it comes to research involving children is extremely important for validity of a project and prevents any ethical problems. Any research involving children can be extremely tricky and should be held to the highest ethical standards and involve minimal risk to children. References American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. (2004.) Clinical practice guideline: Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Retrieved from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;113/5/1451 Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 16, 449–456. Kelley, P. E., Friedman, N., Johnson, C. (2007). Ear, nose, and throat. In W. W. Hay, M. J. Levin, J. M. Sondheimer, & R. R. Deterding (Eds.), Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment (18th ed., pp. 459–492). New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 17, 576–579.