Graphing Tides Data

Introduction Decker Computers Limited (DCL) is considered a leader in computer products and service provision across Singapore. The company’s organizational strategy is underpinned on five main points that include a focus on the customer where the company strives to provide value, choice, and service to its customers.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Graphing Tides Data specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company also focuses on competitive affiliations across Asia. Decker Computers Limited outlets continue to transform through re-branding thereby offering an expanded choice for the clients. The gains from these transformations will lead to improved customer service, and reduced operational costs for DCL. Decker Computers Limited knows that within the emergent global economy, e-commerce is increasingly becoming an important part of an organization’s strategy ensuring economic development. Winin g on the Internet is prime for DCL strategy, thus information, and communications technology (ICT) in commerce has transformed the way DCL communicates with other businesses. E-commerce consists of using electronic and communication devices and approaches as well as digital technology for information processing involving business transactions. This is aimed at creating, transforming, and redefinition of links for creating value within organizations, and between organizations, and individuals. Decker Computers Limited implements the business-to-business e-commerce (B2B) defined as e-commerce involving companies. The building blocks for a web design strategy include requirements, innovation, visibility, and security. Primarily the business objectives, including profit, public service provision and sales growth will be implemented by the website in line with the company’s organizational strategy. At the base of DCL organizational strategy lies value, choice, and service. These t hree elements have been defined based on customer insight. In achieving these elements in trade, DCL implements an adequate means of trading. With the customer as the focus, DCL achieves value during trading by among other things offering sales advice, reserve, and collect services, and multi-channel outlets. Additionally, choice is an important element as considered by DCL. This is achieved by the company in a number of ways that include exclusivity, and a wide range of brands from which the customers can choose.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third element critical to DCL’s organizational strategy intended to provide an adequate means of trading includes delivery, installation, and help support, and repair, and protection. Summarily DCL website will be implemented according to the corporate strategy possessing tenets that can relate clearly to the provisio n of an adequate means of trading for the company. Decker Computers Limited website will be an e-merchant platform offering public service from various brands and affiliates to clients. The computer products to be marketed through the website are unique to the Asian market and are sold at very competitive prices with unmatched after sales support. Additionally, the website is expected to achieve communication as a marketing tool where products and services will be related to the information posted. This has focused on the customer giving them service, and choice as part of the organization’s strategy. Secured electronic transfer services for clients who make online orders is in line with the company’s compliance policy. As following through to accomplish an online order activity at the DCL website will proceed in four steps and consistently gives the visitor a sense of secured transaction. The transactions will be implemented using the secure socket layer protocol. Thi s will be determined by the uniform resource locator address prefix change from ‘http’ to ‘https’. This alludes to DCL’s need to provide a secure transaction environment, especially for e-commerce applications. Further still the company has an elaborate privacy policy as required by the government. The policy ensures and covers the various principles inherent in data protection act. Generally the website will use the different web design architectural elements in an attempt to conform to the W3C web design standards. A simplified client registration process at the DCL website will be implemented prior to the completion of any order process. The website will use effectively the client server platform during this account creation and eventual secure electronic transfer (SET). This e-commerce application requires effective and reliable server interactions. For this the client needs to run a browser on the client computer to access the DCL’s websi te and enable information exchange with designated servers.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Graphing Tides Data specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This project aims to design and implement an e-commerce website application for DCL as a company located in Singapore. The proposed application will allow the company to provide online sales and technical support to its customers. Currently the company is providing sales and support over the phone and by onsite pick up and drop in. It is envisaged that the website will provide numerous benefits to both the company and its customers. A feasibility study was carried out to determine the benefits of the proposed solution. From interviews conducted with the senior staff at the company the following findings were gathered. Currently: Only sales and support is provided through phone, and the service hours for this support medium are restricted to office hours on site an d thus the customer cannot access support outside normal office hours. Sales and support cannot easily be addressed over the phone as it does not allow files and other support tools to be adequately managed over the phone requiring costly physical visits for the company and customer. The process is slow and not satisfactorily approved by the customers seeking alternative outlets and hence the company is loosing to competitors. Primarily the following benefits will be expected on implementing the proposed system The system is dependent on the Internet available 24/7 to access online information Flexible hours of operation enabled by access to online support documentation Reduce infrastructure costs and enable quicker response times Allow the company to receive customer feedback An integrated forum will allow customers to share knowledge on PC-based issues and they can share experiences on best practice on solutions to issues. The website will allow support to be potentially provide d via video tutorials. Increased customer and business satisfaction from faster response times and solutions Reduce costs associated with paper based records. Importance of the design phase This report highlights the design phase for the proposed system indicative of the documentation of the proposed system requirements, including database and process specification requirements. The design phase commences after a successful analysis phase in which the current system is evaluated to determine its shortcomings and propositions are made toward improving the processes within the current system. These propositions are modeled within the design phase. System specification On completion of the analysis, an e-commerce website application fully functional was considered as the best business option to address the current system shortcomings. Flexibility, efficiency, and cost reduction were seen as the main reasons for the management’s choice of an e-commerce website application.Advert ising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ultimately customer satisfaction would be achieved from a well implemented e-commerce website for the company. Therefore, a system specification was written highlighting the requirements in terms of resources (hardware, software, and people) for the proposed e-commerce website application. Database model Because the e-commerce website application will be online it is likely that the company’s client base will expand enormously requiring a well designed database to store securely information and data related to the clients’ transactions. Additionally, the database will contain the details and images of all the computer products sold by the company, including the respective prices to enable a potential client to view and purchase any of the products online. Generally the application will be linked to e-merchant platforms that will facilitate secure electronic funds transfer using credit card or digital checks, depending on the customer preference. The database will be im plemented as a relational database management system (RDMS) that includes the table structures and all associated design and implementation as well as management procedures. The typical construction blocks for any RDMS are the table. The table is representative of the entity identified within a system. An entity here represents anything about which data can be kept. Typically, a client, and staff are typical examples in this case. Others include product, and order. The following is a summary of the entity description in the proposed system Client: This is the company customer who logs onto the system to evaluate and maybe pick a suitable product to purchase. Prior to accessing these products and their details the system capture the client’s basic details through an automated registration process that enables the client to set up an account within the company’s database. These registration details will be used for eventual order processing and billing. Product: This is what the company deals in specifically computer products. The model, types, and true colour images of the product is stored in the database. Other relevant specifications related to the product are also included together with the price and terms of purchase. Staff: This represents the employee of the company who may process the orders placed online by a client and respond to client inquiries. Order: This represents a singular transaction by the client and highlights the product ordered, date of order, quantity ordered, and amount due. These entities can be illustrated using a simplified entity relationship diagram (ERD) as shown below. Logical database Physical database A general entity relationship diagram (ERD) representing the e-commerce website application. Table mapping and normalization To maintain a stable database with minimal data redundancy normalization can be applied to the identified tables to ensure that they are in the normalized form. The table below summarizes th e normalization process carried out on the tables of the proposed system. Most of the tables are in the most stable form on second normalization. Therefore, the 2NF tables are the likely one present within the proposed system. UNF 1NF 2NF Client: ClientID Name Password Email ContactAddressOrder: OrderID ClientID StaffID ProductID OrderStatus OrderTitle OrderBody Staff: StaffID Password Product: ProductID Name Description Image Price Support: StaffID ClientID Description Title ClientID Name Email ContactAddressClientID Password OrderID ClientID OrderStatus OrderTitle OrderBody OrderID StaffRecepient Staff: StaffID Password ProductID Name Description Image Price Client: ClientID Name Email ContactAddress Login: ClientID PasswordOrder: OrderID ClientID OrderStatus OrderTitle OrderBody OrderProcessing: OrderID StaffRecepient Staff: StaffID Password Product: ProductID Name Description Image Price Website plan This website application will be designed and implemented is known as a dynamic web site application or server side application. In a dynamic web application a request is made from the client side and executed by a web server that invokes the request with a database, where data is stored, and retrieved in response to a user request. Examples of dynamic web-based applications include web-based email clients and applications, such as Facebook and eBay as they require data to be communicated between the client side (i.e. web browser) and the web server and database. There are many web technologies and programming languages used to implement dynamic web-based applications that include PHP, ASP, (which is a Microsoft technology), and JSP (Java Server Pages). User interface description Several renowned specialists in interface design have offered broad-based principles on designing an effective user interface. For the design of the web application interface the adopted principles offered are offered by renowned HCI practitioner Jakob Nielsen from his book on Usability Engineering. Nielsen highlights the use of the following principles: Visibility of system status The system should provide feedback to the user to lets him or her to know what is going in when they have performed a task/user input selection. Matching the system to the real-world The system must use terms that are easy to understand. User control and freedom There should be clearly marked exit buttons for easy reversal of actions/selections. Consistency and standards The same words and labels should be used throughout the system to ensure consistency and so the user becomes familiar with the system as quick as possible. Error prevention The potential for errors should be minimized with confirmation boxes before an action is performed. Visual and simple design Dialogues must not contain extra information and only information that is relevant and necessary should be used. Helping users to identify, assess, and recover from errors Error messages must be indicated in a non-tec hnical way, without any programming, or scripts. A quick solution should be presented to the user. Help and documentation Where necessary, documentation should be provided on how to use the system, although the use of the system should be self-explanatory. The graphic below shows the structure of the website with parent, and child pages. The shapes titled ‘product support 1, 2, 3, and 4’ represent the pages as categorized by sales and support areas. The real names for these sales categories and support will finally be added at the implementation stage. Form layout (Order form) Report layout ( Orders processed) System security design It is imperative that the website application to be adopted by this business model is secure. It should be free from viruses and hacking; where hacking involves an individual accessing computer system without authorization. The website should assure both the server and user that it is secure and confidential. The user expects that the co mpany described in the website has met all the legal requirements. This is because of the fear of engaging in business with a company that is not even registered and in case of any breach of contract the user cannot sue that particular company. The server also expects that the website will protect its rights by ensuring that the user is not in a position to break and compromise the data and information on the server. The website to be adopted by this business model should ensure that it gives confidentiality feature between the user and the server. One security measure in websites involves the use of passwords. Business models that have employed web security design have implications that accrue to them. The positive implications are that they become competitive advantaged, they achieve their goals and objectives, and stick to their mission and vision. The negative implication includes the high cost incurred in the process of web security design and development. Considering that the intended website is an e-merchant platform able to support e-commerce transactions, security is considered paramount for successful transacting, especially when the risk toward such applications is high. The company must ascribe to standards like the electronic industry citizenship coalition (EICC) code of conduct to govern their business ethics. The code compels all stakeholders, including suppliers, and customers to comply with certain regulations governing business on the proposed website. This is in line with one of the nine principles in the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD) guidelines. A security awareness program must be implemented and serve as reference among the company’s partners. The company will work with communication service provider to ensure the program is well implemented. This can be managed by a team led by the company’s Internet administrators and the business standards department. Therefore, maintaining security at the c ompany requires concerted effort involving various stakeholders. Generally, policies, and standards are already available to ensure that security is well addressed on the company’s website. The company also has an internal code of conduct to govern business transactions within the company to ensure that there is no threat that can be initiated internally. Employees at the company must read and adhere to the code of conduct that addresses security, especially for the information that the company handles. Additionally, the company will have a team that continuously monitors transactions to ensure that these comply with the business rules. All suspect transactions can be identified and isolated to be further evaluated to ascertain their validity. Recommendation for the next phase The successful conclusion of the design phase highlighted within this report will be followed by the development process in which the proposed system specification is translated into the actual database and procedure specifications or application using suitable programming language. Once the design specification has been approved by the intended user, the development phase will commence. The table here below summarizes the development plan that will follow the design phase Task ID Task name Predecessor Duration (in days) I1 Develop the components of the website – 21 I2 Gather media like images to be used on the website I1 7 I3 Develop HTML website and incorporate the images and links I2 3 I4 Create the physical database using the appropriate database management system 11 7 I5 Test the database for referential integrity I4 4 I6 Populate the database with start up data I5 3 I7 Link the database to the website and test connectivity I6 1 I8 Upload the website to a dedicated server for real time testing I7 2 This assessment on Graphing Tides Data was written and submitted by user Jayda V. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Margaret Sanger essays

Margaret Sanger essays As a writer for a radical, feminist newspaper, and leading birth control agitator of America, Margaret Sanger held the position as an influential international leader for fifty years. Margaret Sanger was born September 14, 1879 in Corning, New York. The sixth of eleven children, Sanger believed her mothers frequent pregnancies were the cause for her early death. While training as a nurse at the White Plains Hospital in New York, her work among the poor convinced her of the extensive need for information concerning contraception, and she abandoned nursing to dedicate herself to the promotion of her goal. Sanger became a feminist who believed in every woman's right to avoid unwanted pregnancies and she made people accept that women had the right to control their own destinies (Grossmann 23). She devoted herself to removing the barriers to publicizing the facts about contraception through issuing a newspaper called The Woman Rebel that later built the foundations to legally promote birt h control. The publication of The Woman Rebel laid the foundation for the future of the birth control movement and Margaret Sangers personal campaigning of contraceptives. The Woman Rebel was an eight page monthly newspaper that was designed and written from Sangers New York apartment. The Woman Rebel provided women with contraceptive information and aimed to challenge the laws that prevented contraceptive education and distribution of contraceptive devices. Margaret Sanger published The Woman Rebel to both defy the law and "raise ... birth control out of the gutter of obscenity and into the light of human understanding" (Grossmann 66). Birth control was a term first used in the pages of The Woman Rebel, a radical, feminist journal that served as start for future foundations. Throughout her career, Margaret Sanger had a drive to spread her knowledge and experience with the public. In 1915, while visiting a Dutch birth con...

Historical profile for an auction catalogue Assignment

Historical profile for an auction catalogue - Assignment Example Impressionism is the name given to a style of painting in France at the end of the 19th century. The Impressionists were not a formal artistic group as such, more a collective of artists seeking recognition for their innovative techniques and approach to using colour in art.1 The painting depicts four poplar trees standing tall on the banks of the river. Their shadow is seen in the water below. The entire painting has several hues of colours and a vivid use of light is also seen. It is said that Monet preferred to paint this painting from the middle of the river rather than sitting on one bank and painting what is seen on the other side. Monet made the trees slender and allowed them to reach to the end of the canvas. We do not see the top of the trees in the painting. It is because of the impressionist style to paint the moment capturing it as it is. One must appreciate that impressionist painting catch the movement of the moment. The use of brush strokes is small and unfinished in impressionist paintings. In this painting as well we see small strokes of brush creating the bushy impact of the river bank. The slenderness of the tree barks seems exaggerated. The best brush strokes however are the leaves of the trees. Irrespective of the hue blue background the leaves stand out in colour. Poplar trees are tall and slender. Only the bank of the river painted with the grass and bushes separates the reflection of the trees from the trees themselves. The small and unfinished brush strokes also give dense appearance to the grass on the bank and the leaves of the trees. The brush has effectively captured the movement of wind which is seen in the reflection of the trees in water. The simple strokes have created the movement of refection due to wind on water. This movement of wind is the perfect example of impressionist style of painting. Impressionist paintings capture the movement of nature, people etc. Even in the st ill paintings one can see the effects of

Current legal topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current legal topic - Essay Example The lead prosecutor on the case was Joel I. Klein. This essay aims at explaining the United States versus Microsoft corporation lawsuit tussle. When governmental and privately owned corporations are lawfully at loggerheads as much as justice must prevail, the government interests must be sublingually served. In this case, for instance, it was 20 American states versus Microsoft Corporation (The United States Department of Justice). Firstly, the legality of business practices by Microsoft Corporation in the American technological marketing structures was questionable. In the American corporation policy, it is often provided for a capitalistic competition rather than monopolistic competition. This country is a capitalist hence various businesses are allowed in the money market. Becoming a monopoly, therefore, made Microsoft Corporation as self-interested business entity as opposed to the government, which serves the interest of the people. The Plaintiffs alleged that Microsoft Corporation abused the monopolistic competition legal framework by using Intel-based personal computers (The United States Department of Justice). Acco rdingly, Microsoft operating system and web-browser sales were acquiring a larger sales portion than other market competitors were. To reduce this monopoly, the American government had to act swiftly to serve its capitalistic nature interest. Overly, the issue central to this case was whether Microsoft would be left at the epitome of the flagship internet explorer web browser software in its Microsoft windows system or pave way for other corporations. Seemingly, Microsoft did not emerge the winner in this legal battle as the government rightfully accused the company. Additionally, the government was serving the interest of many in the America corporate world. In conclusion, the law according to this case should allow for a free and fair market competition among the computer marketing structure. For

Avaition law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Avaition law - Essay Example of whether federal aviation law preempted state common law claims, or more specifically, whether a manufacturers compliance with federal aviation statutes and regulations should be a complete defense to individual state common law claims.3 The Tenth Circuit affirmed the trial courts decision not to grant summary judgment to Piper based on that defense.4 Concerned manufacturers, pilots, and legislators criticized the award for several reasons.5 In fairness to the Cleveland jury, one would have to have been at the original trial to know the factors influencing its decision.6 Deciding aircraft accident cases becomes even more difficult if the crash involves a small passenger aircraft, and if innocent third parties, either on the ground or in the aircraft, are injured. In cases where no one was negligent but people are injured, the ultimate legal question remains: â€Å"Who should pay?† Section 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts provides the basic rule for â€Å"strict liability† standard for defective products cases.7 Essentially, section 402A permits an individual who is injured by a product to receive compensation from the seller, manufacturer, or distributor of that product without regard to â€Å"fault† in producing, selling, or distributing the product. Also, under section 402A whether the manufacturer, seller, or distributor used the utmost care in the production and sale of the product is irrelevant.8 Liability under section 402A is predicated upon the fact that the product was â€Å"defective† at the time it was sold. If the defective product has injured someone, it does not matter if the â€Å"defect† is a singular flaw in one particular unit or a design flaw in an entire product line. Policies behind the adoption of this no-fault â€Å"strict liability† standard reflect the concern for harm to the unsuspecting individual. If an increasingly mechanized society benefits from these products, and a certain number of the products are bound to be defective,

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors 1) Transcription of DNA and translation into protein are tightly regulated in Eukaryota cells. Give an account of the key steps involved. Gene expression is under continuous regulation. This regulation is differentiated between Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic organisms, especially due to matters of complexity. In Prokaryotic organisms the regulation of gene expression is happening only at the stage of transcription and includes one stage. On the other hand, the regulation of gene expression in Eukaryotic organisms is happening not only in transcriptional level, but also at post-transcriptional, translation and post-translation level (Latchman 2007). The figure on the right shows the steps of gene expression that can be regulated. In case where the regulation of gene expression happens in transcriptional level, then the levels of cytoplasmic mRNA and nuclear RNA should be paralleled. On the other hand, in case a gene is being transcribed in the same manner in all tissues, there will be a difference in the majority of tissues between the cytoplasm mRNA and RNA, due to post-transcriptional mechanisms. As a result, in order to distinguish post-transcriptional and transcriptional regulation the first approach is to see if there are changes between the RNA levels in the tissues (Latchman 2007). Initiation of transcription In many cases where there is an increased level of transcription, this results from a high level of transcriptional initiation mediated by RNA polymerase responsible for initiating the process. This means that in a tissue that occurs an active transcription process, the RNA polymerases will be moving beside the gene continuously, and thus increasing the rate of transcript production. In contrast, in tissues where a gene is transcribed at low levels, the initiation of transcription will not be so apparent and the level of transcripts will be significantly low (Latchman 2007). Elongation Except of the initiation of transcription which seems to occur in the majority of the cases, there has been demonstrated that the regulation can also happen during at a post-initiation level by producing a shortened RNA than the full length one. In this case, the transcriptional control seems to happen by blocking the elongation of a newly formed transcript (Latchman 2007). DNA elements The expression of protein-coding genes is regulated also by specific DNA elements, which are located usually upstream of the initiation site of the gene. These DNA elements can influence positively or negatively the transcription of a gene. For example, DNA sequences such as insulators and silencers, suppress the genes transcription (Latchman 2007). Transcription Factors The transcription factors are also important modulatory elements of transcription. The binding of specific transcription factors on the DNA, can either activate or suppress gene transcription (Latchman 2007) . Although so far we discussed the transcriptional control of gene expression, which corresponds to the most abundant transcriptional control mechanism, there have been cases where even though the transcription rate of a gene doesnt change, changes in the synthesis of specific proteins have occurred. This control mechanism occurs between the translational and transcription control and includes splicing of the nascent mRNA, alternative splicing, and regulation of RNA stability. The splicing of the RNA is the process in which the protein coding regions are encoded by exons, after removing the intervening sequences which are named introns (Latchman 2007). The alternative splicing, includes the differentiated processing of RNAs in order to produce different RNA variants (Black 2000). The translational control of gene expression, corresponds to mRNA regulation and is also a very important regulatory stage. In the same manner as transcriptional control, translation can be affected either positively or negatively by altering the levels of specific translation factors, and most of the times it happens at the initiation of the translation process due to differences in the 5 untranslated region of the mRNA. During translation, the 5 un-translated region contains an AUG triplet of bases which is important to be located in a favorable context. This means, that if the ribosome is incapable of recognizing this triplet, then the initiation of translation is inhibited. For example, in a situation which is called leaky scanning, when AUG codons are located upstream, the ribosome has a difficulty to recognize them (Wickens et al. 2000). Furthermore, except of the recognition of the AUG codon, other coding regions seem to play an important regulatory role. For example, some frequencies which are located in the open reading frame of the mRNA (ORF) seem to cause a frameshift at a specific triplet both in viral and mammalian mRNAs (Wickens et al. 2000). Finally, another regulatory element of gene expression includes the post-translational control. This category composes of all the mechanisms that act after translation by modifying the protein levels. Such a mechanism is ubiquitination, which will have as a result the degradation of the ubiquitinated protein in the proteasome (Wang et al. 2013). In conclusion the transcription and translation are highly regulated processes and this take place due to the complexity of Eukaryotic cells, since strict regulation usually corresponds to high complexity. 2) Discuss the role of microtubules and their motor proteins in the motion of cilia and flagella. Microtubules are important elements for various cell movements, such as the chromosomal separation during mitosis and the motion of flagella and cilia. This movement, which happens along microtubules, is highly dependent on proteins that use energy from ATP hydrolysis in order to produce force and movement. These proteins are members of the kinesin and dynein families (Alberts et al. 2002). Cilia and flagella are plasma membrane projections dependent on microtubule formation, and are important for the movement in various eukaryotic organisms. In bacteria, the flagella structures are different from the eukaryotic flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of these structures has been extensively studied by using animal models, especially sea urchin models which appears to be a very powerful system for flagellar motility. Furthermore, the first scientists to observe this sliding mechanisms driven by dynein across the microtubules, were Summers and Gibbons by using dark-field microscopy (Hirose Amos 2012). In eukaryotic organisms the flagella and cilia are highly similar structures. Firstly, flagella are mostly found in sperm and many hair-like cellular projections with a core composed of microtubules (Cooper 2000). With their rolling motion they permit the cells to swim through liquid media. The cilia, are usually shorter than flagella but their organization tends to be similar. Their beating motion is like the breast stroke of the swimmers, and the cycles of adjacent cilia are quite asynchronous, thus producing the characteristic effect that can be observed through microscope (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of both each flagellum and cilium is produced by the bending of each ones core, which is specifically termed as axoneme. The axoneme is a structure that is composed of microtubules in conjunction with their associated proteins in a regular and specific pattern. This pattern is composed by nine doublet microtubules which are fused together to surround a pair of microtubules. Th is formation is also known as the 9+2 pattern and is represented in the following picture (Cooper 2000). This type of arrangement is commonly seen in the majority of eukaryotic flagella and cilia forms. The length of these microtubules extends along with the length of the axoneme which can reach the 200 ÃŽÂ ¼m. At specific positions along the distance of microtubules, are located accessory proteins, providing with this a way a cross-bridging between the doublet microtubules. These molecules are dynein proteins, and are located around the perimeter of the axoneme (Cooper 2000). Dynein is a very large molecule (2000 kd), consisting of three heavy chains in conjunction with a variable number of intermediate and light polypeptides that have a weight ranging from 14 to 120 kd (Cooper 2000). The heavy chains are forming a globular domain which binds ATP and is responsible for moving along microtubules. The intermediate chains are responsible for the assembly of the dyneins. The light chains form two distinct groups, in accordance with the molecules that are related with. For example the first group is associated with the heavy chains, while the second group with the intermediate chains. In the cilia and flagella, there is also another specific dynein group, the intraflagellar transport (IFT) dynein, which is important for the association and disassociation of these organelles, and also have transport properties of either membrane proteins or even the IFT themselves (Hirose Amos 2012). The ciliary dyneins, are composed of a different set of arms, the outer dynein arms and a more complex set of inner dynein arms. Each one of this structures plays a different role in the ciliary movement. The outer dynein arms are responsible for the production of the majority of the force required for the ciliary movement, while the inner dyneins, are mostly providing a precise control of this movement (Hirose Amos 2012). Another important feature of the cilia and flagella, is that the minus ends of each microtubule are anchored in a structure which is named basal body. This is highly similar to the centriole, and is necessary for the arrangement of the axoneme microtubules. Each one of the doublets located in the outer part of the flagella or cilia, is formed by the extension of two of the microtubules of the basals body triplets (Cooper 2000). The movement of cilia and flagella is caused by the relative sliding of outer microtubules, driven by the activity of axonemal dynein, and the mechanism is represented in figure 3. The dynein bases attach with the A microtubules while the head of each dynein attaches with the B microtubule. With the green color is represented the nexin link, which binds the microtubules in the axoneme. When the one doublet of microtubules, bends along with the other one, the resulting movement is bending, which is the source of the beating movements of cilia and flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). Scientific evidence suggests that upon ATP hydrolysis the dyneins change their conformational state (Hirose Amos 2012). 3) Describe the most important classes of molecules that participate in common signal transduction pathways In signal transduction pathways, extracellular signals such as hormones or other molecules are registered by membrane receptors and the signal is being transferred inside the cell by a set of reactions. This signal transduction can be mediated by two distinct mechanisms. The first one includes the use of receptors, and other proteins including enzymes. The second one contains a set of molecules which are known as second messengers, that regulate the intracellular signaling (Boon 2009) . The intracellular second messengers, are signal molecules that reach their target by diffusion. They can be divided into two different groups, those with a hydrophobic character (diacyl glycerol or phosphatidyl inositol) and the hydrophilic ones. The hydrophobic messenger are located on the membrane and they can reach the proteins located on the membrane by diffusing through the plasma membrane of the cell. The hydrophilic messengers are located in the cytoplasm and their targets are located in the cytosol as well (Boon 2009). The most important second messengers include the cAMP, cGMP, inositol phosphates, calcium ions, diacylgrlycerol and phosphatidyl inositol phosphates. 3-5 cyclic AMP (cAMP) Is among the most important second messengers and regulates a variety of cellular functions, such as glycolysis, muscle contraction and ion transport. The intracellular concentration of cAMP is regulated by two factors, the adenylyl cyclase and the phopshodiestarases. The former is important for the cAMP synthesis while the latter for its degradation. The activation of adenylyl cyclase is dependent to G-protein coupled receptors and involves the participation of GÃŽÂ ± and GÃŽÂ ²ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ³ proteins. The degradation of cAMP mediated by cAMP phosphodiesterases, which are being regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin and also by phosphorylation (Boon 2009). In the majority of the cases, the target of the high cAMP concentration is the activation of protein kinases A (PKAs). Initially, in the absence of cAMP the PKA is organized as a tetramer, with two catalytic and two catalytic subunits, and the protein kinase is inactive. When cAMP concentration is increased by adenylyl cyclase, leads to the binding of two molecules to the regulatory subunit and the tetramer dissociation and activation of PKA (Boon 2009). cGMP In the same manner with cAMP, the 3-5-cGMP is extensively spread in the intracellular space. Like in the case of cAMP , the cGMP is formed by guanylyl cyclase from GTP. The cGMP can activate cGMP-dependent protein kinases, after binding to specific locations. In contrast to the PKA kinases, the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinases is dependent to only one protein chain of these proteins. Specifically, the binding of the cGMP to the regulatory domain of the protein, activates it and permits phosphorylation of other substrates (Boon 2009). Inositol Phosphates The inositol containing phospholipids located in the plasma membrane, are the starting points for the production of many inositol messengers as a response to extracellular or even intracellular signals. The inositol phosphates are important players for the regulation of phospholipase C, which is a very important enzyme in the metabolism of phosphatide inositol. Another important function of these phosphates, is the recruitment of Ca2+ ions that are inside storage organelles, such as mitochondria. The calcium ions are among the most ubiquitous targets of second messengers, and regulate a vast array of actions (Boon 2009). Calcium ions The calcium ions can have a regulatory character in many ways, according to the time, frequency and amount of release rate. This feature, explains the complexity of Ca2+ signals. Still it is not understood how oscillatory calcium signals are regulating various processes. It has been suggested that CaM kinase II participates in the formation of repetitive calcium signals. The high intracellular concentration of calcium is temporary and usually a local phenomenon. The cell contains a variety of transport systems, which can transfer the calcium ions inside the storage locations. These transfer mechanisms are Ca2+ ATPases, which transfer calcium against the concentration gradient. Another mechanism, is the sodium-calcium exchange proteins which are mostly apparent in muscle cells (Boon 2009). Diacylglycerol and phospatidyl inositol phosphates The diacylglycerol is being produced by the metabolism of the membrane phosphatidyl inositol phosphate, after the effect of two distinct enzymes, the PLCÃŽÂ ³ and PLCÃŽÂ ². The diacylglycerol (DAG) is then responsible for activating the protein kinase C, which plays an important role in cell proliferation through phosphorylation of various substrate proteins (Boon 2009). Except of DAG, the metabolism of phosphatidyl inositol diphosphate, produces the inositol triphosphate, which increases intracellular calcium levels by binding to specific receptors (Boon 2009). Conclusively, signal transduction is a highly regulated mechanism, which permits the transmission of an extracellular signal inside the cell, and a subsequent cellular response. Among the most important molecules that are participating in this process, we distinguished some members of the family of the second messengers, such as calcium ions, diacyl glycerol and phosphatidyl inositol. 4) Describe the steps of neurotransmission. The process of neurotransmission can be divided into five distinct steps. The first includes the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, the second the storage of the neurotransmitter into transport vesicles, the third the influx of calcium and exocytosis of neurotransmitter, the fourth the binding of the neurotransmitter at the postsynaptic membrane and the fifth the deactivation of the neurotransmitter. The low weight neurotransmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm of the cell, where enzymes act and convert them into mature neurotransmitters. These enzymes are produced in the neuronal cell body and are transferred to the presynaptic terminal via the slow axonal transfer system. When the new transmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm, certain mechanisms need to follow for transporting them to the synaptic membrane. On the other hand, the neuropeptides which is the other category of known neurotransmitters, are produced in the neuronal cell body, and need to be transferred a long distance in order to reach the site of secretion. For this reason, they are transported from the soma of the neuron to the presynaptic terminal with the fast axonal transport (Hyman et al. 2009). The small-molecule neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and amino acids, are stored into vesicles of 40-60 nm diameter. The primary characteristic of these vesicles, is that in electron micrographs they appear with a clear center area. The storage, requires specific proteins which are located in the membrane of the synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic neuron, the vesicle monoamine membrane transporters (VMAT). In contrast to the small-molecule neurotransmitters, the neuropeptides, are stored into synaptic vesicles with a larger size (90 to 250 nm). In electron micrographs, they seem to have a center relatively more dense than the synaptic vesicles of the small neurotransmitters (Purves et al. 2001). After the influx of calcium into the pre-synaptic cytoplasm, it begins the process of neurotransmitter release. The first step of this exocytosis, includes the docking of the synaptic vesicle membrane at the active zones plasma membrane. The second step is priming. This corresponds to an ATP dependent maturation of the synaptic vesicles that are being docked in the membrane of the active zone but cant be induced by Ca2+. The result of this maturation, is that the primed vesicles can immediately release their content after a Ca2+ influx. The third step of this process includes the fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the presynaptic membrane, which allows the exocytosis to happen. In this step, the function of the protein synaptotagmin is of high importance, since it senses the levels of Ca2+ and regulates with this way the fusion of the vesicles. The final step of this step includes the quantal release of the neurotransmitter with a mechanism of exocytosis. The exocytosis is synchroni zed with the influx of Ca2+ and its induction is controlled by the depolarization of the nerve terminal. After the release of neurotransmitter at the synaptic cleft, the membrane of the vesicle will be recycled with a process of endocytosis (Hyman et al. 2009). After the exocytosis, the neurotransmitter starts to diffuse across the synaptic cleft and targets the post-synaptic neuron and its receptors which are localized on the membrane. The binding of the neurotransmitter to the postsynaptic membrane, will cause both biochemical and electrical alterations. Specifically, an excitatory signal will depolarize the membrane and thus a positive charge will pass inside the cell. This depolarization is caused by the opening of sodium channels located on the post-synaptic membrane, which permits the influx of sodium ions across the membrane. On the other hand, an inhibitory signal will hyperpolarize the cell, and thus a positive charge will flow with a direction outside of the cell. This hyperpolarization is induced by an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) which cause the influx of chloride ions, which make the membrane potential more negative and the propagation of the action potential significantly more difficult (Hyman et al. 2009). When a neurotransmitter finishes its function, the next step is to be removed from the synaptic cleft. When the local neurotransmitter concentration falls, the neurotransmitter unbounds from the post-synaptic receptor. After this, the neurotransmitter can be either degraded by specific enzymes, or reuptaken by high affinity receptors. The latter corresponds to the most common way of neurotransmitter removal, and includes the reincorporation of the neurotransmitter into the pre-synaptic terminal by endocytosis. This permits the neurotransmitter to be recycled inside the cell. The remaining percentage of neurotransmitters, follows the other path of removal which corresponds to the enzymatic degradation. A characteristic enzyme is acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which degrades the neutrotransmitter acetylcholine into acetate and choline. Another examples of such enzymes include catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) (Naik 2015). 5) Describe with examples the major mechanisms of action of the different types of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors. In 1907, the physiologist Langley, introduced the aspect of receptor molecules, in order to explain specific properties of molecules on muscle and nerve cells. The neurotransmitter receptors are proteins located in the post-synaptic plasma membrane and contain an extracellular site, specific for the binding of a neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitters, have two distinct families of receptors. The first one, the ligand-gated ion channels or ionotropic receptors, combine the properties of ion channels by having also a neurotransmitter binding domain on their outer part of the membrane. The other family of receptors, are the metabotropic receptors, because the movement of ions depends on certain metabolic steps. The important difference of these channels with the ionotropic channels, is that they dont have an ion channel in their structure, in contrast they have a domain which affects the channels through activation of G proteins, and these receptors G protein coupled receptors (Purves et al. 2001). G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane protein signaling molecules. The activation of these proteins can be achieved by various ligands, thus modulating the activity of a diverse set of signaling pathways (Kobilka 2007). Nowadays, it is estimated that the human organism contains approximately 800 unique GPCRs, and the 460 of them are assumed to be olfactory receptors (Fredriksson et al. 2003). Their main characteristic is that they contain seven transmembrane-spanning segments, which coordinate the position of the proteins N-terminus at the extracellular space and C-terminus at the intracellular space. Studies in neuromuscular synapse, have demonstrated in detail the neurotransmission mechanism. The binding of the acetylcholine to the postsynaptic receptors, leads to the opening of ion channels. Specifically, the binding of two Ach to a receptor, causes an influx of sodium for milliseconds. In real situations, when an action potential reaches a presynaptic neuron, millions of ACh molecules are secreted into the synaptic cleft. As a result, a high number of AChs will bind to numerous receptors, located on the postsynaptic membrane. The opening of these channels will cause the membrane to depolarize, and the opening of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels (Purves et al. 2001). When the postsynaptic membrane potential becomes more negative even from the resting potential, the end plate current increases, and decreases when the membrane potential is more positive. At very positive potential, there is a reverse polarity which cause the current to convert form an inward to an outward one (Purves et al. 2001). The other category that we will discuss, the hormones, are produced most of the times by specific cells, and initiate a reaction in certain cell types. Only the cells that have hormone receptors, can be used as hormone target cells. These receptors, recognize certain hormones according to their chemical structure. The classes of these receptors are two, the membrane bound receptors, which are transmembrane proteins and the second category the intracellularly localized receptors which are intracellular receptors (Boon 2009). The membrane bound receptors have an extracellular domain which is linked with an intracellular one. The binding of a hormone are following the rules of noncovalent interactions. In general, signaling molecules for example adrenaline, binds to their receptors with a very high affinity, even higher than the one observed between an enzyme and a substrate. After the binding and the recognition of adrenaline by the receptor, this signal is converted into an intracellular signal, which targets the nuclear compartment. According to the type of the receptors which will bind, adrenaline can cause inhibition of insulin secretion, glycogenolysis and glycolysis (Boon 2009). Furthermore, the hormone insulin, uses for signal transduction a set of tyrosine kinases receptors. The receptors that have tyrosine kinase (TK) activity (RTKs), contain a specific domain for binding ligand molecules located on the extracellular side. Inside the lipid bilayer there is a single alpha-helical element, and inside the cytosol another part that harbors a TK domain. When the RTKs are not bound with the ligand molecule, most of them are in their monomeric state. The only exception of this paradigm is the insulin receptor and in general its family members. When extracellular stimulus is absent, in our case insulin, the kinase domain of the receptors remains in its inactive, auto inhibited state. In this phase, the receptors either have very low kinase activity, or they havent at all. After the binding of insulin on the receptor, the consequent transformational changes that lead to the activation of the TK domain. The activation process of TK includes a trans-autosphorylation of tyrosine residues at segments inside and outside of the TK domain. Then, the phosphorylated P-Tyr which is formed at the site of receptor, becomes a docking region for proteins that harbor phosphorylated tyrosine specific domains. Such proteins are SH2, phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) and C2 .This signaling eventually leads to an increase of the number of glucose transporter 4 in the outer membrane of specific cells, and thus the increased reuptake of glucose from the blood (Boon 2009). Bibliography Alberts, B. et al., 2002. Molecular Biology of the Cell,   Ã‚   Black, D.L., 2000. Protein Diversity from Alternative Splicing: A Challenge for Bioinformatics and Post-Genome Biology. Cell, 103(3), pp.367-370. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867400001288. Boon, E.M., 2009. Biochemistry of Signal Transduction and Regulation, Available at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/603489. Cooper, G., 2000. The Cell: A Molecular Approach 2nd editio., Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9833/. Fredriksson, R. et al., 2003. The G-protein-coupled receptors in the human genome form five main families. Phylogenetic analysis, paralogon groups, and fingerprints. Molecular pharmacology, 63(6), pp.1256-72. Hirose, K. Amos, L.A., 2012. Handbook of Dynein. In Handbook of Dynein. pp. 12-16. Hyman, S. et al., 2009. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, Second Edition. In Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd ed.). pp. 265-266. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Neuropharmacology-Foundation-Clinical-Neuroscience/dp/0071481273. Kobilka, B.K., 2007. G protein coupled receptor structure and activation. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1768(4), pp.794-807. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17188232%5Cnhttp://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=PMC1876727. Latchman, D., 2007. Gene Regulation, Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4x3ZzLNyfDsCpgis=1. Naik, P., 2015. Biochemistry, JP Medical Ltd. Purves, D. et al., 2001. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11166/. Wang, X., Pattison, J.S. Su, H., 2013. Posttranslational modification and quality control. Circulation Research, 112(2), pp.367-381. Wickens, M. et al., 2000. Translational control of gene expression. , 37(6), p.295.

slavery in brasil Essay -- Slavery Essays

Because certain forms of slavery had existed for centuries on the continent of Africa, Brazilian historians used to say that blacks imported from across the Atlantic were docile and ready to accept their new status as slaves. This assertion is based on the unwarranted assumption that was true of a limited area of Africa was typical of the continent as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All slavery in brazil was essentially the same depending on the task or the labor the slave had to preform. In many cases the slaves was there to perform labor that was deplorable to the nobility. The Peninsulares born on the Iberian peninsular or even Creoles born in the Americas. During the 1500-1800's there were shortages of women from the peninsular. Some of the Conquistadors got married to the elite women of the Inca or indigenous women and a different class was born mestizo. There were even some cases that the house slave bore children for the master. The master was the father of the patriarchal society where the man was dominant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In other cases of slavery it depended on the region or the kind of work the slave had to do. Whether the slave worked on a Fazenda small plantation around a mill or an Engenho a large mill with Senhor de engeno a leading member of society . They had to have skilled workers to work the mill mo stly women occupied those positions. The sugar cane estates and fields were worked by manual labors . In th...

The Betrayal and Loyalty in Macbeth and Kite Runner

â€Å"A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. † Baba says these words to Rahim Khan while he is talking about Amir at the end of Chapter 3, and the quotation reveals important traits in both Amir and Baba. With these words, Baba sums up one of Amir’s major character flaws—his cowardice—and Baba shows how much value he places in standing up for what is right. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir, largely because he feels Amir lacks the courage to even stand up for himself, leaving Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval.Amir’s desire for this approval as well as his cowardice later cause him to let Assef rape Hassan. The quotation also foreshadows the major test of Amir’s character that occurs when he must decide whether to return to Kabul to save Sohrab. As Amir searches for redemption, the question he struggles with is precisely what concerned Baba: does he have the courage and stre ngth to stand up for what is right? â€Å"I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world.Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. † When Amir says this, toward the end of Chapter 7, he has just watched Assef rape Hassan,and rather than intervene, he ran away. Amir says he aspired to cowardice because, in his estimation, what he did was worse than cowardice. If fear of being hurt by Assef were the main reason he ran, Amir suggests that at least would have been more justified. Instead, he allowed the rape to happen because he wanted the blue kite, which he thought would prove to Baba that he was a winner like him, earning him Baba’s love and approval.The price of the kite, as Amir says, was Hassan, and this is why Amir calls Hassan the lamb he had to slay. He draws a comparison between Hassan and the lamb sacrificed during the Muslim hol iday of Eid Al-Adha to commemorate Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son to God. In this context, Hassan was the sacrifice Amir had to make to get the kite and ultimately to gain Baba’s affection. â€Å"That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for he last twenty-six years. † At the outset of Chapter 1, just as the book begins, Amir writes these words. With them, he hints at the central drama of the story and the reason he is telling it. To the reader, the quotation functions as a teaser. It piques the reader’s interest without revealing exactly what Amir is talking about, and from the time period Amir mentions, twenty-six years, the reader gets an idea of just how important this moment was. As the story unfolds, we realize that the deserted alley Amir refers to is wh ere Hassan was raped, and that this event has largely defined the course of Amir’s life since.This is what Amir means when he says that the past continues to claw its way out. Try as he might to bury it, he was unable to because his feelings of guilt kept arising. As a result, he figuratively continues peeking into the alley where Assef raped Hassan, literally meaning that he keeps going over the event in his mind. â€Å"There is a way to be good again. † (pg. 2) Rahim Khan said this to Amir to encourage him to help Hassan’s son escape Afghanistan. †And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too.Maybe even hating him a little. † (pg 15) This is Amir’s assessment of his father. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb. † (pg. 76) Here Amir describes the look on Hassan’s face as Assef and two others rape him. The look reminds Amir of a sacrifical lamb. I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. † (pg 165) Amir makes this comment to the reader after Soraya tells him the whole story of how she ran away with a man and shamed her family. He wishes he could tell what secrets he carries around, too. Baba had wrestled bears his whole life . . In the end, a bear had come that he couldn’t best. But even then, he had lost on his own terms. † (pg 174) Baba has died and Amir sums up his life with these words. The Search For Redemption Amir’s quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes, primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite, both of which are inciting incidents that set the rest of the novel in motion.The more substantial part of Amir’s search for redemption, ho wever, stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. That guilt drives the climactic events of the story, including Amir’s journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. The moral standard Amir must meet to earn his redemption is set early in the book, when Baba says that a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. As a boy, Amir fails to stand up for himself. As an adult, he can only redeem himself by proving he has the courage to stand up for what is right.The Love and Tension Between Fathers and Sons Amir has a very complex relationship with Baba, and as much as Amir loves Baba, he rarely feels Baba fully loves him back. Amir’s desire to win Baba’s love consequently motivates him not to stop Hassan’s rape. Baba has his own difficulty connecting with Amir. He feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. As a result, he is hard on Amir, and he can on ly show his love for Hassan indirectly, by bringing Hassan along when he takes Amir out, for instance, or paying for Hassan’s lip surgery.In contrast with this, the most loving relationship between father and son we see is that of Hassan and Sohrab. Hassan, however, is killed, and toward the end of the novel we watch Amir trying to become a substitute father to Sohrab. Their relationship experiences its own strains as Sohrab, who is recovering from the loss of his parents and the abuse he suffered, has trouble opening up to Amir. When we got to Kabul, I [Rahim Khan] discovered that Hassan had no intention of moving into the house. â€Å"But all these rooms are empty, Hassan jan. No one is going to live in them,† I said. But he would not.He said it was a matter of ihtiram, a matter of respect. He and Farzana moved their things into the hut in the backyard, where he was born. I pleaded for them to move into one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, but Hassan would hear nothin g of it. â€Å"What will Amir agha think? † he said to me. â€Å"What will he think when he comes back to Kabul after the war and finds that I have assumed his place in the house? † Then, in mourning for your father, Hassan wore black for the next forty days. (16. 24-25) You may be confused by the voice here. It's actually not Amir – Rahim Khan gets one chapter in the book.Rahim Khan recounts his trip to Hazarajat to find Hassan and bring him back to the house in Kabul. When Hassan does move back to the house with Rahim Khan, he refuses to live where Baba and Amir lived. Does Hassan's refusal suggest that Hassan is only Amir's servant and the two never achieved an equal friendship? (Side question: Does Hassan sense – on some unconscious level – Baba's true relationship to him? Is that why he mourns Baba for forty days? ) I felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty-handed. The room wa s swooping up and down, swaying side to side. Did Hassan know? † I said through lips that didn't feel like my own. Rahim Khan closed his eyes. Shook his head. [†¦ ] â€Å"Please think, Amir Jan. It was a shameful situation. People would talk. All that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honor, his name, and if people talked†¦ We couldn't tell anyone, surely you can see that. † He reached for me, but I shed his hand. Headed for the door. [†¦ ] I opened the door and turned to him. â€Å"Why? What can you possibly say to me? I'm thirty-eight years old and I've just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie!What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing! † (17. 57-63) Rahim Khan tells Amir about Baba's betrayal of him, Hassan, and Ali. Here's the story: Baba slept with Sanaubar, Ali's wife, and fathered Hassan. But Baba never told Amir or Hassan about it. We wonder if Rahim Khan's revelation makes life easi er or harder for Amir. On the one hand, Amir sees, for the first time, the similarities between himself and his father. Now he knows he wasn't the only one walking around with a ton of bricks (a. k. a. secret guilt). But does this really help Amir?Is it comforting at all to know his father made similar mistakes? Amir's betrayal of Hassan brings him closer to Baba in ways he couldn't have predicted. Although the two don't share the same secrets, they do share the secrecy of guilt. â€Å"You know,† Rahim Khan said, â€Å"one time, when you weren't around, your father and I were talking. And you know how he always worried about you in those days. I remember he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything. ‘ I wonder, is that what you've become? † (17. 4) Rahim Khan has just asked Amir to rescue Sohrab from Kabul. Amir is initially resistant, so Rahim Khan tries three times to convince Amir to undertake t he task. (The task is obviously a redemptive quest because there's no reason Amir has to rescue Sohrab. Rahim Khan tells Amir he has enough money to get Sohrab, so it seems like anyone could have performed this task. ) Anyway, Rahim Khan gives Amir three reasons why he should rescue Sohrab. One, because your father thought you couldn't stand up for anything and here's your chance to prove him wrong. Second, it's my dying wish that you rescue Sohrab.And third, Hassan was actually your half-brother, so you owe it to him. We think all these reasons add up and Amir agrees to rescue Sohrab. Of course, the third reason seals the deal, but they're all important and end up motivating Amir. How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft†¦ When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. Hadn't he said those words to me? And now, fifteen yea rs after I'd buried him, I was learning that Baba had been a thief.And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos. (18. 5) This is a central moment in the novel because it revises our picture of Baba, and thus our picture of Amir. Amir's guilt, all these years, has partly resulted from Baba's very strict adherence to a personal code. Baba's set of principles include honor (nang), pride (namoos), and loyalty. Now Amir finds out the following: not only did Baba â€Å"steal† Ali's honor and pride, but he stole a sense of self from Hassan, and a brother from Amir.What are you supposed to do when you find out the single most important figure of authority and morality in your life strayed from his principles? That's right, go on a personal quest of redemption to rescue your half-nephew from a sadistic, Mein Kampf-toting member of the Tali ban. I unfolded the letter. It was written in Farsi. No dots were omitted, no crosses forgotten, no words blurred together – the handwriting was almost childlike in its neatness. (17. 7)| First, it's amazing that Hassan learns how to read and write as an adult. But even more amazing is the aura of innocence still surrounding Hassan.Hassan lives through a tragic attack at a young age. His best friend, Amir, betrays him. He and his father leave their home. War comes to Afghanistan. But through all this, Hassan holds onto something like innocence. Chapter 16 – 17 Going to Kabul becomes a test of Amir’s honor, loyalty, and manhood. Amir is clearly afraid to go. He knows the city is extremely dangerous, and in returning there he would risk everything he has, including his life and the welfare of his family. Kabul will also undoubtedly recall memories of Hassan and his past that Amir would rather not confront.Rahim Khan recognizes that the decision is a difficult one for Amir. To convince him, he brings up the conversation he once had with Baba, when Baba said he feared that Amir would not be able to stand up to anything as a man if he could not stand up for himself as a boy. Amir concedes that Baba may have been right. Then Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not Hassan’s father, and implies that Hassan was, in fact, Baba’s child. Hassan and Amir, then, would be half-brothers, and Sohrab would be Amir’s nephew, obligating Amir further to find the boy. The dilemma brings together the tensions Amir has struggled with in the novel.By rescuing Sohrab, Amir can become the man that Baba always wanted him to be, and he can finally atone for the ways he failed Hassan as a friend. â€Å"Do you know what I will tell Daoud Khan the next time he comes to our house for dinner? † Assef said. â€Å"I’m going to have a little chat with him, man to man, mard to mard. Tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader. A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now. † (Hosseini 43) Assef claims that Hitler was his role model.He has a same point of view as Hitler has. He wants the country to be one race, one religion and one belief. This is also related to the holocaust in WWII. We all know that Hitler’s actions fund the worst actions in human society because he started the WWII. He was also racist against people who have different beliefs and race. Similarly, Assef copied Hitler and isolated the Hazaras from the rest of the country. This prove that his attitude toward the country and those Hazaras end him up with suffering the serious consequences. Assef and Hitler‘s actions are the worst actions in human. His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood. † He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. â€Å"Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. That’s my vision. † This is a significant because this quote does a good job in terms of portraying Assef’s attitude toward those Hazaras. Assef said this when he is harassing Hassan. We all know that Amir was put in a situation where he has to decide whether he has to stand up for himself or following the belief of Pashtun bully.Assef harassed Hassan and Amir for not following their beliefs and he eventually joined Taliban and killed tons of Hazaras. This harassment due to different religion lead to the worst action the Taliban has done and this lead to the disunity of the country. Assef slipped on the brass knuckles. Gave me an icy look. â€Å"You’re part of the problem, Amir. If idiots like you and your father didn’t take these people in, we’d be rid of them by now. They’d all just go rot in Hazarajat where they belong. You’re a disgrace to Afghanistan. †This quote indirectly tells us that Assef’s attitude will lead Afghanistan to downfall and his point of view will drive him forward to join the Taliban to kill those Hazaras. He thinks Pashtun who spend time with the people with a different religion are disgrace to Afghanistan. His point of view is the same as Hitlers. He think those Hazaras should be always oppressed and Afghanistan is the land only for Pashtun. This is an unfair way of differentiating people. Afghanistan will have the potential to become more united without Taliban’s prejudice and the attitudes toward people with different religion.

Ancient Persia and the Persian Empire

Ancient Persia and the Persian Empire The Ancient Persians (modern Iran) are more familiar to us than the other empire builders of Mesopotamia or the Ancient Near East, the  Sumerians,  Babylonians, and  Assyrians, not only because the Persians were more recent, but because they were amply described by the Greeks. Just as one man, Alexander of Macedon (Alexander the Great), ultimately wore the Persians down quickly (in about three years), so the Persian Empire rose to power quickly under the leadership of  Cyrus the Great. The extent of Persia varied, but at its height, it extended southwards to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean; to the east and northeast, the Indus and Oxus rivers; to the north, the Caspian Sea and Mt. Caucasus; and to the west, the Euphrates River. This territory includes desert, mountains, valleys, and pastures. At the time of the ancient Persian Wars, the Ionian Greeks and Egypt were under Persian dominion. Western Cultural Identity and the Persian Army We in the West are accustomed to seeing the Persians as the them to a Greek us. There was no Athenian-style democracy for the Persians, but an absolute monarchy that denied the individual, common man his say in political life. The most important part of the Persian army was a seemingly fearless elite fighting group of 10,000, known as The Immortals because when one was killed another would be promoted to take his place. Since all men were eligible for combat until age 50, manpower was not an obstacle, although to ensure loyalty, the original members of this immortal fighting machine were Persians or Medes. Cyrus the Great Cyrus the Great, a religious man and adherent of Zoroastrianism, first came to power in Iran by overcoming his in-laws, the Medes (c. 550 B.C.)- the conquest made easy by many defectors, becoming the first ruler of the Achaemenid Empire (the first of the Persian Empires). Cyrus then made peace with the Medes and cemented the alliance by creating not just Persian, but Median sub-kings with the Persian title khshathrapavan (known as satraps) to rule the provinces. He also respected area religions. Cyrus conquered the Lydians, the Greek colonies on the Aegean coast, the Parthians, and Hyrcanians. He conquered Phrygia on the south shore of the Black Sea. Cyrus set up a fortified border along the Jaxartes River in the Steppes, and in 540 B.C., he conquered the Babylonian Empire. He established his capital in a cold area, Pasargadae (the Greeks called it Persepolis), contrary to the wishes of the Persian aristocracy. He was killed in battle in 530. The successors of Cyrus conquered Egypt, Thrace, Macedonia, and spread the Persian Empire east to the Indus River. Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanids Alexander the Great put an end to the Achaemenid rulers of Persia. His successors ruled the area as the Seleucids, intermarrying with native populations and covering a large, fretful area that soon broke up into divisions. The Parthians gradually emerged as the next major Persian power ruling in the area. The Sassanids or Sassanians overcame the Parthians after a few hundred years and ruled with almost constant trouble on their eastern borders as well as to the west, where the Romans contested the territory sometimes through to the fertile area of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) until the Muslim Arabs conquered the area.

The Best Sources to Upgrade Your Research

The Best Sources to Upgrade Your Research Wikipedia is a good source for information. It is a good source, that is, if you just want some general information that random people have contributed on a topic. Wikipedia is not a resource for academic research works. In fact, no encyclopedia should be used when students conduct serious research. The question then becomes, can a student find scholarly websites for serious research? The answer to that question is yes, provided students have the ability to find them. In order to make your journey through the web in search of research websites a bit easier, we have compiled a list of the most reputable places with a brief description. iSeek This is sort of the scholars rendition of Ask.com. Students can pose a question based upon the topic they have chosen for an essay or paper, the search engine will spit out resources from government, reputable and established non-commercial sites, and from universities. This is one of the most highly respected scholarly search engines on the web. In fact, teachers and professors use it for their own research. Google Scholar Among academic search engines, this one is pretty cool. It focuses on the type of scholarly literature that grad students need for their research. Just enter some keywords or phrases, and Google will churn out papers, books, dissertation abstracts, theses, current research articles from scholarly journals, and more. These are primary source materials. Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) This library is maintained by the U.S. Department of Education and currently holds more than 1.3 million resource materials dissertations, technical reports, policy papers, research syntheses, targeted scholarly journals and articles. Students can search in virtually any content field and find hundreds or resources. If is one of the most commonly used research websites for students who are beginning their theses or dissertations all primary source material. Intute Intute is not a library of itself. Rather, it is unique among academic search engines, based in the UK that will point students to appropriate websites for their research. Students can enter their specific topics and receive the names and URLs of scholarly websites for their research. This site is particularly cool because it also has free tutorials produced by professors and librarians related to web-based research. Scirus Here is a science students dream among all other research sites. It houses over 350 million pages of articles, journal publications, and major research works from respected higher education institutions everywhere. Virtual Learning Resources Center If you want to find any scholarly website related to any academic discipline, you will want to use this research website. It is actually an index and houses the names of scholarly websites that are recommended by professors, high school and university librarians. The student can plug in his/her topic area and immediately get a list of reputable websites that house scholarly publications in that academic field. Noodle Tools This is one of the best educational search engines for high school students, although undergrad students find it really helpful as well. It provides both primary and secondary resources for any topic. The neat additional feature is that is has a citation generator tool for APA, MLA and Chicago format style. WorldCat The perfecct site if you are looking for a specific book. Type in the book title and this great site will searh through libraries looking for it. Ultimately, it will tell you where you can find that book in a libarary geograpically close to your location. It will do the same for video and CDs. Students can search for other digital sources like audiobooks and other rare text that is not available publicly. American Memory Undergrad and grad history students will never need to look for another source. This is the door to the Library of Congresss nine million-plus digital documents all primary sources - including books, articles, sound recordings, maps, etc.

Why people are obsessed with their appearance Essay

Why people are obsessed with their appearance - Essay Example The appearance need not be lavish for all occasions but at least pleasant. Women generally tend to be give more importance to their appearance than men – this is because they are the fairer sex and it comes naturally for them. Men tend to focus on such things as fitness, body building etc. But one strong motivation for both genders is to be attractive to the opposite sex. Apart from appearance being helpful in attracting partners, it also helps establish status among peers. A good dressing sense and a well-kempt appearance will help gain respect among peers (provided, of course, that the individual's behavior is in line with his/her sophisticated outward appearance) What aids and facilitates this obsession is the multi-billion dollar advertising industry which repeatedly projects images of beauty and attractiveness (which are to a degree subjective) onto our television screens, newspaper columns and billboards. It is fair to say that the advertising industry is obsessed with s elling products (useful or not) to people (who want it not) in the guise of projecting them as essential commodities. Popular culture outlets such as Hollywood and Television also plays a part, in that, many ageing movie and TV stars resort to plastic surgery to revive their looks. Fans of the these stars then follow suit. But, in the final analysis, outward appearance cannot compensate for flaws of the personality.

What Should Be Done about Child Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What Should Be Done about Child Obesity - Essay Example An article was published in the Telegraph on the 6th of January 2010 titled â€Å"BREATS MILK NO BETTER FOR A BABY THAN FORMULA†. In this article, a Norwegian professor Sven Carlsen claimed that breastfed children are not healthier because they are fed naturally because they conditions in their mother’s womb tended to be better. Unfortunately, a lot of nursing mothers refer to this article to defend their use of formulas over breast milk. Today children are suffering from health conditions that were once identified as adult diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, increased the level of blood cholesterol, child obesity and sometimes increased blood pressure. Breast milk has been shown to be very beneficial for children and effective in reduction of the  child obesity and other health conditions. The child’s organism is nourished optimally with breast milk and various studies explain how breastfeeding controls child obesity. Breastfed children are able to control the amount of breast milk they take, in this regard they can regulate consumption and demand when they are hungry unlike in children fed with formula who tend to finish a bottle and this can override the child’s self-regulation of energy intake. Children fed with breast milk are more likely to adapt to varieties of nutritious food such as fruits and vegetables. These are essential to maintaining a healthy body weight throughout their lives and reduce the chances of diseases. The effects of breast-milk on hormones and metabolism are essential in the maintenance of ideal body weight because of the ideal content of insulin which helps fat storage but when children are fed with formulas they tend to store more fat because of the high level of insulin content in formulas and such children are predisposed to obesity.