The color purple; shades of gender discrimination Annotated Bibliography

The color purple; shades of gender discrimination - Annotated Bibliography Example t of Alice’s work appears to be due to the fact that she herself was brought up in an area where there was forceful gender and color discrimination. Alice’s work stresses indirectly or directly upon the significance of women being independent within the male oriented society. The whole idea of the work according to Bates was depending upon vulnerability, behaviors and decisions which women envisage when held or caught up during challenging situations and there is clear appreciation for the kind of women who stand up for themselves and their own betterment. Harold bloom inspects the practical tone of Alice Walkers writing and points out the negligence of romanticism from her work unlike any other female author which makes her writing style rather straight forward and to the point. Harold considers her work portraying the strength of family and blood, self esteem, and spiritual bonding. Her work shows the difference between the circumstances faced by women in that time and women of this global era. Alice’s work shows her feminist nature by sketching a woman producing divergence in her duties of being an obedient and sacrificing wife, this attitude displayed in some of her characters created a hunger among African American women to become equal to men in society. Merriam Webster provides a good definition of deviant behavior as the one which is accepted as a norm. The use of it eludes the difference between the attitudes shown towards male and female. As females being considered, something disgustingly different from the norms of the society .Even though women at that time had started to recognize the powers and potentials gifted by God to herself having no proper rights of their own they were always in an arguable position. This study focuses on the importance of arts and its impacts on the relationships among men and women. This study scrutinizes the significance of arts even affecting the literary champs to produce some resistance against the silence

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Example for Free

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Take a moment and imagine a family of six traveling from city to city in order to survive, their only home, a car. Suddenly as their driving along a women speeds into them crashing, and wrecking their home. They are all then taken to a hospital, where the family discovers that the mother has progressive cancer in her lymph nodes. After this discovery, the father decides to skip town leaving his wife, three young children and elderly mother homeless. Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is an exceptional novel. Endicott won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best book in Canada and the Caribbean for Good to a Fault. Why might you ask? Each character is so extraordinarily developed and so well described it feels as if you know them yourself. Their emotions, thoughts and actions are so personal that at the end of the novel Endicott has created a wonderful and realistic person. Their conflicts are so profound, that they are crippling to the characters that suffer under them. And a theme that so important that the book is named after it. Like most novels Good To A Fault has a variety characters with an array of personalities, thoughts and behaviors. What sets it aside from others, is the vivid characterization of not only the fundamental characters of the story, but even the characters that are only introduced once. The rotation of perspectives gives the novel a whole new view on each characters true personality and on the conflicts they face. As Mary Jo Murphy from the New York Times said, â€Å"it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention.† Each characters thoughts are described by the author in exact correspondence with their personalities. For example; Paul, who is a pastor, often indirectly makes allusions to faith. Like when he and Darwin are fixing up Claras basement Paul says, Today is a time for rejuvenation pg.153 or when he is speaking to Clara about her generosity towards the Gages he says You sacrificed yourself for others pg.329 Through this, Endicott solidifies Pauls personality, tying him to his religion. Making Paul a symbol of Christianity which brings into question the faith of many characters. Allowing the reader to experience the many sides of faith. Apart from that , appearance and reputation help to build complete characters. Take the protagonist Clara , Paul describes her as single, childless of course, took care with her appearance, fortyish, Christian, and not in good spirits for some time since her mothers death. pg.26. This information helps develop a rounded character. It isnt enough just to say that Clara is a nice person, so that is why she takes care of the Gage family. The author uses her faith, age and relationship status to give reason for her generous actions. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of Claras personality, and accordingly builds a relationship between the reader and the protagonist. Above all things what sets this book aside from any other is the conflicts. Unlike most books the conflict of this story introduces itself in the very first paragraph, â€Å"The other car came from nowhere, speeding through on the yellow, going so fast it was almost safely past when Claras car caught it.†pg. 7. Because of this you would think that there would be no rising action, no excitement and no great lesson for the protagonist to learn, but you would be wrong. This conflict originally appears as if it will have the most impact, but it does not. In fact it stems off into several other conflicts that characters struggle with individually, and as a group. For instance, Lorraines diagnosis with cancer. This leads to her husband, Clayton, struggling to find his family a safe home, which he fails to do on his own. This leaves him bitter because instead of him finding a solution through hard work, he is left to stay with the very women who put them in the situation, Clara. As he says when confronting Clara at the hospital, â€Å"Hard on you? Hard to sit and watch the results of what you did?†pg23. He decides to deal with this by leaving the family. His actions burden Clara with the care of the family he left behind. Leading to Claras guilt of driving the childrens father away and leaving the mother all alone. Ultimately she struggles with the idea that she cares for the Gage family either out of guilt or to fill the empty spaces not only in her spare rooms, but in her life. It only took Endicott one simple incident to create a million other problems throughout the novel. Each conflict faced, allows the reader to understand more about each characters role in the story. Finally molding the novel into the theme. The theme I took from this novel was ; personal satisfaction of goodwill is the only payment for charity,for if its not, the deeds bring no true meaning. However when I contacted Marina Endicott on twitter she described the theme as follows; How the debt of charity is redeemed; Love your neighbour as yourself. After Clara divorces her husband, she is left wounded by their short, detached marriage. Her parents then become ill and she must care for them. But soon they both die leaving Clara alone with all their possessions and burdens. When Clara opens up her home to the Gage family and a friends daughter, she must decide whether her actions are truly pure and for others benefit, or greedy and only being used to fill the void left by her parents and husband. So she questions herself, â€Å"I see what they need, but I am unwilling to help.†pg 25 When Clara takes in the Gage family she originally believes she is doing it to make up for the car accident she caused. As the visit becomes longer Clara grows more and more attached to the family as she brings them into her life. Caring for them soon becomes less of an obligation, and more of a desire as she grows to truly love the Gages like they were her own. She becomes so attached that she does not wish that they leave her home, and when they do she is deeply angered. â€Å"She did not want anything, except Pearce back, and Dolly, and Trevor; except the life she had left this afternoon, to run over and help Lorraine- to help her again!†pg.327 .This theme is a great topic that adds depth the novel. The whole story Clara is faced with deciding whether what she does is out of loneliness or out of good will. It is a topic that we should all consider when we decide to do something charitable. And yet another reason why I believe this is a wonderful piece of litterature. Ultimately this book incorporates everything that makes a good, memorable novel . Its realistic, likeable and relatable characters keep the reader the attached to the story. These characters face conflicts that challenge them physically and emotional but lead them to fulfilling rewards. Finally these elements are all summed up to create a concrete theme of charity versus selfishness, a topic rarely touched on in our society. These elements of the novel piece the story together as a whole and make it strong enough to last the test of time. This is a great novel.

When It Rains, It Pours :: Personal Narratives Depression Death Essays

When It Rains, It Pours Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt like everything was just dumped on you? I did, and undoubtedly it happened just as I came to school at State University. That saying, â€Å"When it rains, it pours,† just seemed to fit me perfectly. Within a two week period one of my friends from high school committed suicide, my grandma went in the hospital, and my boyfriend broke up with me. Yet, from these experiences in my life, I grew, more than I have ever grown before. This is why I am writing about it. Although, everyone goes through hard times, there were not many people out there who related to me. That is why it was hard to get help when it was needed. Maybe someone can learn from my experience and be just as strong as I was. I was very excited to make a new step in my life, college. I came with high hopes and aspirations. My hometown is not near Arizona, It is Lake Tahoe, Nevada, so going home for the weekend was simply out of the question. I had a great time for the first month, enjoying freedom. However, I was sitting in my room one night writing a paper with my roommate, and one of my friends from home called me. She said that one of our good friends from high school had just committed suicide earlier that day. I didn’t know how to react to this; I was scared, and confused. Why did he do it? Why didn’t anyone know that he was unhappy? Was he unhappy? I felt regret, thinking I should have been there for him. Once the crying commenced, my mother called me telling me that my last grandma had gone into the hospital. She had collapsed in her apartment and was rushed to the emergency center. I had no idea what to do. I felt like God was just condemning me and attacking me for som e reason. I went into this deep depression and I didn’t want anyone to talk to me, if they did, I would simply start crying. I was alone, and no one knew who I was. I was too far away from home to go to my friend’s ceremony.

Internal Combustion Engines :: physics internal combustion engine

Most motor vehicles today use an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to give them power to drive down the road; ICEs are a form of a heat engine. Gasoline is burned to push a piston, which in return forces the car down the road. As the gas in the cylinder is ignited and expanded it forces the piston down the shaft. The force is carried through piston, which is connected to a crankshaft. The force moves through the transmission, down the driveshaft, and out the tires. The Otto Cycle is used to turn as much heat into the driving force as possible. â€Å"A heat engine is a machine that converts heat into work† (Heat Engines). A heat engine absorbs a quantity of energy from a hot reservoir, does work, and then gives up a quantity of energy to the cold reservoir. In the example of an ICE, gasoline is burned, creating heat and expanding the gasses. This expansion pushes the piston down the cylinder and the excess heat is carried out through the coolant system or exhaust. The work done by the engine can be determined using the equation: W=Q(hot) - Q(cold) The efficiency of a heat engine can be determined using the equation: e=W/Q(hot) Gasoline engines have four strokes and six processes in each cycle. During the intake stroke, air and fuel are drawn into the cylinder; the volume and potential energy increase. Next, the compression stroke adiabatically compresses the gases; the volume decreases and the temperature increases. The spark does not occur during a stroke but when the piston is fully raised, this causes the gases to ignite keeping relatively the same volume. In the power stroke, the gas adiabatically expands; the temperature decreases and the volume increases. Finally, the exhaust valve is opened so in the exhaust stroke when the piston moves up the gasses are released causing the volume to decrease. A hemi engine refers to the way the pistons, heads and block are designed. This style of engine claims to provide a better flow of air inside the cylinder by creating more room for larger valves in turn providing more power. The chamber on a hemi is hemispherical instead of being flat like traditional engines. This shape provides more surface area on the block allowing room for the larger valves. When the engine can breath better there is less friction and more clean air / fuel mixture providing more power.

Do Animals Need A Bill of Rights? Essay

Animals on a daily basis all over the world are being mistreated and abused by many people that do not care for them. There are very few people attempting to protect these animals, whether they are domestic animals, farm animals, or wildlife animals. More attention should be drawn to the treatment of animals because even if we do have laws for animals and for their well being, many people still do not follow these laws. The laws already established for animals should be enforced, because I do agree that animals need protection, as in free from any harm done towards them purposely, but to have a Bill of Rights specifically made for animals seems extreme. Reasons for believing that animals need protection from any harm done to them from humanity is that many animals are being used for scientific experiments that harm these animals in a cruel way. Yes, there are experiments that use animals and may not harm them in any way, which is fine if there’s no harm being done to them. For example in the article â€Å"A Change of Heart about Animals† by Jeremy Rifkin states, â€Å"In controlled experiments, scientists at Oxford University reported that two birds named Betty and Abel were given a choice between using two tools, one a straight wire, the other a hooked wire, to snag a piece of meat from inside a tube.† This experiment was fine to conduct because in no way were these crows harmed. The only thing the scientists were doing was observing the crow’s behavior. If there needs to be experiments done to animals for whatever reason, the experiments should be conducted in a way that the animals are not harmed. Another reason for believing that animals need protection is that animals are being harmed or mistreated by people who have a habit of using animals for entertainment. A form of entertainment for humanity from animals in a cruel way is hunting wildlife animals and killing them or fishing. Lions, tigers, bears, dears, and cheetahs are examples of wildlife animals that are hunted and killed for either their meat or fur. Fishing is also a form of entertainment for sportsmen that catch fish to eat and don’t realize the pain caused to the fish when the sportsmen kill them.  For example in the article, â€Å"Hooked on a Myth† by Victoria Braithwaite states, â€Å"Every year, sportsmen around the world drag millions of fish to shore on barbed hook s. It’s something people have always done, and with little enough conscience.† This shows how people do not think of the harm they are doing to fish. Just because the fish are not crying or yelling with pain does not mean they are not feeling it. We as humans need to think of the animals as living as well. We humans may not understand them, but animals do have feelings and we need to pay more attention to their treatment. Animals are also used for research such as human’s closest relatives, which are apes, gorillas, and chimpanzees. There are people who believe since these specific animals are as close in DNA as us that they should be used for research to find out how our â€Å"species† function. In the article, â€Å"Of Primates and Personhood: Will According Rights and â€Å"Dignity† to Nonhuman Organisms Halt Research?† by Ed Yong, Franz de Waal of Emory University, says â€Å"I do think we have special obligations to the great apes as our closest relatives, but if we give rights to apes, what would be the compelling reason not to give rights to monkeys, dogs, rats, and so on?† Apes should not be the only animals receiving rights only because they are our closest relatives. Other animals are being used for research and not cared for, why should they suffer? I believe it is inhumane of us to be so blind of all the harm being done to all animals just for our convenience. In no way do animal’s benefit from being killed and used as research, we on the other hand utilize them as if they were objects. The issue worldwide is that these animals are being mistreated and abused by humans and therefore should be protected from us, but not make a big decision such as making a Bill of Rights for animals. There are laws already established to protect these animals, and should just be enforced. If these laws are broken by us humans then we should have a punishment, but that’s all it should be a law to protect these animals and do no harm to them. We should not go to an extreme and create a Bill of Rights for animals.

Regulations of Biotechnology essays

Regulations of Biotechnology essays Biotechnology is an unstoppable reality, and it should be something closely watched (Thompson). Biotechnology concerns human beings, problems concerning plants, animals and the environment. There is a great range of issues and topics when talking about biotechnology. However, the main question is why the government is not closely regulating private biotechnology firms. Research projects being done by biotech firms can be lead to a variety of issues involving ethics, for example, cloning, stem cell research, and genetic engineering. The projects being done especially by private firms deal with a terrifying notion of these biotech companies playing God. They are altering, engineering and taking science to a new level and the government most of the time has no idea what they are doing. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to provide solid information on biotechnology and the ethical issues that surround it to prove why the government should regulate private biotechnology firms. There was a story on the front page of the business section of the New York Times at the beginning of this month about a race to develop a new product in biotechnology. The title "Down on the Farm, A Donor: Genetically Altered Pigs Bred for Organ Transplants" (Weil). This race involves four small biotechnology companies whose recent progress has prompted some scientists to say that the first organ transplant from pig to human could occur within a year. Due to this major pharmaceutical and medical device companies are funding this research, which means these small firms will not have to ask the government. This story brings into focus the tangle of issues that precipitates quandaries about biotechnology development. Biotechnology is a challenging domain to examine. This world is the great and expanding range of areas of research and development with commercial potential and implementations. Advances in genetic modification, manipulation of viruses, bacteria,...

The Language of Education!

The Language of Education! The language of education has always been of a supreme importance. This problem becomes even more important nowadays since the migration processes in the contemporary world is very active and the national and consequently linguistic situation is permanently changing. The US is characterized by high levels of migration and the growth of population is partially provided with new immigrants who arrive in this country often without proper education and knowledge of the local language.Naturally in such circumstances the state has to cope with the problem of linguistic diversity and focus on the bilingual education as a possible way out from the difficulties that are created for national minorities because of language.However, the problem, or to put it more precisely the necessity to introduce bilingual education, is not new for the US and within the 20th century, especially in its second half, the state attempts to solve this problem on both levels, federal and state.English: 14th Amendme nt of the United States Const...As a result, different programs and legislative acts were implemented in order to provide all nations and national minorities with the possibility to receive education in their own language along with the official language of the whole country.Such programs and laws have been started not just because of a political will of some politicians, but the moving force of the introduction of bilingual education were juridical precedents which were the results of quite numerous court cases. These court cases aimed at the solution of the problem of a traditional education based in English only and providing national minorities with equal rights to receive the education as any other citizen of the United States.One of the first, and yet most famous and significant court cases concerning in a way the problem of bilingual education was the Brown v. Board of education (of Topeka)...

Term Paper Writing Help

Term Paper Writing Help Term Paper Writing Help Term Paper Writing Help As a college or university student, you have to complete writing assignments of numerous courses in economics, science, technology, management, etc.   Every tutor has his own rules and instructions for term paper writing.  However, if you are assigned to write a literary term paper, for example, the first thing you should remember is that your paper should be focused on a specific text.   Your task is to conduct a research and find out what the critics say about the text you have chosen and the author of it.   The main purpose of term paper writing is to conduct a research and find out supporting information to prove your assumptions and ideas.   While writing a literary term paper, you should use approximately 10 sources in addition to primary text.   Nevertheless, the number of secondary sources depends on term paper topic and the requirements of your tutor.   Once you have collected all necessary sources, you need to write a literature review. While writing a term paper body, you should discuss and analyze the topic.   Keep in mind that analysis is not a summary of the main points.   You should include opinion of different authors and include information from relevant studies and experiments.   If you are writing a term paper on literary text, you should dissect the text and find interesting points for discussion.   Most of the tutors prefer usage of MLA writing and referencing style.   While writing a term paper, you should cite all of the sources used and cited for term paper writing.   Make sure to follow the required citation format.   Include works cited page at the end of the paper.   Works cited list should include all of the sources cited in term paper.   Do not forget that all of the sources should be arranged in alphabetical order. Term Paper Writing Help Some tips on term paper format: It should have one-inch margins on all sides. Paragraphs must be indented half an inch. Term paper should be double-spaced. It should include quotations, notes, and the list of works cited. The title page isn't necessary for academic term paper. Type your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date at the top of the first page. Term Paper Writing Service If you are not sure how to start writing your term paper, you may ask our writers for assistance and we will write an impressive term paper for you.   to write a good term paper on any topic and of any academic level.   Do not hesitate to place an order and you will be very impressed with the high quality of our writing services!

Semiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Semiotics - Essay Example Ultimately, it is now the child’s time to break free from the rein’s of this paternal instinct (Castro’s oppressive regime) and assume its position in the world. Photographs change with and in time in a number of ways. In these regards, one must consider that a photograph exists through its interpretation by outside observers. In these regards, a photograph is a part of an ever-evolving cultural apparatus. In terms of historical photography, particularly, one considers that a photograph changes in time as the historical situations change. One considers the nature of Fidel Castro pictures during the revolution, as during this time they depicted an individual that represented hope and equality for many Cubans. Today these photographs represent an oppressive dictatorship in its early stages of development. In addition, a static photograph can change in the blink of an eye. In these regards, one can discover unique information about this photograph, for instance it could be a picture of a serial killer at a young age that drastically changes one’s understanding of the image. One considers an example of the picture of the raising of the fl ag at Iwo Jima. This photograph represented American victory at one point, yet through the years it has changed to now represent a bygone era in American history. A photograph can also be a metaphor for an entire life. While such a pronouncement may be deductive for some people, as examined on an individual basis a human’s life carries with it a complex amount of changes. Still, many humans who have lived public lives have come to be remembered for significant events or specific characteristics that come to define them as people. One considers the American sport of football as a primary example where individuals come to gain heroic status for their actions. A picture of Joe Montana throwing a touchdown pass then could

Japan Or Brazil Or Kenya post WWII development path Essay

Japan Or Brazil Or Kenya post WWII development path - Essay Example Second, the structural change models have a major shift from moments of subsistence-sector dominated economy to a capitalist-dominated economy. As a result of the structural change, Brazil has benefited immensely from increased investment and government revenue which have been directed towards infrastructural development in the country. In terms of the international dependence revolution, there was a goodness of fit for neocolonial dependence model and dualistic-development thesis because as a result of Brazil’s dependence on rich countries, it has recorded an ever increasing external debt to GDP ratio since 1945, which has resulted in the widening of developmental gap between Brazil and other rich countries like USA and Japan. There has however not been a fit for the false-paradigm model because Brazil’s focus for international relations has been largely centered on neighboring South American countries. Finally, the neoclassical counterrevolution model has explained re asons Brazil continues to be the major foreign investment destination in Latin America as the country has practiced a free market approach backed by a strong public choice approach and traditional neoclassical growth theory. The market-friendly approach has also been used as an avenue for expanding development of local business. After the industrial revolution in the period between 1760 and 1840, most countries had been set on a century long drive of national development, powered by strong industrial awaking till one world war came and then another. The World War II (WW II) thus became a major event that drew most countries aback in terms of development (Bacha & Klein, 1989). As a major panacea of the global economy, Brazil was also affected by events leading to, and after the WW II. Bahca & Klein (1989) however noted that the period after the WW II became a major test case for most countries to quickly recover from the economic setbacks and get back on

How do you define success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

How do you define success - Essay Example Irrespective of the ethical value of goals, achievement is referred to as success, but only in the individual’s own viewpoint. Hence, success can be defined as attainment of objectives. However, this definition pertains only to an individual’s personal viewpoint about the results of his/her efforts. People have their own standards of rendering an individual’s attainment of his/her objectives successful. The world regards ethics and morality. Therefore, people whose achievements induce positive changes in the world in any way are considered successful by people. On the contrary, people deem an individual’s efforts as failure if the individual attains his/her goals but they cause negative changes in the world. â€Å"Hitler succeeded in storming across Europe, Napoleon succeeded too, Al Capone, Sam Giancanna, John Gotti, and others succeeded in becoming crime king pins. Stalin succeeded in murdering millions of his own people† (â€Å"Affirmations for Radical Success†). Not all of these people are considered successful

The Lake School Poets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Lake School Poets - Essay Example As Romanticists, they have been staunch supporters of freedom and the French Revolution. For them, it was a noble cause for it promotes the tenets of Romanticism, although they deny being a part of the said movement. The French Revolution symbolized liberty from the trappings of wealth that was the French Royalty. Not only that, it symbolized the inequality of power between the people and the monarchs. Because of this love for liberty, they believed on France’s Revolution and had their passionate beliefs. However, after some time, they abandoned their liberalist beliefs, especially William Wordsworth, and became conservatives, largely believing now in constitutional monarchy and the power of the Protestant Church as the guiding light for the British. Is the shift because of Napoleon’s failure to reach the poets’ expectations of being a libertarian because he also intended to conquer Europe, or is it because their own personal struggles that lead them to prioritiz e their own individual beliefs? Was it because of their age? This essay proposes that they became conservatives because of their Napoleon failed their expectations. II. Summary and Critique According to Bertrand Russell, â€Å"In his youth Wordsworth sympathized with the French Revolution, went to France, wrote good poetry, and had a natural daughter. At this period he was called a 'bad' man. Then he became 'good,' abandoned his daughter, adopted correct principles, and wrote bad poetry.† This is an observation to the poet shifting from being a liberalist to a conservative. Romanticists are known to being ambivalent towards the society as they were politically involved but they were also distancing themselves from the public. And as romanticists, they strongly objected to the oppression and injustice. However, the Lake poets shifted to conservatism. There are many theories on why this has happened. There is a theory that it was because of Coleridge addiction to opium, the dea th of Wordsworth’s brother and their disenchantment on the French revolution. Coleridge’s addiction to opium was because of his chronic rheumatism. The doctors prescribed laudanum to him, an opium derivative, and became addicted for sixteen years. His condition never really affected his writings as he wrote good poetry even when he was high with drugs. His good friend Wordsworth even took him into his home and he spent two years there. When he moved out, he learned that Wordsworth told their mutual friend not to take him in because he had â€Å"a derangement in his intellectual and moral constitution† (Shmoop Editorial Team). This resulted in the breaking up of their friendship and they both wrote less poetry after the incident. Another theory is that Wordsworth’s brother’s death may have contributed to the shift of the poets to shift to conservatism. This happened in 1805 and has affected him strongly. This only happened to Wordsworth, not everyon e in their movement. Although they are all good friends, this could not have effected the others that much. The last theory proposed by Fairchild is that they were all disenchanted by the way Napoleon took over France after the French Revolution. Because after the Revolution ended, Napoleon began conquering other countries. This failed them because their cause about liberty and the revolution did not end up the way they wanted it to be as Napoleon also got into other

Identification of the Two Missing Romanov Children Essay

Identification of the Two Missing Romanov Children - Essay Example ethods used to determine the identity of the skeletal remains, and whether they were in fact the lost Romanov family, including Tsarevich Alexei (the royal heir) and one of his sisters. ‘We report forensic DNA testing on the remains discovered in 2007 using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), autosomal STR, and Y-STR testing.’ This line from the examining officers’ report shows the tests used. (PubMed, 2009) A brief description of each will show how the team came to their conclusion. A person’s mother-line ancestry can be determined with mitochondrial DNA testing. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a type of DNA that is carried by both men and women but is only inherited from their mother. It is passed by a mother down to all her children. An exact match might mean the tested person is very likely to share a common maternal ancestor within the last 500 years. Exact matches are rare, but slight differences (one or two) can also lead to decisions about common relatives on the mother’s side.(Sorensen, 2009) The testing is done by sequencing nucleotides. The Romanov gravesite skeletons were tested in this way. Autosomal STR testing examines Short Tandem Repeats, using the knowledge that most humans share about 99 percent of their DNA, while the rest is very different. This small portion is examined because, although its function in the body is not completely understood yet, it provides a high degree of variation that can be measured and compared. (Orchid Cellmark 2009) These sequences repeat a number of times - between six and 40 - in a particular location on the DNA. For example, ACGTACGTACGTACGTACGTACGT. Each person can have a different number of repeats in the same place. Many STRs occur on each chromosome. One subset has been developed for identity testing purposes. (Orchid Cellmark Ibid). This was used in the Romanov case, and helped the scientists decide the relationship between the skeletons and that they belonged to one family. Y-STR testing is done on the

The Lake School Poets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Lake School Poets - Essay Example As Romanticists, they have been staunch supporters of freedom and the French Revolution. For them, it was a noble cause for it promotes the tenets of Romanticism, although they deny being a part of the said movement. The French Revolution symbolized liberty from the trappings of wealth that was the French Royalty. Not only that, it symbolized the inequality of power between the people and the monarchs. Because of this love for liberty, they believed on France’s Revolution and had their passionate beliefs. However, after some time, they abandoned their liberalist beliefs, especially William Wordsworth, and became conservatives, largely believing now in constitutional monarchy and the power of the Protestant Church as the guiding light for the British. Is the shift because of Napoleon’s failure to reach the poets’ expectations of being a libertarian because he also intended to conquer Europe, or is it because their own personal struggles that lead them to prioritiz e their own individual beliefs? Was it because of their age? This essay proposes that they became conservatives because of their Napoleon failed their expectations. II. Summary and Critique According to Bertrand Russell, â€Å"In his youth Wordsworth sympathized with the French Revolution, went to France, wrote good poetry, and had a natural daughter. At this period he was called a 'bad' man. Then he became 'good,' abandoned his daughter, adopted correct principles, and wrote bad poetry.† This is an observation to the poet shifting from being a liberalist to a conservative. Romanticists are known to being ambivalent towards the society as they were politically involved but they were also distancing themselves from the public. And as romanticists, they strongly objected to the oppression and injustice. However, the Lake poets shifted to conservatism. There are many theories on why this has happened. There is a theory that it was because of Coleridge addiction to opium, the dea th of Wordsworth’s brother and their disenchantment on the French revolution. Coleridge’s addiction to opium was because of his chronic rheumatism. The doctors prescribed laudanum to him, an opium derivative, and became addicted for sixteen years. His condition never really affected his writings as he wrote good poetry even when he was high with drugs. His good friend Wordsworth even took him into his home and he spent two years there. When he moved out, he learned that Wordsworth told their mutual friend not to take him in because he had â€Å"a derangement in his intellectual and moral constitution† (Shmoop Editorial Team). This resulted in the breaking up of their friendship and they both wrote less poetry after the incident. Another theory is that Wordsworth’s brother’s death may have contributed to the shift of the poets to shift to conservatism. This happened in 1805 and has affected him strongly. This only happened to Wordsworth, not everyon e in their movement. Although they are all good friends, this could not have effected the others that much. The last theory proposed by Fairchild is that they were all disenchanted by the way Napoleon took over France after the French Revolution. Because after the Revolution ended, Napoleon began conquering other countries. This failed them because their cause about liberty and the revolution did not end up the way they wanted it to be as Napoleon also got into other

Ethics in computing or Data Protection Act Research Paper

Ethics in computing or Data Protection Act - Research Paper Example This requires safeguarding data through viable planning. This may require data reliable data back up and protection. These protections required for data are regulated by the data protection Act (1998). While these Acts seemed comprehensive at the time of legislation, they have come to show that there are a number of loop holes that can be exploited by various interest groups to achieve their ends (Strobl, Cave, &, Walley, 2000). According to Strobl, Cave, &, Walley, (2000), data protection is a regulation that places me in an awkward position while doing my project on data bases. This act made it very important for me to ensure I introduce structures geared at protecting the information of the data subjects. To ensure that I never contravened the data protection Act or anybody using the databases does not override the data protection act, I ensured that the available controls provided by the existing file systems are upgraded and if possible combined to improve the level of security of the data (Per Arne Godejord, 2008). While this was not only focused on ensuring that the data inside were protected and that the data subjects rights are upheld, I had to ensure that I had in place proper structures for Access control and auditing. However, I had to come up with plans to ensure that the authentication and encryption processes are always up to date. Updating the programs helped me maintain the integrity of the files. Though it is a requirement of the data protection act to ensure that, the personal data are fairly processed. I had to ensure that I carried out a vulnerability assessment and compliance. This is in line with the requirement of that Act that any personal data be processed in fair and lawful manners. Vulnerability assessment and compliance is important in ensuring that data are not processed against the wish of the data subject. After assessing vulnerability, I also configured

Book Report Format Essay Example for Free

Book Report Format Essay Topic Format: I.Introduction a.Answer the following questions about the story: i.What is the books plot? (provide a short summary) ii.What is the authors name and personal background? iii.Which other books or stories have they written or co-written? iv.Why did you choose this book? v.Upon finishing it, did the book meet your expectations? II.Body a.Explain the following parts of the story: i.Exposition oWhat are the setting, location, and time period of the story? oWho are the main characters of the book? oWhat is the initial mood of the story? ii.Conflict oWhat is the main problem(s) facing the main characters? oHow does the initial problem(s) increase over time? iii.Climax oWhat event(s) is the highest dramatic point of the story? oWhat is the significance of this event(s)? iv.Resolution oHow are the main characters affected by the climax? oHow does this aftermath propel the story towards its conclusion? v.Conclusion oWhat is the fate of the main characters? oHas the main problem been fully resolved? oAre there any lingering issues left behind (loose ends)? III.Conclusion a.Present your final thoughts about the story: i.What did you like best about the book? ii.What did you like least about the book? iii.What is your favorite scene from the book? iv.What is your overall opinion of the book? v.Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not? Deductions: oNot typed / -5 pts oNo title page / -5 pts oNo standard / -5 pts oSeveral spelling or grammar errors / -5 pts oNumerous spelling or grammar errors / -10 pts oNot in MLA format / -5 pts oNot in proper topic format / -10 pts oMissing a topic section / -10pts oIncomplete papers / no grade

Analysis of Obamas Speeches

Analysis of Obamas Speeches Abstract President Obama is known to shift style during his speeches through his tenure. The style-shift of the President Obama speech can denoted to the audience. As presented in the research, President Obama does deliberately use the African America Vernacular English variant in the speech while speaking to the Black audience. However the African America Vernacular English variants can also be sighted in his speech in front of the non-black audience which can denote to his speaking style. One can also deduce that President Obama make style-shift to affiliate himself with the audience keeping his individual identity intact. At the same time, he chooses a certain style-shift in order for the audience to understand and relate to his speech. Introduction For a long time, the concept of â€Å"style† adopted by a person in speech has been a topic of debate among the sociolinguistics. Researches have tried to pinpoint exactly what is the constitution of style and why do people use a specific style in a gathering. â€Å"Style† has many meaning for the sociolinguistics. For some, it means the choice of speech an individual makes when communicating with other. However, everyone is agreed on the point that an individual changes his/her speaking style based on the audience and the topic under discussion. In this context, one can also define â€Å"style† as a code chosen for a specific discussion. The code includes the tone of an individual, the word chosen and the structure of the sentences etc. (Bell, p.145-147) However, style is also dependent on the dialect of the speaker. It can be regiolect or sociolect. The idea is that every person speaks in a different style which is based on who they are and where they belong from. However, within in specific dialectal style, a speaker can chose different style to speak based on the audience, environment and topic etc. This shows the complexity of the concept behind â€Å"style.† On the other hand, there is another concept known as â€Å"style shifting† which is closely related to style. For example when a speaker starts to talk in the local language, he/she is trying to establish closeness with the audience. (Bell, p.145-147) In United States, the style-shift in President Obama’s speeches is under great debates. People have generally noticed that there is noticeable different in the pronunciation of President Obama in different speeches. The variation in the pronunciation is a debate-topic between both analysts and academics. It has been interpreted as the indexical of African America Vernacular English. It can be said that President Obama has the ability to shift elegantly and comfortably from standard American English (white) to â€Å"black language.† This paper evaluates the hypothesis raised publicly and academically for Obama’s speech i.e. president engages in style shifting. The following sections will describe the methods and used for evaluating the hypothesis. Furthermore, the paper will also discuss the result and discuss the outcomes in a separate section. Methods In order to evaluate the style shifting in Obama’s speech, the paper will use four speeches of President Obama between January 2008 and September 2011. The speeches which will be evaluated are: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation which will be referred as CBC; speech at Hampton University which will be referred as Hampton University; King’s Church speech and A More Perfect Union. The speeches chosen for the analysis cover the same topic therefore to make sure that number of external factor affecting the speech are minimized while making â€Å"audience† as the only governing factor of the speeches. The number of speeches for analysis is kept four as to keep the limited scope of the paper in mind. As the purpose of the paper is to identify the possible linguistic features used by President Obama therefore there are terms used throughout the paper: â€Å"AAVE† which denotes to the ethnolect called African America Vernacular English and â€Å"GAm which deno tes to General (standard) English† which is non-ethically marked variant of American English. (Detert, Rasmussen and Kristensen, p.7) The first step in to start the analysis of the fours speeches to find a result for the hypothesis. This includes analyzing and marking the speech for the phonetic variables which can reveal variables that can be identified as indexical of African American Vernacular English. For the purpose, a computer software known as ELAN is used. ELAN is sound processing software. It helps in marking utterances in a speech and annotating the utterances with different values. However the system is not able to detect the phonetic differences in the speech. Therefore the phonetic difference will be evaluated by the listeners. (Detert, Rasmussen and Kristensen, p.7) The ELAN software has been use to mark and annotate all the variables in the question (see Appendix A). Each variable has been given a value. The variables have also been marked within the categories i.e. â€Å"General American English† or â€Å"African America Vernacular English†. For example, if there is an annotation with an (ING) variable in the speech, the categorical annotation marks the annotation as either GAm or African America Vernacular English. The marks give us the ratio that helps distinguish between the two categories. The ratios will give us a statistical view of the number of occurrences of the variables in the speech. Furthermore, the paper also investigates the vowel used in the speech in a limited scope. (Detert, Rasmussen and Kristensen, p.8) Results The research is focused on finding whether the variants indexical of African America Vernacular English is due to natural flow or is triggered intentionally. The aim was to determine whether there is a relative progression in the use of African America Vernacular English variants in the speeches as it would reject the hypothesis i.e. to use African America Vernacular English for achieving strategic goals by President Obama. To analyze the fractures, each speech was divided into a ten minute intervals. Unfortunately the technique did not provide an accurate evidence of the relative progression i.e. highlighting the (HAPPY) tokens by retrieving only the orthographic –y words did not draw any significant progression in variants. Furthermore, the retrieval of (HAPPY) vowels at the end of an utterance which is followed by a short pause did not draw an significant result too. Despite the fact that each speech and each ten minute interval has been closely analyzed for number of possi bilities, the author could not find any relative progression of the use of African America Vernacular English in the speeches. Therefore the technique will not be pursued any further. Any other important factor that influences the use of variants indexical of African America Vernacular English is the topic of the speech. In order to find out the influence of the topic on the ratio of the African America Vernacular English to Gam variants, the research divided the dataset into five different topics. The five categories in which the topics were divided are: African Americans; references from Bible; The United States of America; personal thoughts and experience of President Obama and the category according to the theme of the speech. It is easy to evaluate and analyze the hypothesis when the speech has the same topic of discussion while the audience is different. One can easily point out whether a topic can trigger the use of variants of the two variations in question. It is also the aim of the analysis to connect the overall findings of different to help make it possible the retrieval of the two variants based on the topic and the evaluation of whether certain topics cause the use of high or lower number of variants indexical of African America Vernacular English. Unfortunately, the evaluation reveals that no topic provoked any significant use of variants indexical of African America Vernacular English. Just like the previous retrieval of the (HAPPY) vowels in orthographic revealed a higher number of African America Vernacular English variants, analyzing (HAPPY) vowels for the topics also revealed higher number of African America Vernacular English variants. This analysis did not show any significant results. In the end, it can be said that for the present research the topics were divided very broadly. However in future, detailed division of the topics can produce better results. However the hypothesis of the use of higher frequency of African America Vernacular English variants can be impacted by the topic of the speech will not be pursued further. In the following section, the author will present the number of the analysis and the ratios provided for the results. Discussion This section presents the yields on the evaluation of the four speeches of President Obama. The analysis done will be to answer the question whether Obama shift style based on the audience and whether Obama uses the African America Vernacular English style in front of the Black audience or not. In the discussion, we will try to connect the internal finding of the speeches with the external context. It is said that the speech is greatly influenced by the social context of the speaker or the speech. Therefore for the evaluation the audience of the speech in taken into consideration and President Obama’s personal background can also help in providing insight into whether Obama uses African America Vernacular English variants when delivering speech in front of the African Americans. (Bell, p.141) If one tries to evaluated President Obama’s speech against the list of unique phonological African America Vernacular English characteristic, one can find out that the above analysis will not be able to provide proof to term Obama’s speech style an African American Vernacular English. By using a list of phonological African America Vernacular English characteristic to measure Obama’s speech will ignore the fact that style construction is a process of bricolage. (Eckert, p.4) The idea is to construct and give a unique and distinct identity of an individual through the speech while at the same time the speech should also be able to relate to the audience. One can understand Obama’s speech style and style shift, if one understands that style is formed by clustering linguistics with a social meaning. Therefore in Obama’s speech, the author has detected multiple linguistic variants which can be associated with African America Vernacular English. (Bell, 1 41) However it can also be said that the analysis noticed that the variants can also be associated with the Southern White vascular English (SWVE). However it should be not that style can be defined as the way an individual speaker speaks in relation to the audience. Therefore one can safely assume that it would be irrelevant and meaningless for President Obama to apply style shift toward Southern White vascular English in the context of the four speeches. As mentioned before, style of the speech has the potential to portray many social meaning using it indexical field. It would be inaccurate to consider President Obama use Southern White vascular English in the context of four speeches having a dominant black audience as it should be clear to the President Obama that the audience does not share the social meanings presented by the Southern White vascular English variants. In short it can be said that the linguistic characteristic of African America Vernacular English are different from indexical fields of Southern White vascular English. Therefore there is no reason to believe that President Obama employed deliberately the use of Southern White vascular English variants in the four speeches. Now, we shall discuss the combination of the (HAPPY) variable and (ING) variable noticed in the speeches in the social context. The audience of the four Obama speeches was mostly back therefore one can place the variants in the indexical cluster of African America Vernacular English rather than AWVE. When the three speeches in front of the black audience were evaluated, the –in variants in gerunds showed similar ratios i.e. 22%, 30.5% and 38.5%. However, the speech delivered by President Obama in front of the mixed audience did not show any –in variant. There was a significant use of the (ING) variable followed by an alveolar stop ([t] and [d]) in the three speeches delivered in front of the black audience i.e. 38.5%, 26.3% and 75%. Again the speech delivered in front of the mixed audience shows interestingly result. There were nine moments through the speech where –in variant could have been used however the (ING) variants is used instead and has a 100% occurren ce. The finding proves that President Obama is aware not to speak in a non-ethically marked speech in the mixed audience. On the other hand, the reason for the absence of the –in variant can be due to a more formal setting. The speech was given as a response to the pressure of President Obama and his candidacy. In such situation, the President has to make a very clear and precise statement as not to draw any controversial messages out of the speech. Furthermore, the research has also shown the continuous lowering of the (HAPPY) vowel in the four speeches. King’s Church speech (19.7%) and Hampton University Speech (29.1%) show high frequency in low usage of the (HAPPY) vowel while the Perfect Union (17.9%) and CBC speech (4.2%) show low frequency. After noticing the occurrence of the lowered (HAPPY vowel), one has to look for the syntactic context of the orthographic –y words. The ratio has the same pattern for the four speeches as for the (HAPPY) vowel. The percentage of the ratio for Hampton University and King’s Church speech was 55.1% and 60.4% respectively while ratio for CBC and Perfect Union Speech was 26.8%. Analysis was also on orthographic –y words followed by a consonant which showed a relative distribution. The King’s Church speech and Hampton University Speech show high percentage distribution the –y words followed by consonant i.e. 40% and 45.6% respectively while the Perfect Union speech show 8.1% of distribution. Interestingly, the CBC speech did not show any lowering of the (HAPPY) vowel under the circumstance. The overall result of the analysis of the (HAPPY) vowel shows that king’s church speech and Hampton University speech had higher number of black audience which could be related to the lowering of the (HAPPY) vowel. President Obama lowers the (HAPPY) vowel in his speech in the black audience. Nevertheless the pattern is also detected in the speech of President Obama in front of the non-black audience. Therefore one can deduce that this shift style in the President speech can be denote to his natural style of speaking. In short, the paper would point out that the small dataset and two variables used in the research cannot be able to deduce the style shift in the President Obama speech properly. One cannot prove that Obama uses style shift toward African America Vernacular English deliberately or unintentionally. However, the small dataset that was used in the research shows relevance towards the use of African America Vernacular English which can be used to assume that it is Obama’s natural way of speaking. One is also able to deduce the President Obama style shift will not be a basilectal style. But one can say that President Obama speech style can be taken as the most prestigious standard for African America Vernacular English. But one has to evaluate more speeches in the future to come to a more substantial conclusion. However, the speeches have shown different ratios of the variants indexical of African America Vernacular English and Gam. The King’s Church speech and the Hampton University Speech was delivered in front of the black audience show a high percentage of the African America Vernacular English variants while the Perfect Union speech was delivered in front a mixed audience showed lower percentage as compared to the other two speeches. But the research also detected African America Vernacular English variants in the Perfect Union speech. However the results of the CBC speech were striking and different. Therefore one is safe to say that the research did detect a difference in the speeches in front of the black and mixed audience which points out that President Obama deliberately use specific variants in the speech. Conclusion There are multiple feature and characteristics that impact the way an individual speak. In short, each individual has their own style of speaking. Furthermore, during conversations many individual deliberately and unintentionally style shift in their speech depending on the audience. In United States, the style shift of President Obama is under great debate. One can safely say that the President knows the talent of comfortably shift style during his speeches. His speech style depends greatly on the topic of the speech, audience, and his own speaking style. In the research, the author evaluated four speeches of President Obama to find out whether he style shift during the speech in front of the black audience or not. The research was able to propose based on four speeches that President Obama does use the African America Vernacular English variant deliberately in front of the black audience. However there was also high percentage of African America Vernacular English variants use in f ront of the non-black audience which can denote to the fact that President Black himself in black. Therefore the African America Vernacular English variant is part of his speaking style. Bibliography Bell, A. (1984). Style as Audience Design. Detert, A. C., Rasmussen, D. S., Kristensen, K. R. (2013). Barack Obama and the [blà ¦k kÉâ„ ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã‹â€ mjuË nÉâ„ ¢tɆº:]-A study of style-shifting. Diss. Eckert, P. (1996). Vowels and Nail Polish: The Emergence of Linguistic Style in the Preadolescent and Heterosexual Marketplace. Eckert, P. (2008). Variation and the Indexical Field. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 12(4) , 453-476. Fisk, J. (1982). Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Routledge.

Clouds Essay -- essays research papers

Cloud formations have always been observed by people, many centuries before our time. People were always fond of clouds. They always wondered why some clouds were dark and others were white and fluffy, and why some clouds are so up high and others were so low that they looked reachable by the human hands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most recent classification of clouds was accomplished by the World Meteorological Organization in 1956. This organization lists 10 basic kinds of clouds that are subdivided into species according to their outer shape and inner structure. In addition, cloud varieties are discussed according to arrangement and transparency. There is a height classification which are called high, middle, and low altitudes. The different kinds of clouds are found in these three divisions according to the clouds' altitude.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, we have the high clouds that range in altitude from 16,500 to 45,000 feet. In this division we have the cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus clouds. A cirrus cloud appears in delicate, feather-like bands that are not attached to each other, and is usually white with no shading. Cirrocumulus clouds appear like very small round balls or flakes. The cirrocumulus clouds sometimes form a pattern of a buttermilk sky. The cirrostratus clouds sometimes form tangled webs or thin whitish sheets. A large ring or halo is sometimes seen around the sun or moon when the cirrostratus covers the sky.   Ã‚  Ã‚  &...

Answering Children’s Questions

All the children are very curious and they always ask a lot of questions because they want to know a lot of things. â€Å"Where does water come from? â€Å", â€Å"why is the sky blue? † and â€Å"what is infinity? † are among the questions that parents struggle to answer for their children. Another query that has tripped up mothers and fathers for generations is, â€Å"where do babies come from? † Most parents are unable to give a correct answer to the basic questions from children about the planet, outer space and the human body. Some of them say that â€Å"babies are delivered by storks†, others – that â€Å"babies are found under gooseberry bushes†. Also parents find moral questions about God and religion hard to answer. I think that every parent should follow some principles answering children’s questions, and the first of these principles is â€Å"Never to lie†. Because children are very quick-witted and they may think so â€Å"If you found me under a gooseberry bush it means that someone had left me there†¦ and who is this someone? † It would me much more difficult to answer. The second thing is that we all must learn till we live. And if we don’t know something it’s never late to learn. So if a child asks â€Å"What is a black hole† or something like that, it would be appropriate to say â€Å"Let's look that up in the encyclopedia. † So we can show the child the way he can learn things and encourage him to seek response through authority in the future. One more thing we can do is encourage brainstorming, or consideration of alternative explanations. For example, if a child asks â€Å"Why are all the people in Holland so tall? , the parent can answer â€Å"Let's brainstorm some possible answers. Maybe its genetics, or maybe its diet, or maybe everybody in Holland wears elevator shoes, or †¦ etc. † And then the child and his parent can decide which answer is the right one. We should never avoid answering the child’s question saying â€Å"I don’t know† because the child has nobody except his pare nt to ask. Answering children’s question gives us an opportunity to revive the child in ourselves, awake our imagination and help the little one to understand the world better.

Positive Social Change Essay

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a type of research that involves all parties who are considered relevant in the issue in examining together current action- considered as the source of the problem, for the promotion of change and improvement of such current situation. It is not the type of research that precedes future actions. It is an action which is researched, changed and re-researched, a continuing process by and for its participants. It may not be used by one group of people for their own benefit versus other groups that are also involved in the issue. It is genuinely democratic by nature and is non-coercive. The people who the research aims to help are also active participants to the research process (Wadsworth, 1998). Action research or participatory action research for the past few years has come out to be a significant methodology for intervention and developmental change programs within different communities and groups. It has been implemented and promoted by many agencies and programs, also by countless local community organizations around the globe which attests to its effectiveness (Checkland & Howell, 1998). The many theories and research in social psychology, such as action research, among others, that put all theories into practice has certainly effected positive change. They have helped in ascertaining reasons behind the surfacing of various problems- whether it be on the individual or societal level. Knowing the source or sources of the problems and the factors that come into play has helped in coming up with feasible solutions to such through intervention methods or coming up with community programs. There have been changes in the type of methods employed in social psychology research as the years go by. From seeing participants in research as the â€Å"other†, a â€Å"subject† which is reminiscent of scientific research methods, as gleaned above in the definition of Active Participatory Research, there comes a shift in the treatment of participants in the study as not merely passive subjects/objects but as co-researchers themselves. This has been seen to yield a richer understanding of the issues at hand and provides for easier enactment of proposed intervention programs. As such, it is my belief that future research in social psychology would veer towards this direction due to its effectiveness in pinpointing specific problem areas and formulating innovative solutions to such. This social psychology course has made an impact in my life in many ways. Studying theories and methods on human behavior has helped me become more aware of my own behavior and how it affects others. Knowing the detriment that my behavior may cause gives me the ability to slowly change my approach in interacting with others so as I will be able to have a more harmonious relationship with everyone around me. That said, this course in Social Psychology has not only helped me understand the world around me, but myself as well, that may yield positive changes not only in my life, but that of others’ around me as well. REFERENCE LIST Wadsworth, Y. (1998). What is Participatory Action Research? Australia: Institute of Workplace Research, Learning and Development, Southern Cross University Press. Checkland, P. , & Holwell, S. (1998). Action Research: Its Nature and Validity. Systemic Practice and Action Research, Volume 11, (Issue 1, Feb), p 9-21. Jenner, E. A. , Watson, P. W. B. , Miller, L. , Jones, F. , & Scott, G. M. (2002). Explaining hand hygiene practice: an extended application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 7(3), 311-326.

Report to Shareholders Essay

Business Model When Magee Company began in 2011, the company had the goal of producing top of the line sensors to customers who demand the newest technologies. The firm would do this by manufacturing its product lines at or above the expectations of customers, while still trying to maintain a competitive price within in the market. To gain market share, the company planned to heavily promote its products, while increasing the number of distributors and sales personnel to make products more available. Current State Despite its plan’s, Magee Inc. was unstable from the beginning. With the exception of year one, Magee Comapny was never able to generate net profits from operations. This stemmed from several issues in poor management decisions. First, Magee management incorrectly believed that profits from its traditional segment could provide sufficient cash to invest in plant and product improvements for the other lines. It is now clear that Magee should have financed the operations through long-term debt. Magee believes that investments in automation could have increased productivity and therefore increase margins on products, as they were low relative to Magee competitors (see Appendix). Magee Inc. was also unable to gain a significant amount of market share due to poor marketing activities. Initially, the firm priced some products too high, which caused an initial decrease in market share. The lack of marketing management was also a factor in the reduced demand, which left the plant running below capacity. To counter act this, management decided to boost production above normal capacity. Prices were then dropped in an attempt to push product out onto the market, but this action proved futile as only two of its four products had positive margins. Because of these decisions, the firm now sits with nearly $100 million in inventories. To accommodate the inventory production and lack of sales, the firm was forced to take an emergency loan totaling nearly $82 million. Bankruptcy Alternatives Andrews plans to shut down production this current year, and will begin liquidating assets as soon as possible. In its current state, Magee has nearly $100 million in inventories, which will be sold at or slightly above cost, dependant on the length of time it takes to sell the product. The company will then be sold, either in pieces of as a whole to the Ferris company. For most of Ferris’ products, the firm’s capacity is at or near the maximum, and could be willing to purchase the entire Magee facility (See Appendix). The expected value of Magee capacity is approximately $56 million while the firm still maintains $43 million in other fixed assets. Total asking price for the entire firm would be about $105, the premium due to all equipment would be in place, fully operational, with trained staff. Magee also has the option to sell capacity in pieces, which could be sold for $50 – $60 million. The remainder of the plant would also be sold for approximately $40 million, or best offered price. In total, Magee would expect to earn between $190 and $205 after liquidation of all assets, both current and long-term. As Magee total liabilities total $150 million, the sale of all property would relieve the debt owed to creditors. Starting Over Given the opportunity to reenter the industry, there are numerous changes in strategy and operation that Magee management would do. First, the firm would enter the industry as a broad differentiator, maintaining products in all segments. In order to finance all of the operations, Magee would take on a substantial amount of long-term debt and issue stock. With available cash, the firm would invest in automation to reduce variable costs, expand the capabilities of Magee products, and market their capability widely in an effort to gain the greatest market share. Once the firm had established cash flow, Magee would make an attempt to produce new products in segments that it is competitive, but differentiated to acquire the market share of customers that find their needs in between currently available products. Another change necessary to survive in the industry would be to carefully monitor and cap inventory. Considering high end products have high materials and labor expenses, holding inventory not only has a carrying cost, but the opportunity cost of not having that cash available was a major player in Magee failing. Despite the management plans, Magee is currently owes $43 million to its creditors, and maintains about $34 million dollars in inventory in excess inventories.

A character analysis of the priest (Abbe Marignan) in the short Story Essay

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The concept of 'personalised medicine' is hard implement. Discuss this statement - Essay Example It therefore helps to easily predict the kind of medical treatment that is safe or not for a particular patient. As much as personalised medicine may be seen as an extension of the traditional systems of treatment, the two systems are different. However they are both geared towards understanding and successful treatment of a patient in question. Rang and Dale (2007) assert that the personalised medicine concept is heavily associated with state of the art tools and equipment. These particular tools are in tandem with the current level of technological advancement. The physicians operating under this type of system have the capability are known to choose treatment and therapy protocols that are specific to the patients genotype (Rang & Dale, 2007). It helps to lower opportunistic side effects in addition to ensuring a successful treatment process when the molecular profile of a patient is considered. This approach offers a chance to save on costs. The traditional system is based on trial and error meaning that a number of treatment measures might be considered before the most effective one is found. This clearly means that healthcare costs will be incurred in the process. Furthermore, the traditional system is a rather general method of addressing the condition of a patient. Traditional healthcare methods mainly focus on signs and symptoms, laboratory results, imaging evaluation and medical and family history to treat a patient. This kind of treatment approach can be referred to as reactive. This is because treatment begins upon establishment of signs and symptoms of a disease. Edgecoe (2004) reveals that the impact of personalised medicine has already been realized across the globe. Quite a number of diseases including breast cancer, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular diseases are now being managed by the system. Another advantage of personalised medicine

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay Example for Free

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a set of physical and mental birth defects that can result when a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, such as beer, wine, or mixed drinks, so does her baby. Alcohol passes through the placenta right into the developing baby. The baby may suffer lifelong damage as a result. FAS is characterized by brain damage, facial deformities, and growth deficits. Heart, liver, and kidney defects also are common, as well as vision and hearing problems. Individuals with FAS have difficulties with learning, attention, memory, and problem solving. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis. FASD covers other terms such as: Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) the only diagnosis given by doctors. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) reserved for individuals with functional or cognitive impairments linked to prenatal alcohol exposure, including decreased head size at birth, structural brain abnormalities, and a pattern of behavioral and mental abnormalities Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD) describes the physical defects linked to prenatal alcohol exposure, including heart, skeletal, kidney, ear, and eye malformations Fetal alcohol effects (FAE) a term that has been popularly used to describe alcohol-exposed individuals whose condition does not meet the full criteria for an FAS diagnosis What are the Statistics and Facts about FAS and FASD? FASD is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects. FASD affects 1 in 100 live births or as many as 40,000 infants each year. An individual with fetal alcohol syndrome can incur a lifetime health cost of over $800,000. In 2003, fetal alcohol syndrome cost the United States $5. 4 billiondirect costs were $3. 9 billion, while indirect costs added another $1. 5 billion. Children do not outgrow FASD. The physical and behavioral problems can last for a lifetime. FAS and FASD are found in all racial and socio-economic groups. FAS and FASD are not genetic disorders. Women with FAS or affected by FASD have healthy babies if they do not drink alcohol during their pregnancy. Can I drink alcohol when I am pregnant? No. Do not drink alcohol when you are pregnant. When you drink alcohol, such as beer, wine, or mixed drinks, so does your baby. Alcohol is a substance known to be harmful to human development. When it reaches the blood supply of the baby, it can cause permanent defects to the major organs and central nervous system. Is there any kind of alcohol that is safe to drink during pregnancy? No. Drinking any kind of alcohol can hurt your baby. Alcoholic drinks can include beer, wine, liquor, wine coolers, or mixed drinks. What if I am pregnant and have been drinking? If you drank alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, stop drinking now. Anytime a pregnant woman stops drinking, she decreases the risk of harm to the baby. If you are trying to get pregnant, do not drink alcohol. You may not know you are pregnant right away. What if I drank during my last pregnancy and my baby was fine? Every pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol may hurt one baby more than another. You could have one child that is born healthy and another child that is born with problems. What if a friend, partner, spouse or family member is drinking while pregnant? Many women are unaware of the consequences of drinking during pregnancy. Some women believe wine or beer is not alcohol. In many cases, she may be suffering from alcoholism. She may need to know what effects alcohol can have on the baby. She also may need help getting into treatment. In such cases, you should contact a treatment professional at a local addiction center for advice on how to help. http://www. nofas. org/faqs. aspx? id=5 Copyright 2001-2004 National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome An individuals place, and success, in society is almost entirely determined by neurological functioning. A neurologically injured child is unable to meet the expectations of parents, family, peers, school, career and can endure a lifetime of failures. The largest cause of neurological damage in children is prenatal exposure to alcohol. These children grow up to become adults. Often the neurological damage goes undiagnosed, but not unpunished. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS), Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND), Static Encephalopathy (alcohol exposed) (SE) and Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD) are all names for a spectrum of disorders caused when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. There are strategies that can work to help the child with an FASD compensate for some difficulties. Early and intensive intervention and tutoring can do wonders, but the need for a supportive structure is permanent. Studies on addiction in Ontario have shown about a 10 12% alcohol addiction rate among adults, with another 20% drinking to a level that places them at high risk. Legally intoxicated is defined as a Blood Alcohol Level of . 08%. A 100 lb (45 kg) female consuming 5 standard drinks (A drink equals a 12 oz. regular beer, 1 oz. shot of 100 proof liquor, 1. 5 oz. shot of 80 proof liquor, or 4 oz. glass of regular table wine) will reach a BAL of . 25% three times the legal limit. BAL reduces . 01% per hour. The Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2000/01 found that: 6. 8% of girls ages 12 to 14 19. 8% of girls age 12 to 19 26. 0% ages 20 to 24 19. 9% ages 20 to 34 consumed 5 or more drinks on each occasion 12 or more times per year. An additional: 32. 2% ages 15 to 34 13. 8% of girls ages 12 to 14 consumed 5 or more drinks on each occasion 1 to 11 times per year. Copyright  © 2005 Journals and Procedural Research Branch Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Most girls are 2 to 3 months pregnant before they find out. Given the prime childbearing age range, the odds are very high that about 20% of babies have been exposed to multiple binges in high levels of alcohol in the first trimester, before the girl even knew she was pregnant. It is Party Hearty Time. The vast majority of these girls are NOT alcoholics. About 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. If you are drinking, stay out of the backseat as well as the drivers seat! Maternal prenatal alcohol consumption even at low levels is adversely related to child behavior. The effect was observed at average exposure levels as low as 1 drink per week. The Canadian Centre for Childrens Research at McMaster University Hospitals (Hamilton Ontario) states that 20% of Canadian children have serious mental health issues. Typical of school boards in Canada, a major southwestern Ontario School Board (urban / rural mix) with 28,000 Elementary and Secondary School students, has 6,000 students receiving services from the Special Education Department. Of the 6,000, only 250 are classified as Gifted with the balance having significant disabilities (20. 6%). While not all the individuals with disabilities are identified as the disabilities having been caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, the vast majority of the disabilities are of types known to be caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is so grossly under-reported that the FAS statistics are almost meaningless. There are very few doctors who have received any training in diagnosing FASD and most prefer to use non-judgmental diagnoses such as ADD, ADHD, LD, MR, RAD, ODD, Bi-Polar, Tourettes, etc.. These diagnoses dont imply the mother has done something that could have affected her baby during pregnancy. However, they can also lead to inappropriate treatment and a lifetime of pain. Failure to identify the real source can lead to more children being born with the same issues to the same mothers and the cycle continuing into the next generation FASD children having FASD babies. Alcohol, hormones, a twitch in the kilt, poor impulse control and inability to predict consequences are a deadly combination. Accidents cause people. FASD is not a threshold condition. It is a continuum ranging from mild intellectual and behavioural issues to the extreme that often leads to profound disabilities or premature death. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Alcohol as a Teratogen on the Baby ? http://www. acbr. com/fas/. Problem: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects which develops in some unborn babies when the mother drinks too much alcohol during pregnancy. A baby born with FAS may be seriously handicapped and require a lifetime of special care. Some babies with alcohol-related birth defects, including smaller body size, lower birth weight, and other impairments, do not have all of the classic FAS symptoms. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). Researchers do not all agree on the precise distinctions between FAS and FAE cases. Cause of the Problem: Alcohol in a pregnant womans bloodstream circulates to the fetus by crossing the placenta. There, the alcohol interferes with the ability of the fetus to receive sufficient oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs. Possible FAS Symptoms: Growth deficiencies: small body size and weight, slower than normal development and failure to catch up. The fact sheets below were developed by many different authors. In some cases, the fact sheets were placed on the web by a different organization than the one that wrote the document. However, all of the fact sheets are in the public domain to encourage wide distribution. You are free to copy and use these fact sheets. The following list of abbreviations was used to indicate the source of the document in the links provided on this page. Many of the sites listed contain additional information beyond the fact sheets that are listed on this page. We encourage you to explore each site. http://www. well. com/user/woa/fsfas. htm RSmith:02-15-94 MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse 1706 East Elm; P. O. Box 687 Jefferson City, Missouri 65102 The following Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy: FAS: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms include small head/body, facial characteristics, brain damage FAE: Fetal Alcohol Effects Symptoms usually not visible, such as behavior disorders, attention deficits ARBD: Alcohol Related Birth Defects. Anomalies such as heart defects, sight/hearing problems, joint anomalies, etc. ARND: Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders Disorders such as attention deficits, behavior disorders, obsessive/compulsive disorder, etc. FASD: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders All of the disorders named above are contained in the spectrum. Full FAS comprises only about 10% of the spectrum. The other 90% may have fewer physical symptoms but are at greater risk for developing serious secondary conditions later. (Streissguth, 1997) FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in western civilization. But Most persons with FAS have an IQ in the normal range. (Streissguth, 1997). The incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in America is 1. 9 cases per 1,000 births (1/500). Incidence of babies with disabilities resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure: 1/100! FAS/FAE is a major health issue in western civilization today. More American babies are born with FAS than with Down Syndrome, MD, and HIV combined. Alcohol causes more neurological damage to the developing baby than any other substance. Lecture Summary Fetal alcohol syndrome is among the most common known causes of mental retardation and as such, it is a major public health problem. The purpose of this lecture is to provide a basic overview of what we know about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. It is certainly not meant to be comprehensive but rather to give a broad overview of current knowledge in the area, and of ongoing human and animal research in the area. Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can result in the fetal alcohol syndrome and both changes in brain structure and behavior have been reported in these children. Importantly, current data indicate that individuals exposed to heavy doses of alcohol in utero, but without the facial characteristics of FAS, can also suffer from similar brain and behavioral changes. Animal models have proven to be an excellent research tool in this field, as there appears to be good concordance between the animal and human data. The animal models provide a means to examine mechanisms of alcohol damage, to control for factors not possible in most human studies, and to help answer important clinical questions. Fetal alcohol effects are preventable, and every child born with a defect related to prenatal alcohol exposure indicates a failure of the health care system. Lecturer Dr. Ed Riley http://rsoa. org/lectures/07/index. html Background Fetal alcohol syndrome is among the most common known causes of mental retardation and as such, it is a major public health problem. The purpose of this lecture is to provide a basic overview of what we know about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. It is certainly not meant to be comprehensive. For more detailed overview, the following references might be helpful. It is important to remember that as the mother consumes alcohol and her blood alcohol level rises, that alcohol is freely crossing the placenta and the embryo or fetus is being exposed to the same blood alcohol levels. References Stratton, K. , Howe, C. , Battaglia, F. (1996). Fetal alcohol syndrome: Diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Streissguth, A. P. (1997). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Communities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Background Fetal alcohol syndrome is among the most common known causes of mental retardation and as such, it is a major public health problem. The purpose of this lecture is to provide a basic overview of what we know about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. It is certainly not meant to be comprehensive. For more detailed overview, the following references might be helpful. It is important to remember that as the mother consumes alcohol and her blood alcohol level rises, that alcohol is freely crossing the placenta and the embryo or fetus is being exposed to the same blood alcohol levels. References Stratton, K. , Howe, C. , Battaglia, F. (1996). Fetal alcohol syndrome: Diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Streissguth, A. P. (1997). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Communities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Background What each of these papers described was a common set of features that could occur in the offspring of mothers who drank heavily during their pregnancies. This constellation of features was named the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1973 by Jones and colleagues. In order to be diagnosed as having FAS, the individual MUST meet all three criteria. There is a specific pattern of facial anomalies, which will be shown shortly. There is pre and or postnatal growth deficiency. Usually the children are born small (7drinks/week 5 or more drinks per occasion). The data on the left side of the slide come from Louise Floyd of the CDC. The first four studies were sponsored by the CDC and the other two estimates on the left side come from the IOM report (Stratton, 1996). AI/AN stands for American Indian/Alaska Native. The numbers on the right side are from a recent study by Sampson et al. , (1997). They demonstrated rates of FAS of at least 2. 8/1000 live births in Seattle, 4. 6/1000 in Cleveland, and between 1. 3 and 4. 8/1000 in Roubaix, France. Interestingly, in this study they estimate the prevalence in Seattle for FAS and ARND at 9. 1/1000 births. This would mean that nearly 1 in every 100 children is affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. The last number from South Africa is from recent work done by Phil May and colleagues. References Egeland G, Perham-Hester KA, Gessner BD, Ingle D, Berner JE,Middaugh JP. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Alaska, 1977 through 1992: An administrative prevalence derived from multiple data sources. American Journal of Public Health. 1998. 88(5): 781-786. Aberdeen IHS Area (1995) MMWR. vol 44(#):253-261. BDMP (1995): MMWR Vol. 44(13):249-253. Atlanta, Ga. (1997) MMWR Vol. 46(47): 1118-1120. Sampson, P. D. , Streissguth, A. P. , Bookstein, F. L. , Little, R. E. , Clarren, S. K. , Dehaene, P. , Hanson, J. W. , Graham, J. M. , Jr. (1997). Incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and prevalence of alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Teratology, 56(5), 317-326. Stratton, K. , Howe, C. , Battaglia, F. (1996). Fetal alcohol syndrome: Diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Institute of Medicine: 1996 Clinic-based (page 89), American Indian/Alaskan Native (page 88) May, P. , Viljoen, D. , Gossage, J. , Brooke, L. , Croxford, J. (1999). An epidemiological analysis of data from children with fetal alcohol syndrome and controls in Wellington, South Africa. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 23 (5), 110A. May, P. , Viljoen, D. , Gossage, J. , Brooke, L. , Croxford, J (1999). An update on the maternal risk factors associated with the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in Wellington, South Africa. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 23 (5), 91A Background It must be stressed that the facial characteristics basically define FAS. Without these facial features, one cannot be diagnosed with FAS. In particular, the discriminating features are short palpebral fissures (the length of the eye opening), a flat midface, an indistinct or flat philtrum (the ridge under the nose), and a thin upper vermilion (lip). While each of these can occur in a variety of disorders, the combination of these features appears to be consistent with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Children with FAS can also have other facial features, such as epicanthal folds (tiny folds of tissues along the eye opening), a low nasal bridge, an underdeveloped jaw and minor ear anomalies. These individuals can also have a variety of associated features. Heart defects, skeletal anomalies, altered palmar creases (those creases on your hands), and urogenital anomalies are among the anomalies found more frequently in FAS. Reference Streissguth, A. P. (1994). A long-term perspective of FAS , Alcohol Health Research World (Vol. 18, pp. 74-81). image Facies in fetal alcohol syndrome Background The brain on the left was obtained from a 5-day-old child with FAS while the brain on the right is a control. The effects are obvious. The brain on the left suffers from microencephaly (small brain) and migration anomalies (neural and glia cells did not migrate to their proper location in the brain, but instead many of them simply migrated to the top of the cortex). Although it cannot be seen here, there is also agenesis of the corpus callosum and the ventricles are dilated. The corpus callosum is the major fiber tract connecting the two hemispheres of the brain (more on this later). Major findings of other autopsies of children with FAS have found microcephaly, hydrocephaly, cerebral dysgenesis, neuroglial heterotopias, corpus callosum anomalies, ventricle anomalies, and cerebellar anomalies. It must be pointed out, however, that these autopsies have typically been conducted only on the most severe cases, since these children often have enough problems that they do not survive. The interested reader on the pathological changes that occur in FAS is referred to the following articles. References Clarren, S. K. (1986). Neuropathology in fetal alcohol syndrome. In J. R. West (Ed. ), Alcohol and Brain Development (pp. 158-166). New York: Oxford University Press. Roebuck, T. M. , Mattson, S. N. , and Riley, E. P. (1998). A review of the neuroanatomical findings in children with fetal alcohol syndrome or prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22 (2),339-344. Image brain damage resulting from prenatal alcohol Background The image on the left is a normal midsaggital MRI scan of the human brain with the cerebrum and cerebellum pointed out. The data on the right show the reduction in size of the these two areas in children with FAS and PEA. PEA stands for Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol, and includes children with known histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, but who lack the features necessary for a diagnosis of FAS. As can be seen, the extent of reduction in the volume of both the cerebrum and cerebellum is significant. While the PEA group shows a reduction in volume, with these sample sizes, this is not a significant difference. Other brain imaging studies indicate disproportionate size reductions in the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and corpus callosum. The data are presented as percent of normal matched controls. References Mattson, S. N. , Jernigan, T. L. , Riley, E. P. (1994a). MRI and prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Health Research World, 18(1), 49-52. Archibald, S. L. , Fennema-Notestine, C. , Gamst, A. , Riley, E. P. , Mattson, S. N. , and Jernigan, T. L. (submitted, 2000). Brain dysmorphology in individuals with severe prenatal alcohol exposure. image change in brain size Background One anomaly that has been seen in FAS is agenesis of the corpus callosum. While not common, it occurs in FAS cases (~6%) more frequently than in the general population (0. 1%) or in the developmentally disabled population (2-3%). In fact it has been suggested that FAS may be the most common cause of agenesis of the corpus callosum. In the top left picture, is a control brain. The other images are from children with FAS. In the top middle the corpus callosum is present, but it is very thin at the posterior section of the brain. In the upper right the corpus callosum is essentially missing. The bottom two pictures are from a 9 year old girl with FAS. She has agenesis of the corpus callosum and the large dark area in the back of her brain above the cerebellum is a condition known as coprocephaly. It is essentially empty space. Most children with FAS do have a corpus callosum, although it may be reduced in size. The reduction in size occurs primarily in the front and rear portions (genu and splenium). One interesting item is that this same pattern of reduction in the genu and splenium has been found in ADHD children. The behavioral problems seen in FAS frequently are similar to those seen in ADHD. References Mattson, S. N. , Jernigan, T. L. , Riley, E. P. (1994a). MRI and prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Health Research World, 18(1), 49-52. Mattson, S. N. , Riley, E. P. (1995). Prenatal exposure to alcohol: What the images reveal. Alcohol Health Research World, 19(4), 273-277. Riley, E. P. , Mattson, S. N. , Sowell, E. R. , Jernigan, T. L. , Sobel, D. F. , Jones, K. L. (1995). Abnormalities of the corpus callosum in children prenatally exposed to alcohol. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 19(5), 1198-1202. Background There have been over a dozen retrospective studies of children with FAS (total N = 269). Overall, these studies, such as the Seattle studies or studies out of Germany, reported an overall mean IQ of 72. 26 (range of means = 47. 4-98. 2). The data presented here were collected in San Diego, CA as part of a project at the Center for Behavioral Teratology. The mean IQ performances of children with FAS were compared to alcohol-exposed children with few if any features of FAS. All children in this study were exposed prenatally to high amounts of alcohol, however only the FAS group displayed the craniofacial anomalies and growth deficits associated with the diagnosis. The other group was designated as having prenatal exposure to alcohol (PEA) and had documented exposure to high levels of alcohol but were not dysmorphic, microcephalic, or growth-retarded. In comparison to normal controls, both groups of alcohol-exposed children displayed significant deficits in overall IQ measures as well as deficits on most of the subtest scores. While the PEA subjects usually obtained marginally higher IQ scores than those with FAS, few significant differences were found between the two alcohol-exposed groups. These results indicate that high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure are related to an increased risk for deficits in intellectual functioning and that these deficits can occur in children without all of the physical features required for a diagnosis of FAS. Our PEA subjects may be somewhat similar to individuals identified by other groups as having FAE, however individuals with PEA display few if any of the facial features of FAS, and are not growth retarded or microcephalic. References Streissguth AP, Aase JM, Clarren SK, Randels SP, LaDue RA, Smith DF (1991). Fetal alcohol syndrome in adolescents and adults. Journal of the American Medical Association 265:1961-1967. Mattson, S. N. , Riley, E. P. , Gramling, L. , Delis, D. C. , and Jones, K. L. (1997). Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure with or without physical features of fetal alcohol syndrome leads to IQ deficits. Journal of Pediatrics, 131 (5), 718-721. Mattson, S. N. and Riley, E. P. (1998). A review of the neurobehavioral deficits in children with fetal alcohol syndrome or prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22 (2), 279-294. image general intellectual performance Background. This was a study of a broad range of neuropsychological tests, such as: The Wide Range Achievement Test- which assesses academic skills, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Boston Naming test-both assessment of basic language functioning, the California Verbal Learning Test-a list learning and memory test, the Visual-Motor Integration Test which measures basic visual-perceptual skills, the Grooved Pegboard test-a test of fine-motor speed and coordination, and the Childrens Category Test-a measure of nonverbal learning. Along the x-axis are the tests included in the battery; for comparison purposes, all scores were converted to standard scores with a mean of 100 and an SD of 15. Children with FAS or PEA showed deficits in comparison to controls and they were very similar to each other. There does seem to be some indication that the nonverbal measures (on the right of the slide) are not as impaired as the verbal and academic measures, which are on the left and center of the slide. The take home message is that children with FAS and those exposed to high amounts of alcohol, but without the characteristics required for a diagnosis of FAS, are similarly impaired. The FAS children tend to be a bit worse than the PEA children, but the pattern of behavioral deificits is fairly similar over a wide range of tests. References Mattson, S. N. , Riley, E. P. , Gramling, L. , Delis, D. C. , Jones, K. L. (1998). Neuropsychological comparison of alcohol-exposed children with or without physical features of fetal alcohol syndrome. Neuropsychology, 12(1), 146-153. image neuropsychological performanceBackground In addition to the abilities already discussed, a few studies have documented other specific neuropsychological deficits in individuals with FAS. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure, with and without FAS, have demonstrated various deficits on measures of executive functioning. These measures have revealed problems in areas such as planning (tower task-shown above), cognitive flexibility (trails test), inhibition (stroop test), and concept formation and reasoning (word context tests). Generally, performance on these measures is characterized by increased errors and more difficulty adhering to rules. Therefore, children are less successful overall. For example, on the tower measure shown above (Tower of California-similar to Tower of London), children with FAS and PEA passed fewer items overall and made more rule violations than controls. The only two rules were to never place a larger piece on top of a smaller one and to move only one piece at a time. As can be seen the alcohol exposed children had many more rule violations. In addition, deficits have been found on the WCST (Wisconsin Card Sort Test), a nonverbal measure of problem solving. The WCST test requires both problem solving and cognitive flexibility and has been proposed to be sensitive to frontal system dysfunction. This test is a gold standard in the measure of executive functioning in neuropsychology. Children with prenatal exposure to alcohol made more errors and had more difficulty with the conceptual nature of the task than controls. New data indicate that they have trouble identifying and defining concepts. Finally, tests of planning ability are also thought to be sensitive to frontal systems dysfunction although few such studies have been done in individuals with FAS. On the Progressive Planning Test which is similar to the Tower of London test children with FAS/FAE had difficulty with planning ahead and tended to perseverate on incorrect strategies. So far the results could be summarized as: 1) Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with a wide range of neurobehavioral deficits including visuospatial functioning, verbal and nonverbal learning, and executive functioning 2) Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure causes microcephaly and disproportionate reductions in the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, and cerebellum 3) Children with and without physical features of the fetal alcohol syndrome display qualitatively similar deficits References Carmichael O. H. , Feldman JJ, Streissguth AP, Gonzalez RD: Neuropsychological deficits and life adjustment in adolescents and adults with fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 16:380, 1992 Kodituwakku PW, Handmaker NS, Cutler SK, Weathersby EK, Handmaker SD: Specific impairments in self-regulation in children exposed to alcohol prenatally. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 19:1558-1564, 1995 Mattson, S. N. , Goodman, A. M. , Caine, C. , Delis, D. C. , Riley, E. P. (1999). Executive functioning in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 23(11), 1808-1815. Background Secondary disabilities are those disabilities that the individual is not born with, and hopefully with appropriate intervention could be ameliorated. This slide illustrates the extent of these secondary disabilities as a function of age. These are individuals with FAS and FAE. As can be seen over 90% of these individuals have mental health problems and about 50% of those over the age of 12 have disrupted school experiences, trouble with the law, which is frequently severe enough to require confinement. They also engage in relatively high rates of inappropriate sexual behavior and a significant number have alcohol and drug abuse problems. Interestingly, the factors that are protective against these secondary disabilities are: Being raised in a stable, nurturant home, diagnosis before the age of 6, no sexual or physical abuse, not changing households every few years, not living in a poor quality home, and receiving Developmental Disabilities services. References Streissguth, A. P. , Barr, H. M. , Kogan, J. , Bookstein, F. L. (1996). Final Report: Understanding the occurrence of secondary disabilities in clients with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Seattle, WA: University of Washington Publication Services. Image secondary disabilities Background. Much of what we know about FAS and the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure is the result of work on animal models. After FAS was identified it became important to demonstrate that the effects were indeed the result of alcohol exposure and not due to factors such as other drugs, maternal conditions, or nutritional variables. The development of appropriate animal models was very important in this regard. Models were developed for assessing physical features of FAS as well as the behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical profiles of prenatal alcohol exposure. The ideal test animal would absorb, metabolize and eliminate alcohol similar to human, transport alcohol and metabolites across.