Plato`s Apology Essays - Socratic Dialogues, Dialogues Of Plato

Plato`s Apology After reading Plato's account of Socrates defense, the Apology, I was completely blown away by the power of Socrates words and ideas. The reading left me thinking about how I felt regarding what he had said about virtue, truth and the quest for both. In class, we discussed Socrates search for virtue and we touched on the topic of this paper: the reasons Socrates believed that "the unexamined life is not worth living for man". It is my opinion that he is correct in that view and in this paper I intend to show you why. Like many philosophers alive in his time, it was Socrates belief that virtue could only be attained through examination. Only through exploration can you really understand what virtue is, and begin to act virtuously. Understanding, as well as sharing, this information was very important goal to Socrates. The significance of examining and understanding our lives is far greater than one might think. Understanding and comprehending the behavior of friends, as well as of ourselves, enables us to have empathy and compassion for them. And, allows us not to stand in judgment, which, in turn, allows us to live the moral, noble lives that Socrates spoke of. Another belief of Socrates that supports his view is the idea that evil derives from ignorance and the failure to investigate or explore peoples actions. I believe this to be true, also. This idea also supports his beliefs on death. Socrates was not well liked because he explored his ignorance, and was eventually put to death because of it. Marie Curie once said, "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." That could sum up a great deal of Socrates position in the Apology: why he was not shaken by death, why he spoke of his relationship with the gods, and possibly even why he felt the unexamined life is not worth living.

Silence of the lambs essays

Silence of the lambs essays How do the features of narrative and genre create meaning and generate response within the audience? The film starts with a high angle establishing shot of a forest setting, with the diegetic sounds of stereotypical forest or mountain area sound effects such as the chirps of insects and the distant calls of an eagle. The camera then tilts downwards to show the lead protagonist jogging towards us, Agent Clarice Starling (Foster.) As she draws near her footsteps become clearer which are heavily treading through the leaves and branches. The non-diegetic music has classical elements and is similar to the characters movements, which keeps building up and down and remains somewhat tense throughout the first few minutes. The camera then switches to a mid-tracking shot and follows her from behind. This jog could represent the characters journey that is about to begin, as she ducks and dives through trees and pushes on. She is wearing casual exercise clothing, which tells us little about the character other than she likes, or has to keep fit. As the scene progresses there is a side tra cking shot close up on her face displaying sweat and determination and indicating to the audience that she is quite tired. The camera then switches to a similar shot but of her feet running along the forest path. She is soon interrupted by a mans voice which she stops and confronts, we then discover that she is in fact linked to the FBI and has been called to her seniors. Having been sent to an office of some description, the next part of the scene starts with the main character jogging towards a new area. This contains marching military personnel in camouflage gear and the diegetic sounds of gun fire in the background indicating to the audience that this is come kind of military complex. An establishing shot ensues showing what appears to be the main building, and the next part of our protagonists journey. She makes her way throu...

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Charlotte Accepting The Job Commerce Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Charlotte Accepting The Job Commerce Essay The advantages of Charlotte accepting job is can focus the experience and expertise. This is because Charlotte can focus in their job that he like to do. Whereas the advantages of Charlotte accepting job is the demand on the manager’s time is high, ambiguous and uncertain operating environments and resistance to change is low. QUESTION 2 Explain the change in roles and skills of management that charlotte has to play and have with her position. Charlotte firstly worked as machine operator its roles just be a staff that work at lower levels her has little experience and knowledge. She had interpersonal roles work at Coccob four year and she has opportunities be a plant supervisor. She are good employees doesn’t missed work at four year work and she had one of the high quality and quantity in organizations .she had the technical skill is the ability to utilize tools ,techniques and procedures that are specific to a particular fields. In additions,, charlotte had the human skill is the ability to work effectively with others and she had the conceptual skill that the ability to analyze complex situations like she can suitable with position that its take. QUESTION 3 Describe how Charlotte might expect to be involved in performances of the four management functions. Management process are an administrative activities aimed at defining a process, establishing responsibilities, evaluating process performance and identifying opportunities for improvement. Management process is including the four processes that is planning, control, leading and organization. Planning process can be define as a process or activities that setting a goal or list the actions necessary to achieve one goals. when charlotte become the plant supervisor, indirectly she has involve in planning process. This is because as a supervisor, she was responsible with the development and performances of company, where she was working. As a plant supervisor, she has to do a schedules work assi gnments for the junior employees to make sure the junior employees was doing their work accordingly and in systematic ways. Charlotte has to plan an schedule for her junior employees. Next process is the organizational process where the plant supervisor need to determined the task to be done, people or employees that responsible with that task and how that task will be managed and coordinated. Charlotte is responsible to organize the schedule or task to be given to the junior employees. Charlotte must ensure that, the information about the task must be stated clearly to the junior employees in order to make sure they can know what they really have to do. Next is, the leading process. As a plants supervisor, charlotte also have to leading the junior employees such as gives them motivate in order to make sure, the goal of the company can be archive. A leader must has the ability to motivate people, know the employee behavior and also has an communication effectiveness in order to make sure information can be shared to all of the people effectively. Charlotte also must be able to show the leadership quality and must be able to solve any problem. The last one process is control. Control can be define as process of controlling or monitoring the performance of the organization and its progress in implementing strategic and operational plans. Charlotte has to control the employees performances, in order to make sure that the performance can lead to the organization goals.

A clue about current socialpolitical issue Essay

A clue about current socialpolitical issue - Essay Example work to pass fundamental values and assumption by using one of the protagonists to show the effect drugs have to young people who engage themselves in drug trafficking. Maria Alvarez work at the rose plantation where she could use the little salary she get to support her family. In her ambition to find a well-paying job and the need to get fulfill Maria, she ends up suffering emotional and psychologically. The author has done his research perfectly, and this enables him to know the major thing that is causing young people to engage themselves in drug trafficking. The argument he present in his play depicts a solid reasoning that Joshua possess as his argument were not based on rumors or wishful thinking hence enabled him to present his work on an empirical manner. The author has tried to convince his audiences that poverty is the main factor that is causing young people like Maria to become mules. However, poverty is not necessary the main cause that is making people be mule but greed is also another factor responsible in causing other people like Maria to join drug traffickers. Therefore, Joshua have is jumping to the conclusion without considering other factors like gluttony which some use to became drug traffickers. Despite, poor economic conditions and moral failures of people such as Lucy, Maria and Blanca, political corruption still contributes to an increase in drug traffickers. Many individual have used their economic and political power to facilitate drug trafficking as they used their political power and money to bribe the police. Therefore, the government must also not concentrate on people like Maria but also on those who are harnessing their financially viable and political power to perpetuate the drug

Writing for university assessments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Writing for university assessments - Essay Example opportunity for students to learn different strategies for approaching writing tasks so that one may communicate theories learned and relay an understanding of a particular topic to specific audiences. In writing for university assessments a student’s task is to communicate an understanding of a topic. In this regard, this essay is written with the objective of proffering the features of an academic essay in which this aim is achieved. An academic essay is a short piece of literary work written for the purpose of expressing the students’ thoughts, reflections, and reactions on diverse topics usually with a developed thesis used to establish the validity of the discourse. According to Duffin (1998, par. 1), academic essays â€Å"may vary in expression from discipline to discipline, but any good essay should show us a mind developing a thesis, supporting that thesis with evidence, deftly anticipating objections or counter-arguments, and maintaining the momentum of discovery†. Several literatures are available presenting rules for effective writing. Despite the span of time which evolved, the rules for effective writing remain the same and remain true and applicable to contemporary writing. For academic essays to be effective in communicating an understanding of the defined topic there are standard features that must be present. The following portion would proffer features of an academic essay accomplishing required objectives. Effective writing needs more than rules to compose a fairly effective essay. Rules are merely practical guides that give the writer direction and focus on the concepts and theories which he already has a competent grasp of. An academic essay requires the following basic features to be effective in the achievement of its objective: (1) a given topic; (2) an organized structure; (3) appropriate resources or reference materials; (4) adherence to prescribed writing style, correct grammar, and citations; and (5) reviewed, edited, and revised

Weight Loss Maintenance Essay Example for Free

Weight Loss Maintenance Essay The book that I choose for my diet presentation was Weight Loss maintenance from the Oklahoma State University Library , I chose this book because I feel that most people go on these crash diets and loose all the weight but over time gain all the weight back because they don’t do weight loss maintenance. This book offered a lot of ideas for ways to self monitor your weight and your behaviors to keep the weight off for the long term, not only does this book discuss the physical aspects for weights loss but the physiological aspects. This book discussed very seriously how much weight loss is defined by the successfulness of keeping the weight off that you loose, it is stated that if you loose 10% of your body weight keeping that amount off for a year or more is considered success. Considering that 10 % seems relatively low only 20% are actually successful with keeping the weight off. But it also says that successful weight loss can still be considered successful with a minimal amount of weight gain, this is still considered an over all improved health. Weight loss can either be intentional or unintentional in studies our population looses weight often UN intentional, this can be a factor in how people are either successful with there weight loss or UN successful. In weight loss maintenance success you have to have a strict criterion that can last up to five years, according to there data if this lifestyle is accomplished 21% of overweight/ obese persons will be able to keep the weight off and become healthy. Research done in this book comes from the national weight control registry which was founded in 1994 to study weight loss and weight maintenance strategies of successful weight loss maintenance. In the studies that they did any individual who qualifies to be a candidate must maintain at least a 30lb weight loss for at least a year, this process would not only monitor there weight loss but there weight loss maintenance behaviors, weight loss history, and their quality of life. About half of the subjects report having been overweight as a child and have struggled with weight loss there entire life, also subjects usually had a family history of obesity. In most cases 90% of the subjects experienced unsuccessful weight loss, for many reasons that participants did not have a strong commitment, strict dieting, and keeping up with an exercise plan. In weight loss and weight loss maintenance to be successful studies show that you need to modify both your diet and exercise to achieve your goal, you have to have strict intake of certain types of foods, exercise, and calorie counting. In the strategies for maintenance of weight loss approaches to weight loss can differ widely among different people but the most common success is the three strategies eating a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrate, frequent self monitoring, and regular physical activity. Furthermore, this book talks about how you need to determine what your dietary intake recommendations is and find a diet that is satisfied in the daily reference intake for calcium, vitamin c, vitamin a, and vitamin e. Recently popular diets have recommended restricting carbohydrates to lose weight, in analyzing the participants 7. 6% only reported eating fewer to 90 g of carbohydrates but most of these individuals energy intake was unreasonable low. The participants that had a higher intake of carbohydrates maintained there weight loss for less time and were less physically active. Individuals that watched there over all intake of food could enjoy meals at restraunts. Other studies have shown that successful weight loss maintenance is associated with changes in both the quantity \and quality of foods consumed. Again, these findings state how much eating low fat is an importance in maintenance of weight loss; this includes reduction portion sizes, reduced frequency of snacks. In conclusion, this book discussed some of the major factors that effect every diet plan, and issues that we all face when it comes to dieting, there is a lot of difficulty in long term weight maintenance but sticking to a diet low in fat, self- monitoring body weight and food intake, and engaging in high levels of physical activity can make a diet successful for you long term. Self monitoring requires substantial effort but is worth it in the end, it can be a life time struggle but once you have maintained a weight loss for 2-5 years the chances of longer term success greatly increases.

Analysis of The Open Boat by Stephen Crane Essay -- The Open Boat Step

Analysis of The Open Boat by Stephen Crane Story: â€Å"The Open Boat,† 1897 Author: Stephen Crane (1871-1900) Central Character: There is no real central character in this story. All the men on the boat are spoken about more or less equally and no prominent character jumps out at the reader as being the central character. Although more emphasis is put onto the correspondent, and Billie the oiler. Other Character: The cook: bails water from boat. Billie the oiler: steers and rows boat, is the only of the men that does not make it alive to land. The correspondent: Also helps steer and row boat. Injured captain: gives commands to the crew as he lies against the water-jar speaking with a low and calm voice. Unnamed people on land: Coat swinger, naked man, etc. Setting: A 10 foot dinghy floats upon a rowdy ocean near the coast of Florida in January in the late 1800’s. It seems that everything on the sea is grey weighing heavily on the feeling of the men. There is a tired and frustrated feelings among the men as they want to leave the boat and return to land, although, Billie and the cook provide some humor when referring to the blasted oars and to pie. Narrator: The author, 3rd person, omniscient point of view. Events in summary: (1) Four men have survived from a sunken steamer and are stuck in a 10 ft steamer out at sea some where near the coast of Florida.(2)The Injured captain lay over the water-jar giving orders to the correspondent and Billie the oiler letting them know how to steer and row the boat. The crew makes its way to Mosquito Inlet light where they believe that there will be a house of refuge. (3) Seagulls taunt the crew, one in particular trying to land on the captain’s head. This kills the crew’s optimism about the wind blowing ashore. The oiler and the correspondent continue to row switching off when the other is tired. (4) The captain then spots a lighthouse on the horizon, like a small dot. The captain decides to use his jacket and an oar to make a sail to let the men rest. No one spots the boat and they find it curious, assuming that no one must be looking out the window out to the sea. They deicide to got back to sea to avoid the risky surf. (5) The wind d ies down and the men spot some more people on the shore. There is a van or a boat of some sort, and a man that is swinging his coat. They don’t actually try to help the crew they just ... ... sit comfortably in groups on the water while the sea tries to attack the men. The shark finds no use for the men, the correspondent views the windmill as a symbol of nature in that it is neutral and unconcerned by the men’s destiny sitting on the lonely shore. The characters can be studied through their relationships to their surroundings. The correspondent remembers a rhyme from his childhood, and he feels pity for the dying soldier mentioned in that verse. This verse never seemed important to him before, but now being menaced my nature and being alone in the cruel world he understands the soldiers situation. Evaluation: I enjoyed this story, because it had many different kinds of criticism that could be applied to it. Especially that of biographical criticism because it based off at true story that actually happened to the author himself. It was also nice to see the characters grow, as friends and as men. I also really enjoyed the style of writing and the use of similes, imagery, and detail. These really painted a picture in my head. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. â€Å"The Open Boat.† An Introduction to Fiction. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia. New York: Longman 2005.215-233.

Family structure Essay

Marriage and divorce statistics show that the Australian people can safe   there family and stay long together, according to the statistics which were currently done on marriage, they show that the people who are married they are still staying together and taking care of there families while the divorce rate is at a very lower rate. The family formation in Australia is complex but it is defined as two people or more people related by blood, marriage. In Australia the family is either composed of couples with or without co-resident of any age, lone parents with co-resident children and other families’ member such as brothers’ sisters living together where by no parent –child exists. Research   has also shown that the number of families that are living in Australia are residents of Australia, and the number of children without there families is very minimal, research has also shown that adoption rate is very high in Australia. Due to the different culture in Australia women and men are the essential elements in life, they understand the importance of a family and understand the structure of a family the culture proposes on the importance of a family to the Australian people and how a man and a woman should be treated in the basis of a family. A man and a woman bring up a family and with this understanding there is need of a man and a woman to play a vital role in the society, therefore there relationship should be valued, in Australia gender relationships are not strict and there are no cultures that support any strict issue on gender relationships. The Arabian have an extended type of a family where by each person is regarded as a basic unit of the society. Therefore this influence of the extended family has an impact on the social and political life in Saudi Arabia. Within this type of a family there is the respect for age, gender roles of men as provider’s and women playing a role in the house hold issues A woman life in Saudi Arabia (2008). The family decisions are always made by the father who is the head of the family although any person who is a member of the family has to give opinions but not in the making of the decisions. Socially this type of family came as a result of the way they live, the Saudi Arabia people socialize among themselves, they marry and they do there business together Marriages and divorces, Australia. (2009). Traditions have supported this type of family structure that is through the strong background of Islamic rules economic and political ideas. Gender in Saudi Arabia is very strict for most of the families and has some cultural habit. The way they figure out the gender role some traditional cultures are very supportive on them for example the role of women in Saudi Arabia are regarded as not obligatory in that certain task are limited to them, they are not supposed to be seen in making decision in fact they should look upon the manhood for the decision making, they cannot be leaders in anyway this is because the inherited culture on women has subjected them up to today to remain dominant Holmes (2008). In Saudi Arabia only men are supposed to vote no woman who is supposed to vote on any political leader, therefore politics have been dominated by the manhood not the women. In Saudi Arabia education has been referred mainly to men, research has shown that the number of people who are educated in Saudi Arabia are men, they have negative impact on educating a woman whereby there traditions define that a woman is supposed to remain and take good care of the house hold wile the man needs to go and work, therefore education is very important to a man not a woman Faith and Freedom (1995) Conclusion The family structure in Saudi Arabia is different from the family structure in Australia. Saudi Arabia people have been driven by there inherited traditions and culture as well as there beliefs on the way of a family, the role played by each member of the family is still remains unchanged. Alsabt. M. (2006) According to the Australian structure of family it has evolved from its traditions to the modernity way of a family. REFERENCES A woman life in Saudi Arabia (2008) http://americanbedu.com/2008/03/06/a woman’s -life-in-saudi-arabia(accessed April 23,2010) Effect of family structure on life satisfaction Australian evidence (2010) http:ideas.repec.org/p/iae/iaewps/wp2004n24.html. (Accessed April 22, 2010) Marriages and divorces, Australia. 2009. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/cat/3310.0 accessed April,2010 Holmes,m 2008. Gender and Everyday life. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis. http://reader.elib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/Reader.aspx?p=350241&o96&u=%2fv (accessed April 24, 2010) Faith and Freedom (1995) women’s human rights in the Muslim world, Syracuse University Press Alsabt. M. (2006) Arabian Business and Cultural Guide http://www.traderscity.com/abcg/cultur11.htm (accessed April 25,2010)

Taiwan Living Culture

There is an issue comes up when Taiwan talks about culture conservation, which is the conflict between social development and preservation of military dependents’ villages. Taiwan is a place that lived by Holo, Hakka and indigenous peoples. Besides indigenous people, there are many mainlanders who came from mainland China. Those mainlanders came with Kuomintang government for political affairs that happened in China since 1940s. Hence, compare to indigenous people, military dependents’ villages, the places mainlanders were living, is actually a minor culture in Taiwan.Therefore, there are some difficulties for the culture-based workshops when they are trying to protect military dependents’ villages. There is lesser population who insist to protect their culture. Moreover, a number of residents were basically moved out from the villages. In this issue, we could study the issue with our cultural communication knowledge, especially identify the culture element that the issue brought by. Refer to the article title, preserving military dependents’ villages, the article is discussing about how the workshops trying to preserve military dependents’ villages and what are the concerns they are having.Since military dependents’ villages are minority culture in Taiwan, as well as they are not Taiwan’s local culture, we can understand how difficult the workshops’ tasks are. Hence, preserving military dependents’ villages is an issue. This issue was discussed recently. It was being studied since 1990s. We noticed that it was a trend of cultural discussion, which has no certainty beginning and ending. It is generally happened in Taiwan. Those active workshops were operating much in Kaohsiung and New Taipei City. There are some people who involved in this issue.First of all, there is a workshop called Association of Mainlander Taiwanese (AMT). It is formed in 2004. Yang Tsung-rong is one of board of directors of AM T. He is an Associate Professor at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei too. He said that the workshop recently focuses on conserving the unique villages. The second involved party is Ministry of National Defense (MND). The land of dependents’ villages belongs to MND. There is a law named Act for Rebuilding Old Quarters. It assures MND to have right of demolish the village after the military dependents moved out.They will rebuild new apartments for military dependents. Sometimes, they sold the apartments in accordance with National Property Act to fund the construction of apartments. The third party is Lin Fung-ching, who is a deputy chief executive of Kaohsiung Military Dependents’ Villages Culture Development Association. The workshop was formed in 2007 and operates the Kaohsiung Museum of Military Dependents’ Villages. She agreed that less-is-more strategy which means preserving a limited number of the housing areas is sufficient.She understood the gov ernment’s concern since preserving all 888 villages is a challenge of local development. Nevertheless, she stated that preserving old buildings in a village is not enough. The fourth person is Wang He-ping, who is another chief executive of the Kaohsiung workshop. He supports the preservation idea and aims to preserve Mingde New Village, Zuoying District as a â€Å"living museum† that would see villagers continue to live in the village. Visitors can move into vacant houses to feel their day life culture. He enhanced that preserving the villages is promoting â€Å"green belt† concept.It would add to Kaohsiung’s tourism resources. He said that dependents’ villages are a minority culture, but they are not a minor part of Taiwan’s culture. Wang Ji-xin is the fifth person who involved in this issue. He is a founding board member of the New Taipei City Military Dependents’ Villages Culture Association which formed by year 2007. The associat ion is to preserve approximately 60 houses of Sanchong First Village. He is a former resident of the village too. He mentioned that bulldozers will also remove an irretrievable piece of Taiwan’s pluralistic culture.Sanchong First Village’s residents had move out and into purpose-built apartment buildings in New Taipei City by 2006. They could only make oral histories instead of make a living museum as Mingde does. Basically, Taiwan is a place that highly appreciates traditional culture. At first, they believed and followed the Chinese culture. Since 1990s, Taiwan started to focus on local culture. They appreciate Holo, Hakka and indigenous groups. Even Ministry of Education introduced the program called â€Å"Knowing Taiwan† which focused Taiwan’s history, geography and society instead of centered on mainland China.As the article mentioned, mainlanders who came to Taiwan with Kuomintang government had been allocated in certain places. They thought that st aying in Taiwan was temporary plan. However, the dream of â€Å"retaking mainland† faded and the mainlanders had to stay in Taiwan. According to government’s arrangement in 1980s, 90% of 110,000 households recorded in 1984, the dependents of mainlanders, who were military’s families, have left the villages. Nevertheless, some workshops tried to request to preserve the villages for culture conservation.At last, we found that the workshops perform so well which fight for their culture yet do not ignore the social development. What we learnt in communication and culture, we have no problem to agree that living lifestyle is one of culture definition’s elements. There is a set of pattern preserved and shared human activities among a social group from generations to generations. In this article, the dependents’ villages are recognized culture of what we learnt in class. The military dependents’ villages were brought by mainlanders from mainland of China.They brought their families to Taiwan as well. Hence, they started practice their normal life in Taiwan generations by generations. Moreover, there are pictures of their culture proof. For the first page, we can see a big house built at Mingde New Village in Kaohsiung. It is for higher-ranking officers. The second page has 5 photos. The top one is the narrow alleys in the military dependents’ village. The photo below it shows the mandarin words which means â€Å"Be calm amid confusion†. It would be probably the residents’ value oriented.The other two photos that wrote mandarin words, â€Å"One year to get ready, two years to recapture, three years to clean up and five years to finish the job†. The military has the purpose on recapture the mainland of China when they came to Taiwan. On the following page, there is a photo of some apartments. They are the new apartment buildings for military families such as these in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying Distri ct. We noticed that the villages’ culture had been gone. The other photo in this page shows the military dependents villages’ cultural festival in New Taipei City.The fifth page showed the military uniforms and identity cards at the Kaohsiung Museum of military dependents’ villages. The last page showed the selection of dishes at a Kaohsiung military dependents villages’ food festival in 2011 and a well-preserved living room at Sanchong First Village in New Taipei City. All of them are significant culture. This issue is quite similar to Malaysia’s not to demolish Jalan Sultan case. We noticed that culture preservation is important, especially the historical buildings. We understand social development is important too yet there are some ways to avoid from demolishing cultural buildings.As the photo we saw in fourth page, the original outlook and environment was gone after the rebuilding. It will be happened in Jalan Sultan if we do not fight for the preservation of culture. It is sad if we lost our significant culture on our land. Therefore, we should appreciate our culture and think the other ways to avoid from demolishing our significant culture. For example, Melaka had preserved those culture buildings and items. They then become elements of tourism and improving our national incomes. Hence, we should think twice before we made the cruel decision of demolishing some precious and valuable cultures.

Phases of the Bacterial Growth Curve

Phases of the Bacterial Growth Curve Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms that most commonly replicate by the asexual process of binary fission. These microbes reproduce rapidly at an exponential rate under favorable conditions. When grown in culture, a predictable pattern of growth in a bacterial population occurs. This pattern can be graphically represented as the number of living cells in a population over time and is known as a bacterial growth curve. Bacterial growth cycles in a growth curve consist of four phases: lag, exponential (log), stationary, and death. Key Takeaways: Bacterial Growth Curve The bacterial growth curve represents the number of live cells in a bacterial population over a period of time.There are four distinct phases of the growth curve: lag, exponential (log), stationary, and death.The initial phase is the lag phase where bacteria are metabolically active but not dividing.The exponential or log phase is a time of exponential growth.In the stationary phase, growth reaches a plateau as the number of dying cells equals the number of dividing cells.The death phase is characterized by an exponential decrease in the number of living cells. Bacteria require certain conditions for growth, and these conditions are not the same for all bacteria. Factors such as oxygen, pH, temperature, and light influence microbial growth. Additional factors include osmotic pressure, atmospheric pressure, and moisture availability. A bacterial populations generation time, or time it takes for a population to double, varies between species and depends on how well growth requirements are met. Phases of the Bacterial Growth Cycle The bacterial growth curve represents the number of living cells in a population over time. Michal Komorniczak/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 In nature, bacteria do not experience perfect environmental conditions for growth. As such, the species that populate an environment change over time. In a laboratory, however, optimal conditions can be met by growing bacteria in a closed culture environment. It is under these conditions that the curve pattern of bacterial growth can be observed. The bacterial growth curve represents the number of live cells in a bacterial population over a period of time. Lag Phase: This initial phase is characterized by cellular activity but not growth. A small group of cells are placed in a nutrient rich medium that allows them to synthesize proteins and other molecules necessary for replication. These cells increase in size, but no cell division occurs in the phase.Exponential (Log) Phase: After the lag phase, bacterial cells enter the exponential or log phase. This is the time when the cells are dividing by binary fission and doubling in numbers after each generation time. Metabolic activity is high as DNA, RNA, cell wall components, and other substances necessary for growth are generated for division. It is in this growth phase that antibiotics and disinfectants are most effective as these substances typically target bacteria cell walls or the protein synthesis processes of DNA transcription and RNA translation.Stationary Phase: Eventually, the population growth experienced in the log phase begins to decline as the available nutrients become depl eted and waste products start to accumulate. Bacterial cell growth reaches a plateau, or stationary phase, where the number of dividing cells equal the number of dying cells. This results in no overall population growth. Under the less favorable conditions, competition for nutrients increases and the cells become less metabolically active. Spore forming bacteria produce endospores in this phase and pathogenic bacteria begin to generate substances (virulence factors) that help them survive harsh conditions and consequently cause disease. Death Phase: As nutrients become less available and waste products increase, the number of dying cells continues to rise. In the death phase, the number of living cells decreases exponentially and population growth experiences a sharp decline. As dying cells lyse or break open, they spill their contents into the environment making these nutrients available to other bacteria. This helps spore producing bacteria to survive long enough for spore production. Spores are able to survive the harsh conditions of the death phase and become growing bacteria when placed in an environment that supports life. Bacterial Growth and Oxygen Campylobacter jejuni, shown here, is a microaerophilic organism requiring reduced levels of oxygen. C. jejuni is the bacterium which causes gastroenteritis. Henrik Sorensen/The Image Bank/Getty Images Bacteria, like all living organisms, require an environment that is suitable for growth. This environment must meet several different factors that support bacterial growth. Such factors include oxygen, pH, temperature, and light requirements. Each of these factors may be different for different bacteria and limit the types of microbes that populate a particular environment. Bacteria can be categorized based on their oxygen requirement or tolerance levels. Bacteria that can not survive without oxygen are known as obligate aerobes. These microbes are dependent upon oxygen, as they convert oxygen to energy during cellular respiration. Unlike bacteria that require oxygen, other bacteria can not live in its presence. These microbes are called obligate anaerobes and their metabolic processes for energy production are halted in the presence of oxygen. Other bacteria are facultative anaerobes and can grow with or without oxygen. In the absence of oxygen, they utilize either fermentation or anaerobic respiration for energy production. Aerotolerant anerobes utilize anaerobic respiration but are not harmed in the presence of oxygen. Microaerophilic bacteria require oxygen but only grow where oxygen concentration levels are low. Campylobacter jejuni is an example of a microaerophilic bacterium that lives in the digestive tract of animals and is a major cause of foodborne illness in humans. Bacterial Growth and pH Helicobacter pylori are microaerophilic bacteria found in the stomach. They are neutrophiles that secrete an enzyme that neutralizes stomach acid. Science Picture Co/Getty Images Another important factor for bacterial growth is pH. Acidic environments have pH values that are less that 7, neutral environments have values at or near 7, and basic environments have pH values greater than 7. Bacteria that are acidophiles thrive in areas where the pH is less than 5, with an optimal growth value close to a pH of 3. These microbes can be found in locations such as hot springs and in the human body in acidic areas such as the vagina. The majority of bacteria are neutrophiles and grow best in sites with pH values close to 7. Helicobacter pylori is an example of a neutrophile that lives in the acidic environment of the stomach. This bacterium survives by secreting an enzyme that neutralizes stomach acid in the surrounding area. Alkaliphiles grow optimally at pH ranges between 8 and 10. These microbes thrive in basic environments such as alkaline soils and lakes. Bacterial Growth and Temperature New Zealands Champagne Pool is a hot spring that contains a community of thermophilic and acidophilic microorganisms whose distribution relates to the temperature and chemical environment. Simon Hardenne/Biosphoto/Getty Images Temperature is another important factor for bacterial growth. Bacteria that grow best in cooler environments are called psycrophiles. These microbes prefer temperatures ranging between 4 °C and 25 °C (39 °F and 77 °F). Extreme psycrophiles thrive in temperatures below 0 °C/32 °F and can be found in places such as arctic lakes and deep ocean waters. Bacteria that thrive in moderate temperatures (20-45 °C/68-113 °F) are called mesophiles. These include bacteria that are part of the human microbiome which experience optimum growth at or near body temperature (37 °C/98.6 °F). Thermophiles grow best in hot temperatures (50-80 °C/122-176 °F) and can be found in hot springs and geothermal soils. Bacteria that favor extremely hot temperatures (80 °C-110 °C/122-230 °F) are called hyperthermophiles. Bacterial Growth and Light Cyanobacteria (blue) are photosynthesizing bacteria that are found in most habitats where water is present. Several spores (pink) are also seen. Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Some bacteria require light for growth. These microbes have light-capturing pigments that are able to gather light energy at certain wavelengths and convert it to chemical energy. Cyanobacteria are examples of photoautotrophs that require light for photosynthesis. These microbes contain the pigment chlorophyll for light absorption and oxygen production through photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria live in both land and aquatic environments and can also exist as phytoplankton living in symbiotic relationships with fungi (lichen), protists, and plants.   Other bacteria, such as purple and green bacteria, do not produce oxygen and utilize sulfide or sulfur for photosynthesis. These bacteria contain bacteriochlorophyll, a pigment capable of absorbing shorter wavelengths of light than chlorophyll. Purple and green bacteria inhabit deep aquatic zones. Sources Jurtshuk, Peter. Bacterial Metabolism. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1996, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7919/. Parker, Nina, et al. Microbiology. OpenStax, Rice University, 2017.Preiss, et al. Alkaliphilic Bacteria with Impact on Industrial Applications, Concepts of Early Life Forms, and Bioenergetics of ATP Synthesis. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Frontiers, 10 May 2015, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2015.00075/full.

The importance and influence of James Lovelock in geography Essay

The importance and influence of James Lovelock in geography - Essay Example James Lovelock represents a new breed of scientists who are working to change the way that science in general and geography in particular is perceived. Lovelock operates independently as a scientist, an environmentalist and as a futurologist. Though Lovelock has postulated numerous ideas over time but he is most famously recognised for his Gaia hypothesis. This hypothesis postulates that the biosphere surrounding the Earth regulates itself independently and possesses the capacity to keep the planet’s environment in a healthy state. This regulation is carried out in the biosphere using several chemical and physical processes that tend to regulate the balance of nature repeatedly. However, Lovelock’s work has been met with scepticism in some circles around the world and there have been attempts at postulating ideas that stand in opposition to Lovelock’s ideas. 2. Life History James Lovelock was born to working class parents in Letchworth Garden City located in Hert fordshire, England. His parents had an overbearing stress for education given their own backgrounds as illiterate and semi-literate workers in manufacturing establishments. After the birth of Lovelock the family migrated to London where he developed a certain distaste for authority given his treatment at Strand School (Lovelock, 2001). After completing school Lovelock worked for a photography firm during the day and took evening classes at Birkbeck College. Following this he enrolled at Manchester University for a chemistry programme and received his degree in 1941. After a chemistry degree Lovelock took up medicine and received his Ph.D. in 1948 from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Lovelock’s education did not end here, instead, he travelled over to the United States in order to pursue a degree in medicine. After being awarded the prestigious Rockefeller Travelling Fellowship in Medicine in 1954, Lovelock chose to spend the period first at Harvard Univers ity and then at Yale University. This was followed by a D.Sc. degree in biophysics from London University in 1959 after which he joined the National Institute in London. However, Lovelock resigned only two years later in 1961 and took up teaching as a full time profession at Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. While he was at Baylor, Lovelock worked in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Lunar and Planetary Research. Three years later in 1964 Lovelock resigned his academic position in order to pursue independent scientific practice. Lovelock has contributions to the fields of geo-physiology and medical research as well as numerous investigative inventions to his name such as gas chromatography, electron capture detector, palladium trans-modulator and a tracer method for mass transport measurements in air and water masses (Ecolo, 2010). This paper will attempt to discuss the contributions of James Lovelock to science in general and to geography in particular. 3. Scientific Contributions 3.1. Electron Capture Detector and CFCs The electron capture detector is one of Lovelock’s most esteemed inventions. This device has enabled scientists to investigate the phenomenon of ozone depletion particularly the role played by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Lovelock was the first scientist to find that CFCs were pervasively present in the stratosphere although they were not a natural constituent (Lovelock, 1971). In an effort to quantify his findings Lovelock set out to measure the concentration levels of CFCs in the atmosphere on two different self funded expeditions. The first expedition took Lovelock to

U08d2 Court Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U08d2 Court Case Analysis - Essay Example The main intention of the bill was to improve the current, i.e. less than 3% of the Massachusetts residents without health insurance. Hence to help the people overcome and not be uninsured, the state has established that hospitals need to charge the patients on reasonable rates rather than being based on the actual costs (Goodnough, 2009). The case involved a number of claims, like, ‘BMC’s constitutional claims also face high hurdles. The hospital contends that in requiring BMC to treat patients without providing full payment, the state engaged in a â€Å"regulatory taking† — essentially, using the hospital’s property without paying for it’ (NEJM, 2009). This case is absurd in a few manners. The main issue is due to the stem of an older case and conflict between the state and Medicaid cost cutting. Cases of this nature tend to be never ending and with a chance of low solutions for the health care industry. As explained in the case, ‘As long as powerful interests clash over limited health care resources, parties will do what they have always done: go to court’ (NEJM, 2009). The case of Massachusetts allows being a guide to help resolve the several health care reforms and will also allow a future solution for the cases where hospitals are not given their freedom to treat patients and are directed by the State Legislation (NEJM, 2009). Hence the case has a clear amount of impact on the health care industry and this case to some extent although a bit absurd is a benchmark for the several cases where the hospitals are not treated