Observations Of A Child Development Lab - 1966 Words

Introduction This paper will discuss the observations made at the Child Development lab, and how they are connected to various types of development learned throughout this course. Question One During the beginning of my visit with the 36-month classroom, I observed a boy for fifteen minutes. Throughout the duration of this time, he was one of the first few children up from nap, so he proceeded to walk around, and get out toys to play with. However, he was asked repeatedly by the teachers to be quiet, as others were still napping. At one point, the teacher got down on is level, and had to confiscate his toy food. His face got an expression of shock, and then it gradually grew upset, with his eyebrows arching, and his lips grew into a†¦show more content†¦Question Two The adults in the room talk to children on their level, meaning that when an adult must say what a child did wrong, they make sure that they get down on their level, and talk to them in a calm yet firm manner. They promoted the well-being of the children by engaging in play that was challenging for them, but with the help of the teachers, it became possible. This is supported by Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development, which is the concept of seeing what a child can do with help, and what a child cannot yet do (Berk, 2013). A specific example of this is when a child was trying to complete a puzzle, and the teacher showed them how to complete the difficult puzzle, and then the child, with some occasional help from the teacher, was able to complete this puzzle. This will help support the child’s development because it helps the child overcome challenges. Another observation I made was during their reading time. A teacher was reading them a book, I believe the book was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and the teacher was taking turns reading and then helping the students read small passages. The students seemed actively engaged, and were eager to read whenever they were given the chance. One of the best ways to connect this to class is using Vygotsky’s reciprocal teaching (Berk, 2013). This is when a small group of students is working with a teacher, and the students are actively engaged. This will help support a child’sShow MoreRelated1.Teacher Interaction. When I Notice About Interaction1592 Words   |  7 Pages1. Teacher interaction When I notice about interaction development, first I go to the first lab. This is my first time to see a couple of children eating together. Today they eat some noodles with orange juice, some children drink and some are eating. Today my object is Finley who is a very beautiful girl. Finley not anxious to eat, first looking around for a while, with a spoon scoop up a spoon noodle soup, on the mouth blowing a blow into the mouth. He drank countless mouth soup but did not eatRead MoreThe Cognitive Development Of Children1269 Words   |  6 Pagesare many different things that shape the cognitive development of children. To begin with cognitive development is when a child develops how to process, solve problems, and start making decisions. Once they have learned this they take everything they have learned into their adolescence. An example, of what can shape the cognitive development of a child can be an educational game. Educational games can be very useful in shaping a child’ s development because they are having fun while learning at theRead MoreChildren Develop A Sense Of Attachment And Behavior Affected By A Disconnect With Their Parents Essay1678 Words   |  7 Pagesin some form or another with those people whom they habitually encounter in their lives, such as their parents. A child’s attachment with their parents can be influenced in either a negative or a positive way, depending on various aspects of parent-child interaction. The question is, how exactly is a child’s early attachment and behavior affected by a disconnect with their parents caused by such things as daycare or distractions? Through much research and experimentation, it has been proven that thereRead MoreSocial Interactions And Development : Young Age Group Essay1559 Words   |  7 PagesYounger Age Group 2. Social Interactions/Development While observing the younger age group, I observed many social interactions and play. One example was EJ, a male born on 6/3/2015, who was stacking blocks with an adult in the room. He would stack them up and knock them over each time he built a tower. I identified this play as exploratory because he was using the tangible properties of the blocks (Steinberg, Bornstein, Vandell, Rook, 2011). I identified his social skills as normative. He enjoyedRead MoreSocial And Emotional Development Of Children1094 Words   |  5 PagesUniversity Social Emotional Development Field Assignment 1 Solis 1 Introduction: Emotional expression is the manner in which an individual expresses their emotions according to the situation they are in. This is an important component in social and emotional development of children, because when a child knows how to express their emotionsRead MoreCognitive and Physical Stimulation Toys have on Children1641 Words   |  7 Pageswithout having to act on them directly. This capacity marks the first level of the preoperational period. At this level, the child can deal with only one representation-one idea or thought at a time. At the second level of the preoperational period, beginning at about age 4, children develop the ability to deal mentally with more complex things.† (Early Childhood Development/The Talking Page, Literacy Organization, Research Information ) I have chosen Taffy Sea Turtles Catch and Hatch Pool Toy forRead MoreJean Piaget s Theory Of Cognitive Development1553 Words   |  7 Pagesthe field of developmental psychology. Piaget had many influences in his life which ultimately led him to create the Theory of Cognitive Development. His theory has multiple stages and components. The research done in the early 1900’s is still used today in many schools and homes. People from various cultures use his theory when it comes to child development. Although there are criticisms and alternatives to his theory, it is still largely used today around the world. Jean Piaget was bornRead MorePostpartum Depression And Parent Child Relationships1406 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Proposal: Postpartum Depression and Parent Child Relationships Adriana Tatoyan University of San Francisco May 11, 2016 Introduction Postpartum Depression Depression is a major public health problem that is twice as common in women as men during the childbearing years. Postpartum depression is defined as an episode of non-psychotic depression according to standardized diagnostic criteria with onset within 1 year of childbirth (Stewart D., et. al, 2003, p. 4). For womenRead MoreInvestigating The Coding Procedure, Do You Think These Categories Demonstrate Construct Validity? Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pagesyou arrived at your decision) (Around 3 sentences) 6. What evidence is there to suggest the observations have acceptable reliability? (Hint: Ask yourself what information do we look for to tell us about reliability? Is this information included in the article?)? 1. Researchers manipulated the IV (Television) by controlling the amount of exposure to television programming (thirty minutes) each parent/child experienced during the study, the shows and exposure (with regard to space and access) of theRead MoreObserving And Recording Development And Behavior Of School Age Children Essay1220 Words   |  5 Pages145A. Observing the Development of Children Prerequisites: CFS 38 or CFS 39 or PSYCH 101. Techniques in observing and recording development and behavior of school age children. Interpretation and reporting of observational data. Emphasis on children 6 to 13 years of age in diverse elementary school settings from developmental, ecological and systems perspectives. (3 hours lecture; 3 hour lab) Units: 3 Course Typically Offered: Fall CFS 145B. Advanced Observing of the Development of Children Prerequisite:

Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F....

In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrators dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dreams ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the original aspects of the American dream along with its modern face to show that the wanted dream is now lost forever to the American people. Jay Gatsby had a dream and did everything he could to achieve it however in the end he failed to. This reveals†¦show more content†¦The first hint of tragedy begins when the Buchanans daughter is brought into the salon and Nick observes an obvious disturbance in Gatsbys attitude and thinking, Gatsby and I in turn leaned down and took the small rel uctant hand. Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I dont think he had ever really believed in its existence before (117). Daisy then calls her child an absolute little dream, crushing all of Gatsbys hopes of recreating the past. Then the transition of the American dream with materialism is pointed out moments later when Nick and Gatsby try to distinguish the charm in Daisys voice. At that moment Gatsby says, her voice is full of money, and Nicks reaches a revelation about society: That was it. Id never understood it before. It was full of money that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals song of it†¦. High in a white palace the golden girl (120). With this revelation all of Daisys charm and beauty is stripped away and only money is left to be admired. Afterwards, when Gatsby dies, any chance of the old American Dream of surviving in the dehumanized modern world is destroyed with him. All of the hopes and dreams that strengthened and uplifted Gatsby are shattered as he lies in his pool, dazed and confused about the world he is living in and about to leave. After shooting Gatsby, GeorgeShow MoreRelated Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1438 Words   |  6 Pages Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald845 Words   |  3 PagesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, colors represent a variety of symbols that relate back to the American Dream. The dream of being pure, innocent and perfect is frequently associated with the reality of corruption, violence, and affairs. Gatsby’s desire for achieving the American Dream is sought for through corruption (Schneider). The American Dream in the 1920s was perceived as a desire of wealth and social standings. Social class is represented through the East Egg, the WestRead MoreEssay on F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby968 Words   |  4 Pages The 1920s was a time of excess and growth. Economically, it was a time for great financial gain. Largely because of improvements in technology, productivity increased while overall production costs decreased, and the economy grew. Not only was this time filled with prosperity, but corruption as well. People who had previously worked day and night finally acquired leisure time. Some of the most wealthy people made the choice to fill this free time with gluttony and lust. Many authorsRead MoreThe American Dream Through The Eyes Of F. Scott Fitzgerald1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream Through the Eyes of F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby has been criticized, cited, and known as one of the greatest works of American Literature. With numerous themes and focuses, one of the most valuable is represented in the American Dream and how F. Scott Fitzgerald analyzes his idea of this concept. The American Dream is a concept centering on successes in many terms, such as wealth and social standing. These successes are achieved through hardRead MoreSymbolisms in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay846 Words   |  4 Pagesin novels are as memorable as the green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Shining at the end of Daisy’s dock, it is close enough to be seen, but too far away to be reached. Still, Gatsby, an eternal optimist, stares at it at night, as if it showed him that all his far-away dreams were about to come true. The green light in The Great Gatsby is symbolic of hope, a source of inspiration, and a representation of the American Dream to Gatsby and to the novel’s readers. Gatsby’s aspirationsRead More Destruction and Failure of a Generation in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Gatsby and the Destruction of a Generation      Ã‚   The beauty and splendor of Gatsbys parties masks the decay and corruption that lay at the heart of the Roaring Twenties. The society of the Jazz Age, as observed by Fitzgerald, is morally bankrupt, and thus continually plagued by a crisis of character. Jay Gatsby, though he struggles to be a part of this world, remains unalterably an outsider. His life is a grand irony, in that it is a caricature of Twenties-style ostentation: his closetRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby Research Report1248 Words   |  5 PagesI. Introduction In 1896 F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. After growing up in Minnesota he moved to start a career and marry Zelda, the girl he loved. He published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920; the novel was a success and Fitzgerald quickly became one of the most famous young writers of the time. â€Å"F. Scott Fitzgerald eagerly embraced his newly minted celebrity status and embarked on an extravagant lifestyle that earned him a reputation as a playboy andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1621 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920s were a time in American history that profoundly depicted social inequality, immorality, superficiality, and unrest. During this time period, the iconic story of F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, was written and published. In this revolutionary novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald revisits his fascinating childhood in a more fictitious manner. The Great Gatsby describes and details the life of a young man from Minnesota, know n as Nick Carraway, who moves to New York after World War 1 during theRead MoreDestruction of Dreams, Failure of Dreamers in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1489 Words   |  6 Pages Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is used to contrast a real American dreamer against what had become of American society during the 1920s.   By magnifying the tragic fate of dreamers, conveying that twenties America lacked the substance to fulfill dreams and exposing the shallowness of Jazz-Age Americans, Fitzgerald foreshadows the destruction of his own generation. The beauty and splendor of Gatsbys parties masked the innate corruption within theRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Jazz Age was an era where everything and anything seemed possible. It started with the beginning of a new age with America coming out of World War I as the most powerful nation in the world (Novel reflections on, 2007). As a result, the nation soon faced a culture-shock of material prosperity during the 1920’s. Also known as the â€Å"roaring twenties†, it was a time where life consisted of prodigality and extravagant parties. Writing based on his personal experiences, author F. Scott

Gran Torino free essay sample

Gran Torino (2008) is a drama that revolves around an old, recently widowed Korean War veteran that appears disillusioned from the modern world and is alienated from his family and seemingly bitter towards everyone. By an at-first shaky relationship with his Hmong neighbors, Walt develops a connection with them and goes through a revelation of sorts about his life and eventually makes the ultimate sacrifice for a young Hmong boy. Sixteen Candles, on the other hand, is a coming of age story of a young teenage girl, Sam, and her journey through high school. Sam is seen as very insecure and unsatisfied with her love life but eventually is able to attract the boy of her dreams, as we see them embrace, in the now romantic comedy cliche. Although seemingly polar opposites, these two movies both offer interesting depictions of Asian Americans and in particular Asian American males. Gran Torino has a flux of Asian American characters, while Sixteen Candles only has one Asian American character, Long Duk Dong. We will write a custom essay sample on Gran Torino or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Both movies demonstrate a sense of white masculinity and in effect deems the Asian ethnicity as a weaker/less suitable counterpart. Despite both of the movie’s motivations, the Hmong people and Long Duk Dong are both portrayed in the stereotypical representation of Asian Americans. Gran Torino, as mentioned above, focuses on an old war veteran who displays his misanthropy to the world and his family shortly after his wife’s death. His own family is shown as jaded and superficial and Walt seems to have no desire to have a healthy relationship with them. Walt is displayed as the archetype of white masculinity compared to the weaker representations displayed by Walt’s two sons and the young, naive priest. We see Walt, drinking beers on his porch, annoyed by the changing racial landscape of his own neighborhood. There are hints of the town being a previous auto industry hotbed, but now seems to have lost its former glory. The change of the town seems to mirror Walt’s change as well, former glorified war veteran into a bitter old man. With the changing racial landscape of the neighborhood, Walt seems like the minority, but in the lone white patriarchal type of way. His â€Å"superiority† is displayed in a number of ways, such as how his house and lawn are meticulous in comparison to his Hmong neighbors. The Hmong houses are shown as neglected and, in general, a mess compared to the neat, well-kept house of Walt. As we move into the crux of the story, the Hmong neighbors come to the forefront, particularly Thao and his sister Sue. Although at first it may seem like a move in a positive direction to have Asian characters as main characters, their depictions quickly make you think otherwise. Both Thao and Sue are seen as weak and unable to take care of themselves without Walt. Walt, in two particular instances, comes in and â€Å"saves† Thao and Sue from groups of threatening thugs. This is a common theme in the movie, as Walt is depicted as the savior until the very end. Thao, initially chastised by Walt, falls under his wing after attempting to steal his car for initiation into a Hmong gang. Thao seems to be a common Asian American male stereotype: quiet, weak and the complete opposite of the alpha-male type that Clint Eastwood portrays. This is evident in how Walt seemingly has so much to teach him, from things like work ethic to simply how to talk to other men. Thao is the effeminate â€Å"model minority† Asian American that we see is so common in U. S. media. He is presented as â€Å"The Yellow Peril†, â€Å"in the United States, Asia and America-East and West-are viewed as mutually exclusive binaries. Within this exclusive binary system, Asian Americans, even as citizens, are designated Asians, not Americans. Characterizing Asian American as â€Å"permanent house-guests in the house of America, Asian Americans are put in the niche of the unassimilable alien. † (Espiritu Y. , pg 100, 1997) Even though Thao and his family seems to have been in America for some time, the movie and Walt presents them as foreigners that have yet to assimilate to culture here and in turn are in desperate need of Walt’s guidance to survive. Despite the large Hmong cast, there is a peculiar absence of any Hmong characters who are not shown as weak or an evil criminal. Walt is the only visible male character that seems to have Gran Torino free essay sample This film demonstrates that even though people can start off with a bitter view of life due to adverse past events, they can overcome their bitterness by finding others that they can relate to and sacrificing themselves to save others. Eastwood’s characterization of Walt Kowalski at the beginning of the story highlights that a death of a loved one, ungrateful descendants and adverse past events causes a negative view of the world. Initially, Walt already appears to be in misery. He seems to be uneasy at the opening scene, which is rational because he is at his wife’s funeral. However, he mostly seems uneasy and resentful towards his family. At first, the movie suggests he is unhappy because his family is anything but genuine and caring towards Walt. His son and daughter try to convince him into looking for nursing homes on his birthday, and his granddaughter is only interested in Walt’s car, the Gran Torino. We will write a custom essay sample on Gran Torino or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Walt a Korean War Veteran is living a changing neighbourhood. He is guilty of killing thirteen Koreans, one of them was a young man trying to surrender. Because of the events that took place during the Korean War, Walt has a lot of guilt and regret. This is shown during the scene when Tao is wondering, what it is like to kill someone and Walt replies, â€Å"You don’t want to know†. Walt is not proud his actions, which is why he keeps a medal in the basement where it is not seen by others. During the end of the film, Walt finally says, â€Å"You want to know what it’s like to kill a man? Well its god damn awful that’s what it is†¦yeah some scared little guy like you. This seen proves that throughout his life, he was haunted by this one particular action. Walt does not know how to interact with others because they have not been through the same circumstances that he has been through so shuts everyone out of his life to isolate himself. Walt’s door to his house symbolizes his heart; he does not allow anyone to come into his heart because he might do something that could scare him again like killing a young man trying to surrender. If Walt cares for someone, it may become difficult for him to cope with the pain of losing someone. So he pushes everyone away by being a racist, cranky old man. Walt’s view of the world is very negative because of adversity and the guilt of his irreversible actions. However Walt Kowalski experiences the companionship of his neighbours which starts to alter his view about life. Walt is initially a deeply racist man who calls Tao â€Å"zipperhead† and assumes that Hmongs â€Å"eat dogs†. His attitude towards Hmong’s starts to change after he saves Sue from the three gangbangers. While they are in Walt’s truck. Sue discusses the reason why the Hmongs moved to America. She also says that Hmong’s fought with the United States. Walt is starting to realize that Hmongs are not that bad. A little bit later on the film, the Hmong gangbangers try to take Tao away and covert him into one of them but Walt saves Tao`s life by scaring away the gangbangers. Walt does not care for Tao yet, he only saved Tao because the gangbangers were on Walt`s lawn and he wanted them off it. Due to Walt`s actions Tao`s family shows gratitude and showers Walt with food and gifts. Sue considers Walt as a friend because he saved her and her brother Tao. Walt is still very bitter towards Sue and the rest of the Hmong people. Sue invites Walt to the barbecue but Walt is not looking forward to it. When walt arrives and starts to interact with others, he realizes that he has â€Å"more in common with the Hmongs then his own family†. Walt’s perspective begins to change as Sue introduces him to her family. As the film progress Walt starts to feel more comfortable around Sure and the others. Tao’s family forcefully volunteer Tao to work for Walt because Tao had tried to steal Walt’s Gran Torino. Even though Walt initially has a negative view of the world, it alters as he socializes and becomes more personal with the people he once despised. Ultimately Walt realizes he has been viewing his neighbours in the wrong light. He chooses to turn to them in his time of need to begin a personal relationship. Walt Kowalski is seen coughing out blood, and he discovers that he is dying. At this point he tries to connect with his family but fails to tell them about his condition. Because of his disrespectful family, he turns to his neighbour in the time of need. This is shown during the scene when Walt heads over to Tao and asks for his help to move his refrigerator out of the basement. Walt sells the refrigerator for less than half of what he was going to sell it to a stranger. Walt also mans Tao up and gets him a job in construction. They have a father and son relationship. One day the Hmong gangbangers catch Tao and physically assault him. This causes Walt to react with violence, such as threatening one of the gangbangers to leave Tao alone. Because of Walt’s actions, the gangbangers react with violence towards Tao and the rest of Hmong family members. Walt recognizes that as long as the gangbangers are around, Tao and his family cannot be brought to peace until the gangbangers leave. Because of the soldier inside of Walt, he has to save Tao because Tao has a future. Walt sacrifices himself in front of the gangbangers’ house with witnesses. This results to the gangbangers getting arrested and leaving the neighbourhood for good. Walt also does this because he feels guilty for killing a young helpless man during the Korean War. Walt sacrifices himself to bring peace to himself and the rest of the neighbourhood. Through Walt Kowalski’s journey, Clint Eastwood has shown that adversity causes a negative point of view of others, but when they find companionship, it can be altered. Eventually their past may cause them to sacrifice themselves to save others and bring peace to themselves. Gran Torino free essay sample The film Gran Torino is a very inspiring and serious film about a widower Walt Kowalski, a Vietnam veteran who after his wife dies becomes isolated from his family and community. Left as the only remaining white male in his neighborhood he becomes prejudice and bias towards the Hmong family that has moved in next door. The community becomes flushed with violence and gangs and he is forced to deal with the changes. The film touches on so many different aspects of Interpersonal Communications. Not only does it focus on the differences between micro cultures in Walt’s community but also on aspects such as stereotyping, standpoint theory and the halo effect. Stereotyping is one of the obvious themes provided in the film. A stereotype is a set of inaccurate, generalizations about a group. Often time’s stereotypes are an overly bias and oversimplified opinion or image. When the Hmong family moves in next door, Walt stereotypes them as unfit for his neighborhood. We will write a custom essay sample on Gran Torino or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He looks at their untidy yard and grimaces, as his yard is spotless and well kept. Being a Vietnam veteran Walt views the white race as superior and dominant. The Hmong family is viewed as barbaric culture in his eyes. Another theory provided in the Film â€Å"Gran Torino† is the stand-point theory. This theory concerns the authority made by peoples knowledge and the power such authority has to shape peoples opinions in daily life. This theorys most important concept is that a person’s own perspectives are shaped by their experiences in social locations and social groups. Walt has spent years in the Vietnam war and was conditioned to respond quickly and violently to certain situations. When Sue and Tao, Walt’s neighbors were being harassed by the Hmong gang outside of his property his first reaction was to reach for his gun and threaten the gang to get off his lawn or he will shoot. In his perspective his reaction and actions were correct because he was conditioned in the war to react that way. While the priest who was assigned to what over Walt by his wife before she passed did not agree on his actions and told him he was wrong. Walt’s stand point will always remain the same. The halo effect is another theme in the film â€Å"Gran Torino†. The halo effect is a mental bias in which ones judgments of a person’s character can be influenced by ones overall impression of him or her. The best example of this would be Walt’s neighbor Tao. In the beginning of the film Walt does not like Tao for many reasons. One of the obvious reasons is Walt caught Tao trying to steal his gran torino as part of a gang initiation. Walt’s impression of Tao is viewed as a weak and uneducated boy. Walt gets this impression from watching Tao in many situations. When the Hmong gang comes to Taos house trying to get him to join the gang he doesn’t stand up for himself. Tao has little self-esteem and doesn’t think very highly of himself. Walt watches as Tao gets harassed by the Hmong gang day by day. In another reason why he views Tao this way is because he refuses to ask a girl who likes him out on a date. This causes Walt’s impression of Tao to be negative. The film carried many themes about cultural differences and interpersonal communications. The film has a positive effect on its viewers. In the end of the film Walt ends up becoming friends to Sue and Tao and more or less like a father figure to both of them. He becomes wrapped up in the Hmong family’s life and ultimately sacrifices himself to keep them safe.

Let’s Get You a Leading Thesis Statement on Disability

Looking at disability, you ought to appreciate some of the various aspects that are involved before we go ahead to tackle our main focus of today which the thesis statement about disability discrimination. Stay with us! Disability in itself is an umbrella term used whenever someone wants to mention the physical, mental and neurological challenges that restrict human function or affect their day to day activity making them require assistance. Going further, some of these restrictions can come about due to problems with body structure or function, daily activity limitations that the disability individuals tend to encounter whenever they faced with tasks they ought to undertake and fulfill the societys expectations of work. They can even be worse to the extent that the individual cannot be in a position to undertake any personal duties leave alone general duties. Others refer to disability as a health challenge; but, if you look at it in a much broader sense, youll appreciate that disability is in itself a complex phenomenon involving various aspects of human function that are key to our society or environmental survival. To hack through this, society ought to create or formulate some brilliant ideas on how to best combat some of the challenges that come about with being disabled. All human beings require medical support whenever theyre faced with health issues; the same applies to disabled individuals. Health services like immunization, injections, drugs and even emotional support. The issue that now comes in is that for them, their health margin is much less narrow than normal individuals; hence they are more prone to adverse health situations that bring them down. Access to health services is a major challenge that they face, and thats why governments are coming up with social security disability benefits to suit them. Understanding Thesis Statements With the above information, you now have a rough idea of what disability is. Now lets look at a thesis statement about disability discrimination and ways of formulating a strong one. In the current society, youll find thesis being used almost everywhere and we bet its not a new term to you, is it? If youre keen with TV shows, youd notice advertisements using thesis, campaigns and even motions in parliamentary proceedings by legislators. This is as well common in most academic papers, ranging from term papers, research works, and even final papers. They all come in different forms, based on how the assignment has stipulated and the preferences of the instructor. One thing that is common among all these papers is that the instructions require you to come up with a thesis statement that will form the foundation of the paper. Also, it also functions to create a platform for arguments that form the basis of the whole paper. An argumentative idea wouldnt succeed minus a thesis, it will all be gathering of points without a targeted directive, and this will most certainly end up failing. From this, you can judge for yourself that actually, thesis statements are very important to your paper and they shouldnt be taken lightly. With this knowledge in mind, lets now look at what its required for your thesis statement about disability discrimination. What does click in your mind whenever you come across a thesis statement? Lets see if your knowledge is as good as ours! This is quite a common statement in college papers, and most students fail to get the crux of what it truly is. Our team is here to ensure that by the end of this article youll able to understand the whole concept of what is involved and even better tackle your disability paper with vigor and confidence. Lets get you up to speed with what a thesis statement on disability is to ensure that we stay on the same page on this. Chances are, the one you are aware of is a bit different from ours, but thats beside the point. In this article, well tackle the thesis statement on disability which is a single sentence that is typically placed just by the conclusion of the first paragraph that is the basis of the whole disability text. Thesis statement for disability serves to connect the opinions and claims in your debate in order to make your audience get the touch on the papers direction. The statement should be in a position to make known your opinions in the best way possible while at the same time pinpointing some of the main ideas in your text. Forms of Thesis Statement for Disability Despite tackling the same discipline or issue, these academic papers can assume various forms depending on what the assignment instructions and how your instructor taught you. As a writer, you need to be well aware of these forms and be able to apply them whenever asked. The same applies to thesis statement for disability which also comes in two forms all serving different purposes, and youre required to distinguish between the two. The instructions can stipulate that you come up with an informative thesis statement on learning disabilities. Here, your role as a writer is just to enlighten your audience on some of the aspects related to disability. Dont switch roles and start making disputable claims for in doing so you would have switched to a different form of thesis statement on learning disabilities, and we both dont want that for you. Just stay on your informative lane and come up with a disability thesis statement that will effectively and with no doubt serve this role to its fullest capacity. The statement you make should be directive and guide your readers towards possible conclusions they should expect. Social security disability benefits is a good way to help disable individuals with the challenges they face as a result of their narrower health margin. The above is what is expected of an informative thesis statement about disability. It has adequately captured the two clauses beginning by highlighting the main issue which is disability patients having a narrower health margin and then expounded on the same by mentioning a way forward which is access to social security disability benefits. By reading this, we can be able to tell that the writer is going to major on the social security disability benefits that should be made available to all disabled individuals and their effectiveness. Secondly, we have a thesis statement about disability that takes the form of a sentence posing an argument. When it comes to this, the role of the thesis statement is to come up with claims that will be subject to dispute and by doing so create an argumentative mood. The requirements of such a paper are all captured in the assignments instructions, and youre required to revisit them each time to ensure you dont deviate from the question. Such a thesis statement about disability takes the persuasive role wooing your audience into accepting the claims and position you took by giving them a reason why its the best option. While at this, remember that any stance you take should be back up by evidence from credible sources to prove its relevance. Irrelevance is something you dont wish to find yourself in as a writer. It turns off readers. They say disability is inability, but what if I told you, disability is just but a thought in the mind that can be eradication through the use of advanced medicine. What immediately comes to your mind the moment you come across such a disability thesis statement? It lets us guess gives us the urge to read on and find out more on what the writer is going to talk about. Get your readers hooked with such a thrilling thesis statement on disability the use that opportunity to your advantage and now throw your points as youve already captured the readers attention. Looking at the above thesis statement for disability, all we see is fullness and completeness of its kind. Both the independent and dependent clauses have been mentioned and highlighted in such an amazing fashion. We have the main idea being brought up and the writer taking sides to tell us what their disability text is going to major on. Like, in this case, the reader can be in a position to predict the flow of the paper which is going to be the role of advanced medicine in solving the issue of disability once and for all. Whod not want to listen to such a masterpiece? Most writers, who go for such forms of argumentative thesis statement for disability, are those with new ideas and claims that they want to put across but then again are expecting some backlash from the society and therefore the best way to approach it is to form a convincing ground for their readers. What are the Disability Thesis Statement Styles that are Most Preferred? This far, we bet youre now comfortable with some of the types of thesis statement about disability that weve mentioned. How about we now tell you and inform you some of the appropriate styles that are recommended by most instructors when it comes to disability papers. To start with, lets look at the commonest of them all that most students find it easy to draft and come up with. This statement involves listing of points that will be addressed in the rest of the paper. You can opt to list four or five points dependent on how long you want your paper to be. In such a type of thesis statement on disability, the number of points determines how long the paper would be, and they are generally short papers. You wouldnt come across such a thesis statement on disability in higher institutions, but they are most applicable in middle school academic papers since they are short. Lets now look at another style of thesis statement on academic writings that dont involve listing, and they arent short. In this section, youll encounter assignments that will require you to come up with long writings that require lots of research to arrive at specific conclusions that are worthy of presentation. This will demand you to come up with a disability thesis statement that has weight, and that can sustain such a long paper. Forget the few points you listed that wouldnt even sustain a-two page writing. Opt for an argumentative thesis statement on disability and gather enough evidence to back up any claims or opinions you might come along during the whole process. Its always advisable to ask for more guidance from your lecturer. Something to Remember! The process of formulating a thesis statement about disabilities is not a free ride, and it thus requires some tips on how to maneuver through the whole process. Avoid being in a hurry to complete and submit your work to end up not performing well in the paper and even disappointing your lecturer, leave alone yourself. Take a quick look at the disability topic and ask yourself, are you familiar with the topic and if so, how well prepared are you to be able to approach it in the best manner possible and at the end of the day deliver an outstanding thesis statement on learning disabilities. Youre lucky that technology has made things easier. With the help of the internet, you can Google for more information on the same and even be able to read some of the previously written papers on disability with a thesis statement that you could use as a guide. There are resources everywhere, ranging from library books, journals, publications, articles and many more. The job is up to you to find out the necessary resources both primary and secondary that you can use to gather information for your paper. Our advice to you is keep-off non-credible sources. Conclusion With such a guideline, youre left with no option but to just come up with an amazing thesis statement about disability discrimination that will stand out among many. Once this is done, remember to come back and thank us for our amazing writing recipe. If at all youre a good thesis statement writer, kindly share with us some of your ideas.

The Role of Dna Technology in Crime Investigation Essay Example

The Role of Dna Technology in Crime Investigation Essay Example The Role of Dna Technology in Crime Investigation Essay The Role of Dna Technology in Crime Investigation Essay DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA testing, DNA typing, or genetic fingerprinting) is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals on the basis of their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a persons DNA makeup, which can also be used as the persons identifier. DNA profiling should not be confused with full genome sequencing. It is used in, for example, parental testing and rape investigation. Although 99. 9% of human DNA sequences are the same in every person, enough of the DNA is different to distinguish one individual from another.DNA profiling uses repetitive (repeat) sequences that are highly variable called variable number tandem repeats (VNTR). VNTRs loci are very similar between closely related humans, but so variable that unrelated individuals are extremely unlikely to have the same VNTRs. The DNA profiling technique was first reported in 1984by Sir Alec Jeffreys at the Univer sity of Leicester in England, and is now the basis of several national DNA databases. Dr. Jeffreyss genetic fingerprinting was made commercially available in 1987, when a chemical company, ICI, started a blood-testing center in England.DNA profiling process The process begins with a sample of an individuals DNA (typically called a reference sample). The most desirable method of collecting a reference sample is the use of a buccal swab, as this reduces the possibility of contamination. When this is not available (e. g. because a court order may be needed and not obtainable) other methods may need to be used to collect a sample of blood, saliva, semen, or other appropriate fluid or tissue from personal items (e. g. toothbrush, razor, etc. ) or from stored samples (e. g. banked sperm or biopsy tissue).Samples obtained from blood relatives (biological relative) can provide an indication of an individuals profile, as could human remains which had been previously profiled. A reference sam ple is then analyzed to create the individuals DNA profile using one of a number of techniques, discussed below. The DNA profile is then compared against another sample to determine whether there is a genetic match. * RFLP analysis The first methods for finding out genetics used for DNA profiling involved restriction enzyme digestion, followed by Southern blot analysis.Although polymorphisms can exist in the restriction enzyme cleavage sites, more commonly the enzymes and DNA probes were used to analyze VNTR loci. However, the Southern blot technique is laborious, and requires large amounts of undegraded sample DNA. Also, Karl Browns original technique looked at many minisatellite loci at the same time, increasing the observed variability, but making it hard to discern individual alleles (and thereby precluding parental testing). These early techniques have been supplanted by PCR-based assays. PCR analysis With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, DNA prof iling took huge strides forward in both discriminating power and the ability to recover information from very small (or degraded) starting samples. PCR greatly amplifies the amounts of a specific region of DNA, using oligonucleotide primers and a thermostable DNA polymerase. Early assays such as the HLA-DQ alpha reverse dot blot strips grew to be very popular due to their ease of use, and the speed with which a result could be obtained.However they were not as discriminating as RFLP. It was also difficult to determine a DNA profile for mixed samples, such as a vaginal swab from a sexual assault victim. Fortunately, the PCR method is readily adaptable for analyzing VNTR loci. In the United States the FBI has standardized a set of 13 VNTR assays for DNA typing, and has organized the CODIS database for forensic identification in criminal cases. Similar assays and databases have been set up in other countries. Also, commercial kits are available that analyze single-nucleotide polymorphi sms (SNPs).These kits use PCR to amplify specific regions with known variations and hybridize them to probes anchored on cards, which results in a colored spot corresponding to the particular sequence variation. * STR analysis The method of DNA profiling used today is based on PCR and uses short tandem repeats (STR). This method uses highly polymorphic regions that have short repeated sequences of DNA (the most common is 4 bases repeated, but there are other lengths in use, including 3 and 5 bases).Because unrelated people almost certainly have different numbers of repeat units, STRs can be used to discriminate between unrelated individuals. These STR loci (locations on a chromosome) are targeted with sequence-specific primers and amplified using PCR. The DNA fragments that result are then separated and detected using electrophoresis. There are two common methods of separation and detection, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gel electrophoresis. Each STR is polymorphic, however, th e number of alleles is small. Typically each STR allele will be shared by around 5 20% of individuals.The power of STR analysis comes from looking at multiple STR loci simultaneously. The pattern of alleles can identify an individual quite accurately. Thus STR analysis provides an excellent identification tool. The more STR regions that are tested in an individual the more discriminating the test becomes. From country to country, different STR-based DNA-profiling systems are in use. In North America, systems which amplify the CODIS 13 core loci are almost universal, while in the UK the SGM+ system (which is compatible with The National DNA Database), is in use.Whichever system is used, many of the STR regions used are the same. These DNA-profiling systems are based on multiplex reactions, whereby many STR regions will be tested at the same time. The true power of STR analysis is in its statistical power of discrimination. Because the 13 loci that are currently used for discriminati on in CODIS are independently assorted (having a certain number of repeats at one locus doesnt change the likelihood of having any number of repeats at any other locus), the product rule for probabilities can be applied.This means that if someone has the DNA type of ABC, where the three loci were independent, we can say that the probability of having that DNA type is the probability of having type A times the probability of having type B times the probability of having type C. This has resulted in the ability to generate match probabilities of 1 in a quintillion (1 with 18 zeros after it) or more. However, DNA database searches showed much more frequent than expected false DNA matches including one perfect 13 locus match out of only 30,000 DNA samples in Maryland in January 2007.Moreover, since there are about 12 million monozygotic twins on Earth, that theoretical probability is useless. For example, the actual probability that 2 random people have the same DNA depends on whether t here were twins or triplets (etc. ) in the family, and the number of loci used in the test. Where twins are common, the probability of matching the DNA is 22 in 1000, or about 2. 2 in 100 will have matching DNA. In practice, the risk of contaminated-matching is much greater than matching a distant relative, such as a sample being contaminated from nearby objects, or from left-over cells transferred from a prior test.Logically, the risk is greater for matching the most common person in the samples: everything collected from, or in contact with, a victim is a major source of contamination for any other samples brought into a lab. For that reason, multiple control-samples are typically tested, to ensure that they stayed clean, when prepared during the same period as the actual test samples. Unexpected matches (or variations) in several control-samples indicates a high probability of contamination for the actual test samples.In a relationship test, the full DNA profiles should differ (e xcept for twins), to prove that a person wasnt actually matched as being related to their own DNA in another sample. * AmpFLP Another technique, AmpFLP, or amplified fragment length polymorphism was also put into practice during the early 1990s. This technique was also faster than RFLP analysis and used PCR to amplify DNA samples. It relied on variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms to distinguish various alleles, which were separated on a polyacrylamide gel using an allelic ladder (as opposed to a molecular weight ladder).Bands could be visualized by silver staining the gel. One popular locus for fingerprinting was the D1S80 locus. As with all PCR based methods, highly degraded DNA or very small amounts of DNA may cause allelic dropout (causing a mistake in thinking a heterozygote is a homozygote) or other stochastic effects. In addition, because the analysis is done on a gel, very high number repeats may bunch together at the top of the gel, making it difficult to resol ve. AmpFLP analysis can be highly automated, and allows for easy creation of phylogenetic trees based on comparing individual samples of DNA.Due to its relatively low cost and ease of set-up and operation, AmpFLP remains popular in lower income countries. DNA family relationship analysis Using PCR technology, DNA analysis is widely applied to determine genetic family relationships such as paternity, maternity, siblingship and other kinships. During conception, the father’s sperm cell and the mother’s egg cell, each containing half the amount of DNA found in other body cells, meet and fuse to form a fertilized egg, called a zygote.The zygote contains a complete set of DNA molecules, a unique combination of DNA from both parents. This zygote divides and multiplies into an embryo and later, a full human being. DNA does not change once it is formed at conception. At each stage of development, all the cells forming the body contain the same DNA- half from the father and hal f from the mother. This fact allows the relationship testing to use all types of all samples including loose cells from the cheeks collected using buccal swabs, blood or other types of samples.While a lot of DNA contains information for a certain function, there is some called junk DNA, which is currently used for human identification. At some special locations (called loci) in the junk DNA, predictable inheritance patterns were found to be useful in determining biological relationships. These locations contain specific DNA markers that DNA scientists use to identify individuals. In a routine DNA paternity test, the markers used are Short Tandem Repeats (STRs), short pieces of DNA that occur in highly differential repeat patterns among individuals.Each person’s DNA contains two copies of these markers- one copy inherited from the father and one from the mother. Within a population, the markers at each person’s DNA location could differ in length and sometimes sequence, depending on the markers inherited from the parents. The combination of marker sizes found in each person makes up his/her unique genetic profile. When determining the relationship between two individuals, their genetic profiles are compared to see if they share the same inheritance patterns at a statistically conclusive rate.For example, the following sample report from this commercial DNA paternity testing laboratory Universal Genetics signifies how relatedness between parents and child is identified on those special markers: |DNA Marker |Mother |Child |Alleged father | |D21S11 |28, 30 |28, 31 |29, 31 | |D7S820 |9, 10 |10, 11 |11, 12 | |TH01 |14, 15 |14, 16 |15, 16 | |D13S317 |7, 8 |7, 9 |8, 9 |D19S433 |14, 16. 2 |14, 15 |15, 17 | The partial results indicate that the child and the alleged father’s DNA match among these five markers. The complete test results show this correlation on 16 markers between the child and the tested man to draw a conclusion of whether or not the man is the biological father. Scientifically, each marker is assigned with a Paternity Index (PI), which is a statistical measure of how powerfully a match at a particular marker indicates paternity.The PI of each marker is multiplied with each other to generate the Combined Paternity Index (CPI), which indicates the overall probability of an individual being the biological father of the tested child relative to any random man from the entire population of the same race. The CPI is then converted into a Probability of Paternity showing the degree of relatedness between the alleged father and child. The DNA test report in other family relationship tests, such as grandparentage and siblingship tests, is similar to a paternity test report. Instead of the Combined Paternity Index, a different value, such as a Siblingship Index, is reported.The report shows the genetic profiles of each tested person. If there are markers shared among the tested individuals, the probability of biological relationship is calculated to determine how likely the tested individuals share the same markers due to a blood relationship. * Y-chromosome analysis Recent innovations have included the creation of primers targeting polymorphic regions on the Y-chromosome (Y-STR), which allows resolution of a mixed DNA sample from a male and female and/or cases in which a differential extraction is not possible.Y-chromosomes are paternally inherited, so Y-STR analysis can help in the identification of paternally related males. Y-STR analysis was performed in the Sally Hemings controversy to determine if Thomas Jefferson had sired a son with one of his slaves. * Mitochondrial analysis For highly degraded samples, it is sometimes impossible to get a complete profile of the 13 CODIS STRs. In these situations, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is sometimes typed due to there being many copies of mtDNA in a cell, while there may only be 1-2 copies of the nuclear DNA.Forensic scientists amplify the HV1 and HV2 regions of the mtDNA, then sequence each region and compare single-nucleotide differences to a reference. Because mtDNA is maternally inherited, directly linked maternal relatives can be used as match references, such as ones maternal grandmothers daughters son. A difference of two or more nucleotides is generally considered to be an exclusion. Heteroplasmy and poly-C differences may throw off straight sequence comparisons, so some expertise on the part of the analyst is required. tDNA is useful in determining clear identities, such as those of missing people when a maternally linked relative can be found. mtDNA testing was used in determining that Anna Anderson was not the Russian princess she had claimed to be, Anastasia Romanov. mtDNA can be obtained from such material as hair shafts and old bones/teeth.. DNA databases There are now several DNA databases in existence around the world. Some are private, but most of the largest databases are government controlled. The United States maintains the largest DNA database, with the Combined DNA Index System, holding over 5 million records as of 2007.The United Kingdom maintains the National DNA Database (NDNAD), which is of similar size, despite the UKs smaller population. The size of this database, and its rate of growth, is giving concern to civil liberties groups in the UK, where police have wide-ranging powers to take samples and retain them even in the event of acquittal. The U. S. Patriot Act of the United States provides a means for the U. S. government to get DNA samples from other countries if they are either a division of, or head office of, a company operating in the U. S.Under the act, the American offices of the company cant divulge to their subsidiaries/offices in other countries the reasons that these DNA samples are sought or by whom. When a match is made from a National DNA Databank to link a crime scene to an offender who has provided a DNA Sample to a databank that link is often referred to as a cold hit. A cold hit is of value in referring the police agency to a specific suspect but is of less evidential value than a DNA match made from outside the DNA Databank. Considerations when evaluating DNA evidenceIn the early days of the use of genetic fingerprinting as criminal evidence, juries were often swayed by spurious statistical arguments by defense lawyers along these lines: given a match that had a 1 in 5 million probability of occurring by chance, the lawyer would argue that this meant that in a country of say 60 million people there were 12 people who would also match the profile. This was then translated to a 1 in 12 chance of the suspect being the guilty one. This argument is not sound unless the suspect was drawn at random from the population of the country.In fact, a jury should consider how likely it is that an individual matching the genetic profile would also have been a suspect in the case for other reasons. Another spurious statistical argument is based on the false assumption that a 1 in 5 million probability of a match automatically translates into a 1 in 5 million probability of innocence and is known as the prosecutors fallacy. When using RFLP, the theoretical risk of a coincidental match is 1 in 100 billion (100,000,000,000), although the practical risk is actually 1 in 1000 because monozygotic twins are 0. % of the human population. Moreover, the rate of laboratory error is almost certainly higher than this, and often actual laboratory procedures do not reflect the theory under which the coincidence probabilities were computed. For example, the coincidence probabilities may be calculated based on the probabilities that markers in two samples have bands in precisely the same location, but a laboratory worker may conclude that similar- but not precisely identical- band patterns result from identical genetic samples with some imperfection in the agarose gel.However, in this case, the laboratory worker increases the coincidence risk by expanding the criteria for declaring a match. Recent studies have quoted relatively high error rates which may be cause for concern. In the early days of genetic fingerprinting, the necessary population data to accurately compute a match probability was sometimes unavailable. Between 1992 and 1996, arbitrary low ceilings were controversially put on match probabilities used in RFLP analysis rather than the higher theoretically computed ones. Today, RFLP has become widely disused due to the advent of more discriminating, sensitive and easier technologies.STRs do not suffer from such subjectivity and provide similar power of discrimination (1 in 10^13 for unrelated individuals if using a full SGM+ profile) It should be noted that figures of this magnitude are not considered to be statistically supportable by scientists in the UK, for unrelated individuals with full matching DNA profiles a match probability of 1 in a billion is considered statistically supportable (Since 1998 the DNA pr ofiling system supported by The National DNA Database in the UK is the SGM+ DNA profiling system which includes 10 STR regions and a sex indicating test.However, with any DNA technique, the cautious juror should not convict on genetic fingerprint evidence alone if other factors raise doubt. Contamination with other evidence (secondary transfer) is a key source of incorrect DNA profiles and raising doubts as to whether a sample has been adulterated is a favorite defense technique. More rarely, chimerism is one such instance where the lack of a genetic match may unfairly exclude a suspect. Evidence of genetic relationship Its also possible to use DNA profiling as evidence of genetic relationship, but testing that shows no relationship isnt absolutely certain.While almost all individuals have a single and distinct set of genes, rare individuals, known as chimeras, have at least two different sets of genes. There have been several cases of DNA profiling that falsely proved that a mother was unrelated to her children. Fake DNA evidence The value of DNA evidence has to be seen in light of recent cases where criminals planted fake DNA samples at crime scenes. In one case, a criminal even planted fake DNA evidence in his own body: Dr. John Schneeberger raped one of his sedated patients in 1992 and left semen on her underwear.Police drew what they believed to be Schneebergers blood and compared its DNA against the crime scene semen DNA on three occasions, never showing a match. It turned out that he had surgically inserted a Penrose drain into his arm and filled it with foreign blood and anticoagulants. In a study conducted by the life science company Nucleix and published in the journal Forensic Science International, scientists found that an In vitro synthesized sample of DNA matching any desired genetic profile can be constructed using standard molecular biology techniques without obtaining any actual tissue from that person.Development of artificial DNA In August 2 009, scientists in Israel stunned the forensic sciences and raised serious questions concerning the use of DNA by law enforcement as the ultimate method of identification. In a paper published in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics, the Israeli researchers demonstrated that it is possible to manufacture DNA in a laboratory, and thus falsify DNA evidence. The scientists fabricated saliva and blood samples, which originally contained DNA from a person other than the ostensible donor of the blood and saliva.The researchers also showed that, using a DNA database, it is possible to take information from a profile and manufacture DNA to match it, and that this can be done without access to any actual DNA from the person whose DNA they are duplicating. The synthetic DNA oligos required for the procedure are common in molecular laboratories. Dr. Daniel Frumkin, lead author on the paper, was quoted in The New York Times as saying, You can just engineer a crime scene any biol ogy undergraduate could perform this. Dr.Frumkin perfected a test that can forensically differentiate real DNA samples from fake ones. His test uses epigenetic modifications, in particular, DNA methylation. Seventy percent of the DNA in any human genome is methylated, meaning it contains methyl group modifications within a CpG dinucleotide context. Methylation at the promoter region is associated with gene silencing. The synthetic DNA lacks this epigenetic modification, which allows the test to distinguish manufactured DNA from original, genuine, DNA.It is unknown how many, if any, police departments currently use the test, which appears to be a serious issue in light of Frumkin’s claim that the DNA manufacturing procedure is within the grasp of any undergraduate biology student. No police lab has publicly announced that it is using the new test to verify DNA results, while FSI Genetics says that any forensic laboratory doing DNA identification should adopt this test to auth enticate its results as real DNA. Cases In the 1950s, Anna Anderson claimed that she was Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia; in the 1980s after her death, samples of her tissue that had been stored at a Charlottesville, Virginia hospital following a medical procedure were tested using DNA fingerprinting and showed that she bore no relation to the Romanovs. In 1986, Richard Buckland was exonerated despite having admitted to the rape and murder of a teenager near Leicester, the city where DNA profiling was first discovered. This was the first use of DNA finger printing in a criminal investigation. In 1987 it was the first time genetic fingerprinting was used in criminal court where a man accused of unlawful intercourse with a mentally handicapped 14-year-old female who gave birth to his baby. In 1987, in the same case as Buckland, British baker Colin Pitchfork was the first criminal caught and convicted using DNA fingerprinting In 1987, Florida rapist Tommy Lee Andrews was t he first person in the United States to be convicted as a result of DNA evidence, for raping a woman during a burglary; he was convicted on 6 November 1987 and sentenced to 22 years in prison. In 1988, Timothy Spencer was the first man in Virginia to be sentenced to death through DNA testing, for several rape and murder charges; he was dubbed The South Side Strangler because he killed victims on the southside of Richmond, Virginia. He was later charged with rape and 1st degree murder and was sentenced to death. He was executed on April 27, 1994. David Vasquez, initially convicted of one of Spencers crimes, became the first man in America exonerated based on DNA evidence. In 1992, DNA evidence was used to prove that Nazi doctor Josef Mengele was buried in Brazil under the name Wolfgang Gerhard. The Role of the Forensic Geneticist Forensic genetics is the study of DNA characteristics and patterns. The scientific knowledge base of a forensic geneticist can have different applications i n fields such as law enforcement and anthropology. One of the functions of a forensic geneticist is to examine and profile DNA evidence from a crime scene in order to determine the presence of a suspect.In another discipline such as anthropology, the geneticist may study historical human migration patterns by comparing DNA in diverse racial groups. Because DNA marking and profiling has a small margin of error, its results can be questioned. * Criminal Forensics All DNA contains sequences of nucleotides which have a unique recurring pattern for each person. A forensic geneticist first obtains a sample of DNA from a sample of tissue, bodily fluid or hair. The repeating nucleotide sequences found in the sample are then cut with specialized proteins and isolated.The sample is then probed by special DNA molecules which have been extracted from a known donor. If the probe DNA matches the sample nucleotides collected from a crime scene, then it theoretically places the donor at the scene i tself. * Victim Identification DNA can also be used to identify human remains where decomposition has left the body unrecognizable, or where dental records do not exist. Typically DNA from the unknown remains is matched with a sample of verified DNA from a missing person, or can be compared against possible family members.Genetic matching are also tools in paternity tests. Forensic Genetics has also been employed in identifying victims of war crimes located in mass graves. * Forensic Anthropology One of the most recent fields in anthropology has been the study of ancient human migrations. Using mitochondrial DNA (which is only passed down through the mother) and Y-chromosomal DNA (inherited through the father) forensic geneticists have been able to chart the course of human migrations out of the Africa over the last 60,000 years.This is accomplished by examining mutations of the two kinds of DNA, which occur rarely and only over an average number of generations. The divergence of mu tations in different existing ethnic groups can be compared and a rough chronological and geographical chart of migration is then laid out. * Accuracy in Criminal Investigation Findings by an Arizona crime lab analyst suggest that even if an overall DNA profile is unique to an individual, certain portions of it are similar to family members, and possibly (by coincidence) to unrelated individuals.This has the potential to challenge the widespread belief that DNA profiling is a foolproof tool in criminal investigations. Doubts can potentially be raised about whether a DNA profile for a suspect really belongs to that individual. How genetic engineering or DNA technology may help in crime investigation? agriculture? and medicine? DNA technology can help with crime investigation to help find a criminal who has left bodily fluid at a crime scene. They use DNA tests to find a match. Genetic engineering can be used in agriculture to create a crop that is superior to other crops.It can make a plant stronger and larger, etc. Genetic engineering in medicine is being used to help a couple who is trying to have a baby. If the one of the parents has a disease (such as Huntingtons, Parkinsons, etc. ) to create a baby that doesnt have the disease. The children are called designer babies. Law the Genetics of Identity: The Science of DNA Fingerprinting New Noteworthy, 2007 In Law and The Genetics of Identity, The DNA Files looked at DNA forensics, privacy and the law.There are many ways in which experts use genetic techniques for identification purposes, from identifying missing persons to solving criminal investigations. DNA evidence arguably has become the best-known type of forensic evidence, made more recognizable by popular television programs (including three CSIs and four Law Orders). Although the forensic tools used on TV allow detectives to solve horrendous crimes in under an hour, real-life techniques do require a few days. A DNA profile is a composite of about 13 areas of highly variable short tandem repeats (STRs) that characterize each individual.While humans share a vast majority of our DNA sequence with one another, some sections of our non-coding DNA are unique. Using DNA profiling techniques, it is possible to establish a likely match. The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) was created in 1996 as a result of the conflicts related to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and Republic of Serbia from 1991 to 1995. The ICMP uses DNA as a means to identify victims of war atrocities and natural disasters. As of April 2006, the ICMP had helped identify 902 people who had died in the 2004 South Asian tsunami.In 2005, the ICMP partnered with Louisiana health officials to perform DNA tests on 256 bone samples from Katrina victims. Forensic specialists created DNA profiles from these bone samples then sent the data to Louisiana authorities for matching with family members DNA samples there. In recent years, researchers and policing organizations also have made significant inroads in criminal investigation methods. New forensic polymerase chain reaction (PCR), STR, and mtDNA techniques have sped up analysis of a DNA profile extracted from crime scene evidence.What once took between 6 and 8 weeks now takes between 1 and 2 days. Scientists hope that someday it will take only a few hours to generate a DNA profile from a sample. According to President George W. Bushs DNA Initiative in 2003, one of the biggest problems facing the criminal justice system today is the substantial backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples and biological evidence from crime scenes, especially in sexual assault and murder cases. Timely analysis of these samples can help police arrest and detain potentially violent offenders or solve no-suspect cases.While timely analysis is important, identifying the correct person is even more important. Opponents of DNA profiling point out that case-specific issues and problems often damage the quali ty and relevance of DNA test results. The increased use of genetic technologies in crime investigation has contributed to many forensic databases, including two run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation: the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which catalogs millions of fingerprints, and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).CODIS was once reserved for those convicted of violent offenses, but the 2004 Justice for All Act expanded the database so states can now upload profiles of almost anyone charged with any crime. In 2006, the FBI opened its DNA database to kinship DNA matching. A DNA sample from a crime scene that fails to be an exact match to any profile in a forensic database can now be used to find possible relatives that are in the database. Opponents fear that partial matches violate protection by the U.S. Constitution against unreasonable search and seizure and undermine the principle of presumptive innocence. Genetic techniques can also be used to exonerate a per son convicted of a crime. As of October 2007, the Innocence Project, founded by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York, had helped exonerate 208 people in the United States using DNA testing, including 15 who served time on death row.Byron Halsey, for instance, who narrowly escaped the death penalty when he was convicted in 1988 of the brutal sexual assault and murder of two young children in New Jersey, was fully exonerated in July 2007 based on DNA evidence. DNA can also help bring closure to cases that have gone cold. In 2006, after almost 30 years of dead ends, investigators in Virginia used carefully preserved blood taken from a 1977 crime scene in order to identify and arrest a suspect in the killing of Henry William Long.Questions surrounding the social, ethical, and legal issues of using genetic technologies in crime investigation persist. In a few cases, geographic and ethnic genetic testing have been applied to criminal investigations to help narrow the suspect search field. Critics fear that the information gathered and stored in this type of testing could be used for research on topics such as the genetic correlates of ethnicity or criminal behavior, fueling flawed science and dangerous prejudices. These

Bin Ladens 1996 Declaration of War on the U.S.

Bin Ladens 1996 Declaration of War on the U.S. On August 23, 1996, Osama bin Laden signed and issued the Declaration of Jihad Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, meaning Saudi Arabia. It was the first of two explicit declarations of war against the United States. The declaration summed up bin Ladens belief, categorical and uncompromising, that there is nothing more imperative, after faith, than to repel the aggressor who corrupts religion and life, unconditionally, as far as possible. In that line was the seed of bin Ladens stance that even the killing of innocent civilians was justified in defense of the faith. American forces were encamped in Saudi Arabia since 1990 when Operation Desert Shield became the first step in the war to oust Saddam Husseins army from Kuwait. Abiding by extreme interpretations of Islam that the overwhelming majority of Muslim clerics around the world reject, bin Laden considered the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil an affront to Islam. He had, in 1990, approached the Saudi government and offered to organize his own campaign to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. The government politely rebuffed the offer. Until 1996, bin Laden, at least in the Western press, was an obscure figure occasionally referred to as a Saudi financier and militant. He was blamed for two bombings in Saudi Arabia in the previous eight months, including a bombing in Dhahran that killed 19 Americans. Bin Laden denied involvement. He was also known as one of the sons of Mohammed bin Laden, the developer and founder of the Bin laden Group and one of the richest men in Saudi Arabia outside the royal family. The bin Laden Group is still Saudi Arabias leading construction firm. By 1996, bin laden had been expelled from Saudi Arabia, his Saudi passport having been revoked in 1994, and expelled from Sudan, where he had established terrorist training camps and various legitimate businesses. He was welcomed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, but not exclusively out of the goodness of Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader. To maintain good graces with the Taliban, Steve Coll writes in The bin Ladens, a history of the bin Laden clan (V iking Press, 2008), Osama had to raise about $20 million per year for training camps, weapons, salaries, and subsidies for the families of volunteers. [...] Some of these budgets overlapped with business and construction projects Osama engaged in to please Mullah Omar. Yet bin Laden felt isolated in Afghanistan, marginalized and irrelevant. The declaration of jihad was the first of two explicit declarations of war against the United States. Fund-raising may very well have been part of the motive: by raising his profile, bin Laden was also drawing more interest from the sympathetic charities and individuals underwriting his efforts in Afghanistan. The second declaration of war was to be delivered in February 1998 and would include the West and Israel, giving certain donors even more incentive to contribute to the cause. By declaring war on the United States from a cave in Afghanistan, wrote Lawrence Wright in The Looming Tower, bin Laden assumed the role of an uncorrupted, indomitable primitive standing against the awesome power of the secular, scientific, technological Goliath; he was fighting modernity itself. It did not matter that bin Laden, the construction magnate, had built the cave using heavy machinery and that he had proceeded to outfit it with computers and advanced communications devices. The stance of the primitive was appealingly potent, especially to people who had been let down by modernity; however, the mind that understood such symbolism, and how it could be manipulated, was sophisticated and modern in the extreme. Bin Laden issued the 1996 declaration from the southern mountains of Afghanistan. It appeared on Aug. 31 in al Quds, a newspaper published in London. The response from the Clinton administration was close to indifferent. American forces in Saudi Arabia had been on a higher state of alert since the bombings, but bin Ladens threats changed nothing. Read the Text of bin Ladens 1996 Jihad Declaration

Medical uses of algae Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Medical uses of algae - Research Paper Example They include both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Algae both live and dead are being used by the humans. The fossil algal diatomite deposits in the shape of light but strong rocks are used as building materials and filtration media in water purification systems and swimming pools. Some fossil algae like Botryococcus are sources oil-rich deposits. Some other species of green algae are grown for obtaining bio chemicals for applications in medicine and cosmetics. The nuisance blue-green algae have beneficial uses especially Spirulina which is used as dietary supplement. The blue-green algae are better known as fresh water nuisance organisms which form as dense blooms affecting human activities through toxins generated by them, by clogging water courses and affecting recreational activities (Bellinger and Sigee). Alage has been described as organisms containing chlorophyll made up of one cell or grouped together in colonies or with many cells and at times joining together as simple tissues. Their sizes vary from unicellular of 3-10 um microns to giant kelps up to 70 mg long capable of growing 50 cm per day. They are found all over the earth in the sea, rivers, and lakes, also on soils and walls, in animal and plants (as symbionts-partners collaborating together) and it can just grow anywhere where light is available to conduct photosynthesis. Thus, alage are heterogeneous and identified in two major types: microalgae and microalgae. Microalgae grow in bentheic and littoral habitats and also in the ocean waters as Phytoplankton that comprises species such as diatoms, (bacillariophyta), dinoflagellates (dinophyta), green and yellow-brown flagellates (Chlorophyta; prasino-phyta; prymnesiophyta; cryptophyta, chrysophyta and rhaphdiophyta) and blue-green algae (cyano-phyta) (Gamal 1). Microalgal phyla provide chemical and pharmacological compounds besides bioactive compounds of marine resources back to compounds marine

International Business and Global Strategy Essay

International Business and Global Strategy - Essay Example As labor productivity rises, cost of production falls and producers profit rises (Baumol & Blinder, 2010). This leads to hike in overall wage rate in the economy. With rise in profit, there is technological advancement in the productive process and also capital per worker rises since the producer gets the incentive to expand production. This again boosts labor productivity (Bruce, 2004). When NAFTA was signed this fact raised concern since with lower productivity per worker the Mexican industries would deteriorate under free trade. 2. The Heckscher-Ohlin theorem explains that when a country engages in trade with another country, it would export those goods that utilize higher quantity of those factors of production, that are available in abundance in the country and would import those goods, production of which require relatively higher amounts of factor that is relatively scarce in the country (Arora, 2007). In simple terms, a country would export capital intensive commodities if th e capital to labor ratio is higher in the country compared to labor to capital ratio (Cherunilam, 2008). However, there is considerable debate regarding the validity of the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem. ... , although the United States has been acknowledged as a capital abundant country since the time of World War 2, it imports capital-intensive goods while exporting labor-intensive goods (Iastate, n.d.). Several economists have tried to provide an explanation for this paradoxical result, including Leontief himself. One reason behind this result is the notion of demand reversal. According to this concept, the US has relatively higher preference for capital intensive commodities. This raises price of capital while the price of labor is ultimately lower than capital. This indicates that US follows the H-O theorem while exporting labor intensive goods. Secondly, it is also argued that the US is a skill abundant country. Therefore, following the H-O theory the US exports labor intensive commodities. Although these explanations corroborate the H-O theorem, it is undoubted that the theorem in its own accord falls short of describing the pattern of international trade. Most of the assumptions underlying this theory are not realistic, such as; all countries do not have identical technology of production and all production processes do not follow constant returns to scale. Hence, according to my opinion, the H-O theorem needs to be reframed so as to be able to make more accurate predictions about international trade. 3. Flexible exchange rate system refers to the monetary system in which rate of exchange between two currencies belonging to two different countries is determined by market forces, i.e., the â€Å"forces of demand and supply† (Siddaiah, 2010, p. 43) existing in these countries. This system of determination of exchange rate between two currencies allows the foreign exchange market to determine actual worth of a currency. Therefore, changes automatically occur in the

2008 Presidential Debates Essay Example for Free

2008 Presidential Debates Essay The October 7 debate, sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, took place in Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee and Tom Brokaw (NBC News) was the moderator. Questions were selected from thousands of online messages and were based on domestic and foreign policy. Overall, the issue that dominated the debate was the economy with both candidates pointing out the mistakes of the past and laying down their plan for the future. Senator Obama and McCain on the economy Senator Obama started with pointing out that the country is in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and people are worried by about their jobs, pensions and their ability to send their children to schools. Senator Obama stated that the crisis was as a result of failed economic policies of the George Bush regime. Obama emphasized on regulating Wall Street, cracking down on CEOs and making sure they dont get bonuses and giving the middle class tax cuts. Senator McCain puts the blame on the democrats in the senate and in the congress who defended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Senator McCain plan is to stabilize home values and buy up bad loans. He also does not propose any tax cuts or increases. Senator Obama and McCain on energy Senator McCains plan is to enhance the use of nuclear energy since it is, as he puts it, safe and reliable. An added advantage of nuclear energy, according to him, is that the nuclear fuel spent can be reprocessed. Senator Obama puts energy among his top priority issues should he go ahead and win the presidency. He states that high gas prices are not only a strain to the family budget but also a threat to national security since countries like Russia and Venezuela were benefiting from high oil prices. Obama proposes a $15 billion ten year plan to guarantee independence from Middle Eastern oil. Senator Obama and McCain on health care Senator Obama proposes to lower the cost of premiums by up to $2,500 a year by investing in prevention. He puts emphasis on using information technology so that medical records are put in computers rather than in hospital forms. Senator McCain notes how everyone is struggling with health care and proposes giving every American a $5,000 refundable tax credit so that they can get their health care insurance. The October 15 debate took place in Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York and Bob Schieffer (CBS News) was the moderator. Focus on that day was on domestic policy. Senator McCain and Obama on economy Senator McCain once again blamed the input that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had that caused the housing market to collapse. Of the $700 billion allocated, McCain proposes to use 300 of that to buy the home loan mortgages and negotiate with home owners. Senator Obama reiterates that the financial rescue plan is an important step and proposes ending tax breaks for companies shipping jobs oversees and provide tax credit for companies creating jobs domestically. Senator Obama and McCain on energy Senator McCain plans to stop spending $700 billion annually in other countries on energy. He plans on investing in wind, tide, natural gas, nuclear and offshore drilling. He also suggests that Senator Obama is opposed to such initiatives. Senator Obama says that investing in a serious energy policy should help America to stop borrowing from China and spending in Saudi Arabia. Senator Obama and McCain on climate change The issue of energy and climate change goes hand in hand. Obama again talks of his plan to stop foreign oil dependence and making the oil companies drill from their unused land. He also says that he has focused on putting resource into solar, wind, bio-diesel and geothermal. Senator McCain points out the importance of starting offshore drilling right away.

Krakauers Into Thin Air and Boukreevs The Climb Essay -- Mountain Cl

Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Boukreev's The Climb On the day of May 10, 1996, several climbers were attempting to descend the slopes of Mount Everest in blizzard conditions: a time at which every moment mattered. Emerging from the pack, two climbers reached the safety of the tents of Camp Four before the majority of their teammates. Anatoli Boukreev and Jon Krakauer recounted the situation of that day in very different ways, but Krakauer seemed to portray Boukreev as an antagonist in his book, Into Thin Air. Boukreev proved in his own book, The Climb, that multiple actions called into question by Krakauer were in fact valuable steps that an experienced climber used in order to rescue clients in need. Krakauer repeatedly scolded Boukreev for not using supplemental oxygen above Camp Four during the summit push on May 10. Krakauer claimed that the lack of oxygen "didn't seem to be in their clients' best interests" (ITA, 186). The journalist seemed to be concerned that Boukreev, as a guide, should use oxygen because it would allow him to function more normally in the case of catastrophe. In fact, Boukreev disputed this point in The Climb, mentioning that he believed given proper acclimatization, it was safer to climb without oxygen. Krakauer himself suffered when he ran out of oxygen just before the South Summit: "entire sectors of my cerebral cortex seemed to have shut down altogether. Dizzy, fearing that I would black out, I was frantic to reach the South Summit." (ITA, 195) Boukreev believed that a climber who suddenly ran out of oxygen after consuming a tank would be in a much worse situation than one who had become used to climbing without gas at all. His decision not to use gas was primarily based on his past experience. Expedition leader Scott Fischer had allowed Boukreev to summit without oxygen, knowing that he had already reached the top of the world twice without it (ITA, 186). Fischer had even considered reaching the summit without oxygen himself. The Russian climber used the philosophy that "every ounce counts" while ascending a mountain; even the slightest extra weight would have a profound effect on the climbing ability of an individual. Though he did not use oxygen above Camp Four, Boukreev carried a single canister of oxygen with him in case of emergency; he gave it to fellow guide Neal Beidleman when the need arose. Since each canist... ... only a couple members to even attempt a rescue. These efforts were, for the most part, shrugged off by Krakauer. The Climb offers great detail of Boukreev's forays into the blizzard, and the resulting rescue of a group of climbers huddling together in the frigid temperatures. Both Charlotte Fox and Sandy Hill Pittman, members of the group, were close to dying; Boukreev quoted Lene Gammelgaard as saying, "Sandy very close [to dying]. Maybe if you will find, you will find her dead. And you need hurry." (Climb, 184) Boukreev single-handedly saved all members of the group except climber Yasuko Namba despite the intolerable conditions, a true testament to Boukreev's considerable experience and heroism. Anatoli Boukreev, despite Jon Krakauer's criticisms, was the most valuable member of the expeditions caught near the summit of Everest on May 10, 1996. His heroism and courage were recognized throughout the climbing community, and these traits warranted a receipt of the American Alpine Club's prestigious David A. Sowles Memorial Award. If more climbers in 1996 were as strong as Boukreev, all of the climbers who ascended in 1996 may have been able to descend safely from Mount Everest.

Building a Fire to Fight Nature Essay

Jack London’s title for the story â€Å"To Build a Fire† starts the reader off with a very basic idea; building a fire. Almost anyone can build a fire. All it takes is a match and some kindling. London’s story is about more then building a fire, though. This story is about a man’s belief in himself, self-confidence and even arrogance, to such an extent that he doesn’t recognize the power of nature around him. London’s story is more like a â€Å"Man against Nature† story. London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire† casts a clear image that in the ever long-lasting battle between man and nature, nature is not a force that should be reckoned with. The author’s characters are even very general. The main character of the story is never given a name except to be called a â€Å"chechaqua† or newcomer in the land. â€Å"The constant struggle of Man against the natural world and physical forces which threaten to undo him at any moment is expressed greatly by this story.†(Colin) This is not a story about one individual person or one isolated incident, but a story used to illustrate a larger continuous gamble or battle between man and nature. London spends the first few paragraphs setting the physical scene. The setting is in Alaska along the Yukon River. It is close to the end of winter but the sun is still not yet in the sky. It is mentioned that this does not bother the man. The rest of the setting is described around the man and the places he has passed on this current journey and where else the trail leads in other directions. The description of the scenery is one of the most intriguing aspects of this story. London had a way of almost making the reader feel cold for the man in the story just by his descriptions of the surrounding territory. â€Å"The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice was as many feet of snow. It was all pure white, rolling in gentle undulations where the ice jams of the freeze-up had formed. North and south as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken white..†(Charters, 910) The scene is set as beautiful, peaceful and cold. The harshness of this physical setting begins to become more and more clear as the story  progresses. Later the man notices that his spit is cracking and freezing before it reaches the ground. He remembers that at fifty degrees below zero spit will freeze when it hits the ground. â€Å"Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below.†(911) This also means that there is at least 107 degrees of frost if it is truly 75 degrees below freezing. To increase the readers awareness of the cold, London describes how the mans breath is freezing on his whiskers and beard, the man is also chewing tobacco and with the temperature as cold as it is his cheeks and lips are numb and his spit tends to just end up on his beard and freezes in seconds. This man must be out of his mind to be out in the wilderness in these extreme climate conditions. â€Å"Seeing a man that oblivious to the dangers of traveling alone in colder than fifty below weather, walking on ice, and making a fire under a snow covered tree should be enough to substantiate that he was not unlucky but just plain stupid!†(Wilson) The man starts to grow this â€Å"crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber.†(912) The surroundings are beautiful, peaceful and cold but the man did not see the danger that nature could bring upon him. That it was too cold out to travel or that it could get worse â€Å"was a thought that never entered his head.†(912) The man had a native of the land with him. â€Å"At the man’s heels trotted a dog.†(911) No name is ever given to the dog in the story. Another way for London to keep the story general and the focus on the theme. The dog is a big, native Husky, a brother to the wild wolf it had the instincts to respect nature. The dog knew the temperature was too cold to be traveling but stayed at the man’s heels. The dog plays a dual role in this story. He plays the man’s conscience and natures voice and personification. â€Å"Often a dog can reflect the same personality and character traits as it’s owner. Dogs are extremely intelligent creatures and will reflect and behavior that they are exposed to for lengthy periods of time.†(Feinson, 127) The man treats the dog the same way he treats nature; with no respect. The dog is just a tool, a sled dog and later considered expendable to possibly save the man’s life. The man treats nature much the same way. The dog also shows at  the end how nature moves on. The dog stays to watch the man as he dies and once the dog realizes the man is dead he runs off to the cabin where there are â€Å"other food providers and fire providers†(921) The protagonist in the story is the unnamed man. He’s a â€Å"newcomer† to this area of Alaska and it his first winter. He is on his way to a cabin at a claim where he will meet up with â€Å"the boys.† London refers to him as a man without â€Å"imagination† but, â€Å"quick and alert in the things of life.†(910) It is this lack of imagination that makes the man unable to believe or heed the warnings of the veteran Alaskan men who told him not to travel alone when it is fifty below. One needs to have a second person to try and start a fire if the first person should fail. But, the man in the story is over confident. He stops once and makes a fire without a problem to thaw his face so he can eat his lunch. The man doesn’t notice how much the dog wants to stay at the fire. He doesn’t respect the instincts of the native animal. The trail follows along a creek, which is frozen but has natural springs along it that create small pools of water with thin ice and coatings of snow to cover them up. The man almost prides himself on how well he can spot these warning signs of possible danger. He also is increasingly happy with the pace he is keeping. The man soon falls into one of nature’s little traps, a small pool of water, and has only a few minutes to build a fire and get warm and dry before he freezes to death. He tries to stay as calm as possible but in his haste doesn’t pick a good spot to build a fire. He realizes too late when the heat from the fire he has just built starts to melt the snow in the tree branches above him and drops down smothering the fire. â€Å"A man alone in the wilderness coupled with stupidity is a deadly combination. To deal with nature takes skill and know-how, this man seems to have neither, he was doomed from the moment he went off alone.†(website) When it is 75 degrees below freezing one person doesn’t have a second chance to build a fire. The temperature is just too cold and exposed parts of the body will start to freeze. The man still believes in his strength to overcome the power of nature and continues to try and build a fire. He doesn’t succeed and at the end accepts his fate and falls asleep thinking about the next day when â€Å"the boys† would find him. The  story is an illustration of what can happen to a person that doesn’t respect nature and its power. â€Å"This is the story of a man’s struggle against nature, trying to survive against impossible odds in a universe indifferent to an individuals fate.†(909) The man was so confident in himself that he traveled with nothing but his lunch and a few matches and birch bark to start a fire. â€Å"He has also been warned not to travel alone in such cold, but he goes anyway, with only his dog and confidence for a companion.†(Synopsis, 220) He has no company, or supplies for the possibility he may confront some type of danger. Whether the danger be with another animal or with his surroundings. The short version of the story was originally published in the Boy Scouts of America Handbook. Any Boy Scout might remember the story form when they were a kid and the lessons that were taught from it when they were younger. They were taught to respect nature for what it is, what it can do, and of course, to always be prepared. If you aren’t, nature will take it’s toll, and what a deadly toll it can be.