Metaphysics Essays - Philosophy Of Science, Metaphysics, Ontology

Metaphysics Bringing "metaphysical mind set" into my life has been a tremendously rewarding experience. It made me realize that most often humans have propensity for getting by something with the least possible expenditure of thought because thinking appears to be hard and burdensome to them. However, tackling something with a minimum of thought is like driving in twilight with no lights on. According to Heidegger, it is a downright hindrance to pure objective employment of one's intellect, which amounts to no more than an impediment to an enhancement of one's cognitive powers. I view science as the primary means of learning about life. Science becomes our passion when we realize that it is the grounds for our existence. However, man's cognitive processes are based on his or her perceptions where human five senses are the only tools for acquiring data from the outside world. Sadly enough, all scientific systems people created tend to be incomplete and full of paradoxes since it's impossible to get out of oneself to see the world in itself, that is the way the world truly IS. Hence, it would be reasonable to conclude that humans do not have the accurate and the true knowledge of the natural laws comprising the Universe. Nevertheless, science improves as better and more accurate data is extracted from the outside world with humans developing sophisticated technology as means of obtaining more precise scientific data. Thus, as science and technology get more advanced, humans become conscious of metaphysical problems they had never encountered. From this standpoint, I believe that science and metaphysics have the common goal but different ways of reaching that goal. Metaphysics and science go hand in hand in their evolution. It's greatly fascinating for me to regard myself as a metaphysical object full of mysterious unexplored intrinsic methods to cognize the unsolved systems inside and outside of us. Every achievement offers several options of going a particular direction. For example, one can use technology the way the ancient Greeks meant it to be used, particularly utilizing the sense of the word techne. On the other hand, one can degrade oneself perverting the original purpose of the technology advancement. Thus, I assume that one can legitimately view human progress in all fields of science and humanities as a recursive process deepening and broadening the tree structure of various paths humans can take to achieve their goals. It implies that more metaphysical questions will arise in the future as the progress goes on. One might argue that metaphysical questions appear born, emerge out of nothingness without having previously existed in nothingness. Being a soft determinist, I am personally inclined to believe that all the metaphysical questions that have arisen, arise, and will arise had previously existed. They do not appear born. We simply become aware of them as we advance our evolutionary realization of the world's complexity. We merely find ways of extrapolating them from the world in itself, from the true world outside of us. All in all, metaphysics reveals itself to me as an unquenchable urge to be ushered unto the noble and innovative task of getting in tune with actuality. It's not a new religion, neither is it a system created by men. Rather, it constitutes an intrinsic desire to know the truth, to choose the impartial path devoid of prejudice, bias, or preconceived notion. Choosing this path requires a certain level of maturity, and I candidly hope that in the future I can truly call myself a metaphysician, which is not a profession, but a way of life.

Final Destination 2 Critique essays

Final Destination 2 Critique essays Final Destination II is a sequel of Final Destination, which hit box offices about four years ago. In Final Destination Devon Sawa has a vision that the plane he and his classmates are on is going to blow up. He ends up saving many people, and the plane did blow up. The whole movie ends up being about a group of friends (survivors) trying to beat death, at he end of this movie the only survivor is Rivers. Final Destination II starts off with a girl named Kimberly, who sees a vision of a terrible accident that she and a group of people will be involved in. In order to stop this terrible act, she blocks off the road so the group of people can't get on the freeway, which will later prevent an accident. While death is not easily thwarted and her friends are wiped out in the crash, she is saved by a policeman. They form the core of nine strangers, many of whom initially don't believe Kimberly's warnings that the incident recalls the first film's much-publicized deadly weirdness. The first one to go is a very happy lottery winner who doesn't believe a word Kimberly said. Convinced that death is out to get her and the others Kimberly seeks the help of Rivers the only survivor of last years plane crash incident. Voluntarily Rivers is in an institution to prevent herself from any accidents, and when Kimberly asks her for help she clearly doesn't volunteer, but later decides to help. Kimberly and Rivers rally up the group after the death of another victim and they contact a man that works at a morgue who knows about cheating death. After this the group is looking for the woman who would have been involved in the accident that was pregnant (thinking that a newborn life will cheat death). While looking for this woman, terrible accidents happen and the group is left with only Kimberly and the policeman. They end up finding this woman and she has the baby, but this isn't the way to cheat deat...

Female Genital Mutilation Comparing Two Primary Source Articles Essay

Female Genital Mutilation Comparing Two Primary Source Articles - Essay Example The two articles; "Wanjiku: Life of A Traditional Woman" by Jean Davison and "National Bodies, Unspeakable Acts: The Sexual Politics of Colonial Policy Making" by Susan Pedersen have given great insight into the myriad aspects of the custom and the controversy surrounding it. Indeed, both the articles have made it clear that female circumcision had not only cultural significance but the political connotations of the issue had superseded its relevance or non relevance in Kenya, especially in the early and mid twentieth century. It was the time when female circumcision was an intrinsic part of socio-cultural dynamics of Kenya which had become synonymous with the identity of Kikuyu. As can be adjudged by Wanjiku's narration, the inhabitants were deeply rooted in the way of life the "Gikuyu" (i.e the cultural community) proposed. A very strong joint family structure was prevalent and their entire life was concentrated within their circles. Having said so, the custom of Irua which could be a barbaric vestige to our perception was as natural for them as a harvesting season festival or a wedding. The Irua was a custom of central significance to the Kikuyu life. The public ceremony marked a new phase in the life of women, it bonded those who were "initiated" very strongy and established a hierarchical structure in the community. Sir Grigg observed in one his letters to Sidney Webb at the Colonial Office," This faction, through its ill-advised attitude, done more than anything else to delay the emancipation of Kikuyu womanhood".1 Though there was some element of truth to this statement, I believe it is important to target the heart of the matter itself. What led to Irua or Clitoridectomy to occupy such an important position in the life of Kikuyu members in the first place What is the heart of the matter The real trigger As described in Pedersen's text, Historians have sidelined in detail how the estrangement and settlement of white population pockets," the establishment of adjoining "native reserves," the construction of a system of "tribal" authority often at odds with earlier political structures, and the deliberate use of taxation and legislation to restrict Africans' freedom to grow cash crops and to coerce them into wage labor left many Kikuyu with little of their "traditional" life, except perhaps the still-powerful rituals of clitoridectomy and male circumcision." 2 Not surprisingly, Irua became synonymous with Kikuyu pride and thus gained momentum as a tradition that signified national pride. The many sides of the coin The nationalist sentiments on the basis of this custom were fanned as the custom was not allowed to remain confined to the community. It soon catapulted into the pivot around which colonial and nationalist arguments and revolutions were based. While on one

Plea Bargaining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plea Bargaining - Essay Example Sometimes evidence, prior history, wealth and family can lure someone in power to change the way they may feel about prosecution others. The prosecuting attorney is the one who would decide whether a plea bargain is suitable. This should not be the case. A prosecuting attorney can decide to let someone whom is convicted to accept a plea bargain. Sometimes the plea bargain is given to the wrong person. Plea bargaining should be abolished under certain circumstances. Crimes that are a felony offense should not be able to accept a plea bargain. If the charge is damaging enough to qualify as a felony, the charge should not be able to be lessened. Those who are guilty of a certain crime should be held responsible for the crime committed. To give an example of why plea bargaining should be abolished in some cases is important. If a man in convicted of a felony rape charge, the charge can put the man in jail. In jail he will be forced to serve time for a crime that he committed. While in ja il, he can no longer hurt anyone else. If the man is offered a plea bargain and this plea bargain will keep him out of jail, he will be free to be out on the streets again. In this case, he may commit another crime. This can allow taking another victim. It is easy to see how this could have been avoided. On the other hand, there is a good side to offering a plea bargain.

A Rose for Emily Critical Analisis Research Paper

A Rose for Emily Critical Analisis - Research Paper Example Even though Emily commits the gruesome murder of Homer Baron, her lover, she must be excused on account of her powerlessness to rid herself of the imposed personality. In sum, Emily’s character and actions are born out of external influences over which she has no control. Outline I Nature of Emily’s relationship with her father II Character traits of Mr. Grierson Class consciousness Patriarchal nature III Grierson’s influence on Emily’s personality IV Murder of Homer Baron V Conclusion Analysis Emily spends most of her adult life by her father’s side. Her father objects to all endeavors by eligible suitors to marry Emily partly due to the pride of class. The Griersons had considered themselves as occupying a privileged position in the society (Ruthmann 56). They did not wish to make any kind of acquaintances with the townspeople because of the divide on matters of class. As a result of this, Emily had learnt to accept her father as the only relevant companion in her life. After her father’s death, and later after the disappearance of Homer, she remained in solitude, â€Å"After her father’s death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all† (Faulkner 12). It might be necessary to examine Mr. Grierson’s character in light of its possible influences on Emily. Grierson is portrayed as a domineering father with a strong character and irreconcilable aversion to common people. He is a man who could not compromise his social status and perspectives for ordinary things. As the only man in Emily’s world, he imparted these lopsided views on the young woman thus converting her into an antisocial individual. Mr. Grierson created a private mental universe in which he could live out his fantasies of class supremacy and patriarchal prejudices. He forced his daughter to share in this world and the two adopted a bird’s eye view on the society, which they regar ding in particularly demeaning terms. Mr. Grierson desired to convert her daughter into a super-human individual that could exist beyond the touch of all that was ordinary. It was precisely because of these delusions of grandeur that he disallowed Emily to marry the many suitors that came her way, â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such† (Faulkner 34). This would be the beginning of the unnatural feelings of necrophilia that would later demolish the citadel of grandeur in which she had been forced into by a patronizing Grierson. Emily shares a single mind with her father and appears ready to continue this union to the physical level. Her refusal to admit the reality of her father’s death and the three days reluctance to release the corpse for burial offers strong hints at the kind of physical bond, which she had nurtured towards her father. Her father was the singular point of reference in her life of social exclusion and represented the only essence of affection and company, which she could truly relate to. With his demise, Emily’s life lost all meaning. Naturally, Emily might have fought off her genuine feelings of love and compassion in an effort to stay the course on which her father had placed her. She sacrificed her individuality and sense of self with the intention of walking the straight and narrow established by her overbearing father. The force of patriarchy, which her father so brazenly embodied, would later fend off all forms

Freezing Point Depression Osmometer

Freezing Point Depression Osmometer 1. Osmolality is a commonly used unit of measurement that represents the concentration of a solution as the total number of solutes per kilogram of pure solvent (mOsm/kg): where Ø is the osmotic coefficient accounting for the degree of molecular dissociation; n is the number of particles left after the molecule dissociates in solvent, where n = 1 for non-electrolytes; and C is the molal concentration of the solution (moles/kg of water). As a variant of molality, only osmotically active particles that affect a solutions osmotic pressure are considered. It is the number, rather than the size of type, of these solutes that controls the osmotic pull of a solution. Specifically, the presence of solute particles dilutes the solvent and restricts it to remain as a liquid as it is entropically favorable. Fittingly, the freezing point depresses proportionally with the increase in solute concentration since the temperature continues to drop instead of reaching a plateau during the process of crystallization as more pure solvent becomes separated from solution leaving behind a smaller mass of liquid with higher solute concentration. Accordingly, the concentra tion of a solution can be determined by its relationship with this colligative property; thus, osmolality is really a measure of the chemical ac of water in an aqueous solution of dissolved particles. Overall, this term-independent of temperature and pressure-is used in medical laboratories (as opposed to osmolarity (mOsm/L) for bedside calculations) to describe the osmotic strength of bodily fluids as it can be easily attained by freezing point osmometry. A freezing point depression osmometer quantifies the amount of osmotically important body fluid chemicals dissolved in blood serum by the relationship that 1 mole of particles decreases the freezing point of 1 kg of water by 1.86à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °C. This device is calibrated using standards within the osmolal range of interest (250-350 mOsm/kg for blood serum). Applied on a paper slide, the sample is inserted into an insulated-cooling module of circulating ethylene glycol and water refrigerants that chill the solution below its freezing point. An operating head then slides down on the sample container, immersing a thermistor temperature probe and stirring wire. Once the solvent molecules have aggregated and been supercooled, the stirring is set to vibrate more rapidly and aggressively to seed the solution with crystals, partially freezing it into a slush. During this liquid-to-solid phase transition, thermal energy is released into the solution as heat of fusion and proceeds until a tem perature plateau that is slightly below the true freezing point is reached. The thermistor responds to this temperature change by altering its electrical resistance, thereby creating small variations in current sensed by a galvanometer, which also detects the direction of current flow in the Wheatstone bridge that subsequently measures the unknown resistance. Lastly, a balancing potentiometer adjusts this resistance until the galvanometer returns to its null position of zero current, sequentially displaying the osmolality that is calculated by the following formula: where kf is the cryoscopic constant (1.86 Kà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦kg/mol) and ΆT is the temperature change. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic endocrine disease characterized by abnormally high serum glucose (>360 mOsm/kg). In a study conducted by Siervo et al., they measured blood serum osmolality levels in diabetic and non-diabetic older adults as an indicator of their hydration status, which is correlated to this disease. By using the Bland-Altman method to compare to a measured reference standard (via an osmometer), a successful serum osmolarity prediction formula-based on freezing point depression-was used to assess osmotically important chemicals in the control and study group: Calculated Osmolarity = 1.86 ÃÆ'- (Na+ + K+) + 1.15 ÃÆ'- glucose + urea +14 (mmol/L) (eq.3) With 79% sensitivity and 89% specificity, this equation serves as a first-stage screening method for diabetes diagnosis. Individuals with diabetes mellitus was shown to have higher serum osmolality levels (> 300 mOsm/kg) and glucose levels characteristic of their dehydration state. 2. Fluorescence anisotropy describes the phenomenon that occurs when a fluorophore that has been excited with linearly polarized light emits fluorescence with unequal intensities along different polarization axes as its absorption and emission transition moments lie along specific directions within its structure. The degree of this linear polarisation in its emission-resulting from photoselection of an optically isotropic sample-is described by its steady-state anisotropy: where I|| and Ià ¢Ã…  Ã‚ ¥ are relative intensities detected for emission that is parallel and perpendicular to the electric vector of linearly polarized incident light, respectively (where a non-zero reveals a polarized emission). The denominator represents total fluorescence intensity (I) as it incorporates the three mutually orthogonal emission components, including the second perpendicular emission plane that sets anisotropy apart from polarization. By timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ resolved measurements, this quantifies depolarisation of fluorescence emission mainly caused by an energy transfer to another molecule of a different orientation or rotation (due to Brownian motion). Subsequently, enzyme-substrate binding constants and reaction kinetics can be studied since the rotational correlation time of a molecule would change, which is related to anisotropy by a Perrin equation thus allowing for determination of its molecular size and mobility: (eq. 2) where ro is fundamental anisotropy of the fluorophore; à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ is the fluorescence lifetime; and ÃŽÂ ¸ is the rotational correlation time. The purpose of the study conducted by Schrell et al. was to develop a microfluidic biochemical test that can monitor insulin secretion dynamics upon glucose stimulation of single islets via interactions between insulin and its antibody. They were inspired by the fact that assays available today involves difficult separation systems that pose a challenge to non-specialized laboratories. This device can examine mechanisms behind abnormal secretions of metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus in real-time. Islets of Langerhans were isolated from male mice and incubated in RPMI-1640 media. A singlet islet was housed in a microfluidic chamber and stimulated with various levels of glucose from a gravity-based perfusion system. These channels have inputs for low and high glucose concentrations. Flowing from a top-to-bottom direction, most of t he mixed perfusion solution is sent to waste through a shunt channel while a portion of it is directed to a sealed islet chamber. The total perfusate containing the islet secretions then combines with solutions of high affinity insulin antibodies (Ab) and Cy5-labeled insulin* as it passes the assay mixing channel where both insulin and insulin* competitively bind to Ab. Since insulin* has a smaller rotational time compared to the Ab-insulin* complex, its emission is more depolarized and by measuring the bound/free ratio of the Ab-insulin* complex and free insulin*-via capillary or microfluidic electrophoresis-insight on insulin secretion dynamics can be gained as it is indirectly proportional to the amount of insulin in the sample. With a laser-induced fluorescence detection system, linearly polarized light from a 635-nm laser passes through a linear polarizer and reaches a dichroic mirror that focuses the beam towards the microfluidic channel (to excite the immunoassay mixture) vi a a microscope which also collects the fluorescence light emitted from the sample. It then travels back to the dichroic mirror and through an emission and 635-nm notch filter for removal of stray incident light. Next, a cube-shaped polarizing beam splitter splits the emission into parallel (Ià ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¥) and perpendicular (Ià ¢Ã…  Ã‚ ¥) component intensities to individual linear polarizers before detection by PMTs. The fluorescein-PMT signals are converted to anisotropy via eq. 1 and by using its online fluorescence anisotropy immunoassay calibration curve, insulin concentration (thus its online secretion dynamics) can be determined. 3. Created primarily by plasma cells, antibodies (or immunoglobulins) are large Y-shaped proteins recruited by the immune system to neutralize foreign agents via a precise lock-key binding mechanism. They attach to the epitope of antigens using the paratope of its fragment antigen-binding (Fab) region with high specificity. Although widely established and characterized in proteomics, antibodies have limited target potential since their targets must elicit a strong immune response for these proteins to be produced. Recently, the revolutionary development of a simple, controlled, and scalable in-vitro technique called systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) has allowed for the isolation and identification of aptamers which were evolved from random oligonucleotide pools. Unlike their protein counterparts, these small oligonucleotide or peptide ligands can fold into unique 3D structures than can bind to many classes of target biomolecules due their wide range i n molecular recognition. Therefore, these high-affinity ligands have the benefit of unlimited diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Aptamers can now supplement monoclonal antibodies in pharmaceutical research since they have greater advantages in their stability, in-vitro capability, size, immunogenicity, target potential, production, and ability to be modified. First, the temperature resistance of aptamers prevents denaturation and loss of structure, providing them stability at room temperature. Antibodies, contrastingly, require refrigeration as proteins denature easily, degrade over time, and have a shorter shelf life. Though, proteins have the benefit of not being affected by nuclease enzymes found in the body, which specifically cleave nucleic acid bonds. Second, aptamers are made in-vitro via SELEX; this selection means that they can be manipulated to adapt to any conditions. For antibodies, the adaptability of proteins made in-vivo are restricted to the environment of the host animal as their distribution requires the stimulation of an immune response in that live organism. Third, these smaller-sized aptam ers enable them to interact with targets that may be inaccessible to the larger proteins like cell surface targets and fragments. Also, despite their improved bioavailability, they have a shortened half-life due to susceptibility to kidney filtration. Fourth, the immunogenicity of aptamers protects them from recognition by the immune system and a subsequent negative immune response. Conversely, antibodies are frequently tagged as foreign substances which, with higher dosing, increases their chances of eliciting an immune response. Fourth, with unlimited target potential, aptamers have a greater selection of targets compared to antibodies since their targets are independent of the immune system. Fifth, aptamer synthesis does not require the large-scale production of many different colonies in cell cultures that antibodies depend on which is costly, subjected to viral or bacterial contamination, and may cause variation per batch created. Lastly, aptamers can readily adopt conjugation chemistries such as dye or functional group attachments without it being stochastic, negatively affecting activity, or leading to product mixtures hence any shortcomings such serum degradation, variable pharmacokinetic and systemic properties, can be combated with additional modifications. The SELEX process is an useful technique that can decipher a proteins binding site on ss-DNA/RNA or peptides. This enrichment protocol requires the following steps: (1) define the target molecule; (2) form a large combinatorial double-stranded oligonucleotide library of DNA/RNA ligands with primer binding sites at its ends and wobble bases in the middle for potential PCR amplification; (3) expose this pool of oligonucleotides to the target molecule; (4) partition and isolate the successful binding aptamers that have been selected by the target molecule from the non-binding ones then amplify and subject them to additional selection cycles for further enchainment; (5) from the remaining small amount of high affinity binding molecules: isolate and sequence the individual aptamers, then refine them with altered nucleoside triphosphates like 2-fluoro-dCTP to increase stability against endonuclease degradation by becoming unrecognized. 4. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy is a high axial-resolution imaging technique used to visualize a thin region of live specimen cells that have been incorporated with fluorescent molecules. Supported on a glass slide, this microscope optically sections the cell-substrate interface and emphasizes near membrane molecular events that are within ~100nm of the sample-coverslip contact region. Accordingly, single molecule fluorescence can be detected for fluorophores situated near adherent cell surfaces as they are being selectively irradiated, thereby minimizing excitation of fluorophores outside this focal plane and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. This removes any out-of-focus intracellular fluorescence and reduces cellular photodamage, allowing for high-contrast and spatial resolution image production. With these advances, the biochemical kinetics and spatial-temporal dynamics of single biomolecules that are associated exclusively with process occurring at or ne ar the plasma membrane can now be studied. Depending on the incidence angle and refractive index differences of the two media, the collimated light beam can be reflected at the interface or refracted as it enters the second medium limiting most of the light to the higher-index medium. In TIRFM, total internal reflection occurs as the laser excitation on the glass microscope slide (n = 1.518) propagates the light wave towards an interface of a lower-index, aqueous medium (n = 1.33-1.37) at an incident angle greater than the critical angle. The critical angle can be calculated by Snells Law: (eq.1) where n(1) is the higher refractive index; n(2) is the lower refractive index; sin(ÃŽÂ ¸c) is the critical incident angle relative to the normal of the interface; and sin(90à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °) is the corresponding refracted angle. When the beam completely reflects into the microscope slide, a highly restricted electromagnetic field is induced in the specimen medium, immediately adjacent and perpendicular to the interface. With the same frequency as the incident light, this evanescent field extends a few hundred nanometers into the specimen. Since its intensity decays exponentially with distance, it can selectively excite fluorophores near the glass surface given that the energies of their electronic transitions match the wavelength bandwidth of the beam relative to its resonance conditions: (eq.2) where E(z) is the energy at a perpendicular distance z from the interface; E(0) is the energy at the interface; (d) is the penetration depth. The secondary fluorescence emission of the fluorophores is confined to a thin region and detected by microscope optics by the prism or objective lens method. Bowser and Khakh conducted a study to decipher the mechanisms behind astrocyte transmitter release during exocytosis by using TIRFM to image individual SpH-laden vesicles and discovered that these events were either evoked or occurred spontaneously. They used mixed hippocampal neuron-astrocyte cultures that were transfected with synaptopHluorin cDNA because this genetically encoded fluorescent SpH reporter allowed visualization of exocytosis at the single-vesicle level by exploiting changes in pH. With the objective lens adjusted to a high numerical aperture, total internal reflection was attained with a coherent laser source and the subsequent evanescent field event excited SpHs near the coverslip-sample interface. These SpH events appeared as spontaneous increases in fluorescence intensity as the loaded vesicles became brighter when they entered the evanescent field. Eventually, as the vesicles fused with the plasma membrane, the signal rapidly decreased as the fluorescently label ed contents diffused out of the cell. In agreement with the hypothesis, ionomycin (a calcium ionophore) increased its frequency during this event, which proves that these SpH events are representative of exocytosis. For further support, the investigators compared this control group with a negative control cells transfected with plasmids encoding for the light chain of botulinum toxin E. As expected, no SpH events were seen since this neurotoxin specifically cleaves proteins involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis. 5. Gel electrophoresis is a laboratory method that uses an electric field to push a mixture of charged molecules-macromolecules or nanoparticles-through a porous (agarose or polyacrylamide) gel which serves as a separation medium. Unlike oligonucleotides, proteins and their fragments are not only separated and analyzed based on differences in size, but mostly by the magnitude of their charge. Generally, nucleic acids are sorted and visualized using agarose gel electrophoresis after being dispensed into the wells-by an operator-made during the casting of the gel. It takes advantage of DNA being negatively charged at neutral pH in the presence of ionic solutions like TAE or TBE due to its sugar-phosphate backbone. Connected to a power source, the gel is placed in an electrophoresis chamber. When an electric current is applied, they migrate from the cathode to the positively charged anode across the agarose matrix. The buffer solution serves to maintain the pH and salt concentration and contains 0.5-2.0% w/v of added agarose to successfully form a porous lattice to retard molecular motions by a sieving mechanism. Hence, shorter substrates travel faster and farther than longer ones as they can easily move through the pores, creating distinct bands based on their differential rates of migration. The gel can then be visualised with a U.V. trans-illuminator after staining the DNA with ethidium bromide. Contrarywise, capillary electrophoresis uses a fused-silica capillary tube that is filled with a polymer solution (such as hydroxyethylcellulose) instead of the traditional physical gel. It is essentially electrophoresis being conducted in a capillary tube, which also accomplishes size separation by inserting positive and negative platinum electrodes at its two ends, application of DC current and high voltage with a power supply, using buffer reservoirs for the mobile phase, and employing an on-column detector. However, the DNA samples are loaded differently by electrok inetically injecting them into the separation medium at inlet end. A positive charge is created at the outlet of the capillary to attract these negatively charged DNA via suction, which will then travel to the detector to produce a signal used to create an electropherogram. This method is the most efficient modern separation technique due to its shorter loading time and higher-resolution results, which is governed by the Van-Deemter formula where a smaller plate height indicates a higher efficiency of separation. The velocity of solute transport down the capillary tube is governed by the following equation: (eq. 2) where Veo is the electroosmotic velocity; Ve is the electrophoretic velocity; and Vtotal is the apparent ionic velocity. Specifically, the electroosmotic flow of the solution describes the nature of fluid movement and occurs due to the charge distribution at the silica/capillary interface. The negatively charged, surface bound silanol groups of the fused silica (~pKa 4) contains tightly adsorbed cations above it is the net positively charged-diffuse part of the double layer that is rich in cations. Beyond this, the bulk solution is electrically neutral. In other words, an electric double layer forms at the capillary wall. Under an electric field, the excessive solvated cations pull the water molecules during migration from the anode (inlet) towards the cathode (outlet) of the capillary, where the detector is located. This net movement of the solution front is described by the following formula: (eq. 3) where Veo is the electroosmotic velocity; ÃŽÂ ¼eo isthe electroosmotic mobility; and E is the electric field strength. Moreover, the electrophoretic mobility of the solute is based on the movement of a charged molecule under an electric field, which is proportional to its charge/solute size (q/r) ratio: (eq. 4) where Veo is the electrophoretic velocity; ÃŽÂ ¼eo isthe electrophoretic mobility; and E is the electric field strength. In the presence of electroosmotic flow, the magnitude of velocity for positive ions is greater than negative ions since they are naturally inclined to travel in the direction of the cathode rather than in reverse. References Question 1: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/100/3/867.short http://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/345770 http://panza.uchicago.edu/Phys.261/materials/Osmometer/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-4431.2008.00311.x/pdf http://www.geminibv.nl/labware/advanced-instruments-inc.-3300-micro-osmometer/advance-micro-osmometer-3300-users-guide.pdf/view https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3886624/ http://www.openisbn.com/preview/0471285722/%20 http://www.iupui.edu/~cletcrse/380/ch3suppos.htm https://books.google.ca/books?id=z9SzvsSCHv4Cpg=PA57lpg=PA57dq=osmometer+instrumentationsource=blots=JphQsqNWnFsig=UJ3t-Ax6d3kHyQEjdA40I5S8wx8hl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjDyYqH7ZXSAhUb0IMKHSScAgcQ6AEIRjAH#v=onepageq=osmometer%20instrumentationf=false https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-sciences-practice/physical-sciences-practice-tut/e/-using-a-freezing-point-depression-osmometer-to-measure-serum-osmolality Question 2 http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/ay/c6ay02899c https://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/pdf/2013/pdf/85030589.pdf http://www.horiba.com/fileadmin/uploads/Scientific/Documents/Fluorescence/Tech_Note2_-_Anisotropy.pdf http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-0-387-46312-4_10 https://www.picoquant.com/applications/category/life-science/fluorescence-anisotropy-polarization http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~traceslab/FLD_Anisotropy.pdf Question 3 http://aptamerstbc2013.wixsite.com/aptamers/vs-monoclonal-antibodies http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v9/n7/box/nrd3141_BX1.html https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_is_the_monoclonal_antibody_used_more_than_the_aptamer http://www.basepairbio.com/research-and-publications/aptamer-applications/aptamers-antibodies/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17627883 https://www.google.ca/search?safe=strictespv=2q=advantages+of+antibodies+verus+apatmersoq=advantages+of+antibodies+verus+apatmersgs_l=serp.3..30i10k1.10392.13224.0.13547.15.15.0.0.0.0.155.1255.8j5.13.0.01c.1.64.serp..2.9.9150i22i30k1j33i160k1j33i21k1.QfKckWwb9sI http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v5/n6/full/nprot.2010.66.html https://www.trilinkbiotech.com/tech/selex.asp https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21720957 Question 4 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091679X08006079 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11733042 http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/techniques/fluorescence/tirf/tirfhome.html http://jcs.biologists.org/content/123/21/3621.short https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964103/ http://www.pnas.org/content/104/10/4212.full https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/fluorescence/total-internal-reflection-fluorescence-tirf-microscopy http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v1/n6/full/nprot.2006.449.html Question 5 http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/emfpu/genetics/explained/electrophoresis https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/courses

Obesity and the American Disabilities Act :: Obesity and the ADA of 1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) bans discrimination based on disability. It provides individuals with disabilities civil rights protections like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin and religion (Mathias, 2003). The ADA defines â€Å"disability† as a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities and will not consider obese individuals as disabled unless the weight limits a major life activity. Federal courts have ruled that morbid obesity falls under the category of medical conditions which limit one or more life activities (Garcia, n.d). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established basic federal laws on employment discrimination. It does not identify weight as a protected characteristic, and as a result, does not provide protection for obese individuals who have been discriminated against by potential or current employers. Obesity is now being called an epidemic affecting millions of individuals in the United States. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has taken the position that morbid obesity, even if voluntary, can be a protected disability under the ADA. Obesity-related health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension are considered disabilities based on the ADA. The article on obesity in the workplace tells the story of Joseph O’Connor. Mr. O’Connor sued McDonald’s for discriminating against him in violation of the ADA. He alleged that McDonald’s refused to hire him as a cook because of his obesity. Mr. O’Connor claimed his obesity was a disability and McDonald’s discriminated against him because of this disability. McDonald’s sought to dismiss the case, stating Mr. O’Connor was not disabled within the meaning of the ADA. The federal court, however, refused to dismiss the lawsuit. The court held that Oâ€℠¢Connor must be given the chance to prove that he is protected under the law (Garcia, n.d.). The challenge in dealing with the controversy, of discrimination and disability, surrounding obesity must involve the legal and medical communities.

Mathematical Interpretations of Keynes’s General Theory

IntroductionMany changes had occurred in the last century in every science. Economics was not the exception and a transformation into the theoretical approach took place in the 30s. In 1936 Keynes published â€Å"The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money†. Its main ideas set the foundations of macroeconomics and had influenced economics since.Unfortunately, Keynes had (and has) a bad reputation as a writer, because of this there has been constant analysis and interpretations of what he meant. Economists affirmed that Keynes’s innovating work, as any new approach, had some â€Å"inconsistencies†. Further, the book had small use of mathematics and, thus, had small proof of what it stated. Therefore, these ideas need interpretation and testing into the â€Å"real world†.Keynes Main IdeasKriesler and Nevile (2000) define the book’s main points as follows:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦in a capitalist economy employment, and hence unemployment, is determin ed by effective demand [†¦] decisions about production and investment are made on the basis of expectations†, and â€Å"monetary variables influence real variables such as output and employment and real variables, in turn, influence monetary ones.†One of the most daunting tasks was to set up a mathematical foundation of the cited Keynes’s works. The most important economists who performed this job were, in a â€Å"crossed fertilization process† as Heller (2000) points it, Roy Harrod, James Meade and mainly John Hicks. In fact, in 1937 Hicks published an influential article, â€Å"Mr. Keynes and the Classics: A suggested interpretation† that rapidly became the standard of Keynesian economics theory.Mathematical FoundationsThe Keynes’s ideas stated in the paragraphs above turned â€Å"into simple mathematical models of the macro-economy; [and] the most long-lived and flexible, the â€Å"IS-LM model†, came from John R. Hicks† (Morgan 2001). Despite that, some authors suggest that Harrod and Meade had inspired the IS-LM model proposed by Hicks (Young, qt. in Heller, 2002)[1]. Others suggest that Champernowne and Reddaway also had some contribution into the model’s formalization (Barens 1998, qt in Heller, 2002)Besides the multiple interpretations of Keynes’s work, Hicks’ one remains as one of the most important.As pointed by Heller (2000), the models proposed as explanations had similar expressions which are systems of simultaneous equations. And the mathematical formulation’s success of Keynes’s General Theory is because of the â€Å"mathematical elegance† and the exact nature of systems of simultaneous equations, which many consider alike; and particularly to Hicks who was the only one in representing the theory through diagrams. (Heller, 2002)As pointed, Harrod was another economist who performed a mathematical foundation for Keynes’s work. According to him, Keynes system corrects the traditional theory; allowing the Income level to be not given, the price level does not depend on the money, and money demand is divided in two. Due to all of this Harrod states that Keynes system is better than the traditional one. Keynes had a very positive view of Harrod’s development of his own work, which Harrods presented in the same conference where Hicks did. Hence, Keynes thought that Harrod works interpreted correctly his own ideas.But these authors’ success in interpreting Keynes’s ideas is not free of detractors. Kriesler and Nevile (2000) made a clear stand of this: economists reject the â€Å"IS-LM framework as being neither a valid simplification of the arguments in the General Theory nor a reliable model for analyzing macroeconomic issues.† Economists think the IS-LM model ignores expectations and it is not useful to analyze a particular economy beside the static equilibrium[2]. They also affirm that Hicks t ook Keynesian macroeconomics to another direction from the one intended by the work’s author.   The same authors assert that Keynes’s own vision on Hicks model â€Å"did have the faults that post Keynesians typically ascribe to IS-LM.†[3]ConclusionKeynes’s work and the posterior mathematical development gave, to governments and to economists, answers that can be easily explained and understood by everyone only using analytical tools as diagrams or simple mathematics. What is more, those ideas were beyond the economic â€Å"common sense† of the time: governments can spend during depressions.  Affirming if these formalizations of the model are what Keynes’s work pointed might be intimidating. Regardless of this and the different views, Hicks simplification and formalization of the model is useful, and catches the spirit of the work. As any first interpretation improvements were (and still are) made but the first task was accomplished.Refer encesHeller, Claudia, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money According to Brian Reddaway Economia em Revista, Vol. 10, pp. 15-32, 2002Heller, Claudia, The ‘General Theory' Synthesis According to Roy Harrod in ‘Mr. Keynes and Traditional Theory’, Revista de Economia (Curitiba), Vol. 23, pp. 27-49, 2000Keynes, John Maynard, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (New York: Prometheus Books, 1997).Morgan, Mary, The formation of â€Å"Modern† Economics: Engineering and Ideology, Department of Economic History, London School of Economics, May 2001, Available at ;http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicHistory/home.aspx;[1] Young proposed that to call it the â€Å"IS-LM Harrod-Meade† model. [2] It is important to make clear that many have pointed rational expectations as one of the inconsistencies in Keynes’s work. [3] Post Keynesian economists main critic to the IS-LM model is its static equilibrium nature, thus has no means to de al economy’s path of adjustment.

Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek

Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek Introduction The book â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President† is a condensed version of a two volume work on the life of Lyndon B. Johnson – â€Å"Lone Star Rising† (1991) and â€Å"Flawed Giant† (1998). Written by Robert Dallek, winner of the prestigious Bancroft Prize, the book gives a wonderful portrait of President Lyndon Johnson, one of America’s well known politicians.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek A Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his preface, Dallek says that he has abridged his two books so that it would appeal to more people particularly students. The book is based on fourteen years of dedicated research by the author that involved personal interviews, research of about 450 historical documents and oral histories. The book offers the reader an opportunity to think about the extraordin ary man Lyndon B. Johnson and how he influenced the country. The legacy left behind by President Johnson is highly debated by historians. But Dallek is convinced that President Johnson’s influenced the nation positively during the period extending from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The book depicts in an authentic manner, Lyndon B. Johnson as a complex personality with various shades in his character. Theme The book discusses in detail the conflicts and inner turmoil of Johnson’s early life and career and how he achieved his goals as a congressman, senator and majority leader. Lyndon Johnson was a man with a dubious background as he was involved in ballot box manipulation, back room deals, use of political contacts and control of Senators. However, he ardently supported the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt and was truly committed to the eradication of poverty. While on hand, he showed a ruthless streak, egoism, and vindictive behavior, he was also a soft hearted, sh y, magnanimous person of extraordinary dedication, commitment, leadership and hardwork. By tracing his career and life, Robert Dallek writes about American politics, foreign policy and crucial historical changes in the American political system. The book shows Johnson as the frustrated boy who runs away from home, as the twenty three year old aide to a rich Congressman, as a forty year old Senator, and as a very unpopular president in his later days. Robert Dallek, in his book, explains the inner workings of this remarkable man – of extraordinary ambitions, lofty visions and high energy who loved working really hard to achieve his political goals. People did not always approve of the reforms he introduced. But time shows that they were truly for the welfare of the country.Advertising Looking for report on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Contents The book traces the life of President Lyndon Johnson as he starts out as a poor boy with high ambitions from a remote Texas town and how he lands in the White House, makes an impact on the nation and finally comes back to Texas in retirement. Lyndon B. Johnsons childhood is described using his own words When I was young, poverty was so common we didn’t know it had a name (quoted on p. 1). He was a very ambitious child who firmly believed he had a right to govern and lead. Lyndon Johnson was born to Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines who lived a hard pioneer life on Hill Country Farm. Sam was a politician and Lyndon was much influenced by the political aspirations and activities of his father. He often accompanied his father to the legislature and developed a love for campaigning. Lyndon Johnson, as a student was indifferent and lacked interest in religion. He seemed irresponsible and enjoyed drinking and wasting time with his friends. He also ran away from home on frequent trips in his childhood. He was basically a rebell ious child who had high ambitions. Without studying, he could not achieve much and that frustrated him. As a boy, he was once beaten by up a German farm boy and this event changed the course of his life. He decided to pursue his education as per his parents’ wishes and went to San Marcos College, a small provincial school in 1927. While he studied, he also took up odd jobs to pay his fees. In May 1929, Lyndon completed his teaching course at San Marcos and with the help of his uncle, George, got himself a good job in Sam Houston High School. Though he worked with passion as a teacher, Lyndons heart was in politics and in November 1931 he accepted appointment as secretary to new U.S. congressman from Texas, Richard Kleberg and moved to Washington. This marked the first major step into the political world for Lyndon. He supported Franklin Roosevelts New Deal and was much inspired by him. Lyndon’s main assets were his high ambitions and knack for practical politics. In 19 32, he returned to Texas to run Klebergs primary campaign against three other democrats. Lyndons work paid off and Kleberg won the primaries. It was during this period he met and fell in love with Claudia Alta Taylor. He proposed and married her within three months of meeting. With his aggressive style of promotion, Lyndon got the job of running the Texas National Youth Administration and made it a great success with his hardwork and won the recognition of top officials.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek A Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lyndon decided to run for the House. Deciding to capitalize on the popularity of FDR, he designed a campaign strategy that would link him to FDR and his programs. He campaigned hard and met as many voters as possible. He also resorted to bribing the voters and finally won the election. Dallek writes eloquently: Johnson was a self-serving opportunist who used his connections to advance himself†¦. He was not only a shrewd operator with his eyes on the main chance but also a man of vision who worked effectively for a larger good (p. 46). Lyndon Johnson learnt very early that violating campaign finance laws and ballot box manipulations were part of the election game. He soon became adept at seeking political advantage in all ways. He also was good at business, and used his political contacts to develop his businesses. He acquired a radio station for his wife and made it hugely profitable through favorable rulings from the Federal Communications Commission. After the death of President Roosevelt, Lyndon decided to become a Senator. He wanted to run for the Senate from Texas. He campaigned hard but also broke many rules in the process. He spent a lot more than what was allowed for election campaigning. By last minute manipulation of votes, Lyndon Johnson won the election. The fraud became known to the public and due to this accusation Lyndon became very determined to be a good senator in Texas. At age 40, Lyndon Johnson became Senator. He was basically a workaholic and work was a major part of his life. He forged vital political connections. He was soon running for the post of party Whip. By 1952, Lyndon achieved the Democratic Partys Senate leadership post. With his hard work and strategic movies, Johnson ensured that the Democrats gained control of Congress in 1956 elections. He now became the youngest majority leader in Senate history. According to Bryce Harlow, Eisenhowers aide, Johnson had a special gift, an indefinable talent for leadership that created fear, admiration and a desire in others to follow (p. 82). He was good at acting, dramatizing, persuading and cajoling. He was an expert at manipulating other senators to his advantage. In 1957, Johnson chose the issue of Civil rights to upgrade his political image and decided to work to protect black rights in the South. He supported a civil rights law in 1957 which was viewed skeptically by some people and as a historical achievement by some others. A major achievement of Lyndon Johnson was the creation of NASA as a civilian controlled space agency. In 1960, he became vice presidential nominee for presidential candidate Jack Kennedy.Advertising Looking for report on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On November 8, Kennedy won the presidency and Lyndon became Vice-President. Lyndon Johnson did not enjoy the passive role accorded to him. As a good will ambassador Lyndon visited many countries but his eccentric behavior abroad made people view him as a comic character. Lyndon Johnson succeeded John F Kennedy as president. He supported the Vietnam War but he did not want it to come in the way of the elections. So he wanted the military to wait till the elections were over in 1964. He won the presidential election easily and soon after, sent the US troops to South Vietnam. In early 1965, Johnson authorized ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ that involved bombing of North Vietnam and NLF held regions in South Vietnam. It was expected to be over in eight weeks but lasted for three years and as the war dragged on Americans wanted the war to be over. In the meantime, President Lyndon introduced many programs to change race relations, reduce the suffering of the poor and improve th e overall quality of life among the underprivileged. Through his support for the Civil rights and voting rights of the black community he paved the way for the rise of a larger and richer black middle class. He is also responsible for introducing â€Å"Medicare, Medicaid, urban renewal, aid to education, immigration reform, and safety and consumer regulations† (p. 374). But towards the beginning of 1967, there was extensive disillusionment among the public over the sensibility of his reforms and the Vietnam War. Writing Style The book is written chronologically and begins with descriptions of the origins of Lyndon B. Johnson and traces his growth into adulthood and how he forged ahead in his political career. The author uses an easy to read style and the book can be understood by anyone with an interest in the character of Lyndon Johnson. The authors describe the historical background at every stage in Lyndon’s life. There are many direct quotes included in this book t hat add a lot of authenticity to the book. While some of the quotes are by President Lyndon Johnson, there are quotes by other historical people. Moreover, almost all significant events in Lyndon’s life are dated accurately. The book is written in third person and takes a neutral viewpoint. It does not have any bias in its portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson. In fact, there is equal focus on both his good and bad sides. The book allows the reader to understand that the boy Lyndon Johnson was frustrated and torn apart by his high political ambitions and the harsh realities of life. He was intelligent but unable to focus in his studies due to his unstable financial status. He is forced to take up odd jobs during his school days. He is forced to take up a teaching career before completing his teaching course. However, he was always a hardworking person. His work ethic is very strong as he often is said to work more than twelve hours in a day. However, Dallek also exposes the f act that Lyndon Johnson always sought political mileage and would stoop to any level to exploit situations to his advantage. Of particular note is the scene in which he and his wife Lady Bird are abused verbally and physically by a crowd in Dallas. Johnson prevented the police from protecting him and spent more time among the abusive crowd so that it could be recorded and televised. He used it to label the Republicans as extremists. Dallek also reveals that Lyndon Johnson was not averse to using bribes and manipulation of ballots in order to win an election. But the same Lyndon Johnson never wasted an opportunity to serve the youth and downtrodden of this country. In fact, according to Dallek, Johnson played a crucial role in creating national change by bringing the South into active politics. Thus the book gives adequate glimpses to both the sides of Lyndon Johnson. The validity of the author’s theories rests on the fact that this book is based on an extensive research condu cted on historical manuscripts, oral histories and personal interviews. Dallek does not ignore the weaker side of Lyndon Johnson. He talks about his passion to reach the top by any means – straight or crooked and also his sheer brilliance as a politician. President Lyndon Johnson is not a very popular historical figure as many people disapproved of the Vietnam War and many of his good intentioned reforms. This book, by focusing on the good side of Lyndon Johnson reminds the readers that he was a great visionary who worked to bring the South into the mainstream of society and worked to improve the living conditions of the poor and downtrodden. Personal Reflection The author depicts Lyndon Johnson as a man in eternal conflict. He always desired for higher political positions in life and the reason according to the author is that he desired power so that he could give things to the needy people. This seems to be a very superficial inference. When one reads about â€Å"The Treat ment† that Lyndon Johnson gives the fellow members of the Senate in order to get bills passed, one can understand that he was someone who loved power for its own sake. He enjoyed intimidating people with his theatrics. Also there are some instances in the book where the author does not explain why Lyndon was behaving the way he did. For example, when Joe Kennedy approaches him with an offer that he would get him a ticket if he expressed his intent to stand for presidency and include Jack Kennedy as Vice President, Lyndon lets go of the opportunity. It’s not in his true nature to let go of real opportunities. I personally wish the author could have added more details regarding his decisions. Moreover, the relationship between Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson is very confusing in the book. While on one hand Kennedy chooses Lyndon to be the Vice President, he also tries to keep him far away from foreign policy matters and important decisions such as the Vietnam War. Dallek write s about this gap while at the same time, Dallek also says that Kennedy invited Johnson to all cabinet meetings and important gatherings. The relationship between President Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson could have been elaborated further. Conclusion Despite the fact that one desires more from this book, what cannot be denied is that this book is tremendously thought provoking. This book serves as a biography of Lyndon Johnson while at the same time it serves as a guide to American history. It also traces the psychological evolution of Lyndon Johnson from an ambitious boy to a shrewd politician. Dallek’s research is relevant to the study of present day politics in the United States as it helps in understanding the workings of the mind of an intelligent politician with personal ambitions and good intentions. The book helps us understand that behind the smiling face of successful leaders, there is a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and compromises. Whether a leader stands out in histor y as a hero depends on how high his values are and how he makes crucial decisions. Lyndon Johnson seems more representative of present day politicians who try to exploit every possible opportunity to their own political advantage. Bibliography Dallek, R. (2004). Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President. Oxford University Press.

How to Edit a Book The Ultimate Free 21-Part Checklist

How to Edit a Book The Ultimate Free 21-Part Checklist How to Edit a Book: Your Ultimate 21-Part Checklist So you want to get published? If you want people to actually read what you’ve written, you must master the art of ferociously self-editing your book. These days, anyone can get anything printed. It doesn’t even have to be good. If you have the money, you can find someone who  will print whatever you submit, as is. That’s not necessarily underhanded. Almost any independent publisher would be happy to offer all the services you’re willing to pay for to make your manuscript as publishable as possible. But you’re the boss. So if you want them to print your unedited book in the exact form you give it to them, they’ll say, â€Å"As you wish. And if they wont, you can easily find someone who will. On the Other Hand Ideally, you’d rather be discovered by a traditional publisher who takes all the risks and pays you an advance against royalties and then royalties on your sales. But the odds of landing a traditional publishing contract are slim. So you must separate yourself from the competition by ensuring your manuscript is the absolute best it can be. Yes, a traditional publisher will have its own editors and proofreaders. But to get that far, your manuscript has to be better than a thousand other submissions. And if you’re self-publishing, the only way to stand out against even more competition is by ferociously editing your own book until its as crisp and clean as possible. There’s little worse than an independently published book that looks like one. So, You Must  Learn How to Edit a Book Whether you’re going to hire an editor, or be assigned one by a traditional publisher, your responsibility is to get your book manuscript to the highest level it can be before you pass it on. Never settle for, â€Å"That’s the best I can do; now fix it for me.† Why? Because sadly, if you attempt the traditional publishing route, could pour your whole life into a manuscript and get just five minutes of an editor’s time before your book is rejected. Sounds unfair, doesn’t it? But as one who has been on both sides of the desk for more than four decades, let me tell you there are reasons for it: Why Publishers Reject Your Manuscript After Reading Just Two Pages Editors can tell within a page or two how much editing would be required to make a manuscript publishable; if it would take a lot of work in every sentence, the labor cost alone would disqualify it. An editor can tell immediately whether a writer understands what it means to grab a reader by the throat and not let go. Have too many characters been introduced too quickly? Does the writer understand point of view? Is the setting and tone interesting? Do we have a sense of where the story is headed, or is there too much throat clearing? (See below for an explanation.) Is the story subtle and evocative, or is it on-the-nose? Yes, a professional editor can determine all this with a quick read of the first two to three pages. If you find yourself saying, â€Å"But they didn’t even get to the good stuff,† then you need to put the good stuff earlier in your manuscript. So today, I want to zero in on tight writing and self-editing. Author Francine Prose says: For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what’s superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, or especially cut, is essential. It’s satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp. If you’re ready to learn how to edit a book, here’s what you need to do: The  Ultimate Checklist for Editing a  Book Want to keep these 21 self-editing tips handy next time youre writing?  Click here to download the checklist. 1. Develop a thick skin. Or at least to pretend to. It’s not easy. But we writers need to listen to our editors- even if that means listening to ourselves! 2. Avoid throat-clearing. This is a literary term for a story or chapter that finally begins after a page or two of scene setting and background. Get on with it. 3. Choose the normal word over the obtuse. When you’re tempted to show off your vocabulary or a fancy turn of phrase, think reader-first and keep your content king. Don’t intrude. Get out of the way of your message. 4. Omit needless words. A rule that follows its own advice. This should be the hallmark of every writer. 5. Avoid subtle redundancies. â€Å"She nodded her head in agreement.† Those last four words could be deleted. What else would she nod but her head? And when she nods, we need not be told she’s in agreement. â€Å"He clapped his hands.† What else would he clap? â€Å"She shrugged her shoulders.† What else? â€Å"He blinked his eyes.† Same question. â€Å"They heard the sound of a train whistle.† The sound of could be deleted. 6. Avoid the words up and down unless they’re really needed. He rigged [up] the device. She sat [down] on the couch. 7. Usually delete the word that. Use it only for clarity. 8. Give the reader credit. Once youve established something, you dont need to repeat it. Example: â€Å"They walked through the open door and sat down across from each other in chairs.† If they walked in and sat, we can assume the door was open, the direction was down, and- unless told otherwise- there were chairs. So you can write: â€Å"They walked in and sat across from each other.† And avoid quotation marks around words used in another context, as if the reader wouldnt â€Å"get it† otherwise. (Notice how subtly insulting that is.) 9. Avoid telling what’s not happening. â€Å"He didn’t respond.† â€Å"She didn’t say anything.† â€Å"The crowded room never got quiet.† If you don’t say these things happened, we’ll assume they didn’t. 10. Avoid being an adjectival maniac. Good writing is a thing of strong nouns and verbs, not adjectives. Use them sparingly. Novelist and editor Sol Stein says one plus one equals one-half (1+1=1/2), meaning the power of your words is diminished by not picking just the better one. â€Å"He proved a scrappy, active fighter,† is more powerful if you settle on the stronger of those two adjectives. Less is more. Which would you choose? 11. Avoid hedging verbs like smiled slightly, almost laughed, frowned a bit, etc. 12. Avoid the term literally- when you mean figuratively. â€Å"I literally died when I heard that.† R.I.P. â€Å"My eyes literally fell out of my head.† There’s a story I’d like to read. â€Å"I was literally climbing the walls.† You have a future in horror films. 13. Avoid too much stage direction. You dont  need to tell every action of every character in each scene, what they’re doing with each hand, etc. 14. Maintain a single Point of View (POV) for every scene. Failing to do so is one of the most common errors beginning writers make. Amateurs often defend themselves against this criticism by citing classics by famous authors who violated this. Times change. Readers’ tastes change. This is the rule for today, and it’s true of what sells. 15. Avoid clichà ©s. And not just words and phrases. There are also clichà ©d situations, like starting your story with the main character waking to an alarm clock; having a character describe herself while looking in a full-length mirror; having future love interests literally bump into each other upon first meeting, etc. 16. Resist the urge to explain (RUE). Marian was mad. She pounded the table. â€Å"George, you’re going to drive me crazy,† she said, angrily. â€Å"You can do it!† George encouraged said. 17. Show, don’t tell. If Marian pounds the table and chooses those words, we don’t need to be told she’s mad. If George says she can do it, we know he was encouraging. 18. Avoid mannerisms of attribution. People say things; they don’t wheeze, gasp, sigh, laugh, grunt, snort, reply, retort, exclaim, or declare them. John dropped onto the couch. â€Å"I’m beat.† Not: John was exhausted. He dropped onto the couch and exclaimed tiredly, â€Å"I’m beat.† â€Å"I hate you,† Jill said, narrowing her eyes. Not: â€Å"I hate you,† Jill blurted ferociously. Sometimes people whisper or shout or mumble, but let your choice of words imply whether they are grumbling, etc. If it’s important that they sigh or laugh, separate the action from the dialogue: Jim sighed. â€Å"I just can’t take any more,† he said. [Usually you can even drop the attribution he said if you have described his action first. We know who’s speaking.] 19. Specifics add the ring of truth. Yes, even to fiction. 20. Avoid similar character names. In fact, avoid even the same first initials. 21. Avoid mannerisms of punctuation, typestyles, and sizes. â€Å"He†¦was†¦DEAD!† doesn’t make a character any more dramatically expired than â€Å"He was dead.† Your Assignment Apply as many of these book editing hints as possible to the first page of your work-in-progress. Itll make a huge difference. I’ve added a downloadable self-editing checklist below to help you master these 21 tips. The more boxes you can check for your manuscript, the leaner, meaner, and more ready it will be for submission to a publisher. Click here  or below to download it free: What other questions do you have about how to edit a book? Ask me below.

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Answer questions - Essay Example No One Knows". This article argues that the US should have a national database that tracks and reports police shootings because the US government tracks practically everything else, including the number of shark attacks on humans (Lowery 1). Finally, the essay will also rely on the Bureau of Justice Statistics website, which tracks and reports arrest-related deaths. The topic of interest for the proposed essay involves censorship over the lack of reporting regarding police shootings. A similar issue occurred at Syracuse University, where a sit-in protest by students over the administrations policy was covered by the corporate media but not in its entirety. The general Body of the Syracuse University, which brings together various student bodies from the university, had organized a sit-in protest against the new university Chancellors "Fast Forward" Program (dailycensored.com 1). This program sought to close the universitys advocacy centre, which caters for the needs of students victimized by sexual abuse, while also reducing the number of staff in the psychiatry unit in order to implement cuts in the number of staff. However, although this protest was covered in various media sources, including the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Huffington Post, U.S.A. Today, Democracy Now, these media sources censored the real reason for the protests, inst ead giving coverage to general issues. Probably the biggest reason why most media sources failed to cover the real reason for the protests was due to the fact that major corporations were involved in closing the advocacy centre, as well as the departure of psychiatry staff from the university. Two major organizations are identified, which are Sassaki Associates and Bain and Company (dailycensored.com 1). Both agencies are interested in taking over the advocacy centres operations, in which Sassaki Associates is to be involved in planning and revitalization in partnership with the

Models of Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Models of Decision Making - Essay Example Although, the offshore firm was willing to do revisions, there were issues of quality control, language barrier, distance and timing to contend with. Maybe it was partly because it was the first time we use outsourcing service, but the foray was certainly disastrous. In line with the normative model, I have tried the outsourcing initiative with the idea that I am doing whatever yields the best consequences for the company in the future. I have asked myself several times, if by outsourcing I am displaying some form of personal bias and have found that maybe I am, in an effort to cut cost for the current year. I was working now on descriptive model grounds. It never occurred to me to dig deeper on this area in the course of my judgment. If after identifying this bias, I could have tried to correct it by analyzing further what others would have done and by doing some research in order to be objective with my decision. This would have been the prescriptive decision making model and I have missed to comprehensively use it. When I decided to outsource service, it was a decision in the area of the normative model as I am concerned with cost-cutting and the profit for my company. However, when I arrived at the decision of choosing an Indian firm to outsource our database revision, I was working within the descriptive decision making model. Prescriptive model would have required me to explore the judgment, beliefs and preferences of decision makers in relation to issues before them (Rios 1994, p. 25) and would lead me to choose a better outsourcing destination or simply hire an additional staff to work on the database in-house. According to Grunig and Kuhn (2005 p. 8), a decision can be approached: 1) purely intuitively, 2) through routine recourse to procedures used in the past, 3) by adopting unquestioningly the suggestions of experts, 4) by choosing at random or 5) by systematic rational thought supported