Saturday, August 31, 2019

Penn Foster Exam 028004 Essay

Paragraph 1 I understand that you are currently seeking to hire a receptionist at your ACT-1, Los Angeles location and I am highly interested. I know that the person for this position is responsible for receiving and greeting any visitors/clients, answering phone calls, taking and delivering messages and sorting and handing out mail. I am more than capable of doing all of that. Ever since I was a child, I was recognized for the effort I put into every piece of work. Growing up, I knew that I wanted to end up in a place where my hard work is appreciated. While researching your company, I instantly knew this was the place for me. I am confident, hard working and reliable. I am positive that I meet all requirements and I know, I could make a valuable contribution to your company. Paragraph 2 My boss, Mrs. George, has a position available for an assistant here at ANS Inc. and I believe this would be an excellent job opportunity for you. You are everything that Mrs. George is looking for in an assistant.You’re excellent at multi-tasking, an independent worker, extremely organized and not to forget, your great written and verbal communication skills. You won’t have to work weekends, this is a well paid position.You will no longer have to work double or have to worry about making ends meet. I really think you should apply for this position. I understand that you don’t have this type of experience but it give it some thought, cousin. The ad for this position will be put up soon on the company web site. If you are interested, give me a call so I can put in a good word for you.

Literature review- should marijuana be legalised? Essay

The legalisation of marijuana has long been a debated subject, and not only in Australia But all around the world. People’s views in this area vary greatly, with many reasonable arguments for and against the issue. In this report, past studies and literature will be reviewed providing an understanding into the possible consequences of legalising marijuana as well as the views and debates regarded to the issue. The organisation, Gallup has been examining America’s attitude towards the legalisation of marijuana since the late 1960’s. Their studies show that in the past Americans have been opposed to the issue, with just twelve percent supporting the drug’s legalisation in 1969. However, in 1977 this number increased to 25 percent, and in 2000 rose again to 31 percent (Carroll, 2005). According to a new study by Gallop, the amount of Americans in favour of marijuana’s legalisation today has now soared to a riveting fifty percent. Including people between the ages of eighteen and twenty nine most in favour of its legalisation, and people sixty five and older proved to be most opposed to it (daily mail reporter, 2011) A predominant question in the debate relating to the legalization of marijuana is whether consumption would rise and by how much. Many people are concerned that if the drug became legal it would become more accessible, affordable, and acceptable in society, making an increase in consumption a big possibility. Rand, a drug policy research centre, conducted a study that supports this argument. â€Å"Results from these studies suggest that regular use of marijuana will Increase both in prevalence and in terms of average level of use with a fall in the monetary price of marijuana and a reduction in the enforcement risk of using marijuana. The precise increase in use, particularly in terms of average quantities consumed among users, remains unclear because of inadequate analyses of conditional demand. However, it is clear that the number (prevalence) of regular users will rise in response to both (Pacula, 2010).† According to Rand there is still an uncertainty towards how much marijuana consumption will increase post-legalisation, however, their models suggest that numbers could increase by fifty to one hundred percent or more. This would depend on the retail price, availability, advertisement and the federal response (Kilmer, 2010). If more people are using the drug, more people will be open to the health disadvantages marijuana has on the human  body. The primary reason why marijuana has been illegal in the past is because the drug does have many adverse health effects. In the same way the government protects people on the road by making them wear seatbelts; they also want to protect members of society from falling to the consequences involved with consuming marijuana. The government does have a certain level of responsibility over the safety of society, which is why many people believe that marijuana should remain illegal. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has surveyed and conducted many scientific research projects, all showing that excessive marijuana use has a serious effect on a user’s memory, social skills and capability to be educated (buddy, 2006). Intensive use can also lead to many long term effects such as depression, anxiety and personality disorders as well as an increased risk of getting bronchitis, lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory system (NSW Government, 2011). Despite these effects of marijuana usage, it has proved that marijuana is no more harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. Which brings into question, why should marijuana be illegal when alcohol and tobacco consumption is allowed? An investigation by the British Medical Association actually went on to prove that alcohol and tobacco are far more addictive than marijuana. In fact, the drinking of alcohol and the use of cigarettes result in more deaths per year than does the use of marijuana.(marijuana safety, 1999) † Alcohol is more toxic, more addictive, more harmful to the body, more likely to result in injuries, and more likely to lead to interpersonal violence than marijuana† (safer choice,2010) If marijuana were to be legalised it could provide a safer alternative to alcohol and more harmful drugs. Substituting these drugs with marijuana could be a successful approach to the battle against substance abuse. Amanda Reiman describes what she has found in her study about the substitution of other drugs with marijuana. â€Å"Substituting cannabis for alcohol has been described as a radical alcohol treatment protocol. This approach could be used to address heavy alcohol use in the British Isles – people might substitute cannabis, a potentially safer drug than alcohol with less negative side effects, if it were socially acceptable and available.†( Reiman, 2009) Similar studies in this area went on to suggest that legalising marijuana will decrease road  accidents. By viewing statistics in areas where the drug has been allowed, researchers have found that there was nearly a nine percent reduction in traffic deaths (science daily, 2011). Marijuana has actually proved to have many medical uses, although sometimes they are completely overlooked. In the past, many studies have shown the drug to have several beneficial effects, these include, effective pain relief as well as providing aid to the side effects of chemotherapy and the symptoms of AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma and other serious illnesses.(co-ed magazines, 2010) In 1997, the National Institutes of Health published a report specifying the possible medical uses for marijuana. The report emphasized five areas of medical care that were most applicable. These included Stimulation of appetite and decreased cachexia, Controlled nausea and vomiting linked with cancer chemotherapy, Decreased intraocular pressure, pain relief and finally, the benefits in area of Neurological and movement disorders By allowing marijuana consumption the government would be providing many people with a cheaper and effective alternative for pain relief and other medical impa irments. Legalisation could also lead to further medical research and findings on the medical uses of the drug.( National Institutes of Health, 1997) ‘Though the benefits of medical marijuana are ignored by the federal government, many scientists seemingly agree that the benefits of marijuana from a medicinal standpoint heavily out weigh the risk when it comes to aiding patients’ (Gallagher, 2012) When looking at marijuana legalisation from an economic perspective many advantages are noted. a study lead by Dr. Jeffrey Miron reported that once legalised, If marijuana were to be taxed similarly to the taxation system used on alcoholic and tobacco products, Governments could be looking at annual savings and revenues of up to fourteen billion each year. This includes savings in areas like prohibition enforcement which is said to be around 7.7 billion dollars. Over 500 other economists are supporting Dr. Jeffrey Miron’s study and are calling for a debate considering the reason and basis behind marijuana prohibition. (Miron, 2005) Overall, views on the legalisation of marijuana vary greatly among the people of Australia and the world. Past literature and in depth studies have revealed many advantages and disadvantages in regards to the drugs legalisation. Society’s arguments  are centred around, the effects on marijuana consumption, health effects, health benefits, economic advantages and its harmfulness in regards to other legal drugs. Bibliography Vandaelle, I. (2012, Janurary 17). Majority of Canadians support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, new poll suggests. Retrieved 2012, from National Post: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/17/majority-of-canadians-support-legalizing-or-decriminalizing-marijuana-new-poll-suggests/ 10 Major Health Benefits of Marijuana. (2010, September 2). Retrieved 2012, from Coed magazine: http://coedmagazine.com/2010/09/02/10-major-health-benefits-of-marijuana/ Cannabis is The Answer To Booze Problems. (2011, October 16). Retrieved 2012, from imarijuana.com: http://www.imarijuana.com/tag/medical-cannabis-dispensary Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths, Preliminary Research Suggests. (2011, November 29). Retrieved 2012, from science daily.com: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129123257.htm Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths, Preliminary Research Suggests . (2011, november 30). Retrieved 2012, from The rational response squad: http://www.rationalresponders.co m/forum/30694 Record high: Gallup poll shows FIFTY per cent of Americans favour legalising marijuana. (2011, october 18). Retrieved 2012, from mail online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2050348/Legalisation-marijuana-50-Americans-favour.html Carroll, J. (2005, November 1). Who Supports Marijuana Legalization? Retrieved 2012, from GALLUP: http://www.gallup.com/poll/19561/who-supports-marijuana-legalization.aspx Debate on legalising marijuana . (n.d.). Retrieved 2012, from Hun pages: http://ange1ica1.hubpages.com/hub/Debate-of-Legalizing-Marjuana Gallagher, P. (2012, April 30). Are the benifits of medical marijuana being completely overlooked. Retrieved 2012, from Activist Post: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/04/are-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-being.html Kilmer, B. (2010, September). Insights on the Effects of. Retrieved 2012, from Rand: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/2010/RAND_CT351.pdf

Friday, August 30, 2019

Glass Menagerie Essay

An Escape from Confinement The Wingfield family in Tennessee Williams â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† is one that is held together by the bonds of illusion, dysfunction, and entrapment. Amanda Wingfield lives in a lower middle-class apartment that Williams tells us is â€Å"symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to function as one interfused mass of automatism† (Williams, 1945, 400). Amanda and her two children, Laura and Tom, are enslaved in different ways. Amanda is a slave to a past when the bloom was not off the rose, so-to-speak. Tom is enslaved by pity for his mother and sister that keeps him working in a warehouse job he hates as he is a poet. Laura is enslaved by her illusions. There is a constant struggle between reality and illusion in this play, something ironic in light of the fact that Williams attempted to avoid realism. As Downer (1960) notes: â€Å"As a writer he is basically a poet, and he has done much to develop the possibilities of poetic expression in a theater that was created as a home for relentless realism† (222). Laura’s development through the play influences the evolution of the idea, that one must escape enslavement to have the chance for a fulfilling existence. The truly dysfunctional family of the play didn’t manage to escape their confined existence. At first it could seem as if their lives are anything but normal, but Amanda’s â€Å"impulse to preserve her single-parent family seems as familiar as the morning newspaper† (Presley 53). The Wingfields are a typical family just struggling to get by. Their problems, however, stem from their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Instead of talking out their differences, they resort to desperate acts. The desperation that the Wingfields embrace has led them to create illusions in their minds and in turn become deceptive. Amanda, Tom, and Laura are caught up in a web of desperation, denial, and deception, and it is this entrapment that prevents them, as it would any family, from living productive and  emotionally fulfilled life. All of the play’s characters make attempts at escape. The father is the ultimate symbol of escape because of his desertion. Laura continually escapes into a world of fantasy through the glass menagerie and the old phonograph records. Amanda tries to escape her current life by retelling stories of when she was young and life had limitless possibilities. Tom escapes his life and his mind-numbing job by going to the movies and sometimes getting drunk. Even the apartment where they live is something from which they would like to escape. â€Å"The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower middle-class populations and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism† (stage directions, 1.1, Williams 1175). Williams uses a description of the setting to establish the prison-like feel .The play takes an ambiguous attitude toward the moral implications and even the effectiveness of Tom’s escape. As far as he might wander from home, something still pursues him. Like a jailbreak, Tom’s escape leads him not to freedom but to the life of a fugitive. In their attempts to escape reality, all of the characters retreat into some kind of fantasy, whether it is films or glass animals. They find a source of comfort and contentment in these fantasy realms that they do not seem to find in reality. Each member of the Wingfield family is unable to overcome this difficulty, and each, as a result, withdraws into a private world of illusion where he or she finds the comfort and meaning that the real world does not seem to offer. Of the three Wingfields, reality has by far the weakest grasp on Laura. The private world in which she lives is populated by glass animals that, like Laura’s inner life, are incredibly delicate. Unlike his sister, Tom is capable of functioning in the real world. But, in the end, he has no more motivation than Laura does to pursue professional success, romantic relationships, and he prefers to retreat into the fantasies. Amanda’s relationship to reality is the most complicated in the play. Unlike her children, she is partial to real-world values and longs for social and financial success. Living in the past is Amanda’s way of escaping her pitiful present reality (Knorr). She never forgets to tell Laura and Tom  about her receiving seventeen gentlemen callers in Blue Mountain when she was young: â€Å"One Sunday afternoon-your mother received-seventeen!-gentlemen callers! Why, sometimes there weren’t enough chairs enough to accommodate them all† (Williams 26). Amanda’s retreat into illusion is in many ways more pathetic than her children’s, because it is a distortion of reality. In The Glass Menagerie, memory plays an important part, both thematically and in terms of the play’s presentation. Thematically, a reader sees the detrimental effects of memory in the form of Amanda’s living in the past. As far as the play’s presentation is concerned, the entire story is told from the memory of Tom, the narrator .When he begins to speak in Scene 1 of The Glass Menagerie, one of the first things he tells the audience is, â€Å"The play is memory. Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic.† The influence and power of memory is an important theme in the play and influences all the characters, which are trapped by memory. Tom is haunted by the memory of deserting his sister. Amanda can’t move past the memory of living a better life in Blue Mountain. â€Å"A blown-up photograph of the father hangs on the wall of the living room, to the left of the archway. It is the face of a very handsome young man in a doughboy’s First World War cap. He is gallantly smiling, ineluctably smiling, as if to say â€Å"I will be smiling forever.† (Stage directions, scene One, Williams 1178). Just as the portrait of Amanda’s husband hangs in the house, so does the past hover over the present of the play. Laura allows herself to become lost in phonograph records left by their father, the records themselves holding memories of the past. Even Jim is entangled by the memories of his days as a high school hero instead of just another guy working at a factory. The play examines the conflict between one’s obligations and one’s real desires, suggesting that being true to one may necessitate abandonment of the other. In the â€Å"Glass Menagerie† the characters have failed to escape enslavement, thus, losing the chance for a fulfilling existence. The quotation from Thoreau, â€Å"The mass of men lead lives of the quiet desperation,† applies directly to the characters, as they were all unhappy, but took no action to improve their situation in any significant way. Breaking down the chain of a vicious circle is an ongoing issue that can be found in a work life, personal relationships, and even in relationships with oneself resulting in addictions. â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† gives a reader an incentive to act up on  the stigmas, bias, and prejudices that one might have. It’s impossible to become a fulfilled and harmoniously accomplished individual without facing the dichotomy of one’s character. One has to get out of the world of fragile illusions and face the reality in order to be a happy person, as illusions create nothing but desperation.?

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Ronald Reagan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ronald Reagan - Research Paper Example In both this institutions, Reagan remained as a leader and a sportsman. After finishing college, he managed to get a position as a radio presenter. Later in 1937, he managed to get a place as an actor in Hollywood contributing to his successful ventures. 3 years later, he married Jane Wayman, and then divorced her 8 years down the line. In 1952, he married Nancy Davis (Cannon 13). Reagan managed to become president of a society that managed fought for the rights of actors. He went around United States during that time supporting liberalism. As years went by, he changed his views to conservatism. In 1966, he became elected governor of California, the again in 1970. In 1980, he got elected as the 40th president of United States as a Republican candidate. The book describes Reagan as the president associated with Reaganomics, a policy that helped improve the economic situation at the time. In March 30th 1981, Reagan became assassinated, though later recovered and returned to office. In 1984, Reagan became re-elected in office with a landslide victory. Reagan played a significant role in encouraging peace in the world. For example, he initiated a peace agreement with the soviet regarding intermediate range missiles. In regard to foreign policy, Reagan gets depicted as a man that despised terrorism and did all it took to stop it (Cannon 112). He also sent U.S troops to various countries that needed help, for instance Grenada and Lebanon. The book hence provides a detailed account of the life of Ronald Reagan. Joseph, Paul. Ronald Reagan. New York: Abdo, 1999. The author, Paul Joseph, in his book describes the history surrounding Ronald Reagan life starting from childhood, education, Hollywood career and political career. An account of the early life of Ronald Reagan gets narrated by Joseph from the day he became born in February 6th, 1911, his parents and his social life (Joseph 14). Furthermore, his academic life gets revealed by the author as Reagan passed from ju nior to high school to college. In these various academic institutions that Reagan went, an account of the subjects and overall achievement in extra curriculum activities also become given in this book (Joseph 34). The author continues to write about Reagan’s life when he became an actor in Hollywood in 1937 and describes to the readers regarding some of the movies Reagan featured. A detailed account of Reagan’s career as an actor gets described in the book. In addition, some of the jobs Reagan did become described in the book, for instance, television host, spokesman, radio presenter and many more. During his life as an actor, Reagan managed to get many people to support him in his career and therefore, got a background support when he shifted to politics (Joseph 49). Furthermore, the author talks about how Reagan got political interest and his bid for the governorship. A history regarding his life as a governor of California starting from 1966 becomes accounted in th is book. Paul continues by giving a history of Reagan’s life when elected president in 1980, his inauguration, and then the events that surrounded his assassination (Joseph 89). Finally, an account of the achievements and downfalls Reagan’s rule brought to the United States of America. Majorly, Reagan often becomes remembered due to his Reaganomics that helped curb inflation that existed at the time Reagan took power. Furthermore, Reagan played a key role in initiating peaceful talks with the

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Lose of Sexual Desire and Scientific Research in I am a Legend Essay

Lose of Sexual Desire and Scientific Research in I am a Legend - Essay Example He seems to lose his sexual desire after dedicating himself to scientific research and chooses his dog to be his companion. He is inclined to bear the task because he believes that it was a mistake done by humans and they have to correct it without blaming God. He says, â€Å"†¦ God did not do this. We did!† (Matheson, 2007). This paper highlights how Robert Neville appears to lose all sexual desire after dedicating himself to scientific research, which is an essential aspect that helps him discover many things regarding human beings. How Neville appears to lose his Sexual Desire After the death of both his wife and daughter, Neville the remains with his German Shepherd dog named Samantha as his companion. He does not seem to be concerned with getting a new lover but instead, he spends his time collecting food and medical supplies in Manhattan or hunting for deer. He also spends time at South Street Seaport sitting on a bench to wait for any survivors as he instructs them through his recorded AM radio broadcasts. His relationship with other people seems are based on searching for a cure for the virus and shows no interests in sexual affairs. He feels that he has to love something but what is best for him is his dog. The author says, â€Å"†¦ he had such a terrible yearning to love something again, and only the dog was such a beautiful ugly dog.† This is evident in his relation to Sam whom they go hunting together. He strictly remains in his goals of searching for a cure and does not engage in romantic discussions with her. During a fight with infected dogs, Sam is bitten and Neville tries to inject her with a strain of his serum but does not succeed in rescuing her. She starts to mutate and he struggles her to death. He is not disturbed by killing her but instead sees the dark seekers as the cause of her death. If he could not have lost his sexual desire, he could be overcome by emotions and show the love he had for her. Instead, he reac ts as if he has lost just a hunting mate and attacks the dark seekers to revenge. He does not show any sign of losing a special person but only a friend. Anna and Ethan trace him through his radio broadcasts and even after arriving he treats them normally. He does not show any strange emotions in dealing with Anna but only strives to deliver the antidote to her. Even after noticing the butterfly tattoo Anna had, and remembering the butterfly shapes his daughter Marley used to make, this does not draw him close to Anna. He is ever dreaming of saving lives. He screams, â€Å"†¦.I can help. I can save you. I can save everybody† (Matheson, 2007). Neville dedicates his life to discover an antidote, which Anna delivers to survivors in the Colony camp. He is busy scientifically experimenting samples and does not divert his attention towards sexual matters. He sacrifices his life to protect Anna and Ethan. His main desire remains to focus on discovering an antidote to rescue the humankind, and not developing any sexual relationships with the females he meets. This is one of the most important aspects of the author because Neville believes that discovery is the only tool that assists in understanding numerous issues surrounding human beings. He remains friendly to everyone as he tells a mannequin, â€Å"†¦ I promised a friend I would say hello to you today† (Matheson, 2007). As numerous things afflict the society and the individuals within the society does not understand, Neville remains the only man alive and this piece offers an insight to many people who either watched the movie or read the novel.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Discussion 1 intercultural communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion 1 intercultural communication - Essay Example Russett, Starr and Kinsella emphasized that students of world politics are better equipped than most because they are in a better position to become active citizens rather than passive objects of historical forces because they develop a good set of basic concepts and questions, a penchant for analysis, a healthy bit of skepticism on the conventional wisdom, tolerance for ambiguity, among others. (p. xv) I agree with this wholeheartedly. Studying world politics will not just keep me informed but instead it would enable me to be a learned individual in the sense that I am acquiring a broader perspective on issues as opposed to the insular mindset cultivated by the preoccupation to what is happening here in my immediate surrounding, in my own society and community. The world is vast and there are lots of ideas, point of views, opinions, alternative solutions, versions to a problem. They are waiting to be discovered and tapped and world politics is just the right discipline for me to do just that. What impact will knowledge of World Politics have on your professional career?   Knowledge, as the cliche puts it, is power. ... t would impact my career since the field can address issues about security as well as progress, order, war, justice, even the decisions concerning life and death are sufficiently covered. According to Little and Smith, each day the global politics, problems and relations are changing, and that it is always in a state of flux. (p. 1) Without the basic concepts learned from the discipline, it would be difficult to make heads or tails of issues that are important especially in decision making. World politics can enable me to make sense of the seemingly chaotic variables into coherent patterns as well as identify, learn and apply numerous theories about an issue or an area, making my analytical capabilities better than the average. I think that this skill is invaluable particularly if I pursue a career not just as a diplomat but as a politician or some work within the political arena, I would be much more equipped to survive in the field because my awareness of the international events w ould enables me to navigate a sector that is increasingly being characterized by several globalizing forces. In this context, I would become an invaluable asset as well in the economic field, even in defense. What is your metaphor?   I have always thought that THE American is like the salesman that knocks on your door, selling not just encyclopedia, but an array of wares that would put a gypsy or a tinker to shame. When the housewife opens the door and refuses the very first product shoved under her nose, a new and different ware would immediately takes its place, and another, until a sale is finally concluded. At first glance or for other people such metaphor could immediately be equated with an unscrupulous character or identity not unlike how the many American lawyers chase ambulances or

Monday, August 26, 2019

Individual Savings Account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Savings Account - Essay Example Good thing about ISA's is that Fred does not have to pay tax on the income earned from the savings fund. Fred Murray can try Barnsley BS. It offers 2.65% rate for savings from 1, 2.85% from 10,000, and 3% from 20,000. There is also the fixed rate ISA from Northern Rock which offers 3.5% interest for a minimum balance of 500. C. It would be better if Henry Murray would buy the three-bedroom terraced house since there is a benefit from it if it were rented for 800 a month. In addition to that, the value of the house may increase in time. Costing 117,000, the house could be paid in a year or two with the income from the students' rent. A buy to let mortgage suitable for him is First Direct. It is a fixed type of mortgage, meaning that monthly repayments will remain constant regardless of the standard variable interest rate. With this, he will know exactly what the repayments are. D. Bill Murray could start paying while he is still studying. He must make sure to save an amount of money every month. This will lower the interest he will have to pay. Getting a job right after school will surely help too. It is advisable to look for a job in a government institution. They could offer assistance with payment of student loans. He could also look for student assistance programs and search for options for payment and find the one most suitable for him. He must ensur

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Prosecutor report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prosecutor report - Term Paper Example While wearing masks, the offenders stormed the store. Offender B hit the guard with the butt of his gun in order to knock him down and held hostage two patrons in a small closet. Offender A went to the manager’s office threatened the manager and ordered her to fill their bag with money. In the process, offender A noticed an employee trying to trigger a silent alarm and shot the employees dead. The offenders left the parking lot with offender A driving the vehicle carelessly and at a high speed. A patrolling Montgomery County police officer noticed the carelessly driven car and tried to stop the car, but the offenders tried to escape resulting in a high speed chase. After the chase, the offenders escaped on foot and tried to resist arrest but were overpowered and arrested by the police. Basing on these facts, the two offenders committed multiple offenses that are punishable under the Maryland’s statute codes and the US law in general. Offender A Maryland Criminal Statuto ry Code Criminal Charge Facts relevant to this charge Maximum Criminal Penalty (Felony/ misdemeanor) CL  § 7-105 Motor vehicle theft .The defendant stole a Ford Explorer that he intended to use in robbing a liquor distributor store. The defendant is guilty of a felony and subject to a sentence of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $ 5,000, or both  § 3-403. Robbery with dangerous weapon. ... The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor and liable for a $10,000 fine or imprisonment of up to five years or both.  § 2-201. Murder in the first degree. During robbery, the defendant shot and killed a liquor distributor employee as he was trying to trigger a secret security alarm. The defendant is guilty of a felony and is subject to life imprisonment without a parole, death sentence or life imprisonment.  § 21-901.1. Reckless and negligent driving. The defendant was spotted by a patrolling Montgomery County police officer driving erratically and at a very high speed. The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor involving careless and high speed driving and is subject to a fine of $1000.  § 9-408. Resisting or interfering with arrest. After the robbery and while driving carelessly, the police attempted to stop the car using Sirens and emergency light, but the men evaded the police triggering a speed chase. The defendant ran the car into a guard rail and Fled. After a chase, they physi cally fought with the police officers who tried to arrest them. After the struggle, the men were arrested by the police. The defendant is guilty of misdemeanor for violating this section and should be subjected to a fine not exceeding $5,000,imprisonment that does not exceed 3 years or both imprisonment and fine.  § 7-104. General theft provisions. The defendant together with his compatriot were in possession of a stolen car that they used in robbery, escaped with it and abandoned it after it had rammed into guardrail. Since the truck exceeds $100,000, the defendant is guilty of a felony and is subject to a fine not exceeding $25,000 and imprisonment not exceeding 25 years or both. Offender B Maryland Criminal

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Writing Styles Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Writing Styles Issues - Essay Example Knowledge of the subject helps me bring out my points clearly, and I can state my facts well. The knowledge also helps me know whether my opinion relates to the topic or whether it is off topic. I have also learned that I can know more about the theme of discussion by reading on it prior to writing and taking notes. If I had read and understood well what Weiner discusses in his book, I would have chosen a more suitable topic. When writing my argumentative essay, I need to be more persuasive. My instructor noted in my E1FD essay that a few paragraphs needed to be clearer and more convincing. I learned that to be more persuasive, I must ensure my thesis has two sides to make it debatable. I will then go ahead to convince my readers why my stand is a better pick by disapproving the opposing argument. I can do this by finding the mistakes in logic in the opposite argument or by giving evidence to oppose. In writing a proper essay, I must ensure that my work has no plagiarism. In my E1FD essay, my instructor says I should introduce all quotations correctly and to quote correctly to avoid plagiarism. Quoting what Weiner says in his book without acknowledging it as his words makes my work plagiarized. I have learned that I can ensure there is no plagiarism of my work by having in-text citations. I also have to have a works-cited page with the correct format at the end of my work to help the reader understand where my in-text citations originate. I need to use a hanging indent on my works-cited.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Service Learning Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Learning Project - Essay Example Critical analysis of the major findings obtained through the discussion and development of an action plan have also been considered as the objectives in this paper. The services that are provided by DHA with its community organization of ‘Hidden Ridge Apartment’ majorly include ‘After School Programs’ to provide educational support through home study centers for both children and parents. Another service rendered by the organization is the ‘Resident Employment Program’ which principally concentrates on boosting the employment and educational opportunities within the society as well as rendering other support services (Dallas Housing Authority, 2007). The after school program for the children and parents are effective educational support which comprises of courses from preliminary level to high school courses rendered through the home study centers of DHA and its communities. The home study center also attempts to provide an instructive education facility after their schooling hours for five days in a week. The study center associated with its cooperative partner such as Dallas Ministries in order to provide educational supports to the community members (Dallas Housing Authority, 2007). The training services that are rendered by DHA are significantly emphasized on creating employment opportunities by assuring effective communication skill development programs through assessment testing, career counseling, placement support, job readiness exercises and so on for the young generation in the community. Additionally, the housing community also facilitates other beneficial guidance in terms of wealth management skills, personality development programs, and transportation assistance along with personal life improvement assistance (Dallas Housing Authority, 2007). DHA focuses on providing housing as well as other social facilities on a

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Latino Urbanism in Los Angeles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Latino Urbanism in Los Angeles - Essay Example In this report, research into the Latino community is carried out in all thats considered as common ground by the community (Rojas 44). The research is done on the streets, abandoned train yards, residential home front yards and backyards, designated sacred sites, burial sites, cafà © and shops among other social hubs. The Latino community makes use of all space outdoors, forcing the researcher to base the research on the outdoors. In conducting research on a social platform, James gathered most of the data via personal observation. Since his report is derived from the behavior of the community, observing the community trends is the preferred data gathering technique. Although it is not indicated in the report, James interviewed some of the community members to get a perspective on their mode of living. James illustrates the improvisation, innovation and use the Latino community makes with the few resources they have. He introduces the personalization element adopted by the community in the absence of government

Whipping Boy Essay Example for Free

Whipping Boy Essay Race separation and hierarchy has been a big part of our world history and is still a problem in some countries. In the older days, race decided whether you were a human being or just a â€Å"tool† to others advantage. In the 1800 century was there a change in the American history, where slaves were becoming freemen, and the short story â€Å"The Whipping Boy† describes in fiction how it may or may not have been in the change of history. The whipping boy concerns a family slavery farm, where they have three slaves Mikey, Tommy and Martha. One day on the farm a boy from the Union comes to the farm and breaks the news, that they are freemen and they can do whatever they want. The news thrills Mikey and Tommy, but Martha is still a bit insecure about the situation, because she is taking care of the old Mrs. Gage, who lives on the farm with her son Master Sterling Gage. Master Sterling Gage is not at the farm when the news arrives, and Martha is therefore concerned for old Mrs. Gage, that she will starve to death. The three slaves stays on the farm, and one day, when Mikey is laying on the couch inside his former masters house, with a bottle of bourbon, Master Sterling Gage returns home and catches Mikey in the act. He gets furious and hits him. Master Sterling Gage goes out of the house, to saddle his horse because he has to go into town, but Tommy and Mikey attacks him from behind and nearly kills him. Martha breaks it off, and they escape instead, they do not make it far until some confederate soldiers stop them, and they kill the three freed slaves. The story is set in the middle of the 1800th, which also in real time had meaning in history. The civil American war started in 1861. It all started when several states abolished slavery. The new president Abraham Lincoln wanted all states to be free from slavery, but some states disagreed, they resigned from the Union and became the confederate states with Jefferson Davis in front as their president. Now th ere was two opposite poles against each other, and the civil war began. The war resulted in releasing all the slaves in the confederate states also. A confederate fanatic murdered Abraham Lincoln a week after the war was over, but he died a hero to many.1 This you easily can relate to the short story â€Å"The Whipping Boy†. A boy from the union (Abraham Lincoln’s side) informs the slaves that they are freemen and they starts a riot on the farm† It was the day after the boy from the Union had come to the farm to let the slaves know they were freemen†2. Afterwards they escape the farm but bumps  into some confederate soldiers (Jefferson Davis’ side) that later on kills the free slaves. â€Å"Tommy was shot when he drew Sterling Gage’s pistol while they were being questioned. â€Å"3 You get this information, probably to relate to the real time history, when confederate soldiers still thought that race should be a main key in the society, and there should be no changes made. We follow in our short three slaves: T ommy, Mikey and Martha. Tommy and Mikey are working in the field, while Martha is inside their master’s house, serving the old Mrs. Gage. Martha and Mikey have had an affair, but their master Sterling Gage have been beating Mikey, when he found out. Martha is the quiet one, with most sympathy among the three slaves. She is the one begging Mikey and Tommy not to kill Master Sterling Gage, when they are beating him up â€Å"†Mikey,† Martha Begged, still pulling at Tommy’s arm, â€Å"Tell him to stop†Ã¢â‚¬ 4. Tommy and Mikey on the other hand is very straightforward, they want revenge for the things that they have been experiencing through the years on the farm â€Å"He had grown alongside Sterling as a young boy and had considered him a friend until the day Sterling had pilfered some sugar from the larder.†5 Master Gage Sterling is the person running the farm. He owns it, but is away allot and must therefore have Martha taking care of his old and demented mother Mrs. Gage. He has this static controlling aura, and makes the reader fear him. The short story makes the reader feel sorry for the slaves; because it is from their point of view, it is written. We hear about how tragic Mikey’s childhood was at the farm, and how they have to work hard every day to serve their master. When they then escape from the farm, the reader feels that justice has been done, but then feels sympathy with the slaves, when the confederate soldiers slaughter them. â€Å"The Whipping Boy† is a short story, which we can relate to a certain time in history. We can draw lines to the real world and see a connection and in the short story, it is the same people it is about and the same characters, and titles on the persons. Slavery is a problem still but the time in the 1800th was a time of big changes, and have been a very important landmark through history.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Leadership influence and report

Leadership influence and report 1.1 Introduction As senior material manager in a public bus company called Metroline Travel. I supervise a team of 15 Material managers across London. These personnel are the logistical team and their core responsibilities are the supply, storage and procurement of parts to engineering. The logistical hierarchy is illustrated in figure 1. Figure 1 Metroline Organisational Structure (Engineering Department) 2.1 Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder analysis is a useful technique used to identify the key people within the logistical function framework. These key personnel are very important to the organizational structure because they have tremendous power and influence which affects my embarkation on this project, which involves extending me in terms of leadership and change. According to Mendelows matrix these can be grouped into 4 categories in figure 2: Figure 2 Mendelows matrix in Metroline Travel logistical function High Low C- Keep Satisfied D- Key Players A- Minimal Effort B-Keep Informed Low HighPower Level of Interest A- Engineering administration clerks B- Operation, Suppliers C- Finance department, Material Support Managers D- Engineering managers, Head of Purchasing, Engineering Director, Head of Manning and Training 2.1.1 My experiences of Leadership My life has been a journey. In 2000 I was employed with Her Majestys Armed Forces. I served for a period of seven years with the logistics corps, which I was responsible for both the national and international supply operation of my unit. I was authorised to organise and manage the handling of dangerous and hazardous goods and advanced air and shipping freight. I then moved on to serve with the bomb disposal units within the United Kingdom. Serving in the army not only required flexibility, but also enabled me to adapt rapidly to difficult environments and handle confrontational situations. As a Non Commission Officer; leadership was very task oriented where ones degree of leadership style and authority was determined according to rank. This experience has taught me to place substantial effort and commitment into my actions and work by being a focal point for solving all logistical problems day or night. 2.1.2 My experiences of change There have been many changes within my life. Leaving the Armed Forces was the biggest life changing decision I have ever made. I felt very uncertain about my life direction and decision after having joined the army at 20 years old. However, I needed more from my life; I wanted to accomplish more in terms of going back to university to get a degree. Further, I could not really study within the armed forces because of work constraints and time. But I took initiative and I have completed 80% training towards obtaining my degree. I have also seen changes made to other people in terms of new work procedures being introduced in my current workplace and the resistance that can sometimes occur as a result of these changes. Through those experiences; I realise change can have positive and negative personal effects. It can also affect other colleagues motivation and the business organisational culture. 2.1.3 My experiences of leadership and change I have experience change within different working environments, change such as having to work on a Saturday for 2 weeks because of a deadline and the Change Facilitator taking the initiative by effectively communicating the reasons for the change and their actions. Although the individual was the head of the department and did not have to work on the Saturday, turning up to work which to me (a subordinate) demonstrated leadership and the ability to make the change flow smoothly. On the other hand, I have also experienced poorly structured change by instructions; such as to change working practices without any consultations coming from directors who have lost touch with their employees and working environment. This type of leadership infuriates me and other staff and the change is always met with high resistance. 2.1.4 The key issues from me and my workplace My company is very unionised and after reading a few chapters of the developing a productive inquiry; I have started noticing positive and negatives things about myself and my workplace. I found that I am a bit timid within meetings with senior managers, although I have very good ideas about solving problems, I do not speak up and I have no idea why, which creates a level of personal uncertainty. Also within my workplace I have started looking at other managers leadership style, the good and the bad. For me to grow and improve as a manager; I would like to incorporate the good points within my current style with the support of the other managers. Organisation boundaryFigure 3 The key issues within my workplace Material managers Trade Union Working conditions Honesty Employment contracts Organisational culture Senior management support Support and Improve performance Senior material manager Other managers and departments Support Good points Good communicator Creditable by my actions Approachable Able to get the job done without conflict Economic factors Global credit crunch Slow rate of economic growth Political and Economic factors Government sending Review cuts Factors in outside the system in the Marco environment 2.1.5 The Importance of Leadership and Change to Me I believe from my past experiences, I have an understanding of the structure of leadership and change. In addition to learn more about leadership and change will enable me to become a better manager. In my work context; it will help me to become more people- orientated with the tools I learn from this course. In my personal life; the course will add points to my degree will enable career development and progression illustrated in figure 4 and mind map. Figure 4 The Importance of Leadership and Change to Me Leadership Improve my self-esteem and confidence Change and leadership Support and personal development Change and leadership Improve communication skills Leadership Motivate my team Change and leadership Being decisive about choices Leadership Networking Change and leadership Understanding the uncertainty and fear within me Change and leadership Challenging myself to try new ideas Change and leadership Setting the example and leading the way ME The beginning of my Journey with B204 mind map- (to be continue) 2.1.6 Opportunities to explore my Evidence Base Initiatives (EBI) My first thoughts on opportunities to explore as a possible basis for my EBI, illustrated in figure 4 (Developing Productive Inquiry P. 27) Inquiry Timeline Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Stores reorganisation 6 months Current organisational change program Will not be completed by end of course To improve performance and learning while practicing from tools and theories from B204 To choose a mentor Lack of support from other managers Researching universities to study my MBA 1 year My personal goal No growth over that period To use reflecting and research tools to make a choice Long timeframe to complete Searching for a new job in China 1 year My personal and situational goal High unemployment within China To learn a new culture Risk and uncertainty created by my decision to move Figure 4 my cycle of inquiry Action Stores reorganisation Researching universities to study my MBA Searching for a new job in China Series of consequences Evidence and Evaluation Gathering Information And Reflection I am currently looking at the best possible inquiry to focus on for my EBI, 2 are personal goals which are very important in my development and aspiration and 1 is work related which can improve my performance with support from my peers illustrated in figure 5 and 6 (Developing Productive Inquiry P. 16) Figure 5 possible inquiries to focus my EBI Searching for a new job in China I would like to life and work in China, its a very substantial decision. But I have the complete autonomy to make this decision. However this will change the way I interact with my friends and family, so I will seek advice from them Stores reorganisation Need support C- Finance department, Material Support Managers D- Engineering managers, Head of Purchasing, Engineering Director, Head of Manning and Training Researching universities to study my MBA I have the complete autonomy to make this decision. But I will need support from friends and family Figure 6 possible inquiries to focus my EBI Intrapreneurial Searching for a new job in China A very important project that will really stretches me, but this is very risky. Scaling Up Researching universities to study my MBA A significant project to undertake in terms of research and time Broadening Stores reorganisation Outside of current job description with this store project which I am trying out new skills 2.1.7 My questions about leadership and change I have an initial answer for these questions see appendix. However by the end of this course; I would like to answer these questions from my new learning reflections illustrated in figure 7 . 1. What makes a good leader? 2. What does a good leader do? 3. Is management the same as leadership? 4. Can I be a good manager or a good leader? 5. How do I know I am a good leader? 6. Can a good leader make good changes? 7. Is influence the same as power? 8. How can I improve my leadership skills and make positive things happen? Figure 7 my questions within the leadership and change context Leadership Change 1 2 3 4 7 5 6 Evidence Base Initiatives 8 3.1 Conclusion I started the introduction with a reflection from my past experiences in the army. I also highlighted features from my present employment. Both past and present jobs have a board understanding of various leadership styles and the change context. I have some leadership strengths. However, I still feel a very high level of uncertainty and fear of not being able to apply some of the tools and skills obtained from this course into my working environment. I hope I will have support of my work colleagues, other students, family and my tutor in order to improve personally and professionally as a leader. 1170 words 4.1 References Developing Productive Inquiry B204 Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change by Caroline Ramsey 2010 The Open University Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

ERG11 in Drug-resistant of C. Krusei

ERG11 in Drug-resistant of C. Krusei Erg11 mutations and up-regulation in clinical itraconazoleresistant isolates of Candida krusei Some C. krusei isolates were resistant the antifungal drugs. Mutations including T939C, T642C and A756T were found in ERG11 of C. krusei. ERG11 was highly expressed in resistant C. krusei strains.. Abstract Objective We aimed to provide with light for better understanding of ERG11 gene in drug-resistance mechanisms in Candida krusei (C. krusei). Methods C. krusei strains were isolated from patients in the Dermatology from Jan 2010 to May 2013. Susceptibility assays, including 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), amphotericin B (AMB), voriconazole (VCR), fluconazole (FLC) and itraconazole (ITR), was performed by broth microdilution method according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A2. Isolates were divided into susceptible strains and resistant strains based on their susceptibility to ITR. Mutations in the ERG11 gene sequence were detected using PCR amplification and gene sequencing. Expression levels of ERG11 were measured by real-time PCR. Differences of ERG11 expression levels between susceptible strains and resistant strains were compared by two-tailed Student t test. Results A total of 15 C. krusei strains were obtained, among which 8.0, 6.0 and 3.0% were resistant to FCA, ITR and 5-FC, respectively, whereas all isolates were found to be susceptible to AMB and VRC. Three synonymous codon substitutions were found in ERG11among all the C. krusei strains, including T939C, T642C and A756T. Expression level of ERG11 was significantly higher in resistant C. krusei strains (1.34  ± 0.08) than that in susceptible C. krusei strains (0.94  ± 0.14) (t = 3.74, P Conclusions Our study demonstrates that point mutations accompanied with the overexpression of ERG11 might be involved in the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in C. krusei. Keywords: ERG11; drug resistance; Candida krusei; mutation; overexpression. Introduction Candida species are pathogenic microorganisms for systemic and local opportunistic infections and the fourth leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections worldwide [1]. In recent years, an increasing number of infections due to Candida krusei has been witnessed [2]. C. krusei generally causes infections among immunocompromised patients, especially those suffering from Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-acquired immune deficiency syndrome and hematological malignancies [3]. Mortality rates among such patients with C. krusei fungemia are reported to be as high as 60-80% [4]. Moreover, the increasing use of immunosuppressive drugs has inevitably increased the risk of C. krusei infection, and C. krusei has ranked in fifth place among all the species of Candida [5, 6]. C. krusei has been regarded as a multidrug-resistant (MDR) fungal pathogen by the reason of its intrinsic resistance to fluconazole (FLC) as well as its considerable reduction in susceptibility to flucytosine and amphotericin B (AMB) [2]. Resistance to these antifungal drugs is a major problem among patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, neutropenia and/or critically ill, since these drugs are frequently used for prophylaxis of C. krusei infection [7]. Therefore, a better understanding of resistance mechanisms in C. krusei was urgently needed to effectively prevent and control infections caused by C. krusei. It has been reported that multiple mechanisms are involved in drug resistance in C. krusei , including overexpression of several genes such as multidrug transporters (encoded by CDR1, CDR2, and MDR1), which lead to decreased intracellular accumulation of FLC. Nowadays, an increasing evidence proposed that alterations and overexpression of the ERG11 gene, which codes the target enzyme cytochrome P450 lanosterol 14ÃŽ ±-demethylase, are major resistance mechanism in C. krusei [8, 9]. However, the scarce information available regarding ERG11 gene mutation and gene expression in the drug-resistant strains makes C. krusei resistance to azoles poorly understood [10]. In the present study, we evaluated the susceptibility profiles of 15 C. krusei isolates, investigated the potential alterations in the ERG11 gene sequence of C. krusei strains, and further detected the differentially expressed levels of ERG11 between susceptible and resistant isolates of C. krusei. We aimed to provide with light for better understanding of molecular mechanisms in drug resistance of C. krusei. Methods 2.1 Fungal strains and media The strains used in this study were isolated from patients in the Dermatology of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from Jan 2010 to May 2013. The standard strain, Candida krusei ATCC 6258, was purchased from fungi and fungal disease research center of Peking University and included in each test run for quality control. C. Krusei were maintained on agar YPD medium (2% peptone, 1% yeast extract, 2% dextrose) and stored in our Fungi Laboratory. RPMI 1640 medium with L-glutamate (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) was used as recommended for susceptibility assays and buffered to pH 7.0 with 0.165 M morpholinepropanesulfonic acid (MOPS). 2.2 Susceptibility assays The susceptibility assays of the isolates was performed in 96-well polystyrene microtiter plates by broth microdilution method described in the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A2 (NCCLS) [11]. The antifungal drugs including 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), amphotericin B (AMB), voriconazole (VCR), fluconazole (FLC) and itraconazole (ITR), were obtained from their respective manufacturers and used for susceptibility assays. MIC was defined as the concentration of the drug that reduced the fungus growth by 80% compared to that grown in the absence of the drug. The interpretive criteria for susceptibility to the above drugs were published by the NCCLS and listed in Table 1. Samples were divided into susceptible strains and resistant strains based on their susceptibility to ITR. 2.3 PCR amplification and sequence alignment of ERG11 gene To amplify ERG11 gene, genomic DNA was firstly isolated from C. krusei cells using UNIQ-10 Column Genomic DNA Isolation Kit (Sangon Biotech, Shanghai, China) according to the manufacturer’s instruction and used as a template for amplification of the ERG11 genes. Specific primers of ERG11 (Table 2) were designed by Primer 3 [12], based on the available sequence information of C. Krusei ERG11 gene (GI:163311561) at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The PCR amplification of ERG11 gene was conducted using 2  µl of genomic DNA, 2  µl specific forward and reverse primers (50  µmol/L) and Taq PCR Master Mix (TIANGEN, Beijing, China). The PCR condition was set as denaturation for 5 min at 94  °C, followed by 35 cycles: 94  °C for 30 s, 55  °C for 30 s and 72  °C for 30 s, and a final step of elongation (72  °C for 8 min). PCR products were then separated and sized on a 1.5% agarose gel by electrophoresis, and visualized under UV light after stai ning with ethidium bromide. Successfully amplified PCR products were sent for sequencing (Invitrogen, Shanghai, China). To verify the point mutations, sequencing results were aligned with the reference sequence of C. Krusei ERG11 gene (GI:163311561) using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) program in NCBI. 2.4 Real-time PCR analysis For quantitative real-time PCR analysis, total RNA was extracted from C. krusei cultures with an Yeast RNAiso Kit (TaKaRa, Dalian, China) and reversely transcribed to cDNA with PrimeScript RT Master Mix (TaKaRa, Dalian, China) according to the instructions of the manufacturer. For the ERG11 target genes and GAPDH reference gene, a primer pair were designed with Primer 5.0 program (Table 2). Real-time PCR was processed with a 25- µl volume containing the following reagents: 12.5  µl of SYBR ® Premix Ex TaqTM II (TaKaRa, Dalian, China), 2  µl of total RNA sample, 1 µl of each primer pair at a concentration of 10  µM and distilled water up to the final volume. Samples were subjected to an initial step at 95  °C for 5 min, followed by 40 cycles each of which consisted of 10 s at 95  °C and 30 s at 60  °C. Melting curves were recorded every 5 s during the 65-95  °C by PCR amplifier. Fluorescence data (Ct) in each reaction were collected and were analyzed with the Rotor -Gene Q Series Software 2.0.2 software. A 2à ¢- ³Ãƒ ¢- ³Ct algorithm was applied to analyze relative expression levels of ERG11 at susceptible strains and resistant strains. 2.5 Statistical analysis Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0 software (SPSS incà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Chicagoà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’US). All data were presented as mean  ± standard deviation (SD). The two-tailed Student t test was conducted to compare the differences of ERG11 expression levels between susceptible strains and resistant strains. A p-value Results Antifungal susceptibilities of C. krusei isolates A total of 15 C. krusei strains were isolated from clinical samples during Jan 2010 to May 2013 in our laboratory, among which 14 isolates were from urine and 1 from hydrothorax (Table 3). Table 4 shows the rates of azole resistance for these C. krusei isolates. Among 15 C. krusei isolates, 8.0, 6.0 and 3.0% were resistant to FCA, ITR and 5-FC, respectively, whereas all isolates were found to be susceptible to AMB and VRC. Ultimately, by using an MIC ≠¥ 1  µg/ml to define resistance to the investigational ITR, the 15 isolates included 6 that were resistant and 9 that were susceptible. Mutational analysis in ERG11of C. krusei isolates DNA fragment with consistent length was successfully amplified from C. krusei isolates (Figure 1). Sequence alignment showed three synonymous codon substitutions in ERG11among all the C. krusei strains, including T939C, T642C and A756T (Figure 2). Among the three synonymous mutations, T642C and A756T only presented in ITR-resistant strains, while T939C in susceptible as well as resistant C. krusei strains. Nevertheless, no point mutation was observed in the standard strain. Different expression levels of ERG11gene in susceptible and resistant C. krusei strains Real-time PCR was performed to verify the varied expression levels of ERG11 in ITR-susceptible and ITR-resistant C. krusei strains. Result showed that mRNA transcription level of ERG11 was significantly higher in resistant C. krusei strains (1.34  ± 0.08) than that in susceptible C. krusei strains (0.94  ± 0.14) (t = 3.74, P Discussion With the drug-resistance character, C. krusei has emerged as one of the leading agents causing candidemia, especially in immunocompromised patients [13]. Previous studies have shown the crucial role of ERG11 gene in FLC-resistant clinical isolates of Candida species, while the molecular mechanism specially in C. krusei remains unclear. Herein, we evaluated the susceptibility profiles of 15 C. krusei isolates, subsequently searched for mutations in the ERG11 gene sequence of C. krusei using PCR amplification and gene sequencing, and further detected the differentially expressed levels of ERG11 between susceptible and resistant isolates by real-time PCR. We found three synonymous codon substitutions in ERG11 of C. krusei which have not yet been described previously. Among the three point mutations, T642C and A756T only presented in ITR-resistant strains, while T939C were also presented in ITR-susceptible strains. Moreover, mRNA transcription level of ERG11 was significantly higher in I TR-resistant C. krusei strains than that in ITR-susceptible C. krusei strains. It is reported that point mutations in the ERG11 gene can lead to conformational changes which may affect the affinity of the drug with the target, but not influence the enzyme function in ergosterol biosynthesis [14]. Many studies have been focused on the ERG11 alterationz in Candida species . Ricardo et al. [9] found two different types of mutations by sequencing the C. krusei ERG11 gene, including a heterozygous alteration at 1,389 bp (T→C) presented in all of the susceptible and resistant C. krusei strains in their study, and a missense mutation in two strains at position 418 bp (T→C) which yields a Tyr→His amino acid change. Tavakoli et al. [15] displayed a heterozygous polymorphism at position 939 (T→C) in ERG11 coding region, and speculated that this polymorphism might play a key role in the transcriptional regulation of genes and be involved in the processes of ergosterol biosynthesis. Sionov et al. [16] have indentified a single missense mutation at amino acid 145 in the ERG11 of C. neoformans strain isolated from an FLC-treated patient, and verified that this mutation was sufficient to lead high FLC resistance. In the present study, we discovered three novel synonymous codon substitutions in ERG11 of C. krusei, among which T642C and A756T only presented in ITR-resistant strains. These alteration in ERG11might be involved in the resistance mechanism of C. krusei. Many studies have also been designed to explore the exact molecular mechanism behind the ERG11 up-regulation in response to azoles and other antifungal drugs [14, 17, 18]. A well-characterized matched pair of FLC-susceptible and FLC-resistant C. albicans isolates was analyzed and the resistant strains were found mainly associated with up-regulation of ERG11 gene [14]. Henry et al. [17] demonstrated that treating C. krusei with the triazole FLC at a concentration of 2 to 9 mg/ml could resulted in four- to five-fold increase in ERG11 RNA levels. Accompanied with previous reports, they hypothesized that the the upregulation of ERG11 gene contributed at least partly to the ability of C. krusei to tolerate azole [19-21]. The overexpression of ERG11was also directly shown to confer FLC resistance in S. cerevisiae [18]. In accordance with previous studies, our results reflected that mRNA transcription level of ERG11 was found to be significantly higher in ITR-resistant C. krusei strains com pared with that in ITR-susceptible C. krusei strains. The increased production of 14a-demethylase was reported to exceed the inhibitory capacity of the antifungal drugs. Therefore, we speculated that ERG11 gene overexpression might be relevant in the drug resistance in C. krusei. In conclusion, there synonymous codon substitutions were observed in ERG11 of C. krusei. These point mutations accompanied with the overexpression of ERG11 might be involved in the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in C. krusei.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Relationship Between Nel And Sula in Toni Morrisons Sula Essay

Often in nature organisms rely on one another to survive. Relationships in which each partner gives equally are called symbiotic. The two partners live harmoniously along side one another depending on each other but still have the ability to stand and act alone should they need to. However, these perfect relationships do not always exist. Sometimes, certain organisms take more than they give and as a result the other organism suffers. Those that do this are called parasites. In Toni Morrison's novel, Sula, Sula Peace and Nel Wright demonstrate a symbiotic relationship gone awry. The two start off learning from each other and giving to each other equally, but as they spend more time together Sula seems to thrive and Nel seems to wither away. The relationship does not continue in this manner for Nel realizes that in order to survive she must remove Sula from her life and reverse the negative effect of their relationship. Using the relationship that she develops between Nel and Sula, Morrison implies that codependence can be compromising to oneself, suggesting that if one cannot stand on their own the result will be fatal. The relationship between Nel and Sula begins during their adolescent years. Though they are complete opposites, they seem to work well with each other, depending on one another for comfort and support. The two spend almost all of their time together, learning from one another and growing as a result. They take solace in the presence of one another, finding comfort in what the other finds bothersome and using the lifestyle of the one another to compensate for their shortcomings. When Sula first visits Nel's home, "Nel, who regarded the oppressive neatness of her home with dread, felt comf... ...ly, but surly, die. There are only two possible outcomes yielded by a parasitic relationship: the death of the host or the death of the parasite. In the case of Sula and Nel the latter is what results. Realizing that Sula was doing nothing but taking, Nel decides to end their relationship. Without it, Sula is left feeble and on the brink of death. In the absence of her host she has nothing to depend on for she has never learned to live and stand on her own. Even after Sula draws her last breath her thoughts are still with Nel. In the case of Sula, Morrison uses death as an extreme consequence of dependency. When looking at the characteristic differences between the two she seems to suggest that one must be able to stand alone before they can support anyone else. Works Cited Morrison, Toni. Sula. 1973. New York: Vintage International, 2004.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Economic Reasons for American Independence :: essays papers

Economic Reasons for American Independence The thirteen colonies that became the USA were originally colonies of Great Britain. By the time the American Revolution took place, the citizens of these colonies were beginning to get tired of the British rule. Rebellion and discontent were rampant. For those people who see the change in the American government and society a real Revolution, the Revolution is essentially an economic one. The main reason the colonies started rebelling against 'mother England' was the taxation issue. The colonies debated England's legal power to tax them and, furthermore, did not wish to be taxed without representation. This was one of the main causes of the Revolutionary War. Eleven years before America had declared it's independence there was 1,450,000 white and 400,000 Negro subjects of the crown. The colonies extended from the Atlantic to the Appalachian barrier (Brinton, 1965). The life in these thirteen colonies was primarily rural, the economy based on agriculture, most were descended from the English, and politics were only the concern of land owners. Throughout these prosperous colonies, only a small portion of the population were content with their lives as subjects of George III. Most found it hard to be continually enthusiastic for their King sitting on his thrown, thousands of miles away. Despite this there were few signs of the upcoming revolution. The occasional call for democracy and liberty were written off by loyalists. Among the upper class feelings of loyalty to the crown were strong and eloquently expressed. The attitudes of the common people mirrored their counterparts in England. They had a combination of indifference and obeisance. The first colonists had brought over both good and evil of their mother country in the seventeenth century. The good had been toughened and in several instances improved; much of the bad had faded away under the tough conditions of life. The American was a special brand of Englishman: he was more American than the English. In the beginning, the economic conditions were a cause in the advance of liberty, the wages in the colonies were generally higher and the working conditions were better than in England. The reason for this altogether joyous condition was a shortage of labor caused by the mass amount of land being settled. The people of the seaboard lost many of their community in the migration to the west. The immigrants brought with them ways of life that supported the colonies.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Lynching: African American and People Essay

Some races faced racism in the cruelest of ways. â€Å"The Lynching† by Claude McKay describes the horror of being a black person in the south at that time peroid. The poem is also describes death, pain, and the suffering lynching caused to others. â€Å"His father by the cruelest ways of pain.† This quote â€Å"his father by the cruelest ways of pain† describes pain. It is saying that lynching was very painful by saying it was by the cruelest way of pain. The cruelest way of pain doesn’t mean lynching is so cruel even though hanging a person is very cruel. It’s saying that the people who committed the pain did it for the cruelest reason of pain, or in this case murder, which was the reason of racism. â€Å"His sprit ascended into high heaven†. This quote symbolizing the death of any person who was lynched by any person. The quote â€Å"His spirit ascended into high heaven† is saying in a religious term that the people who were lynched and were murdered were going someplace better than a discriminating world that still does the same thing; now its all wide spread. It also means that the people who had died went to heaven meaning that they were pure of heart and didn’t do anything wrong. This quote represents the good people these people were and the innocent people. â€Å"The women thronged to look by never a one showed sorrow in her eyes of steely blue†. This quote is saying that others suffered from lynching too it could have showed anger. You can tell the poet is describing lynching because it saying the ghastly body swayed in the sun. You can infer that the poet thinks not all white people are bad. The lady who showed sadness had blue eyes you can infer she is white. Some races have experienced discrimination more than others but there is always one or a band of brave people who overcome this discrimination. Most of these times these people got assassinated but there point got through. Martin Luther King JR. who tried to end racism and discrimination. Martin Luther King JR. didn’t end discrimination but tried hard for it will never end. The victims are scapegoats or are just different. Claude McKay got his point out with many others by writing moving poetry pieces. McKay wrote â€Å"The Lynching† which expressed what some people did to innocent black people.

O How Human Resource Management Has Developed in the Past Few Years to Become an Integral Part of Our Organizations?

Essay Question: How Human Resource Management has developed in the past few years to become an integral part of our organizations? Major Field of Study: Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management has developed in the past few years to become an integral part of our organization. According to Armstrong, Michael (2006), â€Å"The terms â€Å"Human Resource Management† (HRM) and â€Å"human resources† (HR) have largely replaced the term â€Å"personnel management† (PM) as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations. In simple words PM means to describe activities that are necessary in the recruiting of a workforce, providing its members with payroll and benefits, and administrating their work-life needs. Torrington and hall (1987 p. 49) define PM as â€Å"a series of activities which: first enable working people and their employing organizations to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship and, secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled† and Miller (1987 p. 52) suggests that HRM relates to â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. those decisions and actions which concern the management of employees at all levels in the business and which are related to the implementation of strategies directed towards creating and sustaining competitive advantage†. The early debate about HRM was conducted largely because of the absence of any data about actual practice. In recent years though much more information, both from large-scale surveys and from detailed case studies has becom e available. The growing body of research that seeks to examine the impact of HRM policies and practices on organizational outcome has come to a common solution saying that when individuals effectively implement these policies and practices, they provide significant economic benefit to the company. In order to learn the skills to practice good HRM in the workforce, it is integrated with many known courses of today’s date. Let’s take an example about one of the key functions of HRM, namely staffing. A person with a high level of understanding in HRM may be able to hire, recruit and train the best employees. Ensure they are high performers and deal with performance issues better, and most importantly is able to approach management in such a way that motivate an individual person to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. Some other functions of HRM include learning about managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. â€Å"_An organization is nothing without human resources. It is a lot of factories, expensive equipment and some impressive bank balances† (Low & Mourel, 1986). _The number of organizations around the world recognizing HRM as an integral part of their success is increasing every day. One of the main reasons for this is because when employers are hiring managers, one of the qualities they look for is if the employee has a high skill level in HRM. HRM is management, but management is more than HRM. Management normally includes marketing, budgetary control, production, operations control, finance and development. Because the purpose of HRM is to improve the productive contribution of people, it is intimately related to these aspects of management. All managers are involved in managing people and the management of an organization’s human resource. And because of this HRM is becoming an area which is regularly researched and developed further. Having done a course on HRM or even as a part of a course is becoming a necessary skill. Whether or not HRM is a profession has been questioned a lot (Jenks, July-Aug. ). What is not in question is that HR managers should be professional in terms of their qualifications and performance (Chruden and Sherman, 1984). The debate about HRM was conducted in the early days about the lack of research material on the subject is quickly turning into a thing of the past. More and more institutions are offering a course about HRM, and more and more people are learning from it. In order to be a good manager the HRM skills are required more in today’s date. Hardly a week goes by without the publication of another book on HRM. There are numerous handbooks, textbooks, encyclopedias, research and casebooks about HRM Businesses are getting globalised which means that as a manager of a department you may have communicate and manage people from lots of different cultures. Your duties may involve promotion, downsizing and performance reviews. You will have to do these with people from many different cultures, and to do these tasks you will require a higher understanding of HRM, which all in turn will lead to the organizations progress and profit. References Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed. ) J. M. Jenks, ‘Let’s stop professionalizing’, Personnel Journal, vol 37, no. 3 July-Aug H. J. Chruden and J. W. Sherman, Managing Human Resources, 7th edition, 1984, p. 13 Peter S. Low, Mark P. Mourell, Stephen P. Robbins, Managing Human Resources, , 1986, p. 2, chapter 1 Bachelor Of International Hospitality Management (2009), Retrieved September 1, 2009, from http://www. aut. ac. nz/study-at-aut/study-areas/hospitality–tourism/qualifications/undergraduate-courses/bachelor-of-international-hospitality-management-human-resources

Friday, August 16, 2019

Animal Welfare Research Paper

Feeding a Pitbull It is suggested that pitbull owners feed their pets the foods that have what the breed requires in nutritional value. The dog food should contain nutrient sources that are similar to that found in their native lands that their ancestors ate. The requirements for a pitbull are a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Many dogs are taken to the vet because of nutritional related problems. If the dog is not getting the proper nutrients that their diet requires they can suffer from dry/itchy/flaky skin, hot spots, yeast infections in the ears, or thyroid-liver-kidney problems.The best diet for the pitbull is one that the owner makes fresh, using quality ingredients, without preservatives. Preparing home cooked meals for a dog can be less expensive than buying the average all-breed or any-breed pet food. Native foods for this breed would have been yellow corn, soy meal, rice, venison and fish. Recommended foods for this breed would be food s that contain soy, corn, brown rice, beef and poultry. This breed needs a high fiber and low carbohydrate diet. Avoid feeding this breed foods with a high fat or high starch content.Do not feed this breed any supplemental vitamin C, such as ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, or ascorbal Palmitate because these can cause kidney and liver damage to the breed. The best food for your dog is real food, not people food, but food like real chicken, turkey, beef, bison, venison, lamb, fish, some fruits and vegetables, occasionally yogurt and eggs. Vitamins and best sources Vitamin A Palmitate Vitamin B-1 Thiamine Hcl & Yeast Vitamin B-2 Riboflavin & Yeast Vitamin B-6 Pyridoxine Hcl & Yeast Vitamin B-12 Cyanocobalamin & YeastVitamin D D-activated Sterol Vitamin E dl-alpha tocopherol acetate Niacinamide Biotin Folic Acid D-Calcium Pantothenate Para Amino Benzoic Acid Minerals and best sources Calcium Bone Meal Copper Gluconate Iodine Sea Kelp Iron Ferrour Fumerate Magnesium Magnesium- Gluconate Manganese Manganese-Gluconate Phosphorus Bone Meal Potassium Potassium-Gluconate Zinc Zinc-Gluconate Habitat There is no such thing as a natural habitat for domesticated dogs such as the terrier breeds, and it would be easier to describe the places where they couldn’t and would have a hard time surviving.Extremely cold places and extremely warm places with no shade can really do some harm to this breed. The basic cage size for an American pitbull terrier would be 36 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 25 inches high. The metal cages are preferred because they can be folded down and stored away when they are not in use. The metal cages also give the dog a 360-degree visual of their surroundings. The plastic cages are more for the puppies and for transporting the dogs. Health Care Hip dysplasia is a serious problem in pitbulls.There were x-rays done of 480 pitbulls and 22% were found to have hip dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia is another serious problem in pitbulls . There were over 100 pitbulls that were x-rayed and 14% were found to have elbow dysplasia. This is the 15th worst rate in 82 breeds. Other orthopedic diseases in pitbulls are luxating patella and osteochondritis. American pitbull terriers have the 4th highest rate for hypothyroidism in 140 breeds. Vets are seeing heart disease in an increasing number of dogs in this breed. Skin problems are very common in this breed and can range from allergies to demodectic mange.Tumors and cancer are also a serious concern with this breed. Eye disease is also very common and can include progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, and entropion. Inherited deafness can occur within pitbull puppies that have a lot of white on their heads. Depending on the gender of your dog there are many pro’s and con’s to getting these dogs spayed or neutered. Female Pro’s * Spaying prevents the nuisance of heat periods * Spaying prevents uterine infections * Spaying prevents false pregnancies * Spaying prevents real pregnancies Spaying offers partial protection against breast cancer * Spaying prevents cancer of the uterus and ovaries * Spaying may mean lower licensing fees Female Con’s * Spaying doubles the risk of obesity * Spaying increases the risk of the deadly cancer called hemangiosarcoma * Spaying triples the risk of hypothyroidism * Spaying is a major surgery and requires general anesthesia * If done at the wrong age, spaying increases the risk of hip dysplasia, ligament rupture, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and urinary incontinence Male Pro’s Neutering may mean lower licensing fees * Neutering reduces leg-lifting * Neutering reduces dominance and aggression * Neutering reduces the risk of your dog being attacked by other male dogs * Neutering helps re-focus your dogs’ attention from other dogs to YOU * Neutering reduces sexual behaviors * Neutering calms you dog around unspayed females * Neutering reduces the risk of prostate disorders * Neuter ing prevents testicular cancer * Neutering reduces the risk of perianal fistula Neutering helps prevent your dog from breeding Male Con’s * Neutering triples the risk of obesity * Neutering increases the risk of a deadly cancer called hemangiosarcoma * Neutering triples the risk of hypothyroidism * Neutering increases the risk of geriatric cognitive impairment * If done at the wrong age, neutering increases the risk of hip dysplasia, ligament rupture, and osteosarcoma (bone cancer) Restricted Use: The American Pitbull Terrier breed is one of the most mistreated and misunderstood breed of dog there is.Because of this misinterpretation of the breed many counties, even states, have banned this breed. This is why there are so many of them euthanized or put in kennels. Many people are afraid of this breed because of stories on the news about a dog attack and they automatically assume that it was a pitbull that did it but in reality it was either a golden retriever or a german shep herd that caused the attack. Pitbulls were not bred to be attack dogs, they were bred to be work dogs and then got bred to be family dogs and they are terrific family dogs.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Title: Actions speak louder than words: comparing automatic imitation and verbal command Authors: Helge Gillmeister, Arnaud Badets and Cecilia Heyes University College London, London, UK Corresponding author: Helge Gillmeister Department of Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom Tel. : +44 207 679 5379 E-mail: h. [email  protected] ac. uk Running head: Actions speak louder than words Word count: 3904 Actions speak louder than words AbstractAutomatic imitation – copying observed actions without intention – is known to occur, not only in neurological patients and those with developmental disorders, but also in healthy, typically-developing adults and children. Previous research has shown that a variety of actions are automatically imitated, and that automatic imitation promotes social affiliation and rapport. We assessed the power of automatic imitation by comparing it with the strength of the tendency to obey verbal comma nds. In a Stroop interference paradigm, the stimuli were compatible, incompatible and neutral compounds of hand postures and verbal commands.When imitative responses were required, the impact of irrelevant action images on responding to words was greater than the effect of irrelevant words on responding to actions. Control group performance showed that this asymmetry was not due to modality effects or differential salience of action and word stimuli. These results indicate that automatic imitation was more powerful than verbal command. 1 Actions speak louder than words Introduction Even when we do not intend to imitate others, we are inclined to copy their body movements.This tendency, known as ‘mimicry’ or ‘automatic imitation’, was once thought to be confined to patients with frontal brain damage (Lhermitte, Pillon, & Serdaru, 1986), atypically-developing individuals (e. g. Charman & Baron-Cohen, 1994), ‘savages’ (Darwin, 1989) and nonhuman a nimals (Thorndike, 1898). More recent research has shown that automatic imitation is also common in healthy, typically-developing adults (e. g. Wallbott, 1991; Lakin & Chartrand, 2003; Brass, Bekkering, Wohlschlager, & Prinz, 2000) and children (Simpson & Riggs, 2007).The purpose of the present study was to estimate the strength of our tendency automatically to imitate the behavior of others by comparing it with the strength of our tendency to do what we are told; to perform actions on verbal command. Most previous research on automatic imitation has been concerned, not with the strength of this tendency, but with its pervasiveness and effects on social attitudes. Carefully controlled laboratory studies have found automatic imitation of facial expressions (e. g. Wallbott, 1991), as well as finger (e. . Brass et al. , 2000), hand (Heyes, Bird, Johnson, & Haggard, 2005) and arm movements (e. g. Kilner, Paulignan, & Blakemore, 2003). Studies investigating the ‘chameleon 2 Actions speak louder than words effect’ in semi-naturalistic social situations have shown that gestures such as eartouching and foot-wagging are automatically imitated, that this kind of mimicry can occur without the imitator’s conscious awareness, and that it promotes affiliation and rapport between social partners (e. g. Lakin & Chartrand, 2003).Indirect evidence of the pervasiveness of automatic imitation has been provided by functional imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). For example, imaging has shown that the observation of hand, foot and mouth movements activates the same areas of premotor cortex active during their execution (Buccino et al. , 2001). Revealing yet further specificity, the observation of hand and arm movements selectively increases TMS-induced motor evoked potentials from the particular muscles involved in executing these movement (e. g. Strafella & Paus, 2000).In behavioral studies, stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) procedures are o ften used to detect automatic imitation. These procedures provide some indication of the strength of the automatic imitation tendency by showing that it can interfere with performance based on task instructions. For example, Kilner et al. (2003) instructed participants to make sinusoidal arm movements in a vertical plane while observing a model perform the same vertical movements (compatible condition) or sinusoidal arm movements in a horizontal plane (incompatible 3 Actions speak louder than words condition).Although participants were, presumably, equally motivated to obey instructions in the two conditions, their movements showed more, counterinstructional deviation from the vertical plane in the incompatible than in the compatible condition. Other SRC studies have shown that automatic imitation interferes, not only with the spatial properties of movement, but also with its timing. Participants instructed in a simple reaction time (RT) task to open their hand as soon as an observe d hand began to move, initiated the opening movement faster when the stimulus hand opened than when it closed (Heyes et al. 2005). Similar studies have shown that automatic imitation can influence the timing of hand and finger movements even when the observed movements are taskirrelevant, i. e. when participants are instructed to respond, not to the observed movements, but to arbitrary stimuli such as digits (Brass et al. , 2000), crosses (Bertenthal et al. , 2006) or colors (Sturmer, Aschersleben, & Prinz, 2000). As far as we are aware, only one study has explicitly compared the strength of automatic imitation with that of other response tendencies (Brass et al. , 2000).This study found that the impulse to imitate finger movements was stronger than the tendency to respond with finger movements to arbitrary symbols and to static spatial markers. The results were important in providing evidence that automatic imitation is genuinely automatic (i. e. that it occurs contrary to task ins tructions), and that it is not reducible to spatial compatibility (see also Heyes et al. , 2005; 4 Actions speak louder than words Bertenthal et al. , 2006), but Brass et al. (2000) provided only a very conservative estimate of the strength of automatic imitation.Theories of imitation assume that it is based on stimulus-response connections that are either innate (e. g. Meltzoff & Moore, 1997) or the product of long-term learning (e. g. Heyes & Ray, 2000). If this is the case, it is not surprising that the tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency, based solely on task instructions, to respond differentially to symbolic cues. Like imitation, spatial compatibility effects depend on innate or learned response tendencies (Tagliabue, Zorzi, Umilta, & Bassignani, 2000). However, Brass et al. s study did not show that automatic imitation is generally stronger than the tendency to respond to the site of stimulation; only that automatic imitation is stronger than spatial compatibili ty when the spatial cue is smaller and less dynamic than the body movement cue. The present study provided a more stringent test of the strength of automatic imitation by comparing it with that of the tendency to obey verbal commands. Like imitation, verbal command is a common method of instruction in everyday life, and the power of words to evoke actions is a product of deeply engrained mechanisms.Indeed, one theory of imitation, the associative sequence learning (ASL) model (e. g. Heyes & Ray, 2000), suggests that the two response tendencies become engrained in the same way; that we learn to imitate through correlated 5 Actions speak louder than words experience of observing and executing action units, just as we learn the meanings of words through correlated experience of the words and their referents. We used a Stroop procedure to compare the strengths of automatic imitation and verbal command. There were four groups of participants.In the focal group (Manual-Auditory), particip ants were required in each trial to open or to close their hand in response to a compound stimulus. The compound consisted of an image of a hand in an open, closed or neutral posture, and the sound of a word: ‘open’, ‘close’ or a neutral nonword. In one condition, participants were instructed to imitate the action and to ignore the word (action-relevant task), and in the other condition they were told to obey the verbal command and to ignore the action (word-relevant task).In any given trial, the stimulus on the taskirrelevant dimension (the word in the action task, and the action in the word task) was compatible, incompatible or neutral with respect to the stimulus on the taskrelevant dimension. For example, in the action task, an image of an open hand was accompanied equally often by the word ‘open’ (compatible), the word ‘close’ (incompatible) and by a nonword (neutral). If the tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency t o obey verbal commands, then, in this focal group, one would expect the impact on performance of action stimuli in the word task to be greater than the impact of word stimuli in Actions speak louder than words the action task. More specifically, one would expect the compatible taskirrelevant stimulus to speed responding, and /or the incompatible task-irrelevant stimulus to slow responding, more in the word task than in the action task. However, an effect of this kind would not be sufficient to show that automatic imitation is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands, for two reasons. First, it could be that the action images used in this experiment were more salient or easier to discriminate than the word stimuli.In this case, one would expect action images to be more potent stimuli, not only for automatic imitation, but also for nonimitative responding. To address this issue, we included a second group of participants (Vocal-Auditory) who were presented with exactly the s ame stimuli as the focal group, action images in compound with word sounds, but they were required to make vocal rather than imitative responses. For example, in the action task, this group said ‘open’ when they saw an opened hand, and ‘close’ when they saw a closed hand.Langton, O’Malley, & Bruce (1996, Experiment 5) found that irrelevant gestures affected vocal responses to words to the same extent as irrelevant words affected vocal responses to gestures. Therefore, we expected that, in contrast with the focal group, the performance of the Vocal-Auditory group would be affected equally by irrelevant actions in the word task, and by irrelevant words in the action task. 7 Actions speak louder than words The second issue concerns modality of stimulus presentation.In the focal group, actions were presented visually and words were presented in the auditory modality because those conditions are typical of everyday life. In the course of development, it i s likely that simple verbal instructions, consisting of a single word, are more often heard than seen. However, because spoken words unfold over time, whereas images are instantaneously available for processing, auditory presentation of verbal commands could put them at a disadvantage.In other words, if irrelevant actions have a greater impact than irrelevant words in the focal group, this could reflect, not the relative strengths of automatic imitation and verbal command, but faster processing of visual than auditory stimuli. To address this issue we included two further groups in which the word stimuli were written rather than spoken. One of these groups (Manual-Visual) made hand movement responses, and the other (Vocal-Visual) made vocal responses. Thus, there were four groups: Manual-Auditory, Vocal-Auditory, ManualVisual and Vocal-Visual.We predicted that in the focal Manual-Auditory group the effect of irrelevant actions on speed of responding to words would be greater than th e effect of irrelevant words on responding to actions. If this asymmetric effect indicates that the automatic tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands, rather than an effect of nonspecific features of the stimuli or stimulus-response mapping, then it should also be present in the Manual-Visual group, but not in the Vocal-Auditory or Vocal-Visual groups. 8 Actions speak louder than words Method Participants Forty-eight right-handed volunteers (15 men, mean age: 22.  ±7. 5 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Manual-Auditory, Vocal-Auditory, Manual-Visual and Vocal-Visual. All had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal hearing. The experiment was carried out with local ethical approval and written consent. Stimuli and Apparatus Warning and imperative stimuli were compounds of hand actions and words with coincidental onsets. Hand actions were life-sized images of postures made by a male right hand, taken from the angle at whic h one normally views one’s own hand, and presented on a laptop computer screen (60Hz, 400mm, 96DPI) in color on a black background.For the warning stimulus, the hand was in a neutral posture, with the fingers closed and pointing upwards in parallel with the thumb (visual angle: 6. 96 ° x 13. 33 °), and was shown for a variable duration between 800ms and 1520ms. For the imperative stimuli, the hand was in an opened (15. 5 ° x 13. 5 °), closed (7. 0 ° x 11. 2 °) or inverted neutral posture (see Figure 1D for examples), and was shown for 640ms. Word stimuli were either sound files presented via the laptop’s internal speaker (auditory) or superimposed in white 9 Actions speak louder than words nk on the hand stimuli in the centre of the screen (visual; 6. 5 ° to 7. 1 ° x 2. 6 ° to 3. 1 °). For the warning stimulus, the nonword clepo was presented for 650ms (auditory) or between 800 and 1520ms (visual). For the imperative stimuli, the word ‘openâ⠂¬â„¢, ‘close’ or the nonword pocle (see Figure 1C for examples) were presented for 640ms (visual) or between 600ms and 640ms (auditory). The nonwords clepo (warning stimulus) and pocle (neutral stimulus) were phonotactic amalgams of phonemes contained in the two words ‘open’ and ‘close’.Pocle contained the same syllables as clepo, presented in reverse order. For the manual response groups, response onset of opening and closing hand movements was measured by recording the electromyogram (EMG) from the first dorsal interosseus muscle of the right hand (see Heyes et al. , 2005). For the vocal response groups, onset of voice responses was measured via a free-standing electret microphone (Vivanco EM 32, Vivanco-direct. com). The RT interval began with the onset of the imperative stimulus, and ended with EMG onset (manual responses) or the activation of the microphone (vocal responses).Design and Procedure Participants sat at a viewing distance of a pproximately 700mm from the stimulus presentation screen. For the manual response groups, the participant’s right forearm lay in a horizontal position across his/her body, supported from elbow to wrist by an armrest. The wrist was rotated so that the fingers moved 10 Actions speak louder than words upwards during opening responses, and downwards when closing. Thus, the plane of response movement (up-down) was orthogonal to the plane of action stimulus movement (left-right), controlling for any effects of left-right spatial compatibility.After making each response, participants returned their hand to the neutral starting position; their fingers closed and parallel to the thumb. Each trial began with the presentation of the warning stimulus. After a variable duration it was replaced by the imperative stimulus. Participants were instructed to respond to the imperative stimulus as quickly as possible, without making errors, by opening or closing their hand (manual response groups ) or by saying ‘open’ or ‘close’ (vocal response groups) as soon as they saw an open or closed hand posture (action-relevant task), or heard or saw the word ‘open’ or ‘close’ (word-relevant task).They were instructed to ignore the irrelevant dimension. After the presentation of the imperative stimulus, the screen went black for 3000ms before the next trial. Four action-relevant and four word-relevant task blocks of 60 trials were presented in alternating order, counterbalanced between participants. Relevant and irrelevant stimulus compounds were compatible (e. g. an open hand accompanied by the word ‘open’), incompatible (e. g. an open hand accompanied by the word ‘close’) or neutral (e. . an open hand accompanied by the nonword pocle). The six trial types, defined by compatibility (compatible, neutral or 11 Actions speak louder than words incompatible) and relevant stimulus (open or close), were equiproba ble and randomly intermixed within each block. Results Mean RTs are plotted as a function of task and compatibility in Figures 1AD. Incorrect responses and RTs less than 100ms or greater than 1500ms were removed (3. 1%). Figure 1 about hereAs predicted, in the focal Manual-Auditory group (A) the impact of irrelevant actions on responding to words was greater than the impact of irrelevant words on responding to actions; there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words. This asymmetry was not observed in the Vocal-Auditory group (B), who responded to exactly the same stimuli using vocal responses rather than hand actions, suggesting that the asymmetry was not due to greater salience of the action than of the word stimuli.The asymmetry favoring actions over words was present in 12 Actions speak louder than words the Manual-Visual group (C), who saw rather than heard the word stimuli, indicating that it did not depend on faster processing of visual than auditory stimuli. Providing fur ther confirmation that this asymmetry was not due to nonspecific factors, the Vocal–Visual group (D) showed the reverse asymmetry; irrelevant actions had a lesser effect on responding to words than did irrelevant words on responding to actions.These impressions were confirmed by an initial ANOVA, in which task (action-relevant, word-relevant) and compatibility (compatible, neutral, incompatible) were within-subject factors, and response mode (manual, vocal) and word modality (auditory, visual) were between-subject factors, and by subsequent analyses in which a 2Ãâ€"3 ANOVA (task x compatibility) was applied to the RT data from each group separately. The initial analysis indicated a significant three-way interaction (task x compatibility x response mode: F(2, 94) = 35. , p < . 001), and a nonsignificant four-way interaction (task x compatibility x response mode x word modality: F(2, 94) = 1. 1, p = . 341). The separate analysis of the data from the focal Manual-Auditory group yielded a significant interaction between task and compatibility (F(2, 22) = 20. 8, p < . 001), confirming that there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words. This interaction was also significant in the Manual-Visual group (F(2, 22) = 25. 5, p < . 001), but it was 13 Actions speak louder than words bsent in the Vocal-Auditory group (F(2, 22) = 1. 5, p = . 252), and reversed in the Vocal-Visual group (F(2, 22) = 5. 5, p = . 017). In the two groups where there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words, mean RT in the action-relevant task was shorter than in the word-relevant task (Manual-Auditory: F(1, 11) = 48. 7, p < . 001; Manual-Visual: F(1, 11) = 172. 3, p < . 001). To check whether the action-dominant asymmetry was dependent on this main effect of task on RT, the data from these groups were subjected to bin analyses.For each group, RTs of each participant in each task were divided into five bins of equal size (Ratcliff, 1979). Three quintiles were selected in which, wi thin group, mean RT on neutral trials was approximately equal in action-relevant and word-relevant tasks. The data from these quintiles were subjected to 2x3x3 ANOVAs (task x compatibility x bin). These analyses showed that, in each group, although there was no main effect of task on RT (Manual-Auditory: F < 1; Manual-Visual: F(1, 11) = 1. 1, p = . 16), there was a significant task x compatibility interaction (Manual-Auditory: F(2, 22) = 11. 8, p < . 001; Manual-Visual: F(2, 22) = 11. 9, p = . 001). Thus, the action-dominant asymmetry observed in the Manual-Auditory and Manual-Visual groups did not depend on faster responding in the action task than in the word task. 14 Actions speak louder than words Discussion Previous research has shown that healthy adult humans have a pervasive and automatic tendency to imitate the actions of others, but this is the first study to provide a stringent test of the strength of this tendency.Using hand actions in a Stroop procedure, the power of act ions to elicit imitative responses was compared with the strength of our tendency to obey verbal commands. The results from the focal group, who made manual responses to simultaneously presented actions and spoken words, showed that the impact of irrelevant actions on responding to words was greater than the impact of irrelevant words on imitative responding to actions. The same asymmetry was observed when written, rather than spoken, words were presented, indicating that it was not due to faster processing in the visual modality.The same asymmetry was not observed when participants made vocal, rather than imitative, responses, indicating that the action-dominant asymmetry was not due to greater salience or discriminability of the action images than of the verbal stimuli. Therefore, these findings suggest that the human tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands. Previous studies have indicated that irrelevant actions influence the control of movements made in response to color, spatial and symbolic cues (Sturmer et al. , 2000; Bertenthal et al. 2006; Brass et al. , 2000). The present findings show for 15 Actions speak louder than words the first time that automatic imitation effects occur, not only when the imperative stimuli bear an arbitrary or purely spatial relationship with responses, but also when they are verbal commands; that is, when the relationship between the imperative stimulus and the response is both specific and overlearned. Langton, O’Malley, & Bruce (1996, Experiment 5) used a Stroop procedure to compare the power of actions and words, but they did not examine imitative responding.Instead, they required participants to make vocal responses to directional gestures (a person pointing up, down, left and right) and to their verbal equivalents, and found symmetrical compatibility effects; irrelevant gestures affected vocal responses to words to the same extent as irrelevant words affected vocal responses to g estures. We found the same symmetrical pattern in our Vocal-Auditory group, when participants were making nonimitative responses, but a contrasting pattern, indicating action dominance, when participants were making imitative responses.Thus, comparison of the two studies i) confirms that action dominance is specific to imitation, and ii) indicates that, in the case of nonimitative vocal responding, actions and words have comparable impact both when the action stimuli are pointing gestures and when they are opening and closing hand movements. 16 Actions speak louder than words In a variant of the game ‘Simon says’, played at teatime in Victorian England, children were required to grip the tablecloth when an adult, gripping or releasing the cloth, said ‘Hold tight! ’, and to release the cloth, regardless of the adult’s action, when he said ‘Let go! . Presumably, amusement derived from the fact that, like the participants in the present experiment , children could not resist the influence of automatic imitation, and were therefore compelled flagrantly to disobey the authority of verbal command. However, the results of the present study do not merely vindicate the disobedient behavior of Victorian children. They show that automatic imitation is much more than a parlour game, or a device that experimental psychologists can use to investigate the processes involved in stimulus-response translation.These findings show that automatic imitation is not only pervasive but also powerful. Even among healthy, typicallydeveloping adults, it is more powerful than the tendency to obey verbal commands. In this context, actions do indeed speak louder than words. 17 Actions speak louder than words References Bertenthal, B. I. , Longo, M. R. , & Kosobud, A. (2006). Imitative response tendencies following observation of intransitive actions. 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(1898).Animal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associa tive Processes in Animals (Psychological Review, Monograph Supplements, No. 8). New York: Macmillan. Wallbott, H. G. (1991). Recognition of emotion from facial expression via imitation? Some indirect evidence for an old theory. British Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 207-219. 21 Actions speak louder than words Author note AB is now at Faculte de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. 22 Actions speak louder than words Figure caption Figure 1.RTs in compatible, neutral and incompatible trials for word-relevant (solid line) and action-relevant (broken line) task conditions. Results are presented separately for the four different participant groups: (A) ManualAuditory, (B) Vocal-Auditory, (C) Manual-Visual and (D) Vocal-Visual. Vertical bars indicate standard error of the mean. Images show compatible, neutral and incompatible stimulus compounds in action-relevant (Panel C) and word-relevant (Panel D) task conditions fo r the visual word modality groups (C and D). For the auditory word modality groups (A and B), words were spoken. 23