.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Course Work on Effective Speech Writing Essay
The following three deliberative speaking occasions and their expectations are discussed here under: (1) Political Assemblies. In these occasions, the speech to be delivered by political candidates is expected to be informal because they are talking to the masses. It should be somehow emotional so as to be able to appeal to the emotions of the listeners. It is expected to be not too long so it won’t bore the listeners. The language style should be that of the common people. It should present facts and figures to convince people to vote for him/ her as a candidate and to lay down platforms or proposals of changes in the government. The speaker is also expected to identify with the listeners by referring to one’s own experiences that will relate to their experiences. (2) Sales Presentation. The type of speech in this speaking occasion presents a product or service and it tries to persuade and convince the listener-customer to buy. Thus, the speech is expected to be informal, brief and concise, quiet emotional and attention-getting. It must provide evidences to explain and support the benefits of the product or service being promoted and it must also make a comparison and contrast between that product or service and that of a competitor to illustrate that the product or service is far better than others. (3) Legislative Speeches. The speeches delivered in legislation are expected to have a high degree of formality. These are lengthy and have a low emotional intensity. They must present data to prove the claims on the positive benefits of a bill if it is passed into a law. The speaker should also form a sense of identification with his listeners so as to persuade and convince them to believe in what he or she believes is true and right. The three general types of ceremonial speaking occasions and the expectations in these occasions are explained below: (1) Acceptance Speeches. These are delivered when an individual is given an award or recognition for a job well done. The acceptance speech must be formal, brief and direct to the point. It is a little bit emotional especially that the speaker will have to express his or her feelings of gratitude and happiness over his or her receiving the award or recognition. It might have supporting materials such as citing one’s work but it should dwell on the expression of thanks to those who have given him or her the award or recognition and to the people who have helped him or her achieve that. (2) Introduction Speeches. The speech of introduction is delivered when a person comes to deliver a speech and the audience is to be prepared in listening to him. Hence, it is the task of the introducer to arouse the interest of the audience towards the speaker. It should be formal in tone, brief yet succinct. Most of all, it should grab the attention of the listeners. It also needs to present the speaker’s background as well as the qualifications and expertise to explain why he or she was chosen to be the speaker for that theme or topic. (3) Speeches of Tribute. The speech of tribute is delivered to express praise to a person during his birthday, oath to office, retirement and even death. The emotions involved in this speech would depend largely on the occasion. If it is for the person’s birthday or oath to office, it has cheerful tone. But if it is during a person’s retirement or death, the emotions range from pain to sorrow to regret because there is a need to say good bye to that person. This type of speech is expected to provide accurate information about the person being spoken of. The following are the types of speeches that combine ceremonial and deliberative speeches. The expectations for each of the types are included. (1) Commencement Addresses. A commencement address is always delivered on the graduation day of students. Thus, a speaker is expected to motivate and inspire the graduates to reach their goals, dreams and ambitions in life. The tone of the speaker should not be too formal, nor should it be too long. A 45 to 60 minute talk would be enough. A rather long speech might bore the graduates. The speaker is not emotional but he expresses his congratulations to the students who are graduating and his happiness for their achievement in life. Facts, figures and statistics also show support to whatever he will try to persuade his listeners to do such as becoming productive citizens of the country and of the world. (2) Commemorative Addresses. To celebrate an event or occasion, a speaker needs to speak about the background of the person or event being celebrated. It should present the achievements of the person or the positive after effects of that event so as to inspire and motivate the listeners to achieve their dreams. The speech ought to be formal, not lengthy and full of emotions. (3) Keynote Addresses. In a seminar or a conference, almost always there is a keynote address. This type of speech is expected to explain the theme or the subject matter of the seminar or conference as well as to give an overview of the entire proceedings of the seminar or conference. This is when the participants become interested, inspired and motivated to listen to the lectures and discussions during that seminar or conference. A keynote address must have formality, is lengthy, and there is no emotional attachment involvement. The speaker, of course, should be objective in presenting his speech. Former President Richard Nixon’s farewell speech on August 9, 1974 is an example of a combination of the forensic, deliberative and ceremonial speaking occasions which include the five elements of decorum. These elements are formality, length, intensity, supporting materials and explicitness of identification. Nixon’s speech is not too formal because it was delivered to the White House staff with whom he has been familiar with and also to his supporters who were always there by his side. In fact, they are seen laughing once in a while to something he has mentioned in his speech. Its length is not long because it took about 18 minutes for him to finish his speech. This is probably because Nixon considers it â€Å"spontaneous†. It is very emotional considering he has to say good bye to the people who has worked for him and who has supported him. It involved emotions of pain, sorrow and regret for leaving a position he has occupied for the past five and a half years. The supporting materials he included were the experiences of his father, his mother and the former president Theodore Roosevelt or â€Å"T. R. †These supporting materials especially about his father and mother tell the audience that he is just an ordinary person like them. Thus, he explicitly identified with his listeners. As for the expectations of the situation, the speech of Nixon is expected to be emotional, to clear him out of the accusations made against him and his administration, to inspire and motivate the White House Staff to continue with their work and to express gratitude and recognition to the Staff for their untiring efforts to serve the government. Based on analysis, these expectations were fulfilled in Nixon’s farewell speech. During his speech, Nixon was teary-eyed and he even shed tears. He defended himself and his administration by saying â€Å"We can be proud of it – 5 ? years. No man or no woman came into this administration and left it with more of this world’s goods than when he came in†¦ Mistakes, yes. But for personal gain, never. †He ended by saying â€Å"Thank you very much. †References CAS 100C Lesson 11 Commentary Nixon, R. (1974, August 7). Nixon’s Final Remarks To The White House Staff. April, 2008, from http: //www. watergate. info/nixon/resignation-speech. shtml.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Management of a Software Development Project Essay
Introduction Many years ago, general services offered by hotels like dinner reservations, room reservations and other services were done manually. Most hotels used books, ledgers and papers to record names of guests, their duration of stay and contact details. This required a lot of effort and time. Since the advent of the information age however, dynamic and interactive websites have been introduced which have more efficient and faster technological features and capabilities for the management of hotel services. For any business to remain competitive, it is necessary to maintain an online presence in order to reach out to customers all over the world and compete on a global platform. Reservations and payments are now done online to ensure that conduction of business is faster and more convenient for customers. Definition of Project Management A project is a temporary endeavor that is done to generate a unique product or service (Duncan 1996). Project Management is an activity that involves the overall supervision, management and co-ordination of all activities related to accomplishing a set activity. It always has a start and a finish date. According to Whitten, Project Management is a process that starts at the beginning of a project, is conducted throughout a project and doesn’t end until after the project is completed (2001).  According to Duncan (1996), Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to activities to fulfill stakeholders’ needs and expectations. It usually involves finding a balance among scope, time, cost, quality, and varying expectations of stakeholders. Another definition of Project Management is â€Å" the process of scoping, planning, staffing, conducting, directing, and managing the development of a system at an affordable cost within a specified time frame†(Whitten, Bentley & Dittman 2001, p.124). Importance of Project Management According to Dr Malcolm Wheatley, â€Å"Project management as a management discipline, supports much economic activity.†In major industries like Information Technology, Software Development, Construction, Pharmaceuticals, and Aerospace, project management is fundamental. Project Management is also important in governments that have set goals and milestones which can only be achieved with effective management practices. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce, estimated in 2001 that the US companies spend $2.3trn on projects every year (2000).  Project management is important in any economic activity because it ensures adequate planning, scheduling and successful execution of a project; it also helps to reduce possible risks associated with a project and ensure minimal hitches. Project Management is indeed important to every economy. Many projects fail because of poor knowledge of Project Management concepts. Its relevance cannot be over emphasized. Role of the Project Manager The project manager is in charge of daily management and supervision of the project. He manages the project to ensure that things go according to plan. He also communicates with all stakeholders and project team members to ensure that there’s a clear understanding of general requirements. The project manager confirms users’ requirements to make sure that these requirements are incorporated into the end-product. A project manager engages in scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, scheduling, directing, controlling and closing a project (Whitten 2001, p.127). Swot Analysis The Regency Hotels has several strengths that serve as advantages. It has the potential to expand its services to customers internationally due to the number of branches it has, internet availability and its unique services. It is also strategically located, can leverage on its positioning and has a wide customer base. Its two major weaknesses are: 1) it has a static website which cannot provide interactive functions like online payments, online reservations, message boards, fan clubs, and so on. 2) It does not have skilled IT staff in-house that can manage the online system when it is eventually deployed. There are however, opportunities for it to become one of the best hotels in the world by maintaining a consistent and interactive global presence.  Increased competition is the major threat to Regency Hotels. Most hotels today, have a strong online presence that offers customers various services that make their experiences with the hotel more memorable and convenient, like booking and paying online. Regency Hotels is yet to rise to the challenge. Development methodology The software development methodology to be adopted for the production of this system is the waterfall method. This is an approach to software development that specifies that a project should be grouped into phases and one phase must be completed before the next. The project is carried out in a logical manner through a pre-determined number of steps. This method is preferred because the duration of the project is only two weeks and the requirements are clear.  With the waterfall method, project reviews are conducted between stages, which represent milestones. This provides an organized scenario that ensures required documentation and quality management of the developed application is carried out (Sorensen 1995). Project Scope The project scope definition involves clarifying the boundaries of the project. Regency Hotels in addition to available technological features like retrieving customers’ information, billing, checking for room availability, desires a system with added capabilities of online booking and payment. This project involves building a system that can accept online booking and payment options by customers. A portal will be developed to include the following features: Online reservations, online payment, checking room availability, checking in, checking out, discussion group and general information on the hotel. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) will be added to the website to provide for added security when paying online; search functions will be provided on web pages to check for room availability and booking; e-mail and discussion group facilities will be included to facilitate communication between customers and the hotel; and other technological features from the available website will be incorporated into the new portal to ensure that a robust system that meets the expectations of Stakeholders at Regency Hotels is built. The final system will be deployed at the hotel and tested. Staff members that need to be trained will be identified and educated on how to use the system. The change management process will be made easier for staff of Regency Hotel by ensuring that they are adequately trained, resources are provide to assist them, and maintenance/ support plans are put in place. Result of using COCOMO model to estimate effort, duration and number of people required. The Constructive Cost Model, known as COCOMO was developed by Barry Boehm in 1981. It is based on the waterfall model and is used for estimating the number of person and months needed to develop software. It also estimates the development schedule in months. The development mode for this project is organic because it is a small and straight-forward one. A small team with sufficient experience work together to develop the portal system (Merlo-Schett 2002). COCOMO is defined in terms of three basic models: The Basic model, the Intermediate model and the detailed model. The KDSI is the size of the project in Kilo delivered source instructions. These are source lines that are created by the project team. Using the Intermediate COCOMO I, calculation is done as follows: Required: Portal system for online payment and booking Development Effort (MM) = a * KDSI b Effort and development Time (TDEV) =  2.5 * MM c With organic mode of development, a = 3.2, b = 1.05, c = 0.38 4 modules to implement: Data entry – 0.5 KDSI Data update – 0.3 KDSI Online Reservations – 0.8 KDSI Online Payment – 0.7 KDSI System SIZE 2.3 KDSI MM = 3.2 * 2.3 1.05  = 7.7 TDEV = 2.5 * MM c = 2.5* 7.7 0.38 = 5.4 (Project needs more than 5 months to complete) Number of people to be hired = MM/TDEV = 7.7/5.4 = 1.4 (This means that more than one team member is needed to execute the project). The major shortcoming of the above calculation is that value of the KDSI used is approximate (Merlo-Schett 2002). Hardware and Software Requirements At least four separate computers will be needed for building the portal, testing it and hosting it.  Softwares like Macromedia Dreamweaver, Java, PHP, SQL Server and Visual Basic .NET will be needed for building the portal. A central server for hosting and managing user connections to the portal will also be required.  Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure shows the hierarchical decomposition of projects into phases, activities and tasks (Whitten 2001, p.135). SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION 1.1      Identify sponsors and stakeholders 1.2      Meet with sponsors and stakeholders to clarify system requirements 1.3      Produce Software Requirements Specification Draft 1.4      Sign-off on software requirements TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION 2.1      Determine hardware and software needed for developing the system 2.2      Procure hardware and software needed for system development 2.3      Set-up hardware and software for use SCOPE MANAGEMENT 3.1      Develop a written scope statement as a basis for future project decisions 3.2      Verify Scope of the Project with sponsors 3.3      Perform Scope Change Control to prevent scope creep COST & SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT 4.1      Develop an estimate of project costs 4.2      Schedule Meeting with Stakeholders to agree on cost and deadline 4.3      Receive Payment from Stakeholders 4.4      Allocate cost estimates to individual work items 4.5      Evaluate actual versus projected schedule 4.6      Control changes to project budget to avoid going over the budget 4.7      Compare actual and budgeted costs 4.8      Schedule Development 4.9      Schedule Control HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PHASE 5.1      Identify Project Roles/Conduct Organizational Planning 5.2      Determine Skills of People needed to develop system 5.3      Determine number of people to work on the project 5.4      Recruit Project Team Members 5.5      Engage staff with appropriate skills 5.6      Develop individual and group skills to enhance project performance ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT PHASE 6.1      Develop activity list for project team members 6.2      Sub-divide major project deliverables into smaller components 6.3      Assign Team Members to tasks and deliverables 6.4      Supervise activities within the project team 6.5      Evaluate Performance and Productivity 6.6      Update activity list as necessary 6.7      Conduct meetings and review status reports on software development PROJECT OFFICE ADMINISTRATION 7.1      Attend to daily activities or events concerning the project 7.2      General project supervision PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS 8.1      Determine information and communication needs of stakeholders 8.2      Provide information to stakeholders in a timely fashion 8.3      Put contact details of all team members and stakeholders into the database 8.4      Performance reporting to stakeholders through status reports, progress measurement and forecasting 8.5      Set up meetings with project team members 8.6      Develop status reports for the project RISK MANAGEMENT 9.1      Identify all possible risks within the project and effects on project 9.2      Define steps for responding to threats 9.3      Respond to changes in risks during the course of the project QUALITY MANAGEMENT 10.1    Identify quality standards relevant to the project and how to satisfy them 10.2    Evaluate overall project performance 10.3    Define Quality Assurance Specifications 10.4    Code and check the system for compliance with quality standards 10.5    Test System to make sure it fits clients’ requirements Hand-Over of Project 11.1    Ensure adherence to client requirement 11.2    Conduct Customer Acceptance Tests 11.3    Review Software User Manuals 11.4    Sign off & Certify Solution Development 11.5    Submit Project Close-out Report 11.6    Terminate Project Project scheduling (Please refer to attached Microsoft Project document for dependency between activities, network diagram, critical path and Gantt chart) A Project network diagram displays the logical relationships of project activities. A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that shows tasks against timelines. Each bar is equivalent to a project task. Gantt charts show, tasks that can be performed at the same time (Whitten 2001, p.128).Any tasks on the critical path cannot be delayed. Name of Activity   Duration Starting Date  Finishing Date  Software Requirement Specification 1 Day Wed 4/23/08 Wed 4/23/08 Technology Specification   1 Day Thu 4/24/08 Thu 4/24/08 Scope Management   10 Days  Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08   Cost & Schedule Management   12 Days Wed 4/23/08 Thu 5/8/08 Human Resources Management Phase 8 Days Wed 4/23/08 Fri 5/2/08   Activity Management Phase   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Office Administration   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Communications   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Risk Management   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Quality Management   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Hand-Over of Project   10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Possible risks related to the software development project Every project has its own share of risks. Risks associated with this project are outlined below: The period of time given for the execution of the project is short. The COCOMO model shows that a project of such magnitude requires at least 5 months for completion. There is a risk of the project exceeding the time frame allocated by the stakeholders. User requirements may change or expand during the duration of project. There is a risk of having to accommodate changes to the design of the portal. This is known as scope creep and may affect the schedule and budget (Whitten 2001). With the obvious need to procure softwares for the development of the portal system, resources like time and money may not be sufficient. There is a risk of taking short cuts around the system development methodology in order to meet the deadline and not exceed the budget. This might affect the quality of the final product. Another potential risk is that of feature creep. This refers to the uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system that is being developed without regard to schedule and budget (Whitten 2001, p.125). A portal system is a robust application that is designed to fulfill various needs of an organization. The temptation to add more features is always a prevalent risk There is the risk of a team member resigning from the project. This will cause a considerable loss of time. There is also the risk of insufficient communication within the project team which may lead to misunderstanding of customers’ requirements, and cause a deviation from the project plan, budget and schedule. Project Monitoring Project monitoring involves supervising the project throughout its lifecycle. This is important in order to know how things are going and to solve any problem that may arise during the course of the project. This can be done via meetings, emails, reports on progress and finances and also by observing project management best practices. Conclusion            Applying the principles of Project Management to the development of the portal system at Regency Hotels will go a long way to ensure that the objectives are met on time, within budget and that the software product will be of the desired quality. Project Management is a crucial practice that should be encouraged in every sector of the economy. It ensures that money, energy and time are not wasted on failed projects. With sufficient project management practices in place, stakeholders and contractors can conduct businesses without bothering about the hitches involved with long-term projects. Regardless of the end product, which could be a new service, product or knowledge, project management ensures that a successful outcome is achieved within the available resources and time frame. References Whitten, JL, Bentley, LD, & Dittman, KC 2001, Systems Analysis and Design Methods, 5th edn, Mc Graw-Hill, New York. Wheatley, M 2000, The Importance of Project Management, Project Smart. Available from: [22 April 2008] Sorensen, R 1995, A comparison of Software Development Methodologies, Software Technology Support Centre. Available from: [24 April 2008] Duncan, WR 1996, A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI Standards Committee. Available from: [24 April 2008] Merlo-Schett, N 2002, ‘COCOMO Constructive Cost Model’, Proceedings of the seminar cost estimation W 2002/2003, pp. 1-24. Available from: [22 April 2008]. Â
Cons of Playing Video Games Essay
Video game is a series of 2D or 3D world created by author or editor to allow public experience by representing as a person or animal inside. In my humble opinion, playing video games have more cons than pros. My essay will tell you that playing video games have more cons because it wasting time, cause indulgence, side effect on body health and cause volatility. In the 21 century, video games not only available for boys, it is also already become part of the girl’s life style. Although most of the teenagers like to play video games, but playing video games is actually wasting our time. Commonly, video game is story style and continuously. So, we will need a lot of time to finish one chapter or complete a task. Regarding to that, our time to doing our homework or revision becomes less. Students may be scolded by teacher or being demerit for not completing their homework. Finally, the result of the students may be affected. Playing video games will also cause indulgence. The interesting story lines encourage people to indulge in video games. They usually play the video games until forget to eat, wash and rest. Some of them even play the video games until the whole day. This endangers one person life. Among these few month, there are report on teenager die in front of computer and the causes of death is due to play video games three days non-stop. The main reason is do not have enough rest. Besides that, playing video games for long term will also cause side effect or negative effect on body health. One of the effect is eating without follow the actual time. When playing video games, a person will always play until forget the time and miss out the lunch time and dinner time. Sitting in front of the computer for a long period of time without moving will also increase the risk of obesity and give burden to the spiral cord. Tiredness of eye and fingers are also caused by looking at the screen and typing for too long, At the other sides, video games also encourage teenager to involve in volatility. Many of the video games contain volatile issues like video games that involving fight and guns. If a person cannot control himself, he will slowly follows the attitude of the character inside and involves in volatile. Teenager probably will also unable to come back to reality world as the illusion world in video games are always perfect as it can be change according our favorable. In conclusion, playing video games have more cons than pros. Teenagers must not be besotted video games too much. In fact, they should spend their time on enjoying their teenager’s life.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Puerto Rico's Underground Economy And Tax System Essay
Puerto Rico's Underground Economy And Tax System - Essay Example These rules also cover the condition in using US flagships as well as the minimum wage standard. Income coming from other U.S. possessions or Puerto Rico is generally considered as foreign-source income. On the other hand, entities which are instituted other U.S. possessions or Puerto Rico, are usually considered as foreign persons. Special Tax Rules Related to Puerto RicoAs a consequence of the hybrid domestic-foreign conduct of individuals in Puerto Rico, the common ideology of U.S. taxation are qualified by numerous particular rules pertinent to U.S. citizens and inhabitants of, and U.S. persons who are conducting business in the said territory.Other rules, on the other hand, are intended to put off U.S. Federal tax laws from opposing tax incentives applied by Puerto Rico to draw investors. The United States has also placed in tax incentives to help Puerto Rico when it comes to acquiring employment producing investments particularly from companies in the US. The demand for these p articular tax incentives could be traced in part, to the extra costs placed on investing in Puerto Rico mainly since it holds such status as a U.S. possession. When taking into account the earlier U.S. law, definite domestic corporations with operations in U.S. possessions could vote for under Code section 936 to commonly do away with the U.S. tax, which also includes the alternative minimum tax, on particular foreign source income which was associated with their processes in the specified regions.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
The Issue of Child Abuse in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
The Issue of Child Abuse in America - Essay Example This situation depicts the kind of family dynamics that children today are experiencing in America. The American government should reform its child protection programs to stop child suffering within the family structure. Most American Parents have neglected their parental responsibilities as they pursue their personal goals without minding child welfare. In the Glass Castle, Walls (13) states that Brian had suffered from injury but his parents decided not to take him to the hospital just because there was another kid in the hospital. They said that â€Å"one child at a time in the hospital was enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , which depicts their ignorance and unwillingness to take care of the medical needs of their children. From such a careless statement, it is possible to point out that the parents neglected their parental responsibilities to ensure that children are healthy which is in accordance with children right of good health. Also, Brian’s mother, Wall, finds it worthy to engag e in painting rather than cook for the children. Consequently, children have to cook for themselves, without having to worry about the risk of fire that is associated with this task. In America today, most parents have placed more weight on the job and often leave children with the responsibility of fending for themselves. This abuse of children's rights is a manifestation of negative family dynamics that can only be corrected through a proper corrective reform in the children’s rights acts. In modern America, Children have to undergo tough conditions while conforming to the harsh environments that most parents subjected them to. Walls (17-20) notes the kind of life that her family lived due to the conditions of the environment that they lived. Rex, the family head, lives in a desert and keeps moving to ensure that he escapes his debtors. He moves the children in the middle of the night when he cannot be found by his collectors and the children hardly have a peaceful night. T hey have to sleep in the middle of the desert and acclimatize to the cold and the heat fluctuations of the environment. Shifting is a routine they have to keep up with to avoid any kind of misfortune that may befall their greatly indebted father. This makes it tough to live a comfortable life. In America, parents are always moving to new environments in search for better job subjecting their children to harsh living conditions. For instance, when families move, the children have to shift their from their schools every time making their academic life unstable and often unfriendly. In this regard, there is a need to protect children academic life by instituting stricter measures on parental care to safeguard children welfare. Parents who abuse drugs subject their children to physical as well as mental torture that often has a permanent effect on the children. In the glass Castle, Rex drinks a lot and does not mind the welfare of his children at all. When he takes the children to the f orest, he uses a commanding tone that scares them and subjects them to mental torture. When he doesn’t win in his gambling game, the children have to go hungry while he spares nothing for them to sustain his drinking habit.Â
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Electro, Pneumatic and Hydraulic Systems and Devices Assignment
Electro, Pneumatic and Hydraulic Systems and Devices - Assignment Example Although not all buildings are constructed for use by the public or private means, the Act points that the construction of any building or structure in which members of the public can access whether as employees, service users, or providers of service. Among the crucial aspects of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 include the considerations of health and safety of employees at the place of work. Although the Act covers all aspects of fire safety, it is geared at regulating the safety standards of commercial, social, and public institutions and structures. While the Act provides guidelines as to when an institution or a structure is required or exempted from having a fire certificate in order to operate . The electricity at work regulations are a set of guidelines that regulate the use and exposure to electricity in all working institutions and settings. The set of guidelines provides indicate the health and safety precautions that should be taken into account when using electricity at the place of work. Among the aspects considered include the presence of electrical appliances installed for use or with the intention of using them in the future. The set of regulations contained within the Electricity of Work set of guidelines require the place of work to have protective measures against the risk of injury to employees or any individual within the working site. With reference to installation and maintenance of electrical equipment, these regulation provide guidelines on how to treat electricity at the place of work. For all electrical equipment at the place of work should, the regulations under this doctrine require proper handling preceded with corresponding training, proper lighting anywhere electrical equipment is used, readily available precautions for highly dangerous equipment, and the accurate specifications for any electrical equipment used at the place of work. The Simple Pressure Vessels Safety Act of 1991 comprises of all the
Monday, August 26, 2019
Markets As A Form Of Production, Use And Consumption.The Meaning Of Article
Markets As A Form Of Production, Use And Consumption.The Meaning Of Property And Water Rights - Article Example This much is seen as acceptable to most theorists and economists, but the motive behind the marketing function is not. Adam Smith, considered to be the father of modern economics, stresses that division of labor which is characteristic of a reasonably large market has come about due to the propensity of man to barter excess goods in exchange for other commodities which he needed for his family needs. He adds that man is motivated by the element of profit in marketing and that the price fixed for a commodity should essentially have a margin over and above the input costs of labor and rent. According to him, "the whole price of any commodity must still finally resolve itself into some one or other or all of these three parts; as whatever part of remains after paying the rent of the land, and the price of the whole labor employed in raising, manufacturing, and bringing it to market, must necessarily be profit to someone" (Smith 22). Smith goes on to argue that this propensity for barter ing and profit will best be supported by a free market economy. Economists over the years have subscribed or gone against this view. But here again, only very few have really contradicted Smith's views on bartering and profit. Marx stated that such a situation will result in greed and eventual exploitation of workers. But two prominent writers namely Karl Polanyi and Robert Heilbroner vehemently argue that a study of history of markets around the world, even in the famous ancient kingdoms goes against the view of Smith with regard to marketing and bartering. The views of these two writers will be analyzed to review the distinguishing features of the new market economy in comparison with earlier market systems followed. The paper also tries to make a comparative study between Donald Worster's view on water as a commodity and Marx's own views. Polanyi had definitive views on marketing motivations and customs regarding the evolution of marketing and states that the views of other theorists on this area were erroneous in a number of areas. As an economist, Polanyi is known for his substantivist approach, a situation where the marketing function was closely aligned with culture, social practices and beliefs of a particular community. The author states that "to start with, we must discard some nineteenth century prejudices that underlay Adam Smith's hypothesis about primitive man's alleged predilection for gainful occupations" (Polanyi 45). He goes on to argue that the current market environment is of recent origin and that most of Europe followed the same standards and sophistication carried on from over the centuries with very little change. To substantiate this, he studies various civilizations and societies from a variety of periods and regions and provides specific examples. In essence marketing has a social function base d on survival and growth of the society rather than for individual gain. Polanyi agrees to the fact that a marketing function is essential in organized societies, but its aim is for overall benefit and growth. A person is expected to share his surplus commodities, whether it is an agricultural or animal product. This generosity will enhance his position in the society. Its benefits are not immediate, but will only come at a later stage, when others respond to this generosity by helping him out with his needs of the time. There are two ways in which this can happen. It can come from individual or common reciprocation. In other words, a particular individual who has benefited from an act of generosity will respond when in a position to reciprocate. The society will also have a common store of products which is
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace Essay - 1
Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace - Essay Example f the human resource department who is broadly concerned with issues like recruiting, training, remuneration and firing of employees and who also have to keep in mind the local laws governing employment issues, such as health and safety laws, equal opportunity regulations, laws against discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race and religion, laws regarding minimum wage etc. Hampshire County Council (HCC) is one such example of an organization. It benefits 1.2 million people residing in the County while employing around a thirty thousand employees. The Human Resources is managed by the Employment Practice Centre in Winchester where the head office of the Council is also located. It is about providing community leadership. The 21st century, mainly because of the growing influence of media and globalization has seen a rise in a lot of employment issues. Moreover, organizations before never paid heed to employee’s concerns as their importance were not very much in the picture. It has only recently been realized that the issues like improving the motivation and communication between employees should be contemplated upon as it affects the success of the business. Many serious concerns have also been raised and one of them is the issue of managing transsexual transition in an organization. However, transsexual people, whose gender identity is different from assigned sex and who live, or wants to live, as a member of the other sex, form only a small percentage in the total population so it might be very rare for an organization to deal with their issues. In earlier days, when transsexual people were not protected by any law or regulation, they had to suffer from violence at the hands of other employees. Also, the management did not know how to deal with them, so they were usually fired and had to start from scratch. Even the hard-working, efficient and regular people were asked to leave just because they were going through a transsexual transition. Increased
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Exclusionary Rule Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Exclusionary Rule - Research Paper Example This aims to safeguard people from being prosecuted if at all the due process of evidence collection was not followed. It is also true that this principle is there to prevent prosecutors and law enforcement agencies from admitting evidence into court after the search and seizure of evidence is complete (Maclin, 2012). This paper shall inspect the application of the exclusionary rule, and how it affects the daily lives of both citizens and law enforcement agencies. The principle behind the exclusionary rule prevents police officers from violating an individual’s constitutional rights. This is because; it is not possible for police officers to ignore the basic rule that governs their responsibilities as law enforcers. Their duty is to ensure that the constitution and all its principles are upheld. The exclusionary rule may not be embedded in the constitution, but it is one principle that the Supreme Court thought would work toward protecting an individual’s right as constituted in the Fourth Amendment (Maclin, 2012). The Fourth Amendment is there to protect against the illegal search and seizure of an individual, or their property. This means that even suspects cannot be searched until a legal document forces them to do so, if they were not willing to oblige to an arbitrary search. It is the belief of countless individuals that the rule must not be enforced at all times. This is because, at times, there might be instances where lives are at stake when it comes down to searching a suspect and their property. In such instances, it is considered unnecessary to wait for a warrant to search and save any lives that may be at risk. However, police officers who do this might need to prove that there were no doubts as to the suspect’s intentions, and thus; their actions as law enforcers were legitimate. Unfortunately, if police officers intentionally violate an individual’s fundamental right against arbitrary search and seizure, then the rule must apply.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness in Procter & Gamble Essay - 6
Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness in Procter & Gamble - Essay Example The researcher states that employee base for the Procter & Gamble Company is over 127,000. The Cincinnati based consumer goods company markets of more than two hundred and sixty brands across the world. The company enjoys leadership in almost twenty-four brands in its category and is able to fetch a billion of dollars annually from each of the brands. The consumer goods organization has established twenty-eight technical centers across the world. The company has understood the importance of globalization in business and adapted itself in accordance with the requirement of situation. The company has shifted focus from serving American people to establishing the maximum number of strategic business units across the globe. They have increased plant capacity level in order to achieve economies of scale and offer product mix in a cost-effective manner. Globalization strategy has helped the company to achieve the higher return on investment and maximize annual revenue. Lafley (CEO of the c ompany) has changed standardized global product structure of the company into hybrid product system. Hybrid product structure puts an emphasis on design product category in accordance with a demand of the particular market and changing value chain in a product-specific manner. This model is often termed as Front Back Hybrid Matrix by research scholars. The company not only changed product system in accordance with local demand but changed customer relation management also. Strategic business units work under the supervision of GBU or Global Business Units of the company. Although research and development functions remained centralized, sales operation in an individual local market is classified as decentralized function. During 1999 the company has adopted the change in the fields of managing and reporting in order to achieve business excellence. The company took six years to implement global restructuring model while they have invested $2 billion during the time frame.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
'In today's Britain, people vote less on who they are than on what Essay
'In today's Britain, people vote less on who they are than on what they percieve.' Evaluate this statement - Essay Example These two eras as classified are: the time period between 1945-1970, which is signified by a stability in all forms of electoral decisions; while the second era being from 1970 till date, which can be described as the era of decreasingly less identification on the part of voters with any fixed political parties. With increasingly complex behaviour of the voting patterns that were being observed in the contemporary general elections both in UK and worldwide, psephologists came up new voting models that also quite often involved statistical calculations to explain voting behaviours and patterns, and in 1990 we find that W. I. Miller propounding that voting behaviours could be easily differentiated into 6 main models. In my article I will study the shift in the UK voters’ attitude and the perceived changes in the voting patterns, by analysing the various elections that has been held in the recent times and studying the different voting models and political dealignment in British politics. It will also analyse as to whether strong leadership within party politics does reflect in the vote results, and if policies of the political parties play an effect in influencing the voting patterns. ... These two parties had strong ideological differences that characterised and became their symbols they stood for, and people voted according to this ideological symbolisation. As for example, the labour party believed in â€Å"high taxation, redistribution of income and wealth, a welfare state characterised by universal public services and benefits, and nationalisation of the country’s major industries[that is, a socialist state]... [While] their opponents believed in the free market in which the state played a regulatory role, with some public services and benefits for those unable to provide for themselves.†2 Thus, the Labour party’s supporters were mainly drawn from the working class level, while the Conservatives’ had their staunch supporters in the non working classes; with some support from the rural sections. The equation was very simple, with the election results depending on how much the two parties were able to get together their own staunch suppo rters while also persuading the voters that were not committed to any parties (these were labelled as the ‘floating voters’) to vote for them instead of their opponent party. This was especially seen in 1945, when a large number of the voters turned over to the Labour party, as the Conservatives were connected with the depression of the 1930s, and the voters en masse thought that giving the socialist Labour party a chance might work out things better for the general populace. In the next elections that took place (1951) we find that Conservatives took away a major share of the voters, as people found that the Labour party had become a little complacent. From this picture it is very evident that
Indoor Plumbing and Public Sanitation in Developing Countries Essay Example for Free
Indoor Plumbing and Public Sanitation in Developing Countries Essay The porcelain throne, the pot, the pooper, the potty, the latrine, the toilet. That is something we don’t give much thought to, unless something is wrong with it. What about the shower or the sink? How often to do you go to your sink to get a glass of water and wonder â€Å"Am I drinking someone’s poo? Will it be clean today or will I get sick? †I know for myself, I rarely give this any thought at all and I can honestly say that I have never worried that my drinking water would be contaminated by feces. However, for many around the world, this is a constant concern. Many today either don’t have access to clean water or don’t have access to very much water at all. They openly defecate, as well as drink, cook, and bathe in contaminated water. This causes several life threatening diseases and illnesses. I will discuss the water and sanitation issues in under developed countries, as well as what is being done to improve these situations. Early one December morning in Boise Idaho, I woke up to an especially cold day. I tiredly scuffled myself to my bathroom, went pee and when I went to flush my toilet, nothing happened. Still slightly asleep and confused, I tried a couple more times to get it to flush. Still nothing happened. Frustrated, I opened my tank and found that there was no water in it at all. I thought that that was strange, so I checked my faucet. I turned the handle and no water came out, I quickly checked my shower and kitchen sink next. I had no water at all. Realizing that I had to work in a few hours and I had no way to shower, brush my teeth or clean up in any way, I became quite irate. I called my management company and apparently pipes had frozen in most of their properties. After this experience I started thinking about my reaction and how there are countries that don’t have access to clean water ever. Though I think that the reaction that I had would have been the same for any person living in the U. S. , I don’t know if it was as big of a deal as it felt like in the moment. I didn’t die from not having water for one day, I wasn’t forced to defecate in my front lawn or drink from a sewer. I didn’t get sick and I didn’t even have to go the entire day without a shower. In fact, I didn’t have to go even a couple of hours without access to water. We, in America, are so used to having constant access to clean water and indoor plumbing that if we have to go an hour without it, it’s as though our entire world is crashing down. We rarely give thought to those in underdeveloped countries that lack access to clean water at all. There are approximately 7 billion people living on earth today. There are about 2. 6 billion people today that don’t have a toilet or access to one (Yamaguchi). That is about 40% of the world’s population! That is a huge number of people without toilets. Here in America, there is not a single home that does not have a toilet. Even the homeless have constant access to restroom facilities and clean water. I had a conversation with a friend of mine that works with the homeless on a daily basis to see what the situation was like for the homeless in America in regards to restroom access and sanitation. I asked him if any of the homeless people that he worked with were ever forced to openly defecate or go without a shower. He informed that the only ones that did that were never forced to, but they did it by choice. He also told me that many that are homeless are on Medicaid, so if they get sick they can just go to the doctor. This is quite different from developing countries, where people die all the time from not being able to afford medical care. Developing countries not only lack affordable medical care but they have very limited ability to prevent the spread of illness, such as those caused by exposure to fecal matter (Yamaguchi). However, in America we have sewage systems and plants that filter and treat our sewer water. In Los Angeles there is the Hyperion sewage plant that processes enough fecal matter to fill three Rose Bowl Stadiums every day (Yamaguchi). That is just in Los Angeles, what about the rest of the U. S.? It is mind boggling to think about how much is processed. Now let’s look at India, a country that has significantly grown economically, however is still severely lacking proper sanitation systems. According to UNICEF, about 600 million people in India are without access to a toilet (â€Å"World Toilet Day 2012†). That is more than half the population of India. Instead of using a toilet, they openly defecate wherever they can. Many use the Yamuna River (Yamaguchi), the largest river in the Ganges of Northern India. The result has been a severely contaminated water source. The river has literally turned black and bubbles from the methane gases. The shores are not only polluted with fecal matter but trash as well and yet still the people are using the water from the river (Yamaguchi). I think many American’s reaction to this would be â€Å"Gross†or we might generalize and think that Indians are just unsanitary people. Is that really the case, though? The people living in underdeveloped countries are rarely living in unsanitary conditions by choice. Many are ignorant to proper sanitation practices and/or are living in conditions where they have no access to clean water. In the urban slums of New Delhi, people are defecating anywhere they can; in the middle of the streets, next to rail road tracks, or just feet from where they eat, drink and sleep. The water they are using to cook, drink, and bathe with is water from a sewer (Yamaguchi). About 1000 children die every day from diarrhea (Bajait, Thawani). This lack of proper sanitation systems is exposing these children and adults to fecal matter on a daily basis, which is causing diseases like Typhoid, Cholera and other severe illnesses linked with diarrhea. Is this the fault of the individual or the fault of their governments? In my opinion, both are at fault. Though developing countries have very little access to informational services, I do believe that it falls in the hands of the individual to get informed and I believe that it is the responsibility of the government to provide the services required to inform its people on proper sanitation, as well as provide a clean environment to live in via sanitation systems. This lack of toilets, which results in a lack of clean water, is obviously a very big problem. So what is being done about it? In 2001 Jack Sim founded the World Toilet Organization. This organization is dedicated to improving the world’s toilet and sanitation situation. They make toilets that are affordable for those living in impoverished conditions. Jack Sim also works with governments of developing countries and small organizations to help provide toilets to those in need. One of those small organizations is run by Bapak Sumadi in Indonesia. Sumadi is a major leader in Indonesia in providing the public with toilets and teaching the importance of public sanitation. Together their goal is to end open defecation (Yamaguchi). Though the changes and effects are small, they are not insignificant. The conditions that these people are forced to live in, is truly a crisis. Thousands die every day from not having proper sanitation systems. The invention of the toilet and sewage systems has not only given us a way to get rid of our feces, but it has provided us with sanitary conditions which keeps our water clean and reduces the chances of contracting diseases. No matter who you are or where you live, everyone deserves to have access to a toilet and clean water. The question now is; what more can be done? Should the government help provide better access to toilets and sanitation systems? What about other countries? Do we hold any responsibility in helping these developing countries? In my opinion, yes we do. One scholarly journal, in reference to David Hemson, stated â€Å"†¦ regular water supply to the rural poor is both a constitutional requirement and a social necessity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Phaswana-Mafuya 298). I think it is imperative that we learn to help one another, so that we can grow together rather than grow apart. I know the next time that I use the restroom, take a bath, or even just get a glass of water; I will be grateful for all that I have and that I don’t have to worry about what I am drinking or bathing in. What about you?
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Studies of Adoptively Transferred CMV-Specific T Cells
Studies of Adoptively Transferred CMV-Specific T Cells Group Method of Expansion/Selection Riddell, 1992, 1995 Expansion using CMV-infected fibroblasts Einsele, 2002 Expansion with CMV lysate Cobbold, 2005 Tetramer Selection using magnetic beads Micklethwaite, 2008 Antigen-presenting cells (Dendritic cells) transduced with an adenoviral vector encoding CMVpp65 Peggs, 2011 Selection of T cells secreting IFN-ÃŽÂ ³ after exposure to CMV antigen Blyth, 2013 Antigen-presenting cells (Dendritic cells) transduced with an adenoviral vector encoding CMVpp65 or Dendritic cells pulsed with HLA-A02-restricted peptide NLVPMVATV Quoted from (Hanley and Bollard, 2014). The ability to generate CMV, EBV, and adenovirus-specific CTL from the 20% fraction of a cord blood unit by using dendritic cells transduced with an Ad5/f35-CMV-pp65 vector as well as the cytokines IL-7, IL-12, and IL-15 was reported by Hanley and colleagues in 2009. Responding T cells were shown to be derived from the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve T cell population and responded to typical and atypical, novel CMV-pp65 epitopes. Later on, the ability to generate CMV-specific T cells from CMV-seronegative donors was reported by Jedema et al., 2011 and Hanley et al., 2013. Vaccination: On the basis of the cost to the health care system and the impact of the virus on human suffering, the development of an effective prophylactic vaccine to prevent CMV symptomatic congenital disease and/or to prevent disease in immunocompromised individuals is a high priority and would be a highly cost-effective measure (Khanna and Diamond, 2006). A successful vaccine strategy should aim to stimulate the innate and adaptive immune responses at the appropriate time. Both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses might be necessary to prevent congenital disease, whereas cellular immune response alone might be sufficient to prevent virus-associated complications in transplant patients (Khanna and Diamond, 2006). Cytomegalovirus exhibits a high level of molecular diversity and carries many immune evasion genes (Hansen et al., 2010). Thus, infection within a host can occur with multiple virus strains concomitantly, including at the time of initial infection, or sequentially (Renzette et al., 2011). Broad and cross-neutralizing cellular and humoral responses have therefore become a major goal of vaccine design (Arvin et al., 2004). Various strategies have been developed, though a vaccine against CMV remains elusive. CMV vaccines have been obtained using attenuated or chimeric viruses, DBs, recombinant proteins, DNA, peptides and/or viral vectors (poxvirus/adenovirus) (Khanna and Diamond, 2006). A number of subunit CMV vaccines tested in clinical trials targeted the abundant pp65 protein (Sylwester et al., 2005), which is expressed by CMV-infected cells both early and late after infection (La Rosa et al., 2012). Cytomegalovirus vaccines in clinical trials include: glycoprotein B subunit vaccines; alphavirus replicon particle vaccines; DNA vaccines; and live-attenuated vaccines. A variety of vaccine strategies are also being examined in preclinical systems and animal models of infection. These include: recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vaccines; recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara; replication-deficient adenovirus-vectored vaccines; and recombinant live-attenuated virus vaccines generated by mutagenesis of cloned rodent CMV genomes maintained as bacterial artificial chromosomes in Escherichia coli (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Trial of a subunit vaccine consisting of recombinant HCMV envelope gB with MF59 adjuvant: All HCMV-infected individuals have a significant proportion of neutralizing antibodies to HCMV being specific for epitopes on gB (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). A study of the use of HCMV gB vaccine plus MF59 adjuvant was reported. It was administered following a 0-, 1- and 6-month schedule (Pass et al., 2009). Although the study demonstrated that the gB vaccine could significantly reduce the risk of acquiring primary maternal HCMV infection, the study did not address the question of whether vaccine-induced HCMV immunity was equivalent to natural immunity in modulating either infection rate or sequelae for the fetus (Dekker and Arvin, 2009). Since re-infection with new strains of HCMV with which the host has no prior experience can lead to transmission to the fetus with subsequent sequelae (Boppana et al., 2001), the issue of cross-protection against diverse clinical isolates following administration of gB vaccine from a single genotype must be defined in future studies (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Clinical trial evaluation of a two-component alphavirus replicon particle vaccine containing HCMV gB and phosphoprotein 65 (pp65)/immediate early fusion proteins: The gB and the pp65 are the most frequently recognized antigens by CD4+ T cells, and pp65 is also one of the antigens most frequently recognized by CD8+ T cells (Sylwester et al., 2005). The HCMV IE1 is also an important target of the CD8+ T-cell response (Slezak et al., 2007). Therefore, vaccination strategies that aimed at eliciting T-cell responses has focused on the pp65 protein andIE1 gene product (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). AVX601 is a two-component alphavirus replicon particle vaccine expressing HCMV gB and a fusion protein of pp65-IE1 (Reap et al., 2007). The vaccine was well tolerated, with only mild local reactogenicity, Mild-to-moderate systemic reactogenicity was reported in some subjects (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Bivalent HCMV DNA vaccine: The use of a HCMV DNA vaccine in immunocompromised subjects, such as transplant recipients, would eliminate the safety concerns of live-attenuated HCMV or live recombinant viral-vectored vaccines (Selinsky et al., 2006). DNA vaccines elicit robust CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell and antibody responses (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). VCL-CB01, a bivalent HCMV DNA vaccine that contains two plasmids encoding HCMV pp65 and gB (LiuÂÂ and Ulmer, 2005). This vaccine has the ability to prime antigen-specific T cells, with the capacity to proliferate and secrete IFN-ÃŽÂ ³ on restimulation with antigen (Wloch et al., 2008). Further modifications of this vaccine may be required to optimize immunogenicity, particularly to the gB moiety (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). It was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse event was mild site injection pain (Liu and Ulmer, 2005). Live-attenuated HCMV Towne vaccine with or without adjuvant recombinant IL-12 and/or priming by DNA vaccine: Immunization with Towne vaccine prevented HCMV disease in seronegative renal transplant recipients, although it did not prevent infection in these patients or in parents of HCMV-infected children (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Evidence suggests that the relative defect in Towne vaccine may be related to inadequate antigen-specific IFN-ÃŽÂ ³ responses by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells following vaccination (Jacobson et al., 2006). Approaches to improve the immunogenicity of the Towne vaccine are being explored (Jacobson et al., 2009). One approach was to generate genetic recombinant vaccines containing regions from the genome of the unattenuated Toledo strain of HCMV, substituted for the corresponding regions of the Towne genome (Heineman et al., 2006). In another approach, HCMV DNA vaccine is used to prime for memory immune responses to Towne vaccine (Jacobson et al., 2009). A third approach is to co-administer Towne with recombinant human IL-12 (Jacobson et al., 2006*). 5) Preclinical vaccine development Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing murine cytomegalovirus gB: As a recombinant vaccine vector, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) can induce strong humoral and cellular immunity, particularly at mucosal surfaces. This attribute makes recombinant VSV (rVSV) an attractive candidate for development of a vectored HCMV vaccine (Wilson etal., 2008). Live rVSV vector expressing a murine CMV homolog of the gB protein has been tested in the mouse model (Wilson etal., 2008). This induced neutralizing antibody responses, and resulted in reduced viral titers. Also, splenocytes from immunized mice produced a CD8+ IFN-ÃŽÂ ³ response to gB (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara: The attenuated poxvirus, modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), was established as a safe and potent antigen delivery system. Its genome has undergone six major deletions during serial passage (Sung and Schleiss, 2010), which, in turn, allows the insertion of multiple HCMV genes (Wang et al., 2007). A recombinant MVA vaccine that expresses a soluble, secreted form of HCMV gB, based on the AD169 strain sequence has been constructed (Wang et al., 2004). High levels of gB-specific neutralizing antibodies were elicited in vaccinated mice (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). A trivalent MVA expressing gB, pp65 and IE1 has been developed (Wang et al., 2006) with ability to induce humoral and cellular immunity to gB (Wang et al., 2006). Recombinant MVAs have also been generated expressing both full-length pp65 and exon 4 of IE1 with induction of robust primary cell-mediated immunity and stimulation of vigorous expansion of memory Tcell responses to both antigens (Wang et al., 2007). Another recombinant MVA expressing pp65 and a fusion protein of HCMV IE1 exon 4 and IE2 exon 5 was constructed to maximize the representation of IE-specific immunity (Wang et al., 2008). Replication-deficient adenovirus-vectored polyepitope vaccine: Systemic and mucosal immunity to MCMV could be induced by intranasal immunization using a replication deficient adenoviral vector expressing murine CMV glycoprotein H in a murine model (Shanley and Wu, 2005). Modified adenoviral vector Ad5F35, Ad5F35-AD-1, has been generated, expressing the immunodominant antigenic domain-1 epitope of HCMV gB based on the sequence from the AD169 strain (Zhao et al., 2009). Since the AD-1 epitope is well conserved between different strains of HCMV (Britt et al., 2005), expression of the AD-1 epitope from AD5F35 elicits neutralizing antibody responses to diverse clinical isolates (Zhao et al., 2009). Another replication deficient adenoviral-vectored vaccine, Ad-gBCMVpoly (Zhong et al., 2008) which encodes 46 HCMV T-cell epitopes from multiple antigens covalently linked to the extracellular domain of HCMV gB antigen (Zhong et al., 2008). This chimeric vaccine elicited neutralizing antibody responses and virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses (Zhong and Khanna, 2009). Recombinant live CMV vaccine by bacterial artificial chromosome mutagenesis: An ideal live-attenuated HCMV vaccine should grow to high titers in cell culture for easy production, should be severely attenuated in vivo, even in immunocompromised hosts, and should elicit a strong immune response sufficient to protect against HCMV-associated disease (Mohr et al., 2008). An approach to the generation of such a vaccine is the targeted deletion of CMV genes modulating the host immune response (Cicin-Sain et al., 2007). This approach has been facilitated by the advances in mutagenesis of cloned CMV genomes maintained as bacterial artificial chromosomes in Escherichia coli as well as the rapidly expanding knowledge about the role of viral genes in immunopathogenesis and immune evasion (Dunn et al., 2003).
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Cell Components and Functions in Metabolism
Cell Components and Functions in Metabolism A Cell is the elementary structure, function and biological unit of an organism. NUCLEUS: The nucleus is the master control centre of the cell. It gives command to the cell to grow, divide, mature or die. It contains genes, stores the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which determines every aspect of human anatomy and physiology. The DNA is arranged into chromosomes which also contains the outlines specific use for each type of cell and also allows for replication of the cell. Nuclear Envelope: The nucleus is surrounded by a membrane called the nuclear envelope, which protects the DNA and separates the nucleus from the rest of the cell. Nucleolus: The nucleolus is a round body located inside the nucleus. Ribosomal subunits from proteins and ribosomal RNA, also called rRNA are both proteins made by the nucleolus. These subunits are then sent out to the other parts of the cell where they merge into whole ribosome. Plasma Membrane: The cell membrane is the outer covering of the cell and contains the cytoplasm, substances within it are organelle. It is a double-layered membrane composed of proteins and lipids. The lipid molecules on the outer and inner part (lipid bilayer) allow it to selectively transport substances in and out of the cell. Endoplasmic Reticulum: The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a membranous structure that contains a network of tubules and vesicles. It is structured that substances can move through it and be kept in isolation from the rest of the cell until the manufacturing processes conducted within are completed. There are two types of endoplasmic reticulum Rough (granular) and Smooth (granular). Rough Endoplasmic: contains a combination of proteins and enzymes. These parts of the endoplasmic reticulum contain a number of ribosomes giving it a rough appearance. Its purpose is to synthesise new proteins. Smooth Endoplasmic: does not have any attached ribosomes. Its purpose is to synthesise different types of lipids (fats). The smooth ER also plays a role in drug and carbohydrate metabolism. Golgi apparatus: is a packed collection of flat vesicles. It receives substances produced from the endoplasmic reticulum which are transported as vesicles and fuses with the Golgi apparatus. They are stored in the Golgi apparatus and converted into different substances that are necessary for the cells various functions. Lysosomes: are vesicles that break off from the Golgi apparatus. They differ in size and function depending on the type of cell. Lysosomes contain enzymes that help with the digestion of nutrients in the cell and help breakdown any cellular debris or invading microorganisms like bacteria. Ribosomes a minute particle consisting of RNA and associated proteins found in large numbers in the cytoplasm of living cells. They bind messenger RNA and transfer RNA to synthesize polypeptides and proteins. Mitochondria: These are the powerhouses of the cell which help to breakdown nutrients to produce energy. It also produces a high-energy compound called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which can be used as a simple energy source elsewhere. Mitochondria are composed of two membranous layers an outer membrane that surrounds the structure and an inner membrane that provides the physical sites of energy production. The inner membrane has many in folding layers that form shelves where enzymes attach and oxidize nutrients. The mitochondria also contain DNA which allows it to replicate and to be used where necessary. Centrioles: They are spindle fibres which move chromosomes during nuclear division. Centriole are made protein strands known as microtubules which are arranged in a specific way. There are nine groups of microtubules. When two centrioles are found next to each other, they are usually at right angles. The centrioles are found in pairs and move towards the poles (opposite ends) of the nucleus when it is time for cell division. Cytoplasm: The cytoplasm is made up of a jelly-like fluid (called the cytosol) which contains enzymes, salts, amino- acids and sugar which are important for the function and other structures that are in the cell Microfilaments and Microtubules: Microfilaments and microtubules are rigid protein substances that form the internal skeleton of the cell known as the cytoskeleton. Some of the microtubules also make up the centrioles and mitotic spindles within the cell which are responsible for the division of the cytoplasm when the cell divides. The microtubules are the central component of cilia, small hair-like projections that protrude from the surface of certain cells. It is also the central component of specialised cilia like the tail of the sperm cells which beats in a manner to allow the cell to move in a fluid medium. Insight into the cell organelles in metabolism, Individual organelle cannot function on its own, all the cell organelles are essential for the cell to perform all of its functions. The cell takes in nutrients in a vesicle. This vesicle then combine with the lysosome, which contains digestive enzymes. The enzymes will break down the nutrients into smaller, usable pieces. Large carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, and proteins are broken down into amino acids. The pieces then go to the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell which help to breakdown nutrients to produce energy. It also produces a high-energy compound called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which can be used as a simple energy source for many different cellular reactions. In the meantime, the nucleus stores the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which has the data for making proteins. The nucleus codes a piece of messenger RNA to be made, which will then go to the ribosome, the organelle that makes proteins. If the protein is going to be secreted from the cell, this ribosome will be part of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER). The ribosome (made in the nucleolus, which is inside the nucleus), interprets the messenger RNA into protein. Amino acids, which may have come from the food the cell brought in earlier will be used. The protein travels from the rough ER to the Golgi body, where it receives and puts touches it might need. The Golgi then sends the protein out of the cell, to wherever it needs to be. None of these cell organelles can perform its task without help from others. Protein will not be made by the nucleus without the ribosomes, Cellular respiration will not be performed by the mitochondria if the lysosomes dont break down the food, The ribosomes cannot add amino acids without help from the nucleus, mitochondrion, and lysosomes. Ciliated Columnar Epithelium is not really stratified since it does not have more than one layer. The cells are positioned in opposite directions, so it looks like more than one layer. Cilia is on the surface of most of this tissue. Cilia are structures shaped hair-like at the top end of a tissue that wave forwards and backwards to help move things. Its functions are to secrete and propel mucus. This helps in protection for the organs of the upper respiratory tract. Can also be found in some tubules and organs of the male reproduction tract, in this instance the tissue does not contain cilia and functions to secrete. When we breathe in a particle that shouldnt be in our lungs, the cilia in our respiratory tract catch these particles and move them out, making us sneeze. Ciliated epithelium can be found in our respiratory tract lining, the esophagus, the skins surface. It is also found in the fallopian. The cilia aids in moving egg from the ovary into the uterus each month. Ciliated epithelium contains special cells called goblet cells. The reason of these cells is mucous creation. This mucous enclose particles that shouldnt be in our body, and the cilia move them out. A lot of harmful bacteria would remain in our lungs if we do not have these cells and tissues, this will make us sick. Skeletal muscle is known as striated muscle, they have striations that run across their muscle fibers. The striations are end-to-end junctions of repeating units that are referred to as sarcomeres. A sarcomere is a functional unit of striated muscle, as it contains all the tools necessary for contraction. Skeletal muscle fibers are long and linear. Skeletal muscle fibers are stacked neatly together in a parallel arrangement, these fibers are long, and they run the entire length of the muscle organ. I guess this is what my mother expected my room to look like nice and orderly. Skeletal muscle is a contractile organ that is directly or indirectly attached to bone. Skeletal muscles serve a variety of functions including support and movement and homeostasis. Skeletal muscle contraction can result in muscle shortening and thus movement of the bone to which it is attached. Additionally, skeletal muscle contraction can maintain posture and position. Sphincters, composed of skeletal muscles, regulate movement through our digestive and urinary systems, thus, controlling swallowing, defecation and even urination. Skeletal muscle contraction generates heat, which helps to maintain body temperature. Finally, muscle proteins can be converted into glucose by the liver for homeostatic regulation of blood glucose. Neurons are specialized cells of the nervous system that transmit signals throughout the body. They have long extensions that extend out from the cell body called dendrites and axons. Dendrites are extensions of neurons that receive signals and conduct them toward the cell body. Axons are extensions of neurons that conduct signals away from the cell body to other cells. When a neuron is in its resting state, the membrane is said to be polarized because negative and positive charges exist on opposite sides. When a neuron receives a signal, sodium channels in the membrane are opened and allow a localized influx of positive sodium ions inside the cell, which causes depolarization, or a reduction of the difference in charge across the membrane. The localized depolarization also triggers nearby sodium channels to open up and depolarize the membrane nearby, which then causes more sodium channels to open up further away and depolarize the membrane there, and so a chain reaction is started. Depolarization occurs in a wave across the membrane, starting at the dendrite that received the signal, moving toward the cell body, moving across the cell body, and then away from the cell down the axon. Axons terminate at junctions with their target cells called synapses. At the synapse, there is a small gap between the terminal end of the axon and the target cell. When the depolarizing signal reaches the synapse, it triggers the release of signaling molecules called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters diffuse across the very short gap from the axon to the surface of the target cell and bind to receptors that control ion channels, causing the ion channels to open. If the signaling neuron is excitatory, the ion channel will allow sodium ions to enter the cell and cause depolarization at the target cell. However, if the signaling neuron is inhibitory, a different ion channel will be opened that will allow inhibitory ions, like negatively charged chloride ions, into the cell that will increase polarization of the target cell and decrease the chances of depolarization even if the cell receives an excitatory signal at the same time. Adipose tissue is termed a loose connective tissue. It is composed of fat-storage cells which can be seen under the skin and between the muscles, around the kidneys and heart, behind the eyeballs, and abdominal membranes. It helps as a sheet of protection, absorbing shock sustained by the tissue. It seals up space between organs and tissues. It also provides structural and metabolic support. Adipose tissue has a number of important functions. It is a source of energy and serves as a buffer, protecting our internal organs from trauma. This buffering is provided by visceral fat, which is fat enclosing our internal organs. Visceral fat can be helpful, but too much of it can be life threatening and increase risk of diabetes and heart disease. It also provides us with the thermal insulation needed to maintain our body temperature and may provide endocrine function like the production of the hormone leptin, which helps in the regulation of fat storage and body weight. Babies have a continuous layer of adipose tissue for protection while learning to walk, this thin as they develop into adolescence. The sheet gives them that plumb appearance. The sheet also help in insulating the body thereby keeping the essential body temperature at 37 degree centigrade. The three types of body system that will be considered are; the circulatory, respiratory and the digestive System These three systems interrelate for the completion of the body function. The circulatory and the respiratory systems collaborate to perform the gas exchange function. Gas exchange is very important, without the gas exchange the cells of the body will die, therefore it is very important for these systems to work together. The digestive system is tasked with the duty of bringing food into the body and breaking it down into protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fats, which the body needs for energy, growth, and repair. From the diagram below, digestion starts from the mouth, where we swallow our food and use our saliva, teeth and tongue to bite and chew it. The food then makes its way to the stomach through the esophagus, where powerful acids break it down even further into nutrients. These nutrients enter the bloodstream through tiny hair-like projections. Any residual wastes are stored in the rectum and ejected through the anus. The circulatory system is tasked with the duty of transporting blood all over the body. It is made up of the heart and blood vessels known as veins, arteries and capillaries. Let us visualize the blood vessels as the motorways of the body, bringing vital goods to and from the cells. In the circulatory system, blood is pumped from the heart to the lungs, so theyll get oxygen, and then pumped to the bodys cells. The respiratory system, take in oxygen through the lungs and the oxygen then mixes with the blood in the circulatory system and then it is transported as ox haemoglobin to the cells by the circulatory system. The circulatory system also transport the waste product carbon dioxide from the cells back to the respiratory system which expels it out of the body. Therefore, without the respiratory system, oxygen would not be able to enter the body and carbon dioxide would not be able to be expelled out of the body as waste. Also without the circulatory system, oxygen and carbon dioxide would not be able to transport round the body thereby keeping the cells of the body alive. The circulatory system interrelates with digestive system for a maximum heart rate. The digestive system produces nutrients that is needed by the cells of the body for proper metabolism. The circulatory system transports these nutrients produced by the digestive system through the body cells and also transport toxins that are harmful to the body out of the cells into the kidney to be destroyed and expelled out of the body. If the circulatory system fails to function the body systems will shut down causing damage to the organs of the body and finally causing death. Every system is important because without the function of one system the other system cannot function properly and therefore causing organ damage that would eventually lead to death.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Magical Elements in The Day We Were Dogs :: Day We Were Dogs Essays
Magical Elements in The Day We Were Dogs     The short story "The Day We Were Dogs", first published in 1993, was written by Elena Garro. She was born in Pueblo, Mexico, on December 15, 1920. I feel that the story definitely has to deal with magical realism. "The Day We Were Dogs" has too many magical elements that are treated as normal not to be magical realism. However, I also felt that the story has some unreal elements that are not treated as normal. Therefore, I feel that the story may also fit into the genre of fantastic literature, which creates questions about the unreal elements. Given this fact that the story hovers between magical realism and fantastic literature, it can not be absolutely defined as an example of magical realism. After reading "The Day We Were Dogs", I felt that some things were treated as normal. One of the characteristics of magical realism is the fact that the girls might be dogs. To me, this is an obvious magical element. A human can not turn into a dog in any way, shape, or form. Also, a magical realist characteristic is when one of the girls touched a worm with her fingertip and it became a red ring (208). If she is a dog, I find myself asking: Why is he touching the worm with his fingertip? In addition, Eva rested her head on her fore paws and closed her eyes (209). The fact that the girls are switching from a human back to an animal seems magical to me. Most importantly, these magical elements are treated as normal by the characters, a necessary criteria for magical realism (Faris 172). The sun beating down, the earth burned, and the dogs' food was heavy as bags of rocks (209), however, in my opinion, is an example of an unreal element that is questionable. Dog food is heavy, but I do not think that it is as heavy as rocks. I felt that it was somewhat an exaggeration. Therefore, I feel that it is a fantastic element, one that is questioned (Todorov), rather than an example of magical realism in which the unreal is treated as normal. Grounding the magical elements in reality is also a characteristic of magical realism. I found some realistic elements in the story "The Day We Were Dogs" as well.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Projectery :: essays research papers
Projectery Diagram Method The A3 sheet of white paper was attached to the board, with drawing pins, and the board was placed underneath a book, to put it on a slight incline. Using a protractor, lines were drawn on as a guide for where to line up the marble. The lines were drawn at 30 O, all the way to 70 O, at 5O intervals. A runner was needed to drop the marble down to the inclined board. A piece of card was used, that was bent in half to create a runway. Wherever the marble went off the board, was marked. The result was confirmed by measuring from the point the marble was thrown to the point it fell of the board. We produced the test a couple of times to find the best results. Results Angle     Range (cm) 30 O     24.3 35 O     25.9 40 O     26.6 45 O     27.0 50 O     27.8 55 O     26.8 60 O     24.6 65 O     20.6 70 O     18.2 Conclusion Prediction: At 45 degrees the marble will travel the longest. At 45 O the vertical velocity and the horizontal velocity are the same. Example: In the vertical direction the object decelerates at 10ms-2(approx). It will take exactly 1 second for it to reach its maximum height. This is because of the following. 10ms-2 means every second velocity decreases by 10ms-1. It will take half a second to decrease by 5ms-1. Therefore, 5/10 = 0.5, Decrease in velocity / deceleration. 2 x 0.5 = 1second. During this one second, the object will travel a horizontal distance. Range = horizontal velocity x time = 5 x 1 = 5m The experiment that has been undertaken here has gone slightly off course simply because of the prediction being 45 O. This experiment has shown that it reached its height at 60 O, which could have been interrupted by several things. The things that could have altered the final results are the following: The runway may not have been perfectly on level with the lines of angle. The board wasn’t at same height. The speed of movement at the beginning from the marble. The runway wasn’t steady. The runway may have been at different heights. To produce a fairer test, an average could have been taken, or a more suitable runway. I believe that a bigger board and easier lines to follow would have made it much easier and more accurate. How applied to sport? Projectery is used in almost every sport, e.g. Javelin: When throwing the javelin. Shot put: When throwing the shot put. Football: When kicking the ball. Projectery is used in sport as many use this to judge the best way to be able to get the distance that they want.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Common Features of a Shakespeare Comedy
Common Features of a Shakespeare Comedy What makes a Shakespeare comedy identifiable if the genre is not distinct from the Shakespeare tragedies and histories? This is an ongoing area of debate, but many believe that the comedies share certain characteristics, as described below: * Comedy through language: Shakespeare communicated his comedy through language and his comedy plays are peppered with clever word play, metaphors and insults. 1. Love: The theme of love is prevalent in every Shakespeare comedy.Often, we are presented with sets of lovers who, through the course of the play, overcome the obstacles in their relationship and unite. Love in Shakespearean comedy is stronger than the inertia of custom, the power of evil, or the fortunes of chance and time. In all of these plays but one (Troilus and Cressida), the obstacles presented to love are triumphantly overcome, as conflicts are resolved and errors forgiven in a general aura of reconciliation and marital bliss at the play's c lose.Such intransigent characters as Shylock, Malvolio, and Don John, who choose not to act out of love, cannot be accommodated in this scheme, and they are carefully isolated from the action before the climax. * * Complex plots: The plotline of a Shakespeare comedy contains more twists and turns than his tragedies and histories. Although the plots are complex, they do follow similar patterns. For example, the climax of the play always occurs in the third act and the final scene has a celebratory feel when the lovers finally declare their love for each other.Moreover, the context of marriageâ€â€at least alluded to, is the cap-stone of the comedic solution, for these plays not only delight and entertain, they affirm, guaranteeing the future. Marriage, with its promise of offspring, reinvigorates society and transcends the purely personal element in sexual attraction and romantic love. * Mistaken identities: The plot is often driven by mistaken identity. Sometimes this is an inten tional part of a villain’s plot, as in Much Ado About Nothing when Don John tricks Claudio into believing that his fiance has been unfaithful through mistaken identity.Characters also play scenes in disguise and it is not uncommon for female characters to disguise themselves as male characters, seen in Portia in the Merchant of venice. Shakespeare’s 17 comedies are the most difficult to classify because they overlap in style with other genres. Critics often describe some plays as tragi-comedies because they mix equal measures of tragedy and comedy. For example, Much Ado About Nothing starts as a Shakespeare comedy, but takes on the characteristics of a tragedy when Hero is disgraced and fakes her own death.At this point, the play has more in common with Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare’s key tragedies. The 18 plays generally classified as comedy are as follows: 1 All's Well That Ends Well 2 As You Like It 3 The Comedy of Errors 4 Cymbeline 5 Love's Labourâ⠂¬â„¢s Lost 6 Measure for Measure 7 The Merry Wives of Windsor 8 The Merchant of Venice 9 A Midsummer Night's Dream 10 Much Ado About Nothing 11 Pericles, Prince of Tyre 12 The Taming of the Shrew 13 The Tempest 14 Troilus and Cressida 15 Twelfth Night 16 Two Gentlemen of Verona 7 The Two Noble Kinsmen 18 The Winter's Tale 2. 3. Comedy is a drama that provokes laughter at human behavior, usually involves romantic love, and usually has a happy ending. In Shakespeare's day the conventional comedy enacted the struggle of young lovers to surmount some difficulty, usually presented by their elders, and the play ended happily in marriage or the prospect of marriage. Sometimes the struggle was to bring separated lovers or family members together, and their reunion was the happy culmination (this often involved marriage also).Shakespeare generally observed these conventions, though his inventiveness within them yielded many variations. 4. Eighteen plays are generally included among Shakespe are's comedies. In approximate order of composition, they are. These works are often divided into distinct subclasses reflecting the playwright's development. The first seven, all written before about 1598, are loosely classed as the ‘early comedies', though they vary considerably in both quality and character.The last four of theseâ€â€Loves Labour's Lost, the Dream, the Merchant, and the Merry Wivesâ€â€are sometimes separated as a transitional group, or linked with the next three in a large ‘middle comedies' classification. The Merry Wives is somewhat anomalous in any case; it represents a type of comedyâ€â€the ‘city play', a speciality of suchwriters as Ben Jonson and Thomas Dekkerâ€â€that Shakespeare did not otherwise write. The next three plays. Much Ado, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, are often thought to constitute Shakespeare's greatest achievement in comedy; all written around 1599-1600, they are called the romantic, or mature, comedies. The next group of three plays, called the Problem Plays, which include Alls Well that Ends Well, Troilus and Cressida, and Measure for Measure that were written in the first years of the 17th century, as Shakespeare was simultaneously creating his greatest tragedies. The final cluster, all written between about 1607 and 1613, make up the bulk of the playwright's final period. They are known as the Romances which include Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest, and often The Two Noble Kinsman. (The problem plays and romances were intended to merge Tragedy and comedy in Tragicomedies.Many minor variations in this classification scheme are possible; indeed, the boundaries of the whole genre are not fixed, for Timon of Athens is often included among the comedies, and Troilus and Cressida is sometimes considered a tragedy. 5. Shakespeare's earliest comedies are similar to existing plays, reflecting his inexperience. The Comedy of Errorsâ€â€thought by many scholars to be h is first drama, though the dating of Shakespeare's early works is extremely difficultâ€â€is built on a play by the ancient Roman dramatist Plautus. Characteristically, Shakespeare enriched his source, but with material from another play by Plautus.The Subplot of The Taming of the Shrew was taken from a popular play of a generation earlier, and the main plot was well known in folklore, though the combination was ingeniously devised. The Two Gentlemen of Verona likewise deals with familiar literary material, treating it in the manner of John Lyly, the most successful comedy writer when Shakespeare began his career. 6. However, the young playwright soon found the confidence to experiment, and in Loves Labour's Lost, the Dream, and the Merchant, he created a group of unusual works that surely startled Elizabethan playgoers, though pleasurably, we may presume.In the first he created his own main plot and used a distinctively English variation on the Italian Commedia Dell’Arte traditions for a sub-plot. He thus produced a splendid array of comic situations. The play's abundant topical humor was certainly appreciated by the original audiences, although today we don't always know what it is about. In any case, the major characters are charming young lovers, the minor ones are droll eccentrics, and the closing coup de theatre, with which a darkening mood brings the work to a close, is a stunning innovation. Already, the eventual turn towards tragicomedy is foreshadowed.A Midsummer Night's Dream mingles motifs from many sources, but the story is again the playwright's own; moreover, the play's extraordinary combination of oddity and beauty was entirely unprecedented and has rarely been approximated since. The Merchant of Venice mixes a social theme, usury, into a conventional comedy plot to deepen the resonance of the final outcome as well as to vary the formula. Here, the threat that is finally averted is so dire as to generate an almost tragic mood, again a nticipating developments later in the playwright's career. . The mastery that Shakespeare had achieved by the late 1590s is reflected in the insouciance of the titles he gave his mature comedies (Twelfth Night's subtitleâ€â€'What You Will'â€â€matches the others). That mastery is accompanied by a serious intent that is lacking in the earliest comedies. Shakespeare could not ignore the inherent poignancy in the contrast between life as it is lived and the escape from life represented by comedy. In Much Ado, as in The Merchant of Venice, a serious threat to life and happiness counters the froth of a romantic farce.Even in As You Like It, one of the most purely entertaining of Shakespeare's plays, the melancholy Jaques interposes his conviction that life is irredeemably corrupt. Feste’s song at the close of Twelfth Night gives touching expression to such sentiments, as he sends us from the theatre with the melancholy refrain, ‘the rain it raineth every day' (5. 1. 3 91). We are not expected to take him too seriously, but we cannot avoid the realization that even the life of a jester may be a sad one.The mature comedies thus further a blending of comedy and tragedy. 8. In the end, however, all of Shakespeare's comedies, including the later problem plays and romances, are driven by love. Love in Shakespearean comedy is stronger than the inertia of custom, the power of evil, or the fortunes of chance and time. In all of these plays but one (Troilus and Cressida), the obstacles presented to love are triumphantly overcome, as conflicts are resolved and errors forgiven in a general aura of reconciliation and marital bliss at the play's close.Such intransigent characters as Shylock, Malvolio, and Don John, who choose not to act out of love, cannot be accommodated in this scheme, and they are carefully isolated from the action before the climax. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9. In their resolutions Shakespeare's comedies resemble the medieval Morality Pl ay, which centeres on a sinful human who receives God's mercy. In these secular works, a human authority figureâ€â€Don Pedro or Duke Senior, for instanceâ€â€is symbolically divine, the opponents of love are the representatives of sin, and all of the participants in the closing vignette partake of the play's love and forgiveness.Moreover, the context of marriageâ€â€at least alluded to at the close of all but Troilus and Cressidaâ€â€is the cap-stone of the comedic solution, for these plays not only delight and entertain, they affirm, guaranteeing the future. Marriage, with its promise of offspring, reinvigorates society and transcends the purely personal element in sexual attraction and romantic love. Tragedy's focus on the individual makes death the central fact of life, but comedy, with its insistence on the ongoing process of love and sex and birth, confirms our awareness that life transcends the individual. 10.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)