The Current Trends Global Transportation - 1348 Words

The current trends global transportation are widely considered to be unsustainable for a number of reasons, including profound impacts on the climate and heavy dependence on limited fossil fuel supplies (Greene, 1997). However, there is a great deal of disagreement among researchers and policy makers regarding what constitutes a â€Å"sustainable† system of economics, governance, or transport. The prevailing notion of sustainability has largely focused on reducing impacts to the planet from an ecological and natural resources perspective. In a broader policy context, however, the impacts of economics and equity issues on the health of the environment are not to be ignored. The relationship between resource scarcity and environmentally†¦show more content†¦Thus, even under the strictest ecological interpretation of sustainability, achieving social, political, and quality of life objectives is paramount to getting national and global participation. Based on this more ho listic interpretation, a high-level definition of a â€Å"sustainable transportation system† is one which: †¢ Does not unfairly prioritize any one ethnic, social, or economic group of people over another, in terms of access, financial cost, and secondary/external costs †¢ Is supportive of and not a barrier to equitable economic growth and development †¢ Supports societal expectations concerning mobility and quality of life †¢ Does not carry any unreasonable risks to humans in terms of public health or injury †¢ Works within the carrying capacity of the environment, both in terms of resource consumption and pollution output - A truly sustainable system would not degrade ecosystems or the environment, and would not consume any unrenewable resources †¢ Considers all objectives, policies, and strategies in a global context Some have suggested that a policies regarding sustainability should include broader social issues in their list of objectives including education attainment, â€Å"cultural health† of a community, and even democracy (Farrell Hart, 1998). At the risk of seeming overly pragmatic or uncaring, the view taken here is that such

The Current Industrial Relations Legislation - 990 Words

5 Current industrial relations legislation The federal system IR for most Australian employers and employees, including Vitoria. Vitoria in the early 1990s to its general industrial relations to the federal jurisdiction, the country s employees are still part of the federal labor relations system. 5.1 The Commonwealth Powers (Industrial Relations) Act 1996 The purpose of this act is to mention some matters related to the Commonwealth Parliament in Vitoria and career, including mediation and arbitration matters, in order to prevent and solve the industrial disputes, employee s minimum employment conditions and conditions and termination of employment and freedom of association. (The Commonwealth powers act 1996, Commonwealth) 5.2 Federal†¦show more content†¦The bill increases the rights of outside staff and provides a simple low-cost process to recover arrears. (Outworkers (Improved Protection) Act 2003, Commonwealth) 5.5 Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997 Employers are usually subject to federal and long-term service holidays in 1992 to provide long-term service leave, employers in the construction industry under special provisions. Long-term service leave in 1997 provided for the construction of workers in the industry long-term service holidays. (Construction Industry Long Service Leave Act 1997, Commonwealth) 6 Australian’s workplace relations laws The key elements of this framework are: ï‚Ÿ Safety net for minimum conditions and employment conditions. ï‚Ÿ Collective bargaining system and industrial action rules based on bargaining power. ï‚Ÿ The provision of personal flexibility as a means of allowing individual workers and employers to work flexibly to meet their real needs, on the basis of better overall staff. ï‚Ÿ Protection against unfair or unlawful termination of employment. ï‚Ÿ In order to protect the freedom of the employer and the employee, to choose whether to express through the third party in the workplace, and to define the rights and responsibilities of the employer and employee representatives. ï‚Ÿ The law is a working relationship law enacted by the federal parliament. 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Venezuela free essay sample

# 8217 ; s Economy As A Whole Essay, Research Paper VENEZUELA? S ECONOMY AS A WHOLE Economy Venezuela is rich in oil and other mineral resources. Its per capita income is approximately mean for Latin America. The state # 8217 ; s public external debt ( excepting the duties of the cardinal bank and PDVSA, the parastatal oil company ) stood at about $ 26.5 billion in 1996. The economic system grew by 4.5 % in existent footings in 1997. Consumer monetary values rose merely 37.6 % in 1997 compared to the record 103 % of 1996. The authorities is trusting for rising prices of 24 % during 1998. The Venezuelan economic system is doing a rejoinder under the Agenda Venezuela, propelled chiefly by the gap of the crude oil sector to foreign investing ( the # 8220 ; apertura # 8221 ; ) , a far-reaching denationalization plan, and programs to reform public sector operations. Oil monetary values have shown a continual diminution since 1996, which is functioning to gnaw the budgetary excess from 4.5 % in 1996 to an estimated 1.5 % in 1997. In July 1996, the Venezuelan Government and the IMF officially announced a $ 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Venezuela or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4 billion stand-by loan. The World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank are besides lending to attempts to advance cardinal structural reforms # 8211 ; in the bench, electoral system, and societal security/severance wage plans. Petroleum and Other Resources Venezuela # 8217 ; s economic system is dominated by crude oil, and the state is a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) . In 1997, this sector accounted for more than one-fourth of GDP, about three-fourthss of export net incomes, and about half of cardinal authorities # 8217 ; s grosss. Most of Venezuela # 8217 ; s energy exports consist of rough oil, but the state is besides the United States # 8217 ; taking foreign beginning of refined crude oil merchandises. The Government of Venezuela has opened up much of the hydrocarbon sector to foreign investing, advancing the constitution of monolithic new petrochemical articulation ventures and reactivation of inactive Fieldss. The Venezuelan crude oil corporation and foreign oil companies signed eight contracts for geographic expedition and production joint ventures in July 1996. These contracts are expected to bring forth over $ 15 billion in foreign investing. A scope of other natural resources, including Fe ore, diamonds, coal, bauxite, hydroelectric power, gold, and Nis are in assorted phases of development. In 1996, CVG, the state-owned excavation house, announced its first joint venture with a foreign company to develop the Las Cristinas gold mine. Congress is besides sing statute law which would update Venezuela # 8217 ; s 1945 excavation jurisprudence in an attempt to promote greater private sector engagement in mineral extraction. Fabrication, Agriculture, and Trade Manufacturing contributed 15.6 % of GDP in 1997. The fabrication sector grew somewhat ( 2.2 % ) in direct contrast with the contraction in 1996. Venezuela industries and exports steel, aluminium, fabrics, dress, drinks, and groceries. It besides produces cement, tyres, paper, and fertilisers, and assembles autos for both the domestic and export market. The # 8220 ; Agenda Venezue la† envisions the denationalization of a scope of state-owned endeavors, including Bankss. Agribusiness histories for 4 % of GDP, 12 % of the labour force, and 24 % of Venezuela # 8217 ; s land country. Venezuela exports beef, rice, java, and chocolate. However, the state is non self-sufficing in most countries of agricultural production and imports about 60 % of nutrient consumed. In 1996, U.S. houses exported about $ 475 million of agricultural merchandises including wheat, soya beans, maize, soymeal, and cotton to Venezuela, our third-largest agricultural export market in Latin America. The U.S. normally accounts for somewhat more than a 3rd of Venezuela # 8217 ; s nutrient imports. Thankss to petroleum exports, Venezuela normally posts a trade excess. In recent old ages, non-traditional ( i.e. non-petroleum ) exports have been turning quickly but still constitute merely about one-quarter of entire exports. The United States is Venezuela # 8217 ; s taking trade spouse. During the first 10 months of 1997, the United States registered $ 3.0 billion in exports ( about 38 % of Venezuela # 8217 ; s entire ) and purchased $ 12.9 billion in imports ( about 55 % of Venezuela # 8217 ; s entire ) . Venezuela # 8217 ; s trade with other Andean Pact members, peculiarly Colombia, is turning in importance. Labor and Infrastructure Venezuela # 8217 ; s labour force of about 8.8 million is turning faster than entire employment. At the terminal of 1997, official unemployment was 12.8 % , but unofficial estimations are higher. The public sector employs 14 % of the work force, while less than 1 % work in the capital-intensive oil industry. About 25 % of the labour force is nonionized. Unions are peculiarly strong in the populace sector. Venezuela has an extended route system. With the exclusion of air service, transit and communications have failed to maintain gait with the state # 8217 ; s demands. Much of the substructure suffers from unequal care. Caracas has a modern metro, but merely one working rail line serves the remainder of the state. Economic indexs GDP ( 1997 est. ) : $ 72.1 billion. Growth rate ( 1997 ) : 4.5 % . GDP per capita: $ 3,164. Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, Fe ore, gold, other minerals, hydroelectric power, bauxite. Agriculture ( 4.7 % of GDP ) : Products # 8211 ; rice ; java ; maize ; sugar ; bananas ; dairy, meat, and domestic fowl merchandises. Petroleum industry ( 27.6 % of GDP ) : Oil refinement, petrochemicals. Manufacturing ( 15.6 % of GDP ) : Types # 8211 ; Fe and steel, paper merchandises, aluminium, fabrics, conveyance equipment, consumer merchandises, and crude oil refinement. Trade ( 1997 est. ) : Exports # 8211 ; $ 23.7 billion: crude oil ( $ 18.3 billion ) , Fe ore, java, steel, aluminium, chocolate. Major markets # 8211 ; U.S. ( Jan.-Oct.1997, 55 % ) , Japan, Germany, Colombia, Nederlands, Brazil, Italy. Imports # 8211 ; $ 10.6 billion: machinery and conveyance equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, groceries. Major providers # 8211 ; U.S. ( Jan.-Oct. 1997, 38 % ) , Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Colombia, Brazil. Exchange rate ( Dec. 1997 ) : 504.25 bolivars=U.S. $ 1.

Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Review Essay Example

Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Review Paper Essay on Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Who does not love a great Soviet film Red, honest, passionate, loosely based on the book by Jan Ekholm? If you still did not look, highly recommend in a simple fairy story tucked deep existential problems loneliness and otherness, friendship and family ties, mutual understanding of children and parents Little Ludwig grows not so, how would like to see my mother with. dad. He is kind, compassionate, and naive (oh my!) Leads friendship with leverets. Just a shame the family, rather than a normal child. Old father-foxes and older brother had lost all hope to reason with the boy. Mom-fox quietly sighs and closes his eyes to the disgraceful behavior of the fox for a hereditary son, led the old gippenreyterskim principle You shall love the child for what he is. And live. But the boy is growing stronger and his humanistic views. He is even ready to become a vegetarian, but would not hurt to living beings. Relationship with his father and older brother are running high to the limit. Another trick pacifist, family scandal, Ludwig and runs from the house. But where to go? Who lodges a little fox? In his naive goodness, he did not understand how very vulnerable to the outside world, where reigns the laws of natural selection, and every stump danger lies. We will write a custom essay sample on Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tutta Karlssons first and only, Ludwig Fourteenth and other Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer from exhaustion, he falls in the middle of rye field ( The Catcher in the rye ), and above his head, stands a symbol of the modern era a straw man designed to intimidate enemies and instilling in them a sense of their insignificance. Not realizing how close he slumped to the lair of the foxs arch enemy, Ludwig decides not to stop at nothing. He takes a step forward facing right with her. Hungry for understanding and love of the boys heart shudders. It faces a greenhorn Tutta Karlsson the first and only one close to where it will be really happy if he could defend the right to this happiness and to keep it in its still fragile legs

Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example Essay Example

Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example Paper Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Introduction Shared Trait between Humans and Chimpanzees Anthropology 101 Section Fall 2010 Professor Diane Sank For many years, numerous individuals including anthropologists have attempted to explain how a single species evolved into another. From the time of Charles Darwin to Creationism, anthropologists have established that chimpanzees are human’s closet relative. Furthermore, with the extensive voluminous amount of information, not only are chimpanzees genetically and evolutionary similar to human but share analogous traits. For instance, chimpanzees like human make and utilized tools in various techniques. Another trait shared is eutheria, where offspring depend on the placenta and grown internally of their paternities. In addition to the highly mobile digits that assist chimpanzees in grasping and climbing. These illustrations are just a few. This paper is twofold; to highlight humans and chimpanzees shared traits that can aid in recreating the past of humans, secondly to heighten my knowledge of the evolution of humankind and chimpanzees. Human are classified in the primate order. The primate order contains countless species of prosimians, monkeys, apes, and us. Moreover even though humans are classified along with other primates the nearest relative is chimpanzees. Similarly, humans and chimpanzees share, â€Å"anatomy, and genetic material† that has been noted for several years now. By sharing similar traits it is noted as a vital part of human evolution. Human evolution is the development of humans also known as Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens are categorized in the Hominidae family, a family that has shown to ensure increased brain size with complexity and bipedalism. Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Body Paragraphs Chimpanzees have undergone many different changes during that resulted in binocular vision, mobile digits without claws but nails, decreasing in sense of smell due to a reduced snout, large and complex brains. Specific traits are illustrated distinctively within humans (Kottak, 2009). The first trait chimpanzees share with humans is grooming. Grooming is the action of cleaning oneself or another. The purpose of grooming among primates has many functions. The first is to clean another while the other is is sharing a bonding experience with a partner or friend. Both primates experience, â€Å"friendless, submission, appeasement or closeness. embracing, touching, and jumping up and down. † These behaviors assist in shaping closeness between the two chimpanzees taking part in grooming (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Two chimpanzees sit face to face with each other and perform these procedures. Chimpanzees use their digits to â€Å"remove parasites or detritus from another’s hairy body surface,† resulting in the consumption of parasites There are different grooming habits among chimpanzees. For instance, some chimpanzees groom each other face to face while other chimpanzee let the one being groomed to move about as they feel. Some chimpanzees use sticks, or leaves as tools for grooming. In humans grooming is also used as a bonding experience for example between mother and child (McGrew, 1998). The second trait is the increase in the size of the brain and complexity. Primates have the highest intelligences. The size and complexity of brain enables primates to retain additional information to utilize in tool making or climbing. The advantages of a large brain with complexity assist in â€Å"navigat[ing].find[ing] food in a highly complex environment. † The brain size of chimpanzees is larger than most other mammals (Kottak 2006; Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The third trait is highly mobile digits. In humans mobile digits a re hands. Chimpanzee’s highly mobile digit allows them to grasp items and climb trees more efficiently. Chimpanzees like human have five fingers on both digits (hands and toes). Primates also have opposable thumbs and tactile pads. Tactile pads empower chimps to have great sensitivity to what they come into contact with. The tactile pads are located at the end of chimp’s digits. Chimps do not have claws but nails (Kottak, 2009). The fourth trait chimps share with humans is tool making. Chimps are every diversified in utilizing and make tools. Chimpanzees construct their tools from surrounding material within the forest such as twigs, bark, and leaves. Tool constructed have multiple functions. For example leaves can be rolled to create a cup for drink water. Another example is utilized leaves for fishing and grooming varies parts of another chimpanzee. Finally leaves can be used in pre –mating procedure and to make medication. Chimpanzees also utilized tools to g ather food such as sticking sticks into the ground to gather ants and termites for food. Chimpanzees are able to use their surrounds to help create everyday task to be performed with ease (McGrew, 1998). The fifth trait chimpanzees share with humans is being eutheria. Eutheria are mammals who reproduce internally via placenta. Similar to human chimpanzees do not have a breeding season. This allows chimpanzees to mate at any time of the year. Since mating seasons do not exist in chimpanzee culture, the majority of female chimpanzees throughout their life becomes pregnant or nurse constantly. Once offspring are born they are: â€Å"Dependent for 4 or 5 years.chimpanzee infant cannot survive if its mother dies before it reaches the age of 4 at the very least. During the juvenile period, young primates are still dependent upon the largest social group rather than on their mother alone, using this period for learning and refining a variety of behaviors. If the juvenile primate’s mother dies, he or she will be â€Å"adopted† by an older male or female member of the social group. † Not only does the infant depend on their mother for a period in time, the community takes care of them as they reach a certain age (Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The sixth trait chimpanzee share is bipedalism. Bipedalism is the art of walking on two legs. This trait is a major trait that has evolved. Chimpanzees usually walk on all fours. However at times chimpanzees walk bipedally when they have to hold something in their hand. Furthermore Chimpanzees â€Å"cannot sustain bipedalism locomotion for more than 50 to 100 yards [before retracting to] knuckle-walking† (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Human infants like chimpanzees walk on all fours, at times walking bipeadlly shortly until they retract to walking on all fours. The seventh trait is the act of playing. The process of playing among chimpanzees is learning skills that can be used later in life as adults. The act of playing is shown not only in infants but juveniles as well. Infants and juveniles play to â€Å"learn about their environment.social skills. [and] testing a variety of behaviors. The act of playing is a tool for learning how certain things work and what is and not accepted in their community (McGrew 1998; Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The eighth trait chimpanzee share with humans is the art of learning. Since the brain of a chimpanzees has increased in size and complexity this trait has assisted in advantages. Younger chimpanzees stay close to their mothers in order to learn how to perform certain task. For example, chimpanzees in West Africa use stones to crack open nuts. At first the offspring fail to perform the task until a great deal of practice is chieved. This process is call aping, the act of observing then imitating the adult they learned from (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). The ninth trait is sexual behavior among chimpanzees. Chimpanzees and humans alike are promiscuous. The reason being primates do not have a set partner, another primate to mate with and stay with as a neutral family. Within chimpanzees communities both male and female engage in finding partners to mate with. There is no standard for the men to only look, but women take part in finding a mate rather than waiting for one. Female chimpanzees similar to humans go through several periods in time when they are vulnerable to impregnation. This period in time is known as estrus, not only where the female is vulnerable to impregnation but skin surrounding the genitals swell. In a recent study â€Å"twelve to fourteen males have been observed to have as many as fifty copulations in one day with a single female in estrus†(Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). Sexual promiscuity is a norm in chimpanzee’s community as well as humans. In our culture sexual promiscuity is portrayed in the form of pornography. Even though it is frowned upon ind ividuals still take part in it. The tenth trait similar to humans is communication. Chimpanzees have diverse calls that can be visualized with face and body expressions. There are various calls such as, â€Å"warning calls, threat calls, defense calls, and gather calls. [that accompany] gestures and postures.. [that is at] the level of a 2 to 3 –year-old human child† (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Chimpanzee unlike humans cannot speak but they do display language skills incorporating by call and gestures. I have learned that chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and should be studied more often. In my opinion chimpanzees are becoming more and more intelligent than the average American. For example some American can barely read and write let alone communicate their wants and needs. While chimpanzees communicate their wants and needs by using gestures and postures. It is extremely heartbroken more and more primates are slowly being extinct or becoming re search models not to benefit the understanding of their ways but for biomedical research. It truly was remarkable learning about chimpanzees an there shared trait humans’ utilize as of today. I am grateful and wish someday I too like Jane Goodall can do research on primates to learn their ways. We as humans should learn more and take care of our closest relative then would we truly understand their ways and ourselves. Chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes, have acquired traits that are established already in humans. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent primates who display eutheria, the process of growing their offspring internally. Chimpanzees are extremely social creatures that take part in grooming as a process of bonding with another primate. While infants and juvenile learn through play which creates a learning environment for the children to learn what they will be required to know when they are adults. The increase in brain size and complexity has assisted chimpanzees to make and utilize tools, walk bipedally, and able them to climb and grasp with their high mobile digits. It begs the question: what will the future hold for the evolution of humans as chimpanzees become more and more rick in knowledge? This report contains 9,445 characters and 1,788 words References 1. Haviland, W, Prins, H, Walrath, D, amp; McBride, B. (2005). Living primates. In N. Root (Ed. ), Anthropology: the Human Challenge (pp. 62-87). Canada: Wadsworth. 2. Stanford, C, Allen, J, amp; Anton, S. (2006). Biological anthropology. New Jersey: Pearson Education. 3. Kottak, C. (2009). Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity. New York: The McGraw Hill Companies. 4. Culture in nonhuman primates. (1998). Annuals Review of Anthropology, 27, 301-328. We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Chris McCandless Essays

Chris McCandless Essays Chris McCandless Paper Chris McCandless Paper Chris Mishandles was an exceptional young man who lived life by the beat of his own drum but all that changed when his young life was cut short. Though his life ended, his story lives on forever. Jon Into the Wild Is Chris living legacy: the book examines life as well as revealing his struggles with his parents, his adventures with the people he meets, and the hardships he faces in Alaska. Chris Mishandles lived life as a modern day nomad; he would hitch hike all around the country to escape from the mundane. Some would consider his controversial lifestyle as an?f?-eve and stupid while others admire his Idealism and passion for life. Fife was ultimately a success. Even though at times he exercised bad Judgment and rejected the help others offered, he accomplished his goal and came to an important conclusion. Uses this final trip to relieve himself of any frustrations he has with society and a religious a experience, some would say. Chris came to the Alaskan wilderness to find life, but ironically turned out to be his ultimate demise. Krause reveals deep love and compassion for others. Growing up, it was clear that Chris was a very compassionate child. One Christmas sister, Caring, got a dog from their parents. Although the dog belonged o Caring, Chris treated him as though he were his dog. The two were thick as thieves. Caring even said that if Chris would have brought the dog on his trip then maybe Chris would still be alive because Chris would never put their dog in a dangerous situation. Chris grew from a compassionate child Into a semi-radical college student In college he took courses about Injustices against people from Third World countries and often spoke out against corruption all over the world whether it be politics to animal rights. He would sometimes go as far as bashing politics in the Emory Wheel, lampooned Jimmy Carter and Joe Bidden, called the assignation of Attorney General Edwin Mess, lambasted Bible-thumper of the Christian right, urged vigilance against the Soviet threat, castigated the Japanese for hunting whales, and defended Jesse Jackson as a viable presidential candidate. ? c,-?L] (123)* one thing that really got under skin was the fact that people were still going hungry and dying from things like malnutrition. His mother remembers him speaking about how incredibly beefed he was about people could possibly be allowed to go hungry, especially in (1 Not only did Chris love people, but people reciprocated the love back. Chris made people feel so comfortable around him that whenever he was traveling and needed a place to stay It was almost guaranteed that someone would offer him a place to stay. He had a very magnetic personality, from what the book describes. People were pulled by his charming personality ever since he was young an eight-year- old, he grew vegetables behind the house in Amendable and then sold them door-to- door around the . The time he came home, the wagon would be empty, and have a bunch of money In his hand. ? (116)* On his Journeys Chris met countless people and all of those people were touched Day snarls In one way or another. Can person en met Decade apart of his surrogate family. Jan Burses and her husband spoke so fondly of Mishandles and were very keen on hearing from him. Another person that Mishandles touched was Ronald Franz, an elderly man who lost his family in an accident. He fell so in love with Mishandles that he even offered to him, if [Chris] would be [his] grandson. ?C,-1?0 (55)* Anyone that came into contact with Chris could see his blatant charm. Though Chris genuinely cared for others he also had another side; a more reserved side. In high school he was quite outgoing, most people only had nice things to say about him. Though there were some people who saw darker side. One of cross country teammates recalls that Chris would get extremely upset when he would do poorly at a meet. He never showed his anger but instead Just kept it inside. There would be times were Chris would Just keep to himself. His sister remembers, was very to himself. He was? always had friends, and everybody liked ? ¬but he could go off and entertain himself for hours. He need tots or friends. He could be alone without being (107)* In college he became more introverted. He began to live a more ascetic lifestyle and stopped contacting his rinds. One of his college friends recalls that he went to visit Chris and to see how he was doing but when he stepped into his apartment he was shocked to see that his apartment was very bare. It only had a mattress and a few milk crates. Chris was going through somewhat of a crisis during this point of his life. The revelation of his affair surfaced and he increasingly grew more and more upset with how society operated. It were situations such as those that drove Chris into the wild. He looked at the Alaskan wilderness as something like a sanctuary to find himself, answers, and maybe even God. For the most part I feel that Chris found what he was looking for. He realized what the genuine meaning of happiness was, only real when shared?C,-1?0 (189)* I feel that if he would have come out of the wilderness he would have came out a better man for himself, his friends, and most importantly his family. I feel that Chris did the right thing but it was Just a shame that it had to end that way. Life can become so chaotic that sometimes it would be nice to run away from it all. I have actually learned that with the stresses of college and the fast pace of life, things can quickly spiral out of control. For most people, our lives now have become so consumed with work, work, and more work that people forget the true essence of life. People go to work and kill themselves little by little for some Jobs that are not even worth it, Christopher Mishandles saw this and decided to do what most people only dream of. Just recently I had a similar break through like Chris and decided to get lost in San Francisco. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had I remembered what it was like to be happy again and to not worry about anything. I gained great insight about myself and life even if my trip the was only for one day.

Artificial Intelligence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Artificial Intelligence - Research Paper Example Perhaps other schools of thought surrounding the origin of the human race would not have much to argue about the ability of humankind to create because the records are clear to show that humankind has been able to cater for himself to a very large extent through the invention of machines and other minor items that he needs to live a better life. Generally, the things that are invented or created by men are called artificial things. Careful consideration of the trend of human creation (invention) shows clearly that the ability for humans to create keep getting complicated by the day. The threat and big question therefore remains if humans would not keep getting complicated with their inventions till a stage when the situation would just get out of hand? This research paper shall there delve more into what the risk stands for this world if out of the curiosity to make artificial intelligence products better, there comes a time when the activities of these machines cannot be regulated b ecause of the absence of moral reasoning. Overview of Artificial Intelligence In the 1940s, the world witnessed the ability of humans to create computers to make basic human manipulations such as calculations, sorting and writing very simple. Along the way, the process became even more complex as humans continued to invent machinery to aid him undertaking certain activities that would have rather involve human intelligence (Chaize, 2008). Because these sought of ‘intelligence’ where made by humans (artificial) and not by nature (natural), they were assigned the name artificial intelligence. The commonest form of artificial intelligence that comes to mind when mention is made of the phenomenon is the making of robots. The fundamental idea behind artificial intelligence therefore has to do with the infusion of machines with the ability to think. A mentally sound machine could therefore be said to be the product of artificial intelligence. It is not surprising therefore th at there are now robots that play intelligent games like chess. There are also robots and other forms of machines that have been induced with the intelligence to perform brain related functions such as planning, deduction, knowledge representation, reasoning, problem solving and natural language processing. The question that researchers have always asked has been about what the future of artificial intelligence would be. This is because scientists have always wanted a way of making their inventions better. They have also sought ways of making their inventions more and more complicated and useful for solving immediate problems. Artificial Intelligence and Moral Reasoning Artificial intelligence, though directly concerns computer science have had a lot of controversy and debate even in other fields of studies. One of these fields is philosophy. Philosophy generally concerns the human mind and how it functions. It is also closely related to intelligence since intelligence deals with th e human brain and its function. For artificial intelligence to deal with ‘intelligence’ as a phenomenon therefore, it is expected that philosophers would be concerned about the subject. One major debate that philosophers have always been caught in is the question as to whether or not machines could really be intelligent. In the present research paper, the

S.O.A.P Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

S.O.A.P Analysis - Essay Example It is not quite clear what events made the author create this, most possibly some extraordinary experience of life and death inspire people to write such essays. Maybe some dramatic decisions which lead to great changes made the author write this piece. Annie Dillard has accumulated a certain quantity of life observations and experience and decided to make general conclusions. Certain disappointment in common life conceptions could let to writing this essay as well: â€Å"Would you change your project? To what? Whatever you do, it has likely brought delight to fewer people than either contract bridge or the Red Sox†. (99) The author has a huge audience as the questions she discusses are familiar to every adult who at least once was thinking about such issues as free will, choice, sense of life, termination of person`s way. Moreover, she addresses to her reader using the personal pronoun â€Å"you†: â€Å"Any culture tells you how to live your one and only life: to wit as everyone else does† which emphasizes the fact that Dillard wants everyone to think over her questions. It does not matter which race, gender, nationality the reader belongs to, Dellize generalizes suffering and hopes and thinks of the universality of the path in life. (100) Dell doubts typical people`s choices and makes the readers stop the race and ask themselves about their way, goals, and methods of achieving these aims. Sometimes people live without a deep understanding of reasons and consequences. Rhetorical questions such as: â€Å"If for him it was contract bridge, if for her it was copyright law, if for everyone it was and is an optimal mix of family and friends, learning, contribution, and joy of making and ameliorating what else is there, or was there, or will there ever be?† pushes the reader to the internal dialogue with the author. (97)   The author starts her argumentation by describing people`s

Levers of Control and Strategy Implementation Essay

Levers of Control and Strategy Implementation - Essay Example Secondly, the technology requirement for the low class lock is low and lock can be produced by some small companies in town. They have cost advantage in tax and administration. The product can meet the requirement in low class market. Thirdly, the higher steel price compresses the profit space. The case company is located in the North of China. It is a medium size company which has three production lines and can produce about hundred kind of lock. Their products are mainly the door lock and padlock. Their locks are used in civil and industrial areas. They can produce the low- and medium class lock. Between 2003 and 2005, they pay attention to low class door lock because of high demand by the construction company. In these two years, the competition in low class market became fierce They decided to go back the medium market. In 2007, The productivity of medium class lock take 30% percent and the profit take more than 50%. The top management realized they must develop in medium-class market because of high profit ratio. However, their vision and strategy can not be implemented successfully by their current performance and control system. During strategy implementation, the strategic uncertainty must be met. These strategy uncertainties drive the new strategy. The company's current source of strategy uncertainty is stronger competition (Atkinson and Court, 1998). Normally, companies choose one or more performance measurement and control system to monitor the uncertainties interactively. The case companies choose the revenue interactively which is highly responsive to changes in competition. However, the measure of the whole revenue can not meet the requirement of the new strategy as the companies decide to develop their product in the medium product market. The sales and profit of the medium class products are not monitored separately and interactively. Moreover, supplier is an important aspect of strategic uncertainty in competition market. For example, they pay less attention to the raw material previously because the fluctuation in the raw material market is stable. The small fluctuation of profit does not influen ce their production plan and strategy. One of their strategies is market share. The revenue is a critical performance variable of market share. However, in the last year, the steel price increased by 15%. This change heavily influenced their profit. The company had to change the production plan. The cost of raw material has a big impact on the company's profit. They need to pay more attention on the raw materials market. In order to occupy the market, they can not transfer the cost of raw materials to sale price fully. Therefore, they should monitor the cost of raw material and provide a subjective incentive to the purchaser. The levers of control (LOA) can not only improve the strategy implementation capacities in the four facets, but also manage the strategic risk which is often ignored. The successful strategy implementation requires controlling the multiple dimensions of strategy reflected in the 4Ps of strategy implementation: perspective, position, plans and goals, patterns of action. Since there are still gray areas in some aspects of strategy implementation like the levers of control, this research will investigate the levers of control of strategy implementation (Bapna et al, 2000). Specifically, the study is set

Dissection of Microrna-30Ds Function Roles

Dissection of Microrna-30Ds Function Roles DISSECTION OF MICRORNA-30DS FUNCTION ROLES IN MAMMALIAN PANCREATIC-BETA CELLS By:  Yiping Mao   ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs (about 21-22 nucleotides long) that fine tune target protein output through messenger RNA degradation or inhibition of its translation. Recent studies showing that miRNAs and their function components respond to cellular stress to maintain steady state physiology of the cells. Since there are thousands of microRNAs existing in all kind of cells, their functional characterization during the normal states or stress conditions is not fully addressed yet. In this thesis, important aspects of pancreatic ÃŽÂ ²-cell function under normal or stress condition such as apoptosis, proliferation, insulin production and release and their regulation by the miRNA were explored. Pancreatic ÃŽÂ ²-cell is a group of insulin producing cells and plays critical role in maintaining glucose hemostasis. By combining mouse and cell line genetic approaches, high-throughput deep sequencing, a list of cell assays and molecular techniques, we have shed light on the novel roles of miR-30d, one highly expressed miRNA when ÃŽÂ ²-cell responding to high glucose stimulus, in regulating ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass on the middle aged mice. We demonstrated that overexpress of miR-30d deteriorated glucose tolerance ability of the mice with or without high fat diet treatment by significantly reducing the ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass with less insulin production. Additionally, we demonstrated that the reduced ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass is because both apoptosis pathway and proliferation p athway have been effected by miR-30d by targeting variety of protein factors expression. BCL2 interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) and cyclin E2 (CCNE2) have been respectively confirmed as miR-30ds targets and the effect of their regulation by miR-30d in pancreatic ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation or apoptosis aspects have been addressed as well. Furthermore, we could show that silencing of miR-30d in MIN6 cell (ÃŽÂ ²-cell mimicking cell line) by CRISPR-CAS9 gene editing system promotes the insulin secretion, which is through potentiated expression of MAFA, an insulin transcription factor. These studies uncovered novel functional roles of the miR-30d pathway in mediating ÃŽÂ ²-cell function and fate. Further dissection of these pathways shall uncover several mechanisms by which the ÃŽÂ ²-cells undertake to maximize their efficiency during disease states such as T2D.   CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1 The Brief History of Diabetes and Research Long before terming diabetes, which means to pass through by Greek Apollonius of Memphis in 250 BCE and the re-discovery of honey-like-urine (glycosuria) by Thomas Willis, who included the term mellitus, Diabetes has discovered its first saying around 1500 B.C. in an Egyptian manuscript. It was perceived as a disease related with too great emptying of the urine (polyuria). Later, important discoveries includes Matthew Dobsons first proof of elevated urine and blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) in people with diabetes (Dobson, 1776). In 1889, Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski were the first to give evidence that pancreas removal in dogs induced diabetes, proposing that pancreas functional related to glucose levels. Afterward, Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer proposed that diabetes could be brought on by losing a pancreatic chemical, which he named as insulin in 1910 (Polonsky, 2012). Taken together, diabetes is currently well recognized as a gathering of heterogeneous disorders cha racterized by hyperglycemia because of loss of insulin or its effectiveness. Current worldwide trends demonstrate a surprising 382 million individuals have diabetes and this is predicted to ascend to 592 million by the year 2035 (IDF Diabetes Atlas, 2013). The cases of diabetes complications, including diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease and renal failure are constantly rising and the death rate because of those are worsen every year. Claude Bernards identification of liver as the major glucose production organ led to the first concept of homeostasis which has been termed and expanded by Walter Bradford in the mid-nineteenth century, to describe the maintaining of steady-state physiology of the cells (Robin, 1979). This gave the notion that actually the disturbed glucose homeostasis is one of the important events of the diabetes progression. Given the evidences of insulin is involved in maintaining the glucose homeostasis, Frederick Banting and Charles Best integrated a series of scientific approaches, and were able to purify the insulin from the pancreas. Moreover, they successfully treated the patients who suffer from the diabetes, with their purified insulin (Banting Best, 1922; Banting et al., 1922). This landmark finding set the stage for treating the severe diabetes with insulin. However, it has been almost a century now since the first time insulin was discovered and purified, diabetes remains the incurabl e disease, requires life-time attention and treatment because of its complexity. Diabetes has been classified as a couple different types nowadays, the major two types are known as the Type I Diabetes (T1D) or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) and Type II Diabetes (T2D) or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM). Surprisingly, these two major types has been notified as early as 100-200 B.C by Indian physicians (Kahn, 1994). However, the first scientific evidence was brought by Wilhelm Falta and Harold Himsworth after they set the standardized glucose/insulin tolerance test in human to distinguish the insulin sensitive from non-sensitive patients (Himsworth, 1936). Insulin dependent T1D is featured in insufficient insulin production due to autoimmune response to the pancreatic beta-cells and it mostly affects young kids. T2D is more described as a metabolic syndrome with emergence of insulin resistance and obesity etc, and it is more common among adults (Moller, 2001). There is a complex network of several insulin responding tissues contributes to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis, and of course any abnormality in this network induces the progression of T2D. Besides the metabolic relevant tissues, the gene-interactions also play critical roles in the development of T2D and obesity such kind of metabolic diseases (Doria et al., 2008). 1.2 The Islet Architecture, ÃŽÂ ²-cell Fate determination The islets of Langerhans are specialized endocrine part of pancreas and are the only part producing the secreting hormones. They basically comprise of various cell sorts named ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ², ÃŽÂ ´, PP, and ÃŽÂ µ that secret the islet hormones glucagon, insulin, somatostatin, polypeptide Y, and ghrelin individually, and these hormones are required to maintain the glucose homeostasis at normal or stress state. Furthermore, the islets are known to have dynamic and plastic architecture that is proposed to be adjusted over the time of development (Steiner et al., 2010). During the progression of insulin resistance, pregnancy or T2D, the islets extend in size to make up for expanded insulin requirement (Weir and Bonner-Weir, 2004; Kim et al., 2009). But afterwards, there is a considerable loss of ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass because of environmental or genetic factors, inducing the serious hyperglycemia in cause of insulin deficiency. While islets count to just ~1-2% of the whole pancreas, the insulin producing ÃŽÂ ²-cells represent ~65-80% of the islet mass, constituting to roughly 2% of pancreatic weight. Furthermore, the rest other cell types are considered as non ÃŽÂ ²-cells of the islets (Weir and Bonner-Weir, 2013). During the development, these distinctive cell types are known to emerge from a single progenitor cell that producing Neurogenin3 or Ngn3, a transcription factor that decides endocrine cell destiny (Edlund, 2002). Afterwards, other transcription factors, for example, Pdx1, Pax4, Nkx2.2, Nkx6.1, MafA, and Foxo1 help the ÃŽÂ ²-cell fate determination (Ziv et al., 2013). While it had been learned as that ÃŽÂ ²-cells proliferate by self-duplication from old ÃŽÂ ²-cells instead of differentiation from stem cell (Dor et al., 2004), some other study suggested that multipotent cells inside the pancreas could differentiate into ÃŽÂ ²-cells as well (Xu et al., 2008). The latter study is a lso confirmed by researches showing how expressing the ÃŽÂ ²-cell specific transcription factors in non ÃŽÂ ²-cell could trigger a ÃŽÂ ²-cell lineage in mice (Collombat et al., 2009; Al-Hasani et al., 2013). Recent studies additionally showing that non-ÃŽÂ ² cells, for example, ÃŽÂ ±-and ÃŽÂ ´-cells could experience transdifferentiation into ÃŽÂ ²-like cells when the mice is suffering from significant ÃŽÂ ²-cell loss (Thorel et al., 2010; Chera et al., 2014). On the other hand, a few researches demonstrate that the ÃŽÂ ²-cells can likewise lose their fate or dedifferentiate into non-ÃŽÂ ² or progenitor cells when losing any of the previously mentioned ÃŽÂ ²-cell particular transcription factor (Ziv et al., 2013). Moreover, a current study demonstrated that human ÃŽÂ ²-cells are capable of converting into ÃŽÂ ±-cells with no genetic modification (Spijker et al., 2013). Taken together, all these researches have showed that the dynamic plasticity of islet cells. 1.3 Glucose Stimulate Insulin Secretion One unique and significant feature of ÃŽÂ ²-cells is to detect the blood glucose changes and secrete insulin into extracellular milieu in response to keeping the glucose levels within the range of 4-8mM (Weir and Bonner-Weir, 2013). This is primarily accomplished by the take-up of extracellular glucose by the glucose transporter 2 (Glut2; Bell et al., 1990) at the plasma membrane. Upon uptake, the intracellular glucose sensor, glucokinase (Gck), subjects glucose moieties to quick metabolism system by glycolysis (Matschinsky and Ellerman, 1968). This brings about the producing of three carbon products: pyruvate, which takes part in the tricarboxylic corrosive (TCA) cycle inside the mitochondrion to eventually create adenosine triphosphates (ATP) by means of the electron transport chain system. The ATP therefore leads to the increase of ATP/ADP proportion in the cytoplasm, activating the closure of the ATP sensitive potassium (KATP) channel. Vitally, mutation in the kir6.2 subunit o f this channel were demonstrated to induce neonatal diabetes in both mice and human because of loss of insulin secretion as a consequence of constitutively open KATP channel (Koster et al., 2000; Gloyn et al., 2004). It has long been realized that glucose stimulates the closure of these KATP channels thus leading the slow menbrane depolarization (Ashcroft et al., 1984). This promotes extracellular calcium influx by voltage dependent calcium channels and potentiates the releasing of insulin (Matschinsky et al., 1998). Insulin is secreted in an oscillatory manner because of the blood glucose level and triggers downstream insulin signaling cascade in insulin-responsive tissues for the taking up glucose. It has well been shown that islets can be entrained to small changes in glucose and thus the plasma insulin has high frequency of oscillation. However, this capacity of entrainment of the islets is disturbed in patients with T2D (Mao et al., 1999). It exhibits ÃŽÂ ²-cell malfunction because of loss of insulin secretion is a major issue during the clinical indication of T2D. 1.4 Compensatory Islet Expansion During Insulin Resistance During the state of insulin resistance or over-weight, elevated plasma insulin levels (named hyperinsulinemia) has been found in polygenic mouse models showing insulin resistance and human subjects because of increasing of insulin secretion (Yalow and Berson, 1960; Polonsky et al., 1988; Brà ¼ning et al., 1997). It has been suggested later that both in rodents and people, this improved insulin secretion is apparently because of an expansion in ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass by either ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation (Steil et al., 2001) or ÃŽÂ ²-cell hypertrophy (Weir and Bonner-Weir, 2004). On the other hand, ÃŽÂ ²-cell failure because of different genetic or environmental variables, is known to cause declined plasma insulin levels in diabetics (Maclean and Ogilvie, 1955). It has been showed that lessened levels of insulin are frequently associated with a noteworthy loss of ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass because of ÃŽÂ ²-cell apoptosis (Butler et al., 2003; Rhodes, 2005). Other than the diabetes perspective, it has been demonstrated that matured ÃŽÂ ²-cells have long life-span and low proliferative rates at steady state. This is because of a potential limitation of the entry of matured ÃŽÂ ²-cells into cell cycle (Teta et al., 2005; Kushner, 2013). Other than this perception, later study suggested that adult ÃŽÂ ²-cells do have the ability to proliferate (Stolovich-Rain et al., 2012). In light of these findings on ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation, a few research groups have revealed various proteins essential for assisting ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation on knockout or transgenic mouse. Known cell cycle controllers including Cyclins D1 and D2, Cyclin subordinate kinase 4 (Cdk4), Cdk inhibitors (CKIs) such as Cip/Kip and INK4, transcription factors Retinoblastoma (Rb) and p53, have been proved on genetic mouse models as regulators of ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation and survival (Heit et al., 2006). Although transient high glucose has been considered as the result of insufficient insulin secretion or insulin resistance, it has also been revealed to promote the compensate ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass expansion (Bonner-Weir et al., 1989). This hypothesis was further supported recently by another observation, that it is the glucose metabolism, instead the glucose itself that triggers compensatory ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation in vivo (Porat et al., 2011). Some other attentions have been centered on the effect of activation of insulin/IRS2 pathway on driving ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation. The components of the pathway including IRS2 (Withers et al., 1998) and AKT (Bernal-Mizrachi et al., 2001) were demonstrated to be fundamental for ÃŽÂ ²-cell survival. Moreover, study has shown that the impact of insulin in ÃŽÂ ²-cell proliferation is even stronger when with hyperglycemia (Paris et al., 2003). It is notable that when in the state of severe insulin resistance, the pancreatic islets adjust t hemselves to meet the expanding requirement for producing and secretion more insulin by increasing their ÃŽÂ ²-cell mass (Weir and Bonner-Weir, 2004). Other than the involvement of protein coding genes, a few non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), mostly microRNAs and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), have been shown in the diabetogenes list, adding on to the complex genetic architecture of human diabetes. 2.1 The Brief History of MicroRNAs The most recent decade has seen huge attention regarding a new and special class of little ncRNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating the structure and function of ÃŽÂ ²-cells. With the first observation of a miRNA, lin-4 in C. elegans, researchers showed how a gene product encodes two little RNAs, instead of a protein. Besides, they demonstrated that these small RNAs binds to the compensatory sites at the 3 end of untranslated region (UTR) of lin-14, a development related heterochronic gene. This interaction is appeared to negatively regulate the expression of lin-14 by blocking its translation (Lee et al., 1993; Wightman et al., 1993), proposing miRNAs as negative regulators of gene expression. Even since the discovery of microRNAs, a lot of related research results have updated the mechanism of gene regulation to a novel level. miRNAs now are known as a group of small ncRNAs of ~21-22 nucleotides long that can complementary or non-complementary base-pairing the mRNA of protein coding genes, thus to regulate their expression at post-transcriptional level (Bartel, 2004 and 2009). Actually after the identification of lin-4, another miRNA called let-7 was revealed like lin-4 in both biogenesis and function level. Soon after, there starts a prevail in discovering new microRNASs mostly by high throughput sequencing technologies in research area and surprisingly, about 30,000 miRNA over about 200 species have been identified, which includes about 2,500 mature human miRNAs. (Kozomara and Griffiths-Jones, 2014). Many computational methods have also been produced to predict the potential targets of miRNAs based on the stable miRNA-target mRNA binding model (Lewis et al., 2003; Krek et al., 2005). 2.2 MicroRNA Induced Gene Silencing The intercellular gene silencing mechanism, termed as RNA silencing (RNAi) or post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is currently well known to be led by a group of small RNAs, for example, short interfering RNA (siRNA), piwi interacting RNA (piRNA), or the miRNAs. Basically, their working mechanisms are similar and the difference exist mostly in their biogenesis inside the cells (Ender and Meister, 2010). Mature miRNA producing has been through several steps: transcribed from DNA by RNA polymerase II, primary miRNA (pri-miRNA) has much longer sequence. Once transcribed, the pri-miRNA is further processed to precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA) about 60 nucleotides long by enzyme Dorsa and DGCR8 protein complex (Lee et al., 2003). Once pre-miRNAs are produced inside the nucleus, it will be export out of the nucleus by protein Exportin 5 to the cytoplasm in a Ran-GTP dependent manner (Lund et al., 2004). Another important enzyme, which is also critical for mouse development, Dicer would re cognize the pre-miRNA and process it to about 22 nucleotides long mature miRNA duplex form (Bernstein et al.,2003). Only one of stands of the duplex will be transported to miRNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) by Dicer, and the other strand, termed miRNA* is usually degraded in the end (Schwarz et al., 2003; Ender Meister, 2010). There are several components on the RISC, and one key protein component is AGO family. There are four well characterized members of AGO family in human AGO1, AGO2, AGO3 and AGO4. And AGO2 is expressed more often than other forms (Su et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2012). All the AGO proteins have the ability to slice mRNA because of their PAZ and PIWI cleavage domains under the guidance of miRNA sequence. Each miRNA has an important seed region, typically from 2nd-7th nucleotides, that could fully or partially bind to the mRNA 3 UTR sequence. The base pairing condition between the miRNA and target mRNA determines the target recognition and binding of miRISC, but also the fate of the mRNA- to be cleaved or to be repressed in translation. In animal system, the miRNA does not fully complementary bind to the 3 UTR of the target mRNA, through blocking the translation machinery, miRNA silencing the gene expression, without interference of the target stability. However, recent studies on the miR NA mediated gene silencing in mammalian cells reveals that miRNA may act through two step modes: at first, repressing the translation, then deadenylation and destabilization of target mRNA [27qualifier]. The deadenylation has been suggested to induce mRNA degradation [48] and translation inhibition is probably the requisite of mRNA degradation in mammalian cells [49].

Counselling Interview skills Essay

I declare that this assessment is my own work, based on my own personal research/study . I also declare that this assessment, nor parts of it, has not been previously submitted for any other unit/module or course, and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of another student and/or persons. I have read the ACAP Student Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy and understand its implications. I also declare, if this is a practical skills assessment, that a Client/Interviewee Consent Form has been read and signed by both parties, and where applicable parental consent has been obtained. 1. Briefly explain how you would go about gathering information to assess Tim’s current developmental and mental health status. I would go about gathering information about Tim’s developmental and mental health status by using active listening skills. I would be paying attention to Tim’s body language and taking note of such things, as his difficulty in maintaining eye contact. I would be asking Tim open questions to help him talk in more detail about his mental health issues, an example of an open question I would ask is ‘can you tell me more about that?’, and ‘could you tell me about the time you overdosed on drugs?’, so that I can have a deeper understanding of the key points regarding Tim’s mental health. I would also be asking Tim some closed questions to obtain specific information regarding Tim’s current mental state, an example of this is ‘are you still on medication for depression?’, and ‘are you still feeling depressed?’, and depending on whether or not Tim’s overdose was an attempted suicide, I could also ask, ‘have you had any thoughts about taking your life?’, so that I know his current mental state. I would be paraphrasing during our session so that Tim knows that I understand what he is saying and how he is feeling. I would be taking notes in this session so that I can refer to key points. I would summarise what Tim’s key issues are, so that he has a chance to add any further information that may have been missed, and that may be important. 2. Identify and briefly describe two of Tim’s mental and/ or developmental health issues. Two of Tim’s developmental and mental health issues are, his past and or current state of depression and the fact that Tim may have attempted suicide. Although Tim spent six months in hospital as an in-patient and has now been home for three months, he may still be struggling with depression and suicidal ideation, if his drug overdose was an attempted suicide. Tim is experiencing moodiness and irregular sleep patterns, as well as a lack of focus and motivation, he also has trouble maintaining eye contact. These symptoms may be the result of his depression or suicidal ideation, or they could be a sign of a developmental problem brought about by Tim’s drug overdose. As Tim was given drugs for his depression, his symptoms could also be the result of side effects from the drugs he has been taking. 3. If you do not have the capability or authority to assess Tim’s current mental or developmental health status, briefly explain how you would consult the appropriate person.  If I did not have the capability or authority to assess Tim’s current mental or developmental health status, I could do two things. I could consult with my supervisor. I would ask Tim for his permission to discuss his concerns with my supervisor to gain advice from someone who has more experience than I do, so that his current mental health is assessed correctly. I could also consider referring Tim onto another health care professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Another option would be to ask Tim for permission to contact Tim’s previous psychiatrist and request from them, either a letter of referral or Tim’s client records, pertaining to Tim’s current mental health status. 4. Describe what factors you would take into account that may have impacted on the appearance and behaviour of Tim in relation to counselling services to be delivered. The factors I would be taking into account regarding the appearance and behaviour of Tim in relation to counselling services to be delivered would be, the fact that Tim has suffered from depression in the past and may still be currently experiencing depression. Tim may have attempted suicide by overdosing on drugs or his drug overdose could have been accidental. Tim’s confidence has been shattered. This could explain why he has trouble maintaining eye contact or it could be the result of developmental delay due to Tim’s drug overdose. Or he could be experiencing side effects from his medication. 5. Briefly explain how you would clarify whether the counselling you can offer is suitable for Tim. I would have to evaluate my own level of experience and the area of counselling I am currently working in. Tim’s needs are the most important factor to consider. Tim has been hospitalised in the past and has seen a psychiatrist. While Tim was in hospital he was assigned milieu therapy, given drugs and also assigned to group therapy. I would be taking all of  these things into account when evaluating whether to refer Tim. I think I would like to work with Tim, as he has already had the above mentioned treatments and found them to be unhelpful. I think Tim may benefit from counselling that offers a client centred approach. I would explain to Tim how the client centred approach to counselling works, so that Tim can decide if this type of counselling approach would be something he feels comfortable pursuing. 6. Briefly describe how you would recognise and refer potentially serious issues for Tim in line with organisation requirements. I would be able to recognise and refer serious issues for Tim by familiarising myself with my organisations protocols, their referral procedures and referral lists. The type of organisation I worked for, and the type of counselling that is offered, would be a factor when deciding if Tim should be referred on to another organisation or professional. Things to consider would be Tim’s age, gender, the nature/and or seriousness of Tim’s issues. If Tim did intend to take his own life and still has suicidal thoughts he would need to be referred to a mental health facility or possibly referred back to the hospital that was treating Tim three months ago. If Tim was to be referred on, I would organise this as early as possible, so as not to make it harder on Tim to transfer to someone else. 7. Briefly describe the skills you would use with Tim to help clarify his problems and develop a counselling relationship. When meeting Tim for the first time, I would introduce myself, I would be open, friendly and informal. I would be trying to put Tim at ease so that he feels welcome and safe. I would have noticed that Tim has trouble maintaining eye contact, so I would be very casual in the first few minutes, allowing Tim to get familiar with his surroundings. After all the formalities have been explained to Tim and he has accepted them and decided to stay, I would say ‘what is it you would like to talk to me about today?’ I would then tune in to Tim and listen with interest. I would be using minimal responses, paraphrasing, and summarising skills to let Tim know that I am understanding him and caring about what he is saying. The first few sessions with Tim would be all about building rapport, and developing our  relationship. After this has been established, I would use zooming out skills to help Tim see that he is not alone and that he has people in his life that care about him, and are able to offer their support. I would be asking open and closed questions to determine Tim’s current mental state, an example would be ‘can you tell me a little more about the drug overdose’ so that I could clarify if it was accidental or an attempted suicide. I would work with Tim on developing a list of what he feels are the key issues he would like to work on. This will help Tim clarify for the both of us what the key issues are. 8. Briefly describe how you would consult with Tim’s parents or significant others to gather information, if the need presented itself. If the need presented itself I would introduce the idea of inviting Tim’s parents along to one of our counselling sessions to Tim. I would explain to Tim that ‘sometimes it can be helpful to ask those who are close to you to come along to counselling with you, so that we can have more insight into how the relationships at home have been affected by all that has happened, and so that we have another point of view of the situation’. I would only go ahead with this if Tim consented. 9. Briefly describe what records and notes you would record for this client. Notes on next page. Clients Name: Tim Clients Age: 25 Date of Session: 20/11/14 Session # 1 Session Duration: 60 minutes Others Present: Nil Status of Session: Kept Location: Office Information given by client: Tim is a 25 yr. old male. In final yr. of uni hospitalised for drug overdose during a bout of depression. In-patient at hospital 6 mths. Assigned milieu therapy, given drugs for depression, saw psychiatrist occasionally, also  assigned group therapy, which proved to be aimless. Been home for 3 mths. Living with parents, says they worry about his moodiness and irregular sleep patterns. Finds it hard to focus and lacks motivation to finish uni, but wants to one day. Feels confidence was shattered. Has trouble maintaining eye contact. Looking for part time work, avoids full-time work for fears of being asked about his past. Feels he has a terrible secret he has to keep form everyone. Summary of clients issues: Overdosed on drugs, during a bout of depression. May/may not have been attempt at suicide. Hospitalised and kept as an in-patient for 6 mths. Had milieu therapy and group therapy. Saw psychiatrist occasionally, prescribed drugs. Tim’s confidence is shattered. Parents worry about Tim’s moodiness/irregular sleep patterns. No motivation/focus to finish uni. Avoids full time work, fears talking about past (embarrassed). Feels he has to keep his past secret from everyone (ashamed). Notes of counsellor: I feel that Tim may benefit from a client centred approach to his counselling. The key issues for this client are outlined above.

Iago Essay

Karolis 12A H/W Iago is a character who is admired and loathed in the equal measure to what extent is he both a hero and villain of Tragedy? In the play Othello by William Shakespeare Iago gets introduced in act 1 scene 1 where he had been complaining to the audience and Roderigo that he had not been chosen to be the lieutenant but Cassio being chosen instead of him by the likes of Othello. Shakespeare from this scene had shown the audience that Iago will be the Stimulus in the play causing the tragedy in the play because we have seen that he has a motive which is to gain revenge over Othello. This will straight show the audience that he is a villain alike character in this play because of this negative motive he has, so in the beginning of Act 1 Scene 1 Iago will be most likely seen as the villain. But on the other hand the audience might sympathise with Iago because he had not been chosen to be the lieutenant and that his motive understandable but he will still not be seen as the hero but a character some people can relate with, especially in the context this play had been written, The reason are that most people watching this would have been peasants in their society and the only character they would have been able to relate with is Iago. Also that in the context of this play people might have been a racist and not have seen Othello as a hero but Iago being a victim of Othello because his colour and that they might believe that Othello does not deserve being a general. Iago would be most likely seen as a villain to the modern audience because of his mischievous motive and how out of proportion it is from his goal, the audience might feel sympathy for Iago but will most likely not agree what he is doing is a good enough reason to do his plan, but it is possible that the audience say he is a villain but really it is possible that the audience want him to prosper because of his cunning us of him and his plan. The reason for this is because most production of this genre will not be as good without a cunning villain for example in Shakespeare's production â€Å"Much ado about nothing† Don John had been the cunning villain in this play who is much a like to Iago because he had tried to sabotage someone's life who had trusted him with a motive which was out of proportion to his goal with a smart plan. So the modern audience would see Iago most likely as villain but might admire him for how mischievous he is and well thought out plan he had constructed and how in the play starting off in such a bad state he is the poppet master in retrospect Likewise the audience will also have their opinion to Iago's character but might see him differently as the modern audience would see him, at the context of the play there would be two types of audiences one is the peasants and the other will be the rich. The peasants and the rich might see him differently to the rich for example, the peasants might not understand why he wants the reputation but on the other hand the rich would see it differently to the peasants. But peasants with the rich might like him because in this play he is the only character to directly speak to the audience giving a feeling to of actually knowing and that we know he thoughts unlike any other character. So in extent Iago is seen both as a villain and hero to the audience in the Shakespearean times because of the audience differently sympathies with him so I believe he would be more of a villain at that time but they would admire him for the cunning us of his plan, like the modern audience would see him and that he did not let the fact that Othello did not make him the lieutenant drag and that he still tried to gain his reputation from Cassio and ruin the reputation of Othello doing so and since he had been trying to ruin Othello and in the context Othello might have been despised by the audience and might have believed that he should not be such a high ranking because of his colour. In conclusion both the modern audience would see Iago in a similar way but for different reasons, they would most likely see him as the villain but meaning they loaf him but they admire how well thought out his plan actually is and how good he is at lying while he also has become the character who runs t he show, to the extent that he would be loafed is certain but the audience who admire him is most likely to be a bigger proportion to the audience who don't. Furthermore I believe he would also be more seen as a villain because he does not suite the definition of a hero in anyway making him most likely the villain as the audience see him

The 12 Hardest SAT Writing Questions Ever

The 12 Hardest SAT Writing Questions Ever SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve been studying hard, and now the time has come to really test what you have mastered! Are you ready to try out 12 of the toughest questions to grace the new SAT Writing and Language section? I've combed all the official practicetests to find the absolute hardest SAT Writing questions. If you get all of these right, you're truly a master of this section. Why Should I Care About the Hardest Questions? Knowing what to do when you hit tough questions is a key part of your test-taking strategy that you should work out ahead of time. Your target scores will help you determine what to do. 700 - 800 scorers Are you looking to score between a 700 and 800 on Reading and Writing? If so, these are the sorts of questions that you'll have to master in order to get your score where you want it to be. 500 - 600 scorers In contrast, if you are looking to score in the 500 – 600 range on Reading and Writing, you don't have to answer every question correctly on SAT Writing to hit your target score. So, if you're taking the test and run across a question as confusing as the ones listed below, you officially have permission to guess! Either way, good study strategies are your best bet for getting the score you want. Not sure how to start? Check out our guide to studying for the new SAT, and then read our complete explanation of all the grammar rules that the SAT Writing section will test. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems. Which Questions Are the Hardest? As a quick refresher, the SAT Writing and Language section asks multiple choice questions based on long reading passages. The questions test your understanding of grammar, punctuation, word choiceand idioms, and writing logic.For a full overview of all the grammar testedon the Writing SAT, see our guide. The College Board used to rank SAT questions according to difficulty, but they no longer do this. So how did I pick out the hardest questions? And what makes some questions harder than others? Even though the revised SAT no longer features trick questions, there are still many times when several of the answerchoices seem to be valid. Sometimes,this is because questions test several skills at the same time: apunctuation detailcombined with your ability to understand the logic of a passage, for instance, or a grammar rule combined with correct idiom usage. Other times, this is because questions make you simultaneously focus on a small sentence-level issue and a larger problem involving several paragraphs. Don’t worry, there are really only 12. Spoiler Alert Before I show you the hardest SAT Writing questions, I have towritea littlespoiler alert. These are real questions taken from the official full-length practice SAT tests.If you’re likely to remember them and their answers forever, then it's probably best for you to read the rest of this article after you’ve taken all the practice SATs. On to the Questions! These questionsrepresent a variety of concepts the SAT thinks students will struggle with the most. Remember: all of these questions come from long passages, since the entire Writing and Language section of the SAT is passage-based. Try them out and see how you do - if you really want to challenge yourself, limit your timing for each question to 40 seconds. Each question is followed by the answer and an explanation. Question 1 [1] The main environmental problem caused by the production of Greek yogurt is the creation of acid whey as a by-product. [2] Because it requires up to four times more milk to make than conventional yogurt does, Greek yogurt produces larger amounts of acid whey, which is difficult to dispose of. [3] To address the problem of disposal, farmers have found a number of uses for acid whey. [4] They can add it to livestock feed as a protein supplement, and people can make their own Greek-style yogurt at home by straining regular yogurt. [5] If it is improperly introduced into the environment, acid-whey runoff can pollute waterways, depleting the oxygen content of streams and rivers as it decomposes. [6] Yogurt manufacturers, food scientists; and government officials are also working together to develop additional solutions for reusing whey. To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 5 should be placed A) where it is now.B) after sentence 1.C) after sentence 2.D) after sentence 3. The Challenge The main goal of this question is to see if you can figure out how a paragraph should flow logically. What makes it hardisthat two of the answers (B and C) seem equally logically plausible. Answer C Explanation In a paragraph, each sentence should introduce a little bit of new information, using what previous sentences said to push the point of the passage a little bit further. Leaving the sentence where it is (answer A), or putting it after Sentence 3 (answer D) would make the paragraph sequence illogical. You’d suddenly be back to talking about acid whey in the environment after you’ve already explained how it can be disposed of properly. It’s very tempting to put Sentence 5 after Sentence 1 (answer B). It seems plausible because Sentence 1 lays out the idea that acid whey is a problem, so ostensibly Sentence 5 could come next and spell out what the problem with acid whey actually is. Butthis is not thebest place. You have to firstexplainthat there is an overabundance of acid whey, and that it's difficult to dispose of it. Only then is it an ideal timeto introduce the concept of â€Å"acid whey runoff.† So, putting Sentence 5 after Sentence 2 (correct answer C) usesinformation introduced in Sentence 2 and sets up what follows in Sentence 3, yielding this logical sequence: Sentence 2 explains why acid whey is a bigger problem for Greek yogurt. Sentence 5 explainshow damaging acid whey can be if it’s allowed to enter the environment Sentence 3 sets up the different ways of disposing of acid whey. Yogurt: delicious in parfaits, apparently deadly for the environment. Question 2 Typically, the ice sheet begins to show evidence of thawing in late summer, following several weeks of higher temperatures. For example, in the summer of 2012, virtually the entire Greenland Ice Sheet underwent thawing at or near its surface by mid-July, the earliest date on record. A) NO CHANGEB) However,C) As such,D) Moreover, The Challenge This question is checking whether you understand how to use conjunctive adverbs, which are words that show how two sentences or two parts of one sentence connect to one another. It’s very hard to seethe two sentences actually relate when reading them througha potentially wrong conjunction. Answer B Explanation One trick is just to cover up the conjunction that’s been put there, and read the two sentences without it. This way you can focus on the information that’s being presented and make up your own mind about how to make sense of the logical flow of this information. In this case, we first get a sentence that explains what happens most of the time: usually snow melts in late summer.Then we get a sentence that contradicts the earlier one: in 2012, snow melted veryearly on. This means we need to find a conjunctive adverb that shows that the second sentence is an exception to the rule. â€Å"For example† (answer A) means that what follows will demonstrate the rule, rather than break it. That’s not what’s happening here, so this is not the right choice. â€Å"As such† (answer C) has to do with defining what just came previously. "As such" means, â€Å"given the definition of the thing just mentioned, here is an associated property of that thing.† But, we are not defining, but are showing how a pattern has been broken, so this is the wrong choice. â€Å"Moreover† (answer D) means â€Å"in addition to, and potentially more convincingly,† and is used to add emphasis to an example or an argument. We aren’t doing that here, so this answer is incorrect. â€Å"However† (correct answer C) is a conjunctive adverb that introduces a statement/idea that contradicts what has just been said, which is exactly what we need to do in this case. At this rate, our only source of polar ice will be old stock photographs. Question 3 Also, studies have found that those students who major in philosophy often do better than students from other majors in both verbal reasoning and analytical writing. These results can be measured by standardized test scores. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion? A) writing asB) writing, and these results can beC) writing, which can also beD) writing when the results are The Challenge This question is testing your editing skills.In particular, it’s checking your ability to know when cutting something out is actually better than leaving more information in. The challenge here is that because the wordâ€Å"results† occurs both in the original textandin two of the answer choices, it seems like a key piece of the sentence. Instead, it's a red herring. Answer A Explanation The secret to good editing is understanding the context. Here, we need to reread the two sentences to see what information we actually have. In this case, there areno results mentioned in the first of these twosentences. What we do have is information about studies that show philosophy students performing better. But this better performanceis not a â€Å"result† – it isn't a goal reached after a specific course of action. In other words, although philosophy students perform better, they didn't study philosophy in order to get better test scores. This means answers B and D are out. Answer C is wrong because of the word â€Å"also.† This word seems to point to the testing being an additional example or piece of evidence – but there is nothing for it to be in addition to. So, the right answer A is also the most economical, the one that removes everything that clouds the sentence’s meaning. Plato and Socrates recommend at least tenyears of philosophy grad school for optimal standardized test performance. Question 4 The share of library materials that is in nonprint formats [1] is increasing steadily; in 2010, at least 18.5 million e-books were available for circulation. At point [1], the writer is considering adding the following information. - e-books, audio and video materials, and online journals- Should the writer make this addition here? A) Yes, because it provides specific examples of the materials discussed in the sentence.B) Yes, because it illustrates the reason for the increase mentioned later in the sentence.C) No, because it interrupts the flow of the sentence by supplying irrelevant information.D) No, because it weakens the focus of the passage by discussing a subject other than librarians. The Challenge The SAT is full of these decision-tree editing questions, which ask you not only about correctly identifying editing changing, but also about justifying your answer. This question is hard because two of the answers (answers A and B) seem plausible, since putting a list in dashes can either put an explanation or a set of examples into a sentence. Answer A Explanation Answer C is wrong becausethere’s nothing irrelevant about the added text. The sentence and the addition are both talking about the kinds of materials available at the library. Answer D is also wrong – the passage as a whole is not specifically about librarians, so there is no reason that this insertion would have to be. To eliminate answer B, we have to realize that the added text doesn’t give areason. Providing a list of types of materials doesn't explain why there are so many e-Books. Instead, the added textsupplies a definition for thenon-obvious term â€Å"nonprint formats,† by giving a list of examples that fall under this nonprint category. This means answer A iscorrect. Nonprint, huh. How long until we no longer think of bookshelves when we say the word "library"? Question 5 The first time I visited the Art Institute of Chicago, I expected to be impressed by its famous large paintings. For example, I couldn’t wait to view painter, Georges Seurat’s, 10-foot-wide A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte in its full size. A) NO CHANGEB) painter, Georges Seurat’sC) painter Georges Seurat’s,D) painter Georges Seurat’s The Challenge To get this one right, you have to knowhow to punctuate modifiers.A modifier is a piece of a sentence that is used to explain, define, or clarify some other part of the sentence. What makes this one hard is figuring out whether this modifier is necessary to the sentence or not. Answer D Explanation Modifiers come in two flavors. Some are so necessary to the sentence that it would lose its meaning without them; these don't get set off by commas. Others are not crucial for the sentence to make sense; theydo get surrounded by commas. In this case, the modifier is â€Å"George Seurat.† Now ask yourself – is this piece of information necessary to make the sentence work? One trick is to read the sentence without the modifier to see if the sentence still makes sense. Here,we’d just be left with the strange formulation â€Å"I couldn’t wait to view painter’s 10-foot-wide A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.†That is clearly not correct, since you need the name George Seurat to make the word "painter" have any meaning.This means that the modifier "George Seurat" is crucial. Since answers B and C neither surround the modifier with commas nor take them all out, they both are incorrect. Crucial modifiers don’t get set off by commas, so the right answer is D, the one that leaves the commas out. Here is what that giant painting looks like, by the way. Question 6 It has long been known that the sea otters living along the West Coast of North America help keep kelp forests in their habitat healthy and vital. They do this by feeding on sea urchins and other herbivorous invertebrates that graze voraciously on kelp. With sea otters to keep the population of sea urchins in check, kelp forests can flourish. In fact, even two years or less of sea otter presence can reduce the sea urchin threat in a coastal area. Without sea otters present, however, kelp forests run the danger of becoming barren stretches of coastal wasteland known as urchin barrens. What was less well-known, until recently at least, was how this relationship among sea otters, sea urchins, and kelp forests might help fight global warming. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased 40 percent. A recent study by two professors at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Chris Wilmers and James Estes, suggests that kelp forests protected by sea otters can absorb as much as twelve times the amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as those where sea urchins are allowed to devour the kelp. A) NO CHANGEB) dispatchC) overindulge onD) dispose of The Challenge Words that seem similar but have crucial differences in meaning are at the heart of this tricky question.From the context, it’s clear that the word has to have something to do with making less of something – but since all of the word choice options carry this connotation, it’s challenging to figure out which one fits best. Answer A Explanation â€Å"Dispatch† means to send away, or to deal with efficiently. The kelp is certainly going away, but the sea urchins aren’t sending it anywhere, so this (answer B) is not the right word. â€Å"Overindulge on† can mean overeat. The sea urchins are certainly eating the kelp, so answer Cis a tempting choice. However, â€Å"overindulge† carries a moral judgment with – it’s describing an action that is being done despite the knowledge that doing so much of it is wrong. The sea urchins aren’t equipped to deal with right and wrong – and they also aren’t overeating the kelp. They are eating as much as is in their nature to eat. So, scratch that answer. â€Å"Dispose of† is another tempting word choice. It means â€Å"to get rid of,† which is definitely what is happening to the kelp at the hands of the sea urchins. Answer Dcould arguably fit into the sentence without a problem, except that we have a word that is even better. â€Å"Devour† means to eat copious amounts of in a short time.This exactly describes what the sea urchins do, so answer A is undoubtedly the best choicein this context. Not only does it mean just what the passage needs it to mean, but it also echoes a piece of the previous paragraph, where the sea urchins were described as â€Å"invertebrates that graze voraciously on kelp.† Graze voraciously = devour. If the only other option is picking these horrific-looking things up by hand, I say let the sea otters have at them. Question 7 Circadian rhythms, which are controlled by the bodies biological clocks, influence body temperature, hormone release, cycles of sleep and wakefulness, and other bodily functions. A) NO CHANGEB) bodies’ biological clocks’,C) body’s biological clocks,D) body’s biological clock’s, The Challenge At the heart of this question is knowing how to properly make nouns into plurals and possessives, and when to use one or the other.What makes this sentence doubly confusingis that when you say the sentence out loud, clearly both nouns - "body" and "clock" - need to end in anâ€Å"s† sound. Answer C Explanation To figure outwhether nouns should be plural, possessive, or both, you have to understandthe context of a passage. Here, thesentence is explaining how circadian rhythms affect the human body. Because we are speaking in general terms, the word â€Å"body† should be singular.That means that the original wording (answer A) is wrong: â€Å"bodies† is the plural form of â€Å"body.† Answers B iswrong for the same reason: â€Å"bodies’ † is the plural possessive of â€Å"bodies,† meaning â€Å"belonging to several bodies.† So, what belongs to the human body in the sentence? Several timing mechanisms called biological clocks.Does anything belong to these clocks? No. Thus, answer D is wrong: â€Å"clock’s† the possessive form of â€Å"clock,† meaning â€Å"belong to a clock.† The right answer C uses the singular possessive form of the word â€Å"body† and the regular plural form of the word â€Å"clock†: "body’s biological clocks," meaning "the clocks that belong to a generic human body." Some adorable circadian rhythms at work. Question 8 In 1883, he placed an advertisement seeking educated, well-mannered, articulate young women between the ages of 18 and 30. Response to the advertisement was overwhelming, even tremendous, and Harvey soon replaced the male servers at his restaurants with women. A) NO CHANGEB) Response to the advertisement was overwhelming,C) Overwhelming, even tremendous, was the response to the advertisement,D) There was an overwhelming, even tremendous, response to the advertisement, The Challenge One of the things that the SAT tests is your understanding of redundancy, wherethe same piece of information or description is needlessly repeated. What makes this question complicated is the way the original passage is punctuated, and the fact that three of the answer choices contain both original adjectives, making it seem like these adjectives are important to the sentence. Answer B Explanation Setting off the word â€Å"tremendous† with commas, and modifying it with the intensifier "even,† makes it sound as if the word â€Å"overwhelming† doesn’t fullyconvey the enthusiasm of the women answering the ad. This can lead you to think that you need the phrase â€Å"even tremendous† to really sell how gung ho women were to work for Harvey. In reality, â€Å"overwhelming† and â€Å"tremendous† both mean â€Å"surprisingly large and robust,† so using both is repetitive. Thus, the correct answer is B, which is the only choice that deletes the repeating (redundant) adjective. Harvey House: basically the Hooters of 19th century America. Question 9 The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, one of Russia’s greatest art museums, has long had a productive partnership with a much loved animal: the cat. For centuries, cats have guarded this famous museum, ridding it of mice, rats, and other rodents that could damage the art, not to mention scared off visitors. A) NO CHANGEB) scaringC) scareD) have scared The Challenge Here, the challenge comes in two parts.First, you have to be able to recognize the grammar of parallel structures.And second, you have to know how to match verb tenses inside a sentence. Answer C Explanation There are many different verbs in the sentence, so the first thing to do is the figure out who is doing the action of the verb in question – the cats or the rodents. Who or what is doing the scaring? The cats heredo two things: they guard the museum, and they rid it of pests.This means that it’s the mice and rats that scare visitors. After realizing this, we can see that the phrase â€Å"not to mention† sets up our parallel construction: rodents could do (verb 1) one thing, not to mention do (verb 2) another thing.This means that verbs 1 and 2 have to be in the same tense and form. Verb 1 is in the present tense: â€Å"damage.† So the matching version of verb 2 has to be answerC, â€Å"scare.† Then they'll have to get dogs to catchthe cats, then goats to catch the dogs, then cows to catch the goats... all in the museumthat Catherine the Great built. Question 10 At the same time, a social and civil rights movement for Mexican Americans was working to raise awareness of Mexican American cultural identity. Artists associated with this began to rediscover and promote the work of the Mexican muralists, particularly Siqueiros. A) NO CHANGEB) itC) themD) this movement The Challenge To get this question right, you have to have a solid grasp of pronouns and their antecedents, the nouns that pronouns stand in for. This question is hard because the problem with this pronoun isn't agreement (the usual pronoun/antecedent issue), but instead clarity. Answer D Explanation If there are too many nouns that could be a particular pronoun’s antecedent, then that pronoun needs to be replaced with a noun for clarity. That is the problem with this passage: in theory, the pronounâ€Å"this† could refer to: â€Å"cultural identity,† â€Å"awareness,† or â€Å"social and civil rights movement.† So leaving it as is (answer A) doesn't fix the problem. Replacing â€Å"this† with â€Å"it† (answer B) isn't a good solution– like the original "this," the pronoun â€Å"it† could also haveany one of those nouns as its antecedent. Replacing â€Å"this† with â€Å"them† (answer C) creates a logical problem. The antecedent of "them" would be "Mexican Americans," which would mean that the artists being discussed were associated with themselves. The right choice, answer D, is simply to add a clarifying noun to the confusing pronoun. Writing that the artists were associated with â€Å"this movement† simplifies the sentence and allows the passage to flow. One ofSiqueiros's murals,"El Pueblo a la Universidad, la Universidad al Pueblo." Question 11 The designer envisions the game’s fundamental elements: the settings, characters, and plots that make each game unique, and is thus a primary creative force behind a video game. A) NO CHANGEB) elements: the settings, characters, and plots that make each game unique- C) elements- the settings, characters, and plots that make each game unique- D) elements; the settings, characters, and plots that make each game unique; The Challenge One of the things the SAT tests is how to punctuate explanations.This question is hard because it mixes up twodifferent kinds of explanatory punctuation styles: dashes and colons. Answer C Explanation Different kinds of explanations are punctuated in different ways. In this case, the structure of the sentence is: designer makes game elements + list of game elements + this means the designer is the game creator When we lay it out this way, we can see that the bit in the middle (the list of game elements) is an explanatory modifierfor the vague term â€Å"game’s fundamental elements.† This modifiernot crucial to the sentence, since the sentence will make perfect sense without it. Instead, it's a parenthetical aside that clarifies something. The original punctuation (answer A) and the punctuation in answer B focus on the list aspect of the modifier. You can tell because each suggests introducing the set of game elements with a colon. This would work fine if the list ended with a period, but since it doesn’t, these options are out. Answer D suggests using semi-colons to set off the examples. However, semi-colons are either for separating lists where a single list item has commas in it (not the case here), or for separating independent clauses (also not the case here). So answer D is wrong. Answer C fixes the sentence by setting off the set of examples with dashes, which are basically like parentheses you can wrap around a piece of a sentence that interrupts the main train of thought. The brilliant minimalist design of Minecraft makes every player the creative force behind the game. Question 12 Some people buy organic food because they believe organically grown crops are more nutritious and safer for consumption than the people who purchase their conventionally grown counterparts, which are usually produced with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. A) NO CHANGEB) the purchase ofC) purchasingD) DELETE the underlined portion. The Challenge This question is checking to see whether you can spot an illogical comparison. However, the answer choices make it seem as though this is actually a question about the correct form of the word "purchase." Answer D Explanation One trick to remember is that the word "than" announces that a comparison is about to happen. This is your cue to check whether the sentence is setting up an illogical comparison. In this case, the sentence is trying tocompareorganic and conventional food, which means that conventional food has to immediately follow the wordâ€Å"than.† The original text(answer A) is worded so that it incorrectly compares â€Å"organically grown crops† with â€Å"people who purchase.† This doesn't make sense, so the sentence can't be left as is. Answers B and C change the comparison, but stillends up comparing â€Å"organic crops† with â€Å"the purchase† or the act of "purchasing." You can compare crops with a purchase, sothese answers are out. Correct answer D, however, eliminates the problem and fixes the sentence so that like is compared with like: â€Å"organically grown crops are more nutritious and safer for consumption than their conventionally grown counterparts.† Conventional, organic - once you throw them on the grill, it's all good. The Bottom Line The hardest questions on the SAT Writing and Language section are challenging because they: test several grammar, editing, or punctuation skills at once have two or more very plausible answer choices have answer choices that make it look like the question is testing one concept, when it's really testing something totally different Oneway to work through these difficult parts of the test is to cover up the answer choices (including the original text), and read the parts of the passage that aren't in question. This way, you can form your own uninfluenced opinion about: the logical progression of the passage's argument the way the different sentences, or the different parts of one sentence, relate to one another how you would fill in the missing piece Then, you can find the answer choice that most closely matches your own thoughts, rather than being led astray by working backwards from the answer choices. What’s Next? Did you make any mistakes?If so, you can use these problems to help pinpoint the areas you struggle with and focus your studying to get a great score on SAT Writing. Want to learn other strategies for SAT Writing?Check out our articles on improving your score, getting a perfect score, and how best to study. Want to improve your overall SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice SAT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score.Check out our 5-day free trial: