Thursday, August 22, 2019

Internet and foreign language education Essay Example for Free

Internet and foreign language education Essay A new technology has surfaced and now it has caught the imagination of millions of people on this planet. Surfing through it, the internet has put everybody eager to explore more of it and to become a real part of it. The effects of this technology have permeated both small and large establishments, schools, universities, and even governments. Composed of a collection of computers worldwide commonly connected via telephone lines, Internet’s main objective is to share information. From early beginning in 1960s as a decentralized network connecting some military and academic computers, the number of host computers on the Internet has ballooned much. The World Wide Web now forms the most popular part of the Net. With the development of the Web, which was first designed for using text links only, further refinement into multi-media links resulted with pictures, audio, and video links. This has made the Web more popular. Today, fast modems can carry extra large files of graphics and sound linking target resources on the Net. With the ballooning number of websites and Internet users worldwide, educators could benefit much from this. Internet and Foreign Language†¦3 Educators now see the application of the new technology in the field of learning and teaching as very promising. They now scrutinize a wider application of Internet and the Web in language education. The shifting scenes from laboratory-based educational setting, computer-assisted learning is now the fad. From monitored teaching process to interactive computer applications, the tedious and boring process has been replaced by promising results. Good software like CALL helps facilitate the language learning process though others see some degrees of â€Å"rigidity† of the program. Developers of CALL have to moderately go back to remedy the situation. Whatever type of computer, one can access the Net from any place, any time. Within the Internet is a multi-media information system called the World Wide Web or WWW or simply the Web. The Web has two systems: the Web servers and the Web clients. The former dispenses information while the other receives information. Through the use of Web browser, one receives educational webpages or otherwise. Educators are now reaping benefits from the use of the Internet. Language teachers so far are exploiting the electronic mail to create mutual interaction between and among students and teachers in learning language skills. With such innovation, multinational Internet and Foreign Language†¦4 student participants have been encouraged to develop communication and mental skills from varying cultural backgrounds. A study by Davis and Chang (1994) using electronic mailing system has set up an exploratory pattern as to what could be achieved in using electronic mail at improving the student writing in terms of fluency, usage, and organization. This study has practically defied language and cultural barriers. Knowing the culture is knowing the language. This adage holds true in learning languages preserved in a cultural environment. Accessing information on social, cultural, economic, and geographical data on a particular language increases one’s repository for both the learners and teachers. Searching the Net for a specific subject needs fine tuning. One should remember though that a series of messages having the same subject coming from the original message has replies and replies to replies that follow. And this is how one comes about learning incidentally. This interactive intercourse increases one’s learning experience applicable in the area of language teaching or learning. Besides, fellow language teachers offer site listings valuable to avid learners. Internet and Foreign Language†¦5 The use of the Net is not always in short order. It is not without fuss, which becomes a challenge to users. Technical glitches can spoil one’s plan. Similarly, little familiarity on computer and Internet use can block one’s initiative in pursuing to learn. Another roadblock in implementing such innovation is the cost of maintaining the system, which holds back institutions with little funding. Besides, censor may enter the scene when language program becomes offensive or indecent. Despite all odds, this technology will simply flourish as people continue to interact with each other. And with the emergence of a global community that seeks to find a common world language, the burden now rests upon the application of this technology today. Works Cited Davis, B. Chang, Ye Ling (1994/95). Long distance collaboration with on-line conferencing. TESOL Journal, 4(2), 28-31.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Effect of Social Media on Social Movements

Effect of Social Media on Social Movements The new media platforms, such as social networking sites, have benefited from the internet that has made globalization real. Apart from giving the minority group an opportunity to achieve larger public acknowledgment, it also offers them a chance for self-expression. To begin with, media acts as a mode through which information is transferred to a large group of people. In the process, it constructs and outlines the public opinion on different societal matters. Minority groups, such as women, LGBT, disabled people, and immigrants, have had hardly solved challenges since their voices are unheard due to stereotypes in the society. (Castells) States that one important characteristic of the new platforms of media is that it is digital, and this avails it all parts of the world. New media has given the minority groups equal access to global affairs. The history of womens rights started in the 1960s where women fought for suffrage rights, inclusion in state positions, and other equality rights. Nonetheless, women rights have been violated across the world. Evidently, women hardly get the same platforms to express themselves as men do. Gender inequalities occur because of societal norms and stereotypes placed on a particular group of people due to their gender orientation; women in this case (Reifovà ¡ and Tereza). Fortunately, through new media platforms, women from different cultures have been able to fight for their rights. In this regard, online media has proved to be an essential tool in raising awareness on several women issues in different societies. Women have used this platform to advance their fight for their rights up to international levels. Mainly, social media has been used by several groups of women to push for accountability on activities related to women rights violation. Currently, social media platforms like Fa cebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and others have helped women to raise gender consciousness, organize equality campaigns, share ideas, and participate in policy development on gender-related issues (Chetkow-Yanoov). These women networks have brought changes to countries like India, Kenya, Brazil, Egypt and Saudi Arabia among others. Several online campaigns have proved useful in the fight for human rights in countries that violence against women is rampant. For instance, Egyptian women have had to go through sexual harassment for a long time, but this has changed ever since campaigns like #MeToo were launched through Twitter as a new media platform (Reifovà ¡ and Tereza). This campaign was meant to let women share their experiences and tell the world about their plight. The campaigns paid off since the government introduced a law against sexual harassment and women could take legal action against their oppressors. Another example of such movements in Egypt was a Facebook campaign called â€Å"Mat3brhash†. This campaign was started by Egyptian women to resist violence and harassment that they experience in the country. The campaign has drawn the attention of various organizations throughout the world and can be considered as an attempt to confront women harassment in Egypt. Similarly, Saudi Arabia has been battling gender inequality due to the conservatism nature form their culture and religion. In their case, the impact of social media on the right of women to drive in Saudi Arabia cannot be underestimated. For instance, Saudi Arabian women activists have managed to battle equality challenges by using media to highlight their experience. For instance, in 2011, on the wave of the Arab Spring, which led to political reforms, the Women2drive movement was formed. Activist Manal al-Sharif played a prominent role in it: she conducted propaganda in Facebook, laying out videos in which she showed her skills in machine control. Al-Sharif was later arrested. In another instance, in 2014, a human rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, drove a car to a territory of Saudi Arabia in protest against the law banning women from driving vehicles in Saudi Arabia. She was arrested and detained in police custody for close to three months. Women from the Saudi Arabia conducted several campaigns on social networks demanding the right to drive cars. Previously, only men could get a drivers license. In case a woman was seen driving in a public place, police officers could arrest her. Following a public outcry, such bans have been lifted. After the government allowed women to drive, to obtain the rights of women in Saudi Arabia does not even require the permission of male relatives, which is still necessary when getting a passport, crossing the border, and marrying. Equally, the #BringBackOurGirls was created in Nigeria to campaign for the release of schoolgirls who Boko Haram, a militia group in the country, abducted. This Nigeria’s abduction of students made the world come together to facilitate the release of the girls. Fortunately, some of the girls were rescued. LGBT groups of people have been depicted differently in media throughout history. Before the 20th century, the LGBT community has had negative representation by the media (Castells). It was portrayed as a perversion or even crime. However, this has changed significantly through new media and recently many countries like the US legalizing it. Mainly using social media, the LGBT community has made it their responsibility to make them known and define their culture. The positive representation has served to make the community acceptable within the society, and several people are giving them the necessary support (Alston and Knuckey). Recent years have seen the increase of LGBT community in TV shows, dramas, and others. This representation whether positive or mirroring the stereotypes in the society has helped impart knowledge about this minority group to the people (Castells). However, the transgender people have not had proper representation as compared to the gays, lesbians, and bisex uals. Notably, the transgender group has not been in public light as long as the others, and they have to face their challenges in order to triumph. Currently, the important thing is that media coverage of events and issues related to the rights and self-esteem of homosexuals has improved the publicity of the LGBT groups. For instance, homosexuals and lesbians are treated differently than ethnic, religious, or other social minorities. A notable example of an LGBT is Caitlyn Jenner, who formerly identified herself as a male. Caitlyn Jenner, once called Bruce Jenner, was an American television character and a former Olympic gold medal frontrunner in decathlete. Jenner has been using social media to fight for the rights of the transgender people. In 2015, she came out as a trans-woman having battled gender dysphoria from her youth. Due to her moves to fight for the rights of the transgender people in the society, Caitlyn, as a media celebrity, has made people become more accepting of the LGBT group lately. Another minority group that is worth analyzing is people with various disabilities, both physical and mental. Those with disabilities have not had it easy in history. They have been an easy target by people who seek to take advantage of them. Due to their disability, they are not able to carry out certain tasks and thus are vulnerable to accept help from not so trustworthy individuals. The phrase â€Å"disability is not inability† has been going around for some time now and the phrase is meant to let the public realize that the disabled can also live a normal life and participate in activities that were thought to be impossible for them. Through media, the stereotyping is slowly dying as the disabled community are proving themselves capable to the world. The same way other people try to make life easier by innovation, the handicapped life can also be made easier through assistance using technology. At some point in history, the deaf were considered passive members of the socie ty (Reifovà ¡ and Tereza). However, this has significantly changed through media. The deaf can participate in discussions through social media without requiring interpreters and such assistance. An example of a disability person who fights for the rights of this group is Judy Heumann, who is an American activist for the disability community. She has been a civil rights campaigner for handicapped people who use social media to foster her course. Another example is Wade Blank, an American disability activist. Using new media platforms, he has been leading campaigns on national rights for the disabled people. Blank heads â€Å"American Disabled Attendant Programs Today â€Å"ADAPT† and has been lobbying make public places easily reached by the disabled people. Digital communication provided by new media platforms has been helpful in making life easier for migrants. The social media has given the migrants the opportunities they did not have before. Migrants currently can participate in political as well as social life in both country of origin and the country they reside in (Castells). In fact, the migrants are able to get a clearer perspective of the happenings in their home countries. The migrants can exchange information through social media with their friends and families that still are in their home countries. The exchange of information makes it possible to bring social and political change in those countries. Websites like Kginfo.ru and Tajmigrant.com are used in Russia by new migrants to communicate to their original governments in order to provide them with strategies of being incorporated in their new country. Overall, in the recent times, mass communication/the media has become one of the most important instruments of influence on society, especially on matters of immigration. Media portrayal of challenges that immigrants face in their lives affects their status and social rights. Overall, a vivid representative of the ideological influence in the mass media, that disseminates various behavior patterns imposes standards and dictates life patterns. Which, with prolonged perception, have a significant impact on the modern society, especially on the minority groups, such as the women, LGBT, immigrants, and the disabled people. The new media platforms alone cannot solve the minority groups’ problems. However, the power it has, with regard to fueling reforms, is great. Through social media, laws have been amended, and so many more movements have been created to fight for the rights of the minority groups in various quarters. Different minority groups have different challenges and there use of new media can sometimes lead to uncommon results. The majority people create the notion of a minority group, and so the change can be affected when their perspectives change. Together with authoritative bodies, media can be employed to impart knowledge and shape the perspective the majority have of minority groups in order to bring social change. Works Cited Alston, Philip, and Sarah Knuckey. The Transformation of Human Rights Fact-Finding. Oxford University Press, 2016 Castells, Manuel. Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age. Polity Press, 2012. Chetkow-Yanoov, B Harold. Social Work Approaches to Conflict Resolution: Making Fighting Obsolete. Routledge, 2013. Reifovà ¡, Irena, and Tereza Pavlà ­ckovà ¡. Media, Power and Empowerment: Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference Ceecom Prague 2012.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Effect of Calpain-calpastatin System in Meat Tenderness

Effect of Calpain-calpastatin System in Meat Tenderness 1.0 Introduction Meat quality is the freshness of the meat. This is the most crucial things which supplier always find and think in order to fulfill the high demand from the customer. This shows researcher play an important role in increasing the quality of meat because of the high demand from the wholesalers or consumer. The critical point of appraisal of meat quality occurs when the consumer eats the products and they comment on the colour, nutritional value, and price determines the decision to repurchase (Boleman et al., 1997).In addition, consumer evaluation of eating quality is the most determination of meat quality as tenderness, juiciness and flavor of meat are the most important elements (Tarrant, 1998; Bindon Jones, 2001). The variability in tenderness cause by a lot of factors before post mortem, like the feeding types and the environment (French et al., 2001) and after post-mortem, like temperature, pH, sarcomere length and proteolysis (Charlotte Maltin et al., 2003). In this study it focusing majorly on the role of genetic traits which play an important function in order to get the high quality of meat (Williams, 2008). Interest of this study is to identify the relationship between the microsatellite repetition and the calpastatin type1 promoter region effects in meat tenderness. In mid 1980s (Mullis Faloona, 1987; Saiki et al., 1985) as the advent of Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR), microsatellites were detected in eukaryotes genome and they are the most promising PCR-based markers. Microsatellites are simple sequence tandem repeats (SSTRs) of variable length that distributed throughout the eukaryotic nuclear genome in both coding and non-coding region (Jarne Lagoda, 1996). This can be amplify and identify by the PCR method (Sunnucks, 2000, Strassmann et., 1996, Shriver et., 1995). Due to the high mutation rate of microsatellites, they are potentially the most informative marker with advantages of easy and low-cost detection. Thus, the microsat ellites repeat in calpastatin can influence the tenderness of meat because of the different types can produce with different role. The aim of this findings is to characterise the expression of microsatellite repeat in calpastatin type I promoter region in bovine, to identify the  regulation of CAST gene inhibitory calpain system in affecting the tenderization of meat and to develop a mechanism that can control the calpastatin gene in maintaining the tenderization of meat. 2.0 Literature review 2.1 Meat Quality and consumer perception Meat quality is a term used to describe a range of attributes of meat. Those factors such as post mortem factors, pH, temperature, proteolysis, sarcomere length, and the most important elements is tenderness and juiciness that affect the consumer to repurchase the meat (Warris, 2000). Besides that, meat quality also determine by color, flavor and texture which influence the consumer to enjoy the meat product (Glitsch, 2000). However, the main cause of failure of consumer complain to repurchase is the variability in eating quality, especially in tenderness. Some of the consumer that has more knowledge will concern on the safety of consuming meat. They will think of the health implication like the composition of the polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat, and the microbial contamination especially during handling the meat products. According to the statistical of meat consumption in Ninth Malaysian Plan, the Malaysian government targets to increase the production of beef in order to reduce the import dependence. As per capita consumption which 0.5 kg in 2003 of mutton is very low, more attention is paid to the beef market which increased from 2.3 kg to 5.8 kg (FAO, 2007). Due to the high demand, the qualities of meat need to be increased in order to make sure consumer will repurchase. Anderson and Ferguson (2001) emphasize that quality as the top priority in making decision to buy and consume more meat. Similarly , factors that effect the consumer to repurchase red meat other than economic one is meat quality (Taljaard et al., 2006). 2.2 Tenderness Tenderness is a primary factor that influencing the consumers reaction (Glitsch, 2000).Tenderness is an integrated textural property made up of mechanical, particulate and chemical components (Paerson and Young, 1989).The appreciation of tenderness when eating is not explained by the force required to cut through a piece of meat, but is affected by the way the muscle fibers breakdown and the release of juices and flavor while chewing. Several independent studies have identified a locus on bovine chromosomes 29 with affect on tenderness. The caplain1 (CAPN 1) gene that codes for a calcium dependent protease involved in meat tenderization post- mortem. According to the research Miller et al., 2001, meat tenderness (texture) is the most important organoleptic characteristics that influence the acceptability for consumer. Tenderness is the consequences of postmortem physicochemical and biochemical changes in muscle of myofibrillar. After slaughtering, muscle is extensible and elastic until the onset of the rigor mortis, when the energy for muscle relaxation is depleted (Alberle et al., 2001). 2.3 Tenderization phase 2.3.1 Pre-rigor phase The duration of pre-rigor phase is dependent on the animal species. After the slaughtering of animal, blood, oxygen and nutrient supply are cut to the muscle and these triggers the pre-rigor phase to start (Lawrie, 1998).For chicken is less than 0.5 to 1.0 h and for beef 4 to 6 h (Aberle et al., 2001). The muscle will becomes gradually stiff and its tension reaches maximum on the completion of rigor. This is due to the formation of an irreversible actomysin complex in muscle which lead to the shorten sarcomere length. This will cause the toughening of muscle at the beginning of the post-mortem process (Koohmaraie et al., 1996). 2.3.2 Rigor phase At this phase, muscles maintain the homeostasis by metabolize muscle glycogen by aerobic glycolysis. Thus, it will continue supply of ATP. During this phase, the depletion of ATP will increase the concentration of calcium ion in sarcoplasma. Sarcoplasma reticulum functioning in removing of calcium ion across the membrane utilizing the calcium ATPase pump and dependent on ATP for this active process (Robbins et al., 2003). In the meat process, anaerobic glycosis is take place in order to maintain the production of ATP. From this the lactic acid will produced and decrease in pH value and lead to the depletion of creatine phosphate because of lack of ATP. Thus, the availability of substrate required to maintain the contractile proteins actin or myosin in relaxation state. The irreversible cross bridge and rigor mortis occur because of actin and myosin and these will made the muscle reaches to the maximum toughness as the consequences of shortening the sarcomere length (Goll et al., 1995 ). 2.3.3 Post-rigor phase In the post-rigor, the proteolytic enzyme system are responsible in continuing the tenderness (Kemp et al., 2010; Koohmaraie et al., 1996). This phase started about 24 hours to 14 days of meat storage. The rate change is variable due to the proteolytic degradation of myofibrillar and cytoskeletal proteins cause the loss of structural integrity of myofibrils which enhancing the meat tenderization (Koohmaraie et al., 1996). The calpain/calpastatin(calcium-dependent), proteosomal and lysosomal systems have been extensively investigated for their involvement in post-rigor proteolytic degradation and meat tenderization (Kemp et al., 2010; Koohmaraie et al., 1996). 2.4 Factors that affect the meat tenderness 2.4.1 Muscle pH After the bovine is being slaughter, they need to maintain their homeostasis. So, the muscle will undergoes anaerobic respiration and regenerate the production of ATP by aerobic respiration. The amount of ATP produced is less than normal. During anaerobic, the glycogen is metabolized into pyruvate and then converts into lactic acid. The lactic acid will gradually decrease the pH value of the muscle tissue (Maltin et al., 2003).This level of of pH will give varies effects on glycogen level, ATP turn over and the metabolic characteristic of muscle tissue (Lawrie, 1998). The high level of pH which is greater than 7.5 , typically dark and easy to bacteria to survive on it. This will shorten the shelf life of the meat and this bring to the variability if the tenderness as the low of glycogen substrate (Watanabe et al., 1996). 2.4.2 Temperature Temperature during the pre-rigor and post-rigor phase will affect on the metabolism of the muscle tissue of meat(Hertzman et al., 1993).Meat toughness will increase during the higher temperature (Bruce and Ball, 1990). The declination of muscle temperature will lead to the shortening of muscle. This is because of the reduced calcium sequestering ability by the sarcoplasmic reticulum as a result of the depletion of energy compounds which cause the muscle to contract and increase the toughness of meat (Huff Lonergan et al., 2010). There are a researched found that, at 15 Celsius is the best temperature for maintaining meat tenderization (Geesink et al., 2000). 2.4.3 Juiciness Juiciness is defined as the feeling in the mouth of moisture from cooking meat and chewing. The juiciness is closely related to the attribute of flavor as this latter attribute is also affected by the level of IMF in the meat. The high the intramuscular fat content (IMF) , the higher the meat quality (Kerry et al., 2002). 2.4.4 Proteolysis Proteolysis is a conversion of muscle to meat entrains changes in tenderness due to changes in the properties of muscle fibre and connective tissue. The steps are toughness increase into rigor, proceed with proteolysis and last the rigor is resolve. Proteolytic system is divided into four which, first, cathepsin-lysomal system second, ATP-dependent ubiquitin –proteasome system, third, calpain-calpastatin system and last is matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP) (Thompson and Palmer, 1998). Tenderization increasing during ageing and it is primarily a result of calpain-mediated degradation of myofibrillar and cytoskeleton proteins. Most of researcher doing the investigation on proteolytic system and the have a A1QWdebate on these. But most of the studies agreed that the calpain system has play the major role in post-mortem tenderization (Boehm et al., 1998; Koohmaraie.1992b; Taylor et al., 1995a). Proteolysis involve calpain occurs between 3-14 d post mortem when activity of  µ-calpain low ,  µ-calpain maybe bound to the myofibril and inactivated during post mortem storage but the m-calpain active when the level of calcium arise. Calpain is calcium-dependent which function in softening the muscle tissue of the meat. In proteolysis it involve the calpain proteases and caplain-specific inhibitor, calpastatin. When the low level of calpastatin produce, the more calpain protease produce .Then, the tenderness of meat will increase. 2.5 Microsatellite Microsatellites are simple sequence tandem repeats (SSTRs).The repeat units are generally di-, tri-, tetra- or pentanucleotides (Powell et al., 1996) .Like repetition in birds is ACn, where it`s means two nucleotides A and C are repeated in bead-like fashion a variable number of times. The n could be range from 8 to 50.This always occur on a non-coding region of DNA. On the each side of the repeat unit are flanking regions which consist of unordered DNA. This flanking region is dangerous because they will allow the development of locus-specific primers to amplify the microsatellites with PCR. By having a forward and reverse primer on each side of microsatellites it will be able to amplify a fairy short (100 to 500bp) locus-specific microsatellite region(Sunnucks, 2000, Strassmann et., 1996, Shriver et., 1995). Microsatellites were designed for generative neurology disease in human but it shows a great applicability in other species. Microsatellites act as markers was classified based on the number of bases like short repeats are microsatellites while longer repeats are minisatellites. Besides that, it also classified by the type of repeated sequence present whether it is perfect, imperfect or composite. Imperfect means the repeated sequence was interrupted by different nucleotides which are not repeated while composites when two or more different motifs in tandem (Selkoe Toonen, 2006).In addition, microsatellites is co-dominant and it is widely distributed throughout the genome and transferable between species. These features provide their successful function in these fields (Chistiakov et al., 2006). 2.5.1 Microsatellites mutation Microsatellites are useful genetics markers because they tend to be polymorphic. Normally, human microsatellites with 20 or more alleles ad heterozygosities. This is because their mutation occurs different from the â€Å"classical† point mutations, where the substitution of one nucleotide to another occurs. The mutation in microsatellites occur through slippage replication where two strands could slip relative position a bit but still manage to get the zipper going down the beads. One strand can be lengthened or shortened by the addition or excision of the nucleotides. So, the repeat unit can be one longer and the other is shorter than the original (Selkoe et., 2006). 2.6 Calpastatin Study of calpastatin gene promoter activity had been done by some of the researcher .Calpastatin is proteinase inhibitor for calpain which family of calcium-activated neutral proteases that regulate the of Ca2+. It is encoded by single gene in mammal which produces proteins isoforms through the alternating splicing, There are four types of CAST which are Type I, Type II, Type III has been characterized in porcine with the study of the three promoters directing expression(Parr et al., 2004) while in bovine calpastatin transcripts including Type IV had been characterized with the studied of four functional promoters in the gene (Raynaud et al., 2005).This four types of CAST can bind to the calpain and inhibit proteolytic activity. A single calpastatin can inhibit several caplain molecules in vitro. Several isoforms of calpastatin exist due to the alternative promoter usage and differential splicing (Parr et al., 2001; Raynaud etal., 2005).Increasing response on calpastatin expression to ß- adrenergic stimulation has been associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy in livestock (Parr et al., 1992; Killefer and Koohmaraie, 1994) and related inversely with the tenderization rates(Koohmaraie, 1996). ß- adrenergic stimulation act by the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responsive elements in calpastatin promoter regions(Cong et al., 1998a, b).three types of promoters located in the 5 region of gene upstream of exons 1xa, 1xb, and 1u generate calpastatin mRNA transcripts the types I, II, and III respectively (Takano et al., 2000; Parr et al., 2004).In pig, these promoters have putative motifs for another transcription factors that will imply other signaling pathways of calpastatin expression(Parr et al., 2001; Raynaud etal., 2005). 2.6.1 The types of calpastatin genes From the previous studies, there were found calpasatin has four types of repetitive-inhibitor domains which are Type I, Type II, Type III and Type IV. The isolated cDNAs from the various mammalian species have conspicuous differences in the regions encoding the N-terminal sequences. These four different types has different function and from the different sources. The Type I and Type II in mouse and bovine respectively also differ from each other in the uttermost N-terminal sequences, possess longer domain L sequences than those of rabbit, pig and human inhibitors which are Type III.The previous obtained mouse calpastatin cDNA is encoded by as many as 31 exons including the first exon. The other three additional exons specifying the N-terminal sequences of the types were identified in the mouse genomic DNA sequence. The mRNAs for Type I and Type III were expressed in the liver, the Type II high in heart and skeletal muscle .Besides , the Type IV abundance in testis. These findings sho w that the calpastatin isoforms possessing different N-terminal sequences are generated by the alternative transcription initiation from their own promoters and skipping of the mutually exclusive exons (Takano et al., 2000). Cong et al. (1998), reported cAMP-dependent transactivation of the bovine calpastatin gene whose promoter located on the upstream of exon .They identified a sequence GTCA which was important for the cAMP responsiveness and corresponded to the half site of the full CRE(a consensus palindromic cAMP-responsive cis-element; TGACGTCA).They demonstrated that mutation of GTCA at -76 nt to ATCT completely abolished the dibutyryl-cAMP .Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the mouse and bovine genomic DNAs did not show a high similarity but little similar sequence GTGCGGTGTCAGCCGG (identical residues are underlined) containing GTCA was found. The differential expression patterns of the type I, II, III mRNAs among different animal suggests that the presence of different transcriptional regulatory elements upstream of the respective promoters. Besides that, the differences in N-terminal sequences might affect the intracellular distribution of the action calpain-calpastatin system in stimula tion of meat tenderness (Takano et al., 1999). 2.7 Calpain Calpain were intracellular calcium-dependent cysteine proteinases which present in all mammalian(Goll et al., 2003; Sorimachi et al., 2001).In catalysing the limited proteolysis of cytoskeletal and membrane protein , the calpain were play a big role.This regulation occur with help of specific protein inhibitor calpastatin.In striated muscle, the calpain/calpastatin system has been proved in regulation protein turnover especially in meat texture development (Sensky et al., 2001). 2.8 The effect of calpain-calpastatin system in meat tenderness The calpain and calpastatin proteolytic enzyme system is believed to be the main contributor to the tenderness of meat at post mortem.The present of calpastatin in meat influence the calpain by acting as inhibitor. Calpastatin is a marker in order to determine the tenderness of meat. The researcher found the activity of the calpastatin in meat at 24 hours was highly related to shear force value after 14th day after post mortem. It showed that an early event after the animal being slaughter could be predictive of ultimate shear force because of the low activity of calpastatin (Whipple et al., 1990). The findings was repeated in pork. The higher level of calpastatin after 2 hours of post mortem is increasing the toughness (parr et al., 1999).We can conclude that the activity of calpastatin was responsible in variation of tenderness of meat by the differences in proteolytic rate of the animals. A more complex study is performed by the Shackleford et al.(1994) that correlate between both calpastatin level and meat toughness and the possibility of using these for selection purposed to improve the meat quality.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Reality, the Mind, and God Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

Reality, the Mind, and God The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Great Britain are marked by a general and persistent concern about threats to orthodoxy in religion. Many doctrines and views were seen as threatening: theories about the origin and nature of human knowledge, metaphysical claims about the nature of the world, claims about human nature, about the person and action. (Yolton 3) According to the major viewpoints held in metaphysics, one of the four major categories in the study of philosophy, there are three major ways to regard the constitution of reality. Materialism is "[†¦] the view that all that exists is material or is completely dependent on matter [†¦]" (Gould 421) in order to be perceived and to exist. This is one of the two major, extreme views that exist concerning the substance of reality. The other extreme view, idealism, is the belief that reality consists of mental perception and ideas, that "[†¦] what exists is either an idea or a perceiver of that idea" (Gould 437). According to this view, matter contains no material substance. All matter is comprised of a collection of ideas and the one who is accepting and interpreting those ideas. Beyond these two extreme viewpoints is one of the most popular beliefs concerning reality, especially in Western culture. The belief of dualism denotes that reality is a uniform combination of both material and non-material substance. This view states that reality is made of objects that contain material substance to them. But this perspective of reality holds that there is also a component to reality that depends upon the perceiver, what mental impression he obtains from the material substance, and how he can manipulate th... ...ry expression" (Thayer xv). And Newton’s influence on literary expression as well as philosophical reasoning can be easily seen when viewing the works of such famous writers as John Locke or Isaac Watts. Works Cited Bennett, Jonathan. Locke, Berkeley and Hume: Central Themes. Oxford: Clarendon, 1971. Damrosch, David, et al., eds. The Longman Anthology: British Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Longman, 1999. Gould, James A. ed. Classic Philosophical Questions. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1995. Randall, John Herman Jr. Introduction. Thayer. ix-xvi. Thayer, H. S. ed. Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections from His Writings. New York: Hafner, 1953. Watts, Isaac. "Man Frail, and God Eternal." Damrosch, et al. 2638. Yolton, John W. Thinking Matter: Materialism in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Minnesota: U of Minnesota P, 1983.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Another Heart of Darkness Essay -- essays research papers

Ignorance and Racism Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale - mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded, "Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good story-teller into the bargain" (Achebe 252). Yet, despite Conrad's great story telling, he has also been viewed as a racist by some of his critics. Achebe, Singh, and Sarvan, although their criticisim differ, are a few to name. Normal readers usually are good at detecting racism in a book. Achebe acknowledges Conrad camouflaged racism remarks, saying, "But Conrad chose his subject well - one which was guaranteed not to put him in conflict with psychological pre- disposition..." (Achebe, 253). Having gone back and rereading Heart of Darkness, but this time reading between the lines, I have discovered some racism Conrad felt toward the natives that I had not discovered the first time I read the book. Racism is portrayed in Conrad's book, but one must acknowledge that back in the eighteen hundreds society conformed to it. Conrad probably would have been criticized as being soft hearted rather than a racist back in his time. Conrad constantly referred to the natives, in his book, as black savages, niggers, brutes, and "them", displaying ignorance toward the African history and racism towards the African people. Conrad wrote, "Black figures strolled out listlessly... the beaten nigger groaned somewhere" (Conrad 28). "They passed me with six inches, without a glance, with the complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages" (Conrad 19). Achebe, also, detected Conrad's frequent use of unorthodox name calling, "Certainly Conrad had a problem with niggers. His in ordinate love of that word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts" (Achebe 258). Conrad uses Marlow, the main character in the book, as a narrator so he himself can enter the story and tell it through his own philosophical mind. Conrad used "double speak" throughout his book. Upon arriving at the first station, Marlow commented what he observed. "They were dying slowly - it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not cri... ... (Singh 278). Conrad didn't write his book to the extreme of racism. Overall, the natives appeared better humans than the Europeans in Heart of Darkness. Conrad's ignorance led to his conformity to racism. His ignorance of not completely "granting the natives human status" leads him to social categorization. C. P. Sarvan wrote in his criticism, quoting Achebe, "Racism and the Heart of Darkness," "Conrad sets up Africa 'as a foil to Europe, a place of negations... in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest.' Africa is 'the other world,'..." (281). Achebe, Chinua [An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical, 1988. Sarvan, C. P. [Racism and the Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Singh, Frances B. [The Colonialistic Bias of Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Another Heart of Darkness Essay -- essays research papers Ignorance and Racism Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale - mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded, "Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good story-teller into the bargain" (Achebe 252). Yet, despite Conrad's great story telling, he has also been viewed as a racist by some of his critics. Achebe, Singh, and Sarvan, although their criticisim differ, are a few to name. Normal readers usually are good at detecting racism in a book. Achebe acknowledges Conrad camouflaged racism remarks, saying, "But Conrad chose his subject well - one which was guaranteed not to put him in conflict with psychological pre- disposition..." (Achebe, 253). Having gone back and rereading Heart of Darkness, but this time reading between the lines, I have discovered some racism Conrad felt toward the natives that I had not discovered the first time I read the book. Racism is portrayed in Conrad's book, but one must acknowledge that back in the eighteen hundreds society conformed to it. Conrad probably would have been criticized as being soft hearted rather than a racist back in his time. Conrad constantly referred to the natives, in his book, as black savages, niggers, brutes, and "them", displaying ignorance toward the African history and racism towards the African people. Conrad wrote, "Black figures strolled out listlessly... the beaten nigger groaned somewhere" (Conrad 28). "They passed me with six inches, without a glance, with the complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages" (Conrad 19). Achebe, also, detected Conrad's frequent use of unorthodox name calling, "Certainly Conrad had a problem with niggers. His in ordinate love of that word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts" (Achebe 258). Conrad uses Marlow, the main character in the book, as a narrator so he himself can enter the story and tell it through his own philosophical mind. Conrad used "double speak" throughout his book. Upon arriving at the first station, Marlow commented what he observed. "They were dying slowly - it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not cri... ... (Singh 278). Conrad didn't write his book to the extreme of racism. Overall, the natives appeared better humans than the Europeans in Heart of Darkness. Conrad's ignorance led to his conformity to racism. His ignorance of not completely "granting the natives human status" leads him to social categorization. C. P. Sarvan wrote in his criticism, quoting Achebe, "Racism and the Heart of Darkness," "Conrad sets up Africa 'as a foil to Europe, a place of negations... in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest.' Africa is 'the other world,'..." (281). Achebe, Chinua [An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical, 1988. Sarvan, C. P. [Racism and the Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Singh, Frances B. [The Colonialistic Bias of Heart of Darkness.] Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Breed Specific Legislation

INTRODUCTION Capture Attention Last week this man attacked and wounded another man at Mt. Scott Park, here in Portland, OR. Because of his actions I need all of the students with facial hair, dark shirts, tattoos and long hair to stand up. Effective immediately, all of you will be detained by local authorities because you have been deemed a threat to the safety of our community and the citizens who reside here. Significance/Relevance Breed Specific Legislation is not a new way to manage aggressive dogs.These changes in laws tend to happen after a highly publicized dog attack takes place. This type of legislation punishes the breed, not the deed. Credibility As a dog owner who spends everyday of his life with a breed of dog often found on breed ban lists, researching BSL is as much a part of my life as my dog, Lucky. Thesis Breed Specific Legislation aims to keep citizens safe by punishing innocent and guilty dogs alike. Preview Today, I’m going to share some information on wha t Breed Specific Legislation is, how it affects dogs and dog owners. The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated† – Gandhi BODY I. What is Breed Specific Legislation? A. Breed-specific legislation is the banning or restriction of the ownership of a dog solely based on the dog's breed regardless of the dog's personal history or temperament. i. BSL has been around for years, but according to www. dogsbite. org â€Å"in the last decade over 650 U. S. cities have enacted BSL as a preventative measure to reduce dog attacks and bites to protect citizens. B. Breed-specific legislation is based on the premise that certain breeds are inherently dangerous and that public safety can be accomplished by banning or restricting only those dogs. C. Currently, BSL focuses not on a specific breed, but rather a type of dog. That type, as most of you know, is referred to as the â€Å"pit-bull†. The term pit bull general ly refers to a Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier, or any dog that is a cross or mix of the aforementioned breeds.A pit bull may also mean any dog that has the appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to the above listed breeds. Therefore, pit bull is a type of dog not a breed. Breed Specific Legislation exists, this is a fact. Facts create norms, but truth creates illumination. II. How it affects dogs A. Breed specific laws target and punish all dogs of a particular breed (the guilty ones as well as the innocent). Well-behaved dogs of that particular breed are seen, classified, and treated the same as the dogs that have in fact bitten or attacked individuals. i.According to an article run in the October edition (2009) of the Westword, a local publication in Denver, in 2006 â€Å"after a one-year moratorium Denver began to again enforce the pit bull ban in 2005, causing a 77 percent increase in the num ber of dogs impounded in Pit Bull Row. City records show that between 2005 and 2006,  1,454 pit bulls were put down, leading to the large pile-ups of dead dogs. † ii. Unfortunately, many of these dogs were deemed pit bulls simply because the animal control officer, shelter worker, dog trainer, politician, dog owner, police officer or newspaper says they are. B.BSL doesn’t acknowledge the fact that a dog of any breed can be dangerous. Furthermore, opponents of BSL have pointed out that those in charge of law enforcement do not always accurately identify breeds, and that the imposition of penalties on dogs merely as a result of breed identification can be unjust and arbitrary. i. In July of this year, after a nearly 2-year legal battle between the City Council of Belfast, Northern Ireland and dog owner Caroline Barnes, her American Bulldog / Labrador mix, Lennox, was euthanized for resembling a pit bull, which pose a threat to society. ii. As stated on latimes. om, â₠¬Å"The Belfast City Council declared Lennox had a severe personality disorder, but his owners, the Barnes family, said he was a well-handled American bulldog-Labrador cross. After measuring his legs and snout, dog wardens declared Lennox a â€Å"possible pit bull type† and in 2010 seized him under the UK’s dangerous dog act. † Dogs are only as good or bad as their owners III. How it affects owners A. Banning a specific breed punishes responsible dog owners who have well trained dogs of that breed, while irresponsible owners who seek a â€Å"dangerous dog† as a status symbol will simply choose a different breed. . According to the AKC, â€Å"this often leads to increased costs to the community, as many owners abandon their household pets at local shelters because they are no longer permitted to own them, or are unable to comply with the strict regulations imposed on them. † ii. In many cases, the owner must choose between relocating to a different to wn or getting rid of their dog. Many of these dogs end up being housed and/or euthanized at the shelters at the taxpayer’s expense. iii. As reported in Canada’s weekly newspaper, Macleans (2004), â€Å"Experts in canine control and behavior have all said the same thing.Breed-specific bans are reactionary and ineffectual because they don't address the root of the problem: high-risk owners. † According to Dr. Gary Landsberg, a Thornhill, Ont. , veterinarian and president of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, â€Å"people who want to breed and/or own vicious dogs will simply turn to other breeds. † It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole bunch CONCLUSION Summary Statement So now you have a general idea of what Breed Specific Legislation is. Dog attacks and bites are real problems for communities and need to be addressed.Being informed on how BSL affects both dog & owner, innocent and guilty alike, has hopefully provided you with a fou ndation for further exploration. Concluding Remarks Is Breed Specific Legislation the right answer to keep communities safe from aggressive dogs? I honestly don’t know. But in closing I will say this. If those of you that resembled this man were actually detained, based solely on similar appearance, would your partners, families & friends accept it as a way to keep our community safe? You be the judge. Breed Specific Legislation INTRODUCTION Capture Attention Last week this man attacked and wounded another man at Mt. Scott Park, here in Portland, OR. Because of his actions I need all of the students with facial hair, dark shirts, tattoos and long hair to stand up. Effective immediately, all of you will be detained by local authorities because you have been deemed a threat to the safety of our community and the citizens who reside here. Significance/Relevance Breed Specific Legislation is not a new way to manage aggressive dogs.These changes in laws tend to happen after a highly publicized dog attack takes place. This type of legislation punishes the breed, not the deed. Credibility As a dog owner who spends everyday of his life with a breed of dog often found on breed ban lists, researching BSL is as much a part of my life as my dog, Lucky. Thesis Breed Specific Legislation aims to keep citizens safe by punishing innocent and guilty dogs alike. Preview Today, I’m going to share some information on wha t Breed Specific Legislation is, how it affects dogs and dog owners. The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated† – Gandhi BODY I. What is Breed Specific Legislation? A. Breed-specific legislation is the banning or restriction of the ownership of a dog solely based on the dog's breed regardless of the dog's personal history or temperament. i. BSL has been around for years, but according to www. dogsbite. org â€Å"in the last decade over 650 U. S. cities have enacted BSL as a preventative measure to reduce dog attacks and bites to protect citizens. B. Breed-specific legislation is based on the premise that certain breeds are inherently dangerous and that public safety can be accomplished by banning or restricting only those dogs. C. Currently, BSL focuses not on a specific breed, but rather a type of dog. That type, as most of you know, is referred to as the â€Å"pit-bull†. The term pit bull general ly refers to a Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier, or any dog that is a cross or mix of the aforementioned breeds.A pit bull may also mean any dog that has the appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to the above listed breeds. Therefore, pit bull is a type of dog not a breed. Breed Specific Legislation exists, this is a fact. Facts create norms, but truth creates illumination. II. How it affects dogs A. Breed specific laws target and punish all dogs of a particular breed (the guilty ones as well as the innocent). Well-behaved dogs of that particular breed are seen, classified, and treated the same as the dogs that have in fact bitten or attacked individuals. i.According to an article run in the October edition (2009) of the Westword, a local publication in Denver, in 2006 â€Å"after a one-year moratorium Denver began to again enforce the pit bull ban in 2005, causing a 77 percent increase in the num ber of dogs impounded in Pit Bull Row. City records show that between 2005 and 2006,  1,454 pit bulls were put down, leading to the large pile-ups of dead dogs. † ii. Unfortunately, many of these dogs were deemed pit bulls simply because the animal control officer, shelter worker, dog trainer, politician, dog owner, police officer or newspaper says they are. B.BSL doesn’t acknowledge the fact that a dog of any breed can be dangerous. Furthermore, opponents of BSL have pointed out that those in charge of law enforcement do not always accurately identify breeds, and that the imposition of penalties on dogs merely as a result of breed identification can be unjust and arbitrary. i. In July of this year, after a nearly 2-year legal battle between the City Council of Belfast, Northern Ireland and dog owner Caroline Barnes, her American Bulldog / Labrador mix, Lennox, was euthanized for resembling a pit bull, which pose a threat to society. ii. As stated on latimes. om, â₠¬Å"The Belfast City Council declared Lennox had a severe personality disorder, but his owners, the Barnes family, said he was a well-handled American bulldog-Labrador cross. After measuring his legs and snout, dog wardens declared Lennox a â€Å"possible pit bull type† and in 2010 seized him under the UK’s dangerous dog act. † Dogs are only as good or bad as their owners III. How it affects owners A. Banning a specific breed punishes responsible dog owners who have well trained dogs of that breed, while irresponsible owners who seek a â€Å"dangerous dog† as a status symbol will simply choose a different breed. . According to the AKC, â€Å"this often leads to increased costs to the community, as many owners abandon their household pets at local shelters because they are no longer permitted to own them, or are unable to comply with the strict regulations imposed on them. † ii. In many cases, the owner must choose between relocating to a different to wn or getting rid of their dog. Many of these dogs end up being housed and/or euthanized at the shelters at the taxpayer’s expense. iii. As reported in Canada’s weekly newspaper, Macleans (2004), â€Å"Experts in canine control and behavior have all said the same thing.Breed-specific bans are reactionary and ineffectual because they don't address the root of the problem: high-risk owners. † According to Dr. Gary Landsberg, a Thornhill, Ont. , veterinarian and president of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, â€Å"people who want to breed and/or own vicious dogs will simply turn to other breeds. † It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole bunch CONCLUSION Summary Statement So now you have a general idea of what Breed Specific Legislation is. Dog attacks and bites are real problems for communities and need to be addressed.Being informed on how BSL affects both dog & owner, innocent and guilty alike, has hopefully provided you with a fou ndation for further exploration. Concluding Remarks Is Breed Specific Legislation the right answer to keep communities safe from aggressive dogs? I honestly don’t know. But in closing I will say this. If those of you that resembled this man were actually detained, based solely on similar appearance, would your partners, families & friends accept it as a way to keep our community safe? You be the judge.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Case Study: King of the Hill Essay

1) What leadership traits account for Denny Hill’s success? Denny is using the perfect traits of a teacher keeping the swim team interested so they do not lose focus in the meeting or the workouts. Denny also shows his team confidence, in himself as well as in his team. Due to this Denny has the faith of his team behind him and their truest in his abilities. 2) How would you describe Denny Hill’s leadership abilities? I believe Denny developed leadership abilities through hard work and practice, because the first year swim team did not do so good. Denny learned from his mistakes and took various steps to make himself a better leader. He also encouraged his swim team members to pick up leadership roles. 3) Leadership includes administrative skills, interpersonal skills, and conceptual skills. How does Denny Hill stack up on these skills? As a teacher Denny is well versed in administrative skills as he has to see to grades, progress reports, and even evaluating student progress on a daily basis. Denny’s interpersonal skills get tested on a daily basis with peer and student interaction. Denny has conceptual skills in that what he did for the swim team the previous year did not work. He had to re-evaluate the situation and come up with another workable plan for the swimmers. Denny is doing a good job utilizing these skills and taking the swim team in the right direction. 4) How does Denny Hill integrate task and relationship behaviors in his leadership? Denny does have task behaviors in his leadership as he has planning to do for the swim team which include team meetings. There is also relationship behaviors included in his leadership when he assigns the students to become a part of the leadership team. 5) From a relational perspective, how would you describe Denny Hill’s leadership? Denny Hill’s leadership is interactive where the swim team has the ability to share leadership roles, authority, and influence. 6) In what way does Denny Hill’s coaching exemplify leadership as an influence process? Denny utilized his influence on the swim team so they can reach common goals. Denny wants a winning swim team and the swimmers want to win, as well as, want to make their leader proud. Reference Northouse, P. (2015). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (Third ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.