Turner And Mozart Essay Example for Free

Turner And Mozart Essay Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 is a very expressive piece exploring a wide range of emotions in four movements. The string playing in the first movement is dark but brisk evoking anxiety and uneasiness on the part of the listener. The slow second movement is musical and is my favorite in the entire symphony. The pattern of viola leading the violins in a series of imitating notes makes for a playful movement. The minuetto-trio of the third movement, meanwhile, is irregular and a departure from the usual minuet. It is more dramatic instead of danceable. Like the preceding movements, the final movement is dominated by the strings and repeats the mood of the first. The entire symphony is as pleasing as other Mozart symphony, with so much going on with the piece that it demands careful listening for appreciation to occur. The video on British painter Joseph Turner shows the viewer why the man is considered as the artist who made landscape painting as high an art as the historical or portrait paintings of older master. His impressionistic paintings use bright, splashy, yet atmospheric colors projecting strong moods that, in turn, elicit strong reactions and feelings on the part of the viewer. This is most evident in the paintings of the Grand Canal and The Slave Ship. The Grand Canal’s bright sky reflected on the buildings and the water make the city look alive and busy, making Venice almost magical and romantic at the same time. The same profuse lighting from the sky affecting the overall mood of the piece is also applied in The Slave Ship. The bright red strokes to depict the sky create the impression of violence and anger which are also the theme of the painting. Although we cannot see the ship clearly and the overthrown slaves are like shadows on the foreground of the painting, one can feel the drama of what is happening just by looking at the angry colors. The video was truly an interesting and informative introduction to people who are not familiar with Turner and his art.

Review of DNA and Protein Microarray for BioMEMS Technology

Review of DNA and Protein Microarray for BioMEMS Technology In recent years increase in genetically caused diseases is one of the major threat to mankind. Some of the genetically caused diseases are down syndrome, diabetes, obesity, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis. This review paper explains how BioMEMS (Biological MicroElectroMechanicalSystem) technology used in microarrays and finding of gene expression which leads to medicine for particular diseases. BioMEMS research has been acquiring importance, due to the possibility of exploiting miniaturization to create new opportunities in medicine. BioMEMS systems in general have more diversity of materials and function than conventional MEMS devices. In BioMEMS ink-jet printing, photolithography techniques were introduced to deposit protein and DNA in array. DNA and protein micro-arrays based BioMEMS could be very extensively for rapid detection, drug discovery, and screening, especially when combined with integrated micro-fluidics and sensitive detection technologies. The techniques used to d efine patterns on semiconductor surfaces were utilized to construct arrays of single-stranded DNA. Once single strands of known sequences (capture probes) are placed at specific known sites on a chip surface, hybridization with molecules of unknown sequence (target probes) can reveal the sequence. Microarray-based gene expression profiling can be used to identify genes whose expression is changed in response to  disease caused genetically by comparing gene expression in infected to that in uninfected cells or tissues. Protein and antibody arrays can play a key role in search for disease-specific proteins that have medical, diagnostic, prognostic, and commercial potential as disease markers or as drug targets and for determination of predisposition to specific disease via genotypic screening. Array-based integrated chips and micro-fluidics hold a great potential for the development of high-throughput approaches to systematically analyze these proteins and to assign a biological fun ction, determine protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. This paper tells about varies applications of BioMEMS to detect the defective gene the causes diseases and the fabrication methods used in microarrays chip production. Keywords: LOC Lab-on-a-chip, BioMEMS (Biological MicroElectroMechanicalSystem), ÃŽÂ ¼TAS (Micro Total Analysis System), Oligonucleotide, Microdroplets , Electrospray. 1. Introduction Microarray technology has been applied to study of gene expression to study mechanisms of diseases and to accelerate the drug discovery process. There is a definite trend towards increasing the use of molecular diagnostic methods, and biochip technologies, along with bioinformatics techniques. Classification of human disease using microarrays is considered to be important. The emphasis is not only on diagnosis but also on disease management, including monitoring the effect of treatment and determining prognosis [1]. Microarray and lab-on-a-chip systems are going to fulfill these new requirements, including the miniaturization of biological assays as well as the parallelization of analysis. Although the concept has been performed by miniaturizing the analytical equipments, the technology comes from the microeletromechanical and microelectronics industries [2]. Lab-on-a-chip technology is the method of choice to integrate processes and reaction and scale them down from conventional gla ssware to microfluidics, involving micro-sized channels in glass or polymer chips [3]. DNA microarray also knows as DNA chips, comprise a new technology emerging at a tremendous pace because of its power, flexibility, sensitivity and relative simplicity [4]. BioMEMS for proteomics can be divided into LOC device for specific tasks such as protein isolation, purification, digestion, and separation; and microarray device for high throughput study of protein abundance and function. An emergence of DNA, protein microarray has emerged over the last few years with commercial potential beyond the confines of the research laboratory [5]. In this paper we start our discussion with the history of microarray; subsequently we go into the details of general techniques used in DNA and protein microarray followed by fabrication and the application and future of microarray. 2. History of Microarray Microarray technology evolved from Southern blotting, where fragmented DNA is attached to a substrate and then probed with a known gene or fragment [6]. The first reported use of this approach was the analysis of 378 arrayed lysed bacterial colonies each harboring a different sequence which were assayed in multiple replicas for expression of the genes in multiple normal and tumor tissue [7]. These early gene arrays were made by spotting cDNA onto filter paper with a pin-spotting device. The use of miniaturized microarray for gene expression profiling was first reported in 1995 [8]. This technology allowed scientists to analyze thousands of mRNAs in a single experiment to determine whether expression is different in disease state. Unfortunately, mRNA levels within a cell are often poorly correlated with actual protein abundance [9]. A complete eukaryotic genome on a microarray was published in 1997[10]. The development of biochip has a long history, starting with early work on the und erlying sensor technology. In 1953, Watson and Crick announced their discovery of now familiar double helix structure and sequencing techniques by Gilbert and Sanger in 1977 [11, 12]. Two additional developments enable the technology used in modern DNA-based biosensors. First, in 1983 Kary Mullis invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, a method for amplifying DNA concentration. This discovery made possible the detection of extremely small quantities of DNA in samples. Second, in 1986 Hood and co-workers devised a method to label DNA molecules with fluorescent tags instead of radiolables, thus enabling hybridization experiments to be observed optically [13]. A big boost in research and commercial interest came in the mid 1990s, when ÃŽÂ ¼TAS (Micro Total Analysis System) technology turned out to provide interesting tooling for genomics application, like capillary electrophoresis and DNA microarray [14]. Immunoassays, the precursor to protein chips available since t he 1980s, exploit the interactions between antibodies and antigens in order to detect their concentrations in biology sample. Their creation, however, is tedious and expensive. As to this, research at Harvard University combined the technology of immunoassays and DNA microarray to develop the protein chip [15]. 3. DNA Microarrays and Fabrication 3.1 Introduction Microarray analysis allows simultaneous of gene and gene products, including DNA, mRNA and proteins. There are basically two formats: cDNA microarrays and oligonucleotide microarrays. A cDNA microarray is an orderly arrangement of DNA probe spot printed onto a solid matrix such as glass, nylon, or silicon. The substrate is usually less than 4ÃÆ'-4 cm, while the spot size is less than 250ÃŽÂ ¼m. A DNA molecular probe is tethered (embedded and immobilized) to each spot on microarray. surface modification of the substrate, such as wit poly-L-lysin or silane, facilitates adhesion of the DNA probes. Hybridization is the base pairing between target and the probe, and is limited by the sensitivity and specificity of the microarray. There are three basic types of oligonucleotide microarrays: gene expression, genotyping (SNPs), and resquencing. Genomic DNA may be used for the study of SNPs, while expressed DNA sequence (cDNA clones, expressed sequence tags or ESTs) are used for gene expre ssion [17]. 3.2 Microarrays for Gene Expression Gene expression microarrays are tools that tell how much RNA (if any) a gene is making. Since 1977, and prior to microarray, only a few genes could be studied at a time using the northern blot analysis. GeneChip (Fig. 1.1) microarrays use the natural chemical attraction, or hybridization, between DNA on the array and RNA target molecule from the sample based on complementary base pairs. Only RNA target molecule that have exact complementary base pair bind to the prob. Gene expression detection microarray is that they are able to measure tens of thousands of genes at a time, and it is this quantitative change in the scale of gene measurement that has led to a qualitative change in our ability to understand regulatory processes that occur at the cellular level. It is possible to obtain near comprehensive expression data for individual tissues or organs in various states. Compressions are possible for transcriptional activity across different tissue, and group of patients with and witho ut a particular disease or with two different diseases. Microarray studies are designed in principle to directly measure the activity of the genes involved in particular mechanism or system rather than their association with a particular biological or clinical feature [18]. Although genes may be thousand of base pairs long, it is only necessary to construct a probe of 25 bases that represent a unique complementary portion of the target gene. In other words, the short probe on the microarray measures the expression of the complete gene by sampling only a small section of the gene. In some instances, as little as one RNA molecule out of 100,000 different RNAs in an original sample may be detected [19]. Sensitivity is the ability to identify the rarely expressed transcripts in a complex background. Specification is the ability to discern between different family members. The hybridization efficiency of two nucleic acid strand depends on 1) Sequence-dependent factors for length, extent of complementarity, and overall base composition; 2) Sequence independent factors such as the concentration of the probe and target, time, temperature, cation concentration, valency character, pH, dielectric and chaotropic medica, surface characteristics of the solid, and density spacing of the probe molecules; and 3) Sample-dependent complex background signal, which are probes interacting with the wrong complementary sequence [20]. Fig 1.1 GeneChip probe microarray cartridge (Image courtesy of Affmetrix) 3.3 Microarray for SNPs Small difference in a DNA sequence can have major impact on health. Deletions, insertions, and other mutations of as little as a single base pair may result in signification disease. Identification these mutations require determining the exact sequence for thousand of SNPs distributed throughout the genome. Using microarray, it is possible to scan the whole genome and look for genetic similarities among a group of people who share the same disease. Using microarray to genotype 10,000 to 100,000 SNPs, it is possible to identify the gene or group of genes that contribute to disease. For example, if a large group of people with a given diagnosis have several SNPs in common, but not healthy people, then mutations may be looked for within those SNPs. A genotyping microarray may look for up to 100,000 SNPs or more [21]. 3.4 Fabrication DNA spotting may be accomplished by depositing PCR amplified ESTs (500-5000 base pairs), or by in suit synthesis of oligodeoxynucleotide sequences (20-50 base pairs) on the substrate. There are variety of spotting techniques that include mechanical and ink-jet style application. The GeneChip brand arrays provide high levels of reproducibility, sensitivity, and specification. The following process steps are used for fabrication of the GeneChip: 1) GeneChip probe array are manufactured through a combination of photolithography (Fig 1.2) and combinatorial chemistry. With a calculated minimum number of synthesis steps, GeneChip technology produce array with hundreds of thousands of different probes packed at an extremely high density. Small sample volumes are required for study. Manufacture is scalable because the length of the probe, not their number, determines the number of synthesis steps required. 2) Manufacturing begins with a 5-in square quartz wafer. Initially the quartz is washed to ensure uniform hydroxylation across its surface. Because quarts is naturally hydroxylated, it provides an excellent substrate for the attachment of chemical, such as linker molecules, that are later used to position the probes on the arrays. Fig 1.2 Photolithographic technique are used to locate and add nucleotides for fabrication of array of probe (Image courtesy of Affymetrix) 3) The wafer is placed in a bath of silane, which reacts with hydroxyl groups of quartz, and forms a matrix of covalently linked molecules. This distance between these silane determines the probes packing density, allowing array to hold over 500,000 probe location, or features, within a mere 1.28cm2. Each of these features harbors millions of identical DNA molecules. The silane film provides a uniform hydroxyl density to initiate probe assembly. Linker molecules, attached to the silane matrix, provide a surface that may be spatially activated by light (Fig 1.3). 4) Probe synthesis occurs in parallel, resulting in the addition of an A, C, T or G nucleotide to multiple growing chains simulataneously. To define which oligonucleotide chains will receive a nucleotide in each step, photolithographic masks, carrying 18 to 20 ÃŽÂ ¼m2 windows that corresponds to the dimensions of individual features, are placed over the coated wafer. The windows are distributed over the mask based on the desired sequence each. When the UV light is shone over the mask in the first step of synthesis, the exposed linkers become deprotected and are available for nucleotide coupling. critical to this step is the precise alignment of the mask with the wafer before each synthesis step. To ensure that this critical step is accurately completed, chrome marks on the wafer and on the mask are perfectly aligned. 5) Once the desired features have been activated, a solution containing a single type of deoxynucleotide with a removable protection group is flushed over the wafers surface. The nucleotide attaches to the activated linkers, initiating the synthesis process. 6) Although the process is highly efficient, some activated molecules fail to attach the new nucleotide. To prevent these outliers from becoming probes with missing nucleotides, a capping step is used to truncate them. In additional, the side chains of the nucleotides are protected to prevent the formation of branched oligonucleotides. Fig 1.3 GeneChip fabrication steps (Image courtesy Affmetrix). 7) In the next synthesis step, another mask is placed over the wafer to allow the next round of deprotection and coupling. The process is repeated until the probes reach their full length, usually 25 nucleotides. 8) Although each position in the sequence of an oligonucleotide can be occupied by one of four nucleotides, resulting in an apparent need for 24ÃÆ'-4, or 100, different masks per wafer, the synthesis process can be designed to significantly reduce this requirement. Algorithms that help minimize mask usage calculate how to best coordinate probe growth by adjusting synthesis rates of individual probes and identifying situations when the same mask can be multiple times. 9) Once the synthesis is completed, the wafer are deprotected and diced, and the resulting individual arrays are picked and packed in flowcell cartridges. Depending on the number of probe features per array, a single wafer can yield between 49 and 400 arrays. 10) The manufacturing process ends with a comprehensive series of quality control tests. Additional, a sampling of array from every wafer is used to test the batch by running control hybridizations. A quantitative test of hybridization is also performed using standardized control probes [22]. 3.5 Microarray Data Analysis Data filtration is performed by selecting threshold pixel intensity; and 2-, 5-, or 10- fold difference between the samples. Different genes with an identical profile may represent a coordinate response to a stimulus. Genes with opposite profiles may represent repression. To compare expression profiles it is necessary to define a set of metrics, or operations that return a value that is proportional in some way to the similarities or difference between two expression profiles. The most commonly used metrics are Euclidean distance and Pearson coefficient of correlation [23]. 3.5.1 Euclidean Distance Two or more profile of each of two genes are compared as a mathematical matrix operation of n-dimensional space, where n is the number of expression patterns available. The Euclidean distance is the square root of the summation of the difference between all pairs of corresponding values. For two genes the distance is as follows: Where d is the distance, e1 is the expression pattern of gene1, e2 is the expression pattern of gene 2, and i is the element of the expression profile: Gene1 (e11, e12, ., e1n) and gene1 (e21, e22, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.,e2n). 3.5.2 Pearson Correlation Coefficient The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) gives a value of from -1 to 1, and closer to 1 (negative and positive correlation, respectively). The closer two profiles have the same expression, the closer the value will be to 1: Where and Sen are the mean and typical deviation of all of the point of the nth profile, respectively. 4. Protein Microarray and Fabrication 4.1 Introduction Protein microarrays are becoming an important tool in proteomics, drug discovery programs, and diagnostics [24]. The amount of information obtained from small quantities of biological samples is significantly increased in the microarray format. This feature is extremely valuable in protein profiling, where samples are often limited in supply and unlike DNA, cannot be amplified [25]. Protein microarrays are more challenging to prepare than are DNA chips [26] because several technical hurdles hamper their application. The surfaces typically used with DNA are not easily adaptable to proteins, owing to the biophysical differences between the two classes of bioanalytes [27]. Arrayed protein must be immobilized in a native conformation to maintain their biological function. Unfortunately, proteins tend to unfold when immobilized onto a support so as to allow internal hydrophobic side chains to from hydrophobic bonds with the solid surface [28]. Surface chemistry, capture agents, and detect ion methods take on special significance in developing microarrays. Microarrays consist of microscopic target spots, planer substrates, rows and columns of elements, and probe molecules in solution. Each protein assessed by a microarray should be the same as the partial concentration of each protein in the biological extract [29]. The past ten years have witnessed a fascinating growth in the field of large-scale and high-throughput biology, resulting in a new era of technology development and the collection and analysis of information. The challenges ahead are to elucidate the function of every encoded gene and protein in an organism and to understand the basic cellular events mediating complex processes and those causing diseases [30-33]. Protein are more challenging to prepare for the microarray format than DNA, and protein functionality is often dependent on the state of proteins, such as post-translational modification, partnership with other proteins, protein subcellular locali zation, and reversible covalent modification (e.g. phosphorylation). Nonetheless, in recent years there have been considerable achievements in preparing microarray containing over 100 proteins and even an entire proteome [34-36]. Randox Laboratories Ltd. Launched Evidence, the first protein Biochip Array Technology analyzer in 2003. In protein Biochip Array Technology, the biochip replaces the ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) plate or cuvette as the reaction platform. The biochip is used to simultaneously analyze a panel of related tests in a single sample, producing a patient profile. The patient profile can be used in disease screening, diagnosis, monitoring disease progression or monitoring treatment (wiki Biochip). Protein expression profiling, protein-protein binding, drug interaction, protein folding, substrate specificity, enzymatic activity, and the interaction between protein and nucleic acids are among the application of protein microarrays. Abundance-based microarray, including capture microarray and reverse-phase protein blots, measure the abundance of specific biomolecules using well defined and high specific analyte-specific reagents (ASRs). Different classes of molecules can act as capture molecules in microarray assays, including antigen-antibody, protein -protein, aptamer-ligand, enzyme-substrate, and receptor-ligand [37]. 4.2 Spotting In situ synthesis of protein microarrays as done for DNA microarrays is impractical. Other forms of delivery-based technology must be incorporated. One-drop-at-a-time (microspotting) techniques including use of pins, quills or hollow needles that repeatedly touch the substrate surface depositing one spot after the next in an array format; shooting microdroplets from a ejector similar to ink-jet printing; and depositing charged submicron-sized droplets by electrospray deposition (ESD). Alternatively, parallel techniques such as microcontact printing (ÃŽÂ ¼CP), digital ESD, and photolithographic controlled protein adsorption can be used. Currently, micospotting by robotic techniques has greater use in the research setting, whereas parallel techniques offer cost saving for mass production for commercial use [38]. 4.3 Microcontact printing (ÃŽÂ ¼CP) In microcontact printing stamps are typically made from a silicon elastomer and used to make a microarray of spots with feature size from 0.01 to 0.1ÃŽÂ ¼m. Steps for stamping include the following [38]: 1) Activation of the stamp surface to increase hydrophilicity or to introduce grups for inking to target molecules such as antibodies, protein A, or streptavidin. 2) Direct adsorption of protein molecules or their binding to capture molecules over a period of 0.5-1 hours. 3) Rinsing. 4) Drying in a nitrogen stream for about a minute. 5) Pressing the stamp against a suitable substrate for about a minute to allow transfer of the semidry materials. Disadvantages include poor control of the amount of materials transferred, small amount of deposited materials, and possible changes in protein function. Microarrays containing up three different proteins were fabricated by ÃŽÂ ¼CP technique and tested as a detection system for specific antibodies [39]. Immunoassay were successfully performed using the patterned protein microarrays, and were characterized by fluorescence microscopy and scanning- probe microscopy. The characterization revealed the quality of the protein deposition and indicated a high degree of selectivity for the targeted antigen-antibody interaction. 4.3 Electrospray Deposition (ESD) The basic physics underlying the newly emerging technique of electrospray deposition (ESD) as applied to biological macromolecules. Fabrication of protein films and microarrays are considered as the most important applications of this technology. All the major stages in the ESD process (solution electrification, formation of a cloud of charged microdroplets, transformation of microdroplets into ions and charged clusters, deposition, and neutralization) are discussed to reveal the physical processes involved, such as space charge effects, dissipation of energy upon landing and neutralization mechanisms [40]. In electrospray deposition, protein is transferred from the glass capillary positioned 130-350 ÃŽÂ ¼m above a conducting surface. Micro-sized charged droplets move in an electric field created by the difference in electric field potential between the tip and the substrate surface and by the spatial charge of the droplet cloud. The electrostatic repulsion expands the cloud, and microdroplets are deposited as a round spot. The spot density is greater at the center [38]. Two new techniques were recently developed in these laboratories for fabrication of protein microarrays: electrospray deposition of dry proteins and covalent linking of proteins from dry deposits to a dextran-grafted surface. Here we apply these techniques to simultaneously fabricate 1200 identical microarrays. Each microarray, 0.6 ÃÆ'- 0.6 mm2 in size, consists of 28 different protein antigens and allergens deposited as spots, 30à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢40 ÃŽÂ ¼m in diameter. Electrospray deposition (ESD) of dry protein and covalent linking of proteins from dry deposits to a dextran-grafted surface has been studied from fabrication of microarrays. Electrospray (ES) deposition has been applied to fabricate protein microarrays for immunochemical assay. Protein antigens were deposited as arrays of dry spots on a surface of aluminized plastic. Deposition was performed from water solutions containing a 10-fold (w/w of dry protein) excess of sucrose. Upon contact with humid air, the spots tur n into microdroplets of sucrose/protein solution from which proteins were either adsorbed or covalently linked to clean or modified aluminum surfaces. It was found that covalent binding of antigens via aldehyde groups of oxidized branched dextran followed by reduction of the Schiff bonds gives the highest sensitivity and the lowest background in microarray-based ELISA, as compared to other tested methods of antigen immobilization [41]. Protein microarray with an antibody-based protein array for high-throughput immunoassay, with an ESD method using a quartz mask with holes made by an abrasive jet technique, has been performed. An antibody solution was electrosprayed onto an ITO glass, and then antibodies were deposited and cross-linked with a vapor of glutaraldehyde. The dimeters of the spots were approximately 150 ÃŽÂ ¼m. The arrays were then incubated with corresponding target antigenic molecules and washed. The captured antigens were collectively detected by fluorescence and chemiluminescence. The signals were quantitatively visualized with a high-resolution CCD [42]. 4.4 Surface immobilization In many proteomics applications, one is interested in the facile and covalent immobilization of protein molecules without the use of any special tag or chemical modification. This is most conveniently achieved via chemical reactivity towards the commonly available -NH2 groups on the surface of protein molecules. One of the most efficient leaving groups towards -NH2 is N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) attached via an ester bond. We have developed an NHS surface based on the zero background PEG coating. It allows for fast immobilization reactions with the remaining NHS groups easily washed off to expose the zero background PEG coating (Fig 1.4). In subsequent assays, the PEG functionality ensures that binding of particular molecules to the surface is only through the specific interaction with the immobilized protein molecule and the commonly seen background problem is solved without the need of a blocking step. Fig 1.4 NHS activated surfaces for the immobilization of proteins, peptides, antibodies (Image courtesy: ZeroBkg ® ) Peptide and protein microarrays fabricated on NHS/PEG/glass slides (Fig 1.5) Nanoliter droplets of peptide (21 amino-acids) or protein (fibrinogen) solution containing 10% glycerol are deposited on the glass slide with a robotic arrayer and incubated for 10 minutes. NHS-groups in remaining area are removed by a deactivating buffer for 30 minutes at room temperature. The immobilized peptide or protein on the surface is detected by incubation with the primary antibody specifically against the peptide or fibrinogen, followed by wash and incubation with cy3-conjugated secondary antibody. The glass slides are imaged on a laser scanner. The most important result is the exceptionally low background due to the PEG coating. While the NHS/PEG coated glass slides are ideal for protein, peptide, and antibody arrays, they are also useful as low background surfaces for other microarrays, such as oligonucleotides, carbohydrates, and other small molecules. The non-fouling property of the high densit y PEG coating becomes critically important when one uses such an array for the study of complex biological samples, such as plasma or serum. In order to detect molecules of low abundance, such as cancer biomarkers, one needs to minimize non-specific adsorption of other abundant biomolecules [43]. Fig 1.5 Fluorescence images of peptide (left) and protein (Fibrinogen, right) microarrays fabricated on NHS/PEG/glass slides and detected by immunostaining. The diameter of each spot is ~100 ÃŽÂ ¼m (Image courtesy: ZeroBkg ® ).   4.5 Self-assembling Protein Microarrays Molecular fabrication of SAMS depends on chemical complementarily and structural compatibility, both of which confer the weak and noncovalent interaction that bind building blocks together during self-assembly. Water-mediated hydrogen bonds are important for living system. In nature the assembly of peptide and proteins has yielded collagen, keratin, pearl, shell, coral and calcite microlenses, and optical waveguides [44]. The application of self-assembly techniques in the design of biocompatible protein microarray surfaces, immobilizing cells, and lipid layers, and spotting techniques has been reviewed by others [45-46]. 4.6 Detection Strategies Detection and readout of complex formation in each spot is performed with fluorescence, chemiluminescence, mass spectrometry, radioactivity, or electrochemistry. Label-free methods include mass spectrometry and SPR. Labeled probe methods include use of a chromogen, fluorophor, or a radioactive isotope. Direct strategies use a labeled antibody to directly bind to the target molecule immobilized on the substrate. Amplification strategies based on avidin-biotin binding enhance sensitivity. Indirect strategies use an immobilized antibody for capturing labeled, specific molecules from the sample. Sandwich assay as noted earlier require two distinct antibodies foe detection of a capture molecule. The first antibody is immobilized on the substratum, and serves to capture the molecule of interest. A second labeled antibody then binds to the first complex allowing detection [47]. 5. Application of Microarray Ever since the first 1000 probe DNA microarray was reported over a decade ago [48], great strides have been made in both quantitative and qualitative applications. Today, a standard DNA chip contains up to 6.5 million spots and can encompass entire eukaryotic genomes. A plethora of alternative applications are continually reported, albeit at various stages of maturity. What was once seen solely as a transcript profiling technology has now emerged as a reliable format for genotyping, splice variant analysis, exon identification, ChIP-on-chip, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), resequencing, gene synthesis, RNA/RNAi synthesis and onchip translation [49]. Perhaps the most exciting recent developments from a drug discovery perspective come from the integration of diverse technological innovations into microarray-based solutions, especially for other classes of molecular entity. From small molecules (e.g. metabolites, nucleotides, amino acids, sugars) to oligomeric and polymeric der ivatives thereof, microarrays are now allowing us to examine the intra-class (e.g. protein-protein) and inter-class (e.g. protein: small molecule) interactions of these bio-system components on a systems-wide level. Yet, despite the appearance of a diversity of microarray types (e.g. Small Molecule Microarrays (SMMs) [51], Protein-Nucleic acid (PNA) microarrays [52], Glyco-chips [53], peptide chips [54], antibody chips [55], cell and tissue microarrays [56]), each differs in their relative contribution to the Voltaire challenge. Certainly the foremost of such opportunities are thos

Concepts of Politics and Economics

Concepts of Politics and Economics Ramon Hernandez The Dictator’s Dilemma The dictator’s dilemma is when an authoritarian ruler’s oppression is so great that the public greatly fears him/her, which then leads to uncertainty as to how much support the ruler actually has. This leads the ruler to spend more resources than is needed to try to expose who potential rivals maybe or to try to buy out the potential opposition. They then begin to spend more and more money trying to keep everyone loyal and often end up spending too many resources on one particular group such as the military. This creates more problems as the groups that aren’t being represented or are not being funded begin to feel more oppressed and less represented. Thus begins a new cycle of people that the ruler must now try to win over. The dictator’s dilemma causes the dictator to become paranoid and forces said ruler to make drastic changes to his/her agenda. For example authoritarian rulers who wish to improve their home regions usually do make improvements at the beginning of their regime but as soon as they begin to fear a potential overthrow they start to spend resources on other regions to keep the popular support. The dictators’ dilemma leaves the ruler in constant states of paranoia because they are never truly sure how much support or opposition they face. Social vs Liberal Market Economies A social market economy is an economic system that combines a highly productive market economy with an extensive and generous welfare state, as well as unusually active involvement of both business and labor in economic policy. It combines private enterprise with regulation and state intervention so that it may create fair competition as well as maintain a balance between high rates of economic growth and low levels of unemployment. It is designed to promote good working conditions, social welfare, public services and lower inflation. It has many of the foundations of a free market economy such as private property, free foreign trade, and free formation of prices. There are provisions to confine the free market such as antitrust codes that help reduce the occurring problems within a free market. A liberal market economy is a system that provides the ability for companies to interact with other companies, their employees, customers, and suppliers in whatever mechanisms they prefer, within the broad regulations implemented by a government. They incorporate a free prices system however they limit the potential for monopolies to form as well as the rates they can charge during certain states of the economy. This allows for competition in the market place to grow. Liberal market economies include government intervention in order to create a basis for domestic and international commerce between businesses in the form of legislation that requires business transactions to take place within specific boundaries. Market Externalities Market Externalities occur when the cost or benefit of the production process is not fully included in the price of the final market transaction, which reduces efficiency. An example of a market externality is the production of a bottle of water. When producing bottles of water, pollution is also produced. However the cost of cleaning up the pollution is not a factor in price of the bottle, nor is a factor in the supply and demand chain. Environmental damage is the most common form of market externalities. When factories pollute the air when they make their products, the costs of the long term damage the local residents as well as the environment receive are not paid by the factory owners. The cost of the bottle is not taken out of the cost for pollution damage. The factory would pollute more if they had to pay for the damages however. Welfare Policy Types Universal Entitlements are benefits that governments provide to citizens more or less equally, usually funded through taxation. An example would be public education in the US. All communities in the US must provide public education to all school age residents without any exemptions including those who are not born in the US. Public education tends to reduce the likeliness that a person will end up in poverty, which is why public education is a universal benefit. In many European countries families are provided child or family allowances to help them raise their children. The allowance is adjusted for household income or on the number of children. Some the criticism to these entitlements is that some people who do not need them still receive the entitlements. Social Insurance provides benefits to categories of people who have contributed to public insurance fund. Examples in the US are social security, disability benefits and unemployment. Workers and employers contribute to the fund and only those who contribute to the fund may benefit from them when they need them for instance when a worker retires. Means-tested public assistance are programs that provide benefits to individuals who fall below a specific income level. Food stamps, subsidized public housing and temporary assistance to needy families are the most common examples in the US. The level of assistance from these programs usually depends on the income level but other factors may contribute such as work requirements. These are unlike universal entitlements where everyone is entitled to their benefits and social insurance where those who contribute get to partake in the benefits; means tested assistance only targets those whose income levels are low. Tax expenditures are targeted tax breaks for specific groups of people or activities designed to achieve social policy goals. Tax breaks on certain people or expenditures subsidizes activities that the government believes to be beneficial. Tax breaks on people or on expenditures has the same effect as amount of social spending on that group of people or project. Cap and Trade System Cap and Trade systems are systems where the government allows a specific amount of acceptable pollution in an industry. Once the amount of pollution is reached the government begins to give out vouchers to companies. Companies are allowed to pollute depending on the amount of vouchers they possess. The companies are allowed to trade and sell their vouchers to other companies. The vouchers were designed in order to regulate and reduce pollution in industries. There are two parts designed to reduce pollution. The first part puts a cap on pollution by companies, the reason being is that companies will not go overboard and pollute as much as they want without having to pay for their future environmental complications. The second part was designed to persuade companies to develop cleaner forms of energy. Switching to cleaner forms of energy would get rid of the need for vouchers and other benefits would then be created. However there are criticisms to the cap and trade system that companies make. One criticism is that it creates monopolies on the vouchers thus creating a monopoly on pollution levels. Big companies will begin to acquire all the vouchers leaving smaller companies unable to pollute and making them have to sell out to the larger companies. Bigger companies have more resources and can use them to their advantage. This allows them to merge all pollution levels and have control over particular industries. Another criticism is that vouchers will allow the government to have control over private industries. The government would have specific powers over companies and would allow them have their needs meet before the company. The government would also have control over who gets the vouchers and how many they can recieve. The Science of Comparative Politics Many people believe that there isn’t a science behind comparative politics, while others believe that there are legitimate reasons as to why and how comparative politics has its own scientific characteristics. There are many examples as to how comparative politics has a science behind it. I will provide a few examples that make comparative politics a science, such as the research methods and how they are used to compare and contrast various state politics. Comparative Politics is defined as the study of the domestic politics, political institutions, and conflicts of countries. Scholars have been studying politics among various regimes for centuries. Aristotle and Machiavelli were some of the first pioneers to study comparative politics so that they could gather information on the success and weaknesses of various governments throughout history as well as their own era’s. As the years went by different methods were developed in order to better understand government institutions, and as people started to move around and create new governments around the world there was a focus shift from European countries to these new developing countries. There was another shift in studying comparative politics, this time the focus was not to describe the type of governments that emerged but how they came about and the likelihood of that government entity to survive. As the governments developed and began to create different institutions, scholars were given more things to study and focus on. This brings about why there are people who do not believe comparative politics to be scientific. As is the case with other scientific forms of study, there are biases to research methods of comparative politics. Those that study comparative politics have their own beliefs and opinions and it comes out when researching a specific topic. The people who are studying and making observations are the ones who draw up the conclusions and facts. Their findings could be completely different from people who have different ideas, beliefs, and research methods and this could result in struggles over what actually happened or what is really going on. This has similarities to other forms of scientific research. Scientists with different beliefs and research methods can come up with one idea and another scientist can come up with something opposite of what that person came up with. Scientist can choose to leave things out that they don’t agree with, the same thing can and does happen in comparative politics. Scientists in all fields can determine what is said and they can use it to manipulate readers that are not informed on that specific topic; much like in politics where the public believes what politicians say even when they are not educated on that subject. But quite possibly the biggest criticism as to why comparative politics is not a science is the material they have to work with. Politics is all historical in a sense, meaning that politics wasn’t created in a lab rather it something that came about through hundreds of years of ruling and experience. Scientists have many forms of acquiring sources and information where as political scientists get their knowledge from historical events and past regimes. Gathering the information is harder for political scientists as well. They may not be granted access to some of the information they need or the truth could have been kept a secret from the rest of the world. By this I mean that past political regimes have kept some of their information a secret. An example of this was Russia after WWII; they did not fully disclose the death rate they faced after the war. Incidents like this make it harder on political scientists when they are trying to put the facts together. Another problem th at political scientists have to deal with when arguing for their legitimacy is that they are limited with trials and errors. Scientists can have infinite trials to test their hypothesis; they simply have to create the experiment, test it, and draw conclusions. Political scientists can only go by either past examples or current examples. Scientist can manipulate their experiments, political scientists can’t. Scientists can have multiple tests where as political scientists have to go by assumptions. Although it may seem as if political science is not an actual science there is a key part of it that makes it a science and that is that they follow the scientific method of research. Political scientists take the same steps that other scientists take when testing there research. They create a hypothesis as to why a certain political movement occurred in history, and how it affected that country and history. Afterwards they test their hypothesis, the same as any other experiment. The forms and methods they use to test their hypothesis are unlike other forms of science but they are still genuine forms of testing. They then come up with a conclusion of their hypothesis. Their conclusions are difficult to accept depending on your political views and own personal beliefs, but they are accurate in their own right. Political scientists follow the scientific method and prove that their field of science is in fact possible and legitimate. Political science faces many of the same criticisms that other forms of science face. There are people that are biased against their beliefs. They have to perform experiments in order to test their hypothesis. They do extensive research on their topics and come up with the best possible answers they can. Political science is a science, even if there aren’t laboratories and people in white coats doing the research Advanced Democratic States The greatest policy challenges that advanced democratic states face today have to deal with political institutions, societal institutions, and economic institutions. Advanced countries are having trouble getting former communist states or poorer states to become part of their union. They are also having trouble figuring out how to create social welfare. They are having problems with devolution. Advanced political institutions are struggling to keep the people happy. In Europe the major problems they are facing are within the European Union. They are having difficulty with several things such as who to grant membership into the union, the currency system, patriotism, as well as fears within the society. Former communist states are having difficulty getting membership into the European Union due to their former governmental policies as well as their economic status. Their transition from communism to democracy has been a difficult one as they are switching from one form of government to a completely different one. Former communist states usually tend to be poorer than the older members of the union which brings up problems when deciding how to fund these governments. Some countries need more help than others and they don’t produce as much wealth as the older members which create problems within the EU as to how much help and funds they should receive. Former members of the Soviet Union are not the only ones that are having trouble acquiring membership into the EU; countries with a Muslim background have also had problems gaining membership. Turkey has had difficulty because of their predominantly Muslim culture. Allowing predominantly Muslim cultures into the EU causes religious problems as well as societal fears. Predominately Christian states within the EU fear that allowing Muslim states into the EU would result in religious turmoil as well as trigger a rise in terrorist threats. Christians fear that Muslims would outnumber them in members, and the society thinks that this would cause terrorist groups to upsurge. Membership is not the only problem the EU faces, currency is always a problem no matter what. The Euro has been an idea that most EU members prefer but that others do not want. The euro was suggested in order to create a type of currency that would help bring EU members closer as well as create a reserve currency that would have international backing. But some countries such as the United Kingdom and Swede n have refused to join the monetary system because they see it as a loss of sovereignty; which brings up another problem and that is patriotism. Some members of the EU feel as if they are losing their identity, they feel as if they are all merging into one and are losing their cultural identity. Other advanced nations, such as the US face many of the same problems as the EU. The US, EU, and advanced countries all over the world are having to deal with social policies that are designed to help out its people. The US faces difficulties with its welfare programs as to who gets them and how much they are entitled to. Many advanced countries see the importance of helping out the lower class so that they may decrease the levels of poverty but also get more people contributing to society in big ways. However some feel that the social policies are not working and that many people are not giving back to society. The poor are not the only ones that get to benefit from these programs. Social security was a program designed to help out the elderly population of the US. It’s a program that has helped many, but due to the ever increasing population of the elderly as well as the life expectancy rate continuing to increase, programs such as social security will be affected in major w ays. The US is not the only country that is facing this problem; other advanced countries such as Japan have to deal with lower rates of birth and higher elderly populations. If this continues to happen many advanced populations will start to see a decrease in population. Immigration would seem to be the solution to this problem, but many countries fear and dislike immigration as they feel like immigration would cause cultures to lose their identity to assimilation. Immigration is something that all advanced societies face and it is something that causes problem within the state. Fear of overpopulation, assimilation, and racial prejudices prevent immigration from growing. Globalization would fix some of the problems that advanced democracies face, however it will not fix all of them. Globalization could fix both racial fears and patriotism. Globalization is a process of international integration arising from the exchange of world views, meaning that countries around the world are communicating, trading, and exchanging personal views. This would obviously ease some of the fears of assimilation that many people think are bad. This could also put a dent in racial prejudices that are faced around the world. Globalization could possibly encourage immigration allow for vast integration of cultures and views. Globalization could possibly help the EU with establishing the euro within all of its members. Globalization calls for many countries to come together which could possibly lead to a rise in the need for a single unit of currency. Globalization will not fix all of the problems such as the complications that are involved with welfare programs. It won†™t stop life expectancy from growing, it won’t stop poverty, it won’t end violence, but it could bring countries closer together and could lead to the solutions to some of the problems that advanced democracies face.

Aspectos Bioeticos de la Determinacion Genomica y sus Aplicaciones :: Spanish Essays

Aspectos Bioeticos de la Determinacion Genomica y sus Aplicaciones RESUMEN: La determinacià ³n genà ©tica permite establecer que personas tienen mayor probabilidad de padecer enfermedades degenerativas o tumores. El problema à ©tico se suscita cuando se utilizan las determinaciones para elegir personas con baja probabilidad de padecer enfermadades para que desarrollen actividades. En el anà ¡lisis, cabe la posibilidad de estudiarlo desde el punto de vista antropolà ³gico y desde el punto de vista bioà ©tico. Desde el punto de vista antropolà ³gico, cuando se produce una discriminacià ³n de las personas en relacià ³n a su carga genà ©tica, no se tienen en cuenta la biografà ­a y el proyecto de la persona (sà ³lo se considera el aspecto animal), la relacià ³n entre la persona y la sociedad sufre deficiencias por considerarlo instrumento, y la relacià ³n mà ©dico enfermo es defectuosa. Desde el punto de vista bioà ©tico, la discriminacià ³n no cumple los principios bioà ©ticos del primer nivel, que son de obligado cumplimiento, y los del segundo, tambià ©n se encuentran insatisfactoriamente cumplidos. Mejorando la relacià ³n mà ©dico enfermo y sus valores de confidencialidad y veracidad pueden realizarse mejor los aspectos bioà ©ticos. La determinacià ³n genà ©tica permite establecer que personas tienen mayor probabilidad de padecer enfermedades degenerativas o tumores. El problema à ©tico se suscita cuando se utilizan las determinaciones para elegir personas con baja probabilidad de padecer enfermadades para que desarrollen actividades. En el anà ¡lisis, cabe la posiblidad de estudiarlo desde el punto de vista antropolà ³gico y desde el punto de vista bioà ©tico. Desde el punto de vista antropolà ³gico, cuando se produce una discriminacià ³n de las personas en relacià ³n a su carga genà ©tica, no se tienen en cuenta la biografà ­a y el proyecto de la persona (sà ³lo se considera el aspecto animal), la relacià ³n entre la persona y la sociedad sufre deficiencias por considerarlo instrumento, y la relacià ³n mà ©dico enfermo es defectuosa. Desde el punto de vista bioà ©tico, la discriminacià ³n no cumple los principios bioà ©ticos del primer nivel, que son de obligado cumplimiento, y los del segundo, tambià ©n se encuentran insatisfactoriamente cumplidos. Mejorando la relacià ³n mà ©dico enfermo y sus valores de confidencialidad y veracidad pueden realizarse mejor los aspectos bioà ©ticos. Exposicion del problema La determinacià ³n genà ³mica se ha utilizado con numerosos fines, de los que los mà ¡s importantes son: A. Determinacià ³n histà ³rica o paleoantropolà ³gica. La determinacià ³n genà ©tica ya sea de parte del genoma humano (1) o del ADN mitocondrial (que se transmite à ºnicamente por và ­a materna) se ha utilizado para el estudio de la herencia, (2) inmunidad humana a lo largo de la historia.

Exploring Reincarnation :: Religion Culture Cultural

Exploring Reincarnation Missing Works Cited For as long as man has been on this earth, one of the most popular questions without a finite answer has been, what happens after we die? Each culture, religion, organization, family, and any other group of people has had their own views about this subject for as far back as history goes, and probably even farther. One particular answer to this question is reincarnation. The simple version of reincarnation is re-birth. When one dies, they lose their physical being, but their soul lives on and is re-born into another body. According to the Buddhists, â€Å"Central to the belief in rebirth is the idea of an individual stream-consciousness. As an unceasing flux of primal spiritual energy, it acts as a concurrent link with the new body conceived in the mother’s womb. The nature of rebirth is closely linked with, or is the effect of, past thoughts and deeds. Rebirth is thus an essential part of the natural law of causality.† (pg. 74, child incarnate) The western wo rld has traditionally been quick to dismiss the idea of reincarnation as nay say. They don’t believe it is possible for someone to be reborn into a new body, most of the time due to religion, mainly Christianity and Judaism, both of which have rejected reincarnation as a valid theory. The Eastern half of the world however, has consistently accepted reincarnation. Four hundred million Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs believe in reincarnation according to statistics. (Christie-Murray, 50) Although the western world has had increasing numbers of people believing in reincarnation, it is still widely disregarded. In the west, we live in a very materialistic age, and for that reason, very little consideration is given to anything besides the present. Reincarnation should not be disregarded so easily however, because there are a lot of logical reason it can be, and probably is, true. There is overwhelming evidence of reincarnation beliefs in every period of time, so it is not some notion that was recently just made up for comfort or stability. There are many stories of people who can remember vivid details of their former lives, and even biological evidence such as birthmarks that are a result of an injury in a prior life. Reincarnation can also be a good explanation for child geniuses like Mozart, and even the current Dali Llama.

History Boys (random quotes and notes) Essay

Quotes Headmaster: Why are you dressed as a milk man? – Shows lack of understanding for the boys who are in a working class Headmaster: There Clever but they lack Crass. Ms. Lintot They know there stuff. But they Lack Flare. Hector: All Knowledge is useful even if it doesnt serve the slightest need Hector: Its the hot Ticket – Happyness Headmaster: I thought of going. But this was in the 50s. Change was in the air. I was a Geographer. I went to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Headmaster: Odity- Rudge. Posner: I’ll Go sir – Hector: Nevermind. Irwin: Has any one been to Rome, Venince.  So why bother Irwin: I dont know, I wold go to newcastle, save the money and be happy. Irwin: Whats truth got to do with it. Ms. Lintot: Cunt Strunct, Compound adjective. Hector: At least im doing better than felix. Posner: Although he laughs the laughs on me. Rudge: What fun must you all have Dakin: Lititure is about loosers. Gobits:  Pass the parcel thats all sometimes you can do. Take it feel. Not for me not for you. Headmaster:This Is no time for poetry Headmaster: Are you going to tell your wife. Posner is the only one who attends his lesson after four.  Posner is the only one who goes up to mr hector when he is crying. Dakin: Is that the subjunctive or the It will pass Who says I want it to pass Why dont you all just tell the truth. Ms. Lintot â€Å"History is a commetary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men† Rudge: Its just one fucking thing after another. If they like me and they take me then theyll take me because im dull and ordinary like everybody else. Irwin: Dont you ever want to go back? Im not clever enough, im not anything enough really. Hector: What I didnt want was to turn out boys who would claim In later life to have a deep love of literature. Has a boy ever made you unhappy? They used to do. See it as an Inoculation, Rather. Briefly painful, but providing immunity for however long it takes. Given the occasional Booster, Another Face, another reminder of the pain, It can last you half a life time. Love. Who could love me? Do they know? They know everthing? Dont touch him. He†ll think your a full. Dakin: How come theres such a difference between the way you teach and the way you live? Dakin: Hectors a Joke- Irwin: No, He isn;t, you see? Dakin, whats the difference between Mr. Hector touching us up on the bike, and your feeling up fiona. Posmer: Im not happy, but im not unhappy about it. Skrips: No. Love Apart, It is the only education worth having. I’d been on playground duty, so I saw him on what must have been his first morning†¦ Here, Scripps takes on the role of a narrator IRWIN: He was a good man but I do not think there is time for his kind of teaching anymore. SCRIPPS: No. Love apart it is the only kind of education worth having. Timms seems to suddenly step outside of time and say: The hitting never hurt. It was a joke. None of us cared. We lapped it up. This sudden switch into the past tense comes as a surprise, and may prompt the audience to wonder whether Timms is addressing them directly, from some future time in which he is looking back at the events being played out. The intrusion of future knowledge into the linear narrative of the play continues to cast a shadow over events, and becomes darker as the story progresses. At the start of Act 2 for example, we see another flash-forward, this time by ‘about five years’. Irwin is in his wheelchair once more, which tells us that his accident will be soon, and not in the more distant future as we may have first thought, increasing the sense of urgency and inevitability. In this future time, Irwin meets one of the students, identified only, to begin with, as ‘Man’. This label also expresses the passing of time through its contrast to ‘boy’, the term used in the title of the play and throughout to describe the students. This ‘Man’ is Posner,  perhaps the most fragile of the boys, who is now in therapy and desperately clinging to his past. He says of university: All the effort went into getting there and then I had nothing left. While Irwin’s fate is foreshadowed throughout, the fate of Hector comes as a tragic surprise. It is important to consider why it is Mrs Lintott who takes this role of retrospective narrator. Like Scripps, she has been an outsider, describing her separation from the male environment of the play in her metaphor: They kick their particular stone along the street and I watch. given them a deeper perception of time and its patterns. The total timescale of events described within The History Boys can therefore be seen to encompass about twenty years, but Bennett incorporates a much wider period by showing the historical and literary influences acting upon the characters. The classroom setting allows Bennett to use intertextuality freely to achieve this. This technique involves the reference of other, previously written texts within the play. Thomas Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’, for example, is used to symbolise the connection between Hector and Posner: Posner: How old was he?†¨Hector: If he was a drummer, he would be a young soldier, younger than you probably.†¨Posner: No. Hardy.†¨Hector: Oh, how old was Hardy? When he wrote this, about sixty. My age, I suppose This prompts a moving discussion about loneliness and isolation. Hector can relate to the loneliness of the poem, being around the same age as Hardy was when he wrote it, and feeling a sense of unfulfilled ambition, of a life not lived. For Posner, a teenager dealing with his homosexuality in a school full of heterosexual boys, the loneliness of Drummer Hodge, a boy not much older than himself, is deeply affecting. Are seeing a play from the early 21st century, set in the 1980s, using a poem from the 1960s describing 1914. messages of the play: that we can learn from times beyond our own lives through the literature left scattered through the decades and centuries, in what Hector describes as a game of ‘pass it on’. Rudge’s ironic rendition of  Ã¢â‚¬ËœIt’s a Sin’ by the Pet Shop Boys (1987) also comments on the inevitable presence and role of sexuality and ‘sin’ in education. http://yr13practise.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/the-history-boys/ The History Boys therefore moves far beyond the initially restrictive time and space in which it is set to bind together influences from across the 20th century and before. This goes some way to explain the title itself; the boys, through their teachers and education, are moving into their future with history having become a fundamental part of their characters, personalities and lives. As the fateful accident is set in motion, Scripps notes:†¨And here, history rattled over the points†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¨To continue this train metaphor, Alan Bennett has not only presented the interchange station of the boys’ transition from school to university, but the long lines of railway that stretch backwards and forwards beyond it. my education at school was confined to what I needed to pass exams. Women: The representation of women is seen through the very few female characters in the play. -Bennett presents marriage as a confinement of social experience vs being central to a happy ending. -Both Hectors unexpected wife and the Mrs. Headmaster are absent from stage. -Glimpses of this marrige are represented as unhappy. -Both wifes help out at the charity shop -Hector clames that his wife would not be intrested in his fiddling of boys on the pillion – is Dorothy’s surmise that Mrs Hector had ‘sort of known all along’ about her husband and that ‘A husband in a low light, that’s what they want, these supposedly unsuspecting wives, the man’s lukewarm attentions, just what they married them for’. So, far from submissive, Hector’s wife has, arguably, some control in her marriage. Fionas Relationship with Dakin – Bennet explores the sexual stereyotype that women are used as objects rather – This is epitomized by Dakin’s statement that â€Å"I’m hoping one of the times might be on the study floor†¦ it’s like the Headmaster says one should have targets† – Dakin accentuates the relationship between sex and education as he notes the importance of measurable targets in pursuing Fiona. – comic upheaval of youth dominating age which again emphasises Fiona’s role in heightening male dominance. -Dakin compares sexual advances with Fiona and the advances of the British soldiers in the war. Fiona is depicted as his ‘Western Front’, a territory to be taken, and, more alarming, the enemy, the ‘Hun’; her body is ‘ground’ to be -depicts Fiona’s subservience and reaffirms her character as elevating male sexual accomplishment -degrades women’s role in society to be solely focused around pleasing men. Mrs.Lintott – She controversially comments on history as being â€Å"a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men† – condemns the arrogant Dakin as ‘cunt-struck’. – She harnesses the derogatory male language of female private parts to derogate men, calling the Headmaster ‘twat’ -‘to go further down the same proscribed path, a condescending cunt’ – Bennett uses the character of Mrs Lintott to display the Headmaster’s idiocy in the first scene in which she appears on stage. He believes the boys need to â€Å"Think charm. Think Polish†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . However, Dorothy’s ironic response compares his idea of education to a â€Å"sprig of parsley† ,and subversively the Headmaster’s appearance on stage becomes the centre of the audience’s mockery. – however, Dorothy is, like Scripps, given a role as omniscient and perspicacious onlooker and observer of events over time – she satirically comments on society, stating they are â€Å"Pillars of a community that no longer has much use for pillars†. – further criticise â€Å"masculine ineptitude† as she demonstrates the unfulfilled outcome of the boys’ future as a result of the â€Å"masculine† approach to teaching. The comment that Dakin â€Å"like[s] money†,ironically denotes the value of an education focused solely on achieving ‘targets’. -self-absorbed behaviour of the male characters -However, Bennett excludes Mrs Lintott from the educational debate and presents her without any viewpoint on it -male dominant society that men are always in positions of influence and for a man to be inferior to a woman is inconceivable. – The headmaster is concerned with superficial ‘targets’,Hector believesâ€Å"all knowledge is precious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and Irwin is chiefly concerned with originality and practical uses of it. Who are the History Boys? †¢ Dakin – The Stud †¢ Scripps – The Conscience †¢ Posner – The Lover/Poet †¢ Rudge – The Working Lad †¢ Akhtar – The Ethnic Minority †¢ Crowther – The Lip †¢ Timms – The Class Clown †¢ Lockwood – The Soldier Representations of Class †¢ Headmaster’s (BA Hull) snobbery: †¢ â€Å"They’re clever but they’re crass†¦Culture they can get from Hector, History they can get from you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  †¢ â€Å"They need polish. Edge†¦I want to see us up there!† Representations of Teaching Styles †¢ Mr Hector (General Studies): â€Å"Life Lessons† †¢ Mrs Dorothy Lintott (History): â€Å"Subject teaching† †¢ Mr Irwin (Oxbridge): â€Å"Exam boosters† †¢ The Head Master: â€Å"Results† â€Å"All knowledge is precious, whether or not it serves the slightest human use† †¢ AE Houseman †¢ â€Å"We won’t be examined on that, Sir†¦happiness† †¢ Question: What is education for? Teaching Style: Irwin †¢ Modern classroom of glass and plastic, bare walls, functional †¢ â€Å"I’d go to Newcastle and be happy† Fox, UK 15. Intertextuality as Commentary †¢ Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter: â€Å"Thank you for coming back to me† †¢ Drummer Hodge: Thomas Hardy â€Å"A saddish life. Though not unappreciated†¦Unkissed. Unrejoicing. Unconfessed. Unembraced† Representation of Gender †¢ â€Å"History’s a commentary on†¦ the continuing incapabilities of men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lintott) †¢ â€Å"Five centuries of masculine ineptitude† cf â€Å"The utter randomness of things† (Lintott) †¢ Question: How are the masculine and feminine represented in The History Boys 18. Schools as sexual sites – Fisher et al †¢ Sites of sexual opportunity, tension and competition †¢ Reinforced by popular culture, peer support †¢ Dominance of heteronormativity †¢ Male environments – homoeroticism of The History Boys 19. Representation of Sexuality 1 †¢ Representation of Male Adult Sexuality: †¢ â€Å"The transmission of knowledge is itself an erotic act† (Hector) †¢ â€Å"This is a school and it isn’t normal† (The Headmaster) †¢ â€Å"A grope is a grope† (Lintott) 20. Representation of Sexuality 2 †¢ Representation of Male Adolescent Awakening: †¢ Dakin’s ‘conquest’ †¢ Scripps’ faith †¢ Posner’s ‘in-love’ 21. Representation of Sexuality 3 †¢ Dakin’s proposition of Irwin †¢ Irwin’s response †¢ Question: What do you think of the representation of male (homo)sexuality in The History Boys? 22. Learning Styles †¢ â€Å"Mr. Hector’s stuff’s not meant for the exams. It’s to make us more rounded human beings† (Timms) †¢ â€Å"We’ve got the most important exam in our lives†¦We’re just sat here reading literature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lockwood) †¢ â€Å"Hector produces results but unpredictable and unquantiï ¬ able†¦There’s inspiration, certainly, but how do I quantify that?† (The Headmaster) †¢ â€Å"Lying works† (Dakin to Irwin) †¢ â€Å"He was a good man. But I don’t think there’s time for his kind of teaching anymore† (Irwin on Hector) †¢ â€Å"One of the hardest things for boys to learn is that a teacher is human. One of the hardest things for a teacher to learn is not to try and tell them† (Lintott) Bennetts presentation of marriage Education: Intetextuallity Analysis of women: shovinism

Psychological study: “Geenie the Wild Child!” Essay

The development of language comes naturally for most people; as they grow from an infant to a child. Noam Chomsky believes that languages are genetically pre-programmed by a language acquisition device in the brain. The deep structure of language and words is not learned. Yet the surface structures, such as phonetic sounds are learned. A few children do not master the basic foundation of language like in Genie’s case. Genie (and her mom) was victims of abuse and neglect inflicted upon them by Genie’s father. In November, 1970, Genie’s [a.k.a. â€Å"The Wild Child†] horrible plight was documented and this is my personal assessment of it†¦ I would think that Genie can one day master English (or another language) because of one specific reason: Genie’s brain, as slow and below average for a 13 year old as it was, did show some progression. Genie did have a 20-word vocabulary. She could correctly identify colors, she knew her mom and could say things like, â€Å"walk, door and No more.† However, this was not the case. After over 6 years of being observed, poked and researched by scientist, Genie never did master the English language. Also, Genie had a most bizarre and unfortunate life starting at the very moment she was born. In the beginning she was constrained and not given any attention. When she was discovered by the world, she was bombarded with attention from many researchers. From the multitude of research done on her, one bit of information that held true to Lenneberg’s theory is the inability to produce speech after puberty even when exposed to it. However, in the end the researchers became insensitive and overlooked Genie’s own well-being for scientific research.