FINAL PROJECT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FINAL PROJECT - Assignment Example It is no surprise that the running theme of 21st century literature is escapism. Escape from our stresses and limitations; freedom from the normalcy and structure of our day to day lives. Popular novels, short stories, and tales of all ages, which has been directly reflected in films and television as well, center on the lives of wizards with a destiny greater than themselves, romantic vampire tales that promise things like immortality and â€Å"plenty of time† to do as we please, fairy tales, science fictions, and superheroes. Anything that separates people from their own existence as it is, even if only for a time. Paige Bradley’s sculpture, â€Å"Expansion,† is a stunning and thought-provoking piece that captures the modern human need to free itself from all the restrictions of life, even those of the body. The sculpture captures that moment when ones inner light, soul, spirit, or inner essence, however you preference to perceive it, breaking through the flesh. At the same time the peaceful expression and meditative pose of the figure shares with us that this experience is enlightening, not painful or unpleasant. It is a desired occurrence, perhaps a needed one. As stated before we all have a need to be acknowledged, respected, and appreciated for our inner selves not just our external existence. The artist herself explained that she fears that, â€Å"†¦ we are more defined by the container we are in, rather than what we are inside.†("Paige bradley," 2012) That said, this piece captures the human need to escape from the restrictions, be they physical, economical, or social that bind us. These are the same restrictions that encourage us to seek the same escapism in our modern

Law as Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law as - Essay Example The provisions of this Act that are of interest to the Human Resource departments include the basic minimum wage, subminimum wage rates, exemptions from overtime and the minimum wage of persons who provide companionship services, the exempt ion for employees in computer –related occupations, compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay, and break time for nursing mothers. With regard to child protection, the Act explicitly prohibits employment of children under the age of eighteen years in what it terms as dangerous jobs whether the job is agricultural or nonagricultural. In agricultural operations, the Act outlaws employment of children below the age of sixteen years during school hours when such children are supposed to be at school. The letter and spirit of this Act is to ensure that the employees get compensation for all hours they have provided labor including all time they are on duty or are at a prescribed place of work, work performed at home, travel time, waiting time, t raining, and probationary periods. Some of the major provisions of this law include section 206, which touches on minimum wage payable to employees. Pursuant to section 206 (a), employees engaged in commerce, homework in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands as well as those in American Samoa, seamen on American vessels, and lastly agricultural employees are supposed to be paid $ 7.25 an hour. The Act obliges every employer to pay each of the employees engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or is employed in an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, wages of not less than for instance, $5.85 an hour beginning on the 60th day after May 25, 2007. In light of section 206, the Act prohibits discrimination based on sex. Section 206 (a) (4) (d) deters any employer from discriminating based on sex. The Act demands for equal pay to Workers, who perform equal work, employ equal skill, effort, and responsibility and working under similar c onditions. However, the Act exempts wages on basis of seniority, merit, quantity, or quality of production. Section 206 (a) ( 2) prohibits a labor organization or its agents representing employees of an employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall cause or attempt to cause such an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation. Section 206(g) is concerned about the welfare of new employees who are below the age of twenty. The Act provides that such workers during the first ninety consecutive calendar days be entitled to a wage of not less than $4.25 an hour. However, subsection 2 protects the other employees from displacement of any kind in order to give room for such new employees. For instance, the act requires to pay covered nonexempt employees at least the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which was raised from $5.25. These directions came into place in 2007. Many states have complied with this requirement with most paying their workers at a rate higher than that set by the federal minimum wage. With regard to tipped workers, the employer can pay them a wage lower than the basic minimum wage. However, the tip they get in addition to the wage paid must correspond with the minimum basic wage of $7.25 per hour. The Act also prescribes for a special minimum wages payable to workers with disabilities with the aim of

TIRF Microscopy for Counting Molecules

TIRF Microscopy for Counting Molecules Robert Konstandelos How TIRF microscopy has enhanced the way single molecules are counted in the bacterial flagellar motor Abstract: The counting of individual molecules is important in order to establish how many molecules there are in a particular system. TIRF microscopy is one method to count molecules. The bacterial flagellar motor is a complex system in which motility protein B molecules can be counted using TIRF. Discussion is given for a key research topic based on counting of molecular subunits of this motor. Reviews of the background areas, limitations and confirmations of this research are conducted, and a discussion of the research and its contributions to technological and medical applications. 1. Introduction: The bacterial flagellar motor, TIRF microscopy and associated research Flagellar motors are machines used to drive many bacteria which have to swim in a solution like our bodies. This motor, usually studied in E. coli bacteria, is powered by a flux of H+ or Na+ ions across a cytoplasmic membrane driven by an electrochemical gradient (Sowa and Berry, 2008). The motor itself consists of two components, a rotor and a stator: the rotor spins relative to the cell and is attached by a helical filament known as a hook, whereas the stator is fixed to the cell wall (Francis et al 1994). A method commonly used to visualise the bacterial flagellar motor is Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, which is one of the most frequently employed methods in bio-optical research (Leake 2013, P87). TIRF microscopy uses an evanescent field to illuminate the area covered by the specimen in question, which is adjacent to a glass-water interface. Using organic dyes has made it possible to view other properties of bacteria using TIRF (Sako et al 2000). This method is useful in counting the molecular subunits of the bacterial flagellar motor. TIRF microscopy has been used to view single molecules within live bacteria. For viewing the bacterial flagellar motor of E. coli, scientists tagged motility protein B (MotB) cells with Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) in order to detect them via TIRF. This highlighted the areas within the bacteria where the motor was situated. To visualise the bacteria in a single confined position, the cell was tethered to the slide for viewing on the microscope. This is shown in Fig. 1, where the fixed position of the flagellum limits the bacteria’s movement to rotation. Fig. 1 Tethered cell showing its exposure to the evanescent field used for TIRF (Leake 2006, P355) 2. Background, difficulties and discoveries from the research 2.1 The history behind counting molecules Though the basis of this experiment began in the 60s, initially using the measurement of the activity of single molecules (Rotman 1961), optical detection and spectroscopic methods are now used instead. The counting of complex molecules can now also be achieved, but this area of research also needs TIRF microscopy. TIRF was enhanced in 1984 by Daniel Axelrod after the publishing of a paper on its experimental methods (Axelrod 1984), and those methods remain largely unchanged today. Furthermore, GFP molecules have only been recently understood. Without this research and development in GFP, visuals using TIRF would not be possible (Tsien 1998). 2.2 The difficulties encountered and overcome in counting molecules An estimate of around twenty-two molecules are thought to be present in the flagellar motor, with roughly eleven stator units. The main issue with determining this result explicitly is that there are many MotB molecules not associated with the motor. These molecules cause a problem as they are free to diffuse within the motors of the cell membrane. The fluorescence intensity was estimated from the areas where it was clear that no such molecules would interfere with results. Additionally, an intense laser beam focus for TIRF was required to photobleach GFP molecules. Only an extremely small region of the bacteria was viewed to improve the ability to track a small number of molecules – a significant amount of noise remained in the system, however, meaning that it is not yet possible to count exactly how many molecules are in each motor. Fig. 2 showing bright field (top) and their corresponding TIRF images (bottom) (Leake 2006, P355). The bright areas represent the flagellar motor. Using TIRF, bright spots indicate the centre of the cell rotation of the image shown in Fig. 2. There was a high density of spots centred on the flagellar motor, due to the high density of GFP-MotB molecules around the motor. Short times (between 0-10 seconds) are used because TIRF illumination over the bright spots decreases over longer periods of time, which makes it difficult to detect regions of the flagellar motor. Care was taken to not cause damage to the GFP due to the excitation light on the surrounding water: this means that smaller time steps were required such that the GFP molecules emitted a constant amount of photons. 2.3 The effects FRAP and FLIP With the noise effects reduced, there was the opportunity for the GFP-MotB molecules to spread into the area which had been bleached beforehand. Focusing the laser beam onto the motor itself resulted in the effects of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and fluorescence lost in photobleaching (FLIP). Observations of the molecular turnover in the cell found that over a period of five minutes, the intensity of the bright spots around the motor would decrease to nearly zero but then recover to half the initial intensity. This implied that binding and unbinding at the motor and bleaching occurred in the evanescent field (Leake et al 2006, P357), which means that the stator units in the motor only spend half a minute in each flagellar motor. This is demonstrated in Fig. 3, which illustrates the time elapsed after laser focused bleaching and how the intensity decreases but eventually recovers. Fig. 3. Shows the effects of FLIP and FRAP over the period of 5 minutes (Leake et al 2006, P357) 3. Benefits of the research and potential uses for the future An improved type of MotB was used in the research, which enhanced the way in which the molecules in the motor were counted. FLIP and FRAP indicate an alternative means for visualising the motor in motion, confirming that the stator units are dynamic instead of static (Sowa and Berry, 2008, P117). This is one of the first measurements of turnover in a molecular machine, establishing other possible characteristics which could be exploited to gain further understanding of the motor (Leake et al 2006, P357). Scientists are keen to understand more about how such motors work, so that developments in the delivery of medicine or for environmental purposes can be made. It may be possible to replicate the motor (Fukuda et al 2012). Delivery of medicine is one of the key goals: modelling the bacterial flagellar motor such that it could be used for targeted drug delivery would be revolutionary (Leake 2013, P259). Furthermore, through the development of nano-bots, this could be used to visualise diseased tissue or uncover parts of the human body. Summary This area of biophysics is relatively new: from the discoveries in the early 60s through to the 80s, there has not been a clear link between the two subjects. From the late 90s there was an opportunity to visualise biological material using physical optical devices. Over the past two decades, it has now reached to the point where it is possible to count single molecules to a close estimate. The use of GFP molecules combined with TIRF can enhance the visualisation of molecules in bacteria, and there are methods which can significantly improve the estimation of the number of molecules in the motor. This is still a difficult process due to the interference of other, unrelated molecules. FLIP and FRAP methods have proved that the stator is a dynamic rather than a static component of the motor. There are specific parts of this research which may be useful for future technological applications, for example: the delivery of medicine or the bio-sensing of diseased tissue. References Axelrod, D; Ann. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng.; 13; 1984; 247-68 Francis, N, R.; Sosinsky, G,E; Thomas, D; Derosier, D. J; Journal of Molecular Biology 235, 1994; 1261–1270. Fukuda, T; Kojima, M; Zhang, Z; Nakajima, M; Biomed Micro-device; 2012; 1027-32 Leake, M; Single Molecular Cellular Biophysics; 2013 Leake, M C; Chandler, J H; Wadhams, G H; Bai, F; Berry, R M; Armitage, J P; Nature 443; 2006; 355-358 Rotman, B; Biochemistry 47; 1961; 1981-91 Sako, Y; Minoghchi, S; Yanagida, T; Nature Cell Biol. 2; 2000; 1929-1932 Sowa, Y; Berry, R, M; Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics 41, 2008, 103-132 Tsien, R.Y; Annu. Rev. Biochem 67; 1998; 509–44

The Scarlet Letter Work Journal :: essays research papers

Whatever the people of Boston take pleasure in seems to interpret as sin. If heaven is supposed to be a placed of paradise, isn’t it pointless to say that all that brings pleasure and happiness is sin? It’s almost like they’re making whatever part of heaven given to them in life into a living hell I think the people of Boston hypocrites because they are trying to build a place of the bible and a place of peace and happiness, yet they are unwelcome to change, narrow minded, and hard and judgmental towards other people I think these people are also fearful of their own emotion because everything because they wear is drab clothing that covers every inch of their body and they act very insensitive, but kind to those who had not done wrong These people are also very frightened of nature and the aboriginal that surround them. I think all the fears that these people have reflect the fear that is inside themselves because they are insecure and they know that they sin and they are so god fearing that they think they will not be forgiven so everything around them symbolizes the demons within themselves. That explains why they act so hard towards it because subconsciously, they think that they are showing their personal strength If God truly exists, does he not want a person to take pleasure of their gifts in life and take pleasure in the gift of life itself? I think Hester Prynne should take more pride and have more faith in herself. Everyone views her as a sinner simply because she got pregnant with someone other than her husband. I know that cheating on your husband is wrong, but her husband was gone and she did not know if he was dead or alive. She was simply doing what a sensible person would do and that was move on I really like Hester Prynne’s character because although she is insecure, she stands out from other people in the novel. The Boston citizens in the novel think she stands out in a bad way, but I think it’s in a good way. She is not afraid to give into her own passion I really like Hester Prynne’s daughter, Pearl, because she is daring and she challenges the people’s beliefs with her own although she is very young. Her mother is always telling her, â€Å"Hush, hush,† because she does not want Pearl to get into trouble with people but I think it’s a wonderful thing that she develops her own opinions.

Research Topic: Listeria Monocytogenes, Haemophilus Influenzae, and Mycobacterium Ulcerans

Research Topic: Listeria monocytogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, and Mycobacterium ulcerans Part 1: Listeria monocytogenes Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that is originated in food and can cause the serious illness of Listeriosis. Listeriosis is a serious disease for humans; the overt form of the disease has a mortality rate greater than 25 percent1. This is a Gram-positive bacterium, and is mobile by means of flagella. Listeria monocytogenes can be found in nature in soil, water and animal feces, meaning it can be also be tracked to animals.In addition to humans, at least 42 species of wild and domestic mammals and 17 types of birds can harbor listeria monocytogenes as well as crustaceans, fish, oysters, ticks, and flies. It is also reportedly carried in the intestinal tract of 5-10% of the human population without any apparent symptoms of disease1. Listeria monocytogenes is able to resist the deleterious effects of freezing, drying, and heat remarkably well for a bacterium th at does not form spores2. A human can consume this bacterium by eating a raw vegetable that grew in infected soil, or by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products3.Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria monocytogenes infection. Possible complications due to the bacteria are blood infections and inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain (meningitis). Other side effects that may develop are typical cold or flu-like symptoms. The real risk of infection is in the elderly, new born children, and pregnant women. During pregnancy, a listeria monocytogenes infection is likely to cause only mild signs and symptoms in the mother. The consequences for the baby, however, may be devastating.The baby may die unexpectedly before birth or experience a life-threatening infection within the first few days after birth3. The dangerous factor about the listeria monocytogenes is that the bacterium is able to grow in fresh food. The organisms can gr ow at 4o C which means that organism replication continues in refrigerated foods4. Therefore it is impossible for someone to know if he/she is purchasing food that 100% does not contain this bacterium. The current method the FDA uses to analyze food for possible contamination is complex and time consuming. The method requires 24 and 48 hours of enrichment, followed by a variety of other tests.Total time to identification is from 5 to 7 days, but the announcement of specific non-radiolabeled DNA probes should soon allow a simpler and faster confirmation of suspect isolates. With new DNA technology may even permit 2-3 day positive analysis in the future. Currently, FDA is collaborating in adapting its methodology to quantitate very low numbers of the organisms in foods2. This should drastically help prevent diseases that are caused through food consumption. Cases of Listeriosis in humans were not reported till about 1960, as the infection was only previous seen in animals.In 1981, the re was an outbreak that involved over 100 people in Canada. Thirty-four of the infections occurred in pregnant women, among whom there were 9 stillbirths, 23 infants born infected, and only two live healthy births. Among 77 non-pregnant adults who developed overt disease, there was nearly 30% mortality. The source of the outbreak was coleslaw produced by a local manufacturer1. Even with increasing awareness of the bacteria and ways to prevent it from getting into food through processes developed by the FDA, there have still been recent outbreaks.As of October 26, 2012, there have been twenty people reportedly hospitalized due to the listeria monocytogenes bacterium in 13 different states and the District of Columbia. Nine of the illnesses were related to a pregnancy; three of these illnesses were diagnosed in newborns. The other 13 ill persons range in age from 30 years to 87 years, with a median age of 77 years. Four deaths have been reported, one each from Minnesota, New York, Neb raska, and California4. An investigation was conducted by officials in local, state, and federal public health agencies to see what may have caused this outbreak.They came to the conclusion that an imported brand of Frescolina ricotta salata cheese distributed by Forever Cheese, Inc. is the likely source of this outbreak of Listeriosis. In interviews, ill persons answered questions about foods consumed and other exposures in the month before becoming ill. Twelve of fourteen sick people interviewed reported consuming a soft cheese4. The investigation focused on identifying intact cheeses shipped to multiple retail locations where ill persons purchased cut and repackaged cheese. There is no report of a direct link to one specific retailer or location of where the cheese was produced.No one cheese was reported by the majority of ill persons, suggesting that cross-contamination of other cheeses through cutting boards and utensils may have played a role. The investigation focused on iden tifying intact cheeses shipped to multiple retail locations where ill persons purchased cut and repackaged cheese4. There is still a chance of more ill people being reported because it can take up to 2 months after eating contaminated food for Listeriosis to develop. Works Cited: 1. Todar K. 2012. Listeria monocytogenes. Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology. 1-3 2. [FDA] Federal Drug Administration. 012. Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Listeria monocytogenes. Bad Bug Book. 3. http://www. mayoclinic. com/print/listeria-infection/DS00963/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print 4. [CDC} Center of Disease Control. 2012. Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Imported Frescolina Marte Brand Ricotta Salata Cheese. Listeria (Listeriosis). Part 2: Haemophilus influenzae Just by looking at the name of the bacterium Haemophilus influenza, one would guess this is the microbe that causes influenza. It was first found during the influenza pandemic of 1890.It wa s mistakenly thought to be the cause of the disease influenza, and it was named accordingly. Probably, H. influenzae was an important secondary invader to the influenza virus in the 1890 pandemic, as it has been during many subsequent influenza epidemics1. There are similarities between human influenza virus and H. influenzae, as was observed in infant rats. H. influenzae is a small Gram negative bacillus which can be grown on chocolate agar (heated blood)2. H. influenzae is highly adapted to its human host. It is present in approximately 75 percent of healthy children and adults.It is rarely encountered in the oral cavity, and it has not been detected in any other animal species1. A minority of healthy individuals have H. influenzae type b encapsulated in their upper respiratory tract. Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, is a bacterium estimated to be responsible for some three million serious illnesses and an estimated 386,000 deaths per year, mainly through meningitis and pneu monia3. Most victims are children under the age of five. Sickness due to these bacteria is most common in underdeveloped or third-world countries.This is where the vast majority of Hib deaths occur. Hib can cause infections such as pneumonia, sinusitis, tracheobronchitis, and meningitis. Pneumonia accounts for a larger number of deaths than meningitis. However, Hib meningitis is more of a serious problem in first world countries. It leaves 15 to 35% of survivors with permanent disabilities such as mental retardation or deafness3. If a H. influenzae infection goes untreated, it will almost certainly kill the individual. The body’s immune system is incapable of fighting off the effects of the bacteria.The good news is virtually all patients treated early in the course of H. influenzae meningitis are cured. The mortality rate of other Hib infections is less than 10 percent, but nearly 30 percent of the children who recover have residual neurologic effects1. Ampicillin is typical ly the drug used to fight Hib, but there have been strands of Hib found to be immune to it, so other drugs developed and used successfully in treatment. Before 1985, Hib was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5 years of age (approximately 12,000 cases per year, most in children younger than 18 months).Approximately 5% of affected children died, and different neurological problems developed in 15% to 30% of the surviving children. An additional estimated 7,500 cases of other invasive Hib infections also occurred annually in young children. The cumulative risk for a Hib invasive disease before the age of 5 was one in 200 children. The first Hib vaccines were licensed for use in the United States in 1985. These vaccines contained purified polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP). PRP vaccines were ineffective in children less than 18 months of age because of the T-cell-independent nature of the immune response to PRP polysaccharide1.Research proved that this vacc ine was effective in the body being immune to Hib. In 1989, the first Hib conjugate vaccines were licensed for use among children 15 months of age or older. In 1990, two new vaccines were approved for use among infants1. The incidence of Hib invasive disease among children aged 4 years or younger has declined by 98% since the introduction of Hib conjugate vaccines. However there are still hundreds of thousands of children die each year from a disease related to Hib. There are two major obstacles when trying to prevent Hib, the shortage of both information and money.The information shortage is largely due to the difficulty of diagnosing Hib disease; it claims most of its victims without ever being recognized. In addition, Hib vaccine is more expensive to produce and thus more highly priced than classic childhood vaccines. It costs roughly seven times the total cost of vaccines against measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis4. The Hib vaccine should be distrib uted to all children during their first few years of life just like other types of vaccines. More than 90% of infants obtain long term immunity with 2-3 doses of the vaccine1.With a strong statistic like that most parents would not hesitate to have the vaccine given to their children. The issue is not all doctors are recommending the vaccine and they do not have it available to them in order to give to their patients. A few common misconceptions about the particular vaccine for Hib are that it can prevent ear infections and meningitis. It is not clear if the particular vaccine can reduce the likelihood of ear infections, but there is no evidence to say it prevents it. As for meningitis, there are different types of bacteria that can cause it and the vaccine only protects against the H. nfluenzae bacteria itself. Children must receive other vaccines to be fully immune to meningitis. Works Cited: 1. Todar K. 2012. Haemophilus influenzae and Hib Meningitis. Todar’s Online Textbo ok of Bacteriology. 1-4 2. Ghaffar A, 2010, Bacteriology Chapter 18: Bordetella, Haemophilus and Legionella. Microbiology and Immunology On-Line. 3. http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs294/en/index. html 4. Musher DM. Haemophilus Species. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 30. Part 3: Mycobacterium ulceransWe commonly think of an ulcer as a small, yet painful sore that develops on lips, inside mouths, or other places of the body. These are common, and are generally not serious in nature as they heal on their own. However there are other types of ulcers that are more serious that are caused by bacterial infections. The Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a bacterium that causes large ulcers to form on the skin on different parts of the body. The infection due to the type of bacterium is called the Buruli ulcer. This may range from a painless nodule to large, ulcerative lesions that he al spontaneously but slowly.Along with scarring and deterioration of the skin, a severe enough case of it can lead to permanent bone damage. After tuberculosis and leprosy, the Buruli ulcer is the most common mycobacterial infection of humans1. The mode of transmission is not known, but recent evidence suggests that aquatic insects and fish, and even different types of animals such as koalas, possums, horses, cats and dogs may be able to carry the bacteria2. Open wounds on the skin seem to be the most logical way the organism enters the body. There is little proven evidence of bacteria being able to be spread through human to human touch2.About 70% of those affected are children under the age of 15 years2. Mortality due to the disease is low; however the likelihood of permanent scarring and amputation is high. The disease is mostly found in only is Western Africa and Australia. Prevalence rates have been estimated at 16% in some communities in the Ivory Coast and at 22% in a communi ty in Ghana2. A few cases have been reported in non-endemic areas in North America and Europe, most likely as a result of international travel. Lack of familiarity with the Buruli ulcer has frequently resulted in significant delays in the diagnosis and treatment of these cases.The current economic and social burden imposed by the Buruli ulcer is enormous. Skilled surgery, expert post-operative nursing care, and restorative physiotherapy are often required to achieve good outcomes3. In Ghana, the average cost of treatment per patient is estimated to be $ 7802. This may not seem like a lot to us for the severity of disease, but in countries like Ghana not many people can afford this, or the cost or accessibility to the proper drugs is beyond the ability of the doctors in their health care system.There are many graphic pictures that can easily be found on Google that show people who do not have the ability to get their infection treated. These are the types of people with the most seve re side effects. Untreated Buruli ulcer will eventually subside with the gradual development of host immunity in most cases. However, by this time, tissue damage may be very extensive and healing by scar can lead to permanent functional and cosmetic deformity3. Successful treatment will shorten the course of the disease and minimize deformity.In recent years, research has been conducted to see where the microbe may have originated, and what it genetically contains. Unlike Hib, which was discussed in part 2, there is currently no vaccine on the market to prevent people from getting the Buruli ulcer. Scientists have been working on three different vaccine candidates: mycolactone-directed vaccines, attenuated live vaccines, and subunit protein vaccines4. An M. ulcerans bacterium causes harm through its toxin mycolactone; therefore a vaccine directed against this toxin may provide protection. Several constructs are under development and confer some protection in mice4.These recent findi ngs have been a big step forward in the understanding of the mechanisms by which mycolactone mediates its biological effects in the skin. However, it is not at the stage to be tested on people yet. There have also been developments of vaccines in Switzerland of a different kind. This kind of vaccine uses ‘typical' parts of the mycobacterium as target for the immune systems, instead of complete mycobacteria4. There is a lot less chance of negative side effects, but it is not always as effective. In test results, it has shown to be effective in preventing the growth of the M. lcerans in the short term, but the effects wear off and the vaccine would have to be re-administered. Even with all the progress toward a new vaccine, the problem still exists of how it would be properly administered. The areas that are most affected, as stated earlier, would not be able to afford these vaccinations for their children. The only area with the epidemic of the Buruli ulcers that could extremel y benefit from the possible development of vaccinations would be southern Australia. For this reason I believe other projects will be prioritized higher because of more economic benefit to the developers and sellers.Works Cited: 1. van der Werf TS, van der Graaf WT, Tappero JW, Asiedu K. 1999 Sep 18. Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. PubMed. gov. 2. Poraels F, Johnson P, Meyers WM. 2001. Buruli Ulcer: Diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease. WHO. 3-6 3. Johnson PDR, Stinear T, Small PLC, Pluschke G, Merritt RW, et al. (2005) Buruli Ulcer (M. ulcerans Infection): New Insights, New Hope for Disease Control. PLoS Med 2(4): e108. doi:10. 1371/journal. pmed. 0020108 4. http://www. news-medical. net/news/20120419/BuruliVac-project-getting-closer-to-a-vaccine. aspx

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 19~20

Chapter Nineteen Our Dead Homeys The vampires sat side by side on the bare futon frame, watching as a five-legged bug limped up the big front window of the loft. Tommy thought that the rhythm of the bug's steps made a for a danceable backbeat – thought he might be able to set music to it, if he knew how to write music. Suite for Angst and Limping Bug, he'd call it. â€Å"Nice bug,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yeah,† Jody said. We should save it for Abby, Jody thought. She was feeling guilty about having bitten the girl – not so much because of the violation, because obviously the kid had been willing, but because she felt as if she really didn't have any choice. She had been injured and her predator nature told her to survive, whatever the cost, which is what bothered her. Was her humanity drifting away? â€Å"The Animals are going to come for us now,† Tommy said. He was feeling angry, betrayed by his old crew, but most of all he felt separate from them now. He felt separate from everyone. Tomorrow was Christmas and he didn't even want to call his parents because they were a different species now. What do you buy for an inferior species? â€Å"It's just the Animals,† Jody said. â€Å"We'll be safe.† â€Å"I'll bet that's what Elijah thought, too, and they got him.† â€Å"We should go get him,† Jody said. She imagined Elijah Ben Sapir, standing in the full sun by the Ferry Building, tourists passing him, wondering why someone would put a statue there. Would the brass protect him? Tommy checked his watch. â€Å"We'd never get there and back in time. I tried that yesterday.† â€Å"How could you do that to him, Tommy? He was one of us.† â€Å"One of us? He was going to kill us, if you remember. He kind of did kill us. I resent that. Besides, if you're covered in bronze, what does it matter if you're underwater? I was just trying to get him out of sight so we could think about our future without him being part of it.† â€Å"Right. Okay,† Jody said. â€Å"Sorry.† Future? She'd lived with a half-dozen guys, none had ever willingly talked about the future before. And she and Tommy had a supersized buttload of future ahead of them as long as someone didn't catch them sleeping. â€Å"Maybe we really should leave the City,† she said. â€Å"No one would know about us in a new city.† â€Å"I was thinking we should get a Christmas tree,† Tommy said. Jody looked away from the bug. â€Å"That's a thought, or we could put some mistletoe up, put on Christmas carols, and stand outside waiting for Santa until the sun comes up and incinerates us. How's that sound?† â€Å"Nobody appreciates your sarcasm, missy. I'm just trying to get a handle on normal. Three months ago I was stocking groceries in Indiana, looking at community college, driving around in my crappy car, wishing I had a girlfriend, and wishing that there was some potential for something to happen beyond getting a job with benefits and living the same life as my dad. Now I have a girlfriend, and superpowers, and a bunch of people want to kill me, and I don't know how to act. I don't know what to do next. And it's going to be that way forever. Forever! I'm going to be scared out of my mind forever! I can't deal with forever.† He'd been barking at her, but she resisted the urge to snap back. He was nineteen, not a hundred and fifty – he didn't even have the tools for being an adult, let alone being immortal. â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"Tomorrow night, first thing, we'll hire a car, go get Elijah, and pick up a Christmas tree on the way back. How's that sound?† â€Å"Hiring a car? That sounds exotic.† â€Å"It'll be like prom.† Was she being too patronizing? â€Å"You don't have to do that,† he said. â€Å"I'm sorry I'm acting like a weenie.† â€Å"But you're my weenie,† Jody said. â€Å"Take me to bed.† Still holding her hand, he stood, then pulled her up into his arms. â€Å"We'll be okay, right?† She nodded and kissed him, feeling for just a second like a girl in love instead of a predator. She immediately felt a resurgence of shame over feeding on Abby. The doorbell rang. â€Å"Did you know we had a doorbell?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"You can't beat a dead whore in the morning,† said Nick Cavuto cheerfully, because apparently, everyone loves a dead hooker, despite what certain writer types might think. They were standing in the alley off Mission Street. Dorothy Chin – short, pretty, and whip-smart – snorted a laugh and checked the thermometer probe she'd stuck in the deceased's liver like a meat thermometer into a roast. â€Å"She hasn't been dead four hours, guys.† Rivera rubbed his temples and felt his bookstore slipping away, along with his marriage. He'd known the marriage had been going for a while, but he was feeling a little brokenhearted about the bookstore. He figured he knew, but he asked anyway. â€Å"Cause of death?† â€Å"Toothy blow job,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Yes, Alphonse,† said Dorothy with a tad too much sincerity, â€Å"I'd have to concur with Detective Cavuto, she died of a toothy blow job.† â€Å"It just pisses some guys off,† Cavuto added, â€Å"a professional without skills.† â€Å"Guy just snapped her neck and took his money back,† said Dorothy with a big grin. â€Å"So a broken neck?† said Rivera, mentally waving goodbye to a whole set of first-edition Raymond Chandlers, ten-to-six workdays, golfing on Mondays. Cavuto snorted this time. â€Å"Her head's turned around the wrong way, Rivera. What did you think it was?† â€Å"Seriously,† Dorothy Chin said, â€Å"I have to do the autopsy to be sure, but offhand that's the obvious cause. I'd also say she's probably lucky to go that way. She's HIV positive and it looks like the disease had developed into full-blown AIDS.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"See these sarcomas on her feet.† Chin had removed one of the hooker's shoes – she pointed to open sores on the corpse's foot and ankle. Rivera sighed. He didn't want to ask, but he asked anyway, â€Å"What about blood loss?† Dorothy Chin had done the autopsies on two of the previous victims and cringed a little. It was a pattern. They'd all been terminally ill, they'd all died of a broken neck, and they'd all shown evidence of extreme blood loss, but no external wounds – not even a needle mark. â€Å"Can't tell out here.† Cavuto had lost his cheery manner now. â€Å"So we spend Christmas day canvassing dirtbags to see if anyone saw anything?† At the end of the alley, uniforms were still talking to the grimy homeless man who had called in the murder. He was trying to get them to spring for a bottle of whiskey – because it was Christmas. Rivera didn't want to go home, but he didn't want to spend a day trying to find out what he already knew. He checked his watch. â€Å"What time was sunrise this morning?† he asked. â€Å"Oh, wait,† Cavuto said, patting down his pockets, â€Å"I'll check my almanac.† Dorothy Chin snorted again, then started giggling. â€Å"Dr. Chin,† Rivera said, tightening down now, â€Å"could you be more precise about the time of death?† Chin picked up on Rivera's tone and went full professional. â€Å"Sure. There's an algorithm for the cooling time of a body. Get me the weather from last night, let me get her back to the morgue and weigh her, and I'll get you a time within ten minutes.† â€Å"What?† Cavuto said to Chin. â€Å"What?† This time to Rivera. â€Å"Winter solstice, Nick,† Rivera said. â€Å"Christmas was originally set at the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. It's eleven-thirty now. I'm betting that four hours ago the sun was just coming up.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Prostitutes have shitty hours – is that what you're saying?† Rivera raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Our guy didn't travel far after sunrise, is what I'm saying. He's going to be around here.† â€Å"I was afraid that's what you were saying,† Cavuto said. â€Å"We're never going to get the bookstore open, are we?† â€Å"Tell the uniforms to look anywhere it's dark: under Dumpsters, in crawl spaces, attics – anywhere.† â€Å"Getting warrants on Christmas day might be a problem.† â€Å"You won't need warrants if you get permission from the owners – we're not looking to bust anyone living here, we're looking for a murder suspect.† Cavuto pointed to the eight-story brick building that composed one wall of the alley. â€Å"This building has something like eight hundred ministorage units in it.† â€Å"Then you guys had better get started.† â€Å"Where're you going?† â€Å"There was a missing person report on an old guy in North Beach a couple of days ago. I'm going to check it out.† â€Å"Because you don't want to go Dumpster diving for v – â€Å" â€Å"Because,† Rivera cut him off before he could say the V-word, â€Å"he had terminal cancer. His wife assumed he just wandered off and got lost. Now I'm not so sure. Call me if you find anything.† â€Å"Uh-huh.† Cavuto turned to the three uniforms who were interviewing the bum. â€Å"Hey, guys, have I got a merry Christmas detail for you.† The Animals decided to hold a small memorial service for Blue in Chinatown. Troy Lee was already there, as was Lash, who wouldn't go home to his apartment until Blue's body was removed, and Barry, who was Jewish, would be coming there for dinner with his family, as was the tradition in his faith. Plus, the liquor stores in Chinatown were open on Christmas, and if you slipped some money under the counter, you could get firecrackers. The Animals were fairly sure that Blue would have wanted firecrackers at her funeral. The Animals stood in a semicircle, beers in hand, on a playground off Grant Street. The deceased was being honored in absentia – in her place was a half-eaten pair of edible panties. From a distance, they looked like a bunch of wastrels mourning a Fruit Roll-Up. â€Å"I'd like to start, if I may,† said Drew. He wore a long overcoat and his hair was tied back with a black ribbon, revealing the target-shaped bruise on his forehead where Jody had hit him with the wine bottle. Out of his coat he pulled a bong the size of a tenor sax, and using a long lighter designed for lighting fireplaces, he sparked that magnificent mama-jama up and bubbled away like a scuba diver having an asthma attack. When he could hold no more, he raised the bong, poured some water on the ground, and croaked, â€Å"To Blue,† which came out in a perfect smoke ring, the sight of which brought tears to everyone's eyes. â€Å"To Blue,† everyone repeated as they placed one hand on the bong and tipped a bit out of their beers. â€Å"To Broo, my nigga,† said Troy Lee's grandma, who had insisted upon joining the ceremony once she realized there would be firecrackers. â€Å"She will be avenged,† said Lash. â€Å"And we'll get our fucking money back,† said Jeff, the big jock. â€Å"Amen,† the Animals said. They had decided on a nondenominational ceremony, as Barry was a Jew, Troy Lee was a Buddhist, Clint was an Evangelical, Drew was a Rastafarian, Gustavo was a Catholic, and Lash and Jeff were heathen stoners. Gustavo had been called in to work that day because someone had to be in the store as long as the front was only boarded up with plywood, so in deference to his beliefs, they had bought some incense and holders and placed a picket fence of smoldering joss sticks around the edible panty. The incense also worked within Troy and Grandma's Buddhist tradition, and Lash pointed out during the ceremony that although they have their differences otherwise, all gods like a good-smellin' ho. â€Å"Amen!† said the Animals again. â€Å"And they're handy for lightin' firecrackers off of,† added Jeff as he bent over an incense stick and set a string cracking. â€Å"Hallelujah!† said the Animals. Each offered to share some kind of memory of Blue, but all of their stories quickly degenerated to orifices and squishiness, and no one wanted to go there in front of Troy's grandma, so instead they threw firecrackers at Clint while he read from the Twenty-third Psalm. Before they cracked the second case of beer, it was decided that after dark, three of them – Lash, Troy Lee, and Barry – would take Blue from Lash's apartment, load her into the back of Barry's station wagon, and take her out in the middle of the Bay in Barry's Zodiac. (Barry was the diver of the bunch, and had all the cool aquatic stuff. They'd used his spearguns to help take down the old vampire.) Lash braced himself as he opened the apartment door, but to his surprise, there was no smell. He led Barry and Troy into the bedroom, and together they wrestled the rolled-up rug out of the closet. â€Å"It's not heavy enough,† Barry said. â€Å"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,† Troy said, trying furiously to unroll the rug. Finally Lash reached down, grabbed the edge of the rug, and whipped it up over his head. There was a thudding sound against the far wall, followed by the jingle of metal, like coins settling. The three Animals stood and stared. â€Å"What are those?† Asked Barry. â€Å"Earrings,† answered Troy. Indeed, there were seven earrings settling on the hardwood floor. â€Å"Not those. Those!† Barry nodded toward two clear, cantaloupe-sized, gelatinous lozenges that quivered on the floor like stranded jellyfish. Lash shivered. â€Å"I've seen them before. My brother used to work in a plant in Santa Barbara that made them.† â€Å"What the fuck are they?† Said Troy, squinting through a drunken haze. â€Å"Those are breast implants,† Lash said. â€Å"What are those wormy things?† asked Barry. There were two translucent sluglike blobs of something stuck to the rug near the edge. â€Å"Looks like window caulk,† said Lash. He noticed that there was a fine blue powder near the edge of the rug. He ran his hand over it, pinched some on his fingers, and sniffed it. Nothing. â€Å"Where'd she go?† asked Barry. â€Å"No idea,† said Lash. Chapter Twenty It's a Wonderful Life Gustavo Chavez had been born the seventh child of a brick maker in a small village in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. At eighteen he married a local girl, the daughter of a farmer, herself a seventh child, and at twenty, with his second child on the way, he crossed the border into the United States, where he lived with a cousin in Oakland, along with a score of other relatives, and worked grueling, twelve-hour days as a laborer, making enough to feed himself and send more money home to his family than he could possibly have made in his father's brickyard. He did this because it was the responsible and right thing to do, and because he had been raised a good Catholic man who, like his father, would provide for his family and no more than two or three mistresses. Each year, about a month before Christmas, he would sneak back across the border to celebrate Christmas with his family, meet any new children that might been born, and make love with his wife, Maria, until they were both so s ore it hurt to walk. In fact, the vision of Maria's inviting thighs would often begin haunting him around Halloween and the hapless night porter would find himself in a state of semiarousal as he swung his soapy mop, to and fro, across fifteen thousand square feet of linoleum every night. Tonight he was in the store alone, and he was feeling far from aroused, for it was Christmas night, and he could not go to mass or take Communion until he confessed. He was feeling deeply ashamed. Christmas night and he hadn't even called Maria – hadn't spoken to her for weeks, because like the rest of the Animals, he had gone to Las Vegas, and had given all his money to the blue whore. He had called, of course, after they'd first taken the vampire's art and sold it for so much money, but since then, his life had been a fog of tequila and marijuana and the evil attentions of the blue one. He, a good man, who cared for his family, had never hit his wife, had only cheated with a second cousin and never with a white woman, had been undone by the curse of the blue devil's pussy. La maldicin de la cocha del diablo azul. This is the saddest, loneliest Christmas ever, thought Gustavo as he dragged his mop past the canvas doors leading into the produce-department cooler. I am like the poor cabrn in that book The Pearl, where by simply trying to take advantage of some good fortune, I have lost all that I care about. Okay, I did get drunk for a week and my pearl was a blue whore who fucked the chimichangas out of me, but still, pretty sad. He thought these things in Spanish, so they sounded infinitely more tragic and romantic. Then there came a noise from the cooler, and he was startled for a second. He wrung out his mop, so as to be ready for anything. He didn't like being in the store by himself, but with the front windows broken out, someone had to be here, and because he was far from home, had nowhere else to go, and the union would see that he was paid double time, Gustavo had volunteered. Perhaps if he sent home a little extra, Maria might forget the hundred thousand dollars he'd promised. There, something was moving behind the plastic doors of the cooler, which were waving slightly. The stout Mexican crossed himself and backed out of the produce department, swinging his mop now in quick swaths, leaving barely a hint of dampness on the linoleum. He was by the dairy case now, and a stack of yogurts fell over inside the glass doors, as if someone had shoved them out of the way to look through. Gustavo dropped the mop and ran to the back of the store, saying a Hail Mary peppered with swearwords as he went, wondering if those were footsteps he heard behind him, or the echoes of his own footfalls resounding through the deserted store. Out the front door and away, he chanted in his head. Out the front door and away. He nearly fell rounding the turn at the meat case, his shoes still wet from the mop water. He caught himself on one hand and came up like a sprinter, while reaching back on his belt for his keys as he went. There were footfalls behind him – light, slapping – bare feet on linoleum, but fast, and close. He couldn't stop to unlock the door when he got there, he couldn't look back, he couldn't turn to look – a second of hesitation and he would be lost. He exhaled a long wail and ran right through a rack of candy and gum by the registers. He tumbled over the first register in an avalanche of candy bars and magazines, many of which displayed headlines like I MARRIED BIGFOOT, or SPACE ALIEN CULT TAKES OVER HOLLYWOOD, or vampires hunt our streets, and other such nonsense. Gustavo scrambled out of the pile and was crawling on his belly like a desert lizard scrambling to get across hot sand, when a heavy weight came down on his back, knocking the air out of him. He gasped, trying to get his breath, but something grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head backwards. He heard crackling noises in his ear, smelled something like rotten meat, and gagged. He saw the fluorescent lights, some canned hams, and a very happy cardboard elf making cookies as he was dragged down the aisle and through the doors into the dark back room of the deli like so much lunch meat. Feliz navidad. â€Å"Our first Christmas together,† Jody said, kissing him on the cheek – giving his butt a little squeeze through his pj bottoms. â€Å"Did you get me something cute?† â€Å"Hi, Mom,† Tommy said into the phone. â€Å"It's Tommy.† â€Å"Tommy. Sweetheart. We've been calling all day. It just rang and rang. I thought you were going to come home for Christmas.† â€Å"Well, you know, Mom, I'm in management at the store now. Responsibilities.† â€Å"Are you working hard enough?† â€Å"Oh yeah, Mom. I'm working ten – sixteen hours a day sometimes. Exhausted.† â€Å"Well good. And you have insurance?† â€Å"The best, Mom. The best. I'm nearly bulletproof.† â€Å"Well, I suppose that's good. You're not still working that horrible night shift, are you?† â€Å"Well, sort of. In the grocery business, that's where the money is.† â€Å"You need to get on the day shift. You're never going to meet a nice girl working those hours, son.† It was at this point, having heard Mother Flood's admonition, that Jody lifted her shirt and rubbed her bare breasts against him while batting her eyelashes coquettishly. â€Å"But I have met a nice girl, Mom. Her name is Jody. She's studying to be a nun – er, teacher. She helps the poor.† It was then that Jody pantsed him, then ran into the bedroom giggling. He caught himself on the counter to keep from tumbling over. â€Å"Whoa.† â€Å"What, son? What's the matter?† â€Å"Nothing, nothing, Mom. I just had a little eggnog with the guys and started to feel it.† â€Å"You're not on the drugs, are you, honey?† â€Å"No, no, no, nothing like that.† â€Å"Because your father has rehab benefits on you until you're twenty-one. We can have one of those interventions if you can find a cheap flight home. I know that Aunt Esther would love to see you, even if you are strung out on the crack.† â€Å"And I her, and I her, Mom. Look, I just called to say Merry Christmas, I'll let you – â€Å" â€Å"Wait, honey, your father wants to say hi.† † – go.† â€Å"Hey, Skeeter. Frisco turned you into an ass bandit yet?† â€Å"Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas.† â€Å"Glad you finally called. Your mother was worried sick about you.† â€Å"Well, you know, the grocery business.† â€Å"You working hard enough?† â€Å"Trying. They're cutting back on our OT – union will only let us work sixty hours a week.† â€Å"Well, as long as you're trying. How's that old Volvo running?† â€Å"Great. Like a top.† The Volvo had burned to the wheels his first day in the City. â€Å"Swiss sure can build some cars, can't they? Can't say much for those little red pocketknives they make, but sonsabitches can build a car.† â€Å"Swedes.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I love the little meatballs too. Look, kid, your mother's got me deep-frying a turkey out in the driveway. It's starting to smoke a little. I probably oughta should go check on it. Took an hour to get the oil up to speed – it's only about ten degrees here today.† â€Å"Yeah, it's a little chilly here, too.† â€Å"Looks like it's starting to catch the carport on fire a little. Better go.† â€Å"Okay. Love you, Dad.† â€Å"Call your mother more often, she worries. Holy cats, there goes the Oldsmobile. Bye, son.† A half hour later they were sipping coffee laced with William's blood when the doorbell rang again. â€Å"This is getting irritating,† Jody said. â€Å"Call your mom,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll get it.† â€Å"We should get some sleeping pills – knock him out so he doesn't have to drink all that booze before we bleed him.† The doorbell rang again. â€Å"We just need to get him a key.† Tommy went to the console by the door and pushed the button. There was a buzz and the click of the lock at street level. The door opened – William coming in to settle on the stairs for the night. â€Å"I don't know how he sleeps on those steps.† â€Å"He doesn't sleep. He passes out,† said the undead redhead. â€Å"Do you think if we gave him peppermint schnapps the coffee would have a minty holiday flavor?† Tommy shrugged. He went to the door, threw it open, and called down. â€Å"William, you like peppermint schnapps?† William raised a grimy eyebrow, looking suspicious. â€Å"You got something against scotch?† â€Å"No, no, I don't want to mess up your discipline. I was just thinking of a more balanced diet. Food groups, you know.† â€Å"I had some soup and some beer today,† William said. â€Å"Okay then.† â€Å"Schnapps gives me mint farts. They scare the hell out of Chet.† Tommy turned to Jody and shook his head. â€Å"Sorry, no way, minty farts.† Then to William again: â€Å"Okay then, William. I gotta get back to the little woman. You need anything? Food, blanket, toothbrush, a damp towelette to freshen up?† â€Å"Nah, I'm good,† William said. He held up a fifth of Johnny Walker Black. â€Å"How's Chet doing?† â€Å"Stressed. We just found out our friend Sammy got murdered in the hotel on Eleventh.† Chet looked up the stairwell with sad kitty eyes, which he sort of always seemed to have since he'd been shaved. â€Å"Sorry to hear that,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yeah, on Christmas, too,† William said. â€Å"Hooker got killed across the street last night, same way. Neck was snapped. Sammy has been sick for a while, so he splurged on a room for the holiday. Fuckers killed him right there in bed. Just goes to show you.† Tommy had no idea what it went to show you. â€Å"Sad,† Tommy said. â€Å"So how come Chet's stressed but you're not?† â€Å"Chet doesn't drink.† â€Å"Of course. Well then, Merry Christmas to you guys.† â€Å"You, too,† said William, toasting with his bottle. â€Å"Any chance of a Christmas bonus, now that I'm a full-time employee?† â€Å"What'd you have in mind?† â€Å"I'd sure like a gander at Red's bare knockers.† Tommy turned to Jody, who was shaking her head, looking pretty determined. â€Å"Sorry,† Tommy said. â€Å"How about a new sweater for Chet?† William scowled. â€Å"You just can't bargain with The Man.† He took a drink from his bottle and turned away from Tommy as if he had something important to discuss with his huge shaved cat and couldn't be bothered with management. â€Å"Okay then,† Tommy said. He closed the door and returned to the counter. â€Å"I'm The Man,† he said with a big grin. â€Å"Your mom would be so proud,† Jody said. â€Å"We need to go see about Elijah.† â€Å"Not until you call your mom. Besides, he's waited this long, it's not like he's going anywhere.† Jody got up and came around the breakfast bar and took Tommy's hand. â€Å"Sweetie, I need you to play what William just said back in your mind, really slowly.† â€Å"I know, I'm The Man!† â€Å"No, the part about his friend being killed by a broken neck, and how he has been sick, and how someone else was killed the night before, also by broken neck. I'll bet she was sick, too. Sound like a pattern you've heard before?† â€Å"Oh my God,† Tommy said. â€Å"Uh-huh,† Jody said. She held his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. â€Å"I'll get my jacket while you fluff up your little brain for traveling, ‘kay?† â€Å"Oh my God, you'll do anything to get out of calling your mom.†

office space = funny essays

office space = funny essays Mike Judge, who made his name in TV animation, which was first with the rather dumb Beavis and Butt-head series and then later with the funny King of the Hill, has turned his attention to live action. The result is Office Space, a hilarious and entertaining comedy of the 9 to 5 career boredom. Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is a software engineer who used to have a big problem, his boring job, but he's fixed that. While visiting an occupational hypnotherapist, the hypnotherapist has a heart attack and dies, leaving Peter in a relaxed carefree stage. He's not quitting, but since he doesn't like his job, he has decided simply that he'll stop going into the office anymore. Eventually, a relaxed Peter will show up every now and then, but only on his terms, which gets him promoted. The actors/actresses fit and played their roles perfectly. For instance, in a small supporting role, Gary Cole, has the one of the best performances of the movie. As Lumberg, Peter's main boss, Cole gives a perfect interpretation of a boss who appears compassionate on the surface but underneath is all of life's annoying bosses rolled into one. He is unreasonably demanding and he bothers Peter and his coworkers, Samir (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman) no relation to the other Michael Bolton either. Also in this movie is Jennifer Aniston, who plays as Peter's girlfriend and a waitress without enough "flair." Last but not least is Milton (Stephen Root). Milton has found safety through an obsessive defense of his cubicle, his radio and his stapler. Milton's cubicle is relocated so many times that eventually it appears to have no entrance or exit; he's walled-in on every side. You may recognize him as the hero of cartoons that played on ``Saturday Night Live,'' where str angers were always arriving to use his cubicle as storage space for cardboard boxes. I really liked the way that the soundtrack intertwined perfectly with the movie. Mos...

Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1963 Revolution essays

Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1963 Revolution essays The summer of 1963 was an important period of the civil right movement. It was during these months that the Birmingham movement took place. In the book Why We Cant Wait, Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the Birmingham movement and why he believes it was important. This essay will discuss what King believed had already been achieved with the civil rights movement before 1963 and what he hoped would be the result of the work done in Birmingham, Alabama and other projects in 1963. King discussed many different tactics that were used before 1963 to move the civil rights movement forward. One of them was the Montgomery bus boycotts. These boycotts started when a woman, Rosa Parks whom King describes as a courageous woman refused to move from her seat on the bus for a white person. Following Parks arrest, many black men and women refused to ride the bus for over a year in order to desegregate the public bus system. King described a working woman who as she walked home from her job, on feet weary from a full days work, she walked proudly, knowing she was with a movement that would bring into being non segregated bus travel. It was Kings belief that all of those involved in this boycott were brave and that the outcome would be worthwhile. Another worthwhile tactic that was used in order to desegregate public places was sit-ins. Negro men would sit at lunch counters that were designated for whites only and would refuse to move until they were served. Most of these men were arrested under the local trespass after warning ordinance before they were served but the point was made that the black community was not going to let their rights be taken from them anymore. King was a supporter of this approach to gaining desegregation. It was his opinion that the men involved in sit-ins were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and ...

May Calendar of Famous Inventions and Birthdays

May Calendar of Famous Inventions and Birthdays May is National Inventors Month,   a  month-long event celebrating invention and creativity.  Discover which clever creations came into being or received patents or trademarks during the May calendar, and find out  which famous inventor shares your May birthday.  Ã‚   May Inventions and Birthdays May 1 1888 -  Patent #382,280 was granted to Nikola Tesla for the electrical transmission of power. May 3 1831 -  Jim Manning patented a mowing machine.  However, the very first patent for a machine for mowing lawns was granted to Edwin Beard Budding. May 4 1943 - A patent for helicopter controls was obtained by Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky invented fixed-winged and multi-engined aircraft, transoceanic flying boats and helicopters. May 5 1809 - Mary Kies was the first women to receive a patent. It was for a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. May 6 1851  -  John Gorrie received the ice-making machine patent. May 7 1878 - Joseph Winters  received the fire escape ladder patent. May 9 1958 - Mattels Barbie doll was registered. The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel), whose own daughter was called Barbara. May 10 1752  - Benjamin Franklin first tested his  lightning rod. Franklin invented the lightening rod, iron furnace stove, bifocal glasses and  odometer. May 12 1885  - Ottmar Mergenthaler received a patent for a machine for producing printing bars. May 14 1853 - Gail Borden invented her process for condensed milk. May 15 1718 - James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the worlds first machine gun. May 17 1839 - Lorenzo Adkins patented a water wheel. May 18 1827 - Artist Rembrandt Peale registered a lithographic portrait of President George Washington  based on his famous oil painting.1830 - Edwin Beard Budding of England signed a licensing agreement for the manufacture of his invention, the lawn mower. May 19 1896  - Edward Acheson was issued a patent for an electrical furnace used to produce one of the hardest industrial substances:  carborundum. May 20 1830 - D. Hyde patented the fountain pen.1958 - Robert Baumann obtained a patent for a satellite structure. May 22 1819 - The first bicycles, called swift walkers, were introduced to the United States in New York City.1906  - Orville and Wilbur Wright received a patent for a Flying Machine with a motor. May 23 1930 -  The Patent Act of 1930 permitted patenting of certain plants. May 24 1982 - Increased penalties for trafficking in counterfeit labels for certain works and criminal infringement of these works were added to the Copyright Act in 1982. May 25 1948 - Andrew Moyer was granted a patent for a method of mass production of penicillin. May 26 1857 - Robert Mushet received a patent for methods of manufacturing steel. May 27 1796 - James McLean was issued a patent for a piano. May 28 1742 - The first indoor swimming pool opened in Goodmans Fields, London.  1996 - Theo and Wayne Hart received a patent for a ponytail hair clasp. May 30 1790 -  The first Federal Copyright bill was enacted in 1790.1821 - James Boyd patented the rubber fire hose. May Birthdays May 2 1844 -  Elijah McCoy, the highly prolific African-American inventor, was born. May 12 1910 - Dorothy Hodgkin won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances. May 13 1857 - English pathologist  Ronald Ross won the Nobel Prize in 1902. May 14 1686 -  Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit  invented  the thermometer.1946 - Surgeon and  inventor  Robert Jarvik  invented the Jarvik 7 artificial heart. May 15 1859 - French physicist  Pierre Curie  shared the Nobel Prize in 1903 with his wife, Marie Curie.1863 - English toy inventor  Frank Hornby founded the legendary Meccano Toy Company. May 16 1763 - French chemist  Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin discovered chromium and beryllium.1831 -  David Edward Hughes  invented the carbon microphone and a teleprinter.1914 - American scientist  Edward T. Hall pioneered the study of nonverbal communication and interactions between members of different ethnic groups.1950 - German superconductivity physicist  Johannes Bednorz won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987. May 17 1940 - American computer scientist Alan Kay was one of the true luminaries of personal computing.   May 18 1872 - English mathematician and  philosopher Bertrand Russell won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.1901 - American biochemist  Vincent du Vigneaud won he 1955 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in important sulphur compounds.1907 - Nuclear physicist  Robley D. Evans  helped to persuade the US government to allow the use of radioactive isotopes in medical research.1928 - Nuclear scientist  G.R. Hall was renown for his work in nuclear technology. May 20 1851 -  Emile Berliner of Germany was  the inventor of the  gramaphone. May 22 1828 - Albrecht Grafe was a pioneer eye surgeon who founded modern ophthalmology.1911 - Russian mathematician and  biologist Anatol Rapoport invented game theory.1927 - American scientist  George Andrew Olah was a chemist and Nobel laureate. May 29 1826 - Fashion business executive Ebenezer Butterick  invented the first graded sewing  pattern.

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction Essay

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction - Essay Example According to the research "The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction" findings society visualizes man as having the potential to exercise power and control more than the woman has. Darwin explained that conditions in nature compel men to develop such traits. According to Darwin, women have a relatively small brain capacity compared to men. This explains why the imagination of man can only allow him to create a being that has masculine traits and advanced intelligence. In addition, the last part of the fiction [portrays how Bowman enters into a different form of life. On entering stargate, Bowman displayed a rare sense of courage and did not let fear carry him over to the next world. Bowman plunges into the new world with expectation and excitement. He does not hesitate to gain the new form of energy to control the world. Kubrick portrays the story as Darwin elaborated. He implies that just as Darwin indicated, men have a greater potential of intelligence than women do (121). In h is fiction, he gives men all the chances of discovering the world and excludes the women. The view he projects to society is that technology and scientific advances are masculine adventures. In the first part of the film, Kubrick presents to us Moonwatcher, who is huge and gigantic compared to his tribesmen. Moonwatcher advances slowly as environmental conditions change from ape-like nature to humanity. He is the first human being to experience bravery and a sense of leadership. He discovers how man can use traditional tools to hunt animals for food. He developed emotions within him as time elapses. Kulbrick draws the picture of man having a higher social standing that a woman right from the start. This picture compares positively to Darwin’s theory. Space odyssey projects masculine superiority in science and technology. This view is evident in our society. Interestingly, Kulbrick displays that some women can work together with men in scientific ventures. He brings in women like Elena who travels to the moon with other women. This only makes one point clear that Kulbrick has realized that both men and women can work together to bring about scientific breakthroughs. In a different fiction story, Alien, then director brings out his perspective of gender roles and traits. In his story line, he reverses what society considers the norm. A crew is out to explore the space with the goal of collecting samples of an alien creature.

How social commerce help business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How social commerce help business - Essay Example Social commerce is a process of utilizing social media with the intention of facilitating businesses to perform marketing, buying, selling as well as sharing of products and/or services in both online and offline market segments (Zhou, Zhang & Zimmermann, 2013). In the recent business scenario, social commerce is identified to play an important role for businesses to perform their activities in the worldwide market segments in an efficient manner. Social media including Facebook, blogs and YouTube among others are used for promotion purposes and also for executing business transactions by firms with the targeted client base with the motive of improving its overall effectiveness and competitiveness (Zhou, Zhang & Zimmermann, 2013). Emphasizing on the notion that social media technologies are recognized to be playing a significant role towards the development of businesses, the paper will intend to emphasize on the factors which are deemed to be responsible for the success of social co mmerce in the contemporary business era. Success of Social Commerce In the present business environment, the development of technologies and the rising notion of globalization have been observed to intensify market competition. Moreover, consumers in the worldwide market segments are observed to be driven with modern technologies. In this respect, organizations, in order to execute their business activities proficiently and competently in international market segments should adopt the tactic of social commerce. It has often been affirmed that social commerce will assist business organizations to appropriately target worldwide consumers and maintain long run association with them with the virtues of the minimized gap between customer demand shifts and organizational service deliverance. It is in this context that organizations and customers with online technologies are facilitated with the opportunity of exchanging information in relation to products and/or services in a time and cos t efficient way. Moreover, the customers will also be able to acquire important information from trusted individuals about buying and selling decisions. In this context, organizations using social technologies will be able to provide consumers with enhanced shopping experiences in comparison to the organizations focusing solely on traditional approaches. Hence, social commerce also aids in developing a better relationship with consumers (Zhou, Zhang & Zimmermann, 2013). From a theoretical perspective, it can be affirmed that social commerce is a tactful blending of social networking technologies along with e-commerce. There are certain drivers which are seemed to be responsible for the development of social commerce. In this regard, the technological factors are considered to be a major factor responsible for the growth of social commerce. Moreover, the rapid progress of technology and communication sectors can also be identified to have increased the essentiality for organizations to adopt latest technologies in order to execute its business activities successfully. The government of a country is also perceived to formulate as well as implement policies and regulations with the intention of supporting technological development and Information Technology (IT) (SAGE Publications, 2005). It has often been argued in this regard that social comm

Alternative Dispute Resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Alternative Dispute Resolution - Essay Example Anyway, there is no harm in so doing. Mediation is actually a class or a form of an alternative dispute resolution process.2 ADR therefore is the generic term. Arbitration, however, has a different meaning. We have to take notice of the variance because the case to be analyzed is also criticized for not distinguishing arbitration from mediation, although that aspect will not be included in this paper. Stated in another way, ADR is a collective description of methods of resolving disputes otherwise than through the normal trial process. It is one of several ways to resolve disputes outside the ambit of the courts or to make an attempt to settle the case if possible. It is a procedure where the parties are therefore given a chance to amicably patch up their differences over a certain dispute. This has to be done in view of the prospect that those involved in a controversy may be able to mend things without going to the court for a full-blown trial. That is why it is considered an alternative solution, meaning that it will take the place of court proceedings if the parties agree. The most logical reason for ADR is to stop the further clogging of cases in tribunals or judicial bodies and agencies. Courts all over the world are confronted by the humongous predicament of so many pending matters for the action or resolution of the judge or panel of judges.3 Why must the courts be unclogged of cases The simple answer to this is to give more quality time to the judges in deciding or resolving suits and other incidents brought before them for judicial determination. If judges have limited time to so decide or resolve, they cannot prepare good and well-studied rulings compared to when they have ample opportunity. From a macro viewpoint, decisions which are crafted under deadline pressures will not serve the ends of justice. It will become a matter of what is haste is waste. If courts are to make good decisions in a loaded environment, what will happen is that the more recent filings will have to wait. Resultant of that will be the slow disposal or resolution of cases. Of course, public opinion frowns upon tardy decisions under the caveat that justice that is delayed is like justice that is denied. A grievance that is addressed but not expeditiously as normally expected is the same as if there was no redress at all.4 How can ADR help the unclogging of cases in the courts The more cases that are resolved in the ADR or mediation level, the lesser the cases that will be forwarded to the courts for hearing or trial. Such a situation will give more elbow room and latitude for the judges in dispensing their functions more efficiently, effectively and speedily. What are the advantages of ADR Firstly, in resorting to the mediation process, the parties save on time, money and efforts if they finally come to an amicable settlement. And secondly, the hostilities among the enemies are reduced if not totally removed and amity, if there was any, is restored once the compromise agreement shall have been concluded. Halsey, in its paragraph 15, citing the distinguished Lord Justice Brooke in the case of Dunnett v Railtrack, credited skilled mediators for having achieved satisfactory results in many cases than could have been achieved in court proceedings.5 Taken altogether, the attendant features surrounding the use of the ADR process indicate that it is for the public

Nmgmt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nmgmt - Essay Example geting but ‘orthodox’ planning approaches are insufficient for handling large-scale changes as opposed to incremental changes, according to Kotter and Cohen (2002). Significant structural changes had begun to take place in 1994 because of the arrival of free trade. Free trade in the UK’s market meant that foreign competition was coming and was providing local businesses with an opportunity to expand by means of acquisition. Charles Berry has quoted the response of his organization to the change. Even after everyone had agreed to a mutual point and the agreed suggestions were documented in a report, no real progress was made. Hence, all the planning efforts went down the drains because they were not put to work. Most of the industries are designed for incremental changes and commonly everyone associated knows about their business in some detail. Planning helps with such incremental changes where everyone is aware of the little details. However it is inadequate for managing large-scale changes. With non-incremental change, the analysis is often based on unclear assumptions because extrapolations from previous trends may be misleading. Charles Berry explains how his organization considered seven alternatives in an effort to evaluate the situation. In measurable terms, these included sales turnover, the number of employees, potential customer market, core business, competitors, beliefs and the proposed action steps. All the options were documented precisely and several meetings were conducted in order to visualize the propositions in a way that materialized the visions into a near reality. This provided a direction for the attainment of the vision and things got less vague. Hence, the approach , involving seeing, feeling, and changing, was particularly geared towards painting the picture or visualizing the future. There are four main elements involved in successful changes that occur on a large scale. These include plans, budgets, strategies, and visions.

A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590) Assignment

A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590) - Assignment Example sometimes â€Å"v† represents the /u/ sound as in â€Å"vnto.† Definitely, however, the culture did not care about the sound as much as they cared about the spelling. On the other hand, since the same word is spelled consistently like â€Å"watche† and â€Å"solemne,† it only seems that English culture may not be sloppy but may be one that favors someone in a hurry to take down notes. Due to the intricacy of the picture in terms of detail, it is possible that the engraver’s skill and tools were satisfactory. The artist’s skills may also be good enough as he was able to draw the Indian village using third-dimensional point of view. Through the publicists, people may learn that the people of the New World are rather peace-loving and united as a community. They will also be thought of as organized and religious. However, some Europeans may view them either as primitive because of their use of fire, or as fit to be used as slaves as they cultivate good plants like tobacco and corn. The Indians gather around a broad plot to meet with their neighbors, to celebrate their solemn feasts and to engage in merrymaking after the feast. The Indians also assemble themselves together to say their solemn prayers. There is also a place where they make fire to light up their feasts. The two observers made such observations and clearly and carefully documented the activities of the town of Secota because they wanted to somehow get a blueprint of what it is like to live among the Native Americans. The observers did this because they themselves wanted to establish a settlement in that place. To the Europeans, a clear understanding of the life of Native Americans is essential to building a long-lasting and harmonious relationship with them. The two observers provided realistic portrayals of Indian culture because they made such claims from an ordinary observer’s point of view. There were no details or explanations as to why the Indians were meeting their neighbors or conducting

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Essay Example Thus a cold war erupted between the U.S. and USSR which eventually came to an end with the help of doctrinal regimes implemented by Reagan (Fischer, 1997). Define presidential doctrine and summarize the regional or global events during the Cold War leading up to the formation of the Reagan doctrine. Presidential doctrine defines the policies, procedures, reforms and initiatives taken by a country’s president which are intended to enhance global position of the nation and to achieve greatest good for citizens of own country as well as those across the globe. Before arrival of President Reagan, communism had become common and superpowers like Soviet Union were suppressing the Third World countries in attempt to invade them. The Soviet and the Vietnamese led various Marxist movements which depressed capitalism and eventually forced the entry of Cuban armies and Soviet troops into different territories including Angola, Cambodia and Afghanistan. These countries did not have suffic ient powers to hold the forces and hence turned to other countries for help. The U.S. which believed itself to be the savior and leader nation for all decided to intervene and rescue these countries through Reagan doctrine. This doctrine created waves of passion across nations and gave boost to conservatism in America (Carpenter, 2012). Describe the Cold War relationship that existed between USSR and the U.S. before Reagan doctrine was announced. Before Reagan, there were only two prevailing superpowers, the U.S. and the USSR, which considered their coexistence to be catastrophic and hence wanted to triumph over the other. The perceived equality of power of both nations had led everyone to believe that the two countries pose threats to each other. The mutual suspicion rose amongst the two parties and past experiences of World Wars led them to believe that dangers exist. Soviet Union was spreading communism which challenged the survival of capitalism in the U.S. Reagan rejected the i dea of control over European nations by the Soviet Union and claimed it to be unfair for USSR to exercise its rights outside its jurisdictional system and boundaries. Thus Cold War broke and Reagan introduced the Reagan Doctrine to stop communism by supporting and providing arms to the rebels and freedom fighters in Third World countries for self-defense (Katz, 1991). Describe the relationship that currently exists between the U.S. and USSR. The relationship between United States and the Soviet Union enhanced eventually after the Reagan doctrine. The leaders of Soviet Union realized soon that they essentially need the support of capitalist countries in order to flourish in the economic and business world. The greatest capitalist power is the U.S. and hence USSR has been keeping stable relationship with it and has signed various pacts to ensure peaceful relationships in field of politics, science and technology (Cox, 1990). The recent patterns of American-Soviet relationships are inc lined towards development in the fields of economic trade growth and mutually collaborative effort in scientific expansion. Describe the effect that the Reagan doctrine has had on regional or global affairs since the time when it was announced during the Cold War. When Reagan doctrine was introduced, the Cold War came to an end and relationships between U.S. and USSR were also improved. The Soviet Union retreated from all the territories and the world moved towards democratic and harmonious terms. Moscow no longer targeted

A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590) Assignment

A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590) - Assignment Example sometimes â€Å"v† represents the /u/ sound as in â€Å"vnto.† Definitely, however, the culture did not care about the sound as much as they cared about the spelling. On the other hand, since the same word is spelled consistently like â€Å"watche† and â€Å"solemne,† it only seems that English culture may not be sloppy but may be one that favors someone in a hurry to take down notes. Due to the intricacy of the picture in terms of detail, it is possible that the engraver’s skill and tools were satisfactory. The artist’s skills may also be good enough as he was able to draw the Indian village using third-dimensional point of view. Through the publicists, people may learn that the people of the New World are rather peace-loving and united as a community. They will also be thought of as organized and religious. However, some Europeans may view them either as primitive because of their use of fire, or as fit to be used as slaves as they cultivate good plants like tobacco and corn. The Indians gather around a broad plot to meet with their neighbors, to celebrate their solemn feasts and to engage in merrymaking after the feast. The Indians also assemble themselves together to say their solemn prayers. There is also a place where they make fire to light up their feasts. The two observers made such observations and clearly and carefully documented the activities of the town of Secota because they wanted to somehow get a blueprint of what it is like to live among the Native Americans. The observers did this because they themselves wanted to establish a settlement in that place. To the Europeans, a clear understanding of the life of Native Americans is essential to building a long-lasting and harmonious relationship with them. The two observers provided realistic portrayals of Indian culture because they made such claims from an ordinary observer’s point of view. There were no details or explanations as to why the Indians were meeting their neighbors or conducting

Cherokee nation Essay Example for Free

Cherokee nation Essay Wilma Pearl Mankiller was born on November 18th in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee nation, Oklahoma. She lived in Mankiller Flats till she was ten years old. Then her family was moved to California when the Indian Affair Relocation program took place. Her father Charlie Mankiller was a Cherokee whereas her mother Irene Mankiller was of Dutch-Irish origin. Wilma had four sisters and six brothers. Wilma’s great grandfather was one of the many Cherokees who along with Choctaws, Creeks, and other Indian tribes moved along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma . This was during the removal period in 1830’s. Here in Oklahoma the family was allotted 160 acres of land in eastern Oklahoma at a place called Mankiller Flats, but the land was rugged and it was difficult to eke out a life from it. Thus the family was poor and when Wilma’s father inherited the land he found it difficult to give a good life to his family. He managed to make some money from growing strawberries, peanuts, berries and green beans, cutting timber and picking crops when seasonal work was available. Food for the family was from the vegetable garden supplemented by wild game. Thus when the government’s offer to relocate them once more cropped up Charlie Mankiller was tempted by the prospects of a better life. The family did not wish to move, nevertheless they reached San Francisco only to discover that the relocation program promises were not fulfilled and there was no money. Even employment was very often not available. The children did not like California and was homesick. In her autobiography â€Å"Mankiller: A Chief and her People† Mankiller wrote, â€Å"I experienced my own Trail of Tears when I was a young girl. No one pointed a gun at me or at members of my family. No show of force was used. It was not necessary. Nevertheless, The United States government through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was once again trying to settle the ‘Indian problem’ by removal. I learned through this ordeal about the fear and anguish that occur when you give up your home, your community, and everything you have ever known to move far away to a strange place. I cried for days, not unlike the children who had stumbled down the Trail of Tears so many years before. I wept tears that came from deep within the Cherokee part of me. They were tears from my history, from my tribe’s past. They were Cherokee tears. † In California Wilma completed her high school and enrolled herself for higher studies. She attended Skyline Junior College and then Francisco State College. It was here that she met her future husband Hector Hugo Olaya. They had two daughters, Felicia born in 1964 and Gina born in 1966. While in college Wilma met the Native Americans who reclaimed the Alcatraz Island. for the Native American people. Many Indians made the bold move to move onto Alcatraz and Wilma got influenced by it. She cherished the thought that her mission in life was to serve her people. She longed for independence to work for her community and this involvement with the community was the reason for the conflict which arose in her marriage. In 1974, she and Hector Hugo were divorced. In the 1960’s there were many social and political movements in America. When Alcatraz was forcefully occupied Wilma Mankiller became aware that the Indians also had rights and these rights had to be protected. She became involved in it and wanted to serve her people to the best of her ability. After Alcatraz she got involved in helping the Pitt River tribe in northern California reclaim their ancestral land. For seven years she worked for them and this prepared her to return to Oklahoma. When her father passed away in 1971 due to kidney failure Wilma was shattered. It â€Å"tore through my spirit like a blade of lightening† she says in her autobiography. Though the family returned to Oklahoma for the burial of Charlie Mankiller, Wilma returned to California after the funeral. Wilma too soon became a prey to kidney failure and though initially it could be treated, she had to undergo surgery and in 1990 she underwent a kidney transplant. Her brother Donald donated his kidney for her. In 1976, two years after her divorce she had returned to Oklahama for good. Here she enrolled herself in a graduate course at the University of Arkansas. Wilma’s will to live and serve her people can be seen in her determination to get well, once when she was involved in a terrible accident and it was thought that she would not survive. Second time was when she developed a muscle disease known as myasthenia gravis. Her life was threatened but her strong will of survival made her fit again.

Current Voltage Relation of Different Memristor Models

Current Voltage Relation of Different Memristor Models Abstract: Memristor a two terminal passive non volatile device is considered as the fourth circuit element and can be used in many applications which includes memory, logic and neuromorphic systems. The memristor provides many advantages like scalability, compatibility with CMOS and offers no leakage current. Various models of memristor have been discussed in this paper. The main focus is on the Current-Voltage (IV) relation of different models and its simulation is done in Cadence Virtuoso. Index Terms- memristor, VerilogA, window function, SPICE, threshold. INTRODUCTION In 1971, L. O. Chua introduced the fourth passive circuit element named memristor which is two terminal non volatile device with a property of variable resistance known as memristance [1]. The memristance provides the relation in the time integrals of voltage and current. Originally, current controlled time invariant memristor is expressed as where w is state variable, v(t) is the device voltage, i(t) is the memristor device current, R(w, i) is the memristance and t is the time period. Since HP labs proclaimed the physical working model of memristor [2], it opens the doors to the new type of electronics. Some of the applications includes logic design [3] [4], memory [5], neuromorphic systems [6]. Different models of memristor have been deigned. Formally designed models does not contain threshold [2] [7] [8] (i.e. resistance changes for any current or voltage). The Threshold Adaptive Memristor model (TEAM )[9] and Voltage Threshold Adaptive Memristor model (VTEAM) [10] models exhibits the threshold current and threshold voltage respectively, are the most efficient models and less computational complexity. In this paper current-voltage relation of different models is implemented using VerilogA code. Section II describes the different types of memristor models. Comparison of memristor model is provided in section III. The paper is concluded in section IV. DIFFERENT MEMRISTOR MODELS Linear Ion Drift Model This is the first and basic model of memristor proposed by HP Labs [3]. This model has width which is splitted in two regions as shown in Figure 1. The region with width w is doped with positive oxygen ions (originally TiO2) and has low resistance therefore is more conductive and other side is undoped. Each region is modeled with resistor (in series). Various assumptions are considered i.e. ohmic conductance, uniform field and average ion mobility. RON is the resistance at w(t) = D and ROFF is the resistance at w(t) = 0 The state variable w(t) is bounded within the interval [0,D]. To prevent w from going beyond the physical dimensions of the device, the derivative of w is required to multiply by the window function. The IV relationship curve of linear ion drift model of memristor for sinusoidal input is shown in figure 2. Figure1: HP memristor model [1] Figure 2: IV curve of linear memristor model with 2-window function. (frequency=20MHz,source amplitude=0.003A, Ron=100ohm, Roff=2e5ohm, ÃŽ ¼v=10e-14m^2/Vs, D=10e-9m, P_coeff=2, initial state=0.5, j=1, w_multiplied=1e9, P_window_noise=1e-18) Non Linear Ion Drift Model Although the linear ion drift model of memristor is simple and satisfies the basic memristor equations. But as per the experiments of the fabricated device, it behaves differently i.e. it is highly non linear [11] [12]. The non linearity is desirable for logic circuits, therefore another memristor model have been proposed based on experimental results concluded in [11]. A model is [13] proposed. The relation between current and voltage for this model is Where ÃŽ ±, , are known as fitting parameters and parameter n describes the influence of state variable (w) on the currents. . Here, the state variable w is normalized within the interval [0,1]. The model shows asymmetric switching behavior, in a way that during the ON state, w is near one and the first term of, is the dominant part of the current, which is a tunneling phenomenon. During the OFF state, w is near zero and the second term, has the dominant part of the current, which is similar to an ideal diode equation. The state variable differential equation is written as where a, m are constants, f(w) is the window function and m is an odd integer. And there is a nonlinear dependency on voltage. The IV characteristics of this model is shown in figure 3. Figure3: IV curve of non linear ion drift model with 2-window function (frequency=20MHz,source amplitude=1V, P_coeff=1, initial state=0.5, j=1, Alpha=2, Beta=9, C=0.01, g=4, n=13, q=13,a=4, w_multiplied=1, P_window_noise=1e-18) Figure 4: IV curve of simmons tunnel barrier model. (frequency=20MHz,source amplitude=0.003A, Ron=100ohm, Roff=2e5ohm, D=3e-9m, initial state=0.5, aon=2e-9,aoff =1.2e-9, ion=8.9e-6, ioff=115e-6,con=40e-6, coff=3.5e-6,b=500e-6,Xc=107e-12 w_multiplied=1e9, P_window_noise=1e-18) Simmons Tunnel Barrier Model Another model having more accuracy than previous discussed model was proposed in [14]. The assumptions of this new model includes non-linearity and asymmetric switching behavior because of an exponential dependency of movement of ionized dopants i.e. changes in state variable. Physical model of this type has a resistor in series with electron tunnel barrier. The simmons tunnel barrier width x, is the state variable. So the derivative of x can be represented as oxygen vacancy drift velocity, and is: where b, con, coff, ion, ioff, aon, aoff are known as fitting parameters. Con is always greater than coff and they both effect the magnitude of change of x. The parameters ioff and ion define the current threshold. Another parameter aoff and aon gives the upper and lower bounds of x respectively. Within the range defined, the derivative of state variable x, is significantly smaller than state variable itself. Therefore, there is no need of window function that is the biggest advantage of this model. According to the simmons tunnel model, the relation between voltage and current can be expressed as: Where V is applied voltage and v is internal voltage of the device (it is not necessary that both voltages are equal [15] ). Based on the fitting parameters, the IV characteristics curve of the simmons tunnel barrier model is shown in figure 4. TEAM Model Before 2013, it was claimed that Simmons Tunnel Barrier model is the most accurate memristor model but it too has some limitations of complication, unexplicit relation in voltage and current and is not in general. Therefore a model with accuracy and simpler expressions is the main demand. The TEAM ( Threshold Adaptive Memristor model) is proposed by Shahar Kvatinsky [16]. This is simple and general model, physically similar to predefined model. Some assumptions can be made for analysis and for computational efficiency. Based on assumptions, state variable derivative of this model is expressed as where aon,aoff, kon,and koff are constants (koff is positive and kon is negative). foff(x) and fon (x) are the window functions, depends on state variable x. by assuming the current voltage relation is same as memristance of memristor which changes linearly in x. Therefore, but if Simmons Tunnel Barrier model is assumed then memristance changes exponentially and given as where ÃŽ » is the fitting parameter. The parameter Ron and Roff are resistances at bound and satisfies By tuning different parameters of the model, the VI curve of this model is showm in figure11. According to [9], it is claimed that the accuracy of TEAM model is more enough having mean error of 0.2%. VTEAM Model Many experiments on memristive devices shown the existence of threshold voltage [2] [16] [17] instead of threshold current. Therefore, Shahar Kvatinsky designs the new model i.e. VTEAM model [10] (Voltage Threshold Adaptive Memristor model), contains threshold voltage. Another reason for the existence of this model is that a memristor exhibiting threshold voltage is more desirable than the threshold current in many applications of memory and logic [10]. The advantages of TEAM model (i.e. general, accurate, simple, designer friendly) combines with threshold voltage in spite of threshold current gives the VTEAM model. Similar to the state variable derivative of TEAM model, the state variable derivative of VTEAM model is where koff, kon ÃŽ ±off and ÃŽ ±on are constants. Parameters voff and von are threshold voltages. The window functions fon and foff defines the dependency of state variable derivative on state variable w. for VTEAM model, the current voltage relation is not properly defined but the linear dependency of state variable and resistance can be attained, from where current voltage relation is where woff and won gives bounds of state variable w. The curve for the IV relation of VTEAM memristor model is depicted as in figure 6. Figure 5: IV curve of TEAM model with 4-window type. (frequency=20MHz,source amplitude=0.003A, Ron=100ohm, Roff=2e5ohm, ÃŽ ¼v=10e-14m^2/Vs, D=10e-9m, P_coeff=2, initial state=0.5, j=1.5, aon=2.3e-9, aoff =1.2e-9, ion=-1e-6, ioff=1e-6, kon=-8e-13, koff=8e13, xon=0, xoff=3e-9, aon=3,aoff=3, Xc =107e-12 w_multiplied=1e9, P_window_noise=1e-18) Figure6: IV curve of VTEAM model without window function. (frequency=20MHz,source amplitude=1V, Ron=100ohm, Roff=2e5ohm, ÃŽ ¼v=10e-14m^2/Vs, D=10e-9m, P_coeff=2, initial state=0.5, j=1.5, aon=2e-9, aoff =1.2e-9, von=-0.2 voff=0.02, kon=-8e-13, koff=8e13, xon=0, xoff=3e-9, aon=3,aoff=3, Xc =107e-12 w_multiplied=1e9, P_window_noise=1e-18) COMPARISON Comparison of different models of memristor is listed in table1. Table 1: Comparison between diffent memristor models. CONCLUSION In this paper, different models of memristor- linear ion drift model, non linear ion drift model, simmons tunnel barrier model, TEAM model and VTEAM model are described. Moreover the VI characteristics of each model is simulated. The VI curve for VTEAM model is most efficient and desirable. Also VTEAM and TEAM models are simple, general and accurate. The VI characteristics of each model is implemented by using verilogA code [18] because of its effiency regarding computational time than SPICE model. REFERENCES L. O. 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