The Ethics of Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Papers

The Ethics of Gene Therapy Francis Crick was quoted as saying, "We used to think that our fate was in our stars. Now we know that, in large measure, our fate is in our genes." Over 40 years ago, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). From this a new technique has evolved called gene therapy. Gene therapy was discovered in the 1980’s a few years after researchers were already able to isolate specific genes from DNA. These techniques matured from the massive surge of ideas generated during the Recombinant DNA (rDNA) era. Gene therapy is basically the repairing of genes to correct for diseases that result from a loss or change in our genetic material. It is hard to comprehend the total effects of gene therapy, because we do not know if it should really be used? Who does it really benefit? And ultimately people can easily contemplate how it affects him or herself and their family. Therefore, to understand gene therapy some technical aspects need to be discuss ed. Technical aspects DNA is present in the nucleus of cells and is the genetic information of all organisms. The information of a human genome could be thought of in terms as an "encyclopedia", the 23 chromosome pairs would be "chapters", each gene a "sentence", three letter words "codons", which are spelled by each letter a "molecular nucleotide"--adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) (Elmer-Dewitt, 1994). A gene acts as a blueprint and if these were blueprints for a house and the measurements were off by a foot, it has a huge influence on its total structure. This is the same for our bodies, if a slight alteration in our genetic information occurs like a mutation this could lead to a disease. D... ...tad. 1991. Principles of genetics. 8th ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Gorman, C. 9 Oct 1995. Has gene therapy stalled? Time p. 62-63. Henderson, C.W. 5 May 1997. Researchers use gene therapy to protect human cell from HIV. AIDS Weekly Plus p. 16-17. Henderson, C.W. 5 May 1997. Hopkins researchers complete human gene therapy trial of kidney cancer vaccine. Cancer Weekly p. 29-30. Keenan, J.F. 20 Oct 1990. Human gene therapy: and ethical advance? America p. 262-263. Macer, D.R.J. Shaping genes: ethics, law and science of using new genetic technology in medicine and agriculture. Obtained from the WWW:http://www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~macer/SG14.html Meiser, C. Medical ethics symposium on gene therapy. Obtained from the WWW:http://shsaa.org/Spectator/94n5/5gene.html Mulligan, R.C. 1993. The basic science of gene therapy. Science 260:926-932.

King Lear/Inferno

Paper Assignment #2 (Inferno / King Lear) Both Shakespeare’s King Lear and Dante’s Inferno explore the reasons for and results of human suffering. Both works postulate that human suffering comes as a result of choices that are made. That statement is not only applicable to the characters in each of the works, but also to the readers. The Inferno and King Lear speak universal truths about the human condition: that suffering is inevitable and unavoidable.While both King Lear and the Inferno concentrate on the admonitions and lamentations of human suffering, there is one key difference between the works: the Inferno has an aspect of hope that is not present in King Lear. The unavoidable aspect of human suffering is depicted brilliantly by Shakespeare in King Lear. Seemingly insignificant choices that King Lear makes throughout the play end up completely changing his life for the worse. Not only does Lear lose his kingdom, but he also loses his family and his home.His situa tion is only made worse by him not recognizing his fault in his own actions. Lear’s lack of responsibility when it comes to his own problems is best described by Kent: â€Å"It is the stars, the stars above us govern our conditions† (Shakespeare 101). Kent and Lear blame all of their suffering on the will of a higher being, neglecting that their own actions brought them to a place where they have to suffer. By not recognizing his responsibility in the events that are happening to him, Lear causes more strife for himself and those around him.He continues to make the same mistakes like falling victim to Regan and Goneril’s flattery and ignoring Cordelia’s wise words. In addition, Lear was constantly advised by the Fool and Kent not to make such poor choices. Lear’s own stubbornness prevented him from seeing the wisdom in the Fool’s words. Similarly, in the Inferno, Capaneus is a man whose punishment comes as a result of his own defiance. Capan eus was told that his fate would be to almost conquer a city, but fail. Capaneus fought against his fate and defied it, but he ended up in Hell all the same.Capaneus became his own punishment: â€Å"no torment other than your rage itself could punish your gnawing pride more perfectly† (Dante 198). Both Lear and Capaneus show excessive pride and stubbornness throughout their respective works, and fail to see their own faults. They were forewarned about their punishments, yet they continued down the path that would bring them the most suffering. Even though suffering is an inevitable part of living and there is no path in life that does not include some sort of suffering, these two men chose the ones that would bring them the most pain.The Inferno is a tale of cautionary advice. In each circle, Dante the pilgrim speaks to one of the shades that reside there and the readers learn how and why the damned have become the damned. As Dante learns from the mistakes of the damned, so d o the readers. And as Dante feels the impacts of human suffering, so do the readers. Virgil constantly encourages Dante the pilgrim to learn why the shades are in Hell and what were their transgressions while on Earth. This work’s purpose is to educate the reader.The work’s assertions on the nature of human suffering are mostly admonition, with each shade teaching Dante the pilgrim and by extension the reader not to make the same mistakes. Dante views his journey through hell as a learning experience and that is why he made it out alive. King Lear shows an extreme of human suffering. While there is some foreshadowing to the tragic end of the play and some reproof is given, the play mostly focuses on the lamentations of the characters. Edmund laments being born a â€Å"bastard† and the circumstances surrounding his birth.He believes that it is in his â€Å"nature† to be subversive, evil, and manipulative. Yet, unlike Lear, Edmund does not place the blame o f his unfortunate life on the stars: â€Å"I should have been that I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing† (Shakespeare 20). Edmund does, however, blame society for his actions, which is just as harmful as Lear blaming the stars. If anything, this play illustrates that as humans we are completely responsible for our actions and that our own suffering is a consequence of poor judgments.Both the Inferno and King Lear depict the horrific aspects of human suffering, but there is one key difference. There is a complete absence of hope in King Lear and it shows in the tragic ending of the play. Not only do most of the characters die, but also none of them achieve redemption or are able to achieve forgiveness for their actions (with the exception of Edmund). King Lear makes a discouraging statement about humanity and the extent of human suffering: that suffering is a perpetual aspect of human life and it cannot be overcome: â€Å"We that are you ng shall never see so much, nor live so long† (Shakespeare 142).This statement made by Edgar shows the hopelessness of the circumstances Edgar, Albany, and Kent have found themselves in at the end of King Lear. In the Inferno, Dante walks through Hell, literally, and comes out on the other side alive, something that no one else has been able to achieve. Dante the pilgrim and Dante the poet saw the worst of humanity and have been able to come out of the experience with hope: â€Å"I saw the lovely things the heavens hold, and we came out to see once more the stars† (Dante 383).This observation at the end of the Inferno by Dante shows that he still believes that there is good in the world and that human suffering is not all there is to life and death. Dante the poet also maintains the reader’s hope throughout the work by showing that Dante the pilgrim made it through hell: â€Å"But I remained†¦ to tell about without more evidence† (Dante 328). The Infe rno makes a powerful statement about humanity and human suffering by adding an aspect of hope to the work: even though human suffering is inevitable and unavoidable, there is hope and suffering can be overcome.Both the Inferno and King Lear have aspects of desperation, but the final tone of the works illustrates their differences. King Lear and the Inferno are both tales of human suffering that explore the depth and width of suffering. However, even though they both state that human suffering is inevitable and unavoidable, there is levity in the Inferno that is completely absent in King Lear. The final message of King Lear is the pervasiveness of human suffering and that one’s choices not only cause one’s own suffering, but can cause the suffering of others. King Lear ends on a note of eternal sadness.Inferno’s final message is a much more hopeful one: one can be touched by human suffering and one can experience human suffering, but that does not mean that all h ope is lost. In the Inferno, suffering is just one aspect of the human experience, not the only aspect, and it does not have to define one’s life. Overall these works tell us about the unpleasant, yet necessary, parts of the human experience that will affect everyone at some point in their lives, but it is how we handle human suffering that matters most. Works Cited Dante. Inferno. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print.

Cslrm Computerized Cashiering System

INTRODUCTION : INTRODUCTION Deals in all the requirements needed for managing the library. Process of maintaining data about books, transactions such as issue and return. The user need not visit the library every time to find an item; instead, he/she can search items from his/her own PC/laptop Slide 3: Transaction taking place in the library Study Objective : Study Objective Changing the present library management system of Shoolini University to Online LiMS. To reach the objective of efficient learning and studying in the University. To keep online record of the transactions and utilize human resources in an efficient and matured way.System Study : System Study Present Library System : Present Library System The library is managed by the librarian accompanied with 4 to 5 members’ staff. Library cards to the students as well as the teacher. Issue of the book done by the staff member of the library through the library card. Record of the transactions of books is maintained in w ritten and kept with the librarian. Drawbacks of present system : Drawbacks of present system Provides the facility of books only during the working hours of the University. The record keeping can create problems while maintaining.Record of the receipt of the new books is kept in written which can create problem in handling it. Workload to the staff members and no use of human resources. Proposed SystEm(eLibrary) : Proposed SystEm(eLibrary) A person should be able to: login to the system through the first page of the application. see the status of the books/journals borrowed/reserved. search for a particular book/journal. cancel the reservation made earlier for a particular book/journal Automatic mails should be sent to the users about the expiry of due dates for the books/journals borrowed by them.Login of the member : Issue of the books : Return of the books : Advantages of the Online LiMS : Advantages of the Online LiMS A 24-hour library management. Students according to their ne eds get the books issued and in case they are unable to return the book, they can immediately extend the date of return. Maintenance of the books becomes easy for the staff. The transactions are maintained online. Students as well as teachers can search for any book, magazine, Journal, member etc. Overview of the system : Overview of the system Must be introduced with :Must be introduced with Logon Capabilities: The system shall provide the users with logon capabilities. Mobile Devices The Online Library System is also supported on mobile devices such as cell phones. Alerts The system can alert the Librarian or the administrator in case of any problems. METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES USED : METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES USED Various methods used for making the project are: Microsoft Office Word : – For report making Microsoft Office PowerPoint : – For making the presentation Internet Explorer : – For gathering information Questionnaires I.For Teachers II. For Students The main aim of the project is the management of the database of the pharmaceutical shop. This is done by creating a database of the available medicines in the shop. The database is then connected to the main program by using interconnection of the Visual Basic program and the database already created. This program can be used in any pharmaceutical shops having a database to maintain. The software used can generate reports, as per the user's requirements. The software can print invoices, bills, receipts etc.It can also maintain the record of supplies sent in by the supplier CASHIERING AND STUDENT ACCOUNT SYSTEM Colegio de San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila is currently using a manual way of recording, computing and storing the accounts of the students. The basic information of the student which includes the name, address course and year is written in the green form as well as the subjects that the students is going to enroll and the total assessment for the tuition fees. The cashier will copy t he name of the student, the course and year and the current school year and the total assessment and the initial payment to the index card.Before the student can take the examinations, the student needs to acquire examination permit from the cashier. To acquire examination permit, the student will have to pay his/her tuition fee every grading period. Paying the tuition fee is a burden both the students and the cashier due to the current manual system. The cashier will have to look the index card where the account of the student is written. Since it written in the index card, it takes lots of take to get the record of a particular student.Once the cashier found the index card, the cashier will write the payment received from the students to update the account. This is done using a calculator. Using manual computation sometimes causes an error. At the end of the day, the cashier will have to make a list and summary of the total collection of tuition fees. This is another difficult tas k to handle using manual system especially if there as lots of transactions that needs to be summarized. The summary of the collection will be submitted to the admin for verification.

The Crucible2 essays

The Crucible2 essays In The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692, by Arthur Miller, the character of Reverend Parris displays hypocrisy. Priest are generally considered good, honest people, but Parris lies to the community, he puts his ministry in front of his daughters life, and tries to help himself before helping the community. Even when Parriss daughter is sick and he is unsure what is wrong with her, he puts himself and his job before her. When he is trying to get Abigail to tell the truth he says I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministrys at stake, my ministry and perhaps your cousins life. (Act I.) In that quote, he throws in the part about Betty at the end like it has no importance compared to the fact that his ministrys at stake. Earlier he says to Abigail If you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. Then he continues Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?(Act I.) Throughout Act One, Parris makes it obvious that the faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit is the only thing he can think of and is more important then anything else at that time. This is the opposite of what most people would expect from someone titled Reverend. Besides putting himself before his daughter, Parris also puts himself before the community. In Act One, he complains about his salary and the house. Proctor says that he is the first minister to demand the deed to this house. When Parris doesnt get his way he tries to make them feel guilty by saying things like the church will burn in Hell for not being obedient. In Act Four, after he had wanted the hangings, he makes up excuses not to hang them. He says if Mr. Hale gets any of them to confess then it surely damns...

Biography of Inventor Jacob Perkins

Biography of Inventor Jacob Perkins Jacob Perkins  was an American  inventor,  mechanical engineer, and  physicist. He was responsible for a variety of important inventions, and made significant developments in the field of anti-forgery currency. Jacob Perkins Early Years Perkins was born in Newburyport, Mass., on July 9, 1766, and died in London on July 30, 1849. He had a goldsmith  apprenticeship during his early years and soon made himself known with a variety of useful mechanical inventions. He  eventually had 21 American and 19 English  patents. He is known as the father of the refrigerator. Perkins  was elected a Fellow of the  American Academy of Arts and Sciences  in 1813.   Perkins Inventions In 1790, when Perkins was just 24, he developed machines for cutting and heading nails. Five years later, he earned a patent for his improved nail machines and started a nail manufacturing business in  Amesbury, Massachusetts. Perkins invented the bathometer (measures the depth of water)  and  the  pleometer  (measures the speed at which a vessel moves through the water). He also invented an early version of the refrigerator  (really an  ether  ice machine). Perkins  improved steam engines (radiator for use with hot water central heating - 1830) and made improvements to guns. Perkins also invented  a method of plating shoe-buckles. Perkins Engraving Technology Some of Perkins greatest developments involved engraving.  He started a printing business with an engraver named Gideon Fairman. They first engraved school books, and also made currency that was not being forged. In 1809, Perkins bought the stereotype technology (prevention of counterfeit bills) from Asa Spencer, and registered the patent, and then employed Spencer. Perkins made several important innovations in printing technology, including new steel engraving plates. Using these plates he made the first known steel engraved USA books. He then made currency for a Boston Bank, and later for the National Bank. In 1816 he set up a printing shop and bid on the printing of currency for the  Second National Bank  in Philadelphia. Perkins Work with Anti-ForgeryBank Currency His top-notch American bank currency received  attention from the  Royal Society  who were busy addressing the massive problem of forged  English bank notes. In 1819, Perkins and Fairman went to England to try to win the  £20,000 reward for notes that could not be forged. They pair showed sample notes to the  Royal Society  president Sir  Joseph Banks. They set up shop in England, and spent months on example currency, still on display today. Unfortunately for them, Banks thought that unforgeable also implied that the inventor should be English by birth. Printing English notes ultimately proved a success and was carried out by Perkins in partnership with the English engraver-publisher Charles Heath and his associate Fairman. Together they formed the partnership  Perkins, Fairman and Heath which was later renamed when his son-in-law, Joshua Butters Bacon, bought out Charles Heath and the company was then known as  Perkins, Bacon.  Perkins Bacon  provided banknotes for many banks and foreign countries with  postage stamps.  Stamp production started for the British government in 1840 with stamps that incorporated an anti-forgery measure. Perkins Other Projects Also concurrently, Jacobs brother ran the American printing business, and they made money on important fire safety patents. Charles Heath and Perkins worked together and independently on some concurrent projects.

Concept of Representation in Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Concept of Representation in Diplomacy - Essay Example In the past, literature in the field of diplomacy has defined representation in various ways, some of which are even conflicting when it comes to its role in international relations in contemporary and future society. However, the importance of diplomatic representation in diplomacy would depend on the meaning attributed to this concept. As a result, the relevance of diplomatic representation has become the centre of a major debate about the importance of diplomacy in a fast evolving world. It's hard for us to picture what ancient diplomacy was all about. However, the diplomacy in the Greek and Roman civilizations was intermittent and generated no permanent in situations.1 (Hamilton and Langhorne 995: 7) "In order to dispense with diplomacy, that is with the methods used by independent governments to work out their own relations with one another, mankind would either have to let independent governments exist without the diplomatic dialogue, or else dispense with independence and 'sovereign states' altogether. They would not be able to conclude peace settlements or treaties with their neighbours, for such settlements are the essence of diplomacy. Each would have to stand alone against a more powerful and aggressive neighbour. They would not be able to get into touch with one another, to band together or form leagues and alliances for mutual protection."2 (Watson 1991:22) THE EVOLUTION OF REPRESENTATION IN DIPLOMACY In the ancient days, representation was not so strong in diplomacy. Niccolo Machiavelli was a great ruler of his time. He is quite famous for his political theory. However, little is known about his reflections on diplomacy. Machiavelli emerged when diplomacy just began its transformation that saw the creation of resident embassies. (Berridge 2001:7-8) In order for us to assess the role of diplomacy in today's world, some scholars argue that residential bilateral diplomacy is gradually becoming irrelevant. However, other scholars continue to uphold this type of diplomacy. These debates have been initiated by the changes that are occurring in the international system. Some scholars believe that the practice of diplomacy needs to adjust in order to adapt to the new environment, meanwhile others feel that the traditional methods still the answer the question today. (Berridge 2001:136) In the past, debates over globalization and global governance claimed that the role of governments decline over the years. But that hasn't happened. We are now witnessing different trends that prove this argument wrong. There is still much government participation in the ways in which government agencies operate. The structures of contemporary diplomacy now operate in such a way that they do not only go out to articulate the international goals and policies of the state. Today's diplomatic structures also tend to represent components of the increasing network of global governance. The transformations in the structures of diplomacy strongly depict the ways in which governments are responding to the changes in the international system. (Manojlovic and Thorheim 2007:12) Changes in the practice of diplomacy began with the introduction of the principle of self-determination, and then later proceeded into the era of

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 18

Project management - Essay Example I could not concentrate long enough to think of any contribution to make to the group and I even forgot the basic steps of the theory which we had been taught to act as a guide. My group members however came to my rescue and did all the work at this stage. I cannot up to date be able to explain how the process of strategizing took place exactly and even had to read about it later on in order to understand and be able to move onto the next step (Kendrick, 2010). The strategizing part was not over yet as we had to continue with additional planning which mostly dealt with marketing planning and strategizing on the different ways to campaign. This involved a lot of team work to brainstorm the perfect ideas for marketing campaign which would gain the maximum support and attract the target group was hoping to attract at that time. The fact I had a little previous knowledge in marketing was a huge contribution to the group and to this stage in our project (Levine, 2002). There had to be recruitment and training which was still our responsibility and this was really stressful to find over twenty members of staff who had the right qualification, right energy and determination to work in the project and who shared the same enthusiasm and willingness to spend long hours even without pay working for the success of the project. This process took longer than was expected or even accounted for in our timeline and hence affected the whole project despite the fact that we rushed some of the steps such as budgeting (Termini, 2009). The budgeting step was my area of specialty as I am good at approximation of costs and making mini budgets for personal reasons. I therefore was confident about assisting the team in this step and since we knew what we wanted and where we would get them from in terms of materials, the budgeting stage was smooth. This taught me that having prior