The Cystic Fibrosis Gene Essays (2506 words) - Cystic Fibrosis

The Cystic Fibrosis Gene Introduction: Cystic fibrosis is an inherited autosomal recessive disease that exerts its main effects on the digestive system and the lungs. This disease is the most common genetic disorder amongst Caucasians. Cystic fibrosis affects about one in 2,500 people, with one in twenty five being a heterozygote. With the use of antibiotics, the life span of a person afflicted with CF can be extended up to thirty years however, most die before the age of thirteen.1 Since so many people are affected by this disease, it's no wonder that CF was the first human genetic disease to be cloned by geneticists. In this paper, I will be focusing on how the cystic fibrosis gene was discovered while at the same time, discussing the protein defect in the CF gene, the bio-chemical defect associated with CF, and possible treatments of the disease. Finding the Cystic Fibrosis Gene: The classical genetic approach to finding the gene that is responsible for causing a genetic disease has been to first characterize the bio-chemical defect within the gene, then to identify the mutated protein in the gene of interest, and finally to locate the actual gene. However, this classical approach proved to be impractical when searching for the CF gene. To find the gene responsible for CF, the principle of "reverse genetics" was applied. Scientists accomplished this by linking the disease to a specific chromosome. After this linkage, they isolated the gene of interest on the chromosome and then tested its product.2 Before the disease could be linked to a specific chromosome, a marker needed to be found that would always travel with the disease. This marker is known as a Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism or RFLP for short. RFLP's are varying base sequences of DNA in different individuals which are known to travel with genetic disorders.3 The RFLP for cystic fibrosis was discovered through the techniques of Somatic Cell Hybridization and through Southern Blot Electrophoresis (gel separation of DNA). By using these techniques, three RFLP's were discovered for CF; Doc RI, J3.11, and Met. Utilizing in situ hybridization, scientists discovered the CF gene to be located on the long arm of chromosome number seven. Soon after identifying these markers, another marker was discovered that segregated more frequently with CF than the other markers. This meant the new marker was closer to the CF gene. At this time, two scientists named Lap-Chu Tsui and Francis Collins were able to isolate probes from the CF interval. They were now able to utilize to powerful technique of chromosome jumping to speed up the time required to isolate the CF gene much faster than if they were to use conventional genetic techniques.3 In order to determine the exact location of the CF gene, probes were taken from the nucleotide sequence obtained from chromosome jumping. To get these probes, DNA from a horse, a cow, a chicken, and a mouse were separated using Southern Blot electrophoresis. Four probes were found to bind to all of the vertebrate's DNA. This meant that the base pairs within the probes discovered contained important information, possibly even the gene. Two of the four probes were ruled out as possibilities because they did not contain open reading frames which are segments of DNA that produce the mRNA responsible for genes. The Northern Blot electrophoresis technique was then used to distinguish between the two probes still remaining in order to find out which one actually contained the CF gene. This could be accomplished because Northern Blot electrophoresis utilizes RNA instead of DNA. The RNA of cell types affected with CF, along with the RNA of unaffected cell types were placed on a gel. Probe number two bound to the RNA of affected cell types in the pancreas, colon, and nose, but did not bind to the RNA from non-affected cell types like those of the brain and heart. Probe number one did not bind exclusively to cell types from CF affected areas like probe number two did. From this evidence, it was determined that probe number two contained the CF gene. While isolating the CF gene and screening the genetic library made from mRNA (cDNA library), it was discovered that probe number two

Learn About the Associative Property in Math

Learn About the Associative Property in Math According to the associative property, the addition or multiplication of a set of numbers is the same regardless of how the numbers are grouped. The associative property will involve 3 or more numbers. The parenthesis indicates the terms that are considered one unit. The groupings (Associative Property) are within the parenthesis. Hence, the numbers are associated together. In multiplication, the product is always the same regardless of their grouping. The Associative Property is pretty basic to computational strategies. Remember, the groupings in the brackets are always done first, this is part of the order of operations. Addition Example of the Associative Property When we change the groupings of addends, the sum does not change:(2 5) 4 11 or 2 (5 4) 11(9 3) 4 16 or 9 (3 4) 16Just remember that when the grouping of addends changes, the sum remains the same. Multiplication Example of the Associative Property When we change the groupings of factors, the product does not change:(3 x 2) x 4 24 or 3 x (2 x 4) 24.Just remember that when the grouping of factors changes, the product remains the same. Think Grouping! Changing the grouping of addends does not change the sum, changing the groupings of factors, does not change the product. Simply put, regardless of whether you show 3 x 4 or 4 x 3, the final result is the same. In addition, 4 3 or 3 4, you know that the outcome is the same, the answer remains the same. However, this is NOT the case in subtraction or division so when you think of the associative property, remember that the final result or answer remains the same or its not the associative property. The understanding of the concept of associative property is much more important that the actual term associative property. Titles often confuse students and youll discover that youll ask what the associative property is, only to be returned with a blank look. However, if you say to a child something like If I change the numbers in my addition sentence, does it matter? In other words, can I say 5 3 and 3 5, will the child that understands say yes because its the same? When you ask if you can do this with subtraction, theyll laugh or tell you that you cant do that. So in essence, a child knows about the associative property which is really all that matters even though you may stump them when you ask for a definition of the associative property. Do I care that the definition escapes them? Not at all, if they indeed know the concept. Lets not trip our students up with labels and definitions when concept understanding is the key ingredient in math.

The Real Marketing Value of a Professional Book Cover

The Real Marketing Value of a Professional Book Cover Revealed: The Real Marketing Value of a Professional Book Cover Most self-published authors already understand the importance of great cover design. When it comes to marketing their book, the cover design is their primary sales tool, the face of their project, and the thing that can elevate them to a professional standard in the eyes of readers. But, if authors know this, why do so many still create their own book covers?Most often, it comes down to resources. Professionally designed book covers cost money (but not as much as you might think), and often, authors end up asking themselves: does a professional book cover actually get you more clicks and sales? The Professional Cover TestTo answer this question once and for all, we recently ran an experiment, in which self-published authors were invited to get their book covers re-designed by an experienced professional on Reedsy.Four titles from a range of genres were selected and entered into an A/B test: over the period of a week, we ran two Facebook ads for each book. Both ads were identical in every way - except for the cover image - and exposed to approximately 1,000 users from the same audience set. That way, we would discover how much the re-designed cover impacts the click-rate rate of an advert.On average, we saw a 35% increase in the marketability of books with professional covers.What does this mean? For each test, the professionally designed cover had a click-through rate that was 12.5–50% higher than their non-professional counterparts. Let’s take a quick look at each of the redesigns and let our designers explain their approaches.Once a Bridesmaid -   48% mo re clicksBuy The Fire Within on AmazonWhy do professional covers matter?An effective cover will get relevant readers responding to your ads and heading to your Amazon page. Once there, the design will communicate the tone and content of your book and get more (of the right) readers to buy or download it. This, in turn, improves your chances of positive reviews and ratings, which will send you up Amazon’s rankings, giving your book greater visibility, leading to even more downloads. More so than in most markets, self-publishing benefits heavily from the snowball effect.And we haven’t even touched on how your cover can be used for reader magnets  and crowdfunding campaigns!To see about maximize your book’s marketing potential, head over to the Reedsy Marketplace and request free quotes from over 200 experienced book designers with experience in almost every imaginable genre.Sign up for our free online marketing course and learn how to use Facebook advertising to market your own books.If you've had a re-design of your book cover - or if you've considered getting a professional cover but decided not to - share your thoughts in the comments below.

International business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International business management - Essay Example . For executives and entrepreneurs, the significance appears remarkably apparent: markets are rapidly being borderless; schemes that fail to recognize the integration of the global market place are shortsighted and misguided (Root, 1994, p. 27). Firms that maneuver in international marketplaces require to come up with the most critical resolutions while selecting the most appropriate method of entrance into a country. Arguably, Westhead et al (2002, p. 123) notes that organizations must decide on the most fitting entry strategy in order to optimize on resources. Globalization, as described by Wood and Robertson (2004, p. 143), facilitates and necessitates businesses to move to other international markets. However, before deciding on the entry mode, it is essential to understand the country’s economic, social and political institutions. ... 24-26). There exist diverse strategies of entry into an overseas market. Every strategy has its own disadvantages and advantages. Nonetheless, each company and organization selects a suitable mode of entry depending on the company background, temperament of the company, tactical aims over and above the resources available. In numerous instances, while deciding on the appropriate mode of entry a company experiences many problems and challenges such as environmental, safety, packaging, patents, labeling, copyrights and trademarks (Cateora & Graham, 2002, p. 124). This paper delineates the most appropriate foreign entry strategy for Coffee product. In addition, it attempts to clarify issues arising in the international market selection for the product. Entry Mode Root (1994) describes a market entry strategy as the planned method of delivering and distributing goods and services to a target market (p. 24). A market entry strategy maps out how an organization sells, delivers and distribu te its products in a foreign country. Westhead et al (2002, p. 65) notes that when an organization chooses to explore an international market, the selection of the most appropriate strategy is resolved by the company’s development stratagem. The chief objective of each firm is to institute itself in the international marketplace (Cateora & Graham, 2002, p. 134). For this reason, Westhead et al (2002, p. 145) notes that the procedure of deciding on the most appropriate entry mode necessitates instituting an effectual international promotion stratagem to point out the international chances, discover reserves and potentialities and make use of nucleus capabilities to adopt the international stratagems. The resolution on how to penetrate an overseas market has momentous effect on

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 Essay

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 - Essay Example The UK retail sector contributes 8% towards the country’s GDP which includes the UK retailers going overseas and expansion of e-commerce beyond the borders of the United Kingdom (Farfan, 2011). However, retailers in the UK face a huge challenge as they struggle to cope with the sudden deterioration in consumer demand and willingness to purchase. This report presents an in-depth analysis of the key factors that influence the development of the retail sector while evaluating which sectors offer the most potential. 2. Overview of the retail sector 2.1 Top retailers - UK The top four retailers in the UK include Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury and together they account for about 80% of the retail food sales in the UK (Farfan, 2011). Even though recession impacted the individual retail chains, there were not many substantial changes in the largest retail UK chains. The largest retail chains held their ranking order because there were no changes observed. Two major changes that occurred in 2011 in the UK retailing industry were that the apparel retailer Arcadia group and department store Debenhams lost their spots in the World’s largest retailing list completely. ... 2.2 Causes of decline in consumer shopping The retail sector witnessed a healthy start to 2011 as figures showed that sales on high street were up 9% year-on-year which provided a new boost to the British mid-market retailers (Sillitoe, 2011). Fashion sales, non-fashion trading and homeware sales had all witnessed growth in sales. However, the economic and survey data suggest a slowdown in activity, which poses a challenge for the UK retail sector. Following the recession the economic growth has been slow which reflects the weak consumer sector and the rising unemployment. The economy is expected to grow by 2.0% in 2012 but the retail sector continues to be grim (Retail Economics, 2011). Consumer spending had fallen for four consecutive quarters before September 2011. Consumer spending in the second quarter of 2011 declined by 1.7% compared with the same period last year. Real disposable incomes have been affected due to high levels of inflation and low earnings growth. Besides, taxe s have been imposed and benefits cut, which further affects the household disposable income. Fears about job security and personal finances have contributed to low consumer spending. The consumer spending is expected to slow down further as consumer debt rises, assisted by rising interest rates and inflation (Prospects, 2012) and stagnant wage growth and rising unemployment (Leach, 2011). House prices and job security also affect how people shop. Consumer confidence has waned because people will shop only if they feel optimistic about the situation. When they lack confidence in their own financial security, naturally the spending will be reduced. There has been a slow growth in the retail sector as the operating costs and the cost of credit have risen. The

Free Essay on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide - Mother Teresa :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Mother Teresa's Little Sisters and Euthanasia In this essay we see Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Little Sisters of the Poor responding to the Europena Parliament's pro-euthanasia measure. In their response is found an insight into death which the Western world lacks. The Little Sisters are knowledgeable from personal experience with the many whom they have seen die. They are also firmly rooted in a strong religious tradition. Both of these considerations make their advice the very best one can hear in the euthanasia debate. "How can the Little Sisters of the Poor, in the service of the elderly, not be concerned about the passing of the principle of euthanasia by a Commission in the European Parliament? We feel that the confusion caused by the text pertaining to the use of extraordinary means to prolong life, palliative care and euthanasia can easily mislead an uninformed public. Yet behind these extremely complicated phrases, the thought is clear: to give doctors the right to satisfy the request for euthanasia, that is to say, to take a person's life. Human dignity does not consist in being able to choose the time of one's death, but in being aware of the fact that one's basic right is the right of respect for life, of respect for human dignity"(Little) The Little Sisters have 150 years of experience in accompanying the elderly up until the end of their lives, and by this experience they are authorized to make known to the public what they have seen and learned. Since their foundation, 17,080 Little Sisters have lived with the dying, and today they are in 30 countries on six continents, with 74 homes in France and Belgium, First World nations. So the dear sisters have expertise with the dying of both the Third World and our world. Making the elderly happy, that is what counts!" Mother Teresa used to say, encouraging the Little Sisters to attain this goal by employing means adapted to each person, to his/her possibilities, tastes, past life, health, etc. Making the elderly happy means believing in the value of their life, and the Little Sisters are witnesses of the extraordinary resources of the elderly. Having a center of interest, doing something they like to do, feeling useful, being able to take initiatives, to communicate, to form friendships, maintaining a facilitated relationship with the family, having contacts with youth: these are factors which provide joy and happiness.

Cognitive Theory Detailed Outline

* Cognitive Theory Outline I. Theory: Cognitive Theory (CT) a. Key Concepts: i. The way a person’s mind collects and categorizes information is built into schemas. Those schemas help build associations with future thoughts, emotions and behaviors, as they determine how we categorize an experience. Schemas influence our recall of an experience (good or bad), our emotion (positive or negative), and our behavior (acceptance or avoidance), and how we relate it mentally to similar new situations that we encounter.If the schemas that are built within are faulty, they can cause a domino effect of inappropriate thoughts, emotions and behaviors until the faulty view is challenged and the old schema is replaced with a new one. ii. The most primitive schema houses our automatic thoughts. iii. Automatic thought can be visual or verbal. Other characteristics of the three types of automatic thought show that it; (1)is distorted, yet occurs although no evidence exists to support the distorte d thought (ex.Telling yourself you are the worst person in the world and believing it); (2) is a correct automatic thought, but the conclusion the patient draws isn’t (ex: I failed the test, so that means I’m stupid); or (3) is an accurate thought, but still dysfunctional (It will take me all night to finish his project! The behaviors associated with this thought becoming overwhelming and cause anxiety, which lessens the concentration and work output) (Murdock, 2009, p. 318). iv.Automatic thoughts are coexistent with our deeper thinking thoughts, as they are quick snapshots of thought that come about spontaneously without any reflective thought (Murdock, 2009, p. 318). v. CT Theory doesn’t believe that humans are innately good or bad, but rather neutral, whereby humans are seen as â€Å"organisms adapting to the environment† (Murdock, 2009, p. 319). vi. â€Å"CT assumes both an external, objective reality and a personal, subjective, phenomenological oneà ¢â‚¬  (Murdock, 2009, p. 319). vii. CT is most a â€Å"theory of psychological dysfunction† (Murdock, 2009, p. 319). viii.Murdock (2009) provides that Clark and Beck concluded that â€Å"cognitive processes evolved to enhance adaptation to the environment, and hence, survival (p. 319). ix. In CT, the â€Å"basic needs of humans are thought to be preservation, reproduction, dominance, and sociability’ (Murdock, 2009, p. 320). x. The cognitive model says that perception determines emotions and behavior. xi. Three types of cognitive processes that individuals have are; automatic (can be innate- suited to preservation and survival); conscious (the actual act of thinking), and metacognitive (an examination of how we think). ii. â€Å"Two kinds of cognitions are important in CT: core beliefs and assumptions, roles and attitudes† (Murdock, 2009, p. 323). xiii. CT theory asserts that human functioning is a product of what you learn and genetics. xiv. Recently, two ty pes of temperaments have been presented within the theory- autonomy and sociotrophy. Autonomous people strive towards mastery and control and rated self-worth and achievement without regard to others, while sociotrophic people rank themselves against others in terms of worth.These types approach thinking, and life differently based on their perspectives, therefore they feel and react differently. xv. CT recognizes that people can be illogically functional, meaning that you can function even if you have illogical beliefs, i. e. , someone who is functionally depressed. xvi. Issues are born in how an individual constructs his or her reality, which is based on â€Å"innate, biological, developmental, and environmental† factors (Murdock, 2009, p. 327). b. Key Theorists: xvii. Aaron Beck is the key theorist for Cognitive Theory.He also recognizes other cognitive theorists as influences, including Magna Arnold, George Kelly, and Albert Bandana. c. Appropriate Populations for the The ory: xviii. Appropriate populations for this theory may be those that need anger management, are suffering from depression, bipolar disease, manic depressives, substance abuse disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenics, personality disorders, and social phobias; Western populations, Chinese and other Asian populations . Inappropriate Populations for the Theory (Explain why. ) xix. Possibly some non-Western cultures, Latinos, Asians, American Indians, those that are highly spiritual, Indian populations, and those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered may experience challenges with regard to this therapeutic approach. e. Therapist’s Role: xx.The therapist is to assess the client’s thoughts, get a full psychological evaluation, examine client cognition to bring awareness to client as a means for improving cognitive thinking (by asking questions that lead the client to arrive at a counselor predetermined destination, thus giving them ownership and responsibility), help the client make specific goals, analyze those goals from a CT prospective, develop a cognitive plan for clients, and teach the CT model. f.Client’s Role: xxi. The client is to establish goals for therapy, remain independent throughout the process, learn and implement the CT model and remain active and engaged in the therapeutic services. xxii. The client is a student who collaborates with the therapist, and eventually, leads therapy as sessions show proof of the client’s growth. g. Theory Strengths: xxiii. This theory’s roots â€Å"lie in both behavioral and psychoanalytic approaches† (Murdock, 2009, p. 319). xiv. CT is â€Å"structured active, collaborative, and psychoeducational† and â€Å"emphasizes a scientific approach† (Murdock, 2009, p. 332). xxv. â€Å"The goals of CT are to identify and change faulty information processing and to modify beliefs that support psychological dysfunction to ones that are more adaptive† (Murdock, 2009, p. 333). Rebuilding or rewiring thought processes as they relate to primal schemas should allow the individual to present with more adaptive behavior. xvi. Cognitive and behavioral techniques are used in CT. Some of those techniques include; questioning (socratic, or leading questions), downward arrow (diagram of thoughts, starting with those close to the surface and moving down to the core), thought recording (journal worksheet), behavioral environments (choosing behaviors that challenge faulty beliefs- ex: if you say I never have fun, choose to start oing things that you think would be fun), activity scheduling (build a calendar that keeps client engaged in life), graded tasks (breaking bigger tasks into smaller ones as to not be overwhelmed), problem solving, imagery (replacing negative images, or turning them off by interrupting the associated thought), role-playing (or behavior reversal). h. Theory Limitations: xxvii. The length of time can be considered a limitation of CT, as it is typically a short term intervention (Murdock, 2009, p. 332). xxviii.Change in schemas may need more time to occur than suggested in CT, specifically if the dysfunction resides in a core schema structure. xxix. The theory is difficult to use, as it may be harder to locate the root issues built within the deeper schemas. xxx. CT ignores the client’s emotion and history in favor of his thinking (Murdock, 2009, p. 343). i. Key Terms (Write a short definition for each. ): xxxi. Cognitive Therapy describes systems that highlight awareness and understanding of dysfunctions to bring about interventions and changes in the way people think, react, feel and behave. xxii. â€Å"Schemas are cognitive structures that organize the barrage of information with which we are constantly confronted† (Murdock, 2009, p. 320) xxxiii. Stereotype threat is â€Å"the anxiety aroused by the prospective risk of believing and confirming a negativ e stereotype about yourself because you belong to a group that has been negatively stereotyped â€Å"(ex: poor people are uneducated) (Murdock, 2009, p. 322). xxxiv. Core beliefs are stored within our schemas, and contain our most basic, fundamental beliefs, and are therefore the hardest to modify. xxv. Immediate beliefs are â€Å"assumptions, rules and attitudes† about what â€Å"should† and â€Å"must† be (Murdock, 2009, p. 323). xxxvi. Simple schemas involve â€Å"physical objects or very distinct, simple, ideas, such as dogs, books, computers and so forth† (Murdock, 2009, p. 323). xxxvii. Automatic thoughts are spontaneous assessments or pictures that exist along with our more conscious, deeper thoughts (Murdock, 2009, p. 323). xxxviii. The mode is defined as â€Å"networks of cognitive, affective, motivational, and ehavioral schemas that compose personality and interpret ongoing situations† (Murdock, 2009, p. 324). xxxix. The conscious contro l system is responsible for metacognition and intentional behavior, such as that based on personal goals and values (Murdock, 2009, p. 324). xl. Primal modes promote preservation, survival, reproduction, and sociability. (Murdock, 2009, p. 324). 1. There are four types are primal modes; threat, loss, victim (evolved to protect and preserve survival) and self-enhancement (helps the person adapt) (Murdock, 2009, p. 24). xli. Primary modes that are dysfunctional are caused by changes in environmental factors. Those changes caused a reaction in the individual which may present as a person with dysfunctional thinking. xlii. Constructive modes help you build through the experiences you encounter as you live. â€Å"They are associated with positive emotions and adaptive characteristics and include (a) the capacity for intimacy, (b) personal mastery, (c) creativity, and (d) independence† (Murdock, 2009, p. 25). xliii. Minor modes are conscious and narrowly â€Å"focused on everyday life situations, such as reading, writing, social interaction, athletic activities† (Murdock, 2009, p. 325). xliv. Photoschemas are â€Å"inmate patterns that interact with experience to develop the modes†, as the modal theory explains (Murdock, 2009, p. 326). xlv. Health is â€Å"information processing that allows the individual to meet his goals of survival, reproduction, and sociability† (Murdock, 2009, p. 327). xlvi.Cognitive triad is the â€Å"depressive’s negative views towards the self, the world, and the future† (ex: I’m a bad person, the world caused me to be this way, and we’re all going to hell. ) (Murdock, 2009, p. 328). j. Is this theory research based? Evidenced based? (Justify your rationale. ) xlvii. This theory is research based, as Murdock shares that â€Å"Cognitive Therapy is perhaps that most well-researched counseling approach in existence, with an overwhelming amount of empirical support for its effectiveness wi th a variety of client problems. She also notes that the â€Å"evidence for the theoretical assumptions and structure is less impressive† (Murdock, 2009, p. 344). k. Special training requirements: xlviii. This therapy requires the therapist to be culturally aware and sensitive the client’s needs. Reference Murdock, N. L. (2009). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: a case approach (2nd Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.