Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Aggression in Humans Essay

There are many different reason why a person may act aggressively towards other human being. The person may act this way because of his background or the way he/she was brought up in life. A person does not; act this way based on natural feeling alone. Is more like a melded, learned behavior. A human being must have both environmental and instinctual factors in order to show aggression. Some of a person’s natural instincts are to desire food, reject some things, escape from danger, fight in a dangerous situations or when challenged. As well also sex desire, care for the young, control, and to accept substandard status. This combination of both instincts and environment determines a person’s behavior and actions throughout life. This is based on the theory that everything human beings do would have to be learned from other human beings. Aggression must be learned as we grow. It is not just simply there from the moment of birth. A person behavior is something that is taught to him rather than being an unmanageable instinct. For example, a newborn baby is breathing because it is an uncontrolled reaction. But on the other hand, a father may tell his young son to beat up the school buly who is picking on him. As a result, the boy is dealing with the situation by using violence. In order for a human being to display aggression, violence and anger, it must be driven by an instinct interacting with that person’s surroundings. The word instinct is defined as â€Å"an inherited or innate psycho-physical disposition which determines its possessor to perceive, and to pay attention to, objects of a certain class, to experience an emotional excitement of a particular quality upon perciving such an object, and to act in regard to its particular manner, or, at least, to experience an impulse to such action.† This definition, explains that people have different reactions for different situations they are put in. Therefore, an individual is expected to act a certain way when he is encouraged to do so from his surrounding environment. For example, an Eskimo does not have an inborn instinct that allows him to survive in his climate. He has to work with his people in order to survive when he is at a very young age. Furthermore, when people are brought up in a society, they learn a certain way of life and traditions. These customs are usually taught to them because it’s part of their society’s way of life, even if some of the customs may be brutal and horrible to others. For example, cannibalism is distasteful to us, but in some prehistoric cultures, to eat an enemy is to gain his or her strength. This aggressive behavior was taught to the people of this culture and is the cause for its existence. People need to have contact with aggressiveness in society in order to act aggressive. For example, there was a tribe in New Guinea, who were violent warriors that were always fighting and killing each other. The children of these people learned this aggressive act from their parents and then acted in the same way. A parent’s method of child rearing has a huge impact on the child’s aggression. For example my own brother found a way, which will convince my parents to buy him what he wants. All he has to do is cry and if he doesn’t get what he wants he will start smashing, kicking and throwing thinks that he find around him. Moreover, when a group of people are isolated, their behavior does not change unless they interact with other people. There was tribe made up of a group of people who were completely isolated fro the rest of the world. They did not show any signs of aggression due to the fact that they had no words for weapon, aggression, anger or war. All they did was gathering food. So the tribe and had no use for weapons. The tribe only used knives and other things that might be thought as weapons or tools to gather food. They even rejected the spear, the bow and arrow because they could not use them to gather food. There could not been anything in their genetic makeup that made them act in an aggressive or peaceful manner. This was just their way of life that was taught from generation to generation, to gather food which was needed to survive. The source of human aggression lies in factors such as society and culture. Aggression is a learned emotion that is built up on different factors in a person’s surrounding environment. It the combination of environment, society and culture that creates aggressive behavior. It is the person’s instincts that are the basis for the three. While one tribe is a peaceful group of people, and the other a group of aggressive warriors. Both of the tribes had  the ability for aggression and peaceful life but it was their environment, society and culture that have driven them to choose totally opposite paths.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Environment Influences Essay

There is a belief among experts that everyone is born as a blank slate. We do not know anything about the world and those around us and we spend our childhood years learning, emulating, adjusting, and finally creating our individual personas based on these experiences. Now the main question being asked by the other experts these days is â€Å"Does the environment influence people?† The environment has an effect on a person in more ways than one can fare imagine. My argument is that the environment does influence people, children most specifically, by building character and freethinking. We can also view the influence of the environment on people in terms of scientific and sociological aspects. In more scientific terms, one can say that an environment is based on the physical, geographic, biological, social, cultural, and political conditions that a person has to deal with on a daily basis and learns to equip himself regarding how best to handle those situations. In terms of so ciety links, the environment has a direct bearing on how lives and societies evolve. People, progress, development, and the environment are like an inter-linking chain where all of these varied aspects converge to form a new form of thinking or character in a person. In terms of childhood development, we can safely say that the environment has the heaviest influence over a child. A child’s environment is not the same as in his home environment where everything is controlled by his parents. Even though parents may raise and rear a child in the best way they know how, that is not the environment that influences him the most because he spends most of his time outside the house. The environment outside the house is where the child begins to develop his character and sense of ones self. Outside the home, a child tries to become part of and to identify himself with a peer group. A child does this by allowing himself to be influenced by the people around him and following their examples and making it suit their own individual needs. . His environment also influences the culture of a child. Culture, is something that a person must experience first hand in order to learn from it. Therefore, since you have to live in order to experience culture, one can consider culture to be a transmission from the environment of the child or adult. Just like influence, culture is passed on from person to person. Even though parents try to provide the â€Å"right† environment for their children, the simple truth is that there is no â€Å"right† anything. The environment will influence the child no matter how you try to control it because a parent can only do so much to influence the child who spends most of his time outside the home. Of course, aside from children, the environment that they interact in can also influence adults. The social environment of a person dictates the way he shall conduct himself in public. There are a large majority of studies that support the argument that the environment does greatly influence the personality of people because the way his environ ment views his physical appearance will determine how he will act out in public. It is this belief that has most experts, such as doctors and mental health professionals debating various theories regarding the mental development of people. Certain theorists are of the opinion that the environment a person grows up in has a direct effect on his mental health and mental development. So there must be a concentration on the environmental development of a person’s mind. So what do these developments and studies about how the environment influences people tell us? It tells us a number of major things. First of all, the environment is not just located in one localized place. It also cannot be in a controlled space for long. The environment of children proves to be a very delicate and intricate part of growing up. The environment of a person directly influences the mental development, and personality of the child or adult. Secondly, the social environment of an individual influences his behavior as these so called â€Å"norms† show us how to act and how to have other people treat us. It is this social influence that trains a person to conform, comply, and follow the dictated norms of the environment he exists in. Yes, the environment does have a direct influence on a person. The direct influence of the environment on people cannot be measured in terms of quantity. This topic is so vast and highly debatable that it will take more than a three page essay with which to defend my stand. Therefore, I would like to conclude my essay on the following note. Each man is placed in an environment where he will best grow as a person. Be it in youth of maturity, that person will have an equal amount of exposure to good and bad environments. The choice of which environment he will allow to influence him solely depends on greatly influenced he is by the environment and his peers. The influence of the environment ends when the person makes the conscious decision to follow a certain path for himself be it in along the path of his environment or in an opposite direction. At the end of all this, the environment gave the individual a unique personality and coping ability that is designed to best help him navigate the perils of his environment. An environment will only influence a person as far as he is willing to be influenced. Everything else pertaining to influencing the individual mentally, socially, and emotionally are all conscious decisions made by the person him or herself based upon the influences of his immediate and past environments Games and Violence Computer games have seriously caught the attention of Mass Media and nowadays every channel considers its duty to remind people how much damage these games cause to children and adults. The increasing amount of games with violent scenes sock the society and makes it very aware of them.It is already common knowledge that violent games cause violence in people. This fact is not even doubted by the majority of people. Every other person says that the reason lies in games being too close to reality. The opinion that games make violent actions normal for the player and therefore make the player pitiless can be often heard. In this case the game is the cause of violence and the act of violence by itself is a consequence. And can real-life violence exist in the reality of a game? Is the transfer of the definition of â€Å"violence† with all its peculiarities from one world to another justified only according to the external similarity of these two worlds? Games originally are entertainment. Contemporary games are very realistic and for this reason they are a source of great experience for the player and develop the imagination. Games are entertainment and even more then that. In addition, the statistics of the New York University lead by Green and Bavelier claim that the player preferring active games get an improvement of some types of brain activity, related to processing of visual information. In particular, game players cope with problems of simultaneously tracking several moving objects at the average level of 30% better then people who do not play active computer video games. The â€Å"gaming† violent experience may not be the cause of violent behavior in reality. None of the playi ng experience will become the priority in making important decisions concerning problems in real life. A game is an abstraction. A player gets abstract tasks and acts according to abstract rules.Games are also the possibility to be however a person wants to be and to rest from the outside world for some time. But what if a person gets so much excited with the game scenes that he becomes violent in reality? Then, it proves that the games cause people to become violent. Let us stop for a moment right at this point. Those who do not participate in this type of activity usually make the conclusion of presence of violence in the game-world. Nobody will ever hear this kind of statement from those who play, from those who know the rules of the game and understand that it is just a virtual world. A psychologically healthy person will never confuse or connect these two different worlds. A game is a virtual world with visual images very similar to human. These images represent by themselves nothing but simple playing obstacles. A game may potentially give the opportunity to â€Å"destroy the obstacles† that may not be destroyed according to the rules but it is more about personal choice whether to do it or not. This leads us to the conclusion that violence is not a consequence but the cause. People who are originally prone to violence may get irritated by games and perform violence in the â€Å"real world†. But in this case violence in games is a simple justification of the violent nature of the player. Is a College Degree Necessary to Become Successful The value of higher education cannot be underestimated considering the contemporary realities of the competitive marketplace. A higher education degree literally serves as the first impression of a jobseeker applying for employment. Namely a college degree is a person’s pass to the business world and so work-related opportunities are enormous. Truth is, college degrees are never the same if we take into account the reputation of higher establishment as well as the prestige of a particular field of studies. The today’s holders of college degrees have unprecedented opportunities of job search since the employment market has largely expanded throughout on-line domain offering freelance and part-time vacancies. Though, in both real and virtual employment, it is always a person’s CV (resume) that is initially considered by employer and in 95% of cases the inclusion of college degree is a must to get a well-paid job. The abovementioned proves that college degree always pays off, and therefore this essay aims to discuss the present-day realities in due respect. Overall, college education provides students with appropriate knowledge and skills to be used later in real life circumstances and working environment. At that career choices do not matter since the contemporary market is vast and enormous. In particular, college education enables students to gain preliminary information about many essential aspects required to cope with real-life challenges. At that students expand their knowledge and acquire practical skills by grasping abstract theories and concepts. A college curriculum teaches students how to clearly express personal standpoints and opinions both in conversation and writing. In most cases students acquire global thinking as well as that relevant to the solution of specific problems. Furthermore, students learn how to work in teams and solve tasks in cooperation; this enables to establish team spirit and ability to make personal contribution to overall mutual achievement. Various case studies based on real-life experiences teach students to better presume and therefore adapt to further complexities. To this end, it goes without saying that a college degree always means more employment opportunities since it is the identification of one’s academic qualification. In comparison, high school education is not enough to meet the ongoing challenges of today’s market place, and therefore the overwhelming majority of jobs require a college degree. In addition to the expanded job opportunities, a bachelor’s degree means higher earning prospects compare to a person with a high school diploma. Therefore, our earnings initially depend on the quality of diploma we receive, and to a great extent college marks (grades) may be compared to the monthly salary rate in the future In actual fact, there is a problem concerning studying at a college. College education does not depend only on student’s talent, successfulness or willingness to study. The cost of education is therefore high issue on the agenda which indicates the affordability of college education. Many students cannot afford college education due to various reasons and/or particular life conditions. Hence, most students rely on loans and/or other means of financial aid to afford their college courses. Apart from financial reasons, of course, the initial factor is high self-motivation to study at college. Whenever there is no family tradition or lack of overall interest, or nobody to recommend college education, a young person may easily opt for other (alternative) choices. In addition to this, college education a ssumes preliminary determination meaning that a person should choose a single subject area (law; medicine; architecture) to master in college and therefore build his/her career. However, the initial indecisiveness does not mean a student should know everything in advance. A college education is therefore designated to provide a student with proper and substantial knowledge and skills; nevertheless, the major direction should be chosen well in advance. One other initial problem is that young people mistakenly assume that a college education is rather difficult. To this end, it is worthy to note that studying at college involves student support and tutoring. Most western colleges are equipped with the necessary technological devices and easily accessible academic database to assist students while performing their assignments. Certainly, there are alternatives (e.g. community colleges) to four-year colleges that provide sufficient level of education, though only bachelor’s and master’s degrees are genuinely valued on the competitive marketplace, and therefore most students try to complete their education at four-year colleges (College Board, 2008) . Considering the aforementioned, the most important issue on the contemporary agenda would be not the importance of a college degree as such, but its real quality. This is actually the root answer to the problem of why some people are becoming more successful, while others not. Specifically, the quality of a college degree indicates that college graduates obtained certain amount of knowledge and managed to process and, most importantly, absorb it. A core subject, such as law or medicine whatever, requires proper understanding, a contribution of solid amount of time and additional resources to make it a future profession that would bring profits. This is to ay a college degree as such is not the panacea in a working world. A proper college diploma therefore assumes that a college graduate is able to prove it with a certain extent of academic knowledge. Regarding practical skills, they are further acquired within internship, practice and actually working environment. Many people, howeve r, fail to prove their knowledge acquired during college years with practical skills and therefore are made to change profession/occupation. Historically education has been regarded as a key to prosperity, and college system of education starting from the 17th century has proved this approach to be right. Also, throughout historical evolution, conventionally males have gained better education compared to females. However, times have changed and starting from the second half of the 20th century the situation has been equalizing. The today’s working environment is highly diverse providing vast opportunities to the qualified specialists and therefore knowledge has been regarded as a decisive factor. Religious, sex, colour, socio-cultural diversities are more and more eliminated since companies need qualified college graduates that can prove their knowledge in practical conditions. This is the way most companies win a competitive advantage for qualified employees are regarded as an invaluable asset by most corporations. Such fair treatment based on professional qualities rather than individual features is reasonable an d justified. Based on qualifications, there is hardly any difference between pay rates; nonetheless, in most industries men still earn more than women. This indicates that discriminatory issues are more and more tolerated and the quality of education approved by a college degree is a real value at the contemporary marketplace (Leonhardt, 2008). One more aspect to consider is the vast employment opportunities accessible to college graduates. The point is that the modern world has become flexible and changing as never before. Internet and cutting-edge technologies indicate the permanent progress and thus success is now associated with s permanent change. Successful people permanently adjust to changing circumstances and diverse environments to reap most benefits. Thereafter, the work-related relationships between employees and employers have also altered dramatically. There are millions of freelance job opportunities enabling people to work form the comfort of their home and rationally maintain work-life balance. To keep workforce loyal most companies need to establish flexible working practices, including part-time jobs, paternity leaves, childcare leaves, swapping shits etc. Therefore, HR departments lessen work stress and enable their employees to lead reasonable (normal) lives. In addition to this, employees are granted with numerous bonuses and incentives that often serve as sound motivators to keep loyal to the corporate policies (Walton, 1985). Due discussion might be continued and further expanded – though the core theme remains the same – only proper extent of knowledge and skills approved by a college degree enable a person to change jobs and seek better option for career-building and professional advancement. A college degree is a precious asset we use during lifetime to properly build up our professional growth and development. Therefore, whenever there is a chance, a person should use four college years to acquire this asset and ensure his/her further career prospects. As a rule, college graduates make social strata regarded as elite and many of them are becoming very successful to donate money to charities and therefore reduce poverty. Hence, knowledge brings profit and profit is used for prosperity. In the 21st century this particular formula should be applied in all walks of life to make the world a better place. 1. Argumentative Topic (Alcohol danger for under age drinking) Alcohol addiction is largely featured by general tolerance for alcohol with periodically increasing amounts to achieve the same degree of satisfaction, having a persistent desire or the inability to lower the amount of consumed dozes, and continuing consuming great amounts of alcohol despite realizing that the habit causes physical, psychological and socio-economic problems. Such dependence is much intensified during the teenage period (13-19 years) when young organism acquires negative effects that eventually destroys the rest of a person’s life. Alcohol addiction is mostly featured by psychological and physical dependence on daily basis. Hence, physiological, behavioral and cognitive perceptions are mainly centered on alcohol rather other life values. Alcohol desire is deemed a central descriptive characteristic of the dependence syndrome (Mental Health Matters, 2005). In addition, alcohol dependence is featured by irresistible desire or compulsion to frequent alcohol takings, and consequently difficulty to control alcohol-taking behavior including post-consumption consequences; disregard of outer difficulties caused by enormous alcohol consumption. As is proved by numerous under-age examples of alcohol consumption and addiction, the dependence syndrome is mostly revealed in either alcohol taking or a desire to take alcohol (Mental Health Matters, 2005). The need for alcohol is present when a person craves alcohol and cannot limit actual amounts or whenever a drinker enlarges alcohol consumption to feel high. Then, this state is called alcoholism which is particular to the majority of drinkers who practiced alcohol consumption during the underage stage. Differences between men and women at their workplace Introduction: A very important issue concerning diversity is the difference between men and women at workplace. As the matter of international experience of hiring people it is very important to point out that there have been a great number of cases connected with discrimination. We consider this to be a vital problem even nowadays, in spite of the change of the reasons for discrimination. If in the past it was a major problem for women to find a job and to prove that they can provide results equal to men, in the present time the situation has quiet changed. In addition to that women start getting benefits and are sometimes the only possible employees for a given workplace. Women establish a very strong emotional contact with the client; at the same time they are treated as being less professional than their male colleagues. Male workers according to the opinion of the employers are more rational. They complement and substitute the women’s emotional â€Å"contamination† by the rational aspect of the matter they are working with. Due to this employers sometimes prefer to eliminate either the â€Å"emotional†, or the â€Å"rational† factor and put â€Å"labels† on the employees taking their gender as an evaluating criterion. But nowadays everything has changed and men and women perform each other’s work excellently. We have observed in practice this difference, when a job, considered to be a â€Å"male job† was done perfectly by a woman but did not get the well-earned recognition in the company. One of the psychological reasons for that, as we assume, is the incapability of the authorities of the company to deal with a stereotype and change their ways according to the changing world around them. So therefore, it is the lack of flexibility. Women nevertheless are treated with a higher loyalty in any decent company. And sometimes their work results may be viewed as just needing some correction in comparison to the same work presented by men that would be considered wrong. But all these are exaggerated examples. The cultural component of this issue should be taken in count, too. For example is we take a black male and a white woman we may meet with a â€Å"special† treatment to the first one, due to the company’s respect and desire to show that they do not have any racial prejudices. We, believe, that the difference between men and women still exists and women and the quality of their work nowadays displace men. Nevertheless, we have examined another opinion that concerns women. Rose Mary Wentling suggested another point of view on the differences between men and women at workplace. The author asserts that women are still experiencing difficulties in their workplaces. The main arguments that are brought are the next: women are not given the standard of work performance when they apply for a â€Å"male† job, therefore do not get the detailed and clear picture of their involvement; women are not included in all the kinds of communication throughout a company; women lack the opportunity to †grow, develop, and contribute to company profitability†. According to this point of view women are not given the opportunity to introduce their ideas and innovations to the company’s functioning. But the main issue to work on is that the expectations of the employers concerning women are different than the ones concerning men. Conclusion: Women are ready to travel and move and relocate, and to make â€Å"the same commitment to the company as men aspiring to leadership positions† due to the reassessment of the woman’s role in the society. Analyzing this different point of view we came to a conclusion that both men and women face gender difficulties at any kind of job. So therefore we consider providing them with equal conditional vital for the benefit of the company itself in the first place. A modern company should not pay attention to the gender attribute. Both men and women need to have career advancement opportunities and counseling. Men and women are potential employees of any company, no matter what position we are talking about. From with combination of two points of view we get an understanding that both men and women have examples of being not treated properly at their workplace in spite of having the required skills for the place. And it is not possible to say that either men or women are facing greater difficulties in their professional lives. So it can be said that the difference did not disappear, but it is not a single-sided issue. Dorm life vs. Home life Almost every young person entering the period of college education faces the necessity to leave home and to live in the on-campus dormitory. The on-campus dormitories have been â€Å"survived† by many people and some of them have absolutely opposing opinions. The change from home to dorm life can be called one of the most important event in the life of any young person first of all because it is the first extreme life change and also because the consequences are still unknown. Home life and dorm life represent two different ways of living in different conditions. Nevertheless they have their similarities and differences that can be seen only after a deep analysis of the issue. The choice between home life and domestic life can lead to complete transformation of the life of a young man. On-campus life inevitably affects the life of the person and along with home life have their pros and cons. On-campus dormitories may be a pleasant experience for one person and a terrible test for another one. For some people dorm living is a necessity. There are several objective facts concerning dorm living. First of all any individual living at the dorm will have to face the necessity sometimes to live together with up to three students. Only those individuals who have an exclusive position within the university may count on having a room without roommates. The quality of the beds sometimes requires repair and the closet very often cannot fit in all the belonging of the roommates. The dorm does not provide the individuals with an actual kitchen and has small space for refrigerating food. The dorm offers public baths which are not comfortable under any condition. The next fact is about one of the most important ones – the dorm cuts individual space to its possible minimum as the person can hardly ever be alone. Another aspect of the dorm living is that the individual can make a lot of friends and find a lot of people who have the same interests. At the same time dorm living sometimes leads to early sexual intercourses and a false â€Å"feeling of complete independence†. Home living is another option sometimes chosen by young people. First of all home living proved the student with the possibility to get healthy food, freshly cooked on a normal kitchen. The fact that the meal can be actually cooked is a plus for the saving in the individual’s budget. Home living requires having personal chores and complete responsibility for the place the person lives in. As for personal hygiene at home, it is private and the individual can spend as much time on it as he desires. Home living guarantees the fact that people come to visit the person most often under the condition of a beforehand notice. The individual may do whatever he feels like doing and not get involved in activities he has no actually desire for. In other words, home living requires a lot of responsibilities but at the same time offers personal space and the opportunity to relax, study or work any time of the day. Home and dorm living have a lot of contrasts such as: food, privacy, hygiene, leisure, etc. and similarities such as certain expenses required for living. If to compare home living to dorm living a few fact are worth of mentioning. In home living the individual has at least one full room which is completely under his â€Å"jurisdiction†. Home living offers all the required personal space and the individual’s movement within the house are not limited as they are in the dormitory. The dormitory does not have a comfortable bed and also the individual cannot equip everything in the most suitable manner for him. A home living individual has all the required space for his belonging and an equipped kitchen to cook food. Nevertheless, in the dorm the food expenses can be spited among the roommates. The dorm’s public bath has obvious disadvantages as compared to a private home bath. Also home, as compared to dorm living provides more individual space as the person at home still has time to be alone and in the dorm it is practically impossible. If the person does not want to party all the time, home living is the best option. In order to conclude it is important to say that the basic differences between the dorm living and home living are the individual interests of the person and his aims in life. If dorm living is a necessity for one individual but he has a high motivated for education – dorm living will not change anything. And at the same time if a individual without motivation is a subject of home living there is no guarantee that all these personal space and freedom will lead to a better future. Therefore the main factor here is the personality of the dweller.

Good Night and Good Luck and Belonging

How has the film Good Night and Good Luck contributed to your understanding the experience of belonging? In your response identify 3 observations about belonging and analyse 3 techniques used to convey this experience. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————- The 2005 black and white film Good Night and Good Luck is able to present multiple views and perspective of belonging through the threats of communism and the sense of belonging that is associated by this context. The three most prominent ideas placed forth throughout the film about belonging are that belonging comes at the price of conformity, that fear can be used to silence those who choose to challenge the authority of the group and that choosing not to belong requires great courage and the acceptance of ostracism. The idea of Belonging comes at a price of conformity is strongly represented throughout the film as McCarthyism is presenting the idea that to belong or fit in one must believe what everyone else must believe in and act likewise. At the beginning of the film no one is prepared to confront or disobey what is considered the ‘right’ thing by McCarthy and his committee as they were too afraid of being accused themselves. Those that did not oppose McCarthyism and their leaders felt that they could belong as they shared a common belief and all acted in the same way to keep their sense of belonging intact and preserved. Edward Murrow uses a metaphor to display this idea of belonging through the statement, â€Å"I see a chain reaction that has no end. This quote displays that if people are pressured to conform to the majority, it will be a never ending cycle with all choice and freedom taken from the individual. A second observation of belonging I observed in the film, Good Night and Good Luck, was that fear can be used to silence those who choose to challenge the authority of the group. Joseph McCarthy uses fear to control the country by accusing anyone that opposes him by declaring them to be communis ts themselves. This fear prevents people from speaking up against McCarthy as they are afraid of being ostracised and from not belonging. This is shown when Edward Murrow stands up to McCarthy and speaks against him, and in response McCarthy discredits Murrow by claiming he is a communist and cannot be believed. Throughout the film, particularly towards the end we get the sense that choosing not to belong requires great courage and the acceptance of ostracism. At the beginning of the story we see that McCarthy has everyone under his control and he has the power of the country. However as the movie progresses we see that Murrow and the CBS news team begin to rebel against McCarthyism and are required to show great courage to do what everyone else is too afraid to pursue. Also we see that as their movement persists, Murrow is framed by McCarthy as he attempts to be ostracised from the mainstream society and not allowed to belong. Good Night and Good Luck has altered my understanding of belonging as it has opened my eyes to the negative aspects of belonging and the harmful consequences that result from belonging. The film is a strong text to be able to create awareness of belonging requiring courage as it can bring fear and conformity among those in the group.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Always a Bridesmaid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Always a Bridesmaid - Essay Example As she endeavours to make sense of her life, Davenport interviews elderly women who never married and her own mother who once was much sought after. Their stories provide the hilarious part as well as the drudgery in the film. The topic is all about marriage. The documentary is told from the filmmaker's point of view. Growing 30, she is terrified of ending up alone. Working as a wedding videographer, Nina confronts her fears, all the while asking why in the first place she has complicated her life with a noncommittal boyfriend who is five years younger. She cross-examines love interests that died down, interrogates fidgeting brides, including her increasingly nervous boyfriend and gathers advice from many quarters. Coming to terms with her deeply conflicted feeling towards weddings, she feels greatly that she is meant for spinsterhood, but has a burning lust for the opposite sex. Seeing weddings now and then as a videographer only reminds her of this internal battle. This film may be analyzed using the theory of Relational Dialectics. The theory of Relational Dialectics is that of intimate communication taking place in close relationships. Baxter and Montgomery developed this theory in the late 1980's and the early 1990's. The dialectical perspective is that the partners are constantly adjusting to the presence of oppositional, relational forces (Montgomery, 1993). There are many different aspects o

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Post-modern Business Discourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post-modern Business Discourse - Essay Example Over the past two decades there has been a significant increase in the amount of environmental legislation passed in both the UK and the USA. However, it has been noted that the requirement to disclose environmental information in annual reports of organisations does not align with the pace of legislative reform with regard to environmental performances (Holland & Foo, 2003). Between the UK and the USA, voluntary disclosure of environmental information has led to differences in reporting practices. The exploratory study by Holland and Foo in 2003 investigated the corporate environmental reporting practices in the UK and the USA. They concluded that legislative and regulatory framework factors that make recommendations for legal and regulatory frameworks are influenced by environmental performances, and in turn determine the types of disclosures made in annual reports. Within the UK, it appears that disclosure is able to be clearly identified in annual reports, and the content focuses mostly on the management of environmental activities through management systems. In contrast, in the USA, there is clearly more focus on legislation, which produces a response in the annual report. Hence, it seems that the UK method of disclosure of environmental information is clearly separated and places the user needs first. However, this may be a process of legitimation, whereby disclosure justifies the environmental activities.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Business memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business memo - Assignment Example As for privacy, the candidates should not give out their passwords and neither shall information obtained used for any other different purpose. The search should look for factors that can make a candidate the best suited for the job or factors that can make him or her unsuitable. From, the social sites searches, Ms. Flanders will be able to learn more about the interpersonal skills of the candidate such as non-verbal communication skills and the social life of the candidate. Because Hathaway Jones is a luxury apparel retailer, Ms. Flanders should look for the fashion sense of candidates through the photos they post. Secondly, Ms. Flanders should gauge the behavior of candidates as suggested through their photos, comments, and conversations with their friends. From this information, Ms. Flanders will learn more about the prospective candidates. Through Google search Ms. Flanders can verify the authenticity of the academic qualification stated by the candidate and the work experience. Secondly, through Google search Ms. Flanders can be able to know of the candidates’ criminal record or past misdemeanor that can make him or her unsuitable for the job. In order to ensure that the searches do not incur the company a lot of cost, the company should state in their job adverts that those wishing to apply for the advertised positions should ensure their personal profile or page can be viewed by the public in either Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. This will minimize the time for carrying out the searches and the labor required since it will be a simple task. In order to ensure that the searches are uniform for all candidates the same checklist or criteria for searching should be applicable to all candidates to look for similar factors or issues about each candidate. In order to prevent against any form of discrimination, candidates should ensure that their

Friday, July 26, 2019

Cyber Bullying Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cyber Bullying - Research Paper Example With the rapid advances in technology, however, bullying evolved into a form of harassment that can be perpetuated anytime and anywhere. Specifically, the use of the Internet and mobile technologies has enabled many bullies to harass their victims even when they are at home or sleeping. Unfortunately, authorities seemed to be caught off-guard when cases of bullying online reportedly caused several suicides across America recently. This highlighted how it has become imperative to solve this issue immediately because the degree of harm of cyberbullying is clearly pervasive and fatal today. To underscore the severity of this issue, there are already several research findings that found the prevalence of the problem. For instance, a survey conducted by I-Safe America found that 37 percent of middle school students admitted to being bullied or threatened online. (Shore 2006, p. 19) Pew Internet and American Life Project supported this with their report that one in three online teens has e xperienced online harassment. (The Colorado Trust 2008) The statistics established the numbers that should alarm responsible authorities. The issue is no longer some figment of imagination or opinion of alarmists that needed to be substantiated. The facts are already there for everyone to see. The implication of the above trend is that youngsters are no longer safe from bullies. The perpetrators only need a computer, Internet access or a cellphone in order terrorize hapless victims. This is aggravated by the fact that bullying acts can be done anonymously. Almost anyone can invade someone else's life and ruin it at a click of the mouse, enabling bullies to be more vicious and consistent with their attacks. According to Shore, this is demonstrated in two ways: first, there is the argument that bullies can strike out at others with the knowledge that they will not be caught; and, secondly, â€Å"by being removed from their targets and thus not seeing the impact of their actions, cybe rbullies can delude themselves into thinking they have not really hurt anybody† effectively taking away their ability to feel empathy or remorse for their victims. (p. 20) It is easy to understand, hence, how helpless victims find it difficult not only to escape the kind of torture due to the sheer pervasiveness of the Internet and the huge number of its users but also to bear the stress of online attacks against their persons for its sheer viciousness and intensity. In the past face-to-face bullying has been difficult to quantify because victims are hesitant to report them. The case has been complicated by technology further. The anonymity that technology provides bullies has made it extra difficult for its detection. This development is already a main contributor to the growing number of suicides as evidenced by the case of Tyler Clementi, who jumped off a bridge after his sexual encounter was streamed over the web by his dormmates for everyone to see. Unfortunately, this po sting of hurtful content is just one of the many types that could significantly cause harm to young minds. Maggio listed numerous ways by which cyberbullies can attack their victims using technology. The most serious of these include the posting of abusive content against victims such as threatening and embarrassing messages that are easily accessed by

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Systematic Approach to Higher Education Administration Research Paper

Systematic Approach to Higher Education Administration - Research Paper Example This discussion stresses that  the administration of regional institutions that offer higher education must be approached systematically in order to realize the most desirable results. Further, decentralizing education in the context of establishing regional institutes of higher education largely contributes to regional development. A systematic approach that brings institutes of higher education together with regional stakeholders such as local government, organizations of social development and industries facilitates the alignment of teaching, civic engagement and research with regional development strategies.According to the study findings the process of systems thinking will entail developing models that promote how events are understood and the behavioral patterns that result in such events as well as the underlying structures that are responsible for such behavioral patterns. In that perspective, this paper will explore the viability of developing an international campus in C anada for the University of Wyoming. The focus will be on state and institution governance structure and interrelationships and intra-relationships among the structures that govern the institution. It will further discuss the governance structure for the Canadian campus and the major legal and regulatory issues relevant to the expansion as well as budgetary and policy considerations at the regional, local and institutional levels.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The contemporary nature of primary school teaching Essay

The contemporary nature of primary school teaching - Essay Example Children, however, have few emotional resources with which to cope with problems. This is further explained by theories, which state that childhood experiences and development are critically important to their future life. (Goldman, 1996). Â  In addition, using the theories of human development by Sigmund Freud and Erick Erickson, they describe the early stages of life as crucial, critical and prone to dangers. In the Freud’s theory, he stated that if an individual’s needs in his early stage of life are not satisfied, then some negative results will happen in the succeeding stages and eventually, this may result to problems in the future life of the individual. Similarly, in the theory of Erickson, he identified the stages of development where he quoted that each of the stages of life of an individual has its corresponding psychosocial crisis that an individual must overcome. In the early life of the child until the end of primary grade, the important values and attitudes are shaped. These are enumerated as: trust, autonomy, initiative and industry. These attitudes are very important for a growing child. If these are not achieved by the child in his early years then what will happen to him when he reaches adult or old age. In this times when the child needs to have those values, the person on their sides are the parents and most especially, the teachers in the primary grades. It is therefore important that teachers should be knowledgeable to these conditions and characteristics of a growing child (Duka, 2003). The above-mentioned statements only show that children should be cared properly, nurtured well and most specially must be taught well. These duties are not only for the parents but more specially for the teachers, specifically, primary teachers because there are more times when these children are in the care of the teachers. The mission for primary education is to enable every child to acquire basic preparation that will make

The Role of Education in Securing Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Role of Education in Securing Jobs - Essay Example This paper declares that trends during the last decade also indicate that the number of people joining university courses has significantly risen. This, further points to a stronger awareness in people that mere basic knowledge education will not enable them to secure better jobs. Some skeptics, however, express a misconceived notion that the emerging trends in higher education will result in flooding the job market with graduates and, in turn, will cause unemployment for some. Recognition and higher rewards come to graduates because most of the recruiters and employers have university diplomas and they usually know what it means and how much efforts go behind in obtaining higher education. Money orientated people obviously have to direct their attention towards subjects that attract much higher salaries than others. Usually, they are the subjects used in industry where more cash flow is involved and automatically employers can afford to pay higher rates to their employers because th ey can get reasonably fast return of the investment. This report makes a conclusion that some employers do not want to employ graduates because they are might be orientated in the wrong direction by traditional education system and they rather mould them themselves instead of spending time. Also sometimes the knowledge gained through university does not meet their expectations. But most of companies approve traditional education system and appreciate general trends.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Responding to Dark Waters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Responding to Dark Waters - Essay Example Just as the title suggests, the essay presents the dark side of civilization in Bogalusa as a representative of situations in the entire globe. This response paper will analyze the article critically and unravel these dark sides. The author chose an appropriate title for this piece of work. No other title would efficiently convey the themes of the essay in only two words. The author succeeds in revealing all types of poisoning in Bogalusa that made all waters dark. Bogalusa has both white and black residents who do not trust each other (Komunyakaa 108). The whites have gained dominance over the men of color. The men of color in this region have limited opportunities in every sector (99). The author offers much imagery that describes the situation of the men of color in this region. The reader cannot help but empathize with the men of color living in Bogalusa. The author does not exaggerate things because the American history in the years mentioned tell it all. Men of color have been struggling to attain equality and inclusion. The essay elaborates all forms of environmental pollution evident in Bogalusa. There are all forms of pollution in the city. There are numerous air explosions, water pollutions, and deforestation. Rivers and ponds in the region have toxins from continuous pollution. There are no interventions to curb environmental degradation. The numerous descriptions and poems help the reader understand the real situation of environmental degradation in Bogalusa. The author paints a realistic concept in the mind of the reader through the vivid illustrations, poems reflecting the nature and references to his opinion. The author expresses his feelings about the condition. It is obvious that he sees horror in Bogalusa. He wishes everything were reversible to return nature into the original state. The poem ‘Fog Galleon’ depicts the real situation of things in Bogalusa (106). Through the author’s image, the reader gets to understand the s ituation. In addition, the author illustrates the effects of environmental degradation to man. He mentions the development of cancer, respiratory diseases, and death. By highlighting these effects, he drives the reader to understand the fact he mentions at the end of the essay that as long as humans do not conserve the environment, they will definitely face negative consequences. Komunyakaa sums it up by saying that ‘hurting nature wounds human beings’ (111). This fact receives a lot of support from the essay. All negative effects towards the environment eventually affect the welfare of man either directly or indirectly. The changing global climates in the recent past serve as further support to the author’s allegation. Humans have brought doom to themselves through activities that are destructive to nature. The reader can clearly understand what the author implies when he says that man and nature exist in connection. Komunyakaa exposes an additional reality of m atters. Governments are reluctant to enact laws that act as guidelines to environmental protection. Louisiana is a clear example of what majority of government sectors are doing. It was becoming obvious that the prevailing environmental conditions needed intervention. However, the officials were doing nothing about it. Through this, the author introduces a new idea about racism trends in American states. States inhabited by majority blacks were likely to be home to multiple companies releasing numerous toxic

Monday, July 22, 2019

Evolution Of Female Sexual Identitity Essay Example for Free

Evolution Of Female Sexual Identitity Essay Female sexuality and their sexual identity is categorically becoming less â€Å"straight†. Emerging expressions of human sexuality in females once considered â€Å"abnormal† like bisexuality and bi-curious behavior- specifically in Americans under the age of 40, have gone from a shaming `closeted` behavior, to significantly more `normal` and overt. This paper will discuss the evolution of female sexuality from the 1950s to the present as perception and expression of female sexuality underwent significant undermining and rethinking in the past half decade. The paper relied on various sources that documented this â€Å"emergence† to support the above-mentioned thesis. Human Sexuality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Britannica Online defines sexuality as human tendencies and behavior associated with sexual arousal. It is how humans express sexual sensation and intimacy and is largely influenced by biological/physiological circumstances, societal attitudes towards sexual behavior, and one’s leniencies and/or psychological make-up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A person’s anatomy can only set so many boundaries on one’s sexual behavior. Many variations in human sexuality occur through a person’s upbringing and habituation. Cultural differences often instigates enormous variations as a certain sexual behavior may be considered taboo or deviant in one society while others may consider the same behavior to be perfectly acceptable and healthy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sexuality includes under its wide umbrella discussions aside from actual physiology other topics such as those on gender, sexual orientation, personal acceptance of sexuality (how we view our sexuality which may differ from our actual physiology), sexual dysfunctions, sexual activity, social sexual structures (marriage, morality, and legal aspects), sexual misconduct, sex in the media and sex education as well as research on sex and sexuality among others. Throughout history, every aspect of human life has allocated a generous portion to sexuality. There are always laws, in every society and in every era as to how sexual behavior is to be enacted. Sexuality and societies views towards it have changed continually throughout the ages. Human sexuality has many aspects to it; defining who, what when, where, why, and how we are to express sexuality. Human physiology has an enormous effect on our sexuality. Genetics decides how the rest of human life will be played out. A person’s sex will have innumerable consequences during the course of life. Many factors determine the sex of a person. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, the time of conception, even temperatures dictate the sex of an unborn baby. Human physiology, culture, and preference, as well a variety of other factors makes certain forms of sexual expression possible. Society plays an equally immense part on human sexuality. Social norms affect how sexuality can be expressed.   Sexuality is part of human social environment, guided by rules of behavior. Society is, in parts large or small, responsible for the way a person’s self schema, self-esteem, self-efficacy, among others. Gender is a function of a person’s social milieu and it must be noted that cross-cultural differences in behavioral attributes towards sex thus, differing effects on gender. The cultures to which we belong dictate our sexual behavior throughout life. Human sexuality is in a great part a function of the cultural norms of our societies; such as customs regarding marriage, homosexuality, and self-eroticism, among others. Often these norms are dictated by politics and religion, etc. Subcultures are formed when an individual’s sexuality dissents from the conventions of the local culture. Because culture dictates what is proper in bed many sex issues are taboos conceived by society. Feedbacks from the society around us at large exert a great influence on sexual behavior and to some extent even sexual performance. The possibility of an unfulfilled sexual desire because of cultural influences as to what is right and wrong happens as a result of the lack of communication. Also education on sexuality and health plays a part in the proper and healthy expression of sexuality. Changes in how women expressed themselves have gone through a significant change over the years following WWII. Sexuality in females and how they identify themselves sexually is now more open to the fluidity of sexual expressions. Female Sexuality The world shifted from valuing women equally with men to a patriarchal society that gave less and less premium on the female population and their significance in human civilizations. According to Francoeur et. al. in Female Sexuality: Challenging Cultural Repression, human cultures   experienced this change in an Axial period as early as the first millennium. This occurred in three separate geographic locations: in China; India and Persia, in the Eastern Mediterranean (Israel and Greece). â€Å"The transformation consisted of a shift from being a female dominated consciousness to a male-dominated, individualistic consciousness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Society changed from a mythical, collective, ritualistic culture to a more rigid, analytical, and rational one (Pastoetter, 2004). Women and their roles as well as their power and place in civilization gradually changed and eventually, the shift to a male-centered world due mainly to factors such as: the rise of a patriarchal, monotheistic Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Women began to take secondary positions to men until they have come to be considered secondary to males and even lesser individuals; a source of evil and corruption. The Second Axial period is the one we are going through right now. This is according to theologian Ewert Cousins(1981). Centuries old forces are building up and soon according to cousins, we will reach a point where society will have to set up a new equilibrium point. Friendship-pleasure based values are now gradually gaining momentum over heterosexual-coital-procreative values. However, to achieve more gender-equal societies, we must be able to first understand and solve issues of the repression of female sexuality worldwide. It is no secret that various forms of repression exist in societies worldwide in varying degrees as potential and actual damage. In their study, Francoeur et. al. (Female Sexuality: Challenging Cultural Repression), they discuss in Part 1, 12 years worth of sexological research showing that women in a lot of places worldwide are being sexually repressed and they hardly derive pleasure from their relationships. Examples of repression are prohibitions on talking or acknowledging sex, sexual needs and preferences even when talking to a spouse. The second part dealt with restrictions to loveplay such as female genital mutilation. Repression and lack of sexual gratification is a probable reason why many women are now found to be masturbating, cheating on their husbands, or seeking gratification from same sex relationships. Masturbation is a topic that is controversial with men but exponentially more so for women. According to, it was found out in research that over 95% of all men have masturbated and surprisingly an enormous percentage of women at 89% also practiced self-eroticism. The practice of masturbation is a constant source of shame and ridicule even for men despite of the mounting number of studies that disprove the myths surrounding self-stimulation; even the researches that prove that masturbation is indeed a physically as well as psychologically healthy practice isn’t gaining much acceptance (Vause, 2004). In more liberal societies, female masturbation raises the question of why they do it and the reverberant answer is that, they are not getting enough sexual gratification from their sexual partners. Unfortunately, in spite of sexual fulfillment being healthy for partners, sexual double standards, sexual repression, and centuries of bad rep stifle women’s efforts to achieve fulfillment either through their partners or by doing it themselves (Vause, 2004). Another possible repercussion of the repression that women are getting even in this day and age is, especially for married women, to seek an outside â€Å"source† of sexual pleasure; outside meaning extra-marital. Adultery among married, â€Å"Christian women†, was recorded by Michelle Langley, in Womens Infidelity: Living in Limbo: What Women Really Mean When They Say, Im Not Happy,† as cited in â€Å"In Search of Intimacy; Wandering Wives† by Sybil C. Mitchell. The ten-year study shows women are as much prone to cheat on their spouses as their husbands are. In fact she goes further by adding that it may even take a lot more effort for women, who are by their nature just moving into their sexual prime, than men who by the time they 30 are slowly moving off of their sexual peak. It is remarkable to note though, the different treatments that society has given in view of men and women’s infidelities. Even in indiscretions/sin men are less likely to be persecuted (sometimes they are even glorified for it), than women (Mitchell, 2005). What women have to realize is that the affair or string of affairs is indicative of something more deeply seated in her, said Taylor. A woman feels a deficiency within herself. And certainly, there may be issues that both the husband and wife need to deal with together. Said an Christian minister, Elder Anthony Taylor (Mitchell, 2005). Another emerging trend in female sexuality from the 50s to the present is the rise of homosexuals (lesbians), Bisexual, and bi-curious women. Considered part of the wide rubric of human sexual variation, the three above-mentioned categories have recently enjoyed a lot of limelight with all the kissing on national TV and in bars all over the metro. Homosexuality is an increasingly familiar phenomena nowadays and not just with gay men,; the population of women who are exclusively attracted to another woman in all aspects of human personality. Another emerging trend is the Bisexuals. According to the pioneering study by Alfred Kinsey, human sexuality is not black and white, straight or gay; rather, he believes it is a continuum. His findings show that although there is a pronounced polarization of sexuality as either exclusively heterosexual or homo sexual, there is also a significant part that is in-between. Kinsey model was drastically improved upon by Fritz Kline’s Sexual Orientation Grid that had the bisexual option. Although, disputes still rage as to the acceptability of bisexuals in established social groups that include even homosexuals. The debate about what qualifies as bisexual still rages on and though some say that it is only the stepping stone to homosexuality, others argue that it is indeed a distinct possibility that a person may be able to relate to both sexes (Fairyington, 2005). In the paper, The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new Lesbian Chic, the authors discussed a new breed of women who are straight but are kissing and groping even having sex with other women. They are not bisexuals, nor are they exclusively homosexual. They are called Bi-curious women. According to studies a large number of women involved in these kinds of relationships tend to do it for the viewing pleasure of a man while others contest simply liking the act as the primary reason for their involvement. At any rate, these women occupy an even more controversial status than bisexuals as even the lesbian community is â€Å"getting tired† of girls who want to try kissing another girl (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005). In many clubs like the Axis Club in Phoenix, many â€Å"lesbian† couplings are sighted. In fact, it is so common in bars like this that you almost expect them. Homosexual or girl-to-girl activity is often seen in pornography targeting men (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005). In conclusion, it safe to note that indeed, times are changing and with it so are the views and practices â€Å"behind closed doors† especially as it relates to women. New trends in a sexually dichotomous society such as America are emerging and the rest of the world is taking the hint. Endnotes: â€Å"Call them bi-curious. These women dont come out so much as try it out think Anne Heche, not Ellen DeGeneres. Men are in their past; men may be in their future. But for the moment, theyre hooking up with a woman, and its cool. Dabbling isnt particularly new. Straight women slept with other women long before June Miller taught Anaà ¯s Nin a thing or two. And female college students have long expressed their heightened consciousness by shagging their roommates. (Theres even a term for that: Lesbian Until Graduation, a.k.a. LUG.) But this is different. Ask an Arizona State University student today which of her friends has kissed another girl, and she may well fire back, Which one hasnt? When Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist at the University of Washington, wrote Sex and the Yale Student in 1971, the topic of bi-curious couplings never even came up. That would be impossible today, she notes. A pair of cute blond lesbians, Lauren Levin and Lauren Blitzer, has inked a deal to write a book called Same Sex in the City: So Your Prince Charming Is Really a Cinderella. It hits stores next spring. Its not underground anymore. It would have been unthinkable for the girls of Beverly Hills, 90210 to jump into bed together, but when Marissa and Alex did it last year on The OC, no one even feigned surprise. It was scandalous when Ellen came out; it was just another piece of celebrity gossip when she started hanging with the once-married Portia DiRossi. And so just like that, Jen Sincero found herself landing smack in the middle of the zeitgeist. The Straight Girls Guide made it to number 7 on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list. Sinceros Website started getting 8,500 hits a day. And Sincero began teaching workshops to girls who want to learn more, including one next week at Phoenixs MADE Art Boutique. The workshops almost always sell out. Even Sincero is shocked by that. These are people who not only want to have this taboo sex, but theyre willing to show up in public and admit it! she exalts. The reason for that is simple enough: Sex between two women isnt taboo anymore. Instead, its become so damn trendy that its changing the way we understand feminism, gay rights, and even human sexuality itself. (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005) † â€Å"Why is it so hard for us to wrap our minds around bisexuality? Our cultural struggle to conceptualize bisexuality stems in part from the freighted history of the term. When it first appeared in a dictionary in 1824, bisexual referred to people possessing the characteristics of both sexes, now referred to as intersexuals (or, popularly, as hermaphrodites). In the mid-1860s, Karl Heinrich Ulrich postulated that men who have same-sex desires have female souls trapped inside male bodies. Subsequent sex researchers argued that people who desire their own sex have an inverted gender identity. From this sort of logic it was deduced that bisexuals are psychosexual hermaphrodites. Freud upended the conversation on bisexuality beginning in the early 20th century when he used the term in the modern sense and hypothesized that all people are initially bisexual before a fixed, usually hetero-, sexual identity takes hold. Basing his theories upon contemporary ideas, later discredited, as to the biological bisexuality of the fetus, Freud hypothesized that everyone had a primary and innate bisexual disposition with respect to sex-object choice. But instead of arguing that bisexuality might be a normal manifestation of this inherent predisposition, Freud went on to spin an account of normal human development whereby same-sex desires are repressed or sublimated and heterosexual ones allowed to arise, relegating homosexuality and bisexuality to exceptional states that develop as the result of a series of psychological malfunctions.† (Fairyington, 2005) Reference: Fairyington, S. (2005). Bisexuality and the Case against Dualism. The Gay Lesbian Review Worldwide. Mitchell, S. C. (2005, Dec 17-Dec 21, 2005). In Search of Intimacy; Wandering Wives. Tri State Defender. Pastoetter, R. T. F. R. J. N. B. O.-O. J. (2004). FEMALE SEXUALITY TODAY: Challenging Cultural Repression. Cross Currents, 54(3), 55. The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic. (2005, Sep 15, 2005). The Phoenix New Times. Vause, M. (2004). Doing IT Ourselves; FEMALE MASTURBATION PAST AND PRESENT. Charlottesville: Spring/Summer 2004.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The virulence factors of staphylococcus aureus

The virulence factors of staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus aureus is faculatively anaerobic, catalase-positive, coagulase-positive, gram-positive cocci. It is non sporulating, non motile and non capsulated bacteria. 30% of Staphylococcus aureus can be found in skin, mucous of membrane and nasal passages in a healthy person as normal flora. However, Staphylococcus aureus infections are capable of leading to meningitis, pneumonia, osteomyetilis, spectic arthritis and septicemia. It is also difficult to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections if it is a methicillin resistant strain as the only antibiotic, vancomycin, is able to inhibit methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). Virulence Factors Virulence factors from Staphylococcus aureus can be structural or secreted products that lead to pathogenesis. They are classified into catogeries such as surface proteins, secreting toxins and superantigen toxin. Surface proteins in Staphylococcus aureus provide attachments to host tissues which will colonize and lead to infections. Such proteins are protein A/B which binds to immunoglobulin G, clumping factor A and B to help adherence to bacterial cells. [Plata, Rosato et al. 2009] Alpha-heamolysin, beta-heamolysin, gamma-heamolysin and Panton Valentine Leucocidine (PVL) are examples of secreting toxins which form pores in the host membrane and lyses the cells while staphylococcus enterotoxins weaken the host immune system and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 causes toxic shock by food poisoning. These virulence factors that are produced [Plata, Rosato et al. 2009] by Staphylococcus aureus and often cause life-threatening diseases. These factors overcome and disguise themselves from th e body immune system so that Staphylococcus aureus can colonize and bind to connective tissues which lead to infections. They are also responsible for the symptoms of the disease. The main diagnostic features can be detected by having coagulase agglutination tests and test for the production of thermostable nuclease which break down DNA. [Greenwood, Slack et al. 2007] Exotoxins (TSST1-toxic shock syndrome toxin 1) TSST1 are one of the virulence factors that cause a variety of diseases in humans. TSST1 has short N-terminal ÃŽ ± helix which lead to ÃŽ ² barrel structure also known as B domain or oligosaccharide binding. It is then connected to C-terminal wall of the ÃŽ ² strands (Domain A). This structure cause cysteine loop which result in emetic activity. If there is no loop, TSST1 will be superantigenic [Orwin, Fitzgerald et al. May 2003]. As Staphylococcus aureus invade the body, TSST1 is produced in the bacteria and release to host. It then inhibits host immune responses. It crosses mucosal surfaces and reactivates bacterial cell wall induced arthritis. [Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000] TSST1 also stimulate proliferation of T cells. These T cells will not only increase its concentration in the body, but they are also unable to recognize specific antigen in the bacterial cells. Subsequently, T cells cannot eradicate Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, TSST1 is also known as superantigenicity, py rogenicity and boost the lethality of the toxins. Acquired heart disease in children is often associated with TSST1. Also, TSST1 is linked to women who use tampons regularly as it increases the exposure to Staphylococcus aureus infections. TSST1 helps to release massive amount of cytokines which results in fever, rash, low blood pressure, tissue damage and shock. [Dermnet.org] Exotoxins (Panton Valentine Leucocidin-PVL) Panton Valentine Leucidin (PVL) is usually found in community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Tristan (2007) stated that it is categorized as bicomponent synergohymenotropic toxin which lyses host cell membrance and it targets on human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), monocytes and macrophages. Plasma membrane of myeloid cells form octamer pores and target leukocytes by Panton Valentine Leucidin [Kobayashi and Deleo 2009]. Inflammatory mediators such as leukotriene B4, IL-8 and histamine are released to the cell surrounding as PVL activates Ca2+ channels to open leading to calcium influx in PMN, monocytes and macrophages. As long as Ca2+ channels are opened and inflammatory mediators concentration is greatly rising, it is a fatal outcome. Thus, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages lyses as pores form in their cell membranes and this usually results in toxic shock or refractory hypoxemia. Panton Valentine Leucidin plays a major role in severe necrotizing fasciitis, pne umonia, leukocyte destruction and tissue necrosis. [Libert, Batjom et al. Jan 2009] Staphylococcus enterotoxins-SE Staphylococcus enterotoxins are the common cause of food poisoning. As individual digests a large amount of Staphylococcus aureusthrough contaminated water or food, enterotoxins are produced. It has a major cross linking with major histocompability complex (MHC) class II antigen and T cell receptor (TCR) [Fraser and Proft 2008]. T cell receptor will recruit neutrophils and release a wide variety of inflammation mediators to the stomach and small intestine. Accumulation of inflammation mediators results in hyperemic mucosa and crypt extension develops in jejunum. The disruption of the lining of the small intestine influences the rate of absorption of substances. Thus, gastroenteritis forms and will bring about the systemic symptoms such as fever and hypotension.[ Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000]. Vomiting and diarrhea is also a common symptom in SE food poisoning. Food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureusis less severe than other infections by the same species. It is often self limiting a s well. [Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000] Protein A Protein A is characterized as a cell wall associated monomeric protein. [Gomez, Lee et al. 2004]. It has role in causing pneumonia by targeting polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell migration in the airway passages. Protein A binds to the Fc region of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and causes opsonization. [Greenwood, Slack et al. 2007]. It also phosphorylates mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as pro-inflammatory signaling. IL-8 is made and secreted out from epithelial cells. In addition, protein A also mimics TNF-ÃŽ ± (tumour necrosis factor ÃŽ ±) that will bind to TNFR1, which is distributed at airways (tumour necrosis factor receptor 1). This will recruit TRADD (TNFR1 associated death domain protein) and TRAF2 (TNF receptor associated factor 2). Both will be activated, protein A and TRAF2 with RIP1 will coimmunoprecipitate in the airways [Gomez, Lee et al. 2004]. Furthermore, protein A inhibits phagocytic engulfment. In the same paper, Gomez also stated that if Staphylococcus aureusis lacking in protein A or TNFR1, bacterial virulence will be lower and accumulation of PMN in the lung will be decrease as well. It is harmless to activate PMN as it is to protect the lung, however, when there is an increase in protein A binding to PMN, PMN is activated and enhancing the inflammatory mediators to be released in the airways. Therefore, an increase in protein A will generate a greater inflammatory response and subsequently pneumonia develops. Staphylokinase (SAK) Staphylokinase is an enzyme that produces by Staphylococcus aureus. When staphylokinase is released from Staphylococcus aureus and targeted to neutrophils, ÃŽ ±-defensins is produced and followed by neutralization of short peptides by Staphylococcus aureus. This results in inhibition of bactericidal effects of defensins by the activation of plasminogen and staphylokinase increases bacterial infection process. [Bergmann and Hammerschmidt 2007] Plasminogen is tightly regulated and it is a part of fibrinolysis mechanism which coagulates fibrin when a blood vessel is injured. Staphylococcus aureus changes plasminogen to fibrin with the help of fibrin as co-factor. Staphylokinase is encoded by the Sak gene and regulated by the agr gene. Its structure has a central ÃŽ ±-helix and 5 ÃŽ ² sheet strands. [Bokarewa, Jin et al. 2006]. Once neutophils is bound to the central ÃŽ ±-helix, it induces conformational changes. Consequently, plasminogen is converted to plasmin. Fibrin clots is then bro ken down by plasmin and kept the infection localized. Staphylokinase-plasminogen complexes also help Staphylococcus aureus to enter the host tissues. Furthermore, Maria stated that if 2 staphylokinase form a dimer due to the central ÃŽ ±-helical, it will reduce antigenicity. Several binding sites to neutrophils can be found in staphylokinase. This will induced in releasing of ÃŽ ±-defensins and affect the bactericidal properties as peptides are being neutralized. Staphylococcus aureusis then resistant to phagocytosis by neutrophils. [Bokarewa, Jin et al. 2006]. Staphylokinase infections are usually found in sepsis, immunocompromised and elderly patients as they are more prone to Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics are the usual therapy of these infections. Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureusare the main components that causing life threatening diseases. It is mostly the mediators released by the immune system gives the symptoms for the diseases. If there are any mutations in these virulence factors, it will be less virulent to the bacteria and the symptoms of disease will lessen as these virulence factors will not target neutrophils, macrophages and other immune system components. Therefore, inflammation mediators are not released in a great amount at once.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer

Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer High Efficiency Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer: PEM Fuel Cell Applications Methanol can be easily stored and transported and converted to H2 using a reforming reactor that makes it an excellent hydrogen and energy source for fuel cell applicationsEasily storage, transporting and converting to H2 by a reforming reactor using makes it an excellent energy source for PEMFC applications [1-3] During the last decades, there has been a growing interest on developing technologies taking advantage of clean energy sources. The reduction of atmospheric pollution and, namely, the emission of greenhouse gases have become imperative and, among the new technologies for mitigating these emissions, fuel cells have the ability to efficiently convert chemical into electrical energy. In particular, PEMFCs are zero-pollutants emission systems because they transform the chemical energy of the electrochemical reaction within hydrogen and oxygen into clean electrical powerTodays, for environmental issues, growing interest on developing technologies including clean energy sources has been focused. Pollution issue and, especially, the emission of greenhouse gases have become crucial and, the new technology for elimination of these emission, can be achieved by PEMFC. [4, 5] Meanwhile, compared to other feedstocks, methanol exploitation shows various advantages as a hydrogen carrier for fuel cell applications and, namely, it can be produced from renewable sources[9], and the reforming reaction occurs at relatively low temperatures, ca. 240–260 1CAmong these, methanol exploitation leads various advantages as a hydrogen carrier and, especially, reforming reaction applying at relatively low temperature (240-260 C) [6] , compared to the methane reforming, normally performed at 800–1000 1C, compared to the methane reforming, normally carry out at 800-1000 C[7] . Methanol steam reforming (MSR) reaction has been seen as a very attractive and promising process for hydrogen production and, according to the scientific literature on the argument, it can be described by the following chemical reactions:Attractive and promising of the methanol steam reforming process cause especial insight to this reaction which according to the scientific references, occurs by the following chemical reactions: Where reactions 1, 2 and 3 represent MSR reaction, water gas shift reaction and methanol decomposition reaction, respectively.Reaction (1), represents MSR reaction, reaction (2) represents water gas shift reaction and reaction (3) represents the methanol decomposition reaction The reactor design has direct impact on the reaction conversion, but owing to higher technical complexity and manufacturing costs of other designs, the reformers and MRs are normally tubular. However, recent efforts in the area of micro-processing made possible and easier to manufacture other reactor designs and namely well-structured à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡at micro-reactors. A micro-reactor is defined as a device that contains micro structured features, with a sub-millimeter dimension, in which chemical reactions are performed in a continuous manner They present advantages compared to conventional ones such as higher surface-to-volume ratio, smaller mean distance of the specific à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uid volume to the reactor walls, better heat and matter transfer properties and à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow patterns that fit with the reaction needs. Furthermore, à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡at reformers are suitable for stack integration with fuel cells. Packed-bed micro-reactors require well-define catalyst particles, wi th regular shape and much smaller than the internal dimensions of the micro-channels, which is a problem for most of commercial catalysts.The reactor design, directly impress reaction conversion but owning to higher complexity and fabrication costs should be considered. Common normally MRs are in tubular shape. However, recent researches show easier to manufacture and possibility of other designs and namely well-structured flat micro-reactors. A reactor containing micro structure features and sub-millimeter dimension through performing in a continues manner representing advantages such as higher surface to volume ratio, smaller mean distance of the specific fluid volume to the reactor walls, improving heat and mass transfer make appropriate situation of stack integration with fuel cells. [8]. Many studies have been developed to explore the advantages of micro/mini-reactors to produce hydrogen through MSR The design of a reactor targets the maximization of the conversion and selectivity at the lowest costs and its performance is inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenced by the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow pattern, velocity profile, pressure drop and heat transfer, so all these aspects must be consideredTo fabricate an effective micro-reactor having maximum conversion and selectivity at a low cost is impressed by the flow pattern, velocity profile, pressure drop and heat transfer, therefore all these approaches should be considered[9]. For conducting MSR reaction, most of the used reactor designs are rectilinear channels, pin-hole, coil-based and radial (Fig. 2).Coil-based reactor designs allow high conversions, but impose a significant pressure drop penalty, which may be a limitation for compact applications Categorization of the design consist rectilinear channels, pin-hole, coil-based and radial (Fi g. 2). Among these, Coil based leads high conversion and pressure drop preventing compact applications[9]. In the other hand, the rectilinear channel designs exhibit a small-pressure drop, but the conversion is low due to uneven mass distribution and is affected by the Reynolds number while, the first exhibit a small pressure drop, uneven mass distribution cause lower conversion which impressed by Reynolds number[9]. Yet, by adjusting the channels width [69] or by imposing a pressure drop at the channels entrance even distributions on rectilinear channel designs can be obtained, improving the methanol conversion[10]. Conventional packed-bed reactor has disadvantages, such as hot spots, delays in start-up, and mass and heat transfer limitations. For micro-scale reactor, the pressure drop is somewhat higher due to space constraints of channels being blocked with catalysts. A micro-pump used in portable applications may not be capable of overcoming a high pressure drop. On the other hand, microchannel reactor offers advantages, such as fast heating and cooling, large surface-area-to volume ratios, and less energy input The packed-bed reactors as a classic system, have disadvantages, such as hot spot, slow start-up, and heat and mass transfer limitations. Micro-structure scale of this group utilizing a micro pump is necessary, due to high pressure and channel blockage [10]. Some research has shown that wall-coated reactor performs better than packed bed reactor for SRM reaction various researches has proofed better performance of the wall-coated than packed bed reactor for SRM reaction[11, 12]. Experimental Catalyst preparation Firstly, 200 ml deionized water was heated to 80ËÅ ¡C and then metal nitrates of Cu, Zn and Fe (to prepare CuZnFe) were dissolved into the water until get the 0.2M solution. This solution was added to the heated water (80ËÅ ¡C) over stirrer under 350 rpm. To control and adjust pH around 7, the precipitation agent of 0.5M Na2CO3 was used. The obtained precipitates were aged at 60 ËÅ ¡C for 2 h under vigorous stirring. Afterward, the solids were filtered and washed with warm deionized water for several times and dried at 110 ËÅ ¡C for 12 h. then, the dried powder was calcined in a furnace at 350 ËÅ ¡C for 4h. Catalyst slurry preparation PVA (87-90% hydrolyzed, average mol wt 30,000-70,000,SIGMA-ALDRICH) was added to deionized water first, and stirred at 70 C until totally dissolved, then cooled at room temperature. As-synthesized, high-performance CuZnFe catalyst (10 wt.% catalyst) was added into the PVA solution (0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 2 wt.% PVA) as-prepared. The catalyst slurry was kept in the ultrasonic bath for 1 h. Catalyst coating by electrophoretic deposition on stainless steel plates To prepare a regular, controlled catalytic layer, a well-stable suspensions of the catalyst powder are necessary which depend on the particle size, solvent characteristics and additional agents. To do this, the powder were milled to get a uniformity of particle size distribution below 40 micron, at least. Isopropanol was selected as solvent due to lower conductivity limiting solvent transportation than of the aqueous ones. Moreover, presence of aqueous base cause water electrolysis following poor coverage of catalyst. Electrophoretic deposition was performed at constant voltage (140 V) using a power supply unit (SPS-900NP-Navasanpardaz). The stainless steel (AISI-304) palates (7.04 cm2) were used as electrodes in the EPD bath. To cover both sides of the plate, a system including three electrodes was selected which, were mounted at a distance of 15 mm in a cell with a total volume of 120 ml. slurry of 72 g/L of catalyst in isopropanol and 1 g/L of PEI as binder was prepared through 15 min strongly stirring and then, 15 min signification in an ultrasonic bath (1200M-Soltec). The time of 4 min as coating time was fixed for all samples. After coating, the plates were dried in room temperature and then calcination at 350 C for 2 h. Method and materials According to the procedure in fig. 1, a series of CuZnFe slurries and samples were prepared. The synthesized powder was milled at 250 rpm for 10 min (due to initial fine powder structure short milling time was chosen) by a milling apparatus. It make a stable behavior of the slurry and homogenous final layer deposited. Results and Discussion After the coating procedure, the changing structure of the CuZnFe catalyst, the operating parameters and micro-channel characterization affect the efficiency of hydrogen in the output. In this study, explored a number of vital parameters characterization, including channeling arrangement and shape, coating methods and the efficiency of hydrogen production. Micro-Channeling Theory Design and micro-channel arrangement optimization cause select an appropriate structure limited by performance efficiency, constant cost like startup, Fabrication, and variable costs (Catalyst stability, coated layer quality, appropriate life time). Regardless of the constant costs, overall state and changing catalytic plates while the plates have been channelized, replacement and re-channelizing, coating procedure should be more difficult. Although, chein et. Al. [13] adopt three types reformer including the microchannel, the plain channel and the inserted catalyst layer while utilizing channeling over cover plate is different. All proposed structure of a square microchannel have been shown below†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. In this research, flexibility and replacing of an aged micro-reformer has been emphasized, an appropriate configuration with the minimum of fabrication cost through a recoverable coating procedure, minimum catalyst consuming and high efficiency has been adopted. A treated stainless steel as active layer was coated by the high efficiency CuZnFe catalyst which coated in an electrophoretic bath under a high controlling ability condition. The EPD producer will be discussed elsewhere, in detail. According to the optimum condition of a constant parameters, type of micro-channels, length and stability have been investigated. Reactor design The reactors were designed as flat-plate composed of stainless steel 304 plates. The microstructures were introduced by CNC technology. The both cover plate were machined to cover the active catalytic layer and increasing area to volume concept. The active layers were coated by home-made synthesized high efficiency steam reforming catalyst. Subsequently, the housing sealed by graphite gasket and bolts. The size and number of channels are summarized in table 1. Table 1.  Summary of the dimensions of the reactor: the channel dimensions are only provided for the reformate side of the plates Parallel channel Zig-zag channel Length(mm) Wide(mm) Depth(mm) Length(mm) Wide(mm) Depth(mm) The test plates and reformer design details are shown in fig. 1. On the top side of the cover plate, as shown in fig. 1(a), microchannel were patterned zig-zag path to reduce pressure drop along the path, holding high activity of the catalyst through the contact time increasing.(ref) the feed methanol-water mixture is sent to the vaporizer section including an inert alumina granule packed developing the heat transfer, and then, collected in an triangle manifold in the reformer inlet to obtain a more uniformly distributed flow. The design of the reformer channel (as shown in fig) leads splitting-jointing in an alternatively manner. In order to identify the reactant flow pattern effect on the reforming performance, the reformer channels shown in fig.1 were investigated. Catalyst coating The results of coating procedure, have been shown in fig 2. For all the plates, the same catalyst loading of 25mg was coated. Experimental setup A schematic diagram of the experimental setup is shown in fig. 3. The main components of the system are reactants, micro-reformer and products. To provide the heat of the reaction an electrical furnace was used controlled by a TIC. The feedstock system including methanol-water in liquid phase was sent by a syringe pump (model nnn) in a designed feed composition and determined S/C= 1.3 in all the tests. The reformed gas stream was then sent to a cold trap to eliminate the unreacted liquid phase. In continues, the rest of the gases was conducted to a gas chromatography equipped via two columns of carboxen and hysep Q (model shimadzu GC-8A). Based on the achieved fractions and compositions, the methanol conversion, CO selectivity, hydrogen yield and stability of the active layer cab be achieved. A K-type thermocouple connected at the end of the holes which designed to measure temperature of determined spots along the axis, default of the measurement is based on the central point of the reformer for all the tests. Results and Discussion 50 mm parallel microchannel Fig. 4 and fig. 5 display the performance of the microchannels according to the length. The investigation was performed under different temperature and micro channel types. It can be observed that the methanol conversion rates with various lengths is no different although the magnitude of this depends on the micro channel arrangement and for the direct parallel channels is more obvious. In the experiments, the effect of reaction temperature could overcome length and full conversion of methanol was achieved, finally. For the zig zag type, by variation in length in a range of 20 to 50 mm, no difference was observed. The arrangement cause more efficiency in reduction of surface to volume ratio. Actually the need of a sufficient contact time of the reactants on the catalytic active sites is necessary for a satisfying conversion. In the zag-zag type the contact time will increased and the at least of the sufficient length of full conversion is about 25mm. other lengths below those was not possible due to the limitation of the mass flow controller. On the other hand, being endothermic of MSR, the least requirement heat of reaction can be supplied by increasing of the contact time on the cover plate which is contacted to the heating source, consequently following the micro channel length. About the CO content, however, due to being full conversion in considered lengths, there is no significant different among the cases. Higher conversion can cause producing some more CO in the outlet. On the other hand, sufficient existing catalyst affect the CO production due to being active rWGS in lower loading of the catalyst. (ref). Zig-Zag microchannel Felani et al. [ ] proposed that a novel channel arrangement with a certain sizing could guarantee better flow distribution, higher contact time being accessible of reaction and heating, and lower pressure drop than those of conventional ones. The proposed model can increase the methanol conversion. Fig. 6 shows the illustration of the micro-reactor with such zig-zag microchannel. The performances of parallel microchannels and that of zig-zag microchannels are compared by the present experiment. The micro-reactor in this study is different from that of chein et al. [13]. In chein’s paper, the reactor only has simple inserted plate without channelizing. It is noticed that in this experiment novel catalyst of CuZnFe has been used and the goal of this experiment is not the comparison of the cases. Advantages of easily replacing, lower costs of recoating and flexibility managing of the fuel processor. Fig. 7 shows the variation of the methanol conversion with the temperatures. It c an be found that with the increase of the temperature, the methanol conversion decrease. The conversion in zig-zag microchannels were higher than those in parallel microchannels. When the temperature is high, methanol conversion in zig-zag microchannels could be 20% higher than that in parallel microchannels. As mentioned before, zig-zag microchannels induce potential of providing more contact time to react under the help of catalysts, thereby enhancing the methanol conversion. Conclusions In this paper, the experiment of methanol steam reforming were performed in a micro-reformer coated with novel CuZnFe catalyst. The following conclusion can be achieved. 1. The impacts of reaction temperature, gas hourly space velocity, H2O-to-CH3OH molar ratio and catalyst stability were also investigated in this stainless micro-reformer. Condition selection of optimum operation can be achieved by these useful guidance. 2. Micro-reactor with two types microchannel arrangement, including zig-zag path and parallel microchannels, different lengths of 15, 30 and 60 mm were evaluated. It is found that methanol conversion in microchannels with zig-zag path are much higher than that of parallel path. In addition, since zig-zag path cause more contact time of the reactants on active sites of catalyst, there is no different of methanol conversion with length variation, while in the parallel path, it was obvious that higher length leads to more methanol conversion. References [1] D.R. Palo, R.A. Dagle, J.D. Holladay, Chemical Reviews 107 (2007) 3992-4021. [2] L. F Brown, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 26 (2001) 381-397. [3] C. Liao, P.A. Erickson, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 33 (2008) 1652-1660. [4] J.-H. Wee, Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 11 (2007) 1720-1738. [5] S. Bose, T. Kuila, T.X.H. Nguyen, N.H. Kim, K.-t. Lau, J.H. Lee, Progress in Polymer Science 36 (2011) 813-843. [6] R.Y. Chein, Y.C. Chen, Y.S. Lin, J. Chung, International Journal of Energy Research 36 (2012) 466-476. [7] A. Basile, A. Iulianelli, T. Longo, S. Liguori, M. De Falco, Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production Processes, Springer, 2011, pp. 21-55. [8] V. Hessel, S. Hardt, H. Là ¶we, Chemical micro process engineering: fundamentals, modelling and reactions, John Wiley Sons, 2006. [9] H. An, A. Li, A.P. Sasmito, J.C. Kurnia, S.V. Jangam, A.S. Mujumdar, Chemical Engineering Science 75 (2012) 85-95. [10] X. Ouyang, L. Bednarova, R. Besser, P. Ho, AIChE journal 51 (2005) 1758-1772. [11] A. Karim, J. Bravo, D. Gorm, T. Conant, A. Datye, Catalysis today 110 (2005) 86-91. [12] J. Bravo, A. Karim, T. Conant, G.P. Lopez, A. Datye, Chemical Engineering Journal 101 (2004) 113-121. [13] R.-Y. Chein, Y.-C. Chen, Y.-S. Lin, J. Chung, International Journal of Thermal Sciences 50 (2011) 1253-1262.