CPOE Case Study Essay

1. Provide a brief overview of the case (one paragraph or less). What is this case about? -This case study talks about Emory Clinic implementing a computerized provider order entry system and describes the changes the clinic went through. The case study also talks about how the system affected the hospital and the healthcare works when implementing to system. It discusses people’s reaction to the system and the advantages and problems that arise when the system was being implemented. 2. What is the purpose of a CPOE system? -The purpose of a CPOE system is it was designed to reduce, or, whatever possible, eliminate handwritten orders. Some of the advantages of the CPOE system over the handwritten process are that they are less likely subject to errors, free of handwriting identification problems, less subject to errors, and provide â€Å"real time† decision support. 3. How might a CPOE system change work flow in a medical setting? What type of business process reengineering (BPR) occurred at Emory as part of this project? -The type of business process reengineering that occurred during the implementation of the CPOE system was the shift in the workload. According to the case study, the CPOE system was an overall positive in the workforce as it reduced errors in a medical setting. Instead of handing off orders to intermediaries, they can just directly enter an order to the system for others to see. There was a natural shift in workload from nurses, pharmacists, social workers, ward clerks, and other healthcare providers to physicians. Doctors were left with a higher workload due to the change of the process and the case study states that they hate it. The CPOE system created a new workplace dynamic in which the doctors responsibility for order entry was not always clearly defined. On the other hand, some other healthcare works got less of a workload. For example pharmacist Tony Ottaviano stated that his workload was reduced freeing up more time for him to actually doing what pharmacists are supposed to do instead of sitting and entering orders 4. At Emory, what were the goals of CPOE implementation? (Why was a decision made to do this?) -The goals of implementing the CPOE system was to reduce human error. The advantages listed on page 14, listed all the reasons why it should be implemented. In the case study, they stated that there were more positives  than negatives about the implementation. Overall the system made operations move at a quicker pace and helped most healthcare workers made less errors in a medical setting. 5. Access YouTube and view videos from at least three other healthcare organizations that have implemented CPOE systems. Identify the three organizations and summarize their implementation efforts. – Adventist healthcare system http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tfLoWVAeHc Organizational change Processing the system Training their employees Stabilization optimization – Crouse Hospital http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeziLJU_ZGw Talked about enhancements of the system such as safety Mandatory rollout with more enhancements and improvements Explain why it is an advantage and essential Expanded to most units in hospital with enhancements and improvements -Floyd Medical Care http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9vPoQ65PiE Personal training Explained why CPOE will make things easier 6. After reading the case and viewing the YouTube videos, identify who you think the stakeholders are in a CPOE implementation effort. Identify at least 10 different types of stakeholders. 1. IT department 2. Trainers 3. Hospitals 4. CPOE creator 5. patients 6. Physicians 7. Pharmacist 8. Nurses 9. EMT 10. Socials workers 7. Next identify what you think critical steps are in a CPOE implementation effort. What do you see as being critical aspects of the project that can either lead to success or failure? – In implementing the CPOE system,  critical steps for implementing it successfully should be to think about each patient’s needs. The system is for the healthcare workers to use but depending on how this system is utilized could directly effect a patient’s medical procedures. I also think proper training is a critical step. This refers back to the patients being affected if not utilized correctly. 8. In hindsight, what changes can you recommend for the CPOE system implementation process at Emory that might have reduced issues? I expect you to draw on materials either from your real work experience or from information provided in the course so far. 5 points will be deducted from the score for students who answer â€Å"nothing† to this question. I expect more critical thinking than that. -Some of the problems that existed at Emory were â€Å"post-op ordering process†, no gatekeeper, and an increase in lab orders. Some solutions I would recommend to solving some of the listed issues would be increasing the staff count. Having a low staff count with each individual having multiple duties can be tough. Having a higher staff count with a more segregation of duties would prevent a lot of issues from occurring (such as one person just verifying information). Also a big recommendation would be more training. Training can be very costly to an organization but it is better to have effective training than to endanger a patient’s life and having a law suit on their hands. In my real world experience, I currently work at sonic and there is no budget that goes into training. New employees are placed on the floor when they are hired and are told to just observe and other workers are to give advice and show them what to do. This is very inefficient because this makes each worker different as they may have their own way of doing an assigned task. Training should be implemented so that each worker does the same amount of work and work is fair.

Contribute to Children and Yp’s Health and Safety

MU 2. 4 CONTRIBUTE TO CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S HEALTH & SAFETY Check your knowledge 1. What does COSHH stand for? COSHH stands for control of substances hazardous to health 2. Name two other regulations that cover health and safety in children’s settings. Reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences Regulation (RIDDOR) 1995 Food hygiene legislation 2006 – safe storage and preparation of food 3. List six routine daily checks you should make of the indoor and outdoor environments in your setting. ndooroutdoor Check that floor is clean, clear, bright and look invitingCheck that there are not sharp instruments, rocks check that all toys are securely place on mats, or well arranged and not damagedEnsure that there are not insects and bees nests Check that heating and lights are workingEnsure shed is locked at the end of the day 4. Identify two ways in which you can make sure children are secure in your setting. †¢Checking that the gates a nd the doors are locked †¢Ensure that the adult to child ratio is correct . List three aspects of welfare covered by the statutory requirements of the EYFS. Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfareThe provider must take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The provider must promote the good health of the children, take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, and take appropriate action when they are ill. Children’s behaviour must be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. OrganizationProviders must plan and organize their systems to ensure that every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs. DocumentationProviders must maintain records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the settings and to meet the needs of the children. 6. Give three examples of how you might assess the risk of particular activities, taking the children’s ages into account. working with animals – the animals must be well trained, proper supervision and the activity should be made with children over 8 years †¢football – the children can hit each other or can happen accidents as breakages; as a control measure I need to provide plenty of space and not interfere with other games †¢ 7. Why is it important to record accidents and incidents? It is important to learn from mistakes and prevent children being injured or becoming ill in f uture and to report to parents. 8. List six items from a first aid kit. †¢adhesive bandages, †¢sterile dressings, †¢thermometer, †¢gloves, †¢regular strength pain medication, †¢Disinfectant. 9. What should you do in the case of an accident before you start to give first aid? Before starting to give first aid in the case of an accident is to call for an ambulance. 10. List three key signs of meningitis in a baby or young child. †¢Fever †¢Headache †¢Dislike of light †¢Stiff neck †¢Red spots underneath the skin that not disappear when a glass is pressed against it

Steve Jobs Informative

Outline for Informative Speech Topic: Steve JobsGeneral Purpose: To Inform SpecificPurpose: To inform my audience about the life of Steve Jobs Thesis: Technology would never be the same ever since the arrival of the great Steve Jobs. * Introduction Attention Getter: In 1984 the first cd play or â€Å"Walk-man† was released. The first laptop came out in 1982 and cost a mere $8,150 which comes out to $19,630 today. In 2001 the first smartphone was released. All of these devices since have been outdated and updated. And the company that runs them all is Apple Co.And Apple would not be where it is if not for the mastermind behind it all, Steve Jobs Significance: Almost everyone, everywhere either own or have owned an IPod, IPhone, or Macbook.Credibility: According to CNN. net â€Å"Apple IPhone controls half of the web traffic produced by all smartphones. † And according to Amazon. com 4/10 laptops sold are Macbooks. Thesis: Steve Jobs has changed the technology world and t he way that the world uses technology. Preview: Specifically I will talk about Jobs upbringing, how apple got started, and what they did to become a powerhouse in technology. Transition: The reason Steve Jobs named it apple was because he used to work for Atari and Apple got in the phone book before it.BodyTo first understand the genius that is Steve Jobs we have to look at his upbringing and his past. According to biography. com Steve Jobs was born Steve Paul in San Francisco, California on February 24th, 1955 Steve Jobs was adopted almost right after birth by Clara and Paul Jobs. While at a young age Jobs showed an interest in technology mainly because his family moved to Los Altos, California.And in Los Altos was Hewitt-Packard one of the biggest technology companies of the time. While young Steve and Paul would work on electronics in the garage. Paul taught Steve how to take apart and reconstruct them, a hobby that would inspire jobs to his dream. While Jobs was always a thinker , he had a difficult time in school. His Fourth grade teacher even had to bribe him to focus However he tested so well the school board wanted to bump him to high school but his parents declined * Transition: Jobs didn’t start his own company alone nor was it a success right away.Body 2In 1971 Jobs enrolled at Homestead High School Not long after that did he was introduced to his future partner in business Steve Wozniak through a friend. Wozniak was attending University of Michigan when they met. Wozniak once said in an interview with ABC News â€Å"We both loved electronics and the way we used to hook up digital chips,† Wozniak said. â€Å"Very few people, especially back then had any idea what chips were, how they worked and what they could do. I had designed many computers so I was way ahead of him in electronics and computer design, but we still had common interests.We both had pretty much sort of an independent attitude about things in the world. † After Hi gh School Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Oregon Lacking focus and direction Jobs dropped out after only 6 months but still continued to go to some Art classes Jobs then took a game testing job for Atari in 1974 He left after 7 months to go to India to find spiritual enlightenment in India While he did this he experimented with psychogenic drugs and traveled the world. In 1976, when Jobs was just 21 he and Wozniak started Apple Computers They started the company out of Jobs parents garageThey funded Apple by Jobs selling his car and Wozniak selling his scientific calculator * Transition: From this point Apple would excel and grow in fameBody 3Jobs and Wozniak were credited with revolutionizing the computer industry They did this by making the computer smaller, cheaper, and available to an everyday consumer. They first came out with the Apple I The computer first listed at $700. 00 a piece It made the company $774,000 3 years after the release of Apple II their sales increase 700% T his made Apple worth $139 million. In 1980, Apple became a publically traded company with a value of $1. billion on the first day of trade. After this, Apple would come out with a couple of failures and lose popularity to IBM CO. The Apple board began to think Jobs was hurting apple and phased him out * Transition: Jobs was not always an Apple man, but opened multiple Big named companies we all know about.Body 4In 1985, Jobs stepped down as Apple’s CEO to begin a new hardware and software company called NeXT Inc. The next following years NeXT grew and Jobs bought out an animation studio called Pixar. Jobs had high faith in Pixar so he invested $50 million of his own money in it.Pixar released very popular movies such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles Pixar’s films netted $4 billion In 2006 the studio merged with Walt Disney, making Steve Jobs Disney’s largest shareholder. Apple then bought out NeXT in 1997 for $429 million That same year Jobs retur ned to his post as Apple’s CEO Jobs then put apple back on top With a new management team and altered stock options and only taking an annual salary of $1 Also coming out with new devices, marketing techniques, and cool looking designs he recaptured the world’s attention.Conclusion After all this commotion, going from top, to bottom, back on top Steve Jobs has marked his name in history for many companies and big time in the technology industry. Sadly on October 5, 2011 Apple Inc. announced that co-founder Steve Jobs had died at the age of 56 of pancreatic cancer. Even though Jobs is gone his legacy will live on. I have now attempted to tell you on who Steve Jobs was growing up, on how Apple was created, how it became successful, and how Steve Jobs was the mastermind behind it all.

Virtual Child Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Virtual Child - Essay Example My virtual child did not feel too close to his father because the father was not within the proximity of the child too often. The child starts recognising the persons in the surrounding by sensing the smell. The touch, sight and smell are important elements to provide comfort to the child. For the mother of course it will be next to impossible to forget the pains with which she is able to have the child. While early on the baby appears confused as the sensory mechanism is not fully developed, at 3-month old period the child is certainly in a position to recognise the parents and tries to feel better in the company, while resisting the efforts of others in taking control. 8-month period is certainly a long period for the child-parent relationship. The child starts uttering few words and indulges in some innocent sign language, which helps the bonding amongst the individuals. 2. Describe and give examples of changes in your child's exploratory or problem solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piaget's theory and information processing theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you'll need to use the time-line to look back at 8 months for examples. The period between 8 and 18 months happens to... These changes take place with active support from parents. Jean Piaget explained in 1930s that the cognitive development in child passes through four phases, namely (Meadows, 1987); Sensory-motor (first 2 years) Pre-operational (from 2 to 7) Concrete operational (from 7 to 10). Formal operational (10 onwards) In this case the period upto 18 months will be the one where the sensory power will be developed. 3. Analyze your own parenting philosophy and practices. What principles from social learning theory, Bowlby, Ainsworth, Piaget, Vygotsky, information processing theory, developmental neuroscience and other theories do you appear to have relied on in making your parenting choices or interpreting your child's behavior Include three principles/theorists from the above list in your answer. Mary Ainsworth expanded upon the theory of Bowlby and tried to observe the growth of 12-18 months. The 'strange situation' is one of the pioneering works of Ainsworth. Based on this Ainsworth underlined three major styles of attachment, namely, secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Piaget came out with the cognitive theory by analyzing how the minds of children work and develop over the years in view of the surroundings and the style of grooming by parents. He concluded that the development of thinking is not smooth in kids, instead it develops into stages. 18 months, 7 years and 12 years have been found out as three critical stages by Piaget for this purpose. Vygotsky social development theory underlines the importance of social interaction in the cognitive development of a child. Slightly differing with Piaget, Vygotsky inferred that development follows social learning. Therefore, as per this theory spending

North vs South - How the North won the Civil War Essay

North vs South - How the North won the Civil War - Essay Example Further, people wonder why the North failed to allow the Confederacy to secede peacefully. This paper will examine the military strategies and leadership, which facilitated the victory that the North enjoyed and the defeat of the South. There was an increasing discrepancy between the South and the North in terms of economic development, social structures and organizations and political ideologies. However, the two regions were alike during the founding of the new nation. Slavery was in the entire states, and the economic activities of the two regions had strong reinforcements from agricultural prosperity (Steele & Herbert 1996, p. 45)1. The Northern states designed a plan that would end slavery and enhance the emancipation of the slaves to ensure that they fought for their rights, freedom and liberty. Further, the collapse of the party system had remarkable contribution towards the victory of the North; the slavery issue received undue suppression from the laws of this party. The strength of the political parties had a negative influence from massive immigration of foreigners and debates pushing for the prohibition of slavery. There existed a deficiency in the governance of the states; the strong parties suffered from utter blows that weakened the running of the parties. The confederacy and the union had confidence that they would win the war with a lot of ease (Hattaway & Jones 1991, p. 63).2The two regions believed that their outstanding advantages over the other side would bring ultimate victory to them. On the side of the confederacy, they believed that they had a better position to win the war because the Generals from South had advanced training, and most of the whites on that side were conversant with firearms and horses. Further, the South had plans of fighting a defensive war against the Northern region, and enjoy foreign economies, which meant that the economic might of the south

To what extent was propaganda's importance to the rise of Hitler Essay

To what extent was propaganda's importance to the rise of Hitler - Essay Example Hitler had many personality flaws that had to be overcome before he could successfully lead any political party. Hitler was paranoid about many subjects. Takeovers and conspiracies were a common theme in Hitler’s mind. In Mein Kampf, Hitler talked about Jews endlessly. One example states â€Å"I gradually discovered that the Social Democratic Party was predominately controlled by Jews.† Hitler really believed that Jews had a worldwide conspiracy against the German people. Instead of showing his paranoia against the Jews, Hitler laid down logical reasons for his hatred toward the Jews. For example: He painted a vivid picture of a revivified and dynamic 'racial community' that would overcome all distinctions of class, estate and station. The economy would be invigorated by two four-year plans and 'national rebirth' ensured by the reassertion of family values and a return to the basic tenets of Christian morality. Instead of just stating his paranoid facts about the Jews, Hitler used a positive spin to include others in his paranoid beliefs. The propaganda of the Jews standing in the way of better economic plan, or even a better Germany was easier to sell to the Germans than paranoid beliefs about a Jewish or Communist conspiracies. Another problem that Hitler had to hide was his phobia with the opposite sex. Hitler was very shy around women. One woman that he loved above others was his niece, Geli. There is much speculation about whether these two had a sexual relationship. The relationship came to a tragic end when Geli commuted suicide. Hitler only had serious relationships with three women, Geli, Miezl Reiter, and Eva Braun Not much is known about Reiter, except she was his chauffeur’s sister.... tionship came to a tragic end when Geli commuted suicide.4 Hitler only had serious relationships with three women, Geli, Miezl Reiter, and Eva Braun Not much is known about Reiter, except she was his chauffeur’s sister.5 Eva Braun Hitler's longtime mistress, eventually married Hitler right before both of them committed suicide in the last days of World War II. Braun was not very stable. She tried multiple times to kill herself.6 Hitler did not appear publicly attached to these women. The propaganda surrounding Hitler and women was on of a single man. The unattainable bachelor made German women swoon. Every German woman attracted to Hitler could imagine the possibility of being with the Fuehrer. If he needed to use propaganda to promote a wife, children, and family life, Hitler used Magda Gobbels, Josef Gobbels' wife.7 The single bachelor image helped promote his popularity with women, despite his failed personal relationships. In order to carry out the Final Solution, or the d estruction of the Jews, Hitler could not lay out his true plans. This is where propaganda came into play. In order to cover up the paranoia of a madman, Hitler started laying out a case against the Jews. His first propaganda piece was Mein Kampf. As his position in the Nazi movement grew so did the propaganda. The main propaganda against the Jews was the idea that: Hitler and his leading propagandists were able to entertain completely contradictory versions of events simultaneously, one rooted in the grandiose idea of a master race and world domination the other in the self-pitying paranoia of the innocent, beleaguered victim. Grandiosity and paranoia were two poles of one fanatical ideology.8 By portraying his anti-Semitic sentiments as a noble cause, or a German cause, Hitler was able to come

How global issues have affected the people from different walks of Essay

How global issues have affected the people from different walks of life - Essay Example The paper tells that the world of today is plagued with a number of issues. These come in all shapes and sizes. They have a very drastic effect on the global populace and the problems seem to increase with each passing day. These global issues need to be taken care of because these break the basis of sanity within the day to day affairs of the people. It also makes the point apparent that suggests these global issues are becoming bigger than these used to be in the past. With changing time dimensions, the problems have started to become bigger and the effects have magnanimously increased which is a cause of concern. Some of these global issues comprise of the challenges that face businesses and multinational companies, the environmental problems, the child labor debate, the role of capitalism in the wake of business regimes, the cultural angle within the governments, improper educational quarters around the world, failing healthcare standards, the rise of terrorism, growing poverty, and the inadequate role of the world’s leading organizations like United Nations, World Bank, etc. These global issues therefore take their basis from the above-mentioned pointers. The reason for this has been discussed by the people who want to bring about a change within the business and societal domains on a proactive basis, but then again it is not this easy to undertake in the first place. What remains significant is the basis of comprehending how these issues have created problems for the people at large and the society in more ways than one. ... It has also been depicted through the role of the respective governmental domains as to how value is at times missing from the organizational levels (Edwards, 2012). This is something that takes a lot of flak at the hands of the top management entities which are working in an organization and which have a fair enough say in making up the organizational dynamics in essence. The multinational corporations are similarly facing the same problems on a regular basis. They are being at the receiving end of a number of steps that have been taken by the government at large and which focus on the premise of creating rifts with the relevant public domains and stakeholders that are varied and widespread in different cross-sections of the society. What is quintessential to take note of here is the ideology that these stakeholders need to be taken in the loop, without which success cannot be realized in the most basic sense. These issues are therefore taking up a lot of time for these business hub s which have planned to make it big within the global quarters yet face hurdles every now and often due to lingering and pressing concerns, raised by varied individuals and other corporations and companies. The need is to allocate proper resources under such realms to make sure that success comes about in full circle as far as the challenges for the business organizations and corporations are concerned. Addressing them would actually be seen as the first step towards solving such issues without a doubt. Issue of Environment Another global issue is of the environmental pollution that has played havoc with the lives of the people. It is this subject that has been much debated and hence given attention for all the right reasons. The global warming discussion is

Art Management & Marketing Assignment Case Study

Art Management & Marketing Assignment - Case Study Example These factors contribute towards positioning the company as market leader in the artificial jewellery industry. Products offered by the company will cater to the needs of all age groups and classes of people. The essay will provide further details about the business plan, which will help to portray viability of starting this business in United States. Jewellery business falls in the category of art business hence it is obvious that it should be treated from an imaginative point of view. The business plan for Beauclaire will reflect imagination, creativity and it has not followed the traditional business plan formulation approach. The mission of Beauclaire is to design and sell innovative art jewelleries. Through sale of attractive art jewellery, the company aims to attract maximum number of customers from all classes. Services provided by the company desires to exceed expectation of customers. The vision of Beauclaire is to be the leading jewellery selling company of United States within next few years. Core values of the company comprise providing appropriate quality of goods and services to customers. Beauclaire would not compromise on quality and standard of the products offered so as to retain core values developed (Graham 72-74). As US lacks Egyptian style of jewelleries, it would be easier for Beauclaire to target the market of United States. Aim of the company is to be a leader in the artificial and antique jewellery industry of United States. The company desires to cater to the needs of individuals across various age groups, especially women. The specific objective of the company is to penetrate and gain 50% leadership of the artificial and antique jewellery market. Besides that, Beauclaire would ensure that shelf life of the jewelleries is short and not more than a week. The jewelleries will also be sold online and in various galleries of U.S. For

New business proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

New business proposal - Essay Example This paper also contains the market analysis of the product, describing the industry, size of the market, and the description of the product. It is very difficult for the company to achieve success in penetrating the American market without ban elaborate and effective marketing strategy. This paper contains the marketing strategy that the organization should use, and the estimated financial flow that the project intends to attract. The company intends to start making some profits during its third year of operations. The product of the company under review is ASOS.com. This is a British online company that is responsible for selling beauty and fashion products. The target markets of the company are young adults. Furthermore, the company manages to sale over 850 clothing brands, and it also has its own brand of accessories and clothing materials. As of the year 2013, the company was able to make a sale of 753.8 million pounds. The products that the company manages to sale are menswear, womenswear, beauty products, jewellery, accessories, footwear. On each and every week, the ware house of the company normally comes up with new products, aimed at replacing the already sold out products. The major disadvantage is that these products removed from the warehouse are not unique (Sachdev, 2004). This is a major disadvantage to the company, and it ought to invest heavily in research and development for purposes of developing unique products aimed at catering for the needs of its target market. ASOS.com has various websites that target markets in USA, UK, Australia, Germany, China, Italy, Spain, Russia, etc. These are not the only countries that the company operates in, and this is because it normally ships its products to over 237 countries of the world. It has two distribution centres in the United Kingdom, which is responsible for undertaking this job. The company has approximately 21 million unique customers per month, and 7 million active or permanent

Black man and white women Essay Example for Free

Black man and white women Essay The story Black Man and White Women in Dark Green Rowboat†, written by Russell Banks, is about an interracial relationship on the brink of disaster. The story opens up on an extremely hot day in August at a trailer park that is right next to a lake with a variety of people who live there. I was not immediately aware that the black man and the white woman were the focus of the story, but those characters gradually emerged and that’s when things started to get interesting. It becomes very obvious that white women want to control everything in the relationship and doesn’t view the black man as an equal partner. Before they meet at the beach, the white women walks up in her bikini holding her towel, fashion magazine, and tanning lotion with her blonde hair swinging side to side. I automatically start to view her as an egotistical person. When the white women encounters the black man at the beach, she helps him push the boat to the water, but instead of helping him push the boat all the way from shore, she hops in it before her feet had even got wet. He was left to not only push the boat himself, rolling his pant legs up, but also pushing her in it as well. While he is rowing the boat he realizes he didn’t bring a hat and he is sweating. He wraps his shirt around his head and she explains to him that he looks like a sheik and a galley slave. To me this shows how she thinks of him as her own romanticized slave that she can control. She even reassures him that she was not kidding by saying â€Å"no really. Honestly†. (68). The man continues to row and she says she’s starting to put on weight and then she tells the man that she told her mother about them and their situation, but she never looked at him when she was talking to him. Her eyes were closed and directed toward the sun. She isn’t treating him like she cares; she is just caring on with her sun bathing. Then she tells him that she is going to have an abortion that afternoon. She does this without even asking the man if thats what he wants to do. Even after he expresses hatred towards the situation and basically tells her he wants her to keep the baby she doesn’t listen. She just insists that everything will return to normal when it’s done. He asks her what happened and she brushes the question off and explains her mother is ok with him. You can tell he cares about her mother’s opinion of him as he wants the reassurance that her mother actually likes him. The woman explains her mother just thinks she is fragile from depression. Honestly I feel like the women had had other abortions and just didn’t want to be honest with the man. After some time had passed, the woman asks him how long he was going to fish. He tells her about an hour and offers to row her to a swimming spot if she would rather swim. She turns down the offer and makes appoint to mention the fact that she has to be back in time to make it to her abortion later that afternoon; again making it known she is making this decision on her own. The women starts looking through her magazine while the man continued for a few more casts then he finally gave up and said, No sense fishing when the fish aint feeding. The whole point is catching fish, right? (71). This is the mans turning point. I think he realized that the relationship he was in was kind of like fishing, there was no point in him being with her if she didnt want to move on to the next level. Before rowing back into shore, he said he wished he could just leave here there. She gets very nervous when he said that and tells him they have to go back. Thats when the man decided that it was time to move on with his life and he said, You mean, you have to go back. † (71). He rows back and all the people are carrying on like they were before except now things are changing for them. The White woman goes with her towel and magazine to have her abortion and back to living with her mother, while the Black man goes on his own separate way while watching the women leave. Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer An Introduction to Short Fiction. 8thth ed. Boston New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 67-72. Print.

English Present: Simple And The Present Progressive

English Present: Simple And The Present Progressive Introduction: As a teacher of English to Arabic speaking students I have encountered a number of specific difficulties Arab students have in mastering the English language. In this paper, I would like to focus on a particular grammatical problem they have in the area of verb tenses because, of all the mistakes that my students make, mistakes with verbs and verb tenses impede communication to the greatest degree. The specific problem I will attempt to look at the area of verbs is the problem that Arabic speakers have in using and confusing the present progressive. I will base the evidence for these mistakes on actual writing errors that Arabic students have made. Mistakes such as I am live in Abu Dhabi. come up frequently in my students writing. This paper is basically a contrastive analysis since I feel that the majority of my students problems in this area come from mother tongue interference. However, as will be noted below, this does not mean I rule out other sources of errors such as intralingual errors. The following is the outline of this paper: In the first section of this paper, I will describe the various aspects of the grammatical structure of the present simple and the present progressive in the English language. In the second section of the paper, I will contrast the grammatical structure of the present simple and the present progressive with its Arabic counterparts. I will show how Arabic has structures that vary significantly and radically from their English counterparts. In the third section, I will introduce a number of examples takes from students written work and give an indepth analysis of the possible sources of the errors, mainly with respect to mother tongue interference, but also looking at some possible intralingual sources for these errors as well. Finally, in the last section, I will attempt to suggest a general theoretical approach to dealing with such problems Part One: A grammatical description of the English Present Simple and the Present Progressive: The simple present tense As we already know, the simple present of every verb (with the exception of the verb BE, which I will not be dealing with as a grammatical description since it is not the specific focus of this paper) is identical in every person with the basic unmarked base form of the verb except for the third person forms he, she and it to which we generally add s or es (Quirk 1985, p.98). However, numerous irregularities arise in the spelling and pronunciation of this third person form (Leicester 1998, 12.12)(Thomson 1986, p. 150). Questions are formed by using the auxiliaries do, does, in the present, and did in the past by putting all these before the subject. Negation is formed in the same way using dont (or do not) and doesnt, (or does not) in the present, and didnt (or did not) in the past. These forms go after the subject. In addition, the verb must be changed to the basic form. The simple present is used for statements that are always true, (e.g. The earth revolves around the sun.) (Azar 1989,p.2). The simple present is also used for events, actions or situations which are true in the present period of time and which, for all we know, may continue indefinitely, (e.g. Fatima goes to school at Zayed University.) (Azar 1989, p.2) What we are saying in these expressions is that this is how things stand at the present moment (Huddleston 1984, p.81). A further use of the simple present is for actions that are habitual, things that happen repeatedly, (e.g. We study a lot.) (Alexander 1988, p.163)(Quirke 1985, p.107). Observations and declarations are another use of the present simple, as in the sentence (It says here that there is a new night club opening.)(Alexander 19988, p.163). The present simple can also be used to express the future, especially when we want to express strong certainty, (e.g. When we graduate, we will get jobs.). Swan, Huddleston, Lewis, Thomson and Quirke, et. al. also add eight other functions of the present simple which might come up in other contexts such as: Demonstrations and commentaries (e.g. First, I take a bowl and break two eggs in it, thenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) The structures here comes and there goes, (e.g. here comes your husband.) Promises and oaths (e.g. I promiseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., I swear à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, He deniesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) Formal correspondence (e.g. We write to advise you.) Instructions (e.g. You go left, turn rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) Stories (e.g. In act one, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father.), which Huddleston calls the historic present. In expressions of understanding such as hear, see, gather (e.g. I hear youre getting married.) Finally, the simple present can be used in newspaper headlines (e.g. RUSSIANS RAISE OBJECTIONS) Since there are so many instances of when to use the present simple, is there any way to summarize all of these? I concur with Lewis explanation that the present simple: 1-Expresses an event as a total single point in time. 2-Expresses an event as a matter of fact. 3-Expresses an event as immediate rather than remote. The present progressive tense Both the simple and progressive forms usually tell us that an action takes place. But the progressive forms also tell us that an activity is or was, or will be, etc. in progress, or thought of as being in progress. In other words, the present progressive tells us that the speaker sees an action as taking place over a period of time as opposed to a point in time. In addition researchers would add that the speaker sees the period as limited (Lewis 1986; Leech, 1975; Huddleston, 1984; Quirke, 1985). The present progressive tense is formed with the present of be (am/is/are) (which adds aspect and voice), said by Quirke to be the finite verb, plus the ing form (the non-finite form) (Quirke 1985, p. 120). There are no complications with the additional ing form; however the spelling of the ing has some irregularities and needs to be taught to students e.g. write, writing; run, running; begin, beginning; lie, lying). (Alexander 1988; Huddleston 1984; Quirke 1985). Question formation takes place by switching the place of the auxiliary be and the subject. Negation is achieved by inserting not between the subject and the auxiliary or by contracting nt with the auxiliary verb forms (with the exception of the first person singular form am) (Quirke, 1985). In the classroom, the classical reason given for why we use the present progressive is that it shows an uncompleted action in progress at the time of speaking. To emphasise this, we often use adverbials like now, at the moment, just, etc. For example, Hes not home at the moment, hes working. (Quirke 1985). The present progressive can also be used to describe actions which have not been happening for long, or are thought of as being temporary situations, and which are going on around now, e.g. Abdullah is living with his aunt until he can find a place of his own.. A further use of the present progressive is to refer to activities and events planned for the future. We generally use adverbials in such sentences unless the meaning is clear from context, e.g. Were spending next Thursday in Abu Dhabi. (Azar 1989; Huddleston 1984; Quirke 1985). The present progressive can also be used to talk about developing and changing situations, e.g. That child is getting bigger all the time. (Swan 1980). Sometimes the present progressive can be used to talk about feelings, such as I am feeling fine. or My back is hurting me.. The present progressive is used to show repeated actions along with adverbs such as always, constantly, continually, forever, perpetually, and repeatedly, such as He is always helping people.. In this sense it conveys not temporariness, but continuousness. (Leech 1975; Huddleston 1984). The present progressive also is used to show repeated actions that are happening around now, e.g. He is studying a lot of English these days. Why is he going to the library? (Swan 1980). Dynamic versus Stative Verbs in the present simple and the progressive tenses Dynamic/progressive verbs refer to verbs which show actions which are deliberate or voluntary, e.g. Im building a house., or changing situations, e.g. Hes becoming fat.. Dynamic verbs can be used in both the progressive as well as the simple forms e.g. I eat at 5:00 (everyday). as opposed to Im eating now.. Stative verbs (also known as non-progressive verbs) are verbs which indicate a state, condition or experience. Specifically, stative verbs fall into categories such as feelings (like, love), thinking/believing (think, know, realize), wants and preferences (need, want), perception and the senses (smell, see), and being, seeming, having, and owning (seem, look, appear). Stative verbs are generally not used in the progressive forms (Quirke 1985). However some stative verbs can be used in both the present simple and the progressive tenses, which results in a different meaning in each form, e.g. Im thinking of a solution. as opposed to I think he is the best man for the job. or These flowers smell good. as opposed to Latifa is smelling the flowers in the garden.) (Alexander 1988; Azar 1989; Azar 1986; Quirke 1985). The present simple versus the present progressive Swan makes note of a number of areas where students might confuse the present simple with the present continuous. A. We use the simple present to talk about things that are true for the present period of time, or, as was noted above, to say this is how things stand at the present moment for the foreseeable future. However, if the event is temporary and is taking place right now, we use the present progressive. Afrah studies at the Higher Colleges. Afrah is studying her English lesson. B. We use the present progressive to talk about habitual actions if these are happening around the moment of speaking. Fayrouz and Fatima are preparing for the Eid holidays. However, if the habitual action is not closely connected to the moment of speaking, we generally use the present simple. I go to Saudi Arabia once every three years. C. Verbs that refer to physical feelings can sometimes be used in either the simple present or the present progressive. I feel great! or Im feeling great! My head hurts. or My head is hurting. (Swan 1980). PART TWO A grammatical description of the Arabic present simple and the present progressive In this part of the paper, I would like to give readers a very brief background of the Arabic verb system in regard to the simple present and the present progressive. The Arabic verb system is very complicated. However, this does not mean that a teacher has to master the Arabic language before s/he is able to pinpoint errors that may be a result of the interference of Arabic in English. One can study the Arabic language with the goal of simply understanding the structure, rather than with the goal of speaking and writing in the language. Let us first look at the present simple, then the present progressive, and finally the verb to be since all of these grammatical items are specifically relevant to the particular problem at hand. A.The Present Simple In Arabic, the formation of the present simple is radically different from English, since Arabic uses a root system made up of the three most important consonants (though two or four consonant roots do sometimes occur). In Arabic the three basic consonants (the root) stay the same but it is by changes in the vowels, the suffixes and the prefixes that tense and number are indicated. It is vastly more complicated than the way some English verbs change tense by changing vowels, e.g. give, gave. For example, the sentence, he learns could be represented phonetically by ya-droo-soo. The d-r-s is the root, ya is the part that indicates this is a third person singular masculine verb (though this is not the pronoun). The pattern of the vowels and consonants (ya + c1 + c2+ oo + c3 + oo), lets the speaker know that this is the present tense. In contrast, the past could be represented by a different pattern; hence, he learned, dar-ah-sah has the pattern (c1 + ai or ah + c2 + ai or ah + c3 + ah) (and this is just one pattern out of ten!) From a sentence point of view the verb in Arabic is not necessarily treated as the nucleus of a sentence and, in the case of the copula verb BE, can be omitted entirely (as we shall see below). The verb can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence. Like its English counterpart, the present simple tense in Arabic expresses a habitual action. There are other functions, but they are not relevant to this discussion. B.The Present Progressive In general, the present simple form is also used in Arabic to express the idea of a continuous action occurring in the present. Hence, the English sentence He is working now. in Arabic becomes He works now. (represented phonetically by huwwah yaamaloo al eyn.) What is he doing? in Arabic becomes What does he do? (represented phonetically by mehzah yafaaloo al eyn?) Hence, in almost all cases, the present simple form is used to show the idea of continuous action in the present. However, there is a single verb form in Arabic called the ism-ul-fail which is the exact parallel to the idea of continuous action. However, the difference in Arabic is that the ism-ul-fail is used very sparingly compared to English and then only for some very specific verbs of movement, or verbs that indicate changing from one state to another (going up, going in, going down, walking to a place, leaving a place, etc.). Since the ism-ul-fail is radically different in form from the English progressive it is doubtful that any interference in form occurs. C.A Few Points About The Verb BE as a Copula Although BE as a copula is not the focus of this paper, it does deserve mention here for two specific reasons. The first point is that BE in Arabic, when it is the copula in the present tense, is unwritten and unspoken (although this is not true of the copula in the past tense or the future where it is written and spoken). (Kharma, 1989, p. 89). For example, the literal translation of the sentence Ahmed is a student. is Ahmed student.. So it is conceivable that students might leave BE out as a copula OR as the helping verb in the present progressive because it does not exist in the present tense in Arabic (although there are other additional reasons why students might forget to add it to the present progressive as we shall see). The second point is that BE is used so often in English, in so many different kinds of structures, and that it is so irregular, that it might simply add to the confusion of students (Kharma 1989, p. 161). Students who keep on being corrected for leaving out the verb to be when it is necessary, may for example, hypercorrect themselves and start to write it everywhere. Again, we shall explore this issue further below. PART THREE A look at some common written errors made by Arabic speaking students when using the English present simple and present progressive Finding the exact causes of any error can be a difficult and meticulous task. This is partly because there may be multiple reasons as to why students make one particular error and these causes may also overlap at any given time. In addition, it is extremely problematic, even for a native speaker of both Arabic and English, (which I am) to know exactly what is going on linguistically in the mind of a student when s/he makes such an error. However, having said that, even with these obstacles, we can at least make some good hypotheses and lists of possibilities as to why these errors occur with our own students. As a result, we will be able to generate classroom strategies and methods in order to correct and remedy these sorts of mistakes. The following categories of errors are the most common that I have found in students written work with regards to the simple present versus the present progressive. I will look at each category in turn, and offer an analysis of the sources for these types of error. Category One Fatima studies now. Ahmed does his homework now. In these sentences, the intention of the Arabic speaking writer seems to be to convey the meaning of what in English would be a present continuous action, expressed by the present continuous tense. This is clear by the use of the adverb now or in the case of other examples not shown here, from other adverbs or the context of the sentence. In examples one and two, the Arabic speaker seems to be transferring the rules of his native language into English. The Arabic speaker usually uses only the present simple to express events that would be expressed in English by both the present simple and the present continuous. Category Two Mariam cant talk, she eating now. This kind of mistake is a bit more problematic in terms of analysis. It could be that the Arabic speaker, feeling that the full meaning of the action is expressed in the verb with the ing, has decided that the am/are/is forms are redundant and unnecessary. It could also be the case that this mistake is a direct transfer of a particular grammatical form in Arabic. In certain cases Arabic speakers do express the present continuous with a verb and prefix change (called ism-ul-fail), but without the corresponding be form. For example, the literal translation of the sentence Ahmed is running. is Ahmed running. . Category Three Are you knowing the way to Dubai? I am wanting to see my family. In this case, the student has learned the present progressive form, but is over generalizing it to all verbs (or perhaps does not remember or has not been taught the rules for exceptions such as the above). These types of errors could very well be intralingual. This over generalization could also be found in sentences that have the function of explaining, demonstrating teaching or narrating such as: Next I am pouring the oil into the cooking pan. Ali is passing the ball to the goalkeeper. Category Four I am live in Abu Dhabi. We are study English. This category is probably the most difficult to analyze. This is because it is unclear whether the Arabic speaker is making the mistake of adding the additional am/is/are form while trying to use the present tense, or making the mistake of forgetting to use the present participle while trying to use the present progressive tense. That is, did the speaker intend to say I live in Abu Dhabi. and use the extra am form by mistake, or did s/he intend to say I am living in Abu Dhabi. and forget the correct present participle form? Of course, there are other possibilities but these seem like the two most likely. We must obviously look at the context of the paragraph to see if we can get the gist of what the speaker meant. The following is a more detailed analysis of these two possibilities from the standpoint of the students reasoning. 1. If we believe from the context that the student was trying to use the present simple and added the additional am in error, then the following analyses apply: A. The student may be confused by the lack of inflectional endings in English, since Arabic is a highly inflected language, and every personal pronoun has a distinct corresponding inflected verb form. The similarity of the verb forms in I live, you live, etc. may seem very awkward to the Arabic speaker. Hence, they may want to remedy the situation by distinguishing the verb forms in some way by, for example, adding an exceedingly familiar and overused verb form like am, are, or is. B. The student may be over generalising based on what they have learned about the present continuous. That is, they may have learned how to form the present continuous quite easily since there is no mother tongue interference from Arabic, (although they may not have mastered its use). They then may go on to conclude that every verb in the present simple or present continuous in English needs to be preceded by am/is/are. C. Similarly, the student may be hypercorrecting. They may have been corrected so many times for forgetting to use the verb BE in their sentences e.g. Ahmed happy, that they may start to feel that every sentence needs the verb BE. 2. However, if we believe that the student was trying to use the present continuous tense and used the present simple live (instead of the present participle living), then the following analyses apply: A. The student may not have correctly understood how to form the present participle by adding ing to the end of the verb. B. Perhaps students have simply forgotten to add the ing prefix because the structure is so different in their language. This is by no means an exhaustive analysis. However, these are, from my experience and collaboration with other colleagues, both native and non-native speakers, some of the major possibilities. PART FOUR Pedogogical implications of the above research for teaching the present simple and the present progressive to Arabic speaking students From the evidence I have presented here, I believe it is clear that many of the mistakes in using the present simple and the present progressive in form (such as omission of the verb to be in the simple present for Arabic speakers, e.g. I studying), as well as other mistakes in usage (e.g. using the simple present when the present progressive is required) seem to be traceable directly to Arabic mother tongue interference. Based on my analyses, reading and discussion with colleagues, I do feel that in this particular area, teachers of EFL to Arabic speakers must consider mother tongue interference as a major impediment to learning the present tense versus the present progressive. If we know that mother tongue interference is the cause of many errors, what should this imply for our teaching? One thing which I think it does not imply is that we teach English from the point of view of the mother tongue. For example, trying to get students to understand English grammar through word for word translations or using the grammatical structure of Arabic to help students to understand the grammatical structure of English are only useful in certain cases, and then only by someone who is a master of both languages. My experience in reading the research, being bilingual and talking to Arabic speaking students who are at the final stages of their English studies leads me to believe that, at least in the case of Arabic and English, that the two languages are sufficiently different that they are both best looked at in their own respective grammars. Students must be made, not only to think in English, but to understand English grammar in terms of English grammar without constantly switching back and forth to compare it with Arabic. Such practices are ineffective and will cause confusion among students. As Lewis says students should never expect the foreign language to be like their ownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..the fact that English has verb forms that contain [be] as an auxiliary does not suggest that other languages ought to have a corresponding formà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.students should be positively encouraged to explore the foreign language within itself rather than through the expectations they bring from their own. (Lewis, 1986, pp. 164-165). In addition, I should add that intralingual factors can also be at work when students make such errors (in addition to context specific factors like student motivation, teaching style and competence, etc.). For example, on the intralingual side, we know that students of ESL from many different language groups and even children make common mistakes with the verb to be. Therefore, many such mistakes might be intralingual. (Mattar 1989). Hence, when we try to analyse our students errors we should not be prejudiced to any one theory and we should try to be open to looking at all possible sources of errors. What we as teachers should be doing in the classroom is continually collecting research on student errors and student learning styles in order to form hypotheses about why such errors occur and why such one approach worked and another didnt. We should then be trying to test these hypotheses to see if they are true or not, and afterwards share this information w ith other teachers in similar situations. Only then will we be able to understand why students make errors and what is the most effective way to correct them. Cell Membrane: Structure And Function Cell Membrane: Structure And Function A cell is a dynamic and a complex structure surrounded by a membrane known as the plasma membrane. This acts like a barrier between the inside of the cell and the outside resulting in different chemical environments on the two sides. The cell membrane is not restricted to the outer surface but is also present inside surrounding the organelles. These biological membranes have played a crucial role in the evolution from prokaryotes to multicellular eukaryotes. In prokaryotes, there is only one type of membrane present i.e. the plasma membrane but the unicellular eukaryotes have intracellular membranes compartmentalizing its contents into different functional chambers known as organelles. Each organelle though performs its own specific function, they cross-talk with each other via these membranes in order to work as a unit. Further, different cells in multicellular eukaryotes communicate with each other through these membranes. The membrane, therefore serves a dual purpose of both protecting the interior of the cell from its external environment and also provides a communication interface between the cell and its surroundings or other cells. The diverse functions performed by biological membranes can be attributed to the molecular composition and structure of these membranes. Models for Cell Membrane Structure It took almost a century to develop the present accepted model of a cell membrane based on various physiological and biophysical studies. Physiological experiments involving the transport of molecules and ions across the membrane by Overton in 1899 suggested that the membrane is composed of lipid molecules. Later, Langmuir (1917) showed that lipids when spread on water using Langmuir trough form a monomolecular layer on the surface of the water by calculating the area per lipid molecule. The hydrophobic tails of these lipids were bent and protruding out from the surface of the water. When this method for measuring the area per lipid molecule was applied to the lipids extracted from the known amount of erythrocyte membranes, Gorter and Grendel (1925) concluded that the lipids exist as a bilayer and not a monolayer in a membrane giving birth to the lipid- bilayer membrane model. In 1935, Danielli and Davson elaborated on the model based on the studies measuring the surface tension that membranes are made up of phospholipid bilayer sandwiched between two protein layers. Based on optical imaging of membrane morphology using electron microscopy, Robertson argued that the basic structure of all the membranes is same and proposed the Unit Membrane Model in 1959 []. Several other studies [review or book] suggested that the lipid bilayer has fluid-like properties with lipids and proteins floating in it. Studies of proteins present in erythrocytes membrane and that extracted from other membranes led Singer and Nicolson to classify membrane proteins as peripheral and integral proteins; and finally proposing the Fluid Mosaic Model in 1972 []. This is the most accepted model describing the structure of a cell membrane. According to this model, mosaic of protein molecules is embedded within the fluid of lipid bilayer which is supported by the freeze-fracture studies of the plasma membrane (Figure). Composition of Membranes Membrane Lipids The lipid bilayer is only 5 to 10nm thick organized in distinct regions primarily attributed to the hydrophobic effect caused due to the amphipathic nature of these molecules with both polar and the non-polar regions (Figure). The interactions of these regions with the aqueous environment have been studied with various techniques like x-ray reflectometry,[1] neutron scattering[2HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_bilayer#cite_note-Zaccai1975-1] and nuclear magnetic resonance. In order to exclude the non-polar regions from the aqueous environment, lipid molecules arrange in such a manner so that the hydrophobic tails point inwardly towards each other and the polar head groups are exposed on the outside facing the water. The outermost region on either side of the bilayer is completely hydrated and is typically around 8-9Ã… thick. The hydrophobic core of the bilayer is typically 3-4  nm thick. The intermediate region is partially hydrated and is approximately 3 Ã… thick. These lipid molecules arrange spontaneously naturally or artificially in solution to form structures like micelles and liposomes (Figure). Micelles are monolayer spherical structures formed by lipid molecules in aqueous environment. On the other hand, liposomes are concentric bilayer of fluid-filled vesicles surrounding the water compartment on both the surfaces. The membrane of the animal cells is composed primarily of three major types of lipids: phospholipids, glycolipids and cholesterol with phospholipids being the most abundant (Figure). The polar head groups of these phospholipids contain a phosphate group and either a glycerol (known as phosphoglycerides) or sphingosine. There are four major phospholipids present in the animal cells, three are phosphoglycerides namely phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine; and the fourth sphingomyelin is the only sphingolipid. The heads of glycolipids contain a sphingosine with one (known as cerebroside) or more sugars (known as ganglioside) attached to it. Cholesterol is a sterol molecule with a small hydrophilic hydroxyl group and a rigid ring structure that stabilizes the bilayer. Membrane Proteins The membrane consists of different types of proteins accounting for 25-75% of the mass of the membrane and are categorized based on their interactions with the lipid bilayer (Figure). Moreover, the manner in which a protein is associated with the membrane is indicative of its function. Integral or intrinsic proteins are embedded with in the lipid bilayer. These could be transmembrane proteins spanning the entire length of the bilayer and possess hydrophobic domains which are anchored to hydrophobic lipids and hydrophilic domain interacting with external molecules. They could have only one membrane-spanning (single pass transmembrane proteins, e.g. glycophorin) or multispanning (multi-pass transmembrane proteins, e.g. band3 protein of erythrocyte) segments. The transmembrane segments have helical e.g. bacteriorhodopsin or ÃŽÂ ²- barrel structures. These proteins can be extracted from the phospholipid bilayer only by disrupting the hydrophobic interactions by using detergents like S DS or Triton-X 100. Peripheral or the extrinsic proteins, on the other hand, are loosely bound to the hydrophilic lipid and protein groups on the surface of the membrane by weak ionic interactions. These can be easily removed with high salt or extreme pH without disrupting the phospholipid bilayer. Lipid-anchored proteins are covalently bound to lipid molecule which in turn anchors the protein in the cell membrane. The lipid can be phosphatidylinositol, a fatty acid or a prenyl group. Membrane Carbohydrates Carbohydrate moieties are present on the non-cytoplasmic surface of the membrane covalently attached to either protein or lipid molecules forming glycoproteins or glycolipids. These carbohydrates help in orientation of protein molecules on the cell surface and sorting in cellular compartments. The glycocalyx or the cell coat is the layer of carbohydrates on the cell surface that protects it and participates in the cell-cell interaction. The carbohydrates of the glycolipids of the erythrocytes membrane determine the ABO blood groups in human. Fluidity of Membranes Under physiological conditions, phospholipid molecules in the membrane are in the liquid crystalline state and the molecules are not physically attached to each other so, they can move within the bilayer. These movements could be within a monolayer i.e. rotational and lateral or between two layers i.e. flip-flop. Flip-flop movements are rare and slower compared to the other two as it requires energy for a lipid molecule to traverse from one layer to the other. Besides, some proteins also move in the membrane as concluded from studies based on human-mouse cell hybrids produced by fusion of human and mouse cells [Frye and Michael Edidin in 1970] and FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) experiments (Figure). Fluidity in the cell membrane is attributed to its lipid composition. The cis-unsaturated fatty acids with kinks in their hydrocarbon tails and shorter lengths of the tails increase the fluidity by preventing the ordered packing of phospholipids in the bilayer. Cholesterol molecules present in the bilayer affects its fluidity differently at different temperatures because of its rigid ring structure. It reduces the fluidity by decreasing the movement of adjacent phospholipids but at low temperatures, it increases the fluidity by preventing solidification [Alberts]. Fluidity of the membrane allows different molecules like proteins to interact with each other to perform various processes like transport of molecules and cell signalling. Moreover, membrane fluidity is required for various cellular processes like cell movement and cell division. Asymmetry of Membranes The two leaflets, that is, the inner and the outer monolayer portions of the lipid bilayer differ in their physical and chemical properties. This is due to the asymmetric organization of the various components of the membrane. For example, glycolipids and glycoproteins are always present on the non-cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane. Membrane regions differ in their lipid composition. The outer leaflet contains predominantly phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin whereas, the inner leaflet contains phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. The inner leaflet also consists of phosphatidylinositol which play a key role in the transfer of stimuli from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm [Cooper]. The membrane proteins also differ in their distribution in the two leaflets. For example, spectrin and ankyrin are present on the inner surface of the erythrocytes membrane forming a fibrillar membrane skeleton. GPI-anchored proteins ar present on the external surface of the membr ane. The asymmetry of the membrane suggested different roles played by the components of the membrane present on the two surfaces (Figure eg intestinal epithelial cell membrane:Tight junction , lateral movements). Lipid Rafts The plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells have specialized regions known as lipid rafts which differ in their composition from the rest of the membrane. These detergent-resistant and heterogeneous microdomains are rich in cholesterol, sphingolipids and certain proteins. Lipids in these rafts are more highly ordered and tightly packed as compared to the rest of the lipid bilayer. Various studies have attributed diverse roles like in transport of cholesterol, endocytosis, signal transduction, intracellular trafficking and neural development and function to these lipid rafts. Caveolae is an example of lipid rafts which are the invaginated domains in the plasma membrane. In caveolae, a protein caveolin is associated with the cholesterol in the lipid raft. It plays roles in membrane internalization and cell signaling. [Pike et al, 2002; Wary et al, 1998; Huang et al, 1999; Rothberg et al, 1992] (Review: Razani Lisanti, 2001. Exp. Cell Research 271: 36-44). Might not in endocytosis [Thompsen et al, 2002] see lipid rafts 4 references Functions of membranes: Membranes act as boundaries between the cell and its environment and are essential for maintaining the integrity of the cell and the various membrane-bound organelles within the cell, regulating the transport of materials into and out of the cell, responding to external and internal stimuli, and cell-to-cell recognition. The proteins present on the inner surface of the plasma membrane provides shape and maintains the integrity of the cell by anchoring the cytoskeleton found underlying the cell membrane in the cytoplasm. The major component of the cytoskeleton of the most well studied erythrocyte membrane is the fibrous protein spectrin. This protein interacts with other peripheral proteins like ankyrin, actin and tropomyosin. Dystophin, a member of the spectrin family is found in the membrane skeleton of muscle cells. The importance of these proteins is suggested by the fact that mutations in dystrophin leads to muscular dystrophy. Regulated transport of materials across the membrane is due to the amphipathic nature of the lipid bilayer. Therefore, the membranes are selectively permeable and the ability of a molecule or ion to traverse the bilayer depends majorly on its polarity and also on the size. Non-polar molecules like O2, N2 and benzene and small polar molecules like H2O, glycerol, urea and CO2 can pass the membrane but large uncharged (e.g. glucose), polar molecules (e.g. sucrose) and ions (e.g. H+, Na+, HCO3, Clà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ) are not able to diffuse easily across membranes. Hence, various mechanisms are required for transport of materials across the membrane, including simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion and active transport for micromolecules and exocytosis and endocytosis for macromolecules. In simple diffusion, substances diffuse down their concentration gradient. In facilitated diffusion, movement of molecules down the concentration gradient is facilitated by channel and carrier proteins (e.g. glucose transporter). On the other hand, active transport requires energy to move solutes against their gradients and can be classified into primary or secondary active transport depending on the source of energy. The primary active transport depends on the hydrolysis of ATP and is of different types: P (e.g. Na+ K+ ATPase, Figure), F and V types and the ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporters. In secondary active transport, specific solute indirectly drives the active transport of another solute and does not involve the hydrolysis of ATP. Secondary active transport may include either symport (e.g. Na+/Glucose transporter) or antiport (Cl ­-/HCO3 exchanger). The macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides are transported by endocytosis (from inside the cell to th e outside) and exocytosis (from outside into the cell) (Figure). Cell membrane is also involved in cell-cell communication. Specialized membrane structures like gap junctions in animals and plasmodesmata in plants provide the cytoplasmic continuity between cells. Tight junctions and desmosomes help in attachment of a cell to other cells or the extracellular matrix forming tissues. Membrane also maintains cell potential by creating chemical and electrical gradient. Cell signaling: Signals through chemical messengers (chemical or electrical stimuli) acting on the membrane receptors most of them being proteins. These signals are then transduced in the cell leading to a cascade of events in the cell. Specific for different cells like Gprotein, Tyrosine-kinase receptors Peripheral proteins act as enzymes e.g. and receptors In summary, biological membranes are the complex and dynamic structures composed of variety of proteins embedded in the fluid of the lipid bilayer. The amphipathic nature of the lipid bilayer and the diversity of membrane proteins are responsible for the involvement of biological membranes in large number of cellular processes.

Introduction To Slavery In America History Essay

Introduction To Slavery In America History Essay Slavery in America developed its roots way back to when American explorers discovered the new world. As a result, the whites started to use the African folks as workers in their plantations and homes as slaves. The African natives that were taken back to America as slaves were of various ages and sex. The women would work in the homes as cooks and cleaners while the men spent their days in the plantation tending to the crops. The young girls helped with minor house works and the boys were tasked with the duties of bailing the hay and loading goods and crops on wagons. During the civil war, most of the Black men were recruited into the army to aid in the fight. After the fight, the thirteenth amendment was enacted on December 18th 1865 under the proclamation of the then secretary of state. It aimed at abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude of the Blacks. It was the first of the reconstruction acts enacted post the civil war. This amendment was soon after improved by the 14th ame ndment which gave the African Americans citizenship but little constitution rights. This was abridged by the 15th amendment which gave the African American males right to vote in the general elections during the reconstruction era The term reconstruction era refers to the period between 1865 and 1877 after the great American civil war. It is the time in the US history whereby the governments of the various states put in motion efforts in a bid to solve the social, economic and political problems that came about due to the establishment of the 11 confederate states union that had disintegrated before or during the war. It was during this period that the Pres. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated (April 1865) due to his lenient policies and proposed passing of the 14th amendment (1866) which aimed at granting the black Americans full citizenship. This move was called for by the fact that there were newly established states that required governance and the in economic, social and political recovery aspects required that all people work together irrespective of their differences in a bid to achieve growth and development. However, these propositions were met with high disregards from the public; majority of whom belie ved that the blacks were meant to be slaves and had no rights. Consequently there developed riots and black codes which were meant to restrict blacks from their rights especially in the south. The 14th amendment was passed during the reign of President Andrew Johnson. However, the southern states established the Black Codes which refers to the laws passed by these governments in order to limit the rights given to the freed African Americans. The 14th amendment gave the slaves a right to citizenship but the Black Codes prohibited them from voting, jury duty, possessing weapons, testifying against the whites and even working in certain positions secured for the white folks  [1]  . As a result of this, the radical republicans supported the passing of the civil rights bill which was intended to protect the African Americans from these Black Codes. However in April 1866, Pres. Andrew Johnson banned this bill claiming that America was a land for the Whites and should be governed by the white folks. Additionally, he claimed that the whites are a superior race to the blacks in terms of abilities and intellect. These statements clearly showed the extent of racism and inequality that existed between the two races. The radical republicans were able to yet again pass the civil rights bill in 1867. This move led to the rise of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) whose main aim was to frighten and terrorize the African Americans from exercising their rights (voting). The civil right bill did not suffice in protecting the African Americans from the Black Codes and other forms of racial injustices and inequalities. In a bid to justify these racial tendencies, governments in the US enacted the Jim Crow laws between 1876 and 1965. These were state and local laws in the US that supported racial segregation in public places such as public schools, transportation, restaurants and entertainment venues as well as restrooms for Whites and Blacks  [2]  . These laws by default resulted in inferior treatment of the Blacks in terms of accommodations, resource allocation, quality of products and services and even prices. Consequently the Black community in the States experienced a number of economic and social disadvantages due to the enactment of these laws in comparison to the Whites. Despite all these hardships, the African Americans still increased in numbers and managed to survive under these conditions. To counter this, the segregation worsened to a p oint where the Blacks were not allowed in some premises owned by whites, localities (residential estates occupied by whites), or even churches. This means that the Blacks lived in different areas away from the White communities and had their own religious and economic systems different from that of the White folks. In addition to this, interracial relationships were prohibited and if realized; punishable by death (blacks). In 1896, the Supreme Court decided that the Louisiana law supporting racial segregation under the doctrine of separate but equal was constitutional. This ruling was brought about in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. According to the Jim Crow laws, transportation of the Blacks was also segregated and as such, they had their own railway cars different from the ones used by the whites. In this case, Plessy a 1/8th black American citizen, was arrested in 1892 for boarding a car designated for the whites. Under the Louisiana laws, he was considered as a black person and as such was arrested for civil disobedience. The case managed to get to the Supreme Court and after a while a vote of 7 to1 majority won the case. In 1879, Plessy pleaded guilty to the crime. This case sealed the foundation of the segregation laws and was used to further justify the segregation of color practiced thereafter  [3]  . In fact, it clarified the fact that segregation was legal as long as the facilities provided to both races were of the same quality. The southern States however did not provide the Blacks with quality facilities or even equal resources. This case actually justified the separation of race and inequalities in the States up to 1954 when it was overturned by the ruling made by the Supreme Court as pertaining to the Brown v. Board of Education case. In addition to this, the congress passed the freedman act post civil war in March 1865. This act was established in order to punish the confederates who refused to surrender 60 days after the civil war  [4]  . The act stipulated that the slaves of such people would be freed. The congress therefore established this bureau to help the refugees and slaves left destitute due to the civil war. The main aim of this bureau was to assist these people settle, acquire land and to protect them from their former masters. Additionally, this bureau helped in developing schools, hospitals and other social amenities for the slaves and the citizens who had participated in the war but were displaced or otherwise left penniless by the whole ordeal. However, the Jim Crow laws to a large extent prohibited the effectiveness of this act through the limitations pertaining to land ownership and segregations. These laws had adverse effects on the social lives of the blacks in the United States. They all seemed to fuel racism among the people. Collectively, these laws were designed to oppress the blacks and restrict their rights. As such, there were wide spread inequalities based on color (race). For example, the Jim Crow laws advocated for racial segregation under the cloak of separate but equal doctrine. However, there was no equality especially since the facilities offered to the whites were far more superior as compared to those afforded to the Blacks. Also the fact that the Blacks went to different schools, restaurants, restrooms and even used different transport systems clearly showed increased racism in the United States. In addition to this, they also facilitated the presence of second class status among the races. This situation was mostly brought about by the Black Codes. Despite the fact that the 14th amendment gave the Blacks freedom and a right to citizenship, the Black Codes restricted them to exercise certain rights awarded to citizens such as voting, working in some positions, carrying firearms or even testifying against the whites. Consequently, the Blacks were inferior to the whites and their opinions carried no weight towards the political and social development and growth of the US. The fact that the 14th and 15th amendments seemed to favor the Blacks and abolish slavery did not auger well with most states in the south. As a result, some faction groups and organizations were formed in order to terrorize and oppress the Blacks. One such group was the Ku Klux Klan which was established in 1866 in Tennessee with a set goal to ensure that the Blacks who had won the right to vote in the 1867 elections did not exercise this right. It was a racist group that claimed to undo what the civil war and the voting commissions had done to the US. In 1915, the organization diverted its wrath to the immigrants and Catholic Church who they claimed were anti US activists by supporting the Blacks. The rise of such factions brought about various human injustices like lynching of the Blacks, brutalities some leading to death and various forms of intimidation. For example, if a Black person went into the wrong restaurant owned by whites or was seen talking to a white person, this constituted to a thorough beating or even imprisonment. These acts of lawlessness were further fueled by the fact that even the law enforcement agencies were not fond of the Black communities. Many cases were reported where crosses were burnt in the Black communities by members of the KKK as an intimidation technique used to scare the Blacks from voting or interacting with the whites. In addition to this, the whites used signs and symbols to separate the places that these races were allowed to visit. Consequently, this led to regional segregation whereby markets and entertainment venues as well as residential areas for the blacks were isolated far from those of the whites. In some states, the use of sign s was supported by the laws to further dictate and enforce the segregation laws. After the civil war, most of the blacks demanded for repatriations for the slavery. However these pleas fell into deaf ears and as such, poverty loomed among the Black community. This situation was worsened by the establishment of the Black code laws which prohibited the Blacks from property ownership including land and housing  [5]  . In addition to this, Blacks under these laws were not allowed to work in certain positions and were left with very few options such as working in the white farms and other odd jobs which attracted very low salaries and wages. On the same note, their businesses could not thrive due to the fact that the whites could not buy from the blacks or even supply them with the products to sell. All these factors led to an increase in poverty amongst the Black community. In addition to this, the Jim Crow laws prohibited the blacks from owning land. As a result, they had no choice but to rent out pieces of land from the whites a fact that led to the rise of sharecropping. This system seemed to thrive since most white farmers had large chunks of land and little money to pay laborers especially after the war. Consequently, they struck a bargain with the black laborers entailing that they attend to the land for a small fee, shelter and basic provisions a factor that seemed to cater for the immediate needs of both races under the prevailing circumstances. To further ensure that the Blacks were occupied at all times, the governments and local states put in place vagrancy laws. These were among the black code laws and dictated that all unemployed or wandering Blacks be arrested. These laws were specifically designed to arrest the Blacks since the penalty fees were too high and most of them could not foot the bill. As a result, they could be sent to county labor or be hired as workers for private people. As such, the laws ensured that there was enough labor to go around for the white farmers. As mentioned earlier, these laws seemed to advocate for racism and segregation against the blacks. As a result, they affected the cultural bearing of the African Americans in all aspects. For example, the racism and segregation led to the establishment of black churches. Since the Blacks were not allowed to attend white churches, they had to establish their own religious foundations. These protestant churches focused on developing hope for the blacks who experienced hardships and oppression for the whites  [6]  . Eventually, as the churches grew larger, they offered education to their members in a bid to improve their status and chances of bettering their lives. The music developed by the Blacks during this era was mainly of blues and jazz nature. These were somber songs sang to provide hope to the Blacks through the hardships that they faced. In addition to this, the rhythms were thought to have originated from the African continent and were perfected in the states. The Blacks were known to sing as they worked in the fields. These songs were later modified and improved over the years to form the now known Blues and jazz. As per the sports, the African Americans were still segregated and discriminated upon. However, there were some exceptions such as Moses Fleetwood who was known as the first Black player to play the baseball major leagues with the whites despite his race, or other athletes who showed exceptional talent in the sporting arenas. In addition to this, the Blacks also developed their own Negro league which they used to facilitate communication and interactions amongst themselves since visiting each other was risky under the vagrancy laws. The food common to the African Americans was called soul food. The term originated from the fact that the term soul referred to the Black culture for example soul music or soul train. The origin of the food traces its roots back to the African continent and was introduced to America through the transatlantic slave trade in the late 1870s. The cuisine included meals made of sorghum, rice, cassavas and turnips. As such, these meals became the dietary staples common to the enslaved Africans. During the Jim Crow era, education to the African Americans was viewed as a source of inspiration to fight for change against the oppression that prevailed for a very long time. In as much as the Blacks faced various challenges in accessing educational facilities, the church played a pivotal role in providing access to such amenities. The Blacks were realized to be high academic achievers due to their motivation and persistence in a bid to get a better life and to fight for a better future for the generations to come. Due to the oppressive state that the blacks were experiencing in the states, most of them opted to find ways to migrate back to their mother land. The whites on the other hand oppressed and harassed the Black folks with an aim of pushing them back to Africa. As such, the Blacks believed that the whites were superior to them and figured that there would be more chances and opportunities for them back in Africa. Consequently, this led to an increase in migration of the Blacks to other countries such as Liberia where they felt less intimidated by the whites and at the same time got a feeling of belonging after the hard and struggle full life  [7]  . Conclusion Slavery and segregation tormented the lives of the Africans at the wake of the 19th century. In as much as the 14th and the 15th amendments made attempts to protect and reward the blacks for their efforts, many a white folks still felt superior to them. This led to the establishment of archaic laws and policies formulated to justify the racism and other forms of injustice targeting the Black folks. However, the African Americans surprised the whole world by persisting through it all until such a time that they would realize true freedom and equality among the various races.

Uses of Nuclear Radiation :: essays research papers

Uses of nuclear radiation Smoke Detectors Smoke alarms contain a weak source made of Americium-241.Alpha particles are emitted from here, which ionise the air, so that the air conducts electricity and a small current flows. If smoke enters the alarm, this absorbs the particles, the current reduces, and the alarm sounds. Thickness Control In paper mills, the thickness of the paper can be controlled by measuring how much beta radiation passes through the paper to a Geiger counter. The counter controls the pressure of the rollers to give the correct thickness. With paper, or plastic, or aluminium foil, , rays are used, because , will not go through the paper. We choose a source with a long half-life so that it does not need to be replaced often. Sterilising Even after it has been packaged, gamma rays can be used to kill bacteria, mould and insects in food. This process prolongs the shelf-life of the food, but sometimes changes the taste. Gamma rays are also used to sterilise hospital equipment, especially plastic syringes that would be damaged if heated. Radioactive Dating Animals and plants have a known proportion of Carbon-14 (a radioisotope of Carbon) in their tissues. When they die they stop taking Carbon in, then the amount of Carbon-14 goes down at a known rate (Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5700 years). The age of the ancient organic materials can be found by measuring the amount of Carbon-14 that is left. Radioactive Tracers The most common tracer is called Technetium-99 and is very safe because it only emits gamma rays and doesn't cause much ionisation. Radioisotopes can be used for medical purposes, such as checking for a blocked kidney. To do this a small amount of Iodine-123 is injected into the patient, after 5 minutes 2 Geiger counters are placed over the kidneys. Also radioisotopes are used in industry, to detect leaking pipes. To do this, a small amount is injected into the pipe. It is then detected with a GM counter above ground. Cancer Treatment Because Gamma rays can kill living cells, they are used to kill cancer cells without having to resort to difficult surgery. This is called "Radiotherapy? and works because cancer cells can't repair themselves when damaged by gamma rays, as healthy cells can.

Immortal Life vs. Immortal Name: Gilgamesh and Beowulf Essay -- Englis

Immortal Life vs. Immortal Name: Gilgamesh and Beowulf Death. Fate. Immortality. Destiny. All are subjects that we tend to avoid. While most of us hope for life after death, we tend not to dwell on this subject because we are uncomfortable with the unknown. On those rare occasions when we allow ourselves to think about the fact that our days are numbered, we wonder if death can be cheated and immortality gained. Some have suggested that being remembered is just as enduring as living forever. Thoughts of destiny and the here after are not new. They have engaged the hearts and minds of men for ages. Two ancient stories that deal with this subject matter are The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf. In these texts, the main characters, Gilgamesh and Beowulf, are obsessed with their fate. To the degree that these epics accurately reflect the society and culture of their own eras, one can see that men of these ancient times were as concerned about their ultimate destiny as we are. The epic stories of Gilgamesh and Beowulf illustrate that men and wom en throughout the ages have been keenly aware of their own mortality and that they long to live on eternally, if only in the memory of others. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the ruler of ancient Uruk, is blessed with the gift of foresight. He has numerous dreams about his destiny and is very accepting of the fate that the gods have given him. The gods give Gilgamesh a dream and Enkidu interprets Gilgamesh’s vision concerning his fate. Enkidu says that Enlil, father of the gods â€Å"has given you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting life is not your destiny† (Sandars 70). With this revelation Gilgamesh knows his destiny very early in his journey. Rather than becoming angry at the gods, Gilgamesh accepts the gods’ choice to not give him eternal life. Instead, Gilgamesh wants to â€Å"set up his name in the place where the names of famous men are written, and where no man’s name is written yet he will raise a monument to the gods† (70-1). Gilgamesh succeeds in his plan for making himself famous by first defeating the guardian of the forest, Humbaba, and shortly after, the bull of heaven. During these battles Gilgamesh declares that there is â€Å"nothing to fear! †¦ if I fall I leave behind me a name that endures† (71). Having reconciled himself to the fact that fate has indeed determined when he will die, h... ...O, Gilgamesh†¦great is thy praise† (119). The narrator is saying that the admiration of others is and will be great. This clearly shows that the people of Uruk will keep Gilgamesh alive in their minds. Beowulf will at some level attain everlasting life through the memory of his people as well. In Beowulf and Gilgamesh, both heroes desire to gain everlasting life. At one point, Gilgamesh believes that he can actually gain eternal life and change his destiny. Beowulf, and eventually Gilgamesh, end up gaining everlasting life through their monuments and the good deeds that their people will remember them by. The ancient societies depicted in The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are no doubt representative of the actual societies that existed during those time periods. These ancient people were greatly concerned with issues such as death, fate, and destiny. People of ancient times and modern realize that even though one cannot escape death, one can to some degree achieve immortality, if only in the memories of those left behind. Works Cited Liuzza, Roy M., trans. Beowulf. Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 1999. Sandars, N. K., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Penguin, 1972.

Realities Behind Deceiving Appearances Essay

According to Alfred Kazin, â€Å"In every great novel of society†¦ what counts is the reality behind the appearance† (Kazin, 1981, 297). In other words, he’s saying that the best books are those that include one or more realities behind appearances. The novel first I chose is called Perfect by Ellen Hopkins. This book has four main characters; Cara, Sean, Kendra, and Andre, who are all teens struggling to fit the ideal of perfection, even if it means hurting and lying to themselves and others. The other novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain tells a story of a runaway slave named Jim and a young boy Huck, running from the dangers of his father. Together they are trying to get to the North but run into many roadblocks. This adventure includes deceit, danger, excitement and most of all, friendship. Both of these novels show reality behind experiences through its actions, dialogs, and the characters themselves! In the following paragraphs, I will comp are and explain the reality behind appearances such as friends or family, disguises and secrets in both novels, Perfect and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Jim, a runaway slave from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows many realities behind deceiving appearances. An example of a deceiving appearance is when Huck and the duke paint Jim all blue and dressed him up in King Lear’s outfit before leaving to town. Huck doesn’t want to risk Jim being taken away and sold back into slavery so they disguise him as a â€Å"sick arab-but harmless when not out of his head† (Twain 157) so that he won’t have to uncomfortably lay tied up in the wigwam all day. The reality behind this disguise is that Jim is a kind and harmless runaway slave. After a tiring adventure, Jim talks to Huck about his family. When telling stories to Huck, he reveals a reality behind a deceiving appearance about his daughter Elizabeth. When Jim’s daughter was young, she got very sick. When she was better, Jim had told her to shut the door but she just stood there smiling at him. He repeated himself and again, she just smiled at him. Thinking that she was being naughty and a rebel, he smacked her across the head as a punishment. When he slams the door shut and she doesn’t budge, wince, or make any notice of it, Jim realizes â€Å"Oh, she was plumb deef en dumb, Huck, plumb deef en dumb† (Twain 156). The biggest and most important reality behind a deceiving appearance is that along this adventure, Jim was  freed from slavery. After all the trouble Tom put him through, Tom finally fesses that Jim was free because â€Å"Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was so ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will† (Twain 289). The duke and the king from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are very mischievous people. They are full with illusions, lies, and intelligence. The first reality behind appearance Huck saw is their names. On the day they first meet, both men claim they were a king and a duke in order to receive pity and to be spoiled by Jim and Huck. While Huck sees through this appearance, Jim does not. Later on in the story, the king cons the people of a religious camp in order to get some money. He pretends to be a pirate who changed his ways after he was robbed and now is working his way back to the ocean in order to change all pirates. He gives credit to the people of the town to earn their pity and succeeds. â€Å"‘Don’t you thank me, don’t you give me no credit; it all belongs to them dear people in Pokeville camp-meeting, natural brothers and benefactors of the race, and that dear preacher there, the truest friend a pirate ever had’† (Twain 132). The reality behind the king’s appearance is that it was all an act and that he is just a cheater. Even after this silly event, the king and the duke are still greedy for more. When they find out that a man who has a lot of money for a relative has died, they head towards the town. There, they pretended to be the uncle of three girls who are very sweet and innocent. Eventually, the actual heirs to the money show up and start to expose the duke and the king. They have a more authentic english accent and state that the handwritings when compared to an old letter aren’t the same. In my novel, Perfect by Ellen Hopkins, there are four main characters struggling to fit an ideal of perfection. One of the main characters is named Kendra. Kendra is a senior in high school and everything you would want to be. She’s popular, on the cheer team, rich, and most of all, skinny. Kendra’s obsession with perfection comes with dangerous consequences as she is willing to do anything to achieve it. The most deceiving illusion when it comes to Kendra is her appearance itself. Kendra has gone through many plastic surgeries to look as she is now. With a rhinoplasty already  scheduled, she is also hoping to get a boob job which her stepfather refuses to allow. Along with the plastic surgery, in order to lose weight, Kendra eats as little as possible. Kendra believes she is fat, being 5’ 10† and 122 pounds. Though everyone tells her she’s not, she states that the â€Å"stinking mirror doesn’t lie. Everytime I walk by, it shouts out, †˜Hey. Chub. When are you going to lose those fifteen pounds of ugly-ass flab? Do you want to stay size four forever?’† (Hopkins, 23). The reality behind Kendra’s illusion is that she’s already beautiful and dangerously skinny. With every calorie she doesn’t eat, she inches closer and closer to death. One of the reasons why she believes that she’s not beautiful is because her boyfriend Conner left her. She believed he left her because she wasn’t good and pretty enough. The thought of this tortures her because Conner was her first love, the first person whom she gave her heart and soul to. She later finds out that Conner is in the hospital because of an accident. The reality is that Conner didn’t get into an accident, he tried killing himself and he didn’t leave her because he thought she was ugly. He left her because he had fallen in love with someone else. When Kendra leaves her beauty agent for Xavier, she begins to work with a man named Gilles. Xavier tells Kendra that Gilles is one of the â€Å"biggies† and that she needs keep him happy. â€Å"I have to keep Gilles happy. He likes the way I look. Especially naked† (Hopkins 496). Gilles and Xavier claim that they love her but in all honesty, they are taking advantage of her. If they rea lly did love her as she is, they wouldn’t abuse her body with pills, sex and surgeries. The appearance of Gilles loving her for her style and determination masks the reality that in order to do business, she must trade it with her service to him. Another character who has a deceiving appearance in the novel Perfect is a girl named Cara. Cara, like Kendra is also on the cheer team, beautiful, rich, has good grades and a wonderful sexy boyfriend but is she really all the things people make her out to be? Cara has a secret, one that could ruin her reputation; She’s a lesbian. Her boyfriend Sean is just an appearance. An appearance to make her seem straight when in reality, she’s a lesbian. When Sean finds out about her secret after they break up, he exposes her by taking a photo of Cara and her lover making love and sharing it to all of her â€Å"friends†. After this incident, all of Cara’s friends leave her and  began calling her cruel names such as slut and dyke. â€Å"I can’t believe Cara broke up with Sean. Neither can half the senior class†¦ They’re chopping her into little pieces: †¦is a slut anyway, †¦always was full of it, †¦serious commitment issues† (Hopkins 306). The comfort and companionship of her friends was all an appearance in which the reality was just to use Cara for their own benefit. Because of this incident, Cara finally decides to tell her parents. â€Å"‘Dani said I should press charges†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Mom’s eyes grew steadily more severe. ‘I think it’s best to let it drop. If this becomes public knowledge, the media will smear it all over the headlines. Our reputation will be ruined. Bad enough we had to deal with all the flak about Conner.’ She straightened her blouse, as if it had been wrinkled by the very idea of her children disgracing her name† (Hopkins 535). The definition of parents is a mother and a father and that’s exactly what Cara’s parents are. A mother and father, nothing more. Though they do provide Cara with materialistic needs, it is all for her mother’s reputation. Her heartless parents with their high expectations are so extreme that it causes her twin brother Conner to kill himself. The idea of loving and supportive parents is just an appearance that the Sykes family create when the cold truth is that they don’t hold any familial bonds with each other. In the preceding paragraphs, I have compared and explained the realities behind appearances in both novels, Perfect and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As Alfred Kazin was saying, realities behind deceiving appearances make a book more interesting to read. It also makes the readers realize that there are many illusions in our daily lives. Through the characters, we can perhaps learn a lesson on how to act, spot, and deal with these realities behind appearances.