Thursday, January 30, 2020

A short history in bioinformatics Essay Example for Free

A short history in bioinformatics Essay Due to the influx of information from numerous research studies conducted by scientists under the coverage of Molecular Biology, the ongoing process has fueled the need for the development of a system that shall be able to organize and collate information – that is, Bioinformatics. From Tiselius’ design of the process of electrophoresis, to the development of the alpha-helix by Pauling and Corey, and consequently the improvement of Pauling and Corey’s model to the double-helix by Watson and Crick, developments on protein crystallography, the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network or ARPANET, the creation of molecular models, and so on, these various events and situations were taken collectively developing the need and recommendation for the creation of a model or framework that will handle information simultaneously, efficiently, and reliably. (Sadek, 2004) From the developments and discoveries of new information based on the processes and techniques employed in the field of Molecular Biology, supported by the attention and interest granted to computers and technology during the eighties because of the dawn of the era of technology, the role of Bioinformatics was realized, emphasized, and consequently developed. Scientists, as well as various organizations, industries, academic institutions, and such, have continued to develop and improve Bioinformatics. The results constitute the engineering of various applications or softwares since the concept of Bioinformatics was framed during the seventies. Each program or application that was structured were designed to carry out multifarious and specific tasks and responsibilities including DNA sequencing or mapping, the organization of data according to priorities, use, needs, concerns, problems, etc. Some of these applications or softwares include the PC/GENE, PROSITE, SEQANALREF, etc. (Agarwal, 200-) At present time, Bioinformatics continue to evolve and develop as man consciously obtains more complex information and experience developments from previous knowledge and established theories or concepts. In addition, as numerous problems and conflicts related to Biology and its practical application including lessons or concepts arise, Bioinformatics as a practical and essential field in Science and Technology will continue to look for solutions in order to address these concerns. The changing landscape of society, particularly its move from traditionalism and individualism to modernization and globalization, influences changes and transformations in Bioinformatics. BIOINFORMATICS: Molecular Biology, Computer Science, IT, and Statistics In order to deeply understand how Bioinformatics work, we need to go over the structure and features of the subfields that it constitutes, such as Molecular Biology, Computer Science, IT, and Statistics. Molecular Biology is a branch of Science that deals with the analysis of various molecules within living things in general. Various types of cells from man, animals, and plants are studied and analyzed in order to determine molecular compositions, and consequently learn determine their structures and compositions, their reactions to other molecules and substances found within living things, their functions and contributions to human life, or life in general including plants and animals, and so on. Molecular Biology also studies Deoxyribonucleic Acid or DNA compositions of living things as they contribute knowledge and information on Genetics. This particular aspect focuses on structuring how molecules reproduce through DNA replication within a cell. (Hyman, 2003) Computer Science and IT are both products of the fusion between Science and Technology. They function because of the build-up of information that constitutes Molecular Biology for the purposes of quantifying and qualifying facts and data into meaningful sequences, models, or formations that may be interpreted, analyzed, and synthesized. Some of the specific contributions of Computer Science and IT include the storage, construction, and reconstruction of DNA sequences, a thorough genome analysis by accessing various related information in databases managed by IT, the construction of graphic organizers or visual representations of information for clarity and direct presentation of facts, the timely and efficient transfer and receipt of information across databases and information systems, and the collation of variable information about protein sequences. (Keedwell Narayanan, 2005) Statistics, as a mathematical and scientific approach to analyzing and interpreting data, contributes to Bioinformatics by allowing scientists to test the weight or magnitude of information and provide quantifiable data that may be interpreted according to established standards or guidelines. Information, facts, or data, obtained through experiments and consequently, the findings obtained by molecular biologists from thorough analysis and evaluation an in depth research studies are labeled with values leading to the formulation of estimates, predictions, or likelihoods of the occurrence of various phenomena. Moreover, Statistics is important in allowing computers and various technologies to determine how facts or data are to be translated in order to arrive at scientific conclusions of generalizations. (Ramsden, 2004) By and large, the unique features and contributions of these fields in Science, Technology, and Mathematics, meld together in order to build the foundations of Bioinformatics. Information from Molecular Biology are utilized and transformed to numerical data through Statistics, and both informational statements and figures are stored in computers and other technologies including IT systems or processes, IT functions, standards, guidelines, etc. for easy access and retrieval, synthesis, analysis, and interpretation, and are consequently managed through IT systems and processes. BIOEDIT BioEdit is a software application made available for Windows Operating Systems that is used to reconstruct how DNA, nucleic acids, and amino acids are arranged in order to follow the superlative sequence of these substances based on rules and standards derived from previous studies and analyses by molecular biologists and geneticists. Aside from these functions, BioEdit also runs to provide users with graphic simulators that construct drawings or illustrations, chartings and mappings, etc. , BLAST searches, and alignments. (Salemi Vandamme, 2003 and Tsai, 2002)

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The Importance of Ghosts In Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights Essay

The Importance of Ghosts In Emily Bronte's ‘Wuthering Heights’ ‘My fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand! The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it’ (Page 20) In this extract Lockwood thought he had a dream, he remembers that he ‘turned and dozed’ and dreamt again, but the above extract shows that this was different from any other dream, it is much more realistic and increasingly frightening. This leads the reader to believe that this really is not a dream and that a supernatural being is causing this entire disturbance. The importance that this has to the novel is that it adds an element of excitement and mystery, rather than Lockwood just having a dream about a ghost by the end of the extract, they believe that there really was one there. What makes this part of the novel all the more stirring is the fact that there is evidence that this really was a ghost at Lockwood’s window. For instance Lockwood says that that name of the ghost was ‘Catherine Linton’: ‘(Why did I think of Linton? I had read Earnshaw twenty times for Linton)’ (Page20) This is to say that in any dream one would not expect to dream about someone they had never met before, and they would expect for their dreams to be a collaged combination of all the things that had happened to them. In this particular extract Lockwood is saying that he had read the name Earnshaw, all he saw ‘was nothing but a name repeated in all kinds of characters, large and small-Catherine Earnshaw,’ Lockwood is saying that if this really was a dream then why did it say Linton? The theme of the afterlife is repeated all throughout the novel, and is especially reiterated by the fact that Heathc... ... ‘There’s Heathcliff and a woman, yonder, under t’ nab,’ he blubbered, ‘un’ I dare not pass ‘em.’ (Page 288) The primary importance of this sighting of the ghost is that it could actually be real. The evidence for this was that the moors were very much a favourite place for Heathcliff and Catherine to go walking. This is important because it shows that their love for each other has lasted until after their death. The most important piece of evidence for these ghosts being real is that ‘neither the sheep would go on’ with the boy. As human kind we always say that animals do have a sixth sense and that they can detect the ghosts and other spirits which new cannot. Brontà « has used ideas like the sheep so that the reader can gain a real perspective of what was on the moors, and of course how strong the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff really was.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

America: The Land of “Equal” Opportunity Essay

Although the American society that we live in today prides itself on equal job opportunity and progression, it is easy to see behind the deceiving faà §ade. Women have always been viewed as the less dominant gender due to the patriarchy that is provided by society. In fact, women are still making a measly seventy-seven cents for every dollar that a man makes, and the gap is even worse for African-American or Latina women working (Huffington). Even with women having a greater entry into the workforce in recent years, their pay is still considerably less than a man’s (Conley 312). Due to this suffering pay disparity, the women in the workplace are forced to suffer through many barriers that are not thought of and are unheard of by men. It is difficult to break through the glass ceiling of the corporate world for women to get to a higher job title, they are placed into the category of â€Å"caregiver† for children, and finally they are faced with sexual harassment in the workplace. Due to these unfair blockages within the corporate world, the women in today’s society face the harsh inequality provided by the workforce. The glass ceiling of the corporate world is thought of to be a main barrier within the inequality of gender in today’s society. This invisible limit on women’s climb up the corporate ladder poses as a very difficult hurdle to dodge towards success in the work place (Conley 315). If a person simply cannot go any further in their job, why would they bother to put forth more effort? In order for a company to succeed, it is necessary for its employers to go above and beyond what they are expected to do; when a person feels that they no longer must do this, however, the bare minimum will most likely be expected of these people. Women make up 46.5 percent of the workforce in America, yet they only occupy less than 8 percent of the head corporate positions (The Conundrum). This number is astounding based on the percentage of women that make up the workforce in total, and is frustrating for the women who are well-equipped for the job at hand. If this glass ceiling barrier were to be broken, the workforce would have a more equal balance of corporate heads, and would most likely have a more productive workforce because of this. With everyone is striving to make it to the top, all will be going further than what is expected of them. Based on the glass ceiling provided to women in the workforce, a barrier is  created that must be broken through to improve productivity and equality within the work place. Women in society today are seen as the â€Å"housewives†. Due to the gender roles provided by society from birth, women are taught to behave and act a certain way within the house. They are thought of as child bearers, cooks, caregivers, and the person who is responsible for other chores around the house; Arlie Hochschild calls this effect the second shift (Conley 469). Due to this effect on society, women may be seen as less expected to work full-time, when in fact, only 3 percent of women managers said that family responsibilities were a main obstacle in their career (Empowering Women). With women being placed into a set category and role, this causes men to see them as weak and unable to work full-time. This barrier could be broken by a more forward way of thinking towards women’s roles in society. There are plenty of women who do not fit the role of housewife, and by placing them into this role, they are being unrightfully judged. With a more forward way of thinking , this issue of set role can be solved within the work place. Sexual harassment is another barrier which women must face in the work force that most men would not. This harassment comes as an illegal discrimination in many different forms that is intended to make women feel uncomfortable and not welcome (Conley 313). The act of harassment can make women feel very unequal and strange in the workplace, discouraging them from climbing up the corporate ladder. Men do this to subordinate the women in the society, giving them more power, and in most cases they are successful in doing so. In fact, 90 percent of large corporations reported sexual harassment complaints by women employees (Empowering Women). If sexual harassment were more discouraged in the work place, women would feel more confident in climbing up the social ladder without the constant fear of sexual ridicule. With the banning of sexual harassment, the work place would be a safer and more equal environment to work in. American society today still sadly portrays unequal opportunity between genders. Due to the corporate glass ceiling, women being seen as housewives, and sexual harassment in the work place, this inequality will continue to occur for women. These barriers are preventing women from climbing the corporate ladder, which blocks equality in the workforce. If my suggestion to destroy all of these barriers were to go through, American society today would have equal opportunity for both genders in the corporate  world. With equal opportunity, there will be more productivity and greater overall acceptance in the work place. Works Cited â€Å"Empowering Women in Business – The Glass Ceiling – Feminist Majority Foundation.†Empowering Women in Business – The Glass Ceiling – Feminist Majority Foundation. Feminist Majority Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Huffington, Christina. â€Å"Women And Equal Pay: Wage Gap Still Intact, Study Shows.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. â€Å"The Conundrum of the Glass Ceiling.† Economist.com. The Economist Newspaper Limited, 21 July 2005. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Special Education Policy. Morgan Gill. Grand Canyon...

Special Education Policy Morgan Gill Grand Canyon University EDU 535 Instructor: Kimber Underdown March 1, 2017 Special Education Policy There have been several reforms in the past 100 years that have had an influential effect on policy in special education. Some of these changes have left a positive legacy for future education legislators to build from while others have been detrimental to a student’s educational success. All having positive and negative outcomes, some of these changes impacting education include the National Institute of Child and Human Development, Education for All Handicapped Children Act, No Child Left Behind Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Act. The reforms listed above will be discussed†¦show more content†¦Education for All Handicapped Children Act The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) is the government’s response to public schools exclusion of disabled children. In 1975 the EAHCA mandated a free appropriate education at public expense regardless of specific disability (Swafford, 2016). This allowed students with disabilities to access a quality education and related services. According to Smith (2005), EAHCA required local school districts to abide by a strict set of guidelines when educating a disabled child. For example, assessments must be administered before a student could become eligible for special education services. This allowed for dual language learners and students of a diverse culture to be tested in their own language and not classified as having a disability (Smith, 2005). There is no dispute that the Education for All Handicapped Children Act made several positive advancements in the educational system, but, there were also many inconsistencies and defects of the policy. Colker (2013), reported that congress was concerned that the definition of a learning disability was broad and ill-defined. With restricted subsidy, congress created a funding cap limited to one-sixth of all disabled children within a state (Colker, 2013). Regrettably, funding was not the only issue that the EAHCA faced. A study