Germination of Seeds: Research on Salinity

Germination of Seeds: Research on Salinity 1.1. Rationale The purpose of this investigation is to develop a more advanced understanding of the germination of seeds. The investigation is worthwhile as it will explain such conditions needed for seeds to maximise germination to allow efficient plant development. This information could help the scientific community know when saline reaches dangerous levels for radish seeds. 1.2. Background Information The aim of this experiment is to find out how the salinity of water affects the optimum germination of seeds. A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food (Seed, 2016). There are mainly two types of seeds: monocots and dicots. The cotyledon in monocots are just thin leaves that usually do not emerge above ground. Dicot cotyledons contain their seeds endosperm, so they are thicker and fuller, which they use to produce more food in photosynthetic metabolism (Burchill, 2017). In dicots, the primary root first grows upward to the surface and then dives again, while the primary root in monocots grows downward. For germination to occur, the seed requires an adequate environmental temperature, light exposure and a regular intake of water (Burchill, 2017). Germination starts when the seed starts to take up water by osmosis, which is the movement of water through a permeable membrane from higher water concentration to a lower water concentration (BBC Standard Grade Bitesize Biology Cells and diffusion : Revision, Page 4, 2014).   Ã‚   The micropyle, an opening in the testa, or seed coat, allows water to move into the seed causing it to swell and thus rupture the seed coat to allow the embryo plant to emerge (Gillam, 2014). Permeability of the testa is a major factor controlling the rate of water uptake. As seeds imbibe- absorb- water, they expand and enzymes and food supplies become hydrated. Hydrated enzymes become active and the seed increase its metabolic activities to produce energy for the growth process. In addition, the water causes turgor pressure to increase in the cells and they can enlarge. There are three stages to seed germination (Germination of Seeds: Stages Factors involved, 2017). The imbibition stage, where water absorption results in rupture of seed coat. The latent stage is where the imbibition of the seed coat results in the emergence of the radicle and the plumule; and is also where the cotyledons get unfolded (Process of Seed Germination | Tutorvista.com, 2017). Finally, the exponential growth stage is where the cotyledons are expanded which are the true leaves. Factors such as oxygen, light, temperature, humidity and soil chemistry can all affect the germination of seeds (M. Krempels, 2017). The factor that will be studied, will be water salinity. Therefore, the independent variable in this investigation will be the salinity concentration (%) as the growth will be recorded based on different concentration, and the dependent variable will be the amount of germination (cm). 1.3. Hypothesis If the concentration of salinity in water (%) is increased, then the less likely/ more time it will take for the seed to germinate. 2.0. Procedure/ Method 4 radish seeds were each placed into a cotton ball which were in 12 petri dishes. On the first day, 15 mL of distilled water was measured and poured in 3 petri dishes, while 1%, 5% and 10% sodium chloride solution was measured and poured each into the remaining petri dishes. However, on the other 4 days, 5 mL of each solution was measured and emptied into the corresponding petri dishes. A photo was taken each day for 5 days and observations were recorded. 3.1. Presentation of Data Percentage of Radish Seeds that Germinated with Varying Solute Percentages Radish seeds that germinated (%) Concentration of NaCl (%) Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 0 0 50 66.67 66.67 66.67 1 0 8.33 16.67 16.67 25 5 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 3.2. Interpretation of Data In graph 1, the pattern of the 0% NaCl trend line shows an increase in the percentage of seeds germinating in the first two days, but then slowed down and levelled off until day 4. Similarly, the trendline of 1% NaCl saw an increase in the percentage of seeds germinating until day 2 where it levelled off, however after day 3 a steady increase in the amount of seeds germinating can be seen. In graph 2, the maximum amount of seeds that germinated, 66.67%, is at the optimum salinity for germination to occur in seeds, 0%. As the salinity increased from this optimum concentration, the percentage of seeds that germinated decreases. This can be seen at 1% NaCl because the percentage of seeds that germinated was 25%, and when the concentration was 5% and 10% as the amount of germinated seeds was only 0%. The seeds germinated the most when the salinity of the water was 0% because the average rate of germination in the first two days was 33.34%/day and the maximum percentage that germinated was 66.67%. As compared to: 1% NaCl, where the average rate of germination was 8.34%/day and the maximum amount of seeds that germinated was just 25%; and 5%/ 10% NaCl, where no germination took place. In conclusion, both graphs show that around 0% is the optimum concentration for radish seeds to germinate. In addition, any changes above this concentration decrease the rate of germination. 4.1. Explanation of Results If the concentration of salinity in water (%) is increased, then the less likely/ more time it will take for the seed to germinate. It was predicted that the optimum percentage of NaCl would be 0% and there would be a steady decrease as the salinity increased. When the salinity of the water increases from 0%, the rate of germination decreased which is shown in the results as at 0% NaCl 66.67% of seeds had germinated after 4 days, at 1% NaCl 25% of seeds had germinated, and at 5% and 10% NaCl, 0% of seeds germinated. Optimal germination for most seeds has been reported in non-saline conditions (AoB Plants, 2014). The rate of imbibition decreases with increasing the concentration of a solution in the medium (Monga, 2014). Imbibition is important in seed germination as it involves the uptake of water by the dry seed, initially by osmosis. The water hydrates and activates special proteins, called enzymes, that increase its metabolic activities producing energy that begin the process of seed growth such as starch conversion into sugar (Robb, 2017). In addition, the water causes turgor pressure to increase in the cells so they can enlarge and move the radicle root down and the cotyledons up (Khon, 2017). Turgor pressure is the force of water pushing the plasma membrane against the cell wall of a plant cell (eHowEducation, 2014). Although Imbibition uses aspects from the process of osmosis, imbibition and osmosis are not the same. The uptake of absorption of water by the solid substance without forming solution is called imbibition. Whereas, the movement of water molecules through a semipermeable m embrane from the region of higher water concentration to the region of lesser water concentration is called osmosis (Deena T Kochunni, 2017). In the data, as the concentration increased from 0%, the rate of reaction decreased. The order of concentrations at which the rate of germination will increase from slowest to fastest is 10% NaCl, 5% NaCl, 1% NaCl and 0% NaCl. Therefore, the predicted outcome that the optimum salinity would be 0% was correct as this is what the experiment indicates, which was 0%. This is because seeds need a lower concentration of salinity in their environment, i.e. the soil, so that more water can flow into seed to get imbibed. A University of California study undertaken by Stephan Grattan, plant-water relations specialist, determined that radishes do not tolerate much salt in irrigation water (Grattan, 2002). As radish seeds are sensitive to root disturbances, the salinity of the water affected the rate of germination (How to Grow Radishes 101 gardenswag, 2011). This would suggest why 25% of seeds germinated after five days in an environment containing 1% NaCl, but 0% of seeds germinating in 5% Na Cl and 10% NaCl. When a seeds environment is of the optimal concentration of NaCl, the rate of germination is at its highest and so takes a shorter amount of time. Therefore, at this optimum, the concentration gradient of water is highest which means that maximum imbibition takes place, causing the cells to swell and activate the enzymes which help break down the seed coating. This can be seen at point B on graph 2 where the radish seeds are at the optimum concentration of 0% NaCl and a maximum of 66.67% of seeds germinated. Concentrations above the optimum affect the osmotic process in seeds. Seed imbibition rate and germination percentage decrease as the surrounding water concentration decreases. This is because, increasing the salinity decreases the concentration of water in the external environment of the seed, making the water in the seed cells travel out into the external environment, plasmolysing the cells. When a plant cell becomes plasmolysed, the internal cellular membrane shrivels up as the volume of water in the cytoplasm decreases, which means that there is less turgor pressure (The Effects of Osmosis, 2017). Therefore, it wont germinate. This is also apparent at point B on graph 2, as there is a decrease in the percentage of germinating seeds at salinity percentages above 0%. At 0% NaCl, it is evident that the most seeds, 66.67%, had germinated by the end of day 4. This was where the concentration of water outside the seed was at its highest resulting in the most amount of water travelling into the seed at a time. In other words, the seed was in a hypotonic environment. Thus, the seeds could germinate quicker as more enzymes could become active and carry out the processes important to break the walls of the seeds. This is evident in Graph 1, as at 0% NaCl 50% of the seeds had started to germinate, which is the highest of any salinity percentage on day one. The maximum percentage of seeds germinating was 66.67%. Germination could also be seen at 1% NaCl, with 25% of the seeds germinating by the end of day four. This occurred as the water concentration on the outside was the same as the water concentration on the inside of the seed cells. Therefore, the seed was in an isotonic solution. Due to this, water was still able to come into the seed cells, however, there was less turgor pressure as the seeds cells were flaccid. Germination was still able to occur as some enzymes could become stimulated to aid in breaking the seed coating. This is apparent on graph 1 as on day 3 16.67% of the seeds had germinated, but at the end of day 4, 25% of the radish seeds germinated, suggesting that germination was still taking place in the other 75% of seeds. However, no obvious germination could be seen in 5% NaCl or 10% NaCl, even after the fourth day. The reason for this, is that the percentage of salinity was too much in the external environment, which means that the concentration of water in the external environment was lower than the water concentration inside the seeds cells- in a hypertonic environment. Consequently, more water was going out of the seeds cells than water was coming out, therefore the cells plasmolysed. The lack of water inside the cells could not activate enough enzymes to continue the process of germination. This is clear on graph 1 as 0% of seeds germinated throughout the 4 days. Per the results, it can be verified that as the salinity increased from 0%, the imbibition of the seed decreased causing the rate of germination to decrease. This increase in salinity caused the concentration of water outside the seed to increase, causing a hypertonic solution, which consequently made more water travel out of the cells than into, causing the cells to plasmolyse. Thus, decreasing the rate of germination. 4.2. Evaluation of Experiment To ensure that an experiment is a fair test, only one factor can be changed at a time while keeping all other conditions the same (Doing a Fair Test: Variables for Beginners, 2016). This experiment had several control variables that had to be kept constant, variables such as: the temperature of room; the type of seed; the amount of solution used; time of day watered; vessel that carries the seed; how seeds are placed; amount of seeds placed in each petri-dish; and the light reaching plants. The external environment was kept constant as the experiment was conducted indoors with the air conditioner set to 22 °C and the seeds were placed in the same place on a window sill. Also, the type of seed was kept the same as radish seeds were used. In addition, vessel that carried the seeds, amount of seeds in each petri dish and how seeds were placed were all kept constant as four seeds were placed in four cotton balls in each petri dish. However, the amount of solution was not kept constant each day, as 15mL was used to water the seeds on day 1, but on the second and third days 5mL was used, and no watering took place on days 4 and 5. To improve this, the original 15mL of water should be used to water the seeds every day. Even though the environment was kept constant, to maximise seed germination, the investigation needed to take place inside of a greenhouse. In addition, the time of day was not kept constant, to ensure that the watering was at the same time every day, the radishes needed to be watered at around 5 oclock every morning so that the seeds could maximise sunlight throughout the rest of the day. Validity encompasses the entire experimental concept and establishes whether the results obtained meet all of the requirements of the scientific research method (Shuttleworth, 2008). Possible errors in the results include: human error in reading measurements; not watering the seeds evenly; human error in remembering to water the seeds; and not using the same amount of cotton wool. The main reasons for this was the lack of time during a school day. In addition, there was no real way to measure out each cotton wool ball. Therefore, the results are valid for this experiment, but are not reliable to use for further research into radish seeds. The aim of this experiment was to find out how the salinity of water affects the optimum germination in radish seeds. The predicted outcome that the optimum temperature would be 0% was correct as this is what the experiment indicates. Per the results, it can be verified that as the concentration of salinity increased from 0%, the water moving into the seed decreased causing the rate of germination to also decrease eventually causing 0% of seeds to germinate in 4 days, at which the water moving into the seed was less than the amount of water moving out of the seed. Any increase in salinity concentration decreased the number of enzymes being activated to start breaking the seed coating due to the lack of water inside the seeds cells, causing the seeds to not germinate by the end of day 4. Theory Sources AoB Plants. (2014) (6th ed.). BBC Standard Grade Bitesize Biology Cells and diffusion : Revision, Page 4. (2014). Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2017, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/biology/investigating_cells/cells_and_diffusion/revision/4/ Burchill, S. (2017). The Open Door Web Site : Energy and Activity : How Plants Survive Winter : Seeds and the Conditions Needed for Seed germination. Saburchill.com. Retrieved 28 January 2017, from http://www.saburchill.com/ans02/chapters/chap036.html Deena T Kochunni, J. (2017). Difference between Osmosis and Imbibition.Majordifferences.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017, from http://www.majordifferences.com/2013/12/difference-between-osmosis-and.html#.WLGCpPk2vIU eHowEducation,. (2014). What Is Turgor Pressure in Biology? : Biology DNA. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckKRfhD5sE0 Doing a Fair Test: Variables for Beginners. (2016). Science Buddies. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_experiment_fair_test.shtml Germination of Seeds: Stages Factors involved. (2017). Education Science Tips. Retrieved 6 February 2017, from http://www.rajaha.com/germination-seeds/ Gillam, P. (2014). osmosis | PMG Biology. Pmgbiology.com. Retrieved 6 February 2017, from https://pmgbiology.com/tag/osmosis/ M. Krempels, D. (2017). GR 1 Laboratory: Environment and Development: The Effects of Environment on Seed Germination. Laboratory Exercise, Miami. Grattan, S. (2002). Irrigation Water Salinity and Crop Production (1st ed.). Oakland: ANR Publication. Retrieved from http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8066.pdf How to Grow Radishes 101 gardenswag. (2011). Gardenswag.com. Retrieved 27 January 2017, from http://www.gardenswag.com/2011/12/how-to-grow-radishes-101/ Khon, C. (2017). Seed Germination [10]. Retrieved from http://www.shsu.edu/academics/agricultural-sciences-and-engineering-technology/ Monga, S. (2014) Imbibition [4]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/sheelumonga/imbibition-is-the-phenomenon-of-adsorption-of-water Process of Seed Germination | Tutorvista.com. (2017). Tutorvista.com. Retrieved 6 February 2017, from http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iv/plant-growth-movements/seed-germination-process.php Robb, A. (2017). What is Seed Germination? Definition, Process, Steps Factors Video Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 24 February 2017, from http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-seed-germination-definition-process-steps-factors.htmlp Seed. (2016). ScienceDaily. Retrieved 19 February 2017, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/seed.htm Shuttleworth, M. (2008). Validity and Reliability How to Know if the Research is Correct?.Explorable.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from https://explorable.com/validity-and-reliability The Effects of Osmosis. (2017). Etomica.org. Retrieved 6 February 2017, from http://www.etomica.org/app/modules/sites/Osmosis_old/Background1.html Diagram Sources Biology 1903,. (2017). Eudicot germination.. Retrieved from http://bio1903.nicerweb.com/Locked/media/ch38/38_10SeedGermination-dicot.jpg EdExcel,. (2014). There is an opening in the testa called the micropyle that allows water to move into the seed causing it to swell and thus rupture the seed coat to allow the embryo plant to emerge.. Retrieved from https://pmgbiology.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/image024.gif imgarcade.com,. (2017). osmosis 1. Retrieved from https://image.slidesharecdn.com/osmosisamazingss-111004150133-phpapp01/95/osmosis-1-8-728.jpg Pearson Education Inc.,. (2017). Isotonic, Hypotonic, and Hypertonic Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/biomembrane1/images/Tonic2.gif University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Gorgan,. (2012). Effect of NaCl concentration on germination of Velvetleaf (A) and Bamyardgrass (B). Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/pd/v28n3/02f03.gif

Essay --

Philos 25B SID 22340925 Paper 1 Explain the method that Descartes adopts in the First Meditation and how it leads him to the supposition of an evil genius. Descartes starts his meditation by dream argument. First, he recalls himself having the same perception and sensation while he is dreaming, and finds it difficult to distinguish dreaming experience from waking experience. Therefore, he raises the possibility that he might be dreaming through which all the perceptions he has are illusionary. However, as Descartes realizes that even if all the perceptions are illusionary, those images and components can only be derived from something actual and true, such as mathematical truth and geometry. Yet is there any other reason to support that even mathematical property doesn’t stand true as they appear? Descartes keeps wondering, and develops the idea of the deceiving God. A deceiving God, in his mind, is someone omnipotent, and is fooling him with all his reasoning and perceptions, including granted mathematical truth and geometry. For example, one thinks 2 plus 3 accounts for 5 by addition rule but the rule has already be twisted through God’s scheme. Therefore, it is possible that even the basic ideas of the world structure one has can be deceiving and that all the granted belief he had are false or non-existing. Therefore, Descartes decides to doubt everything that he finds with even a slightest objection. While applying universal doubt, Descartes finds the idea of deceiving God contradictory, because God is supposed to be perfectly good, so good that God cannot deceive people on their knowledge. Instead, he states, that there should be something else if doing all the malicious tricks. Therefore he raised the idea of â€Å"evil g... ...ble proof. The possibility that thinking exists itself without â€Å"something† processing it can be stated as: There is thinking occurring, Therefore thinking exists. In this case, it is justifiable that the concept â€Å"I† is unnecessary and only appears as a part inside contingent thoughts. Nevertheless, it could also be argued that that Descartes is actually referring â€Å"I† to a broader sense, which has included the interpretation that â€Å"I† is equal to â€Å"thinking† itself, and the argument can be as such: There is thinking occurring. (1) I am the thinking. (2) Thinking exists because of (1). (3) I exist because of (2) (3). (4) Which of the speculations represents Descartes’ idea better is still in question and needs further clarification. With these proposed speculations, I look forward to reading the rest of Descartes’ text to find out the answer.

Guillermo Financial Analysis Essay

Making a sound financial decision is a vital component of the success of a business. The business must conduct market research, description of products, services and marketing strategies, and setting principles for the business’s success. Expenses should be noted prior to writing a financial plan. The goal of a business is to operate on a predefined budget. Ensure there are no undefined or hidden cost that could cause problems later. The business plan helps the business to make day-to-day decisions on its operations. Teamâ€Å"D† will analysis Guillermo’s alternatives and make a recommendation on which alternative will enhance the businesses financial decision. Maintain Current Operational Levels One option available to Guillermo is to make no adjustments to the company’s current operations. This option supports the top concerns of acquisition from a larger firm and spending a large amount of cash on high-tech equipment investments, it does not solve the problem of a shrinking profit margin because of a rise in labor costs. Supporting the option to maintain current operations overlooks potential opportunities that are identified to allow the company to move away from its primary manufacturing role and act as a distributor for the Norwegian competitor. According to the assets, liabilities, and equity information provided by the University of Phoenix, sales growth is slowing to 1% from previous periods. These low profit margins willnot sustain Guillermo in the long-term;they will not improve if there is not a choicemade to adjust to the financial situation. Maintaining current operations does not address the shrinking profit margins. To continue to move Guillermo furniture in a positive direction, Mr. Navallez needs to apply some options already available and within the current operating structure. One option available to Guillermo is expanding the patented flame retardant process already in use within the manufacturing process, by applying a similar coating. This option requires no additional investment because Guillermo owns the equipment as part of the existing manufacturing process. The new coating adds value to the furniture, and makes it more appealing to consumers (University of Phoenix, 2009). The net present value of the project must be calculated in order todetermine ifthis is a strong option. For planning and budgeting purposes, a three-year life cycle is assumed for the coating project with an initial investment cost of $222,705 that is absorbed during the first year of the project. This produces a projected cash flow of $1,733,562, leaving Guillermo with a net income profit of $42,557. Net present value for the three-year project calculates to $197,171. Another option available and immediately implemented is to reduce inventory by quickly turning over products, thus increasing the cash flow. Planning an accurate budget supports the inventory overhead by reducing costs associated with maintaining inventory. The flex budget data shows that Guillermo furniture underestimated June operating expenses by $101,740. If these costs estimates were more closely tied to production costs, a substantial amount of cash would have been available to reinvest in other areas of the business. Closely managing this inventory will make more cash available for expansion in other areas of the company. Last year Guillermo experienced a $3,671 increase in its year-end inventory. Keeping a large amount of inventory on hand ties up cash, which otherwise can be investedin other areas of the business. Guillermo’s option to hold fast and maintain current course is setting the conditions for failure. However, to maintain its current course and improve its financial standing, Mr. Navallez can leverage small opportunities that maximize the financial condition by leveraging the existing patent and reducing inventory. High Tech Business Upgrade Guillermo’s high tech alternative is based off a process currently being used by one of the Norwegian competitors. It will allow the business to increase productivity but will also require a more skilled worker to operate the machinery. In choosing this alternative it predicts that sales will increase by 50% bringing in an increased revenue stream (University of Phoenix, 2009). In assessing this alternative looking at the net present value of future cash flows will help make this decision an easier one by noting the value it brings to the organization. Assuming that Guillermo expects to see a return on the investment within three years, this time period will be used in calculating the NPV. Using the three year time period with an interest rate of 7. 5% and a growth rate of sales at 1. 0403% the NPV can be calculated at $617,178. The firm’s predictions on projected sales has not been the most accurate when looking at historical information. Conducting a sensitivity analysis will further help to determine the value of this alternative using the net income as the adjusted variable. Assuming there will be a best, worst, and most likely outcome to future sales revenue, the projected sales number of $195,564 will act as the most likely outcome. By increasing this number by 10% and decreasing it by 10%, the best case and worst case scenarios can also be calculated respectively. These numbers will show how sensitive the NPV calculations are to the changes in net income. Under the best circumstances high tech alternative yields a net income of $215. 120 while the worst yields $176,008. These numbers translate into net present values of $617,486 under the best circumstances and $616,870 under the worse circumstances. If Guillermo decides to use the alternative funding for the expensive machinery becomes an issue. There are three main ways in which to fund the purchase of this equipment and the additional cost of employee labor. The additional costs can be self-funded if the available cash is available. This will increase the equity in the firm but this will also reduce the leverage the company currently enjoys. The company’s equity can be used to purchase the equipment. This will have the same effect as if Guillermo used personal funds since he is the sole owner of the furniture company. The equipment can be financed through secured debt financing which will increase leverage as well as provide additional tax benefits to the organization. And lastly, Guillermo can lease the equipment. Each of these alternatives provides unique tax benefits as well as pros and cons specific to each of these options. As Guillermo considers this alternative in comparison to other options the cost of maintenance, salvage costs, depreciation costs, and increased labor costs should be factored. These all impact the overall capital budgeting decision faced by Guillermo Furniture. Distribution/Broker Opportunities Guillermo’s second alternative is to become a broker for one of the Norwegian competitors. The company has been looking for channels to distribute in North America as it has chosen not to operate furniture outlets but instead to rely solely on chain distribution (University of Phoenix, 2009). Guillermo’s existing business relationships afford him the opportunity to coordinate a distributor network that generates a new form of revenue for the company. This new stream of income can help offset some of the financial challenges that have emerged as a result of a competitive furniture market and increasing costs. In addition to becoming a broker, Guillermo can also continue offering some of his high end custom products. To determine if becoming a broker is the best option, Guillermo will evaluate the NPV and WACC for the proposed project. To calculate the NPV, Guillermo must consider the investment time period and the discount rate. In this case, Guillermo will review a period of 20 years. When calculating, the need to remove the income tax from the net profit and then re-add the depreciation back in. Next, consider the value of the company’s equipment. For the purpose of this paper, it will be assumed at $100,000,000 with a straight-lined depreciation of $100,000 yearly, over a 10 year period. Once the ten years is complete, the before tax income will increase for the broker option by $100,000. The cash flow will be reduced by 42% since Guillermo will have to pay the taxes on the increase. Since the building will be completely depreciated after 17 years, the net income before taxes will be $50,000. The net present value for the broker option over the 20 year period at 10% will be $4,125,109. 02.

Ban Public Smoking And Save Lives

Public smoking is hazardous to health. It has already been identified by medical authorities as a major threat to public health, as a key contributor to preventable deaths anywhere in the world. It exposes non-smokers to second hand smoke (SHS), which is â€Å"a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers† and which has proven to be almost as dangerous as the cigarette smoke directly inhaled by smokers.In fact, it is believed that a nonsmoker who is closeted in a room with several smokers for an hour inhales dangerous chemicals equivalent to that contained in ten or more sticks of cigarette. (Cooper) [cigarette 2] Reports issued by the office of the Surgeon General declared that second hand smoke (or passive smoking), was considered a contributory factor in over 50,000 deaths every year during the early 1990s. [cigarette 5] On the other hand, LawsuitSearch.com [cigarette 6]stated that since it has already been clinically proven that people exposed to secondary smoke are prone to lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other related diseases, employers who force their workers to be exposed to second hand smoke are now valid respondents to lawsuits. Meanwhile, an estimate made in the United Kingdom of deaths attributable to second hand smoke in the workplace and at home for the year 2003, found out that a total 617 employees died at the workplace while 2726 people aged 20-64, and 7959 over-65 year olds died from exposure to second hand smoke at home.Fatal strokes and heart disease aggravated by passive smoking (second hand smoke) were identified as the culprits in over 3,000 of the cases. (Jamrozik) [cigarette 8] These data certainly strengthens the case against second hand smoke. Allowed freely in public places, it can really prove harmful to nonsmokers. Armed with a prevalence of clinical data gathered around the globe, countries the world over, in wha t appears to be a concerted effort to save mankind from diseases caused or aggravated by second hand smoke, have, one after another, enacted laws declaring smoking in public areas illegal.The government of the Greater Kashmir banned it as early as 2002, with the term public places encompassing public offices, educational institutions, hospital buildings, libraries, auditoriums, public conveyance including railways, and court buildings. (Tobacco. org. ) [public smoking 3] In France, Chrisafris (2006) reported that the public smoking ban which will take effect February 2007 will cover universities, railway stations, and offices, while nightclubs, cafes, restaurants and bars were told to be ready for the ban a year after.[public smoking 7] Meanwhile, the ban in Hongkong which took effect January 1, 2007, included all indoor places such as restaurants, public places, workplaces, karaoke lounges, and bars. (Washburn, 2007) [public smoking 8] Over in Canada, smoking in public places will be prohibited in Quebec effective February 1, 2007, and smoking in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cafes will be banned starting January 1, 2008. (Greenaway, 2007) The evidence against the hazards of public smoking can no longer be ignored, and the rest of the world has already spoken: public smoking must be banned if we want a healthy citizenry.The United States should now stop patronizing the tobacco industry and enforce a total ban on all public places in the country, because people are already dying. Smokers may invoke their freedom to smoke as they wish: when, where, or in what manner. However, people have now decided that enough is enough; that individual freedom can only be exercised as far as it doesn’t curtail other people’s own freedoms. Their right to smoke, therefore, must never prejudice nonsmokers’ right to inhale smoke-free air and, therefore, add years to their lives.Given the number of deaths occurring each year in countries around the world, public smoking could even be considered an act of homicide through reckless imprudence! REFERENCES Chrisafis, A. (2006). France sets date for public smoking ban. Guardian Unlimited. (Retrieved from: http://www. guardian. co. uk/smoking/story/0,,1890866,00. html) Cooper, P. G. (2005). Hazards of Smoking. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. (Retrieved from: http://www. cancer. med. umich.edu/prevention/hazards_of_smoking. shtml) Greenaway, N. (2007). CanWest News Service. The Gazette. (Retrieved from: http://www. canada. com/montrealgazette/news/story. html? id=c414c2a9-9d63-4bae-9c28-a2543ac. 59025) Jamrozik, K. (2005). Estimate of deaths attributable to passive smoking among UK adults: Database analysis. BMJ. (Retrieved from: http://www. bmj. com/cgi/content/abridged/330/7495/812) LawsuitSearch. com. (2006). (Retrieved from: http://www. lawsuitsearch. com/product-liability/smoke-exposure.aspx) The Reports of the Surgeon General: Secondary Smoking, Individual Rights, and Public Space. (n. d. ). Profiles in Science. (Retrieved from: http://profiles. nlm. nih. gov/NN/Views/Exhibit/narrative/secndary. html) Tobacco. org. (2002) Public smoking banned. (Retrieved from: http://www. tobacco. org/news/89098. html) Washburn, D. (2007). Public smoking banned in HK†¦Mainland next? Shanghaiist. (Retrieved from: http://www. shanghiist. com/archives/2007/01/05/publicsmoking. php)

Media Bias in the Election of 2008

Connie Zhang Media Bias Against Hilary Clinton in the Election of 2008 The election of 2008 was monumental in many respects, the most significant being the fact that there was a chance that the first woman or African American would become president of the United States. After Obama won the nomination, claims that the media had been negative and unfair to Clinton were examined. In earlier studies conducted by D’Alessio and Allen, it was concluded there were no significant biases in most forms of media. However, from the focus of her marriage to the questioning of her social conduct, Clinton was definitely treated differently than Obama was.It is very evident that there was, in fact, negative bias towards Clinton, although it was not as numerous and severe as it seemed to be due to historical, situational, and personal matters. Using meta-analysis, a method that allows for the combination of many studies from relatively few media outlets, D’Alessio and Allen revealed no s ignificant net amount of gatekeeping bias and no significant coverage bias. However, statement bias found in newsmagazines was pro-republican, and those found on TV were pro-democrat. The key here is that the â€Å"net† amount of gatekeeping bias was equal to zero.What this meant was that the number of conservatively biased forms of media was equal to the number of liberally biased forms of media. If someone only read a republican-favoring newspaper, then individually, he would be experiencing media biases which would impact his voting choices despite the fact that â€Å"net† amount of gatekeeping biases was equal to zero. Another important fact demonstrated in this study is that Americans are increasingly relying on TV for campaign information, so they are increasingly exposed to liberal biases, further affecting their political choices.Although D’Alessio and Mike Allen are certainly correct in their claim that the identities of the presidential candidates chan ged many times, biases most definitely existed in the election of 2008. Using a positive versus negative coverage analysis, Moldovan found substantial evidence that Clinton received less coverage than Obama did. Historically, this trend has been recorded, and in 2008, it held true even when the female candidate, Clinton, was a front runner.Six top newspapers ran 59 stories with Obama being mentioned in the headline, while only 36 mentioned Clinton. Between January 2007 and June 2008, 343 articles were written about Obama, while only 293 were focused on Clinton. In Time magazine, 2 covers featured Clinton, 2 covers featured both Clinton and Obama, and a whopping 25 covers featured Obama only. Clearly, there is a bias favoring Obama in the case of agenda setting. Additionally, Moldovan found that coverage of Clinton was more negatively framed than Obama’s was, in both specific cases and in general.When Clinton cried after winning the New Hampshire primaries, there was plenty of coverage deeming her a phony trying to rally emotional support as a woman, whereas her victory was extremely likely due to her administration’s superior organization in that state. In contrast, Obama’s condescending â€Å"You’re likeable enough, Hillary†, remark, received substantially less time and focus. Another example where treatment of Obama was not was not as harsh or prolonged as it could have been was in regards to Michelle Obama’s remark about being proud of her country â€Å"for the first time in her life†.Furthermore, the treatment towards Obama’s connections to anti-American individuals, such as his former reverend Jeremiah Wright, was softer in comparison to criticism of Clinton’s fashion, lack of womanly characteristics, and marriage. Overall, Clinton’s coverage was more negative than Obama’s, from the amount the media covered her weaknesses to the way it framed them. But all the biases claimed to h ave existed may not really have been actual biases, as Moldovan further explains. Some may have only been believed to been there as a result of historical, situational, and personal situations.The year 2008 was a crucial time. The country was in the worst recession since the Great Depression, with foreign tensions only aggravating the situation. Despite Clinton’s political prowess, her marriage to Bill Clinton and its scandalous complications gave her a very â€Å"yesterday† feeling that Americans did not need in such a dire time. Additionally, her refusal to disclose her tax returns increased the feelings of secrecy that retrogressively reminded people of the Nixon and Bush administration. Furthermore, coming out of George W.Bush’s rule, the fact that she was a Clinton added to the feeling of the persistence of a family dynasty that Americans did not want again. Finally, Clinton’s approach to the campaign itself was not only perceived negatively, but was in fact negative. Clinton’s method to winning focused on questioning Obama’s foreign policy experience, military capabilities, and economic policies. Her offensive remarks about Obama’s kindergarten essay and her red phone call ad were things that didn’t need the media’s framing or bias for people to recognize that they were disrespectful and unappealing.Although the press unnecessarily focused on these negative aspects, it cannot be denied that most of Clinton’s campaign was, in fact negative in itself due to the fact that it had been an attack on Obama’s flaws as a person, rather than a logical and fair assessment of his abilities and potential as a leader (Moldovan, 2009). When coupled with the fact that Obama revealed his maturity and professionalism by focusing on substance rather than resorting to mud-slinging, the situation worsened for Clinton.Additionally, the most negative coverage about Obama may have emphasized a trait th at would have been unattractive in other times, but in this situation, served to help him. The media revealed Obama’s â€Å"elitism†, from his food choices, to his education, to his up-scale Chicago neighborhood. Normally, this would have harmed a candidate’s campaign, but in 2008 when Americans really needed a talented and intelligent president, it seemed to make sense to want more than just an average American candidate.Despite his race and lack of professional experience, in contrast to Clinton’s feelings of backwardness and her attack tactics, Obama’s youthful charisma and focus on hope were simply more appealing to the American people, and although the media did give him an unfair amount of attention in his positive traits and was biased in focusing on his image rather than his experience, Obama didn’t need the media’s framing for it to be known that the way he approached the campaign was much more mature and professional then Cl inton.Because people tend to react much stronger to emotional appeals rather than dense, political facts, the fact that Obama handled the campaign better as a person really assisted him to victory (Moldovan, 2009). Clinton’s circumstances may have been further exacerbated not by the media’s bias, but by the fact that in general, people are just harsher when judging a woman. In a representative national sample, 51 percent of the surveyed believed that Americans were not â€Å"ready to elect a woman into high office† (Lawless 74).In general, women are more likely to receive media coverage based on their appearance, feminine traits, and ability to handle women’s issues. The situation was worsened by fact that Clinton was not the average female candidate. From the perceived lack of affection towards her pets to her hard, tough demeanor, Clinton lacked many of the stereotypical womanly characteristics people expected from her. But as soon as she cried after he r New Hampshire victory, the press had an unnecessarily generous and negative focus on these womanly qualities.Although there is a general and accepted consensus that Clinton did not lose the race because she was a woman, she was forced to operate in a sexist environment and deal with different expectations and standards. Thus, her campaign in general was more difficult as voters relied on stereotypical ideas of women and men’s attributes, affecting the way people judged and viewed her differently from Obama. In this case, the media may not have been biased against Clinton, but simply reinforcing these sexist norms (Lawless 2009).A further reason why these biases may not be as strong as they are claimed is demonstrated by Watts, Domoke, Shah, and Fan. After examining shifts in public perception of media bias, press coverage of media bias, and coverage in presidential campaigns, they concluded that the rise in the belief of media bias is a result of increasing news self-covera ge focusing on the topic of news content bias itself. These authors discovered that a lot of people’s evaluation of media credibility is misinformed, especially when comes to political news and campaign coverage.In presidential campaigns, candidates may merely be attempting to generate support for themselves and opposition for their opponents, not intentionally wanting to create bias. With the increase in these patterns, allegations of biases may now be a part of the presidential campaign rhetoric, and journalists feel increasing pressure to make these claims of the existence of biases to prove that they are not biased themselves.The rise in media sources has further contributed to the pressure traditional media sources have felt to reinforce their reliability by supporting claims of biases. Doing so not only generates credibility from their audience, but their peers as well. In consequence, a cyclic effect has taken place in which news media find their attention as sources o f information in political campaigns to be of increasing importance.In these ways, biases that are claimed to exist may not be as severe—or even existent—as people believe them to be. Due to these historical, situational, and personal matters, the negative biases against Clinton may not have been as frequent and harsh as they seemed, although biases against her existed for sure. In both agenda setting and framing, the media seemed to be against her as she received less coverage overall, and the coverage she did received tended to be harsher than the coverage on Obama.Other biases that were claimed to exist, however, such as emphasis on her marriage to Bill Clinton, however, may not really have been biases, but true, negative facts that just didn’t help her campaign. In addition, she was operating under a sexist environment, so it cannot be said that the media was being biased against her gender since everyone else was too. Finally, assertions of biases may not h ave actually arisen from real biases, but could have been a result from increasing news self-coverage focusing on the topic of news content bias.Overall, as Moldovan points out, the press’ true biases lay in conflict, because conflict generates both viewers and revenue. It just happened to be that out of the two candidates, Hilary Clinton had more problems to talk about. Works Cited Lawless, Jennifer L. â€Å"Sexism and Gender Bias in Election 2008: A More Complex Path for Women in Politics. † Politics & Gender (2009): 70-80. Print. â€Å"Media Bias in Presidential Elections: A Meta Analysis. † Journal of Communication 50. 4 (2000): 133-56. Print. Miller, Melissa K. , Jeffrey S. Peake, and Brittany Anne Boulton. Testing the Saturday Night Live Hypothesis: Fairness and Bias in Newspaper Coverage of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign. † Politics & Gender (2010): 169-98. Print. Raluca, Moldovan. â€Å"A TALE OF TWO CLINTONS: MEDIA BIAS IN THE COVERAGE O F HILLARY CLINTON'S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN1. † Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai. Studia Europaea (2009): 41-59. Print. Watts, Mark D. , et al. â€Å"Elite Cues and Media Bias in Presidential Campaigns – Explaining Public Perceptions of a Liberal Press. † Communication Research 26. 2 (1999): 144-75. Print.

Graduate Association in Sourcing and Procurement Essay

Graduate Association in Sourcing and Procurement - Essay Example Overall Improvement: The individual will also be responsible to ensure the overall improvements of the products and services and will need to work with other team heads to ensure that the needs of the stakeholders are met and adhered too. Â  Products and Studios Management: Develop the funding plans for the company and ensure that the company receives higher levels of discounts minimum of 15% - 20% and pays lowered levels of interest on the funds, i.e. almost pay only 10%. Â  Pricing and Price Management: Get all the costing and budgeting details and plan the prices keeping in mind the various possible changes in the environment and the changes in terms of choice. This can be based on the trends of the markets and the historical data. Â  Overall Improvement: Ensure that the shareholders receive a higher rate of return on their investments. Currently, the company provides 10.3% on the return on equity (MSN Money, 2010). This can be increased to 12%. In terms of the employees make sure that the employees are paid based on their work and this will help keep a tab on the costs of the company as well. Â  Rating the performance of an intern is highly strict and more focused and this rating is based on the hours worked. In the case of a traditional employee, the rating is based on the hours worked along with the initiatives and the overall interaction and contribution of the person to the company. The rating of the performance of a Disney employee is very different from that of any other industry as the processes and the working styles are very different and hence here in Disney the possible rating systems that might work may not work in other industries. Â  

Educational Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational - Research Paper Example These topics were as following: their family situation, employment, their non-educational activities, financial security, their evaluation of the quality of education and their opinion concerning social services and support. The results of the research showed that more students with advantage surroundings had the parents with higher education, compared with the students from disadvantage surroundings. On the contrary, the students from disadvantage surroundings revealed a stronger tendency to be involved into paid employment. As the result, the students with disadvantage surroundings were less involved into non-educational activity, and less time was devoted to the communication by these students. The research also demonstrated equal results as regards to the questions of the education quality and financial concerns. Basing upon the results of the research the authors suggest necessary changes that are to be carried out to provide more favourable conditions for the students with disadvantage backgrounds. The research approach (methodology/technique) used by the author is cohort study, carried out with the help of questionnaire. The types of study are as follows: longitudinal study, cohort study, cross sectional study, and trend study. The definition of the cohort study is as follows(Cohen et al, 2000): Where successive measures are taken at different points in time from the same respondents, the term 'follow up study' or 'cohort study' is used in the British literature. In a cohort study a specific population is tracked over a specific period of time but selective sampling within that example occurs. This means that some members of a cohort may not be included each time. Advantages of Cohort study are(Cohen et al, 2000): 1. They permit researchers to examine individual variations in characteristics or traits, and to produce individual growth curves. This approach allowed the authors represent the data with the help of diagrams, where the results for each group were represented separately and could be compared to each other. 2. Cohort analysis is especially useful in sociological research because it can show how changing properties of individuals fit together into changing properties of social systems as a whole. This study observed various aspects of students' living basing upon social background of their living and their families, and the results make evident necessary changes that are to be carried out to improve bad conditions. 3. Finally, time, always a limiting factor in experimental and interview settings, is generally more readily available in cohort studies, allowing the researcher greater opportunity to observe trends and to distinguish 'real' changes from chance occurrences (see Bailey, 1978) . As the authors state, "this data allows us to both hone in on a particular time point for thorough analysis (e.g. the third year) as well as examine trends over time." Disadvantages of Cohort study are(Cohen et al, 2000): 1. During the course of a long-term cohort study, subjects drop out, are lost or refuse further co-operation. Such attrition makes it unlikely that those who remain in the study are as representative of the population as the sample that was originally drawn. The authors admit that there could be important issues to reflect the notions of the students from disadvantage background, and these issues could have been missed in this study. Another approaches that provide for more