Assess Whether Pericles Was a Good or Bad Leader Essay

Pericles (C. 495-429 BC) was a very influential politician and general in Athens. He is said to have brought about a very important time in Athenian history known as ‘The Golden Age of Athens’ where he brought about or placed focus on certain things like art, which gave Athens the reputation as the cultural and educational centre of Ancient Greece, architecture, where he created a project to beautify the city and provide work for Athenians with most of its products like the Parthenon still surviving and giving us an idea of the glory of Athens. He also made valuable contributions to drama, the bringing about of democracy and the establishment of the Greek empire. Democracy, which allows all citizens to influence and be involved in the running of the state was a concept reaffirmed by Pericles. This is why he made sure he played a major role in the ostracizing of Cimon who was characterized as being a tyrant. Other historians may argue that Pericles’ ulterior motive for doing that was to ensure that he came into power with his main opposition out of the way but for a man who made so many important advancements for the Athenians, I strongly believe he did it not with the intention of capturing power but helping give the Athenians a voice. This made him a very great political leader as he was able to rid the state of the many problems of dictatorship and oligarchy like corruption which was further emphasized by one of his ancient admirers, Thucydides who said, ‘he kept himself untainted by corruption, although he was not altogether indifferent to money-making’ He ‘excelled all his fellow citizens in skills of oratory’ (Diodorus Siculus) The art of oratory has been a rare skill possessed by very few people who turned out to deliver some of the most well known speeches in history. Oratory has been a very influential tool for some of the world’s greatest leaders and Pericles falls in that category of leaders with exceptional skills. People such as Abraham Lincoln who’s famous speech, the Gettysburg Address gained parallels to Pericles’ great funeral oration by the American Civil War scholar, Garry Wills which leads many to believe that one of the greatest modern speakerâ€⠄¢s drew inspiration from Pericles. This gesture alone shows the great oratory skills of a great man in Athenian history. This extraordinary ability is attested to by Thucydides who once again was full of praise for the famous Athenian when asked about whether he or Pericles was the better fighter by the Spartan king, Archidamus. Without hesitation Thucydides said Pericles was better and justified it by saying that even when he was defeated, he managed to convince the audience that he had won. This shows how he was able to persuade and influence the Athenians which even though some may say was manipulative and defeated the concept of democracy gave the simple Athenian citizen thought provoking ideas to make an informed choice. His speaking skills, which were able to draw the exact emotions got from the Athenian people was however criticized by people like the poet, Ion, who says that Pericles had an arrogant and somewhat big-headed manner of talking, and that into his pride there entered a good deal of disrespect and d islike for others. This is highly debatable as we are supposed to believe a person who says Pericles had a good deal of disrespect and dislike for others, the same Pericles who put the true Athenian people first and made sure they had a say in how their home state was ruled. By that observation alone I believe Ion’s quote about Pericles should be discarded as total rubbish and the ranting of a person simply envious of his (Pericles’) ability. Plutarch mentions in his criticism of Pericles about the strange occurrence in Agariste’s (Pericles’ mother). He says, ‘She, in her dreams, once fancied that she had given birth to a lion and a few days thereafter bore Pericles.’ I do not believe this is actually counts as a criticism of him because even though a lion may be a dangerous animal, its traditional symbolism of greatness should be taken into account. Other symbolic attributes for a lion are strength, courage, power, royalty, dignity, authority, dominion, justice , wisdom and ferocity which I believe are all attributes displayed by Pericles in both his political and military career. Ancient Greek symbolism for a lion is the protector of the home and Pericles really showed that in the battles protecting his beloved home, Athens. There is also the argument of whether Pericles was actually a leader or just got carried away by the masses. Plutarch said, ‘he was no longer the same man as before, nor alike submissive to the people and ready to yield and give in to the desires of the multitude as a steersman to the breezes.’ Here, Plutarch suggests, Pericles had no leadership over the Athenians and that he put the city in chaos to do as they could do what they want which is supported by others saying he made the Athenians idle, talkative and greedy (Plato). This motion would however have to be rejected with strong evidence against it in his speeches and oratory skills. Thucydides offered the correct leadership style of Pericles by arguing that Pericles ‘was not carried away by the people, but he was the one guiding the people.’ The evidence, as said in the last paragraph is in his great speeches and his ability to draw a certain reaction from the Athenian people and so though some may argue that he left the Athenians with no authoritative leader which could only be gained through other methods of governing like dictatorships, he offered a better alternative as he served more as a sort of ‘guardian’ for the Athenian people and guided them to make predominantly good choices like getting rid of the tyrant, Cimon. Pericles, for more than 20 years was involved in the military. He led many expeditions mainly naval ones. He was a wise and cautious military leader and he never went into battles that were mostly likely a wild goose chase for the Athenian people. This was a great attribute for a military leader because he did not just march his men on to grounds when the odds were not in their favour to have them killed or running back to Athens with their tails between their legs. He avoided the high risk of losses and instead chose each battle wisely and as such there are no major criticisms of his Periclean Grand Strategy which sought to preserve, not expand, the empire, this strategy could not reach completion however as his successors changed everything and lacked the military abilities and character that caused it to work under Pericles. Pericles’ legacy cannot be understated as most of it still survives till today. The concept of democracy practiced by all free states in the modern world and used as a measure of a country’s justice and fairness is one of them. His most visible legacy however is found in the artistic and literary works of the Golden Age and The Acropolis, though in ruins, is still a great symbol of modern Athens and a remembrance of a great man that once roamed those very streets. I believe Pericles was a great leader both in politics and in the military and I also support the idea that his abilities in both areas caused the famous bust statue of him around to have a helmet sitting on top of his head to show the two equally talented faces of the great leader that is Pericles. In the movie ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008), the character Harvey Dent famously says to the lead, Batman, ‘You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ I believe it’s the latter that caused the ostracizing of Pericles because there is no evidence that he did anything major to deserve that sort of punishment but even if his story with the Athenians should end on a bad note, I believe he still is one of the greatest leaders in Ancient History and even if he wasn’t perfect, I mean, who is? and had a few flaws and bad traits, he still ensured that Athens was a major part in history and the effect he had is still present today in modern day Athens.

Failure Analysis Strategy Change Essay

Movies have always been a past time enjoyed by many. As the technology continues to grow, many video stores are going out of business and digital or online movies are rising in popularity. Blockbuster Video and Netflix are businesses that have been affected by these changes. Blockbuster opened in 1985 with the mission statement of â€Å"Our corporate mission is to provide our customers with the most convenient access to media entertainment, including movie and game entertainment delivered through multiple distribution channels such as our stores, by mail, vending and kiosks, online and at home. We believe Blockbuster offers customers a value-prices entertainment experience, combining the broad product depth of a specialty retailer with local neighborhood convenience† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster continued with the vision statement of â€Å"At Blockbuster, diversity means valuing differences. It’s corporate value that must be continually developed, embraced, and incorporated into the way we do business† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster operated with more than 7,400 stores worldwide and also operated through 1,600 franchise stores. As technology started to change, customers began streaming movies from the Internet as well as using kiosks, such as Redbox, for movie rentals. Competition became a large factor in Blockbuster and the failing of the company, but a large part of the failure was due to manage changes and misunderstanding of the business as a whole (Dunston, 2014). Blockbuster Failure In 2006 and 2007, Blockbuster was approached by the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, asking them to acquire Netflix. Hastings knew that Netflix had not formulated a plan to stop Blockbuster from stealing their customers, at the rate of a million per year. Blockbuster decided that the company did not  need Netflix because Blockbuster had a stronger and larger growth, but then a change that was never expected happened. A new CEO was named for Blockbuster after a boardroom dispute. The man appointed CEO didn’t fully understand the business and what Blockbuster needed in order to remain above the competition, especially Netflix. The CEO started changing plans for the company and even pulled out the Internet efforts that had been in place for Blockbuster. Within 18 months, 85% of the capital value of the company had been lost; within in 2 years, it was completely gone (Dunston, 2014). Netflix Netflix views themselves as â€Å"freedom of on-demand and the fun of indulgent viewing† (Netflix, 2014). Netflix also focuses on the convenience of the no-hassle, online cancellation and offer movies and TV series network. Technology and good leadership is how Netflix became the leader in the industry (Halal, 2010). Netflix executives understood that the emerging technology was rapidly changing the delivery of movie rentals. CEO, Hastings, developed â€Å"strategies involving Internet streaming, convenient customer service, and the virtual organization to deliver it cheaply and flawlessly† (Halal, 2010). Another part of Netflix’s technology strategy was to avoid the burden of having to go to a video store for customers. Customer service is key to a successful business, so Hastings used a monthly subscription to allow customers to have access to unlimited rentals, including no late fees. Instead of the hassle of renting movies, the focus is providing convenience. With the mission statement and vision of â€Å" Our core strategy is to grow our streaming subscription business domestically and globally. We are continually improving the customer experience, with a focus on expanding our streaming content, enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices, while staying within the parameters of our consolidated net income and operating segment contribution profit targets,† shows that the company wants the best for the company as well as their customers (Netflix, 2014). NetFlix Organizational Theories In reading many articles online about the success of NETFLIX the two organizational behavior theories that have been seen in this company have been decision-making and system approaches. Netflix’s huge decision to become a virtual DVD rental via online instead of going to actual in-store purchases like Blockbuster, has placed them at the top of the food chain. The technological advances alone for Netflix has change the industry forever, they took the systems approach by understanding the company’s input and output process and integrated the drive in developing new adaptive capacities and innovation. Blockbuster’s organization theory of scientific leadership placed a great deal into how the company ran it’s in store business and how the objectives and decisions were placed within the company. If Blockbuster could focus more on the click feature like how Netflix did, and not dismiss the idea that it would be a revolutionary change in the industry and within Blockbusters stockholders. Roles of Leadership and Management Per Netflix (2014) it has a â€Å"functional organizational structure, which aims at its functions themselves, rather than by customer segments or regions†. They have a CEO; Reed Hastings has 6 departments that have managers within them that run it. The organization beyond those 6 managers is not as structured as the top echelon is, they run their departments as they see fit. The CEO has instilled in their managers the management style of â€Å"Context, not Control† (Siegler), implying that very little control is given to employees, rather employees are held responsible for their actions and are expected to work efficiently and independently. Because of this idealists approach to management and how successful the company has been with it, they have found that they have no need to change their management style yet. Organizational value within Netflix has been on promoting the â€Å"stunning colleagues† (Netflix.com, 2014), and their importance in a great workplace. They have 9 values that they show is priority number 1 at Netflix, â€Å" judgment, impact, curiosity, innovation, courage, passion, honesty and selflessness (Siegler). The basic values that they believe as a company are workplace efficiency, emphasis on effective over effort, management best practices, retention practices, and large emphasis on a large salary, rather than stock options and bonuses. They believe that this  creates an environment that promotes productivity, and efficient work environment, which shows in colleague retention and overall happiness at Netflix. Part 2: Leading Organizational Change As the CEO of Blockbuster it is my responsibility to evaluate the organizations structure as well as the power and political issues within the company. The CEO can be disconnected to what is going on at the operations level of the company if he or she does not put forth the effort to be involved. As the CEO I will be involved in the operations of the company and be a leader employees can look up to. To implement the organizations change I will use a strategy based on John Kotter’s 8 step plan for change. John Kotter’s 8 steps are â€Å"establishing a sense of urgency, forming a powerful guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins, consolidating improvements and producing still more changes, institutionalizing new approaches†(Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn 2003). As the CEO of blockbuster I see that technology is changing and we must keep up. If we do not keep up with the technological advances we are doomed to fail. I see the company as a technology company and not just a movie rental company. I do not want Blockbuster to just survive, I want Blockbuster to thrive. Blockbuster will start investing in new internet technologies and streaming services. We will align ourselves with major motion picture studios to ensure that we get the newest movies and offer our customers the best services possible. Upper management will actively seek new opportunities and new world markets to expand our services. All employees will be encouraged to provide new ideas and mediocrity will not be accepted. Every aspect of the company will be evaluated and our services will provide our customers with the greatest movie streaming value. Reference Dunston, Dain (2014). When Blockbuster Forgot What Business They Were In. Retrieved from www.daindunston.com Farfan, Barbara (2010). Company Mission Statements – Complete List of World’s Largest Retail Missions. Retrieved from www.retailindustry.about.com Halal, Bill (2010). How Netflix Beat Blockbuster: An Exemplar of Emerging Technologies. Retrieved from www.billhalal.com Mintzberg, H., Lampel, J., & Quinn, J. B. (2003). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Netflix Long Term View (2014). Retrieved from http://ir.netflix.com Netflix Capstone and Final Report (2014). Retrieved on January 7, 2014. http://mgmtclarity.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/capstone_final_report.pdf

Dickens’ books Essay

As his name implies, Pip’s progress through Great Expectations is also one of growth, especially in regards to morality. Yet he too does not evolve without attaining scars. His burns, for instance, after ‘saving Miss Havisham from the fire that engulfs her dress can at once seen as a consequence of a noble action, but also a result of a desire to punish a world that has mistreated him. He professes to Miss Havisham from a newly acquired self-knowing level that he could never be bitter with her, and we could easily believe that he has learnt how to perceive others with an understanding eye. However, one must not forget that the ignorance his life has been clouded in may also have embittered him, and rightly so. As a result the fire could at once be seen as Pip’s repressed want or desire for revenge – for vengeance. As he struggles with her on the floor we perceive that these are not the actions of a man who has a refined heart, but a man who has repressed disappointment and pain. He holds her down ‘like a prisoner, who might escape’ and even looses consciousness of who she is or what he is doing. Throughout the novel Pip has to work through this suppressed unconscious, and is never magically delivered to a higher state of morality or refined sentiment. As a child he laments that he had had ‘no intercourse with the world’ and was ‘quite [the] untaught genius’ that had to make ‘the discovery of the line of action for himself’. High morality and refined sentiment are not flat character traits held only by perfect people. They are difficult to attain, and more importantly to abide by, and what makes Pip an exceptional character is that he is not infallible. As a result one must pay attention to the narrator, described as Dickens’ most ‘complex and subtle’16, who is still very much haunted by his past that has helped mould and destroy him. He almost attempts to see himself in a better light that he probably was when he was younger. In fact the ‘profoundest irony of the novel is not reached until the reader realises he must see Pip in a much harsher moral perspective than Pip ever saw himself’.17 As one must remember the episode when Magwitch took the blame for stealing the food – Pip avoids telling the truth. The narrator hopes that this avoidance ‘had some dregs of good at the bottom of it’, thus the child’s motivations are clouded by the older, wiser, almost shamed narrator’s desires to fill the younger Pip’s moral lapses. The latter is certainly not innocent, and is always battling with that ‘inner self [that] was not easily composed’, and such a battle that signifies that he was not born with goodness, is difficult for the narrator to acknowledge. The reader feels pity for Pip but in the same breath Pip abandons the reader as quickly as he abandons Joe. When removing your own sentimental romantising of the youngster, the reading of his character shifts. The narrator is guilty of, if only to a minor degree, manipulating his harsh social relations, ignorance and want to make him look the greater victim. In fact the idea that the older Mr Pip has anymore quietened that inner self, are continually thrown into dispute. He still complains, even when Herbert and Clara had actually opened their arms to him, and allowed him to live with them, that it ‘must not [be left] to be supposed that we were ever a great house, or that we made mints of money. We were not in a grand way of business, but we had a good name, and worked for our profits, and did very well’. He still cannot recognise and respond to the good grace of others. He suggests that what his life has become is a mere second best to what it could have been. That he still secretly hankers for those ‘mints of money’ is regrettably clear. What he appears to be saying is that he merely exists, not living. In many ways Pip is the antithesis of a hero – an anti-hero. He never really reaches high morality or refined sentiment, despite his progress towards them. As a result Great Expectations tears the reader away from the optimism, and that ‘miserable fallacy’ of Dickens’ earlier novels, particularly as the hero can still agonizingly be ignorant of the true value of things. This pull away from optimism however produces realism in Pip. He embodies all the taboo complications of a true person, and as Chesterton argues this includes the, albeit natural human desire to do what is wrong.18 He causes Trabb’s boy to loose his job, and Orlick, and hurts, however unintentionally Biddy and Joe. He is constantly repressing emotions, which ultimately re-emerge as haunting images, such Miss Havisham hanging in the barn, leaving him ‘shuddering from head to foot’. However, in many ways Dickens avoids confronting Pip’s darker side by projecting it onto an outside character- Orlick. The repressed anger within Pip is allowed an outlet in the actions of this stock-villain. For instance he is responsible for the injuring and eventual death of Mrs Joe, which is after-all no great loss to Pip who has more than once suffered under the ‘Tickler’. As a result Orlick plays out the moral lessons or moral consequences that Pip never has to undergo. Orlick suffers the rebuke of Biddy, one wonders whether it should not have been Pip, and he suffers in a fight with Joe, and again should this have not been with Pip? When lured to the limekiln, Orlick poignantly blames Pip for the felling of Mrs Joe. ‘You done it; now you pays for it’, he exclaims, almost as if he realises that he is playing the part of scapegoat, carrying out the many actions that Pip more than likely has fantasised about himself. Pip can at least play the role of victim, as long as there are characters such as Orlick who are willing to take his mirror image role as avenger. Great Expectations is one of the most colourful and at the same time painful novels ever written, ultimately a ‘grotesque tragic-comic experience’.19 It draws of a wealth of characters, yet the considerable thing about the novel is that unlike his earlier work, Dickens does not admit any miraculous transformations at the end. There is no suggestion that anyone has survived their past completely unscathed, from Pip’s burns, to the washing of Mr Jagger’s hands, and no-one is given the privileged place of being magically delivered into the heaven of ‘high morality’ and ‘refined sentiment’. The defining of goodness, ultimately high morality and refined sentiment, has come a long way since Dickens earlier novels. It is a novel in which he is no longer ‘willing or able to make the straight satiric indictment which governs†¦morality’. As a result many of his characters are a tragic mixture, and as Sadrin suggested it is the ‘Dickens myth’ raised to the surface, laid upon the table, dissected and criticised’.21 Despite the Oliver Twist beginning, we meet numerous characters who engage in a series of ontological struggles – Wemmick being the only character to have avoided such by adopting ‘Walworth sentiments’ that exist in an entirely personal world where the self can never forget who they really are. For the reader nevertheless, as well as many for many of the characters, of ‘all [Dickens’] books [that] might be called Great Expectations [and where that ‘miserable fallacy’ was mostly likely to lurk]†¦the only book†¦he gave the name†¦was the only book in which the expectation was never realised’22

Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society Research Paper

Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society - Research Paper Example From the report it is clear that recreational drugs include many kinds of drugs which can be legal or illegal. The use of recreational drugs in a society can cause several economic effects as people commonly start spending about one-fourth of their income in drugs, and utilize their savings, thus lowering their standards of living. In recent years, the overall economy of the American society has tremendously lowered as there is an increase in the usage of recreational drugs. The drugs industry is making high profits and it surely benefits their market as some drugs are highly expensive and once people are addicted to them, they buy them excessively to fulfill their needs. The more profits the drugs industry makes, the more risks of drugs smuggling, illegal selling and possession of drugs, and access use of controlled drugs will increase causing social, economic, and psychological problems. This paper highlights that people often start taking recreational drugs to divert their minds from their life problems or to gain some pleasure. Drugs are often successful in providing peace to the disturbed person and allowing him to forget all his worries for a while. This attracts people to use them more often, hence creating an addiction. Most people first get addicted to this feeling, then physically addicted, as it becomes a need for the body to calm down and feel good. Drug addicts are fifty percent more likely to commit crimes such as robbery and stealing, only for the purpose of buying more drugs.

Critically evaluate the remedy of constructive dismissal and the way Essay

Critically evaluate the remedy of constructive dismissal and the way it works; and discuss the difficulties involved in using it (include case-law on what is - Essay Example Other factors that might trigger constructive dismissal are making significant changes in the employee’s job location at short notice, falsely accusing an employee of misconduct6 such as theft or of being incapable of carrying out their job7 and excessive demotion8 or disciplining of employees. Those claim constructive dismissal are expected to have resigned soon after the incident happened that forced them to resign. The court in Courtaulds Northern Textiles Ltd v Andrew9 made the point that ‘An employer must not, without reasonable or proper cause, conduct himself in a manner calculated or likely to destroy or seriously damage the relationship of trust and confidence between the employer and the employee’. In a guide published by the Department of Trade and Industry on Employment Policy and Legislation 6 Jan 2007 guidance is issued to employers on ways in which dismissal should be conducted so that claims of unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal cannot be brought by employees10. Those who can constructive dismissal are also entitled to claim for unfair dismissal and frequently someone alleging constructive dismissal will also bring an action for unfair dismissal. For a tribunal to agree that an employee has been constructively dismissed the employers action has to be such that it can be regarded as a significant breach of the employment contract indicating that he or she intends no longer to be bound by one or more terms of the contract: an example of this might be where the employer arbitrarily demotes an employee to a lower rank or poorer paid position. In order to claim constructive dismissal the employee must satisfy 4 elements. Firstly there must be a breach of contract by the employer. This may be either an actual breach or an anticipatory breach (e.g. the employer refuses to ensure the safety of your client by agreeing to transfer the harasser if your client returns to work).

Content Analysis of the text Conflict using Boundry Crossing Essay

Content Analysis of the text Conflict using Boundry Crossing Techniques - Essay Example Eventually conflict is a product of miscommunication or misunderstanding. During discourses, conflict arises whenever parties or people tend to insist their own ideas that do not fit to the others. The result is for the others to respond negatively to particular claims, hence bringing them into a complex conflict situation. It is a chaotic incidence when during conflict situation all those who are involved in the conflict situation shout to each other insisting their needs, ideas or belief. How language is being conceptualized in during these heated conversations? Most of the conflicts that happened are caused by the gravity of words being thrown by a particular person or group against the other. Words are powerful element that can make someone’s temper rise to the extent of conflicts that can not be resolved. Even in marital conflicts, mostly it is the words from both parties that make relationships wrecked. A woman could be nagging to man. In response, man will shout to the woman blaming her for a lot of things. The woman will also blame the man for all of his short comings. Out of that situation, language is conceptualized. Conflict started because of assigning blame to each other manifested in harsh words (Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, 1999). It is driven by emotions, and such things make conflict worse. However, conflict could be made lighter, once husband and wife talk about the problems, wherein conflict is managed and resolved (Robinson, J., 1997). Conflict could be measured on varying levels. This is to give us an idea how it can be measured and the corresponding effects. The more people is involved in the conflict, the more people is affected, then the higher the level it is. Forms of conflict may be interpersonal, group, and organizational conflict (Dewine, S., Gibson, Melissa, K., and Smith, Matthew J., 1999). The effect of conflict would be

Housing segregation in the us Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Housing segregation in the us - Research Paper Example Gotham (2000, p. 13) found out that while housing subsidy housing programs created a situation for a great number of white families to buy â€Å"new† housing units in suburban areas, African American families were only able to buy â€Å"existing† homes in â€Å"racially transitional neighborhoods† in the inner city. Gotham (2000, p. 13) interpreted his data to mean that his research corroborated research that showed that the â€Å"market-centered† focus of federal housing policy has created obstacles to the â€Å"ability of African Americans to accumulate wealth through home ownership and reinforced racially segregate housing patterns.† For Gotham, the culprit is Section 235 of the 1968 Housing Act that â€Å"was designed to shift the focus of federal housing policy away from dispensing aid to local housing authorities for building public housing to providing direct supply-side subsidies to the private sector to stimulate home ownership for nonwhit es and the poor† (2000, p. 13). Taking off from the work of Oliver and Shapiro (1995), Gotham argued (2000, p. 14) that the operation and implementation of the United States 1968 housing program is an example of the â€Å"racialization of state policy.† Citing the study of Massey and Denton (1993), Gotham (2000, p. 15) specifically pointed out Kansas City as one of the United States’ prime examples of â€Å"hypersegregated metropolitan areas due to the high degree of segregation in housing patterns on a range of indices.† Gotham (2000, p. 16) blames the â€Å"segregative effects of federal housing policies and programs, and private real estate activity† for the hypersegregation. In addition, Gotham said (2000, p. 17) â€Å"the various economic and political dimension of housing-related activities have been conducted through an organized and interconnected system of racial discrimination.† At the same time, Gotham (2000, p. 17) also pointed out racial discrimination was

Master of Science Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Master of Science Strategic Marketing - Essay Example pa from North Carolina University considers that ‘a business model is the methods of doing business by which a company can sustain itself, that is, generate revenue. The business model spells out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain’ (Rappa, 2005). But the fast changing socio-economic dynamics have created a fiercely competitive business environment, necessitating changes in the role and techniques of traditional marketing to encompass broader parameters of business performance. Thus, an effective marketing strategy becomes intrinsic to the management strategy that significantly impacts the overall business performance outcome. Levitt argued that the marketing takes into account the preferences of the customers and thereby builds a solid customer loyalty that result in sustainable customer base that has potential for growth because it continues to satisfy the changing requirements of their needs (Levitt, 1960). While the traditional role of marketing was confined to selling the products which meet the demands of the people, the fast changing paradigms of business have necessitated drastic shift in the approach to traditional marketing strategy. Wilson and Gilligan (2003) have argued that market has become more complex and highly competitive in the contemporary environment of fast advancing technology and rapid globalization. They further assert that ‘marketing is increasingly being conceptualized as an organizational philosophy or ‘an approach to doing business’ (Wilson and Gilligan, 2003, p4). The increasingly changing pattern of society and the influence of technology need to be addres sed in the wider application of social imperatives and included in all spheres of public and private business strategy. McDonald is an exemplary example of using new age market strategy that has shown profit even in the recessive economy! It has become important to introduce effective strategic goals and managerial controls

Introduction to Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Introduction to Psychology - Essay Example Neurons have three structural classifications which are Dendrites, Cell body, and the Axon. The bushy Dendrite fibers are shaggy subdivisions of a neuron that receive information and conduct it towards the cell body. From there the axon fibers forward the information to other neurons or to muscles or glands. The axon has terminal fibers at its end and the message passes through these fibers from one neuron to next. After the information reaches the axon, it then moves down in the form of an electrical signal which is called action potential. Unlike the short dendrites, axons are sometimes very long projecting several feet throughout the body. When the electrical impulse reaches the end of an axon, the information is then transmitted across the synaptic gap to the dendrites of the neighboring neuron. Synapse or synaptic gap is the gap between axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite and cell body of receiving neuron. Sometimes, the electrical signal can bridge the gap between the neurons instantaneously and continue along its path. Otherwise, neurotransmitters send the information from one neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that navigate the synaptic space between neurons. As the sending neuron releases the neurotransmitter, it then travels through the synapse and moves on to the receptor sites on the receiving neurons and thus it influences the neuron to produce a neural impulse. Each neuron in the Each neuron in the brain is itself a tiny gadget that has intricate functions. From hundred and thousands of other neurons, it receives signals on its dendrites and cell body. Some of these signals are excitatory, somewhat like pushing a neuron's accelerator. Other signals are inhibitory, more like pushing its break. A particular level of stimulation called the threshold is needed to activate a neural impulse. If the excitatory signals outvote the inhibitory signals and they are more than a minimum intensity, the collective signals give rise to an action potential. The action potential transmits down the axon, which branches into junctions with thousands of other neurons and with the body's muscles and glands. The release of neurotransmitters is activated when the action potential reaches the terminal branches of the axon. The neurotransmitter molecules take less than a second to cross the synaptic gap and attaching to receptor sited of receiving neurons. The neurotransmitter releases minute channels at the receiving site in an instant, allowing the electrically charged atoms to enter the receiving neuron and thus exciting or inhibiting its speediness to fire. Excess neurotransmitters are absorbed by the sending neuron in a procedure known as reuptake. Neurons have three structural and functional classifications. On a structural basis the neurons are classified as Multipolar neurons, Bipolar neurons and Unipolar neurons. Multipolar neurons have one axon and several dendrites. Brain and spinal cord neurons are generally multipolar neurons. Bipolar neurons have one axon and one dendrite. These neurons are mostly found the retina of the eye, the olfactory area and the inner ear. Neurons with just one process extending from the cell body are known as unipolar neurons. In that one process, one part acts as an axon and other part functions as a dendrite. On functional basis neurons are classified as Sensory, Motor, and inter Neurons. Sensory Neurons also called the efferent neurons takes impulses from the sense receptors in the skin, the sense organs and the large

The Pros and Cons of Employee Drug Testing Essay Example for Free

The Pros and Cons of Employee Drug Testing Essay Drug abuse in the workspace is a popular, global problem if we believe in an American research study done by William F. Current. He quotes, that 75% of all drug addicts who are older then 18 years work within an organization. Again, 75 % of them consume drugs at work. He assumes, that if you test everybody from the working society between 18 and 40 years of age, 25% would be drug positive. The Chicago association of commerce and industry, has an even more dramatic view on that topic. They say that 93% of all organizations have problems with drug addicted em-ployees. The American National Institute of Drug abuse says that one out of five employees be-tween the age of 18 to 24 has drug problems and one out of eight people between the age of 26 and 35.Lower achievement and accidents is the direct cause of drug abuse. Most of the time, in fact 80% of the accidents caused by drug abuse the people who get harmed are not doing drugs. 2. Signs of Drug abuse in the workplaceWe are able to classify the sings of drug abuse into five different categories:1.Efficiency is not reached anymore, for instance: a lot of mistakes, neglectfulness, low work quality, lack of concentration, tiredness, unable to do dispositions. 2.Reduced attention and absence, for instance: not showing off for work, arriving late very often, often absent on Mondays and after holidays, long lunch-brakes etc. 3.Attitude and physiological appearance, for instance: apathetic behavior against rules and regulations, unattended appearance and hygiene, sleazy work, bloodshot and watery eyes etc. 4.Health and Security, for example: often involved in accidents, disinterest against safety rules, disregardful use of dangerous machines etc. 5.Problems within the family, for example: marriage issues, divorce, money problems, bankruptcy. Consequences of Drug abuse in the WorkplaceDrug abuse, is not only harming the addict himself, its also harming the colleagues, the organization and the industry!Consequences for the consumer:•slow reaction•bad motor function•bad cooperation with colleagues•reduction of the brain work•cause of accidents and injury•higher disease sensitivity•smaller gains•less possibilities to move the career•unemploymentConsequences for the colleagues:•bad working atmosphere•low employee morale•more misunderstandings and disputes•more accidents and injuriesFor the organization:•bad product and service quality•more product mistakes•unsatisfied costumers•inefficiency•higher absenteeism•lower productivity•worse working conditions•burglary•higher employee turnoverFor the Industry:•lower productivity•worse service•scarceness of assets and liabilities•higher pricesFive steps to set up Anti Drug Programs in companiesIn the past years, drug testing became more and more normal within american compa-nies. Already 98% out of the 200 biggest US-companies use drug tests. To do Drug tests in companies, you have to look at these five points:1. The Anti-Drug Policy of the company has to be clear and easy to understand in a written form•The company has to inform employees and former employees about the strict prohibi-tion of drugs in the company•The organization has to explain the reasons for this embargo (security, health, trust-worthiness etc.)•The Company has to inform its employees about the consequences if this rule is not respected2. A special training for the supervisors of some compartments•These are the people who have to be suspicious about drug abuse3. All employees have to be aware of the seriousness of the anti drug rules in the company4.Implementation of Programs to help employees with their problems before they start using drugs5.Implementation of a drug test  programAssumptions to accomplish employee drug testingThe European Union supports drug testing in companies since 1996/1997. The EU recommend to take a look at the following points:•the probation has to be retraceable and the privacy of the donator has to be assured•the cut-off levels for drug screening and confirmatory tests has to be defined•a positive screening test, has to be assured by an official laboratory•permanent training for the test performing employees•external quality assurance and accreditationThe Pros of Drug testing on employeesTest of Job candidate:One of the most used form is the testing of a new candidate for a job. Like this, the company is able to avoid drug problems from the beginning!Test of Security sensitive jobs:President Bush, singed in 1991 the so called Omnibus contract, which allows companies who are in the aircraft,bus and other public transport to test their employees without further knowledge. This, of course is the absolute correct way of doing it. A second highly security sensitive job, is the military,! Here, everyone who wants to work with the military has to get tested. Testing by suspicion:Here, the addicted person, gets tested because colleagues are suspicious and tell it to the supervisor. Like this the necessary actions can be taken immediately after a positive out-come. Testing after an accident:The drug test after an accident is made if there was an accident where machinery or people of a company got hurt. This, then can be used in the court to find out if someone is guilty or not. Non- announced random tests:Other then the tests by suspicion, are the people who get tested selected randomly.Sometimes even a computer is taking the action of selecting. Continuous announced tests:This, is the first form of a drug test in the workspace. In some companies, the yearly drug test is as mandatory as the yearly health check. Cut-off testing:More unusual is this sort of testing, where only the people of a certain compartment get tested. Tests after Rehabilitation:It is absolutely necessary to test people, who got caught once and came back from Rehab. Like this you can find out if the employee is still clean. Testing because of public adjustment:Drug testing again in high-sensitive jobs, but adjusted by the government. Good, because like this mistakes are rarer. Testing before advancement:Some companies, make an advancement dependent on an foregoing negative drug test. Very goo, because this keeps a lot of people away from drugs for sure. Tests in the upper management. Drug-testing of the upper management happens mostly shortly before the whole branch or company is getting tested, like this there are no rumors about fairness of the testing because everybody has to take it. CONCLUSION: Drug-testing is a very important and necessary thing within a company. I dont think that we can find anything that really is a contra on employee drug-testing. The cons of drug testing on employeesAs you can hear from my upper conclusion, i cant really think of anything that really is a hitting argument against drug-testing. Except the fact maybe that if you start testing your employees, then you show them that you dont really trust them. This can end up, so the people within the organization are not as motivated anymore. Of course, compared with the stress that you dont have if you fire all your drug-using employees this one fact is nothing. Eventually, it is the case that everybody has to decide individually what he or she does. But on the other hand, is our society based on a very tight working network.  So if some people come tint the danger of drug using and the harms have to be paid by the society then its is not only an individual problem anymore. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.wikipedia.comwww.roche.comwww.google.dewww.drogentest.dewww.drogen-heute.com

Effects of Caffeine on 30m Multiple Sprint Performance

Effects of Caffeine on 30m Multiple Sprint Performance ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of caffeines proposed ergogenic capabilities upon human sprint times and performance. Twelve female sports students (20  ± 2 yr, 1.64  ± 0.05 m, 58.9  ± 3.9 kg) were utilized as the subjects for this investigation which was conducted in the Oxstalls Sport Hall, Gloucester, using the light gate equipment. All subjects were familiarized with the experimental design and apparatus before proceeding. The necessary forms were signed by the participants and personal information acquired. Subjects were administered either caffeine (5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of body mass) or placebo, and ingested the substance 1 hour prior to testing in a single blind fashion. After a 5 minute warm up, 12 x 30 metre sprints were performed by each subject with a 30 second interval between each sprint. The experiment was repeated a week later using the same procedure but with the participants taking the opposite substance to the previous weeks test. Subsequent to the interpretation of the data, fastest sprint time (s), mean sprint time (s), fatigue and RPE were obtained. All of which were examined statistically, the paired t-test was used as a test of significance, the mean as a measure of central tendency and standard deviation as a measure of reliability and variance. Fastest sprint times decreased from 5.34  ± 0.27 s to 5.27  ± 0.25 s when taking caffeine compared to placebo. Mean sprint times decreased slightly from 5.56  ± 0.29 s to 5.55  ± 0.29 s when consuming caffeine. RPE again showed a slight decrease from 14  ± 1 to 13  ± 1 using Borgs (1982) 6-20 scale after caffeine ingestion. Using the fatigue index as recommended by Glaister et al. (2004), caffeine showed an increase (5.16  ± 1.91) compared to placebo (4.13  ± 1.51). It was concluded that 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of body mass of caffeine did have a significant effect on fastest sprint time and RPE, and that fatigue was heightened when taking caffeine. Though it did not have any significant ergogenic effects on mean sprint times at the p CHAPTER 1.0 INTRODUCTION Deliberate ingestion of caffeine within sport is the focus for this study. It is caffeines supposed ergogenic properties in relation to sporting performance which will be investigated. Caffeine, also known chemically as trimethylxanthine, is one of the most common drugs in the world, with the benefit of having minimal health risks attached to taking it (Graham, 2001). It is among the most widely used drugs because of its ubiquitous occurrence in commonly consumed beverages such as coffee, tea and cola. Many drugs contain caffeine and are readily accessible to the public in the form of over the counter (OTC) stimulants and combination analgesics. Due to this accessibility and its social acceptance, caffeine plays a major part in the western diet, with over 80% of the adult population consuming the drug on a daily basis through various methods (Schwenk, 1997). With caffeine consumption being so common, its positive and negative effects are noticed so easily. The study will look into its potential positive ergogenic effects due to its ever increasing popularity in sporting performance. Earlier studies by Pasman et al. (1995), Bell and McLellan (2002), Greer et al. (2000), Graham and Spriet (1995), regarding caffeines ergogenicity, are linked to effects upon endurance times rather than sprint performance. Increased endurance performance is supported by many of the studies, and rarely have they found to be no effect (Butts and Crowell, 1985) and (Falk et al., 1990). Due to it ergogenic properties, caffeines popularity has increased in sporting contexts. This investigation is primarily concerned with attempting to assess caffeines effectiveness as an ergogenic aid in respect of its effects upon the anaerobic energy system, and its subsequent relevance to sprint times and fatigue in women. By implementing multiple sprint tests, this will provide the necessary data required for evaluating the anaerobic energy system, sprint times and fatigue. Caffeine is a natural substance, which is utilized every day, whether it is in food, drink, medicine and more importantly for the purpose of this study, sport. It is caffeines ability to be used in a number of ways, which makes it an ever increasing drug in society. Applegate and Grivetti (1997) has claimed that caffeine has been used as a means of masking fatigue since the early 1900s, the use of this ergogenic aid became popular following widely publicized research indicating improved endurance performance. There may be other factors contributing to its increase in popularity over the years. For example, caffeine is seen as a socially acceptable drug in society, as mentioned earlier, its minimal health risks has made the substance generally recognized as safe (GRAS) according to the food and drug administration (FDA), meaning the intentional consumption of caffeine becomes less stigmatized. Another possible factor behind its popularity is the ever increasing demand for athletes to achieve and the pressure being placed upon them by themselves and outside sources. Such demands being placed on athletes at all levels, ranging from recreational to professional, will inevitably cause participants to seek out an advantage and give into the persuasion of the stimulants which is being forced upon them. Thus, leading to companies promoting and persuading athletes to use their products to achieve the best performance possible. Due to the increasingly competitive arena in which athletes find themselves, the promotion of performance enhancing substances are surrounding them almost daily. The legality and use of ergogenic aids such as caffeine has caused many debates and varied opinions about its uses in competitive sport. There are currently three categories in which substances can be classed; legal, controlled and illegal. In 1967, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned all performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). The formation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 1999 took over the IOCs responsibilities regarding PEDs. The World Anti-Doping Agency reviewed the banned substances list in 2004 and changed the legality of caffeine, allowing athletes to take the substance. Though the caffeine is defined as legal, WADA are still monitoring athletes in order to detect any patterns of misuse within the sport. Caffeines positive ergogenic effects have been well documented in numerous sports, but caffeine consumption in sports like darts, archery and snooker can have a detrimental effect upon performance. The absorption of caffeine can lead to an increase in heart rate, restlessness, anxiety and hypertension, all of which could have a damaging effect upon sporting performance. However, in spite of some possible negative effects in a slight number of sports, caffeines popularity is ever increasing as a legal performance enhancer. Manufacturers of sporting performance supplements have, through their market research, recognized the increasing popularity and attraction of using performance enhancing supplements. Companies have tapped into a bona fide consumer need for energy. As a result of this, the market place has been flooded with masses of supposedly ergogenic concoctions. The market for energy products has grown tremendously, leaping from a niche market for endurance athletes to mainstream customers. Many products take the form of drinks containing caffeine, Red Bull is still the leader in that category, with about 50% of the market share. Since the emergence of Red Bull many copycat drinks have been produced and marketed as a performance enhancer. These drinks contain excessive amounts of caffeine and have been promoted as an ergogenic aid, though in many countries, energy drinks have been banned due to its potential health risks, especially with regards to children. The problem with proving the ergogenic effects of drinks like these is the varying tolerance levels of each individual, which according to Kendler and Prescott (1999) can depend on many factors, including caffeine consumption patterns, age, body weight and physical condition. In spite of this, athletes will still consume the caffeine products in order to gain that advantage and improve performance without realising some of the negative effects, such as dehydration. Extreme caffeine consumption can lead to possible side effects, which many consumers are oblivious too. Some of which are restlessness, diarrhoea, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, and in extreme circumstances, tachycardia or cardiac arrhythmia. It is important to consume caffeine in moderation; those who ingest large amounts regularly and then try to decrease their intake by a substantial amount can cause problems for themselves. Caffeine withdrawal can lead to symptoms such as sleepiness, irritability, headaches and in rare circumstances, nausea and vomiting. Phillips-Buteand Lane (1997) has suggested that headaches caused by caffeine withdrawal are due to the appropriate mechanisms of the body becoming oversensitive to adenosine. Due to this, blood pressure will drop excessively and cause excess blood in the head, leading to a headache. Still, with all the possible side effects of excessive consumption and withdrawal symptoms, caffeines popularity amongst the general public is unwavering. Companies are still promoting the benefits of caffeine without indulging in its flaws, particularly in the sporting sector, meaning its popularity raises even further. This investigation is concerned with how performance in sport can be improved by increased sprint speed and a decrease in fatigue after caffeine ingestion. Improvements in an athletes speed over short distances is vital in many sports, as the intensity and the pace of games are increasing in the current era. Such improvements can help in field and court sports such as football, tennis and hockey to name a few. Having the ability to run that split second quicker than an opposing athlete may make a dramatic impact upon the sporting performance, and most importantly the result. There has been a steady increase in the number of studies examining the effects of caffeine upon high intensity, short duration exercises, and more specifically, repeated sprints. This area is still up for investigation as caffeines ergogenic benefits are not so clear cut, as they are in endurance exercise. Many studies have produced results either supporting or diminishing any relationship between caffeine and repeated sprint performance, but each study varies on its reason behind such change. The study undertaken by Glaister et.al (2008) found results of that support a clear ergogenic effect of caffeine on repeated sprints but stated that further research is required to establish the mechanisms of this response. Papers by Glaister et.al (2008), Stuart et.al (2005), Paton et.al (2001) and Crowe et.al (2006) shall provide a solid base for research and literature regarding multiple sprints or high intensity short duration exercises. The rationale of this study is to evaluate and research the available literature, and moreover to examine in larger detail the responsible functions and mechanisms within the body that manipulate and contribute to the possible enhancement of sprint performance following an ingested dose of caffeine. The main purpose of this study is to conclude whether or not an administered dose of caffeine will improve sprint performance and to conclude whether caffeine is ergogenic in this specific subject area. The objective will be tested and achieved by firstly administering a certain dosage of caffeine subsequent to a pre test. Then after a certain period of absorption this will be followed by 12 x 30 metre sprints, which will hopefully provide the necessary results for the assessment of fastest and mean sprint times, followed by fatigue and RPE values. The methodology will be executed as efficiently and as accurately as possible, limiting the likelihood of any discrepancies creeping in and influencing the overall evaluation of results. The outcome of this investigation is expected to be valuable to the sporting world, and especially to athletes that partake in sports associated with the demands of fast sprints, such as those mentioned earlier. It will provide the necessary knowledge and allow athletes to consider the option of indulging in the use of what is at present a legal stimulant, helping them to optimize their sporting performances. CHAPTER 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 -Previous Studies The involvement of an all female participant group in this study means it opens up a new area of research. Previous research involving caffeine and exercise has always used a solely male or mixed sex sample. Bell and McLellan (2002) used 15 males and 6 females for their study, Crowe et al. (2006) also followed suit and used 12 males to only 5 females. More specifically, affects of caffeine in multiple sprint tests and short term high intensity exercises has provided an even more bias participant sample. A study by Paton et al. (2001) on the effects of caffeine ingestion on repeated sprints in team-sport athletes used 16 male participants. The most important study being that of Glaister et al. (2008) into the supplementation of caffeine in multiple sprint running performances, this study looked at 21 male participants and excluded females all together. Many of these studies have used forms of exercise and equipment for testing that are available to women. This distinct lack of researc h on solely women participants regarding the effects of caffeine has created a chance to look into this trend and the possible reasons behind it. WHY NOT SO MUCH ON WOMENâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SEXES AND CAFFEINES EFFECTS. Biological differences between the 2 sexes may cause researchers to use mainly male participants. Although males and females are very much the same in build, there are some aspects that may vary and cause one of the sexes to act differently.A study by Farag et al. (2006) found that on the placebo session, men and women showed a significant BP increase to stress, although women had significant cardiac responses whereas men had vascular responses, therefore proving that males and females react differently to certain conditions. DIFFERENCE OF EFFECTS OF CAFFEIENE. WHY SPRINTING TEST LIMITATIONS MENSTRUAL CYCLE, CONTRACEPTIVE, PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. The liver needed for caffeine metabolism. In healthy adults, caffeines half-life is approximately 4.9 hours. In women taking oral contraceptives this is increased to 5-10 hours (Meyer et al., 1999) and in pregnant women the half-life is roughly 9-11 hours (Ortweiler et al., 1985). 2.2 Mechanisms of Ergogenicity Caffeine acts as an A1 and A2a adenosine receptor antagonist, regular consumption of caffeine is associated with an up regulation of the number of these adenosine receptors in the vascular and neural tissues of the brain (Fredholm et al, 1999). Caffeine is metabolized in the tolerance for it; regular users do however develop a strong tolerance to this effect (Maughan Griffin, 2003). Studies by Armstrong et al (2007) have generally failed to support the common notion that ordinary consumption of caffeinated beverages contributes significantly to dehydration. RELIABILITY OF MULTIPLE SPRINT TEST GENDER DIFFERENCES RPE FATIGUE FASTEST MEAN PLACEBO DOSE The dosage from caffeine studies have ranged from 1-15mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1. The optimal dose has not been determined because it may vary according to the sensitivity of the individual to caffeine. However, Cadarette et al. (1982) found doses between 3and 6mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 produce an equivalent ergogenic effect to higher doses, and this has led Graham et al. (2000) to suggest that the optimal dose thus lies in this lower range. Using the findings established by others, participants will be administered 5mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 for the purpose of this research. Time After Ingestion Recent research from Bell and McLellan (2002) found that only exercise times 1and 3hours after drug ingestion were significantly greater than the respective placebo trials of 23.3 ±6.5,23.2 ±7.1,and 23.5 ±5.7min. For this research, the multiple sprints will take part 35 minutes after ingestion of the caffeine tablet, due to practical and time implications. Even though caffeine has a half-life of 4-6 hours, this implies that high levels of caffeine will be in the blood for up to 3-4 hours after ingestion, most studies have focused on exercise performance 1 hour after ingestion. Bonati et al. (1982) made the assumption that the ergogenic effect is related to the circulating level of the drug in the blood. Thus maximal effects are assumed to occur 1 hour after ingestion, when peak blood concentrations are observed. Studies by Nehlig and Derby (1994) suggested that waiting 3hours may be more optimal because the caffeine-induced effect on lipolysis is greater than at earlier times a fter ingestion. However, the hypothesis that the ergogenic effect from caffeine is due to an enhanced free fatty acid mobilization and tissue utilization has not found much support in the recent literature. On Exercise Using 24 well trained cyclists, Hogervorst et al. (2008) established that not only does a bar containing 100mg of caffeine have an impact on physiological endurance performance but also a complex cognitive ability during and after exercise. Crowe et al. (2006) conducted a similar test involving cycling and found both positive and negative results from the caffeine/placebo supplementation. Plasma caffeine concentrations significantly increased after caffeine ingestion; however, there were no positive effects on cognitive or blood parameters except a significant decrease in plasma potassium concentrations at rest. Potentially negative effects of caffeine included significantly higher blood lactate compared to control and significantly slower time to peak power in exercise bout 2 compared to control and placebo. Caffeine had no significant effect on peak power, work output, RPE, or peak heart rate. On Short Sprints There have been many studies that have looked at the effects of caffeine on short sprints or short duration high intensity exercises, which recreate in game scenarios from team sports. A study by Stuart et al (2005) on rugby players showed that caffeine is likely to produce substantial enhancement of several aspects of high-intensity team-sport performance. The effects of caffeine on mean performance ( ±90% confidence limits) on sprint speeds were, 0.5% ( ±1.7%) through 2.9% ( ±1.3%), showing a stong positive correlation regarding sprint speeds. The study involved straight line sprints but also consisted of tests to measure passing accuracy, agility and power. A more specific study by Glaister et al (2008) focused on the effects of caffeine on multiple sprints, this involved 12 x 30 metre sprints with 35 second intervals. Relative to placebo, caffeine supplementation resulted in a 0.06-s (1.4%) reduction in fastest sprint time (95% likely range = 0.04-0.09 s), which corresponde d with a 1.2% increase in fatigue (95% likely range = 0.3-2.2%). The study found that caffeine has ergogenic properties with the potential to benefit performance in both single and multiple sprint sports, although the effect of recovery duration on caffeine-induced responses to multiple sprint work requires further investigation. In contrast, Paton et al (2001) had a similar study design but the observed effect of caffeine ingestion on mean sprint performance and fatigue over 10 sprints was negligible. The true effect on mean performance could be small at most, although the true effects on fatigue and on the performance of individuals could be somewhat larger. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of caffeine on mean sprint times (s), fastest sprint times (s), RPE and fatigue from 30m multiple sprints. By using female participants this develops a new area of research as previous research is focused solely on male or mixed participants. 2.3 Resulting Hypotheses After reviewing the literature, hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of this study. Hypothesis 1: H0 There will be no significant difference in fastest sprint times following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine as compared to the non caffeine condition. Ha There will be a significant difference in fastest sprint times following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine as compared to the non caffeine condition. Hypothesis 2: H0 There will be no significant difference in mean sprint times following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine as compared to the non caffeine condition. Ha There will be a significant difference in mean sprint times following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine as compared to the non caffeine condition. Hypothesis 3: H0 There will be no significant difference in rate of perceived exertion (RPE) following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine, compared to the non caffeine condition. Ha There will be a significant difference in rate of perceived exertion (RPE) following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine, compared to the non caffeine condition. Hypothesis 4: H0 There will be no significant difference in fatigue following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine compared to the non caffeine condition. Ha There will be a significant difference in fatigue following the consumption of 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of caffeine compared to the non caffeine condition. CHAPTER 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Subjects Twelve female subjects (20  ± 2 yr, 1.64  ± 0.05 m, 58.9  ± 3.9 kg) from the University of Gloucestershire volunteered to take part in this investigation which was conducted in the Sports Hall at the Oxstalls Campus.All subjects participated in a multiple sprint sport on a regular basis. They played one of tennis, badminton, squash, football, hockey, rugby and lacrosse for the university and at a moderate standard so therefore were considered to have a sound level of baseline fitness. Participants from these teams trained at least once a week and were also involved in a match once a week. Before proceeding with the test, all of the subjects were informed of the testing procedure and how the data was going to be used in this study. Participants were given a list, outlining suitable kit to wear for the tests. Questionnaires were handed out to the participants to find out how many hours a week they participated in sport and their daily caffeine consumption levels. Before commencing, the participants filled out a health questionnaire to enable participation and signed an informed consent form. The subjects were advised to maintain their normal diet over the duration of the last two experimental runs, and were advised not to drink or eat 1 hour before testing. It was also important not to consume any caffeine, alcohol or any other stimulant products from a list provided to them, at least 24 hours before each experimental test and not to perform any strenuous exercise 24 hours prior to testing. Any subjects not being able to comply with the guidelines were eliminated from t he test. 3.2 Experimental Procedures All the participants undertook 3 multiple sprint tests in total, 1 familiarization test to get use to the experiment and outline any problems and then the latter 2 will were the repeated measures experimental tests. These tests consisted of 12 x 30m straight sprints and were repeated at 30 second intervals. Light gates (Brower Timing Light Gate System) were set up at either end of the 30m track to record times. Regarding the last two trials they were conducted single blinded so that results could be compared between the two groups. All the trials were run at approximately the same time of day and spaced a couple of days apart. Personal information from each participant including age, height (SC126 wall mounted Stadiometer : Holtain Limited, Crymych, Dyfed), and body mass (Seca 888 electronic personal scale : seca gmbh and co Ltd, Medizinsche Waggen und Messsysteme), were collected at the familiarization test too, ready for the experimental tests. After the final test, participants w ere asked if they could identify the difference between the placebo and caffeine and to express their reasons for this. The testing was performed in a controlled environment, using an indoor sports hall with a hard solid ground with inbuilt shock pads under the surface. Data being collected was average speed (ms-1), RPE, fatigue and fastest and slowest sprint times (s). All equipment was calibrated prior to testing. 3.3 Pre-Test On the day of each experimental run, participants were administered either the placebo or caffeine 1 hour before the testing is due to start in order for the affect of caffeine to be absorbed into their system. The caffeine dosage administered was 5 mgˆâ„ ¢kg-1 of body mass; rounding to the nearest 50mg. 10 minutes before each multiple sprint test participants undertook a standardized warm up which lasted for approximately 5 minutes. It included a 400 metre jog at their own pace, a series of sprint drills incorporating high knees, heel flicks and walking lunges to replicate the test and some practice sprints. Five minutes before the test, participants performed some stretches and gave themselves some time to get ready physically and mentally. 3.4 Testing In order to prevent false triggering with the light gates, participants started 1 m behind the line. The gates were set up at the start line and 30m along on the finish line. After the sprint, the subjects stayed down the same end as they finished in order to maximise recovery time between sprints, this lasted for 30 seconds. The countdown for each sprint was performed manually and will last 5 seconds. Each participant was verbally encouraged by others in order for them to try and work at their maximal effort. 3.5 Data Collection and Statistical Analysis With regards to the reliability of multiple sprints testing, it has previously been established by Glaister et al (2007) that high degrees of test-retest reliability can be obtained in many multiple sprint running indices without the need for prior familiarization. However, for this experiment, the familiarization test helped the researcher get use to the testing procedures to allow smother running on the experimental runs. Average speed (ms-1) for each participant was calculated using the timing gates, along with this, fastest and slowest sprint times were recorded too. Each participant was asked their rating of perceived exertion (RPE) after every sprint using Borgs (1982) 6-20 scale. The last component being measured was the effects of caffeine on fatigue from the multiple sprints, by using the percentage decrement calculation as used by Glaister et al (2004): Fatigue = (100 x (total sprint time/ideal sprint time)) 100 The total sprint time is the sum of all the sprints by the participant, divided by the ideal time, which is the time of the fastest sprint multiplied by how many sprints that were performed. Multiply the answer by 100 and then subtract 100 and you get the fatigue index of the individual. Data will be analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows. This way comparison between the two data sets can be made. The test used was a repeated measures dependant t-test, with a 95% confidence level. This is used when there is only one sample that has been tested twice (repeated measures). If the calculated statistical significance (95% confidence level), then the null hypothesis (H0) which states that the two groups do not differ is rejected in favour of the hypothesis, which states that the groups do differ and that there is an effect. 3.6 Facilities and Equipment Gaining access to facilities and equipment will need to be addressed in advance so that equipment isnt already booked out and that the facility is booked early enough so that it gives enough time to analyse results and write up the final proposal before the submission deadline. As the test was undertaken in the University Sports hall it was easier to book out than that of a public hall. The hall was booked out through phoning the university sports office and organising a time suitable for both needs. For the purpose of the study a wall mounted stadiometer, stopwatch, scales, placebo, light gates, a computer with a statistical analysis program and caffeine tablets were acquired. 3.7 Budget All costs were identified before the study was undertaken. None of the participants were paid for their participation. The hall was booked out for three 1 hour slots equating to  £60 ( £20 per hour), due to the affiliation with the University the hall was free of charge but if it was to be booked by a member of the public, these costs would need to be included. The cost of the caffeine was  £10 for ninety 200mg tablets, and the placebo pills cost  £3 per 50. 3.8 Ethical Considerations The participants received a voluntary informed consent form, which outlined the procedure, how the data was collected and how the data was used and by who. The data will be kept private under the Data Protection Act 1998 and data cant be linked to an individual participant. All participants were above the age of 18 so that they can give their own consent, also they were participating voluntarily. A health questionnaire was administered to find out any potential health risks, along with a list stating the possible effects of caffeine. Once all this information was given, participants were given the chance to refrain from participating. Participants were told that placebo was given instead of caffeine to half the population and not to the other half. There is a sense of deception due to the participants not knowing if they are taking the caffeine or the placebo, but there is no medical risk and if told it can affect the results of the study. 3.9 Temporal Plan WEEKS Objective 1 2 3

Glutamate Transporter Excitatory Amino Acid Experiment

Glutamate Transporter Excitatory Amino Acid Experiment Abstract N-(2-18F-Fluoropropionyl)-L-glutamate(18F-FPGLU) is a potential amino acid tracer for tumor imaging with positron emission tomography (PET). In this study, the  relationship between glutamate transporter excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) expression and 18F-FPGLU uptake in rat C6 glioma cells line and human SPC-A-1 lung adenocarcinoma cells line was investigated. The uptake of 18F-FPGLU in C6 cells increased significantly after induced by ATRA for 24, 48, and 72 h, which was closely related to expression of EAAC1 in C6 cells (R=0.939). Compared with the SPC-A-1(NT) control cells, the uptake of 18F-FPGLU on EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells significantly decreased to 64.0%. In the PET imaging of 18F-FPGLU of SPC-A-1 and EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1(shRNA)-bearing mice models, the uptake of 18F-FPGLU in SPC-A-1(shRNA) xenografts was significantly lower than that in SPC-A-1 xenografts, with Tumor/Muscle ratio of 1.67  ± 0.1 vs. 3.01  ± 0.3 at 60 min post-injection. The result s suggest that transport mechanism of 18F-FPGLU in glioma C6 and lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A-1 cells lines mainly involves in glutamate transporter EAAC1, which is an important transporter of 18F-FPGLU in tumor cells and may be a novel hallmark of tumor glutamate metabolism PET imaging. Keywords: N-(2-18F-fluoropropionyl)-L-glutamate; tumor imaging; glutamate transporter; excitatory amino acid carrier 1 Introduction As the most commonly used positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for tumor diagnosis, 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) also has certain false negative and false positive results(Shreve et al. 1999; Fletcher et al. 2008). It has been reported that 18F-FDG negative tumors may use a different metabolic pathway called glutaminolysis(DeBerardinis et al. 2007; Ward et al. 2012). Glutamine and glutamate play key roles in the adapted intermediary metabolism of tumors(Gao et al. 2009; Rajagopalan et al. 2011; Shanware et al. 2011). Several 18F-labeled glutamic acid and 18F-labeled glutamine have been used for metabolic PET imaging of tumor in humans (Baek et al. 2013; Venneti et al. 2015). High uptake of these amino acid tracers in tumor cells is likely related to the increased expression of amino acid transporters. For example, the upregulated system ASC, especially ASCT2 might contributed to the uptake of 18F-labeled (2S,4R)-4-fluoro-L-glutamine(Ploessl et al. 2012), and 18F-fluoro glutamic acid (BAY 85-8050) transport involved in Na+-dependent XAG- and Na+-independent XC- systems with XC- possibly playing a more dominant role, but both of them showed defluorination in vivo(Krasikova et al. 2011). 18F-labeled (4S)-4-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-L-glutamate (BAY 94-9392), another derivative of glutamic acid, whose transport was due mostly to upregulation of system XC-, a potential biomarker for tumor oxidative stressà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’can be useful for detecting system XC- activity in vivo and is considered to be a potential tracer for tumor imaging(Koglin et al. 2011). Our recently developed novel N-18F-labeled glutamic acid, N-(2-[18F] fluoropropionyl)-L-glutamate (18F-FPGLU), seemed to be a potential amino acid PET tracer for tumor metabolic imaging, with high tumor-to-background contrast in several tumor-bearing mice models. Preliminary studies showed that 18F-FPGLU was primarily transported through Na+-dependent high-affinity glutamate transporter system XAG-(Hu et al. 2014), but the accurate transport mechanism is unknown. Glutamate transport system includes Na+-dependent excitatory glutamate transporter XAG- system and Na+-independent glutamate transporter XC- system(Avila-Chà ¡vez et al. 1997). System XC- (xCT) is overexpressed on tumor c ells and is a potential biomarker for tumor oxidative stress. As an important member of XAG- system, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1), also called excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3), localizes to the post-synaptic structure of neurons and surrounding glial cells as regulator of excitatory neurotransmission, and also exists in peripheral tissues, perhaps as metabolic regulators(Bailey et al. 2011). The expression of EAAC1 was known to be regulated by several mechanisms that modify carrier abundance on the plasma membranes and was markedly induced by all tans-retinoic acid (ATRA) in rat C6 glioma cells, which led to strikingly stimulate amino acid influx(Bianchi et al. 2008). However, EAAC1 transporter may be a potential biomarker for tumor molecular imaging. It has not been reported so far. This study investigated the relationship between EAAC1 expression and 18F-FPGLU uptake in C6 rat glioma cells line and SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma. The uptake of 18F-FPGLU was assessed in ATRA-treated and untreated C6 cells lines, and also in shRNA-mediated EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1 cells and the non-targeted (NT) control cells in vitro. Further prospective researches of PET imaging of tumor-bearing mice models with C6, SPC-A-1 and EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1(shRNA) xenografts were performed to reveal the correlation between the uptake of 18F-FPGLU and the expression of EAAC1. Materials and methods Materials All reagents, unless otherwise specified, were of analytical grade and commercially available. All chemicals obtained commercially were used without further purification. Inveon small-animal PET/computed tomography (CT) scanner was purchased from Siemens (Germany). Synthesis of 18F-FPGLU The synthesis of 18F-FPGLU from 4-nitrophenyl-2-18F-fluoropropionate (18F-NFP) via a two-step reaction sequence has been described in detail by the earlier paper(Hu et al. 2014). Cell Culture and Animal Models The C6 rat glioma cells, SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells were obtained from Shanghai Institute of Cellular Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai, China). The cells were cultured in culture flasks containing DMEM medium(for C6 cells) or RPMI 1640 medium (for SPC-A-1) supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% penicillin/streptomycin at 37oC in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air. 24 hours before the experiments in vitro, C6 cells lines or SPC-A-1 cell lines were trypsinized and 2105 cells per well were seeded into 24-well plates. All animal experimental studies were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Utilization Committee (IACUU) of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University (approval No.[2013]A-173). All efforts were made to minimize animal suffering, to reduce the number of animals used, and to use alternatives to in vivo techniques, if available. The nude mice were obtained from Laboratory Animal Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University (Guangzhou, China). The C6, SPC-A-1 and EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1(shRNA) tumor models were made using previously described methods(Deng et al. 2011). Tumor cells (2-5-106) were injected subcutaneously and allowed to grow for 1 to 3 weeks. When the tumor reached 6-10 mm (diameter) micro P ET/CT scans were done. C6 induced by ATRA The rat glioma C6 cells were treated by all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) 12 h after the passage. Culture medium was substituted with fresh medium (containing DMEM medium supplemented with 10% FBS) in the absence or in the present of ATRA at a concentration of 10 ÃŽ ¼M from a 10 mM stock solution in DMSO according to the literature16. After the treatment of ATRA for 24, 48 and 72 h, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were used to monitored the mRNA and protein expression levels of EAAC1 in ATRA treated C6 and non-treated C6 cells. Generation of shRNA-mediated EAAC1 knock-down cells. The method of generation of shRNA-mediated EAAC1 knock-down cells was similar to the literature(Youland et al. 2013). SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells was used for shRNA-mediated EAAC1 knock-down experiment. SPC-A-1 cells were transduced with lentivirus ecoding EAAC1-targeted short hairpin RNAs (shRNA). shRNA sequences were selected from human EAAC1 mRNA NM_004170 and the shRNA fragments were cloned in a lentivirus vector pGLV3 plasmid with the sequence 5-GCATTACCACAGGAGTCTTGG-3. A non-specific targeting (NT) shRNA for control was cloned in the same lenvirus plasmid backbone. Lentiviral packaging was performed with trans-lentiviral packaging mix in 293T cells according to the manufacturers instructions. SPC-A-1 cells were plated on 6-well plates at 2-105 cells per well. After 24 hours, medium was aspirated and replaced with 100 ÃŽ ¼L of virus-containing solution was added to each well and incubated at 37oC for 24 h. Cells were selected with puromycin and monitored for green fl uorescence protein (GFP) expression. The EAAC1 mRNA expression level was monitored by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The EAAC1 protein expression level was quantized by western blotting. qRT-PCR for the expression of EAAC1 Relative expression levels of EAAC1 mRNA in C6 and SPC-A-1 cells were calculated using the fluorescence quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (Stratagene Mx3000P Real time PCR, Agilent). Total cellular RNA was isolated with the Rneasy mini Kit (TAKARA). 1 ÃŽ ¼g of RNA was synthesized to cDNA in a 20 ÃŽ ¼L reaction system with reverse transcriptase buffer, RT Enzyme Mix and primer MIX (Bestar qPCR RT kit, DBI). Conditions for reverse transcription were 5 min at 65oC, 5 min on ice, then 60 min at 37oC and 10 min at 98oC. Oligodeoxynucleotide primers of EAAC1 gene for PCR amplification was 5-AGTTCAGCAACACTGCCTGT-3 (forward) and (5-GTTGCACCAACGGGTA ACAC-3(reverse). PCR was programmed as follows: 2 min at 94oC, 20 s at 94oC, 20 s at 58oC à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ then 20 s at 72oC à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ for 40 cycles. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was used as a initial control and each sample was amplified in triplicate. The relative expression of EAAC1 mRNA compared with GAPDH was calculated by comparative threshold method (2 -ΔΔCt ). Western blotting for EAAC1 Cells were lysed in a detergent-containing buffer with protease inhibitors for 20 min at 4oC. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( GAPDH) was used as a reference protein. After solubilization, cell lysates were collected and centrifuged at 14000 rpm for 10 min. The supernatants were transferred into new tubes, quantification of proteins was performed with Pierce BCA Protein Assay Kit (Thermo) and aliquots of 25 ÃŽ ¼g were loaded on an 10% gel for SDS-PAGE. After electrophoresis, proteins were transferred to polyvinylidene difluorideà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ PVDFà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °membranes (Millipore) . The membranes with EAAC1 or GAPDH were departed at the middle position, and were blocked and incubated with deferent antibody, respectively. Non-specific binding sites were blocked with an incubation in Tris-buffer saline containing 5% of bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 1h at room temperature. Then the blots were exposed to EAAT3 antibody (rabbit monoclonal antiserum, 1:1000, Abcam) or anti-GAPDH rabbit monoclonal antibody(1:3000, Abcam) diluted in blocking solution for at 4oC overnight. After washing, the blots were exposed for1h at room temperature to goat anti-rabbit IgG HRP diluted 1:5000 in blocking solution. Cellular uptake of 18F-FPGLU Cells were plated in 24-well plates (2x105cells/well) and uptake studies were performed at 24 h after the passage. The cellular uptake of 18F-FPGLU studies was similar to the methods described previously(Krasikova et al. 2013). The medium was aspirated and the cells were washed 3 times with 1 mL warm PBS. 18F-FPGLU was dissolved in PBS solution and was added to each well (74-111 KBq/0.2 mL/well). After incubated with 18F-FPGLU at 37oC for 30 min, the radioactive medium was removed and the cells were washed 3 times with ice-cold PBS. Then, the cells were dissolved in 0.5 mL of 1 N NaOH and the activity was measured by ÃŽ ³ counter (GC-1200, USTC Chuangxin Co. Ltd. Zonkia Branch, China). The cell lysate (25ÃŽ ¼L) was used for determination of protein concentration by BCA protein assay. The uptake data are based on the amount of activity added to each well and the total amount of protein in each well. Each experiment was done in triplicate, averaged and was repeated 5 times on different days. The uptake of 18F-FPGLU was assessed on the ATRA-treated or untreated C6 cells, and on EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells or SPC-A-1(NT) control cells. The relative uptake ratios were calculated compared to the control cells. Small-animal PET-CT imaging Small-animal PET-CT imaging studies with tumor-bearing mice were carried out using the Inveon small-animal PET/CT scanner (Siemens). 3.7-7.4 MBq of 18F-FPGLU were injected intravenously in conscious animals via the tail vein. The mice were anesthetized with 5% chloral hydrate solution (6 mL/kg) and were kept warm throughout the procedure. Imaging started with a low-dose CT scan, immediately followed by a PET scan. PET images were acquired at 30, 60, 90, 120 min post-injection. For a comparative study, mice were kept fasting for 4 h and were anesthetized with 5% chloral hydrate solution (6 mL/kg) and imaged with 18F-FDG (3.7 MBq) at 60 min after intravenous injection. The images were reconstructed by two-dimensional ordered-subsets expectation maximum (OSEM). For each small-animal PET scan, ROIs were drawn over the tumor and muscle of the thigh on decay-corrected whole-body coronal images using Inevon Research Workplace 4.1 software. The quantification was performed according the meth ods described previously(Hu et al. 2014). Radioactivity concentration within a tumor or other tissue was converted to MBq/g and then divided by the administered activity to obtain an imaging ROI-derived percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue (% ID/g). Then, the ttumor/muscle (T/M) and tumor/brain (T/B) uptake ratios were calculated, respectively. Immunohistochemistry Expression of EAAC1 was assessed by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded rat brain tissues and C6 xenograft samples. Immunohistochemistry experiments were carried out according to the literature(Wang et al. 2013). Normal rat brain tissues and C6 glioma tissues were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin overnight at room temperature. Tissues were then dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, and cut into 3-ÃŽ ¼m sections. After antigen retrieval, tissue sections were subject to immunohistochemical incubated with antibodies against EAAC1(Abcam), DAB was stained before mounted onto microscope slides. Tissues were analyzed with a Nikon E800M microscope. Statistical analyses Data were expressed as mean+/-SD. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software, version 16.0 (SPSS Inc.), for Windows (Microsoft). Student t test was used to assess differences in the magnitudes of samples from two measurements. A P values of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significant. A scatter plot was drawn with the relative mRNA expression and the relative uptake of 18F-FPGLU in C6 cells treated with ATRA for 24h, 48h, 72h. Spearman correlation analysis and a linear regression analysis was performed between them. Results EAAC1 expression and 18F-FPGLU uptake in C6 cells induced by ATRA The EAAC1 mRNA relative expression levels in ATRA-treated C6 cells assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) are shown by Figure 1A. Compared with the untreated C6 cells, the EAAC1 mRNA relative expression level in ATRA-treated C6 cells treated with ATRA at 10 ÃŽ ¼M for 24, 48 and 72 h was increased to 1.72  ± 0.11à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’3.22  ± 0.22à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’4.0  ± 0.21 times, respectively( Fig. 1A). Meanwhile, the western blotting results also showed that EAAC1 protein expression in ATRA-treated C6 cells was increased gradually(Fig. 1B). Corresponding with the high EAAC1 expression in ATRA-treated C6 cells, 18F-FPGLU uptake was significantly increased to 1.47  ± 0.11à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2.14  ± 0.29à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2.12  ± 0.16 times in C6 cells treated by ATRA for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively(Fig. 1C). There was a high correlation between the relative EAAC1 mRNA expresion and the relative 18F-FPGLU uptake in ATRA treated C6 cells (R = 0.939, Fig. 1D). To summ arize, EAAC1 expression was markedly induced by ATRA in C6 cell lines. As a result, there was more 18F-FPGLU uptake in ATRA-treated C6 cells line which has more EAAC1 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Figure 1 PET imaging on C6 glioma-bearing mice Small-animal PET-CT scan was performed on C6 glioma-bearing nude mice models 1h post-injection of 18F-FPGLU. PET-CT fusion imaging of the mice models demonstrated that 18F-FPGLU could intensely accumulate in C6 glioma (Fig. 2A). The tumor/brain uptake ratio of 18F-FPGLU on C6 glioma-bearing mice was higher than that of 18F-FDG at 1h post-injection of radiotracers(n = 3, P < 0.05, Fig. 2B). However, the tumor/muscle uptake ratio of 18F-FPGLU in C6 glioma-bearing mice was lower than that of 18F-FDG (n = 3, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that widely diffuse EAAC1 transporter staining was shown in C6 glioma, however there was minimal EAAC1 staining in normal rat brain write matter tissue (Fig. 2C). Figure 2 EAAC1 expression and 18F-FPGLU uptake in EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells The influence of EAAC1 expression on 18F-FPGLU uptake was specifically investigated using RNA interference-mediated EAAC1 knock-down SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Lentivirally delivered shRNA significantly reduced EAAC1 mRNA expression in SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells, as compared to the non-targeted (NT) shRNA control cells (SPC-A-1(NT) cells), EAAC1 shRNA reduced EAAC1 mRNA expression by 72% in SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells (P < 0.01) (Fig. 3A). At the protein expression level, EAAC1 shRNA significantly decreased EAAC1 expression in SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells by 59.6% (P < 0.01) (Fig. 3B). Knock-down of EAAC1 expression was associated with a significantly lower 18F-FPGLU uptake by 36% in SPC-A-1(shRNA) cells (P

Dianne Williams Stepps The Filbert Orchard portrays a uniquely Essays

Dianne Williams Stepp's The Filbert Orchard portrays a uniquely haunting experience. Dianne Williams Stepp's "The Filbert Orchard" portrays a uniquely haunting experience. The poem blaintly attempts to draw the reader in through its critical lense and perspective. Stepp's usage of many carefully connected literary devices creates a distinctive tone, effect, and message that exposes the tragedy behind southern ideology and values during the civil war. The success of "The Filbert Orchard" can then be traced to its tight construction and use of historical references portrayed through literary detail. Stepp's choice of both imagery and metaphor comprise the poems strength in terms of its overall effect and message. Stepp utilizes imagery as a means of developing her message about southern ideology. This can be seen at various points in the poem where emotions, sights, sounds, objects, places, and figures are all being used to demonstrate the purposely behind a lost generation. In that they are continuing to fight even though family and friends may be on either sides. The author is thus indirectly questioning the ethical and moral nature of the south portrayed through her obvious literary judgments: "the way they staggered in rows down the hill. In spring they sprouted sparse flags waved them foolishly at the jays." (Stepp, lines 4-7) In this example Stepp vividly uses the description of a tree for representation of the lost generations pride. Their pride in the sense of fighting a war that seems not worth fighting for both because of the scarcity of men and their inescapable death. Stepp also accomplishes her message through metaphorical comparisons, which aid in expressing the south's futility: "A compa... ... of a story. The ending changes that perspective and shifts the major themes of loss and disullisionment towards a more local individual level The close attention given to literary elements ultimately enables "The Filbert Orchard" to achieve an extreme level of insight into the southern identity and culture during the civil war. Through its exploration of southern values translated into a vivid storyline the reader is blown away by its short profound thematic integration. The poem is aided by its progressive literal development from appealing to the general society to the localized individual. The journey becomes compounded with introspection because of its ornate literary devices. PS MS KASTE: Did you choose this poem because of your interest in Faulkner and its relatable themes? What is your connection or fascination with literature about the south?

sigmund freud :: essays research papers

SIGMUND FREUD 1856 - 1939 Freud's story, like most people's stories, begins with others. In his case those others were his mentor and friend, Dr. Joseph Breuer, and Breuer's patient, called Anna O. Anna O. was Joseph Breuer's patient from 1880 through 1882. Twenty one years old, Anna spent most of her time nursing her ailing father. She developed a bad cough that proved to have no physical basis. She developed some speech difficulties, then became mute, and then began speaking only in English, rather than her usual German. When her father died she began to refuse food, and developed an unusual set of problems. She lost the feeling in her hands and feet, developed some paralysis, and began to have involuntary spasms. She also had visual hallucinations and tunnel vision. But when specialists were consulted, no physical causes for these problems could be found. If all this weren't enough, she had fairy-tale fantasies, dramatic mood swings, and made several suicide attempts. Breuer's diagnosis was that she was suffering from what was then called hysteria (now called conversion disorder), which meant she had symptoms that appeared to be physical, but were not. In the evenings, Anna would sink into states of what Breuer called "spontaneous hypnosis," or what Anna herself called "clouds." Breuer found that, during these trance-like states, she could explain her day-time fantasies and other experiences, and she felt better afterwards. Anna called these episodes "chimney sweeping" and "the talking cure." Sometimes during "chimney sweeping," some emotional event was recalled that gave meaning to some particular symptom. The first example came soon after she had refused to drink for a while: She recalled seeing a woman drink from a glass that a dog had just drunk from. While recalling this, she experienced strong feelings of disgust...and then had a drink of water! In other words, her symptom -- an avoidance of water -- disappeared as soon as she remembered its root event, and experienced the strong emotion that would be appropriate to that event. Breuer called this catharsis, from the Greek word for cleansing. It was eleven years later that Breuer and his assistant, Sigmund Freud, wrote a book on hysteria. In it they explained their theory: Every hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience, one that cannot be integrated into the person's understanding of the world. The emotions appropriate to the trauma are not expressed in any direct fashion, but do not simply evaporate: They express themselves in behaviors that in a weak, vague way offer a response to the trauma.