Da Vinci A Man Of Science - 1608 Words

Leonardo Da Vinci was a man well known for his amazing artwork but not many know that he was also a man of science. Da Vinci was not just an artist he was also an architect, inventor, a naturalist, geologist, an engineer, and an anatomist. He was given the name â€Å"Renaissance man† because of his intellect. Da Vinci was born in Anchiano, Tuscany (which today is known as Italy) on April 15, 1452 until his death on May 2, 1519. When Da Vinci was young his parents were never married to one another. His mother, Caterina Da Vinci was a pheasant while his father, Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci was an attorney and notary. He was the only child the two had together. In Da Vinci’s early career he was never given the proper basic education so by†¦show more content†¦Paintings he made were very precise in detail because he took great pride into getting the landscapes, rocks, etc. to look just right so he never wanted to miss anything. Da Vinci thought that the most powerful force in nature was the movement of water, especially rivers. To Da Vinci, water is a very significant resource that has sculpted landscapes to create its astonishing features over long periods of time (Jones, 2011). He went walking out atop the appellation mountains and what he saw made him surprised because he saw complete beauty in the geographical detail. And that wasn’t all that captured his attention up on the mountains; so did the remains of fossilized prehistoric sea creatures (Birx, n.d.). Fossils caught the attention of Da Vinci because when he first witnessed them he wondered how it was possible for forces on earth to be able to create such a rock. He then realized that what these rocks contained were actually once living organisms that used to swim in the prehistoric sea. Confirmation of this discovery came from one of his secret journals called the Codex Leicester in which he wrote in, between 1504 and 1510. Da Vinci figured out the truth behind fossils due to the fact that the body of the fossil showed evidence of the organisms’ activity. What he did to prove his finding was to use what he already knew about living animals and plug them in to confirm what he learned or was learning about fossils. The

The Origins Of Jazz Into Hiphop - 940 Words

This semester we have learned about various artists that come from different genres. Learning about the Origins of Jazz into Hiphop was interesting. There are a lot of similarities between many of the artists back then with the artists of this time period. It was interesting learning about how much the music related to the social causes happening around certain time periods. It is almost as if music became a problem free zone for musicians of that time; it was an escape. Of the various artists there are three that come to my mind when I think about their influence to their time period as well as their influences to future times periods. These artist included, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley was an important Rock and Roll artist of his time period. He was known for being a rebel and supposedly causing white people to rebel as blacks did. Rock and Roll itself was known as the rebel’s music. It was a controversial genre that wired up young Americans. R egardless of the artist, Rock and Roll was thought of being the reason why the youth was being corrupted. Critics would try to sensor the music, but failed. By the late 1960s, rock music was the accepted musical vocabulary of young people world wide. Rock and Roll gave shape to the cultural movements going on around the world. In the United States, rock and roll music could no longer ignore social conditions. Artists had to start contributing to the events going on around them as part of theirShow MoreRelatedRap : The Flow Of A Disputed Artform3070 Words   |  13 Pagespassion. Coarse opinions, such as Princeton University Professor Henry van Dyke’s, were common when jazz music initially received a reputation as being immoral with many members of the older generations viewed it as threatening old values in culture and promoting the new decadent values of the â€Å"Roaring 20s.† Eventually though, through informed discussion and appreciation for it’s innovativ e qualities, jazz became recognized as indispensable and one of the most definitive styles of American music. HistoryRead MoreA Brief Note On Hip Rap Culture And Hip Hop1862 Words   |  8 Pageseveryone, and I think that this movement of Hip Hop has begun and is still occurring. I chose to do this research topic for my final project out of sheer curiosity and interest in the subject. I do love all of the multi-faceted aspects of Hip Hop. The origin, the art, culture, the people, all of it. However, I did feel like I was missing out on the facts, history, and even the education, some might say, I was highly interested in learning more about the culture of Hip Hop, and was greatly excited whenRead MoreGloablization4764 Words   |  20 Pagesmechanical sound effects (cutting and scratching on turntables), DJing (the disc jockey), MCing (the microphone controller or master of ceremonies), and the language (i.e., Yo, HipHop, a way of life, holla’—Peace). Hip-Hop is an extension of the African American culture that includes for instance, the Harlem Renaissance and its music, jazz, which also had fresh â€Å"forward thinking forms of literature, art and music† that represented expressions and experiences of African Americans (Ayazi-Hashjin 19 99). Hip-HopRead MoreBrazil Culture17445 Words   |  70 Pages†¢ 0.4% Indian †¢ 0.7% unspecified POLITICS Before we look at Brasil’s politics nowadays, we want to search the history of Brazil’s politics. Throughout its history, Brazil has struggled to build a democratic and egalitarian society, despite its origins as a plantation colony and the strong influence of slavery. In 1889, Marshall Deodoro da Fonseca declared the republic. Until 1930, Brazilian republic was formally a democracy, although the power was concentrated in the hands of powerful land owners

Winston’s True Love for Julia Persuasion Free Essays

Love is a word that can have multiple meanings. You can love someone for who they are, because of how they act, or maybe even you love the idea of love and rebellion which may include someone special. â€Å"1984† depicts this idea of love between Winston and Julia in a manner that changes people’s viewpoints. We will write a custom essay sample on Winston’s True Love for Julia Persuasion or any similar topic only for you Order Now The factors that determine whether Julia and Winston love each other include the idea of love that keeps them together, the physical attraction between them, and the emotional relationship they create.You can determine whether the love that Winston and Julia share is actually true love or is it just the ideas that one loves about another. â€Å"His heart leapt. Scores of times she had done it; he wished it had been hundreds-thousands. Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope. † (p. 125). This quote proves that Winston loves the fact that she has had sexual intercourses with scores of Party members, proving the corruption in the Party itself. But nowhere in the novel does it mention Winston loving Julia, but it mentions what Winston loves about her: her hair, eyes, characteristics, sexual intercourses, etc. This idea also intertwines with the concept of love and physical attraction. Physical attraction is one of the ideas and human characteristics that the Party is trying to eliminate. Any signs of physical attraction to another member or Prole can result in becoming an â€Å"unperson†. He thought of her naked, youthful body, as he had seen in his dream. He had imagined her a fool like all the rest of them, her head stuffed with lies and hatred, her belly full of ice. A kind of fever seized him at the thought that he might lose her, the white youthful body might slip away from him! † (p. 109-110). This quote proves that Winston indeed has a physical attraction to Julia, but not because he loves her, but because he wants to prove a point against the Party without them actually knowing. By stating that she is â€Å"a fool like all the rest of them, her head stuffed with lies and hatred, her bell full of ice†, Winston attempts to mock the Party by presenting a case where he has attracted a devoted Party member and therefore broken their stronghold. But as later seen in the novel, physical attraction may not only be the main idea behind the ‘love’ Winston has for Julia. Emotional attraction is one of the major connections between Winston and Julia and it affects the overall purpose of the novel. â€Å"He had never before seen or imagined a woman of the Party with cosmetics on her face. The improvements in her appearance were startling. † (p. 142). Although this quote does not directly portray an emotional connection between the two Party members, the physical changes are the ones that attract Winston more emotionally to Julia. He is already connected to Julia in a manner which involves her body, her ideas and her methods of rebellion. Emotionally though, Winston sees that she is more than just an idea outside Party views, but a person with emotions and feelings. Winston is able to see this clearly during this scene. All of these different connections allow readers to analyze whether the there is a true love between Winston and Julia or is it just a love about being an individual in a society which commands all inhabitants to be the same? The idea of love, the physical attraction and emotional connection assist readers in deciding whether or not Winston and Julia are truly in love. Each and all have arguments for and against the point but whether there is truly a love attraction between the two has, and always will, stay as a thought in the readers’ mind. The true answer to this question will always remain with the author of the award-winning novel. How to cite Winston’s True Love for Julia Persuasion, Essay examples

Ethical Communication For Business for Teamwork- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEthical Communication For Business for Reviewing Teamwork. Answer: Introduction The exchange of ideas, information and knowledge between two parties for a common objective can be considered as process of communication. The communication process plays a crucial role in an organizational structure. The communication process is a mechanism which is a two-way process executed for exchanging of relevant information. This approach is a specialized segment which forms an integral part of all the operations and functionalities in the business organization. This process involves transformation of data from one level to another level within the hierarchy of the business entity. The data or the concerned information is transferred internally and externally for executing number of transactions and operations. The communication process is considered as very much liable in attainment of the organizational goals and targets. The process comprises of the exchange of relevant data by making use of varied range of tools and methodologies and that to in an ethical manner. Ethical communication is concerned with the communication process which is judged on the morals and values utilized during the process. The process of communication should be executed by making use of ethical considerations. An ethical communication process defines the brand equity and goodwill of the firm. In case of communication with the clients there should be a high level of transparency for the information shared (Galegher, Kraut and Egido, 2014). This transparency will be proven beneficial for the business organization as it will develop a feeling of trust among the clients and the consumers which will enhance the brand loyalty and brand equity. The below executed essay has been focused on the process of ethical communication. The further report comprises of the different aspects of communication process and the factor s which are relevant to be considered in the methodology. Reviewing teamwork According to the research conducted on the below mentioned concepts it has been observed by Kokemuller (2017) that the methodology in which collaboration is the most essential component for execution of operations and functionalities can be termed as teamwork. This approach leads to delivery of high level of efficiency and effectiveness and also a hike will be observed in the productivity level (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Teams are the groups of individuals with complementary capabilities for the execution of a common purpose and are also considered as liable for the attainments. The team mates are assigned tasks which are required to be performed by them on individual and also on team basis. The team mates are held responsible for the outcomes whether it is positive or negative. The individuals are trained to work together in a co-ordinated and supportive manner for the accomplishment of the desired goals and targets. The productivity and the effectiveness of the task is the extent t o which the team has been proven successful in achieving its pre-determined objectives. Team performance is the level of the outcomes which has been attained by the mutual and coordinated working and execution of the operations. A team has been considered as the system which comprise of a group which is also a dynamic system of interrelationships between the individuals which are connected for a common purpose. Team exists to produce desired outcomes and the extent of the effectiveness of the results will be termed as the team performance. There are varied range of information which is required to be transmitted from one level or hierarchy to another. For transferring the data and ideas the individuals are required to adopt a communication process which can be termed ass the process of team communication (Grunig, 2013). Team communication is the interaction which is executed between the team members. Effective team communication is the core ingredient for a group for attainment of a high performance level. Moreover, effective communication has been considered as the key to the high level of performance and productivity. When each team mate in the team starts understanding the role, listens to the instructions offers and updates in an appropriate manner and also gives the progress reports to the leaders. Then the team leads will be more aware about the progress and what more need to be done for further improvements. Team communication leads to a number of benefits for the business corporation such as high engagement of the among the team mates which will lead to an increase in the motivation level of the employees and which will make them more happier and an increase in their productivity level will be observed. On the basis of the research conducted by Intuits Quick Base high engagement is one of the biggest factor for high energy level in the team mates and also commitment for grabbing new and upcoming opportunities. Moreover, there are some negative aspects also of this concept .i.e. team communication, such as there are chances of rising conflicts among the team mates (DesJardins and McCall, 2014). There are differences in the ideas and thoughts of each team member and which can be considered as one of the biggest factor for rise in the conflicts and issues among the team mates. Communication and team work On the basis of the survey executed by McDuffee (2014) it has been analyzed that the approach of communication has been considered as one of the most effective component which effects teamwork in the positive as well as negative terms. The quality and quantity of the communication process within a team stimulates the team work. For bringing enhancements in the team work and performance level initiatives are required to be taken by each and every team mate. Inactiveness in the working of the team will be proven disadvantageous and the work will be at stake (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014). The below determined are some of the characters which are required to be possessed by the team mates for conducting effective communication process and which will enhance team work: Listen: A good speaker is a good listener Noticing more leads to learn more effective communications techniques. It has been considered as very much significant for any of the communication process to start and end the process with listening. A set of good listening capabilities will aid the team mates to get involved in the in the communication process that too with an ease (Casmir, 2013). No interruption should be caused or talking over the people should occur. This may lead to leave the feeling of other people unheard and which may develop phenomenal misunderstanding. Say what you mean: You should be clear about what you are conveying or trying to say. Effective means and mediums should be used for conveying and communicating the messages. The words should be clear and appropriate language should be used which will make the process of communication more effective and in-turn will lead to an enhancement in the team work. Mixed messages should be avoided, as they will consume time and will be quite difficult to understand (Mannheimer et al., 2016). This will lead to development of inefficiency in the communication process and a decline in the team work and performance will be observed. Merriam Webster (2016) has stated that Communicate to convey knowledge of or information about make known to reveal by clear signs. A good communication process has been considered as the key to the teamwork. Moreover practice of some additional tactics within the conversations such as speaking slow will be proven beneficial and should not have hurry to speak or respo nd quickly and the words and the language should be clear etc. All this leads to an increase in the performance level and productivity of the team (Kreps, 2017). This shows a deep connectivity between the communication process and team work. As more efficient will be the communication process more will be the effectiveness and high will be the performance of the team. Link between team work, communication and ethics On the basis of the survey conducted by Hassall (2009) it has been stated that the process of communication has been recognized as the team process factor can be considered as one of the focal point for any of the business organization. The author has also presented equivocal evidence for the role which is contributed by the communication in the performance of the team. According to the author there is a strong link between the communication process and the team performance which can be measures and dictated by the outcomes of the teaks performed. Working together is always proven beneficial for the completion off the tasks (Crane and Matten, 2016). Effective communication also leads to a decline or elimination of the stress and the negative feelings. These negative aspects will surely affect the team performance and productivity (Condei et al., 2014). There is an inverse relation between the concepts of communication and team performance. As for having an effective communication met hodology within the organization the individuals are required to get involved in active listening, should have a clear understanding about the goals. Active listening has been considered as the most effective character of the communication process. Active listening involves, note making, asking relevant questions and also repeating what the other person is saying. This all will lead the team mates to bring an increase in the performance and productivity. This all dictates the link between the communication process and the team performance. Ethics also have a strong relation with the process of communication and team performance. The team mates are required to conduct the communication process in an ethical manner (Trevino and Nelson, 2016). This should be considered as the basic requirement and also the top priority. Ethical conducting of the operations and functionalities presents a positive image of the business corporation and which will be proven beneficial on various grounds. E thical conduct determines that the operations and functionalities are executed correctly (Hartman, DesJardins and MacDonald, 2014). And same is with the communication process. For developing the performance and productivity on true grounds the communication process should be conducted ethically. The ethical communication invoices exchange and sharing of correct and relevant information between the team mates. Ethical communication if conducted will lead in the development of a feeling of trust among the team members and will also increase the understanding level. Better understanding level and a sense of coordination will tend the members to bring an enhancement in the effectiveness in the productivity. This shows that there is a strong link between ethics, communication and team performance (Weiss, 2014). Moreover, ethical considerations also aids the entity in development of the of positive image, goodwill and an increase in the market share will be observed. Conclusion In the limelight of the above summarized essay it has been concluded that the term communication has been considered as one of the significant approach. This methodology has been considered as one of the integral part of each and every organizational process as it is the medium which is utilized by the each and every department and hierarchy within the organizational structure. Communication methodologies facilitate the transferring of the data and information within the different level of the entity. The above executed report has been analyzed on the various concepts which are linked with the concept of communication. The first part comprises of the description of the key terms such as the team work, team communication and team performance and effectiveness. A relationship of these terms has been described within this report. All these mentioned key terms form an empirical part of the communication process. The next part of the review involves the identification and description of t he communication process which is linked to the team performance and effectiveness of the same. Furthermore, the a link between all three concepts together has been determined and that are the ethics, communication and the team work. References Casmir, F.L. ed., 2013.Ethics in intercultural and international communication. Routledge. CONDEI, R., NICULAE, I., ?TEFAN, P. and POPESCU, A., 2014. Ethics and communication in management.ETHICS,14(3). Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016.Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press. DesJardins, J.R. and McCall, J.J., 2014.Contemporary issues in business ethics. Cengage Learning. Galegher, J., Kraut, R.E. and Egido, C., 2014.Intellectual teamwork: Social and technological foundations of cooperative work. Psychology Press. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Grunig, J.E. ed., 2013.Excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge. Hartman, L.P., DesJardins, J.R. and MacDonald, C., 2014.Business ethics: Decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility. New York: McGraw-Hill. Kokemuller, 2017, What is team communication, Assessed on 25th October 2017, https://bizfluent.com/about-5340885-team-communication.html. Kreps, D.G.P., 2017. Corporations and professionalism: awkward bed-fellows?.Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society. Mannheimer, S., Mannheimer, S., Young, S.W., Young, S.W., Rossmann, D. and Rossmann, D., 2016. On the ethics of social network research in libraries.Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society,14(2), pp.139-151. McDuffee, S, 2014, Learn how to communicate effectively to improve teamwork, Assessed on 25th October 2017, https://www.teambonding.com/how-communicate-effectively-improve-teamwork/. motivated-minds, 2017, Team performance, Assessed on 25th October 2017, https://www.motivated-minds.com/services/team_performance.php. Shockley-Zalabak, P., 2014.Fundamentals of organizational communication. Pearson. Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016.Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley Sons. Weiss, J.W., 2014.Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

A Comparative Analysis of Community-Based Tourism in Uganda and Kenya The WritePass Journal

A Comparative Analysis of Community-Based Tourism in Uganda and Kenya 1. Introduction A Comparative Analysis of Community-Based Tourism in Uganda and Kenya ). The concept brought together issues of sustainability, local empowerment and self-reliance. CBT has come about due to the desire for a more inclusive approach to planning that incorporates local values (Koster 2007). The concept of CBT has suffered from competing and ill-thought-out definitions. For example, Suansri (2003) and Ramsa Mohd (2004) view CBT as a tourism venture wholly managed by the local communities. On the other hand, Scheyvens (2002) and Mearns (2003) are inclined to see it as involving a degree of participation or partnership with other stakeholders playing a part. Perhaps the problem with defining the concept can be attributed to the fact that CBT may mean different things to different people. Despite debate over meanings, the CBT framework used in this paper is that initiated, planned, controlled, owned and managed by the local people with the aim of meeting the needs of the entire community. Private enterprises at the micro-level can be considered as part of the definition if the focus is on communal well-being rather than individual profit. The benefits should accrue to the local community and CBT should respect and preserve local culture. 2. Background to Tourism in Kenya and Uganda: Demographics, History, Socio-Economic Considerations and Environmental Sustainability Tourism plays an important role in Kenya, accounting for 10% of GDP and 9% of employment. It is also increasingly profitable with a 17.9% rise in earnings from the sector between 2009 and 2010 (Ndivo et al 2012). Amongst African countries, Kenya is currently ranked 5th for international tourist visits, with approximately 1.5 million international tourists in 2008 (Bunyere et al. 2009). Because it has the potential to generate employment and prosperity, it has been given an increasingly important role in national socio-economic agendas, with a number of key policies and strategies created including the National Tourism Master Plan (Ministry of Tourism Kenya 2009), Tourism Policy (Government of Kenya 2010) and Tourism Bill 2005 (Ndivo et al 2012). Although there is potential to develop tourism around the country, historically interest has centred on the beaches of the south coast, national parks and game reserves (Ndivo et al 2012). According to a survey conducted by the EU, 63% of EU visitors in Kenya chose coastal areas as their tourist destination (Kibicho 2004). Wildlife is also a popular attraction, with70% of the tourism earnings in Kenya coming from wildlife-based tourism (Bunyere et al, 2009). Given the critical importance of the tourism sector in Kenya, it is extremely vital to protect and conserve these significant resources. Indeed, conservation policies and collaborative schemes have been already been put in place. There is a large area of protected land, and 10% of Kenya’s land has been designated as national park and game reserve land (Akama et al., 2011). Critical biodiversity areas and the rich cultural coastal region form the flourishing tourism sector in Kenya. Although measures to protect Kenya’s ecology have been put in place, there are concerns over sustainability, and the country continues to experience accelerated decline and destruction of critical biodiversity areas. There has been a decline in wildlife population in national parks and game reserves at rates similar to non-protected areas, indicating the states inability to protect critical biodiversity (Akama et al., 2011). Moreover, coastal tourism which has for decades dominated has experienced a rapid decline in the recent years owing to the tribal clashes that have erupted (Cheung 2012). Kenyas coastal tourism industry experienced a period of unprecedented dismal performance with 56% of the hotels closing in 2008 (Akama et al., 2011). Although much of the violence that occurred was tribal in nature, findings indicate that lack of community participation and involvement in tourism activities in the coast was a major factor contributing to these ethnic clashes. Had the local communities been involved in the tourism activities, such ethnic flare-ups would have been averted. The ethnic flare-ups, land use conflict between local communities and wildlife managers, threats of extinction of species and the apparent inability of the state to protect critical biodiversity areas have led to a new realization of the importance of community based tourism in Kenya (Korir et al 2013). Considerable effort has now been made to provide support to CBT enterprises including donor funding. Further, a framework that gives impetus to successful and sustainable operations of CBT ventures has been linked into the overall national policy (Akama et al. 2011). History of Ugandan tourism sector and socio-economic contributions Tourism also has a role to play in the Ugandan economy. Similar to Kenya, main tourist products in Uganda are nature-based and are linked to wildlife game reserves, forest reserves and national parks. Other attractions include cultural heritage, community development, eco-tourism and faith-based tourism (Paul, 2004). The importance of involving the local communities in tourism activities is also evident in Uganda. Conflicts between the locals and the government have largely been due to their lack of involvement in planning and development activities. For example, after the establishment of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1992, conflicts arose between the locals and the park. The conflicts that led to the burning up of 5% of the park by the local community was evidence enough that the park would not be protected without consent and local support (Mujuni et al. 2003). A collaborative management plan was however set up which promoted participation of the locals in park management and revenue sharing. As a result, conflict ended and the locals committed themselves to protecting and preserving the park. The experience showed the importance of local community involvement in tourism activities. Uganda used to be a key leader in tourism in the past. In the early, 1960s Uganda used to be the main tourism destination in East Africa(Frederic, 2011). However, the unprecedented turmoil of the 1970s and early 80s led to a decline in the tourism industry (Paul, 2004). As a result, Uganda lost its position as a top tourist destination in East Africa to Kenya. However, the government that took over in the mid 80s restored peace and stability (frederic, 2011). Since then, the sector has been steadily increasing despite lagging behind Kenya in terms of its contribution to GDP. Unlike in Kenya where tourism contributes around 10% of the GDP, Ugandan tourism industry is estimated to contribute 4% of the total GDP(Snchez-Caà ±izares, 2013). Nonetheless, there has been an increasing trend in tourism with the number of international tourist visits increasing from 468,000 in 2005 to over 940,000 in 2010 (Paul, 2004). Given that both countries are still developing, it is worthwhile to examine some of the similarities and differences between the two countries. Comparative analysis of community based tourism between Kenya and Uganda Similarities Socio-economic impact The two countries share certain things in common starting with the embracement and recognition of community based tourism as an important tool for reducing poverty. Both countries have embraced and given emphasis to development of community based tourism as an important tool for poverty reduction (Snchez-Caà ±izares, 2013). There are several community based tourism projects in both Kenya and Uganda. Some of the popular community based tourism projects in Kenya are: the Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary, Mwaluganje, Sera Conservancy and Kalacha Bandas in Marsabit among many other(Tang, 2013) Similarly, Ugandan ministry of tourism has laid emphasis on the importance of community based tourism in the country. The idea of community based conservation has become the focus of the industry. Perhaps this has been driven by the recognition of the benefits of involving the local community in tourism development including: poverty reduction, decline in conflicts with the ministry over land used and reduced poaching activities (frederic, 2011) Some of the successful community based projects in Uganda include Lake Nkuruba Nature Sanctuary, Buhoma Community Restcamp, Mgahinga Community Campground, Busingiro and Kaniyo Pabidi community project, Ruboni Community Campground and Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary(Zeppel, 2006). Participation of the locals in these projects is high. For example, in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, the local people are involved in community-guided walks and bird watching tours (Zeppel 2006). Both countries seem to be embracing community tourism as an important tool for reducing poverty. Another similarity can be seen with the funding of these projects. Most of these projects are donor funded. Kenya is heavily reliant on donor funding. In fact, almost 100% of community based tourism development activities in Kenya is donor funded. For example, funds from USAID and World Bank were used to set up an electric fence around the Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary (Jonathan et al. 2013). Mwaluganje, another community based tourism development activity, was established through donor funding. Sera Conservancy that was formed to empower the local Samburu communities in Kenya was established with funds from USAID. The EU has also played a major role in funding community based tourism development in Kenya. In 2000, a massive grant of 5.5 million Euros was released by the EU which saw the establishment of 16 community based tourism developments in Kenya (Ruhiu 2007). Other key players funding CBT in Kenya include international bodies such as the UNDP, conservation based NGOs such as AWF, Pact Kenya and WWF; and national agencies such as Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI) (Jonathan et al. 2013). It is clear that donor funding has played a major role in the development of community based tourism in Kenya. The governments role has merely been the provision of an enabling environment such as security, programme coordination and policy formulation (Ruhiu 2007). Similarly, Community Based Tourism Enterprises (CBTEs) in Uganda rely predominantly on donor funding. The Mgahinga Bwindi community project was established with funds from the World BANK (Mujuni et al. 2003). Moreover, the two major associations Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA) and (NACOBTA) in charge of promoting community based tourism in Uganda by providing loans and training to the local communities are predominantly donor funded. NACOBTA is 99% donor funded whereas UCOTA is 44.8% donor funded (Elisa et al., 2001) UCOTA empowers the local Ugandan communities to improve their livelihood through participating in sustainable tourism development activities. The association helps the local communities by aiding in the sale of handcrafts, providing accommodation, and tour guiding. Furthermore, both countries have witnessed improved livelihoods due to community based tourism activities. For example, the Mgahinga Bwindi Community Project in Uganda has improved the livelihoods of the locals living around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Many of the local population living nearby have been employed as park rangers and porters (labourers). The community has also benefited through improved infrastructure including roads, education and health facilities. About 60% of the Mgahinga Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Conservation Trust has been devoted towards development of local community projects (Adams Infield 2013). The local communities in Kenya have also benefited from employment and improved livelihoods. The locals living near Mwaluganje, Sera Conservancy and Kalacha Bandas in Marsabit have benefited from schools, clinics and boreholes which have been built by these projects (Ruhiu 2007). Further, pro-poor tourism have assisted women with bead making through provision of platform for selling their products. Whilst these benefits are encouraging, participation of the locals in both countries is still far from enough. Although some of the locals have managed to secure jobs and improve their livelihoods, most of them are paid low salaries, an equivalent of 30 pounds per month (Ruhiu 2007). This certainly doesnt really improve their livelihood that much. In fact, critics have argued that community based tourism and tourism in general should not necessarily be relied on as a tool for poverty alleviation. According to them, tourism does not compete well with sectors such as agriculture which have higher potential of reducing poverty. Environment impact Also, community based tourism in both countries have led to positive impacts on the environment. For example, in Uganda, KAFRED has created awareness among the local communities bordering wetlands about the importance of protecting and preserving the environment (Adams Infield 2013). This has led to a reduction in encroachment and eucalyptus planting in the wetlands. Further programs such as the National Wetlands Program and Semliki conservation project which have risen from CBT activities have established village by-laws governing the use of wetlands (Adams Infield 2013). Environmental education has played a role in ensuring sustainability of tourism. Similarly, in Kenya, involvement of the local people in tourism activities has led to reduction in wildlife poaching and destruction of forests. Community wildlife and conservation ventures in Kenya have played a major role towards protecting the environment and preserving wildlife (Jonathan et al. 2013). Environment degradation has reduced and conservation measures strengthened with the help of the locals who are employed as park ranges and porters. Community based tourism and eco-tourism have led the way towards responsible travel with important environmental benefits. Differences Having highlighted the similarities, it is important to identify some of the differences in community based tourism between the two countries. One particular difference relates to the extent to which community based tourism is promoted. CBT in Uganda is only limited to areas within or along the forest reserves and national parks. Almost all of the community projects are within or along the forest reserves and national parks. For example, the Buhoma Community Restcamp is within the impenetrable Bwindi Forest national park. The Mgahinga Community Campground project lies next to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Zeppel 2006). Others including the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, Busingiro and Kaniyo community project and the Ruboni community campground are located along or near national parks and forest reserves (Zeppel 2006). Community based tourism activities in Uganda continue to be limited to areas lying within or along the national parks and forest reserves. This has been echoed by Industry operators who have highlighted ‘limited efforts to promoting community tourism at the national level’ as one of the main concern of tourism development in Uganda. In stark contrast, community based tourism is promoted at the national level as evident with the opening up of new areas of possibility such as sports tourism, eco tourism, adventure safaris, horse and camel safaris, walk tours, and cultural tourism among many others (Cobb 2006). Further, programs such as the Enterprise Development Program have been implemented across the country to build the local capacity and integrate communities into tourism development activities. Such programs ensure the mobilization of the community through seminars, debates, regional workshops and participatory trainings (Ruhiu 2007). Further the local communities are provided advisory services on product development and market access which helps strengthen growth of their enterprises (Cobb 2006). This has been driven by the realization of the potential of community based tourism to reduce poverty, and multiplier effects of the tourism sector as a whole in driving the economy. Perhaps another difference that can be pointed between CBT in Kenya and Uganda relates to the coastal attraction. While community based ecotourism ventures along the coastal region form the flourishing tourism sector in Kenya, Uganda being a landlocked country does not have any coastal attractions (Mulinda Wilbert 2009). Coastal attraction features provides Kenya with an edge over Uganda(Wilbert, 2009). Beaches, sun-basking, the aquatic life at the coast and rich culture that includes performances, dances and the contemporary ways of living of the coastal people make it a popular tourist destination. Another difference is related to the marketing and promotion of CBT activities. Unlike Uganda, Kenya has invested more in marketing and promotion of tourism activities. For example, last year, Kenya budgeted $34 million dollars for tourism promotion and marketing. This is in stark contrast with Ugandas budget of only $90,000 (UIA 2014). While this may be seen as impacting on development in the overall sector, community based enterprises are also affected in terms of the number of visits and revenues generated from sale of products. Uganda’s funding of the sector remains very low despite the potential of becoming a multi-billion sector. The slow pace of tourism in Uganda can be attributed to the lack of identity at the international level. While Kenya has promoted their visibility at the international level, Uganda is still lagging behind in terms of investing fully in promotion of tourism. While CBT in Kenya has grown much faster than Uganda, it has not developed as expected owing to many factors including in adequate funds for marketing and promoting tourism, transparency and governance issues, lack of marketing skills and absence of a system for ensuring equitable sharing of the opportunities and benefits accruing from tourism activities. For example, while Kenyas budget for promotion of tourism may be $34 million, the Kenya Tourism Board receives only $6 million. Further, funding remains a major problem in both Kenya and Uganda. Given that these countries are still developing, there are very limited financial resources for supporting CBTEs. Even when these finances are incorporated in government budgets, they are often inadequate to support CBT developments (Ruhiu, 2007). As a result, community based tourism has often relied on foreign investment which may lead to the rise of neo-colonial structures discussed above as foreign investors seek control of tourism resources. Whereas Kenya may be ahead of Uganda in terms of pro-tourism development, it is still far from being developed as it is still prone to failures resulting from limited funding, poor infrastructure development, lack of formal education, political influences and inadequate representation of the locals. CBT in Kenya still remains very low with lack of local representation in the workforce. While the industry may boast of over 500,000 jobs, the employment opportunities remain inequitably distributed (Cheung 2012). Most of the local communities are missing out on employment opportunities as these are being taken over by the outside workforce. According to a survey conducted by Bruyere et al. (2009), 64% of the local community members found the employment opportunities to be insufficient. Kenyas community based approach to tourism development is still largely skewed to the interest of tourism (hotels, hospitality and service) with limited representation of the locals. There are also political considerations to take into account. For example, a neo-colonial structure has emerged within the industry as some foreign investors seek control of tourism resources. (Cheung 2012). This has resulted in social and political disempowerment of the locals as neo-colonial structures have made it increasingly difficult for them to participate in the planning and decision making process. Although there exist more opportunities for local entrepreneurs to invest in the industry compared to Uganda especially given the ongoing development agenda that encourages of the growth SMEs, a divide of power continues to disengage and disempower the local communities. The majority of Kenyans continue to live below the poverty line with the highest incidence of poverty occurring in tourist destination areas. 5. Conclusion The above has looked at the notion of CBT with particular reference to the situation in Kenya and Uganda. From the analysis, both countries seem to share certain commonalities and differences as well. For example, community based tourism is embraced in both countries and recognized as an important tool for reducing poverty. Also, both countries are heavily reliant on donor funding. Moreover, the locals in both countries have experienced improvement in their livelihoods through employment opportunities, and access to school and health facilities. Further, Pro-poor tourism has assisted women with bead making through provision of platform for selling products. Both countries have also seen improvement in their environments which has resulted due to community development projects and conservation ventures. In Uganda, programs such as the National Wetlands Program and Semliki conservation project have established village by-laws governing the use of wetlands. Community wildlife and conservation ventures in Kenya have played a major role towards protecting the environment and preserving wildlife. There are also sharp differences in CBT developments in both countries. For example, community based tourism activities in Uganda are limited to areas lying within or along the national parks and forest reserves. In stark contrast, community based tourism in Kenya is promoted at the national level as evident with the opening up of new areas of possibility such as sports tourism, eco tourism, adventure safaris, horse and camel safaris, walk tours, and cultural tourism. Another difference is that Uganda being a landlocked country does not have coastal attractions. On the other hand, beaches, sun-basking, the aquatic life at the Kenyan coast and rich culture that includes performances, dances and the contemporary ways of living of the coastal people make it a popular tourist destination. Additionally, Kenya has invested more in marketing and promotion of tourism activities compared to Uganda. While Kenya has promoted their visibility at the international level, Uganda is still lagging behind in terms of investing fully in promotion of tourism. While CBT in Kenya has grown much faster than Uganda, it has not developed as expected owing to many factors including in adequate funds for marketing and promoting tourism, transparency and governance issues, lack of marketing skills and absence of a system for ensuring equitable sharing of the opportunities and benefits accruing from tourism activities. Nonetheless, the future of tourism in both these two countries lies in community based tourism. The potential of CBT to reduce poverty and make the sector sustainable is enormous. Not only can CBT help in enhancing biodiversity conservation but it can also generate income and bring economic growth to the local communities. 6. References Adams, W. and Infield, M. 2013. Community conservation at mgahinga gorilla national park, uganda. Institute for Development Policy and Management, Manchester. Akama, J. and Starry, P., 2000. Cultural tourism in Africa: strategies for new millennium.Africa International Conference, Mombasa, Kenya. Beeton, S (2006) Community Development Through Tourism, USA: Landlinks Press Bruyere, B.L., Beh, A.W. and Lelengula, G., 2009. ‘Differences in perceptions of communication, tourism benefits, and management issues in a protected area of rural Kenya’.  Environmental Management,  43, 49-59 Butler, R., Hall, C.M. Jenkins, J. 1998. ‘Continuity and change in rural tourism: Introduction’ in R. Butler, C.M. Hall and J. Jenkins (eds) Tourism and Recreation in Rural Areas (New York: Wiley) 3-17 Cheung, H., 2012.Tourism in kenyas national parks: a cost-benefit analysis. Kenya Giampiccoli, A. and Kalis, J.H., 2012. Community-based tourism and local culture: the case of the amaMpondo, vol. 10 (1), pp. 173-188 Frederic, T., Grace, B, and Celestine, k. 2011. Opportunity study: Uganda inclusive tourism. Jonathan, T. B., Nelly, J., and Nehemia, K., 2013. ‘An examination of Kenyas outbound tourism to ugandan destinations: towards re-thinking Kenyas tourism product development and marketing’. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development 4(8). Kibicho, W., 2004. Community tourism: a lesson from Kenyas coastal region. Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 10, pp.33-42 Korir, J, Muchiri, J and Kamwea, J 2013. ‘Wildlife Based Tourism, Ecology and Sustainability of Protected Areas in Kenya’ Journal of Natural Sciences Research 3:3, Koster, R.L., 2007.An evaluation of community based tourism development: how theory intersects practice. Priarie Perspectives Lopez-Guzman, T. and Sanchez-Canizares, S. and Pavon, V., 2011.‘Community based tourism in developing countries: a case study’. An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, vol.6 (1), pp 69-84 Mearns, K., 2003. Commmunity based tourism. The key to empowering the Sankuyo community in Botswana. Africa Insight, 33:29-32 Mujuni C.N., K. N., P. van de Kop, A. Baldascini and S. Grouwels 1., 2003. ‘Community-based forest enterprise development for improved livelihoods and biodiversity conservation: A case study from bwindi world heritage site, uganda’. In World Forestry Congress. Canada, Quebec City. Ndivo RM, Waudo, J N and Waswa F 2012. ‘Examining Kenya’s Tourist Destinations’ Appeal: the Perspectives of Domestic Tourism Market.’. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 1, 103. OECD 2012.Tourism Trends and Policies, OECD Publishing, UK Paul, A. 2004. Tourism in a rural Ugandan village: impacts, local meaning and implications for development. Pergamon, New York. Pearce, D. 1992 ‘Alternative tourism: concepts, classifications and questions’, in Smith, V.L. and Eadington, W. R., (eds), Tourism Alternatives: Potentials and Problems in theDevelopment of Tourism, New York: John Wiley and Sons pp. 18–30. Rihiu, J.M., 2007. Capital for investing in community based tourism (CBT) grants vs loans. National Ecotourism Conference Snchez-Caà ±izares, T. and Lopez_GuzmanL, 2013. Community based tourism in developing countries: A case study Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal Of Tourism 6(1):69-84. Scheyvens, R., 2002. Tourism for development empowering community. Harlow: Prentice Hall Suansri, P., 2003. Community based tourism handbook.Responsible ecological social tour REST project, Thailand. Tasci, A.D., semrad, K.J. and yilmaz, S., 2013. Community based tourism: finding the equilibrium in the COMCEC context setting the pathway for the future. Tang, K. 2013. Community based tourism. Singapore. Tefler, D.J., 2009. Development studies and tourism. In: Jamal, T. and Robinson, M. (eds). The SAGE handbook of tourism studies, London: SAGE Publications Zeppel, H. 2006. Indigenous Ecotourism: Sustainable Development and Management. CABI.

MBA Essay Help

MBA Essay Help MBA Essay Help MBA Essay Help: Get Rid of Problems with MBA Essay Writing Hundreds of MBA essay writing passes through the hands of admission committee each year, that is why you have to write such an excellent MBA essay, which will be able to impress the committee, or otherwise you will not be able to enter the college you have been dreaming about. That is why in order to present a good MBA essay writing to the admission committee you may be in need of MBA essay help: Key Principles of MBA Essay Writing This article is going to make you acquainted with the main principles and requirements from the MBA essay writing, so you may consider this article as free of charge MBA essay help. Where else is it possible to find MBA essay help free of charge? Pay Attention to the Topic Well, the first tip of our MBA essay help is as follows: pay a special attention to the choice of the topic for you MBA essay writing. Never write a title for your MBA essay writing as you can entitle it only after you have written it. You are not a predictor and can not be sure what your quill will write. If you entitle your MBA essay writing beforehand, it will either not coincide with the context or you will have to rewrite it one more time. Get Attention of the Readers The second MBA essay help tip insists on hooking the reader from the first lines of your MBA essay writing. If, for example, you start your MBA essay writing with some anecdote or rather interesting statement, you will make the readers continue reading it. If the reader is pleasantly impressed from the very beginning of your MBA essay writing, it will be too difficult to spoil the whole impression from your work. Identify Your Strong Points The following MBA essay help tip lies in identifying your strong points and making them a subject for your MBA essay writing. If for example, you are considered to be a funny person with the extraordinary sense of human, do not even try to write MBA essay writing concerning some serious topic. Better, write it in an unusual and funny way and your work will be singled out from the other gray mass and you are going to be admitted. Your Success Is In Your Hands! The concluding MBA essay help tip pieces of advice you to keep in mind that your success depends only upon you. You are the only one to decide which topic to choose and which aspects of your life to deal with in your MBA essay writing. Remember that you are the only one either to be blamed or to be honored after you present your MBA essay writing to the judgment of the admission committee. Read more: Dissertation Paper American History Thesis Term Paper on Cholesterol and Lipids Research Paper Proposal Global Warming Essay

Was the urbanization good for south America Essay

Was the urbanization good for south America - Essay Example Thousands of people flocked into America to escape, political oppression they faced in their home countries. Between 1881 and 1890 alone, there were a total of 5,246,613 immigrants who had arrived in America (McKelvey, 1963). As the urban areas grew in size and a number, there were a number of negative social, political and economic effects which were associated with it. The discussion in this paper discusses some of the problems associated with urbanization during the late 19th century. (Wakstein, 1990) The main problem of urbanization during the 19th century was the poor or lack of planning in the cities. The urbanization in America was mainly accelerated by migration of people, industrialization and technology. The spiral increase in the population did not give government authorities enough time to plan and budget for the increasing numbers (Ghadar&Loughran, 2014). Lack of poor infrastructure and planning resulted to a number of social problems which includes; a number of basic services like police and fire departments were; inadequate disposal system; there was a huge sanitation problem; lack of hospitals and medical facilities; and the geometric growth of the population. (Wakstein, 1990) There was constant increase in the cases of reported crime in the urban centers. The constant growth in the population, together with reduced police control proved a challenge for the police to control incidences of criminal acts in the cities. Thieves took the advantage of the teeming masses in the cities to rob people. The consumption of alcoholic drinks and other drugs as people tried to escape drudgery and boredom of their daily lives. There was increased violence which included number of people who were murdered in the cities. The incidences of child labor also went high. (McKelvey, 1963) With the upsurge in the number of people who were flocking the urban cities to

What changes have enabled Michael Porter to see Procurement Essay

What changes have enabled Michael Porter to see Procurement (Purchasing) in a more strategic light - Essay Example Porter explains when a unique product is produced; a firm could have the advantage to set premium price for it, calling it as a differentiation advantage. In addition, he wants to point out there is competitive advantage earned when a firm could produce existing similar product offerings, but at lower cost. He calls this cost advantage. Today, most, if not all, firms require outsourcing almost everything just in order to provide or come up with service or product offerings. This can be clearly elaborated in the value chain, which at the bottom line, one would be able to realize the associated cost generated in production of certain product or service. In order to achieve cost advantage as Porter defines, it is therefore important to at least minimize or cut cost in order to produce offerings that would have competitive price. Procurement or purchasing is an important component in Michael Porter’s value chain model. In this model, he originally identifies procurement to be just a support activity. However, recently, he emphasises the potential strategic contribution of procurement to shared value, as published in the Harvard Business Review. Concerning Porter’s recent claim, this paper tries to present the existing trend to justify whether opportunities for purchasing to contribute more strategically have increased, and how it might have addressed relevant matters in the difficult economic conditions facing organisations today. Significant trending Purchasing together with its strategic importance has long been remarkably considered, but there was actually less appreciation of it when it comes to what it can actually do with business performance. Concerning this issue, a study with empirical analysis conducted on 141 industrial companies reveals interaction among purchasing efficacy (purchasing strategic objectives and capabilities) and strategic integration of purchasing (between business strategy and purchasing strategic objectives) (Benito, 2007 , p.901). Today, one essential point of understanding the actual strategic importance of purchasing can be viewed within the context of its actual contribution to business performance. So this goes with finding interesting stuffs about the likelihood of its contribution to creation of profit, customer satisfaction, increase market share and more. After all, business performance might include different metrics that could help measure and as bases of actual business growth. Regarding this, it has become a considerable point to constantly investigate purchasing using various empirical researches just to be able to quantify its actual significance as a strategic function. A recent study conducted to investigate the empirical contribution of purchasing and supply management (PSM) to the company’s success generated a substantial result based on the information gathered from the international survey of 306 major companies from eight industry sectors (Hartmann et al., 2012, p.22). Th e study showcases empirical evidence leading to the point PSM has remarkable contribution to the company success. The contributed value was found to be mediated by three operational performances such as cost, quality and innovation (Hartmann et al., 2012, p.22). PSM, increasingly regarded by senior management to strategically influence operational performance and financial performance, however, was found to still require external survey methodology that complements the internal perceptional measures of PSM performance, and a comprehensive performance measurement framework

ANZ Bank Based on Porters Five Force Model Case Study

ANZ Bank Based on Porters Five Force Model - Case Study Example Substitutes are those products which are quite different in form but which offer a real alternative to the industry competitor’s product (Michael E Porter and sustainable competitive advantage, Chapter 4, p.40). A threat of substitute products means the easiness in changing consumer behavior to opt for substitute products. For example, ANZ is facing stiff challenges from other prominent banks domestically and internationally. Competitors always try to produce goods of the same quality at cheaper prices. The availability of more attractive substitute products will drive away customers from ANZ. ANZ is currently focusing more in the Asian market. â€Å"In a number of Asian countries, foreign banks cannot enter the market on an unrestricted basis† (Lewis, 2007). The restrictions in this region are a big handicap for ANZ. For the ample, Indian national banks can offer many products to their customers like mutual funds, term deposits, etc whereas it is difficult for ANZ to o ffer such products to Indian customers. The threat of new entrants depends on the barriers to entry. Barriers to entry depend on economies of scale, product differentiation capital requirements etc (Michael E Porter and sustainable competitive advantage, Chapter 4, p.35). The threat of new entrants in the second element in the analysis of an organization with respect to Porter’s five force theory. New entrants always weaken the power of an organization. In the case of ANZ, globalization has raised many concerns about the entry of new international banks in Australia and other countries. It is easy for an Indian or Chinese bank to establish the business in Australia at present because of the liberalized market conditions. In fact, the recent recession has destroyed the backbone of many of the Australian banking organizations like ANZ. On the other hand, China has not faced much trouble with respect to the recession and hence it is easy for Chinese banks to enter the Australian market and raise challenges to ANZ.

CRM Prediction and CRM Validation Approaches

CRM Prediction and CRM Validation Approaches Since CRM is underlying the regulation of gene expression in tissue-specific manner, understanding the characteristics of CRMs is helpful to determine the potential CRM candidates for further applications such as tissue-specific gene therapy. As previously discussed the influential parameters to CRM activity include the types and arrangement of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) and epigenetic modification pattern[121, 124]. Therefore, these factors are taken into account for prediction of promising CRMs. Transcription factor binding sites are described as short DNA regions (6 to 10 bp in length) which are recognized and bound by various transcription factors[149]. One CRM can contain many TFBSs depended on its functionality[150]. Several experimental studies have been performed in order to map the TFBSs in DNA genome. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay is a common method to identify the TFBSs in protein-bound DNA complexes in the solution[151, 152]. In addition, DNase footprinting, which relies on the digestion of exposed DNA region where it is not protected by target proteins, has also been used[153, 154]. The difference between these techniques is mainly involving resolution of transcription factor binding sites[155, 156]. To derive the TFBS motifs from raw data, these DNA sequences are used as the input to compute the similarity and the potential motifs are generated. To apply the information of transcription factor binding sites motifs on CRM prediction, it is relatively simple as this method requires solely genomic DNA sequences. The predicted motifs are mapped to the original genome and prospective CRMs containing clusters of TFBSs are identified[124, 157]. Due to the enormous spread of motifs in large genome, a lot of DNA regions showing the potency of being CRMs are indicated; however, only few DNA sequences are actually occupied by the target transcription factors[158]. In the erythroid cells of mouse genome showed approximately 8 million hits of GATA-binding factor1 (GATA1) binding site motifs, but only 15360 motifs were bound by GATA1 and all of bound motifs bore H3K4 monomethylation[159]. Indeed, relying on merely TFBS motifs is not sufficient to obtain the significant CRMs. The study on smaller-size genomes is one alternative to improve the quality of CRM prediction.[157] Another approach to determine the potential CRMs is the use of conservation of non-coding DNA among several species. The assumption is that the DNA sequences associate with gene expression are highly conserved in comparison to non-essential DNA after evolving through the purifying selection over time [157]. This method is not depended on the information on TFBS so that it offers another solution to prediction of CRMs in case tissue-specific enhancers have not been widely studied. At initial study about the DNA sequence alignment of more than 100 bp-long DNA between human and mouse, with the minimal conservation of 70%, was conducted and potential enhancers for certain genes such as interleukin-4, interleukin-13 and interleukin-5 were identified[160]. Later on this approach shows the promising results due to high validation rates in transgenic mouse embryo by using rigorous conservation constrain[160-163]. The conservation-based prediction is also applicable to discover novel TFBSs wh ere the information is not extensively elaborated. With the DNA sequence alignment between orthologous species, the short DNA sequences conserved in many species, namely phylogenetic footprints, could be the possible binding sites for transcription factors [164, 165], and mutations of the conserved boxes can lead to the reduction of gene expression as in the example of altered effect of variant E box on ÃŽ µ-globin reporter gene induction[166]. As the approach is mainly related to the evolutionary constrain among species it means that the use of this method may overlook the potential CRMs which are lately developed and the TFBS pattern cannot be aligned to the former population[157]. For example, in the ChIP-seq study the GHP68 enhancer, located at intragenic region of mouse abhydrolase domain containing2 (Abhd2) gene, does not contain the footprint of GATA-binding factor1 (GATA1) motif which is commonly found in Abhd2 genes of other non-primate species[167]. Indeed, the GHP68 enhan cer in primate genome possesses the unique protein binding pattern[157]. Another consideration on conservation-based prediction is that even though the conservation level of selected CRMs is extremely high among orthologous species, the actual activities of CRMs possibly vary from species to species in nature[168]. Due to the limitations of previous approaches regarding false positive prediction by highly redundant presence of TFBS motifs in large genome[158], as well as lineage-specific evolution of certain CRMs in different organisms[157], epigenetic regulation is considered the promising parameter of CRM prediction as a result of the strong correlation between hypersensitivity to DNA treatment/histone modification and enhancer activity[169-171]. Many CRMs have been found to localize at genome region where the response to DNase activity is very sensitive[153, 172]. In addition biochemical patterns of modification at enhancer are showed including histone acetylation[169], high H3K4me1 as well as low H3K4me3 modification[170], and occupancy of histone acetyltransferase p300[171, 173]. For active promoter, in contrast to usual enhancers, the major characteristic is the presence of nucleosome-free and high level of H3K3me3 modification[174, 175]. By using the reference genome database containing epigenetic as well as DNase hypersensitivity regions, where the information is obtained from ChIP seq [176], and DNase seq experiments, the substantial rate of validation of selected CRMs from 43 to 100% in many study models[169-171, 176, 177] indicates the robustness of the epigenetic-based approach. The idea is this method is optimized that the predicted conditions is not too stringent as evolutionary conservation method and the number of output is not too enormous as TFBS-based prediction[157]. Still, some potential CRMs can be overlooked using biochemical features[173, 178]. For instance, the study of heart enhancer identification showed that three different predictions yielded various amount of outputs. The possible CRMs were hardly obtained through comparative genomic DNA alignment while the use of p300 occupancy to identify the potential sequences gave rise to 130 output sequences with 75% validation rate[173]. In another TFBS-based study in heart by Narlikar and colleagues, the classifier, where its database relied on predicted and validated TFBS, was generated to select the putative CRMs from the non-functional DNA[178]. This prediction allowed them to distinguish 40,000 CRMs from genome and the validation rate was relatively considerable in comparison to the epigenetic approach[178]. This suggests the need of additional further study on biochemical pattern prediction to cover the missing CRMs. Using experimental and computational study, scientists are able to collect the extensive information about TFBSs, epigenetic modification and conservation of DNA among species. This data has been widely deposited in many open-access database websites, which become the significant information resources for further CRM identification[179]. The Ensembl Regulatory Build is recently developed to integrate the previous discovery of epigenetic marks and occupancy of transcription factors from different projects and build the better-defined regulatory regions in human genome[180]. Another commonly used database website is the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome Browser Database, which provide all aspects of information for CRM prediction including experimental (DNase hypersensitivity clusters, epigenetic marks of histone proteins, and binding of transcription factors from ChIP seq) as well as computational (conservation level among vertebrates from DNA sequence alignment) study [181]. This aids the feasibility of enhancer prediction since the use combinatorial information would suggest more significant CRM outputs with higher validation rate[182-184]. For example, the sophisticated protocol designed by Nair and team to identify the liver-specific CRM was derived from the integration of experimental study from UCSC genome browser and the putative TFBS motifs from computational analysis[182]. To obtain predicted liver-specific TFBS motifs, the presumptive promoters, which are 1000-bp DNA sequences located upstream of transcription start sites, from highly-expressed genes were initially compared to ones from low-expressed genes in the liver, followed by computing the potential TFBS motifs which are likely to associate with liver-targeted gene induction based on distance difference matrix (DDM) and multidimensional scaling (MDS)[182, 185]. The DDM was primarily used to identify the difference between two protein structures by calculating the distance differenc e values from low distance matrices[186]. Ultimately the predicted TFBS motifs were mapped to the corresponding DNA sequences of liver-specific genes in UCSC genome browser where the experimental data of such genes was previously described[182]. The ideal CRMs were expected to show the coexistence of predicted motifs together with dense DNase clusters, high conservation level in vertebrates, and explicit histone modification patterns. In addition, the putative motifs should be consistent to the transcription factor lists from ChIP-seq experiment. The promising liver-specific transcriptional module from prediction was further validated and showed the remarkable activity to up-regulate hFIX expression up to 15 fold compared to control, reflecting the robustness of the prediction method[182]. The same approach has also been applied to design the CRMs targeting other target cells such as cardiomyocytes, and the 10-fold augmented expression of cardiac genes was noted upon validation in m ouse model[183]. Taken together, this suggests the increased power of using multiple parameters to determine transcriptional modules, and the combined data provided in UCSC genome browser is valid; the integrated data is nicely standardized so that the summary of information is reliable. However, the feasibility of combinatorial approach, relying on both computational data and previous experimental study, is the major concern due to the requirement of strong expertise on bioinformatics knowledge for computation of TFBS motifs. One possible alternative to circumvent this limitation would be the direct use of available information on UCSC Genome Browser for CRM selection by taking associated determinants (DNase hypersensitivity, transcription factor binding, histone modification, and conservation level among vertebrate) into consideration. There are several validation assays that have been performed to investigate the potency of CRMs to enhance gene expression. In general, the plasmids containing minimal core promoters and reporter genes such as lacZ, encoding ÃŽ ²-galactosidase, luciferase, and green fluorescence protein (GFP), are the backbone constructs, and the predicted CRM are cloned into certain position based on the validation methods[149]. Usually CRM sequences are inserted at the upstream of the promoters and the increased strength of overall construct expression is assessed after transfection or integration of plasmids[187-196]. In order to develop the downstream process to identify the target cells where CRMs are active, the use of heterologous barcode has been done so that the number of CRM high-throughput screening is up to hundreds or thousands [191-194, 196]. In some studies, the need of barcode is eliminated by targeting at enhancers directly, and the method is called self-transcribing active regulator y region sequencing (STARR-seq) [197]. Both transgenic animal embryos and specific cell lines [187-191, 193-196] are commonly used to study CRM activity. For example, transgenic mouse or fly (D.melanogaster) containing putative CRMs as well as reporter genes are initially generated, and the development of reporter gene signals later observed at the certain parts of embryos is identified depended on tissue specificity of CRMs[198]. To improve time and cost-effectiveness of the current approach, Gisselbrecht and colleagues developed the technique called enhancer-FACS-Seq (eFS), which makes use of the distribution of GFP signaling based on the tissue-specific CRM enhancement, to sort out the GFP-positive cells from the negative population using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS)[190]. Validation of the effect of CRMs on gene expression has also been reported in animal models and the delivery methods of CRMs are adjusted to be tissue-specific. AAV is the example of tissue-target ed delivery system since its tropism is relied on the serotype[182-184]. The use of AAV vectors to carry the predicted CRMs to the specific organs has been done in heart and liver enhancers by using AAV9, and the follow-up process was achieved through the reporter hFIX protein expression in the blood. In murine models, to reduce the cost of virus production, HD injection of plasmids containing CRMs in mice can be primarily done for initial screening[182]. This method is distinctive since the model simulates the actual situation of CRM activity in animal body for gene therapy application[182-184]. In addition, another advantage of using this approach is the longevity and the expression level can be observed continuously for long-term study as the mouse sacrifice is not required. Biology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one type of liver cancers which is highly prevalent in many regions such as East Asia, Africa, and United State[199]. Even though the incidence of HCC ranks the sixth in comparison to other cancers the rate of mortality is relatively high[200]. There are several etiological factors describing HCC development including Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HBC) infection, aflatoxin-directed induction, alcohol consumption, accumulation of fat in the liver resulting in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), sex-related influence, unbalance of microbes in gastrointestinal tract, and type II diabetes[201]. Each factor has specific mechanism to cause HCC, but in general most of factors ultimately lead to liver cirrhosis formation and subsequently HCC[202]. A number of staging system to classify HCC disease development stage have been designed for diagnosis; however, the gold-standard for staging remains challenging due to heterogeneity of HCC population[203]. To study the molecular mechanism underlying HCC development, copy number genomic[204-206], exomic[207, 208], whole-genome sequencing[209, 210], and transcriptomic[211, 212] studies have been conducted in liver cancer tissues. In copy number alteration analysis, both deletion (i.e. TNFAIP3, CDKN2C, WRN, PTEN, BRCA2) and duplication (MDM4, BCL9, ARNT, MET) of specific genes are found in HCC genomes[213]. Exome and whole-genome sequencing in HCC allow detailed investigation of genome structures at the levels of mutation in both coding and non-coding regions[213, 214]. For example, mutation of NFE2L2-KEAP1 and MLL genes were identified from 87 cases with HCC development using exomic approach[214]. Transcriptomic study gives another insight into HCC regarding the change of expression profiling compared to normal hepatocytes. Using in combination with whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome revealed the RNA editing mechanism implicating in up-regulation of gene expression in cancer developm ent[215, 216]. Taken together, the aberrant genes found in HCC are mapped to cellular pathways to explain the molecular mechanisms underlying disease development. The pathways which are postulated as the keys for hepatocarcinogenesis include cell cycle regulation (i.e RB[217], CDKN2A[218]), WNT pathway (i.e. APC[219], AXIN1[220, 221]), chromatin remodeling (i.e. ARID2[208, 210], MLL[222]), tyrosine kinase signaling (i.e. SOCS-1[223], IGF[224]), and NOTCH[225, 226] pathways. Apart from structural genes, miRNAs, small non-coding RNAs which control gene expression at post-transcriptional level through hybridization with the mRNA templates and subsequently leading to translation inhibition or RNA degradation[227], are implicated in HCC progression due to the evidences on differential miRNA expression between HCC and normal hepatocytes[228, 229]. In general, miR-92, miR-18 and miR-20 are significant in HCC stage progression[229]. Some altered miRNA expression is associated with etiological factors. For[MC1] instance, there is correlation between miR-126 down regulation and alcohol consumption[230]. The functions of miRNA in HCC pathogenesis are divided into two groups; oncogenic miRNAs and tumor-suppressor miRNAs. For oncogenenic miRNAs, three miRNAs including miR-221, miR-224 and miR-21 have been showed to enhance hepatocarcinogenesis. The miR-221 plays role in cancer invasion using two mechanisms; increasing cell proliferation targeting CDKN1B/p27 expressi on[231], and enhancing cell migration through AKT signaling[232]. The invasion of HCC is also supported by miR-224, but its mechanism of action is involved with homeobox D10 downregulation and induction of inflammatory pathway[233]. Another oncogenic miRNA miR-21 is reported to suppress expression of program cell death 4 (PCD4) [234, 235]protein which functions as tumor suppressor protein, and to increases cell proliferation through the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase 3 (MAP2K3) activity[236]. Apart from individual miRNAs, certain clusters of miRNA have been identified to contribute to HCC progression. For instance, the up-regulation of miR-17-92 cluster, which is composed of miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-20a, miR-19b-1, and miR-92a-1[237], was found in HCC, and the attenuation of its expression diminished the ability of malignancy transformation[238]. The activity of miR-17-92 cluster affects the expressions of certain genes usually found in HCC such as PTEN, E2F1, and E-cadherin[239]. However, the individual miRNA members may function in the different ways. For example, up-regulation of miR-19 suppressed the formation of liver fibrogenesis through TFF-ÃŽ ² signaling[240]. A number of tumor suppressive miRNAs have also been discovered to diminish HCC development. The miR-122 function is to control the genes associated with tumor formation and metastasis including VEGF[241], RHOA[241], PKM[242] whereas miR-375 exerts its activity by suppression of ATG7 expression to block autophagy[243], the essential mechanism of cancerous cells to survive under hypoxic environment. The miR-125b prevents cancer proliferation by activation of p21(WAF1/Cip1) G1/S cell cycle arrest as well as repression of SIRT7 gene induction[244]. G1/S transition of cancer cells is also controlled by miR-26a activity[235]. The overall functions of HCC-associated miRNAs are implicated in STAT3, by modulating Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 functions, and NF-ÃŽ ºB inflammatory pathways, le ading to hepatocacinogenesis[245].

History of Fashion Essay -- essays research papers

History of Fashion Fashion has changed a great deal over the past three centuries. As history changes it seems that fashion in some aspect changes with it to adapt to the era. Even today fashion continues to change as the years go on. Looking at fashion even 20 years ago we can see a difference from what we see in our everyday lives. For the purpose of this essay Fashion will be divided into three centuries, since not every era of clothing can be touched upon. The first era of fashion history includes 500 BC- 1450 AD. Near the beginning era fashion was relatively simple, since it was more about practical function than style. This era was referred to as the Ancient Time Period. Garments were always loose fitting, never tight. Tunics were the main clothing choice. Usually tunics would be covered with other layers of fabric, and this was worn by both men and women. Fabrics were usually always plain which meant they had no pattern or vibrant color (white and off-white were the most popular.) Near the fifth century clothing began to include a wider range of colors. Even though clothing was relatively simple, women adorned themselves with jewelry such as bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and rings fashioned from earthy materials. Cosmetics were also around in this era. Women’s hair would usually be seen braided or draped fabric covering the face like a hood. As it moved into the Medieval Time Period it then evolved into militaristic for men , which incorporated tunics, capes, and ...