Oncogenes and Breast Cancer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oncogenes and Breast Cancer - Term Paper Example Thus, classification of tumors in diverse types and subtypes along with the identification of individuals who are at the potential risk of cancer is gaining prevalence. A combination of data procured from gene-expression and genomic information aids in the detection of possible new targets for designing high-throughput screening strategies for designing drugs that will lead to advances in cancer cell-targeted therapy. The present article deals with the importance of understanding for oncogenes to comprehend breast cancer. Introduction Cancer is known as malignant neoplasm, the hallmark characteristic involves uncontrolled proliferation of cells. Under normal conditions cells grow, divide and die, but in a genetic defect called mutation occur in cancer cells leading to the formation of an abnormal DNA. As genes are the basic control machine of the cells, alteration of any kind may bring devastating consequences, or malignancy. When compared with the normal cells, where damage of any k ind is taken care by the repair system, tumor cells do not have any repair mechanism for the damaged DNA and there is a constant proliferation of cells without displaying senescence hence, generating a series of abnormal cells, with altered cellular pathways for uncontrolled proliferation, figuring malignant tumors (Alberts 2007; Katzang et al. 2009). (Normal cell cycle) (Genetic mutation- causes alteration in genes) (Alberts 2007) Cancer cells manifest, to varying degrees, four characteristics that distinguish them from normal cells, comprising- uncontrolled proliferation, de-differentiation and loss of function, invasiveness and metastasis (Rang et al. 2007). The Genesis of a Cancer Cell A normal cell turns into a cancer cell because of one or more mutations in its DNA, which can be inherited or acquired. In case of the breast cancer, woman who inherits a single defective copy of either of these tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 displays an augmented risk of developing breast cancer. However, carcinogenesis is a complex, multistage process, usually involving more than one genetic change. Other epigenetic factors responsible for carcinogenesis involve epigenetic factors, such as level of hormones in the body, exposure to carcinogens and tumor promoting agents. These epigenetic factors do not produce cancer by themselves but enhances the likelihood of genetic mutation(s) resulting in cancer. These genetic changes are categorized as - A. The activation of proto-oncogenes to oncogenes: Proto-oncogenes are the normal genes present in the cells and are responsible for controlling cell division, cell differentiation and apoptosis. A triggering factor such as a virus or exposure to any carcinogen brings malignant changes in the cell. B. The inactivation of tumor suppressor genes: A cell has the mechanism to protect itself from uncontrolled proliferation and tumor formation due to expression of genes called tumor suppressor genes. These genes possess the ability to suppress malignant changes and are also referred as antioncogenes. Mutation in proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes results in the proliferation of tumor. Thus, a loss of function of tumor supp

Rapid-Cycling Populations of Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rapid-Cycling Populations of - Essay Example It has already been established that there is a lot of variation in the attributes that distinguish intraspecific taxa. Another weakness is that despite their importance and diversity, there is little genetic information available on brassicas and radish (Williams & Hill 1386). This is brought about (partially) by the long reproductive cycles (6-12 months or more) for majority of horticultural types. There is a close connection between this paper and my experiment this semester. The connection becomes evident when one reads the sections of the paper that detail the various uses and applications of brassica its related species. Economic uses like the production of edible and industrial oils are an indication of the chemical components of brassica. In addition to this, use of brassica as animal fodder, vegetables, and in the production of condiment mustard is testament to the fact that brassica are made up of minerals and other components which are of nutritional value to both humans and

The Role Of Women In Islam Theology Religion Essay

The Role Of Women In Islam Theology Religion Essay In todays day and age, there is a general perception that womens rights reached its momentum with the start of the Womens Liberation Movement of the 20th century, specifically between the 1970s-1980s. However, from the Islamic point of view, womens liberation was not started by some radical political groups of the West, but was revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) in as long ago as the 7th century. The Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunna) guarantee every Muslim woman certain rights and duties. II. Women in Ancient Civilizations In order to get achieve a better insight of the status of women today, it is worthwhile to preview how women were treated in previous civilizations and religions that precede Islam (Pre-610 C.E). India: During the era of the Aryan civilization (2500 B.C), women were accorded almost the same status as men. Women were educated, had a say in their marriage decisions and own their own properties. Even prostitutes were admired for their expertise in the art of music and dance and widows were allowed to remarry. This trend took a nose-diving turn with the start of the Medieval era (1500 B.C) and unfortunately resulted in practices like Satti( dying with the husband at the funeral pyre), Jauhar (wives immolating themselves when they realized that their husbands were going to die in enemy hands) and child marriages. Rome: was a typically male dominated society; so much so that in the Roman Republic a man could legally kill his wife or daughter if they questioned his authority. Women were also kept out of positions of power. They were not allowed to be senators, governors, lawyers, judges or any of the other official positions involved in running the Roman Empire. Women were also not allowed to vote in elections. Athens: In the 5th century women in ancient Athenian societies were given no legal rights and were allowed to leave the house only for short distances with a chaperone. It was a common belief that women were emotional creatures who were dangerous to themselves and needed to be taken care of by men. Although women might own some personal items and have charge of a slave or two, they could not own property or enter into contracts. III. Rights of a Muslim woman In the Quran Allah frequently addresses both the man and the woman. In one passage Allah reveals: For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women who are patient, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allahs praise For them all has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35) i) Social Status: As a daughter -In Pre-Islamic Arabian tribes, the practice of female infanticide was a norm. However, according to the Quran, this practice is prohibited in Islam:- And when the girl (who was) buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed. (81:8-9). -Moreover, the Quran even rebukes the unwelcoming attitude of some parents:- And when one of them is informed of (the birth of) a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.   He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed.   Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground?   Certainly, evil is what they decide. (Quran 16:58-59). -Parents of a daughter are expected to treat her with justice and equality:- Whosoever supports two daughters until they mature, he and I will come on the Day of Judgment as this (and he pointed with his fingers held together). -The education of girls is supported:- Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim. As a wife Islam views marriage as an equal partnership.   When a person gets married they neither marry a slave nor a master.  It is the basic, fundamental ideological fundamental of a Muslim that servitude belongs to God alone. Hence the Quran states:- And among His signs is this: That He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect. [Quran 30:21] To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have several rights: the first one is to receive mahr from the husband, which is a gift as part of the marriage contract A wife has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet (P.B.U.H)) said: The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives. As far as divorce is concerned, God provides general guidelines for the process of divorce with emphasis throughout on both parties upholding the values of justice and kindness in formalizing the end to their marriage:- And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. (Surah 2. 231) God encourages the husband and wife to appoint arbitrators as the first step to aid in reconciliation in the process of divorce. If the reconciliation step fails, both men and women are guaranteed their right to divorce as established in the Quran, but the question lies in what is the procedure for each. When a divorce is initiated by the man, it is known as talaq. The pronouncement by the husband may be verbal or written, but once done, a waiting period of three months (iddat) must take place in which there are no sexual relations even though the two are living under the same roof. The waiting period helps prevent hasty decisions made in anger and enables both parties to reconsider as well as determine if the wife is pregnant. If the wife is pregnant, the waiting period is lengthened until she delivers. At any point during this time, the husband and wife are free to resume their relationship, thereby stopping the divorce process. At this time, the husband remains financially respons ible for the support of his wife. The divorce initiated by the wife is known as khu (if the husband is not at fault) and entails the wife giving her dowry to end the marriage because she is the contract breaker. In the instance of talaq where the husband is the contract breaker, he must pay the dowry in full in cases where all or part of it was deferred. As a mother Mothers have greater right and deserve more kindness, help service, good treatment and companionship than the fathers because the mother is the first one to care for the children and she suffers more directly with daily hardships in their upbringing. This tradition indicates that a mother has three times the rights of that of a father due to the sufferings she experiences during the various stages of her childs life; in pregnancy, delivery, nursing, and raising the child. And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and good to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship. The duration of carrying him (in the womb) and weaning is two years. So thank Me and to your parents; unto Me is the final destination. [31:14] ii) Economic Aspect a) Womans Right to Property (Inheritance): From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large, a determinate share. (Surah 4, Ayah 7) b) Financial Security and Inheritance Laws: Financial security is assured for women. They are entitled to receive marital gifts without limit and to keep present and future properties and income for their own security, even after marriage. No married woman is required to spend any amount at all from her property and income on the household. The woman is entitled also to full financial support during marriage and during the waiting period (iddah) in case of divorce or widowhood. Some jurists require, in addition, one years support for divorce and widowhood (or until they remarry, if remarriage takes place before the year is over). A woman who bears a child in marriage is entitled to child support from the childs father. c) Employment: Whilst women carry the heavy burden of bearing and rearing children, they may still be at par with men, that is, they have the right to seek employment as long as this does not interfere with her primary role as a wife and a mother. In Islam, however, the value and importance of women in society and the true measure of their success as human beings, is measured with completely different criteria: their fear of Allah and obedience to Him, and fulfillment of the duties He has entrusted them with, particularly that of bearing, rearing and teaching children. iii) Political Rights Any fair investigation of the teachings of Islam into the history of the Islamic civilization will surely find a clear evidence of womans equality with man in what we call today political rights. This includes the right of election as well as the nomination to political offices. It also includes womans right to participate in public affairs. Both in the Quran and in Islamic history we find examples of women who participated in serious discussions and argued even with the Prophet (P) himself During the Caliphate of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, a woman argued with him in the mosque, proved her point, and caused him to declare in the presence of people: A woman is right and Omar is wrong. Although not mentioned in the Quran, one Hadeeth of the Prophet is interpreted to make woman ineligible for the position of head of state. The Hadeeth referred to is roughly translated: A people will not prosper if they let a woman be their leader. This limitation, however, has nothing to do with the dignity of woman or with her rights. It is rather, related to the natural differences in the biological and psychological make-up of men and women. According to Islam, the head of the state is no mere figurehead. He leads people in the prayers, especially on Fridays and festivities; he is continuously engaged in the process of decision-making pertaining to the security and well-being of his people. This demanding position, or any similar one, such as the Commander of the Army, is generally inconsistent with the physiological and psychological make-up of woman in general. It is a medical fact that during their monthly periods and during their pregnancies, women undergo various physiological and psychological changes. Such changes may occur during an emergency situation, thus affecting her decision, without considering the excessive strain which is produced. Moreover, some decisions require a maximum of rationality and a minimum of emotionality a requirement which does not coincide with the instinctive nature of women. Even in modern times, and in the most developed countries, it is rare to find a woman in the position of a head of state acting as more than a figurehead, a woman commander of the armed services, or even a proportionate number of women representatives in parliaments, or similar bodies. One can not possibly ascribe this to backwardness of various nations or to any constitutional limitation on womans right to be in such a position as a head of state or as a member of the parliament. It is more logical to explain the present situation in terms of the natural and indisputable differences between man and woman, a difference which does not imply any supremacy of one over the other. The difference implies rather the complementary roles of both the sexes in life. IV.Conclusion In this report, the status of women in Islam has been described as purely given in the Quran and revealed by the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). However, the role of women has not only been shaped by Islamic text but also by the history and culture of the Muslim world. Moreover, the issue of women in Islam has been viewed as highly controversial through the centuries. While it is believed that these revelations on womens liberation in the Quran made major improvements in the oppressed status of women in pre-Arab societies, the deterioration of this status took place soon after the death of the Prophet (P.B.U.H). With the growth of the Womens Liberation Movement in the West, many feminist writers came to view the practice of wearing the veil as a symbol of womens oppression and subservience to men. The hijaab in Islam is given as a way for women to conceal their attractiveness and appear dignified so that attention is drawn more to their character than physical beauty. Islam enjoins modest dress for both men and women, and in a Muslim society, the men as well as the women typically dress conservatively. The Quran tells them to dress modestly and cover their hair in all public situations, others insist that their whole body including hands and face are to be covered, yet others understand the guidance to mean a more general attitude of modesty both in dress and attitude. Many Muslim women freely choose to dress modestly in order to avoid the public scrutiny, judgments, and social dynamics associated with physical appearance. By dressing in ways that do not draw attention. Additionally, polygamy is seen as a sign of inequality amongst men and women. This concept is clarified stating that polygamy was introduced as a means to protect women and children who may otherwise be taken advantage of. Moreover, there are strict conditions placed on men to provide equal time and money to all their wives. The rights of divorce are also open to the wife if she is unfairly treated. The Prophet Muhammad was married to his first wife, Khadijah, for 25 years, and he did not take other wives until after her death. His marriages to several widows and divorcees in later years were primarily contracted for political and humanitarian reasons, as was expected of a man in his position. His home life was characterised by love, consideration, kindness and respect. Despite all these teachings in Islam it is no secret that some brutal traditions are still prevalent in many Muslim societies. In many parts of Pakistan, female infanticide is still on the rise. According to the Edhi Foundation, some 1000 babies were found dead in different parts of Pakistan in the year 2011. Even though the Hijaab is meant to be a symbol of modesty and social identity there are innumerable societies where the purdah is more of a cultural restriction than a matter of choice. Domestic violence against women is almost a norm in many societies where women dont come forward to claim their rights.

The Atomic Bomb :: essays research papers fc

The Atomic Bomb   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On July 16, 1945, the United States of America ushered the world into a new era with the successful detonation of an atomic bomb in New Mexico. That era was the nuclear age. Less than a month later, on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan; the first use of a nuclear weapon against an enemy nation. Most of us know of these basic events, but many do not know of the complicated decisions and scientific breakthroughs that paved the way towards that fateful day in Hiroshima. Every day we are closer to having nuclear arms fall in the hands of someone who wishes to do harm with those weapons. Many question why we think the U.S. is justified in having our own atomic collection. This is why it is important to understand how the atomic bomb came about and why we decided it was necessary to use it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First reports of the bombs in Japan only reported that a â€Å"new type of bomb† had been used. Most had no concept of what an atom bomb was or why it was so powerful. The story of the atomic bomb opens with a series of new discoveries in physics that began near the turn of the century. The term classical is applied to the physics that scientists developed prior to that time (Cohen, 17). Much of it came from the work of the Father of Physics, the great seventeenth-century English scholar, Sir Isaac Newton. Newton was a scientific genius. Today, however, a competent student with a good high school physics course probably has a more accurate knowledge of the physical universe than Newton had. This is especially true concerning the most basic building blocks of matter, atoms. Newton, as did others before him, developed a theory about the structure of atoms. According to Newton’s theory, atoms were like marbles. They were solid and hard, but unlike marbl es, they could not be further divided. It was not until the latter half of the nineteenth century that scientific experiment began to prove otherwise. Thereafter, knowledge of atomic structure moved ahead very quickly (Cohen, 18). By the mid-1930’s, dedicated effort by British and other European scientists had revealed a new world of atomic structure, one filled with incredibly tiny systems of interacting subatomic particles containing electrons, protons, and neutrons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1938, two German physicists, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman, were experimenting with uranium.

Google Book Case Essay

Ancient Ages The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. The Library is famous for having been burned, resulting in the loss of many scrolls and books, and has become a symbol of â€Å"knowledge and culture destroyedâ€Å". A single piece of writing might occupy several scrolls, and this division into self-contained â€Å"books† was a major aspect of editorial work. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (309–246 BC) is said to have set 500,000 scrolls as an objective for the library. [17] Mark Antony supposedly gaveCleopatra over 200,000 scrolls (taken from the great Library of Pergamum) for the library as a wedding gift Ancient Ages Egyptian Papyrus After extracting the marrow from the stems, a series of steps (humidification, pressing, drying, gluing, and cutting), produced media of variable quality, the best being used for sacred writing. Dresden Codex The only currently deciphered complete writing system in the Americas is the Maya scroll. The Maya, along withseveral other cultures in Mesoamerica,  constructed concertina-style books written on Amatl paper. Nearly all Mayan texts were destroyed by the Spanish during colonization on cultural and religious grounds. One of the few surviving examples is the Dresden Codex. A Chinese Bamboo Book Writing on bone, shells, wood and silk existed in China long before the 2nd century BC. Paper was invented in China around the 1st century AD. 3 4 Middle Ages â€Å"At the end of the Middle Ages, in a small town in the Rhine Valley, an unassuming metalworker tinkered with a rickety wine press, metal alloys and oil-based ink. The result of his labors was an invention that took the world’s information and made it exponentially more accessible and useful. † Google Corporate Website on Johannes Gutenberg1 Handwritten notes by Christopher Columbus on the Latin edition of Marco Polo’s Le livre des merveilles. Modern Ages Among a series of developments that occurred in the 1990s, the spread of digital multimedia, which encodes texts, images, animations, and sounds in a unique and simple form was notable for the book publishing industry. Hypertext further improved access to information. Finally, the internet lowered production and distribution costs. An electronic book (variously: e-book, eBook, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. â€Å"Modern Book Printing† sculpture, showing a pile of modern codex books. First printed book in Georgian was published in Rome, in 1629 by Niceforo Isbachi 5 6 1 10/7/2013 No. of Books in History Technological Advancement US-published print book manifestations, by publication date (1900-2008)* 7 8 General Statistics Market Share & Penetration 9 10 What happen in the U. S. Book Market E-Book Adoption by World’s Regions 11 12 2 10/7/2013 How reader discover books? E-Book vs Print-Book 13 14 Battle among the best Battle among the best 15 16 A Visual Look at â€Å" There is nothing more fun than doing that work† 17 18 3 10/7/2013 Mission & Goal A Visual Look at A Visual Look at Google’s mission is to â€Å"organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. † In order to accomplish this goal, Google stresses two main ideals: (a) always focus on the user and (b) there is always more information out there. â€Å"bring all the world’s information to users seeking answers. † In the interest of the user, Google aims to 19 20 Ethical Commitment A Visual Look at A Visual Look at Google’s basic ethical commitments were famously captured in its early This motto, which frames Google’s Code of motto: Conduct – and looking clearly over its shoulder at Microsoft – stands for its â€Å"recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct. † â€Å"Don’t be evil. † 21 22 Where it all begins †¦ In 2002, Larry Page start this question. Where it all begins †¦ â€Å"How long it would take to scan every book in the world† ? After conducting their experiment, Page and team decided to travel the country to understand how existing digitization projects worked and how Google could use its technology to improve these efforts. To answer the question, Page and his team experimented on a 300-page book with a high-resolution camera and a musical metronome â€Å"We took the pictures to the beat of the metronome so he wouldn’t be taking pictures of my thumbs. † University of Michigan, the most precise estimation for scanning UM’s university library (7 million volumes) was  1,000 years. million books. 24 By 2010 Google had scanned more than 12 23 4 10/7/2013 The Partner Program The Partner Program works with authors and publishers to form a technological database of physically represented knowledge and to transfer this knowledge into a new digital format for use by future generations. In the users’ interest, each book added is one closer to Google’s overarching goal: The Library Project The Library Project Google has continued working with major libraries to include their volumes in Google Books. The Library Project serves users the same way a card catalog would. The Library Project functions as a tool to connect readers to relevant texts, many of which are out of copyright and would otherwise be impossible to find. Jo Guldi, a University of California (UC) doctoral candidate, proclaims, â€Å"This is huge. † She explains that UC’s partnership with Google Book Search allows scholars, students, and faculty to search through UC Library’s 5 million books online rather than having to laboriously search through 28 miles of universal access to organized information that is not partial or mutated. The Gulf War Chronicles, after entered into Google Book Search, sales ranking  jumped on the Barnes & Nobles index by 85%. 25 shelves. 26 The Library Project The Library Project As the director of one of the dozens of libraries around the world partnering with Google, Harvard University Library’s Sidney Verba believes the Library The Library Project The Case Study Advancement of Mankind Authors’ Inspiration & Business Ethics Project is an undertaking actively capturing the potential of the future: The new century presents important new opportunities for libraries, including Harvard’s, and for those individuals who use them. The collaboration between major research libraries and Google will create an important public good of benefit to students, teachers, scholars, and readers everywhere. The project harnesses the power of the Internet to allow users to identify books of interest with a precision and at a speed previously unimaginable. The user will then be guided to find books in local libraries or to purchase them from publishers and book vendors. And, for books in the public domain, there will be even broader access. Public Libraries, Universities Authors. Individuals Publishers Liberating or Appropriating 27 28 Discussion Who is harmed by Google’s Print Library program? Make a list of harmed groups, and for each group, try to devise a solution that would eliminate or lessen the harm. Discussion1 The Library Project Authors Guild Class Action Suit The Authors Guild is America’s â€Å"oldest and largest professional society of published authors, representing more than 8,000 writers. † Its stated purpose is to â€Å"advocate for and support the copyright and contractual interests of published writers. † The Guild lobbies on the â€Å"national and local levels on behalf of all authors on issues such as copyright, taxation, and freedom of expression,† and intervenes in publishing disputes. 29 30 5 10/7/2013 Discussion1 The Library Project Authors Guild Class Action Suit Discussion1 The Library Project Not only AG, Not only Google It accused Google of â€Å"unauthorized scanning and copying of books through its Google Library program† By reproducing for itself a copy of those works that are not in the public domain, Google is engaging in a massive copyright infringement. It has infringed, and continues to infringe, the electronic rights of the copyrighted holders of those works . . . Google has announced plans to reproduce the Works for use on its web site in order to attract visitors to its web sites and generate advertising revenue. the American Authors Guild, the Australian Society of Authors and the Quebec Union of Writers filed a lawsuit on September 12 against five major universities working with Google on their Google books project. As reported in the New York Time, the lawsuit asserts that â€Å"by digitizing, archiving, copying and now publishing the copyrighted works without the authorization of those works’ rights holders, the universities are engaging in one of the largest infringements in history. † The lawsuit is against Google and HathiTrust The Guild claimed the display of these books online resulted in â€Å"depreciation in the value and ability to license and sell the Works, lost profits and/or opportunities, and 31 damage to their goodwill and reputation. † HathiTrust is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via the Google Books project and Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally by libraries. 32 Discussion1 The Library Project Not only AG, Not only Google The authors are seeking to â€Å"impound† approximately 7 Discussion1 The Library Project The LCA Strikes Back million copyrightprotected books that they claim were illegally scanned by Google and handed. over to HathiTrust, a partnership that includes over 50 research institutions and libraries. HathiTrust, which includes institutions such as MIT, Harvard and Johns Hopkins is currently compiling their own digitized library that includes many books to which the authors still hold rights to, according to the Authors’ Guild. In addition to HathiTrust, their suit takes aim specifically at the University of Michigan where HathiTrust is based, the University of California, the University of Wisconson, Indiana University and Cornell University. The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) consists of three major library associations — the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Association of College and Research Libraries. The purpose of the LCA is to work toward a unified voice and common strategy for the library community in responding to and developing proposals to amend national and international copyright law and policy for the digital environment. The LCA’s mission is to foster global access and fair use of information for creativity, research, and education. 33 34 Discussion1 The Library Project The LCA Strikes Back Discussion1. The Library Project The LCA Strikes Back Two days after the lawsuit was filed the Library Copyright Alliance condemned AG â€Å"The case has no merit, and completely disregards the rights of libraries and their users under the law, especially fair use,† The â€Å"fair use† that the LCA is referring to is a legal doctrine that allows the reproduction of copyrighted material under certain circumstances. Even the US Copyright Office admits that â€Å"the distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. † How the fair use is defined? 35 36 6 10/7/2013 Discussion1 The Library Project American Association of Publishers Lawsuit Discussion1 The Library Project American Association of Publishers Lawsuit The publishing industry is united behind this lawsuit against Google and united in the fight to defend their rights. While authors and publishers know how useful Google’s search engine can be and think the Print Library could be an excellent resource, the bottom line is that under its current plan Google is seeking to make millions of dollars by freeloading on the talent and property of authors and publishers. According to an AAP press release, the suit was filed on behalf of five major publisher members of AAP The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the national trade association of the U. S. book publishing industry, with over 300 members. These include â€Å"major commercial publishers, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses, and scholarly societies. The AAP mission is â€Å"the protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy. † 37 38 Discussion1. The Library Project How did Google respond? Discussion1 The Library Project Google’s Definition of â€Å"Fair Use† Google further supported its â€Å"Fair Use† argument by asserting the exact premise of the Supreme Court explanation in a precedent case. In a section of Google’s Books Search website titled, â€Å"What’s the Issue? ,† Google defended its stance: Google Print is an historic effort to make millions of books easier for people to find and buy. Creating an easy to use index of books is fair use under copyright law and supports the purpose of copyright: to increase the awareness and sales of books directly benefiting copyright holders. This short-sighted attempt to block Google Print works counter to the interests of not just the world’s readers, but also the world’s authors and publishers. Google issued an official statement â€Å" Copyright law is supposed to ensure that authors and publishers have an incentive to create new work, not stop people from finding out that the work exists. By helping people find books, we believe we can increase the incentive to publish them. After all, if a book isn’t discovered, it won’t be bought. † 39 40 Discussion1 The Library Project How much AG demand? $3 billion The Authors Guild is seeking $750 in damages for each copyrighted book Google copied, which would cost Google more than $3 billion, Google attorney Seth Waxman said. The guild argues Google is not making â€Å"fair use† of copyrighted material by offering snippets of works. Google has defended its library, saying it is fully compliant with copyright law. Discussion 1 Summary Who is harmed by Google’s Print Library program? Obviously, 2 parties were harmed by the birth of Google Book 1. Author Copyright, Revenue Reduction 2. Publisher Public can access online (free of charge), Publisher role will be finally eliminated 42. Parker at one point asked Robert J. LaRocca, a lawyer for the Authors Guild, said the legal issues would not take another decade or more to resolve. He said one possible outcome was that Google would be banned from going ahead with its plans, although he called that outcome â€Å"very remote† and said it was more likely that the Authors Guild, if victorious, would ask the judge to order a compulsory license requiring Google to pay $750 for each new copyrighted book it copied. 41 7 10/7/2013 For each group, try to devise a solution that would eliminate or lessen the harm. Author Copyright compensation Publisher Business agreement, Join Venture, Put them in the business model Fair Payment Structure for each parties may hard to be determined 43 44 Discussion2 How they make MONEY ? How they make MONEY ? The Top 10 Most Expensive Keywords are: 1. Insurance 2. Loans 3. Mortgage 4. Attorney 5. Credit 6. Lawyer 7. Donate 8. Degree 9. Hosting 10. Claim While the minimum bid per keyword is 5 cents in AdWords, the high cost keywords listed above are nowhere near that. Google can make up to $50 per click from the most expensive PPC keywords. Keyword Advertising is a highly lucrative business for Google. 45 46. 97% comes from online pay-per-click advertising. At WordStream we can’t How does Google make money? Surprisingly, get enough PPC; that’s why we decided to conduct some research and find out what the most expensive keywords are in Google. Some of our results about the most popular and most expensive PPC keywords were to be expected, while some (like cord blood and mesothelioma treatment) surprised us and our readers. Discussion2 How they make MONEY ? 47 Discussion Discussion 1 Summary Why is Google Pursuing the Library Project? What is in it for Google? Make a list of benefit to Google Discussion2 48 8 10/7/2013. Discussion 2 Summary Why is Google Pursuing the Library Project? 1. Increase Google Searches 2. More ads = More Profit 3. Market Expansion 4. Horizontal Integration 5. Build barrier to entry 49 50 Discussion If you were a librarian, would you support Google’s Print Library program? Why or why not? Discussion3 Publishers’ Opinion Google Books is a key to our overall Internet strategy of reaching new markets with our books in an effective and efficient way. We have seen overall traffic to our site increase, backlist sales rise, and we’ve acquired nearly 4,000 new direct book customers for free since the program launched. Evan Schnittman VP, Rights & Bus Dev 51 52 Discussion3 A 1999 Blackwell’s title, Metaphysics: An Anthology, has had 2,583 page views and 597 â€Å"buy this book† click-throughs since it became part of the program. Without any other marketing, the title has had â€Å"its best year in the U. S. since publication†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The high rate of â€Å"buy this book† clicks is translating into sales for our deep backlist. Edward Crutchley Book Sales Director Discussion3 Authors’ Opinion When The Gulf War Chronicles first appear in Google Books, its sales ranking on the Barnes & Noble index jumped by 85% and stay there Richard S. Lowry. Books featured in the Partner Program show a 15. 3% (customer) â€Å"conversion rate,† which means that web surfers who clicked on a Simon and Schuster book in Google Books either bought a book or went to the Simon and Schuster web site and, for example, subscribed to a newsletter. Conversion rates for other search engines languish around 1-3%. Kate Tentler Senior Vice President of Digital Media, Simon & Schuster 53 54 9 10/7/2013 Discussion3 The Library Project Copyright Dimension Discussion3 The Library Project Copyright Around The World 55 Mostly between 50 – 70 years 56 Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Arriba Vs Kelly Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Copyright of Image Copyright of Image Court Decision Arriba Soft operated a visual search engine on the Internet, which returned images instead of text to user search queries. Arriba compiled images from various websites and despite not getting consent from any of these websites, it formed a database containing reduced thumbnails of these images. Leslie Kelly, a professional photographer from California specializing in photographing California gold rush country, discovered that some of his pictures were embedded in the Arriba database. He sued Arriba Soft for copyright infringement. In this case, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit determined Arriba’s use of Kelly’s photographs were â€Å"Fair Use† and thus not a copyright infringement. 1) not be commercial in nature, but a â€Å"transformative† purpose 2) The nature of copyright law is to protect creative works more so than works of fact 3) only provided the thumbnails of the images 4) serve as an advertising medium for Kelly’s work What do you think ? 57 58 Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Copyright of Image Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry UMG vs MP3. com Court Decision Copyright of Music The court decided (1) & (4) were consistent with Fair Use and (2) & (3) were not. But on balance this was enough for it to grant Arriba’s motion and deny Kelly’s claims to copyright infringement, because of the weight it attached to (1). In 2000, UMG Recordings, Inc. brought a lawsuit to the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against MP3. com. UMG Recordings sued MP3. com for copying its recordings and placing them onto MP3. com’s computer servers. These  The court found that Arriba never took ownership of Kelly’s work and determined the search engine used Kelly’s images for a purely transformative purpose. servers allowed people who had previously bought the CD to access the music on this CD online from multiple locations. 59 60 10 10/7/2013 Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Copyright of Music Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Sony Vs Universal City Studio Court Decision Copyright of Recording Universal City Studios sued Sony Corporations in 1979 on the claim that Sony’s MP3. com elected to defend itself with a Fair Use argument. The district courts, however, ruled in UMG’s favor stating that â€Å"copyright holders new recording device was a copyright infringement. The Betamax (Sony’s home recording device) allowed users to copy complete TV shows for â€Å"time shift† – the ability to watch programs at a time different than the allotted broadcast time slot. Sony argued its recording device was fair use and did not constitute any contributory infringement of copyright. had the exclusive rights to control derivative markets by refusing to license a copyrighted work. †29 By entirely copying recordings – creative works closer to the core of copyright protection The court did not find MP3. com’s use of the recordings to be consistent with the tenets of fair use. 61 62 Discussion3 The Library Project Lesson from Related Industry Copyright of Recording Discussion3 The Library Project Impact on Music Industry Court Decision The Supreme Court agreed with Sony on its contention of fair use, and in its decision emphasized the value of creating a new area of fair use to adapt for new technological capabilities: â€Å"Where valuable technology does not promote contributory infringement by third parties, the courts are more likely to grant fair use. † 63 64 Discussion3 The Library Project Format Revolution Discussion3 The Library Project Impact on Music Industry According to an undated RIAA press release, â€Å"global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 mil, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers’ earningslion in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. †35 In addition, RIAA argues, the loss in revenues provides a disincentive for record producers and music artists to produce the music. (For a graphical view of piracy on the music industry, please see Appendix IV). The Decline and Fall of Recorded Music Is the Case For a Format Revolution 65 66 11 10/7/2013 Discussion3 The Library Project Impact on Music Industry Discussion3 The Library of Digitization on the Book Industry The Impact Project Association of Canadian Publishers concluded that the best course of action was to But it turned out  to be that the not everyone agree with RIAA. But which side is the majority? And which side is correct? â€Å"educate publishers as to the situation but to leave it to them to determine whether to participate or not. † The report emphasized that â€Å"Google presents the industry with both an opportunity and a huge challenge. † The report noted that there is no fee for publishers to join the program, and Google â€Å"gives publishers a share of revenue from contextual ads, placed next to the book pages, that are actually clicked on. † advised that, â€Å"publishers are best served if they  own their own digital files, that Google does not give publishers a copy of any file that they digitize and that the Google file is not of superior quality. 67 68 If you were a librarian, would you support Google’s Print Library program? Why or why not? 1. Support as long as it’s under â€Å"Copyright Law†, or at the point that 1. 1 Authors will be properly inspired 1. 2 Business is on going 2. Google Books will be like world digital public library which definitely better than the physical library in many ways 3. The integration of knowledge will top up the wisdom of mankind 69 Discussion Discussion 3 Summary. Why firms like Amazon, Yahoo, and Microsoft opposed the Library Project? Why would a firm like Sony Support Google? 70 Discussion4 The Library Digital Cold War ofProject World? Discussion4 The Library Project Amazon vs Google â€Å"Dozens of libraries have understood the danger of the Google Book maneuver and have joined the OCA. † Jean-Claude Guedon, Professor of Literature at the University of Montreal 71 72 12 10/7/2013 Discussion4 Discussion4 The Library Project Microsoft, Yahoo vs Google Both are the competitors of Google in some ways.. But clearly that there is a huge gap between them, what will Google. Books impact on the gap? Will Google Books Settlement make the investment in Amazon’s Kindle both device and file useless ? With Google Books, every device that can connect to the internet can be e-Reader 73 74 Discussion4 The Library Project Google & Sony 75 Google TV is a Smart TV platform from Google co-developed by Intel, Sony, and Logitech that was launched in October 2010. [2] Google TV integrates the Google Chromebrowser to create an interactive television overlay on top of existing Internet 76 television and WebTV sites to add a 10-foot user interface. Discussion4 The Library Project Sony vs Amazon Discussion 4 Summary Why firms like Amazon, Yahoo, and Microsoft opposed the Library Project? The Google Books Settlement will grant Google the exclusive right to sell out of print works that remain under contract Amazon will be impacted dramatically because it is the biggest online bookstore and have just created their reading device â€Å"Kindle† which is pictured as the new era of book reading 77 78 13 10/7/2013 Discussion 4 Summary Why firms like Amazon, Yahoo, and Microsoft opposed the Library Project? Discussion 4 Summary Why would a firm like Sony Support Google? Yahoo would also opposed the settlement because Google search will definitely be more benefit to searchers Microsoft is the one who try creating the online library but not successful Sony is also the one who offer the reader device â€Å"The Daily Edition† so it want to challenges Amazon’s Kindle sale Sony also has the agreement with Google to access more than 500,000 e-books 79 80 Discussion Do you think the Library Project will result in a de facto monopoly in e-books, or will there be other competitors? Discussion5 The Digitalization Other Library Project Effort Live Search Books – Funded by Microsoft and started in 2006, folded in May of 2008. www. archive. org – driving force behind the Open Content Alliance, Internet Archive is a non-profit, and is the second-largest books scanning project, has scanned 1. 3 million books www. booksurge. com– subsidiary of Amazon. com, effort to digitize â€Å"hard-to-fi nd† books, giving 35% royalties on retail sales of paperback books. 81 82 Discussion5 The Digitalization Other Library Project Effort . Discussion5 The Library Monopoly ? Google, TheProject Jstor. org – archive system for academic journals â€Å" europeana. eu– provides access to European digital items including digitized paintings, books and films. I worry about the effects on competition. Google’s high settlement payments are barriers to entry by anyone else. Though it’s plausible no one had the resources or spine to compete with Google regardless, a judicial determination that the use was fair would have enabled more competition in parallel and distinct library offerings. Now, Google cements its advantage in yet another field. † www. safaribooksonline. com – provides access to books, videos, and tutorials from O’Reilly, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, Microsoft Press, and others. 83 Wendy Seltzer, Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law 84 14. 10/7/2013 Discussion5 The Library Monopoly ? Google, TheProject Discussion5 The Library Monopoly ? Google, TheProject â€Å" Has Google backed away from an interesting and socially constructive fair use fight in order to secure market power for itself? Does this deal give Google an unfair head start against any secondcomers to book scanning? Michael Madison, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law † As part of the settlement, Google agreed to pay $34. 5 million to establish the Books Rights Registry, which is supposed to serve as an independent party to dole out Google’s royalties to the rightful parties. Seventy percent of all revenues earned through the Google Books Project would go to the Books Rights Registry, and then on the holders of the copyrights. 85 86 Discussion5 Google, The Monopoly ? Discussion 5 Summary â€Å" Google will enjoy what can only be called a monopoly – a monopoly of a new kind, not of railroads or steel but of access to information. Google has no serious competitors. Do you think the Library Project will result in a de facto monopoly in e-books, or will there be other competitors? Probable !!!! 1. The settlement allows Google to sell copies of works that no other organization in the U. S. can sell 2. The settlement allows Google to do things that no one else can reasonably expect to ever be able to do. 87 88 † Robert Darnton, Head of the Harvard library system Discussion 5 Summary Do you think the Library Project will result in a de facto monopoly in e-books, or will there be other competitors? Discussion 5 Summary Do you think the Library Project will result in a de facto monopoly in e-books, or will there be other competitors? Probable !!!! 3. Currently, there is no reasonable expectation that a competitor to Google Book will or could ever arise 4. The current settlement allows Google to set prices for books that will ultimately be anti-competitive. 5. As more and more libraries disappear, and physical copies of orphaned works become harder to come by, Google’s monopolistic possession of these works will only strengthen. BTW !!!! Nothing is impossible in digital world, there are strongly negative criticisms about Google from may parties. Some even share their resource and build the new organization to challenge Google Book. The case like Microsoft Encarta and Wikipedia may be not only the case that giant is defeated by ant 89 90 15.

Marketing in the business world.

IntroductionWith competition so intense, many businesses is forced to find innovative ways to increase the quality and sales of their products, from manufacturing to inventory to marketing, using advance technology that is now readily available for anyone willing to adopt it. This is exactly why over the last few years’ information technology has taken a firm grasp and continues to gain momentum. The business world is competitive and everyday presents new and difficult challenges.   Companies must rely on the most effective marketing and sales strategy in order to remain in front of their competition.   In the business world, most companies nowadays use the web technology and Internet to ensure these goals are both surpassed and met. This paper discusses in detail the approach of companies to marketing in the business world.Marketing in the Business WorldIn the business world, effective marketing becomes increasingly tied up with the Internet and other electronic media, ma king the most of the Internet and other new technologies is important to a business success — from the brand image portrayed on its Web site to the development, maintenance and enhancement of customer relationships. In these increasingly uncertain and cynical times, marketing in the business world unpicks the challenges of e-marketing for many types of business.The Web is very information concentrated environment. Extensive amounts of information can be integrated, collected, presented, processed, and accessed through the Web by both consumers and marketers. Marketers now can track comprehensive information for all consumer interactions, not just select examples. On the other hand, soft market qualities, such as reliability and reputation, maybe more difficult to evaluate and gather.Consumers can increase more market information for criteria evaluation; however possible problems of information excess may increase recognised searching costs (Head et al. 2000). Marketers may pr ovide tools to facilitate consumer information collection, but may have to restructure their marketing strategies since competitors can also gather market information and match price differences.Peterson et al. (1997) argues that the Web will have major effect on communication, will influence transactions, but will have no effect on distribution unless the good is based on digital assets. Businesses, which consider the Web as a marketing instrument, primarily utilise it as a communication means to take advantage of its benefits in lower costs, personalisation, interactivity, digitisation, automation, and constant communication. Most businesses who do not currently sell their products/services through their web sites hold this view. Many businesses create their site to foster better communication and public relations. Consumers can obtain corporate information, and may be encouraged to subscribe to customised electronic flyers/newsletters.Mahajan and Wind (1989) explained that Web is a market discontinuity. Companies, which deal with the Web channel as a promising new marketplace that helps a complete range of interaction, may find that it co competes and -exists with traditional markets. New importance must be identified and valued by consumers to compete and participate with existing market channels. For instance, customers must value the ease and flexibility of using Web. Companies need to deal with market positions/boundaries to fit the new value with customers' needs, and look for proper business models in order to achieve these needs. Customer base will be new and existing groups with unique value principle, which may be difficult to attain through traditional channels.In addition to using the Web as a marketing tool and for information searching, consumers can increase their market power through high involvement in business processes and virtual communities. These are new Web-centered strategies, which are restricted in traditional markets by fixed physi cal assets and slow transfer of information (Werbach 2000). Some researchers have noted the commercial effects of Web groups (Kozinets 1999). Communication convenience allows consumers to form communities outside their traditional work or family groups.Such communities accumulate information or knowledge by learning from the experiences of individual community members. Information collection costs and times are often reduced for individuals within a community. Opinions from other consumers are often more valued than messages from marketers, especially in a Web market, where trust is critical and more difficult to build. Not only do groups have a strong effect on purchasers' decision-making, but they may also affect market variables such as products and prices.For example, stocks that capture the attention of participants in chat rooms can move noticeably in price (Bruce 1997). The Web, as an interactive marketplace, also gives the consumer data selection and personalisation power. C ustomers can select information of interest and personalise presentation forms for their own use. Personalized Web pages, which can be constructed fairly easily, increase customer power. Customers on the Web have greater control over what they view and examine. They can select their own path through the information network, process the data, or initiate communication with marketers.There is a general consensus that the industrial organisational impacts of using e-commerce as marketing tool will reflect two developments: 1) the expansion of relevant geographical markets, and 2) increased competition in those markets. The two changes are related (Globerman et al. 2001). However, E-commerce businesses are characterised by high market capitalisations, which are reflected in the perception of their business models by investors (Venkatraman 2000). Primarily, businesses in the Internet carry a 30% marketing budget in order to reach more customers.Specifically, as electronic commerce makes it less costly to identify beneficial transactions across a wider range of potential transactors, it should lead to an increased integration of markets that are currently segmented by high transactions costs across geographical space. In addition, geographically larger markets are ordinarily more contestable than smaller markets. In this perspective, one well-known international business professional stated that electronic commerce implies the end of borders and geography as industrial organisation constructs (Kobrin, 1995).Decision to include international buyers as part of the customer base for a business's Web site, changes must be made to the site in order to promote global consumers to buy products. Internationalising the Web site will aid in the attraction and retention of foreign users by allowing them easier access to the information and functions it presents in a standardised, more simplified manner.Most businesses lack the expertise and resources to create separate Web sit es along with the independent channels of marketing, distribution and production facilities needed for each target market they intend to enter. As a result, these businesses are expected to enter into the business world on a smaller scale, sticking to stages one and two when redesigning their Web sites with a global focus.ConclusionThe Internet has made an outstanding impact within its first decade of business use. Marketing professionals have been quick to realise the opportunities provided by the Internet. Particularly, they recognised that business could be improved by integrating the Internet with direct marketing practices such as database marketing. The challenge for information systems practitioners and professionals is to understand these opportunities with the accessible technologies in the relative constraints of an organisation.It is included that e-commerce which is driven by the exponential growth of the Web is the most common marketing practices taking advantage of the Web by utilising information technology to sell large quantities of products and to become more responsive to the individual. The role of the Internet, in particular, of the electronic commerce web sites, has been recognised as a marketing tool for attracting and maintaining customers.ReferenceBruce, C. (1997). Welcome to my parlor. Marketing Management, 5 (4), 11-24.Globerman, S., Roehl, T. and Standfird. (2001) Globalization and Electronic Commerce: Inferences from Retail Brokering. Journal of International Business Studies. Volume: 32. Issue: 4.Head, M., Archer, N.P., & Yuan, Y. (2000). World wide web navigation aid. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 53 (2), 301-330.Kobrin, S.J. 1995. Regional Integration in a Globally Networked Economy. Transnational Corporations, 4 (2): 15-33.Kozinets, R.V. (1999). E-tribalized marketing?: The strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption. European Management Journal, 17 (3), 252-264.Mahajan, V., & Wind, J. (1989) . Market discontinuities and strategic planning: A research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 36 (August), 185-199.Peterson, R., Balasubramanian, S., & Bronnenberg, B.J. (1997). Exploring the implications of the internet for consumer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (4), 329-346.Venkatraman, N. (2000) Five steps to a dot.com strategy: How to find your footing on the Web, Sloan Management Review, 41(3), 15-28.Werbach, K. (2000). Syndication: The emerging model for business in the Internet era. Harvard Business Review 78 (3), 85-93.

The Pit and the Pendulum essays

The Pit and the Pendulum essays The Pit and the Pendulum is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and uses themes such as the conflict between physical and mental aspects of the human body. Poe also uses religion as a major theme in this story. This story is perhaps one of Poes more popular works. Poe uses elements frequently repeated in his other stories. The Pit and the Pendulum combines elements of both the grotesque and the arabesque (Thompson). This is shown when the main character must use his mind to overcome his torturers when his physical capabilities have failed him. Though not one of Poes best works, it achieves its own place as a hair-raising short story. This story uses symbolism involving religion, such as, the hand of General Lasalle reaching down to save the man represents the hand of god saving a soul. When the cell is about to explode this represents the fire and brimstone of hell (Thompson). The Pit and the Pendulum also uses aspects of the struggle between the two states of consciousness (Burduck). The states are that of the grotesque, which is of the body, and the arabesque, that of the mind. Mostly, the story is told by a man with only mental capabilities because physical exertion proves impossible at times. This is shown when the man is attempting to determine the size of the cell when he faints because he was so physically drained. Much of the story is devoted to the conflict of these two consciousnesses. As the man tries to free himself, he must rely on his sometimes maddened mind (Burduck). This stroy shows us that mankind can achieve their goal through his intelligence, and succeed despite overwhelming odds. This is exemplified by showing the man with almost no chance of survival and must rely on his mind and will power to live, who eventually beats his oppressors. I believe that this story shows that if we have faith in being rescued and a strong will to triumph ove...