Genetic Testing And Its Social Implications :: essays research papers

Probably, applied genetics’ most impacts on society are as a result of genetic tests. In general, genetic tests seek to detect some feature of a person’s genetic constitution. This feature can be a disease causing mutation or a marker DNA sequence used to detect presence of another gene. Obviously these procedures used for testing the status of DNA, RNA or chromosomes are included in genetic tests. What is more it is possible to include some protein based tests and classical medical examinations when they aim to detect inheritance of a trait. Genetic tests have been divided into four categories in this text, and they will be examined in greater detail later. These categories are: Prenatal tests that are applied on fetuses during pregnancy. Neonatal screening just after birth and career screening of marrying couples. Testing for serious late-onset disease before the symptoms occur. Testing to assess the probability of developing complex disease. There are a couple of considerations about genetic tests: 1. First of all, the tests should be reliable. When a positive or a negative result is obtained, we should be confident in that result with a confidence approaching 100%. To achieve such a high accuracy is not as easy as it may at first appear to be. Meiotic recombinations that always occur take place during gamete generation, may separate a disease-associated gene and a marker DNA sequence which is used to detect mutated genes. False positive or negative results could be obtained. In addition, genetic tests look for the most common mutations that cause the disease. For example, a test would detect CFTR?F508 (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Receptor) mutation, however it is not possible to detect infinite number of other mutations. Therefore, a genetic test can give such results so that the physician is convinced that his patient is normal while he is affected by an undetectable mutation. New tests are continuously being developed. Doctors and genetic counselors who will use these test s in the future, should be well informed about newly emerging tests. 2. Extremely accurate genetic tests can only be developed by thorough experimentation on human subjects. Although there is generally no physiological risk in experimenting a person, the subjects should be informed that the applied test is not entirely reliable and in experimentation state. Informing subjects of experimentation is an obligation set by the Nuremberg Code. Just after World War II it was discovered that unethical experiments had been performed on humans who were kept in concentration camps of Nazi Germany.

Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology Essay -- Psychology

For a long time in history, studies of history of psychology have been done in three distinct ways. These domains were as follows: consciousness, psyche, behavior and mental life but every case stood on its own. Psychology was in this case the knowledge domain. Moreover, psychology was composed of various accounts. There was also the case of the society that was composed of views of the world or culture or industrialization. Although the history between these disciplines is not viewed sometimes, there are social aspects that are studied on how they are related to psychology. The often asked question is the relationship between the theories of psychology and its application to human life for instance, individual life, mental life and subjectivity. Presently, efforts by writers to separate the three categories have seen light. Psychology itself cannot exist without a society which supports all its facts. Moreover, psychological object cannot be taken as independent, given, discovered b ut that which is discovered and comes before knowledge. Psychology can hence be seen in two perspectives: as a discipline and as a subject of human. A conclusion can be made that psychology exists in a domain that is constructed. This is contrary to science domain where truth is constructed. Introduction Science employs an approach of empiricism. This approach states that our senses are the only place from which knowledge originates. This is in contrary to knowledge view that exists that it could be acquired purely by logical argument and reasoning. Hence empiricism views knowledge to be based on experience. Empiricism through gain of knowledge via experience came to be an approach of science and influenced greatly chemistry and physics d... ... Scientific thought on the other hand, goes ahead to justify every observation by mere experimentation. With time it is found out that there an implication that the outcome of the experiments has on judgment because many arguments can be correct till proven right. Another example is on statistics where it is implicated in relationships. Works Cited McLeod, S. A. (2008). Simply Psychology; Psychology as a Science G. Bachelard (1984).The New Scientific Spirit, tr. Arthur Goldhammer, Boston, Beacon Press K. Danziger (1990).Constructing the Subject, Cambridge: Cambridge U. P K. Gergen(1985). The social constructionist movement in modern psychology, American Psychologist Hacking (1990).The Taming of Chance, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. P. Heelas and A. Lock (1981).Indigenous Psychologies: The Anthropology of the Self, London, Academic Press

China Men - The Brother in Vietnam Essay -- Maxine Hong Kingston China

China Men - The Brother in Vietnam In her tale, "The Brother in Vietnam," author Maxine Hong Kingston relates the drastic misinterpretation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" on the part of the "brother's" students. It is clear to the reader that their disillusioned thoughts and ideas of the world were instilled in their vulnerable minds by their own parents at young ages, an occurrence that still takes place in our society today. In his account of the situation, the brother first clearly makes a note that these confused and suspicious students comprise not one of his elementary classes, but rather his only non-remedial class. From this he is evidently implying that one would expect a heightened ability to understand and more accurately analyze the power and beauty of great literature on the part of the students. Thus from the beginning, the reader is alerted to the fact that their confusion is not due to the difficulty of the material, but rather is the product of some underlying factor. In this way the students perceive this Shakespearean tragedy as a horror story, the mere thought of it shadowed in their minds by fear. They see the Montagues and Capulets as families driven mad; Verona as a plague-infested country where killing and marriage take place in dark regions alike. They infer from it that young love is dangerous, and by reading of a suicide made possible by a potion that was initially inten ded to preserve tender love instead of stealing it, their notions that there is evil in everything seem to be confirmed. The brother, frustrated and upset, is unable to "shift the emphasis" that the play has left on these youths, and he feels... ...protective shield around their children. Do they really believe this is to the benefit of our youth? It is understandable to want to protect children from unnecessary evils, but sometimes in constructing walls around their worldly vision they are in all actuality cutting their children off from reality. It is so much healthier and helpful to confront these issues head-on, rather than trying to skirt around them. In fact, in the long-run, as can be seen through the misinterpretation of "Romeo and Juliet" by the students, such avoidance of the matter at hand will often prove more harmful in the development of young minds. Through the various misconceptions of the children in her short story, "The Brother in Vietnam," Maxine Hong Kingston allows her reader to see just how necessary truth is to the vulnerable minds of our youth.

“Violence is never far from the surface.” Discuss with reference to three of Heaney’s poems

To discuss the topic of violence in Heaney's poems, it is easiest to look at three of his poems that have an aggressive nature. Therefore, I am going to look at the poems: Punishment, A Constable Calls and Act of Union, all of which incorporate the theme of violence. It is useful to understand the underlying themes of the poems mentioned to understand them as violence is not always explicitly mentioned. A Constable Calls is about a police officer visiting a Northern Irish farm, checking up on the farms produce. A rather innocent task, however, in the mind of the young boy, this visit appears threatening and intruding. Punishment is about the remains of a body (a young female in her day) found in a bog. She appears to be the victim of a ritual killing, punished for the fact that she was an adulteress. Act of Union, on the alternative hand, is a complex metaphor distinguishing England as a man, Ireland as woman and Northern Ireland as the offspring. England has effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it creating the multi-cultured society that we call Northern Ireland. All three poems have very dissimilar themes, portraying and exploring violence in very different ways. The poems look at mental and physical violence such as in A Constable Calls where the child is very fearful of the intimidating police officer – mental violence: â€Å"Arithmetic and fear† The child does not show his fear of the police officer but constantly looks at the way the constable acts and perceives these actions to be menacing and intruding: â€Å"On the floor, next his chair† Here, noting how the constable acts as if the chair is his, although it is not, looking at him as if being very possessive. Punishment, in contrast, explores the visual images and after effects of violence – the physical side. Violence in this case being the punishment of an adulteress: â€Å"I can see her drowned body in the bog† Here we get a very visual image of the body retrieved from the bog explaining that she was sunk into the bog in a cage and, therefore, drowned. Act of Union also looks at violence in a similar way to both A Constable Calls and Punishment. It looks at the physical and mental side to violence: â€Å"And I am still imperially Male, leaving you with the pain† Discussing how England has effectively raped Ireland in the way it treats it, not having enough knowledge of Ireland to treat it with respect, hence only creating destruction. Both A Constable Calls and Act of Union probe the idea of the threat of violence. For example, in Act of Union, England is: â€Å"The tall kingdom over your shoulder† â€Å"Your† referring to Ireland, the idea suggests how, England being larger and subsequently more powerful, has a large influence over Ireland's actions and will resort to violence if it strays off line in political and social aspects. Similarly, in A Constable Calls, the constable represents the domineering force in Northern Ireland: â€Å"The boot of the law† Here, a common phrase, â€Å"The long arm of the law† has been changed to suit the actions of English authorities in Ireland, once again displaying how England is not apprehensive about using force against Ireland. In conflict with the threat of violence, Punishment actually demonstrates violence as well as investigating why it was used: â€Å"Her noose a ring to store the memories of love† Here explaining that the young woman had taken her marriage for granted and betrayed it, hence being punished. It is in the language of the poems that the theme of violence is cleverly demonstrated. In A Constable Calls many of the words have underlying connotations which contribute to the theme of violence in the poem: â€Å"Its fat, black handle grips† This quote, being very oppressive in nature, relates to the English administration in Northern Ireland and the force it uses to keep events in order. â€Å"The domesday book† Refers to the way in which England has invaded Northern Ireland as William the Conqueror invaded England back in 1066. The most important use of language in A Constable Calls, however, is the last line: â€Å"And the bicycle ticked, ticked, ticked† Implying that the constable's bike sounds similar to a bomb, and the child, with his vivid imagination, picks up on this immediately. In the language of Punishment we can detect how Heaney describes the scene after an act of violence, or in this case a punishment, has taken place: â€Å"I can feel the tug of the halter at the nape of her neck† Here, describing the visible ring on her neck left from some form of rope in which the young women was possibly hung from before her execution in the bog. This portrays to us a very violent image in which the young woman was possibly tortured in several different ways before her eventual release into death. Heaney, in Punishment, also proceeds to inform us that, despite how civilised we may think we are in the modern age, the actions of England towards Ireland show how little we have developed throughout the centuries: â€Å"Who would connive in civilised outrage† Act of Union clearly demonstrates this point: â€Å"Mustering Force† Suggesting how Ireland is putting together a force, possibly drawing parallels to the IRA (violent terrorist organisation fighting for the freedom of Northern Ireland), looking to oust the English from Northern Ireland. However, this force is partially looking to avenge Ireland after its supposed â€Å"rape†, much like the community in Punishment looking to find revenge for what the young woman may have brought to various families. Similarly to A Constable Calls; â€Å"The polished holster †¦ †¦ The revolver butt† Where the young boy is stupefied by the gun in the police officers possession with the control he has over other people with it, Act of Union has references to violent weapons, in this case, again, guns and other firearms: â€Å"His heart beneath your heart is a wardrum† The wardrum beating a rhythm calling the Irish and (anti-British) Northern Irish up to bare arms. The poems of Seamus Heaney reflect a lot about the subject of violence between Ireland and England, resulting in the problems of Northern Ireland, depicted as the baby of the conflict in Act of Union. Heaney, having lived in Northern Ireland during his childhood, came to many of the conclusions on the matter in his poems during this time. His poems bitterly reflect on the conflict and seem to incriminate England widely for the current problem. Violence plays such a large role in these poems because all that the occupation of Northern Ireland by England has caused is aggression from both separate parties.

The Solutions of Energy Shortage in Pakistan

Energy Shortage now is a global crisis for many countries in the world including Pakistan. Pakistan, one of the high rapid development developing countries now is in the worst energy crisis in its history (Kazmi, 2013). The high speed increasing of its economy and population absolutely demand a large energy supply, but the problem is that the storage of the energy of the country now can hardly supply the whole country’s energy usage. As AOL News said â€Å"Car owns wait for hours to get petrol and gas, cities and villages are lack of electricity for many hours per day, homes can hardly cook without gas.†The situation is becoming more and more serious in the whole country. Actually, Pakistan’s energy shortage crisis can be tracked back to the 1990s ( Kugelman, 2013); and in the 1970s, the energy crisis was averted once because of the Mangla and Tarbela dams. However, the strong economic growth needs a large mount of energy; no matter how indigenous energy resource s do Pakistan have, it is hard to satisfy the soared consumption of energy. For figuring out the good solutions of energy crisis in Pakistan, we’d better to know the effects and causes of the crisis.It is very obviously to see that the impact of the energy crisis in Pakistan is terrible for almost everywhere during the country: economic, educational, political and etc. As Chung (2013) mentioned, because the lack of electricity, numerous business and factories have to reduce 20 to 25% of their productivity, and the consequence of this can be really bad such as citizens are losing jobs, children are losing their education opportunities and factories are losing their foreign markets and clients, even worse, it may lead economic slowdown or economic contraction on Pakistan.On the other hand, Pakistan relies on the compressed natural gas (CNG) most and this is an important cause that leads the energy shortage crisis directly on Pakistan. Because the population is increasing so fas t, no matter how much gas the government has purchased in, it’s still hard to supply CNG for the whole country, also the negative impact of this is that there’s a inflation on the price of CNG. Besides, according to Leung (2013), the government plays an important role in this crisis.The poor managements of the government makes a lot of problems in Pakistan such as the government realized the problem but it didn’t take any action to solve the problem, the worse is, the government even made the problems worse. Government always spent money on wrong ways but not to spend the most of money on solving the energy crisis; at last, it seems that government can only make a ration of energy and owe much more money, but this obviously cannot solve the problem and it will keep increasing burden on the citizens.Hence, for solving the serious energy shortage problem, what could be the possible solutions and what solutions can truly solve the problem permanently or temporarily ? One thing now can be sure is that for solving the energy crisis, Pakistan will require political will, additional funding, and new power-generation sources etc. (Kugelman, 2013). One short-term solution as Kugelman (2013) pointed out that Pakistan could request a new loan from International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, except how much will this solution work, it seems that Pakistan now is not willing to get help from IMF at least after the spring’s elections.In other words, because of the possible political influence from IMF, it’s hard for Pakistan to get new fund from IMF as for now. It means even get loan from IMF is good solution in the additional fund way, it’s not a happy solution for the government’s political will. However, actually for the Pakistan’s situation, even the government doesn’t ask IMF for fund help, it’s still necessary and better to get economic help as soon as possible because even the government itself canno t pay all power bills.New fund can also help Pakistan to import more energy for supplying the demand for a while. Except the new fund, shifting the energy resource to another one is also a good solution for Pakistan. For this, coal energy seems like the best choice to instead of CNG for Pakistan. Considering Pakistan’s economy situation, like Ebrahim (2012) mentioned, many experts think coal is the alternative for Pakistan because Pakistan cannot afford to be romantic.Hydropower depends on water so it’s seasonally, oil is too expensive, only importing abundant coal is viable because coal is much more cheaper than oil and it’s non-seasonally. However, although coal energy is a long-term solution for Pakistan to solve the energy problem, it is also a long-term damage for the global environment (Chung, 2013). In this way, Pakistan needs to consider how to balance the solution of the current problem and the cause of the potential crisis in the future. Hopefully coal energy won’t be a dilemma for Pakistan in the future.Meanwhile, besides coal energy, another long-term solution for Pakistan now is to develop more sugar plants to supply electricity. According to Kazmi (2013), Pakistan has the potential to get electricity from sugar plants across the country especially in rural areas. Sugar mills only use low bagasse to heat boilers; moreover, sugar can also produce ethanol for motor gasoline. This means, if Pakistan starts to use large sugar to be an energy row-material, then it will be helpful for Pakistan to contain oil imports and CNG (Kazmi, 2013).The advantages of sugar are obviously; it can provide Pakistan another new chance to change the situation in a good way, and maybe the only problem for this solution for Pakistan is how to get more places for planting sugar. In general, like Kugelman (2013) mentioned, Pakistan’s energy problems are deep and complex, and sometimes the crisis is not only about Pakistan itself, other coun tries could be involved in the problems; thus, for getting better understand of the problem and better solutions for the problem, we still need to find more information. However, as for now about Pakistan, the energy shortage crisis is becoming worse and worse.The impacts of the crisis are negative: people in Pakistan now have a very hard and challenging life, economy may suspend or even reverse, government can hardly control the situation etc. So far, due to Pakistan’s complex situation, sugar seems like the best solution for Pakistan to solve the problem, it’s cheap and easy to get, it can provide both gas and electricity energy for the whole country, and it can help government to balance the imports and the fund during the crisis. Hopefully, Pakistan could solve the energy shortage crisis and change its hard situation peacefully and quickly.

Kitty’s Diary Essay

Dear Diary, My day today proved to be one of the strangest and most revealing in my life. I’ve been speeding forward so rapidly with everything that I’ve barely had a proper chance to stop and look back. My opportunity came today, when apparently Helly was having some ‘family issues’. I know you’re only a book, but you don’t have to be a genius to work out why Loopy sent me to help her instead of Liz. To be honest, Helly helped me just as much as I helped her today. When I first found her in the storage cupboard, she was a right old mess, I tell you, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls, and clutching more tissues than I thought humanely possible. She looked as if she was suffering from a severe fever. Once Helly had settled down (well as far as someone in a state like her could settle down) she explained enough for me to understand the conflict she had going on with ‘Toad-Shoes’. After shifting myself into a near-comfortable position I launched into my Goggle-Eyes story. I realise that the next part may sound a bit vain, but I am really, rather a good story teller. I could tell from the sparkle in Helly’s eyes that she was entranced, and could have happily settled down and listened all day. Actually, she did, almost. A few hours. Close enough. As I recalled the events, they seemed to re-enlighten in my mind; it was as if I was reliving every single minute, but with a completely different attitude to everything. It’s an amazing but queer feeling, to lose yourself in your own story. I could imagine it all in my mind. I thought back, observed my every action, and at the same time telling what I did to Helly, making me feel quite like I was commentating on my own life. My emotions all merged together, what I felt then to what I feel now. Reflecting on it, there are so things I wish I never said, however, I could never really shake off that smug little feeling you get; whenever I did something horrible to a certain someone, my immediate reaction would be embarrassment and a short glance at Helly to make sure she wasn’t as disgusted as I was with my childish actions, but, as I regret to admit, then followed by a small ‘Ha ha’ in my mind. It shocked me (in a good way, don’t worry) how much I’d changed these past few months. Helly’s little dilemma made me realise just how much I just wanted to tell somebody else what I had been through, going from absolutely loathing a disgusting specimen that eyes’ popped out at my mother dressing, to loving someone who had now lightened up everything and made me happy. True, Gerald (see, I’m calling him his proper name now) is blunt, rude, and occasionally makes such bad jokes that it’s slightly worrying, but I guess as time went by I got used to having him around, so used to it in fact that it’s a surprise if he’s not around our house by at least 4pm. I now realise that he was incredibly patient with what nuisance I was causing him. I find it incredible how much I used to hate him, but how I was silly enough not to realise that he was part of my life until it was too late. At the end of my tale (it actually lasted all morning, can you believe it? ), Helly made me realise that I have grown so attached to him, that I can swear on my life I wouldn’t mind if he and mum got married. It’s the complete opposite to what I had said to Gerald when he first walked in, can- Uh oh. Mum’s coming; she’ll kill me if she finds up I’m up this late again writing in you. Better go NOW. Night!

Gay Adoption in the US Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the debate regarding gay men and lesbian couples adopting children in the United States. Thesis: Social stigma, legal hurdles, and agency biases are the main points surrounding the gay adoption controversy. Introduction: In 2011, 400,540 children in the US were in the foster care system, waiting to be adopted according to the Children’s Bureau page at the Administration for Children and Families webpage. However, an entire demographic is being excluded from giving these children a home: gay and lesbian couples. Just as there is controversy surrounding same-sex marriage, there is also controversy surrounding same-sex adoption. Some believe that the children are better off in foster care than to be adopted into a homosexual household. Others argue that gay and lesbian parents can provide stable, loving homes for these children. Regardless of your view point, the number of gay adoptions in the U.S. has increased from just 8% to 19% from 2000 to 2009 and still continues to grow, according to a 2014 article found at the Adoptive Families webpage page, titled Adoptions by Same-Sex Couples Still on the Rise written by Elise Rosman . With the increasing number of adoptions and the controversy that sur rounds it, it is important to know the main facts for both sides before forming a conclusion. Social stigma, legal hurdles, and agency biases are the main points surrounding the gay adoption controversy. Transition: Social stigma and public opinions are a very large part of the debate regarding adoption by gay and lesbian couples. I. And many people have strong opinions on both sides of this debate. a. There are many people who believe that placing children into same-sex families is a harmful practice, in regards to the child’s well-being. i. Timothy J. Daily of the Center for Marriage and Family Studies claims â€Å"The evidence demonstrates incontrovertibly that the homosexual lifestyle is inconsistent with the proper raising of children. Homosexual relationships are characteristically unstable and are fundamentally incapable of providing children the security they need†¦.† ii. Many people fear that a child being raised in a same-sex household will subjected to bullying, humiliation, and other forms of social ridicule. b. However, on the flip side, there are many who believe that gay and lesbian parents will be able to provide perfectly  stable homes for adoptive children. i. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, â€Å"Not one credible study has ever found that somebody’s sexual orientation alone makes him or her more likely to provide an unstable home†¦. Time and again mainstream groups have said that gay and lesbian parents are as likely to provide supportive, healthy homes as heterosexual parents†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ii. Also, many people fail to recognize that gay and lesbian parents may be more able to understand the challenges that their adopted children will face. They may be able to help their children in figuring out their identity and coming to terms with their out-of-the-norm situation c. Public opinion is an important part in the debate about gay marriage and gay adoption, considering they appear on election bills and those of us over eighteen get the option to vote in favor or not. i. If you look at this graph from a November 2012, USA Today/Gallup poll you can see that the majority about 61% of Americans in 2012 were in f avor of gay and lesbian people being legally able to adopt. Which is an increase from the 54% in the 2009 poll. Transition: But, sometimes social stigma isn’t the only thing keeping gay couples from adopting. II. There are often many legal hurdles that hinder prospective gay and lesbian couples from being able to adopt. a. Most states do not have laws specifically against gay adoption i. According to Scott Ryan, Sue Pearlmutter, and Victor Groza in their article â€Å"Coming out of the Closet: Opening Agencies to Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents â€Å" published in the Social Woek Journal, Recently overturned was the 1977 law in Florida banning gay adoption. This law was put into effect because of the Save Our Children movement, aimed at â€Å"protecting† children from homosexuality ii. To clarify: most states allow gay singles to adopt. But laws against gay marriage make it nearly impossible for gay couples to jointly adopt b. However, more and more states are allowing joint adoptions by same-sex couples. i. The increasing acceptance for gays and lesbians in our society, as well as the increasing number of states allowing gay marriage, will likely make it more acceptable and easier for gay couples to adopt. Transition: While legal issues are a big factor surrounding gays and adoption, they also have to face biases from the adoption agencies. III. There are many struggles they have to face when deciding to adopt. a. Most gay couples seeking to adopt are restricted to domestic adoptions, or adoptions within US borders. i. This is because many countries, including  China and Thailand, won’t knowingly place children with gay couples b. Gay couples might be wary to try and adopt through private adoption agencies, because many of these private agencies are affiliated religiously. c. Another factor influencing the number of gay and lesbian couples who are able to adopt is the attitudes, biases, and even misinformation of the adoption professional. d. Gay men and lesbian women often encounter barriers when they pursue adoption. i. Adoption workers are supposed to make decision about placement of a child using the best interest standard. 1. However, this standard does not take in to account ones intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational views and beliefs. Transition: Many gay and lesbian people face bias and struggles when trying to adopt though an agency. Conclusion: As you can see much like the issue of gay marriage, the controversy surrounding same-sex couples adopting is one with firm believers on both sides of the debate. As some of you probably know, the adoption process is not an easy one, and for gay individuals and couples, it’s even harder. Whether its agency biases, legal hurdles, or social stigma, same-sex couples looking to adopt have faced, and will continue to face, many challenges. However, as our society becomes progressively more accepting of gay couples, we will likely see an increase in the amount of gay parents in America. Whether you believe it is socially acceptable or not it is important to consider the 400,000 children in the foster care system and decide for yourself, should same-sex couple and individual be able to adopt? Bibliography Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) FY 2011 data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender?. (n.d.). Williams Institute. Retrieved November 11, 2013, http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/ Kinkler, L. A., & Goldberg, A. E. (2011). Working with what we’ve got: Perceptions of