What Makes You What You Are

Personality: What makes you the way you are? – Science News – The Independent At some point in your life, you've probably filled in a personality questionnaire (â€Å"Do you see yourself as†¦.? â€Å"), and wondered as you ticked the boxes if there can really be any validity to such a simplistic way of assessing people. Surely the scores just reflect your mood on the day, or what you want the investigator to think. Surely everyone gives the same answer, which is â€Å"it depends†.Or even if the scores measure something, surely it is how the person sees themselves, rather than how they actually are. In a new book, I examine what the extent of the science underlying personality psychology really is. The answer is: more than you would think. While it has always been popular in business and pop psychology, and within academic psychology, personality research has been a poor relation to the parts of the discipline with experiments and hard objective measures. H owever, this is changing fast.The field of personality is undergoing a renaissance. The reasons for the renaissance are several. Academics now have some really good long-term studies of the same individuals, and it turns out that those brief, simplistic, pencil-and-paper questionnaires have surprisingly useful properties. They produce a wide range of selfdescriptions. The responses are fairly repeatable over intervals of many years. They also correlate quite well with ratings of the person given by their spouse, friends or colleagues.Much more importantly, though, the responses turn out to predict objective events. For example, in a famous cohort of gifted Californian children recruited in the 1920s, and who are elderly or deceased now, personality â€Å"scores† – numerical representations of answers to questions – are significant predictors of life expectancy. In another long-term study, this time of American married couples, the quality and duration of the mar riage is predicted by the personality scores of both parties prior to marriage.There are many other examples, with personality scores predicting substance addiction, problem gambling, and the onset of psychological illnesses. Of course the prediction is a statistical one – you can assign odds, not make oracular pronouncements – but this is how it always is in psychology. Humans are such complex systems that you are happy to explain a portion of the variation in outcomes, and never expect to explain it all. In recent years there has been renewed interest in personality assessment. This has been greatly aided by the fact that there is now a consensus on what the key variables are.Its early development, the field was greatly hampered by every investigator having his or her own scales, often using different names and measures for what turned out to be the same thing, or indeed the same names for what turned out to be different things. But over the last 20 years, many studi es in several different cultures have shown that much of the systematic variation in personality can be reduced to scores along five dimensions (the â€Å"Big Five†): Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness. It's important to stress that these are all continuous dimensions.That is, there are no discrete important to stress that these are all continuous dimensions. That is, there are no discrete â€Å"types† of person. Personality dimensions are like height or weight, which vary continuously, not like being a left- or a right-hand writer. Your score on one dimension is independent of your scores on all the others, so there is an almost infinite diversity of different overall profiles possible. If developments within psychology have facilitated the renaissance of personality studies, it is at the interface with biology where the exciting developments are beginning to come.Neuroscientists have shown, mainly using the increasingly sophisti cated brain imaging techniques that are now available, that those simple pencil-and-paper personality scores correlate significantly with the size or neurophysiological reactivity of specific regions of the brain. Moreover, these turn out to be the very regions that other types of evidence (evidence from brain damage, for example) would lead us to expect would be involved in that particular area of psychological function. Geneticists, too, are getting involved in personality research.It has recently become apparent that more of the human genome differs from individual to individual, even within our rather genetically homogenous species, than was previously thought. We know this inter alia from the complete sequence of Dr Craig Venter's genome, which was published earlier this month. About 0. 5 per cent of the genetic information in his maternallyinherited genome is different from his paternally-inherited one. Variant sequences affect nearly half his genes, and it is likely that in m any cases those variants will have some functional effect on body, brain or behaviour.In a few cases, we even know which genetic variants have effects on personality. There is a gene that encodes a receptor molecule for the neurotransmitter dopamine, and which contains a repeating sequence whose length varies from person to person. A number of studies have found that the length of this sequence correlates with self-reported extraversion and reward-seeking behaviour. In another gene, the serotonin transporter, individuals with one variant are more likely to develop depressive symptoms in response to stressful life events than bearers of the other version.In a few years, we may be in the position of actually understanding the molecular bases of the differences in nature that we observe between healthy humans. (But note that genetic effects will not turn out to be the whole story; only around half of the variation in personality looks like being heritable, with the rest probably shaped by early environmental exposures and other developmental processes. ) The other group of researchers getting interested in personality is evolutionists. Personalitylike variation has been found in organisms as diverse as fish, mammals and birds.Indeed, Darwin's whole theory of evolution rests on the observation that individuals vary from one another. Without such variation there can be no natural selection and no evolutionary change. The question for evolutionists is why you would find variation persisting in populations, when selection always reduces diversity in favour of the optimal type. In fact, it turns out that there are often multiple optima, even within a single habitat, with individuals of one type doing well under certain conditions, while faring less well than their competitors under others. Thus, nder certain conditions, while faring less well than their competitors under others. Thus, selection rarely narrows the population to uniformity because individuals with diffe rent qualities flourish in different contexts. I rather like this as a guiding framework for thinking about personality in modern humans. Rather than imagining that there is some personality profile that is uniformly good to have, let's assume that all have their strengths and all have their pitfalls. Indeed, the failure of any one profile to dominate the human population attests to their roughly equal fitness in the long run.So, whatever your score on the Big Five, the point is not to try to change it, or fight it. The point is to establish which niche within the complex ecology that is modern society will be a good one for you to ply your trade in, and which of the diverse dangers (social isolation, addiction, depression†¦ ) that lurk in our both beneficent and hazardous habitat are the ones against which you should be most vigilant. This is where self-knowledge comes in, and taking the personality test overleaf can be part of that. Scoring your personality won't tell you any thing you don't know.It's based on how you see yourself, so logically it couldn't. But it can reveal to you how you compare to other people, and can also tap you into a wealth of accumulated psychological knowledge about the strengths and liabilities that other people similar to you have experienced. This is what the questionnaire and the interpretation overleaf are designed to do. Daniel Nettle is the author of Personality: What Makes You the Way You Are (? 12. 99), published by Oxford University Press. To order a copy for the special price of ? 11. 69 (with free P) call Independent Books Direct on 0870 079 8897, or visit www. ndependentbooksdirect. co. uk What kind of personality are you? Take this test to discover the truth Introducing the big five Once you have completed the questionnaire and added up your scores, you should have an indication of whether you score low, medium-low, medium-high, or high on each of the Big Five dimensions of human personality. But what do these sco res mean? Here, I explore the Big Five to examine their effects on our lives. Extraversion This is a familiar concept. High-scorers are fun-seeking and cheerful, but they are not necessarily immediate hedonists; they are often ambitious and hard-working.They are also sexually adventurous and love to be the centre of attention. Low-scorers are not necessarily shy so much as aloof; they can take or leave success, praise and pleasure. The best way to think about this dimension is in terms of response to reward. Society offers certain incentives; money, power, fame, attention, sex, thrills, and so on, and some people certain incentives; money, power, fame, attention, sex, thrills, and so on, and some people pursue them full-out, while others have a more muted response and thus won't work so hard to capture them.The strengths of high-scorers: energy, charisma, drive, the ability to make things happen. The weaknesses: a tendency to get bored, restlessness, infidelity, risky decisions. Str engths of lowscorers: detachment, pursuit of intrinsic goals, prudence, fidelity. The weaknesses: not thrusting themselves forward, not having fun, a flat emotional tone. There is no value-judgement about which of these is better from the point of view of a potential employer or spouse, but is certainly worth being aware of the likely pitfalls and most suitable habitats for your particular level of Extraversion.Conscientiousness Conscientiousness measures how good people are at setting themselves goals and sticking to them. High-scorers are disciplined, efficient and systematic. They can resist temptation and stick to priorities they have set themselves. In most modern occupations, and particularly those where you have to manage your own time and priorities, fairly high Conscientiousness is advantageous. Low-scorers are more likely to get distracted from tasks, renege on plans, and succumb to weaknesses of the will. Indeed, low Conscientiousness is a risk factor for developing addic tions of all kinds.Being high in Conscientiousness is not always an unalloyed benefit, though. Sometimes it is indeed important to stick to plans. But at other times it is important to be able to change them on a sixpence. Very high scorers are perceived as grim, pedantic, unspontaneous, even miserly. There is even a name for excessive Conscientiousness – obsessive-compulsive personality disorder – and this is a very socially disabling condition. There are many human activities, including, crucially, social relationships, where it is essential to be able to respond in the moment to your environment as it changes.Highly conscientious people are rigid, often sticking to tasks and plans even when the point of them has been overtaken by events, or when the needs of others around them require spontaneous reorganising of priorities. Thus, if you are very low in Conscientiousness, for the sake of your career, your health, and your wellbeing, you may need to work effortfully a t seeing your plans through, and being selfdisciplined. If you are a very high scorer, you may need to learn to be more spontaneous and intuitive, again for the benefits that this will bring in terms of flexibility and improved social relationships.Neuroticism I would like to dispel the notion that Neuroticism is always a bad thing, a kind of pathology, and that the best level of Neuroticism to have is a very low one. The evidence for the prosecution: yes, high-scorers live their lives under the Damoclean swords of depression, anxiety, stress, and disappointment. Whatever the world says about them, they are often uncomfortable in their inner lives, and go through life either with bouts of difficult times, or with a constant vague feeling that something is not quite right.However, if we think logically, negative emotions, such as worry, are always going to be there for a reason. One would not want to be entirely without worry. It would be as damaging to life decisions as the inabilit y to feel physical pain is to peripheral physiology. High Neuroticism scorers can bring to bear enormous powers of deep thought, detailed analysis, novel insight. They care about the details that others can't be bothered to follow up. Under some circumstances they do well academically. If you are a high-scorer, you may well be a member of a thinking profession such as an academic or a writer.High Neuroticism scorers, then, have hidden advantages. The challenge for them is to find ways to deal with the negative sequels of their personality. Some people respond well to cognitivebehavioural therapy, some to meditation, many to exercise. Low-scorers, too, have disadvantages. You probably don't suffer much in life, which is good, but maybe you are not thoughtful enough. Maybe you let details go, and don't think deeply enough about future drawbacks or problems. Maybe you are too carefree or rose-spectacled to see every potentiality. Agreeableness Agreeableness is a dimension of empathy to wards others.High-scorers are often found in caring professions such as nursing and counselling.. They have larger-than-average social networks, and their relationships with others are harmonious. They don't get into fights and are generally slow to anger. By contrast, the very lowest-scorers are sociopaths; they callously use others for their own ends. So far so good. It is better to be well-liked than to be a sociopath. However, in many fields, high Agreeableness reduces occupational attainment. Nice guys really do finish last, and moreover, plenty of our leaders have something of the sociopath about them.Successful artists and executives, though, tend to be rather low in Agreeableness. This means that the high Agreeableness scorer may not be prepared to be hard-headed. You may stay in relationships that do you no good out of empathy for the others involved. Agreeableness is the most sexually-patterned of the Big Five, with – no prizes for guessing – women scoring mo re highly on average than men. This adds an interesting new perspective on the paucity of women in positions of power. Many of them find it difficult to be callous enough.Should we be encouraging them to be more callous, or trying to change what we reward? Openness Openness is a dimension of imagination. High-scorers make mental associations that go beyond what is given to the senses, or what is logically deducible. They are keen on poetry and the arts, and often have metaphysical or esoteric ideas. Nobody wants to be called unimaginative, but when you stop and think about it, it is not evident Nobody wants to be called unimaginative, but when you stop and think about it, it is not evident that being imaginative in this sense is necessarily useful in life.Low-scorers can be very intelligent and capable, though they will be oriented towards the practical and the soluble. High-scorers will be more able and willing to venture into the domains of the aesthetic. However, they can also de velop eccentric, paranormal or even delusional beliefs, and fail to solve simply resolvable practical problems. Neither a high nor a low score is inherently desirable; it is simple a matter of harnessing the strengths that you have. www. independent. co. uk ht:/w. needn. ou/essinepro tp/wwidpnetc. knw/cec/es nlt-htmksyutewyyuae426. tl aiywa-ae-o-h-a-o-r-069hm ht:/o. lfg tp/gog/fS

A Juggling Act Essay

Anna feels dissatisfied with her level of contribution COMPARED to other managers. * Has a tendency to compare herself to those people around her. 3. Anna has 18 month old daughter. 4. Anna feels constant conflict between desire to surpass client expectations and her commitment to being a good mother. 5. Unsure what she wants in life. Anna is performing at a 100% within her 60% capacity, while she views others at 120% at 100% capacity, yet still feels like she isn’t measuring up. 7. Not being able to meet desired family life even with reduced work life. 8. Anna wants to be successful in every area of life— not just her career. 9. Church meeting made her realize she needs to look at her health gauges and set GOALS as to what she really wants in life. Symptoms The following symptoms (evidence) show that Anna is facing a serious problem 1. Feeling like a â€Å"star† again lead to her feeling guilty for not providing Kristin with enough dedicated time at home 2. Felt impatient during social interactions, when she used to be very social in the work place. 3. No longer taking lunch breaks. 4. Still feels pressure, even though only being paid 60% and working a lot of extra hours 5. Comparing herself to full-time workers, even though she is part-time 6. Felt like she had no one close to her who could really relate to her situation and provide her with the support she needed. 7. Reluctant to contact someone she didn’t know to obtain the support she needed. 8. Feels like she can’t keep all the balls (work life, social life, and mother life) in the air right now and anticipates a burn out if something does not change in the immediate future. 9. Chris (Anna’s husband) noticed her high stress level may be what was affecting her sleep, eating, patience level and emotional stability Underlying Problems 1. Anna is constantly comparing herself with individuals that are not operating under the same conditions (full-time vs. part-time, family vs. single). 2. A lack of clear, defined goals in her job. Management needs to provide Anna with specific, relevant and challenging goals, so that she stays motivated and has a feeling of accomplishment (meeting all goals/expectations). 3. Overload with work. From the key conversations I noticed that they were always asking her to do extra projects in addition to her current duties that required 100% work in a 60% capacity. 4. Anna is unsure exactly what she wants more out of life. Advance her career or advance her motherly duties. Is in a constant conflict in choosing between the two and feels she is failing at one when she succeeds in the other.

Human Resource Management. Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management. Introduction - Essay Example "OD is a long range effort to improve organization's problem solving and renewal processes, particularly through more effective and collaborative management of organization culture-with specific emphasis on the culture of formal workteams-with the assistance of a change agent or catalyst and the use of the theory and technology of applied behavioral science including action research" Kurt Lewin (1898 - 1947) is widely recognized as the founding father of OD, although he died before the concept became current in the mid-1950s. From Lewin came the ideas of group dynamics, and action research which underpin the basic OD process as well as providing its collaborative consultant/client ethos. Institutionally, Lewin founded the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT, which moved to Michigan after his death. RCGD colleagues were among those who founded the National Training Laboratories (NTL), from which the T-group and group-based OD emerged. In the UK, working as close as was possible with Lewin and his colleagues, the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations was important in developing systems theories. Important too was the joint TIHR journal Human Relations, although nowadays the Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences is seen as the leading OD journal. Organizational change management is the process of developing a planned approach to change in an organization. Typically the objective is to maximize the collective benefits for all people involved in the change and minimize the risk of failure of implementing the change. The discipline of change management deals primarily with the human aspect of change, and is therefore related to pure and industrial psychology. Many technical disciplines (for example Information technology) have developed similar approaches to formally control the process of making changes to environments. Change management can be either 'reactive', in which case management is responding to changes in the macroenvironment (that is, the source of the change is external), or proactive, in which case management is initiating the change in order to achieve a desired goal (that is, the source of the change is internal). Change management can be conducted on a continuous basis, on a regular schedule (such as an annual review), or when deemed necessary on a program-by-program basis. Change management can be approached from a number of angles and applied to numerous organizational processes. Its most common uses are in information technology management, strategic management, and process management. To be effective, change management should be multi-disciplinary, touching all aspects of the organization. However, at its core, implementing new procedures, technologies, and overcoming resistance to change

Environmental Microbiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environmental Microbiology - Essay Example Presence of a fecal Coli form is the best method of determining fecal material presence in drinking water (Burdon, 1968). This indicates whether there are pathogens presence in that given water due to the harm they cause after consumption (Burdon, 1968). Presence of fecal material in water is also harmful to the environment (Burdon, 1968). It is able to produce accurate results thus leading to a faster action taking on the problem before a massive complication (Burdon, 1968). Some of microorganisms present in foods are not usually harmful (Booth, 2000). Foods prepared by the aid of them include, bread, cheese, yoghurt, fermented foods, and malted drinks such as beer (Booth, 2000). These foods would be probably present in that given party. They are quite healthy and nutritious (Booth, 2000). A Beefsteak wrapped at the grocery may contain several microorganisms that are harmful to the body depending on the handling (Burdon, 1968). A grocery is not a clean place for meat handling. Ground beef microbial levels are determined via the packaging method (Burdon, 1968). If packed well, there is less microbial infection (Burdon, 1968). A pork chop in the grocery store may contain a high level of microbial content due to it is storage (Burdon, 1968). A chicken breast in the grocery will also contain a high level of microbial content (Burdon, 1968). A side of beef aging in a slaughterhouse may containing a little microbial content due to the aging but the storage is quite correct (Burdon,

Philip's vs. Matsushita Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Philip's vs. Matsushita - Assignment Example remained poor and its global competitiveness are was still a question (Bartlett, 2006, p. 1). Philips case study highlights following important factors that contribute its poor performance over three decades. Unbalance and undefined power shearing between PDs and NOs. Lack of effective restructuring. Lack of well defined performance criterion. Fragmented organizational structure. Matsushita Matsushita is a key manufacturer over a verity of consumer appliances and products having world wide manufacturing facilities. Initially started as a modest home based manufacturing facility making double-ended electrical sockets, in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita, a 23-year-old inspector at Osaka Electric Light Company, Matsushita has evolved as a versatile consumer appliances and products manufacturer with a wide retail and marketing network across the globe. It manufactures a broad line of 5,000 products including video and audio equipments, home appliance and house hold equipments, information, communication and industrial related equipments, power backup and electronics equipment (Exhibit 7, p. 20) (Bartlett, 2006, p. 20). Matsushita total sales has attained a figure of US $68.862 million with net income of US $ 941 million for fiscal 2000 (Exhibit 6, p.19) (Bartlett, 2006, p. 19). Since the announcement of Konosuke Matsushita 250-year corporate plan on May 5, 1932, Matsushita has been facing difficulties and struggling in capability building and re-establishing its competitiveness. Matsushita case study reveals following important reasons that contribute toward these difficulties (Bartlett, 2006, p.8-12). During 1933-50 period, Matsushita followed a centralized leveraged technology strategy. Also, central research... To have a strong operating control over their offshore production units, Matsushita had followed the centralized management policy before the 1980s. In the mid-1980s, Matsushita had over 700 expatriate Japanese managers and technicians on foreign assignment for four to eight years. Local managers were only made responsible for achieving the targets. In 1982, as Toshihiko Yamashita took over the charge as President of the company. He launched his â€Å"Operation Localization† ‘to boost offshore production from less than 10% of value-added to 25%, or half of overseas sales, by 1990. To support the target, he set out a program of four localizations-personnel, technology, material, and capital (Bartlett, 2006, pp. 11-12). Toshihiko Yamashita’s â€Å"Operation Localization† policy brought a reasonable change to Matsushita organization structure and it increased the number of local nationals in key positions. In the United States, for example, US. nationals became the presidents of three of the six local companies, while in Taiwan the majority of production divisions were replaced by Chinese managers. But unfortunately, these local staff did not have direct contact with the senior administrative body and they were not free in their decisions. They were directed and advised by senior Japanese advisors, who had a direct link with Matsushita’s parent management team. Toshihiko Yamashita policies also gave the offshore production subsidiaries to some extent to buy minor parts from local vendors as long as quality could be assured.

Gender Performativity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Performativity - Research Paper Example continually tend to stylize the body with certain appearance, as in the first chapter of â€Å"Gender Trouble† Butler says, â€Å"Gender is the repeated stylization of the body, a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame that congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a natural sort of being† (43). Butler suggests that the deconstruction of gender from a political-genealogical perspective will necessarily reveal it as more of a social appearance of gender than of a natural attribute to sexual dichotomy, as she says, A political genealogy of gender ontologies, if it is successful, will deconstruct the substantive appearance of gender into its constitutive acts and locate and account for those acts within the compulsory frames set by the various forces that police the social appearance of gender. (44) Butler’s Gender Performativity is rigid in the sense that it does not allow one to choose any particular gender to act upon. Her concept of Performativity is a process of constructing gender through repeated actions that a society assigns to a human being of particular sex. Indeed this process is â€Å"a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame† (43). Obviously the reiteration of the gendered activities occurs â€Å"within a highly rigid regulatory frame† that the society sets for its members. In this regulatory frame of the society, â€Å"the script† of performance allow the members to assumes a constrained and predefined role assigned to a particular sex and he or she â€Å"has a limited number of â€Å"costumes† from which to make a constrained choice of gender style† (Salih 56). Again elaborating the process of developing gender through the reiterated action, Butler says that â€Å"gender proves to be performance†” that is, constituting the identity it is purported to be. In this sense, gender is always a doing, though not a doing by a subject who might be said to pre-exist the deed.† (33) This constitution of

The Role of the Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Role of the Government - Essay Example In 2010, the US government has made affordable care Act. In this plan, the government has made comprehensive reforms for health care which will be implemented for four years. Some of these reforms include 50% discount for the senior citizens on buying the medicine, the age of young adults is increased to 26 years, and they are eligible for their parent’s medical plan up to this age. Around 4 million businesses that are small in scale, tax credit is eligible for them so that they can provide medical benefits for their employees (Healthcare, 2012). The US government, healthcare providers, and the employers should work hard to make sure that the health care is accessible to every person. Incentive should be given to the providers so that health services are expanded (Pomerance, 2011). Pomerance, D. (2011). Access to Healthcare: The Right of the People. Retrieved January 4, 2012, from www.healthmgttech.com:

Teenagers and Gang Violence in Connecticut must be in the last 5 years Research Paper

Teenagers and Gang Violence in Connecticut must be in the last 5 years - Research Paper Example Initially, gang violence among teenagers was only prevalent in inner cities of Unites States but now it is spreading in to every part of the country. Connecticut is one such state which is following other states and seeing an increase in teenager based gang violence. The teenager involving in gang violence in Connecticut is slowly increasing and the families and government of the city has a great responsibility to fight this social evil. As per (Hearst Communications)â€Å"Connecticut is not immune to gang violence issue. According to the Department of Public Health, 10 percent of teens surveyed were in a physically violent dating relationship last year; 17 percent were in an emotionally abusive dating relationship†. The teenagers in Connecticut City are slowly getting violent and major blame could be put on the domestic violence occurring in the homes of the state. Dating violence and atrocities at colleges and universities are the major concerns for the government and parent s in the city. Teenagers can get violent for many reasons and mostly they get an affinity towards violence when they see the same at their homes. The Teenager and Gang Violence activities in Connecticut Recently gang violence have spread to many communities in United States and Connecticut is one of the city joined the group. In United States, much of the violence is caused by the youth gangs. They create violence in neighborhood and schools where they are more active and interact commonly. According to (Brown) â€Å"The police in many Connecticut cities only had to look inside the schools to see that the problem of youth violence is on the rise. There's more fights resulting in violence over little things and more violence involving girls†. It is also seen that these violent youths get access to guns as they are sold on the streets .Children as young as 14 year old possess gun and using it at unpredictable situation which give rise to injury and fatal killing. The fights amo ng teenagers start on petty things and move on to become a deadly encounter. Since they are immature to think about the consequences of their action, things get out of their hand. This is a concern among the police authorities as the age of homicide victims are getting younger than ever. There have been many shootings and stabbings happening in the state in the past years that Federal, state and local authorities are highly concerned about the security of teenagers. More of violence is especially observed in the Hartford and Manchester towns of Connecticut State. The gang violence among teenagers has taken over the nature of adult fights and local police are more active to trace the reason for such violence. The teenagers involved in gang violence perform activities like petty theft, vandalism, fights over turf, drug dealing and burglary. Since the teenagers are mostly set free they have the tendency to repeat the same action as they know that there would not be any negative consequ ences for their atrocities. The involvement of teenage in gangs is what mostly provokes them to end up in violence. In his book(Gerali,32)writes that â€Å" Teenagers who get involved with gangs may begin carrying weapons such as knives, baseball bats, pipes, brass knuckles, hammers, pipe wrenches, and guns†. In Stratford town there happens rapes, brawls and killing which is caused by the teenagers who are member of violent gangs. The police in Connecticut have found out that these teenage

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay Example for Free

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson relates an unusual story concerning an old ritual within the setting of a small American village. Reading for the first time, most readers will be tremendously shocked by the ending: with an idyllic village atmosphere settled down at the beginning part, the cruel and outrageous ending comes all too suddenly and out of expectation. However, a careful examination can reveal that the shock is not sudden at all; The Lottery actually fuses two stories and themes into one fictional vehicle: the overt, easily discovered story appears in the literal facts, producing an immediate, emotional impact; whereas in the second story which lies beneath the first, the authors careful structure and consistent symbolism work to develop gradually the shock and to present a profound theme: Man is not at the mercy of savagery; he is the victim of unexamined and unchanging traditions which he may easily change if he only realizes their implications. The symbolic overtones which develop in the second story can be sensed as early as the fourth word of the story when the date of June 27th alerts us to the season of summer solstice with all its overtones of ancient ritual (The ancient rituals were traditionally held in summer solstice so as to ask for harvest of autumn. ) Carefully the scene is set-The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of the full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The children newly freed from school play boisterously, rolling in the dust. But, ominously, Bobby Martin has already stuffed his pockets with stones and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix follow his example, eventually making a great pile of stones in the corner which they guard from the raids of other boys. Thus by the end of just two paragraphs, the author has carefully indicated the season, time of ancient ritual of sacrifice; and the stones, most ancient of sacrifice weapons. Then The men began to gather, talking of the planting and rain-the central issues of the ancient propitiatory rites, and tractors and taxes-those modern additions to the concerns of man. The men are quieter, more aware, and the patriarchal order, the oldest social group of man, is quickly evidenced as women join their husband and call their children to them. When Bobby Martin tries to leaves the group runs laughing to the stones, he is sharply rebuffed by his serious father, who knows that this is no game. All these descriptions clearly show that this is more than the surface idyllic small town life, the symbolic undercurrents prepare us to be drawn step by step towards the ultimate, where everything will fuse.

Gileads strict laws Essay Example for Free

Gileads strict laws Essay In contrast, the presentation of Alison in The Millers Tale is of black humour, and an example of this is at the part near the end of the story where she humiliates Absolon, another interested suitor, in a very vulgar and insulting way. He tries to romantically pursue her but she is not very interested in him, and so when she is still with Nicholas in the house, she decides to stick her bottom out of the window for Absolon to kiss, instead of her face, which is what he had been expecting instead. Nicholas then decides to follow her example by sticking his own bottom out of the window, little knowing that an enraged Absolon had gone and come back with a scorching coulter, ready to burn Alison, but instead burns Nicholas. Despite her wild and unpleasant character, Alison is rather lucky to avoid and escape any punishment, and that it is all the men who are hankering after her, who instead become ill-fated in shameful and unfortunate events. However, with Alison and Abigail both being women, they are already in difficult positions in life, as they are both members of the slightly less important gender in their times, and each have their own individual obstacles to overcome. Abigail Williams uses her power in The Crucible to whip up hysteria in the town during the crazy period of the Salem witch trials. Her involvement starts after she has a short lived sexual affair with John Proctor whilst she is working as a house servant at his home. Whilst John is in it just to fulfil some of his needs that he is not receiving at that time from his sick wife Elizabeth, Abigail sees it a lot more than just a fling. After what we know about her troubled life and what she has been through, its no surprise really that Abigail feels lonely and would jump at any chance she could have of some passion, love and affection, something she probably hadnt felt in a long time, if at all. When Elizabeth finds out about the affair, she throws Abigail out of the house, who then goes on to live with her uncle, Reverend Parris. Even after John has discontinued the lechery with her, Abigail still wont stop trying to pursue him. She even goes so far as to manipulate Reverend Parriss slave Tituba into using her black magic in the forest to cast a spell of death on to Elizabeth. This is rather shocking that someone could be so cruel enough to actually wish death upon someone else just to get something of theirs that they wanted and didnt really deserve. Tituba is probably the only other person in the play with a lower status than Abigail, since she is in the unfortunate position of being a black female slave. After Reverend Parris witnesses them with many other girls in the forest seemingly practicing witchcraft, they are all sent to court to be trialled. Abigail does not stop there in her quest to eliminate Elizabeth, so she decides to use the trial as an opportunity to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft in order to get her hanged. This whole vendetta of Abigails against Elizabeth Proctor is all mainly based on jealousy, and she does not care who gets hurt in her goal to get at Elizabeth and win over John Proctor. Ironically enough, it is John himself who sacrifices himself at the end of the play for his pregnant wife, by confessing to witchcraft and being sentenced to death. Elizabeth Proctor herself is a rather decent and loving woman, who shows bravery, loyalty and strength. She does form a strong dislike for Abigail, which is understandable though since she had been her husbands mistress whilst working as housekeeper at their home and Elizabeth also says to her husband She [Abigail] wants me dead, John. She seems to have much faith in her marriage, since she is willing to make it work between them by trying to forgive her husband for the affair. She even decides to protect his good reputation by not letting the court know about his adultery. She also tells John Proctor at the end of the play that she is partly to blame for his cheating, since she admits to being a cold wife (being not sexually responsive) who could have treated him a lot better. Elizabeth is another character who breaks a female stereotype, but in a very different way to Alison, as she is expected to always agree to sex but does not always. We can sympathise with Elizabeth because of the fact that she had been ill and was betrayed by her own husband, who had committed one of the worst moral crimes that a husband could do to his wife. She is evidently very hurt by it, and it would have taken a lot of strength for her to forgive him and move on. The positions of women in The Handmaids Tale are very different to that of where women rank in The Millers Tale and The Crucible. Whilst women may have fewer rights than men in the other two stories, it is really nothing in contrast to the way women are treated in The Handmaids Tale, where women really seem to have it the worst in the very chauvinistic and patriarchal society. The women of Gilead are divided into different groups and ranks. The legitimate groups of women include the Handmaids, the Wives (of commanders), the Aunts, who train and supervise the Handmaids, and the Marthas, unmarried infertile women who are solely involved with domestic work. And they are the lucky ones; the illegitimate women are mainly unwomen, such as those who are sterile, feminist or socially deviant. The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood is about a dystopian world where many women are taken captive as Handmaids, and they are used by the government of the Republic of Gilead, a fictional country within the borders of the United States of America, to help continue the human race. These Handmaids are the only women left who are fertile, and it is their duty to become pregnant by their assigned Commanders and have their babies, since the Commanders wives cannot bear children themselves. In the society in this book, women are blamed for everything when it comes to conception and childbirth; it is always thought to be the womans fault, any fault of the man is never even considered. Offred is one of the Handmaids, and she is the main protagonist and narrator of this book, telling us her personal touching story of what she experiences in this controlling world. Offred, like all the others Handmaids, is being controlled by this strict totalitarian regime that is based on religion. Firstly, she is forcibly removed from her own family, her husband Luke and their young daughter. Earlier in the plot, the three of them had tried to escape across the border, but unfortunately they were all caught and separated from each other. Their daughter is taken away for adoption, whilst it is unknown what really happened to Luke. Offred is missing them tremendously and is frequently thinking about them and narrating these thoughts throughout the novel; she wonders where her daughter is now and what she looks like, and she wonders where Luke might be and whether he is even still alive or not. All this information she tells us about her family gives us an idea of her background, and we have very good reasons to sympathise with her. Compelled by the regime into training as a Handmaid, they do all they can to strip her of her identity. They remove her name and give her the new slave name of Offred, meaning Of Fred, as she is now belonging to and property of a Commander named Fred. Other Handmaids are also given new names in the same way, such as Ofglen and Ofwarren. Unlike like some of the other Handmaids, we are not directly told what Offreds real name is, though it is implied at the end of Chapter One that her name is June, since all the names listed apart from that one are accounted for at some point in the novel. This treatment of the Handmaids makes it seem as if they are animals, or objects. In addition, all the Handmaids wear a uniform of red draping garments, symbolic of several relevant things such as menstruation, childbirth and sexual sin. The clothes are also designed to cover up the curves and shape of the womanly body, in order to preserve modesty, much in the same way as many Muslim women do today. We get a deeper insight into Offreds dreary and shocking job when she bluntly describes the ceremony. The way she describes it is that the Commander is fucking her, and that no other word or phrase, such as making love, copulation or rape, fit the situation quite rightly. And the commanders wife has to dutifully lie there with her and grip her hands, as if to pretend that it is she who is being fucked, and not Offred. This makes the situation all the more bizarre and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Out of all the female characters that we are focusing on, Offred is probably the most sympathetic. She arguably has the most difficult lifestyle to tolerate and suffer, but she mainly follows what is expected of her out of her society, and hardly does anything erroneous. The only few times she does deviate from Gileads strict laws is when she has an illicit affair with Nick, the Commanders chauffer, which is set up by Serena Joy in order to increase Offreds chances of conceiving a child, as Serena Joy herself believes that her husband could be infertile, even though this is against the law for anyone to think. Offred proves to be the only heroine out all our female characters, since Abigail and Alison are both villainous antagonists in their respective stories.

Research into Cancer Stem Cells

Research into Cancer Stem Cells Cancers are composed of a heterogeneous mix of cells with varying differentiation, proliferation and tumourigenic properties. In vivo studies have demonstrated that within a cancer population, only percentage of cells are able to initiate tumour development [1]. It is widely believed that the heterogeneous groups of cells include a small population of cancer cells with stem cell properties: the cancer stem cell (CSC). These cells have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate asymmetrically and give rise to bulk populations of nontumourigenic cancer cells. Current cancer treatments may eradicate the tumour bulk but spare the populations of stem cells which are able to restore tumour tissue causing recurrence of the cancer. This may explain why initial tumour regression does not necessarily translate to improved patient survival in many clinical trials. Identification and characterisation of these stem cells may offer means of targeting cancer at its root. Cancer Stem Cell Definition The AACr workshop in 2006 defined a cancer stem cell as: A cell within a tumour that possesses the capacity to self-renew and to cause the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumour. Cancer stem cells can thus only be defined experimentally by their ability to recapitulate the generation of a continuously growing tumour.[2] Therefore the stem cell definition requires that cell possess 2 fundamental properties. Self renewal, the process whereby at least one daughter cell of a dividing stem cell retains stem cell properties Potency, the ability of cells to differentiate into diverse cells that comprise the tumour. [3]. It was agreed that defined CSCs may not necessarily derive from normal tissue stem cells, indeed one important and unanswered question is whether tumours derive from organ stem cells that retain self renewal properties or whether tumour stem cells are proliferative progenitors that acquire self-renewal capacity [2]. Normal Tissue Heterogeneity The continuous replacement of differentiated, functional cells by proliferation of more primitive cells in human tissue is a normal homeostatic process. Organs are composed of collections of differentiated cells that perform discrete functions [4]. The total cell population is regarded as constituting a cell division hierarchy [5]. The stem cell is central in the renewal hierarchy and has two functions within this model. It can act as the initiating cell in a cell division and differentiation process, producing a large family of differentiated descendants, a process known clonal expansion. Another function is for the cells to undergo division to produce two stem cell daughters identical to the initial stem cell and to replace the stem cells used in clonal expansion. This process is called self-renewal [6] and is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. As cells move down the hierarchy they acquire the differentiated features associated with tissue function and the proportion of differenti ated cells increases. In this way the stem cell has the ability to maintain organ life [4]. This concept predicts the existence of three categories of cell within the population: Proliferating, self renewing stem cells; Proliferating non-renewing transitional cells (transit amplifying); Non-proliferating, differentiated end cells. Following division the stem cell can give rise to a transit amplifying cell that will undergo further rapid proliferation to produce offspring which expand the populations of cells arising from the initial division and progressively commit irreversibly to differentiation along one or several lineages[4]. An important feature of a stem cell is their ability to undergo asymmetric cell division giving rise to a progenitor cell and to a new stem cell. Somatic SCs reside in confined tissue compartments referred to as the niche. Here the microenvironment suppresses SC proliferation, resulting in a quiescent SC population. This population maybe triggered to proli ferate and differentiate in response to injury (Ghotra, 2009). Seven common and distinguishing features of stem cells have been described [4]: Stem cells comprise a small subpopulation of a given tissue. Stem cells are ultra-structurally unspecialized, with a large nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio and few organelles Stem cells can be pluripotent Stem cells are slow cycling but may be induced to proliferate more rapidly in response to certain stimuli Stem cells have a proliferatve reserve that exceeds an individuals lifetime An intermendiate group of transit amplifying cells exists The microenvironment plays a critical role in the homeostasis of the stem cell and the differentiation of its progeny. The stem cell is capable of division and clonal expansion. As cells differentiate they lose their proliferative potential. The stem cell can self renewal or divide to produce proliferative transitional cells. Tumour Heterogeneity It has been recognised for many years that tumours exhibit morphologic heterogeneity but they are also functionally heterogeneous in terms of cell proliferation and tumour forming capacity based on transplantation assays [7]. Heterogeneity within tumours is seen within individual tumours in terms of morphology, cell surface markers, cell proliferation kinetics and response to therapy. In vitro and in vivo observations suggest that most cancer cells do not proliferate and that loss of capacity to divide is a feature of the tumour. Only a small proportion of cells have the ability to form tumours in vivo, referred to as tumourgenicity. The cancer stem cell theory posits that neoplasms, like physiological tissue can be hierarchically organised, and that CSCs at the apex of this of this cellular hierarchy and seem to comprise of only a subpopulation of tumour cells are essential for its initiation [8, 9]. Two models have been proposed to explain tumours heterogeneity Stochastic and Hiera rchy, summarised in Figure 2. Both models account for the existence of a cell with stem cell properties, but only the hierarchy model predicts the existence of a stem cell at the top of a hierarchy, which the potential to produce all other cell types within the tumour. Stochastic Model The stochastic model predicts that a tumour is biologically homogeneous and the behaviour of the cancer cells is influenced by intrinsic (eg signalling pathways, levels of transcription factors) or extrinsic factors (eg host factors, immune response, and microenvironment). It is suggested that the randomness and unpredictability of these factors result in heterogeneity in many aspects of marker expression and tumours initiation capacity [10]. A key requirement of the stochastic model is that all cells are equally sensitive to such influences and that the cells can revert from one state to another. For this model to be functional all tumour cells are not permanently affected and all have equal capacity to be induced to one state or another and the changes upon the cell are not permanent [11]. A growth fraction of Hierarchy Model The second model is the hierarchy model which predicts that the tumour is a caricature of normal tissue development and a hierarchy where the stem cell is at the tops is maintained (Pierce) [7]. The cancer stem cell maintains itself and its clones by self-renewal. The cells also mature to produce differentiated offspring which form the bulk of the tumour and lack stem cell properties. As in normal tissue only a small percentage of the tumour population maintain the capacity for long term proliferation while most cells proceed forward down the differentiation pathway resulting in aberrant terminal differentiation [4]. Due to differences in characteristics, stem cells can be selected and enriched for. Variations in tumour growth rates may be due the effects of normal homeostatic mechanisms that regulate stem cells and transit amplifying cell reproduction or alterations of the stem cell niche microenvironment [4]. Much of the evidence for this comes from clonogenic and tumourgenic assay s, which will be discussed further. Hierarchy model contains cells that are composed of biologically distinct cells including cancer stem cells which are all have different functional properties. The stochastic model predicts that all cells are equal the cell heterogeneity is due to intrinsic and extrinsic influences upon the cells which result in heterogeneity of cell function. Experimental Evidence Early Work The first evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells came from functional cell proliferation studies in the1940s 1960s. Radiolabelling cells and autoradiography enabled measurements into the proliferation, lifespan and hierarchical relationships in normal and neoplastic tissues [10, 12]. From these studies came the proposal that tumours are caricatures of normal development including the existence of stem cells [7]. Much early work was on the cancer of the haematopoietic system. In the 1970s Clarkson and other groups carried out pioneering studies that established cancers exhibited functional heterogeneity [10, 13]. These include cytokinetic studies carried out in cell lines, murine models of the acute leukaemias and in vivo examination of leukaemia blast proliferation kinetics in human AML and ALL patients. The data showed that the majority of leukemic blasts were post mitotic and needed to be continuously replenished from a relatively small proliferative fraction. Only a smal l number of leukemic blast cells were cycling in vivo and of these two proliferative fractions were observed: a larger, fast cycling subset with a 24 hour cell cycle time and a smaller, slow cycling, with a dormancy of weeks to months. From this data it was suggested that the slow cycling fraction was generating the fast cycling fraction thought to be the leukemic stem cell population because they had similar kinetic properties to those observed for normal haematopoietic stem cells. This was a clear suggestion that tumours exhibit functional heterogeneity in terms of proliferative potential. Following the identification of these slow cycling cells it was predicted the inability to kill the leukaemic stem cells (LSCs) was the cause of relapse and failure of chemotherapeutic therapies. Whilst combining treatment with in vivo cytokinetic studies, investigators observed that LSCs respond to the depletion of the of the leukemic cell mass by go into cycle after chemotherapy. It was sugges ted the way to eliminate dormant LSCs was to find the window when they are cycling. Identifying and assaying the potential LSCs was a major stumbling block and characterising them was impossible. This was when attention focused on the clonogenic assay was adapted by several groups to assay AML which identified phenotype of AML cultures in vitro with differing proliferative potential, providing the further proof for hierarchy in AML [14-16]. Clonogenicity Definition of a clone A clone is an operationally defined as a group of cells derived from a single ancestor cell. Clonogenicity is the ability of a given cell population, when plated as single cells, to produce one or more clones. This can be measured by the clonogenic assay which can quantify the proportion of colony forming cells, as a percentage of plated population, referred to as colony forming efficiency (CFE). It has been suggested that colony-forming cells possess two fundamental properties of progenitor cells: the ability to give rise to differentiated descendents and the capacity for self-perpetuation [17]. Therefore the ability to measure the capacity of cells to form clones is a useful tool in the study of the cancer stem cell concept. Quantitative measurement of clonogenicity Development of the clonogenic assay. Puck and Marcus The first clonogenic assay In 1956 Puck and Marcus published a paper describing a cell culture technique for assessment of colony forming ability of single mammalian cells [18]. Plated in culture dishes with a suitable medium human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) were supplemented with a large number of irradiated feeder cells and the number of colonies formed was counted. Their technique was a simple rapid method for growing single mammalian cells into macroscopic colonies with a colony forming efficiency of 80 100% . The authors developed this assay further to enable quantification of the effects of high energy radiation on cell populations in vitro [18-20]. They plated HeLa cells and measured their response to x-rays, producing the first in vitro radiation cell survival curve [21]. This assay has since been used for a wide variety of studies with many cell types using improved culture conditions, and for the testing of many potential chemotherapeutic agents. Till and McCulloch Following the work of Puck and Marcus, Till and McCulloch generated the first in vivo survival curves [22, 23]. They showed that when mouse bone marrow cells were injected into recipient mice that had been given total body irradiation to suppress endogenous haematopoiesis, visible colonies developed in the spleens that derived from cells in the graft. This work demonstrated that the cells injected into the mice were capable of self-renewal and it was speculated that these cells were stem cells. The evidence for this conclusion was that the curve from the number of marrow cells transplanted proportional to the number of colonies developed within the spleen. In addition, the radiation survival curve of cells that form colonies closely resembled survival curves developed by Puck and Marcus for in vitro cells [21]. This, however, was only indirect evidence and did not prove that the colonies originated from single cells, so the group carried out further experiments to determine the singl e cell origin on the colonies within the spleens [24]. Heavily irradiated bone marrow was transplanted into heavily irradiated recipient mice. The idea was that some cells containing genetic abnormalities caused by irradiation in the donor bone marrow cells would retain the ability to proliferate and produce clones containing this abnormality [24]. This worked to some extent, with a small number of colonies containing cells which all showed the same chromosome abnormality within that colony. It was hypothesised that if the capacity to form colonies is to be considered as a criterion to identify stem cells, then cells must lose this capacity upon undergoing differentiation. This hypothesis was tested by applying hypoxia as a differentiating pressure to mouse bone marrow, which resulted in a reduction in colony formation in the spleens of hypoxic mice [17]. They described how the number of colonies form in the spleens of mice in hypoxic conditions is reduced. This was thought to be du e to hypoxia stimulating erythropoiesis which stimulates erythropoietin, indicating that erythropoietin reducing colony forming production in the spleen. This data suggested that an increased demand for differentiated cells reduces the number of stem cells, resulting in the reduction of colony forming ability. Later Developments Since its development, the in vitro clonogenic assay has become a valuable tool in the study of cell growth and differentiation. [25]. Several adaptations to the original method have been made including immobilising cells in a top layer of 0.3% agar to avoid formation of tumor cell aggregates by random movement which might be confused with colony growth [26]. Agar has also been replaced by some groups with agarose, which is easier to handle (Laboise 1981) or methylcellulose which allows better recovery of the colony for replating. Others have simplified the culture medium and omitted the need for feeder cells. The exact protocol depends largely on cell type, but the basic system remains the same. The development of a protocol for secondary plating efficiency has proved a useful tool for the measurement of self-renewal and has the advantage of being able to identify cells that are able to undergo a large number of cell divisions [26]. This involves selecting specific colonies to deter mine their proliferative potential over a number of passages. Clonogenicity and Cell Renewal Hierarchy Clonogenic assays have been used to identify and morphologically characterise the three cell types above. Barrandon and Greens [27] work identified the clonal types of keratinocytes and linked this to their capacity for multiplication. They defined colonies as Holoclone, Meroclone or Paraclone. The Holoclone was described as a colony with a larger smooth nearly circular perimeter containing many small cells, which it has been suggested that these cells represent the proliferating self renewing stem cells. Paraclones were described as differentiated end cells which are more elongated and flattened in appearance, however paraclones can divide quite rapidly therefore classification of clonal type cannot be deduced form the study of growth rates alone or morphology alone. Meroclones were described as a combination of holoclones and paraclones. Relating morphology and colony size to clonogenicity can be used to further identify potential stem cells within the clonogenic assay and give mor e detail to the fate of their descendents. The differences in growth unit size may reflect several properties including different proliferative capacities and clonogenic cell kinetics. However, clonogenicity in vitro alone, does not define a stem cell, and other subpopulations, such as transit amplifying cells may also be able to produce a colony size of 32 or more cells. Although ability of a cell to form a colony implies substantial proliferative capacity, this does not unambiguously identify a stem cell [28]. Tumor Cell Heterogeneity and Hierarchy Certain characteristics have emerged from clonogenic studies on cells derived from human tumors. It was noticed that a few cells in each tumor were able to give rise to colonies in culture, whilst some colonies contained transit amplyifing cells undergoing a limited number of terminal divisions. Other cells (usually the majority) were non-proliferating stem cells. Looking at CFE and colony size of human tumors and replating experiments has demonstrated the heterogeneity of a wide range of tumor types including neoplastic human urothelium [29], melanoma [30, 31] and squamous carcinoma [32]. This supports the idea that cells within solid tumors consist of cellular hierarchies, which will be discussed further. The cancer stem cell model accounts for heterogeneity within a primary cancer by proposing that each cancer consists of a small population of cancer stem cells and a much larger population of cells which have lost their self-renewal capacity [5]. The clonogenic assay has been used explore this cellular heterogeneity present in human tumors, lending support to the stem cell model of tumor growth. Multiple myeloma has served as a valuable model in early clonogenic assay development. This was studied by Hamburger and Salmon in 1977 [33], who created an essentially selective system which restrict proliferation to cells capable of anchorage independent growth, thought to be a characteristic of stem cells [34]. They described an in vitro bioassay for human myeloma colony-forming units in culture which was applied to the study of patients with multiple myeloma and related monoclonal bone marrow derived B cell neoplasm. Bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma and normal volun teers were cultured in the presence of an agar feeder layer prepared by either human type O+ washed erythrocytes or adherent spleen cells of BALB/c mice. They found a linear relationship between colony formation and the number of nucleated bone marrow cells plated. Multiple myeloma patients exhibited much higher numbers of colonies formed compared to normal volunteers. It was shown that the number of colonies was proportional to the number of colonies plated, suggesting that colonies were derived from single myeloma stem cells. This was the development of the human tumor stem cells assay. The Human Tumor Stem Cell Assay clonogenicity and cancer stem cells The ability to grow human solid tumors in two-layer soft agar culture was developed for the clinical application of testing in vitro tumor sensitivity or resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. It is a possible means by which anticancer drugs can be selected for activity against tumor cells from a patient [35] as a way of tailoring chemotherapeutic regimes to individual patients and of testing new cytostatic agents [36]. The assay assesses treatment effects of stem cells by a testing their ability to reproduce and form a colonies of cells. Using semi-solid agar with enriched medium supports colony growth from cell suspensions from a variety of human tumors. A semi-solid medium suppresses the growth of most normal cells and there is evidence of the malignant nature of these colonies [33] . An important consideration is the relationship between the response of clonogenic cells to drugs in vitro and the response of the tumor to the same drug in the patient [10]. The stem cell model of human cancer suggests that cure or duration of remission after clinical treatment should correlate only with killing of stem cells. Assessment of treatment effects on an unselected cell population (eg on the basis or morphological criteria) is therefore likely to be misleading since the effects on a small population of stem cells will be masked by those on the large population of stem cells. Human tumors of a single histological type appear to have a pattern of response in vitro that is similar to their clinical behaviour. Within a histological type, tumours are heterogeneous in response both in vitro and in vivo. Studies directly comparing the response in vitro with the subsequent clinical response have shown important correlations. The proportion of human tumors that grow with a plating efficiency sufficient for assessment of drug activity (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥30 colonies per 500,000 cells plated is frequently less that 50%. Usually only a proportion of these tumors will manifest in vitro sensitivity [37]. There have been a wide range of predictive value positives reported for the human clonogenic tumour cell assay when applied to a patient population with an expected clinical response rate of 15-49% [38]. This value could be misleading and in practice may only be workable for cytotoxicity testing for only one third of specimens tested. The limitation exits that not all sam ples will produce clones in vitro so those that do may exhibit a treatment bias [35]. Other problems with the use and interpretation of human tumor clonogenic assays include low plating efficiency and small proportion of tumors available for testing; difficulty in preparing single cell suspensions, production of only small quantities of data, and problems defining drug sensitivity and response criteria [35]. Factors influencing size of sub-populations It has been proposed that as in normal cell populations, human tumor cell populations are also heterogeneous and comprise stem cells, non-stem transitional cells with limited proliferative capacity and end cells [6]. MacKillop suggested that four factors may influence the relative size of these subpopulations: The probability of self-renewal (Psr) of stem cells (producing two daughter stem cells). The distribution of cells within the system can be treated mathematically by assuming probability functions. The potential of the transitional cells for further cell division, as defined by clonal expansion number (n=number of generations between the first generation non-stem cells and the end cells.) The relative effect of cell loss on each subpopulation (Stem cells, transit amplifying, end cells) as described by cell loss factors (ÃŽÂ ¦s, ÃŽÂ ¦t ÃŽÂ ¦ ec). The number of generations of cell proliferation following initiation of the tumor cell population for individual stem cell. Stem cell division in normal tissue must provide a supply of differentiated functional cells to compensate for physiological losses and at the same time maintain a constant stem cell population. A probability of self-renewal in which two stem cells daughters Psr =0.5, would yield a steady state [28]. If no cell loss occurs, it has been modelled that the number of stem cells will increase exponentially with Psr > 0.5 [6]. For the simplest case in which all non-stem cells are end cells (n=0) the proportion of stem cells increases linearly with increasing Psr. and the proportion of stem cells in a tumor decreases as the extent of multiplication of the transitional cell compartment. This results in the stem cell being the less common cell type numerically than transit amplifying and differentiated end cells. These scenarios are affected by cell loss which may occur through necrosis, migration or differentiation, of which only differentiation is selective of cell type. A selective loss th rough differentiation increases the population of stem cells. The modelling of tumor cell growth has implications for the use of clonogenic assays as predictors of the stem cell fraction on human tumors, especially in regards to cut-off points in terms of colony size and determining which cells represent the stem cell fraction [6]. Between studies there are differences between how colonies are scored morphologically and numerically and how long cells are allowed to grow [31] and considering this evidence may be an important issue when comparing data between different studies. Clonogenicity in cell lines and stem cells in cell lines Clonogenicity has recently been used to identify stem cell properties of cells in long term culture cancer cell lines. The colony forming efficiency and secondary plating efficiency of carcinoma derived cell lines including head and neck squamous, breast [39] and prostate [39-42] were investigated and considered to contain potential stem cells. These studies show that cell lines show clear differences between clonal types (holoclone, meroclone, paraclone) and have similar properties in this respect to normal epithelial cells [39]. The proportions of clonal types between the carcinoma cell lines vary greatly. DU145 colonies were evenly spread in number between the clonal types, whereas PC3 cells produced mainly meroclones and LNCaP cells produced mainly paraclones [41], all based on colony morphology. These studies have also looked at the relationship between potential cancer stem cell markers and clonogenicity. CD133 enriched DU145 cells were assayed for clonogenicity, but no difference was found between the positive and negative cells [41], but when isolated CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1+ CD133+ sorted cells were compared against CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1low CD133low a higher CFE was observed in conjunction with a marked difference in morphology to CD44+ integrin ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1-/low CD133- in DU145 MACS sorted cells [40]. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that different clonal types showed varying levels of expression of CD44, ÃŽÂ ±2ÃŽÂ ²1 integrin and ÃŽÂ ²-catenin in PC-3 [42] and DU145 clones [39]. There is further evidence to suggest the presence of cells with stem cell behaviour such as dye-exclusion and higher clonogenicity, in several human epithelial cell lines [39, 43-45], which further supports the idea that cell lines contain stem cells. The ad vantage of cancer cell lines that contain cells displaying stem cell characteristics would facilitate the study of molecular pathways and the properties that define the cancer stem cells in vitro. Recent Developments Much progress has been made in the modelling of the leukemic diseases, where the level of heterogeneity was first and most thoroughly explored. Human cells fulfilling the properties expected of drug resistant cancer stem cells were initially isolated from blood cancers [2]. Improvements in the genetics of recipient mice have led to the definition SCID-repopulating cell (SRC). Many improvements to the NOD/SCID murine model continue to be made by using recipient mice that are engineered to be deficient in natural killer (NK) and macrophage activity; part of that innate immune system. It has been demonstrated that a small subpopulation of acute myeloid leukaemia cells with an immature immunophenotype possess the ability colonise immune deficient NOD/SCID mice to give rise to more differentiated leukaemia cells and to recapitulate the heterogeneous phenotype of the bulk tumour [46]. The phenotypically more mature cells failed to engraft in mice, suggesting the presence of an identifiable tumour cell hierarchy. These cells are referred to as tumour initiating cells. Cancer Stem Cell Identification CSCs have been defined on the basis of their ability to seed tumours in animal hosts, to self renew and to spawn differentiated progeny (non-CSCs)[47]. Pioneering work in this area originated from studies on leukaemia stem cells and later included demonstrations of CSCs in solid tumours, particularly breast and brain cancers. However, work in solid tumours has proved challenging. The frequency of CSCs in solid tumours is highly variable [48]. Difficulties with tumour CSC identification Evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells in solid tumours has been more difficult than in the haematopoietic system to obtain for several reasons: 1) The cells within the tumour are less accessible. Tissue has to undergo mechanical or enzymatic digestion to obtain a single cell suspension which can be analysed. 2) There is a lack of functional assays suitable for detecting and quantifying normal stem cells from many organs. 3) Only a few cell surface markers have been identified and characterised. Of these there is no one marker which is specific for a stem cell or cancer stem cells and for selection they often have to be used in combination. Cancer Stem Cell Markers Stem cells are most commonly identified by staining for cell surface markers, exclusion of fluorescent dyes or labelling with tritiated thymidine [3] . The technology to develop monoclonal antibodies to specific molecules and flow-cytometery based sorting and analysis has been a big driving force in recent CSC developments. Much work has been done to define cell surface markers. It has been shown that two distinct subpopulations can be separated from a single tumour that differ in their cell surface markers and their ability to seed new tumours in vivo. Most of the currently used markers do not recognise functional stem cell activity. By using combinations of cell surface markers, the homogenous purification of stem cells can be obtained [3]. Table 1 below reviews the current suggested markers for some tumour types. The use of animal models has allowed identification and assessment of markers that are expressed by cancer stem cells. The most convincing demonstration of identity CSC s elected by biomarkers comes from serial transplantation of cellular populations into animal models. The CSC containing fraction should re-establish the phenotypic characteristics of the original tumour [48]. In 1997 Bonnet et al showed that the ability to transfer human leukaemias into NOD/SCID mice was retained by a small proportion of cells with the CD34+, CD38- phenotype [46]. The CD44 and CD133 markers have emerged as potential markers of immature epithelial cells for isolating CSCs in several tissue types including brain and prostate. Cells have been isolated from several tumour types and serially transplanted in xenograft models: Breast CD44+ CD24-/low established tumours in recipient mice. Brain CD133+ enriched cells. Prostate Side population CD44+ enriched. In these experiments small numbers of selected cells produced tumours in recipient mice. In this instance CSCs can on

Slavery and the Caribbean :: Slavery Essays

Slavery and the Caribbean Europeans came into contact with the Caribbean after Columbus's momentous journeys in 1492, 1496 and 1498. The desire for expansion and trade led to the settlement of the colonies. The indigenous peoples, according to our sources mostly peaceful Tainos and warlike Caribs, proved to be unsuitable for slave labour in the newly formed plantations, and they were quickly and brutally decimated. The descendants of this once thriving community can now only be found in Guiana and Trinidad. The slave trade which had already begun on the West Coast of Africa provided the needed labour, and a period from 1496 (Columbus's second voyage) to 1838 saw Africans flogged and tortured in an effort to assimilate them into the plantation economy. Slave labour supplied the most coveted and important items in Atlantic and European commerce: the sugar, coffee, cotton and cacao of the Caribbean; the tobacco, rice and indigo of North America; the gold and sugar of Portuguese and Spanish South America. These commodities comprised about a third of the value of European commerce, a figure inflated by regulations that obliged colonial products to be brought to the metropolis prior to their re-export to other destinations. Atlantic navigation and European settlement of the New World made the Americas Europe's most convenient and practical source of tropical and sub-tropical produce. The rate of growth of Atlantic trade in the eighteenth century had outstripped all other branches of European commerce and created fabulous fortunes. An estimate of the slave population in the British Caribbean in Robin Blackburn's study, The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery: 1776-1848, puts the slave numbers at 428,000 out of a population of 500,000, so the number of slaves vastly exceeded the number of white owners and overseers. Absentee plantation owners added to the unrest. Rebellion was common, with the forms including self mutilation, suicide and infanticide as well as escape and maroonage (whereby the slaves escaped into the hills and wooded interiors of the islands and set up potentially threatening communities of their own. See references in Wide Sargasso Sea). Jamaica holds the record for slave revolts, with serious uprisings in 1655, 1673, 1760 and continued disquiet after that. The documentation of revolts in Trinidad is less complete, but we know of at least one serious plot in 1805. Guiana was actually governed by a slave named Cuffy for a year after the revolt in 1763, and Barbados also had numerous plots, including s ix between 1649 and 1701.

Wuthering Heights versus Thrushcross Grange :: essays research papers

In Emil Brontà «'s novel "Wuthering Heights" the two main residences, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, are both grand, wealthy houses lying near the wild, Yorkshire moors, "completely removed from the stir of society" (pg1). Besides these similarities though, they are almost exact opposites. Wuthering Heights is associated with passion, nature and the elemental whereas Thrushcross Grange epitomises civilisation, peace and order. The characteristics of both abodes are also evident in their respective residents. I will examine the distinct differences in their interior and exterior appearance as well as their inhabitants. A first difference is the location and exterior of the two residences. Wuthering Heights is built on high ground where it is subjected to severe storms. It is ?strong?, its ?narrow windows are deeply set in the wall? (pg2). The front is decorated by ?grotesque carving(s)? displaying a ?wilderness of crumbling griffins? (pg2). All the above depict Wuthering Heights as unwelcoming, rugged, gloomy yet natural and elemental. Thrushcross Grange on the other hand lies in a pleasant, sunlit valley below the moors where it is sheltered from adverse weather. It is surrounded by a walled park with well-kept gardens. Flowerpots decorate the windows, which are ?only half closed? by the curtains emitting a warm, amiable light (pg43). These features give the impression of a civilised, sophisticated, serene house. Apart from the exterior contrasts, the interior of the two households is also profoundly different. The furniture at Wuthering Heights is primitive: a ?vast oak dresser? and ?high-backed? chairs (pg3), meat and guns hang from the roof and Lockwood discovers a ?heap of dead rabbits? (pg8) ? further signs of nature but also of violence and danger. The huge fireplace ?glow(s) delightfully in the radiance of an immense fire? (pg7). This symbolises power, danger, uncontrollability and, foremost, passion. The dogs kept at Wuthering Heights are ?wolfish?, ?hairy monsters? with a ?guttural gnarl? (pg4,15). At Thrushcross Grange however, Edgar and Isabella quarrel over a small pet dog, which they both want to cuddle. Contrastingly, the fire at Thrushcross Grange is at first extinguished. When it glows, it gives off a harmonious but dull light. Thrushcross Grange is beautifully carpeted and furnished, with a ?pure white ceiling bordered by gold?, from which a chandelier hangs (pg44). Unlike Wuthering Heights? elemental interior, Thrushcross Grange is tranquil and refined. The two houses contrast not only in appearance but also in the characters of their inhabitants, especially in Heathcliff and Edgar.

Fulbright Research Proposal Essay

Claudia Ukonu, Netherlands, Interdisciplinary Studies The Effects of User Generated Content on Cross Channel Communication Strategies Summary As a recipient of the 2013-2014 Fulbright Grant I plan to enroll in the Masters in Methodology and Statistics for Behavioural, Biomedical and Social Sciences at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. While completing this degree I will also conduct a research study where I will seek to answer two questions 1) How Dutch companies use cross channel communication strategies to market new products and 2) How user generated content (i. . Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. ) effects the implementation of those cross channel communication strategies. The study will use surveys, interviews and statistical methods to examine purchasing behavior and the relevant results will be analyzed with the establishment of an internship at a Dutch market research firm. My goal in completing this study is to apply the knowledge gained from my Masters courses to the relevant topic of consumer purchasing behavior, which will build a solid foundation for entering a PhD program in Statistics. Introduction Here in the United States Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram have become the way of projecting a glamorized image of oneself online. The idea of being modest and not bragging about one’s newly purchased Lamborghini or vacation to Tahiti is long gone. Consumers are now becoming the trendsetters as they now dictate the trends that companies tailor their products around. Examining how user generated content fulfills the Esteem and Love/Belonging parts of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can be used as a model for predicting consumer habits. With the creation of social media networks, traditional ways of marketing seem to have little to no relevance. In order for companies to be effective when introducing new products and maintaining existing ones, it is vital that they are up to date with current trends in marketing new products through multiple communication channels. While each of these channels may have different demographics (i. e. the age difference between Facebook users and people who read newspapers) the goal of cross channel communication strategy is to ensure that the product being marketed conveys the same message on all channels. This can be a daunting task given the number of communication channels available to companies. Location In 2011, ComScore named the Netherlands as the number one country with the highest LinkedIn and Twitter penetration. This provides the perfect backdrop to see how Dutch companies are not only using cross channel communication strategies but, more specifically, how they are incorporating social media into those strategies. During the grant period I will be under the supervision of Dr.  Irene Klugkist, Associate Professor of Methodology and Statistics in the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University. Methodology Upon arriving in Utrecht I will begin my MSc in Methodology and Statistics for Behavioural, Biomedical and Social Sciences at Utrecht University. I will enroll in the following courses for the fall semester: Advanced Survey Design and Missing Data Analysis, Multivariate Statistics, Foundations of Statistics, and Computational Inference with R. During the first two months in Utrecht I will spend my time focusing on becoming familiar with the foundations of statistics. In order to obtain accurate results when trying to determine the objectives of the study, it is vital that a selection of study participants is made. The participants will remain the same throughout the course of the study. This will be accomplished with the help of a study participant letter that will outline who I am, my purpose of study, what information I will collect from participants and how that information will be used in the study. I propose that no less than 100 participants be selected for the study. Having more participants will allow for a greater range of differentiation as well as data collection. The first two months of the grant period is also when I will spend time locating the participants of the study. I plan to include participants who are current students and working professionals. The demographics of my study will focus on men and women who are between the ages of 18-35. I am open to the possibility of changing these demographics given that after some time of living in Utrecht, I discover a niche market, to which this study’s objectives would be more relevant. The second objective–‘How user generated content (i. e.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc. ) affects the implementation of cross channel communication strategies– will be partially addressed in months 3-7 of the grant period. It is during this time that I will track the social behavior of the study participants. Relevant factors to the collection of this data will include: the time the post was made on the social network, the content of the post and responses to the original post. Surveys will also be given to participants asking about their desire to purchase items marketed on various communication channels. The first objective of the study will be applied in the form of an internship at a Dutch marketing firm where I will first observe the current cross communication strategies. After doing this, I will analyze the data collected in the first portion of the grant period. This analysis will help to determine whether 1) Consumer purchasing behavior can be predicted on the basis of user generated content and 2) If this behavior can be predicted, how can companies utilize this to their advantage. Dr.  Klugkist has expressed willingness to help me secure an internship for months 8-9 at a Dutch market research firm. During the internship I will examine the past and existing cross communication strategies of the company while looking at what factors went into the planning of this strategy. Part of the MSc program requires students to participate in a traineeship in their desired field (Behavioural, Biomedical or Social Sciences) in their final year of study. Dr. Klugkist sent my research proposal to Dr.  Van Hattum, a former Utrecht student who now works at a market research firm and he expressed interest in having me as a trainee during my final year at Utrecht University. Goal Throughout the study I hope to uncover cross communication opportunities that utilize social media and then use those opportunities as a foundation upon which I will develop new and existing product entry strategies. I will be able to apply this research and the resulting Masters degree to the completion of a PhD in Statistics.

Birdgeton Case

Memorandum To: Mike Lewis From: Overseas Consulting Group Date: December 9th 1990 Subject: Manifolds Retention vs. Outsourcing Analysis Our team of financial analysts has taken an in depth look at the consultant’s recommendation to potentially outsource the manifold production line. Through our analysis you will see that the consultants have not considered the full financial impact that this outsourcing would have on the company. This is likely because the recommendation has not taken into consideration the range of costs affecting Bridgeton industries.Through our analysis it becomes clear that the decision to retain the manifold production line will be more financially beneficial to the company. We will begin with some of the assumptions of our analysis, and the conclusions from our various analyses of Bridgeton Industries Costs. Please refer to the attached excel file for detailed analysis of the numbers. We know that Bridgeton uses an absorption costing system which does no t easily distinguish between fixed and variable costs.The problem with that system makes it very challenging to forecast appropriately the cost of excess capacity and furthermore the impact of outsourcing the manifold production line. Therefore the reported costs are not appropriate for this type of analysis. Our team began our own analysis of the costs to evaluate the recommendation. We began by calculating gross margin for each product, by first identifying how much overhead should be allocated to each category. We broke out the overhead by using Direct Labor (DL) as a % since most of the overhead accounts are labor related.As a result, overhead allocation for each product in 1987 is the following: Fuel Tanks 17%, Manifolds 24%, Doors 11%, Muffler/Exhausts 23%, and Oil Pans 26% for 1987. Muffler/Exhausts, manifolds and Oil Pans are both labor intensive, so under this method, they bear a higher percentage of the overhead costs. Now that Bridgeton stopped producing Muffler/Exhausts and Oil Pans, the manifold line carries an even greater proportion of the overhead costs of 46%. Therefore, the cost per manifold goes up because of the larger share of overhead it has to absorb.Please refer to the analysis file, tab 2 for 1991 forecasts. We assumed the sales and costs for each category would increase close to the same percentage as previous year. The overhead forecast required greater detailed analysis. The question is how to anticipate how much overhead would go down due to discontinuation of manifolds. In 1989, DL and direct material (DM) went down 46% and 47% respectively from the outsourcing of the other production lines. If manifolds were to be outsourced and all DL and DM were eliminated, then we are looking at approximately 44% decrease in DL and 49% decrease in DM.We assumed for the purpose of our analysis, that the reductions in DL and DM for these two year are comparable. Thus, we applied the same percentage of overhead reduction in each account to the 19 89 to the 1991 overhead accounts. Once we established these overhead accounts, we then analyzed how the costs are allocated across the remaining lines. As you can see in detailed spreadsheet, the most profitable product, the fuel tanks, now has to absorb 61% of the overhead cost and its gross margin is down to 33% from 43%. The doors’ gross margin also went south from 27% to 17%.Clearly the fixed costs, which weren’t removed with the outsourcing, have eroded the profitability of all of the remaining products. The consultant’s suggestion to outsource production is actually not a good option after all. Fix costs embedded in the cost per unit won’t go away because less profitable parts are outsourced. If Bridgeton industries wants to seriously considering outsourcing the manifold line or any other some significant overhead restructuring is necessary to try and reduce the fixed cost profitability dilution. Changes to cost structureAs we mentioned previously B ridgeton currently uses a single overhead pool for the entire plant that allocates costs based on direct labor hours. Since the production process of the various product lines vary greatly, this causes the overhead allocation to be inaccurate. The products have different levels of automation and manual work (refer to descriptions in exhibit 1). While one product line may be diligently working to reduce costs, another product line can simply reduce production and receive the same relative decrease in overhead costs.Also, the overhead percentage is calculated only once a year at budget time and is used throughout the entire model year. With an annual calculation, there is little to no incentive for employees to continuously reduce their costs month to month. Bridgeton should recalculate the overhead percentages on a monthly basis to be more accurate if possible. We recommend creating multiple overhead pools by taking the overhead cost elements and assigning them to the product lines t hat are truly driving those expenses (basically link overhead to the product).Having a product specific allocation of OH expenses will allow management to have better visibility to the product cost reduction efforts of the employees. Variable Costs, Fixed Costs & Excess Capacity Ultimately the problem Bridgeton is facing is related to fixed costs due to excess capacity. Once production lines are outsourced, the remaining fixed costs in OH which are not outsourced represent the excess capacity. This is a cost problem for the company as the other products must absorb this. The two obvious solutions to this problem are to cut these costs as much as possible.Through restricting initiatives this can be made possible. The other solution would be to increase demand of existing product lines. In the case of Bridgeton industries there is a need for a strategic shift to increase that demand. Continuing cost reduction initiatives are necessary, but a strategy to differentiate Bridgeton’ s products through quality, reliability, service, etc. could help increase demand and furthermore reduce the impact of excess capacity costs. Additionally if new overhead pools are created, as we recommended above, management should set standards for the activity on each product line.This will help control variable costs and keep the lines accountable for their own expenses. Supplies and small tools should only be purchased as need and overtime hours should be kept to a minimum. Fixed costs are absorbed evenly by each line, but can still be reevaluated by management. For example, a fixed asset audit can be performed to ensure that all assets that are being depreciated are truly in-service. Calculate the OH Rates The 1987 overhead rate used in the study was 435% of direct labor dollar costs. Bridgeton’s actual rate was 437% that year.Overhead rates for the remaining years are calculated below (OH / DL): As you can see the overhead rate for 199, which would be 752% without mani folds, is severely detrimental to the company financially. Clearly the consulting firm did not factor in the fixed costs associated with production when recommending the outsourcing of the manifold production line. Our conclusion is to continue producing manifolds going forward, and to adjust our cost reporting structure to better be able to analyze future strategic shifts such as outsourcing a product line.As a company if Bridgeton does not do a better job to understand the costs of the business, it will be very challenging to make the best business decisions in the long run. Calculations: GM% = (Sales – Direct Material – Direct Labor – Overhead) / Sales Product GM% = (Product Sales – Product DM – Product DL – Product Overhead) / Product Sales Product Overhead = Dept Overhead * DL Rate for product Product Costs = Direct Material + Direct Labor + Overhead DM Rate: (Direct Material / Total Direct Material) DL Rate: (Direct Labor / Total Direc t Labor)

Lincoln’s House Divided Speech Essay

Through the spoils of war in 1848, and a $15 million payment, the U.S. acquired nearly half of Mexico’s territory. To some, Mexico had dumped its useless wasteland and the U.S. had been duped into paying for it. But to most, the acquisition of the Mexican territory was the culmination of Manifest Destiny–the fulfillment of the expansion across the North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, that was ordained by God. But did God intend for this territory to be slaveholding or free? Within two short years, California petitioned to become a state. Slaveholding or free? That question would propel the nation that had just become a continental power to the precipice of dissolution. It took the Compromise of 1850 to avert a disaster. The Compromise itself was made up several bills. Among them, California would be admitted as a free state. To pacify slave-state politicians upset about the imbalance, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It required Northern citizens to assist in the recovery of slaves escaping from the South. Kansas-Nebraska Act With the threat of dissolution addressed, a continental build-out could get underway. The country pined for a transcontinental railroad. The South wanted a route that ran far south, but the North insisted on a route in the center. Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas was committed to this central route and to the prerequisite organization of the territory of Nebraska. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Territories, Senator Douglas had the responsibility of sponsoring the necessary legislation. He had already been instrumental in bringing five states into the Union and had created five territories. He repeatedly tried to organize Nebraska, but sectional differences had made it impossible thus far. The Missouri Compromise, thirty years prior, had prohibited slavery north of the line of 36 º 30†², and all of the Nebraska territory was above that line. Yet Douglas’ 1854 legislation–though it used the same language under which Utah and New Mexico had become territories–made the proposed condition of slavery or freedom unclear. So the legislation was revised to appeal to the Southern Democrats, explicitly stating that the decision about slavery was â€Å"to be left to the decision of the people residing therein, through their appropriate representatives.† Essentially, â€Å"popular sovereignty† would rule the day and kill the slave restriction in the Missouri Compromise. Still, Democratic Senator Archibald Dixon of Kentucky didn’t think this pushed the Missouri Compromise far enough. Dixon proposed an amendment that specifically stated the Missouri Compromise restriction did not apply to the proposed Nebraska Territory, nor to any other territory of the United States. Douglas wanted to avoid a fight and begged Dixon to withdraw his amendment, but Dixon refused. So Douglas supported the Kansas-Nebraska bill–now modified to propose two territories from the land rather than just one. The bill declared that the Missouri Compromise was inconsistent with the Compromise of 1850 and, hence, inoperative. With the backing of Democratic President Franklin Pierce, the bill had become law. Anti-Nebraskan Men Protests arose not only from free-soilers and abolitionists, but also from moderates–including moderate Democrats–who thought the slavery issue had been put into remission in 1850, and now found it eating away at the country again. Abraham Lincoln, retired from politics and happy in his law practice, was compelled to return to politics. As Paul M. Angle observed, Lincoln â€Å"believed that no man concerned for his country could remain silent.† Writing about the event later, in the third person, Lincoln said of himself, â€Å"His profession had almost superseded the thought of politics in his mind, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused him as he had never been before.† â€Å"It is as if two starving men had divided their only loaf,† Lincoln said of the Compromise of 1850. Having divided the loaf in a fair compromise, the South now wanted more: â€Å"The one had hastily swallowed his half, and then grabbed the other half just as he was putting it in his mouth!† Lincoln vehemently disagreed that â€Å"popular sovereignty†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthe choice of white men of European ancestry–should be allowed to cush the inalienable right to liberty the Declaration of Independence promised to all men, regardless of color. Like so many others, Lincoln thought that if slavery remained confined to the states in which it currently existed–protected by the Constitution, incidentally–it would eventually come to extinction and liberty would prevail. Now he found the monster of slavery more animated than ever before. Believing that Anti-Nebraska men must be elected to overturn the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Lincoln began canvassing the state of Illinois with the goal of re-electing Anti-Nebraskan Richard Yates. A new Abraham Lincoln was on the scene. Where in earlier years, Angle notes, Lincoln â€Å"had brought roars of laughter with raillery and personal jibes and had grappled for any small argumentative advantage,† Lincoln now â€Å"spoke from deep conviction that the nation was in danger–spoke without humor but with eloquence that he had never before achieved.† Claiming popular sovereignty to be a middle ground that couldn’t logically exist, he urged men to rally together and embrace liberty. â€Å"Let us re-adopt the Declaration of Independence, and with it, the practices, and policy, which harmonize with it. Let north and south–let all Americans–let all lovers of liberty everywhere–join in the great and good work. If we do this, we shall not only have saved the Union; but we shall have so saved it, as to make, and keep it, forever worthy of the saving.† To further the Anti-Nebraska cause, Lincoln allowed himself to be named as a candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives. On November 7, 1854, he was elected. But the senatorial term of James Shields, a Douglas supporter, was expiring and Lincoln was in a position to take the seat. To strengthen his candidacy, he declined to accept his seat in the Illinois House. In February 1855, the legislature met in joint session. On the first ballot, Lincoln was the leader with 44 votes, but could not win without the five votes received by Lyman Trumbull. Vote after vote, Trumbull’s supporters refused to budge. After the ninth ballot, Lincoln realized that unless he threw his support to Trumbull, a supporter of the Kansas-Nebraska Act would be elected. So he released his supporters to vote for Trumbull and Trumbull won the election. But Lincoln became the clear leader of the Anti-Nebraska men and was destined to run against Stephen A. Douglas when his term expired in 1858. Lincoln Opposes Douglas At the Republican State Convention of Illinois, on June 16, 1858, a resolution declaring â€Å"that Abraham is the first and only choice of the Republicans of Illinois for the United States Senate as the successor to Stephen A. Douglas† was carried unanimously. Acknowledging the nomination that evening, Lincoln delivered what became known as the House Divided Speech–the name being taken from the opening of the speech: â€Å"†¦We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object and confident promise of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand.† I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved–I do not expect the house to fall–but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new, North as well as South.† Lincoln borrowed the reference to the â€Å"house divided against itself,† from the Bible. In the twelfth chapter of Matthew, Jesus healed a man possessed with a devil. The Pharisees accused him of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. To this, Jesus replied: â€Å"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?† (Matthew 12:25) Lincoln made a public reference to this Biblical quotation as early as 1843, when he wrote a circular emphasizing the unity of the Whig party: â€Å"That ‘union is strength’ is a truth that has been known, illustrated, and declared in various ways and forms in all ages of the world. That great fabulist and philosopher, Aesop, illustrated it by his fable of the bundle of sticks; and he whose wisdom surpasses that of all philosophers has declared that ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.'† The quotation was one which Lincoln obviously found useful. However, it was only after careful consideration that he included it in his speech at the state Republican Convention in 1858. Lincoln was well aware that the position could be inflammatory. In fact, most of Lincoln’s friends advised against it. Within weeks, Stephen Douglas would twist Lincoln’s meaning and paint him as a warmonger and radical abolitionist. But as part of Lincoln’s legacy, the House Divided Speech marked the point at which Abraham Lincoln, local politician, firmly planted his stake in the ground on a highly-charged national issue. ——————————————————————————– MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION: If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it. We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand.† I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved–I do not expect the house to fall–but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new, North as well as South. Have we no tendency to the latter condition? Let any one who doubts, carefully contemplate that now almost complete legal combination–piece of machinery so to speak–compounded of the Nebraska doctrine, and the Dred Scott decision. Let him consider not only what work the machinery is adapted to do, and how well adapted; but also, let him study the history of its construction, and trace, if he can, or rather fail, if he can, to trace the evidences of design, and concert of action, among its chief architects, from the beginning. But, so far, Congress only, had acted; and an indorsement by the people, real or apparent, was indispensible, to save the point already gained, and give chance for more.