Taking Things for Granted Essay Example for Free

Taking Things for Granted Essay I remember that day as if it was yesterday. It started like any other day; I got up quickly grabbed a Twix ice cream bar for breakfast and went to the bus stop. Although Thanksgiving was a few days away, the air was still warm but crisp and I could not wait to get on the bus and talk with my friends about my plans for my birthday party. We arrived at school and I sat in my first period class environmental science. Everything seemed to be going just as it should. While doing my morning work suddenly my stomach sank and I knew something was not right. I arrived home from school later than normal, but my mom still had not arrived. I picked up the phone to call her, when she answered the phone she did not sound like herself. She had been crying and I knew something was wrong. What could it be? I asked if she was ok, she said she would be home later and the phone hung up. Later that day I would learn never to take your loved ones for granted. The doorbell ranged, my first thought was why my mom did not just walk in after all she had a key. I opened the door and was surprised to see my grandmother and my aunt. I wonder where my mother was. I was overjoyed to see my grandmother and aunt because they lived out of town. As soon as they arrived, we went to the grocery store so grandma could make her homemade biscuits and her marshmallow hot chocolate. While my grandmother was making her homemade biscuits, I got a phone call from a friend he told me that he was sorry for what happened to my dad. I laughed and replied nothing happened to my dad and that he had the wrong person. He told me my dad’s head was decapitated at work. I immediately hung up the phone and ran downstairs. I completely forgot about where my mom and dad were. It all made sense. That is why my grandma and aunt were here. I ran downstairs; I wanted to know why no one told me that my dad was dead. The color drained from my aunt and grandmothers face. They were speechless. The first question they asked was who told you that. They explained that it was not my dad’s head but his hand. They told me that he was in the hospital and was going to be in surgery for twenty hours. They did not know whether he would live or not. I cried. I never got the chance to say goodbye. Several days had passed and I finally got the opportunity to see my dad. As I walked down the hallway, my heart began to beat faster and faster. I did not know what I was going to see or how to react. I opened the door and there was my dad lying in the hospital bed. I had a flashback of every good time we ever had. I walked closer to the bed and called my dad’s name. He weakly replied that he loved me. I smiled as tears rolled down my face. My dad was still alive. The next few months were the toughest. I never imagined my dad trying to commit suicide, being depressed, or crying at night. When I thought of my dad, I thought tough and strong but I realized that anything could happen, even to the strongest of us. I almost lost my dad once and if it ever came to the point of me losing him for good, I would want to know that I never took for granted that I had a father who cared and would do anything for me. Today my dad is perfectly healthy. As a family, we have learned to adapt to his physical changes of not having a hand. This experience has had its difficulties but at the end of the day, we are still a family that supports one another. We have learned to take a day at a time.

Hitachi Essay Example for Free

Hitachi Essay 1. Product line The three main products of every company are1-door, 2-door and 3-door+ refrigerators since all of them produce it. This leads to a tense competition of those items. Most of companies have the high competition in segment of 2-door refrigerators. Moreover, Side by side refrigerators are produced by only Hitachi and Samsung because of negative growth in this segment. 2. Pricing Strategy Hitachi is using â€Å"Premium pricing† that suit to their products. Hitachi would like to make the brand image to show the customers about high quality of their products and gain number 1 value market share. In the other way, Mitsubishi is using competitive price because they would like to reach on the target audiences and remain to be number 1 of market. Toshiba also uses Competitive pricing in order to be competitive with other brands. Samsung is using lower pricing to attract most in the lower to middle incomes segment. 3.Distribution Strategy Every companies use Selective for distribution strategy to sells product to customers. There are two types of distribution channels; Mass merchandized and General electric shop (dealers). The mass merchandized are PowerBuy, Power Mall (Paragon), HomePro, BigC and Tesco Lotus to sell their products to customers. Moreover, every brand also sells their products locally through local dealers. The dealers are in every parts of Thailand. 4. Target Audience All companies have roughly the same primary and secondary target audience which are households and organizations respectively. However, the target audience of each brand is targeted differently based on income level, age and lifestyle. The primary target audiences of Hitachi are middle to upper incomes because Hitachi set price as premium pricing and age of target audience is middle age to adulthood (aged between 35 and 50) because the design is conservative. Mitsubishi produces innovative design for focusing on middle incomes and people of middle age to adulthood (aged between 35 and 50). Samsung focus on lower to middle incomes because they use lower pricing strategy and they use celebrities as the presenters in advertisement to attract those who are interested in the celebrities which is usually people of middle to low income and have younger age (between 25 and 35). Toshiba focus on middle income because they are using competitive pricing. The range of age of target audience of Toshiba is wide because they have conservative design and has just come up with more innovative design in order to attract people of younger age, therefore the age range will be between 25 and 50. Moreover, the companies also focus on the organization in secondary target customers because the companies can get the opportunity to sell the products if the organizations would like to order the large volumes of refrigerators. The organizations can be either government or private sector. Both of target audiences are important for the companies. Customers choose the brand base on their perception, which is along of line of quality, value, and cost. 5. Positioning In the positioning mapping Hitachi is currently in quadrant of having High Price and conservative design. Mitsubishi and Samsung have the high innovative design but Mitsubishi is perceived as high price whereas Samsung is perceived as low price. Toshiba is in conservative design with moderating price in order to be competitive with other brands. 6. Objectives -Marketing Hitachi focuses on gaining more profit to be number 1 of value market share in the refrigerator industry. They can gain more opportunity than other competitors and make the relationship to customers in long-term by service quality. Mitsubishi focuses on remaining the number 1 in market by maintain the existing customers. Samsung focuses on being number 1 of 2-door market share because 2-door market is the largest market share in the industry. To be the number 1 of market share of 2-door refrigerators, the company has the varied models of 2-door refrigerators and made the lower prices. Toshiba focuses on retrieving from the Mega-flood effect in 2011 because the flood was attacked to Toshiba factory and warehouse. It makes the products become shortage in the market. They have to recovery to come back on the market. Promotion Hitachi provides offering premiums to consumers and gaining closer relationship with the people in the long-term. Mitsubishi uses Discount prices to consumers. It makes the customers become confidence to the company and achieve the company’s goal to be remaining number 1 in the market. Samsung has Heavy promotions to consumers, price reduction, premiums and more. The company would like to be the first brand to be the customers’ mind. Toshiba would like to continuous price reduction in order to not promote much like other competitors.

The Reproduction In Wolves Health And Social Care Essay

The Reproduction In Wolves Health And Social Care Essay This paper is an essay about reproduction in wolves. It is divided in to three major parts. The first part deals with the thing of the topic which is the wolf. Here the various aspects of the wolves are discussed these are the species, social life, hunting, communication and lifecycle. The second part deals with the main idea of the topic which is reproduction in animals. In this part the reproduction in animals is discussed. The aspects of reproduction that are explained include; the male and female reproductive systems, mating, gestation period where fertilization is explained, parturition and birth are tackled. In the third part the thing and the idea of the topic are combined to answer the questions and hypothesis relating to reproduction in wolves. Here the various aspects relating to the reproduction of wolves are discussed. The parts examined are the male and female wolf reproductive system, mating and the gestation period of a female wolf in terms of fertilization, parturitio n and birth. Introduction According to Whitt (2003) When the dog settled and embraced the community of human beings, its relatives continued to roam in the wild and they have become the most successful canid on the surface of the earth. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987), the wolf is a wild dog and belongs to the group of animals that have the dog like traits. Scientists believe that they are direct ancestors of the present domestic dog. Even today the dogs and wolves have a lot in common. The average male wolf weighs between seventy and one hundred pound and measures from the nose to the tail, five to six point five feet (Aamodt Johnson, 1987). The two also note that the female ones are smaller and weigh fifty five to ninety pounds and are between four point five and six feet in length (Aamodt Johnson, 1987). Wolves have different colors with the majority having gray color shading but have the same body structure. Wolves like other canids have forty two teeth with twenty and twenty in the upper and lower jaw respectively. When they are moving or running, just like other canids, the wolves keep the back of their feet raised from the ground and this mode of movement is called digitigrades. Wolves are part of the canidae family which has over thirty five species including the foxes, coyotes, dingoes, jackals, dogs and the dholes. According to Mobile reference (2008), canids have long legs which are adapted for chasing their prey. All canids are digitigrades which means that they walk on four toes and their feet raised from the ground. They also have non-rectatile claws, bushy tails and dewclaws on their front feet. The canids also have a penis bone which is used for creating a copulatory tie during mating. The canids give birth to blind young one who opens their eyes after some weeks of being born. Most species in this family live and hunt as a group called pack. The wolves are classified in the canis genus since they are more doglike. According to Reiach et al (2002) there are three main types of species of wolves that is gray species which is the canis lupus, red species which is the canis rufus and the Ethiopian species which is referred to as the canis simensis wolv es. Wolf Anatomy and Taxonomy According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) all animals are classified by the scientists in to taxonomic groups based on the anatomical, genetic and biochemical similarities and differences. Wolves like other animals fuel their body by feeding food from other organisms they have a dorsal chord called the notochord that runs their bodies. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) also states that on the external taxonomy, the wolves are quadrupeds with a narrow body, bushy tail and deep chest. The wolves according to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) have shaggy fur, large ears, and have a big head with a slender pointed snout. The same Corporation opines that the nervous system of the wolves is characterized by high intelligence, high vision and hearing capabilities and acute smelling sense. The wolves are lithe and athletic animals. They are also muscular around the neck, hips and shoulders. On their respiratory and circulatory system, the wolves are warm blooded with a typic al mammalian circulation. They have large lungs and the larynx and vocal chords can produce a range of vocalizations. The wolves are committed carnivores with teeth that are suited for slicing the meat. They have a short and simple intestine and have a pair of kidneys used to remove metabolic waste through the blood. According to Whitt (2003) the taxonomy of the wolf is as follows. It belongs to kingdom animalia which includes animals with multicellular organs that do not have the cell wall and cannot make their food, it belongs to phylum chordata which include the animals that do have backbones or internal support and fall under the class of mammalian which includes the animals with fur and can produce milk. The wolf order is carnivora which include animals that subsists chiefly on meat and is fall under canidae family which is a group of animals with dog like traits. It is of the genus canis. There are three species of the wolf namely lupus which is the grey wolf, rufus which is the red wolf, and simensi which is the Ethiopian wolf. According Whitt (2003) more than twenty four species have been identified but have in the recent times been reclassified into five sub-species, that is, the arctas which in this case is the name for arctic wolf, lycaon which is the eastern gray wolf, baileyi which i s the Mexican wolf, nubilus which is the great plains wolf and finally occidentalis, which refers to the rocky mountain wolf. The sub-species can be distinguished from one another by use of size, fur color and the shape of the skull. Figure 1: Wolf Taxonomy Kingdom animalia Multicellular organisms that do not have cell walls and cannot make their own food Phylum Chordate Animals that have backbone and internal support. Class Mammalian Chordates that have fur and produce milk Orde Carnivora Mammals that subsist chiefly on meat Family Canidae Carnivores that have dog like traits Genus Canis wolves Species Lupus Gray wolf, subspecies lycaon Eastgern gray wolf Source: Whitt (2003). Species Gray Wolf According to (Whitt, 2003), the gray wolves are the largest in canid family and the male can grow as much as six and half feet (two meters) and stand from twenty six to thirty inches high from the ground . The average weight for males ranges from seventy to one hundred and ten pounds with the weighing fifty to eighty pounds and reaching lengths of six feet. The gray wolf I s also referred to as tundra, timber or silver wolf (Whitt, 2003). According to Harrington (2002), of the three wolf species, gray wolves are the most common and are found around the northern hemisphere the other two are very rare. According to Harrington (2002), Gray wolves have adapted to different kinds of habitats. Have gray fur and are the largest members of the canid family. Adult wolves weigh from eighty to one twenty kilograms. Ethiopian Wolf According to Animal Info (2005) Ethiopian wolves are diurnal. The wolves kill their prey and the kill is cached and retrieved later. They are both pre-eminent and cooperative hunters. Fuller (2004) observes the Ethiopian found is found in the in the Arabian peninsula, in northern Africa and in Ethiopian mountains. They live in pack of about two to twelve paired and related individuals. They prey on small and medium sized animals. They weigh about thirteen to eighteen kilograms. Harrington (2002) observes that the Ethiopian wolves are different from the gray and the red wolves. They are much smaller compared to the red and the gray wolves. They are only wolves that live in Africa. The scientist believed that the Ethiopian wolves were jackals. This is because they are they are smaller than the gray wolves, they are not stocky like the gray wolves instead they have long muzzles, long legs and slender noses just like the jackals and finally they eat small rodent which jackals love to eat . Red Wolf The red wolves are found in North America, weigh between twenty and forty kilograms and live in pairs of between three and ten (Fuller, 2004). Red wolves are similar to gray wolves. Just like the gray wolves the red wolves live in packs and hunt the prey animal. They also care for their puppies and howl to protect their territory. However they are different from gray wolves in that they have more reddish fur and are smaller than gray wolves. Adults weigh only forty to ninety pounds. Types Wolf Behavior Wolf Communication Behavior According to Wolf Haven International (2007) wolves use three types of communication namely the postural which involves the use of body language, vocal and olfactory which refers to use of smell. Olfactory communication involves scent marking which is mostly to mark boundaries, claim and defend the territories. Since they have scent gland in their toes they leave signature on all areas they go. They mark territories and food by urination. According to Wolf Haven International (2007) vocal communication among the wolves consists of howls, growls, barks and whines. They howl to claim territory or assemble the pack; whines are used by female as a sign of affection, growling is from the dominant wolves and are used to convey aggressiveness. Barking in wolves can be used to communicate excitement, raise alarm and call others to chase. Social Structure Socially wolves are organized in to packs. Aamodt and Johnson (1987), the wolves travel, hunt and perform most of their activities a group. The pack consists of members related by blood. They note that the core of the pack is a mated pair which consists of an adult female and a male. The other members are the offspring. They note that the packs may have six or seven wolves on average though the number may go up to fifteen. Like a family the members play different roles Aamodt and Johnson (1987.all the members of the pack are organized as a hierarchy with the breeding pair (alpha) at the top. At the middle of the hierarchy there are the subordinate called the beta and at the bottom there are wolves called the omega. The parent that is the alpha female and male is the oldest in the pack are involved in defending the territory and hunting due to their experience. They make important decisions like when to migrate or go for hunting. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987) other pack membe rs down the hierarchy are allocated roles that inferior to those of the members. The young puppies and the juvenile do not have an active role in the hierarchy and are not allocated any permanent positions. In the pack the time for dismissing some adult s from the packs depends on the availability of the prey and the number of wolves in the prey. The dispersed members may end up forming a new pack or may join other existing packs. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987 the social structure of a wolf can be thought of as hierarchy consisting of the layers outlined below. Figure 2: Wolf Social Structure The alpha male and female Beta male (this is the second ranking male sometimes mates with the alpha female) Young subordinates both male and female(often dominated by the alpha young ones ) Male and female juveniles and pups Male and female scapegoat(lives on the fringes of pack and may be mistreated by other members of the pack) Source: Aamodt and Johnson (1987). Territorial Behavior Reiach et al (2002) states that a wolf pack lives in a territory which must be characterized by enough fresh water and prey to feed the pack members. The territorial borders are marked with scent. They leave urine on scent post or upright marker for example tree stumps. The scents posts are constantly marked. Moves establish large territories in order to ensure that there is large supply of water and preys. The wolves mark their territories through methods such as howling, scent marking and direct attacks. Scent marking is done by ground scratching, defecation, and urination. In defending their territories wolves use scent marking which is done regularly and howling in order to prevent other wolves from entering the territories of other wolves. If these methods fail then the wolves may result into fighting the intruders and this can explain the high death rate of the wolves in the world. According to Defenders of Wildlife (2011), Wolves move, live and in packs consisting of four to seven animals. The pack consists of the mother, the father and the young one plus subordinate. The mother and father are referred to as the alphas lead the pack, track the prey, choose dens and mark the territory to be occupied by the pack. Feeding According to Boitani (2003) the wolves after killing their prey, they start by feeding the parts that have the most essential nutrients. The alpha female and male who is dominant feed first. So the feeding order is determined by the roles played by the wolves in the pack Boitani (2003). Boitani also notes that the wolves do not feed on meat alone since they require a balanced intake of nutrients. The most important organ to the wolves is the live since it provides them with a variety of vitamins. They also consume the heart and the lungs due to their high palatability just like the liver (Boitani, 2003). They also feed on the bones which provide calcium and phosphorous to their bodies. When food is not enough the priority is given to the puppies. Hunting According to Defenders of Wildlife (2011), wolves eat large hoofed animals such as the deer, elk and the moose and they also feed on animals that have died. On their part, Munoz et al (1994) opine that the wolves cooperate in hunting which enables them to bring down a prey. However wolves do not remain in the packs for long and this makes it difficult for them to know how to hunt as a group. Single wolves have a higher rate of succeeding in hunting than any other when they are working as a group. They find their preys through smell. According to Boitani (2003) when wolves are hunting not all members are involved in the attack of the prey. The alpha wolves lead other wolves in chasing and attacking the prey. The pack may also be split in to smaller hunting groups although cooperative hunting is emphasized among the wolves. Wolves conceal themselves when approaching their prey. They may attack animals as a herd or may isolate an animal from the rest and then start chasing it. They try to catch the animal before it runs for a long distance but for the big animals the wolves chase them for long distances. One wolf may be involved in distracting the herd of the preys while others may attack the animals from behind. They may also use ambush where they chase their prey towards the areas they have set a trap such as areas where they have dug holes. Denning and Sheltering Behavior Wolves dig holes for their puppies and use areas with natural shelters for examples in areas with thick vegetation, cliffs found in river banks and cracks found in rocks. The dens are usually dug by the female wolves. Life Cycle A wolf goes through series of changes. It is born, matures to an adult wolf which can mate or give birth (Reiach et al, 2002). The cycle begins with the birth pup. Pups are born in litters of two to seven wolves. They are fed by mothers milk. When they are a month old they join a pack when they may stay for the rest of their lives or may leave to join other packs Reproduction in Animals According to Net industries (2011), during sexual reproduction in animals a haploid sperm and an egg cell combine forming a diploid zygote which divides mitotically into an embryo. After birth the young one grows into an adult that can reproduce. The animals bring the sperms and the eggs through internal or external ways. In animals sexual reproduction requires the joining of the male and the female egg. When they combine the result is formation of a zygote. Since the animals produce sexually the male and the female are involved. There animals with one reproductive cycle while there are those with more than reproductive cycle. The female undergo reproductive cycles while the male are always in reproductive activity. The female become receptive to male when they are undergoing ovulation. This state where the female is sexual receptive to male is referred to as estrus. Estrous cycle can therefore be used to mean reproductive cycle. In external fertilization aquatic environment is funda mental for the floating of the eggs before they are fertilized. Male Reproductive System in Animals In internal fertilization the male posses a copulatory organ called the penis which is used for transferring to the female the male eggs (sperms). According fails et al (2009) in animals the male copulation organ can be divided into three areas that is the glans or free extremity, body also called the main portion and two crura or the roots. The internal structure consists of erectile tissues called the corpora cavernosa and has the trabecaculae tissues. In fibrelastic penis the major part of the penis consist of the trabeculae tissues hence the penis remains erect even when not erect. In musculocarvenous penis the blood sinusoids dominate the penis. Erection in musculocavernous penis occurs when the blood flows to the penis and leads to increase in size and turgidity of the penis Reece (2009) while in fibroelastic penis such as that of the swine and the ruminants has no great enlargement as result of blood flowing. The male eggs are formed in mature males through process called sper matogenesis. Female Reproductive System in Animals According fails et al (2009) the female eggs are produced by the female reproductive tract. It deposits the eggs to an area where they can be fertilized by the male sperms. This placement provides a good environment for the development of the embryo and expelling the fetus. According fails et al (2009) the reproductive system consists of the vagina, vulva, two ovaries, two oviducts and the uterus. The ovaries are responsible for the production of eggs through ovulation. Through the oviducts the ova from the ovaries is conducted to the uterus. The vagina acts as the birth canal through which the fetus is delivered and acts as the sheath for the male penis during copulation. The vestibule is the area that is between the external genitilia and vagina. This area has a lot of mucous glands (Fails et al, 2009). The vulva is found on the external genitalia and consists of left and right labia which converge at the clitoris which consists of two roots that is the body and the glans. If ferti lization occurs, the uterus provides a place for the development of the fetus Reece (2009). Through ovulation the female animals produce the female gametes. This happens periodically throughout the menstrual cycle. Mating During mating the penis is brought in to an appropriate position with the vulva of the female through a process called mounting (Reece 2009). According to him, successful mounting is preceded by a receptive stance by the female. In addition, he points out that that mounting can be affected if the male has a problem in the hind-limbs. The male animal introduces and maintains the penis in the vagina and this process is referred to as intromission this is enabled by the pelvic thrusts and abdominal muscles (Reece, 2009). The intromission time varies from one animal to the other. The stimulation continues and this leads to emission and ejaculation where the sperm oozes out of the penis into the vagina of the female animal. Sperm and fluids are ejaculated at the opening of the cervix in some animals while in others it occurs directly or partially in to the uterus. Gestation Period Gestation period refers to the period conceived female carries, in the uterus, the embryo. According to Fail et al (2009) the interval extends from the fertilization of the ovum to the birth of the offspring. It includes fertilization early development the embryo in the lumen of the of the female reproductive tract implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall, the development of the fetal membranes and the continued growth of the fetus while in the uterus. Fail et al (2009) states that gestation period vary from species to species. Normal gestation is when the fetus is carried thought out the gestation period. If a premature birth occurs the fetus is born before it is fully developed and this is called abortion. According Fail et al (2009) fertilization in animals occurs in the uterus. During copulation the sperms are deposited in to the females vagina. The condition where a female has a young one developing in the uterus is referred to as pregnancy (Fails et al, 2009). During pregnancy the animal experiences the development of the extra embryonic membrane which is used to feed the fetus and remove waste products. According Fail et al (2009) the placenta consists of chorion which is the outermost membrane, allantois which encloses the sac, and the amnion which is the innermost membrane. Parturition and Birth The end of pregnancy is marked by the parturition and involves giving birth. The act of giving birth is divided into three stages. The first stage involves the contraction of the uterine contracts to force the fetus to the cervix which takes a few hours. Secondly, the actual delivery takes place, from the cervix to the vagina. The third step involves the delivery of the placenta (Fail et al, 2009). Wolf Reproduction Introduction Wolves reach maturity at the age of two years. When the wolf have found a mate the courtship can last for many weeks. They are monogamous. When they mate the pair remains together in the pack. The age at which the wolves may start reproducing is influenced by the availability of food. The mating of the members of the same pack that is incest is not common among the wolves. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987) it is only one pair of the wolves that is responsible for reproduction in a pack. It is only the alpha female and male who mate to produce offspring. Although there may be other pairs of wolves in the pack who can produce young ones, they do not in most cases mate. The alpha male uses dominance and force to discourage such wolves from forming pairs or mating. Breeding among the wolves is seasonal. This is because they experience one cycle of ovulation. All female and male wolves reach puberty at the age of twenty two months and they experience their first time production of th e sperms and the ova. The reproduction system in wolves has features that are not common with other mammals. The features of the reproduction is characterized by monogamy, monestrum with diestrous and proestrous phases that are prolonged, the lock and tie nature of their copulation, young adults being integrated into the pack and the leaders of the group suppressing the mating behavior of these young adults. Also wolves even the pseudo pregnant wolves that are those which do not get pregnant after matting are involved in the parental care of the puppies from the other wolves. Although the wolves experience one cycle of ovulation the chances of conceiving by the female are increased by the fact the both male and the female spend most of their time. For example when scent marking, the wolves do it together and this occurs when they are in proestrus phase. Also time in the estrus phase is lengthened thus the male and the female spend more time copulating. Male Wolf Reproductive System Males are twenty percent bigger compare to their female counterparts. They have a penis which supported by a bone called baculum the penis is tucked inside a skin called prepuce. In males that are mature sexually the testes are contained in a scrotal sac and hang between the hind legs. According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) male wolves have two sperm producing testes located in the external scrotal sac that hangs between the back legs. The Corporation also states that the sperms are produced in the area with the two testes. When the penis is inserted into the vagina of the female, the male wolf may ejaculate and the sperm pass along the urethra which runs through the penis. The male reproductive system can therefore be seen as comprising of several parts paired testes, duct system, scrotum, the prostrate gland and the penis. The sperms are produced in the testicles and stored in the epidermis and they are transported through the vas deferens. Female Wolf Reproductive System Female wolves which are older than twenty two months are capable of giving birth to pups. The females are seasonally monoestrous which means they come into a condition of breeding once in every year. According to the US National Research Council, most of the female wolves in a pack, in one year, give birth to one litter. The committee also highlights that presence of many female wolves with producing potential in a pack makes others not to breed. According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) the female wolves have two egg producing ovaries and from each ovary a fallopian tube leads to the uterus which has two horns. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) also states that the uterus expands greatly during pregnancy and can hold a maximum of eleven pups. The female reproductive system of a female wolf can therefore be seen as consisting of various parts the ovaries which produce the eggs. After the eggs are produced, it travels through the oviducts to the uterus where it is supposed to meet the male egg and get fertilized. The uterus this is where the fertilized eggs stays and develops in to an embryo where the fetus results and finally into off spring of a wolf. In a female wolf there is a cervix found occupies uterus lower end and also occupies the upper part of the vagina. The vagina is the part of the reproductive system in the female wolf where the male wolf inserts the penis. Below the anus there is the vulva, this is the passage of urine. Phases of the Reproduction Boitani (2003) the reproductive behavior in wolves is related to the seasonal variation in the hormonal production. In autumn there is a rise testosterone hormone in males and estrogen hormones in males. The reproductive phases vary from individuals as a result of interplay of factor such as age, genotype, experience, latitude, body condition and the social environment. Pre-proestrus According to Boitani (2003) this phase occurs early winter or late autumn before the female wolves can produce a discharge from the vagina. In this stage the both the male and the female may express unreciprocated interest in another mate. The flirtatious behavior of the female may be affected by change in hormones resulting form rise in level of the gonadotropin. The Proestrus According to Boitani (2003), this begins when the bloody discharge and rapid growth in the uterine lining. The estrogen levels rise among the female wolves and the adult male s are usually attentive to the smell of the urine and the vulva. This is the communication means that are used for the newly formed pairs and who may be sexually naÃÆ'Â ¯ve. However males who have stayed with their mate may copulate (Boitani, 2003). According to Boitani (2003) the female wolves in this stage send signs to the male mates by prancing, body-rubbing, paw, nuzzling, placing their chin on the back of their males. Estrus According to Boitani (2003), this is the stage in which there is copulation and the female is receptive. He further states that a receptive female wolf shows two behaviors that is flagging which means the female averts the tail to the side of the vulva or may stand still when the male wolf mounts. This phase can also be identified by a vulva that is swollen or soft. The male may respond to females stimuli by licking the genitals and the mounting on her. If a female is non-receptive it may pull away growl, roll over, shove the male wolf away or lie down. The male may spread their hind legs to enhance stability required during mounting. According to Boitani (2003) mounting is followed by pelvic thrusts while the forelegs of the male clasp the ribcage of the female. The thrusting continues until the male ejaculates and this is followed by expansion of the penile bulb (Boitani, 2003). The female wolves get stimulated by this expansion thereby contracting muscle of the uterus to squeeze t he sperms to the ovaries. Metestrus According from Boitani (2003), Progesterone levels are high and pregnancy may result or not. Female wolves in this phase which do not get pregnant are referred to as pseudo pregnant. The males may abandon the pregnant female to look for other estrous females. Pregnancy can be identified by the loss of fur in the bellies and growth of the mammary cells. They may start constructing dens away from areas that can be attacked by other wolves Mating According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) the wolves courtship and breeding are inextricably bound up with their complex social life. Mating among the wolves is a fairly long- drawn-out affair. The penis of the male wolf swells when inside the females making it impossible for the male to withdraw. The two may remain locked for more than half an hour. This is to the advantage of the male since no other male that can mate with the female and this also enhances the chance of the male fertilizing the egg of the female (Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2010). Gestation Period According to Mech (2003) the gestation period for r wolves is about sixty- two to sixty- three. After the male wolf ejaculates the male egg travel and in less than a minute meet the female egg and as result fertilization occurs. The fertilization and the early stages of the development of the fetus occur in the in the oviduct and the embryo goes to the uterus after some days. After four weeks of pregnancy it is possible to observe enlargement of the abdomen. Still it is possible to observe mammary gland development as the hair starts to disappear. Parturition in female wolves is identified by decline in the progesterone level. When giving birth, the female wolf undergoes through three stages. Internally the wolf experiences contraction of the uterus relaxing the cervix. The second stage is the expulsion of the fetus from the uterus and finally is the period between the fetus expulsion and placenta expulsion marks the end of this final stage. Because they deliver multiple puppies they alternate between expulsion of the fetus and the placenta. During pregnancy the female wolf does not undergo any hormonal transformation and therefore it becomes hard to differentiate between a pregnant female wolf from a non-pregnant one. Litter According to Boitani (2003) the pups are born with their eyes closed. The number of puppies that a female wolf can have depends on the species of the wolf. For example the fray wolf can produce between four and six offspring although the number may go up to fourteen. In one litter the red wolf can give birth to between two and three pups. The arctic wolf on the other hand can give birth to between four and five pups. When they are born, all the members of the pack have the responsibility of raising the offspring. The health of the pups is determined by the food availability to the mother. The pups are accorded a lot of privileges and freedoms compared to other wolves that are ranked in the lower positions in the hierarchy of social structure. Conclusion

Ethnocentrism And Cultural Relativity Essay example -- essays research

It is always troublesome not to understand another culture, especially, in New York City where we live in a society that is rapidly changing. The City has increasingly brought people of various cultures, to interact closer with each other. This interaction can be either positive or negative depending on the level of sensitivity and respect people have for other culture groups. These two types of behaviors are related to two important concepts known as ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. Ethnocentrism is â€Å"the attitude of prejudice or mistrust towards outsiders that may exist within a group (in-group) in relation to other (out-group)†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (Harper-Collin Dictionary of Sociology). Importantly, there are also three levels of ethnocentrism: a positive one, a negative one, and an extreme negative one. The positive definition defines ethnocentrism as â€Å"the point of view that one’s own way of life is to be preferred to all others† (Herskovits 1973: 21). There is nothing wrong with such feelings, because â€Å"it characterizes the way most individuals feel about their own cultures, whether or not they verbalize their feelings† (Herskovits 1973:21). It is this point of view that gives people their sense of people-hood, group identity, and place in history. Ethnocentrism becomes negative when â€Å" one’s own group becomes the center of everything, and all other are scaled and rated with reference to it†(Herskovits 1973:21) . It reaches extreme negative form when â€Å"a more powerful group not only i...

Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah Plain and Tall - Comparing Book and Movie :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah Plain and Tall - Comparing Book and Movie The beginning of the movie begins with the exact same scene between Anna and Caleb that appears in the book. However, the movie, Sarah Plain and Tall has a variety of differences from Patricia MacLachlan’s children’s novel Sarah Plain and Tall. Essentially the movie had to go to a deeper level in order to attract adults to the story. Every event that is in the book happens in the movie. However, the movie adds scenes and complicates the relationships between the characters. The complication between characters is especially shown in Anna and Sarah’s relationship. In the movie Anna is mad about Sarah coming to stay for a month. However, in the book she says â€Å"I wished everything was as perfect as the stone. I wished that Papa and Caleb and I were perfect for Sarah† (21). In the book Anna has no trouble liking Sarah, but in the movie Anna has a hard time letting go of her real mother and will not let Sarah get close to her. It is not until Sarah comforts Anna after a bad dream and tells her â€Å"when I was ten my mamma died† (which was not told in the book) that Sarah and Anna have a close relationship. After Sarah and Anna reach an understanding, Sarah tries to help Anna remember her mother by putting her mother’s candlesticks, quilt, a painting, and her picture back into the house. They also put flowers on her grave together. However, Anna and Sarah’s relationship is not the only one that takes a while to develop. With the exception of some small problems with Sarah’s strong will, MacLachlan makes the relationship between Sarah and Jacob seem easy. However in the movie, Jacob also has a hard time letting Sarah get close to him because of his love for his dead wife, Katherine. For example, in the movie when they fight about putting Katherine’s possessions in the house and going to visit the grave Sarah says â€Å"I cannot make a difference until you make peace with Katherine’s death†. Jacob does not make that peace until Sarah goes to help Maggie deliver her baby. The delivery brings back memories of Katherine’s death since she died giving birth to Caleb. It is here that Jacob realizes â€Å"I never stopped long enough to tell her that I missed her†. Once Jacob realizes this he has room to love Sarah.

Rosa Parks Essay -- Biography Biographies Rosa Parks Essays

Rosa Parks Forward Rosa Parks’ courage to stand up for rights as a citizen of the USA inspires me to this day to stand up for the ideals of freedom & justice for all. Rosa Parks influenced many northerners & lawmakers to look squarely at the discrimination victimizing Alabama’s black people, and work to correct injustice. A vital democracy requires citizen participation! The civil rights movement must continue today as immigrants, especially Arabs and Arab look-alikes are victims of prejudice. Washington Territory and Washington State were too long dominated by the Ku Klux Klan. We need active human rights advocates today to ensure dignity for all people. Shawn Landden [& Chris Bowen]’s biography of Rosa Parks is recommended reading for all who aspire to a successful democracy today. Introduction Many people know Rosa Parks. She was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement; she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a public bus to a white man when he wanted it. She was sick of being pushed around and shamelessly showed it by demanding respect. After this incident the black community started a major bus boycott. It started as a laughable situation that was expected to stop in a few days but ended as a serious problem for the Montgomery Bus Company. For over a year, the black community would not ride the buses. This ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional. This victory, without a doubt, made all African Americans confident to continue the Civil Rights Movement. Even before Rosa's arrest, Montgomery's black leaders had been discussing a boycott from the buses. They used her arrest as "a spark to light the fire that is the boycott". That is why the name Rosa Parks will be remembered for years to come. In this biography you will read about Rosa Parks' life before the boycott including her childhood, education, jobs, and ambitions. You will also learn about her life during the boycott, which will include her struggle toward her goals, and her life after the boycott, which will include her continuing work for civil rights. I hope you learn many things about Rosa Parks and her life, in this Biography, and I hope you remember the name Rosa Parks for years to come. Timeline February 4, 1913  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rosa McCauley born in Tuskegee Alabama 1918  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enters school in Pine Level, Alabama 1924... ..., in Washington, D.C., had designed this sculpture. Etched into this sculpture were the names of forty men and women who had been killed in the civil rights movement. On the rock there also lies these words from Dr. King: â€Å"†¦until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.† Rosa was there when this memorial was established. Rosa still lives on today, traveling more and working with her institute, the Rosa and Raymond Parks institute for Self Development, in hopes of sharing her mission with the world. Bibliography Internet â€Å"Rosa Parks: The Woman Who Changed a Nation† http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html [Online] 28 March 2002 â€Å"The Life of Rosa Parks† http://www.tsum.edu/museum/parlsbio.htm [Online] 30 March 2002 â€Å"Rosa and Raymond Parks: Our history† http://www.rosaparkis.org/pages/background.html 30 March 2002 â€Å"Rosa and Raymond Parks: Programs† http://www.rosaparkis.org/pages/programs.html 30 March 2002 Books Rosa Lee Parks with Jim Haskins Rosa Parks: My Story Broadway, New York, NY Scholastic Inc.  ©1992 by Rosa Parks Encyclopedia â€Å"Parks, Rosa Lee† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book: CD-ROM.  ©2000

Phy31 Lab

Lab 2 Physics 190 Acceleration â€Å"g† Due to Gravity – Method 2 Introduction Tonight we will measure the acceleration due to gravity again. This time however, we will collect more data and the analysis will be different. We will first fit the data using a second order polynomial. Recall for a mass falling from rest, that 1 (1. 1) y ? a yt 2 2 Suppose a mass falls through n successively greater displacements, each time starting from rest. The displacements can be expressed a 2 y? ? y t? ; ? 1 n ? . (1. 2) 2 Analyzing the Data Data for y? is not linear in time t?. We have two unique ways we can analyze the data.The first is to simply plot the data with vertical displacement on the y-axis and time on the x-axis and perform a 2nd order polynomial curve fit. We can then extract acceleration from the coefficient of the 2nd order term. The second method involves transforming the nonlinear data into a linear form by means of the logarithm from which we can extract accelerati on. We are going to use both methods because it demonstrates the power of mathematics as a data analysis tool. Fitting the Data to a 2nd Order Polynomial Free-fall data is shown in figure 1 and has the form y ? At2 ? Bt ? C (1. 3) Figure 1.Free-fall plot (dots) and 2nd order fit (solid line). If we fit ideal free-fall data to equation (1. 3) we should find that B = 0, C = 0, and A = ay/2. If you look at the polynomial fit equation embedded in figure 1 you will see BWhitecotton Page 1 of 7 Lab 2 Physics 190 that B = -10-13, C = -10-14, and A = -4. 905. So the data is not perfect but essentially both B and C are zero while A = -4. 0905. If you compare the polynomial equation to our kinematic equation†¦ y ? At 2 ? Bt ? C a y ? y t 2 ? vyit ? yi 2 †¦it becomes immediately evident that B corresponds to initial velocity, C the initial position, and A = ay/2.If dropped from rest, initial velocity and position are zero. This all boils down to the fact that fitting a second order p olynomial to free-fall data should provide the acceleration due to gravity directly. Simply plot displacement (yaxis) vs. time (x-axis) and use Excel, Vernier, calculator, or any tool that will perform a polynomial fit of order 2. Then ay = 2A which in the example above gives ay = 2(-4. 905) = -9. 81. Using the Logarithm to Linearize Data and Fit We begin with equation (1. 2), generalize and take absolute value ay m y? ? t? . 2 Vertical in figure Time Equation (1. 4) is plotted as data belowDisplacement vs2. 5 (1. 4) 20 |y(t)| (m) 15 10 5 0 0 0. 5 1 t (sec) 1. 5 2 2. 5 Figure 2. Absolute value of vertical displacement versus freefall time. Taking the log we obtain ? ay ? ?. log ? yn ? ? m log ? tn ? ? log ? ? 2 ? ? ? mXn Y n (1. 5) B Equation (1. 5) has the slope-intercept form of a line. Plotting the log of the data of figure 2, we obtain figure 3. The curve fits a straight line that has the form of Y = mX + B with m = 2. 0108 and B = 0. 6896. BWhitecotton Page 2 of 7 Lab 2 Physics 190 Linearized Data 1. 5 y = 2. 0108x + 0. 6896 R2 = 1 1 0. 5 Log( |y(t)| ) 0 -1. 2 -1 -0. 8 -0. 6 -0. 4 -0. 2 -0. 5 0 0. 2 0. 4 1 -1. 5 Log(t) Figure 2. Linearized data from figure 1 data above. Recalling that B = log(|ay|/2) = 0. 6896, we can solve for the acceleration ay. Inverting we get ay ? 100. 6896 2 ay ? 4. 893 . 2 a y ? 9. 787 Recall that our lab is at latitude ? = 32. 745 °. Therefore the acceleration due to gravity in our lab should have magnitude g? ? 9. 795 . Computing experimental error we find ?a y ? g? g? ? ? 100% ? ?9. 787 ? 9. 795? ?100% ? ?0. 0863% . 9. 795 This is quite respectable but also uncharacteristically low for experiments in our lab. This experiment, if carefully done, can yield 1% error. BWhitecottonPage 3 of 7 Lab 2 Procedure Physics 190 Set up the apparatus as we did last week. See figure 3 below for typical arrangement – this should look familiar. Spherical mass to= 0 s Digital Timer 0. 013s tf = t Figure 3. Setup for the free-fall experim ent. You must complete 3 trials for each of 10 height settings. Use Table 1 to record data. Common Steps ? Set up the apparatus. ? ? Set the ball clamp to the first height y1 = 0. 53 m. ? Place the ball in the mount and measure the exact vertical displacement from the bottom of the ball to the compressed target mat. Please be sure to measure the displacement each time! Record the magnitude of y1 in Table 1 as your first of 3 trials. ? Make sure the timer is set in the correct mode and reset to zero. ? Release the ball and record the time of freefall in Table 1 as well. ? Repeat this procedure until columns |y? | and t? of Table 1 are complete. Polynomial Fit Steps ? Compute the means and record y? and t? of Table 1. ? ? Using your analysis tool of choice, plot y? vs. t? and label the axes appropriately. Fit a 2nd order polynomial to the mean data and instruct the tool to display the fit equation and the R2 value. You may need to omit a few of the lowest values if they are excessive outliers due to ? measurement uncertainty. This is legitimate when we understand equipment limitations. BWhitecotton Page 4 of 7 Lab 2 Physics 190 ? Compute ay from the 2nd order term: ay = _____________ m/s2. Show work here Log Method Steps ? Next, take log (use base 10) of y? and t? and complete the last two columns ? ? of table 1. Plot log( y? ) vs. log( t? ) and once again label the axes appropriately. Fit a 1st order polynomial (linear regression) to the data and instruct the tool to display the fit equation and the R2 value. You may need to omit a few of the lowest values if they are excessive outliers due to ? measurement uncertainty. This is legitimate when we understand equipment limitations. Obtain the y-intercept term B = log(ay/2). Compute ay from the y-intercept: ay = _____________ m/s2. ? ? Show work here Error Analysis Compute percent error for ay with respect to g? in the cases of the Polynomial Fit Method and the Logarithm Linearization Fit Method. Lastly compute th e percent difference between the acceleration values determined from these methods. Questions 1. What are sources of error in this lab? 2. Why is it necessary to use the absolute value of the displacements when computing the log values? . Which of these methods gave the best results and why do you think that is? 4. What does the R2 value indicate when curve fitting to data? BWhitecotton Page 5 of 7 Lab 2 Formal Lab Report Physics 190 I want you to write a formal report on this lab. Follow the guidelines described in the formal report document available on my Cuyamaca homepage. Your focus should be on tabulation of data and the analysis (plotting of both raw and linearized data) including error analysis. Your final results should be emphasized and any error(s) discussed with thoughtful insight.I want original work from each student with name and group name on the first page. Due ____________________ Logarithm Refresher Recall that the logarithm of an argument returns the exponent tha t operated on a base producing the argument. I know it sounds confusing. Let’s take a look. Suppose I had the number 1000. Well, 1000 is the same as 10 3. Here, 10 is the base and 3 is the exponent. If I operate on the value 1000 with the base-10 logarithm (denoted log10) like so, log10(1000), I obtain the result 3 which is the exponent that would operate on base-10 to produce 1000.The operation can be expressed log10 ? 1000 ? ? log10 103 ? 3 ? ? There are many rules for using the logarithm. A few important ones for us are shown in the following examples†¦ log ? k ? r ? ? log( k ) ? log(r ) ? d? log ? ? ? log(d ) ? log(b) . ?b? log c7 ? 7 log(c ) ? ? (See me or refer to the appendix in the back of the text if you need more help on logarithms) BWhitecotton Page 6 of 7 Lab 2 Table 1. Raw and processed data. Setup : Positions 1: Set y ? 0. 53 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 2: Set y ? 0. 66 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 3: Set y ? 0. 9 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 4: Set y ? 0. 92 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 5: Set y ? 1. 05 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 6: Set y ? 1. 18 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 7: Set y ? 1. 31 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 8: Set y ? 1. 44 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 9: Set y ? 1. 57 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean 10: Set y ? 1. 70 m trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 mean Physics 190 Raw Data Polynomial Logarithm log( y? t? y? t? y? ) log( t? ) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Use this table for data collection but make your own table in your report! BWhitecotton Page 7 of 7