Assess the sociological explanation of science and ideology of belief system? Essay

Sociologists argue that science and ideology can both be belief systems. In the 18th century was the era of the enlightenment. People started to think and question was there more than just a God and that’s where science was introduced. People started to use rational ways of thinking to explain things that happened. Science has been used to develop different parts in society such as medicine and technology that we use in everyday life. But it has also caused problems such as pollution and global warming. Science has cognitive power, it can allow us to explain, predict and control the world. According to Popper science is an open belief system where every scientist’s theories are open to scrutiny, criticised and tested by others. He says that science is governed by the principle of falsificationism. This is whereby scientists set out to try and falsify existing theories, deliberately seeking evidence that would disprove them. Such as the fact that the big bang is a theory that everyone accepts but there is much more that scientists do not know and more needed to be found therefore it could be false. It argues that there always can be more and more evidence for every theory that has ever been made and proven. Then when disproving these knowledge claims allows scientific world to grow. It is cumulative, whereby it builds on achievements of previous scientists. This explanation shows that science can be a belief system as nothing can ever be proven 100% as there will always be something or someone that will disprove a theory with other evidence and therefore people belief what they have been told. This is much like religion in a way by the fact that religion cannot be proven it is something that people belief in. If popper is correct then it still leaves the question of why science has grown over the last few centuries. Merton argues that science can only thrive as a major social institution if it receives support from other institutions and values. He argues that this occurred in England as a result of the values and attitudes created by the protestant reformation especially Puritanism. The beliefs that they had to study nature led appreciation of God’s works, encouraged them to experiment. They stressed social welfare and were attracted to the fact that science could produce technological inventions to improve the conditions of life. Like Popper, Merton argues that science as an institution or organised social activity needs ethos that make scientists work in a way that serves the goal of increasing scientific knowledge. He identifies four such norms,  communism because scientific knowledge is not private property and they must share their findings with the scientific community. Universalism, the truth or falsity of scientific knowledge is judged by universal, objective criteria and not by the particular race or sex of the scientist who produces it. Disinterestedness, the means being committed to discovering knowledge for its own sake by publishing their findings for others to check their claims. Organised scepticism, the fact that no knowledge clam is sacred. Every idea is open to questioning, criticism and objective investigation. By contrast despite Popper’s view of science as an open and critical, some others argue that science itself can be seen as a self-sustaining or closed system of beliefs. For example, Polanyi argues that all belief systems reject fundamental challenges to their knowledge claims; science is no different, as the case of Dr Velikovsky indicates. One example for scientist’s refusal even to consider such challenges comes from a historian of science. Kuhn argues that a mature science such as geology, biology or physics is based on a set of shared assumptions that he calls a paradigm. This tells the scientist what reality is like, the problems to study, and what methods and equipment to use. Scientific education and training is a process of being socialised into faith in the truth of the paradigm, and a successful career depends on working within paradigms. For these reasons, any scientist who challenges the fundamental assumptions of the paradigms. Others in the scientific community will no longer regard him or her as a scientist at all. The only exceptions to this are during one of the rare periods that Kuhn describes as a scientific revolution, when faith in the truth of the paradigm has already been undermined by an accumulation of anomalies, the results that the paradigm cannot account for. Only then do scientists become open to radically new values. Interpretivist sociologists have developed Kuhn’s ideas further. They argue that all knowledge including scientific knowledge is socially constructed. That is rather than being objective truth; it is created by social groups using the resources available to them. In this case of science, scientific fact- those things that scientists take to be true and real are the product of shared theories or paradigms that tell them what they should expect to see, and of the particular instruments they use. Therefore Karin Knorr- Cetina argues that the invention of new instruments, such as telescopes or microscopes, permits  scientists to make mew observations and construct or fabricate new facts. Similarly she points out that what scientists study in the laboratory is highly constructed and far removed from the natural world that they are supposedly studying. According to the ethnomethodologist Woolgar, scientists are engaged in the same process of making sense or interpreting the world as everyone else. With the evidence from experiments they have to decide what it means. They do so by devising and applying theories or explanations, but they then have to persuade others to accept their interpretations. An example of this is in the case of the discovery of pulsar. The scientist’s initially annotated the patterns shown on their printouts from the radio telescope as LGM1. Recognising that this was an unacceptable interpretation from the view point of the scientific community they eventually settled on the notion that the patterns represented the signals from a type of star which is unknown to science. There is still a debate about what the signals really meant. As Woolgar notes a scientific fact is simply a social construction or belief that scientists are able to persuade their colleagues to share. This therefore shows that science can be a believe system as science is socially constructed and people believe in what they are told even if it true or not. There are also other critical perspectives such as Marxism and feminism which see scientific knowledge as far from pure truth. Instead they regard it as serving the interests of dominant groups, the ruling class in the case of Marxists and men for feminists. Therefore many advances in supposedly pure science have been driven by the need of capitalism for certain types of knowledge. For example biological ideas have been used to justify both male domination and colonial expansion. In this respect science can be seen as a form of ideology. In a different sense postmodernists also reject the knowledge claim of science to have the truth. In the view of Lyotard for example science is one of a number of Meta narratives that falsely claims to possess the truth. In Lyotard’s view science falsely claims to offer the truth about how the world works as a means of progress to a better society, whereas in reality he argues science is just one more one way of thinking that is used to dominate people. Sociologists have come up with a definition for ideology which is a worldview or a set of ideas and values, which is basically a belief system. Although ideology is used in many ways these are a distorted, false or  mistaken ideas about the work, ideas that conceal the interests of a particular groups, ideas that prevent changes by misleading people, and a self- sustaining belief system that is irrational and closed to criticism. here are a number of theories of ideology one of which is Marxists that see society as divided into two opposed classes, them that own the means of production and control the state, and a majority working class who are property less and therefore forced to sell their labour to the capitalist. They see the ruling class to not only control the means of production but ideas through institutions. In a result it produces the ruling class ideology, ideas that legitimate or justify the status quo. The dominant ideas are them or the ruling class and they function to prevent change by creating a false consciousness among workers. However despite these ideological barriers, Marx believes that ultimately the working class will develop a true class consciousness and unite the overthrow capitalism. This shows that ideology is a belief system as in Marxism’s case it uses the ruling class believes to stop the poor from becoming successful. Feminists see gender inequality as the fundamental division and patriarchal ideology as playing a key role in legitimating it. Because a gender difference is a feature of all societies there exists many different ideologies to justify it. For example how ideas from science have been used to justify excluding women from education. In addition to patriarchal ideologies is science, those embodied in religious beliefs and practices have also been used to define women as inferior. This also shows that ideology can be a belief system in terms of beliefs and ideas about women and how inferior they are to men. Mannheim sees all belief systems as a partial or sided view worldview. Their one sidedness results from being the viewpoint of one particular group or class and its interests. This leads him to distinguish between to board types of belief system or worldview. They are ideological thought which justifies keeping things as they are and utopian thought which justifies social change. Mannheim sees these worldviews as creations of groups of intellectuals who attach themselves to particular classes or social groups. However because these intellectuals represent the interests of particular groups and not society as a whole they only produce partial views of reality. The belief system of each class or group only gives us a partial truth about the world. In conclusion there is evidence to show  that both science and ideology can be a belief system. This is shown by using things such as science as an open and close belief system. The fact that science can never be objective because theories and experiments are carried out by humans which have feelings and therefore subjective. Science also seen as being socially constructed. The fact that Marxists and feminists see science also as a belief system that serves the interests of dominant groups. The idea that ideology is a belief system is seen as true as this is how sociologists define ideology.

Antigone: an Assessment of Antigone’s and Creon Essay

How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the interactive oral? After taking part in the interactive oral presentation carried out by Sonia’s group, I now believe that I have gained a much greater understanding of the play Antigone. Themes commented on by the presentation were women, religion and tragedy; further examining their place in society at the time the play was written by contrasting it to society today. Obstacles hindering my understanding of the play, including its time and setting, have been removed. After comparing so vividly the society of Ancient Greece and that of the one I live in, I can now empathize with Antigone and the rest of the characters in the play, consequently broadening my understanding of the hard times that they had to endure. Many of the issues regarding women, religion and politics in the country during the period were observed in Sophocles’ Antigone, clearly displaying their importance. The contemporary issues that shaped the play deserve further exploration. Women’s roles in ancient Greek society were shockingly different in comparison to that of today. Before the presentation, I was aware of some differences between their society and ours but I was unaware that they were so extreme. Although she seems extremely negative and erratic, Ismene was shown to be a leading example of a woman at the time – the first difference between their society and ours. Although she is elevated in society she doesn’t hear about anything important – â€Å"No one has told me anything, Antigone, I have heard nothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before the presentation, the irrelevant positions of women were unknown to me. As well as seen to be worthless, women were also presented as being a negative influence on men – â€Å"Don’t let any woman ensnare you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  was Creon’s advice to Haemon, displaying the general consensus on women. We examined Creon’s motives, prospecting that if Antigone weren’t a wom an, would the punishment be the same? Another important theme that was brought to my attention during the interactive oral presentation was that of religion. The religious laws in this time and country were incredibly significant. This society’s view on religion is a major influence in the play Antigone. It would have affected how the people in the country (the characters in the play) acted and what they thought, a large contrast to today. The themes examined by Antigone would have been incredibly shocking to the original audience as they were the social norms. After being informed, I was then able to make connections in the text, as to why certain things were said and insinuated about being rewarded in the afterlife and why specific acts were committed – all under the influence of religion. Prior to the presentation, I was completely uninformed as to the religion and many other cultural aspects of Ancient Greece. Antigone: An Assessment of Antigone’s and Creon’s Deeply Held Beliefs and Views On Familial and State Responsibilities In his play Antigone, Sophocles explores the ethical integrity of familial and state ties through the opposing viewpoints and beliefs of the central characters, Antigone and Creon. By pitching these two individuals against each other, Sophocles also successfully reveals the raw and multi-faceted nature of humanity. The tragic consequences that conclude Antigone emphasize the deadly differences between each character’s views on the unwritten duty towards family and the binding laws of the city-state, a conflict that would very likely be less of an issue in modern society. Sophocles promotes Antigone’s character, as she is the traditional protagonist of the play. By doing so, Sophocles succeeds in building the audience’s compassion towards her. The audience is influenced therefore, through this empathy created towards Antigone, to view Creon’s ethical actions as being less moral than her own. However, it must be added that Creon’s points of view and actions can nevertheless also be justified. By studying the destiny of each character, and how each of their fates come to pass, one can get a clearer understanding of how and why Sophocles influences the audience into favoring Antigone and her domestic role, rather than Creon and his cold inflexibility. The contrasting views and principles that drive each character deserve assessment as the opposing passions driving each of them, lead to the play’s tragic, dramatic and poignant conclusion. Sophocles brings to life the characters of Antigone and Creon, developing for each, a sense of responsibility and a set of morals, which clash dramatically with the opposite character’s. By pitting these two characters against one another, Sophocles not only successfully contrasts the ethical views of each, but also cleverly exposes the true face of humanity. Antigone is placed as both lead character and heroine of the play, as she holds a domestic, reasoned and more acceptable stance; any audience would name her as heroine. A.E. Haigh, author of ‘An analysis of the play by Sophocles – The Tragic Drama of the Greeks’ clearly states that Antigone lives a more familial motivated lifestyle, saying, â€Å"Antigone, however, seems to have been of a more domestic type.†1 Antigone’s resilient, and somewhat egotistical, feeling of responsibility toward family is what drives her to publicly violate Creon’s new decree and to question his judgment on, and knowledge of, divine law. Antigone does this without question, so deep is her respect of the gods over the state. She clearly feels more obligated towards her religious responsibilities and ties than anything else. This somewhat defiant character believes that the gods alone determine her fate; she will do whatever is necessary to appease them. â€Å"I shall die in the knowledge that I have acted justly. What greater satisfaction than that †¦ We have too little time to waste it on men, and the laws they make. The approval of the dead is everlasting, and I shall bask in it as I lie among them.†2. Here Antigone’s use of language shocks the audience as she has clearly prioritized her existence in accepting death and rejecting mortal life. This strong and deeply held belief drives Antigone to stand by her familial responsibilities with steely determination and to perform the burial rights for her deceased brother that were callously denied him by Creon. Her acceptance of death shocks the audience as it almost seems as if she desires it. She remains certain throughout the play that the gods will reward her devotion and her heroic actions in the afterlife. Although she says differently, it appears that Antigone also strives for public acclaim in Thebes. When Ismene mentions that she won’t inform anyone of Antigone’s plans, Antigone responds strongly, â€Å"Don’t you dare! You must tell everybody, shout it in the streets.† This rebellious response from Antigone seems to indicate that her actions are not only divinely, but also somewhat egotistically motivated. The second central character, Creon, shares Antigone’s determinism in abiding by principles and beliefs. However, contrary to Antigone, Creon remains certain that humans can in fact dictate the moral laws of society and that the state should and can handle its own matters by asking, â€Å"Is it likely, remotely likely that the gods will think twice over that stinking pile of meat?† Rather than fearing the immortal gods and their unwritten laws, Creon strives to uphold those of man and of state. His stubborn punishment of Antigone, a woman whose only desire is to bury her brother, shows a lack of respect and contempt for all family values and ties. Although Creon could justify his actions as being those required of a king, it is evident that they are too extreme. G.H. Gellie in ‘Sophocles: A Reading’ states, â€Å"He reminds us repeatedly of the physical nastiness of the [body’s] exposure †¦ We are made to feel in our stomachs that this is no way to treat the body of a human being.†3 Any empathy that the audience may have felt towards Creon quickly vanishes at this point in the play. However, this is somewhat redressed later when, ironically he loses his family members: his wife and son. Throughout Antigone, Creon appears to be unable to grasp the key traits of ruling and living in an ethical society. This is evident when he states, â€Å"I’ve just seen her inside in fury, not like someone in full control of her senses. The heart of one who weaves wickedness in darkness is usually convicted beforehand. I, for my part, hate anyone caught in the act who tries to beautify his crimes thereupon.†2 Statements of this nature show Creon’s cold and callous assessments of the morally upright Antigone – the effect on the audience is unambiguous: One can feel nothing but disdain for such a harsh and unfeeling character. It is Creon’s own rules and regulations that publicly expose his apparent lack of respect for family values and duties. This is evident when he introduces his new decree, stating that Polynices cannot be buried. Creon’s secondary flaw is that he continually acts on his own self interest. His motivations are driven by his selfishness and not by the opinions or interest of his people. Egotistical traits such as these are neither honorable nor wise for a successful ruler. Creon’s son, Haemon, challenges his father, informing him that he neglects to serve the people of Thebes and fails to pay attention to their cries. He argues, â€Å"How the city weeps for this girl, says she’s the least worthy of all women to die so badly for such noble deeds.†2 Creon responds, with an outrageous outburst, displaying his arrogance through his strong views. He asks, â€Å"The city will tell me how I ought to rule it? †¦ Isn’t the city thought to be her rul er’s?†2 His blatantly conceited claims, coupled with his unconcealed disregard for fair judgment, build tension towards a seemingly inevitable clash with Antigone, who is filled with equal tenacity but whose views are diametrically opposed to his. The viewpoints of each character can be interpreted as quite ironic and at odds: Although Antigone strives to defend family values by violating the state’s laws, she remains a prominent and functioning member of Theban society. Likewise, even though Creon remains a loving husband and father, his ability to completely disregard familial ties in support of state laws is shocking. As the two are directly opposed, it is interesting to see how the characters cope in the same culture. Antigone and Creon are of such determined characters, that the irony considering each of their particular devotions to family and state becomes even more alarming. Antigone appears the most ethical of the two as she is willing to risk her life over her decision to uphold family rights; Creon can also appear morally just, because, as king, he is motivated solely by his duty to serve Thebes. It could also be argued that neither Creon nor Antigone are wrong in their convictions: they are two sides that are simply conflicting. As the two protagonists stubbornly remain true to their deeply held beliefs and responsibilities, they are driven to make decisions that ultimately lead to their mutual destruction. This destruction in itself demonstrates the ethical validations of both Antigone’s and Creon’s opposing characters. As well as highlighting the problems with society at that time, Sophocles through the characters of Antigone and Creon, reveals the true face of humanity, in all its ugliness. Sophocles cleverly manipulates the emotions of his audience in order to expose humanity’s true nature. G.H. Gellie identifies the depth of the audience’s feelings when he says that we feel this response â€Å"in our stomachs†3 Our response is almost instinctive: we cannot help but react deeply in this way. Sophocles successfully plays with our emotions and makes us feel outraged. Although Creon’s flaws reflect the flaws of humanity, Antigone herself is not without flaws. Like her king, Antigone demonstrates strong opinions and, at times, acts in her own interest. She passionately defies the state’s dominance over domestic values. These obstinate principles are what lead Antigone down the path of destruction, glorified nonetheless. Sophocles portrays Antigone’s reasons, as being nobler than Creon’s who is profoundly selfish and possesses a frightening persistence to carry out his brutal deed. Tiresias, another character, provides an omen when he sternly warns king to be more understanding and to consider the impact of what he is doing, â€Å"You don’t protect it when you trample the honors of the gods!†2 Haemon and the chorus also warn the king, impartially informing him that his actions may not be as ethical as he imagines they are. Each character’s warnings are disregarded, amid wild accusations of bribery and foul play. Consequently, the audience is encouraged to feel less sympathy for Creon than they do for Antigone, a woman whose only desire is to bury her slain brother. Antigone is prepared to lose her life trying to uphold family values and feels she has no choice but to accept her fate. On the other hand, after pleas from numerous characters, Creon repeatedly fails to see sense and strives to avoid his dark fate. To conclude, in the play Antigone, the catastrophic conflict of beliefs that occurred between family and state in ancient Thebes is carefully demonstrated in the disastrous events that take place. Questions of morality and duty are challenged throughout the play as the two central characters, Antigone and Creon, clash violently in their battle to uphold the views they so diligently and resolutely stand behind. The views and deeply held beliefs of Antigone and Creon are of key significance in the play; they are what drive the plot to its tragic conclusion. However, they are not simply the driving force of the play, but the vehicle through which Sophocles exposes the many facets of humanity: its beauty and its ugliness. Through the tragic events that conclude the story, Sophocles was likely indicating that an amalgamation of the two characters’ contrasting approaches would be the best way to operate in ancient Greek society. Bibliography 1. An analysis of the play by Sophocles – The Tragic Drama of the Greeks – A.E. Haigh -Oxford: Clarendon Press 1896 2. Sophocles – Antigone 3. Sophocles: A Reading – G. H. Gellie – Melbourne University Press 1972

E-commerce Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

E-commerce - Literature review Example E-commerce will embody the selling of anything from goods and services by the use of internet using computers that are linked together. Gunasekaran and Ngai (2005) in contrast to Adham & Ahmad (2005) argue that beyond being strictly committed to internet businesses, e-commerce also involves improvement in business functions for traditional retailers. They also argue that it also helps face many businesses tasks including development, marketing, communication, sales and more. These innovations in prevailing business functions radicallydevelop productivity, sales and more. According to Gunasekaran and Ngai (2005) and Shin-Ping (2008), e-commerce is doing various businesses via the internet, since these days the world has become a web in which one has to worry about other businesses, and have an interaction, collaboration and exchanging of various business data with other businesses. However, Boateng, Heeks, Molla and Hinson (2008) there is some concern about the security of e-commerce and this is done through the examination of the current status of the framework under the e-Privacy Directive, and contemplation concerning the inclusion of a harmonized framework in the Data Protection Directive. Their findings show that in order for these connections to happen, there has to be a connection between one organization and another. E-commerce enables information interchange on demand to a unified platform where a company can connect to all its partners and customers and integrate easily. Many companies tend to work together for producing ecommerce platforms whichimprove their customers’ experience as it increases their brand awareness. According to Blythe (2012), Bharadwaj and Soni (2007) and Sumanjeet (2010), for these companies to achieve this, they have to ensure that their websites are compatible with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), easy to use by the customers and other back-end prospective, and it was

Article Critique Regarding Cognitive Effects of Risperidone Assignment

Article Critique Regarding Cognitive Effects of Risperidone - Assignment Example The assignment "Article Critique Regarding Cognitive Effects of Risperidone" talks about the study regarding the cognitive effects of risperidone in children with autism and irritable behavior. By doing the research, the authors sought to answer particular questions. The questions included the possible effects of the drugs on children suffering from autism and those exhibiting irritable behaviors. Additionally, the authors asked the nature and extent of the drug. From the systematic questions, the objective of the study was, therefore, was to explore the effects that the drugs have on the cognitive processes of the children with autism and irritable behavior patterns. The authors test the hypothesis that risperidone has particular effects on the cognitive processes of children with autism and irritable behavior. In analyzing the variables, the authors employ ANOVA, a statistical test that enables the authors to analyze the means of several groups. ANOVA test is appropriate in this context since the authors anticipate varied effects on the various groups of the research subjects. The article employed appropriate statistical analysis techniques including the ANOVA test. The authors selected thirty-eight children and assigned them to the drugs randomly. They developed an effective placebo-controlled parallel group to control the findings. They tested various aspects of the cognitive processes in the children including verbal learning, sustained attention and hand-eye coordination.

Giant Car case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Giant Car case - Essay Example In the current case the other elements, intention to create legal relations and consideration, are not in question, but the element of offer and acceptance is. In this respect, it is significant to show first that there was a valid offer and secondly that the offer was accepted. In order to form a contract, the parties involved must reach a mutual consent or meeting of minds. This mutual consent is attained through offer and acceptance that does not alter the terms of the offer.1 The rule applicable in determining if there is mutual consent is the application of the mirror image rule. The rule dictates that an offer must be accepted without altering the terms of the offer. An alteration of the terms of the offer amounts to a counter offer and cancels the initial offer. Lord Langdale in Hyde v Wrench2 ruled that a counter offer acts to cancel the initial offer. In this case, Wrench offered to sell Hyde a farm for ?1,000. Hyde in reply to this offer offered ?950 for the farm which Wren ch refused. Hyde thereafter wanted to accept the initial offer of ?1,000. Wrench refused to sell him the land and Hyde brought an action for specific performance. The question before the court was whether a valid contract between Hyde and Wrench existed. In deciding that there was no legally binding contract, the court noted that when a counter offer is made this offer destroys the initial offer such that the initial offer is no longer open to be accepted by the offeree. ... Additionally, these responses may deal with other issues rather than substitute the original terms of the offer.3 Their language can also manifest an intention to retain the initial offer under consideration, and they should not be considered counter offers. A mere inquiry on the offer does not constitute a counter offer Stevenson v McLean4. In this case, McLean wrote to Stevenson on Saturday with an offer to sell iron ore. The letter indicated that McLean would sell the ore for 40s in cash, and the offer was to remain open till Monday. On Monday Stevenson telegraphed McLean asking if he would accept 40 for delivery over two months and if that was not possible the longest period that was acceptable. McLean later sold the iron ore to a third party after receiving the telegram from Stevenson. McLean later sent a telegram to Stevenson that he had sold the Iron ore, but Stevenson had telegraphed Mclean accepting his offer prior to receiving the telegram indicating the ore was already sol d. The question was whether the telegram sent by Stevenson was counter offer or a mere inquiry to the original offer. In arriving at its decision, the court observed that the wording in the communication did not include anything specific to infer a rejection but was a mere inquiry which ought to have been answered and not considered a rejection of the offer.5 It is, therefore, essential to note that in order to distinguish between an inquiry and a counter offer it is prudent to look at the details of the communication. A counter offer varies the terms of the original offer while an inquiry does not vary these terms. In Simon's case, his communication that he would buy the car at ?5,500 was a counter offer to the

Clocks in the Vasculature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Clocks in the Vasculature - Essay Example An example is mammalian sleep rhythm or hunger, and its is now well known that there is a light-controlled master clock in the brain that controls these activities. Now the research is exploring the molecular mechanisms of these clocks in the peripheral tissues, which have been postulated to work through nutrient availability, although the exact mechanism is not known. heart which is essentially vascular tissue. This activity physiologically is autonomous, originating in the neurocardiac muscles of the heart and in health, occurs 72 times per minute in a regular fashion. In most and usual cases, human beings cannot control the frequency of these beats on their own. However, several neurophysiological conditions can cause change in this pattern and there is established roles of emotion, feelings, strenuous activities, stress in destabilizing this clock either to a higher or a lower rate, and there are physiological systems that tends to bring back these abnormal rates to normal through neural and humoral mechanisms. Small molecules interact with molecular hormone receptors module circadian rhythm. Catecholamines, vasoactive hormones, such as vasopressin and angiotensin interact with positive circadian regulators both centrally and at the peripheral vascular tissues to express circadian variations in heart rates, blood pressure, and vascular resistance (Harris, 2009). Genetic Mechanism Curtis et al. (2004) indicated the molecular mechanism of this clock. This occurs through pacemaker rhythms generated and sustained through positive and negative feedback loops. These in turn are mediated through transcriptional regulation at the genetic level (Curtis et al. 2004). Molecular Mechanism The drivers of this biological and molecular rhythmicity are transcriptional activation of of Per and Cry genes. These occur through transcriptional activation of feedback loop by heterodimeric bHLH-PAS proteins. It has been shown that these trascriptional coactivators and histone acetyltransferase initiate the key events in molecular rhythmicity. These, p300/CBP, PCAF, and ACTR, react with bHLH-PAS proteins, CLOCK and NPSA2, to lead to positive gene expression (Ko and Takahashi, 2006). Link to Vasculature The negative feedback loop is mediated by Cry2 mediated repression of NPAS2:BMAL1 through overexpression of p300. This leads to a circadian and time-dependent association with NPAS2 in the vasculature, which is timed in such a manner that it will precede the peak expression of the target genes (Westgate et al., 2008). Therefore, at the molecular level this is essentially a histone H3 acetylation. It has been correlated with the cyclical expression of the mRNAs

MBA integrative project assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MBA integrative project - Assignment Example Components of the congruence module is listed in Table A The strength of the model is its concept of congruence which relates to the fitness of two components. For example, a task demands a level of skill and knowledge and likewise, the individuals available to perform the task possess varying levels of skill and knowledge. (Nadler and Tushman 1980) [3] The fits and lack of fits can be related to behaviors observed in the system such as conflict, performance, and stress. Figure 1 shows the shape of the model which illustrates the interdependency of these seven variables The McKinsey 7S Framework was named after a consulting company, McKinsey and Company, which has conducted applied research in business and industry (Pascale & Athos, 19810[4]; (Peters & Waterman, 1982). [5] The authors of this model worked as consultant in McKinsey and Company. They created 7 variables which they called â€Å"lever†. The seven variables each beginning with letter â€Å"S† are structure, strategy, systems, skills, style, staff, and shared values. Figure 2 shows the shape of the model which illustrates the interdependency of these seven variables. The illustration is termed as the â€Å"Managerial Molecule.† Structure is the organizational chart. Strategy is the plan or course of action which allocates resources to achieve identified goals over time. The systems are the processes and procedures followed within the organization. Staff are humans in the organization (e.g., engineers), whereas the skills are capabilities of the staff. Style is the manner in which key managers behave to achieve organizational goals. Shared values are the guiding concepts that organization members share. The strength of the model is that it is a recognizable and easily remembered in business. The variables represented in the model are considered to be of crucial importance to managers