Comparing and Contrasting Country Lovers and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Example for Free

Comparing and Contrasting Country Lovers and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay These elements contribute to the short story’s effectiveness as author uses different literary forms and styles to connect the reader to the story. Style has many characteristics that help the author engage the reader such as; punctuation, the use of connotations, and culture. This is what helps the reader’s imagination take over, paint the picture, and get emotionally connected to the author’s story. In comparing and contrasting the two short stories of â€Å"the Secret Life of Walter Mitty† by James Thurber and â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer you see the differences and similarities in style between the two authors. The culture, which is the common characteristics of a group or a region (Clugston 2010), is very similar in both stories since they are close to real life with the setting in the 1900’s. Both stories revolve around relationships and love. Thurber style is more imaginative then Gordimer which is defined by his use of connotations and punctuation, although both stories are very detailed when it comes to the characters and settings within the stories. In the short story â€Å"Country Lovers† Gordimer does a great job illustrating the setting, which is the time or place in which the action occurs (Clugston 2010). Gordimer provides details about the South African culture that allow the reader to understand the separatism and segregation the characters are living. The reader gets to feel what it’s like to be black in South Africa through the detailed descriptions of the loving conditions and treatment of blacks. The main characters in the story are Paulus and Thebedi. Paulus is the son of a farmer who was raised with the children of the black families that worked on his father’s farm. He falls in love with a black childhood playmate as a teenager but he understands that a relationship with her is forbidden. Thebedi is Paulus black childhood playmate who becomes his lover. The two begin a sexual relationship which results in a child being born. The theme, which is a representation of the idea behind the story (Clu gston 2010), is interracial love or forbidden love. The laws and culture of South Africa forbid interracial couples. Thebedi Paulus are aware of the dangers of being together but choose to get involved anyway. As the story unfolds, Gordimer brings out the imagination of the reader through the use of metaphors, which is an implied comparison between one object and another that is different from it (Clugston 2010). An example of this is when Goridmer writes, â€Å"hidden by the mesh of old, ant–eaten trees held in place by vigorous ones, wild asparagus bushing up between the trunks, and here and there prickly–pear cactus sunken–skinned and bristly, like an old mans face† (Clugston 2010). This allows the reader to visually paint the picture of where Thebedi and Paulus are at and what the scenery is. A common symbolism, which is something that has a literal identity but also stands for something else (Clugston 2010), that is used in â€Å"Country Lovers† is a tree. A tree can be a symbol for life, death, or immortality. This is a good match with the theme and plot of the story. The plot, which is a dynamic element in fiction, a sequence of interrelated, conflicting actions and events that typically build to a climax and bring about a resolution (Clugston 2010), thickens as both Thebedi and Paulus continue their love affair. Thebedi goes on to marry Njabulo, who is also black, and fails to tell Paulus of her marriage. At the same time Thebedi  also finds out she is pregnant with Paulus baby. When Thebedi gives birth to her daughter it’s obvious the baby isn’t Njabulo’s but he accepts her as it was his own. When Paulus finds out about the marriage and the child he becomes upset, why does he get upset, I believe it’s a sign of his love for Thebedi which ties back to the theme of forbidden love. The story takes an interesting twist, although the author never clearly states that Paulus killed the baby, it’s evident he did by the flow of the story. It’s up to the reader to understand the â€Å"why†, why would Pau lus kill the baby? Again, I believe the â€Å"why† ties back to the theme of forbidden love. Paulus has accepted that Thebedi will never be his wife due to society and the racial customs of South Africa. Understanding this he doesn’t want anyone to find out about the baby because interracial relationships are forbidden so he takes the extreme measure of killing the baby. One could also argue that he killed the baby out of jealousy and not wanting another man to raise his child. The story ends with Thebedi refusing to testify against Paulus in the killing of her baby. This shows that Thebedi has accepted her role in society as a black woman giving up any hope if a relationship with Paulus. Throughout the whole story Thebedi character is submissive to Paulus but the ending shows that Thebedi is also submissive to society by giving into social traditions and discriminatory behavior of South Africa. The short story of â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† by James Thurber is written in a third person point of view, which occurs when the speaker is not a participant in the story (Clugston 2010). The form is limited omniscient, which is when the thoughts and feelings of only one of the characters are related through the narrator (Clugston 2010) that character is Walter Mitty. The setting of this story occurs in a city called Waterbury but the state is never mentioned or disclosed, one can assume its Waterbury, Connecticut. The main characters are Walter Mitty and Mrs. Mitty. Walter Mitty is someone who gets bossed around by his wife so he creates a secret life for himself. In his secret life he see’s himself as a powerful man who is admired by all, something he is not in real life. Mrs. Mitty is the bossy, nagging, overbearing wife of Walter Mitty. Thurber does a great job illustrating the relationship between Walter and his wife which many people can relate too, I found it very humorous. That takes me to the theme of the  story, which I believe is marriage. Thurber portrays a marriage where the husband is submissive to his bossy, nagging, and overbearing wife. A second theme could be masculinity since all of Walter’s dreams portray him as a powerful man who’s admired by all. The story is about Walter taking his wife into town to visit her hair dresser. Along the way Walter begins to fantasize to escape the reality of his real like. Thurber does an excellent job of engaging the reader’s imagination through each of Walter’s fantasy’s allowing the reader to vividly picture what Walter is fantasizing about. An example of this is during Walter’s first fantasies where he is commanding a hydroplane through a storm, â€Å"Rev her up to 8500! Were going through! The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa† (Clugston 2010). The sound of â€Å"ta-packeta-pocketa† is just the cylinders of the car Walter is driving. Each one of Walter’s fantasies is tied to something that is specific to what’s going on in the story. As Walter drives past the hospital he starts to fantasize about being a surgeon. As the newsboy shouts about the Waterbury trial Walters fantasizes about being in a courtroom. The Liberty magazine leads Walter into a fantasy about military dugout. Thurber does a great job of interweaving Walter’s fantasies with the surroundings of the story. The uses of symbolisms in â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† were not used in the traditional literary forms. Instead Thurber ties in the symbolism of control and power in each of Walter’s fantasies by Walter showing bravery, no fear, power, fame, and a man with high ranking titles. Thurber does a great job of connecting and supporting the symbolism with the theme of marriage and masculinity. The use of this symbolism is to show how Walter feels about marriage, since Walter feels powerless throughout the story as his wife talks down to him. There are many differences and similarities in â€Å"Country Lovers† and â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty†. The first and most recognizable difference is â€Å"Country Lovers† is a tragic story with a plot that builds up along with way with romance, physical relationship, racial discrimination, pregnancy,  arranged marriage, murder, deception, secrecy, and acceptance of normalcy. While â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† is a comedy with not much of a plot. Where they are similar, both are written in a third person limited omniscient point of view. Both had themes of love and marriage but were very different in how each played out. â€Å"Country Lovers† was forbidden love and arranged marriage while â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† was love and marriage between a husband and wife. These literary elements contribute to the short story’s effectiveness as author’s uses different literary forms and styles to connect the reader to the story. References: Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Web 2.0 Defined Essay Example for Free

Web 2.0 Defined Essay Web 2. 0 has been identified with the pronounced difference involving functionality and the current advances in web technology that makes it possible to develop innovative business models and processes based on these modular structures. This has been already used in education such as online learning tools and models. Web 2. 0 has also been able to modify the way web content has been stored, organized and properly categorized. Lastly, the development of Web 2. 0 has also contributed significantly to the rise of economic value of the internet that may possibly exceed the impact of the dot com (OReilly, 2006). Earlier users of the phrase Web 2. 0 employed it as a synonym for Semantic Web. The combination of social-networking systems such as FOAF and XFN with the development of tag-based folksonomies, delivered through blogs and wikis, sets up a basis for a semantic web environment. Tim OReilly regards Web 2. 0 as business embracing the web as a platform and utilising its strengths (global audiences, for example). OReilly considers that Eric Schmidts abridged slogan, dont fight the Internet, encompasses the essence of Web 2. 0 building applications and services around the unique features of the Internet, as opposed to building applications and expecting the Internet to suit as a platform (effectively fighting the Internet). Unlike Web 1. 0, Web 2. 0 is a bit of a catch-all which covers a broad rang of new online services, user-generated content, communities and social networking tools. Tim OReillys definition of Web 2. 0 in his Radar web column (OReilly 2005) is a comprehensive description of what Web 2. 0 is. Web 2.0 was described as a compilation of economic, social, and technology trends that when pooled together cohesively creates the foundation for the development of the next level of the internet a more mature, distinctive medium characterized by a high degree of participation among the people, directness, and network effect. The definition originated during a brainstorming session between OReilly Media_ and MediaLive executives in 2004. OReilly (2005) has also created a famous meme-map_, which attempts the central work of defining the interlocking elements of web 2. 0. The core value of web 2. 0 is the development of a solid set of technologies. OReilly also introduces all the major planks of this vision of the next generation of the web as a set of best practices from the first generation. However, Gartenberg (2006) speaking on a postcast_ indicates Web 2. 0 means different things to different people, and there-in lies the difficulty of trying to define clearly a term that it far more a marketing term than a technical term (Gartenberg 2006). OReilly (2006) in his Commencement Speech at UC Berkley_, explained that the genuine Web 2.0 application is the one where there is a proportionality between the number of users and the development of the application. Because of this, it is argued that the core value of Web 2. 0 is being able to effectively harness the innovativeness of everyone in the group. This kind of development is a step forward as compared to the previous state of the internet where the Web as a platform remained a baffling mess of buzzwords with no real clarity. Spolsky(2005) agreed with this stating that Web 2. 0 is a big, vague, nebulous cloud of pure architectural nothingness and that when people use the term Web 2. 0, I always feel a little bit stupider for the rest of the day. Although this is obviously true, in this specific sense, the concept of the Web 2. 0 application is nothing new at all to the World Wide Web. The term Web 2. 0 is used when a read-write aspect of the Web is used in a participatory way that actually creates greater shared knowledge for all. It was the widespread adoption of blogs, wikis, MySpace and other read-write techniques that ushered in a common I-write-and-everyone-reads-it usage pattern (Hinchcliffe 2006). Figure 2. 1 is a mind map outlining some of the major concepts and technologies which contribute to Web 2. 0. _ Fig 2. 1: Web 2. 0 Technologies Mind Map Web 2. 0 Applications There are number of applications that demonstrate the foundations and the functionalities of the Web 2. 0 concept. The following discussion is a list of popular Web 2. 0 applications and how it is integrated already in society. Blogs The concept of Weblog or Blogging has been defined by Drezner and Farrell (2004) as A web page with minimal to no external editing, providing on-line commentary, periodically updated and presented in reverse chronological order, with hyperlinks to other online sources. Yet even though this definition exists, other researchers such as Nardi et al (2004) express that weblogs currently accessible in the internet have a great diversity that is there is not a single dominant style of activity in the net. Others (Dyrud , Worley Quible, 2005) agree with this but on the hand, they expressed that there is something common to all blogs and that is they are primarily a venue in order to share information (regardless of the amount and manner) between people, groups, and organizations. According to Blood (2000) there are essentially two types of weblog: those that emphasize the diary and comment aspect, and those that emphasize hyperlinks. The former may seek to influence wider public opinion, or merely to raise the profile of the blogger; the latter act as a filter system, looking at what exists on the Web and recommending content that might be of interest to visitors. If bloggers make mistakes in the information they publish, they rely on their peers to point out any errors (Johnson and Kaye 2004) this sentence is very stand alone you may wish to introduce the idea of authority of authority of Web 2.0 technologies (which will presumably covered again in Wikis etc) . Thus, Blogs have unique features that traditional web media does not have. About 2. 7 million bloggers update their blogs at least weekly. According to Technorati, new blog creation continues to grow Figure X shows the number of new blogs created each day, from January 2004 to January 2006: _ Figure 2: New blogs (taken from Technoroati) _ As was mentioned above, there are various types of blogs and each variation provides the information to the user as different as possible. Factors to be considered are the type of the media to be used in order to transfer the information, the device that is used, the genre, the legal status of the publishers, blog search engines, and blogging communities and directories. One varying consideration to blogs is the kind of media that is used in order to share the message from the person/organization that would want to give the message to the recipient of the message. Take for example; a video blog is called a vlog, a blog that is comprised of links to other sites or networks is called a linklog. Another kind of blog that contains a series of sets of sketches is called a sketchblog and another type similar to a sketchblog is called a photoblog one that comprises of photos being shared, uploaded and downloaded. Another type of media that is currently being used by blogs is the tumbleblogs that have shorted posts and mixed media types. The other forms of media currently existing in blogs are called artlogs that is practically a form of blog that shares art and publishes it over the internet. The second point for consideration is the blogs genres. Some blogs are more focused on a specific type of subject such as blogs focused on the environment, travel, politics, nature, academic work, technology, etc. Each blog naturally has a specific genre that it revolves around. In the case for education, educational blogs focus on a particular topic or issue for the students or the researchers. This helps in narrowing down the topic field at the same time helps the users in being able to have a more focused blog where they can extrapolate vital information and not be flooded with unnecessary information that would not be useful to the students and researchers (Kline Burstein, 2005). Blogs can be classified as legal or rather private, or it can be public. The difference between the two is accessibility. In the case for private blogs, these blogs are used internally within organizations or within groups. One trait for this kind of blog is its restriction on accessibility. Public blogs offer free and unrestricted access to most if not all users in the web. They are given the opportunity to download, upload and communicate information using these blogs. Both blogs have been used in education as a means in order to distribute effectively information within the personnel of institutions (Hinchcliffe, 2006). In case for private blogs, educational institutions utilize these kind of blogs within their intranet infrastructure whereas public blogs are used for providing free and unrestricted education to those that do not have accessibility or the opportunity to access that kind of education (Kline Burstein, 2005). A considerable number of blogs are used also as search engines in order to find and identify specific items within the internet. These web 2. 0 applications are used in order to tag and categorize specific blog postings and information within the community or within the internet and flag them to the user. Lastly, blogs are used as a means of being able to communicate between people and organizations across distances. Blogs have the capacity to load directories, profiles and information of specific organizations or communities and can be accessed (depending on the restrictions imposed within the site) by the people using it. Wikis The original wiki, The Portland Pattern Repository (Portland pattern repository, n.d) was created by Full Name Cunningham in 1995 (c2. com/cgi. wiki? WikiHistory reference properly if there is no author use the title of the page The definition of a wiki is a webpage or set of webpages that can be easily edited by anyone who is allowed access (Edersbach et al. ,2006_). The overriding goal of a wiki is to become a shared repository of knowledge with the knowledge base growing over time (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Chawner and Lewis (2004) noted that a wiki is an example of social software, a type of software that makes it easy for groups of people to work in a virtual environment. However, Viegas , Wattenberg and Dave (2004) indicate that wikis are vulnerable to malicious edits or vandalism, which can be a problem at may levels. However, Cych (2006) argues that acts of vandalism and mistakes are rectified quite quickly by the self-moderation processes at work (a couple of sentences expanding on this issue is needed here if I were you Id try and refer to something which discusses the accuracy of wikipedia against the encyclopeadia britannica). As an alternative to the global editing of wikis, restricting access to registered users only is often used for professional, work group wikis. One of the great features of a wiki is its capacity to be able easily editable. A wiki has the capacity to be able to be edited collaboratively rather the information presented in wikis have the option to be edited or added utilizing a very rudimentary mark-up computer code that would use a internet explorer or browser. Broken down, one page within a wiki is referred by many as a wiki page as compared to the entire set of wiki pages is called a wiki when taken into consideration (Cunningham Leuf 2001). Thus, it can be generalized that a wiki is a collection of information where contributors can contribute collectively and users can access freely information. This has been proven as one of the most accessible or effective web 2. 0 applications in providing accessible and affordable information to students and researchers. One characteristic of a wiki that has made it so popular in sharing and communicating information to students is its ease of usability. Students need not have a degree in computer science or web applications but rather just the passion of sharing intuition and a little bit of patience in order to learn the scripts involved in the programming. They are free and without any need for registration so that users need not have the need to register or pay any amount (Aigrain 2003). It also offers real-time editing and creation so it provides the opportunity for students, researchers and faculty with much needed time as they acquire, research, and provide information within the educational institution. To summarize, unlike blogs, Wikis tend to be more structured and flexible,and, while blogs can be highly personal, wikis are intensely collaborative (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Social networking technologies (Myspace, Facebook, Flickr †¦. ) A social network service existing within the internet is created for the purpose of being able to create, develop an online community and confirm the legitimacy of its members. These communities, as was explained in blogs and their genres have a common trait which is mainly the reason why these people collectively group themselves together and form a social network based on the internet (Hinchcliffe, 2006). They are either grouped because of their desire to share their interests, activities, goals and passions in life. They are able to share this passion using the means of the internet as a medium of expression, particularly with the use of social networking services. One such social network that can be utilized is Myspace. In Myspace, as a new person joins a social networking site, other users of the site also benefit. Once the Network Effect begins to build and people become aware of the increase in a services popularity, a product often takes off very rapidly in a marketplace. MySpace membership rose to a reported 87 million_. You need to expand this to include some academic literature on social networking technologies. Impact of web2. 0 on the way people interact Web 2. 0 in practice is as mentioned by OReilly (2005) is a medium through which society can exchange (upload and download) information and interact with each other as never before offered by the Internet. This was further asserted by Boyd (2003) that wrote an article describing social software supporting the desire of individuals to affiliate, their desire to be pulled into groups to achieve their personal goals. On the other hand, Berners-Lee (1999 p. 157) talks about the information space as something to which everyone has immediate and intuitive access, and not just to browse ,but to create. Today, many people are setting up and writing blogs and working together to create information through the use of wikis, blogs and MySpace. Web 2. 0 software has emerged to facilitate new activities, and encourages a more human approach to interactivity on the Web. Web 2. 0 has become a tool that mainly focuses on providing opportunities for people or groups to maximize the Web in delivering information (conversations, data, etc. ) to and fro users. As Abaram (2005) claims, the social web is about conversations, personalization and individualism. It is interesting that it has been referred to as a People-Centric Web (Robinson 2005). Thus, With Web 2. 0 technologies you not only get the results of knowledge stored in a searchable fashion, but you also get the process of creating the knowledge made observable (McAffee 2006). Learning and Teaching Social software is being used by many individuals in Higher. As such it seems possible that students are likely to engage with these technologies and that they therefore may have potential for changing the way of teaching and learning. Collaborative learning is an activity where learners who are brought together through the Internet focus on working together as a learning community in which they share resources , knowledge, experiences and responsibilities (Maged N. Wheelert 2007). Need a discussion of why collaborative learning is useful. One of the potential impacts of social software on education was carried out by the Nesta-funded Future Lab project. The report called Social Software and Learning which was researched and created by Owen et al. (2006) was able to evaluate and review the developing trends in education and had indicated that learning will be more open, and that in schools and colleges, there is a greater emphasis on lifelong leaning and supporting the development of young peoples skills in creativity and innovation. On the other hand, Maloney (2007) realized that there are challenges that are now evident on how to figure out how to incorporate the paradigm-altering technologies of Web 2. 0 into teaching and learning and to maximize it potential in delivering information and promoting interactivity. One of these opportunities is On-line course-management. Maloney (2007) indicates that the most significant problem with course-management systems is that they are built around the credit-based courses and is not founded on the individual student. Although social tools are enabling users to rapidly connect with each other. But the challenge that that is now presented to most researchers in the field of Web 2. 0 integration to education and learning is being able to figure out a manner in incorporating the paradigm-altering technologies of Web 2. 0 into teaching and learning. Take for instance the example of Constitution High School where students are already heavily engaged in Web 2.0 technologies through social networking websites such as MySpace (Strike the Tent 2006). They articulated a vision, planned curriculum, designed assessment rubrics, debated discipline policies, and even hammered out daily schedules using the sort of networking tools messaging, file swapping, idea sharing, and blogging. Within High Education, Blogs seem to be the most commonly used by students as an assessed reflective diary . Tutors could use a blog to share annotated weblinks or links to news items which students can follow up as they have the opportunity (Report of the Information Services Working Group on Collaborative Tools 2006). The University of Warwick in UK has used Blogging software in this way. They have provided Blogging facilities to allow staff and students to create their personal pages. The intention is that the system will have a variety of education-related uses such as developing essay plans, creating photo galleries and recording personal development_. Wikis have also been used for educational purposes, according to report by Anderson (2007) wikis have been used at the University of Arizonas Learning Technologies Centre to help students on an information studies course who were enrolled remotely from across the USA. These students collated data individually but then worked together to build a wiki-based glossary. The resulting dataset was then shared and analyzed by the group (Glogoff, 2006). At the State University of New York, the Geneseo Collaborative Writing Project deploys wikis to support student work. The Wikis are used to track the ongoing development and evolution of projects, share ideas, and improve their research and communication skills collectively. Wiki-style technology has also been used in a tool developed at Oxford University to support teachers with design for learning.

Targeted Drug Delivery for Sex Dependent Cancers

Targeted Drug Delivery for Sex Dependent Cancers Occurring cancer in any part of the human body such as lung, kidney, skin and etc. has a different incidence ratio between men and women. sex dependent cancers have seen just in male or female which is dependent to sex hormones and specific sex organs such as prostate cancer in male and Ovary and endometrial cancers in female, breast cancer is seen in both sex with 5% incidence in male. Despite of a self-explaining differentiation between the sex organs, since these organs functions are regulated by same hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone similarities in cell signaling and pathways via molecular interactions are highlighted for cancer studies and targeted therapy. Targeted drug delivery for sex dependent cancers has been studied for many years, but exploring similarities of sex-dependent cancers targeting could provide an opportunity for future targeted drug delivery of these cancers simultaneous effects analysis. Breast Cancer: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and cause of death among women worldwide during the past decades. To improve diagnosis, therapy and prevention of BC, molecular developments provide various techniques for scientist to study and differentiate BC cell lines as well as observe different phenotype of BC. They classified BC to three main subtypes: estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER) positive, epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) positive, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER) positive: In BC subtypes of ER+, the overexpression of estrogen receptors on breast cells and nucleus membranes cause the over uptake of estrogen [1]. Many studies showed that estrogen receptors could be targeted for anti-cancer delivery to breast cells. Some estrogen receptor targeted drugs now use in clinical therapy like tamoxifen from the family of SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulators) which are competitive agonist of the estrogen receptor [2]. Arimidex, Fareston (Toremifene), Anastrozole, Exemestane, anastrozole, letrozole [3], [4],[5]  Fulvestrant [6]  are now in market. Other estrogen receptor targeted drug is a family of aromatase Inhibitors (AI) that suspend the estrogen production. The third-generation aromatase inhibitors are classified into irreversible steroidal inhibitors and they have shown high potential to replace tamoxifen in postmenopausal women such as Exemestane, anastrozole, letrozole[2,4 ,5]. SERDs (selective estrogen receptor down-regulators) is another estrogen targeted that only drug with FDA approved is fulvestrant on the name of Faslodex used in metastatic hormone positive breast cancer [6]. HER2 positive: This breast cancer subtype is referred to overexpression of erbB2 (HER2) from the epidermal growth factor receptor family on breast cells membranes [7]. Anti HER2 agent has studied for targeted therapy of this subtype. Recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab are widely used for HER2 positive breast cancer and any other HER2 positive cancers [8],  [9],  [10]. Some monoclonal antibodies are under further clinical trials studies like ertumaxomab and margetuximab  [11]  .Her2 Vaccine is now under further studies [11]. Triple Negative breast cancer (TNBC): These subtype tumors do not express receptors for estrogen or progesterone and not overexpress the HER2 receptor. TNBC is a malignant cancer with the high rate of incidence in younger age and it grows faster with the high potential of metastasis in early stage while it is unlikely to be seen on annual mammogram [12]. Not only patients with TNBC almost show poor prognosis compare to other subtypes, but also during therapy they are at the higher risk of relapse, metastasis, and survival [13]. Since the clinical trial of some designed drug were not successful, no commercialized drug and therapy for this subtype still exists. Endometrial Cancer: Endometrial Cancer (EC) begins in the uterus cells of the endometrium layer. Mostly surgery including hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and removal of ovaries and lymph nodes is the only way to cure the EC if biopsies show that cancer has not spread, no other treatment is needed. According to clinic pathological characteristics, EC is classified to two subtype. Estrogen-dependent endometrioid and estrogen-independent non-endometrioid carcinoma. [14],  [15]. Estrogen-independent EC shows p53 and p16 mutations, overexpression of HER2 and E-cadherin loss [16]. Most of the diagnosed EC tumor are estrogen-dependent that express estrogen receptor and hormonal therapy with progestron is a primary line [17]. Since EC Type I express estrogen receptor the like ER+ BC mentioned previously, targeted therapies for EC are SERM, AI and GnRH inhibitors. Tamoxifen (as SERM) and anastrazole (as AI) commonly used. Anti-angiogenesis drugs are efficiently used for EC like Aflibercept, Abitrexate (Methotrexate) is an only trial drug for EC. Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer is derived from the specific epithelial of secondary sex organs. Todays, the prostate cancer strategies of treatment is mostly based on suppressing testosterone level by anti-androgenic, gonadorelin agonist or antagonists [18]. Despite of the unknown active mutation in oncogenic pathways in prostate cancers subsets, some molecules express specifically in prostate epithelial cells which have been studied as therapeutic targets including; cell surface prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), the secreted protease prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and the enzyme prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP). PSMA targeting: PSMA is an integral cell surface membrane protein and specifically over-expressed in advanced prostate cancers. PSMA has been studied in phase II trial as a targeted therapy via monoclonal antibody (J591) conjugated with radio and chemical compounds [19]. PSA: The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mostly use as an indicator for primary diagnosis of prostate cancer. Gonadorelin antagonists can suppress testosterone and PSA, by then Degarelix (Firmagon) is now using for treatment in prostate cancer patients. ARN-509 antiandrogen is only used for prostate cancer with high level of PSA indication. PAP: Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is an enzyme produced by prostate and the amount increased in prostate cancer cells. In clinical studies PAP mostly used as an antigen for anti-tumor vaccines [20]. Ovarian Cancer: Ovarian Cancer is a 5th cause of cancer related death among women worldwide [21].Ovarian cancer has not yet been classified. It is poor diagnosed in stage I and in stage II,III,IV diagnosed by metastasis to other organs  [22]. Surgery and aggressive chemotherapy are currently the only way to treat the ovarian cancer. Many studies on targeted therapy for ovarian cancer by nano-carriers are undergoing. Although, in market there is nano-carriers like liposome that carried chemotherapeutic agents like doxorubicin; DOXIL (Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome), Evacet (Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome) [23]. Novel Targeted therapy: As previously has been mentioned, these cancers are mostly depended on sex hormones level, HER2 expression and other individual molecular marker indications. Almost all chemotherapy regiment have cytotoxic effect on non-cancer cells and caused the chemotherapy side effects. If these chemotherapy regiment could be conjugated with marker to specific targets of cancer cells the result would be cytotoxicity of drug just for cancer cells and no more side effects for healthy cells. This conjugation can be followed by protein based interactions like antigen- antibody mechanism or ligand-receptor affinity. Today novel therapeutical aims are trying to conjugate monoclonal antibodies with drugs which is called antibody-drug conjugated (ADC). Other novel targeted therapy is to conjugate the peptide or protein with drug (PDC). Both ADC and PCD are the subtype of protein drug conjugated approach. The result of covalent conjugation of drug with antibody or peptide is another novel strategy of prod rug in which after delivered to cells would be cleaved by an enzyme and release active drug [24]. For targeted drug delivery for any drugs two main subjects should be considered; Carrier and Targets: Carriers: Antibody: In past decades, targeted drug delivery has been improved by development of antibodies against any identified targeted antigen. Not only antibodies can induce uptake of conjugated drug in targeted cells, but also they can enhance the role of complement-dependant cytotoxicity system to invade targeted cells. The potential of making almost any antigen as a target is an interesting properties of ADCs, however, just few of the human antibodies have shown a longer proper half-lives like IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4. Nearly 40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been approved and develop not only for cancer but also for some autoimmune disease [25]. While antibodies have shown low loading capacity of drug, on molecule of antibodies are capable to conjugate with less than 3 molecules of drug, for improve ADCs efficacy drug should be highly potent. As mentioned previously, HER2 is overexpressed in breast, prostate, ovarian and endometrial cancer that the anti-HER2 antibody can be used for targeted drug delivery. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) for HER2 positive is a conjugation of trastuzumab as an antibody and emtansine as cytotoxic compound and commercialized as TDM1. Other cytotoxic compound in conjugation with antibody is under further studies and clinical trial process like defucosylated trastuzumab [26],[27]. Lapatinib is commercialized drug from the family of Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKI) that target the intracellular binding site of HER and EGFR family [28]. In breast cancer antibodies of Anti-LIV1 mAb (hIgG1), Anti-GPNMB mAb (hIgG2), Anti-cripto mAb (hIgG1) in conjugation with drug Auristatin E and DM4 (maytansine) are now clinical Phase I. Anti-HER2 mAb (hIgG1) in conjugation with Emtansine-DM1 (maytansine) has been approved in early 2013 and used for metastatic breast cancer. Anti-TROP-2 mAb (mIgG1) in conjugation with SN-38 (irinotecan metabolite) is under further studies for triple negative breast cancer in Phase II clinical [29]. In prostate cancer Anti-PSMA mAb (hIgG1) in conjugation with Auristatin E (auristatin) is still on phase I clinical [30]. IgG1 ADC targets Folate receptor is in Phase 1 studies for ovarian cancer [31]. Protein/Peptide-drug conjugated (PDC): Proteins are sequences of amino acids with 3D or 4D structures that have vital responsibility in all alive cells. Protein has been studied as a carrier for drug due to its stability, longer half-life, biodegradability and easy modification for carry drug with no effect on its desirable function [32]. Protein which are widely used as for drug delivery are Transferrin and Albumin [33], Zein [34],  Elastin and Gelatine  [35], Gliadin and Legumin [36]. The conjugation of albumin with methotrexate has been studied preclinical for many cancers but it had shown effect on just bone and prostate cancer [37]. Conjugation of transferrin with N-alkylisatin derivatives had shown 10 times more efficient on breast cancer tumor in vivo [38]  and also conjugation with Artemisinin shown high toxicity for breast cancer in rat [39]. Gelatin conjugation with Gallic acid has been studied on prostate cancer [40]. Abraxane is an albumin conjugated with paclitaxel in phase I trial for metastatic breast cancer, prostate and ovarian cancer [41]. Peptide usually refers to a sequence of amino acids (up to 50) with just up to secondary structure [42]. Peptide ligand can be used for targeted receptors. However, peptides have short half-life and poor stability in serum as they can be degraded by protease, but peptides are smaller than antibodies and can easily penetrate the targeted cells and overcome biological barriers that the result would be the fast uptake of drug by targeted cells and also peptides have shown high drug loading potential  [43]. Acyclic RGD4C as peptide c(Cys-Phe-Cys-Asp-Gly-Arg-Cys-Asp-Cys) in conjugation with doxorubicin has been shown higher antitumor activity on metastatic breast cancer in vivo than doxorubicin alone [44]. Targets: Gonadotropin hormone receptor targeting: The overexpression of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) receptors has been well reported on many cancer tumors specially breast, ovary, endometrial and prostate cancer [45],[46]. LHRH analog is widely used as a supplementary drug in order to bind to the LHRH receptor [47]. LHRH agonist induce downregulation of LHRH and suppress sex steroid hormone. While, LHRH antagonist block the LHRH receptors and suppress LHRH and sex steroid releasing immediately [48],[49].  Prostate cancer drug in market like Degarelix (Firmagon) (ANTAGONISTS), Lupron, Leuprolide Acetate, Zoladex (Goserelin Acetate) are LHRH analog [50]. LHRH and its analogue as a peptide with a sequence of 10 amino acids have been studied as a targeted drug carrier. AEZS-108 (formerly known as AN-152) is an LHRH agonist conjugation with doxorubin which is shown anti-cancer activity in phase II clinical trial of gynaecological cancers and a promising result for prostate cancer [51]. LHRH also has been studied for carry cisplatin encapsulated in dextran nano-particle to breast cancer cells [52]. Compound uptake via an interaction between LHRH and its receptor and then endocytosis by cell membrane. As normal cells with no overexpression of LHRH receptor could not uptake the drug, side effects of toxic drug significantly has been reduced36. Growth factor targeting: Growth factor refers to substances that stimulate cells proliferation and differentiation by binding to their receptors which is tyrosine kinase activate other cell pathways. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their receptors are two class of growth factors that have been studied for targeted therapy: Angiogenic pathway targeting: In all cancers, tumor growth and metastasis depend on angiogenesis pathway which activated by vascular endothelial growth factors. VEGF family and their receptors (VEGFR) have been studied for inhibition of tomur growth and metastasis as their overexpression had been seen in most of the malignant cancers [53]. The stimulation of VEGF not only induces cells mitosis and abort apoptosis, but also caused the chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance [54]. On the other hand, chemotherapy and radiotherapy could induce VEGF in tumor cells [55]. Hereby, today anti-VEGF drug have been added to chemotherapy regiment. Ovarian cancer cell lines has shown overexpress of VEGFR as well as breast cancer cell line like MDA-MB-453, and MDA-MB-231,T-47D,and MCF7  [56]. Studies on triple negative breast cancer cell lines; MDA-MB-453; have shown that overexpression of VEGF protected cancer cells from apoptosis and improved cell mitosis and invasion [57]. Treatment of MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-231 with anti-sense oligonucleotide inhibition of VEGF has shown over 50% decrease in invasion by Martigel assay [58]. Targeting VEGF has been studied in Phase I and II clinical by designing monoclonal anti-body directly against VEGF that shown suppressing metastasis relapsed in patients with breast cancer [59],  [60],  [61]. Now, Bevacizumab (Avastin ®) is a monoclonal anti-body that bind to VEGF that has studied in phase III trial for metastasis breast cancer. Successful result has been released in phase III trial studies E2100, AVADO, RIBBON-1 that have Bevacizumab as a supplement and chemotherapy regiment like paclitaxel, docetaxel, anthracycline-based as a first line treatment respectively  [62],  [63],  [64]. Epidermal growth factor targeting: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a factor that induce cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and survival by binding to its receptor (EGFR) with tyrosine kinase activity. The EGFR from ErbB family (also known as HER) has shown overexpression in cell surface of many cancers, especially breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer. HER2 is a receptor with three domains of extracellular for ligand, transmembrane domain, and cytoplasmic domain with tyrosine kinase activity. The excess of HER2 on cell membrane and high tyrosine kinase activities induce the downstream signalling pathways like PI3K/AKT/mTOR as well as JAK/STAT pathways which suppress apoptosis and promote proliferation and survival. HER2 is overexpressed in 15-30% of invasive breast cancers [65],  [66],  [67]. Cetuximab (Erbitux) and panitumumab (Vectibix) are the two most advanced monoclonal anti-bodies targeting the extracellular domain of the receptor and inhibit ligand-receptor interaction and tyrosine kinase activity [68],  [69]. But an abnormal form of HER2 which has the lack of extracellular domain, known as P95, is still active but resistance to drug and antibodies that target the extracellular domain[70]. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) for HER2 positive is a conjugation of trastuzumab as an antibody and emtansine as cytotoxic compound and commercialized as TDM1. Other cytotoxic compound in conjugation with antibody is under further studies and clinical trial process like defucosylated trastuzumab26,[71]. Lapatinib is commercialized drug from the family of Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKI) that target the intracellular binding site of HER and EGFR family [72]. References: [1] Garcia-Becerra R, Santos N, Diaz L, Camacho J. Mechanisms of resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer: focus on signaling pathways, miRNAs and genetically based resistance. Int J Mol Sci. 2012;14(1):108-45. [2] Osborne CK. Tamoxifen in the treatment of breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 1998;339(22):1609-18. [3] Nabholtz JM, Buzdar A, Pollak M, Harwin W, Burton G, Mangalik A. Anastrozole is superior to tamoxifen as first-line therapy for advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women: results of a North American multicenter randomized trial. Arimidex Study Group. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18(22):3758-67. [4] Mouridsen HT. 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Mechanism of action of trastuzumab and scientific update. Semin Oncol. 2001;28(5 Suppl 16):4-11. [9] Gennari R, Menard S, Fagnoni F, Ponchio L, Scelsi M, Tagliabue E. Pilot study of the mechanism of action of preoperative trastuzumab in patients with primary operable breast tumors overexpressing HER2. Clin Cancer Res. 2004;10(17):5650-5. [10] Baselga J, Cortes J, Im SA, Clark E, Ross G, Kiermaier A. Biomarker analyses in CLEOPATRA: a phase III, placebo-controlled study of pertuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive, first-line metastatic breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32(33):3753-61. [11] Toss A, Cristofanilli M. Molecular characterization and targeted therapeutic approaches in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2015;17:60. [12] Jamdde VS, Sethi N, Mundhe NA, Kumar P, Lahkar M, Sinha N. Therapeutic targets of triple-negative breast cancer: a review. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(17):4228-37. [13] Mustacchi G, De Laurentiis M. 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Comparing Washington Irvings Rip Van Winkle and Americas War of Indep

Parallels in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle and America's War of Independence The story of Rip Van Winkle is well known throughout American culture. As one of America's most popular short stories, few school children have not heard of Rip Van Winkle's twenty-year slumber or imagined his long, gray beard. In the telling and re-telling of this mysterious tale, the original context of the story itself has, for the most part, been forgotten. Few Americans are aware of how the story originated, and in what context it was first presented to the public. "Rip Van Winkle" first appeared as a part of Washington Irving's The Sketch Book. This was a collection of various short works, ideas, thoughts, and pictures. "Rip van Winkle" was only a part of this collection, but eventually gained a great deal of popularity in its own right. When considering this story, it is important to keep in mind the original context and its relation to other works within The Sketch Book. However, as "Rip Van Winkle" has stood on its own in American culture, there is also a place for examining the story apart from The Sketch Book. When doing this, certain symbolism becomes apparent. Washington Irving uses symbolism in "Rip Van Winkle" to relate Rip's life and experiences to the situation of the American colonies in relation to Great Britain and the War of Independence. In this interpretation of the symbolism in "Rip Van Winkle", the marriage between Rip Van Winkle and Dame Van Winkle represents the union between the American colonies and Great Britain. The characters themselves possess certain attributes which symbolize the perceived characteristics of the two entities. Dame Van Winkle is usually unhappy with Rip. She has cer... ...respectively. Rip's experience in the Kaatskill Mountains ultimately sheds light on the changes of the American public, and Washington Irving accomplishes his purpose of establishing a tradition for the American short story. Works Cited Barbarese, JT. "Landscapes of the American Psyche." Sewanee Review. 100 (1992): 599-603. Dawsone, Hugh J. "Recovering 'Rip Van Winkle': A Corrective Reading." Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Rubin-Dorsky, Jeffrey. "The Value of Storytelling: 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' in the Context of The Sketch Book". Modern Philology. 82:4 (1985): 393-406. Shear, Walter. "Cultural Fate and Social Freedom in Three American Short Stories." Studies in Short Fiction. 25:3 (1988): 249-259.

Dominican Republic Essays -- essays research papers

The Dominican Republic is the country to be explored. It is located in the Caribbean Sea and occupies sixty-six percent of the island of Hispaniola. The nickname of the Dominican Republic is the â€Å"Danang Dirty Bird.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Dominican Republic is located near the United States in the Caribbean Sea and mountains separate the Dominican Republic into northern, central, and southwest regions. The mountain with the lowest point is the Logo Enriquillo which is 46 meters, and the highest mountain is the Pico Duarte which is 3175 meters. Its capitol is Santo Domingo. Some major cities are San Juan, San Cristobal, Santiago de los Calleros, and La Romana. However in all, there are 31 provinces (states) in the Dominican Republic. Some major rivers are the Yaque del Darte and Yaque del Sur. There is 18,712 square miles of land, and the Dominican Republic is surrounded by the Northern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. The Dominican Republic is basically a small island. Now let’s look at what the people of the Dominican Republic are like.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently, the population of the Dominican Republic is 8,833,634. The major ethnic groups that make up the Dominican Republic are white or European (16%), black (11%), and mixed, meaning mulatto (73%). The number one religion in the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholic. Roman Catholics make up 95% of the religious groups. The other 5% is made up of Protestant and other. The...

Art versus Pornography Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Art versus Pornography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Her head rests on her left knee, with her hands clasped on her ankle.   Locks of hair are thrown about in an auburn blaze.   Her tight rosy lips are as red as her cheeks.   Her dark-blue eyes reveal a half-seductive, half-submissive look.   Her legs are in a subdued spread-eagle formation, leaving her crotch area quite visible.   Her white panties leave little to the imagination. The sexual overtones are more than just a coincidence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Suspend your imagination for a minute and ask yourself if the description formed in your mind a work of art or, instead, a photograph of softcore pornography, found in such magazines as Hustler or Playboy?   Where this description is taken from will be disclosed later, but let us concern ourselves with a problem that this... ...ed them.   A person at the time looking at his works would recognize them as prostitutes, a fact that is less distinct today.   His display of the "product" in some cases, could be seen as propaganda against prostitution.   Hence, he had an intellectual, not a pornographic intent.  Ã‚   This debate will continue, and perhaps no end may come of it until viewers have understanding of the artist's intent.

British American Tobacco Implementation of SWOT Analysis

According to the economic theory (firm theory), a firm’s utmost objective is to maximize its profit. Hence during the initial stages of the enterprise growth, managers use financial metrics such as cash flows, revenue, and pre-tax profit to evaluate performance of their firm.However, these metrics only tell of past events and therefore can not be used for strategic management, with time the market conditions change. As a result, a firm will tend to invest more to develop capabilities and customer relationships on a long-term basis.Customer relationship is becoming critical for the firm and therefore as the firm embarks on the financial metrics; it must also add consumer satisfaction metrics for it to remain successful. Hence in this new environment over reliance on the financial metric is not enough in evaluating the path to be followed by companies to increase value through investing in employees, consumer, technology and innovation. In order to address the insufficiency of t hese metrics, business information consultants have put forward several strategic management tools and models.Some of these models and tools include the SWOT analysis, Balanced Scorecard (BSC) analysis etc. The BSC has four aspects namely, the customer perspective, internal business perspective, innovation and learning perspective and financial perspective.The SWOT analysis evaluates the weakness, strength, opportunities and threats involved in company's operations. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the firm and evaluate the internal capability while Opportunities and threats are out-offing business control and refer to how the business is affected by the external environment.Strengths refer to areas where the business can excel in, for example business's competence and resource utilization. Weaknesses is what the company cannot do and managers should consider areas which need improvements, areas which the company do poorly and what should be avoided.Opportunities refer to th e market attractiveness and threats are the potential challenges which hinder business operation. British American Tobacco’s (BAT) goal is to build a long-term shareholder value through development of new brands and products.The company has used the SWOT analysis to implement strategic management and performance evaluation to achieve this goal. BAT is multinational company that manufactures tobacco products and it has many branches around the world.The implementation of business management tools is aimed at shifting management from quality performance to corporate performance. Strengths The company manufactures markets and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products. By the end of year 2007 the company had more than 300 brands and a work force of about 53,907 employees both in UK and internationally.Its revenue base for the period stood at $ 20,054 million. It offers adult consumers products of high quality and also assists them to make sure that they choose their product ove r those of competitors.Continued improvements in productivity have helped the company develop more brands hence increase earnings: for instance it has introduced smokeless cigarettes aimed at reducing smoke related diseases. To remain competitive in the market, the British American tobacco has embarked on cost reducing strategies and complexities in its supply chain.In 2004 the company made the commitment to reduce overheads cost and other indirect costs by $ 200 million annually by the end of 2007 through implementation of a single procurement processes within its area of operation.The company also offers from time to time training to its workers so as to make them adapt to the changing business environment. Threats The company's operations have been affected by the tobacco regulation policies across the world. One of them is the suggestion by the World Health Organization to have all products packaging be plain or unbranded.Removing colors and trademarks familiar to consumers is a critical challenge because consumers will not able to differentiate cigarettes from BAT and those of its competitors or the genuine products and fake ones.The company has strongly opposed the idea of plain packages claiming that there is no evidence that suggest that plain packs would have effect on smoking by children. In addition restriction of corporate trademarks by any government is a breach of intellectual property rights in international trade.The issues of counterfeit product harm the company's revenue and there have been cases of trade in illicit tobacco globally. In order to reduce the cases of cigarette smuggling, the company has supported various governments, world custom organizations and world trade organization in seeking ways to eliminate illicit tobacco trade. WeaknessesThe main internal challenge that has faced the company is the inability to produce less harmful products. However, for some years now the company has embarked in search for less harmful products.Hig h overhead costs have been another threat to the market competitiveness of the company's product. Before the implementation of single procurement system in 2003, the indirect costs had been too high which resulted to high cost of its tobacco products.Opportunities British American tobacco has more that 30 branches across the world and about 180 markets and has opening new factories in more countries. The demand for tobacco products has been rising as more and more youths have started smoking.The company has utilized this opportunity provided by the market through development of more products to satisfy the market demand. The company has decentralized its factories across the globe to increase it market share and position their product for the consumer who have decided to buy tobacco products.Bibliography BAT, consumer and trade, retrieved on 13 December 2008, from http://www. bat. com/group/sites/uk__3mnfen. nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO6ZXMRV opendocument&SKN=1BAT, plain packaging, retriev ed on 13 December, 2008, from http://www. bat. com/group/sites/uk3mnfen. nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO7J7DCZ?Opendocument&SKN=1 Capgemini, ‘5-year procurement target at British American Tobacco,' 2003, retrieved on 13 December 2008, from www. at. capgemini. com/m/at/cs/ss_British_American_Tobacco. pdf.Dickson Vicky, Balance Score Card as strategic management tool, 2005, retrieved on 13 December 2008 from http://www. betterlocalization. com/index. php? itemid=44.