Malham Field Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Malham Field - Lab Report Example Common helminth parasites present included cestodes and trematodes. The rodents served as either intermediate or definitive host of the parasites. Examination of human faecal for the parasites yielded related parasites in terms of their biology and pathogenesis. Parasites prevalence correlated with rodent sex in addition to the rodent weight or length. Females harboured more parasites than males and a single host could have multiple infections of different endoparasites. In our results common parasites population we found include; Graphidium strigosum, Cittotaenia lobata, Passalurus spp. and Taenia pisiformis in rabbit (O. cuniculis and in wood mouse, Heligsomoides spp., Plagiorchis spp, Syphacea and Capillaria spp. Rainfall data for the period coinciding with the collection of the parasite data was also gathered to assess the influence of seasonal changes in weather against the parasites population. A comparison of the biology of endoparasites fauna present in the rodents in Malham Tarn and gastrointestinal parasites of humans was also undertaken. DNA extraction from Cittotaenia lobata (tapeworm) using affinity methods where DNA was allowed to bind to a membrane and then eluted using appropriate buffer was done. The purity of the recovered DNA was determined by taking absorbance at 260 nm and at 280 nm and comparing the ratio to the known ratio of pure DNA which is 1.8 Table of Contents Summary 2 List of figures 4 List of tables 7 Acknowledgement 8 1.INTRODUCTION: 9 1.1.Brief background to site: Malham Tarn 9 1.2.Aims/objectives of field course 9 1.3.Summary of host and parasite fauna from Malham via available literature/references; common parasites in woodmice, rabbits 9 1.4.Gastrointestinal parasites of humans; common parasites in underdeveloped regions; possible comparative biology for Malham parasites species 11 1.5.Importance of diagnostic tests in humans and veterinary parasitology, relative importance/usefulness of different approaches e.g. microscopy c oprotests, serology, PCR 13 2.MATERIALS AND METHODS: 14 2.1.Microscopy 14 2.2.Preparation/staining blood films, thin smear faeces 14 2.3.Trapping rodents 14 2.4.Dissections; 14 2.4.1.Examination and dissection of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) 14 2.4.2.Examination and dissection of wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) 16 2.5.Parasites Data Collection 16 2.6.Data Analysis 17 2.7.DNA extraction and concentration, protein evaluation 17 3.RESULTS: 18 3.1.Apodemus (wood mouse) parasites levels found in after dissection rabbit 23 3.2.Parasites levels found in wood mouse after dissection 30 3.3.DNA extraction and purity on OD280/260 convert to ug/ml 48 4.DISCUSSION: 49 REFERENCE 51 List of figures Figure 1: histogram showing the distribution of Graphidium parasites in rabbit host sampled between 1992 and 2011 in Malham Tarn area 24 Figure 2: Prevalence of Graphidium infections from 1992-2011 25 Figure 3: Histogram showing T. pisiformis parasites population from 1992-2011. Parasites populations was highest in 1999 as can been seen above. 26 Figure 4: Prevalence of Taenia pisiformis population from 1992-2011 at Malham Tarn 27 Figure 5: histogram showing mean Passalurus infections from 1992-2011 27 Figure 6: Line graph showing the prevalence level of Passalurus parasites among rabbit hosts from 1992 to 2011 28 Figure 7: Histogram of the mean Cittotaenia intensity from 1992 to 2011 28 Figure 8: Prevalence of Cittotaenia infections from 1992 to 2011 29 Figure 9: Histogram showing the changes in Trichostrongylus population from 1992 to 2011 29 Figure 10: Graph of the prevalence of Trichostrongylus parasites from 1992 to 2011 30 Figure 11: The graph shows the mean Heligmosomoides parasites found in wood

Group Development Essay Example for Free

Group Development Essay The first stage is the forming stage. During this stage, things are characterized by much uncertainty. There is uncertainty as to what the purpose of the group is, what the structure of the group is, and who the leadership of the group is going to be. Members of the group will want to test the waters and try to determine how far they can go and what they can get away with during this stage of the group development process. The second stage is the storming stage. During this stage of group development, the members of the group accept the existence of the group but are against the restraints put on individual creativity. This can lead to serious problems if there is not some sort of compromise or agreement put in place on allowing individuals to be creative within the guidelines of the project. The third stage is the norming stage. During this stage, relationships among team members are becoming closer and group cohesiveness is coming together. The group identity is really becoming clear. This stage is considered complete when the structure of the group is completely solidified and the members of the group have decided on what is considered proper behavior for members of the group. In my opinion, this is one of the most critical stages in group development. The fourth stage is the performing stage. This stage of group development is really when things start to happen. Members of the team have fully accepted the structure and the team is working towards accomplishing the goals that were set forth initially. The group has gone from getting to know each other to complete understanding and working on accomplishing the  task at hand. The fifth and final stage of group development is the adjourning stage. This is only true for groups that are temporary. Permanent work groups are finished after stage four. This stage is normally when the group finalizes and wraps up the tasks that they have been asked to perform and then they go their separate ways. This stage is hopefully where the project is finalized and the group has been successful at accomplishing the goals that were initially set forth. Problem Identification There are two major problems that I see in this situation. The first problem that I see with this group is that there is going to be conflict of interests from each of the different groups. Each of the groups have different agendas as to how to fully accomplish the goals of the project. This can lead to problems or possibly a severe conflict between one or more of the groups. This differing of opinions and attitudes by the groups could also possibly lead to an overall failure to achieve any of the objectives of the group. The second major problem that I see with this project is demographic diversity. There are such wide and varied demographics in the school district that this project is going to take place. There could be conflicts that one demographic is being favored over another. There could also be problems that stem from this. If one demographic seems to think that another is being favored, then they could cause problems for the overall project and the goals of that project. Retrospective Evaluation The solution for the first problem will be the easiest of the two problems. During the formation of the development group for this project, common goals need to be decided upon by the development team. These goals need to be approved by all of the different entities that have an interest in this project succeeding. There should be one major common goal for the project and all of the groups should agree to this goal. If they cannot agree to a common goal, then there really is no need to go forward with the project. The solution for the second problem is going to be a little harder to solve. I believe that a non-interested third party group should be brought in to oversee the project. This will allow for an impartial representative to make decisions and also to ensure that no one demographic group is being favored more than another. If one groups interests are being pushed and another group see this favoritism, it could lead to problems and thus an overall failure of the project. Therefore, a third party should be placed in charge and there should be no conflicts because they should not favor any one particular group. Reflection The project is all about making things better for the kids of this school district. This could lead to better educational opportunities for all involved within the district. However, there are possible issues that need to be solved for this project to move forward and be a success. If these issues are addressed in the beginning then there should be resolutions and no problems should arise. This will allow a successful project and the enhancement of educational opportunities for the children of the school district.

Three Worlds Of Welfare Capital Politics Essay

Three Worlds Of Welfare Capital Politics Essay The three worlds of welfare capitalism  written by Esping- Andersen in 1990 set the bar for welfare typologizing and has sparked a volatile and ongoing debate ever since. Most of the literature for those studying and analysing social policy is now based around mending or re forming the welfare capitalist in to something which acknowledges more factors which shape welfare provision and bring the original txt in to a modern or argument/ issue specific context. Issues such as gender, the role of the family and an expansion of the original categories of Welfare state have been the focus of much of Europes modern day social policy research and the defining factor in all of this research is that Esping-Andersen is almost always used as the starting point . This is the case despite the comment that typologizing is the lowest form of intellectual endeavour (Baldwin, 1996, p29). No matter how intellectually miniscule it may be reported to be the process of typologizing is an essential and b asic tool for carrying out and analysing strengths and weakness in welfare states and approaches to welfare and despite all the critiques and revisions it must be argued that if Andersens work is still being used as a basis of modern day research then it must have a fairly large amount of academic credibility left.   In the work of Esping-Andersen a typology was created by critically analysing 18 welfare states in relation to three main themes. These themes of: Decommodification; the extent to which welfare is reliant upon market forces, social stratification; the role of welfare states in maintaining society and equality within that society and the private-public mix which includes the role of the family and the voluntary sector, even though Andersen largely missed those out in his overall conclusions leading to significant criticisms being raised about his overall conclusions. How these states operate and how decomodified they are were the main criterion which lead to these welfare states being compartmentalised in to three welfare regime types; Liberal, Conservative and Social Democratic.(Esping-Andersen; 1990) Conservative welfare states are distinguished by their emphasis on the maintenance of status and the insurance based nature of welfare provision. Conservative welfare programmes, in which benefits are often earnings-related, are administered through the employer and what one puts in is what they get out. There is little or no redistribution of benefits or wealth within conservative welfare states. The role of the family is also emphasised and expected to some extent and a male breadwinner model is enshrined by the welfare system. France and Germany are strong examples of the Conservative model however according to Andersen so are the southern Mediterranean states which he analyzed. (Esping-Andersen; 1990) In Liberal countries, welfare is strictly controlled with entitlement criteria, and recipients are usually means-tested. Welfare is distributed on a sliding scale to those who need it most however Welfare provision is often very low meaning that often the effects of the welfare provided are negligible. The Social Democratic regime is the smallest of all 3 regimes. Welfare provision in social democratic countries is universal and relies on citizenship as its only real criteria for distribution. Social democratic countries try to promote full employment and the employed workforce is highly unionised. They also attempt to redistribute wealth throughout the population and there is much less of a stigma attached to this and much more of a willingness to contribute than in other welfare regimes. There are therefore a range of substantive critiques which can be used to critically assess the welfare capital and its modern day relevance; however an important starting point would be its relationship with gender. The gender-blind (Bambra, 2004, p201) concept of Decommodification and, the seeming unawareness of the role of women in the provision of welfare is startling. The welfare capital has been accused of being a; misleading comparison of aggregate welfare state expenditure (Bambra, 2004, p201). Not taking gender in to account has caused scholars and researchers to focus on this specific issue very acutely to point out how different the classifications of states could look with this factor included. This factor affects the Sothern European states to a disproportionate degree and many researchers and scholars have therefore pointed out how different the welfare categories would be if gender was accounted for. However there are more issues than simply gender issues which could l ead to the separation of the Sothern states from the conservative category and this must be addressed separately to which welfare states, and welfare state regimes, facilitate female autonomy and economic independence from the family. We must also asses the shift from the male worker model to the Adult worker model as well as the role of women in the home and look at how this has affected state policy and welfare provision. Many states now encourage women to enter the workplace and welfare is increasingly becoming about the individual rather than the family. This is certainly the case in some conservative countries but much less so in the southern welfare states of Europe. If Andersen had taken this factor in to account then once again we could likely have seen a very different set of results produced. The range of countries used to construct Esping-Andersens typology has met with criticism. Esping-Andersen only examined 18 OECD countries. This lead to countries such as Greece and Germany being grouped in the same category. Considering the economic differences and differences in terms of social structure this seems to be an unrealistic conclusion. It has therefore been suggested that given the unique characteristics of many of the southern European nations mainly; Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain there is sufficient scope to create a fourth southern European welfare category. In the Journal of European Social Policy Arts and Gelissen state it seems logical to see the South European countries as a separate cluster (ArtsGelissen,2002,p145) . Southern welfare states are viewed as being extreamly basic in their welfare provision with strong emphasis on the family and fragmented care. They do however seem to have significant expenditure in some areas and more underdeveloped and limited expenditure in others. Pensions tend to be generous in southern European welfare states and this may be a feature of reliance on the family and a strong ethic of family protection and reliance on elderly people to provide services such as child care which are not provided by the state. There are also strong criticisms of the liberal states and the huge differences in both expenditure between liberal countries in total and on specific areas. Liberal nations in Esping-Andersens research tend to be groped as English speaking nations however the English speaking nations listed have huge ideological differences and state approaches to welfare funding and entitlement. A number of policy areas within nations also contravene the natural policy stances which are set out in the social categories too. For example the Universal UK NHS is not something which one would expect to see in a liberal model and it is not consistent with the criteria for the liberal welfare category and yet such policy variations have to be put aside in favour of an overall picture. Andersens has also been heavily criticised for his use and analysis of data and how this data has been presented and how easily manipulated it can be. Attention has been placed particularly upon decommodification indexes and the use of means to produce the final categories.  This method has a noticeable impact on the classification of certain countries, eg. the UK which, if a different cut-off point was used, may not have fallen within the Liberal regime. This is highlighted in the work of Bambra where she; Highlights an overlooked error in Esping-Andersens original calculations that led to the incorrect positioning of three borderline countries (Japan, the UK and Ireland) and resulted in the empirically erroneous composition of the Three Worlds of Welfare (Bambra,2006). Bambra Uses different methods to show how current data and the original data used by Esping-Andersen can be changed to produce very different catogories of welfare to great effect and she highlights the glairing errors as well in Esping-Andersens original calculations. (Banbra,2006). Therefore in conclusion it is clear that Arts and Glitsen are almost certainly correct when they state that Real welfare states are hardly ever pure types and are usually hybrid cases (Arts and Glitsen, 2002). It is also however clear that there is a basic role for the three worlds of welfare capitalism and that as a piece of work Esping-Andersen set the groundwork for the next 20 years of research and study in to European welfare spending and the grouping of European welfare states. Typologizing although a very inexact science in most cases is never the less extremely useful and we should not take that fact for granted. Nor should we take for granted the significant research that Esping-Andersen has subsequently inspired and the significant impact that his work has had on thinking within social policy.

Essay --

In today’s society there are a number of issues that may affect a number of Americans. One issue that is a big topic in today’s society is the issue of Illegal Immigration. Whether we should grant illegal’s driver’s licenses, amnesty, deport them, how it affects the U.S. economically, and some might even consider them as terrorists. Those are just a few topics that we may hear being brought up. It is possible to see this touchy subject on television, or it may be a debate at school, or you may read about it in the newspaper. It is a subject that catches alot of peoples’ attention and some might not even care to touch on the subject because of the repercussion. What is Illegal Immigration? †Generally, the term "illegal immigrant" refers to a person from another country who is presently in the United States without authorization to remain here. This includes anybody who is here intending to stay permanently or temporarily. It also includes anybody whose visa is not current. Sometimes people enter without permission (sneaking across a border, for example), but many people do enter with a visa, but then the visa expires and the person continues to remain in the country. There are many reasons why an illegal immigrant would like to come to the United States. It could be to get a better job to support their family or to get a better education. There are pros and cons to Illegal immigration. One of the pros is that Illegal immigrants contribute to the tax system by paying sales tax. Also, Illegal immigrants who purchase real estate properties also pay real estate taxes. In return, this generates commissions for the agents and brokers. In addition, since the illegal immigrants enjoy the banking services of the country, they pay inter... ...t to come legally to do the jobs Americans don’t want, but our broken immigration system does not allow that to happen. If there were legal channels for these migrants to use. The government could concentrate on identifying the real terrorists. Instead, the government is wasting money and manpower trying to keep out the immigrant workers the U.S. economy needs. That makes the job of finding a terrorist like finding a needle in a haystack. Topics such as terrorist threats, DLs, burden on our economy, deportation, amnesty and the term Illegal Immigrant are just a few topics that people often consider when taking on the subject of Illegal Immigration. So whether you are for or against it, that is your opinion. As for me, as long they are not out committing serious crimes or hurting anyone and are trying to do better for themselves and their families, just let them be.

Colonialism and Slavery

Colonialism and Slavery â€Å"l hate imperialism. I detest colonialism. And I fear the consequences of their last bitter struggle for life. We are determined, that our nation, and the world as a whole, shall not be the play thing of one small corner of the world. † (Sukarno) When it comes to taking over another country, the selfish reasons behind it cloud the minds of the colonizers into thinking that what they are doing is to the advantage of the victims.The lived experience of Okonkwo and Linda challenges the argument that defenders of colonialism and slavery made by proving that the colonizers trying to civilize and ring Christianity to the colonized countries worsened their lives instead of improving them by pushing out their culture and religion, and physically and mentally abusing them; through discovering the reasons for colonialism, then comparing them to the stories of Okonkwo and Linda the truth of what colonialism said it was doing and what it actually was doing to a colonized or slave person. There are many reasons why colonialism and slavery have thrived for many years.Westerners wanted to beat the competitor within the Western countries. White upremacy is a major advocate in the onslaught of colonialism. The idea of racial entitlement and genetic inferiority is what pushes the movement of imperialism. Blatantly narcissistic gauges of the worth of non-European peoples – skin color, fashions in or lack of clothing – receded in importance; measurements of cranial capacity, estimates of railway mileage, and the capacity for work, discipline, and marking time became the decisive criteria by which Europeans Judges other cultures and celebrated the superiority of their own. Adas, 146) Europeans considered all ther cultures â€Å"uncivilized† and wanted to bring to them the idea of modernity. No other culture lives up to the mindset of European culture and they know that and use that to their advantage.

The Meaning of the Name Kovacs

The Meaning of the Name Kovacs Kovcs (КÐ ¾Ã ²Ã °Ã'‡) is a surname that means forger or smith in the Hungarian language, from the Slavonic Kovaà ¨. The Hungarian equivalent to the English surname Smith, Kovcs is the second most common surname in Hungary. Kovacs is the second most common Hungarian surname according to surname distribution data from Forebears. Surname Origin:  Hungarian, Slavic Alternate Surname Spellings:  KOVATS, KOVAC, KOVAT, KOVATS, KOVACH, KOWAL, KOVAL Fun Facts About the Kovcs Surname The Kovacs surname most commonly originates from Hungary, although this is not always the case. Similar surnames include Kovach (Carpatho-Ruthenian), Kowal (Poland) and Koval (Ukraine). The singular Kovac may be the original surname, an adaptation of Kovacs, or a shortened version of a longer name such as Dukovac. These are all just general guidelines, however. The specific surname variation used by your family may also be something as simple as a spelling change and have nothing to do with its original origin. Famous People With the Surname Ernie Kovacs, popular American television comedianLszlà ³ Kovcs, legendary cinematographerTom Kovach, American author and activistLuca KovaÄ , a fictional character (doctor) portrayed by Goran ViÃ… ¡njić on the American television series ER Genealogy Resources Kovacs/Kovats FamilyTree DNA ProjectThis Y-DNA project is open to all individuals with the surnames Kovacs, Kovats, or any derivative such as Kovaks, Kovak, Kovac, Kohen, Kohan, Kohn, Kovan, etc., of any ethnic or religious background.   Kovacs Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Kovacs family crest or coat of arms for the Kovacs surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Kovcs Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Kovcs surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Kovcs query. The Kovacs Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Kovacs from the website of Genealogy Today. Source: Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Free Essays on The Unmasking

The Unmasking â€Å"Any great work of art revives and readapts time and space, and the measure of it’s success is the extent to which it makes you an inhabitant of that world- the extent to which it invites you in and lets you breathe it’s strange, special air† (Bernstein). An artist must create a different universe, one that surpasses culture, time, and personal philosophies. This new universe should surround and open a viewer’s eyes and lead to a new understanding of their own world. An example of genuine art is Diego Rivera’s painting â€Å"Mother’s Helper† (Rivera), which displays the simplicity of life without technology. It display’s the love of family, and nature, drives a person to appreciate the things around them. Upon reflection of true art, the viewer’s philosophy, their path to the truth, should be reworked, against society and the mold they came from. An existentialist who has always sought the truth through persona l experience may come to the revelation that Jesus Christ displays the truth after being stirred by moving artwork. A pragmatist, who believed the end justifies the means, could realize that their pure form is in nature, as a transcendentalist (Newton). Being raised Roman Catholic (Priola 1), the author Cormac McCarthy adopted the spoon fed philosophy of his parents, later coming to his own conclusions, expressed in his novels. He expresses personal views of an evil society, attempting to stretch the perception of the reader, using a common focus. McCarthy has a â€Å"pattern of using characters who struggle against a brutal hostile world and All the Pretty Horses carries on the tradition† (Cormac 3). In most of his earlier novels, Blood Meridian, The Orchard Keeper, & Suttree, McCarthy uses these themes. A sort of revolution in the mind of the main character is also expected in the writings of McCarthy. His unique writing style of vivid imagery and integrating Spanish gives McCarthy a ... Free Essays on The Unmasking Free Essays on The Unmasking The Unmasking â€Å"Any great work of art revives and readapts time and space, and the measure of it’s success is the extent to which it makes you an inhabitant of that world- the extent to which it invites you in and lets you breathe it’s strange, special air† (Bernstein). An artist must create a different universe, one that surpasses culture, time, and personal philosophies. This new universe should surround and open a viewer’s eyes and lead to a new understanding of their own world. An example of genuine art is Diego Rivera’s painting â€Å"Mother’s Helper† (Rivera), which displays the simplicity of life without technology. It display’s the love of family, and nature, drives a person to appreciate the things around them. Upon reflection of true art, the viewer’s philosophy, their path to the truth, should be reworked, against society and the mold they came from. An existentialist who has always sought the truth through persona l experience may come to the revelation that Jesus Christ displays the truth after being stirred by moving artwork. A pragmatist, who believed the end justifies the means, could realize that their pure form is in nature, as a transcendentalist (Newton). Being raised Roman Catholic (Priola 1), the author Cormac McCarthy adopted the spoon fed philosophy of his parents, later coming to his own conclusions, expressed in his novels. He expresses personal views of an evil society, attempting to stretch the perception of the reader, using a common focus. McCarthy has a â€Å"pattern of using characters who struggle against a brutal hostile world and All the Pretty Horses carries on the tradition† (Cormac 3). In most of his earlier novels, Blood Meridian, The Orchard Keeper, & Suttree, McCarthy uses these themes. A sort of revolution in the mind of the main character is also expected in the writings of McCarthy. His unique writing style of vivid imagery and integrating Spanish gives McCarthy a ...