Local Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Local Government - Research Paper Example Both the City and the Council view that the devolution of decision-making process would make the councilors to perform at their most effective level. The devolution would help the councilors to promote high-quality customer-focused local services, and through the commission, they ensure that resources are adequate and available to local authorities.The devolution of authority established as part of government reform causes the bureaucracy system of traditional paternal governance to become entrepreneurial governance or a mercantilist government and it is plaguing the country even the countries all over the world. Traditionally, as local government and local leader, the city performs the mandate of the national government and delivers public goods and services to the citizens. However, the devolution requires the transfer of the national responsibility directly to the councils. Councilors lead, coordinate, manage, direct the people, and guide them toward a higher standard of living (S chwarz 1983). Strategic planning, that is usually done at the national level is now their routine. The citizens also have easy access to their representatives and equal access to the goods and services even have direct access to participate in the public policy process.As a mercantilist government, the citizens are still the customers and the clients are the minority groups or the stakeholders, who, after the reform, have better access to the City officials through the councils.

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, Essay

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, bharati mukherjee, and v. s. naipaul - Essay Example es. Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, and V.S. Naipaul can all, in different ways, be considered writers in exile. They have all traveled across the sea, all have come to a new, "foreign" land, and each one interacts with the English language as both "a home" for words and an alien tongue. In addition, within these three writers' works, we can see the operations of exile, how the thesethbiographical and linguistic exile of these writers come to be processed and represented, reflected and distorted, and the effect that the concept of exile (that resounds throughout their works) has on the literary and historical contexts that are their new "homes." These novelist's treat exile not simply as a condition of the post-colonial world, but as a central means to understand the self. Rather than labeling them proponents of any post-colonial literature, therefore, we should perhaps call these three novelists the most important artists of a new genre: a literature of exile. Salman Rushdie is an... d Mumbai) on 19 June 1947-the year of Indian independence and the year that acquires so much importance in his most critically acclaimed novel, Midnight's Children (1981). However, while still a child, he moved to England and was schooled at two of the pillars of the British establishment: Rugby and Cambridge. Consequently, his homeland was necessarily doubled, between the Indian subcontinent (where he later lived again, in Pakistan, with his family) and the British Isles to which he returned a second time to work in an advertising agency before beginning his career as a novelist. It is precisely this double identity that informs a great deal of Rushdie's literature-from his first novel, Grimus (1975), to his most recent non-fiction and travel-writing works, such as Step Across the Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992-2002 (2002) and "The East is Blue" (2004). He is able to write about both the culture of his parents and his newly adopted culture from the position of a partial outsider to both, and is able to understand both sides of a sometimes (often violently) opposed set of cultural constructions. This is not to say that Rushdie's writing career has been one in which he feigns a transcendental stance, a distanced style, that sets him above both cultures as an objective and unbiased third party. The case is quite the reverse. His writing is very much "at ground level": it locates itself within the heady back and forth of cultural interchange. Like a geneticist he splices (and inextricably interweaves) a double helix from the quite separate societies of which he has been a part. Rushdie crosses English literary references with Quoranic exegesis and mixes Indian folklore with modern American slang. It is precisely within this interweaving that is born the exciting

Local Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Local Government - Research Paper Example Both the City and the Council view that the devolution of decision-making process would make the councilors to perform at their most effective level. The devolution would help the councilors to promote high-quality customer-focused local services, and through the commission, they ensure that resources are adequate and available to local authorities.The devolution of authority established as part of government reform causes the bureaucracy system of traditional paternal governance to become entrepreneurial governance or a mercantilist government and it is plaguing the country even the countries all over the world. Traditionally, as local government and local leader, the city performs the mandate of the national government and delivers public goods and services to the citizens. However, the devolution requires the transfer of the national responsibility directly to the councils. Councilors lead, coordinate, manage, direct the people, and guide them toward a higher standard of living (S chwarz 1983). Strategic planning, that is usually done at the national level is now their routine. The citizens also have easy access to their representatives and equal access to the goods and services even have direct access to participate in the public policy process.As a mercantilist government, the citizens are still the customers and the clients are the minority groups or the stakeholders, who, after the reform, have better access to the City officials through the councils.

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay Example for Free

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay The new interface I will define is one in which the artist makes active use of the inventiveness and skills of an engineer to achieve his purpose. The artist could not complete his intentions without the help of an engineer. The artist incorporates the work of the engineer in the painting or the sculpture or the performance. what a perfect synergy! Introduction ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ (E. A. T. ) is an aged non profit making and tax exempted organization instituted as far back as 1966 by renounced engineers and artists. The engineers included the persons of Billy Kluver and Fred Waldhauer, while the artists, the persons of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. Experiments in Art and Technology was pioneered from the experience of a popular work titled – ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering’. The notable event was of the 69th ‘Regiment Armory in new York City, United State of America† (October 1966). About 40 engineers and 10 popular artists symbiotically worked together to put up an engineered and equally artistic performances. With the works of E. A. T. , artists and engineers’ relationships have received huge boost, thereby stimulating the willingness and participation of industries in artistic events. Companies’ cooperation through sponsorship is one of the achievements of E. A. T. There was fast expression of interest in the group over the space of time. Three years after the inauguration of Experiments in Art and Technology, the organization recorded over 4,200 memberships of diversified artists and engineers all around the United States of America, South America, Japan, Canada and every other interested industry all over the world. Through the process towards achieving the aim of E. A. T. , there was a local program within the group named the Technical Services Program. This program enhanced the effective collaboration of artists working hand-in-hand with engineers on a specific assignment/project. This was made possible by a deliberate effort at pinning suitable artists with appropriate engineers for synergic results. The program also assisted the collaborators in reaching out to industries and corporate-business communities in meeting the needs to accomplish outstanding project. Furthermore, E. A. T. commissioned inter-field projects and events which were anchored by artists involving the use of new technological woks. Some of the projects included the earlier mentioned ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† in 1966’, ‘Some More Beginning in 1968’ – the later happened to mark the start of ‘exhibition of art and technology. The exhibition was held at a museum in Brooklyn. Included in the list of the project was the â€Å"artist-engineer collaborations to design and program the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. † Picture showing First meeting of E. A. T. in November 1966 The Story of Experiments in Art and Technology When Andy Warhol was trying to create floating light bulbs, he asked Billy Kluver for his kind assistance. Kluver, who was an engineer working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, rejected the plea but instead promised to offer him a wrapper usually use to wrap sandwiches, the material is silvery. Warhol fashioned the material into a rectangular object called Mylar today. Injecting Helium into this Mylar created a floating funhouse mirrors in 1966. This example of collaboration between artists and scientists was a motivation to forming Experiments in Art and Technology (E. A. T. ). The artist-engineer collaboration in E. A. T. was formalized at the event of â€Å"9 Evenings; Theatre and Engineering†, (Oct. 1966, in New York). The program exposed audience to â€Å"state-of-the-art performances and music† from about 50 artists and engineers. Technology electrified things in an appreciable ways, e. g. â€Å"Dancers tripped light switches by moving their legs past photo-cells, and a tennis game was amplified through microphones in the rackets. The compliment received was overwhelming reflecting the need for engineers in artistic works. E. A. T. was then established in November, and by the early 70s it had already absorbed networks of over 6,000 members. â€Å"Throughout the lifespan of E. A. T. , affiliated groups produced over 500 artworks; most common was the body-oriented performance or supercharged minimalist sculpture. One of the most memorable projects commissioned was the Pepsi Pavilion of Expo 1970 Osaka. There, over 60 artists and engineers contributed to the interactive exhibits inside the futuristic dome† The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 Osaka with Fujiko Nakayas mist shroud Aims and objectives of E. A. T. The non profit making organization was vibrant primarily within the two decades of its institution in 1966 by Billy Kluver, Fred waldhauer, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. It was carved out of the need to ‘mobilize the ingredients of arts, industry and science around collective projects, calling the participation from different disciplines. E. A. T. also aimed at encouraging the technical harmony towards the realization of new means of expressing arts using modern technological equipment such as computer-made images, sounds, video, (audiovisual), manufacturing materials and robotics. To start with, ‘Experiments in Art and Technology’ brought artists and engineers together to enlighten the participants in order to accustom them with â€Å"tele-writing and satellite transmission using telecommunication technology†. In addition, E. A. T. aimed at giving the developing countries around an ease of Communication Bridge through certain project assignments. In pursuance of these goals, E. A. T. began opening annexes in the US, Canada and Japan. Other Projects Projects realized at the advent of interdisciplinary included: The Anand Project of 1969, this project aided educational television whereby public spaces were linked together to facilitate interactions irrespective of the distance apart. Through this, different countries all around the world can exchange disturbing questions even about a common uncertainty. For example, â€Å"Anand Dairy Cooperative in Baroda (India); Telex: QA (1971), which linked public spaces in New York (U. S. ), Ahmadabad (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Stockholm (Sweden) by telex† Still among the projects is the ‘Children and Communication in 1972’this particular project piloted the enabling of children within the suburb of New York City, to exchange conversation with telex, telephone and fax machine. Also, in El Salvador is a project to fashion out methods for storing culture and tradition in the region (1973). Collection of E. A. T. ’s Published Documents Detailing the activities of Experiments in Art and Technology in 1980; over 400 documents were stored in archive ranging from information bulletins, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, photocopies of press clippings, proposals, lectures, announcements newsletters reprints of major articles, among others. The archive was deposited at major libraries in New York, Moscow of Russia, Washington in U. S., Paris in France et cetera. The archive was aimed at monument the reflection of E. A. T. ’s wide geographical tentacle with technical and artistic diversity. Technical Service Program (1966-1973) Technical service program (TSP), founded as a subgroup in mid 60s, permits specialist in art and engineering to collaborate with the aim of meeting the artist’s technological needs without interruption in the team projected design and developmental stages. Highly technical projects were accomplished with this partnership. This collaboration was publicized when E. A. T. group came up with EAT News that announced projects at different stages of completion. Still, was the periodic public forum held on upcoming technologies such as ‘lasers and holography. ’ The TSP came to an end in 1973 Technical Information (1966) This program provided consulting services for artists. The service provisions included ‘technical libraries’ for artists in New York and telephone assistance line operated by engineers from E. A. T. offices. The library collection features documented activities of EAT from ‘60s to ‘80s. More on â€Å"9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† (1966-2005) These were series of events that catapulted performances of artists and engineers working in unison as an E. A. T. group. The performances broke down inter-relationship barrier. It went does: Billy kluver and Robert Rauschenberg requested the working relation of 30-man engineer at Bell Laboratories, seeking their involvement in an inter-disciplinary project where avant-garde theatre, dance and new technologies were blended together. The artists involved were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. These artists were paired with engineers to produce technical components on the podium used by the participants. It was indeed a break through adventure in the field of Art and technology. Billy Kluver, farther of ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ Reference http://www. fondation-langlois. org/html/e/page. php? NumPage=306 The Man Who Made a Match of Technology and Art

Sensory Systems in Animals

Sensory Systems in Animals All animals have some kind of nervous system that can receive and interpret information about its internal and external environment. Sensory organs provide a means for communication from the external environment to the internal. Sensory receptors contain receptor cells that are specialised to respond to specialised stimuli. These sensory organs may be found all over the body or in localised areas. Afferent neurons carry the sensory information from the periphery toward and into the central nervous system while the efferent neurons carry information away from the central nervous system. Sensations arising when signals initiated in sensory receptors are transmitted in certain parts of the brain, producing signals in certain parts of the brain. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) Stimulus types possess features that can be distinguished from one another. In the body of an animal the sensory receptor cells are usually modified. For example, certain receptors detect pressure, heat, chemicals, light and even pain. The stimulus for light detection and chemical detection is different and in addition, the same type of stimulus may possess different features. This can be seen, in for example the detection of blue and red light, both being perceived as a stimulus of light. In the first part of this practical the sensory structures of a number of invertebrate organisms were studied and compared to each other. Mainly chemoreception, photoreception and mechanoreception were studied. Chemicals in the animals surrounding is detected by a number of chemoreceptors. Chemoreceptors may be divided into two main categories; olfactory (smell), which respond to airborne molecules and gustatory (taste), responding to dissolved molecules. Mechanoreceptors are made up of undifferentiated nerve endings found in connective tissue on the periphery of the animal such as the skin. More complex accessory structures have accessory structures that transfer mechanical energy to the receptive membrane. These mechanoreceptors are also able to filter the mechanical energy and they may also include the muscle stretch receptors Photoreception consists of transducing photons of light into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system and photoreceptive organs such as the eyes. These sensory structures in different animals have taken many different shapes and sizes that have been adapted to the particular environment best for them. Although quite different all the sensory structure of particular receptor has the same function of collecting information from the environment and responding in the best way possible to enhance its survival. Apparatus Light Microscope cardboard Stereomicroscope 1g-5g, 10 g, 20 g, 50, 100 g weights Pencil x3 500 mL water bath Pointed forceps heater/Bunsen to heat water Stop watch thermometer X3 5 c coins Method Refer to attached sheet Precautions The plastomounts were placed under a stereomicroscope for better viewing of small body features The same pair of forceps was used to apply the stimulus since different instruments could result in different outcomes. As much as possible the coin was placed in the sample place for all subjects since different area may have a different amount of receptors. The temperature in the water baths was measured before the experiment was conducted. This was done so that the initial temperature of the water for all the subjects would be the same. Thus the results would be more comparable. Sources of Error Due to the clothing worn the experiment of tactile response using the forceps had to be carried out over the clothing. This thus formed an extra layer that could decrease the response of the nerve. Not all the sensory structures of the organisms may have been identified. The experiments on each subject were only carried out once. More accurate results would have been obtained if carried out at least 3 times Results Part A Refer to attached diagrams Thermoreception For all 3 subjects the cold water was almost painful, while the water at 45 degrees was soothing. On placing the hand in the water at room temperature the right hand felt the water warm while the left hand (previously in the warm water) felt the water cold. Discussion Part A: Invertebrates These sensory structures in different animals have taken many different shapes and sizes that have been adapted to the particular environment best for them. These mainly have evolved from simple to more complex sensory organs that enhance the ability of the animal in collecting information from the environment and responding in the best way possible to enhance its survival. The Cnidarian Hydra, has relatively simple sensory cells scattered all over the body among the other epidermal cells, especially the mouth and tentacles. It is of utmost importance for sensory structures to be located all over the body due to the fact that the animal is radially symmetrical and can detect stimuli from all direction, including the detection of predators. The free end of every sensory cell bears a flagellum, which is the sensory receptor for chemical and tactile stimuli. The other end branches into fine processes, which synapse with nerve cells. On the surface of the animal is a modified cilia called a Cnidocil, that when simulated by any mechanical stimulation releases a nematocyst that is toxic to the predator. (Barnes Cawlow, 2002) These sense organs then lead into a diffuse nerve network, forming two interconnected nerve nets. It is of utmost importance for sensory structures to be located all over the body due to the fact that the animal is radially symmetrical and can detect stimuli from all direction, including the detection of predators. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) From the radially symmetrical Cnidarian one can move on to the bilaterally symmetrical Platyhelminthes that is represented here by the Planaria. Here the nervous system is organised into two longitudinal nerve chords that end in the anterior of the animal. This forms an anterior head and cephalisation is introduced. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) The Planaria, unlike the Hydra are seen to have an eye spot and auricles. The auricles are lobe like and are found on the sides of the head. The auricles act as a means of chemoreception while the eye spot serves as photoreceptor detecting light. Like the Hydra, it may also contain a statocyst for equilibrium and rheoreceptors for sensing water currents. Cephalisation allowed the animal to develop a bilaterally symmetrical shape. The animal moved forward and can detect changes in the environment with the part of the body with the most sensory organs, its anterior region. (Leineschh, 2007) The Pulmonate gastropod, belonging to the class Gastropoda is seen to further develop its sensory in the anterior of the body. In the anterior of the body the animal is seen to have paired eyes that function as photoreceptors, even though they are not capable of forming an image. Also the labial  and  cephalic tentacles  are mechanoreceptors, sensitive to tactile stimuli, and are probably also chemoreceptive.  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) The general body surface is also sensitive to chemical and mechanical stimuli.  Ã‚  The gastropod also has a structure that acts as both a mechanical and chemoreceptor. This is seen to be the osphradium  which is located in the inhalant respiratory water current where it monitors water on the way to the gill. A common structure with the previously studied animals is the statocyst which functions as a detector of gravity. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) The next three species studied all belong to the phylum Arthropoda, but are found in different classes. The first to be studied was the Tarantula found in the class Arachnida (order Aranea). This animal has hair like receptors called sensory setae that function as mechanoreceptors all over the body of the animal. Also, in addition they have small, extremely sensitive tactile hairs called trichobothria that are sensitive to even airborne vibrations, including sound frequencies. Chemoreception is associated with fine hairs surrounding the mouth, on the pedipalps. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) The tarantula also has 8 simple eyes that are made up of a lens, optical rods, and a retina. Even though most only can detect movement like the previously studied animals, some are able to form images. Since the spider is more accustomed to capturing prey within webs, vision is relatively unimportant and thus in most remain simple. (Underwood, 2009) Another member of the phylum Arthropoda is the scorpion, classified in the class Scorpionida. Although they are equipped with venom for defence the scorpion is still seen to be the prey of many other animals, thus they require specialised sensory structures for detection of danger. This animal is seen to possess a unique sensory structure know as a pectine. This is used primarily in detecting vibrations which are used for capturing prey. (Gaoge Smith , 2000) This is seen to be the primary chemosensory organs of scorpions. The pectines are found in the ventral medial part of body and are seen to be paired appendages that brush the substrate as the scorpion walks. Comb-like organ consists of a supportive spine and an array of teeth. Each tooth supports hundreds of setaform sensilla called pegs. The neuronal cell layer within the teeth is seen to be further divided into inner and outer sub-larninae, comprised of chemosensory and mechanosensory neurons. (Melville, 2000) Similar to the arachnids described previously, the scorpion has sensory hairs called setae that function as tactile and chemosensory hairs. These sensory hairs are also found on the pedipalps of the animal to sense air-borne vibrations. Also, thicker setae are found all over the body to detect direct touch. In contrast to the spiders the scorpions possess six pairs of eyes as part of their photoreceptor structure. The last arthropod group to be described is the centipede, classified into the sub-phylum Myiapoda and order Centipedes. These animals are seen to possess one pair of antennae instead of the usual two paid found in other arthropods. The antennae are sensory appendages found in the head of the animal that are sensitive to airborne chemicals and also possibly humidity. Similar to the planaria, Centipedes also bears a pair of simple eyes made up of ocelli. (Barnes Cawlow, 2002) Part B: Sensory function in Mammals Mechanoreception Somatosensory system has a large number of receptrors which vary in location and type. Receptors are located in the superfial skin, dermal, epidermal and depper in dermis, and in subcutaneous tissue. Meissners corpusles are located in the dermal papillae, Merkels receptors in the dermal papillae, and bare nerve endings. Subcuateous receptors, beneath both the previously mentiones layers, possess pacinian and Rufflin corpusles. Pacinian may be both cutaneous and subcutaneous. (Wang , 2007) The Pacinian corpusles are present in the skin, muscles, mesentery, tendons, and joints of mammals that are rapidly adapting. Each Pacinian corpuscle contains a region of receptor membrane that is sensitive to mechanical stimuli and that is surrounded by concentric lamellae of connective tissue structures (Anonymous, 2007) Pressure on the corpuscle transmits mechanically through the layers to the sensitive membrane of the receptor neuron. The receptor membrane normally responds with a brief, transient depolarization at both the onset and the offset of the deformation. The mechanical properties of the intact corpuscle, which preferentially pass rapid changes in pressure, confer on the receptor neuron its normally phasic response. (Randall, Berggren, French, 1997) This behaviour explains why the sensation of the coin was lost after a few seconds. The added coin did not produce enough mechanical force to excite the Pacinian corpustle once again, thus it was not felt. The time taken for the coin to stop being felt varied from person to person. This could be due to the different amount of tissue between the skin and the nerve. The thicker the less the coin is felt and the quicker is sensation is lost. A mechanoreceptors  receptive field  is the area within which a stimulus can excite the cell. If the skin is touched in two separate points within a single receptive field, the subject will be unable to feel the two separate points. If the two points touched span more than a single receptive field then both will be felt. The size of mechanoreceptors receptive fields in a given area determines the degree to which detailed stimuli can be resolved: the smaller and more densely clustered the receptive fields, the higher the resolution. For this reason, the density of the Merkel nerve endings and Meissners corpuscles determine the sensitivity of the particular area. (Wang , 2007) From the results obtained the fingertip is seen to be the most sensitive and thus will have a high density of Merkel nerve endings and Meissners corpuscles. On the other hand the fore arm is seen to be one of the least sensitive and thus will have a small density of the nerves Besides physical contact detected by mechanoreceptors, more complex accessory structures are able to transfer mechanical energy to the receptive membrane. These most complex accessory structure associate with mechanoreceptive cells is the vertebrate middle and inner ear. Hair cells are found in all vertebrate animals including humans, and are extremely sensitive mechanoreceptors. They are responsible for transducing mechanical stimuli to electrical signals. They are found in several locations. For example, in vertebrate fish and amphibians, an external set of receptors are called the lateral line system. This system is based on series of hair cells that detect motion in the surrounding water and when stimulated produces an action potential as in the mammalian ear. This lateral line is, however, not present in mammals. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) The ears of vertebrates perform two sensory functions. The organs of equilibrium perform like the statocysts in invertebrates that allow the animal to detect its position with respect to gravity. The organ of hearing provides formation about vibrational stimuli in the environment, thus detecting sound. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) Sound waves enter the external ear of a vertebrate aided by the pinna and the tragus. The entire external structure has a function similar to that of a funnel, amplifying and then concentrating sound waves. Vibrations from sound waves cause changes in air pressure, which travel from the external ear, down the auditory canal, and then move the eardrum. The ear converts energy of sound into nerve impulses. The vibration of the eardrum causes the fluid of the cochlea to move. The basilar membrane containing the floor of the cochlea, and the scala media, containing the organ of corti is where these vibrations undergo the conversion to neuronal impulses. The organ of corti contains sensory hair cells, and the waves of fluid in the cochlea press the hair cells against an overhanging tectorial membrane, and then pull them away. These hair cells are just across synapses from sensory neurons, and this action provides a stimulus that opens sodium channels in the sensory cell membranes. This provides for an action potential in the environment of high potassium concentrations that the endolymph has. Auditory nerves located in a spiral ganglion carry the action potential to the brain. (Randall, Berggren, French, 1997) Invertebrates, such as the insects have ears located on their thoracic legs and are associated with respiratory passages, called the trachea. The ear tympanum has an analogous function to the tympanic membrane of the mammalian ear. Similar to a mammal, sound waves stimulate the membrane to vibrate, but in the insect, this directly activates nerve impulses. (Barnes Cawlow, 2002) Some insects also have a related tracheal system that directs information on air pressure changes, inside the insect, to the eardrum. If the right tympanum is stimulated, it will send the signal through the tracheae to the left tympanum. The delay in stimulus between the left and the right ear helps the insect locate the direction from which the sound came. Webers law states that the ratio of the difference threshold to the value of stimulus is constant. According to this relationship, doubling the value of the stimulus will cause a doubling of the difference in the threshold. As seen in the results the just noticeable difference or intensity difference for the 50 g and 100 g was seen to be constant for all the subjects. Chemoreception Vertebrates, including humans detect chemicals using general receptors and two types of specialized receptors, gustatory and olfactory. Many aquatic vertebrates have generalized chemical receptors scattered over their body surface. Vertebrates usually accomplish chemoreception by moving chemically rich air or water into a canal or sac that contains the chemical receptors. Mammals together with other vertebrate have taste receptor cells located in taste buds which are supported by basal cells. Chemoreception is much different in invertebrates than in vertebrates. For example, planarians find food by following chemical gradients in their surroundings. Their simple chemoreceptors are found in pits on their bodies, over which they move water with cilia. Insects have chemoreceptors in their body surface, mouthparts, antennae, forelegs, and, in some cases, the ovipositor. Moths, for example, smell with thousands of sensory hairs on their antennae. (Barnes Cawlow, 2002) Photoreception In vertebrates such as humans, the surface of the eyeball is made up of the sclera, a white connective tissue, and under that a thin pigmented layer called the choroid. The sclera contains the cornea which is transparent, and is where light initially enters the eye, and the choroid contains the iris which contracts and expands to regulate the amount of light entering the hole in its centre, known as the pupil. The rear internal surface of the eye is the retina, which contains the actual photoreception cells. In the retina, there are two types of receptor cells, rods and cones. Rods and cones contain visual pigments made up of light absorbing retinal molecules. (Randall, Berggren, French, 1997) Compound eyes of arthropods are image forming eyes composed of many optic units called ommatidia. These are able to detect a very small fraction of the spectrum of light that the eye as a whole is exposed to; like the rods and cones of the vertebrate eye. In compound eyes, the photoreception cells are called retinular cells, and they surround a single eccentric cell. Because the receptive field of each unit in a compound eye is relatively large, compound eyes have lower visual acuity than vertebrates. (Randall, Berggren, French, 1997) Thermoreception Temperature is an important environmental variable, and many organisms acquire sensory information about temperature from the action of specialized nerve endings known as thermoreceptors, in the skin. Both the external skin and upper surface of the tongue of mammals contain warmth and cold receptors. the warmth receptors detect an increase in temperature in the environment by increasing the firing rate transient. On the contrary cold receptors increase its firing rate transient when a cool environment is detected. (Randall, Berggren, French, 1997) These receptors are quite sensitive. Their firing rate is seen to increase the more the temperature of the external environment varies from the internal body temperature of about 37 OC. when the temperature becomes sufficiently different the patter changes for both types of receptors and the frequency of the action potential is seen to drop. The response of the thermoreceptors consists of a large transient change in firing rate, followed by a longer-lasting, steady-state phase. Other sensory structures that are not present in humans also exist. For example, snakes have thermoreceptors that are able to detect emitted heat energy. This is advantageous for them to detect warm-blooded prey. Also fish are able to use very low frequency electrical signals to communicate in murky water, thus they are able to locate each other. (Hickman, Roberts, Keen, 2009) Conclusion From this experiment it was concluded that different organisms have different sensory structures adapted to their unique modes of life. One could also not that as animals become more complex, their sensory structures are also seen to be more developed. This can be seen from the evolution of the simple eye spot in planaria to the complex eye found in humans. Not only are humans seen to be able to detect movement but also colour. However, one may also note that humans do not always possess the most advanced sensory structures. This can be seen in for example, the ability of reptile snakes to detect infrared radiation. This being absent in humans.

Marxian Theory versus Weberian Theory Essay example -- Politics Politi

Marxian Theory versus Weberian Theory Karl Marx and Max Weber both offer valid approaches to social class in modern capitalist society, though there are very different from each other. The capitalist society is a type of society in which the private ownership of the ‘means of production’ is the dominant form of providing the things needed to survive. What distinguishes capitalism from other types of society is the emphasis on the rights of property and the individual owner’s right to employ capital, as she or he thinks fit. Karl Marx’s approach was, at first, the most convincing theory of social class. However the Neo-Marxists (the later generation Marxists) have developed the same ideas but in different ways. So today there is no single Marxian viewpoint. Marx believed that economic processes are of great importance in society, such as the harnessing of natural resources, producing goods, developing new technologies and establishing a division of labour in the workforce. These are important because in order for these things to happen, people in society have to come together. Therefore they enter into social class relationships. Social classes came about when society developed a more specialised division of labour and introduced private property. Marx argued that under capitalism there are two major classes: 1. The Bourgeoisie (capitalists) 2. The Proletariat (the workers) These two classes are defined by their relationships to productive resources, such as land, factories, machinery, raw materials etc. these are known as ‘means of production’. The Bourgeoisie is the owner of the ‘means of production’. Therefore they have a much higher and more powerful economic position in society. Workers can only live by... ...gist suggest that the main difference is that the Marxians view class relationships as grounded in exploitation and domination within means of production while Weberians see classes coming from positions in the market. Marxians believe that social class is based on the means of production, but Weberians think that power and status matter more. Marxians have 2 main classes and Weberians have a much more complicated class system. So, in conclusion the Marxians believe social class in modern society is based on ownership of means of production and the two-class model. Weberians think that social class in modern society depends on the positions in the market place, which has many more classes. Both Marxian and Weberian theories are very good and I think they are theoretically correct to a certain extent. However no one will know for sure who has the best theory.

Alcohol and Alcoholism Essay -- Drinking Binge Alcoholic Effects Essay

Alcohol and Alcoholism Alcohol is a drug, but unlike the other drugs, marijuana, cocaine, heroine, and probably all the others for some reason this is socially accepted and is legal. Alcohol is bad for you and does have long term affects associated with it. Such as the long addiction to it, effects on the body, and the social interaction effects. Alcohol, and alcoholism is common in America, but drinking is more common around kids. Social drinking a term kids and drinkers have come accustom to, social drinking is defined by one standard drink per hour, and no more than 3 per day, but some people just socialize around people that drink as heavily as they do and confuse that for social drinking. Addiction to alcohol can be acquired easily if not careful, binge drinking and family history are all keys in the identification of addiction. Family history could be linked to alcoholism by finding out if your family had problems in the past with alcohol, and it is determined by studies that genes have effects on alcohol. Alcohol is a drug, but legal unlike the other drugs on the street, in my opinion drugs are all harmful to the body, and can have serious problems to you in the long run. Alcohol can effect the body in multiple ways. The tranquilizing effects of being drunk, acts like a stimulate, but is a depressant, and causes the brain to lower self control, and impairs vision, other senses and effects bodily coordination. This tranquilizing e... Alcohol and Alcoholism Essay -- Drinking Binge Alcoholic Effects Essay Alcohol and Alcoholism Alcohol is a drug, but unlike the other drugs, marijuana, cocaine, heroine, and probably all the others for some reason this is socially accepted and is legal. Alcohol is bad for you and does have long term affects associated with it. Such as the long addiction to it, effects on the body, and the social interaction effects. Alcohol, and alcoholism is common in America, but drinking is more common around kids. Social drinking a term kids and drinkers have come accustom to, social drinking is defined by one standard drink per hour, and no more than 3 per day, but some people just socialize around people that drink as heavily as they do and confuse that for social drinking. Addiction to alcohol can be acquired easily if not careful, binge drinking and family history are all keys in the identification of addiction. Family history could be linked to alcoholism by finding out if your family had problems in the past with alcohol, and it is determined by studies that genes have effects on alcohol. Alcohol is a drug, but legal unlike the other drugs on the street, in my opinion drugs are all harmful to the body, and can have serious problems to you in the long run. Alcohol can effect the body in multiple ways. The tranquilizing effects of being drunk, acts like a stimulate, but is a depressant, and causes the brain to lower self control, and impairs vision, other senses and effects bodily coordination. This tranquilizing e...