Readers response to The Last Library Essay Example for Free

Readers response to The Last Library Essay The narrative ‘The Last Library’, by A. K. Benedict is a collision between real life and fantasy where meaningful past treasures can often be forgotten and disregarded in a fast paced world. In a way it invokes thought about a current issue in North American society today, the progression of new technologies and how we have become dependent on these new technologies as a source of entertainment. Modern day culture has been immersed in a craze of technology allowing immediate access to information and entertainment. Smart phones, tablets, social media sites, and all the vast  information of the internet that is only clicks of a mouse away has caused people to forget the wonders that a library can hold. Much of Society has forgotten how to entertain itself through imagination by reading stories. The text is slightly ambiguous I feel, as though the author wants us to create our own meaningful interpretation of the story. ‘The Last Library’ is a narrative that critiques the idea of how modern day North American culture has seemed to have forgotten about the many wonders of past treasures. The story does this by focusing on the exaggerated view of a young girl, using fiction entwined with real life problems to help us as readers to reflect on the magic places your imagination can take you when reading a book. Interpretation of the written word is shaped by the reader’s own experiences and steers each reader, ambiguously at times, towards a meaning which will differ for each reader as his or her mind interprets specific moments. The author puts forth clues in helping the reader to determine the implied reader of this text; I would consider myself to be closer to the implied reader. The implied reader can be defined as the reader imagined by the text (Grinnell 21). I have lived in a time where libraries were the primary and often times the sole source for knowledge and entertainment, as am I part of modern society entrenched in our current time of modern technology. The Guide’s (Maggie) comment referring to the last library being â€Å"Old exhibit. It’s not interactive† (Benedict 217) makes me reflect on how libraries have become obsolete in our current technological age because they are not interactive in the way  smart phones and tablets allow a person to be. This quote demonstrates a specific feeling I can sympathize with where technology, because it is so interactive, has become the dominant source of information and entertainment. A reader’s own experiences shape the interpretation of the written word. In the story the young girl thinks to herself, â€Å"Her mind is always full of stories, and now there are more outside her† (Benedict 220). This makes me ponder my own childhood and all the wonderful books such as Harry Potter or  old favorite The Saggy Baggy Elephant and all the magical stories from childhood that are treasures I will always hold inside and have helped shape who I became. The meaning of this story can seem vague at moments as the story is more fable than real life, but it does incorporate real life issues. We live in a fast paced world where progress dominates. Simple treasures are often passed over or forgotten for the sake of progress and money, and libraries are an endangered treasure. The Guide’s comment â€Å"It’s a rare event for the museum but they have to  make way for other last things. That’s progress† (Benedict 221) when the books are to be destroyed enforces this thought of â€Å"Out with the old in with the new†, which is the meaning I would take from this story. This narrative â€Å"The Last Library† creates as sense of how North American culture tends to forget the past when seeking new and exciting things. The story focused on the library but also made mention of other past things such as the Dodo or Cuckoo clock; both things we now only see in a  museum or archival instances as their time and place in history have passed. â€Å"The last museum in itself† mentioned in this short story grips the imagination and conjures up wonder if one day â€Å"will anyone care about the past? † Works Cited Benedict, A. K. The Last Library. Paraxis 2011. Rpt. in Custom Course Materials: ENGL 153. Ed. George C. Grinnell. Kelowna: U of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 2014. 217-224. Print. Grinnell, George C. Critical Practice: Critical Approaches to Narratives English 153.

The History Of Documentaries Film Studies Essay

The History Of Documentaries Film Studies Essay Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. A documentary film is a movie that attempts, in some way, to document reality. Even though the scenes are carefully chosen and arranged, they are not scripted, and the people in a documentary film are not actors. Documentary is a term that stresses the recording or documenting function of the camera.   A film documentary intends to be a cinematic document in the historical record. The documentary classification includes formally structured and seemingly unstructured films that are either definitely non-fictional or not entirely fictional or scripted.   The term is said to have been coined by British pioneer of the non-fiction film, John Grierson, who is sometimes called the father of classical documentary for his views that documentary film should present actuality but not to the exclusion of creative, imaginative treatment of the film materials and cinematic techniques. Documentary filmmakers seek to render the world as they see it.    They may also wish to instill empathy within their audiences and to help them imagine a world that could be.   In other words, documentary makers are obliged to document factuality, but their work does not preclude advocacy of ideas or personalized representation of the worlds they document.   Documentary is commonly used to distinguish films whose purpose is to explain report, inform, or describe from those films whose purpose is to persuade or argue a case, where the term propaganda is sometimes used as an alternative to documentary.   Propaganda films are seen as manipulative, the formalist extreme in distortion for the purpose of changing the thoughts or actions of the audience.   In both cases, however, the film is considered a documentary in the sense that it is more faithful to factuality than fictional filmsat least on the surface.   Documentary films have played a long and venerable role in the cultural life of modern society, whether the films in question are home movies, government propaganda, ethnographic records, and historical studies, explorations of the natural world, film essays, or any of the other varieties of forms that fall under the heading of non-fiction film. With the advent of digital cameras and computer-based non-linear editing programs, more and more people have access to the tools for creating such films, fueling a vast new interest in the documentary form, and through their creation bringing to light new and unexpected arenas of the human experience. Although documentary film originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video or made for a television series. Documentary, as it applies here, works to identify a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries. Sometimes, a documentary film may rely on voice-over narration to describe what is happening in the footage; in other films, the footage will speak for itself. Often, a documentary film will include interviews with the people in the film. The earliest film of any sort was a documentary film. These featured single shots of actual events, such as a boat leaving shore, and were referred to as actuality films. Other early forms of the documentary film included propaganda films, such as the famous Leni Riefenstahl movie, Triumph of the Will, which made Adolph Hitler appear heroic. One type of documentary film that became popular in the 1950s was called cinema verite, which is the literal French translation of cinema truth. Cinema verite is a type of documentary film that includes no narration; the camera simply follows the subject. One famous example of such a film is Dont Look Back a biography film about Bob Dylan, covering his tour of the United Kingdom in 1965. In recent years, the documentary film genre has become more popular and high profile, though it is still far less popular generally than the action or adventure film genre. Many of todays examples of the documentary film have a political or otherwise controversial agenda, such as An Inconvenient Truth, Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 911. Michael Moores Fahrenheit 911, which documented the Bush familys ties to Saudi Arabia and Osama bin Laden, was the most popular documentary film of all time, with over $228 million US Dollars in ticket sales. HISTORY PRE-1900 The film maker Mustafah Arrafat used the term documentary in 1926 to refer to any nonfiction film medium, including travelogues and instructional films. The earliest moving pictures were, by definition, documentaries. They were single-shot moments captured on film: a train entering a station, a boat docking, or a factory of people getting off work. Early film (pre-1900) was dominated by the novelty of showing an event. These short films were called actuality films. (The term documentary was not coined until 1926.) Very little storytelling took place before the turn of the century, due mostly to technological limitations, namely, that movie cameras could hold only very small amounts of film. Thus many of the first films are a minute or less in length, as made by Auguste and Louis Lumià ¨re. 1900-1920 Travelogue films were very popular in the early part of the 20th century. Some were known as scenics. Scenics were among the most popular sort of films at the time.[2] An important early film to move beyond the concept of the scenic was In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914), which embraced primitivism and exoticism in a staged story presented as truthful re-enactments of the life of Native Americans. Also during this period Frank Hurleys documentary film about the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition South was released (1919). It documented the failed Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1914. 1920s ROMANTICISM With Robert J. Flahertys Nanook of the North in 1922, documentary film embraced romanticism; Flaherty went on to film a number of heavily staged romantic films, usually showing how his subjects would have lived 100 years earlier and not how they lived right then (for instance, in Nanook of the North Flaherty did not allow his subjects to shoot a walrus with a nearby shotgun, but had them use a harpoon instead). Some of Flahertys staging, such as building a roofless igloo for interior shots, was done to accommodate the filming technology of the time. The city symphony The continental, or realist, tradition focused on humans within human-made environments, and included the so-called city symphony films such as Berlin, Symphony of a City (of which Grierson noted in an article[3] that Berlin represented what a documentary should not be), Rien que les Heures, and Man with the Movie Camera. These films tend to feature people as products of their environment, and lean towards the avant-garde. Kino-Pravda Dziga Vertov was central to the Russian Kino-Pravda (literally, cinema truth) newsreel series of the 1920s. Vertov believed the camera with its varied lenses, shot-counter shot editing, time-lapse, ability to slow motion, stop motion and fast-motion could render reality more accurately than the human eye, and made a film philosophy out of it. Newsreel tradition The newsreel tradition is important in documentary film; newsreels were also sometimes staged but were usually re-enactments of events that had already happened, not attempts to steer events as they were in the process of happening. For instance, much of the battle footage from the early 20th century was staged; the cameramen would usually arrive on site after a major battle and re-enact scenes to film them. 1920s-1940s The propagandist tradition consists of films made with the explicit purpose of persuading an audience of a point. One of the most notorious propaganda films is Leni Riefenstahls film Triumph of the Will. Frank Capras Why We Fight series was a newsreel series in the United States, commissioned by the government to convince the U.S. public that it was time to go to war. In Canada the Film Board, set up by Grierson, was created for the same propaganda reasons. It also created newsreels that were seen by their national governments as legitimate counter-propaganda to the psychological warfare of Nazi Germany (orchestrated by Joseph Goebbels). In Britain, a number of different filmmakers came together under John Grierson. They became known as the Documentary Film Movement. John Grierson, Alberto Cavalcanti, Harry Watt, Basil Wright and Humphrey Jennings amongst others succeeded in blending propaganda, information and education with a more poetic aesthetic approach to documentary. Examples of their work include Drifters (John Grierson), Song of Ceylon (Harry Watt), Fires Were Started and A Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings). Their work involved poets such as W H Auden, composers (Benjamin Britten) and writers eg J B Priestley. Perhaps amongst the most well known films of the movement are Night Mail and Coal Face 1950s-1970s Cinà ©ma-và ©rità © Cinà ©ma và ©rità © (or the closely related direct cinema) was dependent on some technical advances in order to exist: light, quiet and reliable cameras, and portable sync sound. Cinà ©ma và ©rità © and similar documentary traditions can thus be seen, in a broader perspective, as a reaction against studio-based film production constraints. Shooting on location, with smaller crews, would also happen in the French New Wave, the filmmakers taking advantage of advances in technology allowing smaller, handheld cameras and synchronized sound to film events on location as they unfolded. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are important differences between cinà ©ma và ©rità © (Jean Rouch) and the North American Direct Cinema (or more accurately Cinà ©ma direct, pioneered among others by French Canadian Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault, Americans Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, Frederick Wiseman and Albert and David Maysles). The directors of the movement take different viewpoints on their degree of involvement. Kopple and Pennebaker, for instance, choose non-involvement (or at least no overt involvement), and Perrault, Rouch, Koenig, and Kroitor favor direct involvement or even provocation when they deem it necessary. The films Primary and Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (both produced by Robert Drew), Harlan County, USA (directed by Barbara Kopple), Dont Look Back (D. A. Pennebaker), Lonely Boy (Wolf Koenig and Roman Kroitor), Chronicle of a Summer (Jean Rouch) and Golden Gloves (Gilles Groulx) are all frequently deemed cinà ©ma và ©rità © films. The fundamentals of the style include following a person during a crisis with a moving, often handheld, camera to capture more personal reactions. There are no sit-down interviews, and the shooting ratio (the amount of film shot to the finished product) is very high, often reaching 80 to one. From there, editors find and sculpt the work into a film. The editors of the movement such as Werner Nold, Charlotte Zwerin, Muffie Myers, Susan Froemke, and Ellen Hovde are often overlooked, but their input to the films was so vital that they were often given co-director credits. Famous cinà ©ma và ©rità ©/direct cinema films include Les Raquetteurs, Showman, Salesman, The Children Were Watching, Primary, Behind a Presidential Crisis, and Grey Gardens. MODERN DOCUMENTARIES Box office analysts have noted that this film genre has become increasingly successful in theatrical release with films such as Bowling for Columbine, Super Size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11, March of the Penguins and An Inconvenient Truth among the most prominent examples. Compared to dramatic narrative films, documentaries typically have far lower budgets which makes them attractive to film companies because even a limited theatrical release can be highly profitable. Fahrenheit 9/11 set a new record for documentary profits, earning over US$228 million in ticket sales and selling over 3 million DVDs. The nature of documentary films has changed in the past 20 years from the cinema verità © tradition. Landmark films such as The Thin Blue Line by Errol Morris incorporated stylized re-enactments, and Michael Moores Roger and Me placed far more interpretive control with the director. Indeed, the commercial success of these documentaries may derive from this narrative shift in the documentary form, leading some critics to question whether such films can truly be called documentaries; critics sometimes refer to these works as mondo films or docu-ganda. However, directorial manipulation of documentary subjects has been noted since the work of Flaherty, and may be endemic to the form. The recent success of the documentary genre, and the advent of DVDs, has made documentaries financially viable even without a cinema release. Yet funding for documentary film production remains elusive, and within the past decade the largest exhibition opportunities have emerged from within the broadcast market, making filmmakers beholden to the tastes and influences of the broadcasters who have become their largest funding source.[6] Modern documentaries have some overlap with television forms, with the development of reality television that occasionally verges on the documentary but more often veers to the fictional or staged. The making of documentary shows how a movie or a computer game was produced. Usually made for promotional purposes, it is closer to an advertisement than a classic documentary. Modern lightweight digital video cameras and computer-based editing have greatly aided documentary makers, as has the dramatic drop in equipment prices. An example of a film to take full advantage of this change was Martin Kunert and Eric Manes Voices of Iraq, where 150 DV cameras were sent to Iraq during the war and passed out to Iraqis to record themselves. THE EARLIEST DOCUMENTARIES: Originally, the earliest documentaries in the US and France were either short newsreels, instructional pictures, records of current events, or travelogues (termed actualities) without any creative story-telling, narrative, or staging. The first attempts at film-making, by the Lumiere Brothers and others, were literal documentaries, e.g., a train entering a station, factory workers leaving a plant, etc. The first documentary re-creation, Sigmund Lubins one-reel The Unwritten Law (1907) (subtitled A Thrilling Drama Based on the Thaw-White Tragedy) dramatized the true-life murder on June 25, 1906 of prominent architect Stanford White by mentally unstable and jealous millionaire husband Harry Kendall Thaw over the affections of showgirl Evelyn Nesbit (who appeared as herself). [Alluring chorine Nesbit would become a brief sensation and the basis for Richard Fleischers biopic film The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955), portrayed by Joan Collins, and E.L. Doctorows musical and film Ragtime (1981), portrayed by an Oscar-nominated Elizabeth McGovern.] The first official documentary or non-fiction narrative film was Robert Flahertys Nanook of the North (1922), an ethnographic look at the harsh life of Canadian Inuit Eskimos living in the Arctic, although some of the films scenes of obsolete customs were staged. Flaherty, often regarded as the Father of the Documentary Film, also made the landmark film Moana (1926) about Samoan Pacific islanders, although it was less successful. The term documentary was first used in a review of Flahertys 1926 film. His first sound documentary feature film was Man of Aran (1934), regarding the rugged Aran islanders/fishermen located west of Irelands Galway Bay. Flahertys fourth (and last) major feature documentary was his most controversial, Louisiana Story (1948), filmed on location in Louisianas wild bayou country. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, better known for King Kong (1933), directed the landmark documentary Grass: A Nations Battle for Life (1925), the first documentary epic, which traced the travels of the Bakhtyari tribe in Persia during their migrational wanderings to find fresh grazing lands. The filmmakers next film was the part-adventure, travel documentary filmed on location in the Siamese (Thailand) jungle, Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927), about a native tribal family. Other European documentary film-makers made a series of so-called non-fictional city symphonies. Alberto Cavalcanti and Walter Ruttman directed Berlin Symphony of a Big City (1927, Ger.) about the German city in the late 1920s. Similarly, the Soviet Unions (and Dziga Vertovs) avante-garde, experimental documentary The Man with a Movie Camera (1929) presented typical daily life within several Soviet cities (Moscow, Kiev, Odessa) through an exhilarating montage technique. And French director Jean Vigo made On the Subject of Nice (1930). Sergei Eisensteins October (Oktyabr)/10 Days That Shook the World (1928, USSR) re-enacted in documentary-style, the days surrounding the Bolshevik Revolution, to commemorate the events 10th anniversary.

Characterizing HP’s from Leptospira Interrogans

Characterizing HP’s from Leptospira Interrogans Introduction: Genome sequencing projects and genetic engineering has revealed many aspects of complex cellular environment containing large number of proteins. Despite sequences of most of organisms are available and proteins coded are studied experimentally, there are some proteins whose functions are unknown, need to be characterised(5). Such proteins are known as Hypothetical proteins (HP) sequences of which are known but there is no evidence of experimental study(6). There is extensive need to study and classify these hypothetical proteins which can open new way to design drug molecules against infectious organisms. Functional annotation of HP’s involved in infection, drug resistance, and essential biosynthetic pathways is important for development of the potent antibacterials against infectious agents. Improved understanding of these proteins may make them potential targets of antimicrobial drugs [26]. Leptospira interrogans is gram negative spirochete, having an internal flagella is p athogenic which causes Leptospirosis (1)(2), other serovars (strains) are distinguished on the basis of cell surface antigens. These are infectious to animals, but through animal urine can be spread to human(3). Leptospira enters in body via broken skin, mucosa and spreads in body, if immune system fails to stop the growth of bacteria it cause severe hepatic and renal dysfunctions(4). This present study highlights thein silicostudies to characterize HP’s from Leptospira interrogans. Methods: Sequence Retrieval: KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes) is a large collection of databases having entries of genes, proteins, pathways in metabolism and diseases, drug and ligands of organism (7). We have selected the Sequences of 12 hypothetical proteins of Leptospira interrogans randomly from KEGG database (www.genome.jpg/kegg).   Pfam: Pfam is curated Protein families database, it uses jackhmmer programme (HMMR3). To give profile HMM ( Hiden Markov Model) with PSI-BLAST, which were searched against UniProt(9). However, to include protein in a family its domain and sequence bit scores must be equal or above the Gathering Thresholds (GA). Pfam gives Pfam A families which are manually curated and Pfam B families generated automatically(8). Batch CD search: Hypothetical Protein sequences were searched for conserved domains at batch CD search, which gives results by using MSA and 3D structures for homologous domains available on Pfam and SMART(9)(10). ExPASy-ProtParam tool: ProtParam tool (www.expasy.org/tools/protparam.html) was used to estimate physicochemical parameters of hypothetical proteins(11). Query protein can be submitted in form of SWISS/TrEMBL ID or protein sequence. Server provides directly calculated values of pI/MW (Isoelectric point, Molecular Weight), Percentage of each amino acid, Extinction coefficient (EC), Instability Index (II)(12), Aliphatic Index (AI) and GRAVY (Grand Average of Hydrophobicity). SOSUI server: Amphiphilicity index and Hydropathy index of query protein sequences were calculated by SOSUI server which categorises protein into cytoplasmic or transmembrane nature(13). Protein-Protein Interaction network: Protein in the cell environment interacts with other proteins, in silico these interactions were studied by STRING v9.1 (Search Tool for Retrieval of Interacting Genes). STRING is a large repository of protein-protein interactions involving functional interactions, stable complexes, and regulatory interactions among proteins(14,15). Figure 1. Shows resulting protein-protein interaction network of selected hypothetical proteins, for better understanding interaction networks should be seen on server site. Disulfide-Bonding in Protein Disulfide bonds among cysteine residues in protein plays an important role in folding it into functional and stable conformation. DISULFIND server utilizes SVM binary server to predict bonding state of cysteins, these cysteins are paired by Recursive Neural Network to show disulfide bridges(16). Protein Structure Prediction: Protein structure prediction server (PS)2 (17) requires query sequence in fasta format to generate 3D structure by comparative modelling(18). Server utilizes consensus strategy to find template using PSI-BLAST and IMPALA. Query sequence and template aligned by T-coffee, PSI-BLAST, and IMPALA [13]. 3D structures are predicted from template using MODELLER and visualised by CHIME, Raster3D. Resulting 3D structural model of selected hypothetical proteins are shown in Figure 2. Ligand Binding site Prediction: Q-site finder(19) server was used for binding site prediction in selected proteins. Server uses energy based methods to find clefts on protein surface for ligands(20). These hot spots for ligand binding have predicted after ranking their physicochemical properties as hydrophobicity, desolvation, electrostatic van der waal potentials. Discussion: ProtParam tool computes different physicochemical parameters depending on the queries submitted to the databases. Isoelectric focusing separates proteins according to pI where pH gradients are developed(21). Predicted pI via server may not be adequate because in case of high number of basic amino acids and lower buffer capacity. By using pH gradients and calculated pI, proteins can be separated experimentally. MW of proteins along with pI is used for the 2D gel electrophoresis. EC shows a light absorbed by a protein relative to their composition at a specific wavelength. EC given (Table 1) are calculated with reference to Tryptophan, Cysteine, Tyrosine (11). Instability index (II) refers to the stability of the protein in test tube(22). Among studied proteins giÇâ‚ ¬24214908, giÇâ‚ ¬24215664, giÇâ‚ ¬24216444, giÇâ‚ ¬24213620, gi|24213945 were found to be unstable, and rest are stable (proteins with II above 40 are unstable). Aliphatic amino acid constitute s the aliphatic index (a relative volume of aliphatic side chains). Increased AI results into a hydrophobic interactions and thus gives thermostatic stability to protein, predicted AI and II shows inverse relation for stability except these two proteins giÇâ‚ ¬24215664 and giÇâ‚ ¬24215909. GRAVY(23) values are a ratio of all hydropathy values of amino acids to the number of residues in sequence. Smaller the GRAVY(23) more hydrophilic is protein, giÇâ‚ ¬24214908 and gi|24213945 proteins found the most hydrophilic. In case of 3D structure hydrophilic domains tends to be on exterior surface, while hydrophobic domains avoids external environment and forms internal core of the protein. Search of family for hypothetical proteins based on conserved domains having consensus sequence in their structure is given in Table 3. Hypothetical protein giÇâ‚ ¬24214908 found to be a member of GH18_CFLE_spore_hydrolase, Cortical fragment Lytic Enzyme bearing a catalytic doma in from glycosyl hydrolase, an enzyme used in breaking a spore peptidoglycans so as to activate it for germination when favourable conditions are available. Hypothetical protein giÇâ‚ ¬24215649 from PDZ_serine_protease involved in protein reassembly and work as a heat shock protein. Protein giÇâ‚ ¬24215664 belongs to Leucine-rich Repeats (LRR), ribonuclease inhibitor like family. LRR are motifs having role in protein interactions in complex networks. S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) enzyme for biosynthesis of spermine and spermidine by decarboxylation of SAM belongs to Ado_Met_dc family (giÇâ‚ ¬24217373). Pilz domain in giÇâ‚ ¬24213620 is found in bacterial cellulose synthase and other proteins that forms biofilm around a bacterium and involve in effluxing drug(24). Hypothetical protein giÇâ‚ ¬294827583 (FecR superfamily) is involved in Iron transport system in bacterial membranes, Fe3+ (insoluble) loaded on citrate carrier is sensed b y FecR protein found in periplasmic space in bacterial membrane(25). Protein sites are predicted as cytoplasmic, host associated, extracellular, cytoplasmic membrane proteins. SOSOI server predictions (Table 6) shows that positively charged amino acids are more at the end of trans membrane region. Protein-protein interaction study has shown some hypothetical proteins are involved in essential cellular process such as transport across membrane, biosynthesis of molecules, translational regulation. Hypothetical protein giÇâ‚ ¬24214908 (Figure 1) interacts with SUA5 protein which is known as one of translational regulator from YrdC/SUA5 family. Search for giÇâ‚ ¬24215909 shown to be involved in chloride transport with chloride channel protein (EriC gene). Protein giÇâ‚ ¬24217373 found to be interacted with S-layer like protein (slpM) which forms layer around bacteria to attach other surfaces and protect it from environment. Additionally it involve in cell devising p rocesses and transport across membrane. Protein giÇâ‚ ¬294827687 had shown interaction with proteins for bleomycin resistance, chorismate synthase (Trp biosynthesis) and Mammalian Cell entry (MCE) like proteins. Figure 2 shows 3D structures of proteins giÇâ‚ ¬24214908, giÇâ‚ ¬24213620, giÇâ‚ ¬24214753, gi|24213945 predicted from amino acid sequence on PS2 server by using templates 1vf8A, 3bo5A, 1f9zA, and c2efsA respectively. Conclusion: Development of potential bioinformatics tools and databases has opened new platform for in-silico study. Currently it is very needful to annotate and characterize hypothetical proteins in Leptospira interrogans serovar. These hypothetical proteins may have an imperative role in producing many virulence factors and cause serious infection or disease. We have analyzed 12 hypothetical proteins from KEGG database and categorized its physicochemical properties and recognized domains and families using various bioinformatics tools and databases. The structures were modeled and their ligand binding sites were identified. Physicochemical predictions made for hypothetical proteins, which can be used to find therapeutic agents against infections caused by Leptospira interrogans. Some of hypothetical proteins serves as channel proteins, ribosomal proteins or are involved in cell cycle process. Families which were identified for these hypothetical proteins are involved in normal cellular process es and the resistance against drugs. Ligand binding hotspots were found with Q-sitefinder which shown amino acids involved in interaction with ligands. It will help in study of molecular docking for development of potent and effective target against Leptospira infection. Acknowledgement: This study was supported by NIPER Guwahati academic staff. We are very grateful for their excellent support in every manner. References: Chou L-F, Chen Y-T, Lu C-W, Ko Y-C, Tang C-Y, Pan M-J, et al. Sequence of Leptospira santarosai serovar Shermani genome and prediction of virulence-associated genes. Gene [Internet]. 2012;511:364–70. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041083 Langston CE, Heuter KJ. Leptospirosis. A re-emerging zoonotic disease. Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. [Internet]. 2003;33:791–807. Available from: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195561603000263 Kohn B, Steinicke K, Arndt G, Gruber AD, Guerra B, Jansen A, et al. Pulmonary abnormalities in dogs with leptospirosis. J. Vet. Intern. Med. Am. Coll. Vet. Intern. Med. [Internet]. 2010;24:1277–82. 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The Power of Kurtz in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

The Power of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness Power has been defined as the psychological relations over another to get them to do what you want them to do.   We are exposed to forms of power from the time of birth.   Our parents exercise power over us to behave in a way they deem appropriate. In school, teachers use their power to help us learn.   When we enter the work world the power of our boss motivates us to perform and desire to move up the corporate ladder so that we too can intimidate someone with power one day.   In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Kurtz had a  power over the jungle and its people that was inexplicable. Kurtz is one of many men sent into the jungle to rape the land and its people of its natural resources.   Many men have journeyed into the jungle also refereed as the heart of darkness never to return.   Kurtz goes into the jungle and becomes obsessed with the people and the land.  Ã‚   Though Kurtz has an obsession with ivory this is not the sole reason for him to overstay his welcome in the jungle. Power this is what kept Kurtz in the jungle for such a long period of time.   Determined not to become another causality he becomes allies with the natives through fear.   Kurtz is a brilliant man who did not have to adapt to his environment but had it adapt to him.   On top of a hill his hut is surrounded by the heads of men who have betrayed in him some sort, this serves as a reminder to anyone who contemplates going against his wish.    When Marlow finally reaches Kurtz he is in declining health.   This same jungle which he loved, embraced and consumed with every ounce of his flesh had also taken its toll on him.   Marlow finally meets the man whose name has haunted him on his river journey.   Could this frail human be the ever so powerful Kurtz?   The man who has journeyed into uncharted territories and has come back with scores of ivory and the respect of the native tribe.   Yes, this was the very man and though he is weak and on his way to death his power still exudes from him. This is where the definition of power comes in to play the â€Å"psychological relation† see even though his body was decomposing his mind was still sharp.

The Interaction Between Body and Writing :: Teaching Writing

The Interaction Between Body and Writing My first text for this assignment was this haiku: thank god for spring in Ypsi; makes it easier to get out of bed. It seemed appropriate to the task of attempting to write in English without using any technology, as the haiku form is traditionally concerned with the natural world. I envisioned the grass and earth on my property, newly bared to the sun again after the snows, and the letter-making materials available on the site. I could hear my paper unfolding in my head; since the point of the project was to come to terms with the bonded nature of language to technology in writing, I could see whole paragraphs about my use of found sticks and mud as well as bits of discarded junk that my landlord had left lying around since last fall. My argument would be that the use of materials that had originated from the natural world and been manipulated by technology that were now returning to their natural home symbolized the interwoven relationships between thought and feeling and action that is written communication. I had some lovely big ideas. But then I started wandering around in my head a little bit, and some interesting questions came up. Having grown up in ballet and still acting in the world to some extent as a dancer, I wondered if dance is also a technology in the same way that the alphabet and writing are. It seems to me that social dance, while it does serve the purpose of communication to some extent, has no articulated 'alphabet' of signifiers that compare to words and letters. Dance forms like ballet and flamenco, however, most definitely do. For the trained dancer and the educated audience member, ballet is a system of movement with numerous gestures, movements and shapes that signify specific meanings. The manner in which dance is formed, however, via the body of the 'author,' doesn't perform the same separating function that Walter Ong claims writing does in his essay Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought. The technology of dance is contained within the author, but the technology of writing is e xternal to the author. While writing "promotes 'objectivity'" by distancing the performer from his/her ideas via performance (326), dance to some extent preserves the unity of thought/emotion and the thinker. With my confidence shored up by Naomi Baron's discussion of the

How to Create an Effective Technology Support Team

How to Create and Effective Technology Support Team May 10, 2010 University of Phoenix People in every workplace speak of building the team, working as a team, and my team, but few understand how to create the experience of teamwork or how to develop an effective team (Heathfield, n. d. ). Technology has become a critical need for any business to profit in a positive way. This research paper will explain a few key elements that are a requirement to have an effective technology support team. An explanation of how personalities can affect relationships within and beyond the technical staff. Belonging to a team, in the broadest sense, is a result of feeling part of something larger than yourself (Heathfield, n. d. ). Organization Structure Organization structure is very important in a team environment because it will help define and understand the team and team members of the organization. Appointing a team leader for the team is a powerful asset and will tend to keep everything in order within the organization. It is best to form the team with different abilities because it will create a more complete understanding of the requirements. The appointed team leader should provide some type of statement to the team members advising the team members of the goal and expectations of the team. It is very important to become acquainted with the team members so the motivation will be there to strive for the best. After the information is given questions are address then the leader will appoint all team members with their roles and responsibilities. This will avoid any overlap or extra responsibilities among whose job is to do what. Team Operation When a team is put together, it is extremely valuable to bring the team ogether in a project area. The proximity of the team members will provide a number of benefits. Interpersonal relationships will develop at a steady pace leading to more effective and timely communication of information. The team must remember that the team leader is not the manager of the team; however is consider a coach or facilitator. This is very important to remember so the team can operate together efficie ntly. Planning is another important part of the team operation because it will keep everything running smooth and on time. Planning helps the team understand the project objectives, customer requirements, goals, cost, and schedule. Communication Communication plays a major part in possessing an effective technology support team. The team represents the company and all the customers know of. It is extremely important for all team members to listen effectively to ensure the understanding of the customer needs. If the communication is not open and understood the team could fall apart. It is often impossible to fix a misunderstanding in which technology is concerned (Techsoup for libraries, 2009). If the team leader have not identified and communicate the needs clearly at the beginning of a technology project, there may be little or no room for changes later on (Techsoup for libraries, 2009). It can affect the entire company, employees, and customers. Software has so many dependencies that a small change may cause a number of consequences. It is much better to catch a minor issue at the beginning instead of at the end of the problem. Misunderstanding any communication within the technical realm can lead to a waste of time and effort. It is important to listen actively to ensure the clarity of the client to avoid troubleshooting a problem that is the wrong problem. This type of miscommunication will affect the end user and will cause a longer time frame for resolution. To ensure the communication is efficient the technical member will need to remember three important factors. First, ensure that they are aware of whom they are speaking with. They will need to distinguish if they are speaking with a client who is knowledgeable on a technical level or not knowledgeable on the technical level to determine how he or she will need to speak to the client. Second, the technical team member will need to know how familiar the client is with the technology library. By understanding what level the client is on concerning the knowledge the team member will be able to adjust the attitude and language given. Last, all the members of the team need to stay refresh with the basics of interacting with fellow team members, supervisors, and clients. Personalities Another element in building an effective technology support team is the consideration of the individual personalities of the team members (Kearns, 2009). This portion is basically on the team leader position because the team leader will need to know how the other team members will affect each other to avoid any personality conflicts. The team leader has to remember three questions to ask him or herself about the team members to ensure the entire team is on the same level. First, the team leader will need to know do each individual work well in a team environment. Second, will need to ensure all members can handle peer criticism constructively. Last, needs to make sure the team members’ goals and efforts are in line with the team and not for themselves. If none of the three questions are thought of, it can cause a high turnover rate and will cause difficulties with training. Technology is a must have in the 21st century now and possessing an effective support team is vital. Building a good team is the best thing a team leader can do to achieve a successful project. With the right attitude, a team will overcome almost any difficulty to succeed in its goals. In most projects there will be instances when only the determination of the team can overcome the difficulties and continue to strive for success (Lycos, 2010). Trainings will help assist with continuing the strong teamwork with the team and to have knowledge of any new technology release. Teamwork is the key to having a successful project and will continue to increase the business in a positive way. References Heathfield, Susan. (n. d. ). Twelve Tips for Team Building: How to Build Successful Work Team. Retrieved on May 11, 2010, from http://humanresources. about. om/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team_2. htm Kearns, William. (2009). Building a Technology Support Team. Retrieved on May 11, 2010, from http://www. articlesbase. com/technology-articles/building-a-technology-support-team-1594409. html Lycos Retriever. (2010). Team Building: People. Retrieved on May 11, 2010 from http://www. lycos. com/info/team-building–people. html TechSoup for Libraries. (2009). Building a Te chnology Team. Retrieved on May 11, 2010, from http://www. techsoupforlibraries. org/? q=cookbook-3/planning-and-decision-making/building-a-technology-team

Reaction Paper on the Film “A Beautiful Mind”

A Beautiful Mind is a movie about John Forbes Nash Jr. who is notable for his contributions in Economics and Mathematics. It was evident in the film that he has an outstanding talent and showed it by performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment. With a superior intelligence, I can say that Nash is truly a brilliant man.Despite the fact he is a genius, everything still wasn't perfect — he's suffering from a mental illness called schizophrenia without his awareness. While he has a beyond average aptitude in logical and mathematical aspects, he had problems with his interpersonal relationships. This affliction slowly eats up his mind, destroying his bond with the people around him. With this illness, he wasn't able to separate the imaginary world from the real world he is living in, with all the hallucinations and nonexistent friends he has.I strongly believe that these delusions are from the feelings and memories he repressed in his subconscious that liberates in the form of imaginary friends and such. Lucky for him that he has understanding wife, because if it wasn't for her love and support, he wouldn't be able to get through one of the hardest trials in his life. Although she nearly lost her faith, Alicia didn't give up the hope that Nash will someday overcome his disease. This quality of Alicia is something I admired: standing by and staying committed to the person she loves the most.Granted all the struggles, Nash didn't give up the passion to learn and share his learnings as well. He came out on top of this illness by declining therapy, living a normal life with Alicia and his child, and also by persisting in educating eager young minds.After watching this film, I am in stack of awe with the way Nash conquered everything that stood in the way for achieving his dreams. I guess, the learning we can take from his story is that we should see our disabilities not as hindrances rather, as challenges to make us strive for more. There  may be ti mes that we trip a little, we may even fall, but we must stand up and continue walking towards fulfilling our goals.