Global Media Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Media Management - Essay Example Global Media Management Introduction The communication industry has been one of the toughest industries in the world. This is as a result of the immense competition and rivalry that is characterized by the industry. In fact, it is one of the most competitive industries in the world. This can be rooted from the fact that the communication industry experiences the most technological innovations across all industries. Every now and then new communication software and hardware are innovated. The only way a firm in the industry can make sure that they are enjoying maximum revenue from the industry’s market, is to make sure that they are the first ones to come up with such innovations since this will not only attract more consumers to their product but also ensure that they have productions rights of the technology they have introduced to the market. Innovation has made the communication industry to resemble a perfect competition market since no one firm enjoys domination over the m arket due to these new innovations that revolutionize the industry every now and then. Green Technologies has developed a new smart phone which it intends to launch in the next four months. It is important for the firm to undertake a good marketing strategy to ensure that the product is received well by consumers in the communication market. In order for this to happen, the marketing team should identify its communication objectives, the target consumer group, the brand which they will give the phone, and what media tools they will use in their campaign of launching the new product. Communication Objectives To ensure that Green Technologies successfully launches the new phone, it is of note for them to come up with communication objectives for their campaign. This will be beneficial to the firm because, coming up with communication objectives will save the company both time and money since they will undertake communication strategies that will focus on the objectives they have set r ather than undertaking a general communication strategy that will convey information that might be ambiguous and unnecessary costing them a lot of money and time. One communication objective in the launching of their product is to communicate to consumers in the market on the system specifications of the new smart phone. The firm should specify to consumers on each and every feature the new phone has explaining to them in a simple way in which ordinary persons who do not understand technological specifics can understand about the new product. For example, the new smart phone will come with a 5.0 inch display screen with high definition. This means that the phone can display videos and pictures in crystal clear quality. In the above example, not all consumers understand what high definition is hence by explaining to the consumers that it means quality pictures and videos it further explains the meaning of the term high definition to a layman. This will go a long way in ensuring the c onsumers understand the specifications of the phone. Another communication objective that the firm should undertake is informing the consumers the advantage the smart phone has over other phones. This is due to the fact that in the communication industry, for a new product especially a smart phone to be successful in the

Marks of a Healthy Church Essay Example for Free

Marks of a Healthy Church Essay Introduction In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the â€Å"local† church or the â€Å"universal† church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their membership roll. Healthy churches measure their spirituality according to God’s Word. This paper seeks to convey that healthy churches are measured in spiritual terms versus numerical terms; follow biblical instead of cultural patterns of ministry; are based on theological instead of sociological foundations; focus on ministry not a marketing model; and adopt scriptural not secular models of leadership. This will be done by examining Kenneth Gangel’s discussion on the different marks that can be used to gauge a healthy church in his article â€Å"The Marks of a Healthy Church.† Brief Summary According to Kenneth Gangel, in his article â€Å"The Marks of a Healthy Church,† he seeks to â€Å"explain the characteristics of a healthy church using the measurements of the spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership.† To accomplish this Gangel cautions spiritual leaders not to get caught up in measuring church growth in numerical terms. They should accentuate the holiness and sovereignty of God through Bible study, worship, prayer, praise, and fellowship. In following biblical instead of cultural patterns, churches do not feel compelled to stay â€Å"up with the times† or get hooked on religious fads and slogans. Churches should not push alot of programs and believe that they are right just because they are successful. They would do well to check them and their success against the Word of God. Gangel also wanted spiritual leaders to ensure that they are paying attention to the true vigor or teachings of biblical theology and not get caught up in sociological perceptions of what the church should be. They should seek God’s plans for the church and tune out outside influences. A healthy church seeks to remain spiritually effective by following the ministry model of the â€Å"Great Commission† according to God’s grace, authority, and resources. Churches must never use the marketing or worldly model of seeking resources to accomplish their goals. Spiritual leaders will have trials and be scrutinized; but they should never take on a secular form of leadership in order to deal with these trials. They must pay attention to the essential functions of guiding and leading a healthy church. Critical Interaction Gangel has taken an in depth approach to explaining what constitutes a healthy church. He seeks to make clear that spiritual leaders have to use a biblical approach to assessing church growth or a healthy church. Some of the theological issues that I have found to be at stake in the article are the beliefs that church growth is an indication that the church is growing according to what God has mandated for the church. Church growth should always be evaluated to ensure that the growth is occurring for the right or biblical reasons. The other theological issue is making sure that the spiritual leader and the church are not conforming to the world and its way of doing things. The Bible is the road map that has been given to the spiritual leaders and the church to ensure that they do not go wrong or spiritually off course. Gangel’s opinion that the church should not get caught up on spiritual fads and slogans is backed by John F. MacArthur’s warning that the abandonment of the scriptures as a regulatory principle has opened the church to some of the most detestable of abuses. These abuses include bringing in secular artist into worship services, a sideshow with a carnival theme, and wrestling shows. Gangel is prompted to write about this subject because he was noticed and read about churches hinging their spiritual health on numerical terms of growth instead of biblical terms. His goal is to enlighten and warn the church to make sure they are using biblical measurements in determining the spiritual health of the church. The author has done an exceptional job in proving his thesis, that there are biblical marks or measurements of a healthy church. Gangel’s key strengths in this article are the five biblical marks that he has used to compare to the secular tenants that society likes to use. As he was explaining the five biblical marks of a healthy church, I wish he would have addressed what happens to a church that follows the tenets of society. Conclusion This paper has critiqued the article â€Å"Marks of a Healthy Church.† The author’s discussion in this article clearly lets us know that church should use caution when it comes to evaluating its growth. The marks that should be used to assess the health of the church are spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership. Everything that the church does should be checked by the Word of God. After reading this article, someone may make the claim that the church should do what it has to in order to reach the unbeliever. In my opinion, we as believers are not to let down our beliefs in what God has commanded us to do in order to reach an unbeliever. By all means, we can use Godly tools to witness to them where they are. Selected Bibliography Enns, Paul.The Moody Handbook of Theology.Revised and Expanded. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. â€Å"Marks of a Healthy Church.†Bibliotheca Sacra,no.158 vol.632 (October December). http://galaxie.com/article/5724 (accessed October 15, 2012). MacArthur, John F., â€Å"How Shall We Then Worship?† in The Coming Evangelical Crisis,ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 [ 2 ]. Paul Enns, The Moody handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), 257 [ 3 ]. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. Marks of a Healthy Church. Bibliotheca Sacra 9, no.28 vol. 632 (October December). http://www.galaxie.com/article/5724 (accessed October 15, 2012). [ 4 ]. Ibid., 468. [ 5 ]. Ibid., 469. [ 6 ]. Gangel, 470. [ 7 ]. Ibid., 474 [ 8 ]. Ibid. [ 9 ]. Enns, 359-360. [ 10 ]. MacArthur, John F., â€Å"How Shall We Then Worship?† in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 [ 11 ]. Gangel, 467-468. [ 12 ]. Ibid.

Fungal And Bacterial Amylase During Starch Breakdown Biology Essay

Fungal And Bacterial Amylase During Starch Breakdown Biology Essay The lab conducted focused on examining the effects of temperature on the ability of fungal and bacterial amylase to breakdown starch to maltose, and determine the temperature at which these two amylases work best, which is known as optimal temperature. The experimental part of the lab consisted in setting up the utensils that were going to be used during the actual experiment. During this section test tubes were labeled, and spot plates were placed in temperature/ time table created. For the second section of the experiment, iodine was placed in each row of the spot plates for each temperatures, and the solutions in the test tubes( bacterial , fungal amylase and starch mixture) were added to those same spots were iodine was added, depending on the time and the temperature corresponding to each amylase. The optimal temperature was deducted by observing the color change in the spot plates and comparing them with a color-coding scheme for starch hydrolysis. Conclusions for this task were reached by analyzing the data collected by each group, which suggests that a change in temperature disturbs the activity of enzyme amylase. When exposed to low and high temperatures, these enzymes were not able to function properly, therefore, reducing or eliminating their ability to breakdown certain compounds, especially starch. Enzymes need maintain at a certain temperature to be able to function at its optimal. Introduction: Enzymes are complex proteins produced by all living organisms with the function of enhancing chemical reactions through a process known as catalysis. During this process, the substrates, which are the molecules that will undergo the reaction, binds to the active site of the enzyme to form different molecules called products. Each active site on the enzyme is unique, permitting only substrates that match the shape of the active site to bind to the enzyme in a process known as lock and key model, however, active sites are able to adjust their shape to permit the binding with a substrate through the induced fit model, which moves entire protein domains (Raven et al., 2008; Ringe Petsko, 2008; Whitehurst Van Oort, 2009). Catalysts, like enzymes, work by reducing the amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to take place by linking two substrates in the correct orientation or by accentuating chemical bonds of a substrate, which reduces the energy difference between reactants and transition state. Enzymes are not consumed or changed during the reaction and they do not alter the equilibrium of the reactions they catalyze (Garcia et al, 2004; Raven et al., 2008; Whitehurst Van Oort, 2009; Alberte et al., 2012). The activity of enzymes is affected by multiple factors, including 1) pH (ranges from pH 6 to 8), 2) temperature (Rate of reaction increases with temperature, but only up to a point called optimum temperature. A change in temperature, either below or above the optimum, causes the active site to denature, decreasing or preventing substrate binding. When exposed to low temperatures enzymes are not flexible enough to permit induce fit, and in high temperatures enzymes are too weak to maintain their shape.), 3) substrate concentration (If amount of enzyme is preserved constant and substrate concentration is gradually increased, the reaction velocity will increase until it reaches a maximum. After this point increasing substrate concentration will not increase the rate of reaction), 4) allosteric inhibitors and activators (Inhibitors are substances that bind to an enzyme and decreases its activity, and they can occur in two ways; competitive inhibitors and noncompetitive inhibitors. Effec tors that enhance enzyme activity are referred to as allosteric activators, which bid to allosteric sites to keep an enzyme in its active configuration), and 4) cofactors (Many enzymes required the presence of other compounds, called cofactors, which during the catalytic activity, A cofactor can be a coenzyme, a prosthetic group or a metal ion activator (Harisha, 2006; Raven et al., 2008; Whitehurst Van Oort, 2009). Enzymes have a wide spectrum of functions in the bodies of living organisms; they are present from signal transduction to generation of muscle contraction. The also break starch molecules, forming smaller fragments of maltose, which can be easily absorbed by mammals. And it is the ability of enzymes to breakdown starch and the effect of temperature during this process that will be analyzed in the lab (Whitehurst Van Oort, 2009; Alberte et al., 2012), expecting that the results collected confirm that temperature does have an effect in bacterial and fungal amylase activity. Methods: The experiment should be performed once per group, using fungal (Apergillus oryzae) and bacterial amylase. Starch catalysis will be monitored by using Iodine test, which turns from yellow to blue-black in the presence of starch. Experimental Setup Place a paper under the spot plates and label the top side with temperature values 0,40,60,95 Â °C, and the side with the times 0,2,4,6,8,10 min. Obtain 4 test tubes and label each with a different temperature, enzyme source, either bacterial or fungal and group number. Repeat previous step, but this time include the letter S, which stands for Starch solution. Finally add 5ml of 1.5% starch solution into each of the test tubes labeled S. Effect of temperature in amylase activity Add 1ml of amylase into each of the test tubes that do not contain starch, and place the 8 test tubes (4 containing starch and 4 containing amylase) into their respective temperatures, allowing all test tubes to equilibrate for 5 minutes. Add 2-3 drops of iodine to the first row of the spot plate corresponding to o minutes. After 5 minutes has passed and test tubes are equilibrated, transfer a few drops of starch solution from each temperature to the row where you added the iodine. Pour the starch solution into the tube containing amylase without taking it put of bath, and set the timer for two minutes. Add 2-3 drops of iodine to the second row, and after 2 minutes has passes, transfer a few drops of the starch-amylase mixture from each tube to the 2 minutes row using the pipette correspondent to each temperature. After each additional 2 min, add 2-3 drops of iodine and a few drops from starch amylase mixture. At the end of 10 min, note the temperature and the time at which 100% hydrolysis occurred. Repeat the procedure using the other amylase type, and using the color-coding scheme convert results into numerical values. Results: Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Time (min) 0 5 5 5 5 2 4.333333 3.166667 3 5 4 4.166667 3.083333 2.833333 5 6 4 3 2.75 5 8 4 3 2.683333 5 10 3.833333 3 2.75 5 Table 1: Class Average for Bacterial Amylase activity After all groups performed the experiment, a class data for bacterial amylase was collected. The average of the data was calculated and presented in Table 1, showing color changes for each temperature. Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Time (min) 0 5 5 5 5 2 3.333333 2.666667 3.166667 5 4 3.333333 2.666667 3.083333 5 6 3.333333 2.666667 2.833333 5 8 3.333333 2.416667 2.833333 5 10 3.333333 2.416667 2.833333 5 Table 2: Class Average data for Fungal Amylase activity After all groups performed the experiment, a class data for fungal amylase was collected. The average of the data was calculated and presented in Table 2, showing color changes for each temperature. Graph 1: Class Average for Bacterial Amylase activity Graphical Representation Results from Table 1 exposed in a graph, showing that all groups optimal temperature for Bacterial amylase is 60Â °C Graph 2: Class Average Data for Fungal Amylase activity Graphical Representation Results from Table 2 were exposed in a graph, showing that all groups optimal temperature for Bacterial is 40Â °C Figure 1: Color coding-scheme for starch breakdown Starch hydrolysis color coding scheme is used to determine the optimal temperature for each amylase during starch breakdown Figure 2: Bacterial amylase activity spot plate Group number 1 spot plate during bacterial amylase experiment showing the amylase reaction during each temperature Figure 3: Fungal amylase activity spot plate Group number 1 spot plate for fungal amylase experiment showing starch breakdown during each temperature Graph 3: Bacterial Amylase Activity graphical representation Bacterial amylase activity data taken from table 1 showing that optimal temperature for this kind of amylase according to group 1 is 60Â °C Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Color # Color # Color # Color Time (min) 0 blue/black 5 blue/black 5 blue/black 5 blue/black 2 blue/black 4 med brown 3.5 light brown 3 blue/black 4 blue/black 4 light brown 3 light brown 3 blue/black 6 med brown 3.5 light brown 3 dark yellow 2.5 blue/black 8 med brown 3.5 light brown 3 med yellow 2 blue/black 10 med brown 3.5 dark yellow 2.5 med yellow 2 blue/black Table 3: Bacterial Amylase activity Group 1 recorded color changes for each temperature during breakdown of starch by bacterial amylase, and it was represented in numerical values by using color coding scheme presented in Figure 1 Graph 4: Fungal Amylase Activity graphical representation Fungal amylase activity data taken from Table 4 showing that optimal temperature for this kind of amylase according to group 1 is 40 Â °C Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Color # Color # Color # Color Time (min) 0 blue/black 5 blue/black 5 blue/black 5 blue/black 2 light brown 3 dark yellow 2.5 light brown 3 blue/black 4 light brown 3 dark yellow 2.5 light brown 3 blue/black 6 light brown 3 dark yellow 2.5 light brown 3 blue/black 8 light brown 3 med yellow 2 light brown 3 blue/black 10 light brown 3 med yellow 2 light brown 3 blue/black Table 4: Fungal Amylase Activity Group 1 recorded color changes for each temperature during breakdown of starch by fungal amylase, and it was represented in numerical values by using color coding scheme presented in Figure 1 Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Time (min) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.408248 0.258199 0 0 4 0.258199 0.258199 0.258199 0 6 0.316228 0.316228 0.418330 0 8 0.316228 0.316228 0.376386 0 10 0.516398 0.316228 0.418330 0 Table 5: Class Average Standard Deviation for Bacterial Amylase activity From the results from Table 1, the standard deviation was taken, showing that the results collected by each group for Bacterial amylase are close to average results. Graph 5: Class Average Standard Deviation for Bacterial Amylase activity Graphical Representation Data from Table 5 was exposed in a graph, showing that the difference between the mean and the samples collected by each group is minimal. Temp (Â °C) 0 40 60 95 Time (min) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.408248 0.516398 0.68313 0 4 0.408248 0.408248 0.66458 0 6 0.408248 0.408248 0.68313 0 8 0.408248 0.491596 0.68313 0 10 0.408248 0.449868 0.68313 0 Table 6: Class Average Standard deviation for Fungal Amylase Activity From the results from Table 2, the standard deviation was taken, showing that the results collected by each group for Bacterial amylase are close to average results. Graph 6: Class Average Standard Deviation graphical Representation Data from Table 6 was exposed in a graph, showing that the difference between the mean and the samples collected by each group is minimal Discussion: After evaluating the results of the experiment, present in Table 1 and 2 it can be concluded that the data provides enough evidence to support the predictions or hypothesis presented in the introduction section that when temperature is not optimal for an enzyme, it will denature or reduce its functions. The results showed that low or high temperatures have an effect in the ability of enzymes to break down starch (Graph 1 and 2). By comparing the results with color coding scheme provided (Figure 1), the optimal temperatures for both amylases were able to be determined. The optimal temperature for the enzyme had a bright yellow color, which meant that the amylase was able to breakdown the starch present in the solution; when the solution remained blue-black the enzyme is said to be denature, meaning that it was not capable of breaking down the starch( Figure 2 and 3). The most important parameters taken into account to get the previous results were temperature and time. Looking at the color for the reaction between starch and amylase, by using the Iodine test, it can be concluded that for bacterial amylase, the optimal temperature is 40 Â °C, and this occurs around the 6 minute time. Fungal amylase optimum temperature was reached at 6 minutes time and it was 60 Â °C. All the previous result can be observed in Figure 2 and 3, as well as in Graph 1 to 5 Table 5 and 6 show that the results of the experiment are consistent for all lab groups, because the difference between the sample data collected by each individual group and the average of that data is minimal, showing that, the results collected by each group are close very close to be accurate. What parameters of the experimental design were important in the expected (or unexpected) results? The expectations for the experiment concurred with the results, because a previous understanding of enzymes was given in the lab manual, however, the optimal temperatures were not exactly known because each enzyme works best depending on its environment. For future research, the range in temperature should be more variable, not only including positive values, but negative ones. Also, if enzymes sources had more variation, it will provide a better understanding of the optimal conditions and temperature of enzymes. Literature Cited/ References: Alberte J., Pitzer T., Calero K. (2012).General Biology Lab Manual / Second Edition. Florida International University: The McGraw Hill Companies. Garcia-Viloca M., Gao J., Karplus M. Truhlar D. G.(2004). How Enzymes Work: Analysis by Modern Rate Theory and Computer stimulations. Science 303:pp. 186-195. Harisha S. (2006). Introduction to Practical Biotechnology. India: Laxmi Publications. Raven P., Johnson G. B., Mason K. A., Losos J. B., Singer S. S. (2008). Biology 8th edition. New York: The McGraw Hill Companies. Ringe D., Petsko G. A. (2008). How Enzymes Work. Science 320: pp. 1428. Whitehurst R. J., Van Oort M. (2009). Enzymes in Food Technology: Wiley-Blackwell; 2nd edition.

Taking the Rap :: essays research papers

The role of rap as a music form and the perception of rappers as a whole has changed over the past ten years. It was a slow process for rap as a whole to be accepted as music and eventually be recognized by critics and award ceremonies. The advent of â€Å"gangster† rap brought about a new group of rappers with criminal histories and raunchy over the top lyrics. Many rappers today, like Eminem, have highly publicized criminal histories that overshadow the meaningful messages and damage the careers of otherwise model citizen rappers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eminem became the next hit in rap in 1999 with extremely violent and shocking lyrics that included descriptions of raping and killing his ex-wife and vicious slurs against homosexuals. I was a fan of the music simply for the shock factor like many teens of the time but I grew tired of it and moved on to more meaningful work. He followed this formula for two more albums which sold over a million copies just like his debut. He then backed up this image with drug, weapons, and assault charges in the following years. Then Eminem discovered the next â€Å"big hit† in rap when he signed 50 Cent, another convicted criminal who survived 9 bullet wounds. These are just a few cases of the media hyped crimes of a few rappers. All of these deliquent activities were used to stereotype rappers as a whole, while many other rapper’s positive activities and attempts for career advancement went unnoticed or were hindered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the same time Eminem released his controversial albums rap acts like Outkast, Goodie Mob, Mos Def, and The Roots produced albums with positive life morals, uplifting messages, and politically charged lyrics. I was displeased to see some of the albums sell well but gain none of the notoriety of the artists constantly in the news. Only rap fans and a few music critics were aware of these positive notes, while the rest of society only got the news story of the most recent rapper’s unlawful blunder. The effects were not fully realized until a large promotional deal between rapper Ludacris and Pepsi came to light.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ludacris signed a multi-commercial ad campaign with Pepsi in 2002 when the company began to look for a â€Å"hipper† image. Ludacris uses profane language and mature situations in his lyrics but it is humorous and so over the top it is obvious it is a persona that he knew would sell.

Ghost Story of the Haunted Abandoned Factory :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

Ghost stories and urban legends have a power over people that other types of stories lack. These stories can deeply scare people and lead them to question certain things in life. The fashion in which the story teller delivers the story can greatly affect how haunting the story is and how long it lingers in the listeners’ heads. Urban legends pertaining to a certain region have even more of an effect on people’s beliefs. That scary house on the corner may never be the same to somebody after they are told about the gruesome murder that supposedly happened there many years ago. The ghost story chosen for this paper was told by a 19 year-old Caucasian male college student. The story involves a supposedly haunted building in the nearby town. He heard the story from a friend but does not recall when or where he first heard the story. He recounted the story in the afternoon while sitting in his room with a few other students watching television. According to his story, the haunted building was once used as a factory. One day there was a fire which burned down a good portion of the building and killed all the workers inside. The ruins can still be seen and are alleged to be haunted by ghosts of the deceased factory workers. The teller once tried to locate the factory ruins at night with a few friends but had trouble doing so. He said they found people looking for the same place and joined them to find it. They found an old building in an isolated area but were not sure if it was the correct place. The story teller recalls having an eerie feeling when a rriving at the isolated building. He and his friends soon left without exploring further because the uneasiness about the area began to scare them. The teller told the story in a rushed manner, quickly telling the details. Upon recalling his eerie feelings while searching for the building, he broke into nervous laughter, and one could tell he was somewhat unnerved by the experience. This conclusion led the listeners to believe that searching for the old factory would be a scary experience. From research, it is apparent that Ellicott City has numerous areas believed to be haunted, along with legends behind these areas.

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Education Essay

Planning for equity can be a difficult task for early childhood educators across Australia. According to Sims (2009), equity in early childhood education refers to fairness and is based on a balance of two different sets of rights: every child’s right to an opportunity to attend an early childhood environment and every child’s right to participate and be represented equally within that environment. Children have diverse needs and belong to different cultures and social groups which results in children participating in early childhood environments differently. Children’s access to quality early childhood programmes which address issues of equity and social justice are crucial in maximising children’s participation in the learning experiences (Robinson & Diaz, 2006). Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Education Under the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education, states and territories have committed to achieving universal access to early childhood education for all children by 2013 (Council of Australian Governments, 2008). The Agreement targets a child’s right to have an opportunity to attend an early childhood environment, by stating that by 2013 children will have access to quality programmes organised by four year university trained early childhood teachers (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2011). However throughout Australia there is currently a shortage of teachers, so will these goals be achievable? While this is a positive agreement addressing each child’s right to the opportunity to attend an early childhood environment, it neglects the need to address each child’s right to equal participation. Opportunity alone will not improve the quality of early learning experiences provided to children. Every Child’s Right to Participate Equality of participation is an issue in early childhood education that is concerned with early childhood educators, together with children, creating a diverse range of cultural and social learning activities and experiences for all children to access in the early childhood environment (Elliot, 2006). Images of the child as less competent or developed than adults can lead to a misconception that children do not have the emotional or cognitive capability to make rational choices. This thinking may lead to the voices of children being left out of decisions that affect them, denying children their right to participate equally in their early childhood environment. More importantly, this does not align with pedagogical practices fitting the United Nations’ Conventions of the Rights of the Child (The Convention) (1989). How Can Educators Ensure Equal Participation in the Early Childhood Environment? According to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), through their practices educators should reinforce the principles laid out in The Convention (Council of Australian Governments, 2009). The Convention states that all children have the right to participation. This includes educators involving children in decisions that directly affect them (United Nations, 1989). The issue of equal participation involves educators collaborating with children about all matters affecting their lives and respecting children’s family, culture, language and other identities by representing these diversities in everyday activities and learning experiences. Including children’s cultural and social backgrounds into the programming and planning enables children to successfully participate equally in the early childhood environment. In today’s early childhood environments, a vast array of spaces will be available and they may change depending on the children’s interests. This can include spaces that allow children to express their knowledge and understanding of the world, by providing a range of activities within different spaces. Activities supported by spaces include but are not limited to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ art reading imaginative play problem solving Catering for diversity through inclusive practices acknowledges that all children have different life experiences. The early childhood environment then becomes a place for collaborative learning supporting diversity and difference through respecting each child’s equal right to participation. Embedding practices of diversity and inclusion in early childhood environments is a difficult task for educators. Educators need to develop practices that promote diversity through communicating with children, their families and each other, and always be asking themselves â€Å"Who is this practice benefitting? † Catering for Diversity in the Early Childhood Environment. Representing each child in the early childhood environment involves more than simply adding a range of diverse resources. This is one small aspect of inclusion and diversity. Resources need to be discussed and explored with children and educators need to listen and observe how children are interacting with them. Recently, I added a large felt world map to the preschool environment. This resource included felt animals and people from around the world. The children had been exploring animals and the relationship that humans have with them. My intention was for the children to explore the differences between land and sea animals. However the children had a different interpretation and as a group they decided to place the felt people onto the country in which they believed they were born. Not wanting to interrupt the children’s engagement with this resource, I watched on as the children’s interests changed from animals to people and places of origin. Shortly after this experience, I noticed some children kindly explaining to another child that because her skin was brown, she was not from Australia. Adding this resource to the environment inspired a conversation about diversity, but it did not encourage children to explore inclusion and equity. This resource needed to be supported with a sustained shared thinking conversation that involved educators and children in discussions about respect, diversity and inclusion within the Australian context. Sustained Shared Thinking Iram Siraj-Blatchford (2005) defines sustained shared thinking as two or more individuals working together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate activities or extend a narrative. Both parties must contribute to the thinking, and the ideas must develop and extend through the discussion. Addressing each child’s right to participation through the practice of sustained shared thinking involves early childhood educators engaging with families and children to effectively work together in order to negotiate, develop and implement learning agendas, outcomes and assessments for their own children. Family involvement is critical to the success of young children in early learning environments, as each family comes from a diverse culture with different traditions, values, and belief system. In order to effectively address the issue of equity, educators need to create mutual respectful relationships, where parents and children are heard and their ideas are included in the environment. As recognised in the EYLF (Council of Australian Governments, 2009), an image of a child that is based on children being capable and knowledgeable, requires educators to respect each child’s capabilities, culture, and unique qualities. Planning for equity in the early childhood environment is important for children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Each child and family bring with them a collection of diversities to the child’s own learning, resulting in children experiencing a sense of belonging, being and becoming differently. With each environment being different in terms of philosophies, children, families and community involvement, how you include families in your unique environment will vary. Sustained shared thinking practices are one way educators can improve the issue of equity in early childhood education. Being able to include the voices of children and their families by catering for each child’s diversities and encouraging a sense of wellbeing should be seen as a positive attribute of the early childhood education sector. Something to think about †¦ childhood is broad need ? equity in earlythat children have access to ? differencesequityto be acknowledged to address in early childhood it is important ? early childhood environments that represent ? the ability to program and plan for children, with who they are children, families and communities is a strength of the early childhood sector early childhood educators need to represent children equally and diversity ? all participation to address their right ? helping children uncover difference potential to to in a supportive environment has the transform future societies and will increase acceptance and respect for others. Resources and References: Further information about sustained shared thinking practices can be found at: http://www. earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/pdf/shared_thinking. pdf Council of Australian Governments. (2008). National partnership agreement on early childhood education. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from http://www. federalfinancialrelations. gov. au/content/national_partnership_agreements/ED005/national_partnership_on_early_childhood_ education_update. pdf Council of Australian Governments. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: the early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from http://www. deewr. gov. au/earlychildhood/policy_agenda/quality/pages/earlyyearslearningframework. aspx Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2011). Universal access to early childhood education. Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www. deewr. gov. au/Earlychildhood/Policy_Agenda/ECUA/Documents/UA_ECE_Factsheet. pdf Elliot, A. (2006). Early childhood education: Pathways to quality and equity for all children. Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research. Robinson, K. H & Diaz, C. (2006). Diversity and difference in early childhood education: issues for theory and practice. New York: Open University Press. Sims, M. (2009). Nurturing a sense of fairness in children. Retreived May 20, 2011, from http://www. earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/every_child_magazine/every_child_index/nurturing_a_sense_of_fairness_in_children. html Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2005). Quality interactions in the early years. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http://www. earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/pdf/shared_thinking. pdf United Nations. (1989). The convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved March.

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis: a Miracle or a Curse?

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without physical pain? Would life be more peaceful? Would we be more aggressive or would we possibly be incapable of enjoying the pleasures of life? We may think we are better off without pain but â€Å"Pain is simply our intrinsic medical adviser to warn us and stimulate us† (H. G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau). Some people have been able to experience this anomaly, the ability to be incapable of experiencing any physical pain. These people are proven examples that pain is in fact necessary. Without pain one an never truly discover their body’s physical limits and may against their knowledge inflict a great deal of pain upon themselves. People with the inability to feel pain have the disease called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA). CIPA is categorized as a Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathic disease. Congenital Insensitivity to pain is the inability to feel uneasy sensations pertaining to an individual from birth. Anhidrosis is the inability to sweat thus causing the incapability to regulate body temperature. HSAN type IV is a genetic disorder caused by multiple DNA mutations. These mutations occur on the neuropathic tyrosine kinase receptor types one (ntrk1 gene). In normal people the NGR (neuropathic gene receptor) stimulates the growth support and the survival of the autonomic sympathetic neurons as well as nociceptive sensory neurons, which transmit pain sensations to the spinal cord and the brain. Mutations occur in portions of the gene that encode the intracellular and extracellular domain of the protein, which may affect the variability in presentation. Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathic (HSAN) type IV causes Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. HSAN IV is the second most common type of HSAN. CIPA symptoms normally manifest at an early age, but can be difficult to diagnose. Infants with CIPA rarely cry from normal ailments, such as not crying when hungry as they cannot sense hunger and they can sleep soundly throughout the night as they cannot sense their needs that need to be met. Parents believe it to be a blessing that their child doesn’t cry until other onset symptoms occur. These symptoms include unexplained fevers, self-mutilation, and developmental delay. When teething children often chew on anything they can, but since children with CIPA don’t realise the pain of biting themselves, teething becomes dangerous. Many CIPA children begin to bite off their own tongue and fingers when teething; often ripping out their own teeth as well. Around this time, parents begin to realise that these symptoms are not normal for children. People with CIPA can’t live a normal life because of the many unfortunate ailments caused by the disease. Hyperactivity is a common characteristic of children with CIPA, as is eing unable to differentiate between temperatures. Many children die early because it is very easy for them to overheat as they cannot regulate their own body temperature. The lack of sweating causes the skin to become thick and susceptible to skin infections and cellulitis. Their bones deteriorate over a shorter period of time than normal bones. Their joints are overused usually confining patients to a wheelchair (wheelchair boun d). An infinite number of patients develop appendicitis and die because they are unable to feel the pain that this would normally cause. It is impossible to determine the number of CIPA patients, as there is quite a discrepancy in the statistics. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CIPA, and they are very few treatment options. Since it is a rare disorder there hasn’t been a lot of research done on the topic. To regulate the body temperature, some individuals with CIPA have to wear a special cooling vest designed by NASA, and must have a controlled thermostat. These individuals, like 11 year old Kayla Woodhouse, need to have a cooler filled with ice pack re-fills for her vest, and fluids to keep her hydrated. Other patients with CIPA wear goggles to protect their cornea, which would otherwise become damaged from their habit to scratch themselves. Gabby Gingras is one of the well known CIPA patients who wears goggles to prevent further damage. Gabby also had to have her teeth removed by the age of two to prevent further irreparable damage to her fingers. People with CIPA need constant supervision to avoid future injuries. Life without pain is more difficult than at first glance; it wouldn’t be as wonderful as we would assume. Upon further investigation of CIPA, although it may seem like a wonderful thing t is an extremely dangerous disorder that most often results in premature death. Until we find a cure, people who have CIPA are forced to painlessly suffer. Imagine if humans could suddenly no longer feel physical pain: Pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and manufacturing companies would cry all the way to their banks. Bibliography Axelrod, F. B. , von Simson, G. G. , Oddoux, C. (20 08, August 5). Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy IV. GeneReviews. Retrieved November 15, 2008, from, http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/bookshelf/br. fcgi? book=gene&part=hsan4. Brown, A. (2006, May 20). It’s not so easy being a superhero. The Gazette. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20060520/ai_n16434313. Lambert, K. (n. d). How CIPA Works. How Stuff Works. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://health. howstuffworks. com/cipa. htm/printable. Lee, B. (2008, November 17). Health Talk: Congenital insensitivity to pain. The Tartan. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www. thetartan. org/2008/11/17/scitech/healthtalk. Wells, H. G. (1988). The Island of Dr. Moreau. New York: Signet Classic.