Obeserving bacteris and blood Essay Example for Free

Obeserving bacteris and blood Essay Objectives: There were two major goals of the â€Å"Observing Bacteria and Blood† experiment. The first was to establish a familiarity with the proper techniques for using a microscope. The experiment focused on both the basic components of a microscope (i.e. how to adjust the knobs and levers for the desired result) as well as how do decide the proper objective to use for observing a specimen. The second goal major goal of this experiment was to practice observing live specimens (yogurt and blood). Procedures: Exercise 1: Observation of prepared slides using the microscope. The observation of the 8 prepared slides was performed by making adjustments to the microscope (focus, condenser, light) in order to establish a clear image of the specimen. The slide was viewed through the 10x, 40x, and 100x objectives and all observations were recorded in the tables below. Exercise 23: Observationof yogurt and blood. The yogurt and blood slides were prepared as described in the Labpaq manual. The slides were observed using the 10x, 40x, and 100x objectives and all observations were recorded in the tables below. Observations/Results: Exercise 1 SampleObservations Part 1Part 2 150x600x1500x (Oil Immersion) Amoeba proteus Anabaena Ascaris Eggs â€Å"e† slide Paramecium Penicillium w/conidia Yeast Yogurt bacteria Exercise 2 3 SampleObservations 150X600x1500x Ex 2: Fresh Yogurt Ex 3: Blood Smear Photos/Drawings: (Insert and label images here. If image file (JPEG or GIF) sizes are too large they may be uploaded separately.) Analysis/Interpretation: Based on the observations detailed above, it can be concluded that the microscope is a powerful tool in the observation of organisms that are small in size. It was important to have a number of objectives of different magnifying power in order to be able to discern the level of magnification needed to best study a sample. In addition, the examination of the yogurt sample allowed for the observation of the varying shapes and arrangement of bacterial cells. The use of a microscope to observe the blood smear highlighted the many important components of human blood that are not evident by the naked eye. Application: In performing this experiment I have learned many important aspects of microbiology that apply to healthcare. First, there is plenty of information that can be discovered by looking at a sample under the microscope †¦ size, arrangement, number of organism. For example, this information can be utilized in making an initial identification on a patient sample in a hospital laboratory. Second, some microorganisms can be  beneficial such as those bacteria that can be cultured from yogurt. Furthermore, these microorganisms can also be used to build back a healthy population of intestinal bacteria in patients who have recently been taking antibiotics. Answers to the LabPaq Questions 1) Questions A. Identifythe following parts of the microscope and describe the functionof each. a. Ocular- eyepiece transmits and magnifies the image form the objective lens to the eye. b.Body/tube-holds the eyepiece at proper distance from the objective lens and blocks light. c.Nosepiece- rotating mount that hold objective lens. d.Objective Lens- gathers light for the specimen. e.Mechanical Stage- holds the specimen. f.Apeture diaphragm control/disc- alters the amount of light that reaches the condenser. g.Lamp- produces the light. h.Coarse focus knob-brings objects into focal point of the objective lens. i.Fine focus knob- makes fine adjustments to focus the image. j.Arm-holds all of the optical parts at a distance and aligns them. k.Clips-hold the specimen still on the stage. l.Base- supports the weight of all the microscope parts. Define the following microscopy terms: Focus: positions the objective lens at the proper distance from the specimen. Resolution: Ability for the lens to show fine details of the object being observed. Contrast: The darkness of the back ground relative to the specimen. B. What is the purpose of immersion oil? To direct the light from the microscope directly to the slide and stop it from refracting. It creats a finer resolution and brightness. Exercise 2: Observing Bacteria Cultures in Yogurt Questions A. Describe your observations of the fresh yogurt slide. B. Were there observable differences between your fresh yogurt slide and the prepared yogurt slide? If so, explain. C. Describe the four main bacterial shapes. Cocci – oval or spherical shaped. Bacillus – are rod shaped. Spirillum – are thick, rigid spirals. Vibrio – are curved or a comma shaped rod. D. What are the common arrangements of bacteria? Diplo – oval shaped, found in pairs. Strepto – are cocci that arange into chains. Staphylo – are cocci that are arranged into irregular clusters, similar to grapes. E. Were you able to identify specific bacterial morphologies on either yogurt slide? If so, which types? Exercise 3: Preparing andObservingaBloodSlide Questions A. Describe the cells you were able to see in the blood smear. B. Are the cells you observed in your blood smear different than the bacterial cells you have observed? Why or why not?

The Blaze of Life :: essays research papers

The Blaze of Life Picture this, a young beautiful girl smiling and standing by a big gum tree. On the surface you might think this is a pleasant picture. But then you take a closer look. She is standing there looking at a fire, but not just any fire, it is a fire of her house. But not only is her house burning down, her mother and sister is also burning in the fire. Even though her family and house is burning down to the ground, we just see her standing there. She is just staring intently at the fire, not doing anything and not being panicked at all. Somehow this picture does not seem right. Should she not be screaming or crying or getting help? In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use (For Your Grandma)†, this picture of the fire, is presented to us from a story told by the girls mother. This fire, along with Characterization, setting, and dialogue, lead one to believe that the fire was the start of the mother’s loss of power. And the beginning of Dee’s, the beautiful girl, rise to power. From the very beginning the story there is a sense that Dee has a bit of an â€Å"upper hand† in the family. But why does the mother and Dee’s sister Maggie cower to Dee? Why is what Dee thinks and wants so important?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the story, the mother describes Maggie as being not exceptionally beautiful. In fact, she is described as looking like a lame animal. She walks like she has been left on the side of the road, â€Å". . .chin on chest, eyes on the ground, feet in shuffle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (292-3). She even cowers in the corner when asking her mother how she looks for fear she does not look beautiful. On the hand, Dee is described as being very beautiful. The mother says that, â€Å"Dee is lighter then Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure† (293). So Maggie already feels that Dee is a little â€Å"above† her in the way of looks. But why does she cower behind Dee as if she is in Dee’s shadow?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story, the mother has a dream about reuniting with Dee. In her dream she thinks: Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe.

Body Discourses

Prejudice is just a word that can bring down all the dreams, all the island of that perfect world that one creates from day one. The beautiful tress that are the dream of all the human beings, of which the black people unfortunately are deprived of, is the basic human right that everyone is born with. The true reflection of the body discourse was revealed to me when I first met one of my friends who used to live in the Mississippi.There we sat together and she then spelled her entire world to me where she tells me how badly her family and all the black families of Mississippi were treated and exclaimed about the sufferings throughout her life and came out the other end with courage and honor. She also tells how unfair the white men were to the blacks, inside and outside of the courtroom or even to any legal proceedings that were important to them, to their lives and to their future. Prejudice is a hideous subject, and is still skilled today.After our conversation I realized how ignor ance certainly is bliss because it deeply disturbed me after I got to know of the treatment of black people by the hands of white people. When I asked her the reason of the destructed attitude to her and the black families she told me that the the black people were tortured and tormented for no reason other than that they were black. The black families, not only hers but all the black families were in the constant fear of the nightriders who would kill a man for looking at them the wrong way in those days.The wrong way meant that if only the black people would stare at them then even they would beat them up, they would even stab them and the law and the police would do nothing to them. It is for this reason that the black people tried to keep their eyes low and towards the ground and bear the degradation so that their families wouldn’t get hurt. She tells me how her father use to explain to her when she used to be extremely shocked and disturbed to see her father’s sca rs and bleedings as to why he would take them as part of supper and wouldn’t do anything about it.She says that she use to turn wild but her father use to tell her that it's not such a good idea to get involved as they don't have much to do with the white folks. When she questioned as to why not her mother would smile and say that the white folks are naughty, mean and trouble makers. She says that though her mother used to smile but she could see her eyes crying and her hear the deep thunder of her heart. When I came close to hug her I did notice that the honor and confidence that the black people possess. Prejudice is a terrible thing to encounter, especially when dealing with ignorant and dastardly people.It is bad enough that the white man treated the black man unfairly on an informal day-to-day basis, but it is so much worse when they carry it into the judicial system. In the book, the white men try to make sure that the blacks lose their land. To do this, the bank demand s more money than her father can pay, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. No one can go to the police or the courts to complain, for they are all ruled by prejudiced white men. My black friend had extreme fear and sorrow in her eyes when she told how the three white men went to court for setting a black man's house on fire, that black man was her uncle.She even told that they were proud to do so and when they went to the court the judge ruled very unfairly as was expected. The judge states that the crime that they committed was triggered by outside influences, and that it wasn't their fault. He implies that it is alright to do what they did, because the FBI agents that are in town are provoking them. Prejudice and partiality trigger the type of unfairness the judge shows. The judge was white, and so were the men on trial. What else could he do but acquit them? In his mind, the judge saw that as the right thing to do.She even tells that her first day at school was horrible, Girls and boys throwing dirt at her new clothes and spitting at her calling her a â€Å"dirt nigger†. She even says that once at school she and her white class acquaintance got hurt because of some accident, she was more of threatened by her teacher to help her giving her class acquaintance the first aid and nobody bothered to ask her instead. She went home with all the injury. And her mother was not startled to know what had happened to her rather she said to get used to the pain.The injury was so deep and so painful that the doctor said that it had formed the apses and the finger needed to be removed. Her story was making me realize badly and viciously the black people are treated, and how they were brave and honorable, and how the judicial system made spineless efforts to make black people as miserable and deprived of rights as possible. Prejudice is not something someone is born with, it is merely taught at a young age. In an ideal world, everyone would get along, and tre at each other fairly. There would be no such thing as hate crimes, discrimination, or deprivation of civil rights.The violence and terror levels would plummet, and the streets would be safer for today's children. The word prejudice would vanish, and words like equality and unity would have new meaning. She tells more about her getting nagged daily by the street boys and girls and the way they looked at her face. She said that at the moment she felt as if she was build with a garbage can. She says that she knew that her days at the school were of less time period because for her integrity and her self-respect could not be paid by any schooling. Three weeks of school and she was home.She says that her mother would cry over her decision because it was very rare that a nigger would be part of any school any education not even a good post was destined for them. But then they decided to shift to a new land. They were nomads and so travelling with less food and less water was most obvious. And so after the cruel and torturous travel they are here and I listen to their story. BIBLIOGRAPHY Read, Alan. The Fact of Blackness: Frantz Fanon and Visual Representation. University of Michigan: Institute of Contemporary Arts, 1996.

5 Key Events in Affirmative Action History

Affirmative action, also know as equal opportunity, is a federal agenda designed to counteract historic discrimination faced by ethnic minorities, women and other underrepresented groups. To foster diversity and compensate for the ways such groups have historically been excluded, institutions with affirmative action programs prioritize the inclusion of minority groups in the employment, education and government sectors, among others. Although the policy  aims to right wrongs, it is among the most controversial issues of our time. But affirmative action is not new. Its origins date back to the 1860s, when initiatives to make workplaces, educational institutions and other arenas more inclusive to women, people of color and individuals with disabilities were set into motion.  Ã‚   1. The 14th Amendment Is Passed More so than any other amendment of its time, the 14th Amendment paved the way for affirmative action. Approved by Congress in 1866, the amendment forbade states from creating laws that infringed upon the rights of U.S. citizens or  denied citizens equal protection under the law. Following in the steps of the  13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery, the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause would prove key in shaping affirmative action policy. 2. Affirmative Action Suffers Major Setback in Supreme Court Sixty-five years before the term â€Å"affirmative action† would come into popular use, the  Supreme Court  made a ruling that could’ve prevented the practice from ever launching. In 1896, the high court decided in landmark case  Plessy v. Ferguson  that the 14th Amendment did not prohibit a separate but equal society. In other words, blacks could be segregated from whites as long as the services they received were equal to those of whites. The Plessy v. Ferguson case stemmed from an incident in 1892 when Louisiana authorities arrested Homer Plessy, who was one-eighth black, for refusing to leave a whites-only railcar. When the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal accommodations didn’t violate the constitution, it paved the way for states to establish a series of segregationist policies. Decades later, affirmative action would seek to readdress these policies, also known as Jim Crow. 3. Roosevelt and Truman Fight Employment Discrimination For years, state-sanctioned discrimination would thrive in the United States. But two world wars marked the beginning of the end of such discrimination. In 1941—the year the Japanese attacked  Pearl Harbor—  President Franklin Roosevelt  signed Executive Order 8802. The order prohibited defense companies with federal contracts from using discriminatory practices in hiring and training. It marked the first time federal law promoted equal opportunity, thus paving the way for affirmative action. Two black leaders—A. Philip Randolph, a union activist, and Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist, played critical roles in influencing Roosevelt to sign the groundbreaking order.  President Harry Truman  would play a crucial role in strengthening the legislation  Roosevelt  enacted. In 1948, Truman signed Executive Order 9981. It prohibited the Armed Forces from using segregationist policies and mandated that the military provide equal opportunities and treatment to all without regard to race or similar factors. Five years later, Truman further strengthened Roosevelt’s efforts when his Committee on Government Contract Compliance directed the Bureau of Employment Security to act affirmatively to end discrimination. 4. Brown v. Board of Education Spells End of Jim Crow When the Supreme Court ruled in 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson that a separate but equal America was constitutional, it dealt a major blow to civil rights advocates. In 1954, such advocates had an entirely different experience when the high court overturned Plessy via  Brown v. Board of Education. In that decision, which involved a Kansas schoolgirl who sought entry into a white public school, the court ruled that discrimination is a key aspect of racial segregation, and  it therefore  violates the 14th Amendment. The decision marked the end of Jim Crow and the beginning of the country’s initiatives to promote diversity in schools, the  workplace  and other sectors. 5. The Term â€Å"Affirmative Action† Enters American Lexicon President John Kennedy  issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961. The order made the first reference to â€Å"affirmative action† and strove to end discrimination with the practice. Three years later the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came about. It functions to eliminate employment discrimination as well as discrimination in public accommodations. The following year,  President Lyndon Johnson  issued Executive Order 11246, which mandated that federal contractors practice affirmative action to develop diversity in the workplace and end race-based discrimination, among other sorts. The Future of Affirmative Action   Today, affirmative action is widely practiced. But as tremendous strides are made in civil rights, the need for affirmative action is constantly called into question. Some states have even banned the practice. What’s to  come of  the practice? Will affirmative action exist 25 years from now? Members of the Supreme Court have said they hope the need for affirmative action is unnecessary by then. The nation remains highly racially stratified, making it doubtful that the practice will no longer be relevant.