An Influenced Life Essay

An Influenced Life As people grow and develop in their lives, many factors influence their trajectories. These factors manifest themselves in many ways, but some are more prominent than others. I believe that every person, depending the factors that influenced them most strongly, would place more importance on some factors than others. In other words, my essay will be different than other classmates, because I was raised differently than most of them and different things had impacts on my development. Individuals also probably think some are more important factors than others, and these viewpoints depend solely on their lives and their development thus far. My personal view is that some of the most important factors that influence an individual’s development are their innate temperament, the parents they are born to, the consequent family role they possess, the anxiety they bear in life, and the relationships they make – both forced and by their own volition. Read more: Essay explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors. Although I believe these are some of the most important factors, they are by no means the only things that influence a persons’ development over time. Also worth noting is the fact that these all impact each other as well as singularly influencing an individual. When combined, many factors cause other factors and all influence a persons’ development trajectory. One of these influences is inborn, not decided by outside forces. Temperament is something every human is born with, and it is shown from the moment they start breathing. My sister and I, for example, have somewhat opposite temperaments. As a child I was very loud and loved to talk (which hasn’t changed), and my sister was much quieter and listened much better than I ever could. She was more patient from birth than I will ever be. This chasm between our personalities provides some definition for our life development. Her calm, quiet manner led to little misbehavior and consequent punishment. My quick, sarcastic temper led to much conflict with parents and occasionally teachers, and required containment. This put me in a different trajectory than my sister, as she became easy to deal with, and easy to please. My parents had to take a different approach with me, as my temperament led me to be harder to discipline, please, and control. The temperament of any individual greatly influences a person’s future life development. It influences the way a person reacts and relates to other people, the way they act alone and in company, and their view on the world. Parents are one of the influences I think most would agree impacts development most. Even people who had parents that were not present might agree that the absence itself influenced their life and development. The techniques parents use vary and are quite different from family to family, and occasionally even within families. Parenting impacts development and views of the world because they restrict or allow activities, and provide moral ideas and values in differing strengths, passing on much to their children. As we grow out of childhood, impressions of our parents from a young age remain with us and impact the way we live, act, and interpret others’ behaviors. The two spectrums for parenting styles measure how demanding a parent is, and how responsive a parent is. To me, these can make or break a child’s development. If either is too low, the child will have problems later in life, but if either is too high, there will also be consequences. High responsiveness may produce a needy, incapable adult, while low responsiveness will result in anxiety about love, and mattering. High demanding parenting may result in a high-strung, over-achieving stressed adult, while low demanding will produce an adult with little motivation and drive. Clearly, parenting impacts development and, if possible, should be controlled in order to help children develop correctly and well. As parents begin to treat children differently due to temperament, and children learn more about their parenting styles, the kids in the family begin to learn their roles in the family. These roles can range from simply the â€Å"quiet one† to â€Å"loud one,† or from â€Å"instigator† to â€Å"peace-maker.† Some of the roles can make children feel guilty, unworthy, or bad about themselves, while others make childr en feel proud, confident, and pleased. These differences start at a young age and continue through their lives, even into adulthood. This will also influence relationships and life plans, causing each person to have a different filter per say, which they view the world through. If an individual follows these family roles into adulthood, individuals follow whatever mold they were shaped into as a young person. This can obviously impact development in frightening ways. One can imagine a forty year-old still following his instilled role of a meek, rule-following, shy six year-old, or a twenty-one year-old still behaving as a reckless, authority defying teenager, but with much more damaging and dangerous rebellions. The types of anxiety that a person deals with on a frequent  basis derive from many sources. These factors come from both developmental sources and environmental sources. While environmental sources are inevitable and cannot be avoided, like natural disasters and wars, the developmental sources can be somewhat traced to other developmental factors. If a person carries too much anxiety, they can then begi n to develop harmful relationships and tendencies. Some anxieties that can hurt a persons’ development are worrying about trust, competence, and mattering. All three of these concerns can come from the way an individual is treated and affected by people close to them, and society as a whole, along with some of the traits they were born with. These main three concerns make or break relationships, another developmental factor. However, they also impact the way we develop in all strains of life, especially cognitive development. If someone has anxiety about not mattering or being competent, and this anxiety is reinforced by their relationships, they may truly begin to believe these things. This will begin to impact their work and productivity, starting to truly render them incompetent. Relationships also play a large role in development over time. Of all the factors discussed, I think this may be one of the most obvious, but also one of the most influential. Depending on the individual someone is relating to, and the impacts other developmental factors have on them too, relationships are the dynamic culmination of influences on human devel opment. Relationship models range from secure to insecure, and someone who forms insecure relationships is unlikely to trust anyone, and consequently bear even more anxiety than what led to the insecure relationship. I think relationships influence development because relationships give us friends, role models, and comfort. Relationships make life worth living, but if they are not healthy and secure relationships, the zeal for life may degrade. There are many factors that impact development in many different ways. These influences can have physical, social, cognitive, and emotional consequences, and help us to become the adults we do in life. They eventually all do interrelate and combine to influence each other and our development in many ways. This being said, it is crucial to development to have consistent, good, controlled factors. Although temperament cannot be controlled, parenting styles, family roles, and relationships can be objectively considered and helped, in order to ensure proper development and a productive, competent adult. If every child had these factors controlled  and watched, in order to help them develop the best they could, there would be much less anxiety, unhappiness, and idleness in our society.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was a man-made disaster which had devastating effects on its surrounding environment, in particular the natural environment around the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig. Recovery efforts made by the local governments utilized Information Communications Technology (ICT) such as remote sensors and satellite imagery to track and monitor the magnitude of the oil spill. Further detail on how recovery efforts used ICT's to track and monitor the oil spill as well as its uses in the prevention of future oil spills, including the positives and negatives of the use of ICT will be discussed. Referring to sources such as the scholarly journal ‘Tracking Oil Slicks and Predicting their Trajectories Using Remote Sensors and Models', the magazine article ‘Satellite use Growing to Monitor Facilities and Map Spills' and the national commission report ‘Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling National Commission'. The focus reading ‘Organisations Aiming to Reduce Risk – Worth Broader Exposure' will be used as a comparison and reference to what other industries have done to prevent disasters in their industry from occurring again. Background. Recovery efforts during the Deep Water Oil Spill used Information Communication Technologies (ICT) such as remote sensor technology and satellite imagery technology. Such technology were used in order to monitor the magnitude of the oil spill giving recovery efforts visual data that they could work with as well as a method of being able to obtain the trajectories of the oil spill in order to prevent further spread of the oil in the water. Use of ICT's to assist in Recovery. The use of ICT's such as remote sensor technology and satellite imagery was effectively used by the petroleum industry in previous years prior to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill for exploration purposes. In the event of the oil spill recovery effort teams utilized this same remote sensor technology in order to determine how much oil was spilled, where it reached the shore, and which beaches might be hit next (Pope 2010). This technology allowed recovery teams to effectively survey the spread of oil a lot faster than if it were done through surveillance aircraft such as drones, satellite technology. In the event of the oil spill BP and the federal government utilized two types of satellites. SAR imagery satellites in order to cover large areas and determine the scope of the damage caused. Once the scope of the damage was determined, high-resolution satellites were used to make thorough assessments of the damage. Although satellite imagery we're predominantly used as methods of surveying the wreckage and spill, aircraft drones also played important roles in that they allowed recovery teams to monitor the wreckage from different angles and views. Use of ICT's in the prevention of disasters. Information Communications Technology has multiple uses in that it was able to explore and locate possible petroleum production locations through remote operated vehicles (ROV) attached with thermal imaging cameras and sensors, as well as survey the structural damage of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig through the use of satellite imagery and drone aircraft. It now has the task of surveying and monitoring oil rigs on a frequent weekly or even daily basis. The oil production industry using satellites similarly to how they were used in the in recovery efforts through, obtaining a wide view of the area through SAR satellite imagery and using high-resolution imagery in order to gain a detailed perspective of specific locations and aspects of oil rigs. The National Commission recommended improvements be made by the petroleum production industry as well as the national government in order to effectively plan for a large scale containment plan if another event like this we're to happen again, including coordinating with other government bodies and obtaining relevant information in regards to response measures. Measures taken into account include things like and sufficient amount of technical experts on the within the staff of the oil rigs in order to develop and approve response plans as well as providing mandatory funding to the petroleum production industry for research and development as well as incentives to the industry to perform research and development. Â   Similarly in the nuclear tragedy of Chernobyl the government funded the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (IPNO) programs to perform evaluations, training, assistance and peer reviews by experts. The uses of ICT such as computer programs and hardware are now used to analyse nuclear structures, making it easy to monitor and spot redundancies within the structure and prevent structural failure of the plants. Positives and Negatives of the uses of ICTs The use of ICT's during recovery efforts as well as use in the monitoring of oil rigging sites and prevention of structural failure. The use of ICT's over other methods such as aircraft surveillance has positive benefits which far out weight the negatives. Such satellite imagery can allow recovery teams to effectively and quickly survey the a large portion of the damage site through SAR satellites and gain detailed views of specific areas such as leaks, slicks and seeps through high-resolution satellites. With the use of satellites in combined with aircraft surveillance to gain views from different angles to view specific areas of the structure effectively allow recovery teams to survey and gather information in order to develop an effective containment and recovery plan. The use of ROVs also is a benefit as it allows recovery teams to survey the structure underwater and effectively gather information from places that would be too dangerous for humans to do to. Although ICT's do have their benefits, they also come with negatives as in that SAR satellites capture large views of the affected areas, this comes at a price of decreased resolution making it difficult to view smaller aspects of the image such as leaks in the oil pipe structure. This requires the use of high resolution imaging satellites which are rather costly and cannot be frequently called up due to its high cost. Conclusion The use of information communications technology in the petroleum production industry has had multiple uses before, during and after the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill. Before the disaster of the oil spill the industry used ICTs for exploration and location of possible drilling sites. With the use of satellite technology during the recovery efforts to survey the area and effectively develop a containment plan for preventing the oil from spreading and affecting the nearby beaches. Also in future prevention of possible oil spills through satellite monitoring of oil rigs and tankers. Along with the use of ICTs come the benefits which include allowing recovery teams to quickly and safely gather information which would have been difficult with old technology, but there were also costs in that it would cost large amounts of money in order to use high-end technology such as high-resolution satellites in order to gain clearer images of specific areas. Along with the uses of ICTs to help prevent future oil spills are the recommendations of the oil spill commission which recommended funding for research and development of oil spill prevention similarly to how the government funded the development of the INPO in the nuclear energy industry for training of nuclear engineers and evaluation of nuclear structures.

The Historical Development of the Electric Train Essay

The Historical Development of the Electric Train - Essay Example Electricity is used as a substitute to provide power hence eliminating smoke and taking advantage of the high efficiency of electric motors. This paper seeks to describe the historical development of the electric train in the world of technology. In 1879, Werner von Siemens who was a German engineer presented the first practical passenger train at Berlin which used electricity to operate. In the same year, the first electric railway was demonstrated at the Berlin Trades Fair. The locomotive was driven by approximately a power of 2.2 KW series wound motor and the train which consisted of the locomotive and three cars. This locomotive could reach a maximum speed of 13 km/h. In 1881, the world’s first public electric tram line was opened in Berlin, Germany, and it was named Gross- Lichterfelde Tramway. It was built by Werner von Siemens. In 1883, Modling and Hinterbruh Tram opened near Vienna in Austria as the first electric tram line. This tramline used electricity served from a n overhead line to operate. Also in 1883, Volk’s electric railway was opened in Brighton, Britain. ... This line opened in 1890, using electric locomotives which were built by Mather and Platt. In fact, electricity grew quickly and became the power supply of choice for subways, which were assisted by the Sprague’s invention of the multi- unit train control in the year 1897. The surface and the elevated transit systems used steam until they were forced to convert by the law. The first and foremost electrification on the mainline was actually on a four- mile stretch of the Baltimore Belt Line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1895. This track was very crucial in connecting the main portion of the B&O to the newly built line to the New York and it required a series if tunnels around the edges of Baltimore’s downtown. Smoke from steam locomotives was becoming a nuisance on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Railroad entrances to New York City required tunnels and hence smoke problems were becoming worse. A collision in the Park Avenue tunnel in 1902 led to the New York Sta te legislature to outlaw the using of smoke producing locomotives after 1908. Consequently, electric locomotives began to operate in 1904 in the New York central Railroad. In 1930s, the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had actually introduced the use of electric locomotives because of the law, electrified its entire territory east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Chicago, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad which was the last transcontinental line to be built, electrified the lines across the Rocky Mountains and to the Pacific Ocean beginning in 1915. The East Coast lines such as the Virginia Railway, the Norfolk and the Western Railway found it useful to electrify short sections of the mountain crossings.

Proposal Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proposal Paper - Essay Example What is the expected outcome of the Patient Protection and Affordable Act? It is hypothesized that, the state government is set to implement all recommendations provided in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Jacobs & Theda 44). Currently, the basic strategies recommended for implementation of the Act has been put in place. In addition, citizens and corporates also are set to embrace the changes recommended in health care system. Patient Protection and Affordable Act (Obama Care): The Patient Protection and Affordable is a Federal Statute assented by President Obama on 23rd March, 2010 (McDonough 12). The statute recommended changes in the health care systems that are aimed at improving the condition at which citizens can fund for their medical services. In general, the act the act aimed at increasing the quality of medical services, increasing affordability of medical insurance, lowering the numbers of the uninsured by increasing corporate and employer responsibility and reducing the cost of medical care for both the government and individuals (Donald 34). An appropriate research plan would effectively understand the history of health reforms until the reforms created in 2010. This would enable the determination of the appropriateness of the reforms in regards to the continuity of the trend. In addition, learning on the history of the healthcare reforms would enable research to identify the significance of the reforms in changing the health care system. Apart from learning the history, the research plan would include survey from all the involved stakeholders. The government would be consulted on the objectives it has set to achieve by the creation of the affordable act. In addition, it would be consulted on plans created to make the reforms effective in the current healthcare system. Patients would also be consulted on how effective the reforms have been since their creation in 2010. The consumer’s opinion will be

What It Means To Be A Coast Guard Wife Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What It Means To Be A Coast Guard Wife - Essay Example In grasping the idea of protection as the chief aim of a coast guard on duty, a wife must instill in herself a gentle but firm heart at thoughtfulness when peril strikes and the better half guards someone else's life at the expense of his. More than awareness of how significant the profession is in times of real coastal emergencies, lifetime partnership with a man of the coast entails aligning thoughts, goals, and actions with the professional objectives of the latter. It means exhibiting a profound level of support to his cause that extends to getting involved in strengthening the man's faith in himself both emotionally and psychologically. Taking part in a routinary mission to prevent smuggling or intercept contraband trading is truly a tough work to accomplish so a coast guard's wife must possess the courage to accept any unforeseen circumstances especially the worst. She must not be susceptible to easily losing heart when her husband experiences distressing situations in the cour se of providing intense security in aiding vessels or merchant sailors for instance.

Latino Culture is Growing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Latino Culture is Growing - Research Paper Example Latino culture is certainly changing, but it is the aim of this essay to provide evidence that Latino culture is growing within the United States and as such is becoming more influential and powerful than ever before. The hypothesis of this paper is that the literature will support the notion that Latino culture is growing within the United States, and as such the operational definition will seek to define the statement above by describing the number of Latin Americans in the United States and the areas in which their culture is growing. We will define the weight of the Latin American culture in terms of number and evidence provided within the literature that it is becoming more and more influential in all areas of cultural interest. According to our hypothesis, Latino culture is growing and as such we will expect the tests we do (in this case measuring qualitative and quantitative evidence for the growth of Latino culture) to support this, providing us with an operational definition . To understand the growth of Latino culture, it is important to understand what exactly comprises it. Latino culture at its most basic level involves anything cultural that can be found predominantly amongst those within the Latin American ethnic group. It also generally refers to movements that have come from Latin America directly, or modern adaptations of this. For example, Roman Catholicism is generally thought to be a large part of Latin American culture (Phol, 1998). Music is found within all cultures, and Latino culture is no different. Latino music generally refers to music made by those of a Latin American origin, whether it be traditional forms such as salsa or adaptations of more modern American trends such as hip-hop or rock music with a distinctly Latin flavour, such as involving traditional rhythms or singing in Spanish. Language is often associated with culture too, and we will look at how the Spanish language is the most important growing language in the United Stat es and how Spanglish (a fusion of Spanish and English) is becoming more common amongst Latin American and Anglo American teens. It is hard with Latino culture, as with any culture, to pin down exactly what makes it unique, as culture changes so rapidly. However, it is safe to assume that Latino culture can be attributed to those of Latin American origin and as such most of the cultural elements discussed within this essay will be those directly formed under the influence of people of this ethnic origin. It is widely recognised that Latino culture is growing, particularly within adolescent groups. Latino teenagers now have more spending power than Anglo teens, spending over $320 a month, which is 4% more than the average American teenager (Stapinski, 1999). This means that advertising companies have had to adapt and begin to target Latino adolescents to improve profit margins, and new advertising companies such as Lazos Latinos have started to appear, primarily targeting the Latino Y outh. With this increased targeted advertising, more elements of Latino culture have been reaching a wider audience, meaning that Anglo teenagers pick up on the trends that are currently defining Latino culture and as such the trends are spreading to a wider

Balancing Technology, People and Organisations in Information Systems Essay - 1

Balancing Technology, People and Organisations in Information Systems Development Education - Essay Example The company’s IS performance is therefore largely determined by the people’s knowledge. It was therefore noted that there is every need to bridge the gap that may exist particularly in understanding systems as well as the technology involved hence the need for proper education. Information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) continue to dominate in today’s corporate environments and they have a significant impact on their operations. Information technology is one of the topical issues in doing business during the contemporary time. In the same vain, there is also need to educate people about these wonderful features of the latest developments in IT and IS so as to attain great results in business. IT and IS have improved dramatically since the invention of computers where information processing was still centralized and only accessible to a few individuals who had access to the computers. However, the scenario today has changed where there are many end-users who can also benefit from the developments in IT and Is. For instance many people had no direct link or access to any IS in an organisation but today that access has been made possible by the new technology in information technology. Many people within an organisation are more directly involved with the systems as they can navigate their own way of doing work via an interactive user interface, thus assuming more responsibility for their own applications. Thus, according to (Ives, Olson, & Baroudi, 1983) cited in Travica (2008), the ability to capture and measure end-user satisfaction serves as a tangible measure in determining the performance of the IS as well as IT function and services. It is therefore important to evaluate whether IS in an organization meet users’ expectations and there ought to be relevant knowledge about how the system operates. In this case, there is need to draw a balance between the people’s knowledge and the operations of technology

Changes in the US intelligence over 100 years Essay

Changes in the US intelligence over 100 years - Essay Example The United States Congress has been very instrumental in reorganizing this body during the times of crisis. It is these crises that have formed the basis for the reorganization of the intelligence community. The scandals and the critics faced by the organ since it was formed is also highlighted in this context Post War era President Truman in collaboration with the Congress did find out that the United States could not meet their security needs without a defined structure for decision making. They had to find a way to deal with intelligence issues in the country. On this note, the president, in 1947 , did sign the â€Å"National Security Act†, which was a part of legislation on the intelligence community. The present day intelligence structure was formed from this simple structure. The USA had the mechanism to do so. Its public also supported this move and it was further boosted by allies who saw to it that America was helped to achieve its goals. USA in the first place took t heir satellites into the space to help them watch vast areas of the world. The other initiative was the use of spy planes1. They moved into their air space to ensure that their territory was not invaded. Many posts were placed strategically all over the world. The intelligence team then listened to the messages relayed on these stations. The country took the responsibility of training and developing manpower for example: analysts, 2technicians, program managers. Much work was done to train these people on foreign languages. USA invested more in the area and space studies which would come to help them develop the intelligence community in years to come. Post Cold War era It saw the endless efforts to make DCI to be the hub of intelligence community. The media undermined their efforts with series of disclosures on their cases. In the better part of the decade, the community underwent many changes. They came up with new reforms and their oversight also changed. For example, President N ixon (1970) gave the directive to find out how the structure of the body should be changed to ensure efficiency in information collection. Several commissions were formed to help inquire about the best ways to ensure efficiency. Among them were the Rockefeller commission, the church commission, the pike committee and the Murphy commission. These commissions would form the basis of this body. In 1975, implementation of Rockefeller commission was ordered by President Ford. Out of the 30 recommendations, 20 of them had to be implemented. The commission had recommended increased supervision of the CIA activities. Its restrictions on the domestic activities were toughened. They were provided with a prohibition on the mail openings and wire taps were removed. The community had been accused of abusing tax information. They were therefore banned from this act. The most outrageous was using drugs on people without their knowledge. The president made it possible to describe the structure of t he IC in the public and their responsibilities and well defined in the presidential document which was always made public. This order also set up a committee known as the Foreign Intelligence and was to be part of the â€Å"National Security Council†. The DCI chaired the council. He was to report to the president directly, concerning resource allocation on the intelligence activities. Many restrictions were made. An example of such is barring the intelligence from using assassinations that were part of the

Films and American Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Films and American Popular Culture - Essay Example This article is relevant to my topic, because it analyzes the negative effects of the mainstreaming of rap music on the goals of rappers. Blair showed concern for the commercialization of rap music, because commercialization has historically benefitted white firms more and diluted the genuineness of black rap music. He narrated the history of rap in the U.S. He argued that Marxian hegemony theory can best explain how mainstream black rap has become a tool for the elite to propagate their own interests and goals. This is a good article, because it explores the theoretical underpinnings of commercializing black rap. It directly answers the research question also on the challenges of rap music. Blair’s findings that commercialization is not an absolute good for black rappers contradicts the implications of the findings of Hunnicutt and Andrews, because in their study, black rappers use mainstream music to broaden their prominence and audiences. Hence, for Hunnicutt and Andrews, m ainstreaming black rap can also indicate the acknowledgement of the invisible voices of low-income, young, black men. Deflem, M. (2001). Rap, rock and censorship: Popular culture and the technologies of justice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27-30, 1993. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from http://www.cas.sc.edu/socy/faculty/deflem/zzcens97.htm The source came from a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27-30, 1993, so it is trusted as a scholarly article. This source is relevant, because it examines how popular music has been put on trial, because of its deviant messages. Deflem reviewed literature on music censorship and its effects on the development of rap music and other forms of popular music. Findings demonstrated that the law has been used to regulate social processes and institutions, but the history of music censorship demonstrated that the law and law enforcement could not significantly impact and limit musical expressions, mainly because of the First Amendment protection. The strength of this article is that it answers both research questions. Its weakness is its focus on the legal history of music censorship. This article has the same findings as Blair, in that dominant social institutions and tools are being used to limit or crush the social, economic, cultural, and political messages of black rap music. Hunnicutt, G. & Andrews, K. H. (2009).Tragic narratives in popular culture: Depictions of homicide in rap music. Sociological Forum, 24 (3), 611-630. The source came from a peer-reviewed journal, so it is trusted as a scholarly article. It is important to the research, because it answers the question about the goals of rap music. They explored homicide themes in rap lyrics across the period 1989–2000 and used the framework of cultural criminology. Their sampling included 360 titles, where they took the first top 30 songs for each year. Find ings showed three categories: 1) exaltation of killing, 2) moralizing tales about the destruction of violent death and the need for change in society, and ? or 3) homicide used as a figure of speech for being a â€Å"bigger† or more popular rapper. Some songs cautioned about the consequences of leading a criminal life, while others remarked on the power structure, and situations of preserving respect, zero tolerance, and vengeance. Homicide is also surprisingly gendered, with men killing men. The

World Music Industry †A Background Essay Example for Free

World Music Industry – A Background Essay There are three major segments in the world music industry; the industry that deals in the recorded music, the industry that is involved in the broadcasting of the already recorded music and the industry that attends to live performances. There are other less significant segments which are concerned with the broadcast rights for live performances and so on. Revenue is generated at each of these stages of the value chain. The earning of the revenue starts with a composer and lyricist with a song written and composed. In some cases the lyricist will sell the music on his own or he may decide to sell the rights may be transferred to another party. Then the song is played by the performers and at this point the revenues start flowing from two different directions – one from the performance recorded in a studio and the other from the live performances. In this process there are certain costs incurred which makes the presence of the companies specialized in the recording business as a prerequisite for channelizing the music performed. These costs include: Cost of rent for studio time and recording equipments Professional service charges payable for the sound engineers, technicians and operators Cost of transferring the recordings to tapes or compact discs and Cost of distributing the music as saleable commodities Since these costs are very high it is not possible to complete the value chain without the participation of these high profile companies. Usually these recording companies sign a contract with the performers. Under the contract the performer agrees to produce a certain number of recordings. The performer also agrees to take part in the promotion of the music product and is also under an obligation not to take part in recordings with other companies during the contract period. The record company undertakes to incur the cost of â€Å"producing, duplicating, packaging, distributing and marketing† of the products. The record companies distribute the products to the retailers who further sells to the consumers. In this value chain the authorized listeners who purchase the music product by paying the specified charges as remuneration to the copyright holders share their copy of the product with other listeners who do not make any payment for listening to the music. Traditionally the occasions on which the copying of the music was done were less which was in an informal way by making illegal tapes to share with friends and relatives. In this case there will be no earnings for any party in the value chain including for the â€Å"publishers, performers, recording companies and retailers†. There may not be any revenue arising for the person who has purchased the product legally and this depends on whether he charges for the copies he makes for the use of his friends. With the rapid changed in technology, the traditional market for the music was changing its dependence from cassettes, LPs, singles, compact discs, mini discs, MP3 and DVDs. These changes in the selling media have acted as strong barriers to the new entrants in to the market due to the reasons like: The international distribution network had proved very capital intensive involving huge investments. Despite the large investments, there was always the risk that the network must suit to the sudden changes in the customers’ demand. This often necessitated the trading off of international rights to music to international distribution as a measure to avoid the risk of change in preferences. (Kretschmer et al. , 1999). There were large costs associated with the marketing of the music worldwide. Firms had to incur marketing expenditure running in to millions of dollars in this respect. This is evident from the fact that releasing chart-bound albums have resulted in huge marketing costs in the national markets of UK and Germany. The composition of the products is so vulnerable that sometimes as low as 10 percent of the music products would account for almost 90 percent of the turnover and nobody could really assess the reasons for the success of certain products. (Caves, 2000) The competition from large players from other industries like consumer electronics, television and other media, entertainment and telecommunication industries using latest technologies of digital and networking also act as a barrier for new firms entering the music products market in the traditional set up. Examples of such organizations include the Time Warner, Disney, and Sony etc.

Detection of Low Level Sex Chromosome Mosaicism

Detection of Low Level Sex Chromosome Mosaicism Abstract Turner syndrome (TS) is most commonly due to a 45,X chromosome defect, but is also seen in patients with a variety of X-chromosome abnormalities or 45,X/46,XY mosaicism. The phenotype of TS patients is highly variable, and depends largely on the karyotype. Patients are at an increased risk of gonadoblastoma when a Y derived chromosome or chromosome fragment is present. Since constitutional mosaicism is present in approximately 50% of TS patients, the identification of minor cell populations is clinically important and a challenge to laboratories. Aim: The purpose of the present study was the application of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to identify low level mosaicism for an XY or XX cell population for TS patients with monosomy X and also to identify the nature of sex chromosome markers detected by conventional cytogenetic studies. Methods: The study included 65 female patients with a clinical suspicion of TS, they were selected from the Genetic Clinic, Medical Research Institute, University of Alexandria. Chromosome analysis by G-banding technique was done. FISH was performed using centromere probes for the X and Y chromosomes. Results: Chromosome analysis by G-banding technique revealed the following results: twenty patients (30.77%) had a 45,X karyotype; mosaicism for a second normal or structurally abnormal X was observed in 27 (41.54%) cases, mosaicism for Y chromosome in 5 (7.69%) cases, 7 (10.77) had mosaicism involving a marker chromosome; and non mosaic structural abnormalities of the X chromosome was present in 6 (9.23%) patients.To further investigate the possibility of mosaicism in the 20 patients with an apparently nonmosaic 45,X karyotype, and to identify the nature of chromosome markers in the 7 patients carrying a marker, FISH was performed using centromere probes for the X and Y chromosomes. A minor XX cell line was identified in 6 patients, XY mosaicism were identified in 3 cases and the 45, X result was confirmed in 11 samples. FISH analysis performed on the 7 patients with chromosome markers, identified the origin of these markers as X chromosome material in 3 patients, and Y-derived chro mosome in 4 patients (idic Y with a double hybridization signal corresponding to double centromeric region). Conclusion: FISH is a useful tool in the detection of low frequency cell lines and identification of the nature of unknown chromosome markers that have important implications for the management of patients with Turner syndrome. FISH as an adjunct to karyotype analysis provides a sensitive, specific, rapid, and informative technique to identify sex chromosome mosaicism in TS patients. Key Words: Turner syndrome, monosomy X, mosaicism, 46, XY cell line, gonadoblastoma. INTRODUCTION The incidence of Turner syndrome (TS) is approximately one in 3,000 newborn girls and is associated with an apparently nonmosaic 45, X karyotype in many of these patients.(1) Based on chromosome analysis 30%-50% are mosaic with  a second X or a structurally abnormal X, and  fewer than 10% of TS patients have mosaicism with a 46, XY cell population or a Y chromosome rearrangement. The mosaic status of the remaining TS patients remains uncertain but of clinical interest because if they do have cells with a Y chromosome or Y-derived fragment, they may have an increased risk of gonadoblastoma.(2) Because a 45, X karyotype usually causes fetal death, it has been postulated that all liveborn 45,X infants must be mosaic with either a Y or a second X in some cells.(3) The hypothesis of the necessity of mosaicism for survival is supported by the argument for the existence of a feto-protective effect of one or more genes on the sex chromosomes (X or Y). According to this concept, two copies of the gene(s) should be present, either in the fetus or in the extra-embryonic tissues.(4) Both, embryonic mortality and the Turner phenotype, are considered to be a result of monosomy of a common gene (s) of the X and Y chromosomes. It is assumed that, in women, these genes are expressed in both active and inactive X chromosomes as a means of ensuring the right quantity of genetic product.(5) The American College of Medical Genetics recommends cytogenetic analysis of 30 metaphase cells to rule out sex chromosome mosaicism.(6) This analysis can identify 10% mosaicism with  a confidence level of 95% but a more sensitive  level of detection requires analysis of many more metaphase cells, which is costly. PCR-based assays have been used to identify low-level mosaicism.(7) Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using X and Y chromosome probes has been validated (8) as a reflex test in apparently nonmosaic 45,X individuals to identify low-level mosaicism.(2,9) One of the advantages of applying the FISH technique is the possibility of studying mosaicism in both interphase nuclei and metaphases.(5) The purpose of the present study was to show the value of FISH analysis to identify low level sex chromosome mosaicism in Turner syndrome with nonmosaic monosomy X, and also to identify the nature of marker chromosomes detected by conventional cytogenetic studies. METHODS The study included 65 patients with clinical features suggestive of TS, they were selected from the out patient clinic, Human Genetics Department, Medical Research Institute, University of Alexandria over a period of 4 years. Chromosomes were prepared according to standard techniques for culturing lymphocytes from peripheral blood, and the preparation was treated with trypsin to obtain G-banding.(10) A minimum of 30 metaphases were analysed, and 3 were photographed for each patient. FISH analysis using the classic alpha-satellite probes for the X [DXZ1] and Y [DYZ3] centromeres (CEP-X and CEP-Y, Vysis Inc., spectrum green hybridizes to the centromere of human chromosome X, and spectrum orange hybridizes to the centromere of human chromosome Y) was performed in cases with nonmosaic 45, X karyotype to detect low level sex chromosome mosaicism and also in cases with chromosome markers to identify the nature of these markers. The protocol followed was that provided by the manufacturer. The normal cutoff was determined to be 1.0% for a second X signal and 0.6% for a Y signal in analysis of 500 interphase cells. (11) Whenever interphase FISH analysis revealed evidence of a second cell population, a search was undertaken using FISH for metaphase cells to confirm its presence and examine the structure of the sex chromosomes in that population. FISH was performed in the Genetic Center, Genetic Counseling Society, Alexandria. Statistical analysis: Data were presented in the form of frequency and percentages. RESULTS Based on G-banded chromosome analysis of a minimum of 30 metaphase cells for the 65 patients included in this study, 45,X karyotype was found in 20 cases (30.77%), various mosaic complements was detected in 39 (60%), and non mosaic structural abnormalities of the X chromosome in 6 (9.23%) (table I). Mosaicism detected were as follow: 8 (12.31%) with numerical mosaicism involving  the X chromosome, 19 (29.23%) with structural mosaicism of the X chromosome, 5 (7.69%) with Y chromosome mosaicism, and 7 (10.77%) with mosaicism involving a marker chromosome, the level of mosaicism ranged from 8% to 86%. FISH analysis, using centromere probes for the X and Y chromosomes, identified mosaicism with a second X chromosome in 6 of the 20 patients with an apparently non-mosaic 45,X karyotype. The level of mosaicism detected ranged from 3.8% to 8.2%. Mosaicism with a Y chromosome was detected  in 3 patients, the level of mosaicism ranged from 2.4% to 7.2% (table II) (figure1). FISH improved the identification of mosaicism from 60% (39/65) to about 73.85% (48/65). FISH analysis performed on the 7 patients with chromosome markers, identified the nature of these markers as X chromosome material in 3 patients, and Y-derived chromosome in 4 patients (idic Y with a double hybridization signal corresponding to double centromeric region) (table III). FISH highlighted the differences between the initial diagnosis, based on G-banding, and the final diagnosis, determined by specific probes for the  X and Y chromosomes. FISH analysis detected  more Y-chromosomal material than karyotyping (18.46% (12/65) vs. 7.69% (5/65), respectively), and also detected more X-chromosomal mosaicism among the TS patients (55.38% (36/65) vs. 41.54% (27/65), respectively). Clinical, ultrasound and laparoscopic examination of gonads in patients with Y chromosome material revealed normal females with bilateral rudimentary streak gonads in 9 patients and females with clitoromegaly, unilateral streak gonads, and contralateral intraabdominal testis in 3 patients. Interphase cells showing one green signal of the X chromosome Interphase cell showing 2 green signals for X chromosome Interphase cell with one green signal for X chromosome and one red signal for Y chromosome Metaphase cell with one green signal for X chromosome and one red signal for Y chromosome DISCUSSION An estimated 1 in 50 conceptuses is affected with TS. However, only 1% of TS conceptuses survive to birth. It has been observed that there is a higher ratio of mosaic karyotypes to monosomy X in live births compared to aborted fetuses. This finding has led to speculation that most if not all patients born with TS must have mosaicism.(3) Phenotypic expression in TS patients largely depends on the karyotype, and identification of  sex chromosome mosaicism plays a key role in clinical management. Patients with documented mosaicism for a 46, XX or duplication of the  long arm have a moderate phenotype. Mental retardation is seen more frequently in patients with a small ring chromosome and deletion of the X-inactivation center (XIST).(12) Patients with a Y or Y-derived chromosome identified by routine  G-banding analysis may have as high as a 30%  risk of developing gonadoblastoma, although  most reports suggest an incidence of 7%-  10%. Therefore, identification of low level  Y chromosome mosaicism is also clinically important.(13)   Out of the 65 patients included in the present study, 45, X karyotype was found in 20 cases (30.77%), various mosaic complements was  detected in 39 (60%), and non mosaic structural abnormalities of the X chromosome in 6 (9.23%). Previous studies reported constitutional mosaicism in approximately 50% of TS patients based on chromosome analysis.(14) The detection of mosaicism is mainly influenced by the type and number of tissues analysed, the number of cells studied, and the sensitivity of the techniques applied.(4,5,15) FISH analysis of the 20 patients with 45, X karyotype included in the present study detected mosaicism in 9 patients: 6 had an XX cell line, and  3 had Y chromosome material. Therefore, FISH improved the identification of mosaicism from 60% to about 73.85%. Van Dyke and Wiktor (11) reported that FISH analysis improves the identification of mosaicism from 55% to 67% in patients with nonmosaic 45,X karyotype.They concluded that the identification of a cell population with a second X chromosome is sufficient to exclude, with a high degree of confidence, the presence of a Y-bearing cell population in that patient. Other investigators compared the results of lymphocyte G-banded karyotype with the use of interphase X/Y FISH analysis. They detected more Y-chromosomal matrial by FISH than karyotyping (in 15% vs. 11% of the women, respectively) and also detected more X-chromosomal mosaicism among the TS women (in 70% vs. 45% of the women respectively). They suggested the use of X/Y interpha se FISH as a complement to karyotyping in order to obtain a more complete knowledge of the chromosome constitution of each individuals with TS.(16) The Y-chromosomal material in TS individuals  is often present in the form of small marker chromosomes, which are difficult to positively identify by routine karyotyping. Furthermore, small markers are frequently missed altogether using  this technique, especially if limited numbers of metaphases are evaluated.(17) In the present  study, 7 (10.77%) patients were detected with mosaicism involving a marker chromosome, FISH analysis identified the origin of these markers as X chromosome material in 3 patients, and Y-derived chromosome in 4 patients, the nature of the Y chromosome was defined as isodicentric with  two centromeres. Approximately 20% of mosaic patients with TS have a sex marker chromosome.(14) The use of fluorescence in situ hybridization  (FISH) analysis has been well documented as  being effective in detecting and identifying sex chromosome markers.(18,19,20) In the present study, final diagnosis followed G-banding and FISH analysis identified Y-bearing cell population in approximately 18% of TS patients. Review of the literature suggested that 6-12% of patients with TS had 45,X/46,XY cell lines with  or without structurally abnormal Y.(21) This variation is a reflection of the numbers of patients studied,  the technique used, and the strategies employed  by different investigators to search for small populations of Y containing cells. Virilization with clitoromegaly was found in  3 cases in the present study with Y cell line mosaicism. It is believed that virilization in patients with TS is due to the presence of Y cell line within the gonad even if the Y cell line is not identified in peripheral blood. Therefore, virilization is an indication for detailed studies looking for the presence of Y mosaicism. (22) Early detection of Y-derived material in the genome of TS individuals is of great importance because of the relative high risk (10-30%) of developing gonadal tumors (i.e., gonadoblastoma or dysgerminoma).(23,24) Gonadoblastoma is a precursor tumor which may undergo malignant transformation into one of the virulent germ cell neoplasms (dysgerminoma, embryonal carcinoma, endodermal sinus tumor, chorioepithelioma or yolk sac tumor).(21) It has been suggested that a locus (GBY) predisposing to the development of this tumor is located in the pericentromeric region of Yp.(25) Although the natural history of gonadoblastoma in prepubertal patients is unknown, this tumor can be evident even in the first decade of life in streak gonads with Y mosaicism and may be bilateral. Therefore, prophylactic gonadectomy should  be recommended in patients with TS and Y chromosome mosaicism, because fertility is not an issue, surgical morbidity is minor, and the potential for malignant transformation is unknown.(26) If a patient declines gonadectomy, monitoring for germ cell neoplasm is the only option. However,  it is unclear whether methods in common use  today (vaginal ultrasound, biochemical markers, proteomics, etc.), even with compliant patients,  are able to identify germ cell neoplasms at early enough stages to improve the natural history of the disease. It is possible that a predictable and specific marker of malignant potential may be identified in the future. Until then, physicians will need to be continually updated on these important issues as they relate to the clinical management of patients with Turner syndrome.(21) In conclusion, FISH for the X and Y centromere probes is a useful adjunct to conventional cytogenetic studies in patients with apparently nonmosaic monosomy X. This additional assay improved the identification of mosaicism from 60% to about 73.85%. FISH method provides a sensitive, specific, rapid, and informative means of identifying low level X and Y mosaicism in TS patients, and can be employed on the same blood sample that is used for the conventional cytogenetic studies. FISH helped in identifying the nature of the unknown markers which has an important implication in the development of gonadal tumors. Metaphase FISH, and interphase FISH should complement and validate each other in the detection of covert Y and identification of rearranged X vs Y chromosomes.