What Did the Habsburg Empire Do in Central Europe During the 16th Century Essay Example for Free

What Did the Habsburg Empire Do in Central Europe During the 16th Century Essay The Habsburg Empire during the 16th century in central Europe was a very important and influential act throughout Europe because they have mainly ruled many territories and had made a great success towards it. During the 16th century, the Habsburg Empire in central Europe was a ruler family of Austria, for many centuries they have ruled several lands of Europe, and had a numerous amount of superb leaders throughout the Empire. The Empire provided the dukes and archdukes of Austria and was ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg from 1278 to 1780. While the Habsburgs were ruling other parts of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire, which took place in this act, was under the control of the Habsburgs. In the 16th century, there were many great and powerful leaders throughout the Empire such as Charles V. The Habsburg Empire was a family who ruled Austria during the 16th century. It was amazingly ruled by the Austrian branch of the Habsburg and also included the dukes and archdukes of Austria. The Habsburgs were founded by Albert, Count Of Habsburg, in 1153. Not only were the emperors of the Habsburgs Austrian, but also were emperors of the Holy Roman Empire from 1438 to 1806. The imperial capital of the Empire was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1691; when it was moved to Prague. The â€Å"Habsburg Empire† also might refer to the extended Habsburg family possessions that were once ruled by the magnificent Charles V, who he was the Holy Roman Emperor. â€Å"By the sixteenth century, the imperial title was hereditary†, which was allowing the Habsburg dominion to expand over Europe, but not only through military conquest but through marriage. The Habsburg Empire had lots of things to do with marriage. Austria was a whole monarchy, which meant that the Habsburg dynasty included the Spanish branch. The dynasty first gained its power in the year, 1278 when Rudolf of Habsburg seized the Alpine dukes of Austria and Styria. The Habsburgs still held the title of the Holy Roman Emperor between 1438 and 1740. The Empire ruled variety parts of Europe as in the kingdoms during the 16th century. The territories that were controlled by the branch changed over centuries. The Habsburgs ruled the south as in inner Austria, which included the nearby duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Gorizia, Istria, and Trieste extended the realm to the Adriatic Sea. The Country of Tyrol, the Vorarlberg, and the Vorlande were often grouped together as† Further Austria†. The Hapsburgs ruled each of these territories individually. â€Å"The five Bohemian crown lands had existed of Habsburg rule for close to five hundred years. † Many kingdoms were ruled as the kingdoms of Croatia, Slovenia, and Transylvania. The Ottoman Empire and the Princes of vassal Ottoman Transylvania conquered two thirds of the former territory that was administered by the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, while the Habsburg administration was restricted to the western and northern territories of the former kingdom. The Spanish line of the Habsburgs took control over Habsburg Spain and many other territories from the 15 hundreds and so on. During this century, there were many powerful and splendid leaders throughout the Empire. Some of the leaders who were present during the century were Rudolf II, Matthias, Ferdinand II, Ferdinand III, Leopold I, Charles V, and Maxmillian I. Charles V was known for his brilliance and an outstanding emperor. He owned great family estates in Austria. â€Å"Emperor Charles V was one of the most important ruling personalities in European History. † He was the Duke of Burgundy who ruled the Netherlands and Franche- Comte. He was also the King of Spain, which he was included in the Master of Aragon, Castile, Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Sicily and Southern Italy. For the first time in history, Europe became the center of a world empire. Maxmillian I had expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war and established the Habsburg dynasty as a European power. He was an archduke of Austria and an addition to that; he was a German king and a Holy Roman Emperor. Maxmillian I made his family and the Habsburgs dominant in the 16th century. He also added many lands to Austria, securing the Netherland by his own marriage, Hungry and Bohemia by treaty and military pressure, and Spain and the Spanish Empire by the marriage of his son. The Habsburg Empire during the 16th century in central Europe was a ruler family of Austria, they ruled many parts of Europe, and had many great leaders of the Empire. The astonishing Empire was a princely family that included dukes and archdukes of Austria, which also was founded by Albert, the Count Of Habsburg. The Habsburgs were Holy Roman Emperors from 1438 to 1806 and they also provided rulers of Austria, Hungary, Spain, Bohemia, modern Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as several other areas. They have ruled inner Austria and â€Å"Further Austria† which was a group for the Country of Tyrol, the Vorarlberg, and the Vorlande. There were magnificent leaders throughout the centuries as well as Charles V and Maxmillian I. Some questions that come to mind would be that; did the Hapsburg family ever take part outside of Europe? Were the Spanish Hapsburgs and the Austrian Hapsburg ever part of a United State or were they just allied? The Habsburg Empire was a very important act throughout history as they expanded their power through shrewd marriages, acquiring ruler ship over possessions in the late 15th century, and Spain in the early 16th century this way and also by having great leaders who ruled the Empire intensely.

Identification of Epitope in EAV N Protein

Identification of Epitope in EAV N Protein Identification of a novel conserved B cell epitope in the N protein of EAV (Bucyrus strain) Running title: Identification of epitope in EAV N protein. Highlights: One EAV N-specific mAb 1C11 was developed. A minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was identified. The identified epitope was conserved among different regional EAV strains. The mAb and identified epitope may be useful diagnostic tools for EAV infection. Abstract Objective: To identify the minimal epitope of N protein of the equine arteritis virus (EAV). Methods: The full-length sequence of EAV N gene was cloned by RT-PCR and ligated into pET32a vector for expression. The recombinant pET-N protein was expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni affinity chromatography. The purified N protein was used to immunize mice for preparing monoclonal antibody (mAb). The reactivity of mAb was evaluated by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The peptides were identified using the prepared mAb by indirect ELISA and Western blot. The homology analysis was performed using DNAMAN software. Results: Recombinant EAV N protein was successfully expressed in the procaryon expression system. An EAV N-reactive mAb was selected and designated as 1C11. Indirect ELISA results showed that overlapping domain of MBP-N10 and MBP-N11 was recognized by the mAb 1C11. Further, the indirect ELISA and Western blot showed that 101QRKVAP106 was the minimal linear epitope of the EAV N protein. The homology analysis showed that the identified epitope is conserved among all EAV isolated strains, with the exception of the ARVAC which is a modified live virus vaccine strain. Conclusion: One EAV N-specific mAb was developed and a minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was identified. The EAV N-specific mAb and the defined linear peptide epitope of EAV N protein may be useful for the development of specific diagnostic tools and design of vaccine. Keywords: Epitope; N protein; Equine arteritis virus; Monoclonal antibody Introduction Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the etiologic agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA) which is a respiratory and reproductive disease of horses [1-3]. EAV was à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst isolated from horses in Ohio in 1953. It is the prototype virus of the family Arteriviridae (genus Arterivirus, order Nidovirales) [4, 5]. EAV infection of horses has been reported in many countries including New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa [6-10]. EAV is a positive-sense, enveloped and single-stranded RNA molecule with a length of 12.7kb [11]. It contains two large open reading frames (ORFs, 1a and 1b) and seven smaller ORFs (2a, 2b, and 3 to 7). ORFs 1a and 1b encode two replicase polyproteins (pp1a and pp1ab), whereas the ORFs 2a, 2b, 5, 6, and 7 encode the known EAV structural proteins E, GS, GL, M, and N, respectively [12]. Moreover, ORFs 3 and 4 encode glycosylated membrane-associated proteins whose functional role is still under debate [13, 14]. EAV N can be used as an alternative protein candidate of diagnostic antigens and accounts for 35-40% of the total virion protein [15]. B cell epitopes involved in the immune response against EAV [16]. In the present study, we aimed to identify the precise B cell epitope using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against EAV N protein. Our result will provide important information for developing serological diagnosis of EAV infection and understanding the antigenic structure of EAV N protein and vaccine design. Materials and methods Ethics statement Care and use of laboratory animals and all animal experiments were in accordance with animal ethics guidelines established by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee in China. All animal studies were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SYXK (H) 2006-032). Cell lines and virus SP2/0 myeloma and Rabbit kidney 13 (RK-13) cells were cultured and maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) in a humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere at 37 °C. All culture media were supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (GIBCO, Invitrogen) and antibiotics (0.1mg/ml streptomycin and 100 IU/ml penicillin).The Bucyrus strain of EAV (GenBank accession No. NC-002532.2, a highly cell culture-adapted strain provided by the key laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Animal Viral Diseases in Yunnan province, China) was propagated in RK-13 cells and stored at -80à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. Expression and characterization of recombinant EAV N protein The full-length sequence of EAV N gene was cloned by RT-PCR using the following primers: 5†²-CCCGGATCCATGGCGTCAAGACGATC-3†² (upstream) and 5†²-TTTGTCGACTTACGGCCCTGCTGGAGGCGCAAC-3†² (downstream). The primers contained BamH I and Sal I restriction sites (italicized). The purified and digested PCR product was ligated into an expression vector pET32a (Novagen, Germany). The pET-N recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) and 1mM isopropyl-ÃŽ ²-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG, Invitrogen, USA) was used for inducing expression of N protein. The recombinant proteins were obtained from the bacterial lysates. The insoluble inclusion bodies were washed and solubilized with phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4). Then, the recombinant N protein fused with 6 His-tags was evaluated by SDS-PAGE and purified by Ni affinity chromatography according to manufacturer’s instruction (Invitrogen). Preparation and characterization of mAbs against N protein EAV N-reactive mAb was generated as previously described [17]. Briefly, 6-week-old female BALB/c mice were immunized with the purified recombinant N protein (100ÃŽ ¼g per mouse) mixed with an equal volume of Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA, Sigma, USA). Two booster injections containing the same amount of purified N protein in an equal volume of Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FICA) were given at 2-week intervals. The purified N protein without adjuvant was injected intraperitoneally as the final immunization. After three days of the final injection, the mice were euthanized and their splenocytes were fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol (PEG4000, Sigma). The hybridoma cells were seeded into 96-well plates and selected in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) selection medium (DMEM containing 20% fetal bovine serum, 100g/ml streptomycin, 100IU/ml penicillin, 100mM hypoxanthine, 16mM thymidine, and 400 mM aminopterin). After 5 days, the medium was re moved and replaced with hypoxanthine-thymidine (HT)-DMEM medium (DMEM containing 20% fetal bovine serum, 100g/ml streptomycin, 100IU/ml penicillin, 100mM hypoxanthine, and 16mM thymidine). After selection in HAT and HT medium, hybridoma supernatants were screened for evaluating reactivity and specificity of mAb by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The class and subclass of the mAb was determined using a SBA ClonotypingTM System/HRP (Southern Biotechnology Associates, Inc., Birmingham, AL35260, USA). Polypeptide design and expression Eleven overlapping peptides spanning the N protein were designed (Table 1,). For each peptide, a pair of oligonucleotide strands was synthesized. Each pair of oligonucleotide strands was annealed and cloned into the BamHà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚   and Sal I sites of pMALâ„ ¢-C4x vector and expressed as MBP-N fusion proteins. These MBP-fused proteins were named consecutively MBP-N1 to MBP-N11. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into E.coli Rosetta (DE3) (Novagen). Each MBP-fused polypeptide was induced by IPTG and screened by indirect ELISA. Briefly, MBP tags and purified N protein were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Ninety-six-well microtiter plates were coated with expressed MBP-N fusion proteins at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ overnight and blocked with 5% skim milk for 1 h at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. After washing three times by PBST (PBS plus 0.5% Tween-20), 100 ÃŽ ¼l of mAb was added to wells and incubated at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 1 h. Then, the plates were washed three ti mes by PBST and incubated with diluted horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG (Abcam, UK) at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 1 h. The color was developed and the reaction was stopped with 2M H2SO4. The absorbance at 450 nm was measured. All assays repeated three times and the average of the three values was calculated. Identification of the epitopes The MBP-N-fusion proteins were identified by indirect ELISA and Western blot using the mAb. Indirect ELISA was performed as mentioned above. For Western blot, the purified MBP-N recombinant proteins were electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE, and then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. Nonspecific antibody binding sites on the membrane were blocked with 5% skim milk in PBS overnight at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The membrane was washed and incubated with mAbs for 1h at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The membrane was incubated with HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG secondary antibody after five times washing with PBST. Following another five times washing, the color was developed using 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and terminated by rinsing the membrane with deionized water. Homology analysis To evaluate the conservation of the identified linear epitope among EAV from different geographic areas, the identified epitope and the corresponding regions of other regional EAV virus strains were aligned using DNAMAN software (Lynnon BioSoft Inc., USA). Results Production of recombinant EAV N protein and mAb As shown in Fig.1a, Recombinant EAV N protein was successfully expressed in the procaryon expression system. A clear single target band with expected molecular weight was displayed. Accordingly, the recombinant EAV N protein was suitable as an antigen for immunization and hybridoma screening. Purified proteins were utilized to immunize BALB/c mice. After cell fusion and selection, an EAV N-reactive mAb generated from one hybridoma cell line was selected for its strong reactivity against N protein. This mAb was designated as 1C11. As shown in Fig.1b, c, mAb 1C11 reacted with recombinant N protein and total protein of EAV (Fig.1b, c). The reactivity of mAb was also assessed using RK-13 cells by IFA (Fig.1d). The mAb only reacted with EAV infected cells and not reacted with uninfected control RK-13 cells. Identification of EAV N epitope To localize linear antigenic epitopes within the N protein, 11 16-amino acid long MBP fused peptides (MBP-N1 MBP-N11) were expressed and probed by mAb 1C11 by indirect ELISA. The results showed that MBP-N10 (91TVSWVPTKQIQRKVAP106) and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAPPAGP110) epitopes were recognized by the mAb 1C11 (OD450 > 1) (Fig. 2a). All the left fragments (MBP-N1-9) failed to react with the mAb. Because adjacent epitopes have 12 overlaps, we deduced that the linear epitope located in the overlapping domain of MBP-N10 and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAP106). To identify the minimal linear peptide epitope within this overlapping domain, a series of truncated polypeptides were expressed as MBP-fusion proteins. Ultimately, the indirect ELISA and Western blot showed that 101QRKVAP106 was the minimal linear epitope for the reactivity of the EAV N protein recognized by mAb 1C11 (Fig. 2c, d). Homology analysis Sequence alignment was performed to evaluate the conservation of the identified epitope among different regional EAV viruses (Fig. 3). The identified epitope is conserved among all EAV isolated strains, with the exception of the ARVAC which is a modified live virus vaccine strain. Discussion Mapping location of viral protein epitopes and defining the degree of their conservation may play an important role for understanding of the antigenic structure, virus-antibody interactions. It may be very useful for vaccine design and clinical applications. In this study, the B cell epitopes of EAV N protein were identified using a mAb. Epitope mapping using mAbs has become a powerful tool to study protein structure and provides new tools to diagnose diseases and design vaccines [18]. Here, we defined one peptide epitope of EAV N protein in by using an EAV N-specific mAb. To our knowledge, epitope on the N protein of EAV has been published, but no previous studies about 101QRKVAP106 have been reported. Starick et al. [19] produced a mAb against the N protein to detect EAV. Weiland et al. [20] used the same method to produce a mAb against the N protein of EAV and to distinguish different virus isolates from semen and tissue samples after passaging through RK-13, Vero and fetal equine kidney cells. However, the minimal epitope of these mAb was not defined precisely. Similar to the work of Starick et al. and Weiland et al. [19, 20], a mAb named 1C11 against EAV N protein was prepared by using recombinant N protein expressed in E. coli and used for identifying B-cell epitopes on EAV N protein. mAb 1C11 reacted well with EAV by WB and IFA, thus this antibody may be a useful detection tool in EAV diagnosis. mAbs are useful and effective for mapping antigenic epitopes of viral proteins. In this study, for epitope mapping, 11 overlapping peptides from EAV N protein were expressed with MBP tags and identified by ELISA to screen linear epitopes. The ELISA results showed that the epitope located in the sharing region of MBP-N10 (91TVSWVPTKQIQRKVAP106) and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAPPAGP110). Then this region (95VPTKQIQRKVAP106) was expressed, and 7 peptides with deletions were obtained to identify the precise epitope. According to the results of ELISA and Western blot, 101QRKVAP106 was considered as the minimal linear epitope of EAV protein. This result is different from the previous studies [15, 21] which stated that the precise epitope of N protein located in amino acids 1-69. This may be due to the difference of the specificity and reactivity of the mAbs. Sometimes, a mAb can react with different locations of a viral protein. Sequence alignment showed that the identified epitope is very conservative among distinct regional EAV strains, but with a mutation of one amino acids on the ARVAC N protein epitope. This result suggests a slight regional difference emerged in this epitope. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish anti-Bucyrus EAV antibody from anti- ARVAC EAV antibody by using the epitope as antigen. This will be helpful in distinguishing the distinct regional EAV infection. This finding indicates that the N epitope of EAV identified in our study have a potential use in serological monitoring and differential diagnosis. In conclusion, one EAV N-specific mAb was developed and a minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was defined. The EAV N-specific mAb and the defined linear peptide epitope of EAV N protein may be useful for the development of specific diagnostic tools and design of vaccine.

American Adam Myth

American Adam Myth The term American Adam generally refers to a mythic concept considered by some critics and scholars to be the central element of American literature. Its assumption is based on the view of European colonists who saw America, the New World, not only as a haven from religious persecution, but also as a new Garden of Eden. This concept of the second garden offered a new beginning, free of the collective error that had pervaded the world since the failure of the first spiritual experiment in that original garden, where Adam had fallen to evil and lost his innocence. By the late 18th century, the religious premise of the adamic myth has changed and now referred to a rather heroic being which was believed to be the core of the American character. Despite these parallels between the adamic myth and the perceptions that some settlers had of themselves, the myth of the American Adam did not substantially enter the cultural discourse until the 19th century and by that time it had lost many of the other elements associated with the biblical version. The American Adam in the 19th Century Literature Instead, the 19th century version of the adamic myth emphasizes on the isolated figure of Adam himself. He, at this stage, demonstrates a figure of immense possibilities that is, at least in certain readings, made vulnerable by his own spiritual virtues. Unlike his biblical prototype, the American Adam is less the product of Gods handiwork but more a creature of his own making. The image of Adam in all his ambition and optimism is perhaps best represented in the pages of Ralph Waldo Emersons Nature. Emerson described this person as an authentic man who is free of the constraints of the past and of the limitations imposed by centuries of tradition. Moreover, this Adam stands for a man that is centered on the future and the promise inherent in the very newness of America. At the same time, however, the innocence of this American Adam is inevitably shaped and altered by experience. Emerson expressed this innocence or experience duality in what he termed the Party of Hope and the Party of Memory. The party of hope, on the one hand, believed that the individual conscience was clear because it was unpolluted by the past. In this context, America had no past, only a present and a future. The key term in the moral vocabulary consequently was innocence. The most prominent representatives of this view of the American Adam are Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman. The party of memory, on the other hand, believed in sin and corruption to be the central element of Adams character. Therefore, Adam remains part of the heritage of humanity. Furthermore, a third concept of the American Adam was developed by the scholar R. W. B. Lewis. He called it the party of Irony. This third party believed in the paradox that a unique spiritual strength can arise from the inevitable clash of innocence with experience. This element is apparent in texts of Melville and Hawthorne. Thoreau: The Recovery of Innocence For followers of the party of Hope, experience remained only the gray shadow of reality. If this Adam could keep his perspective fresh and new, free of the traditional and conventional morals, he would come into full possession of authentic existence. Noone followed this course with greater commitment than Henry David Thoreau. In the experiment that became Walden, Thoreaus masterpiece, the author became a literal Adam himself, leaving the town of Concord to enter the more edenic surroundings of Walden Pond. There, in solitude, he was determined to confront only the essentials of life. From Emerson, Thoreau had learnt to reject tradition and historical Christianity. Moreover, he was to look at natural surroundings instead- to the nature of things that had not yet been encroached upon by civilization. In this sense, Thoreau effectively distanced himself from the corrupting influences that he believed characterized 19th century New England. His purpose was not to ignore them, but to rep lace them with rediscovered values of greater importance. In establishing his own Eden in proximity to the conventional civilization of Concord, Thoreau suggested that the essential innocence of the new American Adam can be both recovered and maintained by the discovery and examination of the essentials of life that is inherent in human nature as well as in the nature of wilderness. Walden, which begins with the limitations imposed on personal freedom by such conventions as property and the responsibilities of ownership, ends with the coming of spring, marking the new dawn that awaits the enlightened Adam. Whitman: An adamic Archetype Walt Whitman, who was also a strong representative of Emersons party of Hope, continued where Thoreau left off. He did not only feel a sense of approval with the American myth, he lived it. Where Thoreau recognized that some people might not respond to his call for an awakening, Whitmans subjective view seemed to allow for no such consideration. All negatives became positives for this personification of the American Adam who moved with total confidence through a world in which the new dawn of promise became an unending sunny day. In poems such as Song of Myself, which is part of the Leaves of Grass series, Whitman celebrates innocent, natural, and seemingly unlimited virtue. This state is not a recovery of natural perfection, since in Whitmans world there is no fall to recover from. A man, in his view, is self-created in the present and exists in the perfection of his innocent, confident creation. Song of Myself Trippers and askers surround me, People I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and city I live in, or the nation, The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new, My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues, The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love, The sickness of one of my folks or of myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations, Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events; These come to me days and nights and go from me again, But they are not the Me myself. Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am, Stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary, Looks down, is erect, or bends an arm on an impalpable certain rest, Looking with side-curved head curious what will come next, Both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it. In this part of Whitmans poem, he clearly shows Emersons individual: The new Adam who is a man that contends that nothing, not even God, is greater than oneself. If we want a profile of this new Adam then we could start with the adjectives Whitman himself provides: amused, complacent, compassionating, idle and unitary. Finally, Whitman not only presented the dream of the new Adam, he also created the world in which the American Adam was to live. Melville: Damned in the Midst of Paradise Not all writers agreed with Thoreaus and Whitmans overly optimistic view. What provoked such a disagreement was the realization by writers like Herman Melville that the static moral innocence of the Adam could prove a spiritual liability in a fallen world, and could even become spiritually destructive. A good example of such a tragic Adam is Captain Ahab in Melvilles Masterpiece Moby Dick: I feel deadly faint, and bowed, and humped, as though I were Adam staggering beneath the piled centuries since Paradise. (Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 11) No turbaned Turk, no hired Venetian or Malay, could have smote him with more seeming malice. Small reason was there to doubt, then, that ever since that almost fatal encounter, Ahab had cherished a wild vindictiveness against the whale, all the more fell for that in his frantic morbidness he at last came to identify with him, not only all his bodily woes, but all his intellectual and spiritual exasperations. The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung. That intangible malignity which has been from the beginning; to whose dominion even the modern Christians ascribe one-half of the worlds; which the ancient Ophites of the east reverenced in their statue devil; Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred White Whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whales white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot hearts shell upon it (Ch. 41) Ahab, in Moby Dick, almost functions as the antagonist to Emersons plain old Adam He is characterized as a being that is somehow damned in the midst of paradise. Personally, he is motivated by a kind of metaphysical sense of revenge. Most strikingly, he has lost his leg to the White Whale. Ahab not only intends to strike out against it and against whatever power that stands behind it, he also wants to strike at the thing that permits evil in the world. Regarding this goal, his quest is titanic, but ultimately doomed. Moby Dick lures Ahab to his death. As a symbol of American arrogance, he is aiming to establish an American Eden, freed from the curse of original sin. And Melvilles message, through Ishmael, the only survivor, is that this quest is doomed and can only lead to death. Conclusion: The American Adam in Modern Works In every of the three cases presented, the adamic theme is apparent in many works of 19th century American Literature. However, the precise interpretation of the adamic being is not unitary but versatile and complex. Finally, the idea of the American Adam did not end with the American Renaissance, but continued to be a major theme in more modern works such as Scott Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby.

Betty Smith :: essays research papers

Betty Smith Betty Smith was born Elisabeth Wehner on December 15, 1896. The daughter of German immigrants, she grew up poor in Brooklyn, a world where she re-creates in â€Å" A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.† Wehner later on married fellow Brooklynite George H.E. Smith, where they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was a law student at the University of Michigan. The bride son had two daughters, Nancy and Mary, and had to wait until the girls entered school before endeavoring to complete her own education. Although Smith never finished high school, she was permitted to take classes at the university, she focused on her studies in journalism, drama, writing and literature. Smith showing off her knowledge won the Avery Hopkins Award for work in drama, and had a three-year course in playwriting at the Yale Drama School. After writing features for a Detroit newspaper, reading plays for the Federal Theatre Project, and acting in summer stock, Smith than moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina under the favors of the W.P.A. She and her first husband divorced in 1938. In 1943, she married Joe Jones, a writer, journalist, and associate editor of the Chapel Hill Weekly, while he was serving as a private in the wartime army. That same year, â€Å" A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,† her first novel, was published. The prestige of writing a best-selling, critically lauded a book brought assignments from the New York Times Magazine, which she wrote both light-hearted and serious commentary. In a December 1943 piece called â€Å"Why Brooklyn is that Way,† Smith shown the core of her childhood borough’s unofficial champion. Although most readers remembered for the amazing success of that first book, Smith wrote other novels, including Tomorrow Will Be Better, Maggie-Now, and Joy in the Morning.

Databases and Y2K :: Computers

Databases and Y2K Introduction: Tremendous problems loom just around the corner for organizations that use two-digit years (i.e. 1-9-97). How tough could it be to change the year from 1999 to 2000? The "Year 2000 Problem" cannot be fixed by simply resetting a computer's internal clock on January 1, 2000. Computers may be smart, but their programmers weren't very farsighted. In the '60s and '70s, many businesses were looking to cut costs and because computer storage space was expensive at the time, programmers decided to cut year dates to two digits (i.e., 1969 became 69). It doesn't sound like a major error, but computers are extremely date-sensitive. Computers routinely add and subtract digits in a date to make a variety of logical calculations, ranging from travel reservations to how much interest one has accrued on a savings account. The problem lies in the fact that many computers designate century data using only two digits, 00, and will read 2000 as 1900. And the bug affects more than just computer systems. Many manufacturers have built products with software instructions embedded onto chips; equipment ranging from fax machines to auto assembly lines could all be affected by the bug. What's the Problem? For many organizations, the Year 2000 Problem has become the most complex project management exercise ever undertaken. The reasons for this are multi-factored. For starters, we are less than 13 months away from Year 2000 yet many organizations are just now paying attention to it.1 There is no way to avoid the fact that our information systems are based on a faulty standard that will cost the worldwide computer community billions of dollars in programming effort. This 'bug' touches on all areas of an organization, and the complexity of analyzing and quantifying the scope of the problem, repairing and replacing infected items, conducting adequate testing activities and finally, implementing multiple interrelated hardware, systems and software can be overwhelming. Compounding the difficulty is the lack of awareness in general regarding the potential risks, and the fact that the project is driven by a series of hard dates. In addition, many organizations have further complicated the process by beginning their e Databases and Y2K How might Y2K affect databases that, in turn, affect our everyday lives? Let's take your bank account. As the 1999 turns over to 2000, your bank's computer may calculate that your account deserves an additional 100 year's interest. Of course, it's also possible you may be penalized for being 100 years overdue on your loan payment! Or suppose you have some data records and want to sort them by

Nursing. Nurse know thyself Essay

Nursing is a rewarding, exciting and sometimes challenging career. Nursing is not limited to simply changing bandages, giving shots and offering of support. In fact, the role of a nurse is ‘protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering thought the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in care of individuals, families, communities, and populations’ (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2010, p. 1). Sometimes, having a passion to serve others just isn’t enough to make it in nursing. In order to be an effective caregiver to a patient, the nurse must treat the patient as a whole. This means building trust between the patient and the nurse, therefore, promoting healing and a sense of peace. A nurse does this by following a code of ethics. Ethics gives the nurse a framework for making ‘logical and consistent decisions’ (Burhardt & Nathaniel, 2008, p. 29). Although, ethics offers a guideline, it does not tell us what we should do; nurses must decide that on an individual basis. Ethics is having the ability to make wrong or right decisions based on our own morals. Morals and values are fundamental beliefs that are acquired from childhood throughout adulthood. Everyone is shaped according to their own spiritual, cultural and individual values that were instilled at a young age. These values and morals are the things that help nurses make ethical decisions, therefore it is critical that we evaluate our own values and morals. Because we, as nurses, are asked to question our own values and morals it is important to examine where we stand in our own spirituality. Thus, it is important to know thyself. Socrates believed that if you do not know yourself, or seek to know yourself, then you know nothing. Knowing where you stand on a lot of ‘hot topics’ makes it easier to stand behind your patient on their decision and therefore, you are able to be supportive of these decisions. Ethics is an area that challenges me on a daily basis. There is two important theories that are important to nursing: utilitarianism and deontology. Utilitarianism ‘is the moral theory that holds that an action is judged as good or bad in relation to the consequence, outcome, or end result that is derived from’ (Burhardt &  Nathaniel, 2008, p. 33). Utilitarianism uses the thought of the greatest good for the largest number of people. Utilitarianism is a helpful theory in situations when you feel the rights of the patient are being ignored. Whereas, the deontological theory states ‘no action can be judged as right which cannot reasonably become a strict law’ (Burhardt & Nathaniel, 2008, p. 39). Although these processes have both advantages and disadvantages, I would tend to use a more situational approach. I believe that having a situational approach favors autonomy of the patient. Using this approach, I feel that I can help the patient make an informed individual decision regarding their healthcare, whether it be based on religious beliefs, personal reasons or simply that it is in their best interest. Working in an area of maternal/fetal cardiology, it can be difficult at times to separate my own believes to that of which is the best outcome for both mother and baby. It seems that almost on a weekly basis the cardiologist is handing down a diagnosis that leaves the family to ponder the decision of ‘do we have what it takes to handle a very sick, complicated child?’ Sometimes these parents are faced with the reality of do they continue along the path of pregnancy or do they stop where they are, and try again in the future. It is a reality that unfortunately many families are left with, as sometimes the babies are given a very grave outcome. It is a very true fact in my own heart that God only deals you the deck that you are able to handle, but when faced with the financial uncertainty, and the uncertainty of the child’s future, sometimes very difficult decisions need to be made. As their nurse it is my responsibility to back the physician with aiding the family in seeing all their options regardless if they fit into my own values. Being able to step back and provide unbiased care to my families is a small part of what my nursing is all about. Being able to do so helps to build a strong relationship between myself and my patients. Along with following an ethical framework in nursing, one must follow a scope of practice. Such guidelines shape the responsibility of the professional nursing organization and serve to protect the public. The American Nurses Association (ANA) helps to paint the picture of how the nurse should practice, whereas the Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN) sets the limits of practice that the nurse must work within, serving to protect not only the public but the nurse herself. As a nurse, I strive to be both clinically competent in my delivery of care,  being aware of the constant challenges and educationally competent. I try to set aside time to attend a weekly grand rounds meeting, where additional education is provided. This allows me to stay current and up to date on effective treatment options, new medications, research findings and team collaboration for optimal patient outcomes. In addition, completing required competencies, I am a member of the Society of Pediatric Cardiovascular Nurses (SPCN) which also strengthens my knowledge and skill in providing the best evidence based practice to my patients and their families. Attending meetings and conferences also helps to build my level of education and knowledge base. Education is critical in the nursing profession, being a lifelong learner is important to keep up with the ebb and flow of nursing practice. ‘Lifelong learning is an essential ingredient for ensuring high quality of patient care’ (Gopee, 2002, p. 608). If you were to trace nursing back to the original roots we continue to provide the most basic of needs to our patients; this is knowing that someone cares for them (Vance). I feel that I provide a level of compassionate care to my patients and their families. I understand that their needs will change depending on their health as well as their environment. My greatest joy comes from helping the patients effectively respond to their health care needs regardless of which stage of life they may most currently be in. In my opinion, the main focus of nursing, comes down to respecting, guiding, providing information, to clients who is the past had the perception of nurses as simply being the people who provided medications, and treatments. The future is bright in the nursing field as we stride for a respectful place as a profession in the health care system. References American Nurses Association. (2010). Scope of Nursing Practice. In Nursing (2nd ed., pp. 1-30). Silver Spring, Maryland: Nursebooks. Burhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2008). Ethics & issues (3rd ed.). Canada: Delmar learning. Gopee, N. (2002, December). Human and social capital as facilitators of lifelong learning in nursing. Nurse Education Today, 22, 608-616. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0260-6917(02)00139-9 Vance, T. Caring and the Professional Practice of Nursing. Journal of Nursing. Retrieved from http://rnjournal.com/journal-of-nursing/caring-and-the-professional-practice-of-nursing

Real Learning Takes Place Through Experiance Essay

â€Å"Not all learning takes place in the classroom. † All knowledge should not obtain from class because subject only taught by a teacher. But some lessons, which are pertaining to life, only will demonstrate by personal experiences. Every person should be learning more from real life than class room. I think real life is the best example for learning and obtaining knowledge. This is supported by various reasons. Learning takes place not only in the classroom but also in our everyday lives. This is because to learn does not mean just to gain academic knowledge. Rather, learning refers to acquisition of any kind of knowledge that can give us instructions on how we should behave. Information that we get in the classroom is, without any doubt, useful and proven and it can broaden our mind. However, school years are relatively short in terms of a life span, and, therefore, there are a lot more things that can be attained outside classroom and that are equally valuable. First of all, Personal experience is essential for obtaining indelible knowledge. For instance, in an early age the teacher would teach about animals. Is it gives sufficient knowledge for children? No, it does not. When teachers will take them in to the zoo and explain about those animals, they never forget that information. This is one type of personal experience. Which knowledge have gotten by personal experience, it will be never loss. Second, the relationship among the people as well as friendship values is not taught by teachers in the classroom. Those relationships have known only by personal experience. Further, the young age person do not realise about money value. The same person should know about money value while he starts earning of money. Finally, sometimes a new technology and new things were discovered by personal experience but not classroom knowledge. For instance, today’s popular phone was discovered by Alexander graham bell. It was discovered by accidently but not part of an educational research. Today, various popular technologies and things also discovered from their real life. In conclusion, the illiterate persons also can maintain different business successfully using their personal life experience. Unfortunately, an erudite people also will fail in business because lake of experience. So I strongly believe that â€Å"Not all learning takes place in the classroom. † Because, if we have only classroom knowledge; today, we do not have any TV, computers, and other technologies. We surely obtain more knowledge from personal life than classroom knowledge.