Saturday, January 25, 2020

Early Attempts on Gene Modification

Early Attempts on Gene Modification Gene Modification Using Virus as Vehicle In 1974, a geneticist studied the use of a virus as a vehicle for gene therapy by injecting a gene-modified SV40 virus into early mouse embryonic cells. There were two unexpected findings: (1) Even though the viral genes were present in the cells of the newborn mice, the delivery of the viral genes into sperm and eggs was extremely inefficient; and (2) The expression of the viral genes was completely shut down, resulting in an inert gene that did not make RNA or protein. After this setback, there were no major advances in gene therapy for a decade, until biologists discovered embryonic stem cells, or ES cells, in 1981. Gene Modification Using Embryonic Stem Cells A stem cell is a cell that can (1) give rise to other functional cell types, such as nerve cells or skin cells, through differentiation; and (2) renew itself i.e., divide to produce more stem cells. Most stem cells live in particular organs and tissues and can only produce special types of cells. Stems cells in the bone marrow, for example, can only produce blood cells. But embryonic stem cells, which live in the inner sheath of an organisms embryo, are pluripotent, i.e., they can give rise to every cell type in the organism. ES cells also possess some unusual characteristics: (1) they can be isolated from the embryo of an organism and grown in Petrie dishes in the lab; (2) they can be frozen in vials and thawed back to life; (3) the cells can be propagated in liquid broth for generations; and (4) genes can be inserted into their genome or excised from their genome with relative ease. Using stem cells, a scientist could incorporate a genetically-modified gene permanently into the genome of an animal to form transgenic animals. In early 1990s, hundreds of strains of transgenic mice had been created in laboratories around the world to decipher the functions of genes. With gene alterations, one mouse would grow in the dark under blue lamps; others would develop Alzheimers disease, epilepsy, or premature aging.   In 2014, researchers created a mouse carrying a mutation in a gene that control the communication between neurons in the brain. These mice have substantially increased memory and superior cognitive function. Much of the work on ES cells including transgenic modification of embryos had been done using mouse cells. Could this technique be used for humans? In the early 1990s, when human ES cells were derived from early human embryos, scientists found out that human ES cells did not behave in culture. You cant clone them. You cant use them for gene targetingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦They are very different from mouse ES cells, which can do everything. So the transgenic modification of human embryos was out of the question for a while. Gene Therapy Trial for ADA Deficiency Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is caused by mutations in the ADA gene, depleting the T-cells, resulting in the collapse of the immune system. The only treatment is to the use of a medicine called PEG-ADA, which has to be injected into the blood every month. In 1990, a team of gene therapists, led by William Anderson and Michael Blaese, used variants of retroviral vectors to deliver the ADA gene into children with ADA deficiency. The plan was to put the virus into the T cells taken from the blood of ADA patients, and delivered the cells back into the blood of the patients. The T-cells might live just long enough to make the ADA protein and correct the deficiency. Although the T cells would fade from the blood, the procedure could be repeated. In September, 1990, with the approval of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, Anderson and Blaese performed the gene-therapy trial on two children with ADA deficiency. Did the gene-therapy experiment work? We do not know and perhaps we will never know, because both patients were allowed continued treatment with PEG-ADA. Any effect of the gene therapy was confounded by that medicine. Gene Therapy Trial for OTC Deficiency OTC deficiency is a hereditary disorder caused by the mutation in a single gene involved in metabolism. The mutation causes accumulations of ammonia in the blood, damaging blood vessels and cells, resulting in the slow poisoning of neurons in the brain. In 1993, two pediatricians in Pennsylvania, Mark Batshaw and James Wilson, experimented with gene therapy to cure children with OTC deficiencies. The form of therapy that Wilson and Batshaw had in mind was more radical than the protocol used by Anderson and Blaese for ADA deficiency. Batshaw and Wilson would create a virus carrying the OTC gene and deliver the virus into the liver through the bloodstream, leaving the virus to infect cells in situ. The virus-infected liver cells would produce the OTC enzyme, correcting the enzyme deficiency.    In the summer of 1993, Batshaw and Wilson injected the modified adenovirus into mice and monkeys. The mouse experiments worked as predicted, but the monkey experiments were more complicated: some monkeys had liver failure and one monkey died. Wilson and Batshaw changed the virus, and reduced the potential human dose to ensure the safety of the virus. In 1997, they received the approval of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee to perform the trial on patients with mild variants of OTC. On the morning of September 13, 1999, Jesse Gelsinger, an eighteen-year-old patient with mild variants of OTC, received the viral injection. Jesse died on the fourth day after the gene delivery. Investigation into the OTC Trial A postmortem the OTC trial reveal a damming pattern of incompetence, blunders, and neglect, compounded by fundamental gaps in knowledge. An analysis of Jesses blood at autopsy found antibodies highly reactive to the virus dating back even before the viral injection. The hyperactive immune response, which was possibly triggered by a prior exposure to a common cold, had spiraled out of control for unknown reasons In January, 2000, when the FDA inspected twenty-eight other trials, nearly half of them required immediate remedial action. Justifiably alarmed, the FDA shut down nearly all the trials.

Friday, January 17, 2020

The New Plant Manager

CASE 1: THE NEW PLANT MANAGER I. TITLE: The New Plant Manager II. POINT OF VIEW: As a Manager III. THE PROBLEM: How can the company even without Toby Butterfield meet its budget and productivity quotas? IV. OBJECTIVES: 1. To understand why organizational behavior is important in an organization. 2. To know the appropriate attitude of a manager in an organization. 3. To analyze organization behavior from the perspective of learning of an organization. V. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION: 1. The Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior speaks about how an individual or a group of people acts within an organization.As a plant manager he must consider how to act professionally. He must know how to act the proper organization behavior even though he is the head of the plant. 2. The Newly Assigned Assistant Plant Manager The Montclair Company is having difficulty meeting its budget & production quotas, the main reason why Toby Butterfield was promoted as the new assistant plant manager of the company. 3. The SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths- Butterfield as a new assistant plant supervisor produced a remarkable result in the company’s production quotas in which the productivity quickly exceeded by 7 percent and within five months the plant was within budget. †¢Weaknesses- Butterfield being ambitious and power-oriented wherein he dismissed three supervisors who had failed to meet their production quotas and as a result five other supervisors resigned. †¢Opportunities- Promotion to New York home office because of his outstanding record. †¢Threats- The fall of productivity after Butterfield left the Houston Plant. VI.ALTERNATIVE COURSES: 1. The remaining employees should plan for what is the best thing to do in order to meet its budget and productivity quotas. Advantages: †¢They can come up to new ideas to improve their productivity. †¢They can prove to themselves that even without Butterfield they can still help the company to meet their quotas and budget. †¢They could gain unity. Disadvantages: †¢It is not easily for them to meet their quotas and budget for a few moments because it takes time to plan for new ideas. †¢Planning needs a lot of time in order for it to be implemented to the company. 2.Even without Butterfield, the company would still adopt the organization behavior of him being power-oriented because it helped a lot the company in meeting its budget and productivity quotas. Advantages: †¢It is easy for them to cope up with this kind of organization behavior because Butterfield had already ruled them when he was still in the company. †¢In this way, the company will easily meet their budget and quotas just like few months when Butterfield was still the plant manager of the Houston Plant. †¢Adopting the said organization behavior would help the employees be more competent. Disadvantages: This may be the reason of some employees to resign because they do not like the way of ruling them. †¢This can also be the reason of some supervisor-employee issues. †¢Newly employed employees will have a hard time adjusting with this kind of supervision. 3. Each of the employees must be assigned of their own areas of responsibility to work with in order to help their company meet their budget and production quotas. Advantages: †¢Each of them can focus to the area in were they are assigned only. †¢They could help themselves improve the way they handle responsibilities. †¢They could gain self-confidence in handling responsibilities.Disadvantages: †¢They will not have company unity. †¢This may be the reason of some employee conflicts because the work of the other did not complement to the work of others. †¢This may be result of the delay of work because some may not meet the target time of passing the reports. VII. RECOMMENDATION : Based on the situation given the best alternative the company must use is the alternative no. 2, adopting the organization behavior of Butterfield that is being power-oriented because it is a big helps to the company. Because of this, it is easy for the company to meet their budget and productivity quotas.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Hitler s Downfall Of The Weimar Government - 1262 Words

In November, Hitler was trying to get more power and support, and a way he did this was by trying to take advantage of how bad the condition of the Weimar government was. He did this by instigating a major riot throughout Weimar. It seemed like a full proof plan and situation, but miscalculations made it a flop and Hitler ending up in jail. At first, the Nazis were not taken seriously and had little to no power. Then, Hitler brought a group of young mean without jobs to become soldiers for him, and he would call them storm troopers, or the SA. During the Weimar crisis, Hitler made a plan with nationalist political images, Kahr and Lossow, to over take Munich in a riot. Hitler had a giant army of SAs, but knew that the loss of control would come if he didn’t give them anything to do, so that’s when he prepared them to rebel, but suddenly, Kahr and Lossow cancelled the rebellion. It was difficult for Hitler because he had 3,000 troops ready to go to battle. On November 8th, Hitler and 600 SAs crashed a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were hosting at a Beer Hall. Threatening them, Hitler made them agree to rebel. The SA then took over army headquarters and offices of newspapers. The next day, November 9th, The Nazis, including Hitler, went to Munich thinking that would be a victory march to take over, but Kahr called in the police and army, and there was a brief brawl, which involved the police killing 16 Nazis. During that situation, Hitler ran away, but was found and sentShow MoreRelated The Flaws of the Weimar Constitution Essay1195 Words   |  5 PagesThe Flaws of the Weimar Constitution The majority of people believe that it was the Weimar constitution which was fundamentally flawed and that this damaged the long term prospects of the Weimar republic, although strong points can be identified in the constitution which support the argument that the constitution wasnt to blame for the republics downfall. From this some historians have determined that the role of the constitution in the downfall of the republic isRead MoreThe Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich1193 Words   |  5 PagesThe Weimar Constitution was a genuine attempt to create a perfect democratic country. In his book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960), American historian William L. Shirer described the Weimar Constitution as on paper, the most liberal and democratic document of its kind the twentieth century had ever seen ... full of ingenious and admirable devices which seemed to guarantee the working of an almost flawless democracy.† The constitution guaranteed equal rights to the German people, yet alsoRead MoreModern History Germany 1918-19451618 Words   |  7 PagesEssay Question B To what extent did the weaknesses in the Weimar Republic account for the growth and rise to power of the Nazi Party to 1933? The Weimar Republic was created in 1919 with the abdication of Wilhelm II. 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Evidence would suggest that the Wall Street Crash was a major factor in the Nazis rise to power, however there were other factors such as the fall of the Weimar Republic andRead MoreThe War Guilt Clause And Reparations2609 Words   |  11 PagesThe mandate of Article(s) 231 and 232 , (respectively titled â€Å"The War Guilt Clause† and â€Å"Reparations†) of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28th, 1919 served as unintentional catalysts for the arise of revisionism in post-war Germany, and its fall out of the international order following the Paris Peace Conference. 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Because the leader of the Nazis, a nationalist and socialist party was signed in as the chancellor of Germany. His name, Adolf Hitler, has grown to be recognised as one of the most hated in history to this day. How did this malicious man grasp the power of Germany? It turns out that some of the causes sprouted from some of the darkest

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Business Ethics Of Anglo American Company - 1149 Words

Anglo-American Company represents one of the companies that respect business ethics by treating employees fairly. This practice has not been previously employed in the enterprise. I have previously worked with this company as an attachà ©, and I did not like the experience of being coordinated by the previous manager. This manager mainly used to overwork and mistreat us. However, the company realized a new trend towards employees’ treatment after recruiting Mr. Long as the new company manager. During the first meeting as the manager, Mr. Long issued a long statement that seemed to touch on the importance of recognizing employees’ effort. Towards the end of his speech, Mr. Long announced his decision to reinstate three employees that had previously been sacked after getting involved in a road accident while going to work. â€Å"They are our brothers,† recounted the new manager after calling the names of three managers. Apparently, the accident did not occur when the employees were within the business premises. Therefore, a legal process that ensued concluded that the company was not liable for their accident insurance cover. Although the company catered for their medical expenses, no compensations were awarded because of involvement in an accident. To our surprise, what awaited them was another discouraging update. The previous manager had already signed their termination letters. According to the previous manager, retaining incompetent employees in the business was an easy way ofShow MoreRelatedEthical Business Behavior: Primark and Anglo-American Case Study1740 Words   |  7 PagesBehavior: Primark and Anglo-American Ethical business behavior and the costs and benefits for a company behaving ethically In recent times there has been an emphasis on following business ethics, as it is believed to have an impact on the way business is run and how its prospects turn out. In the past, business ethics were often ignored, as entrepreneurs had other priorities that took the front seat to ethics, such as, profit-making and stakeholder interests. However, business ethics are a tool to improveRead MoreEthical Theories920 Words   |  4 Pages2. Ethical Theories used to justify Anglo-American’s Obligation to the ethical issue in Chilean Mines 2.1 Virtue Ethics: In virtue ethical theory, an individual is judged by his character rather than by his actions that may deviate from his normal behavior (Fraedrich, Ferrel and Ferrel, 2009). In Chile’s case, application of virtue ethics justifies the following mishaps: Fairness: With Research gathered from the case study, contract workers are assigned much more dangerous tasks with greatRead MoreBusiness Ethics : More Important Than You Think1577 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 3, Period 8 30 January 2015 Business Ethics: More Important Than You Think There is no debate that building a business from the ground up is a difficult thing to do. Then, take into account all of the nuts and bolts, the little things that go into running a business. You have employees, inventory, stock, finances and everything that might slip through the cracks to worry about. Most importantly businesses have public perceptions. This very thing defines a business and how successful it may or mayRead MoreWhat Are The Pros And Cons Of Anglo American Plc In South Africa1144 Words   |  5 PagesSubmission Case: Anglo American PLC in South Africa (from Lesson 5) 1. 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This essay will review the important concept around Anglo-American CSR, its development and provide a verdict on the extent whether liberalisation, globalisation, and developments in the markets for debts and equity are impacting the tradition view of an Anglo-American public corporation and the natureRead MoreBusiness Ethics And Corporate Social Responsibility Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesSOLUTION Business Ethics Business ethics are moral principles that guide the way a business behaves. The same principles that determine an individual’s actions also apply to business. Acting in an ethical way involves distinguishing between â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† and then making the â€Å"right† choice. It is relatively easy to identify unethical business practices. For example, companies should not use child labor. They should not unlawfully use copyrighted materials and processes. They should not engageRead MoreAnglo American Corporate Social Responsibility1501 Words   |  7 PagesFriedman (1970) considered that: â€Å"†¦business as a whole cannot be said to have responsibility†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , the improvement of the notion of Anglo-American corporate social responsibility (CSR) has rapidly expanded. This essay will review the important concept around Anglo-American CSR, its development and provide a verdict on the extent whether liberalisation, globalisation, and developments in the markets for debts and equity are impacting the tradition view of an Anglo-American public corporation and the natureRead MoreThe Role Of Anglo Amer ican Acting As A Moral Agent Essay1876 Words   |  8 Pagesrole of Anglo American acting as a moral agent in its mining projects Ethical behaviour Anglo American workers were fired or resigned because of the default in the principles in 2009. The defaults were covered by conflicts of interest, dishonesty, harassment, violence and acts that were likely to result in the disrepute of the company. The company follows an uncompromised rule in maintaining the ethical conduct. Whistle-blowing Whistle-blowing is an independent way of letting the Anglo American stakeholdersRead MoreCase: Anglo American Plc in South Africa (from Lesson 5) Essay1822 Words   |  8 PagesCase: Anglo American PLC in South Africa (from Lesson 5) 1 Who are the various stakeholders that Anglo American needs to consider as it adopts an effective HIV/AIDs strategy? - Anglo American employees and their families - Government bodies - Non- Profit organizations (NGOs)/ World Health Organization (WHO) - Competitors/ Other large mining concerns or companies operating in South Africa - Pharmaceutical companies - National Union of Mine Workers - Financial Institutions - ShareholdersRead MoreBecoming Mexican American Essay1313 Words   |  6 PagesBecoming Mexican American George J. Sanchez Becoming Mexican American is George J. Sanchez’s document how Chicanos survived as a community in Los Angeles during the first part of the twentieth century. He goes into detail of how many thousands of Mexicans were pushed back in to Mexico during a formal repatriation. Those that survived in Los Angeles joined labor unions and became involved in New Deal politics. The experience of Mexican-Americans in the United States is both similar, yet different