Energy Drinks Essay Example for Free

Energy Drinks Essay Energy drinks are part of the human life nowadays especially to the younger generation. Like other activities such as smoking and drinking, the consumption of energy drinks also goes on increasing. Most of the energy drink manufacturers target the youths for their marketing strategies and hence the advertisements are mostly aimed at attracting the youths. Millions of dollars are spent for the energy drink advertisements. Most of the world famous celebrities like film actors/actresses and sports personalities are the brand ambassadors of energy drinks. Energy drink Advertisements The advertising campaigns are mostly ranges from extreme sports activities like, cliff-diving, surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, racing, and break dancing to art shows, music, and video games. Most of the international cricket teams and football teams are sponsored by energy drink manufacturers like Red Bull, Pepsi, and Coca Cola. For example Pakistan cricket team was sponsored by Pepsi for a long period. Some of the American Football and Basket ball teams were sponsored by Red Bull. Some energy drinks manufacturers sponsor marathon races across the countries to promote their product. Their intention is to spread the brand awareness in two ways. First, they know that a marathon rays will cover a long distance across the country and hence it will attract many people. Second they know in sports like marathon race, the participants Energy Drinks 2 need lot of stamina and energy to complete the race. So they will utilize the stamina of a marathon racer to their advantages. â€Å"Energy drink slogans are as different as the drinks themselves, but they all work to appeal to the ideal consumer crowd. Energy drinks, unlike other beverages, are traditionally marketed to a very small, specific consumer group. For example, some energy drink brands focus on extreme sports enthusiasts, others cater to students and their energy needs, and still others try to attract the video game crowd. † (Facts expert) Mouth publicity is considered as one of the most effective marketing strategy and hence attractive slogans are used in the advertisements of energy drinks. Youths are especially very much interested in songs and slogans and they will give mouth publicity attractive to the songs or slogans which they may feel special. So the ad agencies are very keen in introducing some slogans in their marketing campaigns of the energy drinks. â€Å"If most energy drink slogans are responsible for a large part of a brand’s advertising, it is essential that they be catchy and memorable. Some of the drink names themselves act as slogans—either officially or unofficially—like Crunk and GoFast!. Because most energy drinks are appealing to the younger teenage and twenty-something generation† (Facts expert) The success of a slogan campaign lies in lyrics of the slogan. The slogan must be simple and easy to say. It should reflect the theme of the energy drink to attract the customers. The lyrics should be persuasive, attractive Energy Drinks 3 and it should motivate the target people to repeat it again and again. There should not be any abusive or dirty words in the slogan. It should ignite the minds of the target people so that they will be motivated to give mouth publicity to it and thereby the brand awareness of the energy drink will be increased. Youths are always interested in taking risks and also playing adventurous sports. They need things to be happened at a rapid pace. Because of their enthusiasm and the psychological level, they like fast life and like to have more energy in their veins. So they will participate in anything and consume anything because of the reasons mentioned above. Advices to the Marketers It is a good habit to utilize the possibilities of sports and games in the marketing of the energy drinks. The modern youths are experiencing lack of physical activities and hence most of them have obesity and overweight which result in lack of self esteem and other health related problems. The marketing campaign through sports activities will definitely improve the awareness about the physical activities which is essential for the modern world. So the energy drink manufacturers should continue the marketing campaign through sports activities. â€Å"Some of the energy ingredients in the variety of energy drinks include: Royal Gelly, (Honey bee byproduct), Ginseng (Herbal root very popular in Asia), Ashwaganda, (Member of the pepper family also known as Indian ginseng), Horny Goat Weed (Chinese plant), Skullcap (North American perennial herb), Energy Drinks 4 White Willow (North American tree bark, natural alternative to aspirin), Black Seed (Ancient herbal remedy in Asia, Africa and the Middle East), Guarana (Fruit vine found in Amazon Basin with a powerful caffeine bean), Taurine (A naturally occuring acid)Additionally, healthy ingredients such as green tea and fruit juices are being added to capitalize on the better-for-you trend. Green tea and pomegranates are some of the more obvious recent attempts to tie in products that are currently hot trends in healthy eating with a traditional energy drink. † (Agri-Food Trade Service) At the same time the energy drink manufacturers must improve their commitments to the society by enriching the energy drinks with some essential nutrient which is lacking in the modern fast food culture. Most of the essential vitamins required for the health are vanishing from the current food culture and hence the energy drink manufacturers must take that social responsibility to enrich their drinks with essential vitamins required for the health. â€Å"Energy drinks – usually a mixture of caffeine, taurine, carbohydrates, B-complex vitamins and gluconolactone – have become very popular in recent years† (Energy Drinks Do Not Help Maintain Alcohols Buzz) Some of the marketing techniques of the energy drink manufacturers include: Tension, stress relief, Sobering effects, Improved love life, Stamina, Reflexes, Alertness, Virility, and Stimulates metabolism (Agri-Food Trade Service) Neither of the above mentioned claims from the energy drink Energy Drinks 5 manufacturers are proved scientifically yet. But still they keep on using the same slogans in their ad campaigns to attract a specific segment of the society and they must think of stopping such slogans. Conclusions Most of the energy drink advertisements are misleading. The manufacturers offer so many things which will never materialize through the consumption of it. The ad campaigns utilizing sports activities will definitely create awareness about the physical activities among youths. The energy drink manufacturers must think of including certain essential vitamins in their drinks which is diminishing from the modern world due to fast food culture. They should stop utilizing caffeine like ingredients in their drink. Energy Drinks 6 Works Cited 1. Facts expert (2005), Drink Advertising and Energy Slogans, Retrieved on March 5, 2009 from http://energydrinks. factexpert. com/905-energy-drink-slogans. php 2. Agri-Food Trade Service (2008), The Energy Drink Segment in North America Retrieved on March 5, 2009 from http://www. ats. agr. gc. ca/us/4387_e. htm 3. Energy Drinks Do Not Help Maintain Alcohols Buzz, (2004) Retrieved on March 5, 2009 from http://alcoholism. about. com/od/college/a/blacer0409

Analysis Of The Coconut Oil Industry Economics Essay

Analysis Of The Coconut Oil Industry Economics Essay The coconut oil milling industry, which started during over a century ago, is still active and exporting to other countries. This industry seems to have a huge potential for profit in both the local and global setting. Producing millions of metric tons of coconut oil, the Philippines is the top exporter of coconut oil; hence, the firms producing them are highly profitable. This paper investigates the profitability level of the coconut oil industry. Furthermore, the paper would be looking at its production and exports contributing to the economy. Lastly, the paper would take a look at its trends and how it affects Philippines GDP. The paper would be using statistics, tables, graphs and news to prove that the said industry is making profit up to this point. This paper hopes to achieve more insight on the coconut oil industry and learn more about its current state in the Philippine market. Introduction Background History Other than semi-conductors exports, the Philippines is also known for its coconut oil exports. The Philippines is presently the top exporter of coconut oil worldwide. In 1989, the Philippines was the second largest exporter after Indonesia. The Philippines is producing a lot of metric tons of coconut oil and exporting them to the world. Some of the countries that the Philippines cater to are United States, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, and China (Philippines coco oil exports up to 33.39 pct in November, 2010). The coconut oil industry started to bloom during the 1960s. The Philippine pesos devaluation during 1962 and 1970 respectively had increased the worlds demand for Philippine products such as coconut oil. Because of this devaluation, the land devoted to coconut oil has been increasing 6% per year which In the 1960s and 1970s land devoted to coconut oil cultivation has been increased by 6% per year due to the devaluation of Philippine peso in 1962 and 1970 respectively therefore increasing worlds demand for coconut oil. Because of this devaluations, the local government provided investment incentives to encourage the production/processing of coconut oil. The number of coconut mills grew from 28 to roughly 62 mills in 1979. (Philippine-Coconut Industry, 1991) During the Martial Law Regime in 1973, all coconut-related, government operations were placed under the control of one agency known as the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). The PCA was tasked to collect a levy of P 0.55 per 100 kilograms of copra to stabilize the domestic prices of coconut-based goods, particularly coconut cooking oil. In 1974, the Coconut Industry Development Fund was created for the development of hybrid coconut trees. In the same year, the PCA was overtaken by the Coconut Producers Federation or Cocofed, a group of coconut planters. In 1975, PCA acquired a bank which was renamed to United Coconut Planters Bank, to help coconut farmers in their business. (Philippine-Coconut Industry, 1991) In the early 1980s, as coconut prices began to fall, the government was pressured to alter the structure of the industry. The government was being forced to give up its monopolization of coconut oil. In 1985 the Philippine government agreed to dismantle the United Coconut Oil Mills as part of an agreement with the IMF to bail out the Philippine economy. By 1989, coconut trees occupied about 25% of cultivated land. It is estimated that around 25% to 33% of the population was at least partly dependent on coconuts for their livelihood. (Philippine-Coconut Industry, 1991) Research Coconut Industry The coconut industry is the biggest agricultural industry. Based on 2002 Census from the Department of Agriculture, the industry compromises roughly 1.4 million or at least 30% of the total farms in the Philippines. The production of coconut oil heavily rests on the coconut grown by the millions of farmers. The land that grows coconuts is totaled to be roughly 3.32 million ha which surprisingly is even bigger than the land used to produce rice (Dy, 2006). There are 65 coconut oil mills which have the capacity to crush 4.54 million tons of coconut a year (Dy, 2006). The agricultural sector employs almost 40 percent of the total labor force to produce agricultural products like rice, coconuts, etc. (Encyclopedia of Nations). Presently, 25 to 33 percent of the population is dependent of the coconut industry as their livelihood, whether it is through farming the coconuts or milling and refining them (Dolan, 1991). The government and United Coconut Association of the Phillippines (UCAP) declared that the coconut industry might be the next major employment sector of the Philippines (Coconut industry poised as next major employment sector, 2011). They projected that the employment coming from the coconut industry would significantly increase in size by end of 2016 (Coconut industry poised as next major employment sector, 2011). Market size Figure Coconut Oil ProductionThe Philippines, Indonesia, and India are the leading exporters of coconut oil in the Asia Pacific. They account for more 75% of the total production of coconut oil in the world (Smith Nyugen, 2009). It is estimated that the Philippines alone produces around 13 billion coconuts which is refined to oil (Dhanuraj, 2004). In 2011, the production of coconut oil in the Philippines was estimated to be roughly 1.7 million metric tons (Index Mundi, 2011). In the past five years, more and more coconut oil is being produced due to the efficiency of equipment and cultivation of land. The continuous trend in production of coconut oil is an indication of how stable the industry is. The fact that the industry can manufacture almost the same amount of coconut oil per year would show us how stable the industry is. Revenues on Exports Source: Bureau of Agricultural Statistics Figure 2 Coconut Oil Exports Figure Coconut Oil ExportsThe coconut oil industry is focused more on exporting cooking oil to other countries. There is no data on the revenue and profit of the industry in the local setting. Every four out of five metric tons produced in South East Asia, especially from the big three producers, are sent to either Europe or the United States (Smith Nyugen, 2009). Only one out of every five metric tons remains in Asia. The Philippines, being the top exporter of coconut oil in the world, has exported millions of metric tons in the past three years (Department of Agriculture, 2011)(see figure above). Furthermore in 2010, the Philippines has not only exported 1.3 billion metric tons of coconut oil, but also earned around 1.2 billion USD which is an outstanding revenue of 55 billion pesos (Department of Agriculture, 2011). During the First quarter of 2010, the prices were pegged at around 1000 USD (Department of Agriculture, 2011). GDP In recent years, the agricultural sector roughly contributes 12~15 percent of the Philippine GDP (Index Mundi, 2011). The agricultural sector had contributed roughly 4 billion USD in 2010. Coconut oil and tuna were computed to be 39.67% percent of the total GDP contributed by the agricultural sector (Department of Agriculture, 2002). The GDP of 2010 has risen by roughly 30.67% from the previous years GDP (Department of Agriculture, 2011). Though it is true that the GDP decreased in 2011, mathematically speaking the GDP contributed by the agricultural sector did not. During 2010, the GDP of the Philippines is roughly 7.3% and roughly 13.9% of comes from the agricultural sector (Instituto Espanyol De Comercio Exterior). In 2011, the GDP is roughly 3.7% which is significantly lower than the previous year, but the agricultural sector still maintains and contributes roughly 12.3% which is not bad (Index Mundi, 2011). Furthermore, on December 2011, coconut oil exports began to rise again by about 2.7% (Reuters, 2011).Thus, coconut oil exports would increase by the year 2012. The Philippine Coco Coir Industry forecasts that by 2016, the exports of coconut oil would increase by 400 percent (Coconut industry poised as next major employment sector, 2011). Importance to the Economy. According to the research done Roland Dy, Ph.D, the coconut oil industry is important to the economy of the Philippines. First, coconut farms are located in 68 out of the 79 provinces of the Philippines. Second, 30% of the total farmlands in the Philipines are coconut farms. Third, coconuts contribute half of the agricultural exports. Fourth, coconut farming lands have the largest potential of diversification. Fifth, it is a huge untapped resource pool for industry development (Dy, 2006). Not only has coconut oil been sold abroad as exports, but it also used as cooking oil. Coconut oil is also used in homes (Isip, 2012). A significant percentage of the market uses coconut oil. It is not only used by homes but also by biscuit industries. The National and Global Environment Technological Environment The Technological Environment of a business greatly affects its ability to produce its products and, therefore, affect its overall performance in the industry. In the Philippines in 1997, coconut production in copra equivalent accounted for 3.83% of the total production of agricultural crops (Aragon, 2000). The coconut production during 1990-1997 was a little small which was due to the slow growth rates in coconut hectarage (0.9%/year) and coconut-bearing trees (0.3%/year) (Aragon, 2000). During the period of 1990-1997, about 91% of the coconut production in the Philippines passes through the copra stage (Aragon, 2000). The minimal production of coconuts of the stagnant farm sector caused the over-capacity of the coconut industrial sector. According to the study done by the Philippine Coconut Industry, there are about 65 coconut oil mills with an installed copra crushing capacity of 4.54 million tons a year (Dy, 2006). According to another study made by them, the number of mills in t he Philippines rose from 28 in 1968 to 62 in 1979 (Phillipine Coconut Industry, 1991). There was also an issue of declining yields because of the aging of coconut trees in some regions (Phillipine Coconut Industry, 1991). Some coconut oil milling industries still use low technology machineries or techniques to produce coconut products. There have been many researches and experiments done to improve this industry. Technologies for coconut processing have been made but only a few of these reached the actual production areas. During a study made by Joey Faustino (2006), the farmers burn the higher value coconut husks/shell to dry the lower value output that is copra(coconut shell). This means that because of the low level technologies that are used by some of the farmers and companies, their level of output is also affected. A famous Malaysian newspaper republishes Wong Yee Tuans work, which says: In the late 19th century, a few businessmen introduced new technology and established Khie Heng Bee Mill, a modern rice and oil mill equipped with steam and hydraulic machinery. The mill was driven by a 60hp horizontal engine and the hydraulic oil presses were worked by a 24ho engine. It was capable of producing 100 piculs (6,000 kilos) of oil per day. It became one of the largest and most important industrial concerns in northern Malaya. The founders of this modern enterprise were Phuah Hin Leong, Chuah Yu Kay, Lim Leng Cheak, Cheah Joo Jin and Cheah Ewe Ghee. (Tuan, 2011) Their technological advancement affected their capability in producing their products. The initiative made by these businessmen inspired others to develop new technologies to improve the industry. In Zamboanga, the Zamboanga Coconut Research Center have produced around 20 hybrid coconut varieties according to the Philippine Coconut Administration (Gumapon). These hybrid coconut varieties were discovered to counter the dry spell (Gumapon). The Coconut Industry Investment Fund-Oil Mills also uses modern technologies in operating their plants. Their plants have a combined crushing capacity of 750,000 metric tons of copra with a refining capacity of 280,500 metric tons of different grades of processed coconut oils (CIIF Oil Mills Group). Having technological advancements helps the industry to improve. The modern technologies help the companies to produce more copra which in turn helps them produce more coconut oil. Economic Trends Coconut oil production is a constant all year round process. As long as there is a constant supply of coconut, coconut oil, and other by-products are constantly being refined and manufactured. Coconut oil products are sold to different firms all over the Philippines and are also exported to other countries all over the world. The Philippines mostly exports its products to countries like United States, Japan, Europe, and most of the ASEAN countries (Encyclopaedia of Nations). The Philippines, being the top producer and exporter of coconut oil, is rapidly growing during the last few years. In the last two years, 1.69 billion metric tons of coconut oil is being produced all over the Philippines (Index Mundi, 2011). But in the recent years, the exportation of coconut oil is slowing declining over the years. The coconut oil industry for 2011 exports roughly fell to .8 million metric tons from the 1.34 million of metric tons produced during 2010 (Olchondra, 2012). Decline in exports of coconut oil is being attributed to the 2011s large export of coconut oil. During January 2012, a coconut oil export is roughly 54,000 metric tons which is roughly half the exports of last year (Galvez, 2012). According to Yvonne Agustin, UCAP executive director the export of coconut oil is going to increase by the second quarter. She says, Right now, the demand for CNO is still weak since most of the foreign buyers still have plenty of stocks from last year, but we expect demand to pick up in the second quarter of the year (Galvez, 2012). According to a research by Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, coconut oil is being produce and exported in significant volumes (see figure below). During the early stages of the coconut oil industry, the production and exports of coconut oil is roughly 1.5 million metric tons and .5 million metric tons respectively. The market had grown so fast that the Philippines alone can produce the same amount of coconut oil in just a year time. (Vinay Chand Association) Figure Coconut Oil Production and ExportsProduction and Exports of Coconut Oil in Metric TonsC:UsersROBERT S. CHENGDesktopUntitled.png Source: Index MundiGlobal Environment Coconut oil accounts for approximately 20% of all vegetable oils used worldwide. Coconut oil is used in margarines, vegetable shortening, salad oils, confections, and in sports drinks to boost energy and enhance athletic performance. The total cultivation under coconut was estimated at 11.0 million hectares producing 55 million tons in 2004. Asia remained the largest producing region at 46 million tons or 85% of global production in 2004. In the western hemisphere, South America was a major producing region at 6% of production (Singh Seepersad Rankine eds, 2007) Philippines and Indonesia are the worlds two largest producers of coconut, with an estimated production of 16.3 million tons and 14.4 million tons from 3.3 million ha and 2.7 million ha respectively. In 2007, the Philippines produced 37% of total world production and Indonesia comes second with 29%. India, the third largest with 13%, produced an estimated 10 million tons from 1.9 million ha. Indonesia and the Philippines were major exporters while India consumed most of its coconut production. Central America, Brazil, Mexico (with 4%) and Jamaica were major producers in the Western Hemisphere (Singh Seepersad Rankine eds, 2007). World production in 2007 fell by -6.8% yr/yr to 4.652 million metric tons, and remains far below the record high of 5.662 million metric tons posted in 2001. (CRB Fundamentals 2008 Commodity Articles: Coconut Oil and Copra, 2008). This fact might be true for the worlds production of coconut oil. But the Philippines is still consistently performing well with 1.358 million metric tons and 1.625 million metric tons in 2001 and 2007 respectively (Index Mundi). The table that follows summarizes the world production of coconut oil in 2011. World Coconut Oil Production in 2011 Source: USDA Figure Coconut Oil Production 2011 Price of Coconut Oil in 2011 Source: Index Mundi Figure Coconut Oil Prices Percentage Change in Coconut Oil Prices in 2011 Jan 2011 2,063.00 Source: Index Mundi- Feb 2011 2,260.00 9.55 % Mar 2011 1,925.00 -14.82 % Apr 2011 2,088.00 8.47 % May 2011 2,097.00 0.43 % Jun 2011 1,803.00 -14.02 % Jul 2011 1,663.00 -7.76 % Aug 2011 1,454.00 -12.57 % Sep 2011 1,310.00 -9.90 % Oct 2011 1,208.80 -7.73 % Nov 2011 1,479.00 22.35 % Dec 2011 1,439.00 -2.70 % Figure Coconut Oil Price Change The world market price for coconut oil is constantly fluctuating. The following table shows the schedule for the price of coconut oil in the world market for the past year. In 2011 alone, price percentage changes fluctuated to a decrease as low as -14.82% in March and to an increase as high as 22.35% in November. The following table shows the schedule for the price of coconut oil in the world market for the past year. Health Benefits Coconut oil is known to be one of the more expensive oils. It can be seen in trends that among the widely used edible oils, coconut oil usually takes a higher level of prices. The following graph compares edible oil prices of soybean oil, palm oil, canola oil and coconut oil from 1997 to 2005. The steep downward slope of coconut oil was due to the Asian financial crisis. Coconut oil being more expensive than its competitors had suffered a lot from the crisis. As seen after the crisis, the trend is gearing upwards again. Edible Oil Prices from 1997 to 2005 Source: Index Mundi Figure Edible Oil Prices When talking about the global environment of the coconut oil industry, it is important to take note of the possible impact of recent medical research done on the health benefits that can possibly be acquired from coconut oil. As written by Singh, Seepersad and Rankine(2007), Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of scientific studies conducted relating to the merits of the traditional tropical diets premised on the use of fruits and vegetables as practiced in the Philippines and Hawaii. Also, studies focused on the merits of using some of the product derivatives such as coconut and palm oil as compared to traditional soybean and other unsaturated oils. Coconut oil has been proven to have a saturated fat, which is of the medium-chain fatty acid variety (MCFA). MCFAs are more readily digested by the body, in that MCFAs are not stored as fat but are immediately converted into energy. This results in an overall increase of the bodys metabolism. Studiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ showed that coconut oil prevented the formation of hepatic cholesterol esters. In addition to this, the lauric acid found in coconut oil provides the disease fighting fatty acid monolaurin, which boosts the immune system. Coconut reportedly has been proven to have no dangerous trans-fats, which are traditionally found in vegetable oils, margarines and shortenings. These substances have the effect of increasing the bodys production of LDLs or bad cholesterol, which has implications for heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. Conclusion The Philippine Coconut Oil industry, which started over a century ago, bloomed and is still consistently profiting from selling cooking oil to the local and global market. Though it has been affected by the Asian Financial Crisis, it still managed to recover. It was able to brought back its sales. The trend of using coconut oil is still consistent. The Philippines produces and exports coconut oil in the same degree. Despite the fluctuating prices and volumes sold of coconut oil, the percentage it contributes to the Philippines GDP has been overall consistent over the past few years. With new technology, the production of coconut oil has been and is consistently getting better. There are fewer wastes, and the cooking oil manufacturers are finding ways to use these wastes for other purposes. My uncle who is part of this industry and one of the leading manufacturers of coconut oil says they are using the wastes as components for bio-fuel. The market for coconut oil has been consistent throughout these past few years despite the costs of coconut oil against its substitutes. Though edible coconut oil is a lot more expensive than oil made from other products such as palm oil, coconut oil is still welcomed by the market. With this statistics, I would like to believe that the coconut oil industry would continue to move on and still be successful in future. Despite the indications of the industry degrading, still shows consistent performance.

Antiglycation Studies of Pd(II)-Hydrazide Complexes

Antiglycation Studies of Pd(II)-Hydrazide Complexes Introduction Glycation is a non-enzymatic spontaneous reaction between sugars and coexisting protein followed by a complex cascade of reactions including dehydration, redox reaction and other rearrangements [1, 2] forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs) [3]. Glycation reactions depend on the generation of reactive oxygen species by trace amounts of redox active metal ions [4] and on the degree and duration of hyperglycemia in vivo [5]. Glycation damages the collagen and elastin throughout the body. It is generally accepted that accumulation of tissue AGEs together with enhanced oxidative stress has an important role in the progression of aging and diabetic complications including retinopathy, neuropathy, embryopathy, delayed healing of wounds and others [6-10]. The increase in diabetic complications is the major cause of increased morbidity and mortality rate that has enhanced considerably in the two decades [11]. It has been estimated that the number of cases of DM will reach to 366 milli on by 2030 [12, 13] showing in fact a great challenge to healthcare systems [14]. The failure of existing antidiabetic drugs are forcing researchers to find out new inhibitors of proteins responsible for glycation in order to have a long term and sustainable solution for management of diabetes and age-related diseases. Protein Glycation The protein glycation, also called Millard reaction, involves non-enzymatic coupling of proteins with reducing sugars eventually producing advanced end products. The glycation is a spontaneous reaction, which stimulates the degradation of proteins with modification of their structures and biological activity [1-3]. Various reducing sugars including glucose, lactose, fructose, xylose, deoxyribose and galactose may take part in protein glycation [15]. Chemistry and Mechanism of Protein Glycation The protein glycation process initiates with the reaction of carbonyl (keto or aldehydic) group of reducing sugar with free amino group of protein forming a labile Schiff base 16. This is called early stage of glycation. The Schiff bases are then transformed through Amadori rearrangement into comparatively stable compounds known as Amadori products. At acidic pH or under oxidative conditions, the Amadori products or Schiff bases undergo degradation generating extremely reactive 1, 2-dicarbonyl compounds, such as methylglyoxal (Figure 94) 17-21. The formation of protein dicarbonyls through a protein enediol may generate superoxide radicals in the presence of transition metal ions and molecular oxygen 22. The superoxide radicals can be converted into most reactive hydroxyl radical via Fenton reaction 7. The reactive carbonyl compounds subsequently react with amino groups of neighboring proteins producing protein dicarbonyl compounds, which further contribute in the formation of various types of protein crosslinks and adducts called ‘Advanced Glycation End Products’ (AGEs). The autoxidation of Amadori products to AGEs is described as glycoxidation process. Figure 94. Structures of some reactive dicarbonyl glycation intermediates Advanced Glycation End Products The advanced glycation end products (AGEs) comprise a complex heterogeneous group of compounds produced primarily through the reaction of reactive carbonyls and proteins. AGEs demonstrate to have diverse molecular biological functions and structures 18, 23]. The amino, sulphydryl and guanidinum functional groups occurring in the intracellular and extracellular proteins are the main targets of reactive carbonyl compounds. Various AGEs have been recognized in different tissues that can be categorized into three major groups: fluorescent cross-linked AGEs (e.g. pentosidine and crossline), non-fluorescent cross-linked AGEs (e.g. alkyl formyl glycosyl pyrrole and arginine-lysine imidazole cross-links) and non-cross linked AGEs (e.g. pyrraline and N-(carboxylmethyl) lysine) 18. The structures of some AGEs are presented in Figure 95. Figure 95. Structures of selected advanced glycation end products Factors Affecting the Formation of AGEs In physiological environment, the generation of AGEs is a relatively slow process. Accordingly, the AGEs accumulation is dominant in long-lived structural proteins, for instance, tissue collagens and lens crystallins. The oxidative conditions are known to accelerate the formation of AGEs, which slows down under anaerobic environment [24]. The transition metal ions may induce the auto-oxidation of sugars to produce keto aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide that speed up the formation of AGEs [25]. The amount of AGEs formed is increased as a function of time and concentration of glucose and hence the AGEs formation is enhanced with aging and under diabetic conditions [26]. Site Specificity of Glycation of Proteins Glycation of protein is considered as a specific reaction; however, it is less specific compared to enzymatic glycosylation. Glycation often takes place at specialized site in the protein, such as the substrate binding site (e.g. Arg-39) of RNase, the allosteric site (e.g. ÃŽ ²V1) of hemoglobin, and the drug binding sites (e.g. Arg-410) on albumin [27]. The specificity of glycation may be determined by endogenous ligands and the structure of protein especially an amino acid sequence within the protein. The specificity of protein glycation is usually affected by both basic and acidic neighboring groups [28], either via catalysis of Amadori rearrangement (the rate-limiting step of protein glycation), or via effecting pKa of amino group that contributes in enhancing its nucleophilicity and formation kinetics of Schiff bases. This shows that there is a variation in the respective rate and extent of glycation shown by amino groups in the protein. The anionic ligands also catalyze the pote ntial glycation of proteins at specific sites [27]. Exogenous Sources of AGEs The formation of AGEs via Maillard reaction was originally described for physical and chemical changes occurring during heating of food [29]. Beside the natural formation of AGEs inside the body, there are some exogenous sources of increased AGEs including diet enriched with AGEs and smoking. The extent of absorption of AGEs ingested with food is very small [30]. However, there is a strong relationship of AGEs circulating in the human body with the AGEs ingested [31]. It has been investigated that tobacco smoke increases the formation of AGEs on plasma proteins due to containing some products, which produce protein crosslinks and AGE-like fluorescence and mutagenicity [32]. For example, the diarbonyl compounds, glyoxal and metbylglyoxal, are most likely to be present in cigarette smoke that act as mediators of AGE formation and formed by thermal decomposition of existing saccharides. Accordingly, the serum of diabetic smokers reveals enhanced levels of AGEs relative to diabetic non-smokers [33]. Similarly, the smokers are more susceptible to incidence of cataract, cardiovascular and lungs diseases as compared to non-smokers due to smoke-mediated AGEs formation [34]. Toxicity or Pathological Conditions Associated to Glycation and AGEs Formation The AGEs are more prone to proteolysis and degradation as compared to the original proteins. The accumulation of AGEs has toxic biological effects, causing disruption of many cellular processes leading to various pathologies. The AGEs as well as intermediate glycation products such as reactive carbonyls induce the production of free radicals in vitro and in vivo [35, 36] and hence increased oxidative stress [37]. The glycation-mediated free radicals are the major cause of protein fragmentation as well as oxidation of lipids (lipid peroxidation) and nucleic acids [7]. The reactive dicarbonyls have ability to bind with naturally active proteins of diverse physiology via intra- and inter-molecular cross linking resulting in deactivation of enzymes, transcription factors, membrane transporters and signaling components with eventual protein degradation and cytotoxicity [38-40]. The AGEs also bind to cell membrane receptors inducing signal cascades leading to inappropriate gene expressions and cellular activities [18]. The elevated level of AGEs in tissues has a strong correlation with severity of diabetic complications [41, 42]. This is because of modification of enzymatic activity in multiple ways including binding of ligand, change in protein half life, increased membrane permeability, decreased binding ability of insulin to its receptors, increased atherogenicity of LPL and variation in the immunogenicity [43-45]. The main diabetic complications include impaired wound healing and the serious damage and failure of various vital organs such as kidneys (nephropathy), nerves (neuropathy), eyes (cataract, retinopathy), blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and heart (cardiomyopathy) [11, 34, 46, 47]. The AGEs formation is also associated to aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic disorders [17, 10, 48-50]. Natural Biological Defense Mechanism against Glycation and AGEs The human body presents a certain mechanism to inhibit the glycation of protein and resulting AGEs formation. For example, ÃŽ ±-keto-glutaraldehyde dehydrogenase, a liver enzyme, has a capability to inactive 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), Arnadori-derived reactive intermediate and hence prevents the generation of AGEs [41]. The other enzymes such as aldose reductase and glyoxylase system (I and II) can catalyze the deglycation of reactive intermediate methylglyoxal into D-lactase [51]. Amadoriases are the group of enzymes found in Aspergillus, which catalyze the deglycation of Amadori products [52]. Some NADPH-dependant exogenous enzymes such as aldose reductase and oxoaldehyde reductase that metabolize ÃŽ ±-dicarbonyls, have the ability to reduce 3-DG and thus regulate the formation of AGEs [53]. Similarly, different plasma amines may reduce AGEs formation through reaction with carbonyl groups of sugar and Amadori compounds [54]. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C, provide prote ction against glycation-mediated free radicals, whereas, ceruloplasmin and other transport proteins bind with transition metal ions such as Cu2+, preventing them to take part in glycoxidation reactions or autoxidative glycation [55]. Inhibition of Protein Glycation and AGEs Several attempts have been made earlier to explore pharmacologically active antiglycating agents to prevent or slow down the production of AGEs [56]. The major side effects associated with antiglycation therapy limit the use and necessitate the discovery of new inhibitors of glycation with reduced toxicity and long half life to be implicated for large time span. Currently, two therapeutic strategies are highly successful having great effectiveness against diabetic complications and normal aging; one is the inhibition of formation of AGEs and other is the breaking of already established AGEs cross-linkages [57]. Promising Inhibitors of Glycation with Their Mechanism of Inhibition The antiglycating agents such as aminoguanidine, rutin, antioxidants, aspirin and other AGEs breakers have been examined extensively and received great interest. The structures of some potential antiglycating agents are depicted in Figure 96. Aminoguanidine Aminoguanidine is a derivative of hydrazine that inhibits the generation of AGEs and glucose-derived collagen cross-links during in vitro studies [58]. Aminoguanidine does not act on already formed AGEs but it reacts with reactive Amadori products such as 3-deoxyglucosone preventing additional rearrangements and intermediates crosslinking [59]. In addition, aminoguanidine is a free radical scavenger that contributes in reducing oxidative stress [60]. The treatment of diabetic animal models with aminoguanidine reduces AGEs accumulation, kidney lesions, albuminuria and long-term diabetic complications including retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy [61]. Aminoguanidine also exerts positive effect on the speed of nerve conduction [22]. Aminoguanidine therapy is limited by serious toxic effects attributable to high reactivity, subliminal concentrations and rapid renal clearance. The human trials with aminoguanidine experience vasculitis (inflammation of lymph or blood vessel), liver fu nction abnormalities [62] and less frequent flu-like symptoms, nausea and headache [63]. Figure 96. Structures of some potential antiglycating agents Aspirin Acetylsalicylic acid commonly known as aspirin is an analgesic has well known analgesic drug that also shows the preventive action against formation of cataract under diabetic conditions. Aspirin may limit the sugar-mediated formation of Amadori products by acetylation of free amino residues of proteins. Aspirin also stops the crosslinking of tendon in rat tail in vitro through inhibition of glycoxidation. Furthermore, aspirin is a free radical scavenger [64]. However, the use of aspirin is unlikely in controlling late diabetic complications because of some serious gastrointestinal side effects [41]. Rutin Rutin is a common flavonoid of vegetables and fruits that modulates the AGEs generation in vitro. The flavonoids including rutin that contain vicinal dihydroxyl groups have established their significant role as antiglycating agents. The mechanism of inhibition by rutin is suggested to involve the trapping of amino groups in proteins at early stage of glycation, especially in ketoamine formation, by rutin metabolites like keto-quinone intermediates. Rutin has shown significant inhibitory effect against hemoglobin glycation and it is more efficient compared to aminoguanidine [65]. Antioxidnats Since non-enzymatic glycation of protein is significantly accelerated by excessive generation of free radicals, the antioxidants and other free radical scavengers are expected to inhibit the process of glycation [24]. For example, vitamin E has been reported to appreciably reduce the glycation of hemoglobin [66]. The compounds that exhibit both antioxidant and antiglycation properties e.g. aminosalicylic acid, can protect endothelial cells with better efficacy than aminoguanidine against adverse effects of glycation and high glucose levels in vitro [46]. Similarly, carnosine that is a naural antioxidant and antiglycating agent, inhibits sugar-induced cross-linking of proteins by reaction with methylglyoxal and also sequesters metal ions (e.g. copper and zinc). Carnosine has shown its role in the treatment of cataracts and other diseases [67]. The glycation-derived free radicals generation may be reduced by chelation of transition metal ions, which are responsible for monosaccharide a utoxidation. For instance, the metal chelator, diethylenetriamine penta acetic acid has shown the inhibition of glucose autoxidation [68, 69]. AGE-Breakers AGE-breakers are the compounds, which remove AGEs cross-links through breakdown of ÃŽ ±-dicarbonyl bonds in glucose-derived cross-links of proteins [70]. However, the exact mechanism of inhibition for cross-link breaking is unclear so far. N-phenacylthiazolium bromide (PTB) and its chloride form, alagebrium chloride (ALT-711) are the examples of AGE-breakers. It has been demonstrated that the increased arterial stiffness related to diabetes is successfully reversed through a short treatment with AGE-breaker, ALT-711. The cardiovascular stiffness related to normal aging process can also be reduced by ALT-711. For example, the treatment of normal aged dogs with AGE cross-link breaker has shown noticeable decrease in stiffness of left ventricle chamber [71]. The clinical trial studies on diabetic humans, dogs and other animals indicate the potentially promising use of antiglycation therapy in near future to prevent diabetic complications and other diseases related to protein glycation [56].

Portrayal of Women in William Shakespeares Plays Essay -- Female Wome

William Shakespeare's characterization of women varies immensely from one comedy to another. In his works, Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing, he portrays both dominant and submissive women. Ultimately, Shakespeare examines the complexity of women by displaying the vast array of attitudes, emotions, and their treatment and reaction to men as well as refuting the typical subservient wife role. In Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the difficulties of marriage and submission take center stage. When the determined Petruchio marries the domineering Katherine it sets the scene for a battle of willpower. Eventually, Petruchio successfully 'tames' Kate at the expense of losing a potentially loving and affectionate wife. In fact, Kate behaves more like a fearful puppy dog longing to please her husband than a respectable wife. Though Kate contrasts other female characters in Shakespeare?s comedies by submitting to her husband, her obedience is merely the product of an authoritative husband?s demands and threats. Her submission is merely a faà §ade of obedience. Before marriage, Kate is notorious for her ill temper and resistance towards men. A character named Grumio calls Kate, ? ?Katherine the curst,? a title for a maid, of all the worst? (Shakespeare 57). Men fear Kate because of her violent nature and unstable emotions. But after Kate is subjected to Petruc hio?s torments, she relents to him and gives in to his ways for the benefit of sustenance and sanity. In the end, Petruchio beckons Kate to teach the other wives to be subservient to their husbands. Kate explains, ?Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband; and when she is forward... ...Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 1988. Newman, Karen. ?The Taming of the Shrew: A Modern Perspective.? The Taming of the Shrew. William Shakespeare. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Novy, Marianne L. ?Patriarchy and Play.? William Shakespeare?s The Taming of the Shrew. Harold Bloom ed. New York: Chelsea, 1988. Paster, Gail. ?Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Perspective.? Much Ado About Nothing. William Shakespeare. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Rossiter, A.P. ?Much Ado About Nothing.? Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 1986. 163-176. Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. New York: Washington Square Press, 1995. ---. The Merchant of Venice. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. ---. The Taming of the Shrew. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.

College Essay examples -- essays research papers

The Importance of a College Education Johnny is a fifth grade student who is almost ready to graduate and move on to the sixth grade. Johnny however, can not multiply or divide. He cannot spell or read. Johnny fell behind in the third grade. His teacher overlooked his failure and promoted him so that he would not be held up socially. Johnny's fourth grade teacher promoted him to fifth grade hoping that he would catch up with his classmates. Johnny is now about to enter the sixth grade with the educational skills of a second grader. The situation described above is called social promotion. It is the process of moving children through grades regardless of learning or skill. For years it has been the common practice in education to move " students from grade to grade because of chronological age" (Mitzel 468). Students should have an adequate education in order to be equipped for the twenty- first and twenty-second century. The injustice of social promotion should be ended and society must discover the best route to achieve genuine student success. "Students who are socially promoted have no skills for life. The number of social promotions each year nears two million" (American Federation Teachers, afta.com). Social Promotion shows children that no matter what grade they achieve they will be promoted. This creates two problems. Students will not work to achieve; laziness is created in children. Second, the students who work hard and learn the material are often overlooked so that a teacher may help a student who is behind because of social promotion. Social promotion was brought to the attention of the country when President Clinton gave his State of the Union Address in 1999. In this address he stated many educational goals such as a mandatory third grade reading goal and the reformation of the school system in order to equip it for the twenty -first centuries. Along these same lines the President has called an end to social promotion. President Clinton proposed not just to hold back failing students but to do something about their failure. Such as remedial classrooms, identifying weakness before it is too late, strengthening learning opportunities and placing strong well-trained teachers in classrooms (Galston 35). If a student was asked in the nineteenth cen... ...ided to go back and get a degree. My mother has my utmost respect for her dedication for higher education. Even after all these years she could’ve just relaxed and enjoyed the fruits of her labor, instead she chose to attend college again. After weighing all of my options and seeing all the signs I knew it was time to get back in the game. I mean, today's society's level of norm based on an individuals qualifications has three fold in the past 30 years, whereas more than 55% more high school seniors attend college than in 1968. (http//:bostonu.edu) Once where an individual could be successful and needed no college education, now needs to attend some form of continuing education institution. As a result, I am now attending the University of Phoenix. I now attend to college to please myself, achieve a goal and to create better opportunities for me and my future generation. It took a while for me to fully understand and appreciate what a college education was for and could do, starting with Johnny in the 3rd grade to the advantages it held for me. I admonish everyone, young or old to pursue their degree if they have not already done so. It is never too late...for education.

Child Growth and Development Essay

I. Introduction This case study is about a child that was born premature, at the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy. With the complication of being born that early the baby girl had many problems her first couple of months of life. Being in the hospital for five months she was fighting for her life each and every day. The child was hooked up to numerous machines to keep her alive. Doctors gave her plenty of attention while she was in the hospital. After being there for five months they began to start seeing improvement in her ability to breathe on her own and gain weight so she was released from the hospital. Now she is a normal happy and healthy four year old. The purpose of this case study is to understand the development of a premature child now that the child is in a classroom setting. This case study was conducted during my early field experience observation hours, which is a requirement for all core pre-education classes. This study investigated three research questions: (1) is there any difference between the ways this and her peers who were born full-term interact with each other? (2) Is there any difference in the way that this child interacts with teachers and other adults compared to the other children? (3) Is the premature child’s development delayed? The methods used to conduct this case study were observations and an analysis of the participant’s behavior with teachers, peer, and other adults. Also I had brief interaction with the child. Personal information was gathered about the child from the participant’s teachers, and parents; which includes age, gender, race, education, personality traits, and family background. II. Participant and Developmental Perspectives The participant is a four year old African American female named Jane Doe. She was born on November 24, 2007. She was delivered prematurely at twenty-five weeks of gestation. This classifies her as extremely premature because she was born between twenty-three and twenty-eight weeks of gestation. Statistically, only a little over sixty percent of premature babies that are born that early survive. African American babies are more likely to survive compared to all other races, especially African American females. Jane Doe’s mother stated that she also gave birth to a male child during this gestational period, who unfortunately did not survive. Being premature comes with serious health risks such as anemia, internal bleeding into the brain, infections, low blood sugar, respiratory distress syndrome, jaundice, and severe intestinal inflammation. Fortunately Jane Doe was not born with or developed any of these conditions; however she still stands a higher chance of developing this long term risks such as delayed growth and development, mental or physical disability or delay, and vision loss or blindness. Physically, Jane Doe is like any other four year old. She has brown eyes and brown hair. She weighs thirty-nine pounds and is approximately forty inches tall, which is remarkable because at birth she only weighed one pound and thirteen ounces and was twelve inches long. Her height and weight are right on target for her age. Her head is slightly larger than most children her age but that is due her being mature, and her brain development is normal. She has no development delays. She hit all her developmental milestones on time, except for creeping in which her mother consulted a physical therapist and was told that not all children creep but as long as she can crawl she would be fine. Her only current health issue is acute asthma in which she is treated with a nebulizer. She can climb stairs up and down without assistance. She is able to perform self-help skills such as dressing herself, using the bathroom, washing her hands and feeding herself. Jane still needs takes naps but she often tries to fight them. Jane is very smart. She understands the concept of shape and size. For example, she can tell you that one thing is bigger than the other and she sorts things according to their color. She does not fully understand time yet, but she does know the seasons and the days of the week. Jane can also use sequence word such as first, last, next, soon and later in regular conversation. She speaks very clearly and is able to have full conversations. She is very conscious of the daily schedule and what is supposed to happen next. She has great memory and a very creative imagination. She engages in parallel play but is showing a new interest in dramatic play. She enjoys acting as if she is a mother or a teacher. As any four year old, Jane can be difficult to deal with, especially when she is upset; however. She can verbalize her frustrations with others. She makes decisions based on her mood. She has a very dominate personality. She enjoys being around people. She responds very well to positive attention and praise from adults. She is not afraid to ask for help; however she does not want things to be done for her, simply just guidance to do it herself. She is very social and has many friends. Jane still has some separation anxiety and when important people leave because she does not understand why she cannot come too. She also gets upset when she is not ready to leave but it is time for her to go. She enjoys playing with children, but since she is an only child her mother stated that she is around adults majority of the time and is sometimes more comfortable around them. She becomes frightened when she hears loud noises such as the toilet flushing, or sees bugs. She also says that there are monsters. Jane is also very possessive. If she sees another child playing with a toy that she enjoys she will snatch the toy away from the other child or if her friend is playing with another friend she may become upset. However she is learning to share and play with others. She can be very jealous sometimes if she feels as though another child is getting too much attention. She may lash out verbally but she is very rarely physically. III. Theories and Child’s Behavior Albert Bandura’s social learning theory says that one learns a behavior from others by observing and imitating behaviors, especially aggressive behavior.(ref: Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.) Observing is simply watching a behavior performed by another individual. After observing the behavior of another the individual will imitate or repeat the same behavior to fit in with a crowd or group. Bandura stated that children who come from an aggressive environment often repeated that behavior when placed in other settings. Bandura believed that children gradually become more selective in what they chose to imitate. Jane shows signs of this theory when she observed that the when she does something that her mother does not like her mother points to her and tells her no, now when other children do something that she does not like she imitate the behavior that her mother displayed. Also one of the other children in the class was using inappropriate language (which was likely observed from someone else) and Jane imitated that behavior as well. Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory stated that everyone is born with a natural sexual energy. That sexual energy has stages and if an individual experiences any anxiety related to a stage it can affect them all the way into adulthood. (heffner media group, 2011). He refers to this sexual energy as libido. Freud’s five stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. The oral stage says that an infant’s pleasure centers on the mouth. This stage lasts from birth to eighteen months. The anal stage says that the child’s pleasure focuses on the anus. This stage lasts from eighteen months to three years old. The phallic stage says that the child’s pleasure focuses on the genitals. This stage lasts from three to six years old. The latency stage says that the child represses sexual interest and focus on social skills. This stage lasts from six years old until puberty. The final stage is the genital stage and this is a time of sexual awakening for an individual. This stage lasts for the rest of their life. This theory was based on another theory based on troubled adults. Jane proves this theory because she is currently in the phallic stage and she is very curious about the anatomy of boys and girls. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory stated that a child gained attitudes and skills by solving psychosocial issues in their own way. He believed that development did not end after adolescence but was a lifelong process. (Cherry,2010). Erikson expanded on Freud’s theory and also had stages. His stages are trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. The first stage is trust vs. mistrust; this stage is for the first year of life because infants are completely dependent on their caregivers. If the child trusts their caregiver they are less likely to have trust issues for the remainder of their life. However, if the caregiver is neglectful the child will develop mistrust. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt, this stage is from one to three years old because during toddlerhood is when children have more of a personal control. Erikson believed that learning to control oneself can lead to a sense of independence. However, if this is not achieved it will cause shame and doubt. The third stage is initiative vs. guilt; this stage is from three to five years old because this is the age where children start to assert their power. This can make children feel as if they can lead others. However, if the child fails they may begin to feel guilty. This is that stage that Jane is currently experiencing. When playing with other children she may try to direct the children into doing something the way she believes it should be done. Sometimes she is too assertive and the other children do not respond to her. However when she gains respect and does not abuse her power the other children usually follow her. IV. Summary of Findings This case study investigated the development of a premature child in a classroom setting. During this observation I found no difference in the development of this child and the development of her peers. She displays the same methods of play as other children her age and she has the same social characteristics. Her social skills are still developing and I do not believe that she will ever have a problem developing friendships. Jane’s interaction with adults is also very normal. She responds very well to positive attention and praise from adults. She is not afraid to ask for help when needed. She understands authority figures and when asked to perform a task she usually complies with little hesitation. Jane is also on target with her development. She achieved all of her milestones on time and has exceeded everyone’s expectations. She knows the days of the week, the colors, the seasons, and is even beginning to read. She does not display any evidence of developmental delay s. V. Conclusion Even though Jane was born with many obstacles, she was able to overcome every one of them. When she was born the doctor did not think she was going to make it to her first birthday. She did not give up. For five months in the hospital she fought to survive. Even when she survived the doctor believed that she was going to have developmental delays or physical disabilities. Today, she has neither. She is an enthusiastic, adventurous, bold, silly, eager and fun four year old.

Ecological System’s Theory: Understanding Urie Brofenbrenner

While growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s, during a time when homes were comprised of two parents and strong community involvement; children clung to the high ideals of possibly becoming an astronauts, a doctors, a lawyer, members of the NBA, educators and clergymen. These ideals were possible because of the values laid down by parents and their belief that each child should be better than those that came before them. Values of discipline, integrity, respect and dedication were lived on a daily basis, and settling for nothing but the best was definitely thrust upon you. Today, we see homes with one parent (usually the mother) and communities where your neighbor is your biggest enemy; struggling to survive because of the lack of rules put in place by the parent. Children are being disrespectful to authority figures, because parents refuse to create an atmosphere in which they were raised in. Many parents are being forced to work long hours to provide for the family, and children are raising themselves and making decisions that have no clear-cut design. Since young children are forced to make decisions on their own, many lack the direction in which they need to be successful in society. This is a direct result of parents who did not have the tutelage of parenthood, and can only pass on what they learned growing up, and the children have no role model to follow. Urie Brofenbreener, a developmental theorist, who developed a system model of human behavior, which described factors that led children down different paths and contributed to human development. In this paper, I will describe the various levels of the Ecological System’s Theory and how they relate to my growth as a person. Furthermore, I will describe how the different levels influenced my decision to not only complete a Masters Degree, but to enroll in a second Masters Degree program. Finally, I will show how the Ecological System and its processes have changed the direction of my career goals and forced me to rethink my desired contributions to society. In 1970, Urie Brofenbrenner was born, and so was the beginning of a desire to build a system that depicted the development of children and their behaviors while growing up. The Ecological Systems Theory has four levels that comprise the system which are Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem and Macrosystem. The first level is described as the Microsystems level. This level is the closest to the child, because of the individuals who have an immediate impact and play the most significant role in forming the child’s behavior. This level is considered the most important level of the four. Involved in this level are parents, teachers, neighborhood, and schools. This level is considered the most important because the child spends most time interacting with individuals within this layer. As a young male growing up in a single-parent home, I did not have the luxury of receiving values from two parents, so I had to rest my lorals, on that of my mother. My mother was the person that shaped and molded my early set of values, which gave me something to build upon as an adult. My siblings and I appreciated the hard work, loyalty and honesty our mother displayed in everything she did. The role she played in my life was valuable. But, there were more who played a major in my development. During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, neighborhoods were labeled as villages, and the motto was â€Å"It takes a village to raise our children. † Our neighborhood was like family. Each adult was empowered to discipline a child that got out of line or disrespected an individual in an authoritative position. Today, neighborhoods are living in a state of fear, due to the increase of violence of the young people who live in their neighborhoods. Youth are no longer receiving the values we grew up on, and make decisions that impact not only them, but a community. Gone is the mindset of the â€Å"village†. Parents are getting younger, which equals to fewer homes having the moral fortitude to develop youth that display integrity and loyalty. Children are no longer receiving the physical attributes of kindheartedness and dedication, but in fact, children are taking on the characteristics of their younger parents, who display anger and an attitude that everyone owes them something. The microsystem level may evolve over time, because each generation can change the system. Next is the Mesosytems level. Authors Jennifer Boemmel and Joan Briscoe (2009), states this level has a direct link to Microsystems such as the family experiences to school experiences, family experiences to peer experiences, school experiences to religious experiences. My family experiences of love and togetherness, allowed me to form my attitude towards making friends and learning how to socialize. It also taught me how to remain positive in the midst of turmoil. According to Brofenbrenner, if a child goes without positive family experiences, he or she may experience difficulty in making and sustaining friendships. The third level of the Ecological Systems Theory is the Exosystem level. Although it does not have a direct effect on the child, the exosystems level is very important in shaping a child’s behavioral pattern. As a Juvenile Probation Officer, this particular level is viewed on a daily basis; where single parents are forced to work double shifts and the children are left in the care of a neighbor or family friend, who does not have the same nurturing attitude as the immediate parent. This creates a stressful atmosphere, forcing the children to turn to people who display that loving and caring attitude. Normally gangs and kids who frequently commit criminal activities. Asked why they committed a crime or join a gang? The answer is always the same. â€Å"They love me† or â€Å"I had nothing better to do†. In my line of work, this false sense of being and existence, makes my job difficult and turning the youth around is pretty much impossible. The fourth and final level, is the Macrosystem. This level describes the culture in which the child lives in. Each child within this level shares a common identity, values and heritage. Growing up with six siblings, we all had different goals, but the end result for each of us was to be successful at whatever we chose to do. The values bestowed upon me, was the same for all of my siblings. We all shared the same sense of accomplishment and competiveness. Desiring to be better than the next sibling. My younger brother and I, shared the same drive when it came to sports. He wanted to be better than me, and I wanted to be better than him. We both had drive, which is a characteristic we saw in our mother. Although, we did not share all of the same characteristics, we did share the same level of desire. This level also supports the child within the environment and can influence the child’s behavioral development. Although never mentioned with the others, there is a fifth level of the original Ecological Systems Theory. The Chronosystem level involves the total of all the individuals experiences over their lifetime. For instance, when I was younger, my goal was to be a Guardian Angel. Guardian Angels were individuals who protected the black community and warded off any criminal activity. This group was non-violent, and did not carry weapons. My desire to be a protector, eventually led me to the United States Air Force at the age of twenty-two. For 23 years, I watched over this country with a disciplined eye that allowed me to become the person I am today. Also, my serving presented me the opportunity to pass along values to my daughter. Analyze how the levels influenced your decision to enter graduate school to obtain a Masters Degree. How the Brofenbrenner’s levels might impact the career goals within your area of specialization.