“Patriotism by Yukio Mishima Essay

Many people consider suicide a moral wrong or cowardly in that it is taking the easy way out of a tough situation. And, by our modern standards, that is typically the case. But, in the case of the story, â€Å"Patriotism,† written by Yukio Mishima, the suicide Lieutenant Shinji and his wife Reiko committed was the noble and honorable thing. The couple died together in order to preserve their honor and loyalty, which were key in setting of this story. To truly judge the characters for their heroism, the setting of the story must be understood. â€Å"Patriotism† is set in Japan in 1936, which was the pre-World War II era. Patriotism and loyalty were at an all-time high, which created an atmosphere of duty and determination to serve. With that mindset, both characters were justified to sacrifice themselves for what they believed was the greater good. The story centers around the ideas of loyalty and the sacrifice required for that loyalty. Heroism is about sacrificing the self for the greater good. Sometimes that sacrifice is part of a natural sequence of events, and sometimes it is a radical swerve from the path a person is on. Regardless, heroism requires a change to benefit others, often having the potential to harm the hero. A hero must decide that others are to be placed before themselves; they acknowledge that their very being is meant to aid the millions around them. In addition, heroes have a cause to fight for. The cause can be world impacting, or as simple as affecting one person. Whatever the cause is, a hero must dedicate themselves fully to what they believe. Heroes are in pursuit of perfection, but acknowledge their shortcomings as an obstacle to work around in order to help others. Heroes willingly accept their duty and don’t resent the sacrifices their decisions often require. Heroes are humble in their actions and don’t expect anything in return for their attempts to improve the lives of others. As Brodi Ashton, author of Everneath, puts it, â€Å"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.† Reiko follows that path of heroism, which for her, ends with the greatest sacrifice a man can give- their life. In â€Å"Patriotism,† Reiko and Shinji sacrifice their lives to preserve their honor for their beliefs, but again, Reiko makes the larger sacrifice. Reiko belongs to two causes; she dedicates her life to her country, but more importantly, to her husband. She has no direct ties to the government, and could’ve gone on without her husband. Reiko had the potential to create a new life for herself, but choses to give up her life for a man she is in love with. â€Å"Ever since her marriage her husband’s existence had been her own existence and every breath of his had been a breath drawn by herself. But now, while her husband’s existence in pain was a vivid reality, Reiko could find in this grief of hers no certain proof at all of her own existence† (19). Reiko had so fully dedicated herself to her husband that his pain became her pain and his death certainly had to become her death. Reiko is also a willing participant in the sacrifice her husband finds truly necessary. Not only that, she is willing to sacrifice herself even before understanding the whole situation. â€Å"In the lieutenant’s face, as he hurried silently into the snowy morning, Reiko had read the determination to die. If her husband did not return her own decision was made: she too would die† (3). Both Reiko and Shinji sacrifice their lives for the greater good, Reiko makes the bigger sacrifice by dying for both her country’s honor and her loyalty to her true love, Shiniji. â€Å"Reiko firmly believed that everything her husband was feeling or thinking now, his anguish and distress, was leading her- just as surely as the power in his flesh- to a welcome death. She felt as if her body could melt away with ease and be transformed to the merest fraction of her husband’s thought† (4). Even in her final hours, Reiko humbles herself to a position below her husband and is content with the sudden change in her fate. Reiko doesn’t boast of her confidence or willingness to die for her lover, but humbly follows her husband’s pursuit of duty through death. Whereas most people in the same situation would fearfully and stressfully await their death, Reiko approaches it as the next step in her life. â€Å"Reiko did not linger. When she though how the pain which had previously opened such a gulf between herself and her dying husband was now to become a part of her own experience, she saw before her only the joy of herself entering a realm her husband had already made his own† (22). Reiko is content, even joyful, with her current situation. She doesn’t resent her husband for asking her to die along with him, but sees it as the next step in her life and has embraced the path. Reiko sacrificed what could have potentially been a fulfilling life for the man of her dreams- a man that she loved so deeply that she was willing to die along with him to maintain a sense of dignity toward her country and her husband. Not only did she agree to die along with him, she accepted the fact that she would watch him die first, as a witness, and then followed through on her agreement to die herself. Despite the pain that event caused, Reiko was willing to witness her husband’s death, simply because he asked her to. She understood her duty as a lieutenants wife in a time of war and accepted Shinji’s interpretation of loyalty. In Reiko’s mind, death wasn’t thrust upon her; it was a peaceful necessity. Reiko accepted the fate her husband asked upon her simply because of her love for her country, and even more than that, the love for her husband. That sense of loyalty, particularly loyalty without complaint, comes from a true hero who died for her passions.

Forrest Gump Analysis

Forrest Gump Watching Forrest Gump for the first time I feel that the movie has a little of everything in it, from action and war to love and romance. For one man to overcome so many hardships and live a life full of love and happiness it is inspiring. Each character had something that reached viewers. From Jenny to Lieutenant Dan they all had something that made them easy to connect with. Even the people that sat on the bench next to Forrest created interest; they listened and were in the story for us, but were not truly part of it.Forrest Gump could be referred to as stupid, but I believe that the way he tries to understand the world around him and make the best of everything is rather clever. When the film begins we start from Forrest’s childhood. We learn about the high expectations that his mother had for him. We see that he is lonely, and we see his growing love for Jenny. For a boy that is bullied so much and has so many obstacles in his life he loves deeply. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest became the victim of academic discrimination, but as she will always be him mother fights for him to have the same opportunities as the other children.She completely believes in Forrest and wants him to be the best that he can be. During this stage of his life I thought of Erikson’s industry vs. inferiority concept. During that time children are supposed to work toward mastering knowledge and intellectual skills. (Santrock, 2011 p23) The negative possibility of not mastering those skills would be that children would feel incompetent and unproductive. As Forrest Gump grows he still maintains his mental disability, but his athletic abilities have started to make a difference in his life.He runs so fast that he gets asked to play football for the University of Alabama. Though he grows older he still has the innocence of a child. During his adolescence where most other people are experimenting with sex he seems almost upset by the idea. He loves Jenn y yet when she tries for sexual contact with him he looks hurt and confused by it. This stage in his life he would be going through Erikson’s identity vs. identity confusion. (Santrock, 2011 p 23) During this time individuals are trying to figure out who they re and what they are going to do in life. If the adolescent explores in a healthy way then they will form a positive identity; however, if they struggle and have a difficult time then it may result in continued identity confusion. Forrest was an active part of many important events including protests against desegregation, the Vietnam War, anti-war activism, Black Panther Party meetings, and the Ping Pong diplomacy period. Those important events should have made a difference to him, but he went through it all as if it didn’t really affect him.During the whole movie he seemed completely oblivious to the significance of everything that was going on around him and the part he played in those events. Forrest’s generally happy go lucky demeanor and unobservant nature contrasted harshly with Jenny. Jenny Curran as a child was Forrest Gump’s best friend and possibly his only friend. Jenny has a much harsher life at home than Forrest has. While Forrest has a loving mother that raises him Jenny has an abusive dad. Jenny spent a lot of time with Forrest as a child because she didn’t want to be alone.Jenny and Forrest were like â€Å"peas and carrots†. When they were young Jenny taught Forrest how to read, and Forrest shared his mellow, carefree attitude with her. When Jenny is young after Forrest comes over to her house and sees the way her father treats her they run into the fields trying to get as far away from her home as possible. Jenny falls down to the ground and prays to God to make her a bird so she can fly far away. There are many developmental consequences of abuse on children. Santrock, 2011 p 258) Some of the consequences of abuse and maltreatment in childhood a nd adolescence are poor emotional regulation, attachment problems, problems in peer relations, difficulty adapting to school and other psychological problems such as depression and delinquency. The abuse that Jenny sustained in her childhood caused problems throughout her life. As a young adult Jenny went to an all girls’ college while Forrest played football at the University of Alabama. This was the beginning of Forrest’s success and Jenny’s bad decisions.Jenny started messing around with boys and getting in trouble. Forrest rescued her from being with a guy, but Jenny could not let herself be close to Forrest even though her cared for her deeply. Her bad behavior caused her to be kicked out of school. Jenny decided that she wanted to become a famous singer, but somewhere along the way she ended up singing naked in a strip club. Again Forrest rescued her and again she was ungrateful and ended up leaving behind the one person in her life that cared about her mo st. The next time Jenny is seen she had been spending time with hippies at anti-war protests.Forrest tries to get Jenny out of another abusive relationship, but she doesn’t want to be saved and leaves Forrest again. When Jenny went through Erikson’s identity vs. identity confusion (Santrock, 2011 p 23) stage her past abuse caused her to make the wrong choices and left her in continued identity confusion. Each time we see Jenny in the movie she is into drugs and running with the wrong crowd. During the adult years, people who were abused as children often have a difficulty maintaining healthy adult relationships.According to Miller-Perrin, Perrin, Kocur (Santrock, 2011 p 258) those adults are at a higher risk for violent behavior toward other adults-especially dating partners and marital partners- as well as substance abuse , anxiety and depression. During New Year’s Eve 1972 Jenny contemplates suicide, at that point she has reached her very lowest and we see her change her mind and leave hopefully to change for the better. The rest of the movie is a rollercoaster of emotion for Jenny and Forrest. Forrest wants nothing more than to be with the only woman other than his mother that he has loved his entire life.When Jenny and Forrest are finally together Forrest thought they were going to be together forever, and Jenny ran away again. Her past abuse leaves her afraid of both trusting Forrest to love her and allowing herself to feel worthy of being loved. By the end of the movie, Jenny has finally found herself. After Forrest spent his time after her leaving running for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours she finally wants to see him. From their night together she had gotten pregnant and had a son that she named Forrest.Perhaps it was having a child that helped settle Jenny into adulthood or maybe she had just finally come to terms with the lasting effects of abuse, but she decided to marry Forrest and live with him for her remaining time alive. In that time that she is a wife and mother she looks more at peace than ever. It took Jenny her whole life to come to terms with the abuse she endured as a child and the abuse she subjected herself to as an adult. She experienced an abusive father, played out jobs, abusive boyfriends and grabby customers, drugs and thoughts of suicide before she could let herself be loved by Forrest.During Forrest Gump’s time in the military he meets Lt. Dan Taylor. Though Lt. Dan is more of a peripheral character, his struggles fit well with the movie. Lieutenant Dan Taylor was born into a family with the proud military tradition that someone in his family had died in every American war. He was sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and assigned to the fourth platoon where he met Bubba and Forrest. While serving in Vietnam is was evident that he was paranoid of snipers and surprise attacks in general. When his platoon encountered an ambush he called for a Napalm drop.During the ambus h he was hit in the legs, and was certain that his time had come to fulfill the family legacy of dying in that war. However, Forrest Gump in his search for his fallen best friend Bubba comes across Lt. Dan and carries him and many other men to safety. Lt. Dan is sent to a field hospital and his legs are amputated. Forrest Gump is brought to the same hospital and Lt. Dan confronts Forrest about saving him. He is very upset that he didn’t get to die like other men in the family and feels that his destiny has been ruined. At this time Lt.Dan is coming to terms with his possible selves (Santrock, 2011 p 602). As he is recovering from his double amputation he has to consider the life that he had, the death he thought he was going to have, and the life he is left as an amputee. Lt. Dan is eventually discharged due to his handicap and he ends up in New York City. He spends his time after being discharged living in New York, possibly off the government or programs for injured veteran s. He lives in a trashy motel room and drinks far too much. He looks like he has been living a hard life since his time in the military.On New Year’s Eve he meets up with Forrest again and even though he still has not come to terms with Forrest saving his life, he treats Forrest like a friend. He defends Forrest from the women he had over and promises Forrest to be his first mate if he ever becomes the captain of a shrimping boat. When Forrest actually buys a shrimping boat Lt. Dan does become the first mate. Lt. Dan guides Forrest to where he believes there will be shrimp which leads to many failures. While out fishing Lt. Dan and Forrest endure Hurricane Carmen. Lt.Dan is at the highest point that the boat has to offer yelling and challenging God. At this point Lt. Dan seems to come to terms with the life he has ben dealt. Lt. Dan looks more positively on life after this point and even thanks Forrest for saving his life. The hurricane destroyed the entire fleet of shrimping boats in Bayou La Batre, except for the Jenny. As a result, Forrest Gump’s shrimping business takes off. Lt. Dan invests the already high profits of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company into a new computer company, Apple Computers, making both Forrest Gump and himself very wealthy.With his new found wealth Lt. Dan Taylor is able to afford custom made prosthetic legs which give him the ability to walk again. Lt. Dan also faces Erikson’s identity vs. identity confusion (Santrock, 2011 p 23) during his life several times. When he has to come to terms with who he thought he was going to be he struggles with his identity then again when he has to live as an amputee and once more when he gets new legs. After all he had to go through in his adulthood he finally meets and marries Susan, his Korean wife. Another peripheral character is Pvt. Benjamin Buford ‘Bubba' Blue.When Forrest first gets on the bus for the military he faces the same problems as an adult that he did as a ch ild, nobody wanted to sit with him. Walking between the rows of seats looking for a friendly face he found Bubba. Bubba appeared to have many of the same problems that Forrest did. Bubba possibly faced issues with his ethnic identity (Santrock, 2011 p 385) as he was given the name Bubba just like one of those redneck boys. While serving in the U. S. Army Bubba and Forrest become close friends. Bubba knows everything there is to know about shrimp, Forrest and Bubba make a deal to start their own shrimp business one day.However, Bubba never makes it back to America alive. After some time, Forrest finally goes to Bayou La Batre, where Bubba’s family lives. Forrest buys a shrimp boat to start the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company later earned a spot in Fortune magazine, and Forrest sent a check with Bubba’s earnings to Bubba’s mother. This film dealt a lot with death and accepting death as a part of life. Robert Kastenbaum’s death syste m comes in to play several times during this movie. Forrest has to go through the death of several people he cares about.First he endured Bubba’s death whom he had planned a future and had become close friends. Then he survived the death of his mother. She was the only person in his entire life that he could always count on. Just before her death Forrest’s mother tells him one last time how proud of him she is and reminds him the â€Å"life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get†, she says that it was her destiny to raise Forrest. She was always there for him, and rooting for him, and telling him that he could be whatever he wanted to be.Her death was a tough thing to work through and for a time he completely left the boat and company to Lt. Dan and stayed at his mother’s home, taking care of things and grieving. Then eventually he had to endure the death of Jenny. He had loved Jenny his whole life then it seemed almos t as soon as they were finally together she had died. Forrest’s emotions for Jenny come out at her grave, and while there he leaves her a letter written by Forrest Jr. As the film closes Forrest Jr is at the bus stop and we are reminded of Forrest’s first bus ride and how far he has come since his days of being bullied.The feather that was in the beginning is at the end as well symbolizing destiny. Forrest himself says â€Å"I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. † Forrest couldn’t have put it into better words. During his story we see several characters and watch their life unfold. We know that Lt. Dan had his own ideas for his destiny then his life turned out completely different. Jenny never had a clear path for her destiny, and Forrest only ever wanted to love and be loved by Jenny.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 20

Dante was waiting for me when I got home. I normally liked having the company, but after being with Seth, Dante's presence now made me feel uncomfortable and confused. He didn't seem to notice right away, though, and instead was immediately caught up by Maddie's condo packet. â€Å"What's this?† he asked, leafing through some pages. â€Å"Maddie's been playing real estate agent for me.† â€Å"Wow. I didn't think you were serious about that.† I leaned back on the couch, weary from dancing, sex, and the emotional miasma I seemed to be swimming through lately. Bringing up Maddie didn't make me feel so great. â€Å"I didn't think I was either. I mentioned it offhand, and she kind of went crazy.† â€Å"Alki Beach, huh? Some of these are pretty nice.† He held up one print-out. â€Å"Brand-new condo, still being built. You can weigh in on the colors and trim.† I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. I don't have time to go shopping right now.† â€Å"One of the power spots on your list is near Alki. You could swing by.† I gave him a puzzled look. â€Å"Since when are you interested in me moving?† He sat down opposite me, still looking through the listings. â€Å"Well, if you buy locally, I can rest easy that you're sticking around. Besides, get a bigger place, and we could try some cohabitation.† That caught me off-guard. â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"You gave me a key. I might as well live here anyway.† â€Å"You're going to freeload off me for some more space, huh?† I teased. He sighed, looking pained. â€Å"Man, you really do think the worst. I'd pay you rent.† â€Å"With what?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Business has been good. I think things are on the upswing.† â€Å"No offense, baby, but your business doesn't seem like the type that can maintain that kind of momentum. I think this has been a fluke.† I spoke too soon and felt bad when I realized I'd hurt him. â€Å"But we can play it by ear if you want to move in. Maybe your reputation's spreading, and business will keep booming.† He seemed a little mollified after that, yet as I spoke the words, I found I wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of us living together. I still had Seth on the brain. Obsessing on him was foolish, I knew. This fling of ours could only last a few more days at most. I shouldn't be mooning over him when I'd just be going back to Dante anyway. Dante wanted to know how my beach investigation had gone, and I welcomed the change in subject. I gave him a brief rundown of my non-progress. â€Å"You want me to look with you?† he asked. â€Å"I've finally got some time tomorrow.† I hesitated. The truth was, just before we'd parted, Seth had said he'd look with me and that he'd bring Kayla. The afterglow could be very persuasive. Still, I'd had to do a lot of convincing that she'd be safe, and honestly, I hoped I was right. â€Å"I roped some other people into it,† I said. â€Å"We should be fine.† I feared he'd question me further, particularly about whether I had a psychic to go with me or not. Mercifully, he let it go. I honestly didn't think he wanted to wander beaches and was grateful for the reprieve. When we went to bed later, there was no way I could put his arduous advances off any longer, not without raising suspicion. I'd made a good recovery and no longer had my back excuse. Yet†¦something was nagging at me. Dante himself had been the one to first joke about whether I could get pregnant in my pseudo-human state. I still didn't know if that was possible, and even if it was, would it matter if I returned to my immortal state in a few days? I had no clue how any of this would work, but Seth and I hadn't used protection. And suddenly, I realized that if there were any chance in the world that I could get pregnant-if Nyx's vision might really come true-I didn't want to chance a paternity dispute. So, I turned on the charm for Dante and went down on him again, something he didn't really seem to mind. He tried to get me off in return, but it was to no avail. After being with Seth, I had zero desire of my own and found I couldn't come. And so, for the first time with Dante, I faked it. I was a pretty good faker. He never suspected. He slept late the next morning, so I slipped out early without waking him. Seth and I were meeting over at a restaurant in Bellevue, hopefully far enough away from anyone we knew to see us. While walking to my car, I felt someone fall into step beside me. â€Å"So, I hear you're spreading stories about me,† Cedric said amiably. Startled, I glanced over at him, unease spreading through me. Cedric was my suspect du jour, and I'd already seen one demon's reaction to my theories. Of course, he didn't look particularly destructive at the moment, and there was also the fact that I had yet to tell anyone my latest theories about him implicating Nanette. â€Å"What do you mean?† I asked. â€Å"Kristin said you said that I told Nanette how you thought she might have summoned Jerome.† He paused as though trying to make sense of that. â€Å"For the record, I didn't.† I nearly stopped walking. â€Å"Then who did?† â€Å"Hell if I know. Just figured you should know I wasn't responsible for what happened to you.† He offered no more, no condolences or queries to my health. I honestly couldn't expect that from a demon. The fact that he'd bothered to come talk to me was a rarity enough-and naturally, he could be lying. â€Å"Well, I don't know who else could have told her, then. Or why. I only told a handful of people.† The more I thought about it, the more I realized he had to be lying. I'd only told my friends. He maintained his perfectly bland face. â€Å"Like I said, I don't know.† We reached my car, and I paused, leaning against it. â€Å"You came all the way here to tell me this?† Not that it would have been an arduous journey for him. â€Å"Don't flatter yourself,† he said with a smile. â€Å"I'm here to chat with your demonesses. Hell's pretty much ruled out Jerome coming back. There'll be someone official here in days to settle the matter.† I tried to ignore the chill that sent down my spine and parse the rest of his words. Cedric was cozying up to Grace and Mei. Not a surprise. Whoever came here to assign a new archdemon would question those two the most. â€Å"Well, thank you,† I said. I didn't really know what else to say in that matter, so I switched to something else that had been on my mind. â€Å"Hey, I haven't heard much about your cult lately.† â€Å"Yeah, they've been pretty quiet. Maybe you helped after all.† â€Å"Well, I don't think I did much.† I was also starting to suspect the cult had nothing left to do. Now that their â€Å"Angel† had used them as an effective distraction during Jerome's summoning, they were no longer needed. I clicked my door open, and another curious thought struck me. â€Å"How's it going with Tawny?† Cedric grimaced. â€Å"Well†¦we went out a couple of times.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"My private life is no concern of yours.† â€Å"Fair enough.† I started to get in. â€Å"But if you must know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused and arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Her conversation is†¦lacking a little,† he admitted. I couldn't help it. I laughed. â€Å"Are you seriously surprised by that?† â€Å"Beauty's skin deep, I know†¦I guess I'd just hoped for a little more depth.† I chose not to comment on what he considered beautiful. â€Å"Don't take this the wrong way, but I figured you wouldn't really want more than cheap sex.† He cut me a look. â€Å"Because I'm a demon?† â€Å"Don't look at me like that. Being romantic isn't really in your job description.† â€Å"True, true. But at the very least, I'd like to have a little understanding with my cheap sex. Someone who had some vague inkling of what I endure on a daily basis.† He was still being gruff and demonlike, but there was a faint whisper of something surprisingly human under there. I started to tell him that I didn't think that was very likely. Then, I thought of Kristin, Kristin who watched him with doe eyes and fretted over his well-being. â€Å"Someone who sort of gets your job and has an appreciation for its absurdity? Someone who's interested in helping you when you're stressed, in connecting with you and understanding things to an extent where you don't even have to say them anymore? Is that what you're looking for?† He snorted. â€Å"Yeah, like that'll happen.† â€Å"I don't know. Maybe there's someone out there like that.† â€Å"You may not have been human for a long time, but you still cling to their delusions. That's fairy-tale stuff. You can't have that. I can't have that. See you later.† He vanished, uncaring of any mortals who might see him. I stared vacantly at where he'd been, wondering if what he said was true. Was he missing a good match right in front of him? Or was Kristin deluding herself with her crush on him? And was I deluding myself with my feelings for Seth? Was I really feeling connected to him or was it all just lust? There was no use fretting about any of it now. Cedric didn't seem to want to kill me at the moment, so that was the best I could get. I drove over to Bellevue, just in time for the morning commute out of the city to be winding down. Bellevue was a suburb, a city in its own right, and the restaurant we'd chosen was in Bellevue's old downtown, one that had eventually been supplanted when a mall rearranged the city's trendy areas. The place was a quiet little bistro, tucked between a jewelry store and a bakery. Seth and Kayla were already there. She sat in a booster seat beside him, examining a stuffed unicorn while he leafed through a menu. Seeing both of them sent ripples of warmth and happiness through me. â€Å"Hey guys,† I said, sliding in across from them. Kayla gave me a shy smile, and Seth positively lit up. His hair was as messy as usual, and his T-shirt today advertised Trix, a cereal I'd forgotten even existed. â€Å"Thanks for doing this,† I said. â€Å"I really appreciate it.† Seth's smile grew, though I saw the tiniest bit of apprehension in his eyes. â€Å"Just so long as you're sure it's†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He glanced over at Kayla, who was groping for her glass. Seth hastily intervened to help her before she could knock it over. â€Å"It'll be easy,† I said. â€Å"Maybe even boring. We'll just walk around and look for something resembling white stone or rock.† â€Å"And Kayla can help?† I turned toward the little girl. She glanced between both of us, her blue eyes wide and eerily knowing. â€Å"I think so. Again, at this point, she just senses stuff without really understanding why. If we get anywhere near Jerome, I think she'll show some sort of reaction, even if she doesn't know what it is.† At least I hoped so. After that, we didn't mention our mission for the rest of the meal. We made small talk instead and fawned over Kayla, but it was almost something we did on autopilot, something we weren't even paying attention to. Really, Seth and I were consumed by each other. It was more than just lust too, though I certainly hoped he'd noticed my low-cut top today. I found myself just aglow from his presence. I loved being close to him, feeling the joy that spread within me. It was like falling in love again. It was that connection and understanding that Cedric had said was a fairy tale. And even when we finished up and went and scoped out our first beach, that electricity and warmth continued flowing between us. Kayla walked between us for a while, with each of us holding one of her hands. She struggled a little with the sand but seemed infinitely fascinated by the sights around her: the waves, the seagulls, other children. The rain had faded away today, and we had sunshine taunting us with the hope that spring had truly arrived. We found no white rocks, however, and Kayla had no out-of-the-ordinary reactions like she'd had with me in the past, or even with Dante. When we got to our second beach, she began slowing down, and I realized this wasn't going to be the aggressive day of hunting I'd hoped for. After a while, Seth picked her up and carried her. She managed to stay awake until we finished our search but promptly fell asleep in the car. I knew we'd have to call it a day, but we stopped off at a little caf? ¦ on the way home that served great desserts. We settled into a corner booth, Seth and me sitting side by side while I held Kayla on my lap. We decided to simply split a piece of cheesecake, and naturally, I required coffee. Kayla still leaned drowsily against me, but she'd valiantly woken up as though sensing the approach of sugar. I brushed her hair back from her face. â€Å"Hey,† I said gently. â€Å"Did you see anything magic today?† That was how she'd referred to me in the past. She shook her head and reached up to touch my cheek in a mirror of my own gesture. â€Å"When will you be magic again?† she asked. â€Å"I don't know,† I told her. â€Å"Soon.† Seth's leg against mine was starting to stir up some illicit feelings, something I felt a little ashamed of with Kayla there. I was further startled when I glanced up at him and saw not lust in his eyes, but rather, something soft and tender. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Why are you looking at me like that?† â€Å"Because of you,† he said. â€Å"Just the way you interact with her†¦it's remarkable.† â€Å"Because I can get her to talk?† He shook his head. â€Å"Nah. More than that. I've seen it with the other girls. You have a knack with kids. You'd make a great mother.† Maddie had made the same offhand comment. I don't think Seth had ever really and truly grasped how much I'd pined for children. His words filled me with both elation and sorrow. For an instant, I considered telling him about Nyx's dream and the bizarre pregnancy theory. Those things were too fragile and too precious to me, however, and the cheesecake's serendipitous arrival saved me from further deliberation. The cheesecake was lemon raspberry, a bit adventurous for Kayla, perhaps, but she ate it without hesitation. Seth gave up on his share before us, and she and I finished it down to the last bite. â€Å"Perfect,† he mused. â€Å"I'll return her to Terry and Andrea, just in time for her the sugar rush to kick in. They'll never let her go out again.† He frowned. â€Å"Will you need her again? I think she has some kind of play-date thing tomorrow.† I sighed, and reality dimmed my golden moment. â€Å"I don't know. I'm running out of close places. I'll have to head up north next, up around Edmonds, though Dante pointed out that Jerome could be farther out-out on the Olympic Peninsula or something. The summoners would want to keep him close, but ‘close' could mean ten miles or a hundred.† â€Å"You're not going to be able to go out to the coast in an easy day trip,† observed Seth. Under the table, his hand rested on mine out of sympathy. â€Å"I'm sorry.† I squeezed his hand in return. â€Å"It'll be as it'll be, I guess.† â€Å"I still want to help if I can.† I offered him a rueful smile. â€Å"You want to help me get back to being a succubus?† His return smile was equally bittersweet. â€Å"There's no way any of this can end well, Georgina. Sometimes†¦sometimes we have to choose the lesser of evils and simply enjoy our sweet moments while we can.† Like this one. And through some shared instinct, we both fell silent, savoring this brief interlude, this dream we'd gotten ourselves ensnared in. For now, it was enough to just sit together like this. His hand moved idly on my leg, offering comfort and love†¦at least for a little while. Before long, the sweet affection turned into something with a bit more desire. I met his eyes, and while it wasn't the same animal intensity that had thrown me against the wall last night, there was still a longing in his eyes that told me how much he wanted me, to be closer to me. My body responded to it, and then we both glanced over at Kayla, who had fallen asleep again. We laughed, realizing the absurdity of our current situation. â€Å"I should get her back,† said Seth. â€Å"Yeah,† I said, sad at the thought of parting but certainly not aroused enough to make out while his niece was around. He drove me back to my car in Bellevue. Our parting kiss was gentle and light, almost hesitant. It seemed typical of this entire affair, like it was hardly real and would blow away at any moment. â€Å"Anything you need, Thetis,† he breathed into my ear. â€Å"Anything you need, I'll do it. You know I will.† A flower of agony and euphoria burst open in my chest. He hadn't called me Thetis, his old pet name for me, since the day we broke up. â€Å"I know,† I murmured into his shirt. â€Å"I know.† I returned to Queen Anne not long after that, getting a nice spot right in front of my building. My head was swimming with Seth and Kayla and Jerome and a hundred other things. I was so distracted that when I stepped into my apartment, I nearly walked right past Grace sitting on my couch. Of course, considering she was the first demon all week who hadn't attacked me the instant I cleared the door, my reaction to her subtlety was understandable. â€Å"Grace?† I asked curiously, as though maybe it wasn't her. She was leafing through a copy of Seattle Metropolitan magazine, their issue on Seattle's best brunches. When she glanced up at me, there was a tiredness in her eyes that even demonic perfection couldn't hide. Seeing her alone was almost as strange as her being here at all. I'd grown so used to her and Mei being a unit that their forced separation lately seemed almost as tragic as Jerome's summoning. â€Å"There you are,† she said. â€Å"I almost left.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. I meant it. I seemed to be on her and Mei's good side lately and wanted to keep it that way. Demons didn't like waiting, and without that innate connection of an archdemon, she couldn't instantly find me across time and space. Grace gave a half-hearted shrug. â€Å"I don't mind. It's rather pleasant having a few moments' respite from all the politics and bickering.† â€Å"I can imagine.† I frowned. â€Å"No, wait. I don't think I can.† I swear, I thought for a second she might laugh, but she kept that same stone face she excelled at. â€Å"It'll all be over soon, which is why I came to see you. Mei and I have been talking to all of the other lesser immortals today. The day after tomorrow, a corporate demon named Ephraim will be making his final decision on who will replace Jerome.† A cold lump settled into my stomach. â€Å"So soon?† â€Å"Hell doesn't like to waste time and resources.† â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"Ephraim's already in the area and may come speak to you as he attempts to assess the situation. He'll want to know about your job, how things ran under Jerome, etc.† With each word, my spirits sank further and further. My window to find Jerome was shriveling up. We were going to get a new archdemon anytime now. â€Å"Don't be afraid to speak the truth,† she advised. â€Å"I know that's often a concern among lesser immortals, for fear of causing offense.† â€Å"Something like that,† I muttered, thinking of Nanette. â€Å"Clearly, you don't want to actively anger Ephraim, but he has no affiliations with anyone currently involved in the dispute here. He won't punish you for stating your opinion.† â€Å"I'm guessing he might not listen to it either.† There it was. A tiny quirky of her lips, gone so quickly that I wasn't even sure I saw it. She rose from the sofa and absentmindedly tugged on her blazer. It was deep, deep red, paired with sleek black trousers and patent leather heels. Underneath the collar of her coat, I caught a glimpse of that same chunky necklace she'd worn at the meeting. I recalled Mei's sleeker one and couldn't resist my next words. â€Å"This may sound weird†¦but I can't help but notice you and Mei are dressing differently lately.† As soon as I said that, I hoped she wouldn't get mad at me essentially calling her and Mei copycats. Fortunately, she remained as blas? ¦ as usual. â€Å"In these times, it's wise to distinguish yourself. None of our jobs are secure right now.† I did a double-take. In all of this madness, it had never occurred to me that Grace and Mei might have something to fear. But of course they did. When Hell did re-orgs, they tended to tweak the larger structure. They could very well decide to transfer Grace and Mei and institute a whole new set of demonic leaders here. I didn't like that idea any better than losing Jerome. I wanted things to stay the same. And studying that fatigue I'd seen on Grace's face, I realized I wasn't the only one with a lot to worry about. â€Å"Well†¦for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job. You've had to do so much clean-up and damage control, and then with all these demons†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I don't know. They'd be stupid not to recognize that.† The strangest look came over Grace's face. I would have almost called it surprise, but her careful, icy composure made it hard to say for sure. â€Å"Thank you, Georgina.† Her voice was stiff, like dealing with compliments made her uncomfortable. â€Å"I hope you'll share your feelings with Ephraim, should he speak with you.† â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"No problem.† After a quick glance at my kitchen clock, she turned back to me and gave a smart nod. â€Å"I have to meet with the others. I'll speak with you again soon.† She vanished, but I could offer no farewell in return. I had just seen something. Something that changed everything. I stood frozen. This whole time, for the last week, something had been percolating in my head. I'd noted Grace and Mei's dedication to their job, how they were always there to help when chaos broke out. I'd noted also how they'd been forced to split up a lot lately with the new workload, and as Grace had said, they would now probably be scrutinized individually. And why wouldn't they be? If someone was going to scout for a new demon to run Seattle, why not look at the ones who were already running it? â€Å"Oh my God,† I breathed. But there was more to it than that. It wasn't just that Grace or Mei had the perfect motive to get Jerome summoned. I had more than motive before me. I had proof. Sprinting to my bedroom, I searched frantically for the photo of Mary's medallion, certain it would be gone. Nope. It was still there, knocked off my nightstand to the floor. I picked it up. â€Å"Oh my God .† There it was. When Grace had turned her head, I'd caught a fuller glimpse of the chunky necklace and its network of brown and black stones. The answer had been right in front of me. At the Cellar meeting, I'd noticed a piece of the necklace's stonework shaped like a crescent moon. I hadn't recognized it as anything more than ornamentation, but now, comparing the photo to what I'd just seen on Grace, the truth was obvious. Grace had part of the seal. It was the left side of the medallion, separated in an irregular way to give it that fanciful crescent shape. But I'd seen the fine etchings of the symbols when she tilted her head. They were the same. It was the seal. The picture fell from my hands, and I ran back to the living room, grappling for my cell phone. My hands shook, and I could barely dial. Of course, for a second, I wasn't sure who I was dialing. Hugh, I decided. I had to tell him and the rest of my friends that- â€Å"Drop it.† A strong hand covered my mouth and jerked me backward. My back hit somebody, a tall man with a rock-solid chest. His other hand reached out and wrapped around my wrist, making the links of my watch dig in painfully. â€Å"Drop it,† he said. â€Å"I know what you saw. I saw it too. But you can't tell anyone. Not yet.† I could barely hear through the pounding of my heart in my ears, but it didn't matter. I knew this voice, knew it intimately. It had haunted my dreams-or rather, my nightmares-for the last six months. It was a sign of how truly out of it I'd been after Nanette attacked me that I hadn't recognized his voice that day. I dropped the phone. He released his grip on my wrist, and a moment later, the hand on my mouth moved away as well. Miraculously, I didn't start screaming. Slowly, slowly, I turned around, knowing exactly what I'd find. Blue-green eyes, just like the sea I'd grown up around. â€Å"Roman.†

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Anti-aging food - Research Paper Example They eat whatever comes their way and this is how a vicious cycle starts. Initially they spend money on fast food and as a result of which they start falling ill frequently and then they spend on medicines to get back their lost health and in this process they end up wasting a lot of money, in addition to this it also causes them a lot of trouble which can easily be avoided. Lifestyle is another factor which has serious ramifications on our health; the way one lives determines their life expectancy. People who eat healthy live a healthy life; people who do not do so are deprived of living a healthy life. Anti-aging food has been a revelation, by eating anti-aging food one can live longer and one can also live a very healthy life. People who have tried anti-aging food have been really happy with the results. â€Å"Antioxidant foods called super foods are what provides anti aging health benefits throughout the entire body. Total anti aging health provided by super foods may be the proverbial â€Å"Fountain of Youth†. Instead of 50 being middle age research is now showing that we can extend this middle age to 100 years and do it quite easily. I have been doing this kind of research for over 20 years now. It has become my passion.† (Antioxidant Foods) Not much is known about these foods but it is a well known fact that they are more than capable of curing life-threatening diseases. Diseases like cancer, diabetes and several heart diseases can be cured should one decide to feed on these anti-aging foods. â€Å"Aging is biological process which leads to progressive degenerative changes in all living creatures on earth. Aging is normal and inevitable. Throughout in the human history, people are interested in finding solutions for preventing this aging process. Anti-aging study  is certainly a wide and tough area of research for the scientists. Nowadays, the concept of

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Should a composition course be required for all first-year college students - Essay Example The dons are disposed to safeguard their firm positions disputing that the recruits have "it-hardly-needs-a-commentary" dire necessity of this remedial course. The freshers, in their round, dare challenge their tutors' emphatic conviction demonstrating their willingness to scrap this "baby course for silly bullies" or at least, its status of a core subject. I would personally admire to join the mainstream and to fling away an advantage of taking it up without any misgiving to dumb down. Needless to say, I have my own fool-proof reasons to cast doubt on the efficacy of such a course. Here is a selection of them. Firstly, I feel free to admit that this course is particularly designed for cyber junkies, people who are addicted to using personal computers, especially the Internet. These are the never-ending hours I dawdled away on surfing the net, combing through vast bodies of information in my futile attempt to compose an essay that will meet all the requirements, brought me to the conclusion that English-composition classes spell the perfect recipe for pure and absolute contentment for those who are obsessed with craving the information that is so tantalizingly available in a global network. Thanks God I do not belong to this type of dataholics. I would prefer to pass my evening away with friends or my dear people or reading a book or an instalment of a glossy magazine. Secondly, therefore, I claim that slogging away at packing your essay is close to sweating over packing your suit-case. The point is that recently, having made up my mind to pick up on the advice to "read the works of published writers in a wide range of subjects, paying particular attention to the way in which they use their language to express their meaning" (3), I came across a truly thought-provoking article that shared a few tricky tips how to pack a suit-case. Being a recognized expert in jamming everything possible and impossible into my suit-case, I took a deep interest and followed all the instructions with a remarkable care. Despite my colossal efforts applied, I keep on arriving at the place of the destination with my crumpled clothes and creased T-shirts. I am continually taken aback, however, at my friend's 'preternatural' capability to have his suit-cases always elaborately packed, although he never stuffs his head with 'packing' details exposed at the article like that one. The similar situation is sadly expected to be disclosed and observed during English-composition classes. Those who can boast inner propensity for creative composing, will get the hang of the things easily and soon will be profoundly bored by re-copying somebody's else numerous thumb-nail sketches and 'printing out' the endless stream of top-of-scale creative work of their own. On the contrary, a significant proportion of those who lack special aptitude for writing will be intellectually challenged and stretched, indeed. In their case, practicing writing will be like skating on the thin ice, as they will be running all the chances to reduce their potential to compounding different ideas employing hiss-and-miss method. The students will become more preoccupied not how the message is conveyed but how their ultimate aim of making the "composition' tolerable for the don to read is reached. The teacher will turn

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Thomas Merton biography - Essay Example On December 10th, 1941, he joined the Abbey of Gethsemani. He was active in the life of the abbey as a writer for many years, but from 1965 to 1968, he lived as a hermit in its precincts. His writings would take up controversial issues and developing concerns. Many people thought his political attitudes were unbecoming of a monk. Before his death, he became deeply familiar with Eastern philosophy such as Zen Buddhism. He actively promoted East-West dialogue during the 1960s, and during a trip to a conference on East-West dialogue, Merton died. In Bangkok on December 10, 1968, he was accidentally electrocuted. His legacy is still felt today. He was one of the few Christians who commended the Eastern philosophies. Many people see Thomas Merton as a spiritual leader, a great writer, and a man who exemplified the quest for God in human solidarity. In 1969 donations from his aunts, Agnes and Beatrice Merton began a special collection of his work kept by Christchurch City Libraries. Some of his work is still being published

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Critical Evaluation of an Entrepreneurial Australian Business - Essay Example The company operates in the technology industry which requires innovation at all times so as to remain competitive in the market. The business rather was developed due to the exhaustive manual records hence there was a need for cheaper storage materials for the small businesses. This led to the rise of depot management systems by the company to alleviate the problem and make the businesses more efficient (CAGAN, 2010).However, the industry is characterized by competitive markets where there are free entry and exit. Thus as time goes by the market is concentrated in the provision of the goods and services. The firm plans to increase its management systems so as to upsurge its customer base as to raise more capital that can be used for expansions. The current server that is used by the company is quite small and cannot accommodate the rising demand for the service in data management by different institutions and individuals. The company thus plans to invest in more server space at rela tively affordable cost. The organization also plans to diversify in its activities to surge revenue base which are just the few growth strategies to be implemented.The customer base has since increased since small business who can’t afford the large and expensive management and documentation system ends up in the Betz facility services .this has since increased the market size of the company commanding a substantial share of the market. As a result, sales are greatly improved raising more revenue for the company.

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Learning Through Partnership (Education) - Essay Example These changes brought about by migration in the globalised world has affected and influenced developments and concerns in contemporary education. This is based on the presupposition that as schools have become the concrete and actual arena with which the presence of people with different cultural backgrounds intersects in the public sphere (Cairney, 1995; Hayes & Chodkiewicz 2006). Moreover, this scenario is confounded by the fact that it is not only the adults who are the common players in the context of schools as public arena but it’s the children as well (Cairney, 2000). Thus, students have to cross the values and beliefs of their homes to the values and beliefs of their schools everyday (Hayes & Chodkiewicz (2006). As such, there is a view that â€Å"schools need to consider the learning activities they institute not as separate skills but as social practices into which people are enculturated (or apprenticed) as members of specific social groups (Scribner and Cole 1981 as cited in Cairney, 2000:166). In lieu with this, another dimension of contemporary education which is of fundamental importance and impact in education is the parents’ involvement in the education of their children. Following the Plowden Report of 1967, steps have been continuously undertaken by all stakeholders in children’s education to â€Å"encourage parents to become more involved in school and support school agendas in a variety of ways† (Cairney, 2000:164). However, the idea and practise of parental involvement in their children’s education necessitate innovative changes for it to authentically respond to current trends and demands in the contemporary education of the children. In response to the need for novel approaches to parental involvement in education, this paper aims to understand the concept of parental involvement in education, to know the theories behind parental involvement, to apprehend the

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson Essay Example for Free

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson Essay William Gibsons play, The Miracle Worker, illustrates how people who triumph over hardships can succeed in achieving their goals. The play follows Annie Sullivan, a half-blind northern young woman, as she travels to Post-Civil War Tuscumbia, Alabama in order to teach Helen Keller, a blind and deaf little girl. When she arrives in Alabama, Annie meets Helens family members; her father, Captain Keller, is a stubborn, commanding former Civil War captain and her mother, Kate Keller, is a young, overly protective woman, both of them have kept Helen almost as a pet because they did not know what to do with her or how to treat her. In order for Annie to succeed in teaching Helen, she has to battle with Captain Kellers stubbornness, Kates overly protectiveness, and Helens combativeness. For instance, Annie is forced to show her combative side as she repeatedly faces off with Captain Keller to be able to teach Helen better. For example, Annie and Captain Keller argue at the breakfast table over how to teach Helen, and Captain Keller exclaims, I fail to see where you have taught her anything yet, Miss Sullivan! to which Annie responds angrily, Ill begin this minute if youll leave the room, Captain Keller! (Gibson 668). Captain Keller desperately wants to have peace at the breakfast table; however, Annie interrupts that peace by demanding that he leave the room. Annie knows that, in order for her to be able to discipline Helen, Captain Keller and Kate must leave the room so that they cannot interfere. In addition, Annie requests another week to teach Helen without the interference of her family, and Captain Keller exclaims, And what would one more week accomplish? We are more than satisfied, youve done more than we ever thought possible, taught her constructive(691). Captain Keller is more than satisfied because Annie has taught Helen manners and how to behave. Annie is frustrated with the Kellers because she knows that Helens learning manners is only the first step in her education; Annie wants to teach Helen communication, but knows that this skill is unattainable with Kate and Captain Kellers frequent interferences. Furthermore, at Helens welcome home dinner, Helen tests her parents and throws a water pitcher on Annie, Captain Keller tries to stop Annie from disciplining Helen, but Annie rounds on him and yells, Dont smooth anything else out for me, dont interfere in any way! I treat her like a seeing child because I ask her to  see, I expect her to see, dont undo what I do! (700). Helen has been in the garden house with Annie for the past two weeks, following rules day and night, and Captain Keller wants to make Helens welcome home dinner more enjoyable by allowing her more freedom than she has had in the past two weeks. Annie knows that if Captain Keller allows Helen to get her way, even once, all the progress she has made over the past two weeks will have gone to waste and she will return to her previous bad habits and distasteful manners. Annies being obstinate and her sheer will power help her to stand up to Captain Keller, insure that Helen can succeed in her learning and becoming able to communicate with a world from which she has been closed off. Moreover, Annie is driven to a constant battle of wills against Kates blinding love for Helen because this love interferes with Helens being able to learn from Annie, her teacher. For example, Annie turns indignant when Kate gives Helen a sweet after Helen stabs Annie with a needle, and Kate explains, We catch our flies with honey, Im afraid. We havent the heart for much else, and so many times she simply cannot be compelled (664). All Kate realizes is that Helens bad behavior stops when she is given candy, thus Kate accidentally rewards her for misbehaving. Annie feels frustrated because she knows that if Kate carries on rewarding Helen for bad behavior, Annie will never be able to rid Helen of her bad habits. In addition, when the Kellers are taken aback by Annies proposition of spending two weeks alone in the garden house, Annie explains, Mrs. Keller, I dont think Helens worst handicap is deafness or blindness. I think its your love. And pity (667). Annie knows that Mrs. Kellers love and pity for Helen has caused Kate to distort Helens differentiation between right and wrong, and Annie realizes that being alone with Helen will allow her to be taught without the interference of her mothers love. Annie thinks that this love and pity from Kate is Helens worst handicap because it prevents her from learning language and keeps Helen closed off from the world around her. Furthermore, Helen tests her family, and her teacher, when her welcome home dinner after her two weeks alone with Annie, repeatedly dropping her napkin, Kate tries to make excuses for her and supposes, Will once hurt so much, Miss Annie? Ivemade all Helens favorite foods, tonight (699). Kates desire to make Helen happy on her first night back blinds Kate to the  realization that if she allows Helen misbehave even once, the progress that Helen has made in the time she spent with Annie in the garden house will diminish and Annie will have to start teaching Helen all over again. Annie knows that if Helen realizes that she can get away with misbehaving, now that she is reunited with her family, she will revert back to her old ways and continue misbehaving. Because Annie fights with Kate to keep Helen in line, Annie is able to teach Helen how to act and behave like a seeing child, and begin to break through Helens shell that prevents her from learning language. What is more, due to her stubborn, fiery attitude, Helen forces Annie to battle with her in order for Annie to make Helen understand that everything has a name. For Example, upon first meeting Helen, Annie shows her a doll and immediately spells d-o-l-l into Helens hand, Helen, wanting the doll, rejects the spelling and whacks Annie over the head; as Annie gets up looking for Helen the narrator reveals, But rounding from the mirror she sees the door slam, Helen and the doll are on the outside, and Helen is turning the key in the lock, Annie darts over, to pull the knob, but the door is locked fast. (655). Helen has no desire to spell back to Annie, and when Annie will not give her the doll until she spells back she hits Annie with a haymaker and flees out the door. Due to her injury, Annie immediately realizes the difficulty she is going to have teaching Helen, and she becomes ever more determined to succeed in making Helen learn. In addition, Annie tries tirelessly to get Helen to eat her breakfast with a spoon, but the narrator reveals, She tries again this time Helen accepts the food. Annie lowers the spoon with a sigh of relief, and Helen spews the mouthful out at her face (672). Helen resents the attempts that Annie makes to teach her how to use proper manners and fights back bitterly with her entire arsenal of tricks. Annie, instead of being discouraged by the insult, is only more determined to succeed in teaching Helen table manners after having food spewed into her face. Furthermore, Helen proceeds to misbehave once she is reunited with her family, accumulating in her deliberately flinging a water pitcher at Annie; the narrator reveals, Annie gets her breath, the snatches the pitcher away in one hand, hoists Helen up bodily under the other arm, and starts to carry her out, kicking Annie takes Helen to the water pump  to refill the pitcher and it is there the miracle happens as Helen says Wah. Wah (and again with great effort) Wah. Wah' (701). Annie grabs Helen to take her outside to refill the water pitcher and, is rewarded when, once outside, Helen comes to the realization that the letters Annie has been spelling into her hand are indeed the names of the things around her. Helen, although originally furious at being dragged outside, is astounded when she comes to the realization that the things Annie has been tapping into her hand mean water, and she is even able to think back to before her disability when she could say Wah Wah. All of Annies efforts with Helen are finally rewarded when Helen is opened up as she realizes that everything does have a name. Annie succeeds in teaching Helen the meaning of language because she stubbornly battles Captain Keller, Kate, and Helen. Annie knows that Helens worst handicap is not her deafness or blindness, rather that she has been kept as a pet out of her parents love and pity. Captain Keller tries to stop Annie from disciplining Helen, but Annie ferociously demands for him to get out of the way and stop interfering. Annie triumphs over the difficulties she faces and succeeds in her goal of teaching Helen language and opening her up to let the world know the treasures she holds in her imagination.

Cassava Brown Streak Virus Infection Genome

Cassava Brown Streak Virus Infection Genome Genome-wide prediction and association analysis for sensitivity to cassava brown streak virus infection in Cassava Siraj Ismail Kayondo, Dunia Pino Del Carpio, Roberto Lozano, Alfred Ozimati, Marnin Wolfe, Yona Baguma, Vernon Gracen, Offei Samuel,  Robert Kawuki  and Jean-Luc Jannink ABSTRACT Cassava (manihot esculenta Crantz), a key carbohydrate source faces unprecedented challenge of viral diseases importantly, cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD). The economic parts of the crop are rendered unmarketable by these viral diseases resulting into mega fiscal setbacks. The remarkable completion of the cassava genome sequence equips cassava breeders with more precise selection strategies to offer superior varieties with both farmer and industry preferred traits. This article reports genomic segments associated to foliar and root CBSV sensitivity measured at different growth stages and environmental conditions. We identified significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated to CBSV sensitivity in cassava on chromosome 4 and 11. The significantly associated regions on chromosome 4 co-localises with a Manihot glaziovii introgression from the wild progenitors. While significant SNPs markers on chromosome 11 are in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a cluster of nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) proteins encoded by disease resistance genes in plants. Genotype by environmental interactions were significant since SNP marker effects differed across environments and years. Key words: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), virus sensitivity, augmented designs, de-regressed best linear unbiased Predictions (dr-BLUPs), NBS-LRR proteins, QTLs    INTRODUCTION Cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz), is a major source of income and dietary calories for over a billion lives across the globe especially in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Edge cutting technologies are rapidly turning cassava into an industrial crop especially tapping into its unique starch qualities hence opening new income opportunities for the poor (Pà ©rez et al., 2011). Cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSD), a leading viral constraint limiting production across SSA is responsible for mega fiscal setbacks estimated at 100 US million dollars per annum at physiological maturity (ASARECA:, 2013; Ndunguru et al., 2015). As a consequence of CBSVs, cassava yields were recorded to be eight times lower than the expected yield potential in Uganda(). Two major strains; Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Uganda Cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV), have successfully colonized both the lowland and highland altitudes across East Africa though newer strains are being reported (Winter et al., 2010; Ndunguru et al., 2015; Alicai et al., 2016a). In addition to uncontrolled exchange of infected cassava steaks among cassava farmers across porous borders, the African whitefly (Besimia tobaci) stands out as the famous semi-persistent virus transmitter under field conditions (Legg et al., 2014; McQuaid et al., 2015). Upon entry, the virus exploits the plants transport system to traverse the susceptible cassava plant resulting into yellow chlorotic vein clearing patterns along minor veins of the leaves. Prominent brown elongated lesions are formed on the stem commonly referred to as brown streaks. While the brown necrotic hard-corky layers are randomly formed in the root cortex of most susceptible cassava clones. In view of the rapid but steadily virus evolution rates and the insufficiency of dependable virus diagnostic tools (Alicai et al., 2016b), breeding for durable CBSD resistance emerges as a timely and economically viable option. Earlier CBSD resistance breeding initiatives have highlighted its polygenic but recessive nature of inheritance in both intraspecific and interspecific cassava hybrids (Nichols, 1947; Hillocks and Jennings, 2003; Munga, 2008; Kulembeka, 2010). The rate of progress to genetic improvement in a traditional cassava breeding pipeline has been slower due to several biology-related opportunities like; shy flowering, length of breeding cycle, limited genetic diversity and slow rate of multiplication of planting materials. Most of the available elite cassava lines have exhibited some level of sensitivity to CBSVs ranging from mild sensitivity total susceptibility. Therefore, a concise but then targeted exploration for potential sources of resistance using the available biotechnology tools could be a promising strategy. The remarkable completion of the cassava genome sequence equips cassava breeders with more precise selection strategies to offer superior varieties with both farmer and industry preferred traits. A study by Bredeson et al., (2016) reports the presence of introgressions segments from the wild progenitors into the elite breeding lines developed by the Amani breeding program in Tanzania. Hence, resistance sources to CBSD exist but may have been reshuffled over generations of recurrent selection thus not fully fixed and need to be exploited. Moving forward, a genome wide survey for existing natural variations as explained by the observed phenotypes for a given series of agronomic traits could facilitate identification of causal loci associated with the inheritance of a trait of interest. This tool, commonly referred to as genome-wide association study (GWAS) exploits the power of statistical analyses to identify such historical recombination events that have occurred over time (Jannink and Walsh, 2002; Hamblin, Buckler and Jannink, 2011). Hence, GWA-studies will complement bi-parental mapping efforts that have been widely applied in cassava breeding in the previous decade (Ferguson et al., 2012; Ceballos et al., 2015). GWA-studies have been widely undertaken by animal, human and plant geneticists to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in close association to several important traits. However, GWAS has been thinly applied in cassava breeding especially in the definition of the genetic architecture of cassava mosaic di sease (Wolfe et al., 2016) and beta carotene (unpublished). In this study, we exploited the reduced genotyping costs using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to genotype data for our association mapping panel. The goal of this study was to identify genomic regions closely associated with sensitivity to CBSV infection in a diverse regional cassava breeding panel. Fine mapping around the identified regions would guide in marker discovery as well as identification of franking genes for CBSV sensitivity for marker assisted breeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material The data set comprised of field disease evaluations undertaken across five locations; Namulonge, Kamuli, Serere, Ngetta and Kasese in Uganda. Two different but closely related GWAS panels were evaluated across environments. Between 2012 and 2013, GWAS panel 1 consisted of between 308 to 429 entries that were replicated twice across three locations. Each trial was designed as a randomized complete block (RCB) with two-row plots of five plants each at a spacing of 1 meter by 1 meter. In 2015, GWAS panel 2 consisting of entries ranging from 715 to 872 clones was evaluated in three locations but contrasting sites for CBSD pressure. These entries were evaluated as single entries per site being connected by six common checks in an augmented completely randomized block design with 38 blocks per site (Federer, Nguyen and others, 2002; Federer and Crossa, 2012). The two GWAS panels had one location in common; Namulonge that is regarded as the CBSD hot spot with the highest CBSD pressure. The data was generated from 1281 cassava clones developed through three cycles of genetic recombination with local elite lines by the National root crops breeding program at NaCRRI. These cassava clones had a diverse genetic background whose pedigree could be traced back to introductions from international institute for tropical agriculture (IITA), International center for tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Tanzania[KI1] breeding program (sup.fig1). Phenotyping protocol for CBSV sensitivity   Ã‚   The key traits were CBSD severity and incidence scored at 3, 6, and 9 months after planting (MAP) for foliar and 12 MAP for root symptoms respectively. CBSD severity was measured based on a 5 point scale with a score of 1 implying asymptomatic conditions and a score 5 implying over 50% leaf vain clearing under foliar symptoms. However, at 12 MAP a score of 5 implies over 50% of root-core being covered by a necrotic corky layer. (fig.1) Clones were classified with a score of 5 if pronounced vein clearing at major leaf veins were jointly displayed with brown streaks on the stems and shoot die-back that appeared as a candle-stick. Clones with 31 40% leaf vein clearing together with brown steaks at the stems were classified under score 4. A Score of 3 was assigned to clones with 21 30% leaf vein clearing with emerging brown streaks on the stems. While a score of 2 was assigned to clones that only displayed 1 20% leaf vein clearing without any visible brown streak symptoms on the stems. Plants classified with a score of 1 showed no visible sign of leaf necrosis and brown streaks on the stems. On the other hand, root symptoms were also classified into 5 different categories based on a 5 point standard scale. Two-stage genomic analyses For the panel 1 which was designed as a randomized complete block (RCB) we fit the model: , using the lmer function from the lme4 R package (Bates et al., 2015).In this model, ÃŽÂ ² included a fixed effect for the population mean and location. The incidence matrix Zclone and the vector c represent a random effect for clone and I represent the identity matrix. The range variable, which is the row or column along which plots are arrayed, is nested in location-rep and is represented by the incidence matrix Zrange(loc.) and random effects vector .Block effects were nested in ranges and incorporated as random with incidence matrix Zblock(range) and effects vector . Residuals were fit as random, with . For panel 2, which followed an augmented design, we fit the model Where y was the vector of raw phenotypes, ÃŽÂ ² included a fixed effect for the population mean and location with checks included as a covariate, The incidence matrix Zclone and the vector c are the same as above and the blocks were also modeled with incidence matrix and b represents the random effect for block. The best linear predictors (BLUPs) of the clone effect (Ć°) were extracted as de-regressed BLUPS following the formula: Broad sense heritability was calculated using variance components extracted from the two step lmer output. SNP-based heritability was calculated by extracting the variance components from the output obtained by fitting the SNPs as a kinship covariate calculated using the A.mat function from the rrBLUP R package and included in a one step model using the emmreml function from the EMMREML R package (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015). DNA preparation and Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) All cassava clones included in the phenotypic data set had their total genomic DNA extracted from young tender leaves according to standard procedures using the DNAeasy plant mini extraction kit (Qiagen, 2012). Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) (Elshire et al., 2011) libraries were constructed using the ApeKI restriction enzyme as used before (Hamblin Rabbi, 2014). Marker genotypes were called using TASSEL GBS pipeline V4 (Glaubitz et al., 2014) after aligning the reads to the Cassava v6 reference genome (Phytozome 10.3; http://phytozome.jgi.doe.gov) (International Cassava Genetic Map Consortium, 2014; Prochnik et al., 2012). Variant Calling Format (VCF) files were generated for each chromosome. Markers with more than 60% missing calls were removed. Genotypes with less than 5 reads were masked before imputation. Additionally, only biallelic SNP markers were considered for further steps. The marker dataset consisted of a total of 173,647 SNP bi-allelic markers called for 986 individuals. This initial dataset was imputed using Beagle 4.1 (Browning and Browning, 2016). After the imputation 63,016 SNPs had an AR2 (Estimated Allelic r-squared) higher than 0.3 and were kept for analysis; from these, 41,530 had a minor allele frequency (MAF) higher than 0.01 in our population. Dosage files for this final dataset were generated and used for both GWAS and GS. Structure and Genetic stratification analysis The extent of phylogenetic relationship and degree of family relatedness within the cassava lines was assessed using principal component analysis (PCA) implemented in R. Genome-wide association analysis for CBSV sensitivity The input binary PED files were prepared from the genotype dosage files using PLINK version 1.07 (Renterà ­a, Cortes and Medland, 2013; Purcell et al., 2007). Mixed linear modal association analysis (MLMA) implemented by GCTA version 1.26.0 was used to generated GWAS results (Yang et al., 2011). MLMA was implemented such that in every cycle of analysis, the chromosome on which the candidate SNPs existed got excluded from the GRM calculation using the modal in equation 3. Where y is the phenotype, a is being the mean term, b being the fixed additive effects of the candidate SNP being tested for association, x being the SNP genotype indicator variable and g is the accumulated effect of all SNPs excluding those where the candidate SNP is located making our analysis model more powerful. We estimated variance components using restricted maximum likelihood (REML). Sub population stratification was corrected for by taking GRM as a random effect term in the model during analysis. A more conservative Bonferroni correction method was used to fix genome-wide significance threshold at Pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤10-7 as a way of correcting for experimental-wise error. Manhattan and Quantile Quantile plots for all the traits were constructed using R package qqman package implemented in R (Turner, 2014). Genomic prediction models GBLUP. In this prediction model the GEBVs are obtained by assuming , where is the additive genetic variance, and K is the symmetric genomic realized relation matrix based on GBS SNP marker dosages. The genomic relationship matrix used was constructed using the function A.mat in the R package rrBLUP(Endelman, 2011) and follows the formula of VanRaden (2008), method two. GBLUP predictions were made with the function emmreml in the R package EMMREML (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015). RKHS. Unlike GBLUP for RKHS we use a Gaussian kernel function: , where Kij is the measured relationship between two individuals, dij is their euclidean genetic distance based on marker dosages and ÃŽÂ ¸ is a tuning (bandwidth) parameter that determines the rate of decay of correlation among individuals. This function is nonlinear therefore the kernels used for RKHS can capture non-additive as well as additive genetic variation. To fit a multiple-kernel model with six covariance matrices we used the emmremlMultiKernel function in the EMMREML package, with the following bandwidth parameters: 0.0000005, 0.00005, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05 (Multi-kernel RKHS) and allowed REML to find optimal weights for each kernel.For the optimal kernel RKHS we used the kernel weights assigned by emmremlMultiKernel in the first step to construct a single kernel that is the weighted average of the original six. We then used this optimal kernel in single-kernel predictions. Bayesian maker regressions.We tested four Bayesian prediction models: BayesCpi (Habier et al., 2011), the Bayesian LASSO (BL; Park and Casella, 2008), BayesA, and BayesB (Meuwissen, Hayes and Goddard, 2001). The Bayesian models we tested allow for alternative genetic architectures by differential shrinkage of marker effects. We performed Bayesian predictions with the R package BGLR (Pà ©rez and De Los Campos, 2014) Random Forest. Random forest (RF) is a machine learning method used for regression and classification (Strobl et al. 2009, Breiman 2001). Random forest regression with marker data has been shown to capture epistatic effects and has been successfully used for prediction (Sakar et al 2015, Heslot et al 2012, Charmet et al 2014, Spindel et al 2015, Breiman, et al 2001, Michaelson et al 2010, Motsinger-Reif et al 2008). We implemented RF using the randomForest package in R (Liaw and Wiener 2002) with the parameter, ntree set to 500 and the number of variables sampled at each split (mtry) equal to 300. Multikernel GBLUP We followed a multikernel approach by fitting three kernels constructed with SNPs with MAF> 0.01 from chromosomes 4,11 and the SNPs from the other chromosomes. We selected chromosomes 4 and 11 because they contained QTLs for foliar severity 3 and 6 MAP. Multikernel GBLUP predictions were made with the function emmremlMultiKernel in the R package EMMREML (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015) Introgression Segment Detection To identify the genome segments in our germplasm, we followed the approach of Bredeson et al. (2015). We used the M. glaziovii diagnostic markers identified Supplementary Dataset 2 of Bredeson et al. (2015). These ancestry diagnostic (AI) SNPs were identified as being fixed for different alleles in a sample of two pure M. esculenta (Albert and CM33064) and two pure M. glaziovii (GLA XXX-8 and M. glaziovii(S)). Out of 173,647 SNP in our imputed dataset, 12,502 matched published AI SNPs. For these AI SNPs, we divided each chromosome into non-overlapping windows of 20 SNP. Within each window, for each individual, we calculated the proportion of genotypes that were homozygous (G/G) or heterozygous (G/E) for M. glaziovii allele and the proportion that were homozygous for the M. esculenta allele (E/E). We assigned G/G, G/E or E/E ancestry to each window, for each individual only when the proportion of the most common genotype in that window was at least twice the proportion of the second most common genotype. We assigned windows a No Call status otherwise. We also used this approach on six whole-genome sequenced samples from the cassava HapMap II (Punna et al. under Review). These included the two pure cassava and M. glaziovii(S) from Bredeson et al. (2015), plus an additional M. glaziovii, and two samples labeled Namikonga. Because these samples came from a different source from the majority of our samples, we were able to find only 11,686 SNPs that matched both the sites in the rest of our study sample and the list of ancestry informative sites for analysis. Linkage disequilibrium plots LD scores were calculated for every SNP in chromosome 4 with a window of 1Mb using the GCTA Software (Yang et al., 2011). Briefly, LD score for a given marker is the sum of R2 adjusted between the index marker and all markers within a specified window. The adjusted R2 is an unbiased measure of LD: where n is the population size and R2 is the usual estimator of the squared Pearsons correlation (Bulik-Sullivan et al 2015). We calculated the LD between that marker and other markers in a window of 2Mb (1Mb upstream and 1Mb downstream) For the top significant SNP hit in chromosome 11 for the 6MAP GWAS result from panel 1 and panel 2. The LD was evaluated using squared Pearsons correlation coefficient (r2) as calculated with the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢r2 -ld-snp commands in the software PLINK version 1.9. Candidate gene identification To identify candidate genes for CBSD severity in leaves and CBSD root necrosis we used the GCTA mlma GWAS output obtained for each trait. We filtered the SNP markers based on -log10 (P-value)> Bonf, being these values higher than the Bonferroni threshold (~ 5.9). The resulting SNP markers were assigned onto genes using the SNP location and gene description from the Mesculenta_305_v6.1.gene.gff3 available in Phytozome 11 (ref) for Manihot esculenta v6.1 using the intersect function from bedtools (ref). RESULTS Phenotypic assessment of cassava for sensitivity to cassava brown streak virus infection Most clones showed varied responses to CBSV infection spanning from super susceptibility that represented candle-like die-back of the shoot to tolerance (Fig.). Foliar phenotyping clumped these plant responses into five major classes based on a 1 to 5 scale. The broad sense heritability of the studied traits ranged 0.17 to 0.72 for both GWAS panels (Table 1). Analysis of the phenotypic data showed very significant GxE interactions (P Genetic correlations and heritability estimates We found moderate heritability estimates for CBSV sensitivity for foliar phenotypes at 3, 6 and 9 MAP as well as root phenotypes under five environments (fig..) . Genetic correlation on the traits assayed were performed and revealed that ranged from moderate to high positive correlations among traits studied. Assessment of linkage disequilibrium Genome-wide association mapping often explores the benefit of existence of several historic recombination events over time to associate observed phenotypic variation with genome. Detection of candidate QTLs for CBSV sensitivity in cassava To efficiently a run GWAS, we used SNP data to examine the extent of genetic interrelatedness and sub-population structure of the cassava clones. A principal component analysis (PCA) to account for structure showed no distinct clusters implying that the selected clones were not highly structured (Fig.1). Therefore, we did not include PCs in our GWAS linear modal analysis. The Bonferroni suggestive threshold (ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05) was used to identify loci associated to CBSV sensitivity on both chromosome 4 and 11 that had clear peak signals at the different stages of phenotyping (Fig. 2). The observed P-values initially aligned well with the expected P-values but later differed substantially due the large introgression block on chromosome 4 presumably from the wild progenitors of cassava traceable from the AMANI breeding program (Jennings, 1959). The significant signals on chromosome 11 contained loci with strong association with CBSV sensitivity in a 2 Mb region that annotated well with several candidate genes. Genome-wide prediction for CBSV sensitivity in cassava We did genome wide prediction for CBSV sensitivity based on the identified SNPs with the highest effects found on both chromosome 4 and 11 in order to capture most of the genetic variation. We explored several genomic prediction model methods; GBLUP, RR-BLUP, B-LASSO, random forest, BayesA, BayesB, and BayesC. References Akdemir, D. and Okeke, U. G. (2015) EMMREML: Fitting Mixed Models with Known Covariance Structures,. Alicai, T., Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Okao-Okuja, G., Nanvubya, R., Kiiza, L., Kubatko, L., Kehoe, M. A. and Boykin, L. M. (2016a) Characterization by Next Generation Sequencing Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Faster Evolutionary rate of Cassava brown streak virus Compared with Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, bioRxiv, Cold Spring Harbor Labs Journals, [online] Available at: http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/053546 (Accessed 27 June 2016). Alicai, T., Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Okao-Okuja, G., Nanvubya, R., Kiiza, L., Kubatko, L., Kehoe, M. A. and Boykin, L. M. (2016b) Characterization by Next Generation Sequencing Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Faster Evolutionary rate of Cassava brown streak virus Compared with Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, [online] Available at: http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/053546 (Accessed 10 June 2016). ASARECA: (2013) ASARECA Annual Report 2012: Transforming Agriculture for Economic Growth in Eastern and Central Africa, Entebbe, Uganda. Bredeson, J. V, Lyons, J. B., Prochnik, S. E., Wu, G. A., Ha, C. M., Edsinger-Gonzales, E., Grimwood, J., Schmutz, J., Rabbi, I. Y., Egesi, C., Nauluvula, P., Lebot, V., Ndunguru, J., Mkamilo, G., Bart, R. S., Setter, T. L., Gleadow, R. M., Kulakow, P., Ferguson, M. E., Rounsley, S. and Rokhsar, D. S. (2016) Sequencing wild and cultivated cassava and related species reveals extensive interspecific hybridization and genetic diversity., Nature biotechnology, 34(5), pp. 562-570, [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3535. Browning, B. L. and Browning, S. R. (2016) Genotype Imputation with Millions of Reference Samples, The American Journal of Human Genetics, 98(1), pp. 116-126. Ceballos, H., Kawuki, R. S., Gracen, V. E., Yencho, G. C. and Hershey, C. H. (2015) Conventional breeding, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection and inbreeding in clonally propagated crops: a case study for cassava, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00122-015-2555-4 (Accessed 25 June 2015). Endelman, J. B. (2011) Ridge Regression and Other Kernels for Genomic Selection with R Package rrBLUP, The Plant Genome Journal, 4(3), pp. 250-255. Federer, W. T. and Crossa, J. (2012) Screening Experimental Designs for Quantitative Trait Loci, Association Mapping, Genotype-by Environment Interaction, and Other Investigations, Frontiers in Physiology, 3, [online] Available at: http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fphys.2012.00156/full (Accessed 2 September 2014). Federer, W. T., Nguyen, N.-K. and others (2002) Constructing Augmented Experiment Designs with Gendex, [online] Available at: https://dspace.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/32208 (Accessed 2 September 2014). Ferguson, M., Rabbi, I., Kim, D.-J., Gedil, M., Lopez-Lavalle, L. A. B. and Okogbenin, E. (2012) Molecular Markers and Their Application to Cassava Breeding: Past, Present and Future, Tropical Plant Biology, 5(1), pp. 95-109, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12042-011-9087-0 (Accessed 5 August 2014). Habier, D., Fernando, R. L., Kizilkaya, K. and Garrick, D. J. (2011) Extension of the bayesian alphabet for genomic selection., BMC bioinformatics, BioMed Central Ltd, 12(1), p. 186. Hamblin, M. T., Buckler, E. S. and Jannink, J.-L. (2011) Population genetics of genomics-based crop improvement methods, Trends in Genetics, 27(3), pp. 98-106, [online] Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168952510002301 (Accessed 18 April 2014). Hillocks, R. J. and Jennings, D. L. (2003) Cassava brown streak disease: a review of present knowledge and research needs, International Journal of Pest Management, 49(3), pp. 225-234, [online] Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0967087031000101061 (Accessed 5 February 2014). Jannink, J.-L. and Walsh, B. (2002) Association mapping in plant populations, Quantitative genetics, genomics and plant breeding, pp. 59-68, [online] Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=hMBY_MvS39ACoi=fndpg=PA59dq=%22of+meioses+that+have+occurred+and+(in+the+case+of+advanced+intercross+lines)%22+%22discussion+of+rigorous+methods+to+test+for+marker+association+with+a+quantitative%22+ots=wo7fd. Jennings, D. L. (1959) Manihot melanobasis Mà ¼ll. Arg.-a useful parent for cassava breeding, Euphytica, 8(2), pp. 157-162, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00022435 (Accessed 8 October 2014). Kulembeka, H. P. (2010) Genetic linkage mapping of Field Resistance to cassava brown streak Disease in cassava landraces from Tanzania, Doctoral thesis, University of the Free State. Legg, J. P., Sseruwagi, P., Boniface, S., Okao-Okuja, G., Shirima, R., Bigirimana, S., Gashaka, G., Herrmann, H. W., Jeremiah, S., Obiero, H., Ndyetabula, I., Tata-Hangy, W., Masembe, C. and Brown, J. K. (2014) Spatio-temporal patterns of genetic change amongst populations of cassava Bemisia tabaci whiteflies driving virus pandemics in East and Central Africa, Virus Research, Elsevier B.V., 186, pp. 61-75, [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2013.11.018. McQuaid, C. F., Sseruwagi, P., Pariyo, A. and van den Bosch, F. (2015) Cassava brown streak disease and the sustainability of a clean seed system, Plant Pathology, p. n/a-n/a, [online] Available at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/ppa.12453 (Accessed 17 September 2015). Meuwissen, T. H., Hayes, B. J. and Goddard, M. E. (2001) Prediction of total genetic value using genome-wide dense marker maps., Genetics, 157(4), pp. 1819-29. Munga, T. L. (2008) Breeding for Cassava Brown Streak Resistance in Coastal Kenya, Doctoral thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal Republic of South Africa. Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Stomeo, F., Maina, S., Djinkeng, A., Kehoe, M. and Boykin, L. M. (2015) Analyses of Twelve New Whole Genome Sequences of Cassava Brown Streak Viruses and Ugandan Cassava Brown Streak Viruses from East Africa: Diversity, Supercomputing and Evidence for Further Speciation, PloS one, 10(10), p. e0139321, [online] Available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139321 (Accessed 18 March 2016). Nichols, R. F. W. (1947) Breeding cassava for virus resistance., East African Agricultural Journal, 12, pp. 184-94, [online] Available at: http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19471600996.html (Accessed 5 February 2014). Park, T. and Casella, G. (2008) The Bayesian Lasso, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 103(482), pp. 681-686. Pà ©rez, J. C., Lenis, J. I., Calle, F., Morante, N., Sà ¡nchez, T., Debouck, D. and Ceballos, H. (2011) Genetic variability of root peel thickness and its influence in extractable starch from cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) roots, Plant Breeding, 130(6), pp. 688-693. Pà ©rez, P. and De Los Campos, G. (2014)

Low Pressure Mercury Vapour Electronic Discharge

Low Pressure Mercury Vapour Electronic Discharge A common discharge lighting luminary for use in an office environment would typically be a low-pressure mercury-vapour electronic discharge (fluorescent) lamp. The lamp is constructed from a hollow glass tube with an aluminium cap at each end. Within the tube are two electrode coils, one at either end. The inner surface of the glass tube is coated in phosphor, and the tube, containing a small amount of mercury vapour, is filled at low pressure with an inert gas such as argon or krypton. Construction of a typical fluorescent lamp http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/FL%20Introduction.htm Block diagram showing fluorescent lamp and associated circuitry http://www.leonardo-energy.org/drupal/files/root/Images/ballast/Grundschaltung_e.GIF An automatic starting switch (starter) is used to initialise the flow of electrons from a coated filament cathode, which then collide with mercury vapour atoms, exciting their electrons to a higher energy state. This higher energy state is unstable and returns to a lower, more stable level, and in so doing produces a very small amount of blue-green light and a large amount of ultraviolet radiation. When the UV radiation comes into contact with the phosphor coating it causes the phosphors electrons to reach a higher energy state, which when returning to a normal level give off visible light; the colour of which is dependant upon the chemical composition of the phosphor. Fluorescent lamps are negative resistance devices, meaning that as the current increases, the electrical resistance decreases, allowing further increase in current flow. If the rise in current flow were to be uncontrolled the lamp would quickly self-destruct. To prevent this, a ballast device is used in order to regulate the current flow. Fluorescent lamps are a well established standard for general lighting in industrial, commercial and domestic applications. They come in a range of standardised sizes, power ratings, white colours, and colour temperatures. Other benefits of using fluorescent lamps compared to, for example, incandescent lamps, is that they are more energy efficient and have a longer life, typically 10 20 times longer than an incandescent lamp. When switched on they illuminate almost immediately, there is no waiting period whilst they warm up to their operating temperature, which for a fluorescent lamp is room temperature. When switched off, they can be restarted immediately, unlike high pressure sodium lamps which must cool down. One disadvantage of fluorescent lamps is that in some circumstances they may flicker at twice the supply frequency, causing a stroboscopic effect which, in a workshop type environment, may cause rotating machinery to appear stationary. One way to overcome this is by using lamps with a high-frequency electronic ballast. A common discharge lighting luminary for use in an indoor sports environment would typically be a high-intensity discharge (HID) type lamp, such as metal halide or high pressure sodium. High Pressure Sodium Sodium vapour at high pressure and temperature is highly reactive with glass, which would rapidly fail as a result. So, for a high pressure sodium lamp, a ceramic arc tube body, known as translucent polycrystalline alumina (PCA) and manufactured from aluminium oxide, is used instead; and is itself enclosed by a protective outer glass bulb, which is either evacuated or contains an inert gas. High pressure sodium lamp (image from: http://www.hydroyard.com/) The arc tube is evacuated of air and volatile contaminants, a dose of sodium-mercury amalgam and a filling gas of either argon or xenon are introduced. The type of gas filling is chosen for its ability to allow an arc to strike at low pressure. Tungsten electrodes, having a coating of electron-emissive material, connect to the electrical supply and the tube is hermetically sealed. A high voltage pulse causes the gas within the arc tube to ionise, creating an arc between the two tungsten electrodes, and increases the temperature of the gas. Initially, the arc voltage, due to the low vapour pressures, is low. As the amalgam temperature increases so does the pressure, and thereby the voltage, taking a few minutes for the lamp to reach its optimum operating condition. Once the lamp has been switched off, it needs to cool for a short while before being able to restart. The ballast, as with the fluorescent tube, controls the current to ensure stable operation. Diagram showing basic construction of a high pressure sodium lamp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:High_pressure_sodium_lamp.svg Some of the benefits of using high pressure sodium lamps in an indoor sports environment are that they give good colour rendering which is important where teams need to clearly identify each other by their colours. HPS lamps also provide a whiter light which allows players to clearly identify the sports equipment, especially where that equipment is used in fast moving sports such as the ball in a game of squash. Task 20 Escape Route Lighting It is essential that every workplace has a means of egress during an emergency, and this requires a system of emergency lighting be fitted to ensure that evacuation can be done in a safe manner should the normal lighting system fail. BS EN 50172:2004/ BS 5266-8:2004 details the requirements for emergency lighting systems. Legislation requires that lighting be sited in points of emphasis along the exit route, covering areas such as each exit door, intersections, changes of direction and floor level along the route, stairways, fire fighting equipment, alarm points, potential hazards, emergency escape signs, first aid points, equipment and machinery that requires shutting down in an emergency, outside and near to each final exit. The term near is defined as within 2 metres, measured horizontally. Examples of points of emphasis At each exit door At each piece of fire fighting equipment and alarm call point At each intersection of corridors Near each first aid post The escape route must attain a minimum level of illuminance, additionally, every compartment on the escape route must have at least two luminaires in order to provide some light should one fail. BS 5266 Pt 7: 1999 (EN1838) details the Light Level Requirements, a minimum of 1 lux anywhere on the centre line of the escape route for normal risks. A uniformity ratio of 40:1 maximum to minimum must not be exceeded. This illuminance must be provided for the full duration and life of the system. 50% of the illuminance must be available within 5 seconds and the full value within 60 seconds of supply failure. (http://www.cooper-ls.com/dg_emersystem.html) High Risk Task Area Lighting Guidance for the requirements of provision of emergency lighting in high risk areas is given in BS 5266 Part 10: 2008. The provision of emergency lighting in High Risk Task Areas must be sufficient enough to allow the safe shutting down of machinery and equipment in areas such as workshops, control and plant rooms, switchgear rooms, production lines, laboratories, or any other areas where potentially dangerous situations or processes are likely to occur, and which might affect the safety of the workforce or other occupants. It is a requirement that for high risk areas the maintained illuminance should be not less than 10% of the normal maintained illuminance on the reference plane for the task, and not less than 15 lux, whichever is higher. It should have a maximum uniformity ratio of 10:1, and a response time of at least 0.5 seconds. It should also be free from stroboscopic effects. http://www.voltexlighting.co.za/Download/emergency_lighting.pdf, http://www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/departments/fireSafety/nfgs/FS-NFG029-EmergencyLighting.pdf Most emergency lighting systems fall into three types, Maintained, Non-maintained and Sustained. A maintained system is one where the luminaire uses the same lamp for both standard and emergency use, can be switched on or off in the same manner as a normal light, but once the regular power supply is lost the lamp will illuminate, using its back-up battery pack. A maintained system has an M designation and a number indicating the emergency duration in hours, e.g. M2. A non-maintained system is one that illuminates only when the mains supply fails. It is designated NM and, again, is followed by a number that indicates its duration of illumination. A sustained system is a combination of the maintained and non-maintained systems, and contains two (or more) lamps within a luminaire. Each lamp is supplied independently, one by the mains supply and the other by the battery back-up for when the mains supply fails. This system is designated S and also has a number indicating the emergency duration. Maintained systems should generally be used in locations such as pubs and bars and other premises where alcohol is served, along with public areas where the lighting levels can be reduced to below the levels required for escape route illumination. Sustained systems can be considered for places that may require safe lighting at all times, e.g. hallways and stairwells in areas of accommodation such as hotels or halls of residence, where evacuation at night may be necessary, even if no power supply failure has occurred. As an energy and lamp-life saving measure it may only be necessary to have the lamps illuminate during night time, or other periods of low ambient light, activated by a motion sensor during normal operation, and automatically in emergency. Non-maintained systems can generally be considered for all other situations. A duration of emergency illumination lasting between 1 and 3 hours can be considered sufficient for most situations. BS 5266 gives detailed guidance regarding which category may be most suitable for a given situation and location. Back-up power supply Providing a source of power in the event of a mains supply failure can be done by one of two main methods; either by battery or generator. There are two distinct types of battery systems, a self-contained system whereby each luminaire contains a battery, charger, and changeover device; and a central system where these items are located in one room and which supply all the luminaires in the system. Using the latter method, it is essential that the wiring be of a high standard as there may be a risk of loss of power due to fire damage, and also poor performance due to voltage drop over long cable runs. Therefore, the former may be preferable to overcome these drawbacks; installation is simpler and requires little maintenance other than routine testing. Where a back-up generator is used, it should be either run at all times or be able to start automatically and run up to provide the required output level in 5 seconds or fewer. Where neither of these conditions can be met, it should be s upplemented by a battery back-up system, that is capable of running the emergency lighting system for one hour. In this situation the generator need not be required to start automatically, but be available to take over from the battery back-up as soon as possible. Signage Cooper Lighting and Safety states that illumination requirements for signage must conform to the colours of ISO 3864, which defines that exit and first aid signs must be white with green as the contrast colour. The ratio of luminance of the white colour to the green colour must be between 5:1 and 15:1. The minimum luminance of any 10mm patch area on the sign must be greater than 2cd/m ² and the ratio of maximum to minimum luminance shall be less than 10:1 for either colour. (http://www.cooper-ls.com/dg_emersystem.html) Example of emergency exit sign conforming to ISO 3864 http://img.archiexpo.com/images_ae/photo-g/emergency-exit-signs-143363.jpg Task 3 Number of luminaires required The luminaires require an electrical input of 58 watts and suffer losses of 18%, which result in a power rating of 41 watts. Taking into account a correcting factor for this power rating of 1.04, multiplied by the Utilisation Factorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the number of luminaires required is 50.28; rounding down to 50 to give a common sense workable number. Taking a space/height ratio of 1.7, and the height of the luminaire above the working plane being 3.2 metres, the space between luminaires should be a maximum of 5.22 metres. Arranging 50 luminaires to best fit a room of dimensions 20m x 15m gives an arrangement of 5 luminaires by 10 luminaires, with the length of each luminaire orientated across the width of the room. The spacing between each luminaire across the width of the room would be 1.5 m with 0.7m between the luminaire and the wall at each end. The space between the centre of each luminaire down the length of the room would be 2m with 1m between the centre of the luminaire and the wall at each end. Both of these figures fall well within the maximum spacing determined by the space/height ratio. Although to be mathematically accurate in determining the minimum number of luminaires required, one would usually round up; real world considerations need to be taken into account such as arranging the luminaires to fit the rooms dimensions, and the additional costs involved in adding substantially more luminaires required just to make a nice aesthetic pattern. In the question, no consideration has been given to the availability of natural light, nor the range of commercially available lamps and luminaires which could be more efficient and effective than the given figures suggest. Diagram showing orientation and spacing of luminaires 15 metres 1.0m 1.5m 0.75m 2m 1.5m 20 m