Mass Media’s Influence on Society Essay Example

Mass Media’s Influence on Society Essay The primary objectives of mass media are to offer information, advertisement, and entertainment. Relative to this, I will talk about the perceived and recognized influence and effect that mass media has in the society in general.   Moreover, I will explore the truth to the statement that individuals are more influenced by mass media than they think. It is a fact that nowadays, people cannot live without mass media because together with the aid of technological improvements, transmitting and conveying messages to the masses is becoming easier. For instance, we are being showered with lots of information, advertising, and other sort of materials by the various kinds of mass media, which have influence in our daily life styles. As maintained by Curran Gurevitch (2000) the issue of media’s influence or impact on society and its cultural context has frequently been deliberated upon from principal theorists to anybody with any kind of media relations. Personally, I believe that mass media does affect society, but by means of employing more varied and slight impact. Meanwhile, a number of theorists propose that it is even an issue of society shaping the media and not the more extensive and supposed report. We will write a custom essay sample on Mass Media’s Influence on Society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mass Media’s Influence on Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mass Media’s Influence on Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer According to Eldridge et al. (1997), media is considered to be a main piece within society that is frequently associated with the concept of social influence. Bandura (1994) agrees that society acknowledges and recognizes the view or thought of being influenced as an â€Å"external force,† which is the media, associating itself or linking with a personal action or point of view of the receiver. Agenda-setting function of modern mass media According to Stuart Hall, due to the fact that some of the media produce material, which frequently is serious, impartial, and good, they are accorded a high degree of respect and authority (Kosicki, 1993). However, in practice the ethic of mass media is closely associated to that of the standardized enterprise, offering a critical support for the existing order. Nevertheless, independence is not a mere cover; it is fundamental to the manner by which ideology and power are mediated in our society. The public is enticed with good TV, radio, and newspapers into an approval and recognition of the misleading, the biased, and the status quo. Kosicki (1993) asserts that the media are not, consistent with this approach, crude agents of propaganda since they systematize public understanding. Nonetheless, the general interpretations they give ultimately are those, which are most favored by, and least demanding to, those people with economic power. The long-term outcomes of this are important in cooperation with the ongoing awareness of ownership and control of the media, bringing about accusations of a â€Å"media elite† having a type of â€Å"cultural dictatorship† (Mills, 1956). Role of Mass Media in Power Struggle in Society Mills (1956) wrote in his book â€Å"The Power Elite† that the powers of ordinary men are restricted by the daily words in which they live, nevertheless even in these rounds of family, neighborhood, and job they frequently seem motivated by forces they can neither recognize nor manage. Mills (1956) said that a power elite survives in a society that is composed of three spheres. He added that these spheres are divided into political, economy, and military, with the same group of individuals interchanging between the three. This big group of elite is at the top coming up with all the decisions, whereas the masses are at the bottom, ignorant of the process that shapes public opinion. Masses within this viewpoint of society are considered immaterial and do not possess any kind of influence. According to this belief, the media works as an entertainment source, keeping the masses entertained whereas the elite is taking care of all the significant matters. This way, it hides the real ity and truth of the world from the masses. Furthermore, Mills (1956) rationalized what the media does for the masses as they divert him and complicate his opportunity to be aware of himself or his world, by means of fixing his attention upon artificial frenzies that are circled within the program structure, typically by violent action or by what is dubbed as humor. This helps elucidate how the mass media directs, attempts to manage, and influence the masses. In his book, Mills (1956) explains the influence of mass media as a kind of psychological illiteracy to the degree that we frequently do not believe what we see before us until we hear about it on the radio or we read about it in the paper. The masses’ standards of reality and standards of credulity, have a tendency to be set by these media instead of by the masses own fragmentary experience (Mills, 1956). Mass medias function helps avert the questioning of the elite. Mills (1956) added that schools, churches, and families become accustomed to modern life; governme nts, corporations and armies shape it; and, as they do so, they turn these lesser establishments into means for their ends. Meanwhile, Schudson (1978) supposed that society was grounded in the view of society, with the middle class developing and dominating. Medias relationship with its audience helped nourish them, but it did not construct the worldview. The media cannot be established to have several effects and influences on society, and the ones that subsist have to do with advertising as a cultural body. Schudson (1978) said that advertising functions more as a means of celebrating products and buying. It operates to prompt and refocus as it orients individuals to the world and let them know that others share similar opinios. Moreover, advertising reminds people about things in society and strengthens certain social trends. The cultural symbols and trends and make us conscious while at the same time reminding us of what we already know. Television Eldridge, J. et al. (1997) states that television is described as the broadcast of visual images of stationary and moving objects, usually with accompanying sound, as electromagnetic waves and the reconversion of acquired waves into visual images. As we all know, television has of a great influence in today’s world because it transmits images and as one has almost certainly heard of the saying – One picture worth’s more than thousands of words – this is a way in which TV has a major influence in the viewers. Moreover, it is an extensively held idea that the electronic mass media, predominantly television, exercises growing intellectual, social, and emotional influences and impacts on people (Trenaman McQuail, 1961). According to Pico Iyer, author and essayist for Time Magazine in his article during the May 14, 1990 issue of Time, TV consumes us much more than we do it, he talks about the incapacity of children who have grown goggled-eyed around the electronic alter (specifically, TV) to consider that anything is valid unless it comes with a laugh track.   Moreover, they also control their emotions during commercial breaks and expect to cure their sorrow with a PAUSE button. According to Bandura (1994), Mostly in the consumer habits of the public, advertising is almost certainly one the most powerful item concerning mass media. Curran Gurevitch (2000) said that every the average American sees more than 38,000 TV commercial. If we multiply that amount to 20 seconds, which are more or less the average commercial lasts will give us an outcome of 760.000 second an average American sees of commercial advertising products. So, how does this influence our consuming habits? For example, the fast food industry is a great case in point of the influence and impact of advertising in people’s consuming habits. Advertisements can greatly influence people.   For instance in the issue of consumer behavior, the problem is the advertisement, marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods.   According to critics, these advertisements are not only seen on television, but more and more on the Internet, cell phones, and video games (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania). A lot of nutritionists assert there is sufficient evidence connecting advertising to childhood obesity. In addition, we are now faced with worldwide problem of avoidance of physical exercise, which is sometimes portrayed in advertisements. Literally speaking, people just dont move their bodies sufficiently. Some examples of these sedentary activities are refusal to walk and watching four hours of television each night. It seems that the public is not exceedingly interested in taking care of their own health, and would prefer to turn it over to medical professionals and pharmaceuticals than do their own thinking. To solve this problem, the commercial sector should market healthier foods in the same intensity as that of the less-healthy foods.   Similar strategies should be employed to market better foods, as well as advertisements.   As stressed by Sonya Grier in the article â€Å"Food Fight: Obesity Raises Difficult Marketing Questions† in the website of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, there has to be a concerted effort across fields and across disciplines in achieving this goal.   Moreover, the way that food and physical inactivity are marketed, particularly to children, should be changed so that physical activity increases and nutrition improves.   In schools, learning regarding energy balance must be a required part of the curriculum in the elementary and secondary levels.   Furthermore, it indispensable to give children the chance for a considerable amount of physical activity when they are in school and to offer them opportunities to make healthy food options. Conceivably, the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge to address the problem of consumer behavior and obesity are in reshaping the socio-cultural environment to make physical activity and healthy eating behaviors more normative as portrayed in advertisements and in television (Hill, Wyatt and Peters). Gerbner, G., et al. (1994) claimed that TV characters are frequently acknowledged as heroes, because of the obtaining of respect and various other rewards by means of their actions, they are particularly possible to be copied. Furthermore, the actions of TV characters might likewise serve as a sign to violent behavior, by way of stimulation, uninhibitedness, and desensitization. For instance, a violent scene in a horror movie could affect the mind of young children to imitate the violence that they have viewed. In addition, it has been noticed that obviously belligerent individuals might just desire and choose to view more violent programs than of any other kinds of films. Gerbner, G., et al. (1994) discovered that aggressive-prone kids are possible to turn out to be even more violent after watching a violent program in TV. Meanwhile, propaganda could likewise be achieved by means of television. For instance, the television coverage of the speeches of Bush regarding War on Terrorism explains that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. About year and a half shortly no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered. Nevertheless, the American citizens were convinced regarding the unconfirmed information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and were prepared to sue it against America. Hence, this is another example of the influence of TV on the viewers. Newspapers Curran Gurevitch (2000) asserted that newspapers are usually daily or weekly publication that includes news and opinion about current events, featuring advertising, and articles. Due to the fact that there are now approximately 9000 daily newspapers around the world, this shows that newspapers reach a wide audience worldwide, which is why newspaper is another powerful kind of mass media (Curran Gurevitch, 2000). I agree with the authors that newspapers have remarkable influence in society because they can simply affect and change people’s emotions supportive or not supportive of an issue. This is for the reason that we as readers have a propensity to believe everything that is written in the newspaper although it may possibly be the wrong information. Sometimes, newspapers give the wrong impression about information that goes to the public, which instantly influences and encourages the public to react even if they don’t know that the same media is influencing them to do act that way. Furthermore, newspapers can be very biased regarding a story. Even though a reporter has the tendency of being impartial regarding a current event, at times it is not always likely to be that way. For example, in the newspaper coverage of the Iraqi war, the American Press influenced the readers to unleash feeling of patriotism for their army, which cause feeling of discrimination and unfairness against Middle Eastern looking people Then, the construction of the news is another means in which the mass media can have an influence or impact over the masses (Eldridge et al., 1997). By means of the placement of certain aspects of, for instance, a news feature or the selective process made by editors it upholds the concept of media influence constantly. Print and television based news, due mainly to their fascination with crime and violence perhaps has a negative influence upon our societal behavior. On the other hand, I personally do not totally agree with this as I consider that normally news does not lie, apart from it does not enlighten the audience about the whole truth by means of omitting the less interesting and dramatic parts. Therefore, the mass media’s influence through the news is that it affects the public both consciously and subconsciously, and in some cases sends us about our lives needlessly fearing the isolated dangers that we see extremely portrayed in the news. The Internet Age The Internet, also dubbed as the World Wide Web (WWW) contains of a web of computers working together and connecting to each other like a spider web, and it permits the individual to research all kinds of material on their computer and learn more and the topic or issue they are after (Finkelhor, et al., 2000).   This is considered to be the newest kind of mass media because it reaches worldwide.   For instance, if one has a webpage made in Thailand somebody in Colombia can view it. That is how remarkable Internet is, distances become shorter and shorter. However, one of the major problems is that Internet is that it is very addictive.   This means that games pressure kids to spend hours and hours sitting down in front of the screen basically wasting time (Finkelhor, et al., 2000). This has a consequence on less kids developing social skills, consequently it connects to the depression problem that most teenagers are suffering from in the 20th century. The Internet has increased dramatically the availability of sexually explicit content. Computer and Internet use is diffusing more rapidly than any previous technology; as of the end of 1999, more than half (56%) of all adults in the United States were online. It is expected that by 2010 most U.S. homes with children will have access to the Internet (Finkenhor, et al., 2000). The word sex is the most popular search term used on the Internet today (Finhelkor et al., 2000). The Internet may have both positive and negative effects on sexual health. According to one national survey of young people (10-17 years old) who regularly used the Internet, one out of four said he or she had encountered unwanted pornography in the past year, and one out of five had been exposed to unwanted sexual solicitations or approaches (Finkelhor et al., 2000). Radio In the case of radio, there was a study, which documented media-social relations and the influence that the radio had over the masses. This is an example of the â€Å"Hypodermic Needle Model†, a theory that claims that the media are leading instruments of influence, able to introduce concepts and behaviors directly into quite static audiences of remote individuals (Bandura, 1994). Moreover, it could likewise be known as revealing the behavioral changes that can be derived from even a single media output but the fundamental case in point of media influence that experts have studied by means of fieldwork or experiments as well. Long-term Effects of Mass Media While in the short term individuals can be expected to evaluate biased information in accordance with their existing beliefs, in the long term the cultural influence of the media on the average beliefs of individuals may be significant. This operates through a process of using the symbolic materials available to us in society and from our interaction with others to formulate a sense of self-identity (which then impinges further on our self-identity through its effects on our interaction with others and our interpretation of the symbolic materials). New encounters and experiences mean the self-image is constantly re-constructed, and the media here is a crucial source of symbolic material of everything in the world outside the private circle: it mediates Habermas public sphere to us, and distortions in that window on the world will impinge on how we perceive the world, how we interact in our private sphere and how we interact with the public sphere (Bandura, 1994). It is because of thi s that many sociologists view the media as negatively affecting the individuals autonomy. However, others have attempted to demonstrate that the media provides an invaluable source of multi-cultural information which enriches ones perception of the world (by enlarging our window of perception on the world) and of life, allows for a well-balanced opinion, and that the interpretation of symbolic interaction is largely dependent on cultural and socio-economic circumstances (Roberts, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, I can say that mass media does have an effect of society for the simple reason that is has become part of our daily routine. Thus, as media become part of our daily life, I can say that it has a unconscious effect in our habits, like the shopping habits that people has these days, if they something on television, the Internet or the newspapers there is a big possibility that they will consume it. Moreover, media also influences the way society acts because if the media said that something is wrong, society believes it. However, I still believe that it depends upon an individual if he/she allows that he/she will be a slave to their passions and hence they will embrace and follow everthing that the media portrays or dictates them to follow.

Comparative Essay The Great Gatsby Essays

Comparative Essay The Great Gatsby Essays Comparative Essay The Great Gatsby Essay Comparative Essay The Great Gatsby Essay Essay Topic: Great Expectations The Great Gatsby Ultimately, the distinctive and unique ideals exhibited by composers within their texts are developed through their concern or condemnation of the society in which they live, and thus, aim to enlighten audiences of the true nature of their society. This is particularly true within The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’, composed by Elizabeth Barret Browning (EBB). The impermanent nature of worldly entities and objects is illustrated in both texts, allowing EBB to convey her desire for a loving relationship based on spiritual and emotional connection and Fitzgerald to condemn the material excess that characterized relationships during the 1920s in America. Moreover, Elizabeth Barret Browning conveys her condemnation of societal institutionalism as repressive to loving relationships, while, in contrast, Fitzgerald depicts moral decay within a society due to the lack of structure and fixture. Throughout her sonnets, Barret-Browning conveys her concern for the impermanence of one’s soul and emotions within a society characterised by rigid social expectations. In raising this concern, EBB expresses her belief that idealistic love, which is pure and spiritual, must be based on mutual connection which can transcend the human world and guarantee longevity. The lives of those in Victorian Era were characterised by the facade of harmony in order to appear morally correct, especially within relationships. Despite its superficial utopianism, EBB recognised and condemned such strict societal structure as oppressive to the female gender and to the expression of emotion within a relationship. Thus, she conveys her criticism of such forms of superficial love that are characterised by institutionalised gender roles and fail to address the ever-changing spiritual and emotional needs of the individual. This is illustrated in Sonnet XIV as she begs â€Å"neither love me for thine own dear’s pity†. Through the use

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing - Essay Example 379). With the convenience of having an own bathroom allows the guests to enjoy their bath. After all, it is less convenient if guests will need to leave their rooms and compete for the use of a common bathroom. In addition, crowding may occur if public bathrooms are the only ones available in the hotel that might decrease the number of customers of Ritz Carlton. Ritz Carlton also maintains its high number of guests by keeping their services top-of-the-line. They train their employees to project the best of their service by following three conditions: welcoming the guests with a salutation using their names, attending to the needs of the customers, and saying a polite goodbye to leaving clients (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). The three aforementioned conditions boost the overall hospitality of the employees to the guests of their hotel. The customers will feel their importance once the service providers address them personally. Studies supports the claims regar ding the relationship development can be boosted by face and name recognition. By addressing the clients personally, the connection is built and transformed from pseudo relationships to paying and loyal customers (O’Fallon and Rutherford, 2011, p. 30). ... 116). In Ritz Carlton, their employees are constantly reminded regarding the service values by the unique method of the managers. Each manager carries a laminated list of the service values to consistently remind their employees to follow them (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). In addition, the constant reminder adds confidence to the employees to exert their best efforts to accommodate the guests nicely. Those actions contribute to the increase in loyal customers of the hotel and keep up with the competition. The top-of-the-line hospitality in Ritz Carlton is also influenced by the successful and unique strategy done by the management together with the employees. Everyday the managers remind their employees about their values and mission by spending 15 minutes of story-telling regarding the unique instances that happened in the hotel. Those captured moments were retold to boost the employee confidence since the stories serve as role models in building rapport and rendering the best services to their clients. The true stories also recognize the employee who showed exemplary actions to please their guests and even meet the unexpected needs of the clients (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). In response, employees are motivated more than before since they would like to be appreciated like the exemplary workers in the wow stories shared everyday at Ritz Carlton Hotel. They can boost their service quality by feeling good and imagining that it is also possible for them to be praised by the management when they get to display an exemplary example (Bidgoli, 2010, p. 402). In addition, it has been proven

The monstrous in photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The monstrous in photography - Essay Example Many products of painting have documentary and informational value. Our epoch is distinguished by the tendency of showing the reality. However our reality is not always pleasant to look at, that is why critics and psychologists, painters and photographers argue about the representation of monstrous and the taboo in respect of this representation. The body in modern American art is shown as defenseless, injured, sexual, disjointed, dreadful and supernatural. There are a lot of unquotable elements. This concerns the artists like Mike Kelley, John Miller, Kiki Smith, Robert Gober, Cindy Sherman, Andres Serrano, Barbara Nortfleet and others.It is really impossible to forget the shocking gesture of Andres Serrano. In 1991 in the Austrian gallery he exposed a composition "'Piss Christ'" The crucifixion written by urine (yellow on red) was showed in gallery no more than for three days - they were afraid of pogroms. On the first day the 51-years Catholic tried to break a frame, but he was dragged back by the guards. On the second day two teenagers managed to do that. The next fascinating sight can be found in the book of Barbara Nortfleet "Looking at Death". Nobody would dare to remain indifferent looking at this astonishing book, a collection of over a hundred fascinating and often scandalous photographs. After looking through at l east several of them one will never be able to look at death as he did before. Here you will find different kinds of death: on the stage and in war, by violence and in medicine. There is absurdity and tragedy, knack and pretense. This book makes us look at our life differently and inspires to appreciate every moment of living. The creativity of the abovementioned authors is actively discussed by many critics; different opinion was formed about their work. However what does the person feels looking at such images Are they criminal and must be forbidden or can they just serve as a cause for thinking What do they really represent The concept of representation is a key concept both for a paradigm of "cultural researches" and for feministic criticism. At the same time it is one of the most problematic concepts in terms of definition. Stewart Hall says that the representation has two main meanings: 1)"speaking for somebody" representation or somebody's interest; 2) representation in art or philosophy (as a representation of something existing by other means). Stewart Hall considers it to be possible to reduce all the variety of cultural approaches in the decision of this problem to three basic models of interpretation: reflective (mimetic), intentional and constructional (including semiotic and discursive approaches). Hall defines the representation as a process by means of which subjects of culture use the language (any system of marks) for values manufacture. Objects of representation have no sense: it appears during the interpretation and the communications, coding and decoding of texts and depends on the cul tural context. Photography is philosophical observations and reflections. The photographer is not an operator, he is a producer, he creates and organizes a situation, he is a stage manager, the thin psychologist penetrating into the depths of human soul. From this point of view a completely necessary condition of perception is a certain preliminary cogitative gesture, some kind of "hidden manner". It is important not to refuse the experience of our inherent photography

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Carter and Rogers (2008) define Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) as the strategic, transparent integration and achievement of an organization’s social, environmental, and economic goals in the systematic coordination of key interoganziational business processes for improving the long-term economic performance of the individual company and its supply chains (cited in Panayiotou & Aravosis, 2011; p.59). Two supply chain types have been identified such as supply-chains driven by lean, cost, and efficiency and supply chains driven by agility, pace and service (Cetinkaya et al, 2011). In order for companies to stay competitive in their SCM, it is important that they customize their supply chains according to the need and competition. The most widely recognized SSCM approach is the triple-bottom line approach which consider the economic, environmental and social contributions or impact that supply chains can make. The best known example of such a SSCM is that followed by S tarbucks Corporation. Starbucks’ purchasing philosophy has brought a complete shift in the way supply chain operated. Their purchasing philosophy considers their farmers, their customers and their business through their Coffee And Farmer Equity Practices (C.A.F.E).

Gene Therapy In Genetic Engineering Applications

Gene Therapy In Genetic Engineering Applications Gene therapy is one of the applications of the genetic engineering. It is a technique which correcting defective gene that is responsible for disease development (cited Safdar, 2010). Gene therapy also involves the addition of healthy and functional copy of the faulty gene into the target cells of the body. Gene therapy generally works by inserting a normal gene into the genome to replace an abnormal gene in the target cells. There are two types of gene therapy. Firstly, germ line gene therapy which involves modification of genetic material in the gamete cells that would be heritable and can be pass through to the next generation. Secondly, somatic gene therapy which involves insertion of therapeutic gene into somatic cells of the patient that only effect to the individual patient only and will not be inherited by patients offspring.( cited in Ten Tailed Fox, 2009). Various genetic disorder diseases commonly are caused by faulty genes. With gene therapy, instead of treating the symptoms of the disease, treatment also target and correct the underlying cause of disease and eventually improve the faulty genes to normal genes. One of the genetic diseases that apply gene therapy as alternative treatment is Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the most well-known hereditary lethal diseases. A study conducted by UK Cystic fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium (UK CFGTC) stated that approximately, 50 000 people and 1 in 2500 newborns around the world are affected. CF is an autosomal recessive disorder which caused by the mutation of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein that leads to abnormally thick secretion of mucus. The organs most affected by CF are the lungs, gut, pancreases, liver and reproductive tract, but lung infection is the most serious affected by CF. (cited in Metharom, 1997). Continuous inflammation, damaged lungs and respiratory failure are results of repeated cycles of infection that may leads to death. With the development of effective treatment to overcome CF, gene therapy was introduced by scientist in 1990 which promises new opportunity for CF patients to have a better and long life span. This gene therapy involves replacing the detective CFTR gene with the normal one in the affected cells. As the results, the functional CFTR are being produced in all target cells and the CFTR gene will then conducts the production of normal CFTR protein which acts as a medium that allows releasing chloride and other ions. But this is opposite with people who have CF, where CFTR protein is detective and the cells do not discharge chloride ions. Although, gene therapy has the capability in treating CF, it still faces with various issues. This report consists of history of CF gene therapy and genetic techniques of gene therapy on CF. Research findings also include the advantages and disadvantages of using gene therapy in treating CF. 2.0 BACKGROUND GENETIC Gene therapy has shows that much positive feedback in treating genetic diseases although there are many failures happened. Gene therapy for CF first discovered in 1990 when scientist treated defective CFTR successfully and they added the normal copies of the gene to laboratory cell structures. The first experimental CF gene therapy treatment was given to CFs patient in 1993 (cited in Schoenstadt, 2009). The table below shows the major events that occurred due to development of gene therapy in treating Cystic Fibrosis. 3.0 GENETIC TECHNIQUES In gene therapies, there are three main techniques that are being used in treating diseases. The first is Gene addition, in which the genetic material is added to the target cells with no attempt to incorporate it into chromosomes. Second one is techniques of gene repair that replace abnormal segments of DNA in defective genes in their normal chromosomal site. The last one is Gene replacement techniques which allow deletion of the abnormal gene from its chromosome and replacement with a normal gene. (cited in Sade RM, Khushf G., 1998). In order to treat CF, the common technique used is Gene replacement by using vector. Vector is a DNA molecule (virus) act as a medium to transfer foreign genetic material into another cell. Instead of introducing new genetic material into target cells vectors are also agents to which new genetic material is attached. Diagram below shows the working of a virus acts a vector in gene therapy. First step to do is designing a vector by modifying the gene of the virus. We need to remove the rep gene which codes for proteins that responsible for viral replication as well as cap gene, which codes for capsid structural proteins. Then, we insert the normal CFTR gene in the virus. Second step is producing the virus. After inserting the CFTR gene in the virus, we transfer the vector into a packaging cell line so that the vector will combine with protein needed to assemble the virus. Next, we collect the virus sample from the growth medium and add into the Petri dish containing the CF cells. The virus give effect to the cell as it integrates the DNA into specific location on chromosome 19. Last step, we transfer the vector into CF patient. CFTR gene in the cell will transcribe into mRNA and this induces the cell to produce normal CFTR protein in the target cells. Diagram below show the mechanism of vector in treating Cystic Fibrosis. 4.0 SOCIAL ISSUES In recent years, many types of techniques have been developed to identify genes associated with specific diseases. Society always debate over the ethics of using gene technology to treat human beings when recombinant DNA research began. Tables below show advantages, disadvantages, ethical and social of practicing gene therapy to treat genetic diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis. ADVANTAGES OF GENE THERAPY Gene therapy promotes in providing better and normal life for those who practise the therapy. (Ten Tailed Fox, 2009). The practice of gene therapy on CF patients can solve their problems by replacing none functional gene with functional one. (cited in S. Muniba, 2010) Gene therapy has high success rate compared to other methods in treating CF disease. Gene therapy helps patients to avoid from practicing unnecessary treatment and alternative which may be dangerous to them. SOURCE: http://www.biotecharticles.com/Genetics-Article/Gene-Therapy-Advantages-and- Disadvantages-271.html DISADVANTAGES OF GENE THERAPY Scientist stated that correcting the defect in people who had diseases is much harder than achieving correction in cells in the laboratory .It means that there are also numbers of trial that results in failure. (cited in Healingwell.com ) Practice of gene therapy using vector may induce immune response in the patients. The gene that is injected or sprayed into patients target cells may trigger antibodies to kill the vectors. ( cited in William, 2000).This is because virus is used as a vector to transport the therapeutic gene. The use of gene therapy in treating CF will cause in diminishing the gene pool. Their patient s next generation will have to survive with the changes in their genomes.(cited in Sade RM, Khushf G., 1998 ). Chance of inducing a tumor .If the DNA is integrated in the wrong place in the genome, for example in a tumor suppressor gene, it could induce a tumor. (cited in Healingwell.com) SOURCE: http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/humanvalues/pdf/gene-therapy.pdf In conclusion, gene therapy is a best solution in treating cystic fibrosis because it has the high chances to eliminate this genetic disorder disease. Muniba stated that gene therapy could be last cure for every genetic disease. People who take gene therapy will make up their mind if they also face with this problem because this type of treatment can be the last hope for them in treating hereditary disease like Cystic Fibrosis.Government should concerns regarding the harms that may be associated with gene therapy and the beneficial uses of gene technology are required. (1547 words)

Robotics Essay -- essays research papers fc

Robotics The image usually thought of by the word robot is that of a mechanical being, somewhat human in shape. Common in science fiction, robots are generally depicted as working in the service of people, but often escaping the control of the people and doing them harm. The word robot comes from the Czech writer Karel Capek's 1921 play â€Å" R.U.R.† (which stands for "Rossum's Universal Robots"), in which mechanical beings made to be slaves for humanity rebel and kill their creators. From this, the fictional image of robots is sometimes troubling, expressing the fears that people may have of a robotized world over which they cannot keep control. The history of real robots is rarely as dramatic, but where developments in robotics may lead is beyond our imagination. Robots exist today. They are used in a relatively small number of factories located in highly industrialized countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan. Robots are also being used for scientific research, in military programs, and as educational tools, and they are being developed to aid people who have lost the use of their limbs. These devices, however, are for the most part quite different from the androids, or humanlike robots, and other robots of fiction. They rarely take human form, they perform only a limited number of set tasks, and they do not have minds of their own. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between devices called robots and other modern automated systems. Although the term robot did not come into use until the 20th century, the idea of mechanical beings is much older. Ancient myths and tales talked about walking statues and other marvels in human and animal form. Such objects were products of the imagination and nothing more, but some of the mechanized figures also mentioned in early writings could well have been made. Such figures, called automatons, have long been popular. For several centuries, automatons were as close as people came to constructing true robots. European church towers provide fascinating examples of clockwork figures from medieval times, and automatons were also devised in China. By the 18th century, a number of extremely clever automatons became famous for a while. Swiss craftsman ... ...ng time. Research into developing mobile, autonomous robots is of great value. It advances robotics, aids the comparative study of mechanical and biological systems, and can be used for such purposes as devising robot aids for the handicapped. As for the thinking androids of the possible future, the well-known science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov has already laid down rules for their behavior. Asimov's first law is that robots may not harm humans either through action or inaction. The second is that they must obey humans except when the commands conflict with the first law. The third is that robots must protect themselves except, again, when this comes into conflict with the first law. Future androids might have their own opinions about these laws, but these issues must wait their time. Bibliography Buckley, Ruth V. "Robot." Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. 1993. Gibilisco, Stan. The McGraw-Hill Illustrated Encyclopedia of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, 1994. Warring, R. H. Robots and Robotology. Tab Books Inc. Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. 1984. And various sites on the internet.