Mutualism of Rhinz Essay -- Biology, Symbiosis

Symbiosis refers to a relationship in nature, between two organisms. It can exist in any of 3 forms. These are mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. Each of these are different symbiotic systems in which at least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship. In a mutual relationship, both organisms will benefit in one way or another. In a commensal relationship, one organism will benefit from the partnership, while the other will not be hurt or benefitted. Finally, in a parasitic relationship, one organism will benefit from the partnership while the other organism will be harmed or even killed. The focus of this paper is mutual symbiosis found in nature (Patek, 2011). Symbiotic mutualism is a partnership in which both organisms will benefit from the relationship. This relationship beneficial to both organisms thus is beneficial to the ecosystem, indirectly. An example of this relationship, found in nature, is that of rhizobia and legumes. In this relationship, both the rhizobium and the legume on which it strives, benefit, in that the legume is enriched with nitrogen and amino acids by the rhizobium, while the rhizobium is given the important organic molecules which act as an energy source for the bacteria (Kiers et. Al., 2003). The nitrogen in this reaction is a very important nutrient, as it is a driving force of many photosynthetic processes. This process is carried out by the rhizobium bacteria attaching to a nodule on the root hair of the legume plant, taking nitrogen from the air and converting it to a form usable by plants (NH4) utilizing the enzyme nitrogenase, and in return receive the growth molecules it requires (Denison & Kiers, 2004) . Both organisms do benefit from the partnership they share; however, thi... ...c relationship with legume roots. However, this symbiotic relationship, in specific, can exist in one of two forms, either mutual or parasitic. Although the strand which exhibits mutualism most prominent among rhizobial populations, the parasitic strand does exist, yet is slowly being eradicated by the constantly evolving legumes. Researchers have studied the different strands of the bacteria, and have attempted to conclude on the efficiency of both separate strands. Each has concluded that although the parasitic strands have much less work to do to obtain the essential molecules to aid it in growth, it obtains a significantly smaller amount of the growth molecules, if any. This is because through evolutionary pathways of the legume roots, the parasitic strand is selected against, and the legume favors the more hard-working mutual strand of the rhizobium bacteria.

The Changing Role of NATO After the Cold War Essays -- The North Atlan

NATO After the Cold War and Changing Role OUTLINE 1. Introduction 2. NATO’s main functions 3. NATO’s new missions after Cold War 4. NATO in the 21’th century 5. Europe after the Cold War 6. NATO’s relations with OSCE and WEU 7. Conclusion 1. Introduction (1) After the end of World War II, all involved countries, with no exception of being victorious or defeated, have started seeking of the prevention of a new disaster by reconstructing and maintaining the security and peace primarily in Europe. All huge and disastrous events (such as World Wars) which affected whole world were originated from the uncomfortable conditions and conflicts in the continent. Thus the main task was to settle a mechanism that would eliminate any emerging threat against the continental security and maintain the order and peace. For this purpose, in 1949 West European countries established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in order to protect the member countries against any possible attack which was primarily expected from the East European Countries led by the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, NATO’s primary goal was to circumvent any aggression held by the iron-curtain countries. Military deterrence (by developing high-tech and nuclear w eapons and locating them to the eastern frontier of the Alliance, Germany and Turkey) was the main strategy in preventing any large-scale attack from the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. By the end of Cold War many debates were made and still is going on whether the Alliance completed its mission in the territory. In spite of all, The North Atlantic Treaty has continued to guarantee the security of its member countries ever since. Today, following t... .... â€Å"NATO’s Quality of Life†. New York Times (www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/havl/nato.htm) Kent, Randolph and Mackinlay, John. May/June 1997. â€Å"International Responses to Complex Emergencies: Why a new approach is needed?† NATO Review, 27-29. Kugler, Richard L. 1995. â€Å"Defence Program Requirements†. In NATO Enlargement: Opinions and Options, Jeffrey Simon (Ed), Washington D.C. National Defence University Press, Fort McNair, 184-207. Kupchan, Charles A. Summer 1999. â€Å"Rethinking Europe†. The National Interest, 73-79. Morrison, James W. April 1995. NATO Expansion and Alternative Future Security Alignments. McNair Paper 40 (http://www.ndu.edu/ndu/inss/macnair/m040cont.html) NATO’s (formal) Web Page; http://www.nato.int Okman, Cengiz, October-November 1998, â€Å"Savunma†, vol 3, 54-55, 73 WEU’s (formal) Web Page; http://www.weu.int/eng/

Assumptions and Fallacies Essay

†¢ What are assumptions? How do you think assumptions might interfere with critical thinking? What might you do to avoid making assumptions in your thinking? Assumption is an idea one believes to be true based on prior experience or one’s belief systems. (Elder & Paul, 2002) Assumptions are a part of our belief system but we don’t know that they are true or not. Assumptions are a vital part of our critical thinking. If we used assumptions all the time then we would not be able to use critical thinking. It doesn’t matter where we are at, it is imperative to know all the facts prior to drawing any kind of conclusion or it becomes an assumption. It may be difficult at times to utilize critical thinking but by keeping an open minded aspect will help to prevent assumptions. There is nothing worse than making an assumption and then to be confronted by someone who has all the facts can shatter your confidence. You can avoid this by researching all the facts and utilizing your critical thinking abilities to cover every corner and aspect of your idea or topic. This is the key to keep from making assumptions. †¢ What are fallacies? How are fallacies used in written, oral, and visual arguments? What might you do to avoid fallacies in your thinking? Fallacies are deceptive or misleading arguments that are untrue or unreliable. Fallacies are mainly used to help support a person’s argument when they can’t find factual evidence to back up their statements. Fallacies can be used in many different ways. They are used on purpose in fictional writing and magazines like People. Fallacies can be orally used by someone when they are telling a firsthand story but are only versed in their side so it may come off as unintentional. I see fallacies being mostly used visually popliteal ads and propaganda media campaigns. They get away with most of these fallacies because the amount of time it takes to research the truth usually takes too long before the psychological damage is already done on the public. People tend to trust what others say unless they have found previous fallacies in their statements. I avoid believing fallacies by being conservative in my thoughts. If I see something that I might consider to be fallacious by my past experiences then I do the research to find out the facts. Fallacies and assumptions hold the same key as research will reveal them all.

Why Whaling Should Be Banned

Whales have been hunted by humans for their meet, bones and blubber.Whaling, during the 19th century, wiped out most of the world's whale populations.Whales grow and breed slowly; numbers will take a long time to recover. This means that they will more easily become more extinct.InformationThe International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned whaling in 1986.There are some countries that issue permits to kill whales for research; Japan uses this to hunt whales and the meat from their research. The Japanese whaling people left for the Antarctic in December 2006, with the intention of killing 850 Minke whales and 10 fin whales.Whales are hunted for their: Liver – oil * Skin – Belts/ shoes/ handbags and luggageBone – animal feed and fertilisersTeeth – buttons/ piano keys and jewellery Why?1. Lots of different types of whales are hunted, including: Right Whale: It was considered the perfect whale to hunt because it had lots of blubber for oil lamps; (that is why it is called â€Å"Right† whale. ) Blue Whale: Considered too dangerous to hunt mostly, but some of the more brave hunters went after this whale because, it is bigger and so it provides more blubber, meat and bone. Arguments against Whaling Anti-whaling extremists claim that the whale is an intelligent mammal, that is able to feel pain the same way humans do, and that they should be treated as humans. Those supporting whaling think that, and claims that man is above the whales and man has been put on this earth by God to maintain the natural resources, in which includes the lords of the sea, – the whales.Maintain meaning both making sure they don’t become extinct but as masters of this earth, we are allowed to hunt them. Whaling is a tradition, especially in Norway, but also in other countries, like Japan, and for some, keeping traditions alive is very important. The strongest argument against whaling is simply the pain it has to go through. As stated above, anti-whalers say that the whale feels pain the same way humans do, and when a harpoon hits a whale, it might take up to 10 minutes before it is dead. If the whale is dead 10 seconds after impact with the harpoon, the whale is killed instantly, they claim, but this is rare.In 1996, whaling-inspectors reported that the average time the whale had to suffer rated from 4-6 minutes. But that is just the killing process. Before you can shoot the whale, you have to find the whale, and because the whale is only up to breathe a couple of seconds the shooter has 2-3 seconds to fire. Anti-whalers say that the hunting, which may take up to several hours, must scare the whale, and they want us to imagine the fright the whale must feel when being hunted. There is no question about it, whaling provides work, and whaling provides meat.Whale meat is very popular in Norway, but Norway also has a big surplus of meat ever year, so why keep hunting whale? Sure, whalers say, Norway has a big surplus of meat, but whale meat is considered a luxury. Ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s expensive and it’s tasteful. It seems, anti-whalers want to bring us back to the idea about man being equal to animals when they want us to imagine the pain the whale must go through, and try to imagine what we, as humans would feel if we were being hunted like that. Whalers do it for the money, and for them it is a tradition. There grandfathers have been doing it for several hundred years, so why stop now.In 1996 there were 110’000 whales in the Atlantic, and it was wiped from the list of endangered species. There is no question about it; whalers also do it for the provocation and the media attention.Reasons for WhalingWhaling provides workWhaling provides meat.Whale meat is very popular in NorwayWhale meat is considered a luxury.It’s expensive and it’s tasteful.Product of Whale The main source of these products comes from the Sperm Whale and the Right Whaling

Go Blank Yourself Essay

Why students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. Why students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. Why students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personalWhy students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why peWhy students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. AnothWhy students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too verwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. er reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a re lationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. ple drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. Why students flunk out of college can not be pin pointed to one thing. There are very many reasons why people drop out of college like for instance, a student may be too overwhelmed with his or her whole college schedule. Also, a student may also be overwhelmed with his or her work schedule on top of their busy college classes. Another reason students may drop out of school is because of personal problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student. problems, whether it may be family related or a relationship problems, they to can be very stressful on a student.

Epistemology and Knowledge Essay

For centuries philosophers have questioned whether knowledge exists and if we know anything at all. This discipline is known as epistemology. Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, is a branch of philosophy related to the scope and nature of knowing. The subject focuses on examining the nature of knowledge and how it relates to beliefs, justification and truth. It is actually quite hard to define knowledge. The dictionary defines it as a general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles, but philosophers on the other hand define it as a belief which is in agreement with the facts. So what are the facts, and what do we know exactly? Christopher Norris, the author of Epistemology: Key Concepts in Philosophy, states that whatever we believe now, is only an approximation of reality and that every new observation brings us closer to an understanding. Therefore, knowledge is forever changing/evolving and not pertaining to one’s beliefs. â€Å"†¦ ‘water’ was once defined vaguely as the kind of stuff that fell as rain, filled up lakes, was liquid under normal ambient conditions, boiled or froze at certain temperatures, †¦ etc† (Norris 44). Due to evolution, we now know  that liquid; water, is made up of the molecular structure H20. We no longer believe that the liquid once vaguely defined is anything other than water (H20); now we are knowledgeable. Norris believes science must be integrated with the natural world and the social world to truly understand knowledge. â€Å"When we try to explain all our knowledge of the world as Descartes does we try to understand how the things we believe in science and in everyday life are connected with and warranted by the bases or grounds on which we come to believe them† (Stroud 209). Beliefs are things people have. They aren’t things that can be picked up along the side of the road. Just because a person believes they can fly doesn’t make it true. For many philosophers, this is important. It implies that what someone thinks, could be wrong. In other words, it implies that what one thinks about the world may not match up with the way the world really is. â€Å"†¦ truth occurs when ideas in the mind agree with external conditions or objects †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Soccio 322). Therefore, there is a distinction between belief and truth. Truth is not in your head. Truth is out there. Truth is factual. The molecular structure H2O is factual; therefore it is truth. Knowledge is a kind of interaction. It involves asking questions and inference. One can’t merely know because they believe. Although a person can believe that they know something, that isn’t legitimate knowledge. Knowledge is a belief which is in agreement with the facts. Works Cited Norris, Christopher. Epistemology: Key Concepts in Philosophy. New York: Continuum, 2005. Print. Soccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. Print. Stroud, Barry. The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism. New York: Oxford, 1984. Print.

Business Ethics Essay

INTRODUCTION There are decisions made every day in the business world, some big, some small. The biggest struggle professionals face when making these decisions are the ethical consequences they face. Every decision that is made is going to have an impact on at least one person, no matter the size of the decision. And there are ethical consequences to all decisions. In the following paper I will be comparing Maslow’s Stages of Behavior and Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development with ethical and unethical behaviors of businesses and society. Both Maslow and Kohlberg have established a hierarchy of either behavior or moral development. I will take both of these hierarchies and apply them to the behavior of business and society, as well as including service-to-self and service-to-others concepts. BACKGROUND (MASLOW & KOHLBERG) Before we can discuss how Malsow and Kohlberg play a role in ethical and unethical behaviors in business and society, it is necessary to understand the values of these theories, beginning with Maslow’s Stages of Behavior. Malsow presents these stages in a hierarchical format, beginning with the lowest order, up to the highest level. The first level is physiological needs, followed by safety, love/belonging, esteem, and finally reaching the highest level of self-actualization. 1 In this hierarchy the first level is usually achieved before reaching the second level, and this continues along the hierarchy. Therefore, the ultimate level of reaching self-actualization isn’t usually achieved until all lower levels have been reached and in a sense, conquered. Similar to this theory is Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. Kohlberg’s theory also states that the stages are reached in an order and one must be reached before the next, but can stop at any point, so that the highest level is not attainable by everyone. 2 Kohlberg’s stages of moral development consist of three levels and six stages. The first level is Pre-conventional morality (stages 1-2): Obedience and Punishment, Individualism and Exchange. The second level is Conventional morality (stages 3-4): Good Interpersonal Relationships, and Maintaining the Social Order. The third level is Post-conventional morality (stages 5-6): Social Contract and Individual rights, and Universal principles.3 FOCUS ON UPPER LEVELS For both Maslow and Kohlberg there is a heavy emphasis on reaching the final stage or level. Reaching the self-actualization stage of Maslow’s stages shows that one has fully developed behavior, and moral behavior. Reaching the final stage of universal principles of Kohlberg’s stages shows that one has fully developed morally, very similar to Maslow. For Maslow’s stages a person is capable of reaching this final stage and then regressing back to lower stages.4Usually reaching this higher stage is only temporary and is seen as peak experience.4 This could be in a sort of out of body experience. But once someone has reached this stage, it usually impacts them for the rest of their life, and they do not immediately go back down to lower levels. This stage could also be called, or is known as having integrity.5 This integrity is for oneself and for others, including â€Å"a total commitment to the highest standards of behavior†. 5 This is where ethical and moral reasoning and behavior comes into play. People who have reached or have experienced the highest level of Maslow are going to act morally and ethically in their behavior. The last stage of Kohlberg is universal principles. This stage â€Å"defines the principles by which we achieve justice†. 6 To me this stage entitles treating everyone with dignity. This reminds me of the integrity involved in the highest stage of Maslow. In this stage every human being is given equal respect and is treated with the highest dignity. People who have reached the highest stage of Maslow would not vote for a law or agree with anything that causes some harm to others while helping the majority.6 ETHICAL AND UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR Now that the theories and stages of Maslow and Kohlberg have been discussed, it is necessary to see how these stages play a part in making either ethical or unethical decisions in the workplace and in society. The first example to take a look at is the behavior of students cheating in school. This is a common example, but it could easily be applied to employees stealing from a company, or anyone taking shortcuts in life to get ahead. Many people would agree that cheating would correlate to students with less moral and ethical values. During a study by Kohlberg, it was seen that 70% of the students on the pre-conventional level have been found to cheat.7 The pre-conventional level indicates that people are not fully morally developed. These people seem to lack moral development, and therefore will act unethically. The people at these lower levels do not have the respect and dignity for others that the upper level people do. Because this is the case they are more willing to cheat, and don’t feel guilty for what they are doing. This can easily be transpired into the business world. People cheat and steal money because they have no respect or dignity for the people that they are affecting. They will not take into consideration all of the stakeholders at risk because of their actions. Take for example, Bernie Madoff and the scandal at Enron. This is a case famous across many business environments, for unethical behavior that caused harm to many stakeholders. No one would disagree that Madoff was a very savvy and smart business man. But, because of his actions he would fall into a lower level of Maslow. SERVICE TO SELF AND OTHERS People who have reached the highest level of Maslow (peakers, we will call them), and those who have achieved the highest level of development Kohlberg presents will have a service-to-others attitude. These people are less materialistic, and are more socially concerned.8 There seems to be a correlation between people in upper level Maslow who have higher levels of ethical development, and those who are in the upper stage of Kohlberg and have higher levels of moral development.8 This correlation also relates to how these people treat those who are around them. They are not self-centered and are instead focused on the well being of everyone around them. As mentioned before, they seem to be concerned with giving every human being the respect and dignity that they deserve. If someone is concerned with the way that they are treating others, this is seen as a moral consideration. And if they are concerned with how well they are treating themselves, it is seen as a non-moral consideration.8 So, those who are focused on service-to-others instead of service-to-self are more likely to belong to the higher levels of Maslow and Kohlberg. Those who are more concerned with themselves and have a service-to-self attitude; they are stuck in the lower levels. They are still trying to achieve the basic needs that Maslow sets out. HOW IT ALL FITS INTO AN ORGANIZATION The most difficult part about these two theories, are what they have to do with an organization, how employers can utilize this information to better motivate their employees, and people are going to treat themselves and others within the levels of Maslow and Kohlberg. One of the biggest examples of this, are how these theories can be incorporated into a non-profit organization. These organizations would be more known for their ethical behavior than most other companies. These companies can obtain an ethical culture by following and paying attention to the hierarchy of values that Maslow proposed.9 Maslow noted that in order to achieve the highest value the previous needs have to have been met. If a company takes this into consideration than they should make sure the lower needs of the employees are being met, if they expect them to behave ethically. This leads to an ethical culture. In the article that discusses this they translate the individual levels of Maslow into levels that an organization should achieve. These levels or needs are financial competence, accountability, reciprocity, respect, and integrity.9 They feel that in order to employees to attain the ethical values and culture that is wanted, the lower needs must first be met. This may include wage benefits and giving employees more responsibility to begin with. Eventually employees will feel a sense of respect from the employer and will work their way up to level 5. If all of the employees at this company are at the level 5, then they have an ethical culture. This is a way to apply the theories of Maslow and Kohlberg into an organization, even if is a for profit company, and achieve the ethical culture that is desired. CONCLUSION To sum up, Maslow and Kohlberg have developed a hierarchy of needs and stages of moral development, respectively. It is possible to use these models to understand the ethical and unethical behavior of people in businesses and in society. There is a focus on achieving self-actualization and universal principles. If someone has reached this level of self-actualization it transforms their identity, and they are more apt to act morally and ethically. In the same sense, those who are in the universal principle level of Kohlberg, treat all humans with the respect, integrity, and dignity that they deserve. The people in these upper levels are also known to have a service-to-others attitude, instead of service-to-others. Lastly, companies can use this information to make sure the basic needs of their employees are being met, in order to achieve an ethical corporate culture. ENDNOTES 1. SADRI, GOLNAZ, and R. CLARKE BOWEN. 2011. â€Å"Meeting EMPLOYEEE requirements: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is still a reliable guide to motivating staff.† Industrial Engineer: IE 43, no. 10: 44-48. 2. Walker, Lawrence J. 1982. â€Å"The Sequentiality of Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development.† Child Development 53, no. 5: 1330-1336., 1330-1336. 3. W.C. Crain. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. 4. Christopher, John Chambers, Guy J. Manaster, Robert L. Campbell, and Michael B. Weinfeld. 2002. â€Å"Peak Experiences, Social Interest, and Moral Reasoning: An Exploratory Study.† Journal Of Individual Psychology 58, no. 1: 35 5. Strickland, Ruth Ann, and Shannon K. Vaughan. 2008. â€Å"The Hierarchy of Ethical Values in Nonprofit Organizations.† Public Integrity 10, no. 3: 233-235 6. W.C. Crain. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. 7. Emerci, Çetin. 2006. â€Å"THE OPINIONS OF MEDICINE FACULTY STUDENTS REGARDING CHEATING IN RELATION TO KOHLBERG’S MORAL DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT.† Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 34, no. 1: 41-49 8. Christopher, John Chambers, Guy J. Manaster, Robert L. Campbell, and Michael B. Weinfeld. 2002. â€Å"Peak Experiences, Social Interest, and Moral Reasoning: An Exploratory Study.† Journal Of Individual Psychology 58, no. 1: 35 9. Strickland, Ruth Ann, and Shannon K. Vaughan. 2008. â€Å"The Hierarchy of Ethical Values in Nonprofit Organizations.† Public Integrity 10, no. 3: 233-235