Ben and Jerrys Essays

Ben and Jerrys Essays Ben and Jerrys Essay Ben and Jerrys Essay Ben and Jerrys BY tmh01854 Ben Jerrys corporate strategy is to be a force for social change through its presence in the frozen desert market. With a commitment to promoting social awareness and caring capitalism, Ben Jerry established itself as a leader with a unique image in the superpremium ice cream market by priding themselves with an anti-business style, both externally and internally. Theyre the largest corporate supporter of community and environmental issues (committing 7. % of pre-tax profits). They tand behind a casual working environment with a 5:1 salary ratio structure, which means the highest paid employee can only earn a maximum of 5 times the lowest paid employee. Ben Jerrys business strategy is differentiation, in that they offer a wide variety of products. While the company continues to pull slow moving products, they replace them with new flavors and selections that contribute to the companys growth. Using Porters 5-Force analysis, threats of new entrants and supplier power is low, but intense rivalry, threats of substitutes, and threat of buyers are high, giving he industry as a whole an overall rating of 2 stars. Threats of new entrants are relatively low, as there are high barriers to industry entry. These include the initial capital investment to purchase equipment, as well as establish distribution channels and marketing/advertising campaigns. There is a high threat of substitutes in the ice cream industry, as many products are available to satisfy the same needs. Buyer power is high, as both consumers and retailers drive the price and choices of ice cream. Since shelf space is limited, ice cream can easily be replaced. Supplier power is low as there are multiple sources to buy the ingredients to make the product. A company can get the raw materials Just about anywhere, but when venturing into the superpremium market, this product line uses brand candies from other companies. Rivalry is high since many compete to have better flavors and shelf space in stores. We do believe that the culture and values of create a sustainable advantage. Bs values include caring capitalism, funding community projects, free employee assistance programs, day-care, comprehensive benefits ackages, and their important 5:1 salary ratio rule. Ben Jerrys certainly possess a unique brand as it relates to culture. The companys social mission and its promotional awareness events generate interest in the company. By targeting social causes, the Ben Jerrys brand extends beyond the ice cream products where consumers may believe that through the purchase of Ben Jerrys ice cream, they are also contributing towards the social initiatives of the company. Further, the culture and values differentiate the company from its competitors. As a strategy, the social involvement dives awareness of the companys brand and product leading to fiscal growth. This benefitted Ben Jerrys during its growth period and formed a strong identity among consumers. From a sustainability standpoint, Ben Jerrys drove social responsibility issues before it became fashionable within the business sector. That said, culture and values contribute towards a competitive advantage, but is not a means to an end on its own. The company must still practice fundamental perational discipline and manage its cost structure to survive long term. Under Cohens leadership, cost and profit management was an afterthought to the social improving their position to cover short liabilities. Their gross profit margin has held steady over the last 6 years (averaging 28. 3%) after dropping from a high in 1981 (49. 76%). This is an indication of successfully adjusting their price point due to changes in their operation. However, their net profit margin fell over time as more expenses resulted from investments in non-production costs. While not robust, BJ increased both their net working capital and asset turnover from 1985 1989. They brought their long term debt ratio down to 31. 5% in 1986. However, since then, BJs additional financing came from debt (back up 70% in 1989) becoming a highly leveraged company. Two challenges that confronted Ben Jerrys by the end of the case include compensation at market rates for senior management as well as the friction between Ben Cohens ideology of the company and Chico Lagers desire to lead Ben Jerrys into a growing, businesslike environment. The 5:1 compensation plan limited the companys ability to recruit top talent within the management ranks leading to lengthy executive searches and vacant management positions. The latter point stemmed from the business crossroad that faced the company. While Cohen sought to preserve the identity and values deeply rooted into the companys DNA, the challenges facing a growing company became a reality. Business practices such as managing profits, instilling operational discipline, and hiring and retaining top talent created stress within Ben Jerrys.

GLOBAL WARMING Essays (986 words) - Climate Change, Global Warming

GLOBAL WARMING Essays (986 words) - Climate Change, Global Warming GLOBAL WARMING Running head: GLOBAL WARMING 1 Global warming Name Institution GLOBAL WARMING 2 Global warming Global warming is the increase in the average global temperature caused by greenhouse gas effects on solar and thermal radiation (Hansen, 2007). In this regard, Greenhouse gases are the gaseous components of the atmosphere that absorb and later release radiation at specific wavelengths. Gases in the upper ambiance such as carbon dioxide, sulphur hexafluoride and methane trap radiation from the sun close to the earths surface instead of permitting it to disperse into the space; this results in increased atmospheric temperatures. Both human-made and natural conditions contribute to global warming; however, mans activities in contributing to global warming cannot be underscored. While the effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are expected to be severe, human activities are continuously increasing the threat of global warming. The current discussion explains how human activities impact global warming as well as the personal tactics to minimize the contribution to global warming. Many scientists predict that the continuous increase in temperature will cause polar ice caps and mountain glaciers to melt rapidly. The melting will significantly raise the level of the coastal waters and hence produce new patterns of extreme precipitation and probably expand subtropical deserts. The change in precipitation patterns will interrupt agricultural activities in many regions, and this will lead to food instability. The rising of sea water levels will result in flooding at the coastal towns and hence destroy life and property. The disruption in temperature will result in extinction of animal and plant species that are incapable of adapting to the new environmental conditions. The general effect will be massive extinction that will lead to an environmental catastrophe. The extinction of species will also result in a sudden collapse of biological systems. In general, frequent and strong La Ninas and El Nios, ocean acidification, extinction of species, forest fires and heat waves will make the environment unbearable to GLOBAL WARMING 3 humans (Hansen, 2007). The present change in climate is accredited to the increase in greenhouse gases that are caused by effects of human industrial processes, transportation, land use changes and agricultural practices (Hansen, 2007). The largest driver of global warming is thus carbon dioxide and aerosol emissions from human activities such as deforestation, combustion of fossil fuels and cement production. The presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere alters the incoming thermal radiations and thus disrupts energy balance. As the atmosphere thickens with greenhouse gases, more heat is held up. Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, petroleum and charcoal are highly carbonated. When burned, they produce a lot of carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere. For instance, when a single gallon of gasoline is burned, it adds 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Pacala & Socolow, 2004). In particular, the land use practices contribute to global warming. Trees are essential in ensuring natural regulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They also form a cover that moderates the radiation processes and determine the amount of heat to be retained or radiated. The ever increasing human population has led to deforestation to pave the way for human settlement. Trees are also cut for the purposes of logging, provision of timber and paper making. Deforestation, therefore, contributes to approximately 25% of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (Pacala & Socolow, 2004). Based on the research by Hansen, the burning of hydrocarbons and the decomposition of landfills (garbage) from human activities results in methane production (2007). The cultivation of rice and the integration of manure from domestic livestock in agricultural practices is also a major methane producer. Methane is an active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is less abundant in the atmosphere. Soil cultivation practices, especially the use of organic GLOBAL WARMING 4 fertilizers has resulted in the increase of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere that also contributes to global warming (Pacala & Socolow, 2004). Human beings use chlorofluorocarbons for refrigeration and air conditioning; they continuously deplete the ozone layer and hence result in increased solar radiation. Since human beings are the major contributors to global warming, they should be at the forefront in the process of curbing it. At an individual level, I will replace the pollutant fossil fuels

Principles of Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Criminal Law - Essay Example The punishment is the same notwithstanding whether the offender used a weapon against the victim or not. However for the accused person to be liable for such offences, wounding must have occurred. This means that a discontinuity of the skin must occur on the body of the victim, and at least a drop of blood must fall outside the body of the victim (Cross, 1995). It is worth noting that under section 47 of the act, bodily harm, or injury may occur to a person without directly or indirectly applying physical violence to the victim (MacDonald, 1948). The substance of the law in such a case is whether the victim would find such acts perpetrated against them either unpleasant or harmful. The law requires that it is enough for the accused to have foreseen that physical harm to some person might result. In our case, Mr. Steven Roberts committed two acts that resulted to bodily harm and physical injuries to two victims, namely his girl friend and the alleged man whom the girlfriend was cheati ng with against Mr. Steven. However, the substance of the law in the two accounts of this case are different, in that, in the first account, Mr. Steven had no intention of inflicting any bodily injury or physical harm to his girlfriend. He only meant to surprise her, an act that accidentally resulted to the girlfriend falling from the staircase and being injured. However, on the second account, Mr. Steven shoved off the man accompanying his girlfriend to make him move out of the way. In so doing, he ended up inflicting physical harm on the man, through banging him against a glass door that injured him. It can therefore, be found that while in the first account Mr. Steven did not have the intention to harm, in the second account, he ought to have foreseen that physical harm might result to the man he shoved off (Smith, 2008). This therefore makes the two accounts different in the substance of the law, something that means the accused can be liable for the accounts differently. If not found guilty for the first account, it is likely that the second account would make him liable. Thus, it is worth treating the two accounts separately in the attempt to seek legal defense for the case against Mr. Steven (MacDonald, 1975). The first account of Mr. Steven causing bodily harm against her girl friend appears defined within the confinement of section 47 of the 1861 act (Milton, 1996). The first account is admissible under the laws pertaining to common assault, whose punishment is the payment of a recommended fine or an imprisonment not exceeding six months or both. There is a defense available for Mr. Steven against the first account (Smith, 2005). Consent is applicable as one of the defense, where it requires that if the harm caused is not so severe, and there is a recognizable good reason for the offence, then the accused can be relieved of the criminal liability (Greaves, 2006). Since Mr. Steven’s intention was not to harm his girlfriend, then if the injury ha ppens not to be severe, then he can be relieved the criminal responsibility to assault (Smith, 1998). In the second account, Mr. Steven charge is under section 18 of the 1861 act because; he caused wounding and bodily harm to the man accompanying his girlfriend (Glanville, 1983). The proof that wounding was caused is the fact that there was a fall of blood from the body of the victim. The prosecution will be able to prove

Review Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review - Term Paper Example Last year the sport super bowl in the US had over 108 million viewers and the recent controversial use of $4 million on a commercial by a firm was making headings and any advertising firm would promise that such a figure would improve the brands image (Evans & Gerard 39). The sport super bowl has have a great media coverage and the same translates to the air play its gets plus the viewers it has. Research has shown that more that 30% of the viewers are interested in the commercials between the airplay of the sport than the sport itself. Commercials have become like part of the game rather than the norms considered as an interruption. The idea about using expensive advertisements and marketing techniques is a gamble because one can not be assured if the information will arrived to the intended destination who is the target customer but the gamble has one heavy side than the other. Advertisment has emerged as an important activity in marketing in the modern age of large scale production and serve competition in the market. Expensive marketing can be a great tool to ken turkey fried chicken brand and It performs the following functions: - Sales promotion: It boosts the sale of goods and services through creating awareness on the existence of the goods in the market and persuading the people to buy them. A good advertising strategy helps in securing new consumers in both the national and world markets. For instance in the clothing industry, a firm can purely base its marketing technique on the use of the internet and it can use video advert that are brokered by various marketing companies. Introduction of new product: It helps in bringing of new products in the market. Ken turkey fried chicken can register the availability of its new products in the market to the public through advertisement. A new firm cant make a

Style emitation piece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Style emitation piece - Essay Example His funding is diminished and he is now operating with the equipment previously provided by grants. The question must have nagged the Professor greatly. For years and years he toiled tirelessly checking the radars and other equipment for any proof of foreign intelligence or any attempt of communication from extra-terrestrial beings. In the process, the professor was mocked, even called crazy. Until one fine Sunday morning. A bleep on the radar. The professor was first in disbelief. He verified then reverified. It is indeed a bleep. He sent radio signals. It was sent back! The professor yelled with excitement, yes! It was a confirmation that the one who registered in the bleep was an intelligent being. For months Professor Z’s team worked to have a medium of language that they could understand. When it come to fruition, all doubts against the Professor was removed. Then the anticipated moment came, a meet up was finally decided. The aliens will visit the earth. It has to be the alien that should visit because earth has no technology yet to travel that far in space. Besides, some proof of alien existence is also needed to justify the funding for the professor. Preparations were made hurriedly as everybody was excited. The coordinates were set and the date was fixed. Then the awaited day came. Everybody was there. The President of United States, China, and other countries, as well as UN, G7 and other important personalities. The appointed time came. But there was no spaceship. Probably it is in invisible mode but there are no roaring machine to indicate a space craft. The professor nervously called on the radio. This professor of planet earth, alien visitor are you here? The radio did not immediately reply. Then it broke, Professor, we are currently defending ourselves against the monsters you sent us. Monsters? The professor quipped. â€Å"Yes† and there are too many

The Fragile X Syndrome

The Fragile X Syndrome The fragile X syndrome is one of the most prevalent mental retardation problems that are inherited to generations. The clinical features of people with this syndrome are very subtle and hard to diagnose. Recent progress in the field of molecular biology and genetics has outlined the molecular mutation, that causes the syndrome was a triplet repeat mutation. Due to repetitive CGG repeat the respective proteins are not expressed. New molecular methods including direct probe analysis and PCR analysis, have simplified the process of diagnosis. The nature of the gene, their respective gene product and its function has not been yet found clearly. Inheritance may be found due to common ancestral flow of X chromosome at birth. Introduction Fragile S syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the intellectual, physical and mental factors of a human being. It is also known to be martin-bells syndrome and the effects range widely from mild to severe. It is caused by the mutation on the X chromosome of the individual in a single gene called the Fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1). Psychological problems such as mental retardation may be caused by two main factors, the physical environment or the genetic factor that is hereditary. As we mainly focus on the genetic factor, the FRAXA locus in xq27.3 is associated in causing fragile X mental retardation. Therefore based on molecular genetic testing of FMR1 gene, fragile X syndrome can be diagnosed. Women are only 50% affected by this syndrome when compared to males due to the fact that they have two X chromosomes where as males have one. Most common symptoms found are seizures, mood instability, attention deficit, sensory over stimulation, aggression, autism, speech diso rder and sleep differences. This syndrome also shows certain physical symptoms such as long narrow face, large ears enlarged testacles in males, flexible joints etc., various researches is being done across the world to find a solution for the disease. Various genetic techniques has been developed and handled to identify the fragility of the chromosome. There has been so much improvement in research but a definite solution has not been obtained. The treatment for this syndrome is usually a multidisciplinary approach which includes occupational therapy, medical managements, education and linguistics. The Fragile X Mutation: Genes are the precursors of specific protein molecules which in turn are specific for various functions of the body. The major cause for the fragile x syndrome is due to the mutation in one single gene called the fragile x mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene which is the precursor for the fragile x mental retardation protein FMRP. This protein is responsible for the normal development and functioning of the brain. Men have only one x chromosome so presence of mutation in that chromosome will cause the disease whereas in females, they have two x chromosomes and hence full mutation in one copy makes them carriers of the syndrome and they may be affected partially according to the amount of mutation and number of cells expressing the FMR-1 gene copy. The inheritance found on the chromosomes is termed as x linked recessive inheritance which is more complex than the normal x linked genes. Fig.1 X chromosome with fragile site [1] Fig. 2 A photograph of X chromosomes showing a fragile site from both a male and a female [2] The number of CGG repeats on the FMR-1 gene determines the complexity of the syndrome. The repeats are classified as short, medium and long repeats. The short repeat of about six to fifty times which is found very common. These short repeats are mostly unstable and do not definitely cause the syndrome. Yet a genetic counseling along with certain tests is recommended. The medium repeat is about 50 to 200 times and is called permutation. The fragile x mental retardation protein (FMRP) has lower risk of the syndrome as short sequence repeats. The long repeats are usually more than 200 and are termed as full mutation where the complete FMR-1 gene is altered and production of the FMRP protein is totally stopped. Among the people with full mutation or long repeats, men will have the fragile x syndrome and women will be carriers. Fragile x mental retardation protein (FMRP) The FMRP protein is found in the ribo-nucleoprotein complex and is encoded by the FMR1 gene. The FMRP weighs up to 60-70 kD. This protein is associated with the polyribosome or polysomes. Two RNA-binding domains, KH domains or K homology domains are possessed by this protein and it binds to fetal human brain to 4% approximately. It also has the ability to bind to its own mRNA. Even a small amount of mutation in one of the KH domain could stop its interaction with the polysomes leading to the fragile x syndrome. Inheritance of fragile x syndrome Males have xy chromosome and hence have only one FMR-1 gene where as females have xx chromosomes and hence they have two FMR-1 genes. On the F1 generation each parent transfers one chromosome each to the offspring where the transfer of the FMR-1 gene is determined. Therefore the possibilities of their offsprings being affected are grouped under two conditions. Condition-1 [3] If a male has a mutated gene in his chromosome it can be transferred only to his daughter because only the Y chromosome can be transferred to his son by him. So if he was crossed with a female with normal genes all their sons will be normal and the daughters will have one fragile gene and remain as carriers. father à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ y mother x xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ (carrier daughter) Xy (normal son) x xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ (carrier daughter) Xy (normal son) à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ fragile x gene Condition-2 [4] If a female has one mutated gene in her chromosome and is crossed with a normal male then there is 50% chance of all the offsprings, be it male or female to have the syndrome. father x y mother à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ (carrier daughter) à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ y (fragile son) x xx(normal daughter) Xy (normal son) à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¹ fragile x gene Symptoms The symptoms of fragile x syndrome are categorized into : Physical Large eyes Prominent forehead Large testecles Seizures Cognitive development Social and emotional hyperactivity Behavioral Shyness Social anxiety Speech and language Rapid and repetitive Inability to adopt words Over-talkative Autism Flapping of hands Poor eye contact All these symptoms need not be necessarily seen. A combination of various symptoms may vary from person to person based on the amount of gene altered in their chromosome. Sometimes there may also be no visible symptoms making the chances of early diagnosis even worse. Molecular diagnosis [5] The chromosome associated with the syndrome is classified into three major types based on the number of CGG repeats as Normal allele the CGG repeat in FMR1 is 6-50 PCR analysis is sufficient to study all normal type genes Specific point mutations and mosaicism must be studied using specific types of pcr or other molecular methods Visualization is achieved either by radio-active labeling or auto radiography followed by automated sequencing Agarose gel electrophoreses may be used for simple separation analysis with stains such as ethidium bromide. Appropriate size markers and size controls are very important. Controls used for analysis mut approximately contain 50 repeats. Pre mutation The CGG repeat in FMR1 is 55-200 PCR analysis is not possible hence southern blot is always preferred. Since both premutation and full mutation have methylation status, specific methylation sensitive enzymes such as EagI or NreI is used to resolve the size of the fragment. Methylated alleles are cut only by one enzyme where as non methylated normal alleles are cut by both the enzymes. Prenatal diagnosis is very important for pre mutation carriers. Rather than normal PCR a radioactive PCR can be used to test for premutation and then the result can by confirmed using southern analysis. Full mutation The CGG repeats in FMR1 ranges from 200 to thousands This can be analysed only by a southern blot technique. At complications, if a confirmable result could not be obtained from a southern analysis then a radio active PCR can be run combined with a linkage analysis and the result can be confirmed with southern blotting. Intermediate alleles The CGG repeats in FMR1 gene is usually between 45-55 Since they are in the overlapping region between stable normal allele and unstable premutation alleles, diagnosis and interpretation is very difficult Diagnostic Tools and Methods With the advancement in technology DNA tests are always effective in diagnosis of fragile x syndrome. With the findings of Sutherland et al. that folic acid deficient cell culture medium was able to induce a fragile site at xg27.3 cytogenetics was the major way to determine the presence of the syndrome but after cloning of the FMR-1 gene direct methods for identifying the x linked gene has become possible. By using monoclonal antibodies specific to FMRP it is also possible to show the expression of FMR-1. The most common methods used for diagnosis in the genetic level are Polymerase Chain Reaction Southern Blotting Antibody test Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis Single strand confirmation polymorphism Non-radioactive molecular diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction Polymerase chain reaction may be defined as a technique where one copy of a DNA is amplified into numerous copies at a rate of 2n where n is the number of cycles. It is achieved under specific conditions of temperature, along with polymerase enzyme. PCR amplification is one of the preliminary methods in diagnosing fragile x syndrome. Since the syndrome is associated with CGG repeats PCR is not considered as the best method always, since the amplification across C-G composition could be unreliable for PCR technique. However now its very much possible for a PCR to identify CGG repeats in combination with various techniques. methylation specific PCR of the FMR1 locus fluorescent methylation specific PCR methyl-CpG-binding PCR Some of the major advantages of PCR are that it is less time consuming, a very small amount of the sample is enough to produce numerous copy and the tri-nucleotide repeat in the FMR-1 gene is accurately sized. There are also various disadvantages of this technique. When there are more than hundreds of tandem repeats it is impossible for the PCR to determine the complete mutation which may give a different result. Due to differential amplification PCR is incapable of detecting mosacism between pre mutation and normal alleles. Fig 3: fragile x analysis using PCR [6] Southern Blotting Southern blotting is one of the best methods of diagnosing fragile x syndrome. It is modtly used as the confirmatory test after PCR. The variations between the mutations and permutations along with the amount of methylation occurred can be clearly obtained by the southern blotting technique. The process can be summed up in two simple steps: Step 1: the patients DNA is digested using restriction enzymes. Step 2: southern hybridization is carried out along with specific radioactive probes after separation of FMRI region. Using southern Blotting, the differences in full mutation and pre mutation can be easily identified. Full mutations usually cause smearing of the band and are always unstable. The only advantage of this technique is that its accuracy whereas its labor intensive, time consuming. The major drawback of this method is its inability to determine the exact number of tandem repeats of the CGG nucleotides which is very much necessary in determining whether the patient is completely affected or a carrier. Fig 4: fragile x analysis by southern blot [7] N refers to normal Specific tools for analysis DNA probe A DNA probe can be defined as a single strand of DNA which act as a template to identify the target DNA molecule. To identify the fragility of chromosome on the DNA specific probes were designed which increases the accuracy rate of the diagnosis. Chemicon (Millipore) [8] has designed a special probe named The CHEMI probe which is labeled with dioxegenin to detect the CGG repeats in the FMR-1 gene. Markers There were special markers called the microsatelite markers used in linkage analysis. This came to an end with the advent of modern techniques. However these markers are now being used under special circumstances like prenatal diagnosis where southern blotting has failed. Some of the markers used are DXS548, FRAXAC1 and FRAXAC2 combined with PCR. They are considerably accurate and they undergo low recombination mechanism with CGG repeats. Treatments There are no gene therapies or genetic treatments available for fragile x syndrome though a lot of other therapies are available which include speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and behavioral therapy. There are also a large number of medications available as listed in the table below: Symptoms Medications Seizures Mood instability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Carbamazepine (Tegretol) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Valproic acid or divalproex (Depakote) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lithium carbonate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Gabapentin (Neurontin) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lamotrigine (Lamictal) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Topiramate (Topomax), tiagabine (Gabitril), and vigabatrin (Sabril) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phenobarbital and primidone (Mysoline) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phenytoin (Dilantin) Attention deficit (With or without hyperactivity) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) and dexamethamphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ L-acetylcarnitine à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Venlafaxine (Effexor) and nefazodone (Serzone) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Amantadine (Symmetrel) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Folic acid Hyperarousal Sensory over-stimulation (Often occurs with ADD/ADHD) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clonidine (Catapres TTS patches) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Guanfacine (Tenex) Aggression Intermittent explosive disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (Often occurs with anxiety and/or depression) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fluoxetine (Prozac) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sertraline (Zoloft) and citalopram (Celexa) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Paroxetine (Paxil) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fluvoxamine (Luvox) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Risperidone (Risperdal) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quetiapine (Seroquel) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Olanzepine (Zyprexa ) Sleep disturbances à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Trazadone à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Melatonin Table 2: symptoms and medications for FRAXA [9] (*these prescriptions have serious effects. DO NOT INTAKE ANY OF THESE WITHOUT CONSULTING A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER) Current Research Gene Therapy: studies are carried out on the recombination strategy of the target gene, whether removal or replacement of the defective gene with a recombinant gene would eliminate the syndrome. Protein Replacement Therapy: research is being carried out on the possibility of producing FMR protein and supplying to the patients through external sources like food or tablets. Psychopharmacology: research is being carried out in finding medications for all the symptoms of fragile x syndrome. Conclusion Fragile x syndrome is one of the genetic diseases that causes psychological problems due to the lack of FMR protein responsible for the mental behavior of the person. The protein is not expressed in the individual due to fragility of the FMR1 gene in the x chromosome. Though PCR and southern blotting are the only tools available for diagnosis they are considerably accurate and research is being carried out on various re-combinative tools for diagnosis. A complete cure has not been still devised for the syndrome though various behavioral and physical therapies help the patients gain psychological strength.

Art on Brown vs. Board Education Supreme Court decision :: Art Exhibit Race

Fifty years ago the state of our beautiful nation was quite different. The United States were not very united at all. Fifty years ago a court decision marked a change in society that Americans will experience forever. The Brown vs. Board Supreme Court decision gave the old ?separate but equal? laws the boot. It marked the start of integration of public schools and universities. The process was not a smooth one to say the least, yet American society as it stands today is a far more equal because of it. However close we may be to equal it still is not yet equal. Artists of late have been expressing their view of American culture in many different ways. A particular group of artists calls themselves Social Studies more than likely referring to their portrayal of American social issues. At Krannert Art Museum this year Social Studies put out their third exhibit featuring eight artists? works that provoke viewers to reflect on issues of identity, tolerance, equal rights, and integration as they apply to education now. When I walked in to the exhibit I noticed a very interesting portrait to begin with. It was five separate portraits of two women, one white, one black, both attempting to sit in the same chair. The title of the work was Plessy vs. Ferguson, in memory of the Supreme Court decision that made segregation legal. The separate part seemed to hold true but the equal part was far more than lacking. Most cases seemed to be that there wasn?t enough to separate hence the reason for the two women struggling over the same chair. This art took me awhile to understand because my brain had not been geared to what I was actually witnessing. It wasn?t until I sat down on a retro style couch resting on a beige shag carpet rug facing a silent movie projection. The obvious use of perspective in this art form helped me understand the side by side projection of two different family videos. One was footage from a Jewish family and the other was an African American family?s footage. Both of the videos depicted family gatherings for celebrations such as barbeques, birthday parties, trips to Disney World and religious holidays.