The Basic Unit of Life Essay Example for Free

The Basic Unit of Life Essay One of the hallmark characteristics of living things is that they perform chemical reactions. These reactions are collectively known as metabolism. Cells, the basic units of life, can perform many of these metabolic reactions. In a multicelled organism, the cells group together to form tissues that perform the same functions. Tissues group together to form organs, and finally, several organs exist together in a system. In this lesson, we will see how and why this hierarchy is established. The Basic Unit of Life All organisms from the smallest single-celled protists to huge whales and giant redwood trees are based on tiny microscopic cells. The types and number of cells may vary, but the cell is the basic unit of life. The cell is the minimum amount of organized living matter complex enough to carry out the functions of life as outlined in Lessons 1 and 2. In the most basic sense, a cell is made of a gelatinous living substance we call protoplasm, which contains many small structures, all surrounded by a membrane. Cell Structure The cell membrane separates the living cell from the rest of the environment. However, this membrane is not just a static solid wall. It must allow food molecules and oxygen to enter and wastes to exit. Thus, the cell membrane is semipermeable because it allows some things to pass through, but not others. It must also communicate and associate with the membranes of other cells. Inside the cell membrane is a substance called protoplasm in which many tiny structures called organelles (because they act like small versions of organs) are suspended. Some of the more important organelles and their functions are listed in the following table

Genie: Social Isolation :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This was one of the most interesting cases in my opinion, which we have so far learned about. It was amazing to me first of all how a person could go undetected in those conditions for that amount of time. It was also extremely mind boggling how people could treat their own child like that, which really made me wonder the type of morals and views that those parents were brought up with. It made me extremely sad to realize all of the wonders of life that Genie was deprived of. She had been locked in that room for over ten years, which means she was practically nonexistent to the world, and had never experienced things we all take for granted every day. I truly do not know how she survived in that type of torturous confinement for ten years. However, it was encouraging to see the efforts of all the people who truly became wrapped up in Genie’s case, and the hope that she would have a learning capacity. It was amazing to me to know that she was really a fourt een year old girl, yet to hear her speak she sounded like a toddler. I found it interesting to see her progress from knowing no English words, to being fascinated by the labeling with words of all the new objects around her. It seemed to me as if she knew a language existed for everything, but was frustrated because she could not realize her goal and put words to objects quickly enough. I found it interesting to see Genie pick up the patterns of language recognition, but not commonly as it happens in children, however, it seemed as though you were teaching an old dog new tricks. I was disappointed at the ending of the film, because for me there was no good conclusion, or happy fairy tale ending that I expected.

Children relationship with adults

By considering children age groups and cultural differences, I shall explore the various approaches taken to building relationships with adults at different stages and discuss the influences and effects it has on a child's development. I will also demonstrate the ways in which understanding children's development contributes to building positive and successful relationships. Children have emotional needs and are able to express and communicate them from birth. As research has shown â€Å"In order to have a secure base from which to explore the world, be resilient to stress, and form meaningful relationships with adults, babies need a primary adult who cares for them in sensitive ways and who perceives, make sense of the responds to their needs†. This attentiveness approach of interaction in a child's early stages of development forms a bond of trust, promoting confidence and self-esteem within the child, which would contribute in building meaningful relationships with adults around him/her. (from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/parenting_bonding_reactive_attachment_disorder.m) However, different circumstances and experiences do not always allow adults to respond to the child's needs accordingly, which can have a huge influence on a relationship. For example, Charlotte had a traumatic start in life as a consequence of her parent's separation shortly after her birth. She was frequently moved between the two parents and lacked the appropriate care and attention she needed in order to form a secure bond. Her parent's â€Å"were too busy fighting and arguing†¦..to worry about the children,† Charlotte's mother, Emma, recalls. Emma also assumed and hoped that Charlotte â€Å"won't remember that far back†¦.because she was too young†, which indicates Emma's limited knowledge and understanding of child development. As the relationship between Emma and Charlotte was unpredictable, inconsistent and unstable, it resulted in Charlotte feeling very insecure and uncertain of her mother's love. As we learn from ‘The Strange Situation Test' (Understanding Children (2007) DVD Band 2) and by the age of two, Emma describes their relationship as â€Å"a constant battle of wills†. Young children are subject to constant and inevitable changes, which would influence their development. For instance, the transaction of children into the reception class in school is a major change, where the expectations and values they gained at home are challenged (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.86). This can have a negative affect on a relationship between a child and his carer, where the child is struggling to adjust to its new surroundings and his/hers behaviour becoming challenging, since many children become unsettled when starting school. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.63). As young children at this stage of development have limited experiences, talking about their feelings, their fears and concerns can come out in ways that can be misunderstood and misinterpreted by the adult as misbehaving. For example, Ryan's reluctance to keep to a specific bedtime caused problems in the relationship with his parents. During the parent strategies exploration of responses to deal with the child's difficulty, Jodie and Eamon's approaches to the ‘problem' were different. Initially they inflicted power over Ryan by threatening to smack him, shouting and punishing him, which resulted in a conflict in their relationship. On seeking advice, they discovered a more collaborative approach, such as spending special time with Ryan before bedtime. By doing so, it promoted his confidence and encouraged him to express his feelings, which enabled Jodie to have a better understanding of Ryan's thinking process. This account demonstrates the significance of experiences that occur in a child's life, which should not be underestimated by the adult. It also shows, that in order to resolve family conflict it is best to have a direct and open communication where young children are concerned, which helps in achieving a successful relationship. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.84-85) As with the parents, schools also have a responsibility to deal with children's emotional welfare, as well as their physical health and are encouraged to do so by using activities, which enable children to understand their own feelings and by building their confidence to learn, such as ‘circle time'. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.105 {DfEE, 1999, p.16}) This approach focuses on the children themselves, contributing to their self-esteem through development of their listening, speaking and co-operation skills. By using this activity the children's relationship with their teacher is built on trust and respect. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.106) As children grow and become young people, they are expected to take on more responsibilities at home as well as spend more time on schoolwork. Involving children with different chores around the household would help them gain independency by developing a range of skills. Activities' such as, cooking, cleaning, shopping and even looking after other members of the family, helps children develop their communication, intellectual, self-help and practical skills. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.144) In considering cultural differences, South Asian children are also expected to contribute to the family economy, which helps to develop their business skills. For instance, Sammy is expected to help out in the family take-away business and accepts this as part of her cultural up bringing. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.137). Furthermore, in societies where the main concern of the family is survival due to poverty, children work alongside adults by necessity (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.65) as we can learn from Bilkis's and Tinco's daily lives. (Understanding Children {2007} DVD band 6) However, with these great expectations of expanding children's responsibilities, parents are still reluctant to involve children with matters that affect their lives due to their limited life experiences. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.116-117) Nevertheless, studies have shown that by this age, children understand and accept the complexities of family life and want to be part of this, by being consulted and want to participate in decisions making. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.133). Therefore, in order to maintain a successful relationship, it is crucial for adults to understand children's needs as well as their responsibilities by maintaining an open communication and not taking children's contributions to family life for granted. Conclusion Building successful relationships with children is a complex process. It requires patience and attentive care by adults from infancy through to adulthood. By understanding normal child development, it enables the adult to respond to the child's need positively and establish a secure attachment. Furthermore, as children are subjected to constant changes, their adjustment to these changes is determined by understanding, the expectation and approaches of the adult, in order for the child to deal and respond positively. To achieve this, adults must maintain open and consistent communication, which will contribute to the child's confidence and self-esteem where they will feel valued and important members of society. Therefore, to achieve successful relationships with children, it is crucial for caretakers to have an understanding of child development. Word count: 1,144 Task 2 Since I started this course, I feel that my organisational and efficiency skills have improved through learning to work under pressure and to a deadline in producing and submitting an assignment. I must say that during this course, the concept and understanding of academic studies, such as writing and structure of an essay, was a real eye opener for me, as in my past studies where children are concerned, my written evidence findings were based on own practice and personal experiences. The strengths of my study skills are in understanding the written materials. Being a single mother, I not only relate to the course subject ,but I have also gained positive and negative feedback from my own experiences in raising two young boys from the given information, as I am essentially living and practising it. With the help of my tutor's written and telephone feedback, my academic writing skills have improved considerably from the first to the second essay. However, I feel I have only touched the surface and still find it difficult to gather and select relevant evidence to back up my work, which I consider to be my weakness. In order to make further improvements, I would like to continue to undertake further relevant academic courses and develop my confidence with writing skills, as it is said, ‘practice makes perfect!'.

BP Amoco Case Group 1 AM Edits - 2250 Words

BP/Amoco Merger Case Group 1 Keshavaraja Alive Stephen Felkins Therese Jackson Andrea Marrical Eric Weiss Executive Summary Prior to the merger between BP and Amoco in 1998, both companies had very similar operating characteristics and performance. Both companies engaged primarily in the same three businesses and experienced close to the same percentages of revenue and percentages of operating income for each of those businesses. A key difference however waswere that BP concentrated their operations predominantly in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe whereas Amoco concentrated their operations heavily in the United States. Furthermore, before 1992, BP experienced drastically declining†¦show more content†¦Again similar to exploration and production, Amoco operated solely in the United States. Both BP and Amoco had a very large number of retail outlets in which the companies sold petroleum products to, 8,200 and 9,300 outlets respectively. However, uUnlike exploration and production activities however, refining and marketing activities accounted for a large percentage of revenues, 81 and 63 percent respectively, but only a small percentage of company operating income, 21 and 19 percent respectively. Realizing that this segment was not very profitable in comparison to exploration and production, BP made the decision to reduce its interests in refining and marketing. The third business that both BP and Amoco separately engaged in prior to the merger was the production of petrochemicals. BP had operations for this segment more widespread than the others and distributed to over 60 countries. Amoco, on the other hand, concentrated heavily in the United States staying consistent with the other two businesses. Revenue percentages for petrochemicals were very low for both companies, but operating income percentages were as well; 7 and 11 percent respectively for BP and 16 and 16 percent respectively for Amoco. There are a few differences in the pre-merger incentive programs for executives at BP and Amoco. Prior to the merger, the compensation of Amoco executives was much