Spiders Essays (1290 words) - Spider Anatomy, Spider,

Spiders Spiders This report deals with testing the toxicity of certain chemicals on spiders, and determining the toxicity by how it affects it's ability to weave it's web. This report contains research on the four chemicals (benzedrine, chloral hydrate, caffeine, and alcohol) as wellas the spiders and their webs. Spiders are of course found in the class Arachnidia, which also contain mites, scorpions, and other arthropods. The order which spiders are classified under is called Araneae, a word of Latin origin. Most spiders are land dwelling, but some can be aquatic. Those that are aquatic spend most of their lives in or around water. Spiders can live in a vast amount of different places around the world. Jumping spiders have been collected on Mt. Everest at a height of 22,000 feet, the highest elevation at which any animal has been collected (Orkin, Insect Zoo 1). Adult species vary greatly in size, which is a contributing factor in the prey they choose, and also the way they catch this prey. Spiders range from less than three hundredths of an inch to more than 10 inches. All spiders are carnivorous in their eating habits, insects being first on their menu. Spiders usually catch live animals because the movement of the prey attracts its attention. Some spiders have poor vision, and rather depend on the movement of it's web to locate an insect. (Orkin, Insect Zoo 2). The prey is usually wrapped in silk before the spider injects the venom to kill it. Yet the larger the spiders, the larger its prey. Some spiders have been known to kill vertebrate animals, such as fishing spiders, who thrive on small fish, or bird spiders, feeding on small birds from South America, as well as a variety of lizards. Some species have even been known to attack snakes. When food is scarce, mainly during winter months, spiders have no trouble have no trouble with food, most can go months without eating. A spider's structure is irregular when compared to other animals, yet similar to those of other arachnids. An arachnid is of course classified on the number of it's legs, which happens to be eight. Spiders have two main body regions: the cephalothorax and the abdomen . The cephalothorax consists of the head and the thorax, which are fused together. Insects have three main body regions, a head, thorax, and abdomen. Other arachnids have those two regions connected through a broad waist. All spiders also have simple eyes, lacking compound eyes only found in insects. Spiders can have many pairs of eyes however, this number often reaches four. Spiders do not have an antenna either. (Orkin, Insect Zoo 6) Many spiders secrete a fluid in their posterior abdomens which is later extruded as a silk. This fibrous protein is used to weave webs, snares, shelters, and/or egg sacs. A spider uses fingerlike spinnerets to disperse this silk. Most spin more than one kind of silk to customize its web, or to just fit its purpose. For example, the spider makes some parts of its web not sticky so that it can run across it and not get caught. Another source says that spiders first lay down a type of silk known as ?dry thread?, with which they weave a ?dry spiral. Once this is completed, the spider lays down a sticky spiral of thread and goes on to eat the dry one. The sticky spiral must be replaced every couple days because it loses its ?stickiness.? Some scientists suggest that the pattern of an orb web (most common type of web used by spiders) is designed to attracted insects. These webs are thought to produce patterns that resemble those reflected by numerous flowers in UV light. Since insects only see in UV light, they might as well fly into a trap (Lyons, Spider Silk 1). Spider silk has been recognized for centuries as a high quality fiber. A few pairs of stockings and gloves have been made from the silk as early as the 16th century. Various attempts have been made to produce it commercially, yet have failed. New efforts are currently under construction as more people are finding new ways to use a strong, elastic fiber. A few of these

Childrearing Among the Lower Classes of Late Medieval England essays

Childrearing Among the Lower Classes of Late Medieval England essays Barbara Hanawalt's, Childrearing Among the Lower Classes of Late Medieval England, examines the practices and pitfalls of parental dynamics during the late 13th and early 14th century in English villages such as Bedfordshire and Oxford, as well as the comparably larger city of London. Focusing on children's ages from the time of birth till their twelfth birthday, Hanawalt bases her research on coroner's inquests of the time to garner statistics from which she extrapolates evidence to support her conclusions. The coroner's inquests from this time period were required by law, and detailed in regards to the cause of death, the members of the household, and their activities at the time, their residences, and their occupations. Through these detailed transcripts, Hanawalt attempts to create a vignette of peasant life, and therefore the circumstances in which children were raised to the age of twelve, at which point they were considered adults by society during that time. Hanawalt's motivation for conducting her social type of historical research is based upon dispelling earlier research by Philippe Aries, in his book Centuries of Childhood. Aries's book contends that contemporary sentimental notions of childrearing developed during this time "in response to the loss of other familial functions to the centralized state and the exigencies of industrialization" (pg. 23), and that this could outweigh familial bonds. Hanawalt counters these assertions by methodically introducing her own conclusions based upon statistical data as well as detailed circumstances in relation to them. Furthermore, she begins by pointing out that Aries garners his research and conclusions from the upper class, while ignoring the peasant majority. Also, she points out that Aries' research is incomplete due to it starting with children aged seven, and ignoring ages from infancy till six. Due to the peasant majo...

Definition and Discussion of Lexical-Function Grammar

Definition and Discussion of Lexical-Function Grammar In linguistics, lexical-functional grammar is a model of grammar that provides a framework for examining both morphological structures and syntactic structures. Also known as  psychologically realistic grammar. David W. Carroll notes that the major significance of lexical-functional grammar is the shunting of most of the explanatory burden onto the lexicon and away from transformational rules (Psychology of Language, 2008). The first collection of papers on the theory of lexical-functional grammar (LFG)Joan Bresnans The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relationswas published in 1982. In the years since, notes Mary Dalrymple, the growing body of work within the LFG framework has shown the advantages of an explicitly formulated, non-transformational approach to syntax, and the influence of this theory has been extensive (Formal Issues in Lexical-Functional Grammar). Examples and Observations In LFG, the structure of a sentence consists of two distinct formal objects: C[onstituent]-structure of the familiar kind plus a functional structure (or F-structure) which displays certain additional kinds of information. Most important in the F-structure is the labeling of grammatical relations like subject and object (these are called grammatical functions in LFG).The first part of the name reflects the fact that a great deal of work is done by the lexical entries, the dictionary part of the framework. Lexical entries are usually rich and elaborate, and each one inflected from a lexical item (such as write, writes, wrote, written and writing) has its own lexical entry. Lexical entries are responsible for dealing with many relations and processes handled by different machinery in other frameworks; an example is the voice contrast between actives and passives.(Robert Lawrence Trask and Peter Stockwell, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2007)Different Kin ds of StructuresA natural language utterance is rich in structures of different kinds: sounds form recurring patterns and morphemes, words form phrases, grammatical functions emerge from morphological and phrasal structure, and patterns of phrases evoke a complex meaning. These structures are distinct but related; each structure contributes to and constrains the structure of other kinds of information. Linear precedence and phrasal organization are related both to the morphological structure of words and to the functional organization of sentences. And the functional structure of a sentencerelations like subject-of, object-of, modifier-of, and so onis crucial to determining what the sentence means.Isolating and defining these structures and the relations between them is a central task of linguistics. . . .Lexical Functional Grammar recognizes two different kinds of syntactic structures: the outer, visible hierarchical organization of words into phrases, and the inner, more abstract hierarchical organization of grammatical functions into complex functional structures. Languages vary greatly in the phrasal organization they allow, and in the order and means by which grammatical functions are realized. Word order may be more or less constrained, or almost completely free. In contrast the more abstract functional organization of languages varies comparatively little: languages with widely divergent phrasal organization nevertheless exhibit subject, object, and modifier properties that have been well-studied by traditional grammarians for centuries.(Mary Dalrymple, John Lamping, Fernando Pereira, and Vijay Saraswat, Overview and Introduction. Semantics and Syntax in Lexical Functional Grammar: The Resource Logic Approach, ed. by Mary Dalrymple. The MIT Press, 1999) C(onstituent)-Structure and F(unctional) StructureLFG contains multiple parallel structures each modeling a different aspect of linguistic structure. The main syntactic structures are (c)onstituent-structure and f(unctional) structure . . .C-structure models the surface syntactic form of language: it is here that surface precedence and dominance relations are encoded. C-structures are phrase-structure trees, characterized by a particular form of X theory . . . designed to accommodate the large amount of phrase structure variation found cross-linguistically, from the relatively strict configurationality of languages like English to the more radically non-configurational languages of Australia. . .C-structures are always base-generated; there is no movement. . . . [T]he effect of movement is achieved by the fact that different c-structure positions can be mapped into the same f-structure via unification.The level of f-structure models grammatical relations. Unlike c-structures, which a re phrase structure keys, f-structures are attribute-value matrices. F-structure attributes may be grammatical functions (e.g. SUBJ, OBJ, COMP, also nonargument functions TOP(IC), FOC(US)), tense/aspect/mood categories (e.g. TENSE), functional nominal categories (e.g. CASE, NUM, GEND), or the predicate (semantic) attribute PRED. . . . The contents of f-structure come from the lexical items of the sentences themselves, or annotations on the nodes of the c-structure linking pieces of c-structure to parts of the f-structure.(Rachel Nordlinger and Joan Bresnan, Lexical-Functional Grammar: Interactions Between Morphology and Syntax. Non-Transformational Syntax: Formal and Explicit Models of Grammar, ed. by Robert D. Borsley and Kersti Bà ¶rjars. Blackwell, 2011) Alternate Spellings: Lexical-Functional Grammar (capitalized)

Role of Public Administrators to Interpret the Constitution and Research Paper

Role of Public Administrators to Interpret the Constitution and Develop New Laws as Pertains to Same Sex Marriages - Research Paper Example The constitution is the supreme document of a State and incase of conflict between two statutes, the ruling of the constitution prevails. Public administrators have a role as pertains to same sex marriage since they are individuals bestowed with the responsibility of enacting laws as pertains to various issues facing the State. With this insight, this research paper will be aimed at delineating the role of public administrators to interpret the constitution so as to develop new laws specifically to the issue of same sex marriages (McVeigh, & Diaz, 2009). Outline of Importance of the Issue to Public Administrators Technology has led to the invention of surgeries and discoveries as pertains to the sexuality of individuals. Moreover, the constitution and the rights of individuals illuminate into the notion that there is freedom of expression hence association of individuals of the same sex. This has led to the performance of surgeries aimed at changing the sexual orientation of an indiv idual and hence judicial challenge as pertains to the legalization of same sex marriages. It is important for the public administrators to be involved in such issues as same sex marriages since they are bestowed with the responsibility of enacting laws that regulate a State. ... Public administrators need to be involved in defining the society and avoiding issues that may hamper the inviolability and cause apprehension; same sex marriage is such an issue that needs to be addressed (McVeigh, & Diaz, 2009). SECTION 2: BACKGROUND INFORMATION History of the Issue and Current Trends Decades have witnessed the trial to redefine marriage by incorporating same sex marriage into law. This however has not yet been achieved and has translated to enormous failure to religious attachment to the sanctity of marriage. This has been witnessed by individuals who have gone surgically restructuring of their sexual identity and their change of sexual orientation was disapproved by the court system. However, it was in 1993 in Hawaii that the issue of same sex marriage began being given much thought by the court system. This resulted from the reinterpretation of the constitution that as pertains to the privacy, protection, and privileges that is accorded to citizens of a State. T his was aimed at re-evaluating the statute that was applied as pertained to marriages between individuals of the same sex (McVeigh, & Diaz, 2009). This was the first uprising in support of marriages between individuals of the same sex and was followed by an Alaska court in 1998 and a Vermont court in 1999. The attempts in these two courts were both aimed at inculcating marriages among individuals of the same sex into the marriage statues. The Hawaii judicial uprising led to unrest in the country as pertained to the constitutionality of marriage among individuals of the same sex. The federal government in an attempt to quell the situation adopted DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) which was aimed at encouraging the States to amend their constitutions and hence protect the customary

Justification and Crisis of Modern Science Essay

Justification and Crisis of Modern Science - Essay Example He clearly understood the Deists and was greatly influenced by the brilliant Unitarians in social concepts. Rene Descartes on the other hand was known to be the vicar of modern science. He initiated a new clear means of thinking about science and philosophy through ignoring all notions centered on supposition or emotional conviction and concurring with the ideas proved by direct observation (Dunn, 1999). The ultimate aim of this paper is to examine how John Locke attempted to justify modern science in terms of bringing in his own ideas and views as a way to bridge the gap between Descarte’s res cogitans and res extensa. It also examines the way he was opposed by several other scholars Locke’s Justification of Modern Science John Locke was one of the most influential especially in An Essay about Human Understanding (1690), fundamentally rejected the Cartesian theory of the continuation of innate notions – like that of God, or time without end – and upholded that the infant during birth has no any form of knowledge and he compared it to a blank page, and in severe terms, it does not stay alive yet. It is important to note that when he selects the subject of his title, Locke never used the term â€Å"mind† which could propose a notion of something really stays alive like an object or a permanent structure (Dunn, 1999). In opposition to that, he chose the term â€Å"understanding† which proposes the idea of a continous process. What he meant here is that a child is never born with any knowledge and he only gets to understand things once hegrows up. This is because Locke believed that knowledge is mainly based on learning from â€Å"expereince†. According to him, a newly born baby has no form of expereince therefore has no type of knowledge. Although Locke understood that expereince depicts two forms – one centered on â€Å"reflection† or reasoning and the other on â€Å"sensation†, he openly impl ied that all automated expereinces are secondary derived from those obtained through the senses (Dunn, 1999). This happens even if the mind may generate completely new forms of automated expereince. This means that reflection is not only the meager copy of sensation, although its natural fabricis developed from it. It is clear from the theory of Human Understanding that Locke supported Modern science which suggests similar notions about human beings. Modern science assumes a child to be of little knowledge who does what he does not understand. For example, a baby can relieve himself and still eat the same waste because he doe not understand what he is doing. At the same time, a child can dare touch fire or hot substance and until it burns him is when he realizes that that is dangerous. Therefore, modern science and Jonk Locke’s theory of Human Understanding are more less the same because they contain same notions about human being. Although Locke was sometimes depicted as a c hristian due to his attendance and knowledge about church, he evidently attempted to justify modern science. Moreover, his other influential theory is that of availability of simple and complicated ideas. According to him, both of them belong to fields of expereince (Dunn, 1999). While simple notions are basically data that is received by the mind meaning that it is non-reducible to more basic ones. Complicated notions on the other hand are made up of a combination of basic ones. This theory was very instrumental during the aristotle

Benefits of Non Verbal Communication Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Non Verbal Communication Essay Non verbal communication is defined as certain ways that a person communicates his thoughts and meanings without actually saying anything. These are the subtle clues that can help an investigating officer uncover a truth while questioning a suspect or witness or can lead him to more questions that will aid the investigating team. Programs such as CSI have shown us how police officers and crime scene investigators utilize contradicting, complementing, substituting, accenting, or regulating verbal messages. An investigating officer will benefit immensely from being familiar with these methods because of the way a crime scene is most often chaotic and witnesses who are being questioned are dealing with fear of being implicated in the case or perhaps, trying to cover their own involvement in the case. A sample of a contradicting non verbal communication that he can look out for has to do with the way a witness recalls the events as it transpired in a certain case. When a witness is looking down while relating the events transpired, that witness is most likely creating a memory. A person recalling a memory usually looks upward when trying to remember events, places, and situations. Under such circumstances, he should take notes and make sure to verify all the events by interviewing other people who might attest to the validity of the statements previously made. He may also consider the tone of voice of a person being interrogated. When a person is trying to hide a truth, there is a certain intonation and nervousness in the voice that usually causes it to raise in tone by a pitch or so. The officer must make sure to gain the trust and confidence of the witness or accused prior to questioning to keep the person off guard in order to get the most truthful answers out of them. A parole officer on the other hand must be highly observant and familiar with the psychological profile of his parolee that could indicate his behavior during certain situations in order to easily recognize the signs being displayed by the parolee when he comes in for his weekly reports. While meeting with the parolee, he should observe his complementing and accenting behavior. Particularly the first time the person enters the room. Does he shake your hand? Does he make eye contact? Does he seem nervous and on the edge? All of these could add up to a specific non verbal message that will give one an insight into the real score behind what the parolee wants to portray as truth. He should then react accordingly by enticing the person to become more open and share more information with him. In the event that the parolee begins to display accenting behavior such as hitting the table or throwing something, he must be prepared to restrain the person and try to snap him out of his mood. The one non verbal communication that both an investigating and parole officer must be quick to realize are the regulating non verbal communication tools. Such actions could be a simple look of question, a hint of despair in the eyes, or the wringing of hands of the person spoken to. Once recognized, he must be prepared to follow up on the subtle messages either by asking follow up questions or reassuring the person that the officer is in charge and everything is under control. People say that there is no such thing as the perfect crime. I have to agree with that statement because any officer who is familiar and highly observant when it comes to non verbal communication cues will easily be able to follow up on subtle clues not included in the physical evidence present at a crime scene or parole interview.

The Blah of Blah :: essays papers

The Blah of Blah The 6-pounder field gun was a lightweight, mobile piece that was a favorite of the field artillery in the first half of the nineteenth century. Rapid changes in technology and design had largely superseded it by the beginning of the American Civil War, but when superior weaponry was not available, some 6-pounders saw action. NOTE: While some of the guns illustrated here may have played little or no part in the Civil War, they are included here because photos of them have been published nowhere else. 6-pounder iron field gun, Model of 1819. Total length, 71.6 inches; weight, 742 pounds; total production, approximately 100 by Fort Pitt Foundry; known survivors, 30. Known as a "Walking Stick" for its slimness, this is the first identified model with full rimbases. It pioneered simplicity of design that was not to be fully accepted for another forty years. Its 10-inch diameter reinforce, combined with the unreliable cast iron of that period, proved notoriously fragile. 6-pounder iro n field gun, Pattern of 1827. Total length, 57 inches; weight, 780 pounds; total production, 98 by Fort Pitt Foundry; known survivors, 7. A stubbier version of the Model of 1819. 6-pounder iron field gun, Model of 1834. Total length, 60.5 inches; weight, 835 pounds; total production, 134 by Columbia and Fort Pitt Foundries; known survivors, 16. The guns of this pattern were the last fieldpieces made by either foundry. 6-pounder bronze field gun, Model of 1835. Total length, 65.6 inches; weight, 740 pounds; total production, 57 by Cyrus Alger and N.P. Ames; known survivors, 19. This slimmer version of the later Model of 1841 represents the return to bronze as the preferred material for fieldpieces. 6-pounder iron field gun, Model of 1836. Total length, 65.6 inches; weight, 785 pounds; total production, 13 by Alger; known survivors, 3. Identical in design to the bronze Model of 1835 above. 6-pounder bronze field gun, Model of 1838. Total length, 59.3 inches; weight, 690 pounds; total production, 96 by Cyrus Alger and N.P. Ames; known survivors, 29. A shorter version of the bronze Model of 1835 above with the same Registry Number series continuing from it for both foundries. Markings on bronze Models of 1835 and 1838 fieldpieces. Unlike the markings on earlier and later cannon, the Registry Number, weight and inspectors' initials are located on the upper breech.