We The People

â€Å"We the People†¦ † Marked the opening of the country of America. These three words are the first three words written on the constitution which is known to be the framework of which this country is run. A country that gives all the promises of â€Å"liberty†, â€Å"justice†, â€Å"property†, and â€Å"life† through this document. This Is a document that has said they will give all in a secular manner. All matters that involve religion will not govern the country.If this said to be true, than certain practices such as Insuring Justice, does not come into agreement with their secular statement. This does not account for all forms of Insuring Justice but only for parts. The classification of crime Is divided Into two parts, the misdemeanors and the felony, Misdemeanors are punished with the use of temporary Isolation from society gall), mandatory aiding of the society (community services or reprimanding the Individual from the liberties of lif e.On the other side of crimes, a felony could also be punished using any of the methods mentioned afore, but In the case where one's life or liberty has been harmed. The methods are taken to a level of punishment higher than that of a misdemeanors; â€Å"death or imprisonment in excess of one year† (Defenestration. Com). Sentencing a person convicted of a felony to death is legal in some states and illegal in others.The death penalty is decided for those who commit crimes such as â€Å"First-degree murder with special circumstances; sabotage; train wrecking causing death; treason; perjury causing execution of an innocent person; fatal assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence† in some state or in the case of most states as long as en has committed capital murder with a certain number of aggravating circumstances. Some states have abolished the death penalty while others are in pending state where advocates of abolishing this form of punishment state that it is â₠¬Å"too costly and time consuming† (Death Penalty Information center).The removal of the death penalty is not an argument of whether or not it is moral or constitutional, but if is financially efficient. The death penalty is service of Justice in which the problem that has harmed not only those involved directly but the community as a hole is removed. The only goal that has been reached by this conclusion Is that the problem is no longer evident. Has Justice really been served to the one that has been deceased? Using the bases of the Constitution to run this country on the subject of legality, religion is not involved but the factual evidence of science would.Scientifically speaking, after the human passes away, the human body decomposes underground (â€Å"What Happens to Our Body After Death†) and this would leave the true victim and the defendant on the same level. Neither would suffer more than the other since both are no longer living, the only ones that would gain f rom the situation Is those who are alive. If the law of the land promises all what they were given from birth, this Is a form of justice that will not make the mark. The law should stick to that which it has promised not only benefiting those who are alive but those who left as well.Knowing what the one that has left is impossible but that person should not be made of equal to the one that has caused the misfortune. The correctness is punishment of the written. The Constitution is a secular document free of religious attribution since â€Å"the U. S. Government derives from people, as it clearly states in the preamble: â€Å"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union†¦. â€Å"† (Walker, â€Å"The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion†). Works Cited â€Å"Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty. † Death Penalty Information Center. We The People â€Å"We the People†¦ † Marked the opening of the country of America. These three words are the first three words written on the constitution which is known to be the framework of which this country is run. A country that gives all the promises of â€Å"liberty†, â€Å"justice†, â€Å"property†, and â€Å"life† through this document. This Is a document that has said they will give all in a secular manner. All matters that involve religion will not govern the country.If this said to be true, than certain practices such as Insuring Justice, does not come into agreement with their secular statement. This does not account for all forms of Insuring Justice but only for parts. The classification of crime Is divided Into two parts, the misdemeanors and the felony, Misdemeanors are punished with the use of temporary Isolation from society gall), mandatory aiding of the society (community services or reprimanding the Individual from the liberties of lif e.On the other side of crimes, a felony could also be punished using any of the methods mentioned afore, but In the case where one's life or liberty has been harmed. The methods are taken to a level of punishment higher than that of a misdemeanors; â€Å"death or imprisonment in excess of one year† (Defenestration. Com). Sentencing a person convicted of a felony to death is legal in some states and illegal in others.The death penalty is decided for those who commit crimes such as â€Å"First-degree murder with special circumstances; sabotage; train wrecking causing death; treason; perjury causing execution of an innocent person; fatal assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence† in some state or in the case of most states as long as en has committed capital murder with a certain number of aggravating circumstances. Some states have abolished the death penalty while others are in pending state where advocates of abolishing this form of punishment state that it is â₠¬Å"too costly and time consuming† (Death Penalty Information center).The removal of the death penalty is not an argument of whether or not it is moral or constitutional, but if is financially efficient. The death penalty is service of Justice in which the problem that has harmed not only those involved directly but the community as a hole is removed. The only goal that has been reached by this conclusion Is that the problem is no longer evident. Has Justice really been served to the one that has been deceased? Using the bases of the Constitution to run this country on the subject of legality, religion is not involved but the factual evidence of science would.Scientifically speaking, after the human passes away, the human body decomposes underground (â€Å"What Happens to Our Body After Death†) and this would leave the true victim and the defendant on the same level. Neither would suffer more than the other since both are no longer living, the only ones that would gain f rom the situation Is those who are alive. If the law of the land promises all what they were given from birth, this Is a form of justice that will not make the mark. The law should stick to that which it has promised not only benefiting those who are alive but those who left as well.Knowing what the one that has left is impossible but that person should not be made of equal to the one that has caused the misfortune. The correctness is punishment of the written. The Constitution is a secular document free of religious attribution since â€Å"the U. S. Government derives from people, as it clearly states in the preamble: â€Å"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union†¦. â€Å"† (Walker, â€Å"The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion†). Works Cited â€Å"Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty. † Death Penalty Information Center.

Values vs Ethics in Counselling Homosexual in Africa

VALUES VERSUS ETHICS IN COUNSELLING HOMOSEXUAL DONE BY: SOUD TENGAH BA COUNSELLING MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY DATE: NOVEMBER 2010 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page Introduction 3 Definitions 3 Origin of Homosexuality 4 Stages of Homosexuality 7 Counselling Homosexual 8 Conclusion 11 Bibliography 13 2 INTRODUCTION Homosexuality is an issue that has often been challenging to counsellors mainly due to lack of in depth information on the issues or personal values that majority of therapist hold dear to themselves. Although counselling services has been rendered to this cluster of people there are number of issues which still emerge as a conflict to some counsellors. Core of this essay is try to find answers for counsellors who struggle in counselling homosexual due to their existing values versus counselling ethics. In addition this essay attempt to unravel some of definitions on sexuality; origin of homosexuality and stages of homosexuality. The essay will also give a personal conclusion on counselling homosexual in relation to individual values. DEFINITIONS Sexual Orientation According to the American Psychological Association, (2008) sexual orientation is enduring and also refers to a person's sense of â€Å"personal and social identity on those attractions, behaviours expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them. There are three main classification of sexual orientation: homosexual; heterosexual and bisexual. Homosexuality An attraction to and involvement with members of one’s own sex, usually including sexual relations (Feltham & Dryden, 2004) Gay generally refers to male homosexuality, and lesbian refers only to female homosexuality (Sanders & Kroll, 2000). Heterosexual Is an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affection, physical or romantic attractions primarily to persons of the opposite sex (American Psychological Association, 2008). Sexual orientation which one is attracted to involved with members of the opposite sex (Feltham & Dryden, 2004). 3 Bisexuality Bisexuality is sexual attitude and behaviour which is neither exclusively heterosexual nor exclusively homosexual. (Feltham & Dryden, 2004) Asexual People who have a distinct but not exclusive preference for one sex over the other may also identify themselves as bisexual. Bogaert, 2006) Homophobia According to Sanders and Kroll (2000) is an irrational fear, intolerance, or hatred of gay men and lesbians. Heterosexism Is defined as â€Å"a belief in the inherent superiority of one form of loving (male with female) over all others and thereby the right to cultural dominance† (Sanders & Kroll, 2000). ORIGIN OF HOMOSEXUALITY An indisputable and universal fact about humanity is that every-one owes their existence to the union between their father and mother. This forms the basis for the family, the social unit of society. However, homosexual behaviour also has been known to be present in some societies throughout history in varying degrees of prevalence. According to Hubbard, (1993) over the past thirty years or so, such homosexuality behaviour has become increasingly mainstream and open. Varying theories that have been proposed to explain the genesis of homosexuality. However, this essay will focus on brief description of four theories in order to demonstrate the different angles from which the topic has been tackled. Psychoanalysis theory According to Freud (1953) believed that all humans were born bisexual in nature, and from this state, as a result of restriction in one direction or the other, both heterosexuality and homosexuality developed. He also made the distinction between two types of homosexual (or ‘invert') those who are like women, seeking masculine men, and others who seek feminine qualities in their partners. Some individuals may 4 display predominantly one type of inversion or the other, whereas others might display a certain amount of both types of inversion. Different causal factors were therefore suspected for the two. Freud realised that the aetiology of homosexuality was complex, and suspected that â€Å"the choice between ‘innate' and ‘acquired' is not an exclusive one, or . . . it does not cover all the issues involved† (Freud ,1953) In his teaching Freud, (1953) claimed that all homosexual men have unresolved pre-oedipal conflicts, that is, they did not successfully negotiate the separation-individuation phase of early childhood. In this way, early childhood stress leads to obligatory, exclusive homosexuality, whereas stress in the later oedipal phase leads to partial, non-obligatory homosexuality. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association decided to drop homosexuality (per se) from the diagnostic nomenclature. It should be noted that Freud himself had maintained that â€Å"it is not scientifically feasible to draw a line of demarcation between what is psychically normal or abnormal; so that the distinction, in spite of its practical importance, possesses only a conventional value. † (Frediani, 2000) Many of the case studies described have looked for specific aspects in an individual's environment during development which can lead to adult homosexuality. Such reports have commonly found one or more of the following factors to be unusual in some respect in the childhood of homosexuals: parental hopes before birth for a child of the other sex; difficulties at birth; slight anatomical differences between identical twins leading to a special attachment of one child or the other to their mother; parental attitude toward the role of the individual child, disclosed through the naming of the child; the position of the father in the family; strength of the relationship between father and child; competition for the affections of the mother; and, a ‘twinning reaction' or mutual dependence between twins, especially noticeable in identical pairs (Frediani, 2000) Genetic theory According to Kallmann (1952), reported a one hundred percent concordance in identical twins for homosexuality, and only twelve percent concordance in fraternal twins (identical twins result from a fertilised egg splitting in half and each half continues to grow as an embryo. Thus, the identical twins have an identical genetic code. Fraternal twins do not have identical genetic codes as each twin arises from different fertilised eggs). Subsequent studies have failed to repeat Kallman's findings. Kallman later 5 himself postulated that this impressive concordance was an artefact due to the fact his sample was largely drawn from mentally ill, institutionalized patients (Kallaman, 1952). In summary, it is difficult to reach conclusions from twin studies published to date. Most studies have a small sample size and/or contain technical flaws in study design and methodology. Some studies suggest a genetic basis, while others do not. As Byne and Parsons (1993) what is intriguing in twin studies that have been published is the large proportion of identical twins that are discordant for homosexuality despite sharing not only their genes but also their prenatal and familial environments. Hormonal Studies There is also a popular belief that sexual preference is determined by hormone levels. Ellis and Ames (1987) have proposed gestational neurohormonal theory of human sexual orientation, which deals with the genesis of heterosexuality as well as homosexuality. They propose that sexual orientation is primarily determined by the degree to which the nervous system is exposed to testosterone, estradiol, and to certain other sex hormones while neuro-organization is taking place, predominantly between the middle of the second and the end of the fifth month of gestation. According to this theory, â€Å"complex combinations of genetic, hormonal, neurological, and environmental factors operating prior to birth largely determine what an individual's (adult) sexual orientation will be. † This theory makes many testable predictions, e. g. that homosexuality should primarily be a male phenomenon, that homosexuals should have higher frequencies of other sexual inversions than heterosexuals, that relationships between parents and homosexual offspring may be strained and/or assume some cross-sex characteristics, and that homosexuality should reflect a significant degree of heritability (as hormone production and action is under significant genetic control). Such predictions seem to agree with previous research and general intuitions regarding homosexuality. Support for the gestational neurohormonal theory includes a recent study (LeVay, 1991) which reported a difference in hypothalamic structure between heterosexual and homosexual men, although Ellis and Ames warn that several decades of intense, further research may be required to adequately test the theory. 6 Neuro-anatomic Studies In 1991, a report was published claiming that an area of the hypothalamus known as INAH3 is smaller in homosexual men and heterosexual women (LeVay, 1991). The report received immense media coverage. The study was conducted on brain tissues from cadavers Included were nineteen homosexuals, sixteen presumed heterosexual men, and six presumed heterosexual women. A number of factors make interpretation of the study difficult. Sexual histories were inadequate and a significant proportion of the subjects were presumed to have a certain orientation. All of the homosexuals died of AIDS, while only six of the presumed heterosexual men group died of AIDS. One can propose a hypothesis that the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) could affect brain tissue including the hypothalamus, and since reduced testosterone (a male hormone) has been documented to occur in patients with AIDS, this may be one of the mechanisms. Certain medications like antifungal administered for the treatment of infections can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, but inadequate medical information is supplied in the study. Heterosexuals with AIDS often receive inferior medical care than homosexuals with AIDS as they more often are intra-venous drug users. This may also affect the results of the study, as the heterosexuals with AIDS may have had a different disease course and died at an early stage of infection (Byne and Parsons, 1993). Moreover, the area of the hypothalamus in question was larger in some of the homosexuals than in many of the heterosexuals, and smaller in some of the heterosexuals than many of the homosexuals. Hence, one cannot determine someone's sexual preferences by looking at his/her hypothalamus (Hubbard and Wald 1993). The claim that homosexuality is a biologically predetermined characteristic, and homosexuals are â€Å"born that way† stands on flimsy genetic, hormonal and neuroanatomic evidence. A consistent and reproducible biologic difference has yet to be demonstrated (Demeter et al, 1988) STAGES OF HOMOSEXUALITY Stages of Homosexuality For counsellor who sexuality is an issue, understanding stages of homosexuality is even more important. Cass (1979) lists six stages that many homosexuals go through when dealing with their own sexual orientation. The basic model that Cass has proposed includes: 7 ? Identity Confusion – In this stage, individuals begin to wonder if they may be homosexual. They may consider the possibility, or reject it. If they choose to consider the possibility, they will move to the second stage. ? Identity Comparison – Here, individuals may begin looking at others and comparing themselves to homosexuals and non homosexuals in the surrounding environment. At this point, individuals may make contact with another homosexual person. ? Identity Tolerance – Individuals are becoming increasingly committed to the homosexual identity and may seek out more and more homosexual contacts. The self-image is still one of merely â€Å"tolerating† the homosexuality, rather than embracing it. ? Identity Acceptance – At this point, a more positive view of homosexuality begins to develop. Individuals may feel they fit into the homosexual society. However, they will generally attempt to â€Å"pass† for heterosexual, and self-disclosure will be limited. ? Identity Pride – Individuals in this stage characteristically feel a great deal of pride about their homosexuality. They will identify strongly with other homosexuals and feel anger at the way society treats homosexuals as a whole. They are often very conspicuous in their sexuality. ? Identity Synthesis – Finally, the influence of positive non homosexuals helps individuals become aware that all heterosexuals are not bad. At this point, they may feel â€Å"settled in† to their identity, neither ashamed of it nor needing to â€Å"flaunt† it. (Cass, 1984). COUNSELLING HOMOSEXUAL Ethical and Value Issues It will be a suicidal to this essay, to focus on ethics versus values in counselling a homosexual and not focus on religion. From a historical perspective, religion has been in existence as long as civilization. For many centuries, it was central to the function of society, in day to day, as well as political life. Religion invokes a feeling of respect of something greater than yourself, which is central in guiding your life. Sample the two largest religion globally, Christianity and Islam on the beliefs they hold on homosexual (Harvey, 2000). Christianity believes; †¢ Leviticus. 18:22, â€Å"You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination†. 8 †¢ 1 Leviticus. 20:13, â€Å"If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them† †¢ 1 Corinthians. 6:9-10, â€Å"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. † While the Islamic faith believes; †¢ â€Å"We also sent Lut : He said to his people : â€Å"Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. † Qur'an 7:80-81 †¢ †¢ â€Å"What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but ye are forward folk. † Qur'an 26:165 The Prophet (saws) said:†May Allah curse him who does that Lot's people did. (Ibn Hibban, authentic) Religious and cultural beliefs, for many represent deeply held convictions about choice and approaches to life that go beyond simple preferences. These beliefs reflect value sets that are at the core of one’s being, and the fear that the higher authority is key to determining how a person's life turns out, it is also cause for concern in doing anything against the principles dictated by the set of beliefs that a person is following. Being brought up in a Muslim family background, where Islamic teachings and values are practiced, and modelled in the teachings that carry over weight to secular institutions, I have found it difficult for me to downplay the teaching of Islamic religion on homosexuality. I wonder, am I to be valueless as counsellors at the same time try to empower clients to develop and practice values of their choice as long as there is no harm to self or others? For long I have been struggling to counsel a client who subscribe to homosexual as his sexual orientation. Am also not sure for how long will I be referring clients who are homosexual or is it ethical right to keep on refer homosexual on the basis of conflicting with my values? 9 Working with lesbian and gay men often presents a challenge to counsellors who hold traditional values. Even counsellors who accept same-sex relationships intellectually may reject them emotionally. Counsellors who have negative reactions to homosexual are more likely to impose their own values (Buhrke & Douce 1991). However the ethical codes of American Counselling Association(ACA), American Psychological Association (APA)and National Association of Social Workers(NASW) clearly states that discrimination on the basis of minority status-be it race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation – is unethical and acceptable (Buhrke & Douce 1991) While am still pondering in my role as a counsellor, actively attempt to understand the origin of homosexuality, stages in involves and diverse cultural backgrounds of the clients I serve. Of course, counsellors can, and should, seek to understand all forms of diversity. However, there is a difference between understanding and agreeing with something or someone. If counsellors’ convictions leave them disagreeing with the basic beliefs of their clients to the point where being therapeutic is in question, then should they avoid these relationships? To disregard one’s religious influences would be demonstrating a lack of self respect – the very thing counsellors try to help clients maintain and build upon? Am also wondering whether a given counsellor should counsel any and every client? I tend to believe we all have biases. Sometimes a personal bias, religious or otherwise, would prevent a counsellor from providing the high quality, neutral service that fully respects the client and the client’s right to selfdetermination. In my opinion to demand that counsellors always be neutral regardless of their biases and convictions is to demand superhuman abilities. According to Hermann and Herlihy (2006) justice involves awareness of counsellors own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with the counselling goals. It is also noted in the ACA codes that another way for counsellors to both avoid imposing values and to respect client diversity is to make appropriate referrals if necessary. The Code addresses this by stating that â€Å"if counsellors determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients, they avoid entering or continuing professional relationships† (ACA, 2005, A. 11. b). If counsellors discover conflicts in values that are likely to cause harm to clients or hinder their therapeutic effectiveness, then they should â€Å"terminate the counselling relationship when it becomes 10 reasonably apparent that the client no longer needs assistance, is not likely to benefit, or is being harmed by continued counselling† (ACA, 2005, A. 11. c). In reference to ACA (2005) Beneficence is the primary responsibility of counsellors to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients. Nonmaleficence means avoiding doing harm, which includes refraining from actions that risk hurting clients, either intentionally or unintentionally. While Autonomy entails acknowledging the right of another to choose and act in accordance with his or her wishes and the professional behaves in a way that enables this right of another person. Despite the codes emphasis on, counsellor’s awareness of the intimacy responsibilities inherent in the counselling relationship, maintain respect for clients, and avoid actions that seek to meet their personal needs at the expense of clients. However one will only respect the dignity and promote the welfare f clients when we are aware of our own limitations not when we eliminate our own values. What is truly important is that we treat everyone with respect and understanding, even those with whom we may not agree. That is the spirit behind the Code. However, to â€Å"treat with respect† by counselling clients with whom our values conf lict would increase the likelihood of our doing harm. Yet, Hermann and Herlihy cite Remley and Herlihy (2005) when stating that â€Å"if a counsellor’s values were so strong that he or she could not counsel clients with differing beliefs, we would be concerned that the counsellor is not well-suited for the counselling profession†. However such generalization is likely to scare many counsellors including myself from the profession who could otherwise be competent with many populations rather than forcing them to suppress their religious beliefs lest they be accused of being judgmental. Conclusion In writing this essay I studied both schools of thought in-depth, on the origin of homosexuality and religious values that some counsellors subscribed to and I firmly conclude that, there is no clear evidence yet as to origin of homosexuality. While I am not neglecting existing theories, I feel the main concern as a practising counsellor would to focus on self awareness and respect to others without losing his own identity or values. 11 Finally, in my research for this essay I tend to agree with the following recommendations by Feltham & Horton, (2000) for counsellors unable to compromise their religiously based moral values. Training workshops, which include didactic presentation about lesbian, gay and bisexual psychology including the various models of coming out Personal therapy and self awareness work to explore some of the histories in some depth, with therapists who have themselves done the required work: supervision with lesbian, gay and bisexual therapist on client work. Spending time with lesbian, gay and bisexual people at work and in recreation Personal contacts through genuine friendships have been demonstrated to be powerful ways of changing opinions and behaviours. (Although this could certainly be understood as replacing one set of values with another) 12 Reference ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? American Psychological Association. http://www. apa. org/topics/sorientation. html#whatis. Retrieved 2008-08-12 Bogaert, Anthony F. (2006) Toward conceptual understanding of asexuality. Review of General Psychology 10 (3): 241–250. Byne, W. and Parsons, B. (1993) Human Sexual Orientation. The Biologic Theories Reappraised†, Arch Gen Psychiatry, vol 50, March 1993. pp 228-239. C, Feltham. and I, Horton. (2000) Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage C, Feltham. and W, Dryden. (2004) Dictionary of Counselling, (2nd Ed). London: Whurr Publishers Cass, V. (1979) Homosexual identity formation. A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 4 (3), 219-235. Cass, V. (1984) Homosexual identity formation. Testing a theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 20 (2), 143-167. Demeter 5, Ringo J. and Doty R. (1988) Morohometric Analysis of the Human Corpus Collosum and the Anterior Commissure. Human Neurobiology 1988. 6:219-226 Ellis, L. and Ames, M. A. 1987) Neurohormonal Functioning and Sexual Orientation: A Theory of Homosexuality – Heterosexuality† Psychol Bull. 1987;101:233-258 Frediani, J. A. (2000). Sexuality and our faith: A companion to our whole lives for adults. Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association. Freud, S. (1953). Three ess ays on the theory of sexuality. London: Hogarth Press Freud, S. (1962). Three essays on the theory of sexuality. New York: Basic Books Harvey, Graham. (2000) Indigenous Religions: A Companion. (Ed: Graham Harvey). London and New York: Cassell. Hermann, M. A. , & Herlihy, B. R. (2006) â€Å"Legal and ethical implications of refusing to counsel homosexual clients†. Journal of Counselling & Development, 84, 414-418. Hubbard, R. Wald, E. (1993) Exploding the Gene Myth. Boston. Beacon Press Kallmann, F. (1952) â€Å"Comparative Twin Study on the Genetic Aspects of Male Homosexuality† J Nerv Ment Dis. 1952. 115:283-298. 13 ? ? ? LeVay, S. (1991) â€Å"A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men† Science 1991;253:1034-1037 Robin, A. Buhrke. and Louise, A. Douce. (1991) Training Issues for Counseling Psychologists in Working with Lesbian Women and Gay Men. London: Sage Sanders, G. L. &Kroll, I. T. (2000) â€Å"Generating stories of resilience: Helping gay and lesbian youth and their families†. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26, 433-442. 14

Reasons for Lack of Development in Laos

In South East Asia, in the centre of the Southeast Asian peninsula, lies the land-locked country Laos. The country that is now the Lao People†s Democratic Republic (LPDR, or Laos) has a slightly greater land area than Uganda and is bordered by several countries. On the north lies China, on the north-east Vietnam, on the south it is bordered by Cambodia, on the west by Thailand, and on the north-west by Burma. These neighbours have, to varying degrees, influenced Laotian historical, cultural, and political development. The recorded history of Laos began in the fourteenth century with Fa Ngum (reigned 1353-73), the first king of Lan Xang. Prior to this, Laos was inhabited by Mongols. Under Fa Ngum, the territory of Lan Xang was extended and it remained in these approximate borders for another 300 years. In the 1690†³s conflicts arose with Burma, Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, and the Khmer kingdom, and they continued in the eighteenth century ending in Siamese domination. Early in the nineteenth century, Siam held authority over much of the territory of contemporary Laos, which then consisted of the principalities of Louang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. Siam at the time sought to extend its influence in Indochina since it faced conflicts with France, which then had established a protectorate over Vietnam. By the end of the nineteenth century, France had replaced Siam as the dominant power on the South East Asian peninsula. In 1890, Laos was integrated into the French colonial empire of Indochina as a group of directly ruled provinces, except for Louang Phrabang, which was ruled as a protectorate. The French ruled indirectly through the king of Louang Phrabang and a hierarchy of royal officials, although the French resident supervisor always had the final word. The French in 1946 signed an agreement with the king of Louang Phrabang that established him as king of a unified Laos within the French Union. The French granted internal rule over a united Laos in 1949 and most of the nationalist leaders, who had fled at the time of the French reoccupation, returned to the country. However, Laos remained part of the French union. In 1954, independence was recognised by the Geneva Conference. In the following years the Pathet Lao, a group of pro-Communist nationalists that was aided by North Vietnam, gained strength as a rival to the Royal Lao Government (RLG). Coalition governments in 1957 and 1962 lasted only a very short time, and fighting intensified between the two sides. Meanwhile Laos became increasingly involved in the conflict between the United States and Communist forces (Vietminh) in Vietnam. In 1964, the United States began bombing Laos with the aim of stopping the flow of troops and supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which ran from North Vietnam through Laos to South Vietnam. The bombing continued for several years and caused immense damage. In 1973 a cease-fire was finally arranged in Laos and the following year a coalition government was formed. In 1975, after the Communist victories in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Pathet Lao took control of government and in December the Lao People†s Democratic Republic was declared. After that the American aid was withdrawn, Laos formed special relationships with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Vietnam, which stationed many thousands of troops and advisers in the country. But by 1986 the state of the economy was so poor that the government introduced major reforms, including making the majority of public enterprises independent of state control. One of the government†s aims was to decrease dependence on Vietnam, and in more recent years it has also established better relations with neighbouring Thailand, as well as other countries such as the United States, which has agreed to extend development aid in return for a crackdown on the drug trade. Laos is largely mountainous and forested, and only about 4 percent of its total land area is arable. With about 54 per cent covered with forests, the country is made up of a mountainous area extending north and south throughout most of the country and a small area of lowland on the southern and south-western borders. The mountainous area covers about nine-tenths of the country and can be divided into a northern section and a southern section. The northern section has heavily forested mountain ranges and plateaux cut by deep, narrow valleys and gorges, and the south section contains more barren forested limestone terraces. The principal river of Laos, the Mekong, enters in the north-west from Thailand and flows south along the border between Thailand and Laos before entering Cambodia. The offshoots of the Mekong rise in the mountains and flow through deep valleys. The climate of Laos is tropical, but there are wide variations in temperatures within different areas, mainly because of the variations in elevation. However, the principal climatic features are determined by the monsoons. The wet summer season takes place from about May to October, while the cool season lasts from about November to February. The remainder of the year is hot and humid. Laos has extensive forest resources, and although there has been a considerable deforestation in recent years, about half of the country is still covered with forests. There exists a so-called slash-and-burn agriculture which means that forests are burned in order to create fields for growing crops. The consequence if this is that the soil fails to fertilise, the lands are therefore abandoned and even more trees are cut down in another location. Together with poor forest management, the slash-and-burn methods are the main reasons behind the deforestation. Another negative consequence of the reduced forest resources, together with the changes in cultivation, is the deterioration in Laos† abundant water resources. Less than one-third of the rural population has access to safe drinking water. Recently, Laos has also had great environmental difficulties with its wildlife. About 70 percent of the wildlife habitat was lost during the 1980s, and a number of species of mammal, bird, and plant have been threatened with extinction. The population as of 1996 was estimated at approximately 4. 9 million people. The population growth rate is relatively high, it is estimated at about 2. 9 percent per year. However, child and infant mortality rates are also high, and life expectancy averages less than fifty-two years. The population density of Laos is quite low, with more than 85 percent of the population being rural, living in small villages of less than 1,000 people. Rural life is dependant of the changing agricultural seasons, such as conditions of drought or flood. Those staying in urban areas mostly live in the Mekong River valley towns and those of its offshoots. Vientiane, the capital and largest city of Laos, is also the centre of a very limited industrial sector. The effects of recent economic reforms have been rather limited and mainly concentrated to the Vientiane plain. There is a great lack of recent statistics of Laos and many of them are not very reliable. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a gross national product (GNP) estimated to range from US$295 to US$350 per inhabitant and a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$206 per capita. The Laotian economy is heavily influenced by the weather since it is mainly based on agriculture, which employs most of the population. The main crop is rice but corn, vegetables, tobacco, coffee, and other foods are also grown. It has been said that Laos has a largely unskilled work force and that it needs development. Advancements such as these are particularly important for two areas with potentially high foreign exchange earnings; agro-forestry and hydropower. Forestry has been a source of economic benefit despite the lack of a modern transportation network. Laos† other many resources include gypsum, tin, gold, and iron ore, but the potential for the exportation of these resources has not yet been realised. However, the government is attempting to expand industrial activities. By far, imports surpass exports. The country has to import manufactured goods, medicine, and machinery. Laos exports electricity from its hydroelectric power stations, wood products, textiles, coffee, and tin, but these commodities are all very limited. Laos is also a major producer of opium. The economy depends heavily on foreign aid which comes mostly from Western nations. Some of the aid that the government receives is used to stop the drug trade. Today the literacy rate of Laos is approximately 57 percent. The education and social services of the country are primitive, although some improvements have been made lately. The LPDR has made a commitment to five years of universal primary education, but limited financial resources and a lack of trained teachers and teaching materials have restricted educational opportunities. Enrolments have increased, however. Western health care is largely restricted to the more â€Å"urban† areas, due to the difficulties of transportation. Similarly, improvements in health care are constrained by finances and the limited numbers of trained health care workers. About 85 per cent of the Lao are Theravada Buddhist and many Lao, especially the highland mountain peoples, practice animism. Buddhism has long been a strong force in Lao culture and remains a major influence in everyday life, despite a Communist government. Even top officials worship in the Buddhist tradition. Each Lao village has its own temple, called a wat, which is the centre of festivities and rituals. The Laotian culture is closely knitted with its religion. Buddhist temples in every village serve as intellectual centres. The life of the Lao peasant is organised around religion, and most activities are directed by the Buddhist calendar. Louang Phrabang and Vientiane are known as â€Å"Cities of a Thousand Temples† and have many examples of traditional Buddhist art and architecture. There are various reasons for the poor economic state and welfare position of Laos. The main reasons are three: political, economical, and geographical. The location of Laos has often made it a buffer between more powerful neighbouring states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication. Migration and international conflict have contributed to the present ethnic composition of the country and to the geographic distribution of its ethnic groups. On the other hand, this position has also often meant that the country has been a target for conflicts and considerable pressure. Its neighbours, such as Thailand (Siam) and Vietnam, have tried to influence and exploit Laos† weak position for their own interests, which in turn has been of great detriment for the country. As in most other underdeveloped countries, Laos has not had the capacity to exploit successfully its human and natural resources. The educational level of the population has stayed relatively low, and its rich natural wealth has not been developed in an appropriate manner. The weak political leadership has resulted in a mismanagement of the economy and of the potential possibilities of its population. Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia, and this naturally faces the country with great problems. Its natural resources are mostly unexploited or unsurveyed. Because of its mountainous topography, Laos has few reliable transportation routes. This inaccessibility has historically limited the ability of any government to maintain a presence in areas distant from the national or provincial capitals. It has also limited interchange and communication among villages and ethnic groups. The Mekong and Nam Ou rivers are the only natural channels suitable for large-draft boat transportation; furthermore, from December through May low water limits the size of the craft that may be used over many routes. The Khong falls at the southern end of the country also prevent access to the sea. Despite all the negative aspects of the Laotian political and economical environment that has been described above, many experts predict a relatively happy future for the country in the longer perspective. The country is today in peace and harmony, at least in comparison with the conditions ten or twenty years ago. There is no open threat from its neighbours, and no open rebellion from forces within the nation. The expectations from the donors community have grown, and many observers have great hopes that the economic development will go for the better in the coming years, partly as a consequence of the for relaxed conditions in Laos.

Chinese bank's potential to set up a new market in UK Essay

Chinese bank's potential to set up a new market in UK - Essay Example This paper will perform a feasibility study to evaluate a Chinese bank’s potential to set up a new market outside the country. Introduction Bank is one of the most common forms of financial services in an economy. The major function of a bank is to receive deposits from people and to lend money to potential customers. In every country, there is a central bank to manage the state’s currency rate, money supply, and interest rates. Economists unanimously propose that strength of the banking sector is a direct determinant of a country’s economic feasibility and sustainability. In order to attain greater level of operational efficiency and to sustain their operations, banks need to attract huge amounts of deposits. Although lending is a potential way to improve the profitability of banking operations, careless and excess lending would challenge the long term sustainability of banks. Thoughtless mortgage lending led to a series of bank failures in the United States ove r the last decade. Since then, banks all over the world have been giving increased focus to the repayability of loans granted. Many well established banks consider international operation as an effective strategy to spread risk elements and to achieve greater future certainty. New market in United Kingdom The feasibility study will be about setting a new market for the Chinese bank in United Kingdom. Evidently, UK is one of the most economically rich countries in the world and hence there is a greater scope for banking business in the UK market. In addition, UK stands well ahead of other developed countries in terms of industrial operations. Furthermore, the country is one of the strongest members in the EU. Hence, at the initial look it seems that UK is a potential market for the Chinese bank to promote its overseas operation. PESTLE analysis Political factors In the United Kingdom, the government exerts increased control over the banking industry blaming that thoughtless interfere nces of politicians caused a downturn in banking sector in the country recently. The government is likely to introduce stricter regulations in the near future so as to reduce the power of the banking institutions. Despite such regulations, increased political interferences still affect the flow of UK banking sector. According to PwC’s UK banking leader John Hitchins, growing political interferences coupled with stricter regulations have taken the banking sector’s future out of its control (Moore 2010). Economic factors While analyzing the economic landscape, it is clear that UK’s economic growth rate is lagging behind many other developed countries since the global financial crisis 2008-09. It must be particularly noted that the UK banks have significantly reduced the volume of lending over the last few years in response to a number of bank failures in the last decade. In 2011, four leading banks in UK including Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC , and Barclays restricted their property lending by a combined total of ?17.2 billion. Even though the Bank of England had announced an attractive plan to foster bank loans to medium sized businesses and home buyers, UK banks still hesitate to sanction property loans. Undoubtedly, this situation can be very helpful for the Chinese bank to set up its new market in UK. In addition, reports indicate that UK economy is

Using adsorbing process to capture CO2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Using adsorbing process to capture CO2 - Essay Example International and domestic policies and legislation require industrial plants with significant CO2 emissions to install carbon capture and storage technologies to immobilize carbon dioxide from the input and output/flue gases (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2008). Carbon dioxide can be captured before and after the combustion of the fossil fuels. The first step is to separate CO2 from the other gases in the mixture (called flue gases) using several techniques (Figure 1). The basis of the techniques is to trap or immobilize carbon dioxide on special surfaces or by dissolution in special solvents. The immobilized CO2 is then concentrated and/or contained, followed by transport through pipelines to storage facilities, mostly deep geologic formations (Metz, Davidson, de Coninck, Loos, & Meyer, 2007). In fossil fuel plants, the most common technique used is the absorption of carbon dioxide using chemical and physical means. Other methods are adsorption on solid surfaces, use of low temperatures (cryogenics), membranes and microbial systems. Adsorption is gaining users as new innovations become available. In industrial plants, adsorption is commonly used to remove impurities from gas mixture streams as in hydrogen-rich gases resulting from gasification and steam reforming during ammonia synthesis (John Mathey Catalysts, 2010). In the adsorption process, the gas mixture is introduced or passed through a bed of solids that selectively adsorbs CO2, allowing the other gases to just pass through. When the adsorbent bed is fully saturated with CO2, the feed gas is redirected to a clean adsorption bed, while the loaded bed is regenerated to remove the CO2. This is the basic adsorption process. After the adsorbing process, the adsorbed compounds should undergo desorption, or the process of removing the compounds from the adsorbing surface. The process of desorption should also regenerate the adsorbent material. For regeneration of the

Macbeth Act 5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macbeth Act 5 - Coursework Example This is another sign of ill conscience, of some cruelty committed by her. To wash someone’s hand means the person takes off responsibility for certain actions of his or of someone else. Lady Macbeth continuously trying to â€Å"wash her hands† of the blood, and it seems she does not succeed in it. It proves that Lady Macbeth’s mind is not at peace even when she sleeps. â€Å"It is an accustomed action with her, to seem/ thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in / this a quarter of an hour.† (4.1.25-27) 2. Is the murder of Duncan the only death that troubles Lady Macbeth? Answer specifically with direct quotations from the text. It is not only Duncan’s death that troubles Lady Macbeth. We do not know, if she feels guilty for many deaths her husband caused, such as the death of Macduff’s family, but we do know she feels responsible for Banquo’s murder. In her state of sleepwalking she talks to Macbeth â€Å"I tell you yet aga in, Banquo's buried; he/cannot come out on's grave.† (5.1.57-58) 3. Are you satisfied that Lady Macbeth is revealed in this state at the beginning of Act 5, or do you think that she should have had more scenes through the middle of the play? Explain your answer.

Corporate Governance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Corporate Governance - Assignment Example The firing style of the companies in the past can be described upfront as high-profile dismissals (Feintzeig 2). At present, almost all the companies take fulfilment in declaring to the world that they fired an official. This is a way that the board can show that it is awake and willing to exercise its rights in ensuring that the company attains its goals and objectives. Fillings presented to the Securities and Exchange Commission by companies have many cases of CEIO terminations (Feintzeig 3). Companies are coming out declare that they are terminating the services of CEO’s and are giving the reasons for doing so. For instance, the COO of Yahoo Inc. was fired recently because the board and the Chief Executive Officer felt that the company did not need him. All this terminations seem to come after disappointing results and accounting problems such as the Hertz Global Holdings where the CEO, Frissora, was fired (Feintzeig 2). The firing of the CEO’s is presently seen as a way to show that the board of directors cares about the interests of the shareholders. Though sometimes the company may try to conceal the reasons for an executives firing or resignation, they increasingly give suggestions on what exactly happened (Feintzeig 3). Therefore, the board of directors is responsible for the progress of the organization and the shareholders too. An executive is fired for cause when he or she is guilty or perpetrates serious offences that affect the progress of the company. In this case, the fired executive loses his or her right to compensation. On the other hand, an executive is fired without cause when he or she is fired without having done any serious offence that affects the company progress or without any reasons or forced to resign by the company. In this case, the executive has the right to compensation and can claim bigger packages (Feintzeig 4). The stigma of being fired has changed over time. In the recent past, it was deemed as harmful to a

Gay Marriage and American Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gay Marriage and American Family - Essay Example American manhood was symbolized as marketplace manhood with no time for family but engaged in business outside the home, he was restless, agitated, with power over other gender. (Kimmel 135). Homophobia is believed to be a byproduct of fear, the great secret of American manhood is [they] are afraid of other men, specifically to be identified as gays or be humiliated according to Kimmel (136). Homosexuality is considered by most Psychologists as mental disorder and therefore must be treated well. It has been part of the history since the early civilization but emerged lately after freedom was embraced by America in early 20th century. The emerging democracy in the late American period of economic development, many uprising had occurred that led to what America is now. The first would be the Feminist Group and later the Gay Movement. Accordingly, these movements have existed out of male dominance in the society, since American people yearn for freedom and liberty from bondage of inequality. Historically, homosexuality had been mentioned in the earliest community of Sodom and Gomorrah of the Bible; as the story goes, in that particular chapter of Genesis, an angel in the guise of men appeared to Lot, when the people learned about them, they wanted to have sex with these angelic men both young and old. Gay marriage is an issue of civic rights or human rights; the people of America have split opinion about same sex marriage. In one Human Rights Campaign sponsored symposium, Democratic candidates have aired opposing decision about the matter, among the seven attendees, only two were pro-same sex marriage. For them, it is a political issue about giving equal benefit to same-sex partners (Common Dreams). Even President George Bush is against same sex marriage. In the latest report in America according to New York Times, "only 56% of Americans are married today and, even more suprising, only 26% of all households are the traditional married-couple with children homes" (Parella). The number of gay-lesbian population is not increasing, the one increasing is the acceptance of the public of this arrangement (Parella). The most alarming in the American family is that those people who are in traditional marriage are in deep trouble like that of Brittany Spears, many of them collapse and leave tremendous effect on children and society. In Biblical point of view, marriage is sacred and consummate only within man and woman. It is God-instituted union of man and woman in order to build a family where God-fearing children will raise. Ted Mackin emphasized that for Christian man and woman "marriage is a sacrament" (as cited by Parella), within the union, "they find habitual attitude and conduct evidence of the presence of God." It is sharing of love within God's consent. Aside from that, marriage is union designed by God to nurture responsibility and in order to build a community of people based on the concept of procreation as commanded by God in the Bible. As what Parella had stated, "Marriage is an unconditional, life-long commitment between two persons who promise to share all of life and love, home and hearth, body and soul; marriage necessarily involves both the fullest of communication, the deepest of understanding, and the strongest of personal loyalty and trust between two people." It means that only death can part ways what has united in marriage; it is sharing unconditionally one's life with his partner. Marriage

Strategic uses of information technology Article

Strategic uses of information technology - Article Example The strategic uses of IT in the organization aimed at improving the internal processes, improving the firm’s products and relationships with customers or communication and maintaining relationships with other business partners. Information technology refers to modern communication systems and information processing technologies which help the management in decision making (Hughes, 2008). Information technology is necessary for the business since it helps the management in decision making. Information technology helps the business to achieve a competitive edge since it can be used for development of new products or differentiate already existing products and services. The information technology is necessary since it can help the business to increase the global market share and reduce the operating costs. Information technology also enables businesses to maintain working relationships with customers and other business stakeholders. Information technology enhances the service del ivery process since digital products can be delivered with ease. Information technology can also enhance the reputation and public image of the business. Information technology allows for online advertisements through websites and social networking sites which are an effective method of attracting new customers (Hughes, 2008).The innovation of information technology has enabled the businesses to develop new products like the Modems which are used to access internet connectivity.

ECO 5 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ECO 5 CA - Essay Example (Koutsoyannis, 192-199) First degree price discrimination- This incorporates negotiation between the individual customers and the seller for selling each unit of output at its corresponding prices, such that the monopolist can receive entire consumer’s surplus. So long as the price, discriminating manages to reap part of the consumers’ surplus his total revenue will be at the peak level, even if sells the quantity at the intersection point of MC curve with the MR curve. 2) Firms that practice price discrimination decide to charge that price for which the marginal cost is equal to the marginal revenue. Corresponding to that point of equality, we will get another point on the average revenue curve, which will tell us the price that the firm should charge to maximize its profits. Firms can also charge price based on the elasticity of demand. This implies an important fact that a monopolist will always operate in the elastic region of the demand curve. A monopolist will not be able to operate in the inelastic region of the demand curve because he will be getting negative marginal revenue, which is not at all desirable hence, he will operate only in the elastic region. If he operates in two markets where the elasticity is higher on one and lower on the other then he will charge a high price in the high elasticity market than in the low elasticity market. Producers can also decide their pricing strategies based on the marginal cost pricing approach. This means that if the producer operates in two markets and if he finds that the marginal cost of production if higher in the first market then in the second market then he will produce less in the first market and charge a high price in that market but in the second market he will produce more and charge a lower price thereby maximizing his profits. (Price Discrimination). The basis differentiation based on the gender for the

Divorce Among Koreans in the USA Research Paper

Divorce Among Koreans in the USA - Research Paper Example This may be true not only among Americans in the United States of America in recent developments but generally among all the peoples of the world. For instance, it is said that it is easier to divorce than to flag down a taxi in Korea. (Hayes, Sean. Reform of the Korean Divorce Law. OhmyNews INTERNATIONAL. [internet]) Korean divorce rate is one of the highest in the globe and possibly the highest in Asia. There are many possible reasons why the newest generation of Koreans has a high rate in divorce. It may be because of the new liberal and more dynamic and independent role of women in the new societal set-up or because of the rising trend for individualistic attitudes rather than for family advancement and value formation. It may also be due to society having modernized so quickly or due to personal demands for selfish gratification at the click of a finger. While a divorce or a separation helps any one of the spouses or the two of them in so many instances, this can only be fine and in order if there are no children affected as when the couple did not bear any. In another way of saying, children who are the products of a broken marriage almost always become menace to society as they resort to drugs, alcohol, unwanted pregnancies in the case of daughters, and other undesirable practices or behavior as acts of rebellion against the parents who have shattered what could have been a whole and happy family. In this treatise, the covered population pertains to first and second generations of Koreans in the United States of America. The opinions and findings of other researchers - a literature review In one study, statistics and findings showed that only a total of 6.1 % of Koreans in the United States are either separated or divorced, lower than that for other nationals. (Yu, Eui-Young, Peter Choe and Sang Il Han. Korean Population in the United States, 2000. Demographic Characteristics and Socio-Economic Status. page 9. [internet]). Curiously again, of one hundred thirty three Korean women interviewed in a 2003 study who live in the United States, only seven were divorced or separated. (Lee, Eunju. DOMESTIC CONFLICT AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG KOREAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. [internet]) The above observations simply indicate that divorce among Koreans in the United States has not reached any level of concern. As a matter of course, there is really not much justification to undertake a research on incidents of divorce among Koreans who reside in or have migrated to the United States. Instead, there is great consolation in discovering that Korean families in their foreign host country have endeavored as much as possible to see to it that the home environment is kept intact. This is confirmed by the fact that the bond of marriage has even strengthened among Korean Americans. As a matter of fact Korean Americans have changed their orientation

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay Example for Free

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay It is fair to say that capital punishment is under attack, particularly in the South where it is most commonly practiced. Not only have serious criticisms been raised by scholars in criminal justice, criminology and related disciplines, but newspapers have published scathing news reports suggesting that innocent people have been sentenced to death and even executed, and alleging racial discrimination in capital punishment practice. According to Robinson (2011), four basic facts establish the realities of American capital punishment. The first is that capital punishment is practiced in most but not all United States jurisdictions. Specifically, there are 34 states with the death penalty, and 16 without. The federal government also maintains capital punishment, as does the military, but the District of Columbia does not carry out executions. However, of these death penalty jurisdictions, only nine regularly carry out an execution, meaning they have averaged at least one execution a year since 1976 when capital punishment was reinstated; thus only about one-quarter (26%) of death penalty states (nine of 34) and 18% of all states in the country (nine of 50) average one or more executions per year. Further, only one state has carried out at least ten executions per year since 1976, Texas. In fact, only about 10% of counties with the death penalty imposed a death sentence between the years 2004 and 2009. Justice is typically defined as administering and maintaining what is just or right. Robinson (2011) says that there are three broad issues discussed and debated by scholars of justice theory: freedom, welfare, and virtue. Some justice theorists argue that what matters most for deciding what is right or just is freedom; whether individual rights are respected and protected. Another school of thought is the egalitarian libertarians. These scholars suggest that what matters most for justice is equality of opportunity in society and taking care of the least advantaged citizens. Other justice theorists focus on welfare, or general well-being and happiness of people in society. They argue that what matters most for justice is the welfare of society, or its overall happiness. Finally, other justice theorists argue that what matters most for justice is virtue, or moral goodness and righteousness. The purpose of the death penalty is incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution. Incapacitation is understood as removing the ability of offenders to commit future crimes. Incarceration is the typical form whereas execution is the ultimate form. Deterrence refers to creating fear in would be offenders through punishment to prevent future crimes. Capital punishment can only be aimed at preventing crime by would-be murderers, general deterrence, since it cannot create fear in murderers who have already been executed, specific deterrence. Retribution refers to righting or rebalancing the scales of justice through punishment in order to achieve justice for crime victims. Executions are often depicted as retribution for the crime of murder, as well as a source of closure for murder victims’ families. Robinson (2011) claims that criminologists and capital punishment scholars overwhelmingly indicate that the death penalty fails to achieve these goals, mostly because of the rarity of death sentences and executions. Logically, if death sentences and executions were more common, capital punishment would be more likely to achieve these goals. Yet we also know that the more frequently the death penalty is used, the greater the costs associated with the policy, including not only additional financial costs but also a greater risk of convicting, sentencing to death, and executing the innocent. This ultimately has great significance for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment. Van Den Haag (1986) says that the death penalty is an effective form of deterrence because it is feared more than life imprisonment. Many of the convicts under death sentence appeal their sentence and try to get it reduced to life imprisonment. Van Den Haag argues that even though there is no factual evidence that the death penalty deters would be criminals more than life imprisonment, the fact that more people fear the death penalty makes it a better deterrent. Reiman (1985) agrees with Robinson’s view that the use of the death penalty is not successful as a deterrent. He gives four main reasons that refute Van Den Haag’s argument. His first reason is that although people fear the death penalty more than life in prison, nobody wants to spend life in prison either. People do not have the mentality that they can commit a crime because they will â€Å"only† get sentenced to life in prison. Although the person will be alive, they will have all freedom taken from them, which after awhile, can be seen just as horrible, if not worse, than death. Reiman’s second point is that if a person is contemplating committing a crime, they are already facing an enormous risk of being killed in the process. Roughly 500 to 700 suspected felons are killed by police in the line of duty every year and many Americans own their own guns. When taking that into account, it does not seem very likely that the would be criminal will be able to commit the crime without at least being injured by the police or the would be victim. His third reason against Van Den Haag’s view is that using the death penalty is hypocritical. The law states that a person cannot take the life of another, but when they do, their punishment could be death. It is not possible to say murder is illegal and then have it as a possible punishment. He argues that not having the death penalty better exemplifies that idea that murder is wrong. His last point is that it is illogical to practice the death penalty simply because it is feared more than life imprisonment. He says that people would fear death by torture more than lethal injection, so does that mean we should begin the practice of death by torture because more people are afraid of it? Unless it can be proven that the death penalty is a better deterrent than life in prison, Reiman (1985) argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Robinson (2011) says that as for the issue of innocence, there is little doubt that people are wrongly convicted of murder every year and that a handful are even sentenced to death. More than 130 people have been freed from death row during the era of â€Å"super due process† that began in 1976 when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Wrongful convictions often occur due to honest errors such as mistaken eyewitness testimony and faulty forensic evidence, but when they occur due to issues such as: false confessions, lying informants, government misconduct, and ineffective defense counsel. There is also little doubt that innocent people have even been executed, although most of the known cases are from prior to the era of super due process in capital sentencing. There remain at least eight widely known cases where men have been recently executed despite serious doubts about their actual guilt. On the issue of executing the innocent, Van Den Haag (1986), makes the argument that the advantages of using the death penalty as a punishment outweigh the unintended losses. He states, â€Å"Miscarriages of justice are offset by the moral benefits and the usefulness of doing justice (139). His argument is that mistakes have and do occur in innocent people being sentenced to death, but the benefits of using it are more important. It would be more of a detriment to society to stop the use of the death enalty than it is when an innocent person is executed. In regards to race, America’s death penalty has always been plagued by serious racial biases. Little evidence remains of the historic discrimination by race of defendant, although state-specific anecdotal evidence suggests blacks are still occasionally discriminated against, especially when accused of killing whites and when juries are overwhelmingly white. Robinson (2011) says that most experts now point to a â€Å"race of victim† effect, whereby killers of whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death and executed than killers of other races and. For example, a comprehensive study of race and the death penalty in North Carolina showed that killers of whites were more than three times more likely to receive death sentences than killers of blacks. In the state, 80% of those people executed since 1976 killed white people; only about 40% of North Carolina homicide victims are white. Further, a study of capital punishment practice in the state from 1999 to 2006 found that blacks who killed whites were 14 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed blacks. Also, there were six executions of blacks who killed whites during the time period, yet zero executions of whites who killed blacks. Van Den Haag’s (2011) stance on the distribution of the death penalty being discriminatory is that â€Å"punishments are imposed on persons, not on racial or economic groups† (138). The death penalty is not specifically issued to certain races. It depends on the crime that the person committed. Van Den Haag also says, â€Å"Justice requires that as many of the guilty as possible be punished, regardless of whether others have avoided punishment. To let these others escape the deserved punishment does not do justice to them, or to society. But it is not unjust to those who could not escape it† (139). Van Den Haag does not view the fact that black people or other minorities receive the death penalty more than whites as being unjust. However, what is unjust is the white people who were not sentenced to death when they should have been. Given these important empirical realities of the death penalty, the next issue to address is which of them are relevant for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment practice. As noted earlier, it depends on which theory of justice is being referred to. Libertarians ask whether capital punishment respects liberty or freedom. The most important question for egalitarians is whether capital punishment practice is equal or applied in an equal fashion. For utilitarians, the most important question is whether capital punishment increases overall utility or happiness in society. Finally, for virtue-based theorists, the question is whether capital punishment respects and promotes our values, our moral goodness, and whether it is the right thing to do. The questions above do not have universal answers. Everybody will have his or her own opinions on whether the death penalty respects a person’s freedom or whether it is the right thing to do. Reiman, Robinson and Van Den Haag all made successful and convincing arguments so it is hard to determine one view as more convincing than the other. It comes down to a personal choice and what a person chooses to believe as to whether the death penalty is fair and a proper form of justice.

Inhibition Effectiveness of Au Compounds

Inhibition Effectiveness of Au Compounds Function of the â€Å"Guiding Bar† on Inhibition Effectiveness of Au Compounds on Thioredoxin Reductase 3 Qi Liu Introduction Mammalian thioredoxin reductase (TR) is an Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) dependent flavoprotein oxidoreductase, which is involved in reducing the disulfide of thioredoxin (Trx) using NADPH (Figure 1). Trx can reduce many important proteins, such as ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which produces deoxyribonucleotides for DNA synthesis1, 2. Thus, TR and Trx play an important role in maintaining proteins in their reduced state, which involves the regulation of cellular redox reactions, proliferation, and differentiation3. In addition, Trx and TR is overexpressed in a lot of aggressive tumors, and the tumor progression and metastasis appear to be dependent on the Trx system, because tumor cells need constant DNA synthesis. However, tumor progression and metastasis were dramatically reduced when TR knockdown cells were injected into mice4. Thus, the TR was proposed to be a new anticancer drug target5. In mammals, there are three different TRs which have been characterized: the cytosolic form TR1, the mitochondrial form TR3, and thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR, also known as TR2)6. All of these TRs are selenoproteins with a selenocysteine (Sec) at their C-terminal active site. In the reaction mechanism of TR, the selenolate of Sec acts as an electron donor to Trx, also selenium can accept electrons from the N-terminal redox center of TR6. This redox center is located on a flexible arm, which is solvent-exposed and reactive towards electrophilic inhibitors, thus representing a target for antitumor drug development1. A number of recent reports suggest that gold-based drugs have strong inhibition ability on TRs, which could be from the direct coordination between Au and the active site Sec on TRs, so that the selenolate group is blocked7. Interestingly, the gold compounds,Bis[1,2-bis(dipyridylphosphino)ethane]gold(I) chloride ([Au(d2pype)2]Cl) and Bis[1,3-bis(di-2-pyridylphosphino)propane]gold(I) chloride ([Au(d2pypp)2]Cl), effect the inhibition effectiveness on human TR1(hTR1) and human TR3 (hTR3) differently (Figure2). The precise molecular mechanism of TR inhibition by gold compounds has not been elucidated. Thus, studies on inhibition of TRs by gold-based drugs are necessary for designing new cancer inhibitors. Available crystal structures of TRs include hTR1, rat TR1 (rTR1), mouse TR3(mTR3), DmTR (thioredoxin reductase from D. melanogaster), and PfTR (thioredoxin reductase from P. falciparum) enzymes9. A recent study showed the crystal structure of hTR1 with its substrate thioredoxin, in which the C-terminal tail of hTR1 was stabilized by a â€Å"guiding bar†, so that the flexible C-terminal tail can be observed (Figure 3). The guiding bar was first proposed in one of the structure studies of hTR1, and is composed of three amino acids: Trp407, Asn418, and Asn419. It functions to suppress random motions and positions the C-terminal tail in catalytically competent position through hydrogen bonding interactions9. However, the crystal structure of mTR3 does not show the C-terminus because of the random motion of the C-terminal without control from the guiding bar. Furthermore, the sequence comparison between hTR1 and hTR3 shows the absence of the guiding bar in TR3 (Figure 4). Research question Though inhibition of gold compounds on TRs has been studied, the function of the guiding bar on the gold compounds inhibition effectiveness on TRs has never been brought up to the studies of inhibition effectiveness on TRs. The goal of this proposal is to investigate the role of the guiding bar on the inhibition ability of gold based compounds on hTR1 and hTR3. The guiding bar will be constructed on hTR3 by mutations of K432W, A443N and S444N. Biophysical characterization will be applied to observe the presence of the C-terminus on TR3 after mutagenesis. My hypothesis is the C-terminal tail of the crystal structure of mutated TR3 will be observed, because the random motion of the C-terminus is reduced by restriction from the guiding bar. Then, two gold compounds, [Au(d2pype)2]Cl and [Au(d2pypp)2]Cl , will be applied to test the inhibition difference on normal TR3 and mutated TR3. I expect to see that the inhibition on mutated TR3 could be stronger than that on normal TR3. Significance of Proposed Research The thioredoxin system plays an important role in the intracellular redox enviornment and is composed of Trx and TR10. Proposed studies will give an insight into the function of the guiding bar on different TR enzymes. The guiding bar is expected to suppress the random motion of the C-terminal tail so that the redox center Sec on the C-terminus can have better coordination with the gold compounds. The coordination between metal and Sec will tightly block the Sec redox center, so the intracellular redox balance will be disturbed and result in potent TR inhibition4. Thus, the presence of the guiding bar can help TR to be a better drug target. Proposed studies Enzyme Expression and Purification Recombinant human TR1 and TR3 will be cloned into E. coli BL21(DE3) cells, and the growth and purification will be done as described previously.11 Mutation of Human TR3 In order to study the impact of the guiding bar residues on TR catalysis, the proposed mutations will be constructed on hTR3 with K432W, A443N, and S444N. These three mutation sites are chosen based on the sequence alignment of hTR1 in the guiding bar region of Pro376-Tyr422 (Figure 3), in which the critical amino acids, Trp407, Asn418 and Asn419, have the function of limiting random motion of the C-terminus. Thus, the same function of the guiding bar on hTR3 is expected to be observed via specific site mutation. Mutations will be introduced by the Quick Change mutagenesis method and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Structural Studies of Mutated Human TR3 The C-terminal tail in human and rat TR1 could be observed by X-ray crystallography, because the guiding bar limits its random motion. However, because the guiding bar is not present in mouse TR3, the C-terminal tail is too mobile to generate sufficient electron density without restriction from the guiding bar. This leads to the absence of the C-terminal tail in the crystal structure of mouse TR39. The mutated hTR3 after insertion of the guiding bar will be studied by X-ray crystallography. The presence of an ordered C-terminal tail in the crystal structure and the interaction between the guiding bar and the C-terminal tail will suggest restricted motion of the C-terminal tail. I expect to see that the interaction of the guiding bar on the C-terminal tail will improve the inhibition effectiveness of Au compounds on hTR3. Electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESIMS) Characterization ESI is an ionization technique which is used to detect high molecular weight molecules, such as proteins, peptides and other macromolecules, so ESI MS is an important technique for studying a complex biological sample9. Instead of fragmenting the macromolecules into smaller charged particles, this process turns the macromolecules into small droplets by ionization, and these droplets are further desolvated into even smaller droplets, which creates molecules with attached protons12. As a putative target for anticancer metallodrugs, the selenoenzyme TR is the drug target for gold compounds, such as [Au(d2pype)2]Cl and [Au(d2pypp)2]Cl. The TR inhibition is thought to occur through direct binding of the gold to the active site Sec following ligand substitution. So, TR3 and mutated TR3 will be separately incubated with the two gold compounds mentioned above for 30 mins at room temperature, and then the products will be analyzed by EIS-MS. The results will be compared and are expected to explain the binding of the gold onto the hTRs. I hope to see the gold compounds have better binding on mutated hTR3 than normal hTR3. This can be explained as the guiding bar can reduce the motion of flexible C-terminal tail, so that the gold compounds can bind onto the Sec of mutated hTR3 easier than the normal one and cause more inhibition on the mutated hTR313. TR Inhibition Assay The solvent-accessible selenolate group, arising from enzyme reduction, very likely constitutes a high affinity binding site for gold compounds. Tightly blocking the active site Sec through metal coordination should result in potent TR inhibition9. Thus, after ESI-MS characterization, the TR inhibition study will be performed with the two different gold compounds, [Au(d2pype)2]Cl and [Au(d2pypp)2]Cl, on hTR1, hTR3 and mutated hTR3 respectively. In addition to Trx, some low molecular weight disulfide-containing substrates, including 5,5†²-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), lipoic acid, and lipoamidem, can also be reduced by TRs9. Here, DTNB would be chosen as the substrate for TR inhibition assay to keep consistent with the previous studies from other groups9. The NADPH dependent TR catalyzed reduction of DTNB will be monitored and determined by the increase in absorbance at 412nm. Inhibition of hTR1, hTR3 and mutated hTR3 will be done by using different concentrations of go ld compounds ([Au(d2pype)2]Cl and [Au(d2pypp)2]Cl). The inhibition results from different TRs and gold compounds will be compared. Based on the assumption that the guiding bar can suppress the motion of the C-terminal tail, greater inhibition effectiveness on mutated hTR3 than that on normal hTR3 is expected to be seen. This will show that the C-terminus is limited by the guiding bar on mutated hTR3 helps the gold compounds inhibit the active site Sec more. Binding Studies by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) ITC is a technique used to determine the thermodynamic parameters of interaction in solution. It can be applied to study the interactions between protein-protein, enzyme-inhibitor, protein-small molecules, protein-DNA, and so on. Thus, the binding between gold compounds and the three TRs (hTR1, hTR3 and mutated hTR3) can be investigated by ITC. Applying this method will tell us how well the inhibitors, the gold compounds, bind to TRs. The binding affinity (Ka) could show how strongly the gold compounds and TRs will bind, and the higher Ka, the stronger the binding. In addition, enthalpy changes (ΔH) can tell the amount of energy released or obtained. Then, the entropy change (ΔS) and Gibbs energy changes (ΔG) can be determined by the following equation (1): ΔG = -RTlnKa = ΔH-TΔS (1) Comparison of the binding parameters between gold compounds ([Au(d2pype)2]Cl and [Au(d2pypp)2]Cl) and TRs (hTR1, hTR3 and the mutated hTR3) will give more information about the function of the guiding bar on the inhibition effectiveness of TRs. The higher Ka of hTR1 compared to normal hTR3 is expected to be seen, because the absence of guiding bar in hTR3 will lead to a flexible C-terminal tail, which will give a lower inhibition. In addition, Ka of the mutated hTR3 is expected to show higher binding affinity than the normal hTR3, because the guiding bar mutated on hTR3 will help reduce the random motion of the C-terminal tail, so that the redox center Sec can be easily inhibited by the gold compounds. Thus, the guiding bar can help improve the inhibition effectiveness of gold compounds on mutated hTR3. Conclusion Through mutation and structural studies, the presence of the C-terminal tail which is restricted by the inserted guiding bar is expected to be seen in the mutated hTR3. The ESI-MS characterization and binding study can give information about if the gold can successfully bind to the specific active site on the mutated hTR3. Finally, a better understanding of the inhibition effectiveness will be tested and compared by the inhibition assay with hTR1, hTR3 and mutated hTR3. Thus, a better understanding of the function of the guiding bar in the TR system will give an insight into the effect of the guiding bar on the drug inhibition effect on TR3 so that it can become a better drug target. References O. Rackham., A. M. Shearwood., R. Thyer., E. McNamara., S. M. Davies., B. A. Callus., A. Miranda-Vizuete., S. J. Berners-Price., Q. Cheng., E. S. J. Arner and A. Filipovska,Free Radical Biol. Med. 2011, 50, 689–699 Lothrop A. P.,Snider G. W.,RugglesE. L., PatelA. S., LeesW. J., and HondalR. J., Biochemistry.2014,53, 654–663 Fritz-Wolf K, Kehr S, Stumpf M, Rahlfs S, and Becker K., Nat Commun.2001, 2, 383 Fritz-Wolf K., Urig S., Becker K., J. Mol. Biol. 2007, 37, 116–127 Lothrop, A. P., Snider, G. W., and Hondal, R. J., Biochemistry. 2014, DOI: 10.1021/bi400651x Pratesi A., Gabbiani C., Michelucci E., Ginanneschi M., Papini A. M., Rubbiani R., Ott I., Messori L., J. Inorg. Biochem. 2014 Gabbiani C., Mastrobuoni G., Sorrentino F., Dani B., Rigobello M. P., Bindoli A., Cinellu M. A., Pieraccini G., Messori L. and Casini A.,Med. Chem. Commun. 2011,2, 50–54 Lu J.,Chew E. H.,Holmgren A.,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.2007, 104,12288 Yoo M.H., Xu X.M., Carlson B.A., Gladyshev V.N., Hatfield D.L., J BiolChem, 2006, 281, 13005–13008. Arnà ©r E.S.J., Holmgren A., Eur. J. Biochem, 2000, 267, 6102–6109 Gromer, S., Urig, S., and Becker, K., Med. Res. Rev. 2004, 24, 40-89 http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Analytical_Chemistry/Instrumental_Analysis/Mass_Spectrometry/Mass_Spectrometers_(Instrumentation)/Electrospray_Ionization_Mass_Spectrometry Lu, J., Chew, E.H., Holmgren, A., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.,2007, 104, 12288–12293. Berners-Price S. J., inBioinorganic Medicinal Chemistry, ed. E. Alessio, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim Berners-Price S. J. and Filipovska A.,Metallomics, 2011,3, 863–873

A Multi User Chat System In Java

A Multi User Chat System In Java The aim of this project is to develop an multi-user chat system to facilitate communicate between users with in the corporate or scientific organization. Chat application is to allow user for private chat, group chat (conference chat), share files while chatting, store and archive communicated messages. Chat application should allow do download desktop based application installed on local system to connect chat server and user should bale to communicate with in the organization in secure manner. InfoTech Consultancy Ltd well knows software product Development Company and it has rich experience on developing many software applications over the year. During the survey a questionnaire was created and sent to some random student for opinion. Most of them were happy with the project which they said would help them maintain their experiment and simulations. What has not been done yet is the Logical, conceptual and physical design. This would be done; this would be done in the next phase when the actual project implementation starts. Prototype of the chat application is included in this report only part of functionality is demonstrated to stake holders. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 4 1.1 Team and Resources 5 2Background 5 3Objectives: 6 4Methodology General Approach 6 5Technical Overview 7 5.1 Java multi-Threading APIs 7 5.2 Java Swings APIs 7 5.3 Java network APIs 7 5.4 Java Cryptography and Security APIs. 7 5.5 Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 7 6Developing Multi-User Chat Application Using Java 8 7Technology 8 8.Cost Estimates 9 9. Prototype 9 1. Introduction The purpose of this Feasibility Study is to come up with business use case about a chosen project Design and implement a multi-user internet chat system in java whether it is viable to build a multi-user chat application using the latest Java technology and allow user to download and install desktop based chat application and chat secure manner. The project lifecycle of this proposed solution contained in this document includes project aim and Objectives, Designed Gantt chart, Costing, functional requirement and design requirement, Reports, Mile Stone Phases to determine the viability of the Multi-user chat system, Conclusion and Recommendation.. This would be designed and implemented for user community for website who can chat with other users as private chat, public chat, sharing files. The system would be user-friendly, such as simple graphical user interface for chatting, file sharing, archiving messages etc. The Feasibility Study is the culmination of a proposal presented to the stakeholders and the program manager Mr Shan on the 13th May 2010. The information contained in the proposal will serve as a comprehensive guide in the development of this feasibility study and is the primary point of reference throughout this study The progress to Date 28th May 2010 The project began three weeks after the project Title was chosen and Proposal was handed in on the 10th March 2010. It outlined the feasibility study, intended deliverables, hardware and software requirements and reason for chosen the project. Project preparation form was prepared and signed by both parties including project stakeholders. Feasibility study plan was initiated Background reading was started as the Title was new to me and a lot to take on board Started practicing on Java to update myself which would be on going. Have set aside 1 hour everyday to study that. 1.1 Team and Resources The feasibility study would included mainly development and design team Project Architect, ching chu , providing expertise in the design of the new multi-user chat system, using advanced Java. Dr Clarke my Supervisor would support and guide me through the project. Background In web2.0 era communication between registered users are common activity. Users who register for community expect more and more attractive functionality to register with website. In this multi-user application user can chat with other logged-in user privately, publicly (group chat) and can share files and can archive chat messages and retrieve whenever he need to check chat history. There are many well known multi-user chat application are available in the internet. Gtalk (Google), Yahoo messenger (yahoo) and MSN or live (Microsoft) are widely used chat applications. These chat applications are provide users other than chat facility many other attractive options. InfoTech is planned to develop multi-user chat application similar to other well known chat application, only difference in this mult-user chat application is If this deployed on any corporate only within the same corporate employees can chat with other employees. If the application is deployed on any education institute only same education institute professors and students can communicate with other students or professors. One of the major challenges with this multi-user chat system is secure communication between the users. The corporate or scientific organization may have information which need be protected with intruders or hacker. The chat system should implemented such a way that the information need be secured. Objectives: The aim of this project is to develop desktop chat application incorporated with java multi threaded client-server program which would allow users to communicated private and public way and share resources while chatting and archive communicated messages. This report is to use java, swing, multi threading and TCP-IP technology to design and create desktop based multi-user chat application design for chat and communicated over internet. The methodology for this report is to understand how to carry out research into multi-user chat application, resource sharing while communicating through the Internet. Also finding out how users would feel. Interviews and research would be ongoing before starting the actual designing to identify the key elements of the project. Methodology General Approach When messages are communicated over the network there is a possibility that intruder introduce unwanted information with the transferred information. It is important that the data need to be communicated secure encrypted manner. So that other end of the receiving application can decrypt the information and use the information. The volume of the messages and shared files while chatting will dominate problems and limit our ability to extract for results. As massages and these shared files are sometime very critical it need to it send and receive with reliable networking technology and privacy and authorization of user access control etc are very important. Encryption technologies are adopted for communication such that public key infrastructure algorithm to protect the data and chat messages. Communicated data need to be stored in a persistence layer such as relational database can be used to store this critical information for future reference. A java persistence APIs such as JDBC, hibernate or JDO is used for archiving these information in secondary storage and only authorized user can retrieve the archived message. Technical Overview 5.1 Java multi-Threading APIs Concurrency is the ability to run multiple parts of a program or multiple programs in parallel. Concurrency can greatly improve the performance of a application if certain tasks can be executed asynchronously or in parallel. Threads are also called lightweight processes which have their own call stack but an access shared resource. Every thread has its own memory cache and if a thread reads shared data it stores this data in its own stack of memory cache and used in the process of execution. 5.2 Java Swings APIs Swing was developed to provide a more light weight set of graphical user interface components than the earlier Abstract Window Toolkit. Swing build as lightweight component which provides a native look and feel that emulates platform dependent look on particular platforms, and also supports a pluggable look and feel that allows applications to have a look and feel unrelated to the underlying platform. 5.3 Java network APIs One can write java applications that communicate over the network mean you are programming at the application layer. Typically, someone writing programs no need to concern about the TCP and UDP layers. Instead of this you can make use of the classes in the java.net package and these classes provide platform independent network communication. Through the classes in java.net, Java programs can use UDP or TCP to communicate over the network. The classes URL, URLConnection, ServerSocket and Socket all use for TCP to communicate over the network and the classes DatagramPacket, DatagramSocket, and MulticastSocket are for use with UDP. 5.4 Java Cryptography and Security APIs. The Java platform strongly emphasizes programming concept like security, including byte code language security, cryptography, public key infrastructure (PKI), and authentication, secure communication, and access control. The Java Cryptography Architecture is a major piece of the platform and it contains a provider architecture and a set of application programming interface for digital signatures, encryption message digests, certificates and certificate validation, secure key management and generation and secure random number generation, to name a few. These APIs allow developers to easily integrate security into their application code. 5.5 Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) The Java Database Connectivity is the trade name for Java API, which supports Java, programs that access relational database. It also gives programmers uniform Interface for access and manipulate a wide range of relational database. By using JDBC API gives application written in the Java Programming Language allows it to execute SQL statements, retrieve results, present data in user-friendly interface and propagate changes back to the database Developing Multi-User Chat Application Using Java Java is an object oriented programming language expressly designed for use in the enterprise environment of the Internet. Java can be used to create end to end applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. Any application you develop there should be proper architecture for future enhancement, performance, reliability, availability should be considered. The Chat application is developed using client server architecture with layered approach. Client application is developed using java swing APIs and java network APIs. Server is developed using java multithreaded APIs, java network APIs and encryption APIs. Client connects to the server and server need to send messages to connected other client. The messages need to be encrypted using any of the public key infrastructure algorithms. The communicated messages need to be archived and retrieved using jdbc APIs. Using SQL statements the information is stored or retrieved from the database. Technology Java Swings Java Security APIs Java Encryption APIs Java networking APIs Java database connectivity APIs TCP/IP programming Multithreading HTML/ CSS for website reports Servlet/JSP programming for chat Administration Application. 7.1 REQUIREMENTS 7.1.1 Hardware The minimum hardware requirements are: Laptop/Desktop Keyboard Mouse VDU Router/Modem 7.1.2 SOFTWARE The software requirements are as follows: System Software Windows 2000/Windows XP Database Oracle, SQL, JDK 1.6, Java IDE like eclipse Cost Estimates The overall costs in terms of design/development, software and the new web/database design will be: Overall Costs  £5,600.00 Cost break down Hardware/Software  £1600.00 Labour Cost =  £50ph 10 days @  £1000 Architect and design cost =1,000  £1,000.00 30 days @  £20.00 per hour (5hrs a day for 30 days) 5*20*30= 3,000.00  £3,000.00 Total cost  £5,600.00 9. Prototype 9.1 FEATURES There is some consideration that needs to take into account for chat and archiving purposes Key Feature Description 1 Access control How does the solution limit access to restricted data? 2 Availability Would the solution always available? Can data be access when required or does it have to be requested? 3 Capacity/Scalability Can the solution hold the amount of data planned for without hampering performance/integrity? 4 Cost Is it cost effective, both initial design and ongoing ? 5 Functionality Would the functionality be suitable for connection to whoever may want to use it. For example someone from America considering the time difference. 6 Performance Can the solution carry our multi user chat in real time? Can application be enhanced for user performance? 7 Usability Is it going to be user friendly without spending too much time and money training and getting use to the system. How it going to be use Key Headline Actor Description 1 Private chat user User should able to chat with other connected user 2 Group chat(public chat) user This is kind of conference chat. A group of people can chat together. 3 Share files or resource(while chatting) User User should able to share files, desktop or other media while chatting. 4 Archive messages Retrieve messages user User should able to store the messages for future reference. 5 Manage Chat Server Administrator The administrator check and access the bandwidth of message flows and take the decision of performance bench marking etc. 6 Modification of user privileges Administrator Able to create / delete users modify the privileges for the user. 7 Changes access condition Administrator Administrator should able to give access to shared resources like file sharing , desktop sharing etc. Prototype of chat window Prototype for Admin Screen. Figure 3 Figure 4 Conclusion The most important key here are: it would be simple, focus on ease of use and simple client server application can be deployed on internal to the corporate or research organization. It is cost effective to use MySQL, has many advantages and features that makes it popular and open source thereby makes it as the worlds most used open source relational database application and many science students, Scientist and Engineering Researchers would benefit from it. RECOMMENDATIONS The project should continue based on the lines described in the document which is the supplements the Project plan. The research plan outlined in the document should be worked through as the primary instrument for deliver project results and outcomes. Other things needs to note are: availability of hardware and software Easy to set up the client server chat application and admin web application Internet Minimum Bandwidth 64Mb Admin need be deployed on militarized hosting zone. Table for work breakdown structure Task Name resource Start End Scheduled Outputs Deliverables Depends on steps 1 In-depth preparatory consultations with Supervisor PM 10/3 15/3 5 N/A 2 Initial draft Interim Report on chat system plan PM 18/3 23/3 5 1 3 Develop, submit Proposal PM 25/3 29/3 5 Interim Report 1-3 4 Create and develop outline Final Report based on Interim Report and detailed research plan for in-depth technical and costs stages of work PM 4/4 10/45 1-5 5 Main technical investigations Tools Software and Cost specified PM 11/43 14/45 5 6 Draft Final Report created, agreed, and sent Presentation PM 20/4/5 25/5/5 Draft Final Report 1-8 7 Submit Final Report CDLR 28/3/5 31/3/5 Final Report Final Report 1-10