Feature article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Feature - Article Example If it is a girl, a pick cap is placed on her while a blue one is placed if it is a boy. After this moment, everything else the child will become, the future, education and even the career, will be based on this one quantifier (Leaper & Friedman, 2007). The division of labor based on gender has been a defining aspect of many people’s careers. However, the significance of gender in determining the career path and economic advancement is slowly but surely declining globally. Does this trend imply that men and women’s career roles in life are converging? The traditional division of labor had women taking care of the domestic part of the household while the man working professionally to handle the financial part. Traditionally, the family was supposed to be the primary priority of women and they could not dream about having it all- the family responsibilities and a career. As such, most of the careers were dominated by men. The 21st century has gone through a revolution of gender roles which can be traced from the 70’s and 80’s women’s movement. The women movement during this time was an initial mark into gender crossing in careers as women were able to make great strides in politics, social economics and most importantly, in the workforce. The height of the civil rights movements to eliminate gender segregation led to enforcement of equal employment laws and affirmative action with the hope of not only promoting women to make progressive career choices, but also to prevent employers from discriminating against w omen either in terms of employment or disparity on wages (Kmec, McDonald, & Trimble, 2010). As a result of the affirmative action policy, many women were able to enter the corporate world which had been traditionally dominated by men. Furthermore, many employers encouraged gender equality in the workplace by putting measures such as incentives to promote, hire, and even train women. However, such

Biomedical Informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biomedical Informatics - Essay Example Historians have found evidence of the disease as far back as 5000 B.C. It was first described as "the shaking palsy" in 1817 by British doctor James Parkinson. Because of Parkinson's early work in identifying symptoms, the disease came to bear his name. In the normal brain, some nerve cells produce the chemical dopamine, which transmits signals within the brain to produce smooth movement of muscles. In Parkinson's patients, 80 percent or more of these dopamine-producing cells are damaged, dead, or otherwise degenerated. This causes the nerve cells to fire wildly, leaving patients unable to control their movements. Symptoms usually show up in one or more of four ways: This diagram of the brain shows several structures related to Parkinson's disease. Basal ganglia affect normal movement and walking; substantia nigra are types of basal ganglia that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which sends messages that control muscles. The globus pallidus is part of a larger structure connected to the substantia nigra affecting movement, balance and walking. The thalamus serves as a relay station for brain impulses, and the cerebellum affects muscle coordination. Though full-blown Parkinson's can be crippling or disabling, experts say early symptoms of the disease may be so subtle and gradual that patients sometimes ignore them or attribute them to the effects of aging. At first, patients may feel overly tired, "down in the dumps," or a little shaky. Their speech may become soft and they may become irritable for no reason. Movements may be stiff, unsteady, or unusually slow. Ref : www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1998/498_pd.html - Basic PD research over the last several decades, including genetics, molecular and cellular biology, characterization of neural circuitry, brain anatomy, and neurochemistry, has formed the basis of therapeutic research being currently pursued for PD. While the causes of PD are still not fully understood, the most prevalent theories suggest that toxic accumulation of protein in cells, dysfunctional protein clearance, and oxidative stress that leads to cell death are primary causal pathways. There is now genetic evidence for each of these pathways, and a prevailing research strategy is to identify points in these pathways that could be exploited for therapeutic benefit. Today's basic science research continues to span a diverse array of fields, from genes and molecules, through cells and physiological systems, to the role of the environment and its interaction with genetic susceptibility. It is expected that these studies will continue to inform preventive strategies and better treatments for PD in the future. The Genetics and Cell Biology of Parkinson's disease One of the most remarkable transformations in PD research over the last decade was the identification of the first gene to be associated with PD, -synuclein. The discovery that genetic mutations could cause PD brought a sea change to a field that had previously focused only on environmental causes of the disease. Since the discovery of alpha synuclein in