Mao and the Cultural Revolution Essays

Mao and the Cultural Revolution Essays Mao and the Cultural Revolution Paper Mao and the Cultural Revolution Paper China in the Cultural Revolution The historically unprecedented great peoples proletarian cultural revolution was a struggle for supremacy within the Chinese communist party which manifested into a wide scale social and political upheaval which brought china in 1966 to the brink of all out civil war. Although millions of people were murdered and tortured during its bloody course the cultural revolution is a chapter of china’s history rarely talked about, its just bad business to bring it up with someone who’s buying 26 percent of the world’s oil and 42% of all concrete produced globally. The Cultural Revolution was a period of vast upheaval and organized vandalism the likes of which had never occurred before, and through historical analysis it is reasonable to conclude that the great Cultural Revolution of 1966-67 was merely a means for Mao Zedong to purge the Chinese Communist Party and consolidate his own personal power. A period of calm and stable economic conservatism had settled over china after the upheaval and fervor of the great leap forward, and with its spectacular failure the moderates inside the CCP gained more power as Mao and his fiercely socialist policies lost considerable support. In this environment of political moderation and conservatism the ailing Mao felt capitalist and elitist ideology was infiltrating the party and the main goals of the 1949 revolution were being abandoned, and that to ensure the future of the communist party and china as a socialist state a reinvigoration of revolutionary spirit among the youths and children of china was necessary. It was from this small struggle to regain control over the party apparatus that a great public movement among students and the urban youth took hold all throughout china, and its destructive effects touched the lives of almost every Chinese person, from its epicenter in Beijing to the furthest provinces in Xiamen. For a little while, Mao disappeared from the centre of Chinese politics, and after his resignation as party secretary he retreated to his own devices to plan his next move against his growing enemies Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai. On August 8, 1966 Mao returned to Beijing in a flurry of energy and revolutionary spirit and published a manifesto of 16 points in which he outlined his intentions for the future of china. Coinciding with this move was a great call to all workers and students to rededicate themselves to unwavering class struggle and eliminate bourgeoisie and upper class thinking and ideals and focus on promoting the virtues of the agrarian proletariat. This opportunity to escape work and indulge in blind ideological hysteria proved very tempting for most Chinese students and by the 16th of October millions of Red Guards, as they were dubbed, flocked to mass rallies in Tiananmen Square, where Mao and Lin Biao made frequent appearances to over 11 million adoring youths. With this call to arms throughout all major institutions Mao enlisted the impressionable and easily led youth of china as his instrument for reimposing his will upon the nation and reshaping it. The revolutionary fervor and blind fanaticism of the red guards was matched by no other in Chinese society, and indoctrinated teenagers all over china rushed to do his bidding and destroy the 4 Olds, the 4 enemies of the continuing revolution as outlined by Mao, old culture, old thoughts, old customs and old habits. In a practical sense Mao had ordained the destruction of religious sites and relics as well as the torture and imprisonment of anyone seen to be an â€Å"enemy of the revolution†. It was in this way that the Cultural Revolution broadened from an internal communist party purge to a mass public movement in line with the self preserving aims of Mao. Giant posters in universities and schools encouraged students to join the struggle against all those who had diverted from the revolutionary path, and in July in a carefully orchestrated propaganda event Mao was seen swimming in the Yangtze River, a move which served to rally further support for the revolution. This specific event touched the hearts of many Chinese and led to serious momentum behind the revolution, in modern terms it is the equivalent of Queen Elizabeth swimming the English channel, and it is easy to see why this great symbolic gesture excited all of china and inspired loyalty and devotion among the Chinese for their appearingly strong and wise leader. Mao took the opportunity of revolution to finally dispose of his political enemies, and it was his newly formed and wildly devoted red guards he used to publicly ridicule and intimidate his opponents both in Beijing and the outer provinces. After a rally held specifically against them and their actions, Mao’s two main rivals Deng Xiaoping and Lui Shaoqui were both purged, Lui beaten and imprisoned in foul conditions until his death in 1973, and Deng sent to corrective labor in Jiangxi province after witnessing the crippling of his son Pufang at the hands of the Red guards. As the existing student movement was elevated to a mass national campaign, attacks on religious and historical institutions intensified and many churches and temples were looted and destroyed. From the centers of the movement, the universities and schools, red guards took control of towns and cities and were allowed free reign by the police and government to hold ‘great debates’ and rallies and persecute all those with which they didn’t agree. At this time Red guards were also encouraged to travel to Beijing with free transport and food provided by the government and many took the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Tiananmen Square to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader. By the end of 1966 Mao had a giant, easily manipulated, blindly devoted and violent army with which he consolidated his rule over the communist party with an iron fist, and at the same time elevated his personal following to almost cult status. In 1967 china Mao’s word was law, and involvement in some sort of revolutionary activity was the only way to avoid being purged. When analyzing this period of Chinese history many agree that the Cultural Revolution was carefully orchestrated by Mao Zedong himself and that the Red Guard movement grew out of prepared soil. Alongside great cruelty and egotistic mania Mao showed an astute grasp of mass psychology, he knew that the students were the most suggestible and easily manipulated group in Chinese society, and he appealed directly to them to create a vast political instrument with which he could forcefully impose his will upon the whole of china. The Cultural Revolution began to finally wind down in 1969, although many historians argue that it didn’t finally end until the arrest and subsequent execution of the â€Å"Gang of Four† in 1979. The effects of the Cultural Revolution directly or indirectly touched every facet of Chinese society, and the 10 years of organized vandalism and civil unrest brought the education system and economy to a grinding halt. Perhaps never before in human history has a political leader unleashed such massive forces against the system that he created, and it was the Cultural Revolution’s aim to ultimately alter the ideological nature and soul of the people which made its effects so chilling. From mid-1973 until Maos death in September 1976, Chinese politics shifted back and forth between Jiang Qing and those who supported her (notably Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, and Yao Wenyuan, who with Jiang Qing were later dubbed the Gang of Four,) and the Zhou-Deng group. The former favored ideology, political mobilization, class struggle, anti intellectualism, egalitarianism, and xenophobia, while the latter promoted economic growth, stability, educational progress, and a pragmatic foreign policy. In recent years china has taken steps to rehabilitate the millions of Chinese displaced and formally recognized the full extent of the damage caused by the Cultural Revolution, although any expressions tracing blame back to the CCP are fiercely censored. By conducting unbiased historical analysis and with the benefit of hindsight it is reasonable to conclude that the cultural revolution was nothing more than a vast political and ideological purge which was aimed at eliminating every semblance of tradition, decency and intellectualism, in due course leaving only the divine chairman Mao and a clean slate upon which for him to propound his ideology and political agenda. The Red Guards were not only officially sanctioned but directed by the government, as police were ordered not to interfere in red guard activities and even give them information on ‘class enemies’. As John K Fairbank observed, â€Å"The idealistic youngsters who appeared to lead the Cultural Revolution were in fact nothing more than pawns in the power struggle within the CCP†. The cultural revolution was nothing more than a desperate purge by an ailing and meglomaniacal leader whose terrible effects are still felt today, and as I mentioned before, is a chapter of history the Chinese would rather forget ‘ Bibliography Lynch, M. 1998, The Peoples Republic of China Since 1949. 1st edition. London, Hodder and Stoughton. Dures, A. 1988. China since 1949. 1st edition. London, Batsford. Tsou, T. 1986. The Cultural Revolution and post-Mao reforms: a historical perspective. 2nd edition. US, University of Chicago Press. Chen, J. 1975. Inside the Cultural Revolution. 1st edition. University of California, Macmillan books ltd. Esmein, J. 1973. The Chinese Cultural Revolution (translated). La Revolution Culturelle Chinoise. California, Anchor Press. Wikipedia, Wikimedia foundation. 2007. Cultural Revolution (China). Accessed 3 nov 2007. Availble : http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution Galduroz, M. 2007 The Cultural Revolution. Available: http://library. thinkquest. org/26469/cultural-revolution/ Various, 2007. The People’s Republic of China: III . University of Maryland electronic resource. Available http://www-chaos. umd. edu/history/prc3. html Victorian, R. The Cultural Revolution Available: fortunecity. com/victorian/riley/787//China/Cultural/Cultural. html

Acrobatics Workshop Essay Example for Free

Acrobatics Workshop Essay ? No matter which figures or pyramids are being tried, the facilitator must make sure that there are â€Å"catchers† present to prevent injuries. Participants should be instructed how to catch one another and to take responsibility for others in the group.  1. Description of the activity  Part 1 – Warming Up & Trust Exercises  A. The participants are put into pairs. One partner becomes a guide, the other becomes â€Å"blind†. The guide takes their blind partner for a walk (around the grounds, over obstacles, etc. ) while holding hands. After some minutes the partners change roles. Variations: Follow the same steps as above, but have the seeing partner lead with only one finger. Alternatively, have the seeing partner lead using only their voice – no physical contact between partners.  B. In pairs, participants stand face to face with their feet together and holding hands. Each person leans back carefully with full body strength by stretching their arms. The challenge is to maintain balance.  C. All participants stand together in a circle and hold hands. Count off into 1’s and 2’s. On the signal, using all their strength, the 1’s lean inside while the 2’s lean outside. After a few seconds, carefully pull back into a normal circle and then change (2’s inside, 1’s outside). D. In small groups (3-7 persons), one person stands in the middle of a circle. Standing stiff and without moving their feet, the one in the middle â€Å"falls† from one person to another and is slowly passed around inside the circle. After some moments, change roles. Give everyone a chance to be in the middle.  Variation: you can also do this with just three persons. The one in the middle is slowly passed forward and backwards between two persons. Part 2 – Stretching  Before trying actual figures, it is important to warm up the joints and the muscles. Gently stretch legs, arms, neck, and shoulders. Don’t forget to pay attention to the wrists and ankles, too.  Part 3 – First Acrobatic Steps  3A. Napoleon (3 persons):  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The first person goes down and takes the â€Å"bench† position; the second person goes up and forms a bench on top of the first person (see diagram 4)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The first person goes down and takes bench position; second person goes up and stands on the shoulders and hip of the bench. Keeping their balance, the bench slowly starts to walk forwards on their hands and knees (see diagram 10). (Remember – you must NEVER stand in the middle of the bench’s back, only on their shoulders and hips!) The third person is always the â€Å"catcher† for the person who is â€Å"up†.  3B. Knee stands (4 persons)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The first person goes down and takes the bench position; second person sits down on the bench’s hips (facing bench’s feet); taking the second person’s hands, third person goes up and stands on second person’s knees (keep holding hands). If second and third person can balance on their own, the bench can walk away, leaving the two in balance position. The fourth person is the catcher. 3C. Galion figure (4 persons)  Ã‚  The same as 3B (above), but second and third person open op their arms on one side and look in the same direction. (You still need the fourth person as catcher.)  Part 4 – Pyramids and standing on shoulders  Once participants have grasped the basic steps, they can proceed onto building pyramids and making new shapes (see diagrams in section D â€Å"Some Pyramids†).  2. General remarks  Who can do acrobatics? Acrobatics can be used with groups of all ages: teenagers, adults, even children from 4 or 5 years of age. It is important to include the warming up and trust-building exercises, especially if the people in the group do not know each other very well. Stretching and warming-up the muscles is important to avoid accidents. Everyone in the group should be taught the catcher’s tasks. The group has to take responsibility for itself – it is up to everyone to look out for one another. Why use acrobatics?  Acrobatics is a perfect method for team-building at any age. It’s good to learn to give and to take help from one another. Even if you have only a short amount of time, participants can learn amazing things like building pyramids or standing on shoulders. Acrobatics can help people learn about taking responsibility for others but also about respecting limits (their own and other person’s). The atmosphere in the workshop should allow participants to say if they don’t want to try a certain figure or activity. An extra touch  If you have more time (e.g. the group stays together several days), the participants can put together a presentation. This is a great way for the group to show off what they have learned (especially good for children and young adults).  Accessibility  Some groups may have specific needs (e.g. older participants or individuals with physical or mental disabilities), but these are not reasons for people to be excluded. For example, past experiments with acrobatics has shown that it’s possible to include people who might be missing a limb or even those in wheelchairs. There may be some limits, but in most cases it just takes some fantasy to create new forms and figures which include all members of the group. 3. Literature  There are many resources to be found describing acrobatics and other circus activities. Two of these include:  1. Rudi Ballreich, Udo v. Grabowiecki (Hg.), Zirkus spielen. Ein Handbuch, 1999 Stuttgart/Leipzig. Not only about acrobatics but all circus skills you can use with young people, tips for presentation as well. (German language)  2. J.M. Fodero/E.E. Furblur, Creating Gymnastics, Pyramids and Balances. Leisure Press, Champaign, Illinois, 1989. This book focuses only on acrobatics and has a great amount of drawings for figures for 2 persons up to pyramids with 15 or more persons. For beginners to advanced. You can find some figures presented in the book on the Internet: http://www.mypage.bluewin.ch/mmc/akro/bkd7.html. (A German-language edition of this book is available under the title Menschenpyramiden.) Acrobatics Workshop. (2017, Sep 26).

The war between Samsung and Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The war between Samsung and Apple - Essay Example instance, California there was a ruling by the jury stipulating that Samsung is to compensate Apple damages amounting to 1.05 billion for infringement, whereby dismissing allegations made by Samsung (Helena,1). There are intentions by Samsung to seek an appeal for the ruling, though it would result to reduced choices, less innovation and increase in prices. In terms of the company’s marketing strategies, they select a range of products through which a marketing strategy can be implemented focusing on supply and demand and an aim of raising the attractiveness of the products, which results to increased sales turn over (Botha, Strydom and Brink, 29). Apple has made the necessary effort of adapting the strategy of releasing its products such as iPhone 5, which has been an effective strategy of marketing. Customers of Apple products are always waiting to acquire the latest products from Apple Company. Moreover, they have a strategy of regulating volumes of iPhone 5 that are suppli ed to the market, in order to ensure that it is below the demand. On the other hand, Apple needs a reform of their marketing strategy, by ensuring that they are entering the market using attractive features on their products, which are no present in their competitors. Marketing theory of 4ps is necessary in comparing products from Samsung and Apple; whereby there are some advantages of Apple’s iPhone 5 over Samsung Galaxy S3, which entail the size of the screen, resolution, life of the battery. However, Samsung has exploited the hype of iPhone 5 launching, by using the chance to inform their customers about the features of Galaxy S3 using the media and the channels offered by the social media. Samsung had ensured that are stores in main cities at the time when iPhone 5 is being launched,... In terms of the company’s marketing strategies, they select a range of products through which a marketing strategy can be implemented focusing on supply and demand and an aim of raising the attractiveness of the products, which results in increased sales turnover (Botha, Strydom and Brink, 29). Apple has made the necessary effort of adopting the strategy of releasing its products such as iPhone 5, which has been an effective strategy for marketing. Customers of Apple products are always waiting to acquire the latest products from Apple Company. Moreover, they have a strategy of regulating volumes of iPhone 5 that are supplied to the market, in order to ensure that it is below the demand. On the other hand, Apple needs a reform of their marketing strategy, by ensuring that they are entering the market using attractive features on their products, which are no present in their competitors.Marketing theory of 4ps is necessary for comparing products from Samsung and Apple; whereby there are some advantages of Apple’s iPhone 5 over Samsung Galaxy S3, which entail the size of the screen, resolution, life of the battery. However, Samsung has exploited the hype of iPhone 5 launching, by using the chance to inform their customers about the features of Galaxy S3 using the media and the channels offered by the social media. Samsung had ensured that are stored in main cities at the time when iPhone 5 is being launched, whereby they used a clear message for their customers.

American and French Revolutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American and French Revolutions - Essay Example Perhaps the major reason for this was that the American Revolution took place in an absolutely new country without almost any history, while the French Revolution occurred in one of the eldest European states. Consequently, the participants of the American Revolution did not have to overthrow the established aristocratic society and absolute monarchy in order to proclaim either equality of people (because they were equal) or sovereignty of their new state (the British monarch was geographically too far from them). In other words, the birth of the new society in the United States occurred without major tension. The French Revolution began in an absolutely different situation. It was a daring attempt to establish the principle of equality in the traditionally aristocratic society and cultivate political freedom in the most powerful European monarch (Doyle 2002).Economic factors played equally important role in the onset of both revolutions. The American Revolution was largely caused by the economic pressure of Britain, which was economically dependent on the colonies, but often failed to adequately justify the increasingly burden heavy burden of taxes. This problem – often termed ‘taxation without representation’ – is reported to be one of the most essential factors that eventually led to the revolutionary situation (Wood 1998).A similar situation was observed in the pre-revolutionary France where the absolute monarch kept increasing the burden of taxes for the poorest layers of population. (especially peasants) while the wealthiest and the least numerous layer of aristocracy often did not pay taxes at all. The growing unemployment, abnormal spending of the King and growth of prices added naturally to the picture (Hibbert 1981). Evidently, no acceptable explanation could be brought forth to justify such situation. Therefore, despite some disagreement within the scholarly community as for the causes and preconditions of the French and Am erican Revolutions (Kates 1997; Nash 2005), the assertion that the major causes were similar is likely to be correct. Secondly, the course of the American Revolution differed significantly from the developments of the French Revolution. During the revolutionary decade the army of colonists engaged in a number of clashes with the British troops until finally forcing them out of their territory: in other words, the emerging nation had an external enemy to deal with. By contrast, no major battles occurred on the territory of France during the French Revolution and no external threat was available. As a result, the major goal pursued by the inspirators of revolution was physical removal of the much hated representatives of aristocracy. The subsequent series of wars with other European states took place after the Revolution was over although there is not agreement between

Change and Continuity in the Guilded Age Essay -- essays research pape

Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.†-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted duration or continuation especially without essential change. Change is defined as to make different in some particular, to alter, to make radically different, to transform, or to give a different position, course, or direction to. These antonyms are critical in understanding history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gilded age of the United States is an extremely interesting era that generally gets diluted in the teaching of American history. However, this age was very critical in the development of many modern ideas and institutions we utilize today. Change and continuity are both prevalent in this time, but change is the primary element from 1877 to 1900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When discussing change in the late 1800’s a few things come to mind, but the progression of capitalism was a major catalyst for most of them. Capitalism is an economic system of free market. It promotes private or corporate ownership of goods from investments based upon price, production, and distribution of goods. This new idea tended to promise wealth and stability, but when the distinction between the working lower class and bourgeoisie became more evident, people were irritated. Capitalism began to exploit the greed in man and bring fear to the strongest of wills. Many dreamed of this as the golden age of man kind and saw new prosperity as a benefit for all â€Å"for how could there be greed when all had enough.†(George, p.21) Poverty spread through the working class like disease and forced millions of Americans to fight for survival. In a trip to Chicago Rudyard Kipling furiously describes the dreary, money driven conditions that consumed the ea rth, water, and air. â€Å"I spent ten hours in that huge wilderness, wandering through scores of miles of these terrible streets, and jostling some few hundred thousand of these terrible people who talked money through their noses.... ...was also continuity. The country still faced severe issues of poverty, racism, and oppression, but the people of America were growing wise and understanding the system and how to change it. Inventions, technology and industrialization were fueled during this time, constantly changing and improving, to create a better America. Ideologically the United States was spawning great new ideas on government regulations, and equal rights. These forefront dreams created much of American society, as we know it today. It pushed the envelope and made top officials see that if the people were unhappy, the nation would not benefit but struggle to come to consensus. Though the end of this age did not completely put all the standards into practice, it set a foundation for future progress. In my opinion where there is change there is always continuity, and vice versa, but change primarily characterized the gilded age. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fink, Leon. Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: second edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com Change and Continuity in the Guilded Age Essay -- essays research pape Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.†-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted duration or continuation especially without essential change. Change is defined as to make different in some particular, to alter, to make radically different, to transform, or to give a different position, course, or direction to. These antonyms are critical in understanding history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gilded age of the United States is an extremely interesting era that generally gets diluted in the teaching of American history. However, this age was very critical in the development of many modern ideas and institutions we utilize today. Change and continuity are both prevalent in this time, but change is the primary element from 1877 to 1900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When discussing change in the late 1800’s a few things come to mind, but the progression of capitalism was a major catalyst for most of them. Capitalism is an economic system of free market. It promotes private or corporate ownership of goods from investments based upon price, production, and distribution of goods. This new idea tended to promise wealth and stability, but when the distinction between the working lower class and bourgeoisie became more evident, people were irritated. Capitalism began to exploit the greed in man and bring fear to the strongest of wills. Many dreamed of this as the golden age of man kind and saw new prosperity as a benefit for all â€Å"for how could there be greed when all had enough.†(George, p.21) Poverty spread through the working class like disease and forced millions of Americans to fight for survival. In a trip to Chicago Rudyard Kipling furiously describes the dreary, money driven conditions that consumed the ea rth, water, and air. â€Å"I spent ten hours in that huge wilderness, wandering through scores of miles of these terrible streets, and jostling some few hundred thousand of these terrible people who talked money through their noses.... ...was also continuity. The country still faced severe issues of poverty, racism, and oppression, but the people of America were growing wise and understanding the system and how to change it. Inventions, technology and industrialization were fueled during this time, constantly changing and improving, to create a better America. Ideologically the United States was spawning great new ideas on government regulations, and equal rights. These forefront dreams created much of American society, as we know it today. It pushed the envelope and made top officials see that if the people were unhappy, the nation would not benefit but struggle to come to consensus. Though the end of this age did not completely put all the standards into practice, it set a foundation for future progress. In my opinion where there is change there is always continuity, and vice versa, but change primarily characterized the gilded age. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fink, Leon. Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: second edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com

Blood Clotting Essay

Blood clotting is an adaptive/defensive mechanism of the human body. Its primary purpose is to prevent the loss of blood from the cardiovascular system from damaged blood vessels in order to avoid shock and possible death. This accomplished by a process called coagulation wherein blood solidify at the site of injury through a complex process involving platelet aggregation and fibrin formation coupled with thrombin and a dozen other clotting factors. Though the mechanism is designed to prevent deleterious harm, clotting can also be harmful especially when inappropriately triggered such as in the case of strokes and infarctions. In the article by Cathleen Genova, she discusses the findings of a report made in the April 17th 2009 issue of Cell, a journal from Cell Press Publication, where researchers found a possible way of preventing life-threatening clots. The discovery might offer a new way to fight clot formation before it can even begin, according to the researchers. According to the findings, thrombin isn’t the only player in the clotting process, in fact â€Å"enzymes known as matrix metalloproteases have recently emerged as important players in platelet function and the biology of blood vessels. Two of those enzymes, MMP-1 and MMP-2 can actually encourage platelet activation† early in the clotting process. If treatments were aimed at blocking the MMP1-PAR1 pathway, a new way of treating patients with acute coronary syndromes may be developed. The advantages of such treatments, the researchers predict, would be that â€Å"an MMP-1 inhibitor might be better tolerated† especially since careful balance between the risk of dangerous blood clots and the risk of bleeding must be kept in mind. Works Cited Genova, Cathleen. â€Å"How Life-Threatening Blood Clots Take Hold. † Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intrnational Ltd. Accessed 23 April 2009 ARTICLE http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/articles/146508. php How Life-Threatening Blood Clots Take Hold Article Date: 18 Apr 2009 – 0:00 PDT When plaques coating blood vessel walls rupture and expose collagen, platelets spring into action to form a blood clot at the damaged site. Now, a new report in the April 17th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, reveals how those life-threatening clots – a leading cause of death in the United States, Europe and other industrialized countries – get an early grip. The discovery might offer a new way to fight clot formation before it can even begin, according to the researchers. â€Å"Compared to other diseases, blood clotting has been very well understood,† said Athan Kuliopulos of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine. Nevertheless, he continued, many people still suffer from heart attacks, ischemic stroke and death as a result of clot formation. â€Å"Drugs designed to inhibit clots through known pathways are widely used by millions. They work well, but not perfectly. There is still an unmet need. † Those drugs include aspirin and the so-called thienopyridines, including Clopidogrel (trade name Plavix). Scientists have known that a protein called thrombin plays an important role in clot formation as a potent activator of platelets. It also cuts fibrinogen into fibrin, a fibrous protein that works together with platelets to form a clot. But thrombin isn’t the whole story. Enzymes known as matrix metalloproteases have recently emerged as important players in platelet function and the biology of blood vessels. Two of those enzymes, MMP-1 and MMP-2 can actually encourage platelet activation, according to earlier studies, although the means were unknown. In cancer cells too, MMP-1 activates a receptor known as PAR1 – the same receptor that is also responsible for receiving the thrombin signal on human platelets. â€Å"There is abundant proMMP-1 coating platelets,† Kuliopulos said. â€Å"We thought maybe it was on the outside waiting to be activated by something. Maybe it could be involved in an early event in blood clotting, before thrombin is around. † Indeed, Kuliopulos’ team has now connected those dots. They show that exposure of platelets to collagen activates MMP-1, which in turn directly cut PAR1 on the surface of platelets. Collagen is the first thing a platelet â€Å"sees† when a blood vessel ruptures or is cut. The MMP-1-PAR1 pathway activates another set of molecular players known to be involved in early clot formation, he said. Those activated platelets change their shape, sending out spikes and membrane sheets. â€Å"Within seconds, they become more sticky,† adhering to the vessel surface and then other platelets. Moreover, they show that treatments that block the MMP1-PAR1 pathway prevent blood clots from forming in the presence of collagen, suggesting that drugs targeting this metalloprotease-receptor system could offer a new way to treat patients with acute coronary syndromes. According to the new results, PAR1 inhibitors already being tested in clinical trials might have an added benefit, Kuliopulos said. It’s also possible they might work a little too well, since there is a careful balance between the risk of dangerous blood clots and the risk of bleeding. â€Å"An MMP-1 inhibitor might be better tolerated,† he said. The researchers include Vishal Trivedi, Adrienne Boire, Boris Tchernychev, Nicole C. Kaneider, Andrew J. Leger, Katie O’Callaghan, Lidija Covic, and Athan Kuliopulos, of Tufts University School of Medicine, Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA. Source: Cathleen Genova Cell Press

The Main Categories of Market Structures Essay - 1668 Words

The Main Categories of Market Structures Recent industry analyses typically have strong relation with economic theories. There is a theory, belongs to microeconomics, divides industries into categories according t the degree of competition that exists between the firms within the industry, i.e. the theory of Alternative Market Structures. This essay based on three questions divides into 3 parts to explain and evaluate the questions. This essay (PART A) outlines the main categories of market structures, and shows the theoretical features of two of them, i.e. Perfect Competition and Oligopoly. This essay (PART B) evaluates upon the most relevant structure in regard to the UK supermarket industry. This essay (PART C)†¦show more content†¦There is a freedom of entry into and exit from the industry firms. There are no significant financial, legal, technological or other barriers to new firms entering the industry or existing firms leaving it. 3. All firms in the industry sell identical/homogenous product. It makes perfect competition so extremely competitive and so rare. The important thing is that the product of a firm is considered by the buyers to be the same as that of any other firm. This ensures that no buyer has any economic incentive to pay any firm higher price for the product than is charged by other firms. 4. Each firm is a price taker and has no influence on the market price. They are unable to affect the prices by changing the amount of product that is offers for sale (Fig 1). This is because the output is such a small portion of total industry supply that has nearly no effect on market supply. Therefore the firm has to be a price taker; otherwise, it will reduce profit. In the real world the perfect competition is rare. The model of perfect competition serves usually as a benchmark of economic efficiency against which real world markets can be measured. 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