...While the original Monsanto made a name for itself through the manufacturing of chemicals, new Monsanto took quite a different turn. It switched its emphasis from chemicals to food. Today’s Monsanto owes its $8.6 Billion in sales to biotechnology; specifically to its sales of genetically modified (GM) plant seeds. These seeds have revolutionized the agriculture industry. Throughout history, weeds, insects, and drought have been the bane of the farmer’s existence. In the past century, herbicides and pesticides were invented to ward off pests. Yet applying these chemicals to an entire crop was both costly and time-consuming. Then Monsanto scientists, through their work in biotechnology, were able to implant seeds with genes that make the plants themselves kill bugs. They also created seeds containing the herbicide Roundup Ready, an herbicide that kills weeds but spares the crops. The broad introduction of these GM seeds in the 1990s unleashed a stream of criticism. Monsanto was nickname “Mutanto,” and GM produce was called “Frankenfood.” Critics believed that influencing the gene pools of plants we eat could result negative health consequences, a fear that remains to this day. Others worried about the health effects on beneficial insects and plants. Could pollinating GM plants have an effect on nearby insects and non-GM plants? CEO Hugh Grant decided to curtail the tide of criticism by focusing on biotechnology on products that would not be directly place on dinner plate, but...
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...the world manage to mass produce enough food to feed the billions? Mass production of crop cultivation on a large scale. In order to do this successfully and provide food for the populations there are a few primary issues which must be addressed. One of the main issues the farmers of the world must deal with is the problem with crop destroying insects and invasive plant species. Pesticide is used to identify both insecticides and herbicides, or (as I like to refer to them) bug and weed killers. Although pesticides curb the effects of insects and weeds in food cultivation, the detrimental health issues concerning the effects of pesticides continues to increase; therefore, pesticides should have stricter standards imposed upon their use, and more focus should be made towards developing alternative methods and safer solutions. Depending on location, environment, weather, and many other variables there is a great need to protect the world’s crops from the devastating effects of bugs and weeds. Certain species are capable of terminating the growth of necessary food sources. Of course humanity would react as alarmist and jump to an immediate solution of “Kill! Kill ‘em all!” without first considering the possible consequences to themselves or future generations. I’m told its human nature, and can relate to the pressures of solving the mysteries of life but, seriously?!? What would make them consider that another living creature, be it plant or animal, would not be capable...
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...can be said true of nearly anything you have an abundance of. Then, there’s grazing, letting animals eat the plant. This is the method currently being used in parts of the Southern United States. There’s also removing the crowns, which is the flower on top of the plant that has all of the vines coming out. Mowing close to the ground regularly is also a proven weapon against the Kudzu plant. Herbicide has been used for a while, but is harmful for the environment, so it’s not being used much anymore. Finally, there is a specific kind of mold that eats up the Kudzu plant, killing it slowly as it devours it’s way to the root. The Kudzu Vine has the potential to be a devastating plant. But, we are working our hardest to turn it from a common weed, to a medical plant that could save millions of...
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...Jimi Underwood 10.24.2014 PLNT 5412 Proposal for Blue Grama Breeding Program Introduction Recently, there has been a growing interest in the use of North American native grasses for the use as a turfgrass and as ornamental grass. Multiple reasons exist for this interest; among them are the perceived lack of invasiveness (as compared to other introduced species), their existing adaptation to the climatic conditions of specific locations, and even the maintenance and storage of the germplasm (Watkins et al., 2013). This growing interest is a sign to breeders letting them know that a market exists for the right native grasses. It is my belief that blue grama fills the need of the market looking for a native, low-maintenance, and attractive turfgrass. Blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths] is one of the 57 species of grama grasses (genus Bouteloua Lag.) that dominate the xeric grasslands of North America. These grasslands are found in the central and southern regions of North America occupying a large portion of the continent. Yet, despite having a wide range of adaptability and fairly high diversity within the genus, the grama grasses are only found as a native in the western hemisphere (Smith et al., 2004). This seemingly limits the global use of grama grasses, yet they have potential for use in their native ranges. The grama grasses represent a genus with a high potential, and out of the 57 species I feel blue grama seems more fitting than most for...
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...2:30 p.m. The event took place at the Washington State Arboretum Park. Upon arrival I had no idea what to expect. I figured we would be pulling some small weeds or planting trees and flowers. This was not the case. I was surprised to find that our task was to dig up blackberry plants. I quickly noticed that these enormous prickly weeds were everywhere, almost completely taking over in certain areas in the park. I was intimidated at first in trying to tackle these weeds because I don’t have much arm strength. Even the woman showing us what to do had trouble digging one up. Shovels and pitchforks were given to us as our tools. The shovels definitely were the way to go. It proved to be a strenuous job to dig these plants up because it was hard to navigate the area without getting pricked by the thorns, and the roots on most of them were thick and went into the dirt pretty deep. Some of the weeds were even “double rooters,” meaning they were rooted into the ground in two separate places. I would feel so accomplished after digging one up only to find, when I tugged on it to bring it to the pile, that it was rooted into the ground again somewhere else a few feet away. I eventually got the hang of digging the plants up and ended up accomplishing quite a lot with the group I was working with. The truck we were placing our pulled weeds in was overflowing because we had dug up so many, and that was only our group’s pile and there were three groups total. I feel that all of us volunteers...
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...Growing Weed Resistance Problem Threatens U.S. Farms Resistance of weeds to the herbicide glyphosate has grown over the past two decades, and this global problem has hit home. The U.S. has officially overtaken Australia as the #1 spot for herbicide-resistant weeds worldwide, according to Stephen Powles, director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of Western Australia. This dubious distinction is of concern because the U.S. has joined other world-leading grain-producing countries in experiencing weed resistance, potentially endangering crop yields amid a growing world population. During the “Weed Resistance in the Americas” panel at the 2013 Farm Progress Show, Powles and other leading global experts shared weed management observations and expertise to help and support U.S. farmers: Aaron Hager, associate professor of Weed Science, University of Illinois; Pedro J. Christoffoleti, head of the Department of Crop Science at the University of São Paulo in Brazil; and Harry Strek, head of Profiling and Market Support in the Weed Control Biology Research group at Bayer CropScience in Frankfurt, Germany. The event followed a week-long weed resistance tour of the U.S. and Canada hosted by Bayer CropScience. Moderator Arlene Cotie, product development manager with Bayer, said the panelists wanted to educate and urge growers to “take action” to protect their fields and yields. International weed resistance experts warned U.S....
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...Pollution has been found to be present widely in the environment. There are a number of effects of this: * Biomagnification describes situations where toxins (such as heavy metals) may pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process. * Carbon dioxide emissions cause ocean acidification, the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans as CO2becomes dissolved. * The emission of greenhouse gases leads to global warming which affects ecosystems in many ways. * Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native speciescompetitiveness. * Nitrogen oxides are removed from the air by rain and fertilise land which can change the species composition of ecosystems. * Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis and leads to the production of tropospheric ozone which damages plants. * Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food web. * Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause acid rain which lowers the pH value of soil. The 48-year-old businessman, who was vice president of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee and is on the board of Inter State Gas Company and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, strongly believes in the potential of Pakistan’s...
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...1 Journal entry Two: How do media writers influence society? The media influences society through many channels not available even fifteen years ago. We no longer rely only on the evening news or newspapers, we can get instantaneous news from our smart phones, tablets, computers. People are connecting through blogs and social media websites to obtain and share news. Today we are also a celebrity crazed generation that focuses more on who is dating whom or what they are wearing (or not wearing in many cases). The lack of morals and desensitizing of this generation to crime, death, sex and horror weighs heavy on the shoulders of our media. Children are talking about and having sex at young ages, making babies to get on reality shows, kissing the same sex to gain the attention of the opposite sex only. The morality has gone, it is considered “old school” to have morals or believe in saving yourself for marriage, staying married to one person, or not let your parents raise your babies. Even news outlets that are supposed to be legitimate and unbiased are telling only one side of the news to fill a political agenda. Politics are sugar coated and ignored on some networks, or completely farfetched from reality for political gain and control from one party or another. Media writers can put their own agenda and emotion into any piece they report on to give a one sided view of any subject. It is hard to know what is fact or opinion anymore with so many resources out there....
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...Margaret Sanger wrote a book about birth control to educate women Kinsey wrote sexual behavior in the human male about facts that were happening Freud talks about sexual psychology Huey Hefner releases Playboy for romantic sexual pleasure Anthony Comstock in 1800’s tried to ban all open sexual behaviors, no contraceptives info/supplies, public displays of affection and pornography The early 20th century Women had to go into the work force because men were going to war They wanted them to abstain from sex so they don’t get venereal disease Automobile was like an accessory to sex to have privacy Felons that needed punishment received vasectomy’s 1920’s Prohibition was happening New behaviors of women: Jazz clubs and danced, cigarettes and alcohol, rode bikes and drove cars 1930’s and 1940’s The great depression makes women return to being more conservative New laws for women’s right to legal access to contraceptive info/devices World War II Post war back to traditional roles Baby boom began because all men were coming back from the war Televisions became a “must have” Development of penicillin to cure STI’s There was a different outlook on the war for men to have something to be excited about after war 1950’s -1970’s Alfred Kinsey published book about male and female sexuality 1960: FDA approved distribution of Enovid (1st oral contraceptive) Men are volunteering vasectomies 1973: Roe vs. Wade – abortion is legal Homosexuality no longer labeled...
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... | |Sexual Response Cycle | | | |Excitement Phase |The male will achieve a penal erection after |Physical and or psychological stimulation is | | |stimulation. Physically and psychological |what brings the increased blood flow to the | | |stimulation. The Vascongestion in a man is what |vagina. Because of the increases blood flow | | |causes the erection in the male penis. Because of |the walls of the vagina, there is a fluid | | |this there is blood flow which increases in the |that is like sweating that lubricates the | | |Corpora Cavernosa. The male scrotum begins to |females vagina. This means that at the | | |become tighter. |present moment all of the female’s external | | | |genitals are beginning to swell. Just like | | | |the males...
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...Part A, Section 2 • Both young men and young women can make their own decisions about sex. • It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, if you had sex in the past or if you haven’t. • All teenagers can their own decisions about what is right for them. • As you learned in the first PHE workshop, Decision Making and Communication I, a person can use the 5 C’s to make a decision. • So we’re going to do a small activity. I’m going to need five volunteers. • Okay, so can you guys put the five C’s in the correct order? o Identify my Choices o Understand the Consequences (Both positive and negative) o Decide what I Care About o Carry out the Decision o Communicate that Decision to Others • Thank you all for volunteering. So please turn to page 16, figure D in your workbooks. • This worksheet provides a tool for teenagers to decide whether or not to have sex. • Although there are many decisions that can be made about having sex, this exercise will focus on whether or not to have sex. • So you all will have about 3 minutes to complete the activity……30 seconds….. • Okay, so what are some consequences of having sex? Keep in mind that these can be both positive and negative. o A person can experience the pleasure of sex. o A person can get pregnant. o A person can give or get an STI if they have vaginal sex. o A person can share love with a partner. o A person may regret having sex. • So what are some consequences of not having sex? Keep in mind that these...
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...Asdfasdfsadfsdfasdfasdfasdf Vaginal douches may consist of water, water mixed with vinegar, or even antiseptic chemicals. Douching has been touted as having a number of supposed but unproven benefits. In addition to promising to clean the vagina of unwanted odors, it can also be used by women who wish to avoid smearing a sexual partner's penis with menstrual blood while having intercourse during menstruation. In the past, douching was also used after intercourse as a method of birth control, though it is not effective (see below). Many health care professionals state that douching is dangerous, as it interferes with both the vagina's normal self-cleaning and with the natural bacterial culture of the vagina, and it might spread or introduce infections. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly discourages douching, warning that it can lead to irritation, bacterial vaginosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the pH of the vagina, and thus may put women at risk for possible vaginal infections, especially yeast infections.[1] In May 2003, a randomized, controlled, multi-center study was conducted with 1827 women ages 18–44 who were regular users of a douche product and who had been treated recently for a sexually transmitted bacterial infection or bacterial vaginosis. Women were randomly assigned to use either a newly designed and marketed douche product or a soft cloth towelette. There...
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...A Sexy Guide bySteelAndSilk© While I was pondering a bit about another how-to, I stumbled onto the idea of one about how women could be sexy (or sexier) toward men, and also, avoid being unsexy. Now, as I've stated in some of my other articles, I have no business telling men how to be sexy toward women. I'll leave that to a woman, seeing as she would know a hell of a lot more than I would. There are the obvious things, of course, for both sexes. Being in decent shape, having a good attitude toward each other (though some women do go for the douchebags, a concept I'll never understand), etc, are all great things. However, not every guy is going to be able to get all ripped out, and not every woman has time to tone her abs or get supermodel hot. Let me share a secret with you ladies...you don't have to in order to be sexy. But, it is good to take care of yourself, just as you would want your man to. Now, understand that when I "speak for men" we're talking about your run-of-the-mill normal guy. Sure, there are guys who think you dressing in a skin-tight latex full body suit with weird goggles for your eyes and a zipper on the mouth while you spank his ass with a spiked paddle is sexy. I'm not remotely experienced with that, so I'm going to leave that be. Nor am I getting into the men who supposedly love obese women. No experience there either. So what do you think of when you think sexy, girls? Maybe waiting for your husband to come home, candles lit and music playing, and he...
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...Newborn Discharge Instructions Feeding: Feed your baby whenever he or she shows signs of hunger (hands in mouth, rooting, lip-smacking, cooing). Breastfed babies usually eat every 2-3 hours but may eat more frequently at certain times of the day. Bottle fed babies usually eat every 3-4 hours. Urination: During the first few days of life, your baby will urinate 2-3 times each day. By the 4th or 5th day of life, your baby should urinate 6-8 times a day. Bowel Movement: Your baby’s first bowel movements are called meconium and are thick, black and sticky. During the first 4-5 days of life, your baby’s bowel movements will change from brown to green and finally to yellow. Most babies have 3-4 bowel movements daily. If you are breast feeding, you will know your baby is getting enough to eat if he/she has at least 3-4 soft yellow bowel movements each day. Bathing: Your baby does not need to be bathed every day 2-3 times a week is enough. Use mild, non deodorant soap and dry the baby very well to prevent him/her from becoming cold. Be sure to clean the diaper area well with each diaper change. Cord Care: Your baby’s cord will fall off in 5 to 15 days. Positioning: Your baby should fall asleep on his/her back. Your baby should NOT sleep on his/her stomach. It is OK for your baby to lie on his/her stomach when he/she is awake and you are playing. Temperature: If you are concerned that your baby is sick, you can take a temperature under the baby’s...
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...Week 1: Fertilization Fatimah Myers PSY/265 March 15, 2014 University of Phoenix Instructor – Dr. Zaleski In fertilization, the organs that make up the reproductive system in males plays the role of producing and discharging sperm within the female reproductive tract. The penis, scrotum, testes, sperm, epididymis, and accessory organs make up the reproductive organs in a male. In addition to being used for sexual intercourse and the pathway for semen, the penis is also where urine is passed through. The scrotum is a pouch located below the base of the penis, with two compartments. The compartments of the scrotum hold the testes. Each testicle is held in place by a spermatic cord. The spermatic cord is a structure that contains the vas deferens, blood vessels and nerves, and the cremaster muscle. This muscle controls the movement of testicle within the scrotum when there is a change in temperature and sexual stimulation (Rathus & Fichner-Rathus, 2011). The testes are responsible for the production of mature germ cells and the secretion of sex hormones. The epididymis is a tube that stores sperm and lies against the back wall of each testicle. The accessory glands of the male respiratory system include the seminal vesicles, the prostate and Cowper’s gland. Seminal vesicles are 2 inches in length and located behind the bladder. The seminal vesicles open into ejaculatory ducts and secrete fluids that combine with sperm to keep...
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