Habituation in Spirostomum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habituation in Spirostomum - Essay Example The unicellular organisms, Spirostomum also undergo changes on habituation. Spirostomum are ciliated protozoa and habituation helps in studying behavioral changes in these parallel to habituation. But it is viewed as a process to filter out iterative stimuli with no significant changes. And the easiest way to judge the changes is that as habituation is a homeostatic process it optimizes the Spirostomum's likelihood of judging the importance of the stimulus in a new iterative series or a change in it. The method to detect the low or high responsiveness to the stimuli is that if we take the initial responsiveness as organism's threshold prior to stimulus occurrence then if it has high initial response it is said to have lower threshold and if low initial response visa versa. In Spirostomum the time course of contraction is very rapid with 4 to 5 mS as the cells contract at a rate in excess of 100 cell lengths sec-1. And as the stimulus strength duration judges the threshold response, Spirostomum is said to have full or no contraction at all. The changes in resting membrane potential do not cause initial contractions while microinjection of calcium buffers induce contractions. The Spirostomum are habituated to a mechanical shock and cause brief contractions. And as the stimulation is repeated the number of contractions decreases. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein have also been found to increase during habituation as per the foundations of Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan. As the RNA and protein increases occur after a few consecutive stimulations RNA and protein inhibitors can also be used in combination. Though large amounts of RNA and proteins are not needed for habituation in protozoan Spirostomum. For the process of habituation firstly place the individuals on the slide. Tap the slide with mechanical stimulus every four seconds. You'll notice a change in Spirostomum behavior after 12 to 20 stimuli. The calculation of the percentage of the protozoa contracting can be done by counting from photographs taken during the process. Various studies have shown that Spirostomum can remember for ten minutes maximum. The term behavior is used to extend the original meaning to the concept of primary internal processes and changes occurred due to habituation in single cellular organisms. It includes their iterative external stimulation, their initial threshold to the initial stimulus and the behavioral changes in them. The shorter life span of habituation in Spirostomum also suggests that synthesis of macromolecules may not be necessary. Therefore, the adaptive significance of habituation in Spirostomum as viewed across the science of phylogeny. Sources / References: 1) Smith. James, Eisenstein. E.M., Eisenstein. D. Research & Development. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, CA. The Evolutionary Significance of Habituation and Sensitization Across Phylogeny: A Behavioral Homeostasis Model. 2) The Department of Zoology. University of Hul. Hawkins. R.B. 3) http://www.nature.com. Journal. 4) Applewhite and Gardner (1968). Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan(1969) 5) http://www.springerlink.com/content 6) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal 7) Protein and RNA Inhibitors and Protozoan Habituation. Gardener. Frank.T, Applewhite.

Contemporary Management Practices within the Public Sector Thesis

Contemporary Management Practices within the Public Sector - Thesis Example priately the current achievements of the present form of procurement systems, while taking intelligent and sustainable decisions for the future systems in the context of fluctuating political orders. The measuring framework must take into consideration the factors of effectiveness and efficiency (measured through cost effectiveness and achieving the desired procurement results), confidence of the civil society (which is reflected in the system accountability and transparency factors), and the policy acquiescence and stability factors. This framework must be accommodated within a larger  measuring system  within a sustainable public management,  portraying a certain  standard of life against only monetary wealth. In terms of designing basic notions for such measuring processes, there are three main underlying concepts. First, the structure of an organisation lies within multidimensional and complex frameworks. Secondly, there must measures for safeguarding basic transparency a nd integrity within the public procurement system; and thirdly, to alleviate the standards of  the public procurement systems,  the associated performance management  must necessarily serve as a model for present and future ethical reviews. This paper serves to study the organizational development structure, and supply chain management in the context of public/private procurements sectors, the basic notions of performance measurement in public procurement, while exploring the perspective of accountability and transparency within the public procurement system. Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview "Not  everything  that  counts  can  be  counted,  and  not  everything  that  can  be  counted   counts."  ~ Albert  Einstein 1.1 Introduction (background study) A recent trend in the realms of business... A recent trend in the realms of business management shows that the public sector has shown a gradual shift in its operational perspective, with a greater focus on privatization, and an emphasis on cost saving and increasing efficiency. Comprehending the necessity of outsourcing large-scale work to the private sector for better economic growth and developments, many State governments have started the processes of public procurement, under prescribed directives and regulations created to regulate the process, as are seen in the Council Directives 93/37/EEC, 93/38/EEC and 93/36/EEC and their subsequent modified versions. This is also evident in the 41 USC Sec. 253 in the United States, where it is clearly stated that â€Å"an executive agency in conducting a procurement for property or services - (A) shall obtain full and open competition through the use of competitive procedures in accordance with the requirements this subchapter and the Federal Acquisition Regulation.† The current importance of public procurement is seen in the increased governmental activity in â€Å"purchasing of goods and services,† for State requirements, through fair competitive auction -bidding, which accounts for 10% - 20% of the GDP of all the countries. A productive public procurement system decides the standard, scope, and extent, of a country’s infrastructural development and proffered public services towards its citizens, thus, making public procurement a primary issue within the agenda of a State’s economic development plan.