Bone Detectives

IntroductionWhen we think of bones, we most often think of the way in which these hard structures support the body, how they work with muscles to produce movement and how they protect our internal organs. But the 206 bones of the human skeleton can also tell a story. The specific structure of your bones reveals information about your gender, your height, your age and even your ethnicity. These biological clues are often the first pieces of evidence scientists look to in identifying the remains of a missing person.Specialists called forensic anthropologists are trained to analyze the secrets locked in a bone’s shape and structure and can use this information to help solve crimes, trace human origins, or identify those who have gone missing. In this project, you will assume the role of a forensic anthropologist and complete a detailed examination of skeletal remains.Forensic anthropologists use a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures to predict traits from bone. T hrough a series of metric measurements and direct observation, you will gather clues about the identity of the remains that have just been unearthed in a local park.Last week, a young couple was out for an early morning run. Stopping to catch a drink, they stumbled upon what appeared to be a human skull. The police arrived at the scene and went on to unearth two skeletons lying side by side. With a huge backlog of missing person cases, the police are looking to you for answers. Who are these people lying forgotten in the park? Can these bones tell their story and finally provide closure to grieving families?In this project, you and your team of forensic anthropologists have been called in to examine the skeletal remains. Through careful observation and measurement of the bones found at the scene, you will provide the local police department information that is vital to identifying these individuals.You will analyze features of bone to determine as much as you can about each personâ €™s gender, ethnic origin, age and height. Once you have completed your tasks, you will prepare your findings in a detailed report to the police department.Equipment Computer with Internet access Laboratory journal Career journal Ward’s Sherlock Bones: Identification of Skeletal Remains Kit (2) Protractor Metric ruler Calipers (large and small) Skeletal remains- skull, pelvis, humerus and femur or tibia Laminated instruction cards and photographs (one set per station plus extra copies of the nasal index photographs) Calculator Project 1.2.3: Student Data Sheet Anatomy in Clay ® Maniken ® Skeletal system graphic organizerProcedure1. Visit the website Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body presented by the National Library of Medicine at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/education/anthropological/index.html.2. In the section â€Å"Learning from Bones,† complete the visual comparison activities to determine the sex and the ethnic origin of the skulls. Take notes on the bone landmarks you used in your analysis in your laboratory journal.3. Notice that forensic anthropologists use a three-race model to categorize skeletal traits. While there are obvious drawbacks to this model, race determination is considered a vital part of the overall identification process. Notice that in the National Library of Medicine site, ethnic origins are described by the scientific terms Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. In this activity, these terms will be used interchangeably with White, Asian and Black.4. To learn more about the field of forensic anthropology and the duties of a forensic anthropologist, read the two interviews found at the bottom of the page (Barbian and Sledzick). Use the ideas presented in these two discussions to come up with your own definition of forensic anthropology. Write this definition in your career journal. You  will further explore this career area in the next lesson.5. Now that you have read about the role of a forensic a nthropologist in analyzing skeletal remains, work with a team to analyze the bones from one of the unearthed skeletons. You will analyze features of bone to determine as much as you can about each person’s gender, ethnic origin, age and height. One team will be assigned Skeleton A and one team will be assigned Skeleton B. Make sure that you are only working on the bones that belong to your assigned skeleton.6. Obtain a Student Data Sheet from your teacher. Write â€Å"Skeleton A† or â€Å"Skeleton B† on the top of your data sheet in the box provided.7. Divide your team into four groups. Each group will begin at one of the four bone stations.8. Bring your Maniken ® with you to each station.9. Rotate through the four bone identification stations for your skeleton and complete your analysis. At each station, you will be asked to complete both visual comparison exercises as well as metric measurements. Determine which bone you are analyzing and locate the appropri ate data tables on your Student Data Sheet. NOTE: As you are only looking at four bones, you will not use all of the data tables displayed on the Student Data Sheet.10. At each bone station, complete the following items. Along the way you will encounter many terms for bones or for markings on bones that you may not have heard before. Use the laminated photographs and your knowledge of directional terms to help decipher these clues and complete each step of the analysis. Use the laminated Ward’s instruction card, laminated photographs, and tools at each station to complete the observations or measurements listed for that bone, and determine as much as you can about the person’s gender, race and age. NOTE: Not all bones will be used for all three categories.Work with your group to come to consensus on each trait/measurement. Record your findings on the Student Data Sheet. NOTE: Forensic anthropologists use a scaled system when assessing features from bones. For example, when they look at the shape of the eye sockets to help determine gender, they use a 5 point assessment scale, with each gender at an end of the scale. The shape may fall somewhere in the middle. Therefore, looking at multiple features is necessary to make an informed assessment. Think about this process as you  evaluate the bones.For the following structures, mark the bone or bone landmark on your Maniken ® with a pencil. Use the skeletal remains and the laminated photographs to find and identify each structure. Continue the key you began in Activity 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 to link features on your Maniken ® to your skeletal system graphic organizer. NOTE: Some of these structures may already be labeled.1. Ischium 2. Illium 3. Coccyx 4. Sacrum 5. Pubis 6. Pubic Symphysis 7. Eye Orbit 8. Nasal Cavity 9. Zygomatic Bone 10. Mandible 11. Maxilla 12. Femur 13. Humerus 14. Tibia11. If you are waiting to view your next bone, take the measurements of the enlarged skull photos in order to dete rmine the nasal index for the three ethnic groups. The procedure is outlined in the instruction card found at the skull and additional copies of this protocol should be available from your teacher. This information will be a useful comparison when determining ancestry from the skull.12. When your group has made preliminary findings regarding the gender and ethnicity of the remains, use the equations listed in the data tables to estimate height.13. To determine the probable height range of the individual, refer to the height tables and record the minimum and maximum value of the calculated height ranges (looking at both bones). Convert the minimum and maximum value to feet and inches and estimate the height range of this individual.14. Meet with your entire team to discuss  results and come to consensus on the characteristics of your assigned skeleton. You may need to go back to specific bones if groups disagree. Work together to form a conclusion about gender, height, ethnicity an d age. 15. With your group, prepare a formal case report of your findings. This typed report should be written using terminology that you understand and should include the following headings: Introduction: Provide a brief case description.Summary of Findings: Provide evidence and support for your findings for each trait – sex, ethnic origin, age and height. NOTE: You do not need to list every measurement/observation as evidence. Think about your analysis as a whole and describe how combined data led you to a conclusion. Discuss any inconsistencies in the data and address the limitations of these methods in determining identity.Further Analysis: Read the FBI file on facial reconstruction at http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/jan2001/phillips.htm/.Discuss how this technique could be used in this case. Research and report on at least two other tests/types of analysis that can be completed using the bone samples. What can we learn from these tests ? How can this information be used to identify the missing?Conclusion: Sum up the case findings and your recommendations for the next steps of the investigation in 1-2 paragraphs.Conclusion1. How did your findings compare to the rest of your team and to the actual data provided by your teacher? What could account for any variation?2. Why do you think the pelvis is often the first bone forensic anthropologists look to in determining sex from skeletal remains?3. The developmental occurrences you used to determine age stopped at age 25. What are other clues a forensic anthropologist may be able to use to determine age if the bones belong to a person over age 25?4. What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative evidence? Explain how both types of measurements played a role in this activity.5. To analyze the long bones, the femur and the humerus, you looked at bone markings such as condyles, tuberosities and trochanters. Look back at the photographs and at the bone markings on your Maniken ®. How would you describe these markings in your own words? Which features do you think separate each class of markings from the others?6. In this activity, you were able to analyze skeletal remains in order to determine four particular traits of an individual. In a real life situation, scientists could provide a more detailed description of the individual based on additional information that can be acquired from the bones of this person. Describe at least two other pieces of information you could possibly learn from bone. Make sure to provide a specific example for each piece of information.

Tok Emotion Essay

Veruska M. B. November 18, 2011 TOK Mr. de Silva Grade 11 OSC TOK Essay: How do Perception and Emotion Contribute to our Knowledge of the World? Perception is broad concept, often defined through various contexts. Similarly, emotion has assorted definitions. These concepts differ in their timing in the world, for without the initial perception, emotion is a non-existent concept. And without such commodities our knowledge of the world would cease to exist. For our perception and emotion influences the other ways of knowing (WOK) immensely such as reason and language. Perception is how we perceive our surroundings, and the world. It’s often defined in 5 stages: The sensing process, integration, analysis, reaction and decision-making. However, emotion comes into play in the analysis, the reaction and the decision-making. The sensing process happens in one of five ways: with our five senses of sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing (Thinking positive). Integration is what is â€Å"filtered in and what is filtered out†. After this filtering you become aware of the environment and you explore/interpret the vicinity to give meaning and context differing on individuality. Then, we are convinced that if we can hear it, see it, smell it, taste it, feel it- it must be true. This is a common notion of a way of â€Å"knowing† something. Nonetheless, perception is key in its contribution towards our knowledge of the world. Considering that perception is the â€Å"supporting† evidence we obtain to identify with things around us, to categorize morals/ideas and to contribute towards our reactions on those morals/ideas. The reaction of perception interlinks with the abstraction of emotion. Emotion is defined as â€Å"a mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes† (Define: Emotion). There are 6 basic emotions that all emotions fall under: happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, and fear. These emotions affect our knowledge of the world, as it taints our perception. Giving our knowledge obscurity. Such obscurities in knowledge are evident in various areas of knowledge (AOK) when emotion and perception intervene. A major AOK emotion and perception impact is the Arts. Visual Art is an IB subject that can alter our knowledge and ideas. As an aspiring IB artist, I’m emotional with my art. I use color and texture to communicate broad ideas. When I was painting my expressionism self-portrait, I couldn’t find the right colors to develop, and found myself frustrated. This emotion drove me to shut the judgment of others out, raise my heartbeat; gather paints and a palette knife and paint my frustration. Before I knew it, I had created a piece. Now I understood something new: That great artists don’t paint by assignment, the art is a spontaneous work that is triggered by an emotion brought on by perception, whether that is perception of doing something wrong which leads to a primary emotion, or perceiving a landscape which triggers an emotion that is then integrated into an art piece. Another contribution to my knowledge based on perception and emotion was a personal experience I had 6 years ago on December 9th. It was the day my friend Simon died. I was sitting at the dinner table when my parents received a call from Simon’s mother. My parents told me that Simon had been in a car crash with a drunk driver; they had hit a passing car on the way home from a party. I was listening to them communicate this clearly, trying to comprehend what they were saying, but my emotions kicked in. My initial response was anger, yelling at my mother that she was wrong, that what she was telling me was a lie, that Monday I’d walk from the bus stop with him. My emotion of sadness, led me to believe that my mother must be lying to me, because the sadness and anger obscured the truth. I was so absorbed in emotion and denial. On Monday, I waited at the bus stop and missed two of my classes. My judgment was so clouded; I simply rejected my perception, my knowledge, because of my strong emotion. Because of all the happiness Simon brought me, I could not let him go. Having it been so long ago now, I have a different emotional response whenever Simon is brought up. The emotion of sadness is still there, but it does not cloud the knowledge I gained from the experience of the loss. In conclusion, perception and emotion contribute to our knowledge of the world, in both its filtering of knowledge, and its positive reaction. Emotion and perception can both suppress knowledge not wanting to be obtained in a moment of strong emotion. But it can also be a strong positive influence in an area of creativity and individuality. The examples of art class and the death of Simon both exemplify such occurrences in my knowledge of the world. Works Cited Brennan, Samantha. â€Å"Thinking Positive†. Perception and Intuition, a life long challenge. http://www. positive-thinking-principles. com/definition-of-perception. html â€Å"Definition of Emotion†. Answers. Com. http://www. answers. com/topic/emotion | |

Contractual Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contractual Advice - Essay Example gal standpoint, the architect is simply the administrator of the contract on behalf of the employer and may not modify or supplement the terms of the contract3, neither does he have the power to create new liabilities and obligations in the parties. Consequently, the architect is considered your employee and delays resulting from his/her side may be attributed to you rather than to the contractor. In this instance, since it is the architect who has required fresh obligations on the part of the contractor which may not have been a part of the original contract; therefore this particular extension of time of two days may have to be allowed. Further, this extension of time will also allow for financial recovery by the contractor. The contractor may be entitled to claim additional costs or loss and expense, because architect caused delays are the responsibility of the employer. I would thus conclude that the delay of time of 2 days caused by the architect requirements will have to be allowed and the contractor may also be entitled to loss and expense. Another cause of delay to the work on the ground floor is the freezing temperatures for three days. Under the JCT contract, it is only unusual or non typical weather conditions that can be grounds for extension of time. A contractor is expected to allow within the contract, some allowance for adverse weather conditions.4 Since the work was taken up in the months of January and February, where adverse weather conditions such as freezing temperatures have been known to occur, some provision should have been made by the contractor in the original contract. The weather records for the past five years or so must be compared to the weather patterns subsisting this year near this particular site and the contractor may be entitled to this extension only if the freezing temperatures are unusual or non typical, as compared to the weather records of previous years. I would also like to clarify that even if the extension is

Manifest Destiny Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Manifest Destiny - Essay Example In 1845, America considered that it was ordained to its increase democratic institutions beyond its own borders and into North America, and Manifest Destiny was given as the support for this belief. It was considered that this expansion would give the United States a strong moral right to govern throughout North America, where the belief was not respected. One way of describing the concept is that set forth by William E. Weeks. He proposed that there were three themes within Manifest Destiny. The first was the virtue of Americans and their institutions, the second was that these institutions had a mission to aid America in restructuring the entire world and finally the third was that this was inevitable and a matter of destiny. One area where the concept of Manifest Destiny played a major role was during the time in which Texas announced independence from Mexico and planned to join as a new state in United States of America. According to O'Sullivan, this was the crucial time in the p rocess of expansion for the United States, as new policy had been created which meant that any state that was independent could request entry into the Union. This legislation worked in favor of those who believed in Manifest Destiny. However, the concept was not widely accepted. For example, not all American’s believed that the country should expand in such a way. In addition, the expansion of the Americans within the United States had a significantly negative impact on the Native Americans, as their land was being encroached on.

Art periods - Impressionism and Post Impressionism Essay

Art periods - Impressionism and Post Impressionism - Essay Example The impressionist deviated from their predecessor artists as they painted in the open air (en plain air) (Rewald, 2005). This was very important in confronting the modern city life and the nature. They further painted their work by use of pure color. The use of pure color was very important as they made the work of the artist impressive. The work was attractive unlike the previous artistic work. The artists who fall in this category influenced the western conception of drawings and paintings. The impressionists revolutionized the western work of art. It was an avenue of the post impressionists who created their work basing on the impressionism. They modified the impressionism work of art. They thus, maintained some other aspects of the impressionism. The impressionism is very important as it made a base for the post impressionism. All the paintings, drawings and films of post- impressionism were borrowed from the impressionism. Even though the post impressionists deviated from the im pressionists, they still borrowed some knowledge from impressionists to perfect their works of art. Claude Monet is the greatest artist in this period. He aimed at catching light and atmosphere something which had not been thought by the past artists. His enjoyment in painting outdoors let to spontaneous and free painting technique. Monet’s brushwork is remarkably varied and flexible. He could change his work. Sometimes his work was dappled and sparking but at other times it was broad and sweeping.

Course of negotiants Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Course of negotiants - Case Study Example Organizations feel the need for negotiations depending on three different perspectives. The first is when the parties involved are interested in establishing a relationship on a particular front and work towards reaching a common understanding on the connected parameters and constraints. The other case when negotiations usually take place is in the case of disagreements over a number of issues and this usually occurs on a wide range of issues right from economic to military/nuclear based decisions. The other form of negotiations or bargaining is used by organizations when they are supposed to make a decision on or whose future course of operation is dependent on the decision by another organization. Typical examples of the last form are common case when a nation is deciding the amount of subsidies to be offered to a country from the third world (Muthoo, 1999). A lot of the negotiations are based on economic related issues and the most usual cases at an organizational level pertain to issues such as salaries, work conditions, promotions etc. in the present case, the dispute between the AUT (Association of University Teachers) and the Universities in the UK during 2005-06 shall be discussed and an attempt shall be made to analyze the course of the negotiations by assessing against them against the various negotiation and bargaining theories that shall be discussed in the coming chapters. In 2006, the AUT was involved in a wage dispute with UK universities as their salaries had not been increased despite a rise in the amount of tuition fees. As a result of the dispute in wages, the AUT was forced to observe a strike and this prompted the need for negotiations in order to settle the connected issues. The most important requirement to press ahead with the negotiations was the fact that the universities were concerned that if no proper action was taken, then the students' schedule would get affected as a result of the increase in the agitation on the part of the AUT. As the specifics of the negotiations are discussed, it will become clear that there was a lot of progress on a number of issues and a number of key decisions were taken during the course of the negotiations on issues such as increased wages and revised work schedules.The dissertation will work towards analyzing a number of options that arose during the course of the AUT-university negotiations and this shall be done by analyzing the variables that determined the resulting outcome of the negotiations. The paper will also work towards establishing the various fa ctors that influenced the course of the negotiations in the long run. It is also deemed important that the research also focus on assessing how things could have improved during the negotiation process and will attempt to analyze each of the possibilities. The next section will comprise the literature review of the dissertation and will attempt to discuss the various theories by looking up at the various literatures available. LITERATURE REVIEWThe previous section has provided a brief introduction about the purpose of dissertation and the basic issues that the research will cover as part of the current case study. However, the analysis is being performed by basing upon a number of theories that are an inherent part of negotiation and b

Amtrak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amtrak - Essay Example The construction of the Interstate Highway System greatly enhanced the appeal of road transportation, both for passengers and freight. Air travel became the dominant public carrier mode for intercity passenger travel. In addition, the national government found itself in the passenger train business (Adrian, 1977). Early in U.S. history, passenger travel was often difficult and uncomfortable. With the coming of the railroads, people gained the ability to travel farther and faster than most had ever imagined. Although the early passenger trains were not very comfortable, track and equipment gradually improved. The railroads helped to link different sections of the country and speeded the settlement of the western United States. The railroads were among the first big businesses in the United States, and major railroad executives became celebrities (Adrian, 1986). By 1900, a traveler on a first-class train could expect to find good food, a library, a barbershop, and the company of prominent individuals from the worlds of business, politics, and entertainment. The passenger train for a time appeared to occupy a secure place in society (Beebe, 1976). Any organization must strike a balance between stability and change, and transportation organizations are no exception. Changing public preferences, new technologies, population movements, and rising or falling prices of supplies may force an organization to make drastic changes in many aspects of its operations. Although transportation organizations must change at times to keep pace with shifting external conditions and to manage internal pressures, a degree of organizational stability is essential. For example, transportation systems require substantial public and private investment in fixed facilities, vehicles, and personnel training. A high degree of instability risks rendering those investments irrelevant or wasteful.( Bowersox,1989) Amtrak: Amtrak has faced considerable difficulties in trying to achieve the desired balance of stability and change needed to maintain credibility as a transportation mode. Beginning with uncertain and conflicting goals, the Amtrak system seemed to be destined for chaos rather than predictability. Repeated attacks by the Reagan administration, conservatives in Congress, and bus companies seemed to foretell large cutbacks or even termination. Moreover, the nation's passenger train system was in relatively poor condition at the time of Amtrak's creation; maintaining the conditions that existed in 1971 would hardly give the system credibility. (Amtrak, 1996) Nonetheless, the Amtrak system has managed to achieve a substantial degree of stability, coupled with significant change - much of it in the nature of improvement. The political turmoil surrounding Amtrak stands in stark contrast to the substantial operational consistency and improvement that the system has achieved. Amtrak Logistic and supply chain Route: One of the fundamental features of any transportation system is its overall reach, the extent of its routes, the number of access points available on those routes, and the utilization of the routes. A system that experiences rapid expansion of its overall reach is likely to be faced with challenges. Quick expansion brings

Protection or Free Trade for International Trade Essay

Protection or Free Trade for International Trade - Essay Example While both protectionism and free trade have their own advantages and disadvantages, the cost by far outweighs the benefits of protectionism. The arguments made in favor of protection are that the foreign producers have a â€Å"comparative advantage†, that protection helps the local infant industries flourish, that without protection importers would recklessly â€Å"dump† goods in the market, that protection protects the local producers, and finally, that protection prevents an imbalance of trade. However, each of these â€Å"perceived benefits† of protectionism comes at long-term costs which are far greater than the short-term benefits as explained below. The â€Å"comparative advantage† argument assumes that exporters from other countries have a strong competitive advantage that makes local producers less competitive thereby driving local companies out of business. For example, the labor cost in a developing country compared to that in a developed countr y puts some of the labor intensive local industries at a relative disadvantage. However, by moving to free-trade, countries are able to specialize in some other field where they have a comparative advantage. With such a specialization, the countries are able to take advantage of efficiencies generated from economies of scale and increased output. Also, free international trade increases the size of a firm’s market, resulting in lower average costs and increased productivity, ultimately leading to increased production. In the last few year, while China and India have taken up more work on the labor intensive industries, businesses in the developed countries have been able to actually take advantage of the lower cost and focus on their comparative advantage and invest more on research and development, and other high value added jobs. Besides, the comparative advantages do not last forever. Sooner or later, the advantage fades away. For example, according to Lyndesy Romick of gl obal envision, in China labor accounted for only about 2 percent of a manufacturing company’s total costs in 2000 but 2010 it was closer to 12 percent. That protectionism helps grow the infant industries is a misplaced fallacy. Government subsidizing of a new industry may channel too many resources into that industry, and can render the industry permanently inefficient and vulnerable to competition. Besides, most infant industries are at a competition from domestic competitors and not necessarily only importers. In the last few decades, the "infant" plastics, television, and computer industries have made out very well without any protection. Next, we consider the argument of dumping. Dumping may be defined as the overflow of cheap priced goods in order to under-cut the competition and gain market share. Now, if an importer starts dumping goods in a market, it would actually be good for the customers, and for the government in terms of revenue it makes no change. The only bad effect of dumping is for local producers. Logically, no firm can enjoy â€Å"dumping† as a sustainable strategy – selling below cost in the long-term would drive them to bankruptcy. Also, according to Rothbard, â€Å"†¦historical investigation has not turned up a single case where predatory pricing, when tried, was successful, and there are actually very few cases where it has even been tried.† The next pro-protectionism claim that it protects local producers is also at a huge cost. By protecting the local producers, there is no

Discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Discussion - Coursework Example One example of incidences of groupthink in workplaces is the financial malpractices. Financial department falls prey of groupthink by engaging in unethical malpractices that lead to losses in the Airline industries. It is argued that groupthink influenced the Foolhardy Risks that was characterized by heinous scandalous behavior. Groupthink can be addressed through professional awareness of the psychological phenomenon of the problem. Therefore, through awareness workers are encouraged to outline their individual decisions rather than offering unanimous decisions on decisions. These strategies ensure that unethical decisions are rectified before the group agrees them. For example, a decision to spend $10 billion on buying more aircraft by the American Airlines would require an analysis of the cost benefit of the venture. Individual decisions would offer different analysis from different perspective of group members. Thus, combinations of the ideas and ethical views minimize the problem of groupthink in organization