The Effects of Mouthwash on Pea Seeds Germination Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Mouthwash on Pea Seeds Germination Essay Purpose: The purpose of the pea seeds germination lab is to determine whether pea seeds will sprout with the absence of a complete water solution and replaced by Listerine Mouthwash. Water is the most basic and useful, natural resources for all living things. Water is extremely responsible for carrying all life functions within the cell. Life cannot exist on earth without the presence of water. In this lab we will investigate to see if seeds can germinate with a substance which its inactive ingredient is water. Since seeds require water in order for its embryo to rise up, one may conclude that mouthwash which contains a small regiment of water molecules can indeed provide for the environment of seed germination. One concept that will also be determined is whether a dormant seed can sprout under a fairly good temperature, the right amount of oxygen, and a mouthwash solution. In this lab, the experiment will distinguish whether a seed would sprout meeting only some of its requirements. Another purpose that will be examined is the mutual effects of germinating seeds in mouthwash. The seeds’ tendency to respond to their environment will also be put into account. The discovery of how seeds will react in a water solution and a mouthwash solution (shape and color) will definitely be seen throughout the experimental lab. To determine how the seed may change its shape or its color there must be thorough evaluations made upon the seed’s appearance. HYPOTHESIS: After examining some of the key aspects in which seeds must adhere to in order to go through the process of germination one can state a proposed idea that seeds will not sprout within a Listerine Mouthwash solution. After acknowledging the fact that pea seeds are very specific in their type of environment that they need to germinate, there is no way in which the seeds will sprout in abnormal conditions. The act of germinating seeds in mouthwash will cause the seeds to remain or become dormant, the seed’s resting stage. In a more detailed description of why mouthwash would not be the best solution for the seed to absorb during the process of seed germination, is that the chemicals found in mouthwash like menthol, methyl salicylate, and etc. can cause harmful effects on the seed’s ability to sprout. These harsh chemical reactants can produce havoc within the cell’s interior. Mouthwash may also cause the endosperm to remain inside the seed which will make the seed very resistant to germinate. METHODS/PROCEDURES: In the beginning of the experiment, pea seeds were used in order to perform the experiment. It was extremely important to acquire good, dry, and viable seeds so the process of germination could occur. A handful of these healthy seeds worked best in assisting the experiment. The seeds ability to germinate was a vital information needed to determine the outcome of the experiment. The second step of the experiment was to soak the seeds in water overnight. This action was made to prepare the seeds for germination and making them more softer and less rigid. The seeds were placed in a bowl and were covered by tin foil. It was set up on the refrigerator to minimize any outside interference that may come to it. After a full night of absorbing the water, the seeds were ready to start the next stage. The third step that was taken was germinating the seeds. Two sets of paper towels were used to germinate the batch of seeds. The handful of seeds were split into two groups, one being the controlled group and the other being the experimental group. One of the paper towels were soaked in 3 tablespoons of water and the other was soaked in 3 tablespoons of Listerine Mouthwash. The amount of each solution remained the same in order to have a controlled experiment in which any changes that occurred in the dependent variable could be traced by only the independent variable. Having different measurements of quantity can affect the outcome. To make sure that a group of seeds did not have a difference in the amount of solution added, measuring them was very vital. The seeds that were labeled as the control treatments were placed on the towel soaked in H2O. The second batch of seeds labeled as the experimental group was placed on the towel soaked in mouthwash. Then, after that, the two towels with the seeds in it were folded and placed in separate zip-lock bags. The two zip lock bags sat on the dresser of my room for weeks. Having the seeds in a nice and warm temperature is better than, having them in an extreme temperature range that would hurt the seeds tremendously (seeds are very particular in the kind of environment they are in). In the first six days, the number of seeds that sprouted was accounted for in each bag. Another problem I accounted was knowing if all the seeds remained in the â€Å"seed sandwich†. Perhaps one seed could have dropped to the floor. To overcome this problem, I had to count and make sure that the amount of seeds were still there from the previous day. This was the entire procedure conducted. OBSERVATIONS/DATA: Throughout the six days of experimentation, the two batches of seeds were showing extremely different outcomes. Their response toward the water solution was different from their response toward the mouthwash solution. The seeds that germinated with water responded positively. The seeds germinated in Listerine Mouthwash responded negatively. On day 1, the seeds in a water solution sprouted. Little hypocotyl structures emerged from the seed coat, which showed signs of germination. About a centimeter long, 21out of 27 seeds germinated with their little, tiny structures sticking out. At the edge of the hypocotyl was a thin leafy structure known as the radicle. The seeds germinated rather quickly in just a day. Unfortunately, the seeds found in the mouth wash solution did not sprout at all and still held its green, brownish color. On day 2, the seeds’ stems grew longer. Their radicles extended a little longer like over 1 cm. This time, 24 out of 27 seeds germinated. The seeds in the mouthwash solution did not sprout at all. None of the seeds showed any signs of germination. One thing was quite weird during my last trial. Signs of shedding appeared in the seeds found in the mouthwash solution. One seed seem to be stripping its coat off. This observation showed up in only one of the trials, therefore it probably happened by chance. Both groups of seeds received nearly the same amount of that specific solution, which showed that the controlled group did not get a greater advantage over the other group. On day 3,the stems grew longer in the controlled group and the same outcomes remained in the experimental group. On days 4, 5, and 6, the seed grew accordingly. Their radicles became even longer with their bright green appearance. The seeds were fully germinated and ready to be put in the soil to germinate.

The Dynamics of Power in South Africa and Palestine :: South Africa Palestine Power Essays

The Dynamics of Power in South Africa and Palestine For over a hundred years, whites consolidated their power in predominantly black South Africa. In the last fifty years, Israelis have played a major hand in dispersing and oppressing the Palestinian people. Edward Said believes that â€Å"The relationship between Occident and Orient is a relationship of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony† (Orientalism 133). Though the geographic reference of this quotation seems less applicable to South Africa, Said’s intuition into the complexity of race relations between oppressors and the oppressed still rings true. Nadine Gordimer’s two short stories, â€Å"Once Upon a Time† and â€Å"The Moment Before the Gun Went Off,† and Edward Said’s work â€Å"After the Last Sky: Palestinian Lives† describe the power structures in South Africa and Palestine, respectively. Both authors clearly depict situations in which one group wields disproportionate authority in its relationship with another group. This parallel confusedly meets the oblique disparities between black/white and Jew/non-Jew interaction. In the exclusive context of Gordimer’s two short stories and Said’s piece, the hegemonies in South Africa and in Palestine are maintained in similar fashion, but with greatly differing results. Both black South Africans and Palestinians are forced to live in segregated, poor communities and are subject to dehumanizing legislation. Gordimer’s story, â€Å"Once Upon a Time,† speaks of economic and racial segregation explicitly: â€Å"There were riots, but they were outside the city, where a people of another color were quartered† (Gordimer 25). The classism and condescension of the white residents is clear as they recall with contempt those black robbers who snagged stores of fine alcohol: â€Å"the thieves wouldn’t even have been able to appreciate what it was they were drinking† (27). Moreover, they speak disdainfully of the unemployed blacks who spoiled â€Å"a beautiful suburb† (27) â€Å"only by their presence† (27). As Said painfully depicts, Palestinians find themselves in a very similar position in a system of â€Å"virtual apartheid† (Said 142). He describes the process through which Palestinians are â€Å"herded into new camps† (19) and their â€Å"identity is confined to frightened little islands in an inhospitable environment of superior military force† (19). Said paints a sad picture of the poor and destitute nature of life in the Palestinian refugee camps. Physical and economic segregation leaves both black South Africans and Palestinians on the outside, looking in. A critical difference between the power hierarchies in these two countries lies in the level of integration and the nature of the interaction between oppressors and the oppressed.

Deception in Psychological research Essay

Deception in psychological research usually entails tricking people so that the researchers can get the answers they need or ascertain why things happen the way they do. There are many controversial topics in psychology and all of them seek to explain the things in our environment and people’s behavior. One of these controversial topics is hypnosis usage under cognitive psychology. Hypnosis is a good way of assisting in repressed memories. It has assisted many people in therapeutic procedures but its effectiveness is sometimes questionable by others. Hypnosis as a way of facilitating repressed memories Hypnosis is a form of Recovered Memory Therapy that helps a person with memory relapse to recall information that they cannot remember. A person does not necessarily mean that someone is asleep. Therefore it is a state between being awake and asleep. Trances serve as an example of hypnotic functions. Though they serve similar purposes, trances need to be differentiated from hypnosis because they are done deliberately as used in clinical procedures to help people with memory loss or lapses to regain them. The sympathetic nervous system controls arousals while the parasympathetic nervous system relaxation. These two systems do not function at the same time. When people are in the hypnotic state, they give up their consciousness and accept the inner truth (Richard, 1998). A person can undergo a deep trance where a person or the hypnotist facilitates the process or a lighter trance referred to as self hypnosis which individuals can create by themselves. This is where a person creates their own visual memory via meditation, listening to soft music or some other ways while maintaining a certain level of consciousness. Negative hypnosis occurs when people are easily influenced by what others say and the things they are exposed to. If people are told that they are not able to do certain things and they believe in such comments, then there is a likely hood that they will not accomplish they thing they have been discouraged. This is what constitutes the negative hypnotic state. Therefore, hypnosis is about expectations. If a person has positive expectations, then they can achieve any thing that they set for themselves but if they are negative, they are more likely to fail at whatever they decide on. Health care practitioners can therefore enhance the well being of their patients by assisting them in increasing their positive expectations. Hypnosis is important in helping sick with psychogenic amnesia or people who have lost their blocked certain memories as a result of traumatic experiences. It has been seen to work well for such patients. Research has shown some cases like child sexual as well as physical abuse can be forgotten. Likewise, evidence of recovery of the memories has also been shown (APA, 2001). At first, when the memory is being got, it presents itself in bits and pieces therefore more sessions with the person have to be conducted so as to help in recovering the memory. Traumatic memories often present themselves in a different manner than ordinary experiences. This is because this form of extreme information can interfere with other brain functions. Studies have suggested that traumatic memories that have been recalled are just as accurate as the traumatic memories that have been forgotten. Case study To examine whether hypnosis is an effective way of facilitating repressed memories, a study was conducted by Widom and Morris in 1998. The study included 23 adults; 12 females and 11 males who had been exposed to childhood abuse experiences and had repressed memory lapse in over 15 years. This group underwent hypnotic therapy for a period of three months (Widom & Morris, 1998). From the study, it was seen that the there is a difference in the way of recalling events between the women and the men. The women were willing to share the little pieces of information that they could recall but the men were not. This influenced the hypnotic procedures because little memory was collected on most of the males as compared to the women. As the sessions progressed, there were slight improvements in memory and this can be attributed to the intense impact of the traumatic experiences on the victims as was seem from those who managed to get some of their memory back. At the end of the study period, 53% of the women and 42% of the men had recovered their memory and were satisfied that it as true. A quarter of those studied who managed to get their memory back had rejected their results saying that they may be false while the remaining never really got their memory back but said that so far they were pleased with their lives and would not engage in any other tests. From the study, we can say that hypnosis does work and can help people regain the memory they have lost. As the process was underway, most of the patients had a positive change in their personality as they said that they were more engaged in community activities as they were encouraged by the test takers. At the end of the study period, approximately half of the patients had got their memory back and this shows that if the procedures are done well and for a longer period, then people with previous traumatic incidents that need recovery can gain their memory back. About 25% of the individuals said that they usually kept to them selves and this can be a contributing factor as they do not trust the therapists to help them recover the memory. Various studies have also shown that events in a person’s life influence their behavior as well as interpersonal relations with others. From the above case, the unwillingness of some clients to share basic information limited the process. Some of those who refused said that as much as they wanted to get their memories back, said that it would probably affect them in a negative way. If they did, the numbers would have definitely increased. â€Å"There is conflict between the in formation a person wants to know and what they would like to forget all together. Some people may remember too much too little and this may be good or bad depending on the context they are presented (Herman, 1995). † Nowadays, some people feel that there are not enough scientific research studies to back up the credibility of the various research memories. Others continue to say that one cannot completely tell whether the results got are true or of they are based on what the hypnotist has been telling them. Even when the patient who agrees that the memory that they got was false, their condition can be worse when they suffer Post traumatic Stress Disorder. Some fear the use of hypnotic procedures on children because it would affect them psychologically and this is not helping in improving their situation. †This kind of therapy confuses the mind as a person cannot tell the difference between what is real and imaginative and this has further contributed to the destruction of families (Rivera, 1993). † In addition, they can deny certain memories because of guilt, the need to protect their families or may be reacting according to the stress levels they have been exposed to. The False Memory syndrome Association says that they have a lot of cases that are taken to court have shown that that some therapists are liars as they implant false memories on their patients (Thierry & Spence, 2004). With the increase in such cases, some judges refuse getting evidence that has been recovered through hypnotic procedures. â€Å"Such methods of treatment have therefore also not been fully accepted in science as well as psychology (Schacter, 1996). † In 1997, according to the U. S bureau of Justice statistics report on a survey of female inmates in jail, it was found that 36% of them had been abused when they were young and one third of them has been raped they were imprisoned. And further 16 case studies on child abused individuals for comparison was undertaken and it showed that about 15% of them were abused as children. This shows that as much as the experiences can be traumatic, not all of them are forgotten and if, they have been suppressed by the individual but they can be retrieved if proper therapy is used. Individuals can recollect a few things and these bits are necessary in the formation of the bigger picture. The few loopholes in research should not be a foundation for dismissing hypnosis in retrieving repressed memories. People have had serious accidents and this form of therapy has helped some who medication did not help in regaining their memories back. Hypnosis therapy is a powerful mechanism as it enables people to regain memories that they thought they could never regain as well as achieve certain goals they have set for themselves. â€Å"This power and acceptance of hypnosis as a form of therapy is due to the fact that it deals with capabilities which appear to be beyond normal activities (Hopper& van der Kolk, 2001). † Moreover, it gives people power to discover their inner being and stop actions such as smoking, drinking and other forms if addictions. Hypnosis also serves as a motivation for people’s engagement in physical activities and aids in reducing stress. This kind of therapy is helping in treating illnesses and certain disorders (De Vos & Louw, 2008). Hypnosis is also used as a form of therapy in children as a form of helping in changing their behavior and assisting in improving their health. In addition, hypnosis enhances personality enrichment by improving people’s self esteems, self confidence such that they get the courage to speak out in public when initially they could not. â€Å"Weight loss motivation, healthy eating and exercise, better sleep for people with seeing disorders, controlling anger, and controlling peoples fears among other things (Thierry & Spence, 2004). † Reliability and Validity of Research The study was reliable because the results indicated the specific responses of the individuals and since the study sample was small, it was easier to monitor individual progress. This would not have been the case if it were a larger number. Those individuals who were found out to have been sexually abused when they were young said that that was a possibility and most knew the individuals further proving that the results were reliable and valid. In addition, the individuals all showed up for the sessions as required therefore the lack of memory recovery could not be attributed to not attending the sessions. On top of these, no form of biasness was seen as the procedures were made as standard as possible and all variables that needed to be controlled were checked. Conclusion Hypnosis therapy usage is acceptable in society has it has helped a lot of people in more than one way especially in facilitating repressed memories. After all, the main goal of the procedure is to assist in the well being of a person. These form of therapy needs to be supported in increasing its evidentiary weight such that these memories can be used as evidence in the courts of law. Clinicians as well as psychotherapists therefore need to be skilled in this area for them to be able to properly guide the procedure so that the clients can get true memories which are part o their whole being and without them they are not complete. References American Psychological Association (APA) 2001. Understanding Child Sexual Abuse Rivera, Joseph. â€Å"‘Trauma searches’ plant the seed of imagined misery,† The Sacramento Bee, May 18, 1993. Herman, J. L. (1995). Crime and memory. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 23, 5-17. H. M. De Vos and D. A. Louw (2008). Hypnosis-induced mental training programmes as a strategy to improve the self-concept of students Vol. 57, No. 2, Higher education journal 2008 Hopper, J. W. , & van der Kolk, B. A. (2001). Retrieving, Assessing, and Classifying Traumatic Memories. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma, 4, 33-71; and Freyd, J. F. , & DePrince, A. P. (Editors). Trauma and Cognitive Science (pp. 33-71). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press. Richard, S. C. July 1, (1998). The magic of hypnosis: is it child’s play? The Journal of Psychology Schacter, Daniel L. (1996). Searching for Memory – the brain, the mind, and the past. New York, Basic Books. Thierry, KL, Spence MJ (2004). Contemporary hypnosis Widom, C. S. & Morris, S. (1998). Adult recollections of childhood victimization: Childhood sexual abuse. Psychological Assessment, 8, 412-421.

LSAT Logical Reasoning Sample Practice Questions

The questions in this section are based on the reasoning contained in brief statements or passages. For some questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However, you are to choose the best answer; that is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that are by commonsense standards implausible, superfluous, or incompatible with the passage. After you have chosen the best answer, blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet. Question 1 Biologists attached a radio transmitter to one of a number of wolves that had been released earlier in the White River Wilderness Area as part of a relocation project. The biologists hoped to use this wolf to track the movements of the whole pack. Wolves usually range over a wide area in search of prey, and frequently follow the migrations of their prey animals. The biologists were surprised to find that this particular wolf never moved more than five miles away from the location in which it was first tagged. Which one of the following, if true, would by itself most help to explain the behavior of the wolf tagged by the biologists? A.  The area in which the wolves were released was rocky and mountainous, in contrast to the flat, heavily-wooded area from which they were taken.   B. The wolf had been tagged and released by the biologists only three miles away from a sheep ranch that provided a large, stable population of prey animals. C.  The White River Wilderness Area had supported a population of wolves in past years, but they had been hunted to extinction. D.  Although the wolves in the White River Wilderness Area were under government protection, their numbers had been sharply reduced, within a few years of their release, by illegal hunting. E.  The wolf captured and tagged by the biologists had split off from the main pack whose movements the biologists had hoped to study, and its movements did not represent those of the main pack. Answer below. Scroll down. Question 2 As any economist knows, healthy people pose less of an economic burden to society than unhealthy people. Not surprisingly, then, every dollar our state government spends on prenatal care for undocumented immigrants will save taxpayers of this state three dollars. Which of the following, if true, would best explain why the statistics cited above are not surprising? A.  The state’s taxpayers pay for prenatal care of all  immigrants. B.  Babies born in this state to undocumented immigrant parents are entitled to infant care benefits from the state. C.  State benefits for prenatal care serve to promote undocumented immigration. D.  Babies whose mothers did not receive prenatal care.are just as healthy as other babies. E.  Pregnant women who do not receive prenatal care are more likely to experience health problems than other pregnant women. Question 3 Beautiful beaches attract people, no doubt about it. Just look at this city’s beautiful beaches, which are among the most overcrowded beaches in Florida. Which of the following exhibits a pattern of reasoning most similar to the one exhibited in the argument above? A.  Moose and bear usually appear at the same drinking  hole at the same time of day. Therefore, moose and  bear must grow thirsty at about the same time. B.  Children who are scolded severely tend to misbehave.more often than other children. Hence if a child is not scolded severely that child is less likely to misbehave. C.  This software program helps increase the work  efficiency of its users. As a result, these users  have more free time for other activities. D.  During warm weather, my dog suffers from fleas  more so than during cooler weather. Therefore,  fleas must thrive in a warm environment. E. Pesticides are known to cause anemia in some people.  However, most anemic people live in regions where  pesticides are not commonly used. Answers to LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions Question 1: Most wolves range over a wide area in search of prey; this particular wolf hung around the same area. An explanation that immediately suggests itself is that this particular wolf found enough prey in this area, so it didn’t have to run all over looking for food. This is the tack taken by B. If the wolf had a large stable population of sheep on which to pray in the immediate vicinity, there was no need for it to range over a wide territory looking for food. A  doesn’t have much direct bearing on this particular wolf’s lack of mobility. While it’s true that a wolf might find it harder to move around in the mountainous  country, the stimulus says that  wolves, in general, tend to cover great distances in search of food. There’s no hint that a wolf in a mountainous area should prove an exception to this rule. C  is irrelevant: While the White River Wilderness Area may once have supported a population of wolves, knowing this does nothing to explain the behavior of this particular wolf. D, if anything, gives what seems to be a reason for our wolf to make tracks and migrate somewhere else.  Certainly,  D doesn’t explain why our wolf didn’t follow usual wolf hunting methods. E answers the wrong question; it would help explain why the naturalists couldn’t use our wolf to study the movements of the larger pack. However, we haven’t been asked that; we want to know why this specific wolf didn’t behave the way wolves usually do. Question 2 The argument relies on the unstated assumption that prenatal care results in better health and therefore less cost to society. E helps to affirm this assumption. A  is irrelevant to the argument, which makes no distinction between undocumented immigrants and other immigrants. B describes benefits that  might  decrease the overall tax burden, but only if the prenatal care program serves to reduce  the amount of  infant-care benefits paid. The argument does not inform us whether this is the case. Thus it is impossible to assess the extent to which B would explain how the prenatal care would save the taxpayers money. C actually renders the statistics  more  surprising, by providing evidence that prenatal care will add to society’s economic burden. D also renders the statistics  more  surprising, by providing evidence that the cost of the prenatal care program will  not  be offset by a particular health benefit—a benefit which would lessen the taxpayers\’ economic burden. Question 3 The correct response to Question 3 is (D). The original argument bases a conclusion that one phenomenon causes another on an observed correlation between the two phenomena. The argument boils down to the following: Premise:  X (beautiful beach) is correlated with Y (crowd  of people).Conclusion:  X (beautiful beach) causes Y (crowd of people). Answer choice (D) demonstrates the same pattern of reasoning: Premise:  X (warm weather) is correlated with Y (fleas).Conclusion:  X (warm weather) causes Y (fleas). (A) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (moose at the drinking hole) is correlated with Y (bears at the drinking hole).Conclusion:  X (moose) and Y (bear) are both caused by Z (thirst). (B) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (scolding children) is correlated with Y (misbehavior among children).Assumption:  Either X causes Y, or Y causes X.Conclusion:  Not X (no scolding) will be correlated with not Y (no misbehavior). (C) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (software program) causes Y (efficiency).Assumption:  Y (efficiency) causes Z (free time).Conclusion:  X (software program) causes Z (free time). (E) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument. In fact, (E) is not a complete argument; it contains two premises but no conclusion: Premise:  X (pesticides) causes Y (anemia).Premise:  Not X (pesticide-free regions) is correlated with Y (anemia).