The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Example for Free

The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Analyses of the collapse of communism have followed a dialectical path since the early 1990s, explaining the implosion first as the direct result of US pressure, then as the inevitable fall of a flawed system, and finally, as a combination of the two. This fluctuation has occurred as national archives from both the East and the West have become increasingly accessible, giving historians a more complete picture of trends that may have contributed to the climate within the Eastern bloc at the beginning of the relevant period. Indeed, such documents have been instrumental in dispelling the view that the pivotal events of 1989 had relatively short-term roots. Some analysts have developed reasonable arguments tracing the fall of the Warsaw Pact back only as far as 1985, but for the most part, these are unsatisfying, ignoring critical factors such as the rise of the hawkists in America, and the role of world-wide peace movements. In addition, the release of top secret CIA files has shed interesting light on the under-rated Afghan conflict. These suggest that far from being yet another target for moralistic US containment, Afghanistan was set up by the Americans as an attempt to trap the Soviets in an exhausting Third World contest- to give them their own Vietnam. This discovery, and others relating to the nuclear arms race, technology, the media, and human rights debates, indicates that while not as active as initially supposed, the US was highly instrumental in bringing down European communism. At the same time, however, evidence of a self-perpetuating economic crisis, a crisis which was to spawn the powerful dissident movements in Eastern Europe, can be seen in Soviet archives as early as 1960. It could thus be argued that communism was, as an impractical, unpopular system, doomed to eventual failure. That this occurred on such a grand scale, however, and as early as 1989, must be attributed to Gorbachevs dramatic reform policies; these were in turn shaped by both external and internal pressures, as well as the particular political matrix, formulated under Khrushchev, in which Gorbachevs career began. In order to fully understand the forces that pushed Moscow towards such reforms, it is necessary to begin with the 1970s and the Soviet Union under Brezhnev. This was a period that left a strong legacy economically and thus shaped the local and international environments to a significant degree. A time of superpower dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, both East and West were feeling the strain of Cold War competition- President Nixon of the U.S. looking for a way to liquidate the Vietnam War, and Brezhnev beginning to find the arms race excessively expensive. Trade between the two sides increased, and the common goal of nuclear non-proliferation led to various limitation agreements, such as the ABM Treaty of 1972. It was within this context, as Brezhnev was finally able to turn his attention to the process of catching up with the West financially and technologically, that the extent of the economic crisis in the communist states first became apparent. Dissent in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and, to a lesser extent, East Germany, had rung the alarm bells frequently throughout the preceding two decades, but the dilemma had never really absorbed much of the leaderships notice until now. Due to poor management of state funds, corruption within the system- granting party officials special luxuries, and an unbalanced emphasis on industrial manufacture, living standards within the Eastern camp were at a universal low. This was despite successful oil and steel production, the proceeds from which went to the maintenance of the KGB and the military presence in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Commodities were difficult to obtain, having been sacrificed for power plants that were needed to support industry, and, as a result, labour productivity and life expectancy were on the decline. In addition, government subsidies ate up such a large portion of the state budget that foreign trade had to be restricted, and importing rationed. These conditions had long been the fuel for various dissident undercurrents, which were intensified by strict censorship; as Timothy Sowula puts it, nothing nurtures dissent like the inability to express it.1 Although not anti-communist in essence, being rather concerned with democratizing socialism than with implementing Western ideology, these movements, particularly in Hungary and Poland, called for a reduction in state control, and promoted pluralism, and were thus clearly founded on a lack of faith in communism as an economic mechanism. These groups would later develop into powerful policy-setting factions. That they should be given more freedom to express their views first dawned upon the Soviet leadership during Brezhnevs tenure, as the intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the crushing of Solidarity in 1981 proved destructively expensive both financially and in terms of propaganda. These trends- of economic decline and accompanying dissent- were clearly of predominantly internal beginnings. Basic faults in the system, such as excessive state control, corruption, over-emphasis on industry and the military, in addition to the characteristically repressive environment, caused the crisis situation to emerge as rampant by the 1970s. As recently upgraded spy systems relayed, irregularly it is true, updates on these problems to the West, they were picked up by hawkists within America and taken into careful consideration by those in charge of developing foreign policy. Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente had, once again, lost its luster in the eyes of many instrumental figures, and was viewed not merely as an expression of Americas weakness but also as a cause of it. 2 In addition, U.S. failures such as Vietnam and Watergate had damaged Western morale, and President Jimmy Carter was under pressure to make a strong reinstatement of American prestige. The main source of this pressure, a new political branch later branded neo-conservative, became prominent in the late 1970s, and followed Richard Piper in stating that: The notion that through accommodation you could change (the Soviets) was faulty. To change them you needed a very hard line policy.3 It was this branch, in control of perhaps the majority of the votes in the Senate by 1979, that formulated the adjusted US line: the exploitation of Soviet weaknesses in several different forums. The first arm of this strategy was clandestine support for the existing dissident movements in Eastern Europe. Solidarity, for instance, was largely dependent on printing equipment smuggled in from the U.S, using it to put out regular bulletins coordinating strikes, presenting political advice, and informing members of trade union meetings. The same equipment was also used to publish forbidden books and essays for Solidaritys extensive underground education system. This was not exclusive to Poland, either- evidence suggests that Washington furnished insurrectionist organizations in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany with similar printing machinery. This sponsorship effectively laid the platform for the reform campaigns that were launched both subversively and in the main-stream political arena. In addition, there are numerous records of visits by American politicians to pro-Western officials in Eastern Europe, encouraging them in their resistance, and helping them to develop the petitions that they placed before the leadership in their respective countries. Thus, it is clear that the U.S. did play a relatively influential role in developing the capacity of these movements, although they were, as already stated, self creating and sustaining. In other words, it would be fair to say that while it did not incite their sentiments, the U.S. did equip those who fought for the fatal reforms that would bring down communism. Another important forum of U.S. pressure was the human rights debate. This had begun in 1975 with the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, but had not really evoked wide interest until approximately five years later, as a strong realpolitik contingent in the West had spurned the human rights issue as an unnecessary ideological digression. It was only as Jimmy Carters public promotion of humanitarianism, a tactic which had been rarely used since Vietnam, succeeded in gaining popular support, that U.S. policy makers reincorporated the human rights line into their scheme. And, indeed, this proved a worthwhile investment. Inciting peace movements across the West, and providing the dissident factions in the East with a weapon with which to fight oppression, the Helsinki Final Act, when brought to life, became a powerful document in the context of Cold War competition. It provided a frame of reference by which the peoples of the world could judge both domestic conditions and superpower behaviour in the various conquests of the 1980s. It formed the foundation for reformist debates behind the Iron Curtain, particularly on the subjects of state sovereignty and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. While it gained great public acclaim as a rare superpower agreement to play by the same rules, however, the Helsinki process was in fact treated with little respect by its signatories. That the U.S. valued it as something that the media could use to bring out Soviet atrocities, both within its own quarters and in places like Afghanistan, more than as a genuine moral code, was evident in Washingtons ongoing support of brutal military dictatorships in Central America, and its collaboration with apartheid South Africa. Likewise, the Soviet Union ignored the terms of the act, which were not legally binding, and opposed the freedom of traffic and of the press that it stipulated. Ultimately, although thus under-rated by the Kremlin, the Helsinki Final Act was to facilitate one of the major exposà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of the communist system, officially dissolving the myth that communism was socialism with a human face.4 Of course, the success of this human rights operation depended largely on the media. In fact, it was as coverage of peace demonstrations in the West reached the East that an echo effect began to occur, winning support for the dissident movements and dividing central party regimes- a crucial hollowing process that would set up the later implosion. With the tight censorship exercised by Eastern regimes during this period, it may seem surprising that Western media so dramatically influenced areas such as Poland and Hungary, but highly developed technology had basically put an end to the shielding and isolating of peoples in communist countries. This was particularly true in East Germany- the normalization of relations with West Germany in August 1972 and resulted in East Germans being allowed to watch West German T.V. As had been the case throughout the Cold War, what happened in Germany set the tone for the rest of Europe. Combined with Washingtons equipping of Solidarity, this media traffic had under-estimated ramifications. Not only did it expose the peoples of the communist world to the human rights debate, it also, and perhaps more importantly, allowed them to experience the full extent of the disparity between living conditions in the East and living conditions in the West. This, a tribute to the merits of capitalism, and a tool for awakening civilians to their own economic repression, mobilized reformist movements in a way that even Washington, responsible for developing the technology for this project, had never anticipated. Running parallel to these subtler channels of pressure was the typically forefront issue of nuclear arms. And, indeed, a dramatic shift in U.S. nuclear policy around 1978-79 can be discerned, although demand for a zero option in Europe was a consistent theme throughout the relevant period. To return briefly to the 1970s and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, we see the nuclear arms race denounced as pointless- a vicious circle.5 Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union made marked steps during this passage of the Cold War towards the dissolution of the contest- with the partial test ban treaty of 1968, and the ABM treaty of 1972. Approximately mid-way through Jimmy Carters term, however, the soft-line policy was reversed, and the U.S. began to pressurize the Soviets by developing MRVs, and escalating the production of unlimited weapons. In addition, NATO formulated a tough response to the previously unanswered SS 20 missiles, which allegedly targeted Western Europe. The proposed introduction of the Pershing II and Tomahawk missiles in West Germany and the Netherlands was a new approach, replacing the former agreement to engage in talks on the matter. That this shift coincided with the realization that the nuclear arms race was exhausting dwindling Soviet resources and morale, suggests that it was the direct result of new insights into Soviet behaviour. As American pressure in this arena continued to rise with the development of SDI, the reality that the USSR lacked the power to retaliate began to dawn upon those in charge of foreign policy. One would think, with the traditional gauge of Cold War tensions- the nuclear contest, in such a unilateral state, that superpower relations were becoming progressively peaceful. The irony that summit talks consistently coincided with outbreaks or accelerations in external conflicts demonstrated, however, that this was not the case. In fact, if the impression that the Soviets were suddenly more pro-dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente than the U.S. in the nuclear sense even emerged, Washington quickly eradicated it by turning the worlds attention to undoubtedly aggressive Soviet behaviour in the Middle East and Angola. Exploitation of the Soviet tendency to get involved in Third World conflicts became perhaps the focus of U.S. foreign policy during the late 1970s and early 80s, as can be seen in the most obvious and important example: Afghanistan. The superpower-funded war in Afghanistan was, as stated earlier, misunderstood until perhaps a few years ago. At the time of its occurrence, and during its immediate aftermath, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was generally defined as an extension of containment, justified with the characteristic moral charge and talk of liberating Afghan captives from an unwanted regime. According to this view, the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to suppress popular sentiments that threatened their dominance, prompting an objection and military response from the U.S. New evidence suggests, however, that the launch of the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan was hardly a reaction to Soviet movements. On the contrary, substantial U.S. activity was recorded in the area as early as 6 months before the deployment of the Red Army, as officials stirred up opposition to the government, promising military support for an insurrection. Mr. Brezezinksi, adviser to Carter at the time, sums this up, saying: According to the official version of history, aid to the moujahideen began during 1980after the Soviet army invadedBut the realitysecretly guardedis completely otherwise.6 Having established this, we can see that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan had a far from peaceable source; quite the opposite, the plan of action was to induce a Soviet military intervention.7 The purposes of this operation were multiple, but are encapsulated in Brezezinksis statement, quoted earlier, that this was the (Soviets) own Vietnam8- in other words, a conflict designed to exhaust economically, raise disputes at home, and as a touch-point for propaganda. And it worked, too. Domestically, by the time the conquest was five years old, and had claimed thousands of Soviet lives, it had become extremely unpopular, fuelling dissent, and disillusioning even faithful communists. Economically, a battle fought in the mountains with helicopters against the powerful US FIM-92 Stingers was expensive, and, in addition, created a rift between the Red Army and the Soviet leadership as the fighting went on past the desired date of departure. Further, since the West controlled the international media, it was able to present coverage of the exchange with a prejudice, emphasizing the Soviet atrocities and the number of civilian deaths. Human rights were, as one would expect, a major talking point within this context. In addition to undermining the Soviet Union in the above ways, Afghanistan was used as a pretext to end every vestige of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. The promising grain trade that had sprung up between the U.S. and the East was abruptly brought to a close. Then, Washington pressured the Saudi Arabian leadership, which was co-operating with the CIA in Afghanistan, to lower oil prices, and thus undercut the Soviet monopoly. Simultaneously, the White House denounced the SALT II Treaty as meaningless, and began inciting people in the West to express their disapproval of Soviet actions by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The result of all these manouevres was a dramatic heightening in temperature in the Soviet Union, as it found itself stretched and tested at numerous points- economic, political, and military. It is clear, then, that it was a combination of both internal and external forces that shaped the political climate in Moscow in the critical mid-80s period. An additional factor, overlooked in that it is better defined as a context than as a force, was the legacy of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and democratization that Khrushchev had left the communist party. While gradually eradicated from main-stream politics as its negative effects began to emerge in Eastern Europe and China, this remained an important influence in specific circles. It had a particular impact on those whose careers had begun under Khrushchev, as his anti-Stalinism left a lasting imprint on minds trained to worship an infallible Soviet leadership. These politicians, many harbouring inclinations towards democratization and reform despite Brezhnevs harsh Sinatra Doctrine, were to emerge as central figures in the Kremlin by 1985. This created an entirely new environment, uniquely receptive to the heightening pressure for refor m that was applied through the previously mentioned channels. Mikhail Gorbachev, a leading figure within this political contingent, was elected head of the communist party both as a result of the natural process outlined above, and as officials realized that the public would best submit to someone with plans for reform. His policies have been cited as the major cause of the collapse of communism, which is reasonable in a limited sense, but they must be viewed as the product of the existing domestic and international situations rather than as a theoretical digression. Faced with such economic, political, and military strain, Gorbachev virtually had no other choice than to seek to minimize Soviet expenses. And this meant, of course, reorganizing the empire for efficiency (perestroika). It also entailed pacifying the masses by giving them a voice; the policy of open discussion, known as glasnost, reduced censorship and allowed debates on ideology to take place. This approach was developed with the aim of liquidating factions such as Solidarity, by giving them certain concessions, for example, freedom of speech and of assembly. As later became evident, however, both this policy and perestroika had a far from calming effect in the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. Ultimately, Gorbachevs reforms destroyed communist rule because they compromised the central police force and terror necessary to its survival- allowing pluralism, and opening gateways to the West. This took place in both an economic and a political sense, so that capitalist influences infiltrated almost every sphere of Soviet society. The first of Gorbachevs policies to make an impact was perestroika, which was put before the Kremlin in June 1987, and began to affect the economic structure almost immediately. As early as August, the Soviet Union had begun to make overtures to British prime-minister Margaret Thatcher, arranging for Western businesses to be established on Soviet soil, and opening up the oil trade. A series of joint ventures were set up the following year, although they were never to achieve the stated goal of helping the USSR to advance technologically. At the same time, petroleum production was restored, state planning diminished, taxes regulated, and a law passed permitting private businesses to operate. These changes were to affect almost everyone- many negatively, as alterations in factory relationships caused workers to lose their jobs. In fact, this economic democratization actually worsened living conditions- that this occurred just as the people were becoming exposed to the comparative wealth of Western nations as traffic flow and the media opened up, ensured that perestroika contributed significantly to the fall of communism. This exposure came with the policy of glasnost, introduced in the Soviet Union in late 1987, and entailing the open discussion of communist ideology both through the media, and within the Party. Its inception was accompanied by Gorbachevs declaration before the UN that he would not intervene in the internal affairs of other Warsaw Pact countries. Together, these liberalizations virtually ended communist terror, opening the way for reform. In addition, the new media freedoms enabled programs detailing past Soviet atrocities, such as the gulags and the Great Purges, to be broadcast. At the same time, the inefficiency of Stalins mechanisms and the extent of state corruption in the past were made known in full to the public. This greatly undermined the peoples faith in the system- it eroded the CPs social power base, by bringing down its traditional corner stones- the hierarchy of the politburo, and CP dominance. The effects of these policies were first evident in Eastern Europe, as dissident movements supported by Gorbachev began to gain power. In Poland, for instance, the previously banned Civic Society was able to rise to a position where it could negotiate for economic reforms and other freedoms- freedoms which would eventually lead to pluralism. Hungary followed a similar course, its underground organizations receiving encouragement and inspiration from Gorbachev, and Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, while slower to get started, eventually experienced much the same thing. This process- the rise of dissent and the consequent introduction of non-communist elements into the party- escalated as it became increasing clear that Moscow had no intention of opposing democratization. It culminated in 1988-89, as a series of insurrections, some violent, some peaceful, brought about the reinstatement of free elections and the overthrow of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. This implosion is perhaps symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall, which occurred after Gorbachev liscensed Hungary to open its border and thus provide an escape route for East Germans. It was echoed in the Soviet Union two years later- the Red Army had staged a brief coup in the interests of a military intervention in Eastern Europe, and had failed. Gorbachev had tried to regain popular support, and had proposed a new constitution, dismissing the CPCC, but Estonia, Ukraine, and Belarus nonetheless declared their independence. By 1991, communist rule in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was over, and the world was left to reflect on the sad, bizarre chapter in human history,9 that had just been written. It can thus be confirmed that the decline of communism after 1985 was the direct result of Gorbachevs policies. And, in this sense, it was an internal force that brought about the actual collapse that occurred, although, as already established, this was shaped both by U.S. pressure and conditions within the Eastern bloc. It is important, in addition, not to overlook the role that American policy played in these latter years. That Reagan and Thatcher continued to build western economies that far outshone those in the East certainly kept the pressure on the communists. Likewise, Regan constantly challenged Gorbachevs commitment to peace, demanding that he open this gatetear down this wall.10 For the most part, however, the collapse was self-contained after 1985. It is perhaps best summarized by Erik Chenoweth in his article, Common Elements of Successful Opposition to Communism: pluralism is an anathema to communism andcan survive communisms system of terror, where the systems terror is balanced by societys opposition.11 1 Timothy Sowula, The Helsinki Process and the Death of Communism, 2002. 2 Richard Piper, Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and Its Demise, 2001. 3 ibid. 4 Timothy Sowula, ibid 5 Colonel-General Nikolai Chervov, as quoted in Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente And Its Demise, 2001 6 Brezezinksi, The Afghan Caper, 2004 7 ibid. 8 ibid. 9 Robert Reagan as quoted in Misinterpreting the Cold War- www.foreignaffairs.org/19950/001fareviewessay5008/richard-pipes.html 10 ibid. 11 http://www.idee.org/cubaideas4.html

Survival of Organisms in Extreme Conditions

Survival of Organisms in Extreme Conditions Organisms, known as extremophiles, survive in environments that other terrestrial life-forms find intolerable and in some cases lethal. They are evolved to survive in extreme hot niches, ice, and saline solutions, also adapting to survive in varying pH conditions; extremophiles are even found to grow in toxic waste, organic solvents, heavy metals, or in multiple habitats thought previously to be inhospitable for life. Within all the discovered extreme environmental condition, a variety of organisms have shown that they are able to not just tolerate these conditions, but they require these conditions for survival. If organisms can survive in these hostile environments on Earth it seems feasible that there could be life present in other areas of our solar system. Extremophiles are classified according to the conditions in which they grow. These sections can be further divided into two broad categories: extremophilic organisms which need these hostile conditions to survive, and extremotolerant organisms which can withstand the extreme pressure of one or multiple conditions however, grow optimally at normal and less hostile conditions. From all three domains of life, i.e. bacteria, archaea, and eukarya, extremophiles can be found. Most extremophiles are microorganisms with many of these being archaea, but protists, in the eukaryotes, have some extremophiles from the families: algae, fungi and protozoa. Archaea are the most common extremophilic domain, however are generally less versatile than bacteria and eukaryotes in at adapting to differing extreme environments. Although, some archaea are some of the most hyperthermophilic, acidophilic, alkaliphilic, and halophilic microorganisms known. The archaeal Methanopyrus kandleri strain 116 will tole rate and grow at temperatures up to 122 °C (252  °F), while the genus Picrophilus (i.e. Picrophilus torridus) are some of the most acidophilic organism, growing at a pH as low as 0.06. Bacteria like cyanobacteria, is best adapted to environments with multiple physicochemical parameters, by forming multi-layered microbial mats with other bacteria. They can survive in hypersaline conditions and alkaline lakes, which support high metal concentrations and low availability of water or xerophilic conditions, in a group of endolithic communities in stony desert regions. However, cyanobacteria is rarely found in an acidic environment at a pH lower than 6. Not only does this give insight into the origin of life on Earth, but opens up a new realm of possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. Thermophilic bacteria are common in soil and volcanic environments i.e. hot springs. Thermophiles are thought to be one of the original organisms to have survived on earth over 3 billion years ago, in an environment with much higher temperatures, this allows possibilities to assume that a life form could be found on another planet. The ability to proliferate at growth temperature optima well above 60 °C is associated with extremely thermally stable macromolecules. As a consequence of growth at high temperature and unique macromolecular properties, thermophilic organisms can possess high metabolic rates, physically and chemically stable enzymes, and lower growth rate with a higher end product yield. Thermophilic reactions appear more stable, rapid and less expensive, and facilitate reactant activity and product recovery. Most thermophiles are anaerobes, this is due to oxygen being much less soluble at higher temperatures, therefore is not available to the organisms. Thermophiles and acidophiles have membranes that contain tetra-ether lipids, which form a rigid monolayer that is impermeable to many ions and protons. The ether type lipids are far stronger than the ester lipids found in mesophilic organisms, also the lipid layers consist of more branched and saturated fatty acids. This gives a stronger lipid complex, and is most prevalent in Archaean thermophiles. Thermophiles also stabilize their proteins, DNA, RNA and ATP, however there is no distinctive reason for how they stabilize. Though, most thermophilic organisms have more Cytosine and guanine bonds as the triple bond is a lot stronger than the Adenine Thymine bond. Thermophiles have developed unique ways of heat stabilizing their essential proteins. The protein surface energy and the hydration levels of the exposed non-polar groups are monitored and minimized by packing the hydrophobic regions into a dense core, of the protein, by the amino acids charge-charge interactions. An increased number of salt b ridges and internal networks are present, stabilizing the internal structures and an elevated amount of synthesis of chaperone proteins. Chaperone proteins unfold and help to refold proteins that are not formed properly, this is important as during hot environment there is a higher chance of misfolded proteins. The methods thermophiles employ to survive on earth could be used to survive elsewhere in our solar system. Psychrophilic organisms or psychrophiles grow best at low temperatures (freezing point of water or below) in areas such as deep sea and polar regions. The main problems for organisms in this environment is the exponential effect on the rate of biochemical reactions and the viscosity of internal and external environments, which changes significantly between 37 µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢C and 0 µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢C. (Feller Gerday, 2003; Georlette et al, 2004; Russell, 2000). In an attempt to overcome the effects on the cytoplasmic membrane, i.e. permeability and hence transportation across the membrane, there is a higher lipid concentration in the membranes containing more unsaturated, polyunsaturated, methyl-branched fatty acids, and shorter acyl-chain length. The lipid head group within the membrane is also thought to be larger. All of these adaptations increase the fluidity of the membrane and in turn survival at lower temperatures (Chintalapati et al, 2004). Another adaptation for lower temperatures is the ribosomal extract, RNA polymerase, having a larger elongation factor and the presence of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase which have shown to retain activity near 0 °C in multiple differing psychrophilic microorganisms, like Moritella profunda, Another enzyme catalyses cis-trans prolyl isomerisation, and its high activity and overexpression at low temperatures might be important for overcoming the impaired folding protein rates. Likewise, nucleic-acid-binding proteins like Escherichia colis CspA-related proteins and RNA helicases, which are important in the transcription and translation of DNA and RNA secondary structures, are also overexpressed (Berger et al, 1996; Lim et al, 2000). The relationship between the flexibility of the membrane and the increase in activity is meant to create quite an unstable organism however, only in mesophilic environments. In a comparison of thermodynamic parameters between psychrophilic enzymes and their mesophilic homologues, at low temper ature there is a decrease in activation enthalpy, meaning a decrease in the number of enthalpy-driven reactions that have to be broken in catalysis. Organisms in this habitat are also considered to be oligotrophic as they live with lower nutrient content. Psychrophiles could use all of these adaptations in similar environments except Earth. Acidophiles and alkaliphiles are optimally adapted to acidic or alkaline pH values, acidophiles live in a higher concentration of Hydrogen ions as, Alkaliphilic organism live in a higher concentration of hydroxide ions. Acidophiles partially deflect the flow of protons into the cell by reversing the membrane potential with a reduced pore size in the membrane channels. By having a highly impermeable cell membrane organism can restrict the influx of protons, with their chemiosmostic gradient and by actively exporting protons out of the cell maintaining a habitable internal pH. In comparison to mesophiles, acidophiles have a higher proportion of secondary transporters which reduce the energy demands associated with moving protons, solutes and nutrients across the membrane. Acidophiles contain more DNA with a high proportion of protein repair mechanisms which repair at a lower pH, in B.acidocaldarius there is a higher level of cytoplasmic buffering found. In most acid environments there is a high metal content which these organisms use in their favour to stabilize their intercellular enzymes. In alkaliphilic organisms, such as Bacillus pseudofirmus and B.halodurans, oxidative phosphorylation occur to support non-fermentative growth and proton-coupled ATP synthases occurs, using proton-motive force (PMF) but mostly from the sodium-ion gradient. A major adaption of the alkaliphiles for surviving in their environments is within the diversity of their enzymes. Mesophilic organisms produce enzymes with similar activity however, do not have the same enzymatic capacity to cope with the increase pH. An internal pH is maintained by the active and passive regulation mechanisms across the membrane, actively removing the hydroxide ions. The addition of cytoplasmic pools of polyamines and low membrane permeability, with sodium ion channels actively regulates these levels. Alkaliphillic bacteria also compensate for the high levels by having a high membrane potential or coupling Na+ expulsion through the ETC. All of these processes used could be utilized by interplanetary organism. Throughout our solar system there are many environments where some of these extremophiles could use their adaptations to survive. The main necessity for life would be the presence of even a minimal supply of water. In our solar system there are environments thought to be able to support life. Titan, one of Saturns moons, has sustainable atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen, similar to earths. There are many ammonia and methane lakes on titan that theoretically could combine, in an electrically charged environment, to make an organic habitat. Thermophiles that also contain sulfureted properties could survive there as they survive in similar conditions in the deep ocean hot springs. Enceladus, another of Saturns moons has an abundant supply of water vapour geysers and Europa, one of Jupiters moons, both are thought to be entirely covered in ice. Psychrophiles and Alkaliphilic or Acidophilic organism could adapt to live in this environment. Enceladus is considered an active water w orld with oceans with Europa thought to have subglacial water systems under the ice layer. Models of Enceladus predict the oceans to be a solution of Na-Cl-CO3 with a pH of 11 to 12. This is a similar environment to Lake Shala in the Rift Valley Lakes, with a high alkaline pH and due to it being the deepest lakes on earth, a cold temperature at its lowest depth. Europa has a highly acidic water system and due to the total coverage of ice on the surface of the moon, any organism able to survive there must also be anaerobic. Overall, on earth we have many extreme environments which are considered lethal to most organism but are home to extremophiles, such as thermophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles. From the way many of these organism adapt to survive on earth it is feasible that organism with similar adaptations could be present or could survive elsewhere in our solar system, in similar environments.

The memory worksheet

The memory worksheet Using the text, Cognition: The Thinking Animal, the University Library, the Internet, and/or other resources, answer the following questions. Your response to each question should be at least 150 words in length. What is primary memory? What are the characteristics of primary memory? Primary memory is working memory, which is processes work from images within the memory. Primary memory is the decision-making and awareness part of short-term memory concerned with the temporary incorporation, processing, removal, and recovery of information. Primary memory retrieves information from short-term memory, the environment to possibly be kept later in secondary memory. The characteristics of primary memory tasks involve the active handling or monitoring of behaviors or information. Additionally, primary memory is essentially different from secondary memory. The characteristics include forgetting (how this occurs), memory representation, storage of information (how much), processing of acoustic information (phonological loop), processing of visual information and how decisions are made. Primary memory theories exist both regarding the theoretical structure of working memory and the role of specific parts of the brain involved in working memory. Furthermore, research identifies that the frontal cortex, parietal cortex, anterior cingulate, and parts of the basal ganglia are crucial for working memory function. Working memory is generally considered to have limited capacity. What is the process of memory from perception to retrieval? What happens when the process is compromised? The process of memory from perception to retrieval is the sorting of all information by the brain into short-term or long-term memory. Additionally, the brain will discard the information if the information is not needed. Our short-term memory allows an individual to hold on to information that is needed during a precise moment and then the brain discards it. Short-term memory stores small amounts of information. Some information can be moved from short-term memory to long-term memory by encoding. Then the brain consolidates the information by linking the new memory to any current memory. There are three ways of measuring memory retrieval that differ from one another. They are the recall method, the recollection memory, the recognition method, and relearning method. When the process is compromised it causes a person to only recall certain portions of the information that is trying to be retrieved, but not the exact information needed. This is known as the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. Is it possible for memory retrieval to be unr eliable? Why or why not? What factors may affect the reliability of ones memory? Yes it is possible for memory retrieval to be unreliable because of inaccurate recall due to the environment, prior memories of the individual or biased questions. For example, eyewitness testimony given by an individual that witnessed a crime first hand. The questions that are asked by a police officer or lawyer in reference to the crime, these questions can contain cues that might influence the individuals memory retrieval. Another factor that can affect the reliability of a memory is bias. Some factors that affect the reliability of an individuals memory are being tired, stress, emotions, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident

Free College Essays - The Use of Time in Antony and Cleopatra :: Antony Cleopatra Essays

  Use of Time in Anthony and Cleopatra  Ã‚     Shakespeare's use of time in Anthony and Cleopatra is seemingly [1] quite erratic.   However, it is important to note that Shakespeare was a playwright and his job was to write interesting drama, not to accurately record details of history.   It therefore seems quite unfair to expect him to use time in a precise manner.   However, to dismiss Shakespeare's use of time as merely a mistake or the by product of his dramatisation of history [2]is to do it injustice.   It could easily be argued that there is a method in it.[3]   To show this we can analyse one chunk of the play, staring at Act 1 Scene 3.   Here is where Anthony finally plucks up the courage to leave Egypt.   In Act 1 Scene 4, we are in Rome and here we have Caesar complaining about Anthony while messengers bring news of how Pompey is doing at sea as well as his allies Menecrates and Menas.     In act 1 Scene 5 we are back in Egypt and Cleopatra is talking about how she misses Anthony.   In Act 2 Scene 2 we are back in Rome and Anthony has finished his journey across the Mediterranean.   Anthony and Caesar get back on speaking terms and decide that to cement their relationship (or to destroy it, depending on your level of cynicism).   Octavia should marry Anthony.   By Act 2 Scene 5the news of Anthony's betrothal has reached Cleopatra in Egypt and though she rants and raves she doesn't actually do anything constructive about it.   In Act 2 Scene 7 we are in Rome again and there is a party where the three triumvirates become drunk to varying degrees .   In Act 3 Scene 2 Octavia and Anthony leave Rome together.   The next scene is in Egypt, where again very little action takes place. In Act 3 Scene 4 the most remarkable act of condensation occurs when eight years of Octavia and Anthony's marriage are meant to have occurred.     By Act 3 Scene 6 we are in Rome and discussing the fact that Anthony has left Octavia in Athens and is back in Egypt.[4]   So we see that in this chunk of the play there have been many things occurring in Rome, while in Egypt it might as well have been one long afternoon for all the deeds and actions that have occurred.

Setting in Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle Essay -- Greasy Lake T.

Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle Nature has a powerful way of portraying good vs. bad, which parallels to the same concept intertwined with human nature. In the story â€Å"Greasy Lake† by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the author portrays this through the use of a lake by demonstrating its significance and relationship to the characters. At one time, the Greasy Lake was something of beauty and cleanliness, but then came to be the exact opposite. Through his writing, Boyle demonstrates how the setting can be a direct reflection of the characters and the experiences they encounter. The lake itself plays a major role throughout the story, as it mirrors the characters almost exactly. For example, the lake is described as being â€Å"fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans† (125). The characters are also described as being â€Å"greasy† or â€Å"dangerous† several times, which ties the lake and the characters together through their similarities. The narrator explains, â€Å"We were bad. At night we went up to Greasy Lake† (124). This demonstrates the importance that the surroundings in which the main characters’ choose to be in is extremely important to the image that they reflect. At the beginning of the story, these characters’ images and specifically being â€Å"bad† is essentially all that mattered to them. â€Å"We wore torn up leather jackets†¦drank gin and grape juice†¦sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine† (124). They went out of their ...

Language Usage in Huckleberry Finn

Jims dialogues, we can clearly see that he has troubles with English, he often makes grammatical and spelling errors. From this I concluded that Jim is most probably uneducated, I do think that he's not stupid though because up to this point In the book Mark Twain have showed how Jim uses his logic, for instance when Jim was arguing about Solomon, we can clearly see how he used his logic in criticizing the story. Therefore from the language Mark Twain uses we can understand that Jim Is uneducated but he's not stupid although he book doesn't literally say so.Racism: Mark Twain repeatedly used the word ‘Niger' In the book to describe how In the town where It took place, everyone uses the word ‘Niger' casually, from old ladles to Houck himself uses the word very casually. This shows how at that time, dark skinned people are very discriminated by the white. They are treated as slaves, up to the point where they will sell them in exchange for money. From the words that Mark Tw ain used in describing the society, we can clearly see that slavery and racism both re still an on going thing.If we compare this to today, it is completely different, people are now forbidden to say the word ‘Niger' and dark skinned people are way more respected. Faking Huckleberry Fin's own death: In the chapter in which Huckleberry Finn faked his own death, although Mark Twain didn't exactly tell us what he was going to do, but we were able to conclude that he was up to something. Through the language that the author used to describe this action we can see that he's not stupid, he uses a lot of his logic.

Persuasive speech against video games Essay

Attention-getter: Whenever I look out from my window at home, nothing but memories come back to me. The house three doors down was the unsuspecting target of the foul balls we would hit when we use to play home run derby. Or my basketball hoop which held many world championships between me being the bulls and my friends being that year’s runner up. In the park across the street, I ended up blackmailing my neighbor, who was a few years older than me, into letting me play football with him and his friends. That’s how much I loved to be outside and play with my friends. As I become aware that my street has become barren from children playing outside, those memories soon fade away into silence. Thesis/Preview: The truth of the matter is that video games have affected the children who play them. Although video games have been quite influential on our generation, video games have had a lot of negative effects on the children of today. First I am going to describe the phenomenon video games has provoked, next I am going to explain the mental and physical health effects and lastly I am going to talk about the impact video games has had on the social skills of children. BODY I. Children in our country have become obsessed with video games. A. Since the start of Atari in 1972, the video game industry has expanded into a 10. 3 billion dollar a year market, it is only getting larger with the growth of technology. And although these games provide much entertainment, it does not come without a cost. Since the rise of video games, more children have become more obese, more violent and less social. (transition) Now that we know a little about the phenomenon lets look at the effects it has on children II. The growth of video games has mental and physical effects on health A. Initially video games consisted of a frog crossing a busy street or two paddles bouncing a ball between each other. Now games have started to border the line of excessive violence, enacting upon some of our deepest desires, but unable to express them due to laws that would be violated. In Grand Theft Auto, you run a round picking up jobs in an imaginary city. These jobs range from killing union workers to stealing pricy automobiles. In Conker’s Bad Fur day, you play as a playful cartoon squirrel that drinks beer and urinates on the enemy to defeat him. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, 90% of the games played today actually reward the player to injure another person and these were the games rated Teen. These types of gratuitous violence portrayed in video games transfer over into the everyday lives of these children. Studies of children exposed to violence have shown that they can become: â€Å"immune† or numb to the horror of violence, imitate the violence they see, and show more aggressive behavior the more they’re exposed to violence. Some children accept violence as a way to handle problems. Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children. For instance, a child in Kentucky ended up bringing a revolver to school and shot 8 students. Police ended up pin-pointing the source to the video games the child had been playing. The child ended up raking in more than 10,000 hours of a shoot em’ up style game that rewarded bonus points for headshots. Even if the games are not violent, another side effect that video games have on the health of children is with exercising. In a pediatrics journal, it states that 9 million kids are overweight, which is three times the amount it was in 1980. I am not stating that video games are the sole proprietor of this drastic increase, but for children, playing a video game usually takes precedent over exercising. With this increase in body mass, children have become more susceptible in acquiring what are usually known as adult diseases such as diabetes. In an Australian Geographic study, when asked what they wanted to do on a sunny day, only 32% of the children wanted to play outside. III. Video Games also have a negative impact on kids’ social skills and experiences. A. Another problem seen in children playing video games is there inability to communicate with their peers. Dr. Ricardo Salguero states that video games are an addictive behavior much like drug dependency. His results from a test on the dependency of video games concluded that 10% of the children, between 8 and 12 years old, playing video games on home consoles or computers, played for more than 4 hours a day – thus eliminating the socialization that would occur through standard outdoor activities like basketball. The more video games played, the more time it cuts away from relationships outside the ones made with characters in video games. Salguero then states that the earlier the child plays video games the worse the interactions the child has with other children are. CONCLUSION Review: From the information compiled by psychiatrists and doctors, we can see the violence, obesity, and lack of social skills that has accumulated since the beginning of video games. That is why I can say video games have a negative effect on children. Parents need to be more aware, not just of the types of games their kids are playing, but of the amount of time they’re playing. Memorable final comment: And when you end up going home I want you to pay attention and listen for the growing silence so that you may physically observe the impact of video games.