Business Discussion

Step 1: Description of the conflict

Discrimination is one of the major sources of heated conflicts, mostly ending in legal troubles for an organization, the management, and its employees. A discriminatory conflict arose in our company, RCA Corporation, where I was hired a few weeks ago. Being a woman, I never thought that I would be hired and given a chance to show off my skills. Thankfully, I got distinction in the test and was called for an interview, which also got cleared and an appointment letter was then sent to my residence. The first few days were okay, and I got a chance to meet and interact with new people. However, things didn’t remain the same, and soon I observed that the co-workers were misleading me in every aspect. Considering me the newcomer, the male employees first directed me to the wrong cabin on day 1. Then after a few days, they misbehaved with me and forbade me from complaining to the management. What they wanted was to throw me out of the office because they weren’t ready to see a female working in a higher position and earning a lot more. It eventually impacted my performance, decreased productivity, and made it impossible for me to survive for a long (Lewin, 2016).

Step 2: Collection of Data and Evidence

I was just tired within a few days and wanted to talk to the management as soon as possible. How could they treat a female this way? Had they forgotten their moral values? What were they up to? These questions were striking my mind, so I decided to collect some evidence or data before taking the next step. One day when I was talking to a mate and discussing a couple of official things, a few male workers entered my cabin and began threatening me. They asked me to submit a resignation letter to the management or else they would do something bad. Thankfully, I had recorded their voices with my smartphone, and this helped me collect evidence to prove my point before the management (Euwema, Bollen, Kalter, & Poitras, 2013).

Step 3: Possible factors

In this particular office, as per my observation, only two females work – me and my mate. The rest of the employees are males who want to dominate both of us in one way or the other. I personally feel that whatever they are doing is because of their fear of losing their reputation and positions to the females. It is entirely a matter of discrimination, which needs the manager’s attention as early as possible. In any office, whether small or large, there should be no discrimination. The management always hires people based on their qualifications and experience, and the same happened in our office. But it looks like the male employees are ready to accept the truth. Working under a female’s supervision is like an insult for them (Lewin, 2016).

Step 4: The root cause

As already mentioned, RCA Corporation is where only two females work and the rest are male employees, meaning they get jealous of both of us (the females). They feel that working under a female supervisor like me is a waste of time. They seem to be narrow-minded individuals with no sense to understand that this is not the case. I was hired because of my capabilities, and it’s not a big issue to be supervised by a female (Euwema, Bollen, Kalter, & Poitras, 2013).

Step 5: Recommendations

Male employees often find it difficult to work under the supervision of a female employee. Being senior in my office, I know how to make them amend their ways. I just gave them some time to change their mind, but nothing could help. Now I have sufficient evidence to prove my worth and point before the management. I can get them fired instantly, but still want them to have a chance and remain in their limit next time. In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, there should be no discrimination. Gender, age differences, religious differences, and other such things mean nothing when it comes to RCA Corporation or other similar organizations. The management is wise and cooperative enough to understand that discrimination conflicts are good for nothing, and are an absolute waste of time (Lewin, 2016).

In the beginning, their behavior made me feel bad and impacted my overall performance. But now, I am fully prepared to raise voice against those immoral and stupid male employees who are trying to defeat me and my mate in one way or the other. I only want them to amend their ways, or else I will have to raise my voice and complain to the management. If they think that their threats or warnings will make me change my mind, I would like to tell that nothing like this is going to happen. They are just wasting their own time, not mine. They are better to focus on their projects and meet the targets. If they will keep doing such stupid things, I might drag them to the court, because women and men in today’s world are given equal rights (Euwema, Bollen, Kalter, & Poitras, 2013).

Work Cited:

Lewin, D. (2016). Resolving Workplace Conflicts through Litigation: Evidence, Analysis, and Implications. Managing and Resolving Workplace Conflict Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, 31-67. doi:10.1108/s0742-618620160000022003

Euwema, M., Bollen, K., Kalter, M., & Poitras, J. (2013). Mediation in workplace conflicts. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e571292013-029

The Effect of the Plant Hormone Ethylene on the Growth and Development of Paperwhite Bulbs, Narcissus Papyraceus

Abstract

In this paper, we will examine how the plant hormone Ethylene affected the growth and development of Paperwhite Bulbs (Narcissus Papyraceus). It should be noticed that leaves, fruits, and flowers are the target sites of ethylene. They allow the onset of the conditions suitable for organ longevity, stage progression, and reproductive success. Any change in ethylene’s level or perception can directly or indirectly impact the lifespan of this plant (Khan 2014). We had paid special attention to the sophisticated network of ethylene crosstalk and intended to share data for future research. An extensive range of effects, including physiological and morphological, were observed during this experiment. We found that ethylene allowed roots and shoots to grow in some bulb species, promoted flower-bud abscissions in leaf and lily of the hyacinth, and evoked different diseases like a flower-bud blast, bud necrosis, and gummosis. These changes could never be observed if we had tried any other plant hormone (Ent and Pieterse 2012).

Introduction

Earlier this year, during the winter season, we collected data for labs and observed how ethylene affects the growth and development of paperwhite bulbs. Narcissus papyraceus is one of the most popular species of bulbous plant. It is mainly found in Portugal, Greece, Algeria and Morocco. This plant species is also grown in Texas, Louisiana, California, Azores and Corsica. Its white flowers grow in the form of bunches and contain a lot of fragrance. Paperwhite bulbs are mostly grown as houseplants. Ethylene (C2H4) is one of those plant hormones that can impact the growth and development of not only paperwhite bulbs but also other similar plants. This gas was used in our experiment. Fruits like bananas and apples produce ethylene in a large quantity (Vandenbussche 2012). The research question we explored in this experiment is: how ethylene impacts the growth and development of paperwhite bulbs (Narcissus papyraceus)? In order to obtain the answer of this question, we had divided the lab into following three parts:

o   An experiment that we carried out in which the paperwhite bulbs were planted. Their growth was measured every two days and we repeated the process for 28 days.

o   We analyzed the amount of ethylene given off by bananas and apples.

o   In the final stage, we observed how ethylene impacted the development of flowers.

It should be noticed that ethylene is a flammable, colorless gas having a musky and faint smell. It is one of the simplest alkenes and is extensively used in the chemical industries. At a large scale, more than 120 million tons of ethylene is produced every year, and much of it is used in lab experiments and research. As an important plant hormone, ethylene is used in fields to help fruits ripen (Binder et al. 2012). Different environmental conditions greatly impact the development and growth of paperwhite bulbs. Ethylene, as per our observation, had influenced the nutrient remobilization and photosynthetic capabilities of the plant. It also controlled the senescence of Narcissus Papyraceus. Thus, we can say that ethylene is a multifunctional, powerful phytohormone that is capable of regulating growth and development of Narcissus Papyraceus. It efficiently governed the growth and development of flowers, fruits, and leaves, and promoted and induces senescence based on its optimal and sub-optimal levels. It is interesting to know that the same plant hormone influenced both growth and development of Narcissus Papyraceus, and regulated different processes naturally (Pech et al. 2012).

Methods & Materials

In this experiment, we had used apples as the primary source of ethylene and exposed Narcissus Papyraceus to the apples for 0, 2 and 4 days (Grierson 2012). The control was zero day, and the apparatus was set up in the following way.

o   Each apparatus had 1 pot containing bulb and soil, an apple, skewer, pop bottle and two elastic bands.

o   It was actually a closed system that contained ethylene in said quantity. To obtain ethylene in that quantity, we mainly relied on apples.

o   Each pot had one plastic bottle in it.

This experiment had three different Treatment Groups:

o   The first group was known as a control group. In it, we didn’t use any ethylene for four days. Also, we placed no apples in the plant pots.

o   In the treatment 1 group, low amount of ethylene was used (n=5 bulbs, one bulb per pot). Apples were not placed in the pop bottle for about two days.

We had a chance to work in a group of 3 individuals. First of all, we assembled apparatus in order to measure the effects of ethylene on Narcissus Papyraceus or paperwhite bulbs (Grierson 2012). We continued our experiment in the following steps:

o   In the first step, we planted 15 bulbs, one per pot, in the greenhouse.

o   Then we filled the pots and planted more bulbs until the soil came up to the bottom of green shoots.

o   We continued watering the pots thoroughly.

o   Once the soil was fully settled, we measured the distance of the tip of bulb from the soil.

o   Later on, we measured the distance of the soil from the tip of longest leaf to know how ethylene had impacted the growth of this plant.

o   After a few days, plastic bottles, with or without apples, were removed to observe how paperwhite bulbs would grow in their absence.

o   For nearly a month, we watered the plants in the greenhouse.

o   On day 28, we collected data and it was the last day of our experiment.

The data was collected in the following, two forms:

o   Length of the longest leaf was measured in every pot.

o   We observed the flowering status of the plant (days on which buds were developed and flowers appeared).

The data collected through this experiment formed the basis of two variables.

o   Variable 1: Plant growth was indicated by the length of the longest leaf.

o   Variable 2: The development of flowers helped us determine the time needed for bud development.

Results

Microscope, slides, coverslips, stains, micrometers, spectrophotometer, paper chromatography, measuring sticks, weighing balance were all used to obtain accurate results. After this experiment, we found that the growth and development of paperwhite bulbs is affected by different endogenous hormones and environmental factors, ethylene being one of them (Bogatek and Gniazdowska 2012). It is a natural process that is regulated by transcriptional regulators, mechanical properties of tissues, and of course, phytohormones. In simple words, we can say that apples, unlike bananas, are a rich source of ethylene and can be placed in any pot or directly in the soil to get lots of paperwhite bulbs in just one month. This experiment confirmed the growth and development of the leaves. We found that ethylene directly impacted the length of leaves, and that the leaves receiving more ethylene grew in length rapidly. It was also found that ERF5 and ERF6 help increase the length of leaves and allow flowers to grow at a fast speed. The concentration of ethylene was increased and decreased by placing and replacing apples every four days (Gonzalez-Carranza and Roberts 2012).

Discussion/Summary

It has now been revealed that there is a correlation between the growth and development of paperwhite bulbs and concentration of ethylene. Some of the leaves tend to grow better than the others because they are more responsive to ethylene in the plant pots. At the same time, the leaves not growing to that length were least responsive to this plant hormone. Paperwhite bulbs showed relatively lower growth when ethylene was not available to them in a high concentration, and when the apples producing ethylene were removed from the pots for a day or two. Both nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species, which are up-regulated by this plant hormone, could be involved in this experiment. That’s because they help in plant growth especially leaf expansion, but we didn’t use them and tried to keep things simple and understandable (Cho et al. 2012).

In conclusion, we can say that ethylene plays a major role in the growth and development of not only paperwhite bulbs but also other plants. The concentration of this plant hormone directly impacts the length of leaves and development of buds. It is capable of triggering the networks of signaling pathways and can impact phytohormones regulation to an extent. Unlike bananas, apples are a good source of ethylene and can be easily used in experiments like this. Their presence and absence impacted the length of leaves and bud development. Last but not the least, we should investigate the involvement and role of ethylene and other plant hormones at post-translation levels (Arshad and Frankenberger 2002).

References

Khan NA. The Ethylene: From Senescence Hormone to Key Player in Plant Metabolism. Journal of Plant Biochemistry & Physiology. 2014;2(2).

Ent SVD, Pieterse CMJ. Ethylene: Multi-Tasker in Plant-Attacker Interactions. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:343–377.

Vandenbussche F, Straeten DVD. The Role of Ethylene in Plant Growth and Development. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:219–241.

Binder BM, Chang C, Schaller GE. Perception of Ethylene by Plants - Ethylene Receptors. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:117–145.

Pech J-C, Purgatto E, Bouzayen M, Latché A. Ethylene and Fruit Ripening. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:275–304.

Grierson D. 100 Years of Ethylene - A Personal View. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:1–17.

Bogatek R, Gniazdowska A. Ethylene in Seed Development, Dormancy and Germination. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:189–218.

Gonzalez-Carranza ZH, Roberts JA. Ethylene and Cell Separation Processes. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:243–273.

Cho Y-H, Lee S, Yoo S-D. EIN2 and EIN3 in Ethylene Signalling. Annual Plant Reviews Volume 44. 2012:169–187.

Arshad M, Frankenberger WT. The Plant Hormone, Ethylene. Ethylene. 2002:1–9.

Caring for Cancer

Introduction

Cancer is one of the deadliest and most dangerous diseases in the world. It is actually the abnormal division of cells with the potential to spread or invade to all parts of the body. The cells that are divided abnormally and spread haphazardly often take the form of a tumor, which needs to be treated as soon as possible. Early symptoms of the disease are prolonged cough, sudden weight loss, changes in bowel movements, excessive bleeding and more. These symptoms are followed by severe signs that indicate that cancer has reached an alarming stage. More than 200 types of cancer have been found so far, and the researchers believe that the disease has up to 500 different types, meaning the rest of its types are yet to be discovered (Sanderson, 2008).

How to diagnose cancer?

If you observe any of the above-mentioned symptoms, the chances are you have cancer and a doctor should be approached as soon as possible. Prior to diagnosis, the doctor may ask you about your medical history and family background. This is done to know whether your family members have had cancer or not. besides the physical exams, different laboratory tests are conducted to diagnose the illness in a proper way. Urine tests and other fluid tests are also recommended to patients based on the severity of illness. It should be noticed that some of the lab results are not reliable. In such circumstances, imaging procedures are used to create clearer pictures of areas where cancer cells are likely to be present. These pictures help doctors find whether a tumor is originating or not. CT scan, nuclear scan, ultrasound, MRI, X-rays, PET scan, and biopsy are also done to diagnose different types and stages of cancer in a better way (2017).

Different stages of cancer

It is not possible for the doctors to treat or cure a patient without knowing the stage of cancer. Studies indicate that the cancerous cells change their color and structure with time, so the stage helps determine how serious the illness is and what type of treatment would be the best. There are two primary types of the staging system for cancer: the number system and the TNM system (Sanderson, 2008).

The TNM (Tumor, Node, Metastasis) system

Through this system, the doctors describe the size of cancer cells as well as the tumor. They also evaluate whether the cancerous cells have spread to all parts of the body especially lymph nodes or not. This system uses different numbers and letters to describe the illness in a better way. For example, T denotes the size of cancer cells and how far they have spread in the body. N denotes whether the cancer cells have reached the lymph nodes or not. Similarly, M denotes whether the diseased cells have reached other parts of the body or not, especially the heart, brain and digestive tract (2017).

The number system

The number system helps divide cancer cells into different categories for easy recognition and treatment of the disease. Most often, these cells are numbered from 1 to 4 and the physicians use Roman numerals to describe different numbers. For example, if you have stage 4, they will mention it as stage IV.  The first stage indicates that cancer cells are few in number (2017). The second stage indicates that a tumor has started originating and it is getting bigger day by day. The third stage mentions that the disease has reached an alarming level and need doctors’ attention as soon as possible. It also indicates that the cancer is spreading to surrounding tissues and may attack lymph nodes in next few days. The fourth stage indicates that different body parts are being attacked and damaged by the illness. In this stage, cancer is often regarded as metastatic cancer (Sanderson, 2008).

Carcinoma in situ

Besides the number system and the TNM system, carcinoma in situ is a system that is rarely used and often denotes stage 0 cancer. It means only a couple of cells in one part of the body are affected. If remain uncured and unchecked, those cells may divide and develop rapidly and cause problems for the entire body. The changes taking place during this stage are known as dysplasia, and the number of cancer cells is insufficient, meaning it cannot form tumors in next few months or years (2017).

Complications of cancer

Cancer is one of those few diseases that accompany numerous complications. It should be noticed that cancer cells can attack any part of the body, anytime, and cause problems for a few parts of the entire body instantly. It can affect us emotionally, psychologically, mentally and physically. For example, cancer may destroy the functioning of the entire nervous system, which is one of the most severe complications. bone pain and hypercalcemia are two other, major complications (2017). The patients being diagnosed with cancer often complain about bone pain, a condition known as metastasis. The bones lose their flexibility and elasticity with time, and the disease greatly impacts their functioning. The cancer cells can also target thyroid glands, lungs, kidneys, breasts and other parts of the body. Similarly, hypercalcemia is a condition in which calcium level is increased extensively in the blood. This happens when the cancer cells interfere with the work and functioning of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Hypercalcemia can weaken our bones and mental capabilities and is a prolonged disease that needs immediate attention and treatment (Sanderson, 2008).

Side effects of treatment

Over 1.3 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and the only effective and widely recommended treatment is chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this treatment accompanies a lot of side effects, such as pain, fatigue, nausea and hearing loss. When chemotherapy is carried out, vomiting and nausea are often caused. Various patients are recommended anti-nausea drugs. Similarly, fatigue occurs in more than 60 percent people suffering from cancer. Most often, the patients claim that they are not getting relieved and fatigue is taking a serious form day by day. Hair loss and hearing loss are two common problems, side effects of chemotherapy. Drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin are often recommended to patients with hearing problem, but these drugs may damage the inner cells of their ears. Similarly, chemotherapy destroys hair follicles and prevents new hair from originating from the roots. Sometimes patients with pelvic cancer have to experience sexual dysfunction. This is common in both males and females. Furthermore, chemotherapy may affect the neurons, blood cells and hormones. Depression, anxiety, and stress are often observed in patients with cancer (2017).

Methods to lessen physical and psychological effects

Chemotherapy helps fight cancer, but this treatment accompanies a lot of side effects. It becomes difficult for the patients to get rid of those effects, however, they can try the following methods to lessen physical and psychological effects (2017).

Change your eating habits

If you are receiving chemotherapy and experiencing a lot of side effects, then you should change your eating and drinking habits. You might be depending on junk foods and soft drinks for your survival. These meals are good for nothing and may cause serious problems for you. It is better to eat only three small meals in a day rather than five to seven, and these should consist of fresh fruits, veggies, juices, milk, and lots of water. Meanwhile, you should remember asking your doctor which diets would suit you the most. You should always avoid strong-smelling meals to stay fit and active (Sanderson, 2008).

Medications

The doctor may ask you to use anti-nausea drugs or other similar medications. These help patients get rid of nausea and can lessen the psychological effects of chemotherapy to an extent (2017).

Walk and exercise

Walk and exercise are not only good for your body but also for your brain. For cancer patients, brisk walk is like a blessing. It will help them stay active and fit the whole day and will bring positivity in their life while they are being treated for cancer. Similarly, exercises can help them fight depression, stress, and anxiety (Sanderson, 2008).

Change your sleeping habits

If you awake the whole night and sleep throughout the day, then you should change your sleeping habits as soon as possible. Without it, you may not be guaranteed of a healthy and fit body, and the chances are that your cancer won’t get cured in a better way. Those who don’t take sufficient sleep are likely to suffer from psychological complications, along with cancer. So, the best option is to change one’s sleeping habits and take proper rest every day. We should not stress ourselves and affect our sleep. Meanwhile, a cancer patient doesn’t need to work overnight to earn a living. Instead, he should change his unhealthy sleeping habits into healthy ones so that the disease can be gotten rid of as early as possible (2017).

Conclusion

Cancer kills a large number of people every year, and the disease is common in not only the United States but also other parts of the world. Unfortunately, health experts have failed to bring forth a proper, harmless treatment for the illness. That’s why most doctors recommend chemotherapy to cure the disease, which itself accompanies various side effects (2017). The disease can be treated easily and quickly if it at stage 1 to 3. And if a patient has stage 4 cancer, he may not get fully cured or recovered from the illness, meaning his death is likely to occur. Thus, there is a strong need to conduct lots more experiments and bring forth medications for cancer. It may not be possible for everyone to depend on chemotherapy given that this treatment is costly and accompanies side effects. We do need a treatment that guarantees health and accompanies no side effects. Meanwhile, it should be cost-friendly so that every cancer patient can avail it (Sanderson, 2008).

Work Cited:

Sanderson, K. (2008). Boost for work on deadliest forms of cancer. Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2008.1263

Old drug, new hope for deadliest cancer. (2017). New Scientist, 234(3121), 18. doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(17)30717-0