Assignment 2: Project Paper – Comparative Essay
Due Week 7 and worth 200 points
This “Assignment 2” writing assignment is a comparative essay focused on topics encountered in our HUM 111 class. The project will be based on research but will reflect your views and interpretation of the topic. This project is designed to help you stretch your mind and your abilities as an organized, innovative, and critical thinker. If approached properly, it should also be fun!
Read the topic carefully. Write a three to four (3-4) page paper (750-1,000 words) that follows instructions and covers each part of the topic. (The title page and References list do not get included in this word count).
1. Establish a clear thesis about your topic as part of the introductory paragraph (often the thesis is the last thing one determines after doing the basic research and outline; however it will be placed in the first paragraph of your paper). 2. This is a comparative essay. Comparison approached properly will require some critical thinking on your part. Use a point-by-point approach for the essay. That means, if comparing subject A with subject B, don’t do the first half of the essay on subject A and then the second half on subject B–that will seem like two (2) separate essays and comparisons will tend to get lost. Instead, you should be mentioning both subjects in most of your paragraphs as you compare them throughout the essay. Comparisons will identify similarities as well as contrasts. 3. Do not try to do everything on your two (2) subjects. You should end up narrowing your focus to a few insights and issues about the subjects being compared. And, from those fairly specific points of comparison, you will develop a thesis and glean some lessons. 4. Follow closely the instructions below for your specific topic. 5. Include a concluding paragraph at the end. This paragraph will, in some way, refer back to the thesis established in your first paragraph, since now you have demonstrated and supported it. It may be here that you also include your observations relating your study to the modern workplace or society (see your topic). Try to finish with flair! 6. Use at least three (3) good quality academic sources, with one (1) source being the class text. Note: Wikipedia and other similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources. You are highly encouraged to use the Resource Center tab at the top of your Blackboard page.

 Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus. Write an essay comparing these two (2) heroic figures from ancient epics of different cultures, especially focusing your analysis on the sources about their encounters with monsters: Gilgamesh encounters the monster guarding the forest, Humbaba, in Tablets 3-5 of the Epic of Gilgamesh . Your paper should:
a) Compare Gilgamesh and Odysseus as to their heroic qualities, noting similarities and differences, using specific examples from the epics.
b) Summarize what this indicates about differences between ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures in their ideals and expectations.
c) From this comparison, suggest ways that current cultural ideals and expectations shape modern notions about role models and heroes.

The Project Paper will be graded on:
1. The level to which the instructions were followed for the paper generally and for the specific topic. 2. The establishment of a clear thesis about your topic. 3. The adequacy and relevance of information, examples, and details which support the general thesis. 4. Covering each part of the topic as instructed, including the comparisons, the consideration of ancient cultural differences, and the reflection on lessons for modern society or the modern workplace. 5. The quality of your research and your persuasiveness using critical reasoning. 6. The use and acknowledgement of a minimum of three (3) required references (the class textbook plus at least two (2) other quality academic sources) documented using the SWS style –including both the use of a proper References list and the use of proper in-text citations. 7. Adherence to standard rules of grammar, punctuation, paragraphing, and mechanics, and general clarity of presentation.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
 Explain how key social, cultural, and artistic contributions contribute to historical changes.  Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context.  Examine the influences of intellectual, religious, political, and socio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic expressions.  Identify major historical developments in world cultures during the eras of antiquity to the Renaissance.  Use technology and information resources to research issues in the study of world cultures.  Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper writing mechanics.

A Little Electronic Magic at Alibaba.com Please read the “A Little Electronic Magic at Alibaba.com” case from chapter 14, and answer to the following questions. It is important for you to read the chapter carefully before attempting to answer the assignment. The learning from reading the text must be reflected in your answers. Grading criteria for case studies are listed under “course information.”  1. Do you think most international trade might eventually take place through Web sites like alibaba.com? How might that influence your interest in importing and exporting? 2. Identify a product you would like to import. Visit www.alibaba.com, go to the advanced search field, and enter it. Select required criteria and click on “Search.” Review the list of companies that qualify. Find a suitable seller. Analyze this process for ease, usefulness, and potential value. 3. Please provide three recommendations that you would offer an SME, based on the opportunities and constraints of electronic Web sites like Alibaba, as it considers engaging in exporting or importing. 4. How transparent do sites like Alibaba.com make the import-export transaction?  Would you still worry about fraud? Instructions: Prepare your responses in no more than 4 type written pages (in APA Format).  There is no need to write too much. Try to stick to the points. 1. Conduct a spelling check carefully before submitting your response.2. Write your name and assignment number at the top of the document

Week 8 – Multiple Alignment

1. Perform a multiple alignment using the ACBP liver forms and the ACBP brain forms from this week’s sequence file and show the alignment (ALN file) you obtained (5 pts).

2. Compare the pattern of identical residues conserved within the liver forms to those conserved within the brain forms. Are there brain or liver specific residues (i.e. residues conserved in liver but not in brain or vice versa)? Provide a couple of examples (ie brain: A26, liver: W32) (10 pts).

3. Determine a “pattern” of liver-specific amino acid residues, i.e. those amino acids conserved in all liver forms but not in the brain forms. Provide your pattern. (10 pts) a. Do a PHI-BLAST search using the human ACBP Liver form in the query and your Liverspecific pattern – limit your output to salmonids. Did you detect a putative liver ACBP form in the salmonid “ atlantic salmon salmo” ? Provide the BLAST hit. If you obtain no putative salmon ACBP hits try altering your pattern slightly and redo the PHI-BLAST. If all else fails, do a normal BLAST search with no pattern and exam the hits to see if you can detect a putative liver ACBP form in the salmonid “atlantic salmon salmo”? Provide the BLAST hit. In this last case, how did the salmo sequence differ from your pattern (10 pts) b. Do a multiple alignment of all of the liver forms in question 2 plus your putative salmon liver ACBP form – provide the alignment (10 pts). c. Discuss the alignment with regard to other liver-specific residues that you did not include in your PHI-BLAST pattern, i.e. are those conserved as well? Would you consider this putative atlantic salmon ACBP to be a liver form? Discuss (10 pts).

4. Determine a “pattern” of amino acid residues that are conserved in the ACBP brain forms but not in the liver forms. Provide the pattern (10 pts) a. Do a PHI-BLAST search using the human ACBP Brain form in the query and your Brain-specific pattern – limit your output to salmonids. Did you detect a putative brain ACBP form in the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)? If you obtain no putative salmon ACBP hits try altering your pattern slightly and redo the PHI-BLAST. If you still get no putative salmon ACBP hit try doing a protein BLAST without the pattern and look at the hits by eye to determine whether there is a brain form in Salmo salar (hint- you should detect one) (10 pts) b. Do a multiple alignment of all of the brain forms in question 2 plus your putative salmon brain ACBP form – provide the alignment. (10 pts) c. Discuss the alignment with regard to the brain-specific residues? Would you consider this salmon ACBP to be a brain form? Discuss in relationship to your PHI-BLAST pattern and other “brain form” specific characteristics. (10 pts)

5. Do an alignment of all of the liver and brain form ACBP sequences including the salmon sequences. Identify the identical residues conserved within all the sequences and discuss with regard to conservation of the previously characterized “ACBP” motifs (10 points). Can you make any conclusion regarding how the brain and the liver forms differ from each other – relying upon what you know of the structure of ACBP? (FYI..no right answers here) (5 pts)

Airline Operations

Aviation Management

General Information

You will be required to “deep dive” into the situations and issues.

For both questions, assume you are a newly hired aviation analyst at an investment bank.

In Part 1, you will be performing perform a SWOT analysis of an airline’s operations and marketing strategy for a possible investment by your company. Consider the SWOT analysis to be part of determining if this is an “attractive” or “unattractive” business for your company to invest in.

In Part 2, you will research and analyze the low-cost long-haul airline model and (1) determine whether the new generation aircraft played a role in making this model feasible, (2) whether this model is sustainable and (3) whether it will survive an economic downturn.

Assignment Weighting
Part 1: 35%

Part 2: 35%
Presentation

This paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font, and ten to twelve pages in length (3000 words) excluding the title page and reference page. Please write in the third person.
Order of presentation:
Title page.

Introductory paragraph.

Use headings to demarcate your discussion.

Summary paragraph.
Reference page.

In-text citations and references shall adhere to the Harvard Referencing Guide. You are also expected to paraphrase and not use quotes.
Marking Criteria (Grading Rubrics)

The grading breakdown is shown below. Note the bulk of your grade will be for analysis, critical thinking and decision-making. It is also strongly recommended that you carefully proofread your paper before submission. Evidence of carelessness in your written presentation suggests evidence of carelessness in the preparation of the substantive material in your paper.

Understanding the Assignment 10% Treatment of the Assignment 35%
Research (10) Critical Thinking (10) Analysis (10) Synthesis (5)
Recommendations and/or Conclusions 30%
Reasoning (15) Effectiveness (10) Relevance (5)
Presentation and Structure 25%
Written Expression (15) Use of references (5) Proofreading (5)
Total: 100%

Assignment Details
Part 1: SWOT Analysis (35% of Overall Grade)

Select any ultra-low-cost airline from anywhere in the world that has been in operation for less than ten (10) years for your SWOT Analysis and use this analysis in the following scenario:
1. Perform a SWOT analysis of the airline.

2. Analyze the marketing and operating strategy. Is it effective? What is the competition?
3. Would you recommend investing in this airline? Why or why not?
Part 2: The Low Cost Long Haul Business Model (35% of Overall Grade)

Is the low-cost long haul the way of the future? The recent success of the likes of Norwegian, Cebu Pacific, WOW and others suggest that the low cost long-haul is a viable business model that is no longer experimental and is becoming more mainstream. Competition in this sector is fierce, particularly in Asia, and the pressure to keep fares low can put a burden on margins, particularly when economic conditions are fragile, and/or the cost of fuel rises. Nevertheless, the long haul low cost sector is growing rapidly and is well on its way to account for more than 1% of the global market.
Please answer the following questions:

A. Have the new generation aircraft made the low cost long haul more feasible as a business model? Why or why not?

B. Is this model sustainable? Why or why not?

C. Can this model survive an economic downturn when discretionary travelers do not travel or opt for other forms of transport? Why or why not?

Assignment 1: Essay – Exploring Ancient Mysteries Develop a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (of at least 250-500 words) which adequately address the topic you have chosen. Topic Choices  There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated.

Write a three to four (3-4) paragraph paper in which you:
1. Clearly state the “mystery” and provide a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories, which could explain the mystery. Because some theories may sound far-fetched, include the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc. 2. After summarizing at least two (2) scholarly theories, identify one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and provide at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery. This will involve some critical reasoning skills on your part. 3. Use at least two (2) sources plus the class textbook. (Three [3] sources total as the minimum)

Writing About Art
Writing Assignment Guidelines This week’s assignment is devoted to creating an outline for your Final Essay. It will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that you are including all of the necessary criteria for a successful essay. For your final assignment you will write a critical essay in which you describe, analyze, and interpret a work of art of your own choosing from anywhere in the Sayer textbook, however, you may not choose something that you have already written about. The final essay should be at least 1000 words. With this in mind, select a color reproduction from anywhere in A World of Art that occupies at least half a page that you would like to use for your final essay. Begin to jot down notes on this work regarding its Expressive Qualities, Cultural Narratives, Form & Content, and the Materials, Tools and Processes used to create it. Do some outside research to provide some background information about the artist and the historical context of the work. Review the assignment criteria for the final essay as well. The assessment criteria there will help you with this outline as well. As long as you cover all of the requirements for this outline (listed below) you will receive full credit for this assignment. We will give you feedback on this outline so that you can apply it to the writing of your final essay. Assessment criteria In assessing your outline, we will be looking for: v You discuss one work of art that you have not used previously in this course. Focus on only one work of art that will be thoroughly discussed in your final essay assignment. Look through the entire textbook for a work that you will enjoy writing about. Remember to choose an image that occupies at least one half of the page. v Your outline includes brief statements regarding the descriptive qualities of the work. Make sure that you touch on Expressive Qualities, Cultural Narratives, Form & Content, and the Materials, Tools and Processes used to create it, and some of the vocabulary that will be used for the final paper. v Your outline includes brief statements showing how you will analyze and interpret the work. Do not omit this aspect. How do the descriptive qualities relate to the meaning of the work and how will you interpret the overall meaning of the work? v You include a citation for the work of art you select. Please use MLA style. You should include at least three sources outside of your textbook to show you did research for this final essay. At least one of them should be included in this outline. Please see the Purdue OWL Handout found on Canvas under the Academic Integrity Folder for information on how to go about doing this properly. v You may format or organize your outline in any way that you like, however, the outline below contains all of the areas that must be covered
in the paper. If you choose not to use the outline provided, that’s okay, but you must still cover all of the criteria. This outline is for your benefit, so organize it in a way that makes the most sense to you. Submission of the assignment Submit your assignment in the drop box for Writing About Art Assignment. Make sure you use the drop box that corresponds with your grading group. Points will be taken off for late submissions and, because this assignment must be completed prior to the Final Essay, any outline that is more than a week late will receive a zero.
Outline Format Since this is an outline, you may use bullets to represent information that you will discuss in the final paper Title of the Essay Introduction Include name and textbook source for the work of art you choose. Give background information on the artist and historical context. Historical context may include but is not limited to: time period and historical events, country of origin and historical influences unique to that region, other artists living and working at the time, biographical information about the artist and the artwork you chose. Talk a little bit about why you chose this work of art. Expressive Qualities of the work Include a description of the work. Cultural Narratives present in the work In addition to dealing with the content of the actual work, you may refer back to some of the background information you set up in the introduction in order to contextualize it. Formal Qualities of the Work Elements and Principles of Design as they relate to the work. Two or Three Dimensional Materials and Processes Talk about whatever is appropriate to the work you chose. Conclusion Discuss what you have learned about this work and artist through this process. A one or two sentence conclusion will not be enough. Really think about what you have learned. How did your ideas about the work of art change as you learned more about it?
Remember that 1000 words for this essay is a minimum. It is not a guarantee for an A grade. You must show that you have done some research and thought carefully about the work of art that you chose. Describing, Interpreting and Analyzing are also an important part of this writing process.

Good/Bad News Letter Assignment

Assignment: 1. For this assignment, you will use Exercise 15 at the end of Chapter Three to create substantive Bad News and Good News letters.

 Follow the approaches/patterns that are described for Bad News and Good News letters, respectively, in your book and lecture.

 The requested length of each letter is three paragraphs, and no more than one (1) page in length. You will receive no credit if either letter exceeds one (1) page in length.

 Justify text. Sign each letter. Print on a single sheet of paper (front and back).

 Please ensure that spelling, syntax, punctuation, word choice, and other errors do not appear in your letters.

2. Submit to the instructor a hard copy of both your Good News letter and Bad News letter.

Writing Assignments (80 points)

There will be four writing assignments over the span of the course. Each of them is worth 20 points. They should be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and a 12-pt. font. Total length of each should be no more than three pages. Late assignments will reflect a penalty of 10% per day.

1. Read an article about Principles of Persuasion by Robert Caldini (will be posted on Brighspace) and analyze different behavioral compliance techniques used in a sales context.

When the relationship between two or more independent variables needs to be tested, a common tool to use is a regression analysis. Take for example a study that shows the relationship between gaming and teen violence; or a study that shows a correlation between fast food eating habits and obesity.

Describe 2 – 3 combinations of independent and dependent variables that you could test using a regression analysis.

What types of results could the regression analysis yield? How could you use the knowledge gained from the test?

Describe a specific organizational application of correlation and regression that you will use in your future career.

Describe a situation in your current or former workplace where it would be appropriate to use correlation and regression to predict a future outcome that the company may be interested in.  If you do not have an example for your workplace, please substitute a company that you are familiar with instead.  Why do you believe it is important for the company to look at these variables?  What does the company risk if they do not do this correlation/regression?

Present your findings as a Word document of 3-5 pages (body of paper) formatted in APA style.

Unit 2 Assignment

This assignment is designed to provide you with an overview of the general skills and knowledge you would need to perform such tasks.Before completing this assignment you should ensure you have read chapter 2 of your text book – particularly the section entitled pH, Buffers, Acids, and Bases.   Make sure you correctly explain your thought process and provide all the necessary information.

Question 1:  The pH of a solution describes its acidity or alkalinity: Describe how pH and H₃O⁺ concentration are related and explain why diluting an acid raises the pH, but diluting a base lowers the pH.

Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) is a commonly used buffer for experiments in biology, because its pH and ion concentrations are similar to those in mammalian organisms.  It works in a similar fashion to the blood plasma buffer mentioned in the textbook, but using dihydrogen phosphate ions and hydrogen phosphate ions for buffering.

Question 2: Based on the equation below, which ion plays the role of hydrogen-ion donor (acid) and which ion plays the role of hydrogen-ion acceptor (base) in PBS?

H₂PO₄^–(aq) H⁺(aq) + HPO₄^2-(aq)

The composition of PBS is 0.137M NaCl,  0.012M Phosphate,  0.027M KCl,  pH 7.4.  Below is the protocol to make 1 liter of 10x concentrate PBS.

Combine the following:

• 80g NaCl
• 2g KCl
• 4g Na₂HPO₄(dibasic anhydrous)
• 4g KH₂PO₄(monobasic anhydrous)
• 800mL distilled H₂O

1. Adjust pH to 7.4 with HCl
2. Add H₂O to 1L
3. Autoclave for 20 minutes on liquid cycle. Store at room temperature.

Question 3:  Which ions are being produced by this process, assuming that each of the chemical compounds dissociate into their constituent parts once they are dissolved in water?                                                                  

Preparation of the correct buffer is key to any good biological experiment and it is important that you understand how to calculate the mass of each chemical required to make that buffer and what the resulting concentration of those constituents will be in moles per liter.

Your text book explains that moles are just a way to express the amount of a substance, such that one mole is equal to 6.02 x 10²³ particles of that substance.  Since different chemicals have different molecular weights (based on the number of protons and neutrons each atom contains) 1 mole or 6.02 x 10²³ atoms of oxygen (O) will have a mass of 16g whereas 1 mole or 6.02 x 10²³ atoms of sodium (Na) will have a mass of 23g

Although you may sometimes see it written as g/liter, the concentration of solutions is more often described in term of molarity since it better defines the chemical properties of a solution because it is proportional to the number of molecules or ions in solution, irrespective of molecular mass of its constituents.  However, it is not possible to measure moles on a laboratory balance, so in the first instance chemicals are measured by mass (milligrams, grams, kilograms etc) and the number of moles is calculated using the known molecular mass (often called molecular weight and abbreviated to M.W.) of the chemical.  As indicated earlier, the molecular mass of a chemical is based on the number of protons and neutrons that is contained in each atom (eg NaCl is made up of one molecule of Na, M.W. = 22.99g and one molecule of Cl, M.W. = 35.45g, so the M.W. of NaCl is 58.44g).

When the concentrations of solutions are as described as ‘molar’, this refers to number of moles per liter eg a 3 molar solution of NaCl will contain 3 moles of NaCl in 1 litre of water.  As indicated above, the M.W. of NaCl is 58.44g, so in 58.44g there are 6.02 x 10²³ NaCl molecules ie 1 mole.  So for 3 moles of NaCl you would need to dissolve 175.32g in 1 liter of water (175.32/58.44 =3) whereas If you only dissolved 29.22g of NaCl in 1 liter of water this would result in a 0.5 molar solution (29.22/58.44= 0.5)

Question 4:  Using this webpage below calculate (to 2 decimal places) the molecular mass for each of the compounds used to make PBS (the values here differ slightly from the periodic table found in your text book due to rounding errors).

Create the following table and fill it in with the mass of each component required to make 1 liter of 10 x PBS (the recipe for 10x PBS is below question 2) and their final molar concentration in the buffer calculated as described above.

Question 5:  As previously stated, the concentration of NaCl, KCl and Phosphate in working strength 1 x PBS is 0.137M NaCl, 0.012M Phosphate, 0.027M KCl,  pH 7.4   How do they compare to the concentrations you calculated for 10x PBS?

Question 6:  What is the first thing to do after putting a weighing boat on the balance?

Question 7:  If you have excess reagent on the weighing boat, what should you avoid doing and why?

Question 8:  If you had the choice between a 1 liter beaker and a 1 liter graduated cylinder, which one should you use to measure volumes with maximal precision when making 1 liter of PBS? (you can perform an internet search to find this if you are not sure of the answer)

Question 9:  What should be done before measuring an unknown pH of a solution using a pH meter?

The recipe for PBS says to dissolve compounds in 800 ml of water, adjust the pH to 7.4, then add water up to 1 liter.  The final pH should still be 7.4, because the pH of buffer solutions remains stable when they are diluted as long as the concentration of its constitutive acid and base is not too low.

Question 10:   Why do you think the protocol does not say to dissolve compounds directly in 1 liter of water?

Question 11: The PBS protocol above says to adjust pH to 7.4 with HCl. What does this imply on the pH of 10x PBS before adjusting the pH, would it be greater or smaller than 7.4?

Question 12:  The last step in the protocol is to autoclave the 10x PBS solution. Why do you think this step is important? Look up the definition of autoclave if you are unsure what it means.

Question 13: Taking into account your response to question 5, now that you have made a 10x PBS solution, describe how you would prepare 1 liter of 1x working solution PBS, including which glassware you would use. Will you need to adjust the pH again?