Probabilities for Dihybrid Crosses in Genetics

Probabilities for Dihybrid Crosses in Genetics It may come as a surprise that our genes and probabilities have some things in common. Due to the random nature of cell meiosis, some aspects to the study of genetics is really applied probability. We will see how to calculate the probabilities associated with dihybrid crosses. Definitions and Assumptions Before we calculate any probabilities, we will define the terms that we use and state the assumptions that we will work with. Alleles are genes that come in pairs, one from each parent. The combination of this pair of alleles determines the trait that is exhibited by an offspring.The pair of alleles is the genotype of an offspring. The trait exhibited is the offsprings phenotype.Alleles will be considered as either dominant or recessive. We will assume that in order for an offspring to display a recessive trait, there must be two copies of the recessive allele. A dominant trait may occur for one or two dominant alleles. Recessive alleles will be denoted by a lower case letter and dominant by an upper case letter.An individual with two alleles of the same kind (dominant or recessive) is said to be homozygous. So both DD and dd are homozygous.An individual with one dominant and one recessive allele is said to be heterozygous. So Dd is heterozygous.In our dihybrid  crosses, we will assume that the alleles we are considering are inherited independently of one another.In all examples, both parents are heterozy gous for all of the genes being considered.   Monohybrid Cross Before determining the probabilities for a dihybrid cross, we need to know the probabilities for a monohybrid cross. Suppose that two parents who are heterozygous for a trait produce an offspring. The father has a probability of 50% of passing on either of his two alleles. In the same way, the mother has a probability of 50% of passing on either of her two alleles. We can use a table called a Punnett square to calculate the probabilities, or we can simply think through the possibilities.  Each parent has a genotype Dd, in which each allele is equally likely to be passed down to an offspring.  So there is a probability of 50% that a parent contributes the dominant allele D and a 50% probability that the recessive allele d is contributed.  The possibilities are summarized: There is a 50% x 50% 25% probability that both of the offsprings alleles are dominant.There is a 50% x 50% 25% probability that both of the offsprings alleles are recessive.There is a 50% x 50% 50% x 50% 25% 25% 50% probability that the offspring is heterozygous. So for parents who both have genotype Dd, there is a 25% probability that their offspring is DD, a 25% probability that the offspring is dd, and a 50% probability that the offspring is Dd. These probabilities will be important in what follows. Dihybrid Crosses and Genotypes We now consider a dihybrid cross.  This time there are two sets of alleles for parents to pass on to their offspring.  We will denote these by A and a for the dominant and recessive allele for the first set, and B and b for the dominant and recessive allele of the second set.   Both parents are heterozygous and so they have the genotype of AaBb. Since they both have dominant genes, they will have phenotypes consisting of the dominant traits.  As we have said previously, we are only considering pairs of alleles that are not linked to one another, and are inherited independently. This independence allows us to use the multiplication rule in probability.  We can consider each pair of alleles separately from each other.  Using the probabilities from the monohybrid cross we see: There is a 50% probability that the offspring has Aa in its genotype.There is a 25% probability that the offspring has AA in its genotype.There is a 25% probability that the offspring has aa in its genotype.There is a 50% probability that the offspring has Bb in its genotype.There is a 25% probability that the offspring has BB in its genotype.There is a 25% probability that the offspring has bb in its genotype. The first three genotypes are independent of the last three in the above list.  So we multiply 3 x 3 9 and see that there are these many possible ways to combine the first three with the last three.  This is the same ideas as using a tree diagram to calculate the possible ways to combine these items. For example, since Aa has probability 50% and Bb has a probability of 50%,  there is a 50% x 50% 25% probability that the offspring has a genotype of AaBb.  The list below is a complete description of the genotypes that are possible, along with their probabilities. The genotype of AaBb has probability 50% x 50% 25% of occurring.The genotype of AaBB has probability 50% x 25% 12.5% of occurring.The genotype of Aabb has probability 50% x 25% 12.5% of occurring.The genotype of AABb has probability 25% x 50% 12.5% of occurring.The genotype of AABB has probability 25% x 25% 6.25% of occurring.The genotype of AAbb has probability 25% x 25% 6.25% of occurring.The genotype of aaBb has probability 25% x 50% 12.5% of occurring.The genotype of aaBB has probability 25% x 25% 6.25% of occurring.The genotype of aabb has probability 25% x 25% 6.25% of occurring. Dihybrid Crosses and Phenotypes Some of these genotypes will produce the same phenotypes.  For example, the genotypes of AaBb, AaBB, AABb, and AABB are all different from each other, yet will all produce the same phenotype.  Any individuals with any of these genotypes will exhibit dominant traits for both traits under consideration.   We may then add the probabilities of each of these outcomes together: 25% 12.5% 12.5% 6.25% 56.25%.  This is the probability that both traits are the dominant ones. In a similar way we could look at the probability that both traits are recessive.  The only way for this to occur is to have the genotype aabb.  This has a probability of 6.25% of occurring. We now consider the probability that the offspring exhibits a dominant trait for A and a recessive trait for B.  This can occur with genotypes of Aabb and AAbb.  We add the probabilities for these genotypes together and have18.75%. Next, we look at the probability that the offspring has a recessive trait for A and a dominant trait for B.  The genotypes are aaBB and aaBb.  We add the probabilities for these genotypes together and have a probability of 18.75%.  Alternately we could have argued that this scenario is symmetric to the early one with a dominant A trait and a recessive B trait. Hence the probability for this outcomes should be identical. Dihybrid Crosses and Ratios Another way to look at these outcomes is to calculate the ratios that each phenotype occurs.  We saw the following probabilities: 56.25% of both dominant traits18.75% of exactly one dominant trait6.25% of both recessive traits. Instead of looking at these probabilities, we can consider their respective ratios.  Divide each by 6.25% and we have the ratios 9:3:1.  When we consider that there are two different traits under consideration, the actual ratios are 9:3:3:1. What this means is that if we know that we have two heterozygous parents, if the offspring occur with phenotypes that have ratios deviating from 9:3:3:1, then the two traits we are considering do not work according to classical Mendelian inheritance.  Instead, we would need to consider a different model of heredity.

Brief biography of a Texas Representative or a US Senator Essay

Brief biography of a Texas Representative or a US Senator - Essay Example Gattis was born on December 1, 1967 in Austin, Texas. His father is a former agricultural school teacher and his mother a former public school teacher. The family ranch is called Beefmaster cattle. Gattis and his spouse Shana have three pre-school children (Texas House of Representatives, 2009). Gattis graduated from Texas A& M University in College Station, Texas in 1990. He was a member of Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (Gattis & Lucas LLP) and class president (Texas House of Representatives, 2009). In 1994, Gattis graduated in law from South Texas College of Law, Houston (Gattis & Lucas LLP). Gattis started his legal career as an associate for Houston-based litigation firm Tucker, Hendryx & Gascoyne. Beginning in 1996, he served for seven years as a criminal prosecutor in Williamson County. In 2003, Gattis started his own law firm, which he merged with his friend and attorney Travis Lucas office in 2006 to form Gattis & Lucas, LLP (Gattis & Lucas LLP). Gattis is the head of the firms litigation and trial practice in representing individuals, companies, and organizations in courtrooms across the State (Gattis & Lucas LLP). Appraisal Reform: Gattis supports bringing accountability and transparency to the current appraisal system (Texans for Dan Gattis). He promises to support reforms that would give property owners more rights while making the appraisal district accountable to voters (Texans for Dan Gattis). Businesses and jobs. Gattis promises to continue supporting policies focusing on the States economic well-being. His efforts towards policies such as worker’s compensation reform, no state income tax, and lawsuit reform have earned him the title of Defender of the American Dream by Americans for Prosperity for two sessions (Texans for Dan Gattis). Energy: Gattis favors achieving energy independence by increasing States exploration and production while investigating all alternative energy sources

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Strategic Management - Essay Example which British Petroleum is a leading name requires expenditure of large sums on huge projects that are technically sophisticated and demand a certain managerial depth. Thus, British Petroleum has achieved its growth as a result of sound managerial decision making over the years in all facets of its business. This brief essay presents a discussion of some of the more interesting strategy aspects that confront the company in the present global business environment. British Petroleum Plc, or BP, had its origins as the former Anglo – Persian Oil Company in the early 1930s (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008, â€Å"BP PLC†). The name of the former Anglo – Persian Oil Company was changed into British Petroleum in the year 1954 and later in the year 1998, BP merged with the Amoco Corporation of the United States to join the ranks of the largest oil companies in the world. Clearly, British Petroleum has a long history and much experience in the petroleum business. However, the economic environment in which BP has to operate is constantly changing and this means that this company has to have the right approach to strategy if it is to remain at the leading edge in its industry sector. Operating profits for British Petroleum exceeded US$ 20 billion in the year 2007 and this means that the firm not only applied a very substantial amount of capital in its operations, but also generated substantial profit in an industry that can be expose d to substantial operating risks (British Petroleum, 2008, â€Å"Financial Report – 2007†). Although profits look healthy for British Petroleum and the world has witnessed record prices for crude oil in the year 2008, it has to be appreciated that this company also encountered some problems which had a negative impact on its operations and safety record in the year 2007 (British Petroleum, 2008, â€Å"British Petroleum Strategy Presentations†) and (Wikipedia, 2008, â€Å"BP). The company faces new challenges as a result of sector inflation, rising

Hobbes and Lockes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hobbes and Lockes - Term Paper Example This section compares and contrasts Hobbes’ and Locke’ political theories on the nature of consent and contracts, where they have similar beliefs because they both think that consent is needed to form valid contracts. Hobbes and Locke share similar views on why consent and contracts are needed to cope with the State of Nature. Consent means that people are willing to leave the State of Nature to form a civil society that will serve communal needs and interests. Hobbes asserts that a covenant is needed to create a civil society that evades the State of Nature. He employs several terms to explain the roles of citizens and the Sovereignty in civil society. He uses the understanding of consent in relation to the status of the Sovereign as an Artificial Person by showing, that, by public consent, someone becomes an Artificial Person that has greater power than a natural person. Hobbes describes a person as someone â€Å"... ... Hobbes argues that the Secondary State of Nature can allow the making of a valid contract because it concerns obligations and includes God as the source of enforcing power of laws: â€Å"All therefore that can be done between two men not subject to Civil Power is to put one another to swear by the God he feareth.† Because of their belief in God, they can agree on making and following a contract. Apart from fear of the State of War, Hobbes maintain that people have to give consent to create contracts. He notes that the covenant binds people upon their recognition of the Common-wealth: â€Å"I Authorize and give up my Right of Governing myself, to this Man, or to this Assembly of men, on this condition, that thou give up thy Right to him, and Authorize all his Actions in like manner.† People do not want to be completely alienated from each other despite the State of War, so it becomes relevant for them to confer authority on the Common-wealth as a binding Covenant. Their consent allows them to produce a Commonwealth and to accept their Sovereign ruler. Likewise, Locke believes that people consent to the social contract first before it becomes valid, and like Hobbes, he notes that people do not want a State of War, so they want to enter a civil society. Hobbes and Locke agree that consent is needed to form valid contracts and that when people are coerced to form contracts, these contracts are invalid. Hobbes says: â€Å"The cause of Feare, which maketh such a Covenant invalid, must be alwayes something arising after the Covenant made.† Locke confirms that consent must not be forced, or else, the contract is voided. Locke further believes that consent can be tacit or express; however, consent must be express to fully participate in the government. He stresses that

Women’s Changing Role in the Family and Society

Women’s Changing Role in the Family and Society Nicole M. Tortoris Today, women are tipping the balance of power in their favor. Women have gained power because society is becoming more aware of women’s potential, not only as mothers and housewives, but as businesswomen and entrepreneurs (Schoen, Astone, Rothert, Standish, Kim, 2002). The battle of the sexes continues; women are becoming more independent and more preoccupied with their careers. Women’s independence is why they are less dependent on men and men’s financial support, and less willing to start a family for reasons concerning only economic safety. The emancipation of women, which began decades ago, led to a more active and influential presence in the business world, also known as â€Å"a man’s world.† The time to be an obedient housewife and a dedicated mother has passed, while the time for education and profession is present. Women are becoming too busy for large families for whom they must care during their entire youth (Schoen, Astone, Rothert, Stan dish, Kim, 2002). In their study, Schoen, Aston, Rothert, Standish and Kim (2002) investigated whether or not married women’s employment threatens their marriages. They pose a complex three-part hypothesis in which they examine the likelihood of a marriage to end in divorce based on the woman’s employment and the happiness of both or either spouse. They investigated these hypotheses using data from the 1988 and 1992-94 National Survey of Families and Households. In their analysis of this data, the authors consider two theories using the variables role specialization, interdependence, and economic opportunity. The first suggests that a married woman’s employment does pose a threat to her marriage; however, the second argues that in itself, the wife’s work does not endanger her marriage, but would allow her to leave if she were unhappy with the marriage. The authors’ findings support the second theory, that a working woman would be more likely to leave an unhappy marri age. The risk of divorce for a full time employed wife when both partners are unhappy is 4.94 times greater than not getting a divorce, p Women’s fuller participation in the decision-making processes of our social institutions has shattered stereotypes that tended to limit females to feminine activities and pushed males into male activities (Heslin, 2007). As structural barriers continue to fall and more activities are degendered, both males and females will be freer to pursue activities that are more compatible with their individual abilities and desires instead of society’s prescribed roles. As stereotypes continue to be broken, new role models develop and socialization of children changes. Males and females will gain new perceptions of themselves and of one another. Sociologist Janet Chafetz (1974) conducted a qualitative longitudinal study utilizing focus groups, (based in large part on small class project by her students). In this study, Chafetz identifies 16 acceptable behaviors, eight for men and eight for women. Each of these themes focused on specific behaviors that are considered acceptable for men and women. This study’s findings were more useful in determining acceptable behaviors for men and women, and efforts to understand how far both men and women have advanced in terms of acceptable behaviors. This study was also useful because it looked at behaviors instead of stereotypes. In an attempt to take a new approach to this area of study, this study coded specific sex-typed behaviors, instead of using stereotypes, to assess gender in commercials. Chafetz (1974) explained that this change will allow men and women to express needs and emotions that traditional social arrangements denied them. Women and girls will likely perceive themselves as more in control of their lives, more assertive, and striving more for positions of leadership. With these roles changing, men and women will also develop a new consciousness of their capacities and their options, which will change relationships among men and women. Offen (1990) predicted that if current trends continue, American society may see a growing appreciation of sexual differences coupled with greater equality of opportunity. This has the potential of transforming society. According to Rogers and Amato (2000), there have been fundamental changes to gender relations. Since the 1960s, both men and women have become less traditional in their gender-role attitudes. Judge and Livingston (2008) examined the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a panel study administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sample was a nationally representative sample of 12,686 individuals between the ages of 14 and 22 years of age when the participants were first surveyed in 1979. Individuals were surveyed annually through 1994 and then interviewed on a biennial basis through to 2005. F rom the original sample, 60.4% of participants remained in the study. Judge and Livingston (2008) found that women have a more egalitarian orientation than men do (B=-.361, p Kulik (2002) analyzed 232 Israeli retirees aged 58 to 85 years to compare the differences between husbands and wives and their views on marital satisfaction. The results of this comparison suggest that gender may have implications for those couples who are at similar life stages versus those who are not. Participants in the study were asked to complete a 20 minute questionnaire. Research assistants made sure the couples filled out the questionnaire separately. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether there were differences between husbands and wives with respect to marital satisfaction and gender role ideology, power relations, and division of family roles. Wives reported a lower level of marital satisfaction than their husbands F(2,103)=7.45,p In Kulik’s 1999 study of 348 men, 137 were pre-retired (up to 18 months prior to retirement) and 211 had been retired from 2 to 10 years. MANOVA revealed significant differences between pre-retired and retired husbands in gender role ideology (F [2,324] = 6.25, p Several potential explanations for a gendered division of household labor have been posited (Blair Lichter, 1991). One explanation suggests that household responsibilities continue to be shouldered by women because women are socialized to adopt this as part of their identity as a woman. Therefore, many women may discourage help from their husbands because this challenges their self-identity. Recognizing that husbands contribute more to household duties upon retirement (Atchley, 1992), regardless of their wives’ employment status, may suggest a potential source of conflict as men encroach upon what has traditionally been accepted as a â€Å"woman’s domain.† This may be an issue that is more pronounced for individuals in age discrepant relationships who transition into retirement at different times. Although Kuliks (1999; 2001) results do not suggest that age discrepancy may exacerbate potential sources of conflict that couples in age-similar marriages have alread y confronted and resolved, it is important to recognize that no specific data regarding age similarity between partners was provided. Moreover, Kuliks (2001) study focused on Israeli couples who were in dual-earner marriages. As a result, the potential impact of culture may fail to extend to American couples. Kurdek (1998) provides further support for the link between gendered divisions of household labor and gender socialization. Kurdek examined the relation among division of household labor, gender role orientation, and marital satisfaction. The link between gender role orientation and division of household labor were consistent with Kulik’s (1999; 2001) findings. Although the women in Kulik’s sample shouldered more of the household responsibilities than men, the division of household labor was not significantly related to marital satisfaction. According to Kulik, this may be because an inequitable division of household labor is consistent with traditional views regarding the roles of men and women and is therefore congruent with the expectations of both husbands and wives. Ward’s (1993) study provides additional insight regarding the relation between marital satisfaction and the division of household labor. Unlike Kurdek (1998), Ward’s study provided evidence supporting the link between the division of household labor and marital satisfaction for wives, but not husbands. Ward analyzed the National Survey of Families and Households, which conducted interviews with a national probability sample of 13,017 participants. According to Ward, unequal divisions of household labor are not responsible for gender differences in marital satisfaction. The link to marital satisfaction is based on whether wives consider these labor divisions to be fair. Ward used multivariate analyses to investigate the predictors of perceived fairness in household labor and marital happiness. According to his findings, women participate in household tasks more often than men do (means: women=37, men=15, p=.0001). Perceived fairness of household chores appeared to be rel ated to marital happiness. For women, unfairness to self is related to lower happiness, χ2 (1, N=538) =38.4, p Several studies have linked gender role ideologies to the division of household labor (Kurdek, 1998; Gerson 2004; Mannino Deutsch, 2007; Mickelson, Claffey, Williams 2006; Robinson Hunter, 2008), yet the impact of aging on attitudes toward sex roles remains unclear (Kulik, 1999). Inglehart, Norris, and Welzel (2003) found evidence that younger adults displayed more modern gender role ideologies when compared to older adults. Inglehar, Norris, and Welzel (2003) note that the differences between younger and older couples may reflect differences in socialization related to cohort. As a result, couples who are age discrepant may be more likely to experience conflicts related to the impact of cohort differences on attitudes toward sex roles. However, Burke and Cast (1997) note that newlyweds who have a newborn during the first year of marriage experience changes in gender identity that accompany gender role taking. According to Burke and Cast, gender-role-taking yields more congruency between partners with regard to gender identity. The implications of Burke and Castâ⠂¬â„¢s study indicate that retirement may present the same opportunity for gender role taking among age discrepant marriages that the birth of a child does for newlyweds. These are issues that have yet to be examined among older couples and age discrepant marriages in particular. Researchers have attempted to explore power, decision-making, and relationship satisfaction differences between males and females for years. There appears to be some sex difference in the levels of satisfaction within marriages. For example, there seems to be a difference in relationship satisfaction based on gender roles and ideologies (Mickelson, Claffey, Williams, 2006; Sprecher, 2001). One predictor of relationship satisfaction may be equal participation in household work. Many women perceive the contribution by their partner, however limited, as an expression of love or support (Pina Bengtson, 1993). Similarly, other studies suggest that balanced roles in relation to equal division of household labor (Mickelson, Claffey, Williams, 2006; Rachlin, 1987) and equal contributions to child-rearing (Coltrane, 2000; Dempsey, 2002; Yogman Bragelton, 1986) led to higher levels of relationship satisfaction. Tsang and colleagues (2003) and Marks and colleagues (2001) also concluded that when both spouses were employed full-time, relationship satisfaction was increased (Marks, Huston, Johnson, Macdermid, 2001; Tsang, Harvey, Duncan, Sommer, 2003). REFERENCES Amato, P., Johnson, D., Booth, A., Rogers, S. (2003). Continuity and change in mariatl quarily between 1980 and 2000. Journal of Marriage and the Family , pp. 1-22. Atchely, R. (1993). Retirement and marial satisfaction. In M. Szinovacz, D. Ekerdt, B. Vinick, Families and Retirement (pp. 145-158). Newbury Park, California: Sage. Blair, S., Lichter, D. (1991). Measuring the dividion of household labor. Journal of Family Issues , 12, 91-113. Burke, P., Cast, A. (1997). Stability and change int he gender identieies of newly married couples. Social Psychology Quarterly , 60, 277-290. Chafetz, J.S. (1974). Masculine/feminine or human? An overview of the sociologt of sex roles. Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock. Chafetz, J.S. (1990). Gender equaily: An intergrated theory of stability and change. Newburry Park, CA: Sage Publications. Gerson, K. (2004). Understanding work and family through a gender lens. Community, Work and Family , 7 (2), 163-178. Grote, N., Clark, M. (2001). Perceiving unfairness in the family: Cause or consequece of marital distress? Journal of Personaility and Social Psychology , 80 (2), pp. 281-293. Henslin, J. (2007). Sociology: A down-to- earth approach (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Inglehart, R., Norris, P., and Welzel, C. (2003). Gender equality and democracy. Comparative Sociology , 1 (3-4), pp. 321-346. Judge, T. A., and Livingston, B. A.. Is the gap more than gender? A longitudinal analysis of gender, gender role orientation, and earnings. Journal of Applied Psychology 93.5 (2008): 994-1012. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Kulik, L.(1998). The effect of gender and social environment on gender role perceptions and sex identity: A comparative study of kibbutz and urban adolescence in Israel.Journal of Community Psychology, 30(6), 533-548. Kulik, L. (1999, May-June). Continuity and discontinuity in marital life after retirement: Life orientations, gender role ideology, intimacy, and satisfaction. The Journal of Contemporary Human Services , 286-294. Kulik, L.(2001). The impact of men’s and women’s retirement on marital relations: A comparative analysis. Journal of Women and Aging, 13(2), 21-37. Kulik, L.(2002). Marital equality and the quality of long term marriage in later life.Ageing and Society, 22,459-481. Kurdek, L. (1998). The allocation of household labor in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual married couples. In D. Anselmi, A. Law, Questions of gender: Perspectives and paradoxes (pp. 582-591). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. Mannino, C., Deutsch, F. (2007). Changing the dividion of houselold labor: A negotiated process between partners. Rex Roles , 56, pp. 309-324. Marks, S., Huston, T., Johnson, E., MacDermid, S. (2001). Role balance among white married couples. Journal of Marriage and Family , 63, 1083-1098. Mickelson, K., Claffey, S., Williams, S. (2006). The moderating role of gender and gender role attitudes on the link between spousal support and marital quailty. Rex Roles , 55 (73), 81-91. Offen, K. (1990). Feminism and sexual difference in histroical perpective. In D. Rhode, Theortical perspectives on sexual differences (pp. 13-20). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Schoen, R., Astone, N., Rothert, K., Standish, N., Kim, Y. (2002). Womens employment, marital happiness, and divorce. Social Forces , 81 (2), 643-663. Tsang, L., Harvey, C., Duncan, K., Sommer, R. (2003). The effect of children on marital happiness: Evidence from a longitudinal sample. Journal of Family and Economic Issues , 24, 5-26. Ward, R. (1993). Marital happiness adn houshold equilty in later life. Journal of Marriage Family , 55, 427-438.

Chaining Open Source Software: The Case Against Software Patents :: Technology Essays

Chaining Open Source Software: The Case Against Software Patents Software has become an integral part of our society. The economic success of our country depends on the success of the software industry. ``Open source'' software, software which users are allowed to modify and redistribute, is a very important part of the software industry. Unfortunately, the increased use of software patents threatens the future of this type of software. The importance of open source software is evident in the number of people who make use of it. Most users do not realize that they make use of open source software because much of this software lies on servers. Many Internet Service Providers have Linux, FreeBSD, or another open source operating system on their systems to provide reliable dial-up service to customers. Most email goes through at least one sendmail server or some other open source email server. BIND is the most widely used software for DNS services---the services that translate server names such as ``www.gnu.org'' to a numerical IP address. According to a recent survey by E-Soft of almost 1.5 million web servers, over fifty-percent of web servers run Apache, an open source web server (``Web''). Everyone should be concerned about any possible hindrances to open source software. Without this type of software many services would not be widely available today. It is also probable that a decentralized worldwide network such as the Internet would not exist if open source software was not such a force. Software patents have hindered the proliferation of open source software in the past and they could easily damage the future of open source software and the rest of the software industry. Supporters of software patents claim that the involvement of the patent system is needed to provide incentive to innovate new software technology. They believe that the developers of new software technology have a right to a monopoly on the technology as it falls under the category of ``intellectual property.'' Many companies that support software patents have large investments in existing patent portfolios. This includes companies such as IBM, Unisys and Microsoft. They collect royalties from their patents which supporters of software patents feel they are entitled to. Supporters of software patents believe that recent advancements in the strength of software patent protection give ``a powerful new legal tool to software developers'' (``High Court''). Their belief is that the software industry is just suffering ``growing pains'' and should endure while the legal system clarifies law.

What Goals Are We Trying to Achieve Through Sentencing? Essay

Alternative sentencing Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the recent years, use of other alternative options of sentences apart from incarceration is being advocated in United States and Canada among other countries as a way of solving the issue of congestion in prisons. Therefore, use of alternative sentencing will help in stabilizing the prison populations. Criminal sentencing should help in punishing and rehabilitating the criminal offenders so as to deter them from taking part in criminal activities again in the future. However, the prisons tend to focus more on punishing the offenders instead of rehabilitating them so as to change their behaviors. This reason has made the alternative sentencing options to be advocated so as to help in rehabilitating those offenders. Some alternative sentencing options which includes the punishments which are fairly innovative, involves requiring the offenders to stay at home under the house arrest, attending alcohol or drug treatment program, teaching cla sses or giving lectures concerning dangers of the criminal behavior, attending the weekend jail time, and installing the breathalyzer devices in personal cars, thus, ensuring that the cars only start when the offenders are not under alcohol influence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Such sentencing options have many practical implications such as reducing the populations in the prisons, cost savings and effectiveness among other implications. Religion also condemns all manner of criminal evils that are carried out by the offenders. According to the Christianity, the bible clearly explains various evils and also ways of deterring from carrying out those criminal activities. According to Matthew 15-18, it shows how God is unhappy by those who commit the criminal activities. It states that out of the heart there comes the adultery, theft, murder, slander, sexual immorality and false testimony. All these evils make a person be unclean. American society is usually perceived to be built on values of Judeo- Christian. Torah does not advocate for the prisons and therefore it perceives the alternative options of sentencing to be the ideal way of punishing and deterring the offenders from committing such criminal activities aga in. Even in the Bible the offenders even those who committed murder were not imprisoned. For instance, in the land of Israel those offenders who committed murder were usually sent to the cities of refuge not for isolation, but for atonement purposes. In conclusion, the punishments of the criminal justice system should have positive results to benefit all the involved parties comprising of the victim, perpetrator and the society in general. Imprisonment does not serve the intended functions thus it does not benefit the victims. Prisons destroys families, inhibits the potential of the offenders, breeds anger, bitterness, insensitivity and the eventual recidivism. Therefore, innovative and alternative sentencing should be adopted as a way of solving all these problems which result due to the traditional sentencing. References Lipskar, R. S. (n.d.). Issues in Jewish Ethics: A Torah Perspective on Incarceration as a Modality of Punishment and Rehabilitation. A Torah Perspective on Incarceration as a Modality of Punishment and Rehabilitation. Retrieved September 11, 2014, from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/prison.html Miller, G. (n.d.). Why can’t God just forgive sin, instead of demanding justice?. Why can’t God just forgive sin, instead of demanding justice?. Retrieved July 4, 2005, from http://christianthinktank.com/whyjust.html Sentencing Alternatives: Prison, Probation, Fines, and Community Service | Nolo.com. (n.d.). Nolo.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014, from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/sentencing-alternatives-prison-probation-fines-30294.html What Goals Are We Trying to Achieve Through Sentencing? . (n.d.). Sentencing Options . Retrieved September 11, 2014, from http://www.courtsanddwi.org/mod4-faq.pdf Source document