Thursday, May 21, 2020

Biography of Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize Winner

Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012) was a Nobel Prize-winning neurologist who discovered and studied the Nerve Growth Factor, a critical chemical tool the human body uses to direct cell growth and build nerve networks. Born into a Jewish family in Italy, she survived the horrors of Hitlers Europe to make major contributions to research on cancer and Alzheimers disease. Fast Facts: Rita Levi-Montalcini Occupation: Nobel Prize winning neuroscientistKnown For: Discovering the first nerve growth factor (NGF)Born: April 22, 1909 in Turin, Italy  Parents Names: Adamo Levi and Adele MontalciniDied: December 30, 2012 in Rome, ItalyEducation: University of TurinKey Accomplishments: Nobel Prize in Medicine, U.S. National Medal of ScienceFamous Quote:  If I had not been discriminated against or had not suffered persecution, I would never have received the Nobel Prize. Early Years Rita Levi-Montalcini was born in Turin, Italy, on April 22, 1909. She was the youngest of four children from a well-to-do Italian Jewish family led by Adamo Levi, an electrical engineer, and Adele Montalcini, a painter. As was the custom in the early 20th century, Adamo discouraged Rita and her sisters Paola and Anna from entering college. Adamo felt that the womans role of raising a family was incompatible with creative expression and professional endeavors. Rita had other plans. At first, she wanted to be a philosopher, then decided she wasnt logically minded enough. Then, inspired by Swedish writer Selma Lagerlof, she considered a career in writing. After her governess died of cancer, however, Rita decided she would become a doctor, and in 1930, she entered the University of Turin at the age of 22. Ritas twin sister Paola went on to great success as an artist. Neither of the sisters married, a fact about which neither expressed any regret. Education Levi-Montalcinis first mentor at the University of Turin was Giuseppe Levi (no relation). Levi was a prominent neurohistologist who introduced Levi-Montalcini to the scientific study of the developing nervous system. She became an intern at the Institute of Anatomy at Turin, where she grew adept at histology, including techniques like staining nerve cells. Giuseppe Levi was known for being something of a tyrant, and he gave his mentee an impossible task: figure out how the convolutions of the human brain are formed. However, Levi-Montalcini was unable to obtain human fetal tissue in a country where abortion was illegal, so she dropped the research in favor of studying nervous system development in chick embryos. In 1936, Levi-Montalcini graduated from the University of Turin summa cum laude with a degree in Medicine and Surgery. She then enrolled in a three-year specialization in neurology and psychiatry. In 1938, Benito Mussolini banned  non-Aryans from academic and professional careers. Levi-Montalcini was working at a scientific institute in Belgium when Germany invaded that country in 1940, and she returned to Turin, where her family was considering emigrating to the United States. However, the Levi-Montalcinis ultimately decided to remain in Italy. In order to continue her research on chick embryos, Levi-Montalcini installed a small research unit at home in her bedroom.   World War II In 1941, heavy Allied bombing forced the family to abandon Turin and move to the countryside. Levi-Montalcini was able to continue her research until 1943, when the Germans invaded Italy. The family fled to Florence, where they lived in hiding until the end of World War II.   While in Florence, Levi-Montalcini worked as a medical doctor for a refugee camp and fought epidemics of infectious diseases and typhus. In May 1945, the war ended in Italy, and Levi-Montalcini and her family returned to Turin, where she resumed her academic positions and worked again with Giuseppe Levi. In the fall of 1947, she received an invitation from Professor Viktor Hamburger at the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) to work with him conducting research on chick embryo development. Levi-Montalcini accepted; she would remain at WUSTL until 1977.   Professional Career At WUSTL, Levi-Montalcini and Hamburger discovered a protein that, when released by cells, attracts nerve growth from nearby developing cells. In the early 1950s, she and biochemist Stanley Cohen isolated and described the chemical which became known as the Nerve Growth Factor.  Ã‚   Levi-Montalcini became an associate professor at WUSTL in 1956 and a full professor in 1961. In 1962, she helped establish the Institute of Cell Biology in Rome and became its first director. She retired from WUSTL in 1977, remaining as emerita there but splitting her time between Rome and St. Louis.   Nobel Prize and Politics In 1986, Levi-Montalcini and Cohen were together awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. She was only the fourth woman to win a Nobel Prize. In 2002, she established the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) in Rome, a non-profit center to foster and promote brain research.   In 2001, Italy made her a senator for life, a role which she did not take lightly. In 2006, at the age of 97, she held the deciding vote in the Italian parliament on a budget that was backed by the government of Roman Prodi. She threatened to withdraw her support unless the government reversed a last-minute decision to cut science funding. The funding was put back in, and the budget passed, despite attempts by the opposition leader Francesco Storace to silence her. Storace mockingly sent her crutches, stating that she was too old to vote and a crutch to an ailing government. At the age of 100, Levi-Montalcini was still going to work at the EBRI, now named after her.   Personal Life Levi-Montalcini never married and had no children. She was briefly engaged in medical school, but had no long-term romances. In a 1988 interview with Omni magazine, she commented that even marriages between two brilliant people might suffer because of resentment over unequal success.   She was, however, the author or co-author of over 20 popular books, including her own autobiography, and dozens of research studies. She received numerous scientific medals, including the United States National Medal of Science, presented to her at the White House by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Famous Quotes In 1988, Scientific American asked 75 researchers their reasons for becoming a scientist. Levi-Montalcini gave the following reason:   The love for nerve cells, a thirst for unveiling the rules which control their growth and differentiation, and the pleasure of performing this task in defiance of the racial laws issued in 1939 by the Fascist regime were the driving forces which opened the doors for me of the Forbidden City. During a 1993 interview with Margaret Holloway for Scientific American, Levi-Montalcini mused:   If I had not been discriminated against or had not suffered persecution, I would never have received the Nobel Prize.   Levi-Montalcinis 2012 obituary in the New York Times included the following quote, from her autobiography: It is imperfection—not perfection—that is the end result of the program written into that formidably complex engine that is the human brain, and of the influences exerted upon us by the environment and whoever takes care of us during the long years of our physical, psychological and intellectual development. Legacy and Death Rita Levi-Montalcini died on December 30, 2012, at age 103, at her home in Rome. Her discovery of the Nerve Growth Factor, and the research that led to it, gave other researchers a new way to study and understand cancers (disorders of neural growth) and Alzheimers disease (degeneration of neurons). Her research created fresh pathways for developing groundbreaking therapies.   Levi-Montalcinis influence in nonprofit science efforts, refugee work, and mentoring students was considerable. Her 1988 autobiography is eminently readable and often assigned to beginning STEM students. Sources Abbott, Alison. Neuroscience: One Hundred Years of Rita. Nature 458 (1909): 564–67. Print.Aloe, L. Rita Levi-Montalcini and the Discovery of NGF, the First Nerve Cell Growth Factor. Archives Italiennes de Biologie 149.2 (2011): 175–81. Print.Arnheim, Rudolf, et al. Seventy-Five Reasons to Become a Scientist: American Scientist Celebrates Its Seventy-Fifth Anniversary. American Scientist 76.5 (1988): 450–63. Print.Carey, Benedict. Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Winner, Dies at 103. The New York Times December 30, 2012, New York ed.: A17. Print.Holloway, Marguerite. Finding the Good in the Bad: A Profile of Rita Levi-Montalcini. Scientific American  (2012, originally published 1993). Print.Levi-Montalcini, Rita. In Praise of Imperfection: My Life and Work. Trans. Attardi, Luigi. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 220: Basic Books, 1988. Print.Levi-Montalcini, Rita, and Stanley Cohen. Rita Levi-Montalcini—Facts. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986.  W eb.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Value Of Service Quality Essay - 1783 Words

2.2.1.3 Consumer Online Repurchase (Continuance) According to ( Butcher ,2005 , and Hellier et al., 2003) defined repurchase intention as ‘the individual’s judgment about buying again a designated service from the same company, taking into accounts his or her current situation and likely circumstances’, and also regarded as a sound service outcome that is measurable, and intentions-as-expectations. Service quality has a significant effect on repurchase intention, through a direct link between service quality, Customer Satisfaction, and behavioral intentions Among the various behavioral intentions, considerable emphasis has been placed on the impact of service quality in determining repeat purchase, which the more satisfied the customers are the greater is their retention and customer loyalty, while service quality influences a customer’s subsequent behaviour, intentions and preferences. When a customer chooses a provider that provides service quality that meets or exceeds his or her expectations, he or she is more likely to choose the same provider again. In addition, the hospitality’s reputation plays an important role in determination of purchase, repeated purchase, and customer loyalty (Choi et al., 2004, Yongyui, Cronin, Jones and Farquhar, 2003, Brady and Hult, 2000). Psychological factors such as Satisfaction, confirmation and loyalty incentives as salient factors are impact affecting on consumer online repurchasing, and also product/service characteristics,Show MoreRelatedService Quality Is An Antecedent Of Perceived Value Essay1933 Words   |  8 PagesService quality is an antecedent of perceived value, and it will cause a significant influence on perceived value (Bojanic, 1996; Oh, 1999; Sweeney et al., 1999). 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Is Sex Education Necessary in School Free Essays

Is Sex Education Necessary in School? By: Zainul Jum’ah Introducing sex education in the schools of India is an important issue. A 2007 ministry of women and child development study shows that over 50 percent of children are sexually abused. Sex is still considered a taboo in India. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Sex Education Necessary in School or any similar topic only for you Order Now Parents feel embarrassed to talk openly with their children in this regard. Due to the ignorance of sex education they fall victim to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Many NGOs are trying to create awareness on AIDS. Sex education can help people to take decisions regarding health and sexuality. It is high time for sex-education to the introduced in schools for the benefit of the youth of the country. Introducing sex-education in the schools of India is an important issue. Recommendations of the National curriculum frame work 2000 focus on cultivating a proper understanding of sex related issues with special focus on teenage pregnancies, drug addiction and adolescent education. A 2007 Ministry of women and child development study shows that over 50 percent of our children are sexually abused. In half of these cases, the abuse is perpetrated by persons in positions of trust and a majority of the children do not report it due to fear. Sex education has become a debatable issue. Many people feel that these kind of delicate issues should be left to the parents. Parents feel embarrassed to talk openly with their children in this regard. Sex is still considered a taboo in the Indian society. It is considered that teaching our children about their sexuality can break down pre-existing notions of modesty and tear the moral fabric of our society. But with the alarming increase of AIDS, unwanted / unplanned / unwed pregnancies and other diseases related to sex, it is important that sex-education should be given importance in schools and colleges. Physical and mental changes in children start appearing with puberty. Sexual development begins much earlier than that. Many children find it strange or difficult to cope up with the changes. They grow up with curiosity stamped on their minds. So it is very important to provide them sex education. It makes growing children aware of the various changes taking place in their bodies and prepare them for responsible adulthood. Surveys indicate that on an average, every urban student watches television for two hours daily. The foreign television channels, the vulgar scenes shown in Indian cinema and video albums create a negative impact on them. The movie and serials on the small screen stimulate the younger generation sexually. Thus in the absence of sound knowledge about sex they commit mistakes which result in unwanted pregnancies, HIV positive cases and other sexually transmitted diseases. In India 15 percent of the HIV/AIDS patients are actually children under 15 years of age. Sex education can help people to take decisions regarding health and sexuality. Teaching children about sex in classroom would encourage them to view it as a natural, normal and healthy part of life. Sex education should be introduced in schools and colleges. If children and youngsters learn about sex in scientific and objective way, they would be more careful before indulging in sex secretly. At least they would be careful to take precautions so as to avoid pregnancies and diseases. India, and most Asian countries, also fell behind Western countries on their level of confidence on how to protect themselves from HIV-AIDS (75. 3 percent), and even lower on level of confidence on how to avoid pregnancy (73 percent). Parents, in India, are known to hide their affection towards each other, in front of their children. The children grow up to believe that love is a taboo and it is perverse to display one’s affection in public. Parents should understand the psyche of their children. Parents should initiate their children in the meaning of love. The love they display for their children. y giving gifts, sharing and caring for them, should also be shown for each other by behaving like perfectly normal friends. Parents should talk with their children more often to give them the feeling of security in the family. This could make the children open up their problems and help the parents root out the cause. Interaction with the friends of their children also would give a n idea about their background and the minds of the younger lot. The parents should take in their children as confidants and warm them against developing friendships with immoral friends. There has been a rise in incidents of physical abuse to children. According to a WHO study over 50 percent children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Children fall victim to the advances of elders. According to a survey, 50 percent children are abused by people known to them. They keep silent and live with the trauma throughout their lives. Sex education can supply our young people with the tools to report and resist abusive behaviors, and provide them with a forum for expressing their fears and feelings honestly and openly. In a world, full of exploitation, children are the most vulnerable section of our society. They need to be taught the difference between gentle touch and bad touch in order to protect themselves from various forms of child abuse. Many psychologists have argued that sex education has the potential to liberate us from socially organized sexual oppression. In addition it helps adolescents come to healthy terms with their sexual identities and overcome feelings of guilt shame. During the period of adolescence children begin to see the world in a mature way. Many NGOs have introduced training programs on AIDS and HIV awareness. They should be encouraged and the schools and colleges should co-operate with them to give the desired result. Schools life remains an integral part of every child’s development. Along with the academic subjects, sex-education should be given equal importance. Trained teachers, psychologists and medical consultants should deal with the subject. While imparting sex-education the boys and girls should be divided into two groups (one for boys and other for girls). They should be taught separately. This way the lady teachers should teach girls and male teachers should teach boys. Children will not feel embarrassed. They will freely clarify their doubts and queries. Due care should be taken about the contents of the subject. This should be decided by a team of doctors and psychologists of the respective field. It is high time for sex-education to be introduced in the educational curriculum. Sex education in schools would dispel many of the myths prevalent among school children. It will create a liberal thinking among youth. How to cite Is Sex Education Necessary in School, Papers