The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa By Yasunari Kawabata Essay Example for Free

The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa By Yasunari Kawabata Essay INTRODUCTION Yasunari Kawabata June (1899 –1972) was a Japanese writer whose was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968 for his auxiliary, poetic and ingeniously colored style of writing. No Japanese author had received the award prior to Kawabata. Besides fiction he also worked as a reporter for Mainichi Shimbun of Osaka. The war and the fact that all of Kawabata’s relatives passed away while he was young had a profound impact on his life. Kawabata committed suicide in 1972. Many speculations have been made about his reasons, which include poor health, a likely failed love affair, or the distress caused by the suicide of his friend Yukio Mishima in 1970. HISTORY OF ASAKUSA Asakusa was mostly a city for commercial enjoyment, but it also preserved its local vivacity. It was this mixture of barefaced pleasure and intrinsic worth that fascinated the throngs of people who came to visit Asakusa. It was surely this fusion that was most lamented, subsequent to the 1923 earthquake, however Asakusa regained its former glory and up to its final days, was able to hold on to somewhat of its former appeal. LIFE IN ASAKUSA Primarily the plot circles around The Scarlet Gang, which is a gang formed by some young people in Asakusa, many gangs like these existed in Asakusa at the time, the gang’s various endeavors are narrated in first person, the narrator himself is never identified by Kawabata, the accounts of the gang’s various activities are used to describe life in Asakusa, the narrator   himself wanders around Asakusa and relates the gang’s activities, the primary focus in the book is not the gang itself but rather the account of the narrator, who moves from one place to another following the Scarlet Gang, the narrator also implies that the gang is involved in illegal actions but does not specify the kind of illegal activities. Only a few characters appear throughout the book which are actually related to the gang. Kawabata’s main purpose clearly was to give an account of life in Asakusa, which he manages to accomplish in a very rough yet poetic manner mostly due to his choice of first person narrative. With its corporeal and sexual appeal, Asakusa prospered in every way, Tanizaki writes that Asakusa’s   attractions included â€Å"plays, operettas, comedies, movies from the West and Japanese productions, Douglas Fairbanks and Onoe Matsunosuke acrobats balancing on balls, bareback rider Naniwa bushi singers, chanters, the merry-go-round, the Hanayashiki Amusement Park, the Twelve Story Tower, shooting galleries, whores, Japanese restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and Western restaurants, the Rairaiken, won ton mein, oysters over rice, horsemeat, snapping turtles, eels, and the Cafà © Paulista.† (Donald Richie 2005 ) Asakusa was also famous for its Opera, where at first some opera was actually sung. An early show Rigoletto, and â€Å"La donna à © mobile† became a success with the locals, later however, the shows became more diverse. This rough and unsightly but vivacious and energetic Asakusa was soon after ruined. The 1923 Kanto earthquake destroyed it, as it flattened much of Tokyo and Yokohama. Among the more well-known catastrophe was the destruction of the Asakusa’s, Twelve Story tower also known as the Cloud Surpassing Pavilion, a building which had become the symbol of Asakusa. The old neighborhood was also destroyed, the sense of belonging to a society, that had attracted so many people was also in no way completely regained. Since it was a city of enjoyment, an amusement capital, a city with one of the best night life in the world, however, rebuilding began at once. And now, representing the new Asakusa, instead of the Twelve Story Tower there is the Subway Tower building, with its observation platform. Kawabata writes that all the floors are in the Osaka style, except the top ones as they have been turned into restaurants. (Tokyo essentials 2006) COMPARASION WITH OTHER URBAN CENTRES Throughout the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth, Asakusa was the most important pleasure hub of Tokyo. From the 1840s to the 1940s, it was comparable to Montmartre in Paris, and Alexanderplatz in Berlin (Donald Richie. 2005) This region of Osaka was recognized for trade rather than its customs, commonly mourned after the earthquake. â€Å"Why, it’s gotten just like Osaka,† complains a character in one Kawabata story. Writing about The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa, Kataoka Yoshikaze, writing in 1939, illustrates the new Asakusa as that, â€Å"Human market, where the pleasure resort of the Edo period, the vestiges of the crude, semi-enlightened curiosity of the Meiji era, and the over-ripeness . . . of the present era of capitalist corruption, are thrown together in a forever disordered state or organized in a manner peculiarly like the place itself. Eroticism and frivolity and speed and comic-strip humor; the bare legs of dancing girls and jazzy revues; kiss-dances, foreign girls, ground-cherries and popular songs; the movie, the circus, the fake, dilapidated aquarium and insectariums. (Donald Richie 2005) In The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa Kawabata quotes Soeda Azenbo’s fine depiction: â€Å"In Asakusa everything is flung out in the raw. Desires dance naked. All races, all classes, all jumbled together forming a bottomless, endless current, flowing day and night, no beginning, no end†.( Donald Richie 2005). Asakusa was kept alive by all these varied attractions, one of the most well-liked attraction was the cinema, a type of activity early linked with Asakusa for the reason that the first Tokyo movie house, â€Å"the Denkikan†, had opened there in 1903. Kawabata relates that by 1930, Asakusa had fourteen cinemas. He also affirms, however, that it had even more theaters. In the summer of 1930, his assessment calculated half a dozen vaudeville, or yose, halls, one kabuki theater, a large number of pawnshops and beggars in the city, around eight hundred were living in Asakusa Park, although Kawabata did not trust this social estimation and retained that there were a lot more. (Donald Richie 2005) CONCLUSION Life in Asakusa in its golden period is described by Kawabata as one big party, where the primary concern for its citizens and its visitors was entertainment, in its golden period Asakusa was considered one of the biggest entertainment center in the world and every visitor affirmed this fact, a life full of entertainment was considered normal in Asakusa Kawabata writes about Asakusa at its prewar stage. The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa captures the area in its golden period, when hundreds of people came to visit the city, the variety of attractions like theatre, cinema, restaurants, geisha houses made the city a commercial entertainment center. According to Kawabata â€Å"Asakusa is like a specimen in the Bug House, something completely different from today’s world like a remote island or some African village† (Kawabata 2005) WORKS CITED Yasunari Kawabata (2005) The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa .1st edition Published by University of California Press Donald Richie (2005) â€Å"Foreword: The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa by Yasunari Kawabata†. Accessed on 12th November 2006 from : http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10224/forward1.pdf Tokyo Essentials (2006) â€Å" Asakusa† Accessed on 12th November 2006 from: Asakusa

Beach dune erosion Essay -- essays research papers

Vegetated sand ridges called dunes, built up by dry beach sand blown inland and trapped by plants and other obstructions, back most beaches. As sand accumulates, the dunes become higher and wider. Plants play a vital role in this process, acting as a windbreak and trapping the deposited sand particles. A characteristic of these plants is their ability to grow up through the sand and continually produce new stems and roots as more sand is trapped and the dune grows. Stable sand dunes play an important part in protecting the coastline. They act as a buffer against wave damage during storms, protecting the land behind from salt-water intrusion. This sand barrier allows the development of more complex plant communities in areas protected from salt-water inundation, sea spray and strong winds. The dunes also act as a reservoir of sand, to replenish and maintain the beach at times of erosion. Frontal sand dunes are vulnerable. The vegetation can be destroyed by natural causes such as storms, cyclones, droughts or fire, or by human interference such as clearing, grazing, vehicles or excessive foot traffic. If the vegetation cover is damaged strong winds may cause 'blowouts' or gaps in the dune ridge. Unless repaired, these increase in size, the whole dune system sometimes-migrating inland covering everything in its path. Meanwhile, with a diminished reservoir of sand, erosion of the beach may lead to coastal recession. To avoid this, protecting the vegetation is vital. The beach, between high and low tides, is hard-wearing but the sensitive dunes, which we cross to reach it, must be protected also. For this reason damaged and sensitive dunes might need to be fenced and access tracks for vehicles and people provided. Processes such as waves, near shore currents and tides continually modify shorelines. The ability of beaches to maintain themselves is achieved through these natural forces. The natural process of beach renourishment, sometimes called "dynamic equilibrium", is how the beach responds to weather. When waves are high during storms or when hurricanes hit the shore, sand is carried from the beach and deposited on the ocean floor. This makes the ocean bottom flatter and makes waves break further from shore and smaller. During subtle weather or erosion, smaller waves slowly shift the sand back to the shore and replenish the beach. When people build... ...ready spent almost $100 million to dredge sand from the ocean floor and dump it onto 33 miles of coastline. Ocean City Beach was renourished in 1982 for five million dollars, but washed away in only two and a half months. When beach residents demand something be done about the beach dune erosion, and all the money the is spent on contemptible endeavors to stop mother nature, a storm or hurricane will come along and wipe out the development. Then billions of dollars are spent to rebuild coastline homes and resorts, which set up a repeating cycle of economic and environmental idiocracy. One day, in a better society, we will save our beaches from development so that everyone is free to enjoy them in an unhampered, natural state. We will stop wasting billions of dollars in our futile attempts at man-made beach resurrection and pointless rebuilding of homes and resorts. It will become clear that the development of America's coastline is too costly to maintain and is destroying our beaches. Until then we will scurry to the tiny public designated beach access areas, fight for parking spaces and sunbathing positions, and enjoy one of our planet's most beautiful assets while we can.

Becoming a Teacher The Ultimate Job for me

It may seem difficult for some to see just how teaching can become an ultimate job for myself, let alone anyone for that matter. It is easy to see why certain people have this kind of opinion of this profession. For one, depending on the career path and position, the salary is not very enticing in proportion to the work that is required. It is a thankless job at times and requires a lot of patience. Yet there are certain intangibles that make teaching the ultimate profession for me.The simple fact that as a teacher I will have the opportunity to get in touch with and shape the mind of today’s youth to allow them to see the wonderful opportunities for them in this world is worth more than any remuneration that the job can provide. The satisfaction from being able to help young children fulfill their dreams and realize their full potential is something that cannot be measured by dollars and cents. Process: I realize of course that these are all pipe dreams until I do something c oncrete about it and take positive steps towards achieving this goal.I may be a paraplegic but I still firmly believe that there is no limit to what a person can do if they set their heart and mind to it. As such, I have prepared this brief process paper to show just how I plan on fulfilling this dream of mine. A. Education The first step in becoming a teacher is getting the proper education. A bachelor’s degree is required to be a public school teacher. Currently I am enrolled at Northeast Community college. I expect to graduate in May 2008 with my A. A. S. This degree will allow me to enroll in a state college to continue my education.The second step is enrolling in a state college. I have decided to enroll in Athens State University. Ms. Virginia Harris is the Athens State liaison here at Northeast Community College and she has agreed to help me on this matter. I also need to set up an appointment with her for assistance with enrolling at Athens State. Once I am enrolled I will need to take the required classes in two years to fulfill my goal of being employed as a teacher by the year 2010. It will be important to schedule my time as I have already looked at the schedule at Athens. B.Researching Available Jobs The next step in my plan is to research the jobs that are available for professionals in my chosen profession, which is teaching. In line with this, I have already taken steps to research the available jobs that I can apply for. The internship position that I will take during the course of my degree completion will surely allow me to get in touch with a broader network of educators and I can take it from there. The immediate goal under this step is to find a job that is stable and will allow me ample opportunity to learn and to grow.I realize that accomplishing my teacher’s degree is only the first step and that the next step lies in gaining more experience in the profession. The best way for me to accomplish this is by working first as a teacher’s aide or assistant and eventually working my way up from elementary and secondary school positions into full time college teaching. C. Applying and Interviewing The last step lies in applying and interviewing for the positions that I had planned after the researching.Once I have identified the jobs that are suitable and preferably within my home area, the next step is to complete my resume and send out my employment application forms. I do understand that this may not be as fruitful as I would hope but I also know well enough never to give up. Once I have received favorable replies regarding the application forms, I can now proceed to the interview stage. In order to prepare myself for this step, I have planned to conduct mock interview sessions with friends and family. I believe that these will help me with my interviews and may perhaps lead to more favorable results. Conclusion:Not everyone may think that teaching is a glamorous job, and they may be right. The im portant thing, however, lies in knowing what good one can do in this world and taking the first step in achieving that. While I may be at a point that is still years away from achieving my goal, this process plan is a definite first step towards my goal. Though I may be challenged to a certain extent, this has never prevented me in the past from becoming the best that I can be. I hope that one day my efforts in wanting to become a teacher will also inspire those that I will teach and show them the value of hard work and perseverance.

Gender and Power in the Handmaids Tale Essay

Topic Question: What understandings of the issue of gender and power are gained from characterization of men and women constructed in the text studied?The notion of power is a fundamental building block of any ancient, modern or futuristic society. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is an example of the distribution of power across a futuristic society, specifically a patriarchal dystopia. The power which women hold in this society is minimal compared to that held by men, but this is not an unquestionable reality. The issue of gender and power and highly subjective by nature and throughout this novel this fact is emphasized and the topics interrelated. Women demonstrate this power with their possession and use of language, sexuality, choice and even the exertion of their own autonomy. Men within this society also experience repression and disempowerment. Their struggle is centered on the absence of emotional needs, along with sexual tensions being relieved for pleasure rat her than reproduction. Atwood creates these power struggles through the characterization of both men and women within the text. In terms of female characterization, Offred is an elementary character. Being a first person narrator, she offers incredible insight into the world which Atwood has created and her reactions to it, and thus her own means of power. The way in which language is used shapes this insight incredibly and demonstrates how she can gain control. The Republic of Gilead imposes strict censorship on language, ranging from forbidding all women except Aunts to read. â€Å"†¦ decided that even the names of shops were too much temptation for us. Now places are known by their signs alone.† [p35] to intertwining biblical rhetoric into everyday language. â€Å"†¦a whirlwind; better than the Chariot, much better than the chunky, practical Behemoth†. Gilead even removes the Handmaids names, in this society the are know as Of[Male name here] in reference to the Commander in which they are placed with. Throughout the novel, Offred resists these rules. She creates her own vision of the world through the use of English. Poetic devices are utilized and repeated; from the use of a simile in her description of a young guardian â€Å"His skin is pale and looks unwholesomely tender, like the skin under a scab.† [p31] to the use of repetition to emphasize points. â€Å"I am, I am. I am, still.† [p 293] â€Å"Her fault, her fault, her fault† [p82]. As Angela  Carter, an English novelist once said â€Å"Language is power† and in this respect, Offred has great power in a patriarchal society. The power of language is not all that Offred posses. The characterization of her relations with males in the novel is also important to the notions of power and gender. Similarly to language, sexuality is heavily controlled and repressed in Gilead, especially that of females. The Handmaids (Of which Offred is) don in skirts that are â€Å"ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts†[p18] with â€Å"sleeves that are full† [p18]. Her nightgown is also â€Å"long-sleeved even in summer† [p201]. It is accepted that those within this community will not have sex before marriage nor express themselves through the form of masturbation â€Å"They have no outlets now except themselves, and that’s a sacrilege† [p32] or pornographic mediums. â€Å"There are no more magazines, no more films, no more substitutes.† [p32] Offred exerts power in these repressed circumstances by going against the convention of Gilead and embracing her feminine features. She takes an active role in resisting this subjugation by tempting the young Guardians. â€Å"I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me.† [p32] The kiss she engages in during a secret game of scrabble with the Commander is also a reflection on the power of her sexuality and choice. The Commander, a high level male wants Offred to kiss him. â€Å"I want you to kiss me† [p149]. She is given the power in this situation, as she has the power to refuse. The power which Offred, as a woman, has in this oppressed society due to her sexuality is an important issue. The notion of choice, specifically extrinsic choice is demonstrated with the Commanders want for a kiss is also apparent in other parts of the text. Choice is power and she always has some choice. The idea of existentialism is valid here – she always has self determination, even if under duress. If she does not wish to stay a Handmaid she could depart for the colonies and become an Unwoman, â€Å"†¦shipped of to the Colonies with the Unwomen.† where she would have the power of autonomy. The Mayday resistance is also a choice made by Offred. She is asked by Ofglen to search the Commanders room, to give information to the resistance, but she chooses not to. â€Å"You could go into his room at night, she says.† [p282] Opting to stay as she is, content  with her relationship with Nick, she exerts power to say no. Jezebels is also another option, when visiting there with the Commander he offers for her to stay there â€Å"You might even prefer it yourself, to what you’ve got.† [p250] She is aware of the decisions which she can make in these situations, â€Å"There wasn’t a lot of choice, but there was some and this is what I chose.† [p105] It is through this characterization which her power lies. In addition to these choices Offred along with other females have intrinsic choices and power, being a female with ‘viable ovaries’ they have the ability to reproduce. In Gileadean society this gives them a huge power advantage due to declining birth rates and increased infertility, sterility and genetically mutated babies. â€Å"†¦a graph, showing the birth rate per thousand, for years and years: a slippery slope, down past the zero line of replacement.† [p123] Ironically, it is due to this power advantage that they are suppressed. Suicide is also another intrinsic power which all characters in this novel possess, although, its characterization in the Handmaids is the most prominent. The concept that suicide is an ultimate bid for freedom and exertion of power is an understood perception of characters within The Handmaid’s Tale. The removal of all objects which could be used to hurt oneself from the Handmaid’s rooms portrays this. â€Å"I know why there is no glass, in front of the water-coloured picture of blue irises, and why the window only opens partly and why the glass is shatterproof. It isn’t running away they’re afraid of.† [p17] as well as Offred’s musings when she believes she will be captured. The notion of suicide becomes very real to her as a means of escape and power. â€Å"I could noose the bed sheet round my neck, hook myself up in the closet and throw my weight forward,† [p304] These intrinsic powers exist within the characters of The Handmaid’s Tale, the help form the society of Gilead and show the possible choices which can be made by its citizens. Moira is an embodiment of the power which females hold in Gilead. She epitomizes those who fought back and were not completely obliterated. She lives on the outskirts of Gilead and rejects its values whilst still existing as an institutionalized portion of the society. â€Å"[in relation to her clothing] Government issue.† [p254] She chooses the alternative path to  Offred. Moira fled the red center, succeeding on her second try. â€Å"Moira has escaped† [p140] â€Å"Moira didn’t reappear.† [p143] â€Å"So here I am. They even give you face cream.† [p261] She exists in an outreach of the government, under the power of the patriarchy, and yet doesn’t suppress herself to the point which other females within The Handmaid’s Tale do. She still engages in homosexual acts, â€Å"†¦it’s not so bad, there’s lots of women around. Butch paradise, you might call it.† [p261] cigarettes, and implied drinking and drugs. . â€Å"†¦and there’s drink and drugs, if you want it.† [p261] â€Å"You want a cig?† [p255] Moira’s characterization holds power in this society, particularly over herself and her wants and needs. The control of wants and needs is a way in which this society functions. It is a patriarchy which suppresses all women and most men, though men have inherently more rights. This is exemplified through the character of Nick. The characterization of him is paradoxical by nature. In hierarchal terms, Nick has little power. He is a low level guardian without even an Econowife. â€Å"He lives here, in the household, over the garage. Low stats: he hasn’t been issued a woman, not one.† [p27] He is perceived by those in power to have little of it. â€Å"He doesn’t rate.† [p27] In reality, he has power. â€Å"He has chasms of intangible power. He has knowledge of Mayday either due to his involvement in it or the eyes â€Å"It’s all right. It’s Mayday. Go with them† [p305] â€Å"Nick, the private Eye.† [p305] and has access to the black market. â€Å"He has a cigarette stuck in the corner of his mouth, which shows that he too has something he can trade on the black market.† [p27] He manages to engage in a physical and emotional relationship with Offred whilst still maintaining the guise of faithful Gileadean citizen though even then, the only reason he able to start this relationship was due to the Commander’s Wife ordering him to bed with Offred. â€Å"‘I was thinking of Nick’, she says and her voice is almost soft.† [p216] The idea the he influenced this engagement is always a possibility however, as he has initiated contact with her prior to that. â€Å"Then he winks.† [p28] The power which Nick holds in this novel is that of intangibility. His power is never outright stated, but the implications of it are visible. This is a stark contrast to the tangible power displayed in Commander Fred.  The characterization conveyed through him shows he is a strong public figure and may have even orchestrated the creation of Gilead. â€Å"We’ve given them more than we’ve taken away.† [p231] Which, in a way makes him the creator of his own demise as he too is suppressed by the patriarchy; he is not having his emotional needs met, and thus has to search elsewhere. In doing this he gives power to someone else in order to fulfill these needs, this apparent when he asks Offred to his study at night to play scrabble. â€Å"I’d like you to play a game of scrabble with me† [p148] Despite this, he remains locked in traditional beliefs about gender â€Å"all we’ve done is return to Nature’s norm.† [p232] and his power is a result of his male gender. Gender and power are integral parts of the society portrayed in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, as with any society. Understandings surrounding these issues are found within this novel. The characters within Gilead deal with the different forms of power which they encounter, including that of language, sex, choice, intrinsic and extrinsic notions and the effect of a dystopic patriarchal society has on its citizens. These forms of power are explored through the characterization of both male and female characters. Overall, The Handmaid’s Tale intertwines the issues of gender and power expertly and her constructed characters carry for the notions of power contained within the text with ease. Bibliography The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

Ft. Laramie essays

Ft. Laramie essays We are now on the Platte, 100 miles from Fort Laramie. Our journey so far, has been pleasant. The water for a part of the way has been mediocre, but at no time have the cattle suffered for it. Wood is now very in short supply, but buffalo chips are excellent; they fire up quick and retain heat amazingly. More than half of the immigrants ran out of supplies and had to live on beef, but as it happened we had plenty of flour and bacon to last us through. But worse than all this, sickness and death attended us the rest of the way. We feel no fear of Indians. The cattle graze quietly around our encampment unmolested. Two or three men will go hunting twenty miles out from camp. Our wagons have not needed much repair. The road is nothing more than a graveyard. Travel 28 miles today. When we started this morning there were two large droves of cattle and about 50 wagons ahead of us, and we either had to stay poking behind them in the dust or hurry up and drive past them. It was no fool of a job to be mixed up with several hundred head of cattle, and only one road to travel in, and the drovers threatening to drive their cattle over you if you attempted to pass them. They even took out their pistols. My husband came up just as one man held his pistol at Frank and saw what the fuss was and said, boys, follow me, and he drove our team out of the road entirely, and the cattle seemed to understand it all, for they went into the trot most of the way. The rest of the boys followed with their teams and the rest of the stock. I had quite a rough ride to be sure, but was glad to get away from such unruly set, which we did by noon. The head teamster done his best by whipping and hollowing to his cattle. He found it no use and got up into his wa gon to take it easy. We left some swearing men behind us. We drove a good ways ahead and stopped to rest the cattle and eat some dinner. We had buffalo steaks broiled upon them that...

North American River Otter Facts

North American River Otter Facts The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal in the weasel family. While it may simply be called the river otter in North America (to distinguish it from the sea otter) there are other river otter species throughout the world. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Fast Facts: North American River Otter Scientific Name: Lontra canadensisCommon Names: North American river otter, northern river otter, common otterBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 26-42 inches plus a 12-20 inch tailWeight: 11-31 poundsLifespan: 8-9 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Watersheds of North AmericaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Least Concern Description The North American river otters body is built for streamlined swimming. It has a stocky body, short legs, webbed feet, and a long tail. In contrast to the European otter, the North American river otter has a longer neck and narrower face. The otter closes its nostrils and small ears when submerged. It uses its long vibrissae (whiskers) to find prey in murky water. North American river otters weigh 11 to 31 pounds and range from 26 to 42 inches long plus a 12 to 20 inch tail. Otters are sexually dimorphic, with males about 5% larger than females. Otter fur is short and ranges in color from light brown to black. White-tipped hairs are common in older otters. River otters use their tails as rudder while swimming. Hailshadow / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution North American river otters live near permanent watersheds throughout North America, from Alaska and northern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico. Typical habitats include lakes, rivers, marshes, and coastal shorelines. Although largely exterminated in the Midwest, reintroduction programs are helping river otters reclaim part of their original range. Diet River otters are carnivores that hunt fish, crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, waterfowl and their eggs, aquatic insects, reptiles, mollusks, and small mammals. They sometimes eat fruit, but avoid carrion. During winter, otters are active during the daytime. In warmer months, they are most active between dusk and dawn. Behavior North American river otters are social animals. Their basic social unit consists of an adult female and her offspring. Males also group together. Otters communicate by vocalization and scent marking. Young otters play to learn survival skills. River otters are excellent swimmers. On land they walk, run, or slide across surfaces. They may travel as much as 26 miles in a single day. Reproduction and Offspring North American river otters breed between December and April. Embryo implantation is delayed. Gestation lasts 61 to 63 days, but young are born 10 to 12 months after mating, between February and April. Females seek dens made by other animals for giving birth and raising young. Females give birth and raise their pups without aid from their mates. A typical litter ranges from one to three pups, but as many as five pups may be born. Otter pups are born with fur, but are blind and toothless. Each pup weighs about 5 ounces. Weaning occurs at 12 weeks. Offspring venture out on their own before their mother gives birth to her next litter. North American river otters reach sexual maturity at two years of age. Wild otters typically live 8 or 9 years, but may live 13 years. River otters live 21 to 25 years in captivity. Baby river otter. ArendTrent / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies North American river otter conservation status as least concern. For the most part, the species population is stable and otters are being reintroduced into areas from which they vanished. However, river otters are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because the species may become endangered if trade is not closely regulated. Threats River otters are subject to predators and disease, but human activities are their greatest threat. Otters are highly susceptible to water pollution, including oil spills. Other important threats include habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting, vehicle accidents, trapping, and entanglement in fishnets and lines. River Otters and Humans River otters are hunted and trapped for their fur. Otters pose no threat to humans, but in rare cases they have been known to attack dogs. Sources Kruuk, Hans. Otters: ecology, behaviour and conservation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-856586-0.Reid, D.G.; T.E. Code; A.C.H. Reid; S.M. Herrero  Food habits of the river otter in a boreal ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 72 (7): 1306–1313, 1994. doi:10.1139/z94-174Serfass, T., Evans, S.S. Polechla, P. Lontra canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T12302A21936349. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T12302A21936349.enToweill, D.E. and J.E. Tabor. The Northern River Otter Lutra canadensis (Schreber). Wild mammals of North America (J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

Advanced and Clinical Immunology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced and Clinical Immunology - Essay Example Consequently, IgE immunoblotting was mainly required for determination of the foods to evade in trying to help the patient feel better ((Phipatanakul et al, 2004). 4. Th-2 like cells can be identified in the peripheral blood and lesions of atopic-dermatitis patients producing IL-4, 5, 13 and also IL-17 from Th17 cells. Explain the role(s) of these cytokines in allergy (10 Marks). Â  IL-4, 5, 13 are important for allergic responses and elimination of parasites. Th17 cells are the newest members of the Th cell family and produce the IL-17. The Th17 cells are involved in host defense with a role of protection against extracellular bacteria through activity on both the immune and non-immune cells, they have also begun to be associated with the pathophysiology development of allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (Cox, et al, 2008). Â  Mast cells PGDs, Basophil histamine and Eosinophil Cationic Protein (ECP) are essential constituents of allergic inflammation. Succeeding fixation of IgE to FceRI receptors on mast cells and basophil histamine is vital to the initiation and proliferation of immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Mast cells, basophils, and the eosinophils are major effector cells in the allergic inflammation (Yazdanbakhsh et al, 2002). Mast cells indirectly contribute to asthmatic reactions. Its presence causes A when the activation by multivalent Ag and the IgE, mast cells produces many inflammatory mediators, which includes histamines, eicosanoids, and proteases with PGD2 in high quantity.