Renting Versus Buying Essay -- Compare Contrast Home Ownership

Buying a home can be an exciting experience for anyone. However, in some cases you just might be better off continuing to rent your home. There are many advantages to buying a home. However, it is not for everyone and buying varies from individual to individual. Currently more people are leaning towards renting but this could change in the near future. When someone makes the decision to buy or rent a home they must consider the advantages and disadvantages of each. In buying a home the primary advantage is that you actually own it. You can do whatever you want with it. Also, you are building equity as the years go by. â€Å"People today have problems saving for their future† (CNN Money, 2014). However, when they buy a home, the money they put down for a down payment is an investment. When the person sells the home they get back the down payment and the amount the property has appreciated in value. When looking at the advantages of renting it is easy to see the disadvantages of buying for some people. Even though you don’t get the money back that you put into it, renting could be a more satisfying option for some. This is because renting allows for flexibility. The person can move wherever as soon as there lease is up. Renters may see buying as â€Å"a reduction in lifestyle, moving to a smaller place, and perhaps a less expensive neighborhood.† (CNN Money, 2014). For example someone who rents an apartment enjoys how the complex keeps up the area and all the amenities it has to offer, and it is in an upper class part of town. However, when they buy they looks all the benefits, they have to do maintenance themselves, and move to an area they don’t particularly like to fit their price range. So which is better? It jus... ...etrieved October 29, 2014, from http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/qt/BuyorRent.htm This article explains how one should decide whether to buy a home or rent. Buying a home should be based on decisions of credit report, debt ratios, job stability or relocation, maintenance issues, and financial situation. It explains how not everyone should buy a house. Some people are actually better off renting. To rent or to buy? (2014). CNN Money. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/29/yourhome/q_rent_or_buy/index.htm This article describes the disadvantages and advantages of buying or renting your home. It describes advantages of buying such as taxes and appreciation of the home. However, coming up with a down payment may be hard for many people. Renters may have less cost and more flexibility on when and where they can move to.

Ethical issues related to reproducation Essay

Assisted Reproduction Technology is a new found system to aid infertile couples to get children. It is also used in transgender couples and genetic concerns in the family. The examples of assisted reproduction technology include invitro-fertilization embryo transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, gamete intrafalllopian transfer, zygote intrafallopian transfer and intrauterine insemination. It is a practice that has caused wide controversy from the ethical point of view. There are many ethical issues surrounding artificial reproduction. Many religious organizations condemn the practice as it goes against the religious beliefs. Most religions believe that God is the sole creator of life and determiner of fertility of an individual. Therefore, the practice is viewed as one that is trying to supersede the power and belief in God. The element of surrogate parenting in assisted reproduction is also a highly thorny issue in the society. The practice of sperm egg donation is also very emotive. The main protagonist in this debate is the religious organizations and their beliefs and practices (Gillian, 2003). Surrogate parenting is an arrangement in which an infertile married couple contracts a fertile woman to undergo gestation on their behalf and surrender the child after birth. This is described as a non-nuclear family arrangement in that the family allows a third party into their family relationship to play the role of a birth mother. Surrogate parenting raises various ethical questions. There are various forms of surrogate parenting. These include traditional and gestational. In traditional surrogacy, the mother shares genetic information as the child since she acts as a sperm recipient. The gestational surrogacy involves insemination with fertile ovum of the infertile couple. Therefore, she does not share genetic information as the child. The ethical dilemma that exists in surrogate parenting is whereby commercial surrogacy is viewed as exploitative to poor single women. The woman is viewed as a mere incubator while her money is siphoned by the surrogate agencies. The child is traumatized on discovering that the mother raising him/her is not her biological mother due to different genetic information. This leads to acrimony in the family. Some organizations claim that surrogacy leads to commoditization of babies as mere goods. This shows a lack of respect to the human being as a whole (Gillian, 2003). Surrogate parenting causes controversy in the traditional definition of a family unit. A family is viewed as made of mother, father and children who are genetically related. Surrogacy allows a third party into the traditional nuclear family. This distorts the meaning completely. This is especially so in traditional form of surrogate parenting. In this form, the surrogate mother is just not the gestational bearer of the child, but she also shares genetic information with the child. The family will be in a dilemma whether to inform the child of his gestation and parenting lest he/she finds out. Such information is likely to break the family unit (Markens, 2007). Commercial surrogate parenting has been viewed as exploitative. Young single and poor girls are chosen to act as surrogate mothers. The agency that contracts them does not care about their well-being but is interested in profiteering from their services. These girls are paid 10000-150000 dollars for their services. Court cases have been filed where these mothers reject the money to take custody of the children. This is the exploitative nature of the practice (Markens, 2007). Doctors place multiple eggs into the womb of a woman in artificial reproduction. The medical significance of this practice is to reduce the proportion and margin of error. Statistics shows that most of the eggs implanted into a woman do not get implanted and are aborted by the mother. As such, the practice of inserting multiple eggs is to increase the likelihood of implantation or fertilization of the eggs. The other concern is the cost of artificial reproduction technology. The technology costs highly to the partners and the insurance companies. Multiple eggs are inserted by the healthcare professionals as a means of cost saving and cost reduction in fertility treatment. This addresses the cost that would be incurred if one egg failed. Multiple implantations bring with it the dilemma of multiple pregnancy complications and multiple birth costs. The dilemma with the practice is that a healthcare professional is legally mandated to abort some of the implanted fetuses upon informed consent from the parents. This practice is called multi fetal pregnancy reduction or selective abortion. The medical rationale behind embryo reduction is the fact that there are many risks associated with carrying multiple pregnancies to the mother. There is the risk of in-uteri death of the fetus, premature delivery and retardation. Any pregnancy with more than three fetuses is an iatrogenic complication of artificial reproduction (Simo, 2002). Selective abortion is moral as it is done in the interest of the mother and the family. Informed consent has to be sought from the partner, and they must reserve the right to select the embryos that will be reduced. However, in a perfectly health mother, selective abortion is not advisable rather the doctor should practice watchful waiting on the patient. Selective abortion is done to reduce child impairment if he/she is born prematurely. The practice is a morally justified option for the parent. This is because the quality of life of the child born and the economical and psychological burden on the parents to support a mentally retarded child. Despite religious, social and cultural perceptions on selective abortion, it is a perfectly moral practice done in the interest of the family. The sanctity of life must indeed be observed and respected so much as the quality of the baby’s life. The grounds that lay the foundation for the decision to selectively abort an embryo are based on the moral and financial ability of the family to take care of complication of multiple pregnancies: especially premature babies (Simo, 2002). The society is obliged to support families that have multiple babies born prematurely, with defects or mental retardation. These parents are under immense pressure to provide for and raise these children. The society is obliged to support these families in whatever means possible. The immediate extensive family plays a huge role in supporting these parents morally and financially. Premature children need to be loved by everyone in the family and external community. Financial assistance is vital to cater for constant hospitalization of these children. Children with mental retardation and prematurity need constant visitations for medical checkup to ensure that they grow and mature like other children. The community is obliged to offer financial support to these families. Through various community forums and organizations, the locals can take care of these children and accord them equal rights enjoyed as other healthy children. The community may also set up special schools with special teachers to guide these children as they develop. The local government and the federal government are also obliged to support families with disabilities. The government can enact of laws and policies that offer incentives to these parents and those that govern the development of these children. The local government is also mandated to establish institutions that will take care of these children as they grow as they belong to children with special need (Gillian, 2003). Abortion is a highly controversial moral subject worldwide. There are proponents of abortion who claim the practice is done to safeguard the health of the mother and the dignity of girls who have been sexually assaulted. Whereas, there are the opponents who argue that the vice is against the universal right to life and respect of life. There are various ethical issues with abortion. Ethical issues arise due to the moral dilemma. The reasons for procuring an abortion include not being able to raise the child at the moment or irresponsible parents. Such scenarios would warrant an abortion to avoid future suffering of the child. Some mothers claim that childbearing will interfere with their careers, or they have reached their limit of child bearing. The moral dilemma is the sanctity of life. Religious backgrounds claim that life begins after fertilization and terminating it at any stage is paramount to murder. With such personification, the fetus is entitled to the right of life as any other human being (Hinman, 2013). As such, they argue against abortion. However, medically, health professionals are obliged to abort so as to preserve the life of a mother if her pregnancy is complicated. Therefore, abortion is a highly controversial moral issue between the ‘pro-life’ and the ‘prochoice’ ? References Committee on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Policy, Institute of Medicine. (2001). Organ Procurement and Transplantation: Assessing Current Policies and the Potential Impact of the DHHS Final Rule. New York: National Academies Press. Gillian, T. (2003). Mixed blessings: ethical issues in assisted conception. Journal of Reproductive and Social Medicine, 34-35. Hinman, L. (2013). Abortion: an oveerview of the ethical issues. University of San Diego. Landlau, R. , Blythe, & Eric. (2004). Third Party Assisted Conception across Cultures: Social, Legal, and Ethical Perspectives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publications. Markens, S. (2007). Surrogate Motherhood and the Politics of Reproduction. Berkley: University of Carlifornia Press. Simo, V. (2002). Parental Responsibility and the Morality of Selective Abortion. Journal of Reproductive Health, 463-484.

Report about The Effect Of Light Intensity On Oxygen Production

Abstract The purpose of our experiment was to visualize the effect of light intensity on oxygen production. In the capacity of a test subject we used algal cultures. For these researches we used the Winkler method of titration. Our experiment results showed that there is an effect of light intensity on oxygen production.   Our research has a great significance for agriculture, biochemistry and biophysics. Introduction Photosynthesis is the metabolic process by which plants trap solar energy, convert it to chemical energy, and store it in the bonds of organic nutrient molecules, such as glucose. Nearly all types of plants and algae, as well as some protists and bacteria, are capable of photosynthesis (Govindjee, 1990). Once the photosynthetic organisms we call autotrophs used light energy to generate sugars and other organic nutrients, they can break them down again for their own cellular energy needs. Animals, fungi, and most microbes (the three groups are heterotrophs), of course, use autotrophs, or organisms that eat autotrophs as food. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide, water, and energy to build glucose, instead of breaking down glucose to carbon dioxide and water and in the process releasing energy: Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Glucose + Oxygen. Photosynthesis consists of the â€Å"light-trapping† phase, which requires sunlight, and the sugar-building phase, which can proceed whether or not light is present (Postlewait Hopson, 1990, p. 104-112). It is estimated that between 70% and 80% of the oxygen in the atmosphere is produced by marine plants. The oceans cover about 71% of our planet and land is only about 29%. Algae produce about 330 billion tons of oxygen each year. Algae produce oxygen during the daytime, which in turn provides oxygen for fish and other underwater organisms, microorganisms and plants. On the flip side, algae use oxygen at night, and too much algae can deplete the waters oxygen. Marine plants are also used as food. Algae are very important ecologically because they are the beginning of the food chain for other animals. Phytoplankton, a single-celled type of algae, is eaten by small animals called zooplankton (mostly crustaceans, such as tiny shrimp) that drift near the surface of the sea. The zooplankton is in turn fed upon by larger zooplankton, small fish, and some whales. Larger fish eat the smaller ones. At the top of the open-water food web may be fish-eating birds, seals, whales, very large fish s uch as sharks or bluefin tuna, and humans. Researchers from the Baylor University established the exact cause of the high toxicity of representative Chrysophyta Prymnesium parvum. It turned out, the degree of toxicity produced by these algae substances affect pH of the water of lakes and rivers. The higher pH implicates more toxic waste products of some algae. The discovery is of particular interest because, as we know, the algae are able to regulate the pH of the habitat. In laboratory tests, scientists were able to establish that the toxic activity of algae in water pH 8.5 increased by more than 5 times in comparison with this activity at pH 6.5. For measuring dissolved oxygen we used the Winkler method of titration. In 1888 the Hungarian Lajost Winkler proposed a titremetric method to measure dissolved oxygen in waters. The Winkler Method is a technique used to measure dissolved oxygen in freshwater systems. Dissolved oxygen is used as an indicator of the health of a water body, where higher dissolved oxygen concentrations are correlated with high productivity and little pollution. This test is performed on-site, as delays between sample collection and testing may result in an alteration in oxygen content (Abril, 2000). Materials and Methods Procedure: Reagents List: 2ml Manganese sulfate; 2ml alkali-iodide-azide; 2ml concentrated sulfuric acid; 2ml starch solution; Sodium thiosulfate. Procedure: Filling a 300-mL glass Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) carefully stopper bottle brim-full with sample water. 10 bottles were used. Adding 2mL of manganese sulfate to the collection bottle by inserting the calibrated pipette just below the surface of the liquid immediately. Adding 2 ml of alkali-iodide-acide reagent in the same manner. Stoppering the bottle with care to be sure no air is introduced. Mixing the sample by inverting several times. Checking for air bubbles. If oxygen is present, a brownish-orange cloud of precipitate or floc will appear. Mixing the sample by turning it upside down several times after settling of this floc to the bottom. Adding 2 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid via a pipette held just above the surface of the sample. Stoppering and inverting several times to dissolve the floc. At this point, the sample is fixed and can be stored for up to 8 hours if kept in a cool, dark place. As an added precaution, squirting distilled water along the stopper, and capping the bottle with aluminum foil and a rubber band during the storage period. In a glass flask, titrating 201 ml of the sample with sodium thiosulfate to a pale straw color. Titrating by slowly dropping titrant solution from a calibrated pipette into the flask and continually stirring or swirling the sample water. Adding 2 ml of starch solution; a blue color forms. Continuing slowly titrating until the sample turns clear. As this experiment reaches the endpoint, it will take only one drop of the titrant to eliminate the blue color. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in the sample is equivalent to the number of milliliters of titrate used. Each ml of sodium thiosulfate added in steps 6 and 8 equals 1 mg/l dissolved oxygen. Cell numbers were counted in each laboratory section at time zero. Cultures were then placed in incubators at 25, 37, and 45⠁ °C for 24 hours, and counted again. Our null hypothesis here is that there is no effect of temperature on bacterial growth. For the identification of bacteria growth we used the following steps: Step 1 calculating the growth rate by subtracting initial cell numbers from final cell numbers. Step 2 calculating the mean (Ã… ¶) growth rate for each temperature treatment. Step 3 calculating ÃŽ £Y which is the sum of all observed values within a treatment. Step 4 calculating ÃŽ £Y2, square each observation within a treatment, then add them all together. Step 5 calculating the sum of squares for each treatment. This is ÃŽ £Y2 (ÃŽ £Y)2/n, where n = the number of replicates. In this case n = 10 (10 lab sections). Step 6- calculating variance within each treatment. This is sum of squares/n , again where n = the number of replicates. In this case n = 10 (10 lab sections). Step 7- calculating the standard deviation within each treatment. This is the square root of variance. Step 8 Creating a graph for effects of temperature on bacterial growth. Step 9 calculating within-groups Sum of Squares. This is the sum of each individual treatment groups Sum of Squares. Step 10 calculating the sum of group means (ÃŽ £Ã… ¶). Step 11 calculating ÃŽ £Ã… ¶2, square each treatment mean, then add them all together. Step 12 calculating Sum of Squares for treatments (SStreat) = [ÃŽ £Ã… ¶2 (ÃŽ £Ã… ¶)2/k] x n, where k = number of treatment groups (here 3) and n = number of replicates (here 10). Step 13 calculating degrees of freedom associated with SSwithin [=k(n-1)] and the degrees of freedom associated with SStreat = k-1. Step 14 calculating Mean Square Error for within treatments (MSwithin) and Mean Square Error for between treatments (MStreat). Step 15 calculating F for the appropriate degrees of freedom. Here, for 2 and 27 degrees of freedom. F = MStreat / MSwithin. Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25⠁ °C   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   37⠁ °C 45⠁ °C mean (Ã… ¶) = 0,975   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1,76 -0,75 standard deviation = 0,205438555 0,153101274 0,220861948 The results showed us that algae’s growth at 25⠁ °C was from 0 to 0.9. At 35⠁ °C it increased to 1.6. And finally at 45⠁ °C it decreased to -0.7. If we look at the tables of critical values of F associated with different alpha values, and if we use 2 and 24 degrees of freedom (27 degrees of freedom is not listed), we find the critical value of alpha of 0.01 = 99.45. Because our F-value is 714, which is much higher than 99.45, we can say that the probability of the null hypothesis being true, based on our data, is less than 0.01. By convention, we generally reject a null hypothesis if p (the probability of it being true) is less than 0.05. Our result is that temperature did have a significant effect on bacterial growth (F2.27 = 714, p 0.01). References John H. Postlewait, Janet L. Hopson (1990). Modern biology. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Abril 2000, modified by M. Hesselswe 2001, A.H. Nielsen 2007 Govindjee, W.J. Coleman â€Å"How plants make oxygen† Scientific American 262 (February 1990): 42-51.