The Skin and Sensation Physiology

The Skin and Sensation Physiology The Skin and Sensation Physiology Introduction Skin is the largest organ of our body that protects us from microbes and helps to regulate our body temperature. It contains different kinds of sensory receptors that respond to variety of stimuli: mechanical, thermal and chemical. The general receptors of the body react to touch, pressure, temperature, pain and change of the environment. The encapsulated receptors which include free nerve endings may sense pain and temperature; Merkels discs, which sense light pressure and root hair plexuses that sense touch by the movement of the hairs. While the encapsulated receptors are enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue which are the Meisnner’s, Pacinian and Ruffini’s corpuscles. The density of skin receptors is greater in areas that are designed to sense our environment. These receptors convey the information to the CNS thus, any stimulus should be of threshold magnitude in order to detect. The sensory system have a limit of its sensitivity therefore, stimulus below minim um magnitude cannot elicit a response. The cutaneous receptors are scattered throughout the skin and the underlying fascia. These receptors are the mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, nocireceptors and proprioreceptors that are sensitive to a certain stimuli. Sensation is defined as a state of awareness of the internal and external environment. There are four criteria to be considered in order for a sensation to occur. First is the stimulus, the change in the environment in which we should be aware of. Next, there should be a receptor- a cell or organ which is sensitive to the stimulus. There must also have an afferent nerve pathway that will carry the signal to the CNS and lastly, there should be sensory cortex where the signals was analyzed and interpreted. Hence, this activity aims to demonstrate the sensation acuity using various models in tactile localization and adaption, to determine relative sensitivity of selected areas of the skin and to be able to understand the different features of sensation in relation to various stimuli, adaptation and after image phenomenon. Methodology Tactile Distribution: Two-point Sensibility Begin the test by asking the subject to close his eye. Using a vernier caliper, test the ability of the subject to differentiate two distinct sensations by setting the vernier caliper at the distance with points close together and gradually increasing one or two points until the subject has reached the sensation when the skin is touch simultaneously at two points. Record the distance in which the subject first felt the two-point threshold and repeat two trials for each body area listed below. Back of the neck or nape area Fingertip Forearm (supine position) Tip of nose Palm of hand Tongue Upper arm Thigh area Leg area Tactile Localization Begin the test by asking the subject to close his eyes. Using a pencil tip, touch the skin of the test subject until it leaves an indentation. Then ask the subject to locate the exact spot using the pencil tips. Measure the error of localization using the vernier caliper and repeat twice for each body location listed below. Observe the localization of improvement. Palm Fingertips Forearm (dorsal side) Forearm (ventral side) Lips Thigh region Touch Receptor Adaptation Begin the test by asking the subject to sit and close its eyes. Place a coin on the forearm (antecubital fossa) of the subject. Record the time of how long it takes until the sensation cease. Once the sensation has ceased, add coins of the same size and record the time of pressure sensation. Repeat the same procedure on the other forearm and compare the observations. Ask the subject to close his eyes. Using a pencil tip, run the tip over the strand of hair and slowly pulling it up until the hair spring away from the tip. Ask the subject in which the sensation is greater when the hair is being bend or when it springs back. Weber’s Law: Sensation Intensity Difference Begin the test by asking the subject to sit on a bench and place his hand on the arm rest with eyes close. Put the 2-inch square cardboard on the distal phalanges of his index and middle finger. Gradually add 10 gram weight in the cardboard and ask the subject if he felt the weight. After the subjects feel the weight, remove the cardboard unto the finger and add additional weight from 1 to 5 grams, until he felt the weight increases and compared it with the initial weight. Record the weight increment that produced an added weight sensation. Test other initial weights at 50, 100 and 200 grams and get the Weber’s fraction. Temperature Adaptation and Negative After-Image Prepare three 1000 ml beakers with ice water, water at room temperature and waterbath at 50oC and assign each container into cold, room temperature and warm water. Ask the subject to immerse each of his hand on the cold and warm water for two minutes. Record which hands adapts faster in the said temperature. Then rapidly immerse both hands in the waterbath. Describe the sensation on each hand. Referred Pain Ask the subject to place his elbow in ice water for 2-3 minutes. Are there any changes in sensation localization? Record your observation. Results Various models in tactile localization and adaptation were used on selected areas of the skin for the demonstration of sensation acuity and relative sensitivity of the skin. Also, various stimuli, adaptation and afterimage phenomenon were also applied to understand different features of sensation. The following tables show the results on each exercises performed in this activity. Table 1. Two-Point Sensibility. The table above displays the results taken from the tactile distribution procedure for the two point sensitivity of different areas of the skin. Each area was applied with tactile stimuli from the caliper tips and the distance was recorded once the person had made a distinction of two-points. For the head portion or medial part of the body, the nape area or the back of the neck, the tip of the nose and the tongue got a threshold of 10mm, 8mm and 4mm, respectively. For the upper extremities, the fingertip, the palm of hand, the forearm in supine position and the upper arm got a threshold of 2mm, 8mm, 31mm, and 34mm, respectively. Lastly, for the lower extremities, the thigh area and the leg area got a threshold of 32mm and 36mm, respectively. Out of the nine different areas of the body where the stimuli was applied, the fingertip is noted to be having the most sensitive area while the leg area is the least among them all. Table 2. Tactile Localization. The table above displays the results taken from the tactile localization procedure of different areas of the skin. Two trials were performed and their difference measures the error of localization on each area. The fingertips and the lips received no error of localization since the subject had pointed the exact location of the indentation twice. This amount of error was followed by the palm having an error of localization of 1mm since the subject had pointed the indentation from a distance of 6mm on the 1st trial and 5mm on the 2nd trial. This was then followed by the thigh area, the dorsal part of the forearm and finally the ventral part of the forearm having an error of localization of 5mm, 6mm and 16mm, respectively. Noticeably, the fingertips and the lips had the least error since it received no error at all as compared to the ventral portion of the forearm that had the most error of them all. Table 3.a. Adaptation of Touch Receptors. The table above displays the results taken from the touch receptors adaptation procedure applied on the right and left forearm. The subject had a coin placed on its forearm with the time recorded once it can’t feel the weight of the coin anymore. The right forearm’s distinction is 5.1 seconds for one coin and 9.3 seconds for doubled while the left forearm’s distinction is 4.5 seconds for one coin and 8.8 seconds for doubled. This shows that the subject’s left forearm adapts faster than its right forearm. The difference of time in distinction was measured through subtracting the seconds felt by the right forearm to the left forearm. Having doubled coin received a less difference of time in distinction than having a single coin since the recorded seconds are 0.5 seconds and 0.6, respectively. It is also noticeable that the sense of pressure is shorter when there is only one coin then, returned but got longer after the addition of coins. Table 3.b. Adaptation of Touch Receptors. (++) = felt most; (+) = slightly felt; (-) = not felt Another adaptation procedure was performed using the subject’s hair and the results are being shown on the table above. Its hair strand was bent and sprung back using a pencil tip. The subject responded that the sensation felt greater when the hair was sprang back and least when it was bent. Table 4. Sensation Intensity Difference. The table above displays the results taken from the sensation intensity difference procedure of the fingers using Weber’s Law. Different initial weights were given to the subject’s two fingers which response was recorded after adding additional weights for the intensity difference. The Weber’s fraction came from the quotient of the two weights as how the formula displays on the table above. It is noticeable that the 10g weight got the most Weber’s fraction of 0.3 as compare to the other three weights – 50g, 100g and 200g – that got the same 0.1 Weber’s fraction. Table 5. Temperature Adaptation and Negative After-Image. (+) = adapts faster; (-) = adapts slowly/not adapting The table above displays the results taken from the temperature adaptation and negative afterimage procedure of the two hands exposed on different temperatures. With hands in each beaker, the hand that is placed on warm water adapts faster than the ones in the cold water. When both hands were transferred onto the third beaker containing room temperature water, the ones exposed on cold water earlier adapts too slow – â€Å"like it had gone numb† as compare to the ones exposed on warm water earlier. Table 6. Referred Pain. (+) = present sensation felt; (-) = no sensation felt The table above displays the results taken from the referred pain procedure applied at the elbow and had affected the sensation of the arm. After the elbow was dipped on an ice water for 2 minutes, the subject responded that the sensation had a change in location. It was then recorded that the location of the sensation is now felt on the upper arm. Discussion Conclusion The skin, the largest organ of the body and its somatosensory system or touch system, allows the human body to perceive the physical sensations of pressure, temperature, pain, experience texture and temperature and perceive the position and movement of the bodys muscles and joints. Using various models and procedures, several accounts were recorded including the lips and fingertips as the most sensitive and the more intense weights and temperature as the slowest to be adapted. These are all due to the receptor cells found in the skin that can be broken down into three functional categories: mechanoreceptors that sense different ranges of pressure and texture, thermoreceptors that sense and detect changes in temperature, and nociceptors that sense pain ranging from acute and easy to tolerate to chronic and intolerable. Literature Cited Boundless. â€Å"Skin and Body Senses: Pressure, Temperature, and Pain.† Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 06 Oct. 2014. Retrieved 16 Jan. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/sensation-and-perception-5/sensory-processes-38/skin-and-body-senses-pressure-temperature-and-pain-165-12700/ Experiencing Sensation and Perception. Chapter 12: Skin Senses. Retrieved from January 17, 2015. Available at: http://psych.hanover.edu/classes/sensation/chapters/Chapter 12.pdf. Touch. Retrieved from January 17, 2015. Available at: http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/634/Touch.html

First Case Using DNA in the UK

First Case Using DNA in the UK No humans are exactly alike, and the DNAs are what constructs humans to be genetically unique. Using an extraordinary finding about DNA fingerprinting, a murderer of two 15-year-old in Leicestershire was successfully convicted. On November 21, 1983, Lynda Mann left her house to babysit for a lady down the road. While walking back home on a path called the Black Pad, Lynda was raped and strangled by a man. Her body was found the next morning. The story of Lynda Mann was discussed everywhere near the area and the people in the village were living in fear because the murderer was not found for quite a while. They suspected a man named Colin Pitchfork, a baker with 2 sons, but when asked about what he was doing on the night Lynda Mann disappeared, he answered that he was babysitting his child in his home. The case went cold. On July 31, 1986, another girl named Dawn Ashworth did not return home after taking a shortcut home. After two days, her body was found in a path called Ten Pound Lane. It was found out that she was raped, beaten and strangled. The two murders appeared to be done by the same person and the people believed now that the murderer was local. Richard Buckland, a 17-year-old boy with learning disabilities has been going around the murder scene of Dawn, telling people and the police that they were looking in a wrong spot. He was a local, working in a Carlton Hayes psychiatric hospital. He did not give a definite answer on what he was doing the night when Dawn went missing and so the police arrested him. After questioning, he admitted to the crime involving Dawn Ashworth but denied the murder of Lynda Mann. Thanks to the DNA profiling, it was found out that Richard Buckland was not the killer and Colin Pitchfork was arrested for the murders. This case is interesting because it is the first case where DNA fingerprinting was used to release and convict a person. Even though the village people had skepticism towards the new method of identifying a person, they all agreed to participate and that is how they could connect Colin Pitchfork with the murders. Now, DNA testing is used all around the world and is considered one of the most efficient way to identify a criminal. From Lynda Manns body, the police found and linked a semen sample to a person with a type A blood. They also found an enzyme profile that matched only 10 percent of males. No other evidence was found. Then, from Dawn Ashworths body, they found a semen sample that revealed the same blood type. However, the prime suspect, Richard Buckland, continued to admit to the murder of Dawn but deny the murder of Lynda. The police were sure that those two murders were committed by the same person because the modus operandi of the second murder matched that of the first. Modus operandi, which translate to modes of operation, is someones habit of working usually regarding business or crime. When the police felt that they needed extra help in discovering the murderer, they contacted Sir Alec Jeffrey, a researcher and a scientist at the university of Leicester. He discovered that human DNA produces a constant but unique patterns that can be used to identify one person and find out relationships between family members (Jeffreys, Thein, Wilson, 1985, p. 76). The first method used for DNA profiling involved RFLP analysis. A sample such as blood or semen is cut into small pieces by restriction enzyme. This produces thousands of DNA fragments of different sizes. Then, the fragments are sorted out by size by gel electrophoresis. After this, the fragments are transferred on to the nylon membrane. The process is called Southern blot. A radioactive DNA probe is added where it binds to specific fragments. Lastly, X-ray film is placed to detect the radioactive pattern. Using this method, he compared the semen sample collected from both victim, Lynda and Dawn, and found out that the murder was indeed committed by the same person. However, the prime suspects DNA did not match the DNA of the semen sample. The police had to let Richard Buckland go. To find the murderer, the police went on a man hunt and asked all the male in the village from ages 18-34 to voluntarily take a blood test so they could compare their DNA with the killers DNA. It was solely for elimination purposes. The man hunt was a slow process and the operation was massive. Just when the police were losing hope, everything turned around one day. On August 1, 1987, Ian Kelly, one of Colin Pitchforks, the man that was questioned for Lynda Mann few years back, fellow worker at the bakery, told his colleagues in a Leicester pub that he has gone to do the blood test instead of Pitchfork because he has asked him to. Pitchforks excuse was that he had already given his blood pretending to be a friend who wanted to avoid being questioned about a youthful conviction for burglary. A woman overheard what Ian Kelly said and called the police to report it. On September 19, 1987, Pitchfork was arrested. His blood and saliva matched the semen samples taken from the scene of two crimes (Ottawa, Ont, 1988). This could be seen from the pattern of the DNA. When the x-ray of both sampled are placed beside each other, you could see that the pattern of 2 bands were the same or similar in location. He eventually admitted to the murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The impacts that this crime had to the society is the fact that young women feel more vulnerable no matter where they are. They have to live in constant fear that they might be a victim of a rape or murder just because they were simply there (Siddle, 2015). Lynda Manns sister, Rebecca Eastwood has set up an online petition against releasing Pitchfork and it has passed 4,000 signatures. She fears that If released he will kill again and he will always be danger to the public (Siddle, 2015). The fact that he doesnt have to wait for girls to hunt anymore but simply go online and find girls on social media websites scares many people that he would commit the same crime but through an easier way. Rebecca has said that Pitchfork has effected her family, especially her mom. she has been strong and tough through out the years knowing that he is in prison. She does not know how her mom would carry on if he is released. This case forces law enforcements and government to prioritize security at night in pathways and roads. The government also has to make sure that young children are not walking by themselves late at night because they could get themselves in danger. This case has also proven that DNA fingerprinting is an efficient way to identify a person through blood, saliva, semen and so on. The people, who were not really sure if this method would work, were reassured after Colin Pitchfork was arrested that this way of testing worked and that this finding is revolutionary to forensic science. Colin Pitchfork was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years. However, in 2009, Pitchforks sentence was reduced to 28 years. Bibliography Man nabbed by genetic fingerprints gets life. (1988, Jan 23). The Ottawa Citizen Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/239145129?accountid=15182 Colin Pitchfork: DNA evidence snared child rapist who killed my sister please do not let him go free; Colin Pitchfork was the first criminal in the world to be convicted on DNA evidence and was jailed for life in 1988 for killing two schoolgirls.(2015, May 5) Irishmirror.ie, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic Butler, J. M. (2010). Fundamentals of Forensic DNA Typing. London: Academic Press. Peter Cheney, T. S. (1991, Oct 05). GENETIC FINGERPRINTING legal breakthrough inexact science? Toronto Star Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/436502141?accountid=15182 Baird, R. [Ronald Baird]. (2016, August 11). True crime stories about Colin Pitchfork Code of a Killer. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deoZEm1e8TIt=27s. Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V., and Thein, S. L. (1985a). Individual-specific fingerprints of human DNA. Nature 316: 76-79.

Characterization, Tone, and Setting in The Story of an Hour :: The Story of an Hour

Characterization, Tone, and Setting in The Story of an Hour 1 The theme of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is do not believe everything that is told to you until you see it yourself. This story is understood better when you focus on these three critical concepts, characterization, tone and setting. 2 First off is characterization, which is important for what is upcoming at the end of the story. To understand this you must understand the character of Louise Mallard. Louise was young looking with fair skin and a calm face, who spoke repression and some strength. [?] She also has a heart problem, which means the death of her husband has to be broken to her as gently as possible. But now [?] there is nothing but a dull stare gazing into the patches of blue sky as if she was in intelligent thought. 3 The second of the three critical concepts I am using is tone. Tone is the prevailing attitude as perceived by the reader. Attitudes I got from reading this story were sad and shocked. The sad part is when her husband had died in a railroad disaster. It was her sister who had, with broken sentences, slowly told her that he had died. Mr. m[M]allard's friend Richard was also there at the time to assist Josephine in breaking the bad news. After they had told her, she had looked [?] herself in her room and stared out the window. The second attitude was shocked this was how I felt at the end of the story. [CS - 1] The reason I did is when Josephine finally got Louise to come out of her room and come back downstairs. [Frag -1] On the way downstairs the front door opened and in walked Mr. Mallard who was supposedly dead. The sight of him shocked Louise so much that it had caused her to have a heart attack and die. This was shocking to me because they had said that he had die d in a railroad accident and the second telegram confirmed it. But Mr. Mallard had said that he was now were [nowhere; Hostage 50] near the supposed accident even though [?] he did not even hear about one.

Astronomers Wife †Just a Simple Complex Tale :: Astronomers Wife Essays

Astronomers Wife – Just a Simple Complex Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kay Boyle's literary piece titled "Astronomers Wife", is a mental exercise. Every word and every line has an important meaning to it. Interpretation is a critical skill in understanding everything Boyle's story has to offer. Although this piece has a lot of sophistication to it, the story line is rather simple. The time period is the early 1900's and the story is regarding a rather young husband and a wife, in there late twenties to mid thirties. The couple lives out on the country side of the United States where houses are far from one another and the land is scenically beautiful. Although their surroundings are beautiful, the couples marriage is not. There is no love expressed between the two. Mrs. Ames goes about her daily routine, day in and day out. Mr. Ames is an astronomy professor who has more love for his profession than for his wife. The professor is a quiet man who uses his wife as somebody to cook his food, clean his clothes, and take care of the house. Mrs. Ames, a young woman in her late twenties, is living the life of sixty year old lady. Her days have no excitement in them what so ever. She isn't able to experience the stimulating life there is to live at her age. The couple does have a young woman servant who is there to help, which shows the two are doing fine financially. One night Mrs. Ames heard the sound of water in the hallway outside the bedroom. The next morning she got up bright and early to deal with the problem of the overflowing toilet by contacting a plumber. The plumber comes to the house and the young servant girl answers the door. She calls up to Mrs. Ames and tells her the man is here. Mrs. Ames gets up, puts on her white and scarlet smock, and in a whispering voice, as not to wake her husband, tells the man to come up the stairs. He does so politely, and right away, gets to his job of soaking up the large puddle in the middle of the upstairs hallway. The plumber is respectful and has manors, something Mrs. Ames notices considerably that is missing from her husband. After staring at the toilet for a few minutes, the plumber tells Mrs. Ames

SHIP OF THE HUNTED: A BLEND OF FACT AND FICTION :: essays research papers

Historical fiction is a type of genre that helps paint a more captivating and colourful picture of the past. It combines fact and fiction as it presents mostly fabricated characters set in a definite period of history. Ship of the Hunted, by Yehuda Elberg, defines this genre as it entwines the lives of a fictional family with historical facts and elements such as life in the Warsaw ghetto, hiding to survive, and the Brichah movement of Jews out of Poland. History has recorded that over half a million Jews were crowded into the Warsaw ghetto between October and November of 1940. The squalor, starvation, disease, exposure to cold, and the daily shootings claimed the lives of about 5, 000 to 6, 000 Jews each month. In Ship of the Hunted, the Heshl family struggles to survive this trend. Like so many others living in the ghetto, Golda and her son, Yossel, scavenge the blocks, looking for any items that can be smuggled out of the ghetto in exchange for food. After his father and older sister are deported, Yossel is confronted by Golda, who wants him to stop smuggling. â€Å" ‘This stuff buys food. We have to eat, Mama.’ ‘Yossel, you’re still a child. You know they shoot children for scavenging!’ ‘They shoot mothers for scavenging, too.’ ’’ (Elberg, 17) This conversation demonstrates the desperate measures taken by the Jews to obtain food. The raids in the ghetto also caused their numbers to dwindle. Daily, thousands of Jews were removed from the ghetto and transported to concentration camps. After surviving one such raid by hiding in a bunker, Golda surfaces to find out about another raid on a hospital. â€Å"Liquidated, floor by floor. On foot and by stretcher, they had been sent off – a man with an incision still open; an infant, newly born.† (Elberg, 23) These raids led to deportations, which eventually led to extermination. News spread, and those who refused to be led away to death took part in what would be one of the greatest periods in Jewish history. The Warsaw ghetto uprising began on April 19th of 1943, as the surviving inhabitants of the ghetto resisted the German troops and police who had come to deport them. This battle held out for 20 days till the Germans finally overpowered the lightly armed Jews. In t he novel, Golda is a witness to the uprising and its end.

Arizona Constitution and United States Constitution Essay

When the drafters of the Constitution of the Arizona, nary did they anticipate that the document they would produce would last over a hundred years, inclusive of two global conflicts, the new technologies of the space age and the social and cultural alterations in the United States (State Bar of Arizona, 2009). During the 1900’s, former United States President William Howard Taft went to the territory, as the future state was about to begin the process of accession to the Union (Arizona, 2009). In his statement to the settlers in the territory, Taft warned them not to tread the path that another recently admitted state, Oklahoma (Arizona, 2009). He told them to forego the adoption of such progressive policies such as initiatives and referendums (Arizona, 2009). But in the basic comparison of the state constitution and the United States Constitution, the primary factor is that in the Constitution of the United States, it prescribes limited powers, as contrasted to the state constitution, where there is a broad range of powers granted under their ambit (Arizona, 2009). Also, the Federal fundamental law lacks a provision for the police power initiative, or a â€Å"general welfare clause† (Arizona, 2009). State constitutions have that feature that enlarges the scope of the authority embedded in the state fundamental law (Arizona, 2009). The Federal Constitution does however have more far reaching scope in its laws and provisions, as the state laws are only applicable to the domain of the state (Arizona, 2009). In the shorter Federal law, the powers are mentioned whereas the state declares both powers and the limitation of the powers (Arizona, 2009). The similarities of the state and Federal range in the mention of the structure of government, the branches of government, and the democratic processes available to the citizens to instigate an atmosphere of accountability to the citizenry and society at large.

The plight of migrant workers

Introduction:The wise saying goes, ‘The writer sees, what the Sun can not see.’’(Proverb) If that writer happens to be a photojournalist, his products are going to be nearer to the reality. This is the strength of the book of David Bacon. Of the four factors of production, Land, Labor Capital and Organization, it is known that the Labor occupies the first position, because without it, the other three are rendered idle.In the context of globalization of all segments of economic and profit-generating activities, agriculture too occupies the prominent place. The labor requirement in this area is vast, and it needs to be employed at the right time, depending upon the timings of the harvesting and marketing of the crops. How do the migrant workers plough their lives, what are the problems that confront them and what is the solution?The harsh realities of migrant experience†¦The materialistic civilization, industrial and internet revolution have made the concept of globalization a reality, without world leaders formally announcing the same. The economic compulsions are such, something tangible is happening all over the world in the industrial and agricultural sectors, without anyone making efforts for it ‘actually.’ Transnational communities are being formed in the natural course, because of the common economic and survival interests and aspirations of such labor force.This has happened all along the northern road from Guatemala, via Mexico and far into the United States. Douglas Bacon is eminently suited to do the task of writing this book, for he is thrice-blessed—being the journalist, the photographer, and a trade union leader and labor organizer.(Ahn, 2004) With the might of his pen, and the click of the flashgun of the camera, he gives the picture of the real life of the migrant labors working for plenty and prosperity of others to a great extent, and their individual prosperity to some extent.Workers move and become part of the migrant work-force, not because they want to move, but because someone somewhere is willingly and anxiously waiting for them. Undocumented immigrants far outnumber the documented immigrants. (Ahn, 2004)US border policy treats them in an unjust manner, labeling them as an aggregation of individuals.Immigration policy on such block of immigrants demands special attention and policy guidelines, to properly accept them into the mainstream of the society, because they are contributing to the welfare of that society. These great dramas of borderlands create new issues time and again.   Their combined work output is definitely contributing to the movement of giant wheels of agriculture production to fulfill the food requirements of the Nation. The labor movements are both for survival and for further improvement of working conditions to secure stable life, without uncertainties and anxieties.Agriculture:1. The obstacles the migrant workers face, their thoughts about their hom eland, and their plans for building a better life:The number of migrant workers in USA runs into millions. They are available for all types of work related to agriculture, like planting, weeding, harvesting and packing. Their contribution is basic and fundamental, but in return, they don’t get what they deserve. Their income is less than $7,500 an year. (Ahn, 2004)The working conditions are dangerous from the point of view of health, for they have to toil in the hot fields below the hotter sun, they handle  Ã‚   not too safe farm equipments, the ill effects of physical exposure to herbicides, chemical fertilizers and poisonous pesticides do serious damage to their health.â€Å"Often we went into the fields barefoot,† remembers Jorge Giron, from the Mixtec town of Santa Maria Tindu, who now lives in Fresno. His wife, Margarita, recalls that in the labor camp â€Å"the rooms were made of cardboard, and you could see other families through the holes. When you had to re lieve yourself, you went in public because there were no bathrooms. You would go behind a tree or tall grass and squat. People bathed in the river and further down others would wash their clothes and drink. A lot of people came down with diarrhea and vomiting.† The strikes, they say, forced improvements. (Bacon, 2005)2. In what way do the members of these communities face ethnic and racial discrimination?The main problem of the migrant workers is their status. Since they are illegal entrants, the worry of their clandestine stay bothers them during 24 hours in a day. Their number is more than 52% of the total workforce. (Ahn, 2004) They move like caravans, depending upon the requirements in a particular area.This affects their lifestyle adversely, because they live in temporary houses, in congested areas where sanitation facilities are too poor. Some spend their nights in their cars or dusted fields; under temporary structures.   They work even when they are sick, for the med ical facilities are poor, one is afraid to ask for them for the fear of losing wages, or even the job. In case of prolonged illness, the chances of being deported are certain.Long periods of absence from homeland and the denial of the association of near and dear ones, lead to depression in many cases. Since the job is temporary and without any perquisites, they remain engulfed in a sense of insecurity. They live under compulsion, for they have to support their family members in a distant land, who are expecting their remittances month after month. Migrant workers with the family, face another problem of education of their children, as they have to constantly shift from one school to another.The children are brought up in uncertain and poor conditions and they develop a sense of inferiority complex. The racial and ethnic problems though not there legally, yet in the day to day dealings, they show their presence. â€Å"Labor organizing was part of the mix here too. In 1993 FIOB bega n collaboration with the United Farm Workers. â€Å"We recognized the UFW was a strong union representing agricultural workers,† Dominguez explains. â€Å"They recognized us as an organization fighting for the rights for indigenous migrants.†But it was an uneasy relationship. Mixtec activists felt that UFW members often exhibited the same discriminatory attitudes common among Mexicans back home toward indigenous people. Fighting racism in Mexico, however, had prepared them for this. According to Rivera Salgado, â€Å"the experience of racism enforces a search for cultural identity to resist [and] creates the possibility of new forms of organization and action.†(Bacon, 2005)3. What kinds of organizations have they formed to protect themselves?Cezar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers Union and the farm workers stand up for their rights. His pressure tactics made the growers sign the contract, which protected worker’s interests. Laws are being framed one after another, but these have proved to be laws designed for exploitation. For every provision of the law for protecting the interests of the workers, the legal brains of the employers find an escape route. â€Å"Labor shortages caused by World War II resulted in the 1942 U.S./Mexico Bracero Program. Bracero contracts ranged from one to six months, and employers were required to provide food and housing, pay local wage rates, cover medical expenses, and provide transportation between Mexico and the farm.These clauses, however, were rarely enforced and growers routinely exploited Braceros by shorting the hours they worked or changing the rate of pay once the work was completed.†(Ahn, 2004) With strong protests from the labor, the Bracero Program was terminated in 1964.United Farm Workers Union of America (UDW) is credited with securing improvement in the working conditions of California farm workers and now the workers have the legal mandate of access to faucets, toilets and cold drinking water. But the Unions face a peculiar problem. They don’t get the necessary support from the workers. Less than 10 percent of all strawberry workers are unionized.(Ahn, 2004)At the National level, there are several organizations fighting for the rights of the workers. Some of them are the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida, Farm Labor Organizing Committee in North Carolina etc.4. How does their position in American society compare with the civil rights struggles of other groups we have studied?The Civil Rights Struggle is a broad struggle, having national and international repercussions. The problem of migrant worker is a â€Å"struggle within the struggle.†(Own)   Rights for the workers are the consequential action to the Civil Rights struggle. Now that the civil rights issues are settled legally, it is time that the government pays sincere attention to the plight of the migrant workers, so it does not turn out to be an issue like the issue of s lavery in disguise.Conclusion:Unfortunately in USA, democracy and capitalism have joined hands to give a free reign to exploitation and the workers are at the receiving ends. What to talk about those illegal migrant workers. They are like smuggled goods liable to be confiscated by the Government at any time. Some tangible steps need to be taken to reconcile these good ideals. USA has tried combinations and permutations, by placing emphasis on one or the other ideal. The problem of migrant workers is mainly the human problem, apart from the one that of legal and economic.The concept by the workers that the Management is the sworn enemy and they must be a war with it always, is wrong. Similarly, the Management needs to have the humane approach. The thought process both the parties need to change. Then only their action process will also change. So, when the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed.References Cited:Ahn, Christine, Article: Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy | For Land †¦Workers Without Rights in American Agriculture, (2004)†¦Bacon, David (Author), Carlos, Jr. Munoz (Foreword), Douglas Harper (Foreword) Book: Communities without Borders: Images and Voices from the World of MigrationPaperback: 235 pagesPublisher: ILR Press; 1 edition (October 2006)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0801473071ISBN-13: 978-0801473074Proverb: Source anonymousOwn: This symbol is my own creation.Bacon, David: Article: Communities Without Borders (David Bacon);The Nation: October 2005 issue.