Identification of Epitope in EAV N Protein

Identification of Epitope in EAV N Protein Identification of a novel conserved B cell epitope in the N protein of EAV (Bucyrus strain) Running title: Identification of epitope in EAV N protein. Highlights: One EAV N-specific mAb 1C11 was developed. A minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was identified. The identified epitope was conserved among different regional EAV strains. The mAb and identified epitope may be useful diagnostic tools for EAV infection. Abstract Objective: To identify the minimal epitope of N protein of the equine arteritis virus (EAV). Methods: The full-length sequence of EAV N gene was cloned by RT-PCR and ligated into pET32a vector for expression. The recombinant pET-N protein was expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni affinity chromatography. The purified N protein was used to immunize mice for preparing monoclonal antibody (mAb). The reactivity of mAb was evaluated by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The peptides were identified using the prepared mAb by indirect ELISA and Western blot. The homology analysis was performed using DNAMAN software. Results: Recombinant EAV N protein was successfully expressed in the procaryon expression system. An EAV N-reactive mAb was selected and designated as 1C11. Indirect ELISA results showed that overlapping domain of MBP-N10 and MBP-N11 was recognized by the mAb 1C11. Further, the indirect ELISA and Western blot showed that 101QRKVAP106 was the minimal linear epitope of the EAV N protein. The homology analysis showed that the identified epitope is conserved among all EAV isolated strains, with the exception of the ARVAC which is a modified live virus vaccine strain. Conclusion: One EAV N-specific mAb was developed and a minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was identified. The EAV N-specific mAb and the defined linear peptide epitope of EAV N protein may be useful for the development of specific diagnostic tools and design of vaccine. Keywords: Epitope; N protein; Equine arteritis virus; Monoclonal antibody Introduction Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the etiologic agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA) which is a respiratory and reproductive disease of horses [1-3]. EAV was à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst isolated from horses in Ohio in 1953. It is the prototype virus of the family Arteriviridae (genus Arterivirus, order Nidovirales) [4, 5]. EAV infection of horses has been reported in many countries including New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa [6-10]. EAV is a positive-sense, enveloped and single-stranded RNA molecule with a length of 12.7kb [11]. It contains two large open reading frames (ORFs, 1a and 1b) and seven smaller ORFs (2a, 2b, and 3 to 7). ORFs 1a and 1b encode two replicase polyproteins (pp1a and pp1ab), whereas the ORFs 2a, 2b, 5, 6, and 7 encode the known EAV structural proteins E, GS, GL, M, and N, respectively [12]. Moreover, ORFs 3 and 4 encode glycosylated membrane-associated proteins whose functional role is still under debate [13, 14]. EAV N can be used as an alternative protein candidate of diagnostic antigens and accounts for 35-40% of the total virion protein [15]. B cell epitopes involved in the immune response against EAV [16]. In the present study, we aimed to identify the precise B cell epitope using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against EAV N protein. Our result will provide important information for developing serological diagnosis of EAV infection and understanding the antigenic structure of EAV N protein and vaccine design. Materials and methods Ethics statement Care and use of laboratory animals and all animal experiments were in accordance with animal ethics guidelines established by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee in China. All animal studies were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SYXK (H) 2006-032). Cell lines and virus SP2/0 myeloma and Rabbit kidney 13 (RK-13) cells were cultured and maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) in a humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere at 37 °C. All culture media were supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (GIBCO, Invitrogen) and antibiotics (0.1mg/ml streptomycin and 100 IU/ml penicillin).The Bucyrus strain of EAV (GenBank accession No. NC-002532.2, a highly cell culture-adapted strain provided by the key laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Animal Viral Diseases in Yunnan province, China) was propagated in RK-13 cells and stored at -80à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. Expression and characterization of recombinant EAV N protein The full-length sequence of EAV N gene was cloned by RT-PCR using the following primers: 5†²-CCCGGATCCATGGCGTCAAGACGATC-3†² (upstream) and 5†²-TTTGTCGACTTACGGCCCTGCTGGAGGCGCAAC-3†² (downstream). The primers contained BamH I and Sal I restriction sites (italicized). The purified and digested PCR product was ligated into an expression vector pET32a (Novagen, Germany). The pET-N recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) and 1mM isopropyl-ÃŽ ²-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG, Invitrogen, USA) was used for inducing expression of N protein. The recombinant proteins were obtained from the bacterial lysates. The insoluble inclusion bodies were washed and solubilized with phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4). Then, the recombinant N protein fused with 6 His-tags was evaluated by SDS-PAGE and purified by Ni affinity chromatography according to manufacturer’s instruction (Invitrogen). Preparation and characterization of mAbs against N protein EAV N-reactive mAb was generated as previously described [17]. Briefly, 6-week-old female BALB/c mice were immunized with the purified recombinant N protein (100ÃŽ ¼g per mouse) mixed with an equal volume of Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA, Sigma, USA). Two booster injections containing the same amount of purified N protein in an equal volume of Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FICA) were given at 2-week intervals. The purified N protein without adjuvant was injected intraperitoneally as the final immunization. After three days of the final injection, the mice were euthanized and their splenocytes were fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol (PEG4000, Sigma). The hybridoma cells were seeded into 96-well plates and selected in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) selection medium (DMEM containing 20% fetal bovine serum, 100g/ml streptomycin, 100IU/ml penicillin, 100mM hypoxanthine, 16mM thymidine, and 400 mM aminopterin). After 5 days, the medium was re moved and replaced with hypoxanthine-thymidine (HT)-DMEM medium (DMEM containing 20% fetal bovine serum, 100g/ml streptomycin, 100IU/ml penicillin, 100mM hypoxanthine, and 16mM thymidine). After selection in HAT and HT medium, hybridoma supernatants were screened for evaluating reactivity and specificity of mAb by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The class and subclass of the mAb was determined using a SBA ClonotypingTM System/HRP (Southern Biotechnology Associates, Inc., Birmingham, AL35260, USA). Polypeptide design and expression Eleven overlapping peptides spanning the N protein were designed (Table 1,). For each peptide, a pair of oligonucleotide strands was synthesized. Each pair of oligonucleotide strands was annealed and cloned into the BamHà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚   and Sal I sites of pMALâ„ ¢-C4x vector and expressed as MBP-N fusion proteins. These MBP-fused proteins were named consecutively MBP-N1 to MBP-N11. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into E.coli Rosetta (DE3) (Novagen). Each MBP-fused polypeptide was induced by IPTG and screened by indirect ELISA. Briefly, MBP tags and purified N protein were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Ninety-six-well microtiter plates were coated with expressed MBP-N fusion proteins at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ overnight and blocked with 5% skim milk for 1 h at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. After washing three times by PBST (PBS plus 0.5% Tween-20), 100 ÃŽ ¼l of mAb was added to wells and incubated at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 1 h. Then, the plates were washed three ti mes by PBST and incubated with diluted horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG (Abcam, UK) at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 1 h. The color was developed and the reaction was stopped with 2M H2SO4. The absorbance at 450 nm was measured. All assays repeated three times and the average of the three values was calculated. Identification of the epitopes The MBP-N-fusion proteins were identified by indirect ELISA and Western blot using the mAb. Indirect ELISA was performed as mentioned above. For Western blot, the purified MBP-N recombinant proteins were electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE, and then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. Nonspecific antibody binding sites on the membrane were blocked with 5% skim milk in PBS overnight at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The membrane was washed and incubated with mAbs for 1h at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The membrane was incubated with HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG secondary antibody after five times washing with PBST. Following another five times washing, the color was developed using 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and terminated by rinsing the membrane with deionized water. Homology analysis To evaluate the conservation of the identified linear epitope among EAV from different geographic areas, the identified epitope and the corresponding regions of other regional EAV virus strains were aligned using DNAMAN software (Lynnon BioSoft Inc., USA). Results Production of recombinant EAV N protein and mAb As shown in Fig.1a, Recombinant EAV N protein was successfully expressed in the procaryon expression system. A clear single target band with expected molecular weight was displayed. Accordingly, the recombinant EAV N protein was suitable as an antigen for immunization and hybridoma screening. Purified proteins were utilized to immunize BALB/c mice. After cell fusion and selection, an EAV N-reactive mAb generated from one hybridoma cell line was selected for its strong reactivity against N protein. This mAb was designated as 1C11. As shown in Fig.1b, c, mAb 1C11 reacted with recombinant N protein and total protein of EAV (Fig.1b, c). The reactivity of mAb was also assessed using RK-13 cells by IFA (Fig.1d). The mAb only reacted with EAV infected cells and not reacted with uninfected control RK-13 cells. Identification of EAV N epitope To localize linear antigenic epitopes within the N protein, 11 16-amino acid long MBP fused peptides (MBP-N1 MBP-N11) were expressed and probed by mAb 1C11 by indirect ELISA. The results showed that MBP-N10 (91TVSWVPTKQIQRKVAP106) and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAPPAGP110) epitopes were recognized by the mAb 1C11 (OD450 > 1) (Fig. 2a). All the left fragments (MBP-N1-9) failed to react with the mAb. Because adjacent epitopes have 12 overlaps, we deduced that the linear epitope located in the overlapping domain of MBP-N10 and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAP106). To identify the minimal linear peptide epitope within this overlapping domain, a series of truncated polypeptides were expressed as MBP-fusion proteins. Ultimately, the indirect ELISA and Western blot showed that 101QRKVAP106 was the minimal linear epitope for the reactivity of the EAV N protein recognized by mAb 1C11 (Fig. 2c, d). Homology analysis Sequence alignment was performed to evaluate the conservation of the identified epitope among different regional EAV viruses (Fig. 3). The identified epitope is conserved among all EAV isolated strains, with the exception of the ARVAC which is a modified live virus vaccine strain. Discussion Mapping location of viral protein epitopes and defining the degree of their conservation may play an important role for understanding of the antigenic structure, virus-antibody interactions. It may be very useful for vaccine design and clinical applications. In this study, the B cell epitopes of EAV N protein were identified using a mAb. Epitope mapping using mAbs has become a powerful tool to study protein structure and provides new tools to diagnose diseases and design vaccines [18]. Here, we defined one peptide epitope of EAV N protein in by using an EAV N-specific mAb. To our knowledge, epitope on the N protein of EAV has been published, but no previous studies about 101QRKVAP106 have been reported. Starick et al. [19] produced a mAb against the N protein to detect EAV. Weiland et al. [20] used the same method to produce a mAb against the N protein of EAV and to distinguish different virus isolates from semen and tissue samples after passaging through RK-13, Vero and fetal equine kidney cells. However, the minimal epitope of these mAb was not defined precisely. Similar to the work of Starick et al. and Weiland et al. [19, 20], a mAb named 1C11 against EAV N protein was prepared by using recombinant N protein expressed in E. coli and used for identifying B-cell epitopes on EAV N protein. mAb 1C11 reacted well with EAV by WB and IFA, thus this antibody may be a useful detection tool in EAV diagnosis. mAbs are useful and effective for mapping antigenic epitopes of viral proteins. In this study, for epitope mapping, 11 overlapping peptides from EAV N protein were expressed with MBP tags and identified by ELISA to screen linear epitopes. The ELISA results showed that the epitope located in the sharing region of MBP-N10 (91TVSWVPTKQIQRKVAP106) and MBP-N11 (95VPTKQIQRKVAPPAGP110). Then this region (95VPTKQIQRKVAP106) was expressed, and 7 peptides with deletions were obtained to identify the precise epitope. According to the results of ELISA and Western blot, 101QRKVAP106 was considered as the minimal linear epitope of EAV protein. This result is different from the previous studies [15, 21] which stated that the precise epitope of N protein located in amino acids 1-69. This may be due to the difference of the specificity and reactivity of the mAbs. Sometimes, a mAb can react with different locations of a viral protein. Sequence alignment showed that the identified epitope is very conservative among distinct regional EAV strains, but with a mutation of one amino acids on the ARVAC N protein epitope. This result suggests a slight regional difference emerged in this epitope. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish anti-Bucyrus EAV antibody from anti- ARVAC EAV antibody by using the epitope as antigen. This will be helpful in distinguishing the distinct regional EAV infection. This finding indicates that the N epitope of EAV identified in our study have a potential use in serological monitoring and differential diagnosis. In conclusion, one EAV N-specific mAb was developed and a minimal linear peptide epitope within the N protein was defined. The EAV N-specific mAb and the defined linear peptide epitope of EAV N protein may be useful for the development of specific diagnostic tools and design of vaccine.

Gender Changes In Popular Media Essay examples -- essays research pape

Gender Differences as Portrayed in LIFE Magazine from 1937-1960 Between the years of 1937 and 1960,LIFE underwent changes involving the portrayal of the genders. In popular literature, stereotypes and views of certain subjects are often displayed for future study. In the case of gender differences, advertisements and articles yield the best portrayal of gender stereotyping of the time. The following issues of LIFE magazine were used in this paper: January-February 1937, January-February 1945, January-February 1952, and January-February 1960. At the end of the Great Depression in 1937, women had a very simple stereotype in the popular media. They were portrayed as staying home, cleaning, cooking, and mothering. The only pictures of women in LIFE were of housewives doing some sort of domestic work. Men were portrayed exactly the opposite, out at social functions or at some sort of important occupation. One of the first ads in the magazine was an advertisement for Colgate toothpaste. It pictured a girl in college complaining to her roommate that no one likes her and she is quitting school, â€Å"I should have never gone to college†. She then goes to her dean to quit and realizes she has bad breath. The dentist gives her Colgate and soon she has a date for the prom. â€Å"I love college now.† This cartoon advertisement seems to imply that in 1937, women went to college to get married. Most of the other articles involving women were ones that involved housework. Every last one of the cleaning and food advertisements had a pretty lady in a dress holding the item. Moreover, if there was a man in the picture, he was either getting food at the dinner table or sick in bed with his wife nursing him back to health. All of these articles implied the same thing: women stayed in the house and took care of all the domestic activities. Some ads did portray women outside the home. One cigarette ad had both a man and a woman on it. The Camel man was a cowboy, watching his herd, the Camel woman was a pretty young secretary busy a t her typewriter. There was obviously a clear division of labor in 1937. Finally there was an popular art series exhibited in LIFE in January. The article was written about a series of murals painted of the depression. All the men in the paintings were working hard, carrying mailbags, building a house, farm work, and other hard labor jobs. The women were s... .... Less and less of the advertisements pictured women in a traditional dress. Also, while most of the articles in the previous issues had been about men, the 1960 issue was written as much about female accomplishments as it was about men’s. Concerning changes in male gender roles, one article titled, â€Å"New Roles in the Household† described instances of men tending to the house, cooking cleaning, and the kids, while the mother was out at work. In addition, one of the cover stories was of the US women’s Olympic ski team. Attitudes were changing by the early 1960’s. Women were not conforming to the past gender stereotypes. Instead, they were inventing a new one, which continues to further change today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender roles changed a lot in this century and popular literature like LIFE magazine changed with it. At first women had a set role in the house, expected to tend to the house and children and not pursue careers of their own. Thirty years later men and women had changed the way they lived life as a gender. Popular magazine articles provided a good illustration of what we were like culturally seventy years ago, and how we have changed today.

A Critique on the Article: Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones Essay

According to the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics (â€Å"BRICE†) business leaders of the 21st century face a number of difficult and complex challenges that greatly affect their businesses as well as the various stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is nothing new considering the fallout of the recent global financial crisis as well as the events preceding which can be summarized by unethical business practices perpetuated by giant corporations like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and many more (Kiviat, 2008). However, these three companies only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unethical business practices. There are many firms with secrets that are kept hidden but not for long. In this regard BRICE suggested that the problems related to business ethics can be remedied by going to the root of the matter which is the process of making decisions. BRICE asserted that there are â€Å"ethical danger zones† that a leader must learn to avoid when making crucial decisions. Furthermore, BRICE added that this can be achieved by focusing on three areas: quality, breadth, and honesty. This paper will analyze how these principles can be applied in the real world. Quality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to BRICE the quality of the decision making process is determined by the collection and consideration of all meaningful facts regarding a decision’s consequences (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is a good idea but the question is how will the leader know that nothing was left out? According to the said resource this can be done by identifying danger zones such as ethnocentrism, stereotypes, inability to perceive the correct cause of a problem, sin of omission, and the inability to focus on people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were doing just fine up until they added the concept of sin of omission and the inability to focus on people. It is easy to understand why they pinpointed ethnocentrism, stereotypes and wrong perception of causes as pitfalls in achieving quality in decision making. This is due to the fact that ethnocentrism automatically creates a biased worldview. The leader automatically has this false sense of security, that his or her system of beliefs and values are the best and he or she need not adapt to a rapidly changing world. The same thing can be said about using stereotypes especially in a global economy where the headquarters of a particular firm can be found in the United States but its factories are located in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ability to know for certain the root cause of a problem is also a useful skill in decision making but when the authors added the need to focus on people and to watch out for the sin of omission the discussion suddenly went off course. There should have been more discussion in clarifying the three aforementioned principles to help explain in detail how to improve the quality of the decision making process because the authors stated clearly in the very beginning that quality can only be achieved by considering and collecting pertinent information. But the added sub-topic immediately went to the details of how to solve a particular problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors should have clarified the reason why leaders make assumptions. In other words they should have added more explanation and illustrations why leaders are unable to collect and consider necessary information to help them in making accurate judgments and creating solutions to their problems. It was too early to go into specifics, and more importantly, the authors were only able to scratch the surface when they attempted to go in-depth when it comes to the discussion of perception of causes. If they are not willing to develop the discussion even further they should have stayed with generalizations and not start off with a quest that they could not complete. Breadth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the authors, another way to improve the decision making process is to consider the potential effects of a particular decision on all stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). They even contended that leaders must utilize their imagination to determine possible moral implications of their decisions that could impact other stakeholders; these are stakeholders that may lie outside their sphere of responsibility. This is a good point. Clearly the leaders of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco did not consider the impact of their unethical behavior (Thomas, 2006). However, the authors did not clarify the boundaries for this principle to work effectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there are no limitations then corporate leaders will be hard presses to please everyone. In a global economy it is impossible to know the exact implication of a corporate decision. This should make CEOs extra cautious when it comes to making crucial decisions but an objective assessment of the market will lead to the conclusion that it is impossible to consider the opinion of everyone. More importantly nothing has been said when it comes to priorities. It is nice to hear that a company is doing its best to be produce environmentally friendly products so that it can lessen its impact on the environment and therefore create positive impact for future generations, however, their number one priority should be the investors and the stockholders of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No one is foolish enough to make an investment without making a reasonable profit in return. Although the authors clarified that a leader must have a realistic worldview, nothing was said regarding the firm’s bottom line. These statements are even harder to accept if it turns out that the authors never had any experience when it comes to making decisions in the corporate level or at least as an entrepreneur. They may have no idea what it feels like to put everything on the line only to find out that the business venture is losing money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to have leaders that think beyond dollars and cents and perform in such a way that they are not only thinking about the wishes and commands of investors and shareholders. On the other hand it must be made clear that a firm has to have revenues and increase its value or else it will cease to exist. Examining every decision made in light of moral and ethical principles is the best way to do business; nevertheless the primary commitment of the company is not with outsiders but the shareholders and the employees. The CEO must keep in mind that the moment the company is no longer making profit then employees will no longer have jobs and those who come to depend upon their products and services will be greatly inconvenienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were correct in saying that it is unwise to assume that the public may never find out. But there is really no need to devote much space regarding this topic. It is an important topic by the way; nevertheless, it does not seem to fit the target audience of BRICE. The message makes sense but it is not what top corporate leaders are interested in reading. In the foreword the authors stated that BRICE has come into partnership with Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers of leading corporations with a combined workforce of more than ten million people and $4 trillion in revenues (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). These are the type of leaders that will read this document and they will never assume that the general public will never find out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors may have been trying to say that even if the fall of greedy corporate executives such as the former CEOs of Enron and Tyco are well known there are still leaders who are not afraid to walk the same path and so they assumed that these leaders are not conscious of the fact that their actions will never be made public. There could be a better way to discuss this issue and it is to find out why CEOs are sometimes forced to ignore the low-probability events and other waning signs. It is because they are under tremendous pressure to perform, to make money for the firm. Corporate leaders managing multinational companies with a global presence will never assume that the general public will never find out. The authors should have explained why some CEOs are willing to walk near the edge when they know that they are courting disaster. The authors should have delved deeper into the psychology behind bending the rules for the sake of profit. There is an explanation why CEOs find it hard to resist the temptation to use a scheme that will guarantee a sudden increase in profit even if they knew that somehow they had to break a few rules. If the authors focused on this angle instead of giving generalizations then the article could have been an interesting read for CEOs leading multi-million dollar companies. The authors should have focused more on the tension that exists when leaders are pulled into different directions – the company’s bottom line is pulling the company that way while business ethics is pulling the other way. The authors should have elaborated more on what Mulcahy the CEO of Xerox said regarding the proper way to manage this tension and it can be truncated into this one statement: The company will pay for performance but the company will hire, promote, and fire based on values; employees will have to deliver the top line and the bottom line and do it in the most ethical manner (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). The authors should have expounded more on this. Honesty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last portion of the article dealt with the concept of honesty, integrity, and overconfidence. It is easy to see that the last word does not belong to the previous statement. Honesty, integrity and moral compass are like complimentary objects and deserve to be grouped together. The question remains why overconfidence was a sub-topic that was used to elucidate the meaning of honesty. The authors linked honesty and overconfidence by stating that a leader must be honest about his or her overconfidence. With great effort this premise will work but there is a less strenuous way to get the point across. There is a much better way to communicate without forcing the reader to perform some extreme mental calisthenics. Quite frankly there is really nothing wrong with the said statement but it just does not sound right and it is confusing for those whose who may not have time to go through the document more than one time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who are expected to read this document are CEOs, and although they appreciate statistics and factual reporting they also like simplicity in the presentation of ideas. By using tough to digest words like ethical danger zones and not provide a clear explanation of what it is all about can frustrate many of them and they will never finish reading the whole article. The article can be seen as an assemblage of disjointed parts. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors started out strong by stating that there are ethical danger zones that corporate leaders should avoid especially during these difficult and challenging times. However, they were unable to give new information that would be of great help to leaders of multinational corporations. Instead they settled with generalizations and used oft-repeated statements that are already well-known in the international business community. It can be argued that members of the Business Roundtable came into partnership with BRICE to learn more about business ethics. They surely did not expect an article or a manifesto telling them something that they know already. These leaders are aware of the dangers that exist when an organization ignores business ethics. What they need to understand is how to balance the need for profit and the need to perform at the highest levels without compromising the organization’s core values. References Kiviat, B. (2008). â€Å"Reassessing Risk.† Retrieved 03 August 2010 from   http://www.time.com/ time/magazine/article/0,9171,1856998,00.html Messick, D., M. Bazerman, & L. Stewart. (2006). Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones. Business Rountable Institute for Corporate Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/danger_zones.pdf Thomas, C. (2006). â€Å"The Enron Effect.† Accessed 03 August 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198917,00.html

The Most Important Turning Points in Senator Joe...

The Most Important Turning Points in Senator Joe McCarthys Political Career Joe McCarthy gained fame at the height of the Red Scare in America, between 1945 and 1952. During the Red Scare, people were very worried about the rise of communism in the world. In 1946 there was the discovery of a large communist spy ring in Canada. It began to make people paranoid about communists in trades unions. At that time, Joe McCarthy was a senator for the Republicans; he was in direct opposition to President Truman, a Democrat. The issue of the Red Scare was an important way to get votes and many programs and bills were passed to stop the infiltration of spies and communists into American society. The†¦show more content†¦This captivated the American people, and it was the time at which the Red Scare was at its most intense. McCarthy was taking advantage of it, constantly accusing people of being communists, doctoring photos to prove it. He accused the media, and the film industry. When Eisenhower, a fellow Republican, became President, McCarthy lost the friction he had always had between himself and the President, which he had always thrived on. Fred Salmon 11MO Eventually McCarthy overstepped the line, accusing the army of hiding 45 communists in its ranks. He had no real proof or evidence that he was correct in his accusations. The media was accusing him of faking photos and evidence just to get fame; people were beginning to look harder at what he was saying. A commission was soon set up to hear the charges between the U.S army and McCarthy. 20 million people watched on TV as the lawyer Robert Welch humiliated McCarthy. McCarthy turned up drunk. Ending up with everyone connected to him getting extremely embarrassed by him, even fellow Republican senators. Eventually he made the mistake of claiming that a man in Robert Welchs company was in fact a communist, once, a long time ago. This appalling accusation was not popular, and Robert Welch completely wiped the floor with him. McCarthys time was gone; he was disgraced,Show MoreRelatedPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower2547 Words   |  11 PagesPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower, the beloved and protective father figure of post-World War II, is perhaps most revered for his competence, and whose leadership as a Commander-In-Chief kept a nation safe during an unsettling period of the Cold War. He is highly regarded as one of our country’s greatest military leaders; however, he is considered a good, but not a great president. ‘Great presidents’ inherently ‘possess’ a visionary leadership role; that is they know the direction in which they wantRead MoreEssay on McCarthyism and the Conservative Political Climate of Today6203 Words   |  25 PagesMcCarthyism and the Conservative Political Climate of Today nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;FOR ALMOST fifty years, the words quot;McCarthyquot; and quot;McCarthyismquot; have stood for a shameful period in American political history. During this period, thousands of people lost their jobs and hundreds were sent to prison. The U.S. government executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, two Communist Party (CP) members, as Russian spies. All of these people were victims of McCarthyism, the witch-hunt