The Time between Death and the Discovery of the Corpse Assignment

The Time between Death and the Discovery of the Corpse - Assignment Example This highlighted the aim of the study to show the importance of considering the effects of larval crowding that could cause PMI errors during casework. It was found out that increased larval crowding resulted in faster development of C. vomitoria and the size of C. vomitoria that could cause overestimation and underestimation of PMI respectively if not accounted for during casework. The major limitation of this research is that the study only explored development during larval stages. This means that further investigations are needed before making direct comparisons with the results. Moreover, comparison with other studies was difficult because the muscle used in each experiment had a different origin and was likely to cause variation in the results. The consideration of space available to larvae within a culture affects competitive interactions would be required. The research had several strengths while conducting the research. The researchers ensured that food was always in excess so that competitive effects could be ruled out. They also reared the cultures in different pig tissue enabling them to determine the development rate at different larval densities in cultures reared in the brain, liver, and muscle while keeping the experimental conditions identical. The effects of larval crowding at three intervals on each of the three tissues were observed for the greatest changes in body tissues. It was found out that the brain was the least nourishing and due to lower protein levels and higher water content, there was rapid consumption compared to the other tissues. In conclusion, the research was justified because it effectively gave light to how overcrowding during larval stages of development resulted in a competitive feeding environment, therefore, affecting size, development rate, and survival.  

Foundations of Finance and Financial Management Assignment

Foundations of Finance and Financial Management - Assignment Example 4) There could be multiple reasons why this "free rating" would have angered the issuer of bonds. It could be because that the rating company is not familiar with the firm policies and has not taken into account some of the necessary information that would have given a completely different angle or picture to the bond rating. Similarly, the rating published by this company could have "put-off" some of the potential investors from investing into these bonds and hence the issuer of the bonds would have lose some of the potential money that they could have borrowed by issuing bonds. 2) The logic behind this model is that dividend grows at a constant rate in perpetuity. By perpetuity we mean that the dividend payments will continue forever and hence the value of stock will be equal to next year's dividend divided by required rate of return minus assumed dividend growth. 3) There are multiple reasons for that. The first reason is those preferred stockholders have a immediate claim on company's profit which is before the real owners of the company- ordinary stockholder. Similarly, the dividend percentage is fixed and if the company cannot pay it in the current year, it will have to pay it in the future.

The Realities of Juvenile Crime In The United States Essay

The Realities of Juvenile Crime In The United States - Essay Example Different investigations and studies have been conducted on juvenile crime and justice. Major issues of these studies include juvenile delinquency and offense status. Other issues include comparison of adult courts and juvenile courts, variables that correlate with juvenile crime rates, delinquency, effects on the young tried as adults and current issues in the juvenile justice. The difference between the juvenile courts and adult courts include the absence of the right to bail in childrens court. If a minor is detained in a juvenile hall, you cannot post a bond to get him or her out. Another difference is that in juvenile courts, the parents and guardian are questioned by the court during hearings about their childs behavior. The responses of the parent or the guardian play a role in determining the case, however, this does not exist in adult courts. Also juvenile court hearing is closed to the public meaning that the general public is not inside juvenile courts with the exception of family members, but in adult court the general public can attend the trial hearing. Typically, in juvenile court the mental health and substance abuse evaluations are carried out, a rare phenomenon in adult courts (World Youth Report, 2003). The causes that correlates to juvenile crimes includes drugs and substance. Drug abuse causes delinquency among teenager leading to committing crimes such as precocious sex activity, school failure, gun ownership and other related behaviors. The social media plays a part in juvenile crimes; television and movies have promoted "cult of heroes" that advocate justice through physical means that seek the elimination of enemies. This has been supported by the American Psychological Association that concluded that television violence contribute up to 10% of aggressive behavior among teenagers. Peer influence is also a major cause of delinquent

Limitations Of Anaerobic Power In Children Physical Education Essay

Limitations Of Anaerobic Power In Children Physical Education Essay There has been an increasing number of children and adolescents that are involving in resistance training for anaerobic power in schools, fitness centers, and sports training facilities. In addition to increasing muscular strength and power, regular exercise activity in pediatric resistance training may be beneficial. It can influence on ones body composition, bone health, and reduce the risk of sport-related injuries. Resistance training is targeted to improve low fitness levels and poor trunk strength as well as improve health and fitness benefits to young athletes. Pediatric resistance training programs need to be well-designed and supervised by qualified professionals who understand the physical and psychosocial uniqueness of children and adolescents. The different training methods along with the progression of the program over time should be challenging and enjoyable for the children. Introduction Anaerobic power is energy that is stored in muscles in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and can be accessed without the use of oxygen. There are two systems that conduct this type of power which are the phosphagen system and the lactic acid system. People use this form of energy in short bursts that cannot be sustained for no longer than about two minutes. The first stage of the anaerobic power is adenosine triphosphate phospho-creatine (ATP-PC), which only supplies energy for about one to six seconds, after that the phosphagen system takes place, and then the lactic acid system or glycolytic system, which begins by producing energy by breaking down carbohydrates. While these systems are running, the body is using more energy than it can replenish, which may lead to cramping, fatigue, and lactic acid buildup quickly. Individuals should train to improve their anaerobic power by building their capacity to use power systems that do not require oxygen. Measuring Anaerobic Power For adolescence, anaerobic capacity can be measured by using the Wingate test. In this test, a person pedals a mechanically braked bicycle for thirty seconds as fast as possible, and a flywheel is used to count revolutions. Testing an individuals capacity frequently ensures that his or her workout routines are improving their abilities. Direct measurements of the rate or capacity of anaerobic pathways for energy turnover presents several ethical and methodological difficulties. Therefore, rather than measuring energy supply, pediatric exercise scientists have concentrated on measuring short-term power output by means of standardized protocol tests such as short-term cycling power tests, running tests, or vertical jump tests. However, it is possible to measure by finding the levels of lactate on the pre-test and post-test phases as well as the individuals vital capacity. The level of lactate in blood (mmol per liter) is measured in accordance with a protocol that considers the analysi s of a 3mL sample of blood, using the calorimetric method and a lactate analyzer photometer (1). Vital capacity can be measured using a spirometer to measure the maximum amount of air that can be forcedly breath from the lungs after a maximum inspiration (1). As for children, findings have been reported by measuring mechanical force or power output files during sustained isometric maximal contractions or repeated bouts of high-intensity dynamic exercises (2). There is no perfect test, but it is important to acknowledge the benefits and limitations of each testing or training method. However, metabolic adaptations during exercise in children and adolescents have been rarely investigated using muscle biopsies, radioactive materials or arterial catheters. This is due to the invasiveness of these techniques. Ethically for children, measurements have to be relatively non-invasive, and certainly must carry minimal or no risk to health (2). Benefits Resistant training can offer many benefits for children and adolescents when it is properly prescribed and monitored. The potential benefits would be an increase in muscle strength, muscle power, local muscle endurance, enhanced motor skill and sports performance; also an improvement in bone mineral density, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and blood lipid profile as well as a reduced risk of sport-related injuries (3). Also, research concludes that caffeine seems to be ergogenic during high-intensity exercises and has effect on resistance training. High-intensity exercise seems to be favorable affected (i.e. sprinting, sprint cycling power) with methodologies employing protocols that mimic sport activities (i.e. 4-6 seconds) (4). Caffeine seems to be beneficial for athletes in sports such as soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and football (4). Limitations of Anaerobic Power There are limitations when training for anaerobic power. During childhood, children have an immature musculoskeletal system, which is structurally different than the mature system. When measuring, testing, or training for anaerobic power, it is important to recognize the limitations of the immature musculoskeletal system when designing training programs by modifying rules for sports and evaluating acute and sub acute injuries. The reason being of limitations is because of the high risks of children injuring themselves by overdoing their muscles during heavy weight training. Risks and Concerns Since anaerobic power involves explosive movements, there are some risks and concerns that one must take into consideration. Macrotrauma is a fast and sudden injury caused by a major force of action. For example, the injury could be due to a fall or hit during physical activity.   Macrotrauma can cause injuries such as fractures, sprains of ligaments, muscle strains, and bruises.   Also, there are risks of microtrauma, which is due to a repetitive injury over a long period of time. Types of injuries include stress fractures and many other syndromes. Macrotrauma can occur when performing in organized sports or during free play, and prevention of injuries requires adequate supervision, appropriate matching of competitors, and modification of rules as well. Also, there are concerns about youth resistant training due to the fact that there is potential injury to the physis or growth plate in a young lifters body (3). However, the risk levels for adolescents is slightly smaller, which is why they are able to compete effectively and safely in anaerobic events and competition with supervision and guidance that is responsive to their unique musculoskeletal. Guidelines for pediatric resistant training should be followed for the safety of the children from serious injuries. Training for Anaerobic Power For children, it is suggested that kids should not put a lot of stress or over stress their bodies when it comes to weight training. Specialists believe that sports such as track and field (throw and jump events), basketball and volleyball (vertical jump) include anaerobic power for kids when power training. As for adolescence, they are able to do a more concentrated and modified training for anaerobic power such as plyometrics, ballistics, explosive strength training, and heavy strength training. Although there is no minimum age requirement at which children can start to resistant train, all participants must be mentally and physically ready to comply with coaching instructions and undergo the stress of a training program and if a child is ready for participation in sport activities (generally age 7 or 8), then he or she is ready for some type of resistant training (3). When designing resistant training programs for young athletes, the acute program design variables that should be c onsidered when designing pediatric resistant training programs include 1) warm-up and cool-down, 2) selection and order of exercise, 3) training intensity and volume, 4) rest intervals between sets and exercises, and 5) repetition velocity (3). The warm-up and cool-down is designed to evaluate core body temperature, enhance motor unit excitability, improve kinesthetic awareness, and maximize active ranges of motion (3). In selection and order of exercise, the individual must start with simple exercises and gradually progress to more advanced workouts. Training intensity and volume is referred to as the amount of resistance used and total amount worked during a training session. As for rest intervals between sets and exercises, 2-3 minutes are recommended for adult lifters. However, children and adolescents can resist fatigue to a greater extent, which gives them a 1 minute rest interval when performing a moderate-intensity resistance exercise activity. In repetition velocity, as you th increase movement velocity during training, it is critical that technical performance of each exercise is mastered before progressing to more advanced movements (3). Child and Adult Differences According to research, it is said that children are able to resist fatigue better than adults during one or several repeated high-intensity exercise bouts (2). During growth and development, mass-related short-term power output increases dramatically, and the increase in peak blood lactate becomes lower. Adults who complete strenuous exercise are usually exhausted and need several hours to recover from their effort. In contrast, children often request to repeat high-intensity exercises 15-30 minutes after their completion because they think that they could improve their previous performance (2). This shows that the observed difference between children, adolescents, and adults during short-term power output testing may be due to neuromuscular and hormonal factors as well as improved motor coordination. Conclusion Anaerobic fitness is used every day during the pediatric stages of life and has been given the impression that it has the potential to offer observable health and fitness value to children and adolescents (3). During physical activity or sport, it is known that the child is more attracted to short-burst or fast-like movements than to long-term activities. Also, it is well known that in anaerobic activities such as sprint cycling, sprint running or sprint swimming, the childs performance is poorer than the adult. This is partly due to the childs slower ability to generate mechanical energy from chemical energy sources during short-term high-intensity work or exercise. There are many studies that people believe how anaerobic power plays a huge role and how anaerobic activity works as well as why people need it. Also, it is known that increasing your anaerobic capacity can give you significant improvements in the efficiency of your aerobic system. Information shows that as children start to transition into adolescence and into adulthood, their recovery time increases, they are able to tolerate a lot more stress, and be more efficient anaerobically making them able to last longer while doing an intense activity. Overuse injuries due to repetitive microtrauma represents a new spectrum of injury that has arisen with the rise in organized sport for adolescents. Injury prevention for overuse injuries requires recognition of the risk factors for injury, and an appropriate modification and diversification of training regimens, an optimization of mechanics with technique and equipment, and adequate conditioning.

Essay --

Do you know what does corporate social responsibility mean? According to a few information from ic.gc.ca (Canada government website), Corporate social responsibility abbreviated by CSR that mean the way firms integrate social, environmental and economic concerns into their values, culture, decision making, strategy and operations in a transparent and accountable manner and thereby establish better practices within the firm, create wealth and improve society. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has described CSR as the business contribution to sustainable economic development. Building on a base of compliance with legislation and regulations, CSR typically includes commitments and activities pertaining to: corporate governance and ethics, health and safety, environmental stewardship, human rights (including core labor rights), human resource management, community involvement, development and investment , corporate philanthropy and employee volunteering , customer s atisfaction and adherence to principles of fair competition , anti-bribery and anti-corruption measures accountability, transparency and performance reporting, supplier relations, for both domestic and international supply chains. Generally, corporate social responsibility is usually useful for business because it can improve company’s net income. However, there are a lot of discussions over the topic. Some agree that social responsibility helps boost the company’s bottom line. Others say social responsibility really drags down the company’s bottom line. In my opinion, corporate social responsibility can improve company’s bottom line (net income). I want to talk about Sheraton hotel for interesting example to support my idea. First, Sheraton hotel is... ...l. If they are successful, they will create brand name for that company and help the company to increase revenues, profits. It means the corporate social responsibility improve company’s bottom line. In conclusion, I think the corporate social responsibility improve company’s bottom line. For these reasons, we also can see famous companies on the world; they have the corporate social responsibility policies to refer business strategy. They will assist net income of company to improve and significant rise in profits. Reference: Porter, K. (n.d.). American cancer society. Retrieved from http://action.acscan.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8703 Corporate social responsibility. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility corporate social responsibility. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/csr-rse.nsf/eng/home

After-Sale Service of Online Marketing Essay

Recent years have witnessed the increasing demands of consumers, the high product quality cannot be the only element for satisfying consumers but the after-sale service gradually dominants the purchasing psychology. In general, the after-sales service is one of the critical success factors for enhancing the consumer satisfaction, which is acknowledged by Asugman,G.et al.(1997) to some extent. More specifically, the further study from Smith (1998) emphasizes that the purchase intentions of the consumers is strongly influenced by the customer satisfaction about the ancillary services. For the purpose of this essay, after-sale service is defined as a range of services that the enterprise or dealer provide to the consumer after the sales of product, which can include the product introduction, the delivery and installation as well as the maintenance, etc. (Baidu cyclopedia,2012). It is vital to examine this area in order to achieve the consumer satisfaction, what’s more to make a success of on-line marketing. The question that remains to be answered is whether the after-sales service is the major element for the success of on-line marketing, or whether the managers should make the after-sales service become the augmented auxiliary production. . This research paper will take into account both sides of the issue, and critically evaluating the main views and evidence offered. Arguments will firstly be discussed from the Internet market environmental perspective. Subsequently, the evaluation of the overall impact of after-sales service on the network marketing will be demonstrated. Finally, the conclusions along with recommendations made to internet managers will be explored. Nowadays, the marketplace has a dramatic change as Rajan Varadarajan and Manjit S. Yadav(2009) assert that the competitive landscape has changed from the predominantly physical marketplace to one encompassing the physical marketplace and electronic marketplace, namely the Internet market environment. Whereas opponents who consider the after-sales service is the less important factor of the on-line marketing success claim that people prefer to purchasing on-line should attribute to the cheap and high-quality goods in the online-shop. It is contended that the Internet environment can provide an opportunity for the customer to select whatever they want and most consumers prefer to buy products as quickly as possible, which is also the convenience of the on-line market.(Baidu library, no date) Furthermore, the advertisements on the Internet often act as the facilitator who can promote the consumer to boost their purchasing interests, which in turn increase the profit of the company. However, the supporters against that the increasing innovative products in the Internet are not the major part of successful on-line marketing but the after-sales service due to the virtual Internet environment. For instance, R.G. Bundschuh and T.M. Dezvane (2003) investigate that in some online companies, they can obtain higher profit generated by after-sales service than the one from the sales, the service market can be four or five times larger than the market for products. Moreover, the large volume of information in the Internet environment can greatly contribute to the quality of after-sales service. The Taobao online shop in China can be an appropriate example, it has a integral network of after-sales service with appropriate usage of the communicating software named Aliwangwang.(Baidu cyclopedia, no date) Consequently, the after-sales service in the online environment plays an incentive role in making success of on-line market. Another convincing statement insisted by those who disapprove the perspective that after-sales service is the main factor of on-line marketing success is that the impact of after-sales service sometimes put pressure to the sales procedure. Hartline and Ferrell(1996) claim that the after-sales service environment is a context in the interfaces between the internal and external which take place concurrently and shape the stress level that employees experience. Therefore, the effect of after-sales service to some extent will increase the pressure of the employee to devote themselves to their sales work, which in reverse could decrease the sales volume as well as the interests in the company. However, it has to be acknowledged that the after-sales service is conducted to the success of on-line market as a result of the positive impact on the company as well as the consumer. One of the contentions in favor of that assertion is that the customer satisfaction must be the primary goal of the organization for success and growth, then after-sales service is the bridge for the employee to contact with customers for obtaining the feedback and satisfaction (Pertson and Willson,1992) . What’s more, the customer-oriented on-line market has to satisfy their customers’ demands, thus the systematic after-sales management could act as an effective approach. Loveman (1998) maintain that the customer satisfaction has an intimate relation with the loyalty of the consumer and financial stability of the firm. Consequently, the employees will be stimulated by the high-evaluated feedback of customers to make more contribution to the company. That is to say, the high satisfaction can help the organization keep the existed customer and obtain much more new customers, which formulates a customer purchasing recycle. Hence, the impact of after-sales service in the online-market should be considered as the positive factor to the success and growth of the company. The current paper has explored the situation of the after-sales service and analyzed the significance and impact on the on-line marketing. Along with the argument that whether the after-sales service is the main factor for successful on-line marketing has been discussed. Therefore, through the contrast of the merits and negative influence of the after-sales service on the company or customers, we can draw the conclusion that the after-sales service indeed plays an indispensible role in the on-line market since it can enhance the business performance as well as expand the sales scale. Besides, it has to be admitted that the limitation of this paper was that it didn’t specifically demonstrate all factors related to after-sales service in the on-line marketing and the impact of the after-sales service aforementioned is the small part of the issue. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, the findings of this research paper have served to highlight the significance of after-sales service in the on-line market and point out the dual impact on the company or customers. From what discussed in this paper, it would be plausible to recommend the managers of the on-line market pay great attention on the influence and significance of after-sales service and make the most of information on the Internet to establish a integrated system of implementing the after-sales service for gaining returning customers as well as the revenue of company. Reference list Alexander, W. L., Dayal, S., Dempsey, J. J. & Vander-Ark, J. D. (2002). The secret life of factory service centers. Asugman,Gulden. Johnson,Jeanl and McCullough,James(1997)‘The role of After-sales Service in International Marketing’ï ¼Å'Journal of International Marketing vol.5 Issue 4.p11-28,18p.EBSCO host/Business Source Complete. Baidu cyclopedia â€Å"After-sales service† http://baike.baidu.com/view/300225.htm [Accessed 3rd October,2012] Baidu cyclopledia â€Å" Taobao Website ’’. Retrieved from http://baike.baidu.com/view/1590.htm [Accessed 12th october,2012] Baidu Library â€Å"The consumer on-line purchasing psychological analysis† Retrieved from http://wenku.baidu.com/view/e1c8f240336c1eb91a375db8.html [ Accessed 12th October,2012] Hartline, Micheal D. and O.C. Ferrell (1993)ï ¼Å'â€Å"Service Quality Implementation:The Effects of Organizational Socialization and Managerial Actions on Customer-Contact Employee Behaviors,† Report No. 93-122,Academy of Marketing Science.———-and———(1996),‘â€Å"The Management of Customer-Contact Service Employees,† Journal of Marketing, 60(4),52-70. Loveman, W. (1998).â€Å" Employee Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, and Financial Performance an Empirical † â€Å"Examination of the Service Profit Chain in Retail Banking†. Journal of service research, 1(1), 18-31 Pertson, R. & Willson, W. (1992). â€Å" Measuring Customer Satisfaction: Fact and Artifact †. Journal of academy of marketing science, 20(1), 61-71. Rajan Varadarajan&Manjit S. Yadavï ¼Å'(2009) â€Å" Marketing Strategy in an Internet-Enabled Environment: A Retrospective on the First Ten Years of JIM and a Prospective on the Next Ten Years † Journal of Interactive Marketing Volume 23, Issue 1, February 2009, Pages 11–22 Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094996808000030 [ACCESSED 12th October,2012] R.G. Bundschuh, T.M. Dezvane â€Å" How to make after sale services pay off † The McKinsey Quarterly, 4 (2003), pp. 116–127 Smith, Kirk (1998), â€Å"Service Aspects of Industrial Products Lead to Future Product Purchase Intentions,† Industrial Marketing Management, 27, 83-93.

“Labeling of Genetically Modified Food Products” Essay

Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs were first introduced into Americas’ food supply in 1996, and there were 7 million acres of crops worldwide that were using GMO seeds. As of 2004, the crop size worldwide that uses GMO seeds had grown to 222 million acres with approximately 63% of those in the United States alone (253). As of 2008, more than 90 percent of soy crops and 75 percent of corn in the United States were raised from genetically modified seeds. As of now, in the United States, there are still no regulations to mandate the labeling of food products that contain GMOs. The United States only requires labeling of genetically modified foods if the food has a significantly different nutritional property, or unexpected allergens, or if the food contains toxins that are higher than acceptable levels. Most developed countries throughout the world have adopted differing regulations pertaining to labeling food products containing GMOs, although with some controversy. While the mandatory labeling requirements were enacted to allow consumer choice of whether or not to purchase foods that contain GMOs, mandatory labeling in the European Union and Japan for example, has resulted in retailers not stocking genetically modified foods on their shelves due to the perceived consumer aversion to genetically modified foods. Advocates of genetically modified foods argue that consumers already have a choice in what they can purchase, whether it is processed foods with traditionally grown ingredients, genetically modified processed foods or organic foods. The consumers of these nations voiced their opinions loudly, that they had the right to know if GMOs were in the food products they were buying, and their governments listened. In the United States, the FDA has stringent testing protocols that biotech firms must follow when developing a drug to bring to market. This protocol consists of different phases of drug trials with the first being a study of the possible side effects of said proposed drug on healthy subjects (meaning that if said drug is for treating colon cancer, the test subjects will be free from the disease) to determine if the subjects develop any side effects. If the phase 1 tests prove to meet FDA satisfaction, they are allowed to proceed to phase 2 of clinical trials which involve subjects that currently have the disease they are trying to treat with the new drug and the tests are done to see if the proposed drug actually treats the disease that they are aiming at. Some ask, that with such stringent testing done with drug chemicals that will be ingested by consumers, why aren’t those same stringent testing regulations implemented into the genetically modified food industry. There is much controversy on this matter in the United States, as Delborne and Kinchy write in the article â€Å"Genetically Modified Organisms†; Promoters of GMOs tend to favor science-based risk assessments (â€Å"sound science†), whereas critics tend to advocate the precautionary principle. Calls for science-based risk assessments often come from stakeholders who oppose increased regulation and want to see GM technologies developed and marketed. Specifically, they argue that before a technology should be regulated for possible risks, those risks must be demonstrated as scientifically real and quantifiable. Although the definition of â€Å"sound science† is itself controversial, proponents state that regulatory agencies such as the EPA and FDA have been too quick to regulate technologies without good evidence—arguing that such government interference not only creates financial disincentives for technological innovation but actually causes social harm by delaying or preventing important technologies from becoming available. Such a perspective views government regulation as a risk in itself. By contrast, advocates of the precautionary principle stress the existence of scientific uncertainties associated with many modern environmental and health issues. They have proposed a framework for decision making that errs on the side of precaution (â€Å"better safe than sorry†). Major components include the following: (1) anticipate harm and prevent it; (2) place the burden of proof on polluters to provide evidence of safety, not on society to prove harm; (3) always examine alternative solutions; and (4) include affected parties in democratic governance of technologies. Critics argue that the precautionary principle is little more than a scientific disguise for anti-technology politics (187). Testing of GMOs in our food products should be done in a similar way as drugs are tested. The way that it stands now, all consumers are being treated as guinea pigs with this technology, and some are not convinced that it’s not having an impact on the health of consumers. The CDC has reported an 18 percent increase in food allergies among children under the age of 18 from 1997 to 2007. Even though there have been no long term scientific studies conducted to measure the health impacts of ingesting GMOs, some proponents use the absence of evidence as proof that GMOs are safe, but critics counter that absence of evidence cannot serve as GMOs safety, and accuse biotechnology corporations and governments of conducting an uncontrolled experiment by allowing GMOs into the human diet (192). As of 2010 no scientific studies have shown conclusively that currently licensed GMO foods harm human health. However, in many cases there is continued concern that the data and studies supporting GMO use are insufficient to declare GMO use safe, especially with regard to use in the open environment and over successive generations (419). In the United States, as mentioned early, manufacturers are only required to label genetically modified foods if the food has a significantly different nutritional property, or unexpected allergens, or if the food contains toxins that are higher than acceptable levels, whereas organically grown foods to which they would be labeled is considered a voluntary or optional label by the FDA and USDA, and have a more stringent set of labeling requirements that producers of these products must adhere to. â€Å"The presence of genetically modified substances above certain very low thresholds disqualifies the organic label. Organic farmers therefore sustained economic losses because of transgenic contamination of their crops† (186). Food label regulations in the United States are meant to tell consumers the ingredients, and nutritional composition of packaged food for sale. The purpose of food labels, are to allow consumers to make an informed decision on whether or not to purchase a particular product. There are polls in the United States that show roughly 85 percent of Americans want food labeling for products containing GMOs, yet government officials are resistant to mandating GMO labeling of food products stemming from pressure by the proponents of GMO production. The health and safety of this nation is at risk of being one huge nationwide experiment with genetically engineered foods, and if the biotech corporations and scientists are wrong about the safety of these products, it may have unrecoverable consequences not only in the United States, but across the entire world. It would be prudent for the government entities that were created to protect consumers, to err on the side of caution rather than on the side corporations. Americans have the right to know what is in the food products that we are purchasing, and the confidence in government agencies that are overseeing the development and manufacturing of these products, that they are 100 percent safe for us to eat just as those same agencies regulate the biotech corporations that develop and introduce new drugs to the market. Works Cited Collin, Robert William. â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. † Environment. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008. 253-257. Battleground. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 July 2011. Davidson, Tish. â€Å"Food Labeling. † The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 407-412. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 July 2011. McIntosh, Philip. â€Å"Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). † Food: In Context. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Vol. 1: Advertising Food to International Fund for Agricultural Development. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 416-421. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. Restivo, Sal and Peter H. Denton. â€Å"Genetically Modified Organisms. † Science and Technology. Ed. Vol. 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008. 182-195. Battleground. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 July 2011.