The Da Vinci Code Chapter 98-99

CHAPTER 98 Langdon and Sophie moved slowly down the north aisle, keeping to the shadows behind the ample pillars that separated it from the open nave. Despite having traveled more than halfway down the nave, they still had no clear view of Newton's tomb. The sarcophagus was recessed in a niche, obscured from this oblique angle. â€Å"At least there's nobody over there,† Sophie whispered. Langdon nodded, relieved. The entire section of the nave near Newton's tomb was deserted. â€Å"I'll go over,† he whispered. â€Å"You should stay hidden just in case someone – â€Å" Sophie had already stepped from the shadows and was headed across the open floor. † – is watching,† Langdon sighed, hurrying to join her. Crossing the massive nave on a diagonal, Langdon and Sophie remained silent as the elaborate sepulchre revealed itself in tantalizing increments†¦ a black-marble sarcophagus†¦ a reclining statue of Newton†¦ two winged boys†¦ a huge pyramid†¦ and†¦ an enormous orb. â€Å"Did you know about that?† Sophie said, sounding startled. Langdon shook his head, also surprised.† Those look like constellations carved on it,† Sophie said. As they approached the niche, Langdon felt a slow sinking sensation. Newton's tomb was coveredwith orbs – stars, comets, planets. You seek the orb that ought be on his tomb? It could turn out to be like trying to find a missing blade of grass on a golf course. â€Å"Astronomical bodies,† Sophie said, looking concerned. â€Å"And a lot of them.† Langdon frowned. The only link between the planets and the Grail that Langdon could imagine was the pentacle of Venus, and he had already tried the password† Venus† en route to the Temple Church. Sophie moved directly to the sarcophagus, but Langdon hung back a few feet, keeping an eye on the abbey around them. â€Å"Divinity,†Sophie said, tilting her head and reading the titles of the books on which Newton was leaning. â€Å"Chronology.Opticks.Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica?† She turned tohim. â€Å"Ring any bells?† Langdon stepped closer, considering it. â€Å"Principia Mathematica, as I remember, has something to do with the gravitation pull of planets†¦ which admittedly are orbs, but it seems a little far-fetched.† â€Å"How about the signs of the zodiac?† Sophie asked, pointing to the constellations on the orb. â€Å"You were talking about Pisces and Aquarius earlier, weren't you?† The End of Days, Langdon thought. â€Å"The end of Pisces and the beginning of Aquarius was allegedly the historical marker at which the Priory planned to release the Sangreal documents to the world.† But the millennium came and went without incident, leaving historians uncertain when thetruth was coming. â€Å"It seems possible,† Sophie said,† that the Priory's plans to reveal the truth might be related to the last line of the poem.† It speaks of Rosy flesh and seeded womb.Langdon felt a shiver of potential. He had not considered the line that way before. â€Å"You told me earlier,† she said,† that the timing of the Priory's plans to unveil the truth about ‘the Rose' and her fertile womb was linked directly to the position of planets – orbs.† Langdon nodded, feeling the first faint wisps of possibility materializing. Even so, his intuition told him astronomy was not the key. The Grand Master's previous solutions had all possessed an eloquent, symbolic significance – the Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, SOFIA. This eloquence was definitely lacking in the concept of planetary orbs and the zodiac. Thus far, Jacques Sauniere had proven himself a meticulous code writer, and Langdon had to believe that his final password – those five letters that unlocked the Priory's ultimate secret – would prove to be not only symbolically fitting but also crystal clear. If this solution were anything like the others, it would be painfully obvious once it dawned. â€Å"Look!† Sophie gasped, jarring his thoughts as she grabbed his arm. From the fear in her touch Langdon sensed someone must be approaching, but when he turned to her, she was staring aghast at the top of the black marble sarcophagus. â€Å"Someone was here,† she whispered, pointing to a spot on the sarcophagus near Newton's outstretched right foot. Langdon did not understand her concern. A careless tourist had left a charcoal, grave-rubbing pencil on the sarcophagus lid near Newton's foot. It's nothing.Langdon reached out to pick it up, but as he leaned toward the sarcophagus, the light shifted on the polished black-marble slab, andLangdon froze. Suddenly, he saw why Sophie was afraid. Scrawled on the sarcophagus lid, at Newton's feet, shimmered a barely visible charcoal-pencil message: I have Teabing. Go through Chapter House, out south exit, to public garden. Langdon read the words twice, his heart pounding wildly. Sophie turned and scanned the nave. Despite the pall of trepidation that settled over him upon seeing the words, Langdon told himself this was good news. Leigh is still alive.There was another implication here too. â€Å"They don't know the password either,† he whispered. Sophie nodded. Otherwise why make their presence known?† They may want to trade Leigh for the password.† â€Å"Or it's a trap.† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"I don't think so. The garden is outside the abbey walls. A very public place.† Langdon had once visited the abbey's famous College Garden – a small fruit orchard and herb garden – left over from the days when monks grew natural pharmacological remedies here. Boasting the oldest living fruit trees in Great Britain, College Garden was a popular spot for tourists to visit without having to enter the abbey. â€Å"I think sending us outside is a show of faith. So we feel safe.† Sophie looked dubious. â€Å"You mean outside, where there are no metal detectors?† Langdon scowled. She had a point. Gazing back at the orb-filled tomb, Langdon wished he had some idea about the cryptex password†¦ something with which to negotiate. I got Leigh involved in this, and I'll do whatever it takes if there is a chance to help him. â€Å"The note says to go through the Chapter House to the south exit,† Sophie said. â€Å"Maybe from the exit we would have a view of the garden? That way we could assess the situation before we walked out there and exposed ourselves to any danger?† The idea was a good one. Langdon vaguely recalled the Chapter House as a huge octagonal hall where the original British Parliament convened in the days before the modern Parliament building existed. It had been years since he had been there, but he remembered it being out through the cloister somewhere. Taking several steps back from the tomb, Langdon peered around the choir screen to his right, across the nave to the side opposite that which they had descended. A gaping vaulted passageway stood nearby, with a large sign. THIS WAY TO: CLOISTERS DEANERY COLLEGE HALL MUSEUM PYX CHAMBER ST. FAITH'S CHAPEL CHAPTER HOUSE Langdon and Sophie were jogging as they passed beneath the sign, moving too quickly to notice the small announcement apologizing that certain areas were closed for renovations. They emerged immediately into a high-walled, open-roof courtyard through which morning rain was falling. Above them, the wind howled across the opening with a low drone, like someone blowing over the mouth of a bottle. Entering the narrow, low-hanging walkways that bordered the courtyard perimeter, Langdon felt the familiar uneasiness he always felt in enclosed spaces. These walkways were called cloisters, and Langdon noted with uneasiness that these particular cloisters lived up to their Latin ties to the word claustrophobic. Focusing his mind straight ahead toward the end of the tunnel, Langdon followed the signs for the Chapter House. The rain was spitting now, and the walkway was cold and damp with gusts of rain that blew through the lone pillared wall that was the cloister's only source of light. Another couple scurried past them the other way, hurrying to get out of the worsening weather. The cloisters looked deserted now, admittedly the abbey's least enticing section in the wind and rain. Forty yards down the east cloister, an archway materialized on their left, giving way to another hallway. Although this was the entrance they were looking for, the opening was cordoned off by a swag and an official-looking sign. CLOSED FOR RENOVATION PYX CHAMBER ST. FAITH'S CHAPEL CHAPTER HOUSE The long, deserted corridor beyond the swag was littered with scaffolding and drop cloths. Immediately beyond the swag, Langdon could see the entrances to the Pyx Chamber and St. Faith's Chapel on the right and left. The entrance to the Chapter House, however, was much farther away, at the far end of the long hallway. Even from here, Langdon could see that its heavy wooden door was wide open, and the spacious octagonal interior was bathed in a grayish natural light from the room's enormous windows that looked out on College Garden. Go through Chapter House, outsouth exit, to public garden. â€Å"We just left the east cloister,† Langdon said,† so the south exit to the garden must be through there and to the right.† Sophie was already stepping over the swag and moving forward. As they hurried down the dark corridor, the sounds of the wind and rain from the open cloister faded behind them. The Chapter House was a kind of satellite structure – a freestanding annex at the end of the long hallway to ensure the privacy of the Parliament proceedings housed there. â€Å"It looks huge,† Sophie whispered as they approached. Langdon had forgotten just how large this room was. Even from outside the entrance, he could gaze across the vast expanse of floor to the breathtaking windows on the far side of the octagon, which rose five stories to a vaulted ceiling. They would certainly have a clear view of the garden from in here. Crossing the threshold, both Langdon and Sophie found themselves having to squint. After the gloomy cloisters, the Chapter House felt like a solarium. They were a good ten feet into the room, searching the south wall, when they realized the door they had been promised was not there. They were standing in an enormous dead end. The creaking of a heavy door behind them made them turn, just as the door closed with a resounding thud and the latch fell into place. The lone man who had been standing behind the door looked calm as he aimed a small revolver at them. He was portly and was propped on a pair of aluminum crutches. For a moment Langdon thought he must be dreaming. It was Leigh Teabing. CHAPTER 99 Sir Leigh Teabing felt rueful as he gazed out over the barrel of his Medusa revolver at Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. â€Å"My friends,† he said,† since the moment you walked into my home last night, I have done everything in my power to keep you out of harm's way. But your persistence has now put me in a difficult position.† He could see the expressions of shock and betrayal on Sophie's and Langdon's faces, and yet he was confident that soon they would both understand the chain of events that had guided the three of them to this unlikely crossroads. There is so much I have to tell you both†¦ so much you do not yet understand. â€Å"Please believe,† Teabing said, â€Å"I never had any intention of your being involved. You came to my home. You came searching for me.† â€Å"Leigh?† Langdon finally managed. â€Å"What the hell are you doing? We thought you were in trouble. We came here to help you!† â€Å"As I trusted you would,† he said. â€Å"We have much to discuss.† Langdon and Sophie seemed unable to tear their stunned gazes from the revolver aimed at them. â€Å"It is simply to ensure your full attention,† Teabing said. â€Å"If I had wanted to harm you, you would be dead by now. When you walked into my home last night, I risked everything to spare your lives. I am a man of honor, and I vowed in my deepest conscience only to sacrifice those who had betrayed the Sangreal.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† Langdon said. â€Å"Betrayed the Sangreal?† â€Å"I discovered a terrible truth,† Teabing said, sighing. â€Å"I learned why the Sangreal documents were never revealed to the world. I learned that the Priory had decided not to release the truth after all. That's why the millennium passed without any revelation, why nothing happened as we entered the End of Days.† Langdon drew a breath, about to protest. â€Å"The Priory,† Teabing continued, â€Å"was given a sacred charge to share the truth. To release the Sangreal documents when the End of Days arrived. For centuries, men like Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Newton risked everything to protect the documents and carry out that charge. And now, at the ultimate moment of truth, Jacques Sauniere changed his mind. The man honored with the greatest responsibility in Christian history eschewed his duty. He decided the time was not right.† Teabing turned to Sophie. â€Å"He failed the Grail. He failed the Priory. And he failed the memory of all the generations that had worked to make that moment possible.† â€Å"You?† Sophie declared, glancing up now, her green eyes boring into him with rage and realization. â€Å"You are the one responsible for my grandfather's murder?† Teabing scoffed. â€Å"Your grandfather and his senechaux were traitors to the Grail.† Sophie felt a fury rising from deep within. He's lying!Teabing's voice was relentless. â€Å"Your grandfather sold out to the Church. It is obvious they pressured him to keep the truth quiet.† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"The Church had no influence on my grandfather!† Teabing laughed coldly. â€Å"My dear, the Church has two thousand years of experience pressuring those who threaten to unveil its lies. Since the days of Constantine, the Church has successfully hidden the truth about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. We should not be surprised that now, once again, they have found a way to keep the world in the dark. The Church may no longer employ crusaders to slaughter non-believers, but their influence is no less persuasive. No less insidious.† He paused, as if to punctuate his next point. â€Å"Miss Neveu, for some time now your grandfather has wanted to tell you the truth about your family.† Sophie was stunned. â€Å"How could you know that?† â€Å"My methods are immaterial. The important thing for you to grasp right now is this.† He took a deep breath. â€Å"The deaths of your mother, father, grandmother, and brother were not accidental.† The words sent Sophie's emotions reeling. She opened her mouth to speak but was unable. Langdon shook his head. â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"Robert, it explains everything. All the pieces fit. History repeats itself. The Church has a precedent of murder when it comes to silencing the Sangreal. With the End of Days imminent, killing the Grand Master's loved ones sent a very clear message. Be quiet, or you and Sophie are next.† â€Å"It was a car accident,† Sophie stammered, feeling the childhood pain welling inside her. â€Å"An accident!† â€Å"Bedtime stories to protect your innocence,† Teabing said. â€Å"Consider that only two family members went untouched – the Priory's Grand Master and his lone granddaughter – the perfect pair to provide the Church with control over the brotherhood. I can only imagine the terror the Church wielded over your grandfather these past years, threatening to kill you if he dared release the Sangreal secret, threatening to finish the job they started unless Sauniere influenced the Priory to reconsider its ancient vow.† â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon argued, now visibly riled, â€Å"certainly you have no proof that the Church had anything to do with those deaths, or that it influenced the Priory's decision to remain silent.† â€Å"Proof?† Teabing fired back. â€Å"You want proof the Priory was influenced? The new millennium has arrived, and yet the world remains ignorant! Is that not proof enough?† In the echoes of Teabing's words, Sophie heard another voice speaking. Sophie, I must tell you the truth about your family.She realized she was trembling. Could this possibly be that truth her grandfather had wanted to tell her? That her family had been murdered? What did she truly know about the crash that took her family? Only sketchy details. Even the stories in the newspaper had been vague. An accident? Bedtime stories? Sophie flashed suddenly on her grandfather's over protectiveness, how he never liked to leave her alone when she was young. Even when Sophie was grown and away at university, she had the sense her grandfather was watching over. She wondered if there had been Priory members in the shadows throughout her entire life, looking after her. â€Å"You suspected he was being manipulated,† Langdon said, glaring with disbelief at Teabing. â€Å"So you murdered him?† â€Å"I did not pull the trigger,† Teabing said. â€Å"Sauniere was dead years ago, when the Church stole his family from him. He was compromised. Now he is free of that pain, released from the shame caused by his inability to carry out his sacred duty. Consider the alternative. Something had to be done. Shall the world be ignorant forever? Shall the Church be allowed to cement its lies into our history books for all eternity? Shall the Church be permitted to influence indefinitely with murder and extortion? No, something needed to be done! And now we are poised to carry out Sauniere's legacy and right a terrible wrong.† He paused. â€Å"The three of us. Together.† Sophie felt only incredulity. â€Å"How could you possibly believe that we would help you?† â€Å"Because, my dear, you are the reason the Priory failed to release the documents. Your grandfather's love for you prevented him from challenging the Church. His fear of reprisal against his only remaining family crippled him. He never had a chance to explain the truth because you rejected him, tying his hands, making him wait. Now you owe the world the truth. You owe it to the memory of your grandfather.† Robert Langdon had given up trying to get his bearings. Despite the torrent of questions running through his mind, he knew only one thing mattered now – getting Sophie out of here alive. All the guilt Langdon had mistakenly felt earlier for involving Teabing had now been transferred to Sophie. I took her to Chateau Villette. I am responsible. Langdon could not fathom that Leigh Teabing would be capable of killing them in cold blood herein the Chapter House, and yet Teabing certainly had been involved in killing others during his misguided quest. Langdon had the uneasy feeling that gunshots in this secluded, thick-walled chamber would go unheard, especially in this rain. And Leigh just admitted his guilt to us. Langdon glanced at Sophie, who looked shaken. The Church murdered Sophie's family to silence the Priory? Langdon felt certain the modern Church did not murder people. There had to be some other explanation.† Let Sophie leave,† Langdon declared, staring at Leigh. â€Å"You and I should discuss this alone.† Teabing gave an unnatural laugh. â€Å"I'm afraid that is one show of faith I cannot afford. I can, however, offer you this.† He propped himself fully on his crutches, gracelessly keeping the gunaimed at Sophie, and removed the keystone from his pocket. He swayed a bit as he held it out for Langdon. â€Å"A token of trust, Robert.† Robert felt wary and didn't move. Leigh is giving the keystone back to us? â€Å"Take it,† Teabing said, thrusting it awkwardly toward Langdon. Langdon could imagine only one reason Teabing would give it back. â€Å"You opened it already. You removed the map.† Teabing was shaking his head. â€Å"Robert, if I had solved the keystone, I would have disappeared to find the Grail myself and kept you uninvolved. No, I do not know the answer. And I can admit that freely. A true knight learns humility in the face of the Grail. He learns to obey the signs placed before him. When I saw you enter the abbey, I understood. You were here for a reason. To help. I am not looking for singular glory here. I serve a far greater master than my own pride. The Truth. Mankind deserves to know that truth. The Grail found us all, and now she is begging to be revealed. We must work together.† Despite Teabing's pleas for cooperation and trust, his gun remained trained on Sophie as Langdon stepped forward and accepted the cold marble cylinder. The vinegar inside gurgled as Langdon grasped it and stepped backward. The dials were still in random order, and the cryptex remained locked. Langdon eyed Teabing. â€Å"How do you know I won't smash it right now?† Teabing's laugh was an eerie chortle. â€Å"I should have realized your threat to break it in the Temple Church was an empty one. Robert Langdon would never break the keystone. You are an historian, Robert. You are holding the key to two thousand years of history – the lost key to the Sangreal. You can feel the souls of all the knights burned at the stake to protect her secret. Would you have them die in vain? No, you will vindicate them. You will join the ranks of the great men you admire – Da Vinci, Botticelli, Newton – each of whom would have been honored to be in your shoes right now. The contents of the keystone are crying out to us. Longing to be set free. The time has come. Destiny has led us to this moment.† â€Å"I cannot help you, Leigh. I have no idea how to open this. I only saw Newton's tomb for a moment. And even if I knew the password†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Langdon paused, realizing he had said too much. â€Å"You would not tell me?† Teabing sighed. â€Å"I am disappointed and surprised, Robert, that you do not appreciate the extent to which you are in my debt. My task would have been far simpler had Remy and I eliminated you both when you walked into Chateau Villette. Instead I risked everything to take the nobler course.† â€Å"This is noble?† Langdon demanded, eyeing the gun. â€Å"Sauniere's fault,† Teabing said. â€Å"He and his senechaux lied to Silas. Otherwise, I would have obtained the keystone without complication. How was I to imagine the Grand Master would go to such ends to deceive me and bequeath the keystone to an estranged granddaughter?† Teabing looked at Sophie with disdain. â€Å"Someone so unqualified to hold this knowledge that she required a symbologist baby-sitter.† Teabing glanced back at Langdon. â€Å"Fortunately, Robert, your involvement turned out to be my saving grace. Rather than the keystone remaining locked in the depository bank forever, you extracted it and walked into my home.† Where else would I run? Langdon thought. The community of Grail historians is small, and Teabing and I have a history together. Teabing now looked smug. â€Å"When I learned Sauniere left you a dying message, I had a pretty good idea you were holding valuable Priory information. Whether it was the keystone itself, or information on where to find it, I was not sure. But with the police on your heels, I had a sneaking suspicion you might arrive on my doorstep.† Langdon glared. â€Å"And if we had not?† â€Å"I was formulating a plan to extend you a helping hand. One way or another, the keystone was coming to Chateau Villette. The fact that you delivered it into my waiting hands only serves as proof that my cause is just.† â€Å"What!† Langdon was appalled. â€Å"Silas was supposed to break in and steal the keystone from you in Chateau Villette – thus removing you from the equation without hurting you, and exonerating me from any suspicion of complicity. However, when I saw the intricacy of Sauniere's codes, I decided to include you both in my quest a bit longer. I could have Silas steal the keystone later, once I knew enough to carry on alone.† â€Å"The Temple Church,† Sophie said, her tone awash with betrayal. Light begins to dawn, Teabing thought. The Temple Church was the perfect location to steal the keystone from Robert and Sophie, and its apparent relevance to the poem made it a plausible decoy. Remy's orders had been clear – stay out of sight while Silas recovers the keystone. Unfortunately, Langdon's threat to smash the keystone on the chapel floor had caused Remy to panic. If only Remy had not revealed himself, Teabing thought ruefully, recalling his own mock kidnapping. Remy was the sole link to me, and he showed his face! Fortunately, Silas remained unaware of Teabing's true identity and was easily fooled into taking him from the church and then watching naively as Remy pretended to tie their hostage in the back of the limousine. With the soundproof divider raised, Teabing was able to phone Silas in the front seat, use the fake French accent of the Teacher, and direct Silas to go straight to Opus Dei. A simple anonymous tip to the police was all it would take to remove Silas from the picture. One loose end tied up. The other loose end was harder. Remy. Teabing struggled deeply with the decision, but in the end Remy had proven himself a liability. Every Grail quest requires sacrifice.The cleanest solution had been staring Teabing in the face from the limousine's wet bar – a flask, some cognac, and a can of peanuts. The powder at the bottom of the can would be more than enough to trigger Remy's deadly allergy. When Remy parked the limo on Horse Guards Parade, Teabing climbed out of the back, walked to the side passenger door, and sat in the front next to Remy. Minutes later, Teabing got out of the car, climbed into the rear again, cleaned up the evidence, and finally emerged to carry out the final phase of his mission. Westminster Abbey had been a short walk, and although Teabing's leg braces, crutches, and gun had set off the metal detector, the rent-a-cops never knew what to do. Do we ask him to remove his braces and crawl through? Do we frisk his deformed body? Teabing presented the flustered guards a far easier solution – an embossed card identifying him as Knight of the Realm. The poor fellows practically tripped over one another ushering him in. Now, eyeing the bewildered Langdon and Neveu, Teabing resisted the urge to reveal how he had brilliantly implicated Opus Dei in the plot that would soon bring about the demise of the entire Church. That would have to wait. Right now there was work to do. â€Å"Mes amis,†Teabing declared in flawless French,† vous ne trouvez pas le Saint-Graal, c'est leSaint-Graal qui vous trouve.† He smiled. â€Å"Our paths together could not be more clear. The Grail has found us.† Silence. He spoke to them in a whisper now. â€Å"Listen. Can you hear it? The Grail is speaking to us across the centuries. She is begging to be saved from the Priory's folly. I implore you both to recognize this opportunity. There could not possibly be three more capable people assembled at this moment to break the final code and open the cryptex.† Teabing paused, his eyes alight. â€Å"We need to swear an oath together. A pledge of faith to one another. A knight's allegiance to uncover the truth and make it known.† Sophie stared deep into Teabing's eyes and spoke in a steely tone. â€Å"I will never swear an oath with my grandfather's murderer. Except an oath that I will see you go to prison.† Teabing's heart turned grave, then resolute. â€Å"I am sorry you feel that way, mademoiselle.† He turned and aimed the gun at Langdon. â€Å"And you, Robert? Are you with me, or against me?†

Agency Problem Essay

Financial Management (Agency problem) Prepared by: Sami Hassan Saeed Singabi August 2008 Introduction Economic science teaches us that due to their subjective needs, individuals have subjective preferences, and hence different interest. Occasionally different subjective interests give rise to conflicts of interest between contracting partners. These conflicts of interest may result in turn, in one or both parties undertaking actions that may be against the interest of the other contracting partner. The primary reason for the divergence of objectives between managers and shareholders has been attributed to separation of ownership (shareholders) and control (management) in corporations. As a consequence, agency problems or principal-agent conflicts exist in the firm. Agency theory deals with such problem. Agency theory is concerned with how these agency problems affect the form of the contract and how they can be minimized, in particular, when contracting parties are variously informed (or uncertain). Agency problem A problem arising from a conflict of interest between principals such as investors and agents acting for them, such as brokers or managers. Agency problem refers to a conflict of interest arising between creditors, shareholders and management because of differing goals. It exists due to problems in corporate governance. A typical problem is that of senior management of a company, who are charged with running the business in the interests of shareholders; choose instead to operate to maximize their own interests. A simple example is the hired anager who fills his pockets at shareholders’ expenses. For example, an agency problem exists when management and shareholders have conflicting ideas on how the company should be run. Agency problems that arise in a corporation have troubled economists for some time. There are a number of mechanisms that have been used to try and reduce these agency problems. Many of these mechanisms try to link the manager’s compensation to the per formance of the firm. Typical examples include performance shares, restricted stock grants, and executive stock options. This dissertation is an empirical study of whether the use of executive stock options has in fact reduced the agency problems between managers and stockholders. In this dissertation, two different testing methodologies are used to address the agency problem reduction issue. One methodology looks at some significant event such as a merger or divestiture to see if an executive’s holding of stock options affect what decisions are made. For example, do larger holdings of stock options motivate managers to take on riskier investments? By increasing the risk of the firm, managers can increase the value of the stock options. Another question of interest is whether in taking on risky investments; do executives increase the leverage of the firm? By increasing the leverage of the firm, the executive might increase the risk of the firm and thus the value of the option holdings. An agency relationship An agency relationship arises whenever one or more individuals, called principals, hire one or more other individuals, called agents, to perform some service and then delegate decision-making authority to the agents. The primary agency relationships in business are those :- (1) Between stockholders and managers and 2) Between debt holders and stockholders. These relationships are not necessarily harmonious; indeed, agency theory is concerned with so-called agency conflicts, or conflicts of interest between agents and principals. These relationships are not necessarily harmonious; indeed, agency theory is concerned with so-called agency conflicts, or conflicts of interest between agents and principals. Expansion increase potential agency problems, if you expanded to additional locations you could not physically be at all locations at the same time. Consequently, you would have to delegate decision-making authority to others. Creditors can protect themselves by: (1) Having the loan secured. (2) Placing restrictive covenants in debt agreements. (3) They charge a higher than normal interest rate to compensate for risk. Agency cost A type of internal cost that arises from, or must be paid to a manger acting on behalf of shareholders. Agency cost arises because of core problems such as conflicts of interest between share holders and management. Shareholders wish for management to run the company in away that increases shareholders value, but management may wish to grow the company in away that maximize their personal power and wealth that may not be in the best interest of shareholders. Agency costs are inevitable within an organization whenever shareholders are not completely in charge; the cost can usually be best spent on providing proper material incentives and moral incentives for agents to properly execute their duties, thereby aligning the interests of shareholders (owners) and agents. The principals (the shareholders) have to find ways of ensuring that their agents (the managers) act in their interests. This means incurring costs, ‘agency costs’, to (a) monitor managers’ behavior, and (b) create incentive schemes and control for managers to pursue shareholders’ wealth maximization. Various methods have been used to try to align the actions of senior management with the interests of shareholders, that is, to achieve ‘goal congruence’. Linking rewards to shareholder wealth improvements: Owners can grant directors and other senior managers share options. These ermit the managers to purchase shares at some date in the future at a price, which is fixed in the present. If the share price rises significantly between the dates when the option was granted and the date when the shares can be bought the manager can make a fortune by buying at the pre-arranged price and then selling in the market place. The managers under such a scheme have a clear interest in achieving a rise in share price and thus congruence comes about to some extent. An alternative method is to allot shares to managers if they achieve certain performance targets, for example, growth in earnings per share or return on shares. Sackings: The threat of being sacked with the accompanying humiliation and financial loss may encourage managers not to diverge too far from the shareholders’ wealth path. However this method is seldom used because it is often difficult to implement due to difficulties of making a coordinated shareholder effort. Selling shares threat and the take- over: Most of the large shareholders (especially institutional investors) of quoted companies are not prepared to put large resources into monitoring and controlling all the firms of which they own a part. Quite often their first response, if they observe that management is not acting in what they regard as their best interest, is to sell the share rather than intervene. This will result in a lower share price, making the raising of funds more difficult. If this process continues the firm may become vulnerable to a merger bid by another group of managers, resulting in a loss of top management posts. Fear of being taken over can establish some sort of backstop position to prevent shareholder wealth considerations being totally ignored. Corporate governance regulations: There is a considerable range of legislation and other regulatory pressures (e. g. the Companies Act) designed to encourage directors to act in shareholders’ interests. Within these regulations for example, the board of directors is not to be dominated by a single individual acting as both the chairman and chief executive. Also independently minded non-executive directors should have more power to represent shareholder interests; in particular, they should predominate in decisions connected with directors’ remuneration and auditing of firm’s accounts. Information flow: The accounting profession, the stock exchange, the regulating agencies and the investing public are continuously conducting a battle to encourage or force firms to release more accurate, timely and detailed information concerning their operations. An improved quality of corporate accounts, annual reports and the availability of other forms of information flowing to investors and analysts such as company briefings and press announcements help to monitor firms, and identify any wealth-destroying actions by wayward managers early. Conclusion Diffuse ownership of publicly held companies reduces the owners’ ability to monitor managers because they would have to bear the full monitoring costs while gaining only a small marginal benefit. Managers may therefore act to maximize their wealth through personal use of corporate assets, stock manipulation and sub optimal decisions at the owners’ expense. Thus agency theory practical mechanism is weak, because it is unable to provide practical conclusions with regard to agency problems. References: 1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. htm 2. www. referenceforbusiness. com 3. Financial-dictionary. The free dictionary. com

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Plan - Essay Example An attempt has been made to delineate the sales and market strategy for the restaurant. Finally the paper projects the cash inflows and outflows of Kids Bistro under different market conditions. Market Analysis Restaurants can broadly be classified into full service restaurants and quick service restaurants (QSRs). A full service restaurant offers a wide array of food and beverages options and table service. QSRs on the other hand have limited or no table service. The objective of these restaurants is to serve food to the customer as fast as possible. The concept of segmenting, targeting and positioning suggests that one particular organization cannot satisfy the needs of all the customers. Therefore different organizations strive to satisfy the unmet needs of a particular consumer segment in the best possible manner (Carpenter, 2005). The same concept holds true for the restaurant industry in the United States. Different restaurants strive to woo a certain section of the society. Th e prominent full service restaurants include Darden Restaurants, Dine Equity, and Brinker International Inc. Such restaurants generally appeal to the adults and families who intend to spend quality time together. Business meetings and small corporate events can also be held at such restaurants. Some of the QSRs which have an international presence and are also operating in the United States include behemoths like McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell and Subway (Business Wire, 2006). While KFC boasts of its unique taste, McDonald’s positions itself as a family friendly, kids-oriented restaurant. Outlets like Baskin-Robbins, Domino’s Pizza and Dunkin Donuts are also frequented by kids. In addition to these outlets, there are numerous local and regional players that cater specifically to the kids or have a particular attraction for kids. Barrio offers a kids meal for $7. During some promos, the restaurant offers one free kids' meal with each adult meal that is p riced $15.   Theme restaurants attempt to target a certain segment and indulge in niche marketing. Alice's Tea Cup, American Girl Cafe, Barking Dog Luncheonette, Big Daddy's Diner, Planet Hollywood, the Burger Garage and the Rainforest Cafe are some of the players in this market. Company Description The Kids Bistro will be a theme restaurant that targets children aged between 4 and 11 years. The decor and the ambience of the restaurant will appeal to the kids. Cartoon characters will be painted on the walls and light music will be played at the Kids Bistro outlets. The restaurant will use colourful plastic furniture. Additionally, gunny bags, booster seats and high chairs would be kept at the restaurant to seat other family members who accompany the kids. Kids Bistro will be operational six days a week including Sunday. The restaurant will remain closed on Monday. The theme for Tuesday and Wednesday would be ‘fancy dress’. While children would be encouraged to visit t he restaurant in fancy dresses on these days, the staff would also be required to wear non-traditional dresses. Kids will be surprised to see ‘Superman’ taking orders behind the counter or ‘batman’ mopping the floor. The theme for Thursday and Friday would be ‘jungle’. On these days, the Kids Bistro will place numerous plastic trees and vegetations alongside the regular furniture of the restaurant. Kids will get to see snakes, birds and other insects perched

Define the socio-economic aspects that make Limoges distinctive Essay

Define the socio-economic aspects that make Limoges distinctive - Essay Example Its is at a physical as well as socio-economic defining moment. It has no way to make use the ocean, very less trains come to their stations and there airport is not even large enough for an airplane, Limoges largest industry is in cattle. (http://molly.com/2006/02/04/limoges-france-the-vision-the-joy-the-pain/). Limoges has just seen a minor raise in its population due to positive migration balance. However it is still the most aged population in the whole of France, this has no effect on their socio-economic indicators. It consists of an urban region of 230 000 customers, their town centre has 137,502 residents, 12,942 organization as well as 66,610 employees. The rate of unemployment is fairly average which 8.5% is. 80 % consist of less than 50 employees and 5% of the organizations have more than 200 employees. With a population around 140,000. Its famous for its ceramics industry; the citys porcelain workshops employ more than 10,000 people (http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/17f82/1a119/). Limoges consists of an intense network of diversified, high-performance SME-SMI and specializes in electricity, electronics, wood/furniture, ceramics, precision mechanics, plastics and cosmetics. The segment is the key employer in Limoges accounting for more than one third of the employees on industrial sites. It is open to original ideas and developing quickly; it is as well the area’s most important sector when it comes to terms of exports. Limoges is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Limoges and of High-Vienna which manages the AÃ ©roport of Limoges Bellegarde. It is also the seat of the Regional court of trade and industry the Limousin Poitou-Charentes (which manages Innov ia (http://www.speedylook.com/Limoges.html). At the beginning of industrial growth in Limoges in the nineteenth century, this activity consists of two key areas of

The benefits of cryotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The benefits of cryotherapy - Essay Example In order to achieve this, cryotherapy has become one of the most preferred approaches by doctors to boost the immune system of the human body. Researchers have proved that cryotherapy comes with numerous benefits and patients who have been subject to this technology have indicated admirable outcomes. Cryotherapy basically involves a simple process that entails exposing the human body to very low temperatures. It is â€Å"therapeutic use of cold† (Archer 262). It involves spraying patients with a dry nitrogen mist the cools then skin immediately patients enter a chamber that is specially designed for this purpose. Even though the temperature of the skin is lowered just for a few minutes, the result of spraying patients with skin-chilling dry Nitrogen is often wonderful (Archer 262). When the temperature of the body drops, the immune system of the body is activated to respond, thereby leading to pain or inflammation relief (Eaves 72; Kenner 662; Aigner and Stephens 48). Perhaps, some people are wondering about how it feels when one undergoes cryotherapy. The therapy is very quick and the whole treatment procedure is absolutely painless, which is one of the main advantages of cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is also beneficial because it treats numerous health conditions (Knight and Draper 5). Cryotherapy can be used to treat serious debilitating diseases like arthritis and Fibromyalgia. It is also known to boost the performance of athletes (Millis and Levine 314). According to CryoClinics, cryotherapy remains crucial for facilitating recovery in sports and ensuring highly competitive sports (CryoClinics Para 11). Do you recall the ice bags that team doctors usually put on the head of players when there is head collision of some soccer player hurt his leg? This is fundamentally what cryotherapy technique. â€Å"Welsh rugby team began using cryotherapy in the run-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in order to aid their

Soft Systems Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Soft Systems Methodology - Essay Example This action research-based, interpretive approach is strongly influenced by Vickers' (1968, pp.59,176) description of the importance of appreciative systems in dealing with human complexity. Checkland (1981), and Checkland and Scholes (1990) have attempted to transform these ideas from systems theory into a practical methodology that is called Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). Soft Systems Methodology developed by Professor Peter Checkland is a way of dealing with problem situations in which there is a high social, political and human activity component. (Checkland, 1981) This distinguishes SSM from other methodologies that deal with hard problems which are more technologically oriented. Thus, SSM can be a useful research tool for understanding problematic ELT situations. (Holliday, 1990) Hard problems are problems characterized by the fact that they can be well defined. The assumption is that there is a definite solution and we can define a number of specific goals that must be accomplished. Soft problems, on the other hand, are difficult to define.When we think of soft problems, we don't think of problems but of problem situations. It is the classic situation of it not being a "problem" but an "opportunity". Soft Systems methodology was developed for the express purpose of dealing with problems of this type.His "Soft Systems Methodology" was created through a number of research projects in industry and its application and refinement over a number of years. A leading SSM specialist in Japan, suggests that SSM can be a useful research tool in the educational context, and argues that it can be applied to any messy, problematic human situation that requires decision-making aimed at improvement (Kijima, 1999) The most important feature of this analysis of data, informat ion and knowledge is that the act of creating information is a human act, not one which a machine can accomplish. It is the human being who can attribute meaning to the selected data. (Checkland, Holwell, 1998)SSM is divided into seven distinct stages. These are; 1. Finding out about the problem situation. This is basic research into the problem area. Who are the key players How does the process work now etc. 2. Expressing the problem situation through Rich Pictures. As with any type of diagram, more knowledge can be communicated visually. A picture is worth a 1000 words. 3. Selecting how to view the situation and producing root definitions. From what different perspectives can we look at this problem situation. 4. Building conceptual models of what the system must do for each root definitions. You have basic "Whats" from the root definitions. Now begin to define "Hows". 5. Comparison of the conceptual models with the real world. Compare the results from steps 4 and 2 and see where they differ and are similar. 6. Identify feasible and desirable changes. Are there ways of improving the situation. 7. Recommendations for taking action to improve the problem situation. How would you implement the changes from step 6. Step 1: Problem situation unstructured The initial stage consists simply of managers and/or employees (problem owner) deciding that a review or change of tasks and the way they are performed is required, and an analyst (problem solver) is called in to review and provide recommendations. Step 2: Problem situation expressed Step 1 is basically that people of the organization think there

Small Scales Industries in Developing Nations Essay

Small Scales Industries in Developing Nations - Essay Example The United States, and many other countries developed so far, have explored all channels in ensuring that their nations depends solely not on foreign goods entirely, but created many avenues for since many years have developed in all sector of the economy and thus have less dependence on other nation in terms of importing large items, but their Industries of different calibers were put into rapid development. This nation's that developed in terms of Industrialization have begun since many years through establishing Small Scales Industries, and thereafter the transformed these Industries to modern and highly advanced ones with modern innovations and technicalities. These positive approached they attached to Small Scales Industries has made their nations economically advanced indeed. Japan is yet another country which in many years back was among countries that were having Small Scales Industries. However, in recent years, the country has achieved very significantly toward the transformations of its Industrial sector from Small Scales, to developed industrialized nation. But what is the historical concept of Small Scale Industri... Why for many years Small Scale Industries in developing nations could not yield positive results What are their constraints Why Small Scale Industries in developing nations instead of having being increasing in numbers but always reducing in numbers as a result of closures Who is to blame, the government of these countries, experts, or elites How the problems facing Small Scale Industries in developing nations can be solved And how can these Industries be transformed to developed ones These and other questions will be answered in this research. Methodology: This will include a collection of theories, concepts and ideas on how the Small Scale Industries are established in developing nations, with compares with those in developed nations. These include scholarly written in books, articles, journals and many other related field which can bring out the authentic facts on the subject matter. Most of the research materials will be found in search machine, where books, journals, interviews, articles and features can also be found. ABOUT SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY IN DEVELOPING NATION Definition: (Sarbajeet K. Sen) "A small-scale industry has been defined as those units that have investment in plant and machinery of up to" (Sarbajeet K. Sen) "Under the medium-scale sector would enable the Government and other authorities to work out definite plans for funding and promoting the industries falling under the category and nurturing them to grow into stronger and larger entities in the long run". "Developing Country Entrepreneurs need small scale industries to drive their development. The USA, the greatest industrial nation in the world, began its development with horse power, water power and low tech equipment, often made within the

Essential Benefits of a Successful Non-Profit Volunteer Program Research Paper

Essential Benefits of a Successful Non-Profit Volunteer Program - Research Paper Example However, a number of constraints thwart their aspirations making them dejected in spite of having the zeal to touch the sky. The discussion aims at highlighting the importance and relevance of non-profit volunteer programs in shaping the life of millions through effective guidance and support. It needs to be understood that non-profit organizations work for creating a difference in the society that is divided on the basis of power and affluence. There is very little doubt over the impact and importance of education in reducing the cultural gap and beliefs. Education is often considered as a stepping stone for shaping the life of children who are often regarded as the future of the world. However, there are a number of developing and under-developed nations taking little initiatives in raising the education standards in order to strengthening the minds of children (Drucker 65) It needs to be mentioned that the education system in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Pakistan an d other African nations are not up to the global standards that often affects the intellectual growth and development of children along with posing great threats to their economies. In order to create a robust economy, it is important to reinforce the education systems through private and government support in the present as well as in the future. Essential Benefits of Creating Non- Profit Volunteer Programs In a world, where needs and demands are often not fulfilled, there is a need of creating non-profit volunteers programs. Most organizations across the world work for the generation of profit that makes business, a give and take activity. A non-profit volunteer program works for fulfilling the needs and demands of people finding it hard to survive without any help and support. It needs to be mentioned that education is considered as the best tool to eradicate poverty and social imbalances. Some of the essential benefits of creating a non-profit organization include: Non-profit or ganizations work for the development of people and society irrespective of social status and constraints The services offered by these organizations often change the face of the society in an effective manner These organizations are well supported by the governments and private organizations These organizations act as a support system for people having little access to sources and resources Non-profit organizations cater to the needs and demands of that section of the society that is snubbed by others. It helps in creating awareness along with changing the life of millions Creation of Non-Profit organizations bridge the gap between the rich and poor in an effective manner In order to create a happy and prosperous world, it is important to uplift all sections of the society. Moreover, education system should be structured and designed well to create awareness on education and non-profit organizations engaged in such initiatives are the greatest hope Room to Read Room to Read is a dre am of changing the life of millions of children across the world by offering them education and a platform to launch their dreams in order to be successful and accountable for the societies and nations. It started in the year 1998 with a visit by John Wood to a Nepali School where the library shelves were empty holding no children’s books. This led to the creation of Room to Read focused on offering education to every child irrespective of his financial position and religion. Gradually, it became a movement to raise the education standards in every part of the world along with lending a helping hand to millions of innocent eyes hoping to become doctors, engineers and managers. The education movement

Stereotypes Versus Women Of All Ages Throughout Boob Tube Ads Essay

Stereotypes Versus Women Of All Ages Throughout Boob Tube Ads - Essay Example The truth is media is really a hand mirror where guild understands and automatically build up awareness in addition to routines. By far the most groundbreaking induction never to simply modifying awareness and also altering demeanor along with lifestyle with respect to press can be an advertisement (Alice as well as Johnson, age 14). The top, accurate, pernicious in addition to excessively influential these include the tv commercials. That is almost certainly given that tv set interests both the optical and ability to hear feelings to be able to effect into a mix of particularly influential emails which could probably create stereotypes associated with grammatical gender (Blain and McElroy 16). As a matter of fact, promoters are very well aware of this particular reality to a level they're able to adjust adverts in a fashion that powerfully stay in addition to pressure societal behavior dynamics. It really is nevertheless significant which television advertisement tends to sneakily d evelop a kinda mortifying, lowered and weak importance to fair sex (Maring 56). To help conclusively study this spread generalization against girls in media, enable’s explore forecasts of girls with regards to spouse and children, profession, political relation, enterprise, aroused counterbalance, sporting activities and also manual labor. The reason is, many of us assess these representations determined by a variety of issues with advertisement including the track record, item kind, and end feedback, argumentation of the advertisement, method involving presentment, prize kind, reliability time frame, area, but enthusiasm and also boiler suit political theory (Blain and McElroy 16). Resolution of the actual relativity theory involving these elements of idiot box advertising show wide-spread misrepresentations versus females.

Islam in the modren world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islam in the modren world - Essay Example They are representative of a radical and extremist wing of fundamentalism, which is made up of Muslims who believe that an Islamic state needs to be imposed on the Muslims in their country. They believe that this Islamic state should be imposed on its people by violence if the situation demands it and should be imposed from above. Islam’s current passage into modernity has gone through three distinct stages. These are revivalism, reform that included nationalism, and finally fundamentalism (Lawrence 20). Each of these stages has emerged out of the failures of the previous ones. These failures include the inability to attain a self-sustaining scientific and economic infrastructure, an inability to attain true independence, and a realistic alternative to a worldwide system, which leads to the marginalization of Islam and their ignorance around the world. The fundamentalist movement is aided and fuelled by a combination of factors including economic, social, and religious stresso rs of countries practicing Islam. These involve high unemployment of the youth, poor human rights records by their governments, unelected and autocratic leadership, extreme poverty for the majority of Muslims compared to extreme wealth for the well-connected members, millions of displaced Palestinian refugees, and a lack of a democratic system of government (Lawrence 40). Probably the most significant stress factor of all has to do with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has dragged on for the majority of the last six decades since the founding of the Israeli state in the 40s. This conflict has helped to fuel a lot of anger, hostility, distrust, unrest, instability, and wide spread feelings of victimization in the Middle East. The elusiveness of a peace process settlement, the status of the city of Jerusalem’s Muslim section, the status of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount’s Dome of the Rock- the third of the sacred sites of Islam, and the continued unchecked expans ion of settlement by the Jewish State act as major flash points (Lawrence 41). Another stress factor fuelling these movements is the American military in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is viewed by a majority of the radical wing of Islam fundamentalism as blatant desecration of holy ground. The formation and the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism for the Palestinians in the Diaspora, as well as within Palestine, and the emergence of various fundamentalist political groups within the occupied territory began in the later part of the 70s (Lawrence 49). Defeat by the Israelis had forced the Palestinian, and their Arab backers to acknowledge their weak points. Most fundamentalists will attribute their inherent weakness to the spread of secularism and the region’s failure to embrace the teachings of Islam and to apply its teachings. Two movements emerged, in this context, especially from the Palestinian side: the Islamic Jihad and Hamas. These movements are focused on the per petration of violent acts to show their resistance to occupation of their lands by the Israelis. However, in the aftermath of what were bloody suicide bomb attacks perpetrated by members of these two movements inside Israel, the Palestinian Authority was forced to subject the two movements to punitive measures. These included a blanket ban on the military wings of the movements, closure of various institutions used for their recruitment,

Intro to Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Intro to Philosophy Essay The word philosophy itself means â€Å"the love of wisdom. † Philosophy stands for doing the right thing or being a â€Å"just† person. Philosophy also means to see things for what they truly are and not what they may seem to be. A philosopher’s life is a lifelong quest to find the meaning of things beyond their physical appearance. The Ring of Gyges is a ring that a man puts on and becomes invisible. When he does wrong he is not blamed, he gets away with it. Once a man puts this ring on he can be unjust without punishment. In the second book of The Republic Adimantus argued that the unjust life is happier than the unjust. His argument was that a just man can go without now and enjoy heaven in the afterlife while an unjust man will go without nothing and still enjoy the benefits of the after life. Through the eyes of a philosopher there are two worlds, the visible world and the intelligible world. In the visible you can see things and judge them from what you actually see. If a person sees a flower one could judge that it is a beautiful flower. However, the person is judging this flowers beauty on its physical appearance and their claim is merely an opinion rather than true knowledge. In â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† men are chained inside of a cave. All they can see is the shadows that are formed on the wall in front of them. The people inside of the cave believe that the shadows that are being cast on the wall is reality. When one of the men is unchained and brought to the outside world at first he is blinded by the sun and cannot see clearly. The man can only see the shadows of the objects in front of him, this can be perceived as the images of physical objects. When his eyes adjust he can see more than the shadows, he can see the physical objects themselves. When the man goes back inside of the cave to tell the others what he has seen he again cannot see clearly because his eyes have not adjusted. The others in the cave laugh claiming that the sun has ruined his eyes. For a period of time he cannot decipher what the shadows on the wall are imitating. They don’t believe what the man is telling them. In Plato’s Analogy of the Divided Line the four stages of cognition, which represent the levels of existence, are explained. The first two stages, the good and the sun, represent the visible world. The third and fourth stages, knowledge and opinion, represent the intelligible world. These stages are represented in â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave. † Without the sun’s light we would not be able to see anything at all. The sun allows us to see the flower that we perceived as beautiful. Without the suns light we would not be able to see or perceive any of the physical objects that exist. The sun is perceived as the things that we see. The sun also allows for all living life on earth. Without the sun all life on Earth would diminish. Without the sun we could not perceive anything at all. 1. A person can only understand something once they have reached the highest level of cognitive activity. One must acquire the Form of Good before they can truly understand something. Images and assumptions are not enough support to truly understand the meaning of something. The images the prisoners in the cave saw and the assumptions they made about what they thought they could be are only their opinions. Although they were able to identify the shadows on the wall as what they thought they were it is not enough to truly know what they are, the identities given to the shadows by the prisoners is merely their opinion. In â€Å"Phaedo† Socrates claims that our soul is attached to our body. Our body acts as a vessel only operating because of the soul inside. According to Socrates our body holds us back from perceiving things for what they truly are and therefore a philosopher should desire death because it enables them to continue their quest of reality. 2. Socrates viewed death as a purification of the body that allows us find pure wisdom. Socrates explained how our souls are glued to our bodies and only when they are unfastened by death is a person able to experience wisdom in its purest state. The body distracts us from finding the truth because it requires maintenance. The body allows us to feel pain and emotions like love, fear and hunger. Socrates admits that philosophers are more or less practicing for death and should embrace it when it comes for them. â€Å"And will he who is a true lover of wisdom, and is persuaded in like manner that only in the world below he can worthily enjoy her, still repine death? Will he not depart with joy? Surely, he will, my friend, if he be a true philosopher. For he will have a firm conviction that there only, and nowhere else, he can find wisdom in her purity. † (Phaedo pg. 65) Socrates believes that philosophy is good because it enlightens us to what things actually are rather than what they’re perceived to be. Philosophy is what brings the unchained man outside of the cave. It pushes us to go into the unknown, which we at one point we thought we knew. Once we realize what things actually are we also realize that we had no idea what they really were before. The man in the cave that once thought that the only reality was the shadows on the wall now realizes that the shadows weren’t reality at all. Socrates was formally charged because he didn’t worship the gods recognized by the states and for corrupting the youth of Athens. The informal charges against Socrates was asking questions that were unusual, or outside of the box. â€Å"Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others† p. 21 Apology The oracle of Delphi told Socrates that he was the wisest man. Socrates refused to accept this statement and went searching for a wiser man than himself. In search of a wiser man than himself, Socrates talked with many people including politicians, poets and craftsmen who claimed to be wise. Socrates found them to not be wise because they thought they knew things that they did not. Socrates proclaimed himself as wise because he knew that he did not know. Socrates exposed the false wisdom of the men who were thought to be wise. Naturally these men held much resistance and hostility towards Socrates. These negative feelings contributed to Socrates’ trial. Socrates refutes Meletus’ statement that he doesn’t believe in any god, that he is an atheist. Socrates does this by confirming that he does in fact believe in supernatural activities, such as his inner voice that told him he was the wisest man, and therefore is not an atheist. Socrates states that wealthy young men, enjoy following him around and listening to him question people. It’s entertaining for them. These men, who think they are wise but aren’t, then go out and try to do this on their own. When the people they question get angry instead of being angry with themselves, become angry with Socrates. They accuse Socrates of filling the young men’s head with nonsense. When asked about what Socrates teaches they don’t know and then use claims already made against philosophers against Socrates. Socrates then asks Meletus who he thinks an improver of the youth is. Meletus claims that the law is an improver of the youth, such as judges and senators. Socrates then proclaims that everyone in the state is an improver of the youth except himself. Meletus agrees to this statement. Socrates states that he must either not corrupt the youth or unintentionally corrupt the youth because good do their neighbors good, and evil do them evil. If he had corrupted someone, in theory, they should have harmed him by now. In Socrates’ last defense he says, â€Å"For if you kill me you will not easily find another like me, who, if I may use such a ludicrous figure of speech, am a sort of gadfly, given to the state by God; and the state is like a great and noble steed who is tardy in his motions owing to his very size, and requires to be stirred into life. I am that gadfly which God has given the state, and all day long and in all places am always fastening upon you, arousing and persuading and reproaching you. † (31-32) Socrates is attempting to demonstrate to the people of the city that there is more to their life than what meets the eye. Without philosophers such as himself they will continue to live the life they’re living with no desire to search for more. They will continue to accept the shadows on the wall as their reality. There are three parts to the soul. These three parts consist of the rational, high spirit and the appetitive. The rational portion of the soul is the part of us that seeks knowledge of wisdom. According to Plato the rational should rule the soul. The high spirit consists of the angry and prideful part of the soul that defends and aids the rational. The high spirit avoids shame. The final part of the soul, the appetitive, is the part of the soul that desires. While some desires are necessary, others are not. If not restrained by the rational, the appetitive portion of the soul can over rule all other parts. In addition to the three parts of the soul there are also three parts of the city. These three parts are the gold, silver and the bronze. The golds are the guardians, the silvers are the enforcers of the laws (helpers), and the bronzes are the merchants and tradesmen. The city virtue of wisdom resides within the gold’s, the guardians. In order to posses civic wisdom one must know how the city operates and how all parts of the city are connected. The knowledge of how the city runs and operates allows the city to operate at the highest level. The city virtue of bravery and justice resides with the silvers, the enforcers of laws. Civic bravery is the defined as the Silvers upholding their education about what things are and are not to be feared and in what order as ordered to them by the Golds. Civic justice refers to sticking to your own work whether you are a moneymaker, helper, or guardian. It’s considered unjust to work outside of your boundaries. The city virtue of temperance exists within the bronze citizens, the merchants and tradesmen, of the city. The civic temperance is the agreement (harmony) between the three sections (gold, silver and bronze) as to who should rule and who should obey. The personal virtue of wisdom is housed by ones rational portion of the soul. Personal wisdom consists of knowing all parts of the soul and how they are connected to one another. The ultimate goal of personal wisdom is keeping the soul as healthy and as balanced as possible. Personal bravery and justice is contained within the high-spirit part of the soul. The High-Spirit of the soul is to preserve the education of what is and is not to be feared. The Rational tells the High-Spirit in which order things are to be feared or not feared. The personal virtue of justice minds it’s own within each part of the soul. The appetitive portion of the soul houses the personal temperance virtue. The personal temperance works in agreement between the three portions of the soul as to who should rule and who should obey. The advantage of philosophy with respect to the state is the efficiency. Everyone has jobs that relate well to their attributes. You cannot be a gold (guardian) without first experiencing being a bronze and then a silver. In order to be a gold one must possess knowledge of all three parts of the city. This ultimately leaves the best most knowledgeable citizens in charge of the city. The advantage of philosophy in regards to the individual is the balance between all parts of the soul. All parts of the soul are important to understand and the rational helps us inherit the wisdom needed to understand these aspects of the soul. One who constantly indulges in the appetitive portion of the soul will be overcome by it. When a person posses wisdom they know when a desire is necessary rather than unnecessary. Students and states that pursue philosophy are better off than the ones who don’t because of the level of intelligence they hold. When a student or state has the knowledge of all the levels of either the civic or individual level they’re more likely to excel in their job. Without philosophy there would be no need to extend one’s boundaries and explore the unkown. Socrates was the man in the cave who managed to break free from his chains and see the world beyond the cave. His accusers, the men still chained inside of the cave, refused to accept what Socrates was trying to show them. If they accepted what Socrates was trying to prove it would be a harsh reality for all they ever knew would diminish. Life outside of the cave is unknown. It’s far less scary to continue their life believing that the shadows on the wall are all that there is. Works Cited Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. The Trial and Death of Socrates: Four Dialogues. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print. Plato, H. D. P. Lee, and M. S. Lane. The Republic. London: Penguin, 2007. Print.

Effect Of Moisture Contents And Storage Temperature Citrus Seeds Biology Essay

Effect Of Moisture Contents And Storage Temperature Citrus Seeds Biology Essay King et al. (1981) determined that the longevity of various citrus seeds improved as the storage temperature and moisture contents of seeds were decreased. The lemon, lime and sour orange dried up to 5 % moisture contents and stored at -20 Â °C suffered no significant decline in viability within the storage period of seven months for lime, lemon and sour orange respectively. Nayer (1981) examined that seeds were extracted from Duncan grapefruit, pineapple, sweet orange, Troyer citrange and rough lemon fruits and these seeds were treated with different fungicides. These seeds were then stored moist, surface dried after 1-16 days of drying at room temperature. All four citrus cultivars showed delayed germination due to drying at different regimes for different durations. With Duncan grapefruit, seed stored moist was 80 % germination twenty days before surface dry seed and some were killed by two days drying. At the other extreme, rough lemon seed survived 16 days drying with out loss of viability and germination delay was not grater after 16 days than after 1-2 days drying. Saraswathy et al. (1997) studied three tropical fruit species believed to recalcitrant seed storage behavior, Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.), rambai (Baccaurea motleyana Muell.- Arg.) and jelentik (Baccaurea polyneura Hook. f.). Their seeds showed no dormancy and they germinated more easily and more quickly. At the time of harvest, the moisture contents (fresh weight basis) were 53.54, 51.20 and 44.90 % for G. mangostana, B. motleyana and B. polyneura respectively. G. mangostana seeds lost their viability when their moisture contents fell to about 24 % while B. motleyana seeds lost their viability below 35.5 % moisture contents. However, for B. polyneura the seeds could be dried to low moisture content with high survival percentage. The viability was still high when the rates of moisture contents were reduced to 13.46 %. At this moisture content, the germination percentage was 91.76 % and it was found that the seeds survived cryopreservation with 8.3 % viability. They also vary greatly in their size. Seeds of G. mangostana are larger than Baccaurea seeds and thus, more sensitive to the desiccation tolerance. Seeds and embryonic axis structure may play a very important role in desiccation sensitivity. Fu et al. (1994) reported that the desiccation tolerance in two species with recalcitrant seeds: Clausena lansium (Lour) and Litchi chinensis (Sonn.) was studied. They resulted that the mature seeds were less sensitive to desiccation than the fully mature ones while the embryonic axis of the same stage were more tolerant of desiccation than whole seeds. Aslantus and Pirlak, (2002) reported that the germination capacity of strawberry pollen increased in low temperature. However, germination percentage of 4Â °C and fresh pollen was almost in first week. Pollens that were stored at 4 Â °C showed low 53.40 % germination percentage in early weeks but the rate of germination was further decreased quickly and up to 48 weeks the rate of germination percentage was 20.10 %. Conclusively the range of temperature and humidity are the major influencing factors in pollen behavior of different conditions. Pollens that were stored at -60Â °C showed better results and these pollens showed 60 % viability after storing for 48 weeks. The most successful factor for pollen conservation is the storage temperatures and moisture contents of material, lowering of both temperature and humidity tends to increase the period of viability. Ganeshan (1986) studied the cryopreservation of papaya pollens in liquid nitrogen (-196 Â °C) and found that the pollen cryopreserved for 485 days retained their viability and germination percentage as high as fresh pollens were germinated in vitro. Pollens stored for 300 days could effect normal fertilization, producing fruit and seed set on a par with controls, indicating no major loss of fertility. Pollen samples exhibited high tolerance to direct freezing at ultra low temperatures un-controlled thawing to ambient temperature and re-freezing back to cryogenic temperatures, when viability was determined after storage. This method of preservation would be more profitable for breeders and gene banks involved in conserving genetic recourses. Normah and Serimala (1995) reported that citrus aurantifolia seeds can be successfully cryopreserved at -196 Â °C after desiccating them to a moisture content of 12.93 % (50% viability) while seeds of C. halimii presented only 25 % viability after cryopreservation at moisture contents of 9.5 %. The Seeds of C. hystrix are highly sensitive to desiccation as they failed to germinate when the moisture contents were reduced to 27 % and thus did not survive cryopreservation. The embryonic axes of the three Citrus species gave higher percentage of survival after cryopreservation. Survival rate was 100 % in C. aurantifolia and C. halimii embryonic axes with moisture contents of 9-11 % and 16.6 % respectively. With C. hystrix axes, the highest survival rate obtained that was 60 % at a moisture content of 11.04 %. The cryopreservation methods were further employed for the embryonic axis of C. hystrix. There was no improvement in the survival percentage obtained. Khalil (1999) observed that unstratified seeds of Troyer citrange, (C. volkameriana) lime cultivars Balady and Rashidi and sour orange were extracted during January. (1) Seed fresh weight (2) Seedling emergence and vigor as affected by seed weight, seed density and soaking in IBA. The comprehensible differences were observed in seed weight and uniformity and the range of its distribution. They also determined that the large and high density seeds were associated with high rates of emergence of seedling. Radhamani et al. (1991) stated that the seed coats usually acted as a mechanical barrier for the germination of the seeds which was improved by removing it in all the seven citrus species tested namely limes, lemons, mandarins, sweet orange, sour orange and pummelos. The surface characteristics of the seed coat were examined using SEM and surface structure differed in the various species under study. A correlation between the thickness of seed coat and their rate of germination was found in these species. Chilembwe et al. (1992) reported that commercially processed seed of different citrus cultivars. The seeds were used as the effect of hydration and priming on the rate of germination. Seeds which were soaked in aerated water showed increased germination rates and emergence rates compared with that of un- soaked seeds. The soaking of seeds at 35 Â °C temperature enhanced these differences rather than at 25 Â °C. Priming seeds in solution of PEG 6,000 was not successful as germination and emergence percentage were lower than soaking in distilled water. Polat and Kaska (1992) studied the impacts of stratification at 4 Â °C for 30 days on germinations for the seeds of Loquat cultivars Gold Nugget and Tanaka. Stratification markedly increased the rate of germination percentage of seeds, resulting in 98.75 % germination. Un-stratified but chilled seeds demonstrated 68.75 % germination, while untreated and controlled seeds show 63.75 % germination. Stratified seeds germinated more rapidly than the seeds which were untreated. Kadam et al. (1994) reported that viability and rate of germination percentage of ciotrus limonia seeds were examined during the storage period for up to six weeks in the open air or in polythene bags at room temperature (90 % RH) and storage temperature 10 Â °C (45 % RH). Both were declined during the storage periods but this decrease was least for seeds stored at 10 Â °C +45 % RH. Dument and Berjak (1995) described that the recalcitrant seeds were generally larger and show much curtailed longevity even if stored hydrated. They also determined minimum water content tolerated by embryos of five recalcitrant species and their subsequent survival after cryopreservation. Roberts et al. (1999) reported that the citrus seeds have practically recalcitrant seed storage behavior, because they are highly sensitive to desiccation (cryogenic) temperature condition. Usually it was desirable for long term storage conservation of seeds. More recently, it has proved that citrus seeds have not been considered to be truly recalcitrant, as they can tolerate desiccation to some extent. However, their tolerance is limited and varies from species to species and variety to variety. Citrus seeds are some what intermediate between orthodox and recalcitrant seeds and can be named as non orthodox. Hong and Ellis (1995) stated that there are differences in seed storage behavior among species particularly within the genus. Seeds of C. Robusta and C. libercia were tested for germination following desiccation and storage for up to one year at -20Â °C with 5-13 % (robusta) or 5-14 % (liberica) moisture content. Viability was lost more quickly during storage conditions the lowest the temperature below 15 Â °C and the lowest moisture content 11.3 %. Seeds of C. liberica were more sensitive to desiccation. Only the 6 % surviving rate was obtained to desiccation with 13.5 % moisture content. It is concluded that C. libercia showed recalcitrant seed storage behavior but that C. robusta shows an intermediate seed storage behavior. Evidence is variation in seed storage behavior with in the genus Citrus and the intermediate category is discrete rather than a continuum between orthodox and recalcitrant. Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Citrus Seed Germination Burger and Hackett (1982) observed that Valencia orange seeds did not germinate when the fruits were harvested during the early November, while seed from November harvested fruit stored at 3-4 Â °C for 21 days germination was 100 %. An equivalent germination response was obtained when seeds from fruits were extracted in April. They were also examined when treatment of IBA reduced about 50% germination in seeds from non cold treated fruits. Burger (1983) reported that germination of sour orange seeds air dried for more than 1 day was delayed and the rates of germination were decreased. A naphthalene-acetic acid soaked seeds reversed the effect of drying and resulted in taller seedling with stem dry weight. But stratification and a water soak did not reverse the undesirable effect of air drying. Edwards and Mumford (1983) informed that the seeds of citrus aurantium were stored in a range of different substances including fruit juices, phenols, growth regulators, and a kind of fungicides and solutions of high osmotic potential. The effects of these substances on germination at 200 Â °C and on viability of seeds stored at 40 Â °C over long periods were examined. Low temperature 4 Â °C alone was more effective and more valuable than any of the substances in preventing germination or growth in storage and had no adverse effect on germination percentage. The survival rate of imbibed seeds at 4Â °C was best in 10-2 M NAA. The germination imbibitions at 25 Â °C were incomplete with all the substances, and there was significant loss of viability. Ramos et al. (1997) reported that the immature fruits contain larger number of seeds than mature fruits. The seeds were removed from immature fruits, 10 to 12 weeks after anthesis of Citrus sunki and disinfected with 1 % NaOCl for 20 minutes before placing on Murashige and skoog medium. After 40 days at 25 Â °C with a 16-h photoperiod at 3,000 lux, showed that the highest germination percentage rates (8 %) corresponded to an NAA concentration of 0.68 mg/L. The concentration of benzyladenine in this trial was inadequate to stimulate satisfactory development of the immature seeds of cv. Sunki. Kalita et al. (2002) determined the effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs) gibberellic acid, IBA, IAA and NAA at different concentrations (200, 400, 600 and 800 ppm) on citrus reticulate seed germination. Plant growth regulators (PGR) treated seeds required only fewer days for germination than distilled water treated seeds (control). Treatment with 600ppm IBA recorded the shortest time (19 days) required for germination. This was statically at par with 800ppm IAA, 600 and 800ppm GA3 (21, 20 and 21 days respectively). Treatment with 800ppm NAA recorded the highest germination percentage (86.6 %) which was statistically at par with 600ppm IBA (80 %). The control treatment recorded the lowest germination percentage (33.33 %). The highest leaf number (7) was recorded upon treatment with 800ppm IBA. The control treatment recorded the lowest leaf number as compared to the PGR treated seeds. Parsad and Rekha (1991) observed that the seeds of three strains of Rangpur lime and acid lime were irradiated at the amount of 6-2KR and germination rates were compared with that of the control one. A significant decreased in germination rates were occurred with increasing the exposure of 50-60 % at the semi lethal dose level. The radiation sensitivity was of chief importance in the mutations program. Rao and Singh (1992) reported that hydration-dehydration treatments with tanic acid and benzoic acid increased the percentage of the germination in black gram and green gram, while compared with water soaked and dry seeds. Dhillion et al. (1993) examined that hybrid seeds from 6 citrus cultivars crosses, dried and sown in polythene bags filled with a mixture of farm yard manures (FYM) and sand during the month of August. Seeds of seven combinations failed to germination. The highest seed germination percentage (74.4 %) was gained with the Ludhiana selection + Lime Attari cross. Leonel et al. (1994) accounted that seeds extracted from mature and ripe fruits on 5th May, washed in running tap water and then dried under shade for a week, stored at 4-5 Â °C until 16 September. Then these seeds were soaked in water in various solutions of growth regulators for 24 hrs. The seeds were germinated at 25 Â °C under white light on filter paper moistened with distilled water. The germination was evaluated after every two days. Data was calculated and tabulated on the number of germinated seeds, germination percentage, average germination time and average rate. The differences were observed between different treatments but germination was highest (97 %) following treatments with phenylmethylaminopurine at 20mg/L. Raju and Sivaprakasam (1994) deliberated that the effects of the treatments with fungicides, bactericides, hot water on the viability of cabbage cultivars. September seeds were judged promptly after treatment and after storage under ambient condition for 3 or 6 months. Seeds treated with carbendazim at the rate of 2g/Kg, hot water at 50Â °C for 30 min or thiram at the rate of 2g/Kg had higher germination percentage (mean values for the 3 assessments of >80 %) than the control (71 %). Normah et al. (1997) observed that desiccation sensitivity of seeds of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), rambai (Baccaurea motleyana) and jelentik (Garcinia polyneura). These were known as tropical fruits species believed to have recalcitrant seed storage behavior. The seeds showed no dormancy, they germinated easily. At the time of harvesting, the moisture contents were 53.54, 51.20 and 44.90 %. The seeds of Mangosteen (G. mangostana) lost their viability when their moisture contents fell to about 24 % while B. motleyana seeds lost viability below 35.5 % moisture contents. However, for B. polyneura seeds could be dried to low moisture contents with highest survival rate. The viability was still high when the moisture contents were reduced to 13.46 %. At this moisture content, the germination percentage was 91.76 % and it was found that the seeds survived cryopreservation with 8.3 % viability. For B. polyneura axes, the los of viability when their moisture contents fell to about 36 % , while for B. polyneura axes viability was reduced to 33.67 % when the moisture is 27.30 %. So it was concluded that the seeds vary in degree of desiccation sensitivity. Dussert (1999) determined the seed desiccation sensitivity in nine species of the genus Coffea by measuring seed viability after equilibration and various saturated salt solutions. The results showed that Coffea is a suitable material for studying desiccation sensitivity. Leonel and Rodrigues (1999) reported that the citrus limonia seeds were extracted from ripe fruits, washed with tap water, air dried and then these seeds were stored at 4 Â °C for 12 days. After storage these seeds were then treated for 24 hrs with KNO3 0.1 % at the rate of different concentrations. The evaluations were observed and conducted at 5 days interval, starting 15 days after sowing. The statistical analysis showed that the growth regulator treatment did not enhance seed germination and those treatments with KNO3 at 0.1 % and 0.2 % inhibited the germination of seeds Tokeshi et al. (1999) reported that the supply of energy of seeds decreases during the germination periods. The survival percentage of the seedlings probability increases if the germination period of seeds is reduced. The potential of seedling survival is called vigor which can be determined from the speed of emergence. The effective micro organisms (EM) have plant growth regulator action like Naphthalene acetic acid. The speed of emergence was evaluated in tangerine cv. Coleoptra seeds treated with metalaxyl for 30 minute before sowing. The speed of emergence of the EM treatment was superior to the control one. The growth promoter effect of EM was best during the initial four days of emergence of the seedlings. In comparison of 40 days old seedlings, the EM treated seeds produced larger plants than that of the control treatment. Hong et al. (2000) stated that the viability of Norway maple seeds collected 21 days before mass maturity (68 % moisture content) and at mass maturity (65 % moisture contents). Their viability was reduced from 52-85 % to 7 % if dried rapidly to 4-5 % moisture contents. Effect of storage on seed moisture contents King and Roberts, (1979) stated that viability of citrus seeds is greatly affected by drying for different time periods, viability being decreased when the moisture contents were reduced to some extent. Citrus seeds have been usually classified as recalcitrant seeds as some species loss their viability when the moisture contents are reduced below 10 %. Recalcitrant seeds normally originated from certain moist areas where the seeds are not exposed to drying before germination. In their natural habitat, conditions are often favorable for instantaneous germination and the seeds do not require long term storage conservation. Richards, (1952) reported that the seeds of musk lime (C. macrocarpa) lost their viability at different storage regimes, at high temperature and at the low moisture contents in a few days. Teng and Hor, (1976) reported that the seeds of country lime (C. aurantifolia) lost their viability and moisture contents after 7 days when they were stored at 20-25Â °C. Mungomery et al. (1966) determined that the viability of citrus seeds can be maintained in storage regimes when the moisture content is high and the range of temperature is 5-10 Â °C. Barton, (1943) reported that sour orange (C. aurantium) seeds deteriorated in a short time at the moisture contents of 80 % and a temperature of 5 Â °C, but rough lemon (C. limonia) seeds were still viable at the moisture contents of 56 % and at a temperature of 5 Â °C after 500 days. The seeds of C. grandis were viable at the moisture contents below 10 % (Hanjo and Nakagawa, 1978) and the seeds of grapefruit (C. paradise) and mandarin (C. reticulate) were viable after 80 days stored at 14.1 % and 10 % moisture contents respectively at a temperature of 4.5 Â °C (Mallareddy, et al., 1977). Mumford and Grout, (1979) indicated that citrus seeds can be stored in dry condition for different time periods. Recently experiments have shown that C. limon seeds remained viable for 20 days stored at a moisture content of 1.2 % at room temperature, provided that the testas were removed from the seeds before drying. The advantages of storing dry seeds are significant in practical terms since a very little space is occupied by the dry seeds and they are easier to handle and maintain free from micro- organisms, but there is insufficient evidence to data to suggest that all citrus species can be stored in this way. Cameron and Soost, (1969) reported the fact that the seeds responded differently to dry storage when their seed coats were removed. The seed coat may be an important factor in seed preservation. It is known that the seed coat generally is one of the major and important factors that generally influenced seed germination. Citrus seed coats can be easily distinguished into three layers, the mucilage, the testa and the tegmen. The outer seed coat or testa is tough and is covered by mucilage. The tegmen is a thin and papery layer of seed. Their roles are not still well understood. Removing the testa usually accelerate the germination of the seeds. In their natural habitat, these layers are likely to protect from the dehydration until environmental conditions are favorable for better germination of citrus seeds (King and Roberts., 1979). Hortmann et al. (2001) reported that the rate of germination of the Seed is greatly influenced by many factors, which include type of substrate, environmental factors such as oxygen, water and temperature and for some plant species, light. Effect of Desiccation on Citrus Seeds Wood et al. (2000) concluded that desiccation results in the induction of dormancy rather than reducing the seed viability and showed that heat shock (4 hours at 36Â °C) followed by low temperature (26CÂ °C) could be used to break the dormancy. Wood et al. (2000) determined the effect of desiccation and temperature on germination capability of Papaya seeds. More than 50 % of freshly isolated cleaned but un-dried seeds germinated at 26 Â °C. However, desiccation to approximately 20 % relative humidity reduced the rate of germination percentage at this temperature to less than 10 %. A substantial increase in the rate of germination at alternating temperature (33/19Â °C) indicated that desiccation induces seed dormancy rather than viability loss. Doijode (1998) reported that the seeds of Kaghzi lime with 6.6 % moisture contents were packed in aluminoum foil laminated pouches under partial vacuum and then these packets were filled with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. These packet were stored at -20, 5, 15 Â °C and ambient (16-35 Â °C) temperature. There was no germination of seeds which were stored under ambient temperature after 6 months of storage while their viability was retained for 24 months in low temperature. Seed viability was initially affected due to desiccation injury. Pritchard et al. (2004) reported that the first challenge for the long term conservation of seeds of desiccation sensitive species is to determine their response to desiccation tolerance. This can be achieved either by the routine processing of seeds for long term conservation and identifying species more actively by specific, targeted screening that fail to survive or by fully characterizing the response to dehydration of individual species ( Hong and Ellis, 1996). Using these approaches, approximately 540 species with desiccation sensitive seeds have been identified (Flynn et al, 2004), although it has been estimated that this trait could be present in an approximately 8 % (20000 species) of the world flowering plants (Dickie and Pritchard, 2002). As it is unlikely that all of these species will ever be identified through experimental determination, a second approach to desiccation tolerance investigation is needed that identifies reliable and robust correlate of seed desiccation, leading to the development of a predictive frame work for seed storage responses. A number of studies have determined potential correlation of seed desiccation sensitivity, including seed mass (Hong and Ellis, 1998; Dickie and Pritchard, 2002; Pritchard et al., 2004), seed shape(Tompsett, 1984,1987; Hong and Ellis, 1997, seed moisture content at shedding (Hong and Ellis, 1998), seed germination rates, seed allocation to physical defence (Pritchard et al., 2004; Daws et al., 2005) and both gross and local scale habitate variables (Hong and Ellis, 1998; Dussert et al., 2000; Tweddle et al., 2003; Pritchard et al., 2004; Daws et al., 2005). Rate of dehydration greatly effects desiccation tolerance of recalcitrant seeds. This effect is presumably related to two different stress factors: direct mechanical or physical stress factor because of the loss of the water physiochemical damage of tissues as a result of metabolic alterations during drying. Liang and Sung (2002) determined a new theoretic approach to represent these two types of stresses and investigated how seed tissues responded differently to two stress vector, using the model of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) embryonic tissues dehydrated under various drying conditions. Cumulative desiccation stress increased sharply under slow drying conditions, which was also detrimental to embryonic tissues. This quantitative analysis of the stress time response relationship helps to understand the physiological basis for the existence of an optimal dehydration rate, with which maximum desiccation could be achieved. Hong et al. (2001) determined that storage behavior and longevity of seeds of lemon (C. limon) and sweet orange (C. sinensis) following desiccation between 14 and 4 % moisture contents. They also observed the hermetic air dry storage for up to 914 days at temperature between 15 and -20 Â °C up to 6 days in liquid nitrogen (-196 Â °C). The results conformed that both the species showed intermediate storage behavior that is between Orthodox and recalcitrant. Air dry storage environment require care to obtain maximum longevity of seeds. The seeds of sweet orange were highly sensitive to desiccation tolerance and less than 25 % of seeds were survived more than 210 days at 5 Â °C and 8.7 % moisture contents. The most advantageous air drying environment for the medium storage of the longer lived lemon seeds was 5Â °C and 7.5 % moisture contents. Fu et al. (1994) reported that desiccation tolerance of Clausena lansium (Lour.) seeds was highest at 67 days after anthesis (DAA). When they tolerated air- drying for 9 days: 74 DAA was measured as physiological maturity and their full viability was only maintained for up to 3 days of drying. Over ripened seeds (88 DAA) had the lowest desiccation tolerance. In Litchi chinesis (Sonn.) the desiccation sensitivity of seeds at 98 DAA (fully mature) was higher than that at 84 and 91 DAA (less mature). Role of Seed Drying Methods on Citrus Seed Behavior: Saipari et al. (1998) determined the effect of air and silica drying on seed germination percentage and viability, field emergence, seedling growth and water absorption patterns in citrus species. P. trifoliate was the most sensitive to seed drying while C. grandis and C. karna were fairly tolerant to seed drying. Seed viability scored on the basis of tetrazolium staining was slightly higher but paralleled the germination percentage in laboratory and seedling emergence. There have not been appropriate methods for drying of seeds. The drying of seeds has major effect on the quality of the seed. Pachy et al. (2003) designed an experiment to determine proper drying techniques in order to improve the seed quality of citrus seeds. There were three drying methods namely sun drying, 40Â °C hot air oven and using silica gel as the moisture absorbent. Initial seed moisture content were determined and recorded. Seed samples were quickly dried until it reached to the moisture contents of 20, 15, 10, and 5 % respectively. Standard germination tests, vigor tests by accelerated aging technique, viability tests by tetrazolium chloride test were used. It was observed that drying with silica gel result 57 % germination rate, 92 % in viability test and 38 % in vigor test. Hot air oven drying method provided 47 % in germination, 90 % in viability test and 29 % in vigor test. The result of two previous methods can maintain the viability of citrus seeds but can not spr out may be due to chemical inhabitant of seeds. While the sun drying method result poorest quality of the seeds which were 30 % in germination rate, 85 % in viability and 19 % in seed vigor. The use of sun drying system has provided highest temperature which generally makes them unsuitable for small scale drying harvested seed crops. Silica gel can reduce the relative humidity below 40 % and then removed the seed moisture contents. Therefore, drying with seed moisture absorbent was the best result and sun drying was the poorest method of drying seeds. Sangakara, (1995) reported that the drying citrus seeds under shade and ambient temperatures maintained germ- inability to greater extent than when the seeds are desiccated in ovens. Silica gel drying method was first used by the Pritchard et al. (2004) for safe and effective dehydration of seeds. Six or seven aliquots of seeds were placed in polythene bags with an equal mass of freshly regenerated silica gel desiccants. The bags were then placed in an incubator at 26 Â °C and periodic reweighing of the seeds, separated from the silica gel, allowed target masses and hence the moisture contents to be obtained. Maximum drying times varied from 6 d, for Sclerocarya birrea, to 35 d for Syzygium cumini depended on the time required for the seeds to reach3-7 % moisture contents. Edwards and Mumford (1985) dried up the seeds of sour orange in streams of air and some of its constituents gasses which were O2, N2 and CO2 at 25-40 Â °C. The seeds lost their moisture contents at different rates in the different gasses at the same temperature and showed marked variation in the rates of germination. The intact seeds dried at a rate of 30 % moisture loss per 100 hrs in a rapid air current showed the best viability. Chemical composition of Citrus seed Prill et al. (1949) determined the effect of chemical compounds and organic acids on the germination of the seeds and growth of seedlings. Evenari, (1949) mentioned that fruit juice of C. aurantium, C. limon, C. maxima and C. nobilis contain a substance that inhibit the germination of the seed of citrus. The effect of these acids and chemical compounds on the germination of citrus seeds and the effect of a sudden change in their concentrations on the physiology of seed has not been explored. Cohen, (1956) and Monselise (1959) provided the evidence for the existence of the inhibitors in the seed coat of citrus seeds. They showed that when the seeds of citrus were soaked in water, the resulting solutions inhibited the germination of weed seeds and suggested that this effect might be caused by the presence of inhibitor substances in the seed coat of citrus such as phenolic contents. Van buren, (1970) reported that the chemical compounds like protein, fats, sugars, phenolics, enzymes are widely distributed in plant, particularly in fruits. The amount of these compounds per fruit usually decreased as the size of the fruit increased. Among these compounds phenolics are the major inhibitors for the germination of seeds after ABA. Ulrich, (1970) reported that when citrus seeds are removed from the fruits there was a remarkable change in their environment because the pulp and juice of the fruit are very rich in organic acids and chemical compounds like protein, fats, sugar and lipids. These compounds are usually dissolved in the water either free or in combination with salts, esters or glycosides. In lemon juice the citric acid is 60-90 % of the total soluble sugars (Wolf, 1958). Devlin, (1975) determined the effect of dehydration on the seed coat that has not been still investigated, and it is possible that the viability of the seed is reduced during drying due to change in the nature of the seed coat which in turn effect the embry