Semantic Information Extraction From Data Bits to Knowledge Bytes

Semantic Information Extraction: From Data Bits to Knowledge Bytes Semantic information extraction is a boring name for a fascinating task: pulling out meaningful data from textual sources.Semantic Information Extraction and the New Digital DisorderIn his book â€Å"Everything is Miscellaneous – the power of the new social order†, David Weinberger writes:When you have ten, twenty, or thirty thousand photos on your computer, storing a photo of Aunt Sally labeled â€Å"DSC00165.jpg† is functionally the same as throwing it out, because you’ll never find it again.Cit. Everything is Miscellaneous – the power of the new social order, p. 13Now, take this understanding and extrapolate it on a corporate plane, where every day thousands of emails, customer service records, presentations, logs of calls, supplier lists, employee records and a myriad of other texts and text chunks flow around the business unutilized.Functionally, they all end up where Aunt Sally’s photo does: in the trash. Or at least filling someoneâ₠¬â„¢s computer, deemed to oblivion.The way out of this oblivion is semantic information extraction a brave new trail to blaze, where textual sources are utilized properly and they fuel data-driven visions, conclusions and discoveries.With semantic information extraction, text chunks become data bits, data bits become semantic metadata and semantic metadata become knowledge bytes data pieces, ready to be leveraged for insights, decisions and actions. From Text Chunks to Data Bits: Traditional Information ExtractionTraditional information extraction turns text chunks into data bits, which involves finding and classifying pre-specified names in texts in order to extract and gather clear, factual information. Typically, information extraction is applied to free-flowing textual sources, such as legal acts, medical records, social media interactions and streams, online news, government documents, corporate reports. By translating these into structured, machine-readable data, information extraction enables content classification, integrated search, content management and delivery.As useful and valuable as this process is for many tasks that benefit from automation such as gathering structured information from multiple sources, media monitoring, drug discovery, scientific research and more, information extraction can be even more powerful.Integrating semantic technologies in the traditional information extraction process tames the powers of the content hurricanes our digital world exposes us to and uses their force to create knowledge.The Road Less Travelled: From Data Bits to Knowledge Bytes For data bits to become knowledge bytes, semantic information extraction comes into play. Click To TweetTo the traditional information extraction, where texts are transformed into data pieces, it adds another layer of richness in the representation of texts as data, turning them into semantic metadata, that is, into knowledge bytes. Semantic information extraction, also referred to as semantic annotation or semantic enrichment, makes the shift to the next level by including semantics to the information extraction process. Thus textual sources are not only converted into machine-processable facts, but further enriched with machine-readable links, references and relationships.With semantic information extraction, capturing and making sense of all sorts of data is much more effective than other alternative approaches. It is not a silver bullet for enterprise knowledge management, but is still a powerful tool for connecting, integrating and analyzing where data bits become knowledge bytes. Linked Data For Lean Enterprise Data Management from OntotextFrom Knowledge Bytes to EverywhereSemantic Information Extraction revolutionizes the way we think about textual sources. It helps seeing texts, scattered across the web and corporate intranets every document, every business record, every email as an asset.Put toget her, these small pieces of information from a disparate range of textual sources add up to a 360-degree view of an organization, of its content and its context. This opens up many opportunities for interactive representation and use of content, as well as for a super efficient search that enables accomplishing certain tasks in minutes.To mention just a few applications for which semantic information extraction lays the foundation:integrated search across all sorts of textual data;automatic relationship discovery;content recommendation;discovery of references to concepts and entities;integration of disparate and seemingly unrelated sources.Turning texts into data bits allows algorithms to enter the processes of risk management, fraud detection, retrieving of facts and statistics, investigating connections, keeping up with compliance standards, tracking consumer behavior and much more.The moment textual sources are translated into the language of semantic metadata and further structur ed into a Knowledge Graph, the overwhelming digital mazes of content suddenly transforms into a well-structured organized space with integrated data pieces, ready to become understanding, actionable information and ultimately knowledge.Want to learn transform text-associated hurdles into content-related opportunities?

A Punk Hero essays

A Punk Hero essays Growing up, there are many unexplainable feelings and emotions a teenager may face. A good way of dealing with these emotions is to relate to a literary or sports figure that has had success in their life. I would never imagine how Kurt Cobain could embody both the frustration of my adolescence and express the distress through his music. Through analyzing the success of Nirvana, the meaning of their songs, and the effects on my life it becomes clear Kurt Cobain has become one of rocks most influential figures. This punk Seattle band moved almost mainstream almost overnight. Nirvana caught on fast and changed rock and roll music forever and molded the music of the 90s, alternative. With the support Kurt hated the music of big rock bands like the Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. He felt their lyrics were sexist and pointless with no meaning. Kurt was a very sensitive and emotional person, a characteristic that showed through all of his songs. Eventually he became so famous that he a cult following. The songs exemplified the kids world. In the song Dumb Kurt sings, I think Im dumb over and over again to show how his years of neglect from his peers at high school and his family made him feel as if he was to blame. Kids relate to his music because it portrays how the world was so cruel and how he and the kids were treated badly. He was responsible for the most creative rock music of the last decade. Kurt didnt have to hide behind face paint or wear tight clothes to grab attention as the other rock stars. He wore flannels and jeans, something that every other kid wore, and he wasnt ashamed by it. In one song Come As You Are Kurt sings Come as you are as I want you to be. He wanted to show the youth that they dont have to follow the crowd and do something someone else wants them to do to fit in. Every modern alternative song has a tin...

Lggerhead Sea Turtles and their migration and why they are protected Research Paper

Lggerhead Sea Turtles and their migration and why they are protected - Research Paper Example The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) has also listed sea turtles species as being one of the most endangered species on the planet. Unfortunately, scientists claim that Loggerhead sea turtles could face extinction in less than five decades. The loggerhead sea turtles are under the threat of extinction in the near future due to the human activities on their habitat that has seen their number decrease exceptionally fast, according to a report. Loggerheads sea turtles are also regarded as the species that migrate frequently over their lifetime particularly during the breeding period (Bowen et al., 1995). This paper will explore the loggerhead sea turtles in light of their features, distribution, and migration behavior, why they need protection and the protection measures already initiated to conserve the species. The loggerheads are arguably the largest hard-shelled turtle on planet, observed Kobayashi et al. (2008). The species were named so because of extra large head comprising of h orny beak, which is thicker than other sea turtle species are. Loggerhead sea turtles have exceptionally turf jaws, which enables them feed comfortably hard-shelled prey such as the conch and whelks. The adult loggerheads have carapace that is heart-shaped, and reddish-brown in color. Adult males differ from the female in the sense that they have long tails that protrude beyond the rare carapace (Kobayashi et al., 2008). Additionally, adult male loggerheads have narrow carapace tapering towards the rear. These species have been listed as being among the over 15,000 animal species facing the threat of extinction. Loggerheads were listed as endangered species in 1978, and since then efforts are being made to ensure that they are accorded the necessary protection to abate the extinction threat. Research shows that loggerhead sea turtles are among the species that make the longest journeys than any other sea turtle species (Witherington, Herren, and Bresette,  2006).   They migrate long distances easily due to their adaptation for such movement. Report indicates that loggerheads usually migrate more than 7,500 miles between their nesting beaches in Japan and Mexico here they feed, notes Witherington, Herren, and Bresette  (2006). Since loggerheads are slow in movement, they have turf shell that protects them from predators in the event of an attack. Distribution Loggerheads are regarded as a circumglobal animal present throughout tropical and temperate regions of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Researchers have shown that loggerheads are the most abundant sea turtles in the United States’ coastal waters. The loggerhead sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean range extend from Newfoundland to Argentina. The species nests mainly during summer seasons in the subtropics. In the U.S., the species nesting concentration is found in North Carolina through to the southwest Florida. Research indicates that very few nesting occurs outside this range particularly in Texas and Virginia. Adult loggerheads normally migrate frequently between foraging areas and nesting beaches. However, during non-nesting periods, adult female loggerheads from the U.S. beaches distribute themselves in waters off eastern U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Yucatan (Kobayashi et al., 2008). Most loggerhead nesting takes place in the western part of Indian and Atlantic Oceans. A study

An analysis of stakeholders and the impact that implementation of Case Study

An analysis of stakeholders and the impact that implementation of particular option will have on them - Case Study Example An analysis of stakeholders and the impact that implementation of particular option will have on them There is little doubt in the fact that the third option is likely to have a positive impact on the image and reputation of the company. The latter is likely to react to it with a boost of performance. In this case the following opportunity emerges: the company will be able to restore its good name. However, the major challenge that is posed by the option is that it will probably have a negative impact in terms of finances, but in the long term perspective it will surely win. The next important stakeholder, the role of which cannot be undermined is Halo Ethical Fund. It is identified as the body that has made the biggest investment and, therefore, it will be affected by the decision a lot. It is quite obvious that this stakeholder is likely to experience serious negative impacts that are brought by the option three, since it will involve more investment and the price per stock is not likely to rise in the future. However, the best reaction in this case would be implementing the chosen option and making sure that it brings the positive consequence in the future. If this stakeholder takes half measures, the outcome will be devastating. Speaking of the opportunities that it might experience, one should point out that if option three works out, the performance of the company will improve and so will the return on investment.

Ascorbic acid content of fruit juice Essay Example for Free

Ascorbic acid content of fruit juice Essay OBJECTIVE To determine ascorbic acid content in a sample of fruit juice by using titration method with 0.001M 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, C12H7O2NCl2. INTRODUCTION image00.png Structure of Ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid, the chemical term for vitamin C, are found naturally in fruits and green vegetables. It is a dietary requirement for normal metabolism, formation of collagen, wound healing, and tissue repair. Ascorbic acid is often used as an antioxidant to help prevent free radical damage in the skin, builds resistance to infection, aids in the prevention treatment of the common cold, and aids in the absorption of iron. Yet, vitamin C cannot be synthesized by the body, and needs to be ingested. A lack of vitamin C can cause abnormalities of the spine, scurvy, and a reduction in the ability of the body to heal wounds. The determining factors as to whether organic substances can be determined in an aqueous medium depend primarily on the functional groups that characterise the redox properties. The determination of ascorbic acid content is based on the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid: C6H8O6→ C6H6O6 + 2e- + 2H+ image01.png The redox potential depends on the pH and without adequate buffering the pH at the electrode surface can be displaced by the oxidation reaction of the ascorbic acid leading to peak broadening. Vitamin C is found in fruit drinks such as orange juice and also other sources like vegetables, liver and kidney meat. Vitamin C in food can be destroyed by cooking, leaching out from fruits and vegetable during washing, and being oxidized when expose to the air. Thus, food that rich in vitamin C needs to be stored and prepared well. PROCEDURE 1. Standardization of 0.001M 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution. 25.00mL aliquot of ascorbic acid solution was pipette into a 100mL conical flask. 0.001M 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution is titrated until a faint colour persisted for at least 15 seconds. The molarity of the dye solution is calculated by the result obtained. 2. Ascorbic acid concentration of fruit juice is determined. 5mL of fruit juice was pipette into a 100mL conical flask. 10mL of 5M acetic acid, 5mL of acetone (prevent interference of SO2) and 30mL of water was added, then the mixture was allowed to stand for 5 minutes and titrated with 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution. 3. CuSO4 and bubbling to air. 2 flasks is set up and filled with 25mL of fruit juice in each flask. 1mg of copper sulfate is added to one of the flasks and both are put to bubbled air for 20 minutes. The titration is repeated at the completion of the 20 minutes of air bubbling. DCPIP is a chemical compound used as a redox dye. This dye is blue in base (DCPIP-) and pink in acid (DCPIPH) and the pink form can be reduced by ascorbic acid to a colorless form (DCPIPH2). image03.png Titration with 0.001M 2,6- dichlorophenolindophenol solution Reaction 1: DCPIP- (blue) +H+→ DCPIPH (pink) Reaction 2: DCPIPH (pink) + Ascorbic acid → DCPIPH2 (clear) +Dehydroascorbate If a drop of blue DCPIP dye is added to a low pH solution (pH4.0), it will turn pink (Reaction 1). If a suitable electron donor such as ascorbic acid is present in that solution, it will turn colorless (Reaction 2). When all of the ascorbic acid in the solution has been oxidized to dehydroascorbate, no more electrons will be available to reduce a drop of DCPIPH to the colorless form and the solution will remain pink (Reaction 2 will not take place). The end-point was a faint pink colour that persisted for 15 seconds. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/sosteacher/science/45432.shtml) Acetic acid added in Step 2 (iii) and Step 4 of the method will reduce the oxidation of the ascorbic acid by lower the pH of the orange juice to retard the action of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. If the pH is reduced below 3.0, the polyphenol oxidase will be inactivated. Acetic acid also reduces interference from any iron present, and thereby facilitates subsequent clarification of the extract. Since the ascorbic acid is not oxidized, it was existed in L-enantiomer form. Therefore, the L-enantiomer form of ascorbic acid was determined in this experiment. ( James , 1999 ) (http://ag.udel.edu/other_websites/foodworkshop/WSFWorkshop/Enzymatic%20Browning%20(Ch2).htm) image04.png From the experiment, the molarity of the ascorbic acid and the dye solution computed are 0.001134 mol/L and 9.8425 Ãâ€"10-4 mol/L respectively. Hence, the concentration of the ascorbic acid in the fruit juice is 3.27mg/100ml which is much more lower compared to the amount stated in the product label (Sunkist) in which the ascorbic acid content is 150mg/100ml. The high discrepancy between these two values might be due to the oxidization of ascorbic acid, which was exposed to the oxygen for a period of time due to the insufficient of apparatus in the laboratory. This can be improved by not exposing ascorbic acid to oxygen, metals, light and heat, as it can be oxidized easily. Therefore, it must be stored in dark and cold and but not in a metal containment. The mechanisms of ascorbic acids degradation is commonly due to the effect of metal ions and the presence or absence of oxygen. The rate of oxidative degradation of ascorbic acids is commonly proportional to the concentration of ascorbate monoanion (HA-), molecular oxygen and the metal ion. It is known that uncatalyzed oxidation is essentially negligible but the presence of trace metals in food are responsible for most of the oxidative degradations. The potency of metal ions in catalyzing ascorbate degradation depends on the metal involved, its oxidation state, and the presence of cheletors. For example, Cu(II) is about 80 times more potent than Fe(III) while te chelate of Fe(II) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (ETDA) complex is about 4 times more catalytic than free Fe(III). (Fennema , 1996) In this experiment, the potency of copper (II) sulfate in catalyzing ascorbate degradation was tested. One of the conical flask with only fruit juice act as control. It is titrated with 44.70ml of DCPIP for oxidation to occur. On the other hand, another conical flask with fruit juice and 1 mg of copper sulfate titrated with only 11.70ml of DCPIP for oxidation to occur. It is proven that the presence of metal ions responsible for accelerates the rate of degradation of ascorbic acid in an air-saturated fruit juice as less DCPIP is needed. During the step 5, bubbling through air is applied to the ascorbic acid to enhance the oxidation of ascorbic acid by the catalyst, copper. If not, it will consume a lot of time before the reaction can take place. Advantages 2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol served as a good electron acceptor. DCPIP is used as the titrant because it only oxidises ascorbic acid and not other substances that might be present and it acts as a self-indicator in the titration It is reasonably accurate, rapid, and convenient. Can be applied to many different types of samples. Disadvantages The end point of a titration for this reaction is difficult to ascertain due to the lack of complete decolourisation of the DCPIP. These methods are not specific or are not very sensitive. The reagent itself is not stable and needs standardization before use. If the sample solution is intensely coloured (fruit juice or syrup), end point detection will be difficult. Better choice for vitamin C According to the hypothesis, content of vitamin C in fresh fruit is suppose to be higher than commercial packet fruit juice. Due to a lot of processing, most of the vitamin C in commercial fruit juice are destroy. The fewer amounts of millilitres of juice it took to turn DCPIP from blue to clear, the larger the amount of vitamin C there was in the drink. Many of the commercial fruit juice are heavily fortified with vitamin C. Conclusion The molarity of the ascorbic acid and the dye solution computed are 0.001134 mol/L and 9.8425 Ãâ€"10-4 mol/L respectively. The concentration of the ascorbic acid in the fruit juice is3.27 mg/100mL which is much more lower than the ascorbic acid content of the label product (15 mg/100mL). this might be due to the oxidation of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is essential to humans. It is involved in the synthesis of collagen, which is the main constituent of skin, connective tissue, and the organic substance of bones and teeth. A deficiency of vitamin C results in a disease called scurvy. A quantity of 60 mg vitamin C per day is enough to prevent the disease, and this is the recommended daily dietary allowance (RDA). (http://a-s.clayton.edu/ptodebus/CHEM1211/lab/experiments/Vitamin%20C/Vit%20C%20titration%20v1.doc) REFERENCES Ceirwyn S.James , 1999, Analytical Chemistry of Foods , An Aspen Publications , page 138,139 Owen R. Fennema, 1996, Food Chemistry, Third Ed., Marcel Deeker,Inc., pg 561,562 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/sosteacher/science/45432.shtml http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrievedb=PubMedlist_uids=7016874dopt=Abstract http://darwin.nmsu.edu/~blyons/BCHE_397/VitaminC.htm http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/docs/vitc.pdf http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/chem/issues/kim-02-26-5/kim-26-5-8-0106-6.pdf#search=Determination%20of%20ascorbic%20acid%20by%20DCPIPIntroduction http://www.naturalhub.com/natural_food_guide_fruit_vitamin_c.htm http://ag.udel.edu/other_websites/foodworkshop/WSFWorkshop/Enzymatic%20Browning%20(Ch2).htm http://a-s.clayton.edu/ptodebus/CHEM1211/lab/experiments/Vitamin%20C/Vit%20C%20titration%20v1.doc

The Plague :: The Black Death

The Black Death caused a widespread death rate over the eastern and western parts of Europe during the fourteenth century. Not only did the Black Death take a devastating toll on human life, it also played an important role in shaping European life in years to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Black Death came in three forms, the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Each form killed people in it’s own vicious way. All forms were caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. The most commonly seen form was the bubonic plague. The death rate was thirty to seventy five percent. The symptoms were inflamed lymph nodes, armpits, neck and groin. The victims were subjected to headache, nausea, aching joints, and fever of 101- 105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness (The Black Death). Symptoms usually took one to seven days to appear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second most common form of the Black Death was the pneumonic plague; the victims often died before they could reach other places. The pneumonic plague mainly attacked the lungs. Symptoms included slimy sputum tinted with blood. (Sputum is saliva mixed with mucus exerted from the respiratory system.) The death rate was ninety to ninety five percent. Symptoms took one to seven days to appear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rarest form of the Black Death was the septicemic plague. The death rate was close to one hundred percent. The symptoms were high fever, and skin turning deep shades of purple, due to respiratory failure. Victims usually died the first day the symptoms appeared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The disease was spread through an infectious fever caused by the Yersinia pestis, passed on by the rat flea. The infection spread to anyone that had contact with the diseased. The infected found themselves pierced by a pain throughout their whole body. Soon after they developed on their thighs or the upper arms a lump the size of a walnut which some people called them â€Å"burn boils.† This then pierced them until the patient violently began vomiting blood. The vomiting of blood persisted without stopping for three days, which didn’t give the victims any time to heal their wounds. Swellings continued to expand until they eventually exploded, with death following immediately after. The whole process from transmission to death usually lasted three or four days. The plague was deathly terrifying to have and to witness, the terrible pain and the bizarre appearance both made the plague especially terrifying. People could not only get infected through the transmission of the disease but by talking to the sick touching them or any of their things.

Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law: A Book Review Essay

There are a number of laws in any given society. These laws seek to manage the nature of relationships and transactions in the society. The intent is for society to be orderly, stable and based on justice (Black, 1979). In an ideal world where every human being is just and acts for the benefit of all, law might not be applicable anymore, but given the complexities of society, these laws are important in maintaining order and enforcing justice. Laws are written and legislated usually by the duly elected members of the legislature of the government in any nation. These laws are based on the norms, the value system and at times, the dominant ideology in the society (Dworkin, 1986). The major aspects of the relationships and transactions between and among humans are covered by the laws of the land. There are laws that define what is considered as crime in the society and how such crimes will be punished if committed by any member of the given society. There are also laws that govern the contracts and obligations entered into by two or more people. Laws like these prescribe the ideal nature of such contracts and obligations, and also stipulate what are prohibited. In addition to this, there are laws that seek to protect citizens from the negligence of others or any acts committed that may impinge upon the rights of others (Glenn, 2000). The properties of citizens are also protected under the law. Such property laws govern the ownership of people over land and other properties that belong to them. This way, their rights to their properties are protected. On top of these laws, the Constitution is the basic law that guarantees the freedoms, rights, and duties of the citizens of a particular country. The Constitution is also supported by other laws and policies that seek to reinforce and guarantee the freedoms and rights of the citizens. This body of laws collectively seeks to make society orderly (Glenn, 2000). Legislators write and enact laws for the society, the police and other government agencies enforce such laws—those who uphold the law are rewarded, albeit subtly, and the violators are apprehended and punished accordingly. The violators are not punished immediately, however, as they are also entitled to be tried and litigated under the judicial system of the society where they belong to. This is where the judiciary steps in. Through the institution of the dispensation of justice, accused persons may argue about their innocence and the aggrieved parties may bring their cases to the judicial officials against the people who apparently wronged them. In this process, lawyers perform a significant task (Glenn, 2000). Lawyers in the Legal System Lawyers are the professionals who interpret the provisions of the laws of the society and looks at the principles in these laws and present solutions and applications regarding difficulties and interpretations of these laws. In litigations, the services of lawyers are hired by both the accused persons and the aggrieved party. This is because these laypersons do not have a nuanced understanding of the law, its applications, ambiguities and interpretations. As such, they would need the help of lawyers in sorting through their experiences and proving the merits of their case in the courts (Glenn, 2000). Consequently, they would seek redress in cases where their rights are impinged upon. This article reviews Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law, written by Lerman & Schrag (2005). It looks at the major topics covered by the authors as well as the main points they make in the book. It will also evaluate these arguments in light of several literatures written about the same subject matter. In order to review the book more effectively, the role of lawyers in the legal system and the kinds of relationships that they have with their clients should be reviewed first. This will provide a solid background about the law and the nature of the lawyers’ profession prior to the discussion of the major themes and issues discussed by Lerman & Schrag (2005) in their book. The law profession, however, is not limited to this kind of practice. There are various other ways in which lawyers use their knowledge and expertise. Several kinds of responsibilities are performed by lawyers, depending on the country in which they practice. These responsibilities include the following. For one, lawyers present legal arguments in the courts of law. In this regard, the lawyer represents his client in the court proceedings and presentation of arguments. Some countries may allow persons to present arguments in the courts without the help of lawyers. However, this may prove inefficient as individuals may not be aware of how the legal system works. Hence, lawyers make it possible for the proceedings to go as smoothly as possible (Kent, 2002). Lawyers are also engaged in the research, drafting and final writing of papers for the use of courts. Prior to the delivery of oral arguments, lawyers provide a brief of the backgrounds, facts and main points of the case. In short, lawyers are called upon to deliver both their written and oral arguments regarding the cases which they are handling. Before the actual process of litigation and court hearing, however, the lawyer would need to be in consultation with his or her clients about the provisions of the law and other matters that directly affect the case being brought to the courts. Even without litigation or court cases, lawyers still provide necessary legal advice to those who seek their services (Abel & Lewis, 1988). Part of the lawyers’ work is also the protection of intellectual property rights and the management of contracts. In relation to this, contracts are either drafted by a lawyer or the draft passes through them for review and revision in accordance with what the law allows in such cases. The transfer of deeds of real properties is also done by lawyers. The legal documents as well as the necessary processes are facilitated by the lawyer in this regard. Moreover, the wills, trusts of people who expect their demise soon; or those who have already passed away are implemented by lawyers. Lastly, lawyers prosecute or defend people who are suspected of having committed crime (Abel & Lewis, 1988). Before a person could practice law, he should have completed the prescribed course of study, and usually, he should have passed the bar examinations. The purpose of this is to ensure that those who practice law are indeed capable of doing so and that they are accountable to the government and to the society as a whole in the practice of their profession (Abel & Lewis, 1988). Lawyers and the Need for Regulation Requiring lawyers to acquire license prior to practicing law is one strategy in regulating the profession. Only those who pass the required standards would be able to practice law. Once the lawyers have their licenses, however, the necessity for regulation is still evident because of the relationship of the lawyer with its clients. The rights of the clients of lawyers should also be ensured and protected against the malpractice and abuse of lawyers. In some countries, the Department of Justice is the government agency that governs regulates lawyers. In other countries, it is the Supreme Court (Abel & Lewis, 1988). The role of lawyers in the society is important. As such, should they fail or make mistakes, they compromise the reputation of the profession. Because of the sensitivity of the relationship of lawyers with their clients, the need for regulation in the profession cannot be overemphasized. Against the backdrop of the ethical issues besieging the legal profession, the textbook on legal ethics written by Lerman and Schrag (2005) provides practical guidance together with an explanation of the foundational principles and the laws that govern the situations where issues of legal ethics may arise. Another important reason for the regulation of the practice of law is the existence of a myriad of ethical issues that should be confronted by lawyers in their profession. Lerman and Schrag’s (2005) Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law, explores the laws and other related institutions that govern and regulate lawyers and the way that they practice law. In addition to this, the authors dealt with the practical aspects of these laws as they apply to torts, contracts and obligations, the prosecution and defense of suspected criminals, real estate, family law and civil law. The authors formatted their book such that it would be easily accessible and readable. It also contains digests of important related doctrines to the topic that they are exploring. Such highlighting of related doctrines can be found throughout the book. They also presented judicial opinions in their edited versions so that the student will not need to go through every minute detail of the cases. In terms of presentation, the authors used the Socratic method of presenting questions and answers for the purpose of presenting the laws and the major issues governing such issues. Since the law profession is rife with ethical issues, the authors also found it expedient to include rules governing professional conduct. Such set of rules are important for lawyers in helping them practice their profession. This cursory examination of the book will be further expanded in the succeeding sections. A detailed review of the chapters of the book will be made. This review will also look at the language used by the authors, the level of language, the main points of their chapters and the solutions they provided to several problematic areas presented in the text. Background on the Authors The authors of Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law have had experience and authority in the subject that they have written about. They have had extensive classroom experience; they have also researched and practiced the law profession throughout their career and they have been engaged in the policy-making process. This broad range of experience make Lerman and Schrag as veritable authors in the field of legal ethics and their book is a testament to these experiences. Lisa G. Lerman Since 1987, Lisa G. Lerman has served as a law professor at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. She has had extensive experience in teaching contracts, exercising lawyers’ professional responsibility and the practicum on public policy. In addition to this, she has written numerous articles on law firms, the practice of law, about lawyers, and law education. Her focus used to be domestic law; however, she has focused on the relationship of lawyers and clients, together with the issue of dishonesty of lawyers occupying her attention. Prof. Lerman has long been considered an expert on ethics on the legal profession. In recognition of her advocacy, she has been named the chair of the ABA National Conference on Professional Responsibility’s Planning Committee. Given these plethora of achievements and experiences, she is an authority on the subject she has co-written with Philip G. Schrag (Catholic University of America Website, 2007). Philip G. Schrag Philip G. Schrag, on the other hand, is a professor of Civil Procedure at Georgetown Law School of the Georgetown University. He is currently the Director of the Center for Applied Legal Studies. He also provides career guidance to lawyers through the Public Interest Law Scholars Program. He has also served as a civil servant by writing legislations, notable among these are New York City’s Consumer Protection Act of 1969 and his involvement with several boards and agencies of the government. He has written twelve books (Georgetown Law Website, 2007). Organization of the Book Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law has been organized thematically. It has ten (10) chapters that explore deeply and comprehensively the end-to-end practice of the legal profession from the provision of legal advice, the conduct of the representation of clients in the courts as well as the legal and ethical obligations of lawyers even after they have represented a client. The Regulation of Lawyers Chapter 1 deals with the regulation of lawyers. They explained the basis of the process of making prospective lawyers go through the bar examinations in order to get their license. They also enumerated and explained the institutions that make the regulations in the legal profession. These institutions are crucial in ensuring that lawyers are practicing their profession in accordance with the law and without impinging upon the rights of their clients. These institutions are: (1) the highest state courts; (2) bar associations; (3) lawyer disciplinary agencies; (4) the American Bar Association; (5) the American Law Institute; (6) Federal and State trial courts; and (7) the Legislatures among others. The authors also took a look at the law governing lawyers. They walked through the special provisions of this law and cited instances in which the provisions of this law could be useful and where there are ambiguities and vagueness. In addition to this, Lerman and Schrag provided cases and examples to illustrate the principles that they discussed. Lawyers and the Confidentiality of Clients Client confidences and the duties of lawyers to protect this confidential information is the subject matter of Chapter 2. The duo started out by defining the bases of confidentiality and the way that clients provide their trust to their lawyers. There are instances, however, in which this duty to protect confidentiality may be exempted and the law and national interest may even compel the lawyer to disclose some important matters confided to him by the client. In any case, however, the lawyer should never disclose confidential information from a client in the interest of personal gain or for the use of another client as this may be construed as a violation of the trust granted to the lawyer by the client. The chapter closes with several tips and suggestions on informing the clients about confidentiality and how such confidentiality may be protected.